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Amen, alright the part of the chapter we are going to focus on this evening is found in Isaiah chapter 52 verse number 1 through 3 where the Bible says, Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion, put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city, for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust, arise and sit down, O Jerusalem, loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion, for thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for naught, and ye shall be redeemed without money. The title of the message tonight is when you can no longer shake yourself. When you can no longer shake yourself. You see here in this passage of scripture we see that, and not just this one but many passages of scripture, Old and New Testament where God is basically pleading with his people. You know it's just like they fail, they do wrong, they get away from God and what happens God comes and says shake yourself, shake the dust from off your feet, get right with God, get back on your feet. The Bible says that a just man falleth seven times and what does he do? He rises up again the Bible says. And we see over and over again that God pleads with his people to be determined to get right with God and not to allow failures to hold them back. God here is pleading with the cause of his own people, why? Well bottom line is Israel just got himself in a lot of mess. You know they're constantly serving devils and going into idolatry and getting away from God and God in his love said man just get away from that, shake the dust off and serve me. Their bad decisions left them in the dust, it left them spiritually in low condition. You know oftentimes especially in our personal lives you know we can find ourselves in that same exact position. We fail God or we do things that are not pleasing to God and we're trying to go forward and what happens? We take two steps backwards right? Maybe we don't read our Bible as often as we should or we miss a prayer day or we're not sowing the way we're supposed to or some spiritual discipline is lacking in our faith. What happens? God is like hey just dust off your feet, get right with the Lord, go forward. Well far too many times Christians just stay stagnant in that area don't they? You know they allow Satan and the lives and their personal imaginations to get in the way to beat them down so they can stay down. But God doesn't want that, he wants us to get up and just shake it off and go forward for him. Through these failures and stumbling God in his mercy encourages people to shake the dust from off themselves. Look at Isaiah chapter number one. Isaiah chapter number one. Isaiah chapter number one. You know I like that phrase that he uses just like shake it off. Anyone ever fallen like on their face or something? You know and you get up and you're just like. And that's what it is it's just like you're just going to get back up and shake it off and just go forward especially if you fall like in the middle of the street. How embarrassing is that? You know what I mean it's like just act like act natural you know. I remember one time there's a guy and he was on a skateboard actually he was on the street and he was skating he was skating and I don't know he must have hit a pebble or something he went flying. And he face planted I mean everyone saw all the lights were red the cars are packed. They saw him fall you know but as soon as he fell he got up and he looked at that pebble like it was the pebble's fault. He was like where did that thing come from you know. And then it made everyone else think yeah where did that pebble come from you know. But you know what us as Christians we need to do the same thing. Just get up you know don't stay down just get up. Isaiah chapter 1 verse 16 says wash you make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil. I like what it says in verse 17 learn to do well seek judgment relieve the oppressed judge the fatherless plead for the widow come now and let us reason together say the Lord though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool if you be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the land verse 20 but if you refuse and rebel you shall be devoured with the sword for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken I like what it says in verse 17 learn to do well you know it doesn't come natural for us right. What comes natural sometimes is to do wrong to be lazy to not do what we're supposed to do. God says you need to learn. We need to learn the judgments of God learn how to do right learn to be disciplined learn how to obey God. It reminds me in Romans chapter 7 go to Psalms 103 I'm going to read to you from Romans chapter number 7 in verse 18 where Paul says for I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing for to will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I find not. Sometimes it's just hard to do that which you're supposed to do and sometimes we can't find the will or we have the will but we can't we don't know how to perform that good thing that God wants us to do and what does God say you need to learn you need to learn how to do right you need to learn how to overcome sin in your life you need to learn how to overcome bad habits that displease God you need to learn Psalms 103 verse 8 and I'm thankful for the mercy of God I am I'm thankful for the grace of God verse 8 the Bible says the Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger it doesn't say he's not angry he's just slow to anger and plenteous in mercy he will not always chide neither will he keep his anger forever he has not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities for as the heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy toward them that fear him and look let me say this if we want to obtain the mercy of God we got to have a proper fear we need to fear God it's not like well we could just live the way we want and get involved in all kinds of sin and be involved in drunkenness be involved in drugs be involved in pornography be involved in iniquity and nothing's going to happen no there needs to be a proper fear for us to obtain the mercy of God God in his grace allows us to shake ourselves off when we fail though because look the honest truth is we all fail we all do wrong we all miss the mark let me give you some instances where we can shake ourselves okay come with me to Matthew chapter number 10 Matthew chapter 10 I'm thankful that God admonishes his people hey shake it off you know too many times Christians they fail and then they allow that one failure to follow them for like five ten years to follow them for six months for a year and they just stay down and they don't get back up they don't get to do it and they don't get to reap the blessings of just being obedient to God you know God said look you eat the best of the land if you just be obedient you know instead of having a pity party and getting under the juniper tree like Elijah did just go do what you're supposed to do no pity party too many Christians nowadays they just want a pity party they want people to feel sorry for them well it's so-and-so's fault it's so no it's no one's fault it's your fault okay just get right with God confess it get up and go do what you're supposed to do that's that's what God wants from us Matthew chapter 10 verse number 5 the Bible says here these 12 Jesus sent forth and commanded them saying go not into the way of the Gentiles and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and as ye go preach saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand heal the sick cleanse the lepers raise the dead cast out devils freely ever see freely give provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in your purses nor script for your journey neither two coats neither shoes nor yet staves for the workman is worthy of his of his meat and into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter inquire who in it is worthy and thereby till ye go thence and when ye come into a house salute it and if the house be worthy let your peace come upon it but if it be not worthy let your peace return to you and look what it says and whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words when ye depart out of that out of that house or city what does it say shake off the dust of your feet you know what I'm saying there's gonna be times when we preach the gospel and they just don't want to listen there's gonna be times when you knock doors and you knock doors and people are just not receptive not receptive don't let that get you down don't let that discourage you shake the dust off your feet go to the next city go to the next door you know we often just stop doing what we're supposed to be doing just based on one bad experience you know it's just like it didn't go well for me I just I tried so and it just didn't work out and no just dust off your feet there's someone out there who really wants to listen to you okay and by the way take the bad experiences and use them as examples we love to hear stories like that okay tell us how they cussed you out tell us how they threatened you tell us how they chased you tell us whatever they said to you it encourages us why because misery loves company amen and we're all gonna suffer that type of persecution every once in a while but don't let that discourage you from continuing to do what you're supposed to do dust off your feet when you fail you can just shake it off okay and thank God for that and let me say this not everyone's gonna reject you amen often we give up far too soon and it's just like I'm discouraged I can't I can't do it look we all have our bad weeks bad months amen I mean it's just like I didn't see anybody safe today that's all right hey tomorrow's another day the next door is another door amen let it be like water off a duck's back there are times in ministry when you're gonna face dead ends you're gonna feel like you're a failure but just shake it off going out sowing and sometimes you just don't see anybody safe but you know what you're still successful why because you sowed seeds amen and that's what it's that's what it's about we're out there to sow the seeds to see people saved just shake it off go to Philippians chapter number three Philippians chapter number three shake off the dust of your feet of course not literally you know I mean you don't I mean you could do that if you want to you know it's just like all right you don't listen that's fine he's like what's that supposed to mean read the Bible you'll see what I mean you know I don't do that but spiritually it's just like all right I'm not gonna let that bother me you know by the way you know you'll meet some mean people out there you'll meet some rude people no you know nothing before you even knock on the door you know they have to have they have those gated doors where they can see you but you can't see them like you're about to knock they're like no thank you it's just like I got a hundred dollars for you it's like okay you know but it's like no no why I just want no I can I just leave it no you know it's just like man jerk fine I'll go somewhere else you know but don't let that bog you down you know don't let that get give you a bad spirit and a bad attitude for the remainder of the day it's gonna happen in fact laugh it off my man that guy's funny I came to bring this guy salvation he really didn't want it and by the way the Bible says by thy words thou shall be justified and by thy words thou shall be condemned that's what I come for myself with it's like man that guy just condemned himself and on the day of judgment that thing's gonna rewind and play from no no you remember that no Philippians chapter 3 verse 13 says brethren I count now myself to have to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before Paul I'm look Paul I'm sure there's a lot of failures in Paul's life what do you do he goes I'm not gonna I'm just gonna forget it you know forget the failures of yesterday and just go forward for God go to Joshua chapter 7 shake it off shake it off Joshua chapter number 7 Joshua chapter number 7 verse number 8 Joshua chapter 7 verse number 8 the Bible says Oh Lord what shall I say when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies for the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it and shall environ us about and cut off our name from the earth and what wilt thou do unto thy great name and the Lord said unto Joshua what does it say get thee up wherefore lies thou thus upon thy face of course we know the story they're trying to overcome AI there was there was there was a sin in the camp and what happened they were defeated I mean it was a big big failure for Israel and you know Joshua's coming to God he's like God what are you gonna do this is for lightning and what did what did God say get up you get up you know instead of having a pity party acting like it's your fault or whatever just get up you need to just get up look at verse 13 up sanctify the people and say sanctify yourselves against tomorrow for thus saith the Lord God of Israel there is an accursed thing in the midst of the old Israel thou canst not stand before that enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you and God's saying just get up and fix the problem look instead of just dwelling on the failure and man I'm a failure I can't do anything for God why don't you just pinpoint where the problem is fix it up sanctify them to sanctify thyself and go forward for God God is not trying to rub sin in our face and just say man you just you know he says up fix it just fix it get up and fix it go to Acts chapter 14 you know I remember when I used to when I used to kickboxing they put me up against this one guy he was like a professional and he like almost shattered my shins I mean this guy he was like a 300 pounder we're supposed to be sparring and he just kicked my shins to do can no longer and I remember falling to the ground and after like my shins were like so swollen and there's blood clots everywhere it was bad but I remember every time I'd fall down he'd say get up get up and I was like look at the time like man I still got more we still got a lot longer to go and I get up and what would happen you kick me in the shins and I would block and block and I fall down on the ground and you look over at me and you say get up get up we're not done yet and then what happened I get up fight some more kick me in the shins I fall back down to the ground what would he say get up you know sometimes there's a lot of fights in this world spiritually speaking and it's just like sometimes we're just falling and falling and failing and failing what happens it's just like get up just get up you know what good is it to just stay down you know it's better to just get up take the blows take the hits and grow stronger amen look at Acts chapter 14 verse 19 says and there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium who persuaded the people and having stoned Paul drew him out of the city supposing he had been dead how be it as the disciples stood round about him he rose up and came into the city and the next day he departed departed with Barnabas and Derby I mean that was like a failure I mean the guy they hated him so bad that they stoned him and what do you do he just got up and went to the next city to preach you know and that's what we got to do I'm thankful that when we fail we could just shake it off and go forward for God go to Psalms 126 and I'm talking of course in context right now just preaching the gospel you know knocking doors because we're all gonna have times when we fail you know when we think we fail right when we was like man I didn't see as many souls saved this time as I did last time or whatever maybe we go through like a dry spill and I've gone through those times and it's just like people are saying they've seen people say that I don't see anybody say you know what do we do shake it off shake it off and keep going look what Psalms 126 verse 5 says they that so in tears shall reap in joy he that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with them God says you will doubtless come back okay and by the way it may not be today it may not be tomorrow but you will doubtless come back we God promises it that it'll happen don't get discouraged when you're not preaching the gospel don't get discouraged when you're preaching the gospel to your unsafe family okay you're like man I don't know I have family members that are unsaved I try to witness to them I try to do this just have faith you will doubtless come back and as the Bible says again with rejoicing bringing your sheaves with you God promises it God's just looking for a determined Christian to just keep at it keep at it you'll do just fine go to Acts chapter 28 Acts chapter 28 I like this story here in Acts chapter 28 and verse number one this is all introductory verse number one the Bible says and when they escaped then they knew that the island was called Melita and the barbarous people showed us no little kindness for they kindled the fire and received us everyone because of the present rain and because of the cold and when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire there came a viper out of the heat and fastened on his hand and when the barbarian saw the venomous beast hang on his hand they said among themselves no doubt this man is a murderer whom though he had escaped the sea yet vengeance suffereth not to live and he shook off the beast into the fire and felt no harm what did he do by the way you know he's there a viper jumps out of the fire and bites him and he just shakes it off into the fire now I guarantee you that probably still hurt okay I'm never been bit by a snake or anything like that I don't want to be I'm sure it's very painful okay but you know what he did he just shook it off and let me say this what is a serpent a picture of the devil right and there are times in our life when the devil just comes and just tries to latch on you and just bite you and cause you pain and discouragement and all these things and just lies to you and does all kinds of stuff to just discourage you make you try to get you to become depressed and and and all these things you know what you gotta do just shake that thing off throw it into the fire you man go to Philippians chapter 1 hey when you're attacked just shake it off you know and sometimes you know it's not necessary yourself though the Bible says you know that our heart is deceitful above all things desperately wicked who can know it and that's very true but you know what sometimes like Satan just uses people you know whether it's your family members it's friends it's people who are just not walking in the spirit or whatever and they just discourage you you know what I mean and what do you gotta do you just gotta shake it off shake that viper off into the fire amen you don't have to call them vipers but you know if the shoe fits amen but sometimes you just gotta shake it off and and often people just say the stupidest things you know you're going through a hard time and here comes mr. Pharisee and they just like discourage you with the words and it's just like thanks I really needed that right what do you do you just shake it off you shake it off Philippians chapter 1 let me say this suffering is just a part of the Christian life isn't it you know that that includes criticisms that includes persecutions that includes all types of afflictions something that would cause us discomfort that's part of the Christian life it's just suffering Philippians 1 28 the Bible says and nothing terrified by your adversaries verse 28 which is to them an evident token of perdition but to you of salvation and that of God front you it is given in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake the Bible says you know when you start suffering for the cause of Christ or you're suffering reproach or whatever it may be don't don't think like something strange happened to you as the Bible says it's just part of it okay you need to get rooted in Christ get rooted in the Word of God get rooted in prayer don't be one that just do it for a while and when persecution cometh arises because of the word you fall away don't let that be said of you you need to be a rooted Christian and say this look great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them look measure yourself do I love the Word of God as I ought to if I get offended easily and I just fall away by the wayside it just goes to show we didn't love the Word of God as much as we should all right when the snake bites shake it off when that old serpent comes and gives you a rough week look we all have rough weeks rough days rough months amen we just got to shake it off and keep going forward for the Lord go to 1st Peter chapter 3 1st Peter chapter 3 imma read to you from 2nd Timothy chapter 3 1st Peter 3 in verse 17 imma read to you from 2nd Timothy chapter 3 verse 12 yay and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution and let me say this when you're suffering persecution just know this you're doing something right why because yay all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution if you're not suffering persecution it just goes to show you're not living a godly life so don't let that discourage you may that be a way you can measure your Christian life and say man I guess I am doing something right people are hating on me amen people are trying to discourage me they're trying to get me to quit and they're criticizing me they're slandering me you're doing something right it's part of the Christian life 1st Peter chapter 3 verse 17 for it is better if the will of God be so that you suffer for well-doing for evil doing let me say this if you're suffering because you're doing you're being a knucklehead and you're like involved in sin and you're doing something wrong no that's not good okay we're talking about living a godly life you're living a godly life you're being persecuted for that that's a good thing if you're being persecuted for wrongdoing that's a bad thing you guys get that 1st Peter chapter number 4 go to chapter 4 and verse 19 the Bible says wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit their keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful creator look when you're going through those hard times that's when you got to commend yourself to the Lord and say Lord just help me with this help me to just endure help me to be patient help me to realize and to memorize and to apply that vengeance is mine say the Lord I will repay go to 2nd Corinthians chapter number 1 2nd Corinthians chapter number 1 man those that's that serpent that snake will bite you know if you're not careful man they'll take that will take you out of church that'll keep you from reading your Bible that'll keep you from praying that'll keep you from doing what you're supposed to be doing 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verse 3 says blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort who comforted us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God for as the sufferings of Christ abound in us sore consolation also abounded by Christ you know it's a blessing and by the way the worst thing you could do when you're going through a hard time is get out of church you said why is that because you need God's people to encourage you you know you need the comfort of God's people that when you come you're edified you're excited you get around people who have gone through the same things you've gone through and guess what that encourages you to keep going forward we're not supposed to be these lone Christians that go to YouTube Baptist temple and just watch the preaching from there we get no fellowship whatsoever that doesn't that's not that's not biblical you need to be in the house of God with God's people getting edified and helping you to go forward for him go to 1st John chapter number 2 1st John chapter number 2 this is still all introduction 1st John chapter number 2 and verse 14 the Bible reads here I have written unto you fathers because you have known him that is from the beginning I have written unto you young men because you're strong and the Word of God abideth in you and ye have overcome the wicked one the Bible says look that goes to show that how do we overcome the wicked one when the Word of God abides in us when we're memorizing the Word of God when we're reading the Word of God that's how we can overcome the wicked one God gives us the ability to just shake it off okay don't let that thing stick don't let that thing latch just shake it off go to judges chapter 16 judges chapter number 16 say wow brother this is a very positive message I feel very just I feel it I feel edified you know we're getting we're getting to the that was introduction just from so don't judge too quickly judges chapter 16 so look we know that when we're going through a heart that when we fail in our Christian lives we just got to shake it off you know we're out sowing you know if you if you miss yesterday's Bible reading if you miss today's Bible reading shake it off and just go back home and read it okay don't be lazy ask God for help for diligence and just crack open that book and read it you know if you failed in your in your in your prayer life today hey the day is not over okay you can still spend time with the Lord through prayer pray without ceasing ask the Lord to help you if you fail through so any that's all right hey I mean there's still this week there's still gonna be more opportunities whatever area you can you can think of if you fail that it's all right just shake it off there's gonna be times when Satan comes and he's gonna try to discourage you shake off the Viper into the fire just shake it off judges chapter 16 in verse number nine of course we know that Samson is the strong one of the strongest men in the in the Bible right very strong the Bible said the Spirit of Lord will come upon him verse number nine the Bible says now there were men lying in wait abiding with her in the chamber and she said unto him the Philistines be upon thee who's talking here Delilah right and Samson is involved in a very bad relationship okay and he's with an unsaved girl this is not a woman that his parents approved of by the way let me say this no Christian ought to marry an unsafe person okay that's called being unequally yoked you said well that was I did that it was in the past I didn't know well guess what you did it in ignorance and that's fine but I'm talking I'm not talking to the people who are already married I'm talking to the people who haven't gotten married yet amen you shouldn't marry an unsafe person that's to be unequally yoked God has requirements and says you ought to marry a believer and look strike number one Samson's doing wrong here he's he's he's getting with the girl who's unsaved the Philistine be the Philistines be upon thee Samson and he break the widths as a thread of toe is broken when he touch at the fire so his strength was was not known so what does he do you know he lies to Delilah and and she wraps him up and what happens the Philistines come he just breaks out of he just shakes it off you know he just gets out of there and he puts a whooping on the Philistines and man it was a good chap it was a good couple verses to read right go to judge you're in 16 verse 12 Delilah therefore took new ropes and bound him therewith and said unto him the Philistines be upon thee Samson and there were liars in weight abiding in the chamber and he break them from off his arms like like a thread I mean it was like nothing who's just like back you know and one thing that just shocks me about Samson is how stupid he is you know if you're dating a girl and you know she's trying to get you killed here it's probably not the best girl to be with you know I mean that's that's you probably want to get away from that woman okay but yet what does he do he goes back and then he get I mean he's given her and he said yeah if you do this you know you I'll be as other men you know he's telling her these things it's just like Samson this woman's trying to kill you she's trying to kill you man get away from her look at verse 14 and she fastened him with the pin and said unto him the Philistines be upon thee Samson and he awake that of out of his sleep and went away with the pin of the beam and with the web what do you do he shook it off again fool me once shame on me or shame on you fool me twice shame on you fool me thrice you're just an idiot I mean you're just you just keep going back you keep going back you keep going back verse number 20 the Bible says and she said the Philistines be upon thee Samson and he awoke out of his sleep and said I will go out as other time as at other times before what is he saying he goes I'm just gonna do the same thing I've always been doing and shake myself right what is he saying I'm gonna break it I'm gonna get away from it like I did all the other times just like when they tried it with the thread just like they tried it with the new robes whatever it was I'm gonna shake myself off as other times but look what the Bible says and he was not that the Lord was departed from him ain't that the scariest thing to read he's like I'm just gonna shake it off like all the other times no Samson guess what there comes a time when you can no longer shake yourself there comes a time when God's mercy and God's grace says okay that's enough it's time for you to suffer the consequences of your actions okay you before it's just like okay I'll be merciful the first time I'll be merciful the second time I'll be merciful the third the third time but now you're just being stupid now you're just being rebellious now you're just being stubborn and guess what you can't shake yourself this time so whatever happened to shaking yourself no there just comes a time when God says all right you want to be stubborn you're gonna go ahead suffer the consequences of your actions and far too many Christians think they think they could just play God and they think they can just continue in sin and well no one's watching the pastor's not here no one knows what I'm watching no one knows what I'm listening to no one knows what I'm doing well God knows and there comes a time when you can no longer shake yourself and you think we need to get to a point to realize I need to fear God and depart from this sin because there will come a time when God says fine you want that then you get it along with the consequences thereof you're not gonna be able to shake yourself off this time go to Proverbs chapter 29 you see you can shake yourself when you miss the mark when Satan attacks but when you persist to be a stubborn Christian just stubborn you don't want to change you don't want to repent you don't want to get right with God God says fine that's fine I'll just let you suffer the consequences of your actions I'd rather just be like you know what the Lila tried to kill me that first time I'm just gonna go ahead and fix it this time because obviously he was involved in a very bad relationship he knew that his parents didn't approve of it he knew that God didn't approve of it but what do you do he continued in that relationship and you know what to be honest with you after the second time he probably just been like you don't forget it I'm done with this relationship and God part would have been more merciful to him and help them in it and he still would have been used mightily of God but now what he's a byword and a proverb to people to Christians to say look don't do what Samson did and many Christians because they're stubborn they're stubborn they've got a stiff neck guess what they're gonna become a byword and a proverb one day you're gonna become someone's sermon illustration amen why because you think you could just continue to do that that action whatever it is that you're doing be stubborn and what happens God is gonna punish you for it so God is a loving God yeah and it is love what does the Bible say that he chastises those whom he loves and it hurts when God spanks amen Proverbs 29 verse 1 the Bible says he that being often reproved hardened if his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy often means like this happened more than once you know God corrected more than once God tried to help more than once and what happens they're suddenly destroyed and that without remedy in other words you can't fix it a lot of Christians just are living suffering the consequences of their actions and I guarantee if you talk to them they would try to tell Christians to avoid that path let's just get it right the first time let's learn how to repent let's learn how to get right with God let's learn how to confess our sins let's learn how to have a clean heart let's learn not to be hypocrites amen to live the same way here as we go when we go back home at work wherever we're at do right because why because there comes a time when you can just no longer shake yourself he's like well they didn't find out about it this time well that meant this you know next time maybe your last chance this may have been your last chance look for go to first Samuel chapter 15 first Samuel chapter 15 you know God punishes stubborn Christians what is a stubborn Christian is when you tell them to do something and they just they know what's right and they just don't want to do it you know they don't want to get right with God they don't want to fix the problem in their life they just want to continue in that sin first Sam in chapter 15 and verse 22 the Bible reads here and Samuel say said hath the Lord as great delight and burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams for rebellion as it is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry because thou has rejected the word of the Lord he has also rejected thee from being King God says stubbornness is like iniquity it's just it's like the same thing because you know you're supposed to be what you're supposed to do you don't do it you know you're supposed to read in your Bible you don't do it you know you're supposed to be so winning and you don't do it you know you're supposed to be in church and you don't do it you know you're supposed to clean get that sin out of your life and you just don't do it you're being stubborn is what it's saying you think of the word stubborn that first part is stubbed like a tree stub they just don't want to move it's like move it's like no I'm good where I'm at I'm just gonna stay where I'm at well okay then you're gonna suffer the consequences of your actions look at Judges go back to Judges chapter 2 Judges chapter number 2 and look this is more like a what do they call a preemptive message where it's just like maybe you're maybe you're sitting here you're right with God everything is going great and you're living for the Lord you're doing that what you're supposed to be doing good stay that way because there's gonna come a time when you do fail or there's gonna come a time when when maybe your heart's not as right as before and guess what the temptation is gonna be like well I can just keep keep keep at it like this I can just stay in this sin I know one's gonna find out I live very far or no one's around me my parents don't check up on me or no one really cares no one really knows well guess what God knows and the Bible tells us that there's gonna come a time when you just can't shake yourself off that sin and you will suffer the consequences of it Judges chapter number 2 verse number 19 says and it came to pass when the judge was dead that they returned and corrupt themselves more than their fathers and following other gods to serve them and to bow down unto them they cease not from their own doings nor from their stubborn way look these are people who are serving the gods of their fathers and sometimes Christians they just blame their own sin oh this is the kind of home I grew up in you know this is the sins that were involved this is just no that's not that's not your parents fault that's your fault because everyone is responsible for their own actions okay and yeah you may have come from a different home a difficult background whatever it may be but guess what you are a Christian now you have the Word of God you have the Holy Spirit you have a church you have that which is necessary to live a holy and godly life and it's not your parents fault if you're involved in sin or your heart is cold no that's your decision your choice go to Psalms chapter 78 Psalms chapter number 78 there comes a time when you just can't shake yourself better to get it right now okay and you say man brother Bruce but I'm not like suffering the consequences of my actions you know you may be like I'm the number two you know where Delilah is trying to kill you and you're not there yeah I'm the number three you might want to just get it right right now don't be like Samson don't know I'm saying I wonder how many times I can do this before like I get caught well how many times I can do this before you know God punishes me why don't you just get it right now okay before you're suddenly destroyed and that without remedy look at Psalm 78 verse 6 says that that the generation to come I know them even the children which should be born who should arise and declare them to their children that they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep his commandments it might not be as their father's a stubborn and rebellious generation a generation that set not their heart aright and whose spirit was not steadfast with God what is it what is it defining as being stubborn someone who did not set their heart aright and whose spirit was not steadfast with God you know someone who's just not willing to get their heart right and by the way when someone's not willing to resist the truth it that's a sign of pride okay pride is not why I believe I know what I believe in it and what I believe is right no that's not pride pride is when you're not willing to admit that you're wrong okay pride is when you're not willing to admit that you're wrong or you know or you know that you're wrong but you're not willing to correct that which is wrong okay and if we're gonna if we're gonna live a life that's pleasing to God we need to be humble people and humility says I'm wrong I'm doing wrong God help me I confess it help me to forsake it and to get right with God Samson became a stubborn man he knew full well that he was in a bad relationship you know and and look young guys you got to be careful what relationship you get involved in you know you're like well I'm trying to winter to the Lord well I hope you're not doing anything before that amen I hope you're not riding in a car alone with them amen by the way the Bible doesn't say it's a sin but you know what the fact of the matter is if you're riding alone in a car with the girl more than likely something's gonna happen wow I read my Bible today though I you know I memorized the scripture well did you read the part where it says make not provision for the flesh yeah okay you got to be careful with these things and the fact of the matter is pride is also when we think that we're above it well we don't think we'll fall we're doing all I'm godly and I I've won so many souls to the Lord and man I'm a hellfire and damnation preacher Baptist and I don't have to work no no no no no humility is like you know what I don't put myself in a situation where I can do wrong okay go to go back to to judges are you guys in judges where you guys at go to judges chapter 16 you know God will allow us to shake ourselves when we mess up in a sense of like when we know or we don't know we're doing wrong it's just like we did something in ignorance or it's like you know we're trying to do right and it's it's hard for us and we're learning to do well okay got a sure mercy I'm thankful for that but there comes a time when we're just being stubborn we don't want to change you know we know what God says about a certain subject and we just persist we just want to continue in that and it comes upon when God says okay in order for me to help you I'm just gonna allow you to fall flat on your face and suffer the consequences of the path you're going on so you can correct that issue and let me say this pain is pain is what God uses to get us right sometimes you know it's got to hurt sometimes and when the pain is there and he inflicts pain upon our lives it helps us to realize the severity of the situation okay judges chapter 16 so let me give you a couple things here what happens when you can no longer shake yourself what happens when you can no longer shake yourself look at verse 21 the Bible says but the Philistines took him and put out his eyes I mean man talk about pain right you know the first thing that goes when you could no longer shake yourself when you're in that situation you lose your vision okay when you persist to be a stubborn Christian and you don't want to get right with God you actually like lose like your spiritual vision why is that because the Bible says where there is no vision the people perish but he that keepeth the law happiest he so vision according to the Word of God is it's not a vision like I just had a dream you know and and God spoke to me in the dream no we don't believe in that junk a vision is when we get vision from the Word of God and what happens is when we're stubborn we can no longer learn the information that God wants us to learn we no longer have a biblical vision we start losing our desire and our delight for the Word of God and I mean Samson was supposed to be used in a great and mighty way I mean this guy was the strongest man that ever lived he was gonna be a judge of Israel he was a judge but he finished his life wrong it's bad the way he finishes life and for the for the last couple thousand years guess what we've been using them as a bad example what not to do look when I finish my life I want people to look at me and and being as an example of what to do right I don't want to be example of what not to do like you want to know what not to do go ahead and look at brother Bruce's life that's something you don't want to be I never want to be like that and I'm sure you don't either we want to be Christians that there yeah we're not perfect but we're living for God we're learning to do well and God can use us as an example towards other people to say that's the way you gotta live this part this guy wasn't perfect that lady wasn't perfect but they live for God and they did something right don't be a byword in a problem in a proverb as the Bible says when you persist in your stubbornness you lose your vision that's why you know you read your Bible out of discipline and not out of the light and by the way it's good to read your Bible out of discipline be have the discipline to do but you got to get to a point where you're actually delighting and reading God's Word where it becomes something you look forward to doing okay where it's like honey as the Bible says I've esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary foods when it becomes so important to your life that it's just like man I look forward to reading the Bible but you know when you're stubborn and you're just persisting in your sin guess what it's like very hard to read the Word of God why is that because the Bible says that the Word of God is quick and powerful sharper than any two-edged sword it pierces even to the dividing of sunder of soul and spirit joints in the marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts of the intense of the heart it corrects us the perfect law of Liberty corrects us and what do we do when we go to the perfect law of Liberty it's like a mirror we look into it into that glass and we see all our blemishes we see the areas and we lot in our life that we need to correct but you know what happens a lot of people just stubborn people they go to the Word of God and they walk away forgetting what manner of man they were you know they just read it they walk away and go back into their sin and eventually you'll just stop reading it entirely okay now we need to get to a point where we're not stubborn but we're getting something out of God's Word and it's helping us to correct our lives it's helping us to live right second Peter chapter number one go to second Peter chapter number one when you could no longer shake yourself you start losing your vision for the Word of God second Peter chapter number one verse number eight the Bible says for if these things of course it gives a list of different virtues that every Christian ought to have and it says in verse number eight for if these things be in you and abound they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ but he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins stubbornness won't move it won't grow it won't add to the Christian life you know when you're stubborn you're just looking to maintain and the only reason you want to maintain is so no one sees that you're backsliding okay so no one looks at you and says man I don't know about brother so they look like they're like regressing in their Christian no all you're trying to do is just maintain you know you're not growing and what happens the Bible says you're blind you you don't have a vision for your future you don't know where you're going you know you're not learning more of the Word of God and look none of us have arrived when it comes to our knowledge of the Bible amen and how do you know you're you're you're not stubborn because you're constantly learning you're learning new things you're learning new concepts you're learning doctrine you're learning how to explain doctrine you're learning new things that ought to be the goal of every Christian to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that aspect of growing in grace is because grace teaches us to deny ungodliness as we get the knowledge of the Word of God growing grace and in the knowledge we do we couple both together but if you're stubborn guess what you're not gonna learn anything you'll be sitting in this service wondering what time we're gonna get out because you're hungry okay you'll be sitting in the service just wondering when is this guy gonna shut up okay it's time to go home no but when you're when you're when you're right with the Lord and you're trying to do right what happens you you're hungry you want to get a vision for God's Word the Bible also says about Samson right there in in Judges chapter number 16 that the Bible says and brought him excuse me and brought him down to Gaza so not only that he loses vision he lost his direction he was going down it's going down to Gaza you know let me say this when you when you're stubborn Christian you ain't going nowhere but down I mean you think of Jonah you guys remember Jonah well what did he do he got away from the Lord and the Bible just kept saying he went down into Joppa he went down into the but he just kept going down and down and down and down you start going in the wrong direction okay and let me say this as if you don't shake yourself and get it right you're going down that's just the bottom line that's the only direction you're gonna go go to Psalms 119 133 Psalms 119 and 133 our direction is important it's important to know where you're going in your Christian life you know don't just put it on cruise control you ought to have goals for your life you ought to want to know where you want to be in the next month where you want to be in the next six months okay you ought to be some certain some sort of goal that you have like I want to get married in the next couple months good how are you gonna get there you know I want to be able to read the Bible through in the next couple months good how are you gonna get there you have to have some direction in your Christian life Psalms 119 133 the Bible says order my steps in thy word and let not iniquity have dominion over me look obviously we can see that all this ties into the Word of God you know order your steps in the Word of God that means make your decisions based off of what God says but when you start making decisions based off of emotions then you really got yourself in a mess when you start making decisions based off of circumstances then you're in a mess why because our decisions are not to be based upon circumstances because circumstances change things change people change our emotions they fluctuate up and down but you know the Word of God never changes and so when we're going through a tough time or we're struggling with something we just need to obey what God says order our steps in the Word of God instead of ordering his steps in his word he was he was allowing his his steps to be ordered by the world you know who's making a decision based off of the girl that he was dating you know and and what happened man it ended very bad for Sam says eyes got plucked out and yes he killed more people in his ladder in than in all his life but I bet you that God would have done something way better than that if he would have just stayed right with God you know he had his eyes plucked out he was a they made sport of him they mocked him they made fun of him why because of the bad decisions that he made you know often like Satan will mock us if we don't just get right with the Lord we'll become an illustration for the rest of the world to see stubbornness will make you lose your direction go to Psalms 37 Psalms 37 by the way don't be a Christian that just goes through the motions you know it's easy to just go through the motions come to church just do it just but no there ought to be a sense of direction in your Christian life okay you ought to have goals you gotta you ought to want to do something great for God and thank God that we're in a church where we're going somewhere amen where we're doing something for the Lord there's goals that you can attain to here in this church we have a big goal we have big vision to do something great for God be a part of it get a part of that vision don't be like Elijah where it's just woe is me woe is me no just get up dust it off and get a vision for your life get some direction be a part of the team here Psalms 37 verse 23 the Bible says the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way though he fall he shall not utterly be cast down for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord what is your direction today you know if your directions constantly under obscurity is like well I'm just I'm just living for money that's a bad thing to live for okay money ought to be serving us we ought not to be serving money okay money is important by the way I mean we got to pay bills amen I mean we got to put food on the table do things we got to do but often when we get our focus on money guess what you can't serve God and Mammon you're gonna serve one or the other and when you're serving money and you're focused on money you're worried about money you're gonna get your direction all screwed up okay because God's direction is not based upon finances okay now we need finances for the ministry but guess what we're not basing our decisions what we preach what we do based upon the finances we have God's just apply all our needs okay and we're serving God we're gonna have Mammon serve us so we can do the will of God but we're not gonna serve Mammon make decisions based off of the what if we would have pastor Anderson made decisions based off of money I don't know if we can start the church and almighty you know that's costly by the way cost a lot of money to start a church thank God that he didn't base it off of money he based it off of doing that which is right because we want to start a church there's people who need it and we got to be Christians who based don't base your decisions off of circumstances finances or even people you have to base your circumstances excuse you have to base your decisions based off of what the Word of God says the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord Psalms 119 go back to Psalms 119 Psalms 119 in verse number one the Bible says blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord blessed are they to keep us testimonies and that seek him with the whole heart they also do no iniquity they walk in his ways not perfectly but they walk in his ways they're trying to do the best they can to do that which is right they're pursuing a godly direction so we see that Samson he can no longer when he could no longer shake himself what do you do they plucked out his eyes very painful let me say this the Bible also says in the New Testament that you know what Jesus Christ admonishes us to pluck our eyes out if we're if we want to sin I'm paraphrasing here you know but what happened to Samson because he sinned someone else plucked him out for him and it's one of those things where either we make the decision to pluck out our own eyes or someone else is gonna pluck him for us either way it's gonna hurt okay either you make the decision to just get right with God choose the suffering of being disciplined to read the Word of God to be in church to do that which is inconvenient or guess what you're gonna suffer the pain of someone else making decisions for you but not only that what happened he lost his direction he was going down and down and down and down and then we see also the Bible says that they bound him with fetters of brass what will happen he lost his liberty okay you know he was free man I mean this where the Spirit of the Lord is there's free there's liberty the Bible says well guess what the Spirit had departed from him and what what happened now he was bound with fetters he wasn't as he wasn't as free as he used to be go to go to Proverbs chapter 5 Proverbs chapter number 5 you know me it's it's so ridiculous when Christians they like they get tired of church and they get it out of church and they go live their worldly lives and they think they're just free you know they think no no no what happens is they're losing their liberties what they're doing okay they've lost their liberty they've lost God's blessing on their lives they may think that they have liberty but it's not liberty look at Proverbs chapter 5 verse 21 says for the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings his own iniquities shall take the wicked himself and he shall be what Holden with the cords of a sin since he shall die without instruction in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray the Bible says you know those who are in the world Christians who don't want to live for God and they're out in the world drinking and fornicating and do those things which are displeasing to God they think they're free but they're not free they're enslaved by their own sin okay you the free people are us the ones who are living for the Lord yeah but you're in church all Sunday yeah I want to be in church on Sunday okay you know the you know you guys remember El Chapo El Chapo you know you guys know who that is this is Los Angeles you got to know these things right you got it you got to be up to date on these things right this is a lot this is Los Angeles talk here no I'm just kidding but El Chapo you know he escaped you know he did this little tunnel thing and he escaped and he escaped so he can be what free but you know what any person who escapes prison they're always looking over their shoulder cuz not really free are they it's those who abide the law and they obey the law those are the real ones who are free there's those who obey the rules of this land those are the ones who are really free why we're not worried that some police officer is gonna pull us over you know I remember when I was in the world it's just like you're always paranoid you know it's like I could I can I can feel a police officer from a mile away who's like there's a police officer coming around the corner right now you know because you're always doing wrong but when you're not doing wrong you're living a clean godly life there's nothing to worry about you're free why cuz you're abiding by God's law you're abiding by God's rules and when you subject yourself to be under God's rules and God's laws guess what you're free it's those who live in disobedience that are not free it's those who choose to live in disobedience and rebellion and stubbornness who think they're free those are the ones who are really enslaved that's happened in Samson yes I could do whatever I'm a judge you know I can be with Delilah that's what I want get her for me before she pleases me well well guess what now he's enslaved now he's in fetters now he's in bondage to his sin he was able to shake himself from previous courts but not anymore stubbornness makes you think you're free when reality you're putting yourself into bondage and keep that in mind whenever you're tempted to do something that is not right keep in mind this is gonna bring me into bondage I'd rather just be free doing God's will live in a clean life living with the pure heart doing that which is right in the side of the Lord rather than the suffering the consequences of doing wrong Romans chapter 6 verse 14 if you would Romans chapter 6 in verse number 14 the Bible says here in Romans chapter 6 in verse number 14 for sin let me actually let me just turn over there myself I have it in my notes but I'm gonna turn there Romans chapter 6 we'll start in verse number 11 the Bible says likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body that you should obey in the lust there of neither yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God verse 14 for sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the law but under grace you know those who choose to live a pure and godly life man we get God's blessing on our life you know see you ought to have the goal to say God help me to continue to have a pure heart to live a clean life to live a life that's pleasing to you so I can continue enjoying my to enjoy my liberty in Christ Proverbs chapter excuse me let me go back to Judges chapter 16 so what else happened to him so he lost his vision he lost his direction he lost his liberty but also he lost his purpose the Bible says and he did grind in the prison house you know and I'm guessing what this is is that what they would do is is simply you know they chain him they put him on that little grinding thing and he just go around in circles just grinding right grinding and grinding just going around in circles you know what happens to a lot of Christians when they get out of God's will they think they're going somewhere but they're just going around in circles I mean you guys remember the children of Israel it would have taken so short of a time for them to get to the Promised Land what happened they just went around in circles for 40 years God just had him go around in circles what happens they just lose their purpose they're losing their direction but they're just going around they're spinning their wheels go to Proverbs chapter 13 he was born for the purpose of delivering Israel but now he's just subject to operating a grinding mill inside of a prison that's sad you know I've heard of preachers who like stop preaching and they just become like an insurance salesman okay and by the way if you're an insurance salesman I'm not against you but you know what if you're a preacher be a preacher okay and I know look I work a full-time job and I and I work for a company but you know what I'm not living for that company I'm living for the will of God I want to do God's will this is my focus this is what I want to do for the rest of my life there's a purpose for our lives and often if we're not careful we just live for the most mundane thing and let me say this work is part of God's will amen we ought to work and that's part of God's will but you know what the work on not to consume us so much that it takes away it takes us away from doing the work of God which is here okay but look what Proverbs 13 15 says good understanding giveth favor but the way of transgressors is hard the Bible says it was real hard for Samson grinding away eyes plucked out not living for God no longer a judge being mocked by his enemies and the enemies of God that's a hard thing to do but what does the Bible says the way of the transgressor is hard that ought to motivate us to say God help me to stay right with you because I know if I don't I'll be a transgressor and as a transgressor life's gonna be hard let me say this the life of a Christian is also hard isn't it there's some hard things in the Christian life but I'd rather face the hard things of the Christian life that face the hard things of being out of God's will and disobeying God because these things are a lot harder because then you got God chastising you at least here in God's will guess what it's hard but you have God and if God before us who could be against us God is able to strengthen us to help us to do right but over here guess what we're gonna get whooped by God we're gonna get chastised by God and then we see lastly a loss of progress Bible says how be it the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven you know he could have done something so much bigger and yet he like his life was cut short you know I don't know how long God is gonna give me to live but I hope my life's not cut short because I was a transgressor because I did something stupid okay and many Christians their life spiritually sometimes it's just cut short because they're just doing their own thing here and by the way let me say this God kills people okay we're talking about that right before the service God kills people he's done it in the Bible we can go through many scriptures in the Old Testament we could go to scriptures in the New Testament God kills people it happens allow that to be instilled into your heart to cause you to fear and tremble and get right with God why because God kills people God is a just God he's a holy God he's a righteous God and because of that he's willing to even take your life if you're just one if you just want to continue to be stubborn because then he can't he can't use you you know we're men we're here to be used of God but if you're just doing your own thing and just involved in iniquity involved in things you ought not to be you know God's gonna please I'll just take you home you're not doing anything I rather just take you home and look I'm looking forward to going home but I don't want to go earlier than I'm supposed to I want God to give me a long life so I could do great works for God see more people saved preach more sermons do more great exploits for the Lord do something great for God be an example to the believers and finish my course well not have God finished my life for me because I wasn't living right for God okay because I was involved in sin or I was being stubborn oh how many Christian I met so I've I've known of so many Christians that their life was cut short simply because I believe God killed them because they're just being stubborn they're just out of the will of God doing their own thing and they didn't shake themselves when they were supposed to then you just say you know what no more I'm done with this I'm not gonna be involved in this sin I'm getting back into church I'm getting back into the Word of God I'm getting back down on my knees I'm gonna do something for God I want to humble myself but instead what do they do they just persisted to just sin and God says all right done you and by the way sometimes when God kills you it's like they go out the worst way you know why I don't necessarily think it's because of the person I think it's for the sake of being an example to everyone else who sees the death of that Christian to say wow that person was judged by God he got away she got away they were judged by God and I don't want that to happen to me so I'm just gonna go ahead and stay where I'm at I'm gonna keep living for the Lord may that be an example to us may Samson be an example to us not to be stubborn Christians you know humble yourself admit that you've done wrong get right with the Lord fix those those those those aspects of your Christian life they are displeasing to God do right live right and try to stay right as best as you possibly can and look when when you're discouraged shake it off when Satan comes shake it off but you know when you start delving into sin and doing things that are displeasing to God yeah you may be able to shake it off once or twice but you don't know how many times you have until God just says all right you're done I'm gonna let you suffer the consequences of your actions no let's just have a humble heart and get right with the Lord when we have a chance to do men let's bow our heads in a word of prayer