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Empowering multimedia ministry for bold Christian living: Weekend Messages, Deep End Podcast, Deep Dive Bible Study. Tim Hatch, Lead Pastor, Waters Church, 26 years of pastoral ministry, book author.
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0:00 You are listening to Waters Church podcast. Waters Church is a multisite, multigeneration community of faith on the East Coast of America. Now for a message from our pastor.0:13 Now I wanna talk to you on the topic of moving beyond the building. Moving beyond the building. Nehemiah chapter 7 is where we are, and we are at a key moment, an inflection0:25 point, if you will, of this story. Because this chapter transitions somebody say transitions. This chapter transitions from the building project to what the building project was0:38 for. And at some point in your life, you gotta ask yourself, what is my life here for? Where am I going? What why is God doing what he's doing in my life? And, I I think that0:50 it's a it's the key component to your existence to know not who you are, but why you are. And, there's a new movement, I don't know if you've heard this, called1:02 biohacking. Biohacking. Where there are a few people who are incredibly interested in not dying. Now I don't know about you, but I I'm1:14 not interested in that. The scripture says, to die is gain if you're in Christ. If you're in Christ,1:25 death is actually the best thing that's gonna happen to you. Because upon death, you go and you are in heaven with the Lord forever. Praise God.1:37 But I understand that outside of Christ, the desire is to hold on to this life. So there's a couple of people who are extremists to this end. Now I have1:49 a series in mind messages that are coming after Nehemiah and after Easter. And they are on the topic of let's get healthy. Somebody say let's get healthy. Let's get healthy. Turn to your neighbor and say let's2:01 get healthy. Let's get healthy. Now, I don't know why you picked that neighbor, but there was a reason, obviously, maybe. He's like, which 1 needs it a little bit more? Oh, you. Okay. And2:13 we're gonna talk about health because we are living in unhealthy times, and and and let me just say, as a prequel to that series, which is gonna be so important, I've been already doing a lot of research on burning in my2:23 heart to get it out to you after Nehemiah. But I I say I'm going to talk about health because, listen, you only get 1 temple of the holy spirit. That's your body. And your body affects2:35 everything else. And, we gotta get ourselves right. So we're gonna talk about that in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned. But there are some people who are taking health to an extreme, and they are biohackers.2:47 Let me give you a couple of examples. This person is Brian Johnson. Brian Johnson was a tech guru who made millions in Silicon Valley. He quit his job and now he spends, check this out, 2000000 dollars2:59 a year on experimental treatments. He takes 100 supplement pills every single day. He eats his meals, all of his meals every day before 12 noon,3:11 and Brian Johnson does all of that to look like Sigourney Weaver. This next person is Dave Pascoe. Dave Pascoe is 62 years old. He claims that he has biohacked3:22 his actual age down 24 years. He equally spends a lot of money and does experimental treatments such as red light therapy, trampoline exercises, takes 150 supplements every single day,3:35 and, practices infrared saunas, cold exposure, and finishes eating late. By Brian's standards, he finishes eating by 3 PM every day. This is Anastasia Lin or Sin. Sorry.3:46 Anastasia Sin is a bio hacker. She is literally called the bionic woman because her technique of biohacking is to involve, technology into her body. She holds the3:58 Guinness Book of World Records record for the most surgically implanted objects under her skin. She has 52 technological4:09 gadgets that have been installed inside of her body. How many know when the antichrist comes, Anastasia is gonna be in first in line. Come on. Sign me up. Put it right under my skin. Come on,4:21 somebody. Biohacking and extreme desire to live forever. I wanna say to you, this is not the mantra of the Christian movement, and4:33 I have this question for all the firehackers. Everybody who wants to live forever, here's the thing, to what purpose? Wanting to live forever, wanting to make yourself the peak of physical4:45 perfection is a fine endeavor, but does it just die with you? Is it all about you? I would say this is peak narcissism,4:57 where you are simply seeking to just exist for the sake of existing. And I think that, in corollary with this thought, we have an obsession in our modern5:09 age with identity. Now next week, J. B. Winship is gonna talk about this, but I have no qualms about saying this because I know he'll flow with it, is that our identity is only half the battle.5:21 Knowing who you are is only half the battle. Knowing why you are is the real story. And that's what chapter 7 of Nehemiah introduces us to. Verse5:32 15 of chapter 6, frame of reference, this the wall was what? Finished. Finished. Underline finished in your notes. It was finished. Was done. No. No. Nehemiah is known as God's5:44 builder because that's what his job has been for 6 chapters and 52 days, and before that, 5 months of preparation and prayer5:56 when he was the cup bearer to king Ataxerxes in Persia. He traveled 800 miles across the ancient world. He came with letters and timber from the cedars of Lebanon, and a cohort6:08 of soldiers and ambassadors with him. And then he rallied the people of Israel to rebuild this ancient city that had been destroyed for over 100 years and a building project that had started and failed and started6:20 and failed and started and failed several times beforehand and and and remained, destitute for over 100 years. Nehemiah got the job done in 526:32 days, a month and a half. Incredible. But we're only in chapter 7. 7.6:45 You got your bible open or you got your smartphone, you could scroll up. There's 13 chapters to the book. The wall is done. But there's still 6 more chapters and I in in6:56 perfect symmetry. I don't know if the bible, you know, organizers did this on purpose. Perhaps they did or the holy spirit inspired them to do The chapter divisions were not originally part of the of the biblical text.7:08 These were added around the thirteenth century, eleventh century. And so but the cemetery works the cemetery works out perfect. You've got 6 chapters of building. You've got the seventh chapter, and then you've got7:18 another 6 chapters afterwards, which tells me, seven's a pretty big deal in God's economy. You know what I'm talking about. But we're only halfway there. And in your life too,7:31 if it's only about what God is doing in you or for you, you're only halfway there. Write this down. At some point, you gotta ask this7:43 question. What is God building my life for? What is God healing me for? What is God giving me this7:55 family for? What is God giving me this job for? Why did God rescue me from the edge of death and give me a second or third chance8:07 for? And everybody listening to me, you're all sinners. We're all sinners. We're all people who've made countless mistakes in our lives. If you're a sinner and you know it, say amen. Amen. And I'm saying it with you. The8:19 point though of my forgiveness is ultimately not just for me. You are made for something beyond you. So8:30 this is again a transition chapter. From the building to the blessing. Why has God done what he's done up to now8:42 in Nehemiah's life or in your life or in our church? For what he's going to do through us in the future. The scripture says in Ephesians chapter 2 10, for we are God's8:53 workmanship. Underline workmanship. The word in Greek is poema, which we get the word poem from. Isn't that beautiful? You are a poem. You're a poem from God.9:05 No. No. No. Some of you are a lament right now. I don't know why, but you need a little bit of joy in your life. But you're a poem, you're a workmanship, you're a piece of art created in Christ9:17 Jesus. But created in Christ Jesus, next word, for. Next 2 words. Good works. And then notice9:29 that Paul gives us a little bit of frame of reference, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. That means that9:41 there is a series of good contributions that God has aligned for your future that you haven't even started yet, but that9:52 God fores aw and foreordained for your future before you were ever even a twinkle in your mother's eye. Isn't that cool?10:03 There's good works to come from every single 1 of you. That's the Christian life. It's not all about what God has10:15 done in you and for you. It's about what God is going to do through you. And that's what this chapter is about. Moving beyond10:27 the build. So let's talk about that in 3 points and then we're done. Number 1, write this down. Don't just build your life, guard your life. Don't just get10:39 established in the faith. Guard it. Protect it. Do you have your guard up, church, Christian,10:51 young person, husband, wife, single person. You understand that Nehemiah had the wall built, but the enemies were still outside the wall. The11:02 scripture says there's a parable. Jesus says this in Matthew 13 that the the kingdom of heaven is like a man who cast seed along the soil, but some of the seed fell on the path, the hardened path.11:14 And the scripture says that the birds of the air came and stole the seed. The birds in Jesus' parables are a picture of Satan and his demons. Just because the seed has been11:26 sown doesn't mean that it's gonna get inside you and start to produce through you. The enemy's goal today can I just give you a heads up so11:38 you're all aware? The enemy's goal is for you to hear what I'm saying and forget it 5 minutes after you leave. That's why we have you take notes. That's why we11:50 we want you to, in small group, discuss what we talk about on Sunday. We want you to grow it's not about the message. It's about the purpose for God in your life through the word of God in12:01 your life. Don't let the devil steal the seed. Guard it. Somebody say guard it. Guard it. Get your guard up. Get your protections up because the enemy is real. And just because the wall12:13 has been finished, Nehemiah's job isn't done. Verse 1, he says, rehearsing what he just said. The wall had been built. So he says, I set up the doors, protection.12:25 I set up the gatekeepers, protection. The singers, how many know praise is a protection? The power of praise. When you don't feel like it, praise. When you12:37 don't want to, praise. When you're down in the dumps, praise. When you feel the enemy coming at you, start giving God some praise. It's a protective of your soul12:48 against the onslaught of the enemy. And he says, I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah, the governor of the castle, charge. This is a military term. Get13:00 your guard up. And he says these men were faithful. They were God fearing. In the scriptures, the bible says that God put Adam in the garden and he told Adam in Genesis 213:12 15, I want you to work it and keep it. The word keep in Hebrew could be translated guard it. I want you to work the garden and I want you to guard the garden. Think about this now. What happened13:24 in chapter 3 of Genesis? The serpent came in and started talking to his wife. The conversation that Eve, who we now know as Eve, but she was just called the woman at that point, she was actually called Adam. That13:36 was actually her name. And, before the conversation happened, Adam should have been standing guard over his wife.13:48 Every man, listen to me. That's your job. Guarding your family. I always get a little bit, amused at people who have a problem with headship in the13:59 church. And the reason why we have a problem with headship in the church is because a lot of the nonsense from the world comes into the church. And this all genders are equal, you know, sexes are equal, they can all do14:10 the same thing, is a load of garbage from the world that has no bearing in scripture. There are things women can do that men can never do, such as having14:21 babies. But there are things that men can do that women cannot do, such as guard the house. Men, God made you strong so that you could be strong for14:33 her and for your children and protect what comes into your house. Get your guard up. Get your guard up or get your license to carry. 1 of the 2. I don't14:45 care 1 of both of them. Both and. How about that? What does scripture tell us to guard? Couple of things I want you to write down. 5 things. Letter a, your eyes.14:57 The eyes are the window of the soul, they say. That comes from Jesus' sermon on the mount when he said the eyes are the lamp of the body. If thy eye be single, thy whole body be filled with light. What are you setting15:08 your eyes on? Set your eyes on things above. Set your eyes on heaven, not on this earth. Whatever you look at will become an obsession to you, will become an appetite. The lust of the15:20 eyes, first John chapter 2 verse 16, 15 to 16. The lust of the flesh, what are you looking at? Guard your eyes. Whenever we do fast in this15:31 church, and then I get onto social media and start to scroll, inevitably, it's like the enemy sends me reels of people cooking food. It's like, really? I don't need this right now,15:43 but I will eat that later on. I will I will I will I will bookmark that for eating after the fast is over. And, so but I get this appetite start to my my gut literally,15:55 my gut starts to rumble when I put the picture of the food in my eye. Isn't that incredible? The gut wasn't rumbling before I saw the food. So there is this, you know, this16:07 psychosomatic physiological reality to my body that Jesus talks about, that the scriptures talk about, that what you sit your eyes on will start to stir an appetite in your body.16:20 Job says in Job 31, I I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully upon a maiden. Jesus said if your eye causes you to lust, just pluck it out. This is an it's not a16:32 commandment. He's talking about the dangers of lust. He's talking about the dangers of just letting unguarded eyes, feast on whatever, you know, you want. And you've gotta be careful what the the shows that you're16:44 watching. And you've gotta be mindful that every advertisement is an appeal to the eyes to app to whet your appetite for whatever product somebody's pushing on you. And you don't you don't necessarily need it.16:57 What are your eyes on? David said in Psalm 1 0 1 verse 3, I will not set my eyes before before my eyes anything worthless. I will not let it even be in my field of vision.17:08 Ironically, there was a moment where David let his guard down. Yeah? Second Samuel chapter 11. Instead of going to battle for king for the kingdom of Israel, he stayed at home, sent Joab, and he's up there on his roof17:20 with all kinds of time on his hands, and he sees a young maiden bathing naked on her roof. And so he lusts after her and takes her into his bed and the rest is history and the kingdom is divided because David let17:31 something worthless, not that she was worthless, the lust was worthless, come before his eyes. Number 2 or letter b, your time. Guard your time. You don't have time for everybody, so stop making it.17:44 As as we talked about in Nehemiah chapter 6, I wanna remind you from 2 chapters from 2 weeks ago, such an important chapter when when when Nehemiah says to his enemies, I am I am doing a great work and I cannot come17:56 down. And they keep asking for his time. They keep asking for his time. There are people in your life that are asking you for your time, and you are under no obligation. In fact, you're of the opposite. You're of a18:07 spiritual obligation and conviction not to give them your time. There are some people that just wanna debate you and fight and argue with you. And I always get a kick out of these, you know,18:19 YouTube. Lots of YouTube videos, lots of TikTok videos, lots of videos, you know, and it seems, you know, appealing The Christian atheist debate. The Christian atheist, here's the Christian expert, here's the18:30 atheist expert, let's debate, let's see who's going to win. You know what I learned? No 1 wins. No 1 wins. The debates don't win. Clever arguments do not win18:42 people to Christ. Paul the apostle says in first Corinthians, we set aside clever arguments and we decided to just preach Christ and him crucified. Stop wasting your18:54 time trying to debate atheists and agnostics into believing what you believe. The only way somebody comes to faith in Christ Jesus is when the gospel of Jesus Christ is preached. Christ died, Christ19:06 was buried, Christ rose, Christ ascended to the right hand side of God the father, and if you repent and believe on him, you have eternal life. The gospel is the power of God19:18 unto salvation to everyone who believes. The bible does not say debates and clever arguments are the power of God unto salvation. The gospel is.19:30 Bring them to church, I'll yell at them, and the holy spirit will convict them. Anyway, guard your time. Who do you need to not spend time19:42 with? Scripture says in Ephesians 5, it says, look carefully how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of your time because the days are19:53 evil. Don't you understand there are time wasters? Time suckers in life. They wanna suck the time out of you. Do you spend time in20:05 God's word every day? Do you binge the bible or just Netflix? Are you spending time where things will be cultivated in you,20:17 saturated in your spirit, and grow and produce fruit in you later on in life? Letter c, guard your relationships. Who is and and and and, who is a bad influence?20:29 Who who is not leading you, who's dragging you backwards. New Christians, listen up. I've seen20:41 this game plan 1000 times from the devil. You get saved, get baptized, and then somebody from your old life calls you up. It's like clockwork. Clockwork. I've seen it many many times. Saved, baptized,20:52 backslidden. Why? Because somebody from the old life called them up. Hey, let's hang out. Nah. I got a new life. I got a new family. I got a new society. I got a new21:04 community. I'm moving forward. Are you interested in coming here? Because I'm not interested in going there. You come with me, I'm not going with you. Guard your relationships. First Corinthians 15 33. Bad company21:15 corrupts good character. By the way, first Corinthians 15 33, when when Paul references some of you gotta put this in context. When Paul references the bad company in this text, he's talking about bad church people.21:29 There's some church people in Corinth who were denying the resurrection. And he tells people, listen, stop associating with those people. Are you ready to be uncomfortable a little bit? Some people in your church might21:40 not be the best company for you. You got you got you guard up against some believers. There's some believers you can be like, uh-uh. There's something off about you. There's some preachers you stop21:52 you gotta stop listening to. These are the preachers that Paul warned us about 2000 years ago, desiring to have a a great following. They tickle your ears. They22:04 don't prick your heart. Watch out for the ear ticklers. Watch out for the cheerleader preacher. Watch out, you know, for the preacher with sneakers. Are you hearing me? You22:16 know, because they don't actually preach the whole counsel of God. They preach half the story. And and you gotta be careful because they don't ever wanna say anything controversial, lest they lose followers22:29 or people leave their church. I thank God people leave our church all the time. I thank God for the bad reviews on Google. I think a church that truly preaches the gospel should probably have more22:41 bad reviews than good reviews. Because the scripture says that the way to life is narrow. The door to heaven is single. Jesus is the only22:53 way to the father. It is not all religions are equal. There is 1 true faith given unto men by which we must be saved. We've gotta fight for that faith. There's23:04 there's only 1 way, and and there's only 1 truth, God's truth. And so all the other things that the world wants to put upon the church to be kinda cool with them, we should sometimes just be insulting to them, and the23:16 anger and the hostility should be a badge of honor that we're true to God instead of trying to turn people into fans of ourselves. Guard23:28 number 4 or letter d, your reputation. It takes decades to build a reputation. It takes seconds to ruin it. And all you have to do is, you23:40 know, read up on the latest pastor that failed. Time and time again, it happens. Guard your reputation. Proverbs23:52 Proverbs 22 verse 1, a good name is to be chosen rather than great riches. I I I want people to think well of us outside of they might not like us, but they24:03 think, okay, well, at least they really believe what they believe. At least they live what they believe. How about that? The scripture talks about that the way of life is blasphemed amongst the pagans because of how24:14 Christians live. So the reputation has to be guarded. I want I want you to trust me, and you should realize24:26 that your name is is so much more valuable than your stuff, your good, you know, income or house or whatever, the things that you24:38 want. No. God, guard my reputation. I'm a when I when I get tempted, and I do just as everybody else does, and you gotta learn to get this technique in your heart,24:50 the temptation is the enemy's tactic to ruin your reputation. It's instant pleasure for permanent pain.25:03 This is the tactic of every temptation. So listen to me. The girl that likes to flirt with you at the office doesn't like you.25:15 She hates you. She hates you because she wants to destroy everything that God has given you. And the other reason why she flirts25:27 with you, men, is because she doesn't really know you. You can fake it for her. Your wife has to live with you. Give her some25:38 credit. Amen. On the flip side, ladies, the man who pays attention to you doesn't really love you.25:48 Doesn't really know you. Hasn't seen you with your makeup off. So26:02 understand that every temptation of the enemy is really a goal to ruin your life,26:15 to wreck your reputation. So when I'm tempted, I think about you, and I think about my wife, and I think about my kids. And I26:26 say, not every time. I wish I had it every time. But I say in 10 years, what are they gonna say about me? That's what I need to think about. Because the choice26:38 in the now is is the testimony in 10 years. Alright. Letter e, guard your heart. And this one's last, but it really is the most26:50 important is the foundation. Because the scripture says from your heart flows the springs of life. Guard your heart. What are you putting in your heart? What are you27:02 allowing get to get attached to your heart? What kind of appetites are you cultivating in your heart? This is so important. And so this is a call to vigilance.27:14 Proverbs 4 23, keep your heart with all vigilance. Another translation says, above all else Somebody say above all else. Guard your heart. Now, this is what Nehemiah does. So27:25 the wall is built, but 6 chapters remain. The wall is built, but 6 so I've got to do something to make sure that I can get to the end. Don't just build27:37 it, guard it. Don't just grow in Christ, but guard what God has grown in you. Take take charge27:49 over your character and reputation and home and body and own it and say, God, thank you for it. May I not take it28:01 lightly, but may I be with diligence fighting back every enemy that would oppose fruitfulness and prosperity in my life through your gracious28:12 generosity in my life. Verse 3, it says, and I said to them, let not the gates of Jerusalem be open until the sun is hot. Now this is interesting. In the ancient world, a city would have its gates open from28:24 sun up until sundown. From sun up till sundown. So about a 12 hour period there. But Nehemiah says, not this city. Not this28:36 city. Somebody say, not this city. Not this city. In other we're not going to guard our gates the same way other cities guard their gates. Not this city.28:49 Alright. Here you go. Ready? Not this family. Not this family. Not not these children. Thank you for repeating after me. I didn't mean that, but thank you. That's great. You're29:00 wonderfully attached to the direction of the message. But, it's true though. Not us. I don't care what Johnny's parents do. I don't care29:12 what my neighbors are doing. Not this house. This house is God's house. This God this house is not even my this is his house. These are his kids.29:25 Some of you, some days, that's like the best thing you can tell God. These are your kids. I don't know what to do with these are your kids. Come and get them anytime. Not this marriage.29:37 You know what I'm saying? Don't act like them. And I would ask you to start being proud of that because the enemy29:49 in this world have targeted your convictions as the butt of a joke. Oh, you're still into that old school stuff, that old fashioned oh, aren't30:01 you just 1 of those are you 1 of those bible thumping fundamentalist wrong side of history losers? Is that what you are? Tune in to the Oscars tonight. I dare you. See how much you can get through. See how far we get30:11 into the see how far we get into the show before they're mocking your values and celebrating those who break them. And and start to realize that this is30:23 demonic. It's demonic. And they are laughing at you because the enemy wants to destroy you.30:34 Billy Joel said, I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. The sinners are much more fun. Just ask Jean Hackman how that went. And the other girl that just30:46 died. And the 27 club. All all these celebrities who put on the makeup and have the perfect lighting and the expensive dress so that for 5 minutes30:58 on your television set, they can look like they have it all together. But inwardly, they are empty. And as they laugh at your values, pray for their soul because they are truly lost. Not all31:10 of them, but many of them. And I'm tired of the world making a mockery of our faith. I'm tired of it because I see it getting into the church where we're bashful to be who we are.31:22 We're ashamed. That's what the that's when you know you've lost. When you feel ashamed to have your values, when you feel ashamed to live how you got to live according to Christ, when you feel ashamed of what you31:31 believe, you've just let the devil win. Enough shame in the house of God. Our God took away our shame at the cross of Jesus Christ. We've got nothing to be ashamed about. Paul said, I'm not ashamed31:43 of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm not ashamed of who I am as a Christian. I'm not ashamed of how I raised my children. I'm not ashamed about what I believe. I'm proud to be saved. I'm proud to be31:54 God's child. I'm proud to walk with Jesus, and I'm proud to be mocked by this world. It's okay. Anyway, point number 2, don't just guard your life, help32:06 others with your life. So you gotta protect it, then you gotta use it to help others. Can I tell you this? Nehemiah was known historically for the guy who built the wall. Okay. Here you go. The wall was32:18 not the point. The wall was the means to a bigger purpose. Your Christian growth is not the point. Your marriage is not the point. Your children are not the point.32:30 This church is not the point. This church exists for a bigger point, and the point is Jesus. The point is God's kingdom. So verse 4 says, the city was wide and large, but the people within it were few. By the way, this32:42 is a, mandate for the church. Build churches and fill them. Pastor, why are you always raising money for another church? Because that's what the Bible talks about. Build churches and fill them. Well, the church isn't a32:53 building. I get that, but nobody has room for all of you people at their house. So we need to build buildings, and then we ask God, we always add services, make room for more people. So the wide and large city,33:05 nobody's there. So now we need to move into the direction of getting people into the city. Because the wall is not the point. The wall of the city without a perp without33:16 people becomes the apocalyptic scene in I am legend. It is nothing. It's empty. You need people there. Okay. Okay. So write this33:28 down. God is in the building business so that we could be in the helping business. God has built your life so that you can help other people in their life. Don't waste your testimony. Don't waste your blessings33:40 by just centering them on you. Use them to bless and help other people. Verse 5, love this text. Then God put it into my heart. This is the second time that Nehemiah says God33:52 put something specific into his heart. The first time was in Nehemiah chapter 2 when he starts the building of the wall. 2 times, God put it in my heart. First time, build the wall. Build the structure. Second time, get34:03 people in the structure. This is how God works. He's he creates space and then he fills the space. Go back to creation. God creates a space between the heavens and then he fills it with stars. God creates a space between34:15 the the seas, and then he fills the land with animals and man. And God creates a space in a new marriage, and then he fills the womb with children. This is how it works in God's economy.34:27 Let God build you for the sake of blessing of the people beyond you. So he assembles people. He brings them in. This is the ministry of church of of Jesus.34:39 Bring people with you. Bring people with you. Every location, every person. Let me ask you a question. Is there someone sitting next to you? If there's not, that means there's room for someone else to34:51 come with you next weekend. Invite them. Invite them. If there's people that aren't getting if people aren't getting saved in the service, we haven't invite we haven't invited35:03 enough pagans to service yet. We gotta invite the people who don't fit, the people who don't look. Yes. Come. Come to church. Hear the gospel. Let let me write have you write something else35:15 down in your notes there. Don't turn God's tools into your trophies. Don't don't turn your marriage into a trophy. I just want a good Christian marriage. To what end? So that you could be35:26 happy? Okay. News flash. Marriage is not here to make you happy. Marriage is not here to make you happy. This is how we got gay marriage in this country.35:39 Well, don't gay people deserve to be happy? And as and as every married person should have attested in that moment, that's not the game plan for happiness. It's35:51 not. Now I am a happily married man, but it has its moments. There's a scripture. There's a verse in the bible, in Malachi, that tells us what marriage is for. Are you ready for it? Are you ready? Are you ready?36:03 I don't know if you're ready. Because it doesn't say it doesn't say, thou shalt get married that might that thou might be happy.36:15 It says, here's what God is looking for in your marriage. Are you ready for it? Godly offspring. In other words, your marriage is not about you.36:26 Divorce, I understand, is necessary when there's abuse and sexual morality involved. Even Jesus allows for that. But otherwise, it is a act of extreme36:38 selfishness because you're putting your happiness above the well-being of your children and their children and their children. And some of you come from broken homes. You come from homes that are36:50 divorced, and your conviction is I will never do that to my child because I know what it did to me. And this this is all in the scriptures. This is what marriage is for. Marriage is for God producing godly37:02 children through you. So even if you have moments where you just wanna rip each other's heads off, you you need to remember that it's for the kids. It's for the children. God is not in the37:13 business of making you happy. He's in the business of making you holy. And I believe that when you are holy, you will be happy. But but but it comes at the cost of temporal happiness because holiness can cut.37:25 Okay? Just what we are living in is a culture of we we wanna post our trophies on social media. Here's my trophy. Here's my family. Here's my37:37 vacation. Here's my business. Here's my income. Here's the car I bought, trophies. What to what end? What are they for? What are you why are you running the business? Not just for you to make37:49 money, for you to impact the culture and the community with godly values and godly wisdom. So people can see you run the business in a way that secular people don't run their business that way, and you can prosper and37:59 show the world this is what it looks like when god owns your business. And and same thing with all your thing. All your things, if you just take a look at it, take a little inventory and say, okay. Why has God given me38:09 this? Why has God given me this? And the answer is not just for you. The answer is for people beyond you. Verse 2, it says, I gave my brother Hananiah and Hananiah the charge over Jerusalem.38:21 Now here's something. Every Waters church person listened to me. This is called empowering other people to do what you're doing.38:33 Nehemiah was governor but he gave other people authority over the city. And so at Waters Church, have a crisis. It's another it's another good crisis. We don't have enough life groups for the people who wanna be38:45 in life group. And do you know why? Because we're having a little bit of a problem with empowering other people. Because people wanna hold on to what they have. These are my people. No, they're not.38:57 They're God's people. Empower them to have their own people. So water church, apprenticing is the process by which you learn how to lead your own life group so that you step out of your comfort zone and you39:09 help somebody else. But I really like my life group. I get it. Now take what God has done in you and use it to bless somebody else so that they can come to your life group and love your life group. I'm not ready.Show more
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