Doing God's Will in an UnGodly World

Probably the most quoted and well-known scripture comes from the model prayer that Jesus offered on the Sermon on the Mount, which is found in Matthew 6, 9 through 13. I'd like to quote it to you for a moment. I think many of us learned it when we were young. Whatever religious experience that we were having at that time that our parents probably taught us this. I'm just going to quote it out of the—and I hope you don't mind—I'm not that old. I did not live in the 17th century, but in the 1950s and 60s a lot of us grew up with the King James Version, and that's kind of what I remember sometimes. And so I'm just going to quote it from that. And I'm not that old, the King James Version is, but that it has a wonderful meaning to all of us. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. I know myself, I oftentimes when I can't go to sleep at night, I would just—that gives me peace. That Susan recently said, were you once spring in the night? I said, yes. And sometimes I just—I'll just—gives me peace, and it gives me calm to be able to share that.

And I'll try to keep on going. I do that rather than count sheep, you know, jumping over the—that doesn't work for me. I try to count down from a thousand, and after about 333, I'm almost—no, I'm not there. So I'll just start reciting the Lord's Prayer, which gives me comfort. I think it gives your comfort. But we're going to center on just one important—they're all important—but one important phrase that we're going to build this entire message on. In verse 10, in Matthew 6, it says, your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. What does that mean to we that are New Covenant Christians?

In the 21st century, as was brought out by Mr. Beatty in the opening message, we are just coming off of that spring festival of the New Testament Passover and then the days of Unleavened Bread. In the New Testament Passover, we reviewed our covenant relationship with our Heavenly Father through the sacrifice of our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ as that New Testament Passover, as the Lamb of God. I believe the prayer embodies our sincerest, sincerest intent at that time when we observed that festival and we partook of the bread and we partook of the wine and we also partook of the foot washing which has such incredible spiritual meaning beyond simply washing feet because if we did not do that, as Jesus told Peter, if you do not do this, you will have no part with me.

So there in that sense is a tremendous lesson and no part actually meant in that sense in ministry. It's very interesting a couple years later when I believe it was two of the Apostles up in Samaria and remember how Simon Magus was trying to make a inrun and to get the spirit so that he could have that power but have it for wrong sense and the Apostles right there said, uh-uh buddy, that's Hebrew for uh-uh buddy, you are going to have no part in this.

Vamos. So we come off of the New Covenant Passover with all of this going on and you know when you think about it I know that we look at all this and see what's been happening and what we've just done and when I see you I have an opportunity all these many years of being behind the table and looking out and watching all of you as you come in and I watch your body language please understand you're not under double inspection but I'm just looking out there and I see you settle I see you rest before God I see a longing and you seeing a need to be replenished by God for another year it's a beautiful thing because the spirit is seamless throughout the the Isles and I know that you have the sincerest and tin at that time to partake of that foot washing partake of that bread partake of the wine and have that seamlessness of unity between the Father and the Son and through their spirit and through you on that night and you kind of wish that you didn't have to leave that night just kind of wish that you could be I'm always behind this side of the table but you know it have you ever done that and I watch you and you probably watch me sometimes I I just hold that bread in my hand for a moment I just look at it I don't want to rush it in I want to know what it what what it means not only that night but every day of my life I want to kind of just hold that cup of wine and and notice that and then finally after I've thought about a little bit I I drink it starts going down and there's there's something that happens there and you wish that you didn't you didn't have to leave that night because you just kind of feel this bond and you feel this this closeness but the bonding and the closeness if we're not careful can only last so long because again God didn't call us just to come into a room altogether and stay in a cave even as enlightened as it is that evening with the truth of God and the word of God being spoken but he's asked us to go out he's asked us to move out into this world and that's an important thing that we look at I like you to join me in John 17 if you join me please in John 17 let's open up the word of God because that's why we're here and when we open up the word of God hopefully our hearts are opening up at the same time in John 17 I like to have you go to verse 13 and let's just read this together John 17 13 but now the Jesus speaking now I come to you and these things I speak in the world that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves I have given them your word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world as I am not of the world and I don't pray that you should take them out of the world but that you should keep them from the evil one remember the prayer the Lord's prayer they are not of the world just as I am not of the world and then he says sanctify them set them apart by your truth and as Sandy just brought out in the opening message your word is truth and as you send me into the world I also have sent them into the world and for their sake I set them apart I sanctify myself I sanctify myself I set myself apart that they also may be sanctified in the truth and I do not pray for these alone but also for those who will believe in me through their word that they all may be one as you father are in me and I in you and that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that you sent me very interesting scripture when we think of the challenges that are us Jesus didn't say father keep them in this room for the rest of their life and lock the doors they're not just to stay here and give warmth and light to one another you have when I prayed to you which he did he prayed that time right before he chose these disciples that became the apostles he prayed specifically and then they came amongst him and he said no they're not going to stay here they're going to go out you know it'd be nice and warm and fuzzy to to be around just people that believe just like we do right now but that is not a witness of the gospel the witness of the gospel is not just simply what you know but what you are as you come into contact with other people and so there's we don't have Christians in isolation the reason why the early apostles were called and the reason why we have been called today is to in that sense go out into that world which right now is not God's world there is a god of this world there is a god of this age we find that in second Corinthians four and verse four and it is the dragon it is satan it is the adversary this is his age but we have as jesus was the light john eight and verse 12 he is also like i said what we are to be the light so as several weeks now have gone by a couple weeks have gone by and we were uh we were at the ed browning center and we were all together but how's it working right now a couple of weeks away from that experience and what are we doing and do we realize that god has more homework he has more what i like to call heart work towards his per set for effecting process working inside of us to shape us and make us into a spiritual image my question then is simply this as we begin to move into the body of the message how then do we maintain a sense of a vibrant spiritual purpose when we are continually surrounded and impacted in an overall environment that is not home to the heart of a christian is not home to the heart of a christian let's appreciate the biblical reality and i will speak to that that we've we're often most vulnerable when we have experienced spiritual highlights i'm going to repeat that then i'm going to explain it i'm going to use an example let's understand coming off of the spring festivals that sometimes when we have experienced spiritual highs that we can go low how can i say that where do you find that robin all you have to do is go to that night here are the 12 apostles they're in the upper room right in cherusla jesus christ is literally pouring himself out with explanation of what the bread and the wine and this and that and this and that i mean maybe one day in the wonderful world tomorrow we'll be able to see a spiritual video of that and you know like we missed the first time but it's like we're there now and we're going to see that and there was this bond as they partook of the bread the bread being his body sandy brought out the bread being his body of partaking of the wine and then to sing a then to sing a hymn together because music and words make things sit don't they they they settle under our minds and our hearts and then they went out after that highlight and then a couple of hours later what happens they're running out of the garden they're running away from their their their their their rabbi and the one the the the big one peter's you know says i no matter what anybody else ever does they can all go away but i will be there i have a question for you how did that work out when we read the story so we need to recognize that we don't need to move in that sense in fear but in wisdom to recognize that the adversary always wants to come at us another way have you ever have you ever been in a room in an office right now it's getting warmer up in the end of the empire and you know what so the door's opening you know guess what comes into the room the flies and you know why is that you can get most of the flies but there's one fly that just is a pain in the room and will and then lands on you for a moment you want to freak out and go and then finally you put the flyswatter over here well the big flyswatter is going to come in the future because it says in roman 1620 that the that jesus christ is going to crush the dragon and that time is going to come but right now we have to put up but that spiritual irritation that not only wants to irritate irritate us but take us away from the ways of god so this morning or this afternoon i would speak to you and this is the title of my message doing god's will in an ungodly world doing god's will in an ungodly world as we move forward number one let's realize we are not alone we have heavenly support not only from heaven but in dwelling in us by the holy spirit number two let's appreciate the clear and present challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for each of us don't be afraid to use bad english to make a point don't be afeard recognize that they're coming because that's how god shapes us that's how he molds us through the pressure of the challenges that we come you don't build muscle and you do not build spiritual muscle without pressure points and exercise and what we're exercising is god's holy spirit in a world that by and large is devoid of it and number three recognizing that we do have a certain future that god has in store for us god has in store for us as we move into the body of the message let's remember the thrust of christ words about keep them in the world he said keep them in the world don't take them out of the world keep them in the world but set them apart what does that look like in spiritual real time join me if you wouldn't first john join me if you would in first john two that's the epistle thereof at the end first john two and we're going to pick up the thought in verse 15 allow me to share a thought with you to give you some significance of the epistle of first john and why this is being stated this is probably written about 85 perhaps up to 90 ad and to understand that this is now almost 60 years past the time of jesus on earth and john is the last apostle standing everybody else by tradition has been murdered it is john alone john alone that is alive and now we're three generations there's a generation that had been there initially then there's generations that come up both within the jewish community and the gentile community in the in the in the 50s and the 60s ad but now we're into that third generation and john who had been there is giving a synopsis of what we need to be aware of let's let's look at this where it says in john um first john two pardon me get over here a second first john two and picking up the thought in verse 15 because this defines the contrast between god's way and the ways of this world do not love the world or the things in the world if anyone knows the world the love of the father is not in him for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and and the pride of life is not of the father but of the world so he lays it right out we're going to come back to this in a few minutes and the world is passing away it's not going to be here so why why why why would somebody invest in a losing enterprise because jesus had revealed already and the angels on the mount of olives had revealed he's coming back just as he went up he's coming back and he's going to claim and make this his father's world and the world is passing away and the lust of it but he who does the will of god abides forever what's it say in the lord's prayer thy will be done got a question by who by who that's right good good body language lee lee got it right in the middle she went she pointed this way let's do that let's have this you know i like to teach class let's just do this get your finger like this by who that's us that's us not just some guy on a broadcast not somebody on a podcast not somebody on a television program not just your pastor not not just this person each and every one of us has a part in this enterprise let's continue little children it is the last hour as you have heard that the antichrist is coming even now many antichrist have come by which we know that it is the last hour they went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that none of them were for us sometimes in church life people come along for a ride they they they feel like they they've kind of found quote unquote a safe place nice people but they never bore roots they never got into the soil as sanny was saying they never got into the soil of the word to get that nourishment and to be able to bloom to be able to grow to be able to bear fruit that was not only good for them but for others but you have an anointing from the holy one and you know all things an anointing I didn't say that it's in the word I have not written to you because you do not know the truth but because you know it and and that no lie is of the truth who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ this is where they were trying to humanize Jesus of Nazareth yes he was human he was the son of man and he did exist in the fabric of human flesh but in that same sense in his inner being he was uncreated he was the word and the word was God so that there were people that were trying to move away from the the message that Emmanuel God with us Jesus was not just another man or another good man it's like just the other day I finished a column for my next column and follow me beyond a day and we're it's a it's geared towards the 250th anniversary of the United States so I took a part of that and was dealing with the story of the Declaration of Independence but the bottom line of all of that is simply this General George Washington later on a president, Flexner, a very good biographer, wrote a book entitled The Indispensable Man and truly if you look at human history and you understand the history of America he was in those eight years of conflict a conflict the indispensable man but I remember years ago Susan when I mentioned that to her I think I don't know if she remembers is that no no and so that's when years later I put her in a column because there's only one indispensable son of man there's only one that has not been bit by human sin and that's Jesus Christ and that's who we worship and that's who we're modeling ourselves after he alone is indispensable that's what makes him savior that's what makes him our Passover that's what makes him our high priest he is indispensable he is the one that God the Father said there is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased whoever verse 23 denies the son does not have the father either he who acknowledges the son that has the father also therefore let us let that abide in you which you have heard from the beginning if when you have heard from the beginning abides in you you also will abide in the son and in the father let's understand a few things here the word says to not love the world what does it mean to not love the world we have family members that are quote unquote out in the world we have good friends that are out in the world does that mean to despise people that are in the world no there's a different term here when the term there is being used love not the world the the greek term there is cosmos you know you know you know the term cosmos from from galactic heavens cosmos that's with a c this is with a k k o s m o s and when you understand the greek it talks about the arranged order that which is god's rival and confronts god's intention it's the culture that is apart from god it is the culture that initially adam and eve chose apart from the culture of god from the very beginning so when we say love not the world we can't help but love people but it doesn't mean to love the system to love the culture recognizing from whence it comes you know it's very interesting that scripture speaks of two ages in both the old testament the new testament i'll let you read my notes on that but it talks about the the the present evil age and it speaks of the age to come so you have to understand the bible there's this are you with me there there's this contrast there is the present evil age and god is the one that coins it that way in scripture and then there is the age to come and that age is going to replace that present evil age and just think about it what's going to happen there you know and i'm going to be sending you out of and i've done it before over the years and recently in the prophecy classes but the reason why it's important to understand too let me explain this for a moment aren't you glad there's not three i i have enough challenge in my personal life dealing with the present evil age and the age to come three might have me juggling so much i might not get there other than by god's spirit but it's always a matter of two let's go back for a second here of thinking from genesis all the way to revelation in the beginning you have the god of this world and you have the one true god one and one as you open up the curtain with eden and as we're walking in to recognize how many trees are there there are two there is the tree of life and there's the tree of good and evil from those trees come two different ways two different ways reliance on god reliance on self as you go further with that choices that were made then and the choices that we make daily as we move away from the new testament Passover table there is either life and or there is death you go a little bit further into the story you recognize that there were two cities there is jerusalem and there is babylon you want to keep on going and to recognize that all of this basically comes down to this on one side life and on the other side death and throughout the scriptures whether it was with adam and eve or whether it was with daniel michelle hannaniah and azariah and babylon there's no third option we don't have a third option we don't get to be mr and mrs in between you either choose life and you choose god's ways or the other and especially this becomes this crescendo is into the book of revelation when you read about babylon and that system and to recognize that forever down through these 2000 years that disciples of jesus christ have to make a decision and there are some they're going to make a decision then that they did not love their life unto death but died died in this projection of the gospel of this projection of the kingdom interesting there is no third option there's no wiggle room we are either a bond servant of jesus christ and he really is our master and even if you know what the greek is for master that doesn't work unless he really is your master and or this world there's no third option the reason why i mentioned this let's think this through for a moment is that as i often say that there is this space between cause and effect what comes our way that maybe we're not prepared for and thinking what the outcomes are it's in that space that we have an opportunity to consider this again with what sandy was bringing out in his fine message god's ways work and god's ways work best you hear me and sometimes what we do with human nature which continues to challenge us as much as the apostle paul you know he said no everything i want to do i don't do and everything i should do i'm not hello and this is mr apostle mr writer of the new testament kind of it's kind of nice to have that company a little bit you know we're not alone but at the end this crescendo in in in roman 725 but he says thanks god for jesus christ which makes the difference but in all of that thinking sometimes we go okay cause and effect if i go god's way may not happen at once but it'll be positive at the end and so what sometimes we do as spiritual beings we think of we know that cause and effect and we in first grade we learned if not before the smart ones that one plus one equals right well what does human nature do human nature will often go one plus one equals three we think that we can come up with a compromised outcome that will overmatch the gravity of god's thinking i know none of you have ever been in that spot remember god's ways work even when you don't see them at first and they will work best and they will work for you when the right time and the right way comes up back here in first john join me again let's go back to first john here and i want to pick up the thought here something that was brought out very important and that is where the apostle john basically cuts the piece of pie of human nature into three parts remember how you know maybe you visit your grandma out in the country and you know she'd have that pie out on the sill you know on the country kind of cooling off and then she'd bring it in and she cut it cut it down because it all looked too big at once but just cut it down this is what god inspired the apostle john to do with human nature what does human nature look like when you take it apart piece by piece and it's found right here do not love the world verse 15 if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him you don't have can i make a comment may i you don't have room for both you don't have room in our system for both we who have been loved by god and god loved us first are in turn to give our god and his son our love we don't have time to have love for this cosmos with a k this culture this way of being that from the beginning and before the beginning as we're going to see here in a moment is against god let's take a look at this for a moment very important for it says for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world number one let's talk about the lust of the flesh that means if you break it down that means strong desire there's a strong desire in our flesh not only for fleshly sins but more so a life dominated by the impact of the sensory world there's a sensuality and i'm not just talking about fiscal relationships there's a sensuality that can go that way too but there's a sensuality and there's no filter of god's spirit operating in you when we go after the lust of the flesh because that's apart from god and when we are not steeped into god's words and understand those words like sandy was bringing out it's like you know you're out in the country and you have a have you ever had a weak internet connection maybe you've traveled somewhere and you're correct i know we do that when we go up in the same up to oak glen sometimes and i kind of always keep my little black flip-flop phone that is famous you know you know that old phone that i have that i'm saving it's going to be worth something one day it's going to be a double antique and so sometimes uh the family and i need to make a phone call i'll kind of circle out there for about five or ten minutes and i'm looking for this hot spot there's got to be some place up here in the pine trees and the apple orchards of oak glen we can't afford that god offers us a full connection at all times to bring us to a state of mind of who he is and who we are in projecting the gospel of jesus christ and the kingdom of god not by all of our well did you know this and did you know that and then he kind of get it you know the loudest sermon that a christian can offer is his good example you can know all the greek and you can know all the hebrew and you can give people you know in our church you know all of our booklets and no no no no the the best sermon is your personal example that is the attraction that is the light that god god wants through his disciples today just as much as yesteryear it's interesting that the commentator william barkley and i i love barkley's commentary puts it this way he uses the term lust of flesh he talks you might want to jot this word down just for fun domination domination or domineering and it's very interesting that it is in latin you know domination anytime you have ti o and it's going to be latin and what what was the most dominating empire in human history and one that is still going to have revivals to the very end of time rome rome and what can happen is the lust of the flesh if we do not use the filter of god's spirit if we do if we don't have a strong connection with god praying to him reading his word susan i were watching a program last night it was a good pro it was a hallmark pro you can't go wrong with hallmark and we were watching and then these these these uh two young ladies were going to have to go out to the country to be with their grandparents because their their mother had to travel and so and they did not last thing a city you know they were kind of like we used to a couple little valley girls from you know back in the 60s or 70s they were like a pain and you know i thought are we gonna have to watch this for an hour and a half you know they're not good but then so they go out in the country and what happens is guess what they've got with the kids today and frankly those that are older kids like all of us you can't live without your computer you can't live without your smartphone that's why i have a dumb phone because just imagine what your pastor would be like if i had a smartphone it'd be horrible i don't want to be connected all the time i don't need to know everything that's happening i get enough phone calls from three circuit from three churches in the region southwest region that i'm responsible for i don't need anymore so these kids are just oh oh oh oh i can't get this and i can't get that we need to recognize we in life are going to be challenged and we cannot afford to be in an internet spiritually internet spot where we're not connected with our father that's the one that we need to be connected with that's the one that we need to be connected with that's the one that we have to have a lifeline two and a 25 uh 25 hours in a 24 hour day but he says so he goes through this let me go through uh the commentator barkley puts it this way about domination of the senses regardless of the presence of god the president think of this route the presence of god the commandments of god the standards of god and the judgments of god and judgments of god is not always i'm running away from this they're going to be no no god is a righteous judge he gives blessings as well as spankings if need be in that sense he's a righteous you know when you when you hear about the judgments of god you go oh no no that's exactly where we want to have our judgment no wouldn't you like to have a judgment no it says that jesus christ is the one that's the judge wouldn't you like to have somebody to be your judge who was judged harshly and wrongfully in this lifetime don't you think he's going to be a little bit more careful with you than the jews and the romans were in 31 ad i want to be before jesus christ do you want to be before jesus christ or you just want to drink a little wine and and have a little bread on the the passover evening that's the judge that's the judge he alone not anybody down here he alone is going to make the judgment on you and me and everybody that's been made in his image in the image of his father over these years number two it talks about it talks about the lust of the eyes hmm lust of the eyes might call it the desires of the eyes there's no restraint it's very sensual there's no restraints everything becomes irresistible other than what is eternally valuable everything becomes irresistible rather than that which is eternally valuable it's like weighing putting it on a scale and we get excited about what we can see in the moment rather than what god sees in us for eternity he sees us there sometimes we don't see ourselves you know everybody else you know there's a moses there's an alijah there's a peter there's a john there's barnabas there's so and so and so and so or you know maybe you're a second or third generation christian so i'm not like grandma i'm not like my parent no god already sees us in his picture we are the only ones that will take ourselves out of that picture by erasing ourselves by erasing ourselves god does not want to erase us he wants us to be there but what happens is we get our eyes on everything else and everybody else's business that is not our business or business that we should not be in and we become blind and again it says let's take another one the pride of life it is a spirit that sees nothing without wishing to acquire it and having acquired it flaunts it without regard pride of life vaunts itself with things that are not its own exalting itself beyond reasonable measure lust of the flesh desire of the eyes the pride of life i have a question for you because i recognize we have hundreds of years of biblical experience here i know you just love it when i say that what is the first sin what is the first sin that was committed do you want to come back in an hour this could be a long sermon that no what's the first sin what did god say about the bright angel that served him from before time and he said in the day that what was found in him we're talking about the dragon we're talking about lucifer that carob what was it the first pardon well that's sin i'll make it simple or otherwise we'll be here till the midnight hour is that the first sin was pride when lucifer tried to raise himself above god himself and knock god off the throne and since that time may make a comment please and that is that pride is the handle that fits every sin remember the equation of how god works he is a god of order one plus one equals two what pride does it tries to make one plus one to equal three that it surmounts and surpasses god's order of thinking and outside the equation that god has set for each and every one of us to exist in well we know what happened with adam and eve they saw the tree they saw the tree look good to the eyes lusty eyes we know also then that by partaking that they bit into what the serpent was saying that this will make you wise sounds like the pride of life and you can just go down the line remember many many years ago long ago and far away you know in pasadena and of course there was the minister for the auditorium pm mr armstrong would often be speaking there and i remember one night that he came in this is about 1980 81 he'd come back from tucson he was now residing back in in pasadena and i was sitting out with the audience that night oftentimes they'd sit backstage but out with the audience and he got out there he says no brethren i have learned more this year than i've ever learned before he's probably about 90 90 91 at that time i thought wow i wonder what he's going to share tonight maybe for those of you that remember those days maybe he's found a third tree because herbert armstrong was always known to go right back to genesis genesis two and genesis three and i mean almost every sermon and he says i am so excited about sharing this with you tonight and so i thought wow maybe he's got a third tree up his sleeve or something okay maybe he's found something i say this with warmth and smile towards mr armstrong and to recognize that he would always take us back to the beginning have you ever gotten into you ever started trying to watch a movie halfway through and say well how did it get here what's going on and he would always take us back to the opening reel of where we've gotten where we are today because of humanities built in unfortunately resistance to have somebody even their maker tell them what to do and they want to have a relationship with everybody other than the one that created them the one that took that clay that whatever out of eden and shaped it and formed it and created the eyes and the eyes that when those eyes would open that the first eyes that they would see would be their master would be their creator be the one that wanted to love them and to have that contact to have no no wall between that and to have a relationship and that i might be your god and that you will be my people isn't that the echo that comes down from time immemorial that i will be your god and you will be my people but you're going to have to come over to my side of the equation my side of the equation there was one that did it and that was the second atom and that was the second atom because he was challenged with the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes the pride of life and in this conclusion of this sermon because we need to conclude here in a few minutes is that when he said in that upper room on that evening to sanctify them as i sanctify myself with your word and with your truth you know the one marvelous thing i am so thankful everybody that jesus christ literally practiced what he preached what he told others to do he did himself that's why he is our champion and our lord and our friend adam and eve they blew it what an opportunity they would have had but the second adam as paul calls it in first chrythians came along and he had the same situation and you know what the serpent hadn't gone away you know you always want to be careful about serpents you know i told you the story one time this is about five or six years ago i read it in the newspaper and it woke me up there's a there's a there was a cook in a chinese restaurant serving chinese food which maybe you and i've never eaten at the panda express and he had a cobra because he he cobras at times and what he did if you're about to fall asleep wake up now what he did is he cut the head because he was going to cook the rest of the cobra he cut the head and put it in the pot put the body in the pot and what the cobra's head did it came back and bit him bit him killed him dead serpent hasn't gone away i'm not talking about the kitchen now i'm talking about the dragon he is going out of business roman 1620 says fulfilling that prophecy that was given to them in the garden of eden that one day the seed of your child speaking to eve it's going to be bit by the seed of the serpent but the serpent is going to be crushed on its head by your seed in other words what would you rather do be bit or be crushed satan is going to lose he's known that he's going to lose for the last six thousand years but he's a spoiled sport and keeps on coming after the children of adam and eve which are actually the children of god when it's all said and done but let's just take you to a point and as sandy brought out i'm really glad sandy that we had this chance to talk about the word of god today to recognize that jesus christ was not is not only the living word he's not only the spoken word but he's also the written word and they all come together and he said i'm going to be set apart sanctify them and i'm going to sanctify myself and your word he was true to his word when you think of the wilderness experience he had just been baptized and had that wonderful moment where a proud father said this is my son in whom i am well pleased and then he goes out into the wilderness is he in palm desert is he in indian wells we have some people probably listening from indian wells uh is he uh over in scottsdale well what's happening you know he's out in the judean wilderness not an easy spot to be and it is there and something that you and i have to understand also as disciples of christ and children of the father sometimes god will send us out into the wilderness because it is in the wilderness when we are alone that he will shape and he will mold us and allow us to grow and with that pressure once we learn the lessons of the wilderness then he allows us as the prophets of old that would be sent out in the wilderness as jesus christ was sent out in the wilderness as sometimes you and i will if you haven't had one you will you will have a wilderness experience to where you have to take a stand it is in that wilderness experience that growth occurs and now you're ready to come back into community and to share your story and christ's story is shared here for just a moment when you think about it that uh the the adversary came up against him he'd been fasting for 40 days 40 days just imagine that and if you and and when you when you think of what's happening i'm going to go to matthew four real quick you want join me in matthew four and we'll kind of conclude on this one matthew four okay yeah here we go in matthew four so he goes uh matthew four one and then jesus was led up to the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil and when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights afterwards he was hungry sometimes it's hard for me to fast for 40 minutes he's doing this for 40 days and then notice what happens then the tempter came to him remember what i said earlier remember sometimes when there is a spiritual highlight and it's all up up up and you're on the mountaintop this is sometimes when satan and that spirit will try to bring you down here jesus has just been baptized he has gone into the water it's a type as an example for us but also being in a type washed as a high priest coming amongst us and now up in heaven above for eternity he hears this beautiful acclamation by his father now he's in the wilderness after that highlight he's in the wilderness and the tempter comes along and says this if you are the son of god command that these stones become bread notice what it says here you know how much i love small words three now now i have a question for you when is going to be the next now where there's a chapter break and something else is going to happen now what are you going to do when now comes your way think about that just now just now think about that now when the tempter came to him he said if you are the son of god command that these stones become bread jesus is not eaten for 40 days and 40 nights when you think of the word lust you can almost use a synonym of craving of a dynamic urgency a thrust of needing to have something filled the lust of the flesh we're not talking about something out there i'm just talking about life itself that there can be a lust there can be something that you just want to grab and you want to hold it no matter what source it's coming from but he answered and said it is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of god went back he who is the living word who was the spoken word who was the jehovah of the old testament who gave it to moses and now he expresses it to the serpent remember what it says in that night last night of his human life i sanctify myself and i sanctify the word now notice verse five then it's bad enough to have had now you think you think the the adversary the god of this age is just going to try to kind of knock us off with one hit no now notice as we go from now then the devil took him and into the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him if you are the son of god throw yourself down for it is written he shall give his angels charge over you and in their hands they shall here bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone this is loose for quoting scripture he can come in very slyly canny so what it goes on and jesus said to him it is written again see satan has his words jesus has his words again it is written you shall not tempt the lord your god pride jesus overcame pride he was about his father's business then notice verse eight again you go you go like this this is a hebrew phrase really no satan's not done notice what it says again the devil took them him up on an exceeding high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and he said unto them all of these things everything that you're seeing just take it in drink it in have your eyes look at all of this the lust of the eyes and then jesus said him away with you he used a four-letter word scat for it is written you shall worship the lord your god and him only shall you serve now then again again the bottom line is that jesus practiced what he preached he was sanctified by truth the words of god it's very interesting i'm going to conclude with this then i'm going to bring you into the story i just thought of it remember when he is in caesarea fella pie and all the idols are in those clefs up above him and the disciples are there and what does he say who do you say that i am well that's something you know well we know who he is but wow you know hello jesus practiced what he preached in the wilderness yes he knew who his father was he did not usurp his father he did not try to displace his father it's interesting that moment that he had this moment of thought that he was going to share with others he knew who his father was it'd be interesting i wasn't there i'm not that old but just the father's watching all of this and jesus recognized that he was not down on this earth just on his own business he was about from age 12 what did he say i am about my father's business and i know i know my father lives i know that my father exists he practiced what he preached in that moment in the wilderness it was like no i'm not a lone ranger down here and i'm not alone i too am reporting to somebody i subordinated myself i gave up the throne up above i came down i humbled myself in this this fabric of human flesh and i know that who i am reporting to dear brethren here in san diego those that are listening can we have that sense as we move away from the spring festivals and we live each day and we give it to god in that sense to recognize that we are not our own person that it's not only jesus that is about his father's business but that we are about our father's business and the only hope that we have is to walk in the footsteps of jesus christ as he tells us and bids us welcome to follow me to recognize that we have an opportunity in that sense as i said in that model prayer so long ago that thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven and in this moment each and every one of us have that echo running in our life oh what we do when somebody sees us it's not about us but our father as we are about our father's business now then and again as life comes at us and to recognize the victory is ours in our lord and savior jesus christ