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1 Kings chapter 18 has a very famous story of Elijah versus the prophets of Baal. And I want you to notice that in verse number 21, 1 Kings 18, 21, it says, And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long hold ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow him. The title for the sermon tonight is, Let God be God. Let God be God. It says that, If the LORD be God, follow him. But if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him, not a word. Now I am concluding the Perfect Man series and I really want this sermon to be a summary or an overall conclusion of the entire series and I just want to leave you with two main thoughts tonight. The idea of letting God be God, what does that mean? What does it mean for God to be God? Who is our God? The God of Elijah or the God of these false prophets? Of course we worship the God of Elijah, the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who sent his son to die in our place. We serve that God. And you know when you think about this word, the idea of God, what does that mean to you? He's the Creator. Yeah. But you know what it means? It means he's boss. Right? He's the Lord. When you think about the Lord, he's in charge. He's got authority. He's got power. Hey, he can tell you what to do. You should say, Yes, Lord. I'll do what you want me to do. He is the Lord. Let God be God. Let's keep going there. Verse 22. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. But you know there are more false prophets in this world than there are prophets, true prophets of the Lord God. Okay? Four hundred to one is the ratio in the time of Elijah. It's probably the same even today. Okay? For every one good preacher, there's probably going to be four hundred false prophets trying to lead you in a false way. Verse number 23. Let them therefore give us two bullocks, and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it into pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under, and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under, and call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God that answerth by fire. Let him be God. Let him be God, the one that answers by fire, the one that performs the miracle, and actually puts down a fire upon these sacrifices. You see, Elijah is battling with his false prophets. Hey, which is the real God? Who's going to answer these prayers? Who's going to light up these sacrifices? If Baal can call down fire, and offer these sacrifices, then let Baal be God, but if the God of Elijah casts down the fire, and consumes these sacrifices, then let him be God. As I said, the title is Let God Be God, and it says there, and all the people answered and said, it is well-spoken. It is well-spoken. You know, we have this idea, let God be God. You know what you should be saying to yourself? Just like it said there. It is well-spoken. Let God be God. All right? But again, bringing back to that, just verse number 21, bringing it back there just very quickly, and Elijah came up to all the people and said, how long hold ye between two opinions? Listen, in the time of Elijah, it's the opinion of the false prophets. What they're preaching versus what Elijah's preaching. Two opinions. How long hold ye between two opinions? And you say, well, Pastor Kevin, it's easy for us. Of course we don't worship Baal. Of course we don't listen to the false prophets. You know, we know we come to New Life Baptist Church, Pastor. We've got our King James Bibles. We're right on doctrine. You know? I mean, we put a lot of emphasis on preaching the Bible and hearing God's word, and we're not going to be deceived by the prophets of Baal, surely. And I agree with that sentiment to some extent. But you know, Baal has a lot more influence in your life than you really realize. You don't have to go to a false church. You don't have to listen to a false prophet to be under the influence of Baal. And Baal, of course, is just a false god. It's another name for the devil. You know, I want us to take this application, this thought. Who is God? If we worship the true God, who created all things, who gave you life, then listen to Him. Let God be God, right? Why? How long have you been talking to opinions? Again, we're not necessarily influenced by the false prophets necessarily, okay? But hey, we are influenced by this world. You know, the Bible tells me that Satan is the god of this world. Therefore there are philosophies. There are traditions. There is a mindset that comes from this world that influences you. Yes, influences you even today, even tonight. There are certain thoughts that you carry that have come from this world, that have come from the god of this world. Yes, Baal. And you say, well, I'm going to walk this path versus what I've heard according to God's word. And look, again, we're products of society. We're products of Australia. We're products of this year that we live in and this world just waxing worse and worse. The traditions, the philosophies of man are corrupting our minds. It's brainwashed us. And we're in this constant battle between two opinions. Do I listen to what the world is saying to me, which has been influenced by Baal, by Satan, the god of this world, or do I listen to what God has to say to me through his word? Let's keep going there. Verse number 25. It says, and Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, choose you one bullock for yourselves and dress it first for ye are many and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which was given them and they dressed it and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon saying, oh Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. You know how we can apply this today? Well, when we're needing advice, when we're needing counsel, when we're needing some, you know, some guidance and you turn to the TV and you say, well, maybe Dr. Fuel has the answer, right? I'm going to listen to Dr. Fuel. Listen, I mean, you should be going to God's word. You know you need to go to the Bible. You know you need to work, Lord, you don't speak to me. But rather these prophets, they're going to Baal, hear us, oh Baal, hear us. We turn on that stupid TV. We turn to the world's wisdom and think, how do I make a future for myself? How do I get good advice and good counsel? You know what the answer is? Let God be God. You go to God. God knows your life situation. God knows your struggles. God knows your weaknesses. But it's so tempting to go to the world. How do I get rich? Hey, what books have been sold? Hey, what's the top selling book on finances? Let me turn to that advice and see how I can make, you know, myself rich or whatever. Turn to worldly wisdom. How long holds you between two opinions? Okay, yeah, I know we're not worshipping Baal, but Brevin, you're still being influenced by the devil. So am I. Again, products of society, products of the nation, this world that we live in. You know, it's a challenge. It's a constant challenge that we're dealing with here. Let's keep going to verse number 27. And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he's talking or he's pursuing or he's in a journey or peradventure, he sleepeth and must be awake. Hey, yeah, your God does not listen. Hey, Elijah starts to mock them. Mock their wisdom. Mock their doctrines. It's so stupid. Why doesn't your God answer you? Maybe he's asleep. Wake him up. Maybe he's too busy and has a journey and he hasn't heard you talk. He's just mocking. And Brevin, the wisdom of this world, the traditions, the philosophies of this world deserve to be mocked in comparison to the wisdom that comes from the Bible. You say, man, Pastor Kevin, I heard a great truth. You know, I listened to this advisor, this life coach, he's given me good counsel and wisdom. He's telling me about it and it's contrary to God's word. You know, I should just be mocking that. I say, that's just stupidity. You just listen to some sleeping God. He's not even listening. It's not going to help you. It's ridiculous. It's foolish in comparison to the wisdom that come from God's word. How long hold you between two opinions? Verse number 28, and they cried aloud and cut themselves after their manna with knives and lancets till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass when midday was passed. And they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifices that there was neither voice nor any to answer, nor any of that regarded. And Brevin, let me tell you, if you seek, you know, man, I've just got to go talk to a psychologist about this issue. I've just got to go listen to this life. I need to go and find the best selling book on this topic to help me out of my situation. Brevin, I tell you what, just like these prophets, you're going to be searching and searching and searching. And I'm not saying there's some element of truth in these books. Many times there's great truths, okay, but you're going to be searching and you're not going to be satisfied. You're not going to get the guidance and the counsel that you really seek after. It comes from the Lord God. You know, the Holy Spirit is given a name, the comforter. Jesus Christ is given a name, counselor. You know, we go to the Lord God when we need aid, when we need assistance, it's all in the Bible. I promise you, your problem is in the Bible. The answer to your problem, to your situation, whatever it is, it's in the Bible, a hundred percent. Okay, God knew what you're going through, He already recorded something in His Word to help you, to help you in that situation, to guide you in that situation. How long holds you between two opinions? You know, let God be God. God's created you. God's given you life. God's given you your personality. God knows you better than you know yourself. He knows the problem you struggle with more than you know. All right, you turn to the Lord God for help. You go to Him for guidance and wisdom and understanding. As I said to you, yeah, we don't worship Baal, and you know, it's very unlikely we're going to get fooled by a false prophet, but as I said to you, you know, Baal, Satan, is called the god of this world. And if you can keep your finger there, we are going to come back to 1 Kings 18 later or toward the end of the sermon, but can you please go to Colossians chapter 2. Turn to Colossians chapter 2 and verse number 6. Colossians chapter 2 and verse number 6. You know, I really have two main thoughts that I really want to bring out of the sermon today and it's to summarize everything that I've spoken about. If God is God and He knows all things, then He knows what's best for me. And whatever God says, I'm just going to do it regardless of what this world reckons, regardless of what my friends think or what my family think, I'm just going to do what God says because He's boss, because He's God, because He knows me, because He's given me His word, right? He's given me His wisdom. I'll just do it even if it doesn't fully make sense to me, even if it doesn't make fully sense to other people, I don't care. I'm just going to do what God says because God is God, okay? That is point number 1, Brevin, really, you know, to submit yourself under God's will. Point number 1 is to submit yourself under God's will. But look at Colossians 2 verse 6. It says, as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. Now again, we use these words Lord, many times Lord God, right? But just remind yourself, what does the word Lord mean? It means He's the master, He's in charge, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved. He's got authority. He's the one that can save me. He's the one that's going to lead me. If I'm going to walk in Him, I've got to acknowledge that He's the Lord and yes boss, you tell me what to do, I'll do it, right? Yes sir, military style, I'll do exactly what you tell me to do, even if it doesn't fully make sense to me. I know you're wiser than me, I know you're above me, I know you can see all things and you know what I struggle with Lord and you know, even if it's contrary to what this world is teaching me, I'm just going to walk in your steps because you are Lord, because you are God. Look at verse number 7, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith as ye have been taught, abandoned therein with thanksgiving. My hope, my goal is to teach you. You know, I really just want to draw God's wisdom out of His word and for you to grasp something from it, some wisdom, to be taught by His word so you can be established in the faith. You can be built up in Christ. Listen, take the lessons. You know, we've got free services a week. There's plenty. You're not going to be able to do it all, okay? That's why one of my other sermons was, hey, just take one thought in that sermon and apply that one thing. Hey, be taught by God's word, alright? I promise you, just applying one thing in God's life, sorry, in your life from God's word is going to have a greater impact on you than reading some book, top selling book on some life coach. Just one thing at a time, doing what God asks from you. Look at verse number 8. It says that beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ. Why should we establish ourselves in the faith? Why should we remember the things that we've been taught from God's word? Because man will spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, the tradition of men, the wisdom of men. Now, listen, brethren, I'm not saying that, hey, never listen to good things that's out there, good advice. Like I said, even in the books that sometimes have things that are contrary to God's word, there are going to be elements of truth. There's always elements of truth, otherwise it's just rubbish, okay? There's always something that, you know, that can be helpful in life, okay? But I guarantee you, if you spent time in God's word, you would have found that truth anyway, okay? In fact, when you go to God's word, you're guaranteed to have 100% truth on that matter. But it's so easy to be spoilt through philosophy, vain deceit. You know, the tradition of this word, look, the rudiments of the word, the word rudiments is like the foundations in a sense, I don't know the best way to describe it. But just the very basic things that come from the word, right? We can be spoiled, we can be brainwashed, right? I mean, it's a constant battle. You know, again, I'm not saying this to be boastful or anything like that, but just the thought of having as many children as God wills on your life, you know, is contrary to the rudiments of this world. You know, you have one, people are excited, well done, you've had a child, you have two, hey, wow, you know, you've doubled your problems. You have three in Australia, people are saying, well, that's a bit crazy. Having three kids, you know, you have four, what's wrong with you? What's wrong with you? I mean, look, because it's contrary to the rudiments of this world, right? I mean, they think you're crazy, and then you have 11. People don't even have to tell me anymore they think I'm crazy. I know they think that, okay? It doesn't bother me though, because I'm just doing what God says, it doesn't have to make perfect sense to me, it doesn't have to satisfy other people. I don't have 11 kids, oh, look at Pastor Kevin, look at these kids, I just, because God, you've given us, it's a blessing, it's a fruit of the womb, Lord, it's, the fruit of the womb is your reward, thank you, Lord. I don't fully understand it, it's a lot of hard work, it's a lot of, you know, pain, sweat and tears, right? But hey, it's a blessing. I'm happy, I'm a happy father, you know, I'm a happy husband, and I don't think I'd be this happy if I didn't have 11 kids, and I'm not saying, you know, people, some people can't even have kids, right? Some people can only have one child, I mean, Sarah, Sarah's a great woman of faith, and she was given the one child. I'm not saying, I'm not trying to base it on numbers or anything like that, but my point being is, you know, if we just follow what God's word says, and just apply it, it's going to, it's going to enrich your life much more than what the world thinks about you, the rudiments, the traditions, the philosophers of man, you know, it's contrary to God's word. Who are you going to listen to? How long holds you between two opinions? Hey, let God be God. Who am I going to listen to? The Lord God? And look, I'm not even saying listen to Pastor Kevin Sepulveda, you know, my goal is just to teach you God's word. You know, forget who's behind the pulpit, and listen to the words that's coming from the Bible, and recognise this is coming from the Holy Spirit of God, who moved men to pen these words for my benefit, for my profit. God knows what I need, therefore I'm going to apply what God says. I'm going to let God be God. Let's drop down to verse number 20, same chapter, Colossians chapter 2 verse 20. Colossians 2.20, it says, Wherefore, if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, touch not, taste not, handle not, which all are to perish with the using, after the commandments and doctrines of men? And I'm pulling that out of the context here, but again, just that principle there, okay? The commandments, the doctrines of men, the rudiments of the world. Hey, if you've been dead in Christ, yes, you know, the moment you got saved, you said, I'm dead to this flesh, I cannot save myself by this body, yes, I'm being crucified with Christ, I view myself in that capacity, I accept what Christ has done for me, he rose again from the dead, praise God, I live in Christ Jesus now. You know what, so why are we going back to those rudiments of the world, that we crucified, we killed that part of our life, as it were, the trust in the flesh, that we can accomplish things through this flesh and through this world, the teachings, the philosophies that come through this world. I just want to show you that there's this constant battle that we're facing with, okay? I mean, we're dealing with battles, you know, flesh and the spirit, that's what plays a part, Satan, but this world, this world is messing people up. It's so contrary to the teachings of Christ, so contrary that when you walk according to God's ways, you're going to feel like an outsider, and this is why we don't do it, because we don't, oh man, it makes me uncomfortable, you know, if I do what God says, what are people going to say about me, you know? I mean, these people aren't doing what God says, and they seem to be living a happy life. I mean, you don't understand how much problems and turmoil they're going through, you know, they put the nice pictures on Facebook, oh, look at great time, you know, I mean, Barley and holidays, man, you know what, they're probably, many of them probably not even saved and they're on their way to hell, you know, they're going to look back in life and regret all the decisions they've made, regret the times that they had the opportunity to believe the gospel, we've been given Christ, and if we've been given Christ, we should walk after Christ, we should acknowledge him, here's the Lord, okay, here's the Lord, I'm going to do what you say, Lord. I'll quickly read to you a very familiar passage, Romans 12, it 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, hey, you figure out what the will of God is, but you can only do it by not conforming yourself to this world, listen, this world is contrary to the will of God, okay, what is God's will in my life? Let's see, again, top selling book, what's the best YouTube life coach on YouTube that I can read about? You know, I need some guidance, who's the best philosopher that I can follow after, you know, what's the best, you know, I don't know, what people use, right, different people of different backgrounds, different skill sets, you know, and say, I'm going to go to this person, I'm going to go to this person for guidance and help, listen, they're going to teach you the world's philosophies, they're going to teach you the traditions of men, it's contrary to the will of God, is what I'm trying to say, okay, we cannot allow ourselves to be conformed to this world, this world is seeking to conform you after their style, after their thinking, so like I said to you, point number one brev, if we're going to let God be God, we just need to submit ourselves under God's will, again, what was it again, it says, 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, I want to do God's will, do you want to do God's will, you know, the safest place to be in your life is in the middle of God's will, that's the safest place to be, God's just going to protect you, he's going to look after you, if you're just right there in the middle of his will, in comparison, again, last week's sermon about being in the favour of God, we're seeking God's favour in our life, well who's he going to look down more favourably upon, the Christian who's under his will or the Christian who's outside of his will, the Christian who's seeking the rudiments of this world, the traditions and the philosophies of this world, who do you think God's going to look down more favourably upon, of course the one that is following his will, and you say well, and again, when it comes to God's will, you know, and again, if you've said this to me, again, I have a lot of conversations with a lot of people, okay, and so there are some things that are just very common, they pop up on a regular basis, so it might not even be you, okay, if you've said this to me, I'm not having a go at you, brethren, because I've said the same things, but it boggles my mind when Christians say, I just don't know what God's will is for me, I'm still seeking God's will in my life, you know, I'm just waiting for the Lord to just tell me, this is what you do, I'm just thinking, man, you got the Bible, God's telling you, you just have to pick it up and read it, it's all over, it's on every page, it's in every book, it's in every chapter, what God wants you to do, what God's will is for you, number one, God's will for you, brethren, is to be saved, the Bible says in 2 Peter 3.9, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but his longsuffering to us would, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, you know what God's will, number one will for you, is to be saved, to enter into his kingdom, that's God's will for you, okay, again, you're in this church, I'm assuming, I just, you know, basing your testimonies, what you said to me, I assume you're all saved, you know, I truly believe you're all saved, you know, well number one, you've accomplished that part of God's will, and you know what, the rest of the Bible is no different, okay, the rest of it, we've got commandments, we've got guidance, we have the seeking of the Lord God, you know, the principles that we can apply from the scriptures, that's all, just believe it and do it, do what God says, God said believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved, and you said, oh do that, yes, oh do that, Lord, that's your will in my life, I'm going to submit myself to your will, I'm going to believe in Christ and be saved, you know what, the rest of it is no different, no different, and again, I don't know what God's will is in my life, just pick up the Bible, it tells you, it tells you every little commandment, anything that God is asking you to do, do it and you're fulfilling God's will, it is not complicated, you're not going to have this crazy vision and God's going to reveal it all in a dream to you or something, right, you know, you're not just going to have this amazing miracle take place in your life, now I know God's will, because sometimes when people say these things, they've got a very narrow mindset, it's like, you know what, what it actually is, they're waiting for something that they want to do, they're waiting for the situation to develop in their favour to some extent, that's God's will in my life, because now it lines up with what I want to do, that's not what God's will is, God's will is you line up your will to God's will and you do it, God's will is not this narrow thing, okay, the Lord God is calling all to repentance to believe on Christ, okay, and you've done that, praise God, but you know, we've all come to that in different ways, I've grown up in a Christian home, I heard the gospel from my mother, I called upon the name of the Lord, right, some of you listen to an online sermon, heard the gospel at the end of it, called upon the name of the Lord, believed in the gospel, right, and that's how you got saved, we all have different experiences of how we got saved, you know, you got the thief on the cross, you know, literally on his deathbed, believed on Christ, was confronted with the thought of who Christ was and believed on him, you've got the Ethiopian eunuch on a chariot, heading his way back home and the Lord God sends, you know, Philip to go and evangelise him while he's on his way on a chariot, that's how he got saved, you know, there are different ways people got saved, we looked at on Sunday, the Samaritan woman at the well, she just went to get some water and she was confronted with the gospel and she got saved. What I'm trying to say to you is, when we identify God's will in the Bible, there are many roads in order to accomplish that and we don't have to follow the same road because we all have different lives, we all have different ways to find that will of God but at the end of the day, the will remains the same, it's just how you get from where you are today to being under God's will that will be a separate journey for you than it is for me because we have different lives, we have different experiences, we have different backgrounds, okay, we're all at different levels of maturity, you know, I got saved when I was four years old, some people may get saved when they're 70 or 80 years old, obviously it's going to have a different impact on our life, it doesn't matter, the point is, you've believed on Christ, you're saved, you go to heaven, you've fulfilled God's will. What I'm trying to show to you is, it's not this, you know, yes, there's the will, there's the goal that we're trying to accomplish but there's the way to accomplish that to get to that point is very broad, that there's a great way for many, many ways that people come to know upon, to know what Christ has done for them and to call upon them the Lord. I'm going to use that just as a, I'm not saying, you know, I'm not saying the broad way is the right way, of course there's a straight gate but again, many of us come to that understanding in different ways, okay, different people preach to us, different experiences, you know, different ages that we've believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to submit ourselves to God's will. Now let me read to you, if you can actually turn with me, go to Matthew 4 verse 18, Matthew 4 verse 18, Matthew 4 verse 18, Matthew 4 18, the Bible says, and Jesus walking by the Sea of Galilee saw two brethren, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishers and he saven to them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men and they straightway left their nets and followed him. What did Jesus, what was the will of Jesus Christ for these men and I will make you fishers of men. What is God's will in my life? I just don't know. Well, you know what it is? To be saved, praise God and then to tell other people how to be saved. To be made fishers of men, to be used by God, to preach the gospel, that is God's will in your life. Did you know that? That's God's will in your life. And again, how we get to that point in our lives, takes different roads sometimes. Sometimes you might be in a church that promotes this and pushes it to the point, some people just have that passion in their heart to get out, you know, we're different, you know, we're made differently. Again, some of you have heard great preaching online, that's promoted you, pushed you to get out there and to preach the gospel and be a fisher of men. I'm just going to show you, look, this is, you know, you don't have to wait for this sort of, wow, what is God's sake asking me to do? I just need to figure out and I'm just going to wait around until I know what God's will is in my life. It's on every page of the Bible, what you're meant to do. Please go to Matthew 16, 18. Matthew 16, 18. Matthew 16, 18. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter and upon this rock, look at this, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. What else is God's will? That he builds the church, that he builds New Life Baptist Church. And you're an important part of this church. You're highly valuable. You know, I appreciate each one of you that are here because you've been added to this church and God wants to use you as he continues to build this house. Church is important to Jesus Christ. It's his will that the church exists, that the church will be used as a pillar and ground of truth, that we can come together and learn of him. I just don't know if it's God's will for me to be in church. Of course it is, okay? And listen, if it's not New Life Baptist Church, then find some other good church. And again, I hope you guys stay, I'm just talking to people online, alright? We need to be part of church. It's Christ's will in our lives. You know, I'll just quickly read some other passages to you. First Peter, sorry, First Timothy 5.14, First Timothy 5.14, I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. Say Pastor Kevin, why do you keep saying this? Because if you don't hear it here, you're not going to hear it in the world. The world, the rudiments, the traditions, the philosophies of this world, the God of this world does not teach this. Say Pastor, you keep going on about the women being at home and being, again, if you're not going to hear it here, you're never going to hear it. So I might as well just say it until you get sick of me. And don't get sick of me, it's God's word. Say this is God's will in my life. But again, I will therefore that younger women marry, bear children, guide the house. You know, again, this is the goal, okay? And how you get there can be different for different people. You know, some people get married young. Some people get married when they're in their 20s or in their 30s or in their 40s or in their 50s, alright? I mean, these things, there's not just this one way and I just miss my chance now because I'm in this situation. You know, this is the same regardless of who you are. This is the will, the instructions, the commandments of God is the same for each one of us. Ladies, I promise you this, you want to be happy in life? You want to enjoy life? Then seek the husband. Seek having been a wife, having children, being a housekeeper. Seek these things. And I promise you, you're going to have great joy. More joy than what this world promises you because you're in God's will. Let God be God. I don't think so, Pascal. I think I'm going to enjoy it more if I chase a career. You know, if I go to university and get my skills and my degrees and say, why, why, and again, you know, I know people that speak like this. I say, why? Why do you have to chase this career? Well, what if I marry a man that leaves me? Well, listen, if you prepare for divorce, you will get divorced. If you prepare for marriage, you will get married. We know what God's will is. You say, well, I can't attain it right now. Then work toward it. Work toward it. Okay, I mean, Isabel's trying to get a license. She wants to drive a car one day. Well, I guess, you know, we can just play PlayStation 5, Gran Turismo, I don't know what games are there. What car games? Let's just sit there on the lounge and we'll just PlayStation 5, yeah, look, you're going to one day drive a car. Let's not go to achieve anything. You know, you want to drive a car, you work toward it. You get behind the wheel, you get behind a real car, you get an instructor and you go for a drive and you have a scary time, okay, and you make mistakes and you learn from the mistakes and your instructor yells at you and you learn from that, sort of, oh, someone yelled at me. Hey, be thankful you learned something, right, but you're working toward the goal. One day, and again, different journey, different ways that, you know, you're going to have different experiences. We're not all going to have the exact same experiences learning how to drive a car, but that goal is there. Well, if it's God's will for younger women to marry and have children, then start working toward it. Build yourself into that position. You know, you can take different roads in that, but hey, whatever you do in your life, have that mindset. Well, one day, I want to just do, I want to be in the middle of God's will in my life. That's my goal and whatever journey that takes, I want to make sure that's one of the, you know, whatever I do in life, I want to make sure it's not taking me away from the will of God. That it's one step forward leading me into God's will. That's what God's will is all about. You know what? Yes, sometimes it can look far off. I know what God's word says. I know what he wants and Lord, I can't, right now, I just don't see that happening in my life. Well, just take one step forward. Whatever you do, how's that going to better yourself as a wife? How's that going to better yourself to keep the house? How's that going to better yourself to be a good mother? And if you can justify these things, well, this helps me in this area, this area, this area, as I seek God's will, then I have no doubt that God's going to bless you. God's going to open those doors and lead you into his will. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 7 39, the wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth. But if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will, only in the Lord. Who is this one person? Just, I've got to find the one. Isn't that what Hollywood movie pushes on you? The one, the one, all right? And if you don't find the one, you've just messed up your life. What did the Bible just say? But if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will, whoever you want, only in the Lord. Make sure he's saved. You know, what I love about God's will again, it's just, there's so much liberty, there's so much liberty, there's so much freedom. And again, what is God's will? You're just restricting yourself to this one situation that you want to develop in your life. But God says, look, there's so many ways. There are many opportunities. Again, you don't see it happen in your world, just work toward it. I have no doubt God's going to step in and bless you as he sees you. Hey, Lord, look, that's your will, I just don't know how I'm going to get there. All right, Lord, I know it's your will for me to be a fisher of men, and I just, I don't have it in me, Lord, I have fears, I have concerns, just work toward it. Memorize the scriptures, put your plan together. You just work toward it. You know, God's going to bless you, and you will be the fishers of men. You will have those opportunities that God brings that you can lead one person to the Lord. I remember when I was a child, I used to think, God, if you could just help me, just save one person. I don't know how, Lord, I don't know how to give the gospel. You know, in my mind, I'm thinking, this is impossible. How am I going to see one person saved? I don't know, Lord, but can you just, at least before I die, can I just be used to win one person to the Lord? That's what I want. Praise God. Hey, the first person to be led to the Lord, I ended up getting married to. Praise God for that. I mean, it just opened other doors for me, you know. I'm losing track of where I'm going here, but in the Bible says, familiar passage, Ecclesiastes 12.13, Ecclesiastes 12.13, it says, let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. It's the whole duty of man. Just do what God says. It's going to bless your life. It's going to be better, even if it doesn't make sense. Even if he makes you the odd one out, just do what God says. Let God be God. You're in charge, God, you know best. I'll do what you asked me to do. God, that's your will. I see what your will is. Your commandments. You do it, Lord, and I'm asking you that you be well pleased. Lord, I'm asking that you bless me. I'm asking, Lord, that you help me. Lord, because I'm so brainwashed by this world. I've been so affected, Lord, by the philosophies of this world, and it's driven me far from you. When we talk about submitting our will to God's will, you know, this is basically, we all have a will, you know, and we're generally, we're geared to be self-willed, selfish. We want to do what our will says, and we would rather change the Bible to line up with our will than to just accept what God says. You know, and I haven't got a Bible here, can I just borrow a Bible quickly? Thank you. This is an amazing book. It's truly a precious book, you know, sometimes, and look, my goal is just to preach God's word to you. I want you guys to be fed and to follow God's ways. You know what? And again, if I offend you with God's word, please look beyond who's saying the words and understand what the Lord God is saying to your heart, okay? Please accept it. And sometimes I have people come to me as they pass, and I just preach what the Bible says. That's my goal, right? I'm not saying that sometimes I might, you know, whatever, I might have my opinions, whatever, but my real goal is just to tell you what God's word says. And sometimes I have people come up to me and say, well, pastor, but I'm in this situation, you know? And I won't even, I won't name the situations because then, you know, I'll start to name people's issues. But, you know, I'm in this situation, pastor, you know, what do I do? Here, you open this book. You do what God says. Oh, yeah, I know, you really preach that, pastor, but I'm in this situation. What do I do? Here, it's in this book. It's in this book. This, you know what? If you go to Kurong bookstore, you go to Kurong bookstore. There are Bibles. Say, man, I'm a teenager. So there's a Bible for teenagers. You pull that out. I'm a single. You know, I'm not married. Okay. There's a Bible for singles. You pull that out of the shelf. I'm married. I've got kids. There's a Bible for married men with kids. You know, that's for you. I'm a lady. Yes, there's a Bible for the ladies. You pull that off the shelf. And probably I'm a homosexual. There's probably a homosexual Bible on the shelf as well. Feel a few reprobates. Okay. This book is a one size fits all. Okay. One size fits all. But pastor, I'm a child. Then read this book and do what God says. But I'm an adult. Then do this book. Read it. Then you know more than a child. Read it and do what God says. But pastor, I'm single. Do what God says. Read it. It's there. Same for you. But I've got this medical condition. Read the Bible. Do what it says. Sometimes I feel like I have people come up to me and try to cause me to say, well, there is a Bible for your situation. Let me comfort you in your situation. No. Man, I would rather step down as a pastor than try to comfort you in your disobedience to God's words. I just want to not be the pastor. I don't want to preach God's truth and I know it's applicable to all. It's applicable to all. I grew up in a broken home. You grew up in a Christian home, Pastor Kevin. This book is written for you that grew up in a broken home. But I've been divorced three times. This is the book for you. You read it and do what God says. In divorce, you're on your fourth marriage. Then just commit yourself to this marriage that you're in till death do us part and just walk in accordance to God's ways. It doesn't change. Let God be God. God knows you. This book has everything you need in life. It has everything you need in life. It's God's will. It's God's commandments. It's God's teachings. It's going to bless you. I'm not the same as you, Pastor Kevin. You know, you preach this. I'm just not the same as you. I don't want you to be the same as me. I want you to be like Jesus. I'm trying to be like Jesus. You're trying to be like Jesus but I'm not trying to be like you or I don't want you to be like me. Let's try to be like Jesus. How do I know how to be like Jesus? You read God's word and do it. Let God be God. Just put away your self-will, your selfishness, my selfishness, talking to Brother Callum just before. Sometimes we prepare sermons, we've got ideas, we've got thoughts, and then we prepare. We look at God's word and go, you know what, that doesn't seem to line up with God's word. And you've got to be humble enough to go, you know what, Lord, okay, that was my will. These were my preferences but I realize it's not really strong in accordance to your words, your way. So you give up on that. You say, Lord, I'm just going to submit to your will then. I'll just do what your word says. I'll teach what your word says. You know, instead of complaining what God's word says in your life, and you know what it says, and you know when you disobey, and you know when I preach and you're like, ah, that's not for me. Look, unless I'm teaching heresy or something, you know, if it's coming from God's word, it's applicable for you. It's for you. It's coming from the Spirit of God to work in your hearts and your minds. Again, instead of complaining, say, but I am in this situation. Pastor doesn't understand me, all right. I'm not trying to understand you. I'm trying to understand God's word and God's word understands you, all right. That's how it works. Instead of complaining and you find areas in your life that slaps you in the face, you know, words of God that makes you uncomfortable, the words of God when you, ah, man, I'm not living up to that standard, you know what, instead of complaining at the preacher or complaining at God's word, say, Lord, just go to God in prayer. Let God be God's God. You know, I come short of this standard. I'm sorry. Help me, Lord. Lord, I come short. Just help me, Lord. I'm struggling with this, Lord. Instead of trying to make myself comfortable, instead of trying to give to my will and trying to force my will into your word, Lord, I'm just going to let you be God and God, you know I've got shortcomings, you know I've got a sinful nature, you know I've got temptations and I've got these problems and I've got these, ah, I'm struggling with these areas, Lord. Just help me, please, Lord. Please help me. Please do a change in my heart. Do a change in my mind. Help me to love your word. Help me to love the preacher that loves me enough to tell me the truth. The Bible says in Romans 3, 4, God forbid, yea, let God be true, but every man a liar. Let God be true, but every man a liar. Hey, that includes you. You're a liar. So am I, I'm a liar. Okay. That's why we come to the house of God. We want to hear what God's word has to say. You're true. I want to hear the truth, God, even if it makes me uncomfortable, even if I realize it's contrary to what the world is telling me to do. Hey, the world has made me comfortable. The world makes me feel good about myself, but your word, God, doesn't make me feel good about myself. Therefore, I'll just listen to the rudiments of this world. I'll just follow the world instead of being challenged by God's word. God's created you. He's given you these words. He loves you. He wants you to be like Christ Jesus. He wants you to be blessed. Boy, there's no better way to live your life than to walk in accordance to his words. Now, sometimes people say, almost like asking, like, I don't know, trying to justify when someone's contrary to God's word, say, well, he's got a strong character. You know, disobedient children, he's got, you know, my child's just a strong character, like almost twisted in a positive sense, strong character. You know what Moses says about that? You know, I'll just quickly read to you in Deuteronomy 31 verse 25, that Moses commanded the Levites, which bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, take this book of the law, hey, right here, book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, your God, that he may be there for a witness against thee, for I know thy rebellion and thy stiff neck. Behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the Lord, and how much more, after my death, Moses says, look, you've been stiff-necked this whole time, and I know when I die, how much more are you going to be rebellious against the Lord? You've got a stiff neck. You know what we call a strong character, Moses says, it's a stiff neck. It's a negative sense. Yeah, when you're sniffing your neck, you're hardened, so I'm hardened against what God says, I'll do it my way, yeah, you're stiff-necked. How many times do we read about the Jews of the Old Testament being stiff-necked people? Well, we can be the same, yeah, when we say, well, that doesn't apply to me, pastor, because that's, you know, I'd rather do what the philosopher has said over here, what the counsellor has said over here, I'd rather do what, you know, whatever, whatever manual you've gone to outside of God's word. If, you know, they've given me good advice, pastor, you're stiff-necked. It's not a strong character, not a strong character. Again, Matthew 26, 41 says, watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Look, the spirit, the new man in you wants to do what God says. Remind yourself of that when you find yourself stiff-necked, when you don't want God to be God in your life. Remind yourself that the inner man actually wants to do what God says. The inner man wants to please God, but your flesh is weak, weak. I'm not strong. Look how strong I am. I've got a strong character. My husband's just a strong man. My wife's just a strong lady. My children just have strong character. They're stiff-necked and they're weak, according to God's word. When you disobey the clear commandments of God, and brethren, we all disobey to some extent. We're all sinners, okay? I'm not this perfect man up here, all right? I speak to you because I know what I struggle with. I know there are times that I want to do my will and go, man, but, hey, praise God, I'm a pastor. It kind of forces me to be like, I've got to do what Christ wants, have to do what God wants. We all have it. I have it. You have it. Point number two. I've spent a lot of time on point number one. There's two things that I want you to think about. Submit yourself to God's will. Do what God says in His word. Don't wait for that amazing, this is now God's word. Just do the basic things. God wants you to pray. Pray. God wants you to read the Bible. Read the Bible. God wants you in church. Be in church. All right? Just do the most basic things. Just read God's words, all right? Do what He wants from you. Number two, the rest of it. Leave the rest to God. You know what God's commandments is. All right, you do what is within your control. Leave the rest to God. Let God be God. Leave the rest to God. What am I saying? I'm saying if you're being challenged by God's word, you apply it to your life. Don't worry about brother so-and-so. Don't worry about family so-and-so and sister so-and-so, okay? Leave the rest to God, all right? When you're being challenged, please don't be like, oh man, he needs to hear this. I need to hear this. I need to be changed. There's something coming from God's word that I need to apply to my life. And if you're worried about brother so-and-so and sister so-and-so and child so-and-so, then go to God. Say, Lord, I'm worried about them. I'm lifting them in prayer. Can you please take care of them? Can you please challenge them? Lord, I'm leaving it in your hands. Let God be God, okay? Leave the rest to God. Now, I'm going to just do something very quickly. When both churches, New Life and Blessed Above the Church, were under lockdown at the same time, I preached a sermon down in Sydney, and I gave you guys this illustration if you remember it or not, but I just feel this helps me a lot in my life, okay? Remembering what am I in charge of? What can I change? And what are the things that I can't? And I'm just going to leave it to the Lord God, all right? So I'll just draw this on this paper. I'll just draw a circle. I'm sure I'm better than that. Anyway, that circle, yeah, that circle represents my life, my walk with the Lord, my work, okay? And then I get married, and that circle gets a little bit bigger. That includes my wife. And then we have kids, and that includes my kids. And then I become a pastor of two churches, and that becomes a little bit bigger because I've got more work to do. I've got more people that I can influence, yeah? And whatever your life looks like, you've got that circle in your life. God has given you responsibilities, a role to do, and the Perfect Man series was just to point you back to your role and responsibilities, what God expects from you. Brethren, within that circle, you've got 100% influence. You can control things. You can influence your wife, your husband, your kids. You can influence, if you've got your own business, you can influence your employees, whatever it is, whatever responsibility God has given you, it's there. That's where your mindset should be. That's what I can change. That's what I can do. You stay right there, brethren, and work toward that. Then I'm going to draw another circle around that circle, and that circle represents your extended families, your friends, your acquaintances, your work colleagues, all right? You haven't got 100% influence in that, right? Maybe you have 10% influence on that, I don't know, 10% influence in that area. You can give people some advice, people come to you, talk to you, you can be friendly, you can motivate people, encourage people, but at the end of the day, you can't control their lives. Whether they listen to you or not, it's their life, they choose what they want to do. That includes brothers and sisters in the Lord, in this church. That includes other families in this church. You might be able to have some element of influence, but really, you don't. They've got their own lives, they've got their own families, okay? Then I'm going to draw another circle around that, and again, these percentage of influence is not really accurate. It just gives you a picture, right? There's another circle around that, and let's say you've got 1% influence on that, okay? And that is Australia. That is the political world. That is the society, the philosophies, how this world operates, the systems in this world, okay? I mean, your voice is like a drop of the ocean, in the ocean. Again, we go and cast our votes, and some people think our votes mean nothing, and maybe they do, I don't know, okay? But hey, I suppose you've got a voice, you are a citizen, you can protest if you really wanted to or something. You have some element of effect in this world to some extent, but it's very small. It's only 1%, let's say, it's even less than 1%, and then you've got another circle around that, and that other circle, you've got 0% influence. You can't change anything in this circle. You can't change when the sun rises. You can't change the tides, okay? You can't change the weather. You know, the laws of physics, the laws of the universe, you cannot change. You know, if there's a comet going through space, you can't correct it. You can't change direction. All of that is in the realm of God. God is fully, there's no man can touch those things. It's all in the hands of God 100%, okay? Now brethren, we've been given the commandments of God. We're seeking God's will. We're trying to be like Christ. We can make changes in our life. We can better ourselves, but the only place that you can have maximum influence and effect is right there in that circle. That's where you concentrate your time on. That's what you do, okay? You look inwardly. What can I change? Rather than being critical of other people and other things, don't waste your time. Brethren, this stuff, yeah, you can help other people sometimes, but really, you're going to have a greater influence on your own family than on other people's families, okay? You know, if you start to worry, oh, the wicked politicians, you know, the way the world is going, you've only got a 1% influence in that area. Why waste your time there when you've got so much to work on right there in the middle? You know, it surprises me. I think how many Christians, man, did you know this is happening? Did you know this is, man, this is leading now. We're going to mark the beast right now, and this is all, you know, it's all tradition. It's all going back. It's all going downward. I just think, okay, but you've got no control in that area, or you've got 1%, but you know what? You've got control right there. Give your attention to the things you can change, the things that you can influence, what God has commanded you to do. Put your attention right there. Raven, if you're on your deathbed, you literally, you've got an hour to live, right? You've got an hour to live. Say, what am I going to do with the hour that I last have, right? You're on your deathbed, and you're going to want to spend your time here, your family, your children, your wife, your husband, the people you have influence over, you want to spend that last hour with them, with that, or you're going to spend your last hour here with people, your acquaintances, your work colleagues, or you want to spend your time talking about politics and how the world can be better with your political system, or you want to talk about how we ought to change the laws of the universe. I mean, what are you going to have the greatest influence on on that last hour that you've got? Of course, on your family, on the people you've been given direct control of, of your own life, what you can change, how you can influence, how God can use you. Brethren, give your attention right there in the middle, okay? That's seeking God's will right there. You can't change the rest of it. Seek God right there in the middle, okay? What God has given you. That's you submitting yourself to God's will, and then when it comes to the rest of it, leave the rest to God. Leave the rest to God. Don't worry about it all, okay? And when you do worry about it, what do you do when you start worrying about the things that you've got no control over? You take it to God. Philippians 4, 6, be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. First Peter 5, 7, cast in all your care upon Him, for He careth for you. Let God be God. Leave it all to God. Leave the rest of it to God, brethren. I know this world is going down a bad path, but I'm not going to change it. Not politically anyway. I can change it by submitting my will to God's will, doing what God wants, putting forth an example contrary to this world in my life, in the preaching of the gospel, in walking God's paths. We can make a change there. You can make a change in your own life. Make those changes right there where God wants. And the rest of it, you say, God, I have no control over these things. Lord, these things are worrying me, therefore I'm going to put it upon your shoulders because you care for me. You take care of all those things, Lord, and you take care of those things I've got no control over, and then help me to take care of the things that I do have control over. The will that you want me to walk by, the commandments that you want me to live by. Help me in that path. So brethren, let God be God. Submit your will to God's will, number one, and the rest of it, just leave it in God's hands. And I don't know, I'm just summarizing everything that I've covered in the Perfect Man series. If you want details of these things, you've got to go back to the series. But brethren, this is the best way to live your life. God, what do you want me to do? Yes, sir, I'll do it. Even if it doesn't make sense to the world, I'll just do it. And the rest of it, Lord, it's in your hands. I can't influence it anymore. You do it what you have to do, Lord. You're in charge. I don't care who's in power. I don't care if it's a Labor Party or a Liberal Party. I don't care if the Chinese government takes over Australia. I don't care if the Russian bombs Australia. Lord, I'm just leaving it in your hands. I've got no control over these things. And I'll just work on the areas that you want me to work on. I'll do exactly what your Word says to me. And Lord, when I'm struggling, when I'm weak in the flesh, when I'm stiff-necked, Lord, please help me. Instead of getting angry at God, say, God, I'm just struggling. Help me, please. Lord, please help me to take your Word on board and to make the changes that I need. Please go to 1 Kings 18, 1 Kings 18. My apologies, a bit of a long sermon for a Wednesday night. I'm almost done now. 1 Kings 18, let's finish the story with Elijah and the prophets of Baal. 1 Kings 18, verse 30, 1 Kings 18, verse 30. The Bible says, And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. Reverend, whatever area in your life that is broken down, you need to repair it. Fix it. Fix it. Whatever area that you've let go to the world, instead of in the will of God, you need to take that up and repair it. Fix it. God, help me to fix this. Verse number 31, And Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came saying, Israel shall be thy name. And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he made a trench about the altar, as great as wood contained two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood. So not only does Elijah present the sacrifice, but he soaks it with water. I mean, if God's going to send a fire, I mean, obviously the water's going to quench that fire. He says, no, you know what? We're going to see a mighty work in God here. He's going to be able to dry up all that water and still light up this sacrifice. Verse number 34, And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. I mean, just keep pouring water on this thing, right? Verse number 35, And water ran about the altar, and he filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening offering, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. That's what we need to get to, as we desire to be the perfect man. We say thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, your boss God, I'm going to let God be God, you're the boss, I'm just your servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. I've done everything God that I see in your word. I've done everything Lord that I've heard preached from behind the pulpit. We've got a long way to go, don't we? To be able to say these words. The way Elijah has said these words, we've got a long way, we've got a lot to fix. We've got a lot of altars that are broken down that we need to fix up and commit it to the Lord. Verse number 37, Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that these people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces, and they said, look at this, the Lord, He is the God. The Lord, He is the God. So let God be God, right? The Lord, He is the God. Let Him be in charge. You know, this Bible, precious, precious words of God. You know, how many years, how many centuries did God use men to put this together? And we've got it all. We've got it all. We've got the New Testament. The New Testament teaches everything we need to understand about the Old Testament. We've been given such, such a blessing, so much wisdom, so much guidance, knowing God's will in our life, but just simply opening the book, and just giving it time and attention to read it, and to say, God, my will sometimes is contrary to your will. Lord, I come short to the standards that you've set in your word, but please help me, God. Instead of trying to justify my sin, justify my stiff neck, instead of trying to justify my disobedience, say, God, I need you. I need your help. I need your strength. Lord, I've got the flesh. You know that. The flesh is weak. Spirit is willing, Lord, for the flesh is weak. Can you please help me, Lord? Help me to set you to be the God of all things. Let me see you, Lord, as the Lord, He is God. You know, when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces. Man, we serve an amazing God. How often do we literally fall on our face and just think about who God is, to worship Him in that position? I'm not asking you to do that tonight, okay, but I hope that in your heart, at least, you can stop and think about the great God that you serve, and what He's done to guide you in life, you know, to help you to walk away from the rudiments, the traditions, the philosophies that come from man in this world, that have tainted all our minds. Reverend, let's just get back to God's word, and let's let Him be God. Let's let the Lord be God. Okay, let's pray.