Good morning. I need your help, Joe. Don't sit down. I'm going to give Joe a job this morning, so as we're starting, he's going to be walking around. I want everybody in here to fill out one of these cards and put as much information on it as you can. I'm actually making something, I already started with the information I have, but I'm making, it's mainly for prayer. It's a prayer directory that I'm going to give all of you guys to pray for the families. But yeah, make sure everybody, as much information as I can get. Yes, credit card, social security number, yes. Leave it to John. I know. Well, bless your heart. Well, I'm so glad you're here today. Let me tell you, my day started off, we're going to pray for a few folks, and this has just been a week that I've just, again, every week there's the unexpected things, but this morning I get up and I'm heading to church and I come around the corner and my aunt, Her aunt, however you say it, lives right around the corner from me, Aunt Mary Bromwell. Some of you know Mary Bromwell. I call her Aunt Kit, but some of you know, I know Barbara, you know Mary Bromwell. There's an ambulance in her driveway, and this is six o'clock this morning. So I pull in the driveway and go in, and she has been fighting COVID, but she's 89 years old. lives by herself, but she's one of those people that keeps to herself. So this whole week she's been fighting this, but kind of alone. So this morning, I go in the house and she can barely breathe, and the oxygen level was so low that she didn't even recognize me. And so this morning, that's what I got to witness and be with my aunt and my cousin who was there. So we're gonna pray for Aunt Kit here in just a few minutes. We're also gonna pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world, including Afghanistan, right? I don't know about you, but this week was another reminder how important our job is as Christians. And just so that you know, when you hear the word Taliban, the Taliban, what fuels them is their religion. They are diehard Islamists, and they believe in the Sharia law, which causes them to have an animosity toward you and me, and our brothers and sisters. And it's a religion. It is a religion. As a matter of fact, if you study the history of the Taliban, it started in their seminaries is where that teaching was being taught. We call them by different names, but they are just sincere about what they believe and they want to bring back what Muhammad taught. and take their Koran literally, and that's what's behind all this. So we need to pray for our brothers and sisters, and pray for them, and look for opportunities to share, because the gospel is spreading through the Middle East right now like wildfire, just so that you know. The gospel's powerful. So we need to pray for those. And some of you got a message from me, I posted on Facebook, because Dave Nelson is going to be here in October, and he ministers around the world, and he had one of his missionaries that he serves with just share what's happening in Cuba, and Myanmar, and other parts of the world. It's not just in Afghanistan, it's all over. Literally, our brothers and sisters are in the jungle today, hiding for their lives. But as you study and you read their letters, and they're still looking for opportunities to share the gospel. Amazing. And here we are this morning, we've got this place to worship. We still have some freedoms. Right? We do. We're blessed. But I tell you what, don't feel like you're so blessed that you have to give up and don't take a stand, right? Yeah, there is a war right here in Carroll County, in Maryland, in our country. There's a cultural war taking place. As a matter of fact, my good friend Mike Zimmer is here today. He was a county commissioner years ago. We'd go out to lunch, and I saw him yesterday morning. We had a men's Bible study down here. At the Panera Bread yesterday, there was four of us meeting and Mike saw us and came out and said, hey, what you doing? And we got to talking. So he said he was going to come and he came here today. But we we were talking about the battle that we're in. There's a cultural war. It's real. Right. So I'm going to pray today, but I'm also thankful that we can meet. And what's the purpose of our meeting today? What's the purpose of us meeting this morning? We are here to worship. We are here to give Him honor and glory that only He deserves. I believe that He is on His throne. No one's ever going to take it away from Him. They're not going to storm the throne room and ever kick Him out, right? He is on the throne room. We have so many things to be encouraged about, but we've got issues. We're walking through this world and we're doing it together. We got to stick together. So, welcome to Cross-Site Bible Church. I'm thankful that you're here. If this is your first time or you've been away for a while, fill out a visitor's card that's in the pew in front of you. I'd appreciate that. I need my friend Carolyn. Carolyn's gonna come up and she's gonna help lead the music. Matter of fact, she chose the song today. Thank you so much, Jo. Carolyn, I see this first song is Open My Eyes That I May See. Did you pick this just for me? This doesn't have anything to do with the clarity of your vision. This is talking about spiritual vision. I don't want to steal your thunder, but the pastor says that the two main topics that are part of his message today are that there is a distinction between our fellowship with Christ and the way we think, and also the way we live. So I think if we ask God to open our spiritual eyes, we'll begin to see a little bit more about how we should think in our Christian life. So I need a hymn book. Open my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me. Place in my head the wonderful key that shall at last Now I'm waiting for Thee Ready, my God, I will to see Open my eyes, illuminate me Spirit divine Open my ears, that I may hear Voices of truth, of senses clear And while the rain goes all on my ear Silently now I wait for Thee Ready, my love, and I will to see Open my ears, illumine me Spirit divine Open my mouth and let me bear, Gladly the Lord to let me bear. Open my heart and let me prepare, In love with my children thus Silently now I wait for Thee Ready, my God, I will to see Open my heart, illuminate That we can come to you and even we've already prayed through this song that you would open up our eyes and our ears and our hearts and And that's our prayer this morning. That we would see this world as you see this world. That we would see ourselves in the mirror of your word. And as we see things that are just not right, that we would make the corrections. Lord, I thank you so much for your grace. that those of us who have received you as Savior, we are only saved by your grace through faith. It's not of ourselves, it's a gift of God, not of worse, lest we should boast. So we're not boasting this morning, we're praising. We're praising you for what you have done, what you continue to do, and what you're gonna do. Lord, we lift up my Aunt Kit to you this morning, who was just struggling even to take her next breath this morning. We pray for others who are sick. And as I stood at the door and saw Gene and Bill come in this morning to Cross Life, what a joy it is how they have gone also through the fire, been in the hospital and rehabilitation, and we prayed for strength and healing. And you have answered our prayer and they are here today. Amen. So we pray. We pray for Katie's friend that we sent an urgent prayer request who is expecting this little baby and who has COVID. in a bad way. We lift up this young lady to you and her unborn child. We pray for Katie as she ministers to her friend. We pray for Joyce and Rick as they are home today because they have been exposed and they just want to protect even folks here as they watch through the streaming today. And we thank you for that. Lord, we also just praise you, Lord, for your word. That once again, as we sing, and as we bow our heads, and even as we open up the Word here soon, Lord. Lord, we take it serious here at Cross Life Bible Church. It's not about us, it's all about You. Your will, Your works, and Your way, Lord. So we dedicate this day to you. We pray for our brothers and sisters around this globe, starting here in Carroll County, in our Jerusalem, in our state, in our Judea, in the Samaria, the surrounding, the country, and to the uttermost parts of the world, Lord, we pray for for what you're doing. We trust you, Lord. And as the Apostle Paul said, even though when we're in those circumstances where we feel like we're chained as he chained as he was actually chained. But he said the gospel is not chained. The word of God can't be chained. We thank you for its power. Thank you for your presence, Lord. So again, we dedicate this service to you. May you be honored and glorified in all that's said and done. In Jesus' precious name, I pray. Amen. You can be seated. And as you're seated, I just want to remind you of this verse that you're familiar with. And it's tied to the message that I'll be preaching here in a little bit. Matthew 5.16, this is the words of our wonderful Savior. He said, let your light. And remember, who's the light of the world? Jesus says, I'm the light of the world. And you remember when he died on the cross at 12 o'clock what happened in the world? The greatest message ever preached, when God shut the lights off, as our savior, as that symbol, the light of the world, as he hung there on that cross, but he goes, now Jesus told us, let your light, and our light is similar to the moon's light. Does the moon really put out any light? It's a reflective light, right? That's us. So let your light so shine before the people in your life, before men. That they may see what? Now we don't teach good works for salvation, but we do teach good works because of our salvation, right? That they may see your good works, and what's gonna happen? They're gonna praise you, right? It's all about you. No, that they're gonna glorify our Father. who's in heaven, and not only is in heaven, but he's allowed his Holy Spirit to indwell us today. He's in this room, right? He's here now. His presence is real. So let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify our Father in heaven. Can you introduce this song to us, Carolyn? Well, just to say again that, you know, as you've said in your call to worship, if we are going to be truly different in our thinking and in our actions, it has to be more about Jesus. More about Jesus. Yes. Jesus would I know. Warm is grace to others shown, warm is saving, bold is seeing, warm is love to die. Jesus, for this evening, for this sea, for this love to die for me. Lord, how Jesus let me learn, for this cross, Fear thou God, my teacher be, Showing the things of Christ to me. More, more, Lord Jesus! More, more, Lord Jesus! Lord, this living, holy spirit, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord! On this coming Christmas of peace, Lord, Lord, have peace. Let's bow our heads. Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for this day, this gorgeous day that you've given to us. Lord, we know that we get each and every day because of the mercies that you bestow upon us, that all we have is what you give, and that time is just a fleeting thing. But Lord, you know beginning, you know end, You know it from the time before time even was to the eternity that's about to come upon us. Lord, for those who believe in your son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and have that salvation in knowing him, Lord, we're looking forward to that day when we can meet you face to face in heaven for an eternal life with you. But Lord, while we're here, things have to be done. The ministries have to proceed, the missions have to continue, the church has to continue in its activities, both here in this building and the pastor preaching and to the outreaches at the various ministries within Cross Life. And all of this requires monetary funds that we may be able to do it. So Lord, at this time, we consider all the mercies and blessings and things that you bestow upon us, and we just ask now that we would each take this time to consider that which we would give back to you through the ministries here, through the money that you'd allow us to give, and not grudgingly, but with a happy, pleasant heart, that we would do it because we want to. And we just know that you are the great and wonderful God and you will bless us multiple times over what we give to you. And these things we pray in Christ Jesus name. Amen. It's such a beautiful song. As I said to you when I sent you an email, it's all in the same section in the hymn book. I don't usually do that, but it's all about aspiration and consecration of our lives to Christ so that we might change in our thinking and the way that we live. It's a beautiful song that the Bible verse associated with it in the hymn book is James 4, 8, come near to God and he will come near to you. What a great assurance that is, so nearer still nearer. Yes, it's beautiful. nearer, still nearer, close to thy heart. Draw me, my Savior, so precious thou art. Hold me, O hold me, close to thy breath, Shelter me safe in that babe of rest. Nearer, still nearer, nothing I bring, God has an offering to Jesus, my King. All may I sin for, now come to you. Grant me now cleansing my blood, Father God. Grant me now cleansing my blood, Father God. Nearer, still nearer, home to be found. Sit with its hollies, I gladly resign. All of its pleasures, come and be strong. Give me, O Jesus, my Lord crucified. Give me, O Jesus, my Lord crucified. Nearer, still nearer, while life shall last, Still safe and gory, my anchor is the cross. O endless ages, never to leave. Nearer, my Saviour, still nearer to Thee. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you heard him and have been taught by him. as the truth is in Jesus, that you put off concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of the mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, For we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the heroes. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God and Christ forgave you. Maybe we'll add the blessing upon the reading of this word. Need to pray for Adam and Bethany a couple weeks. Well, it's been what two weeks now Bethany It was a two weeks able to given 30 days to find another place to live because their landlord wants to move into where they're Staying so they've been Searching for a place to rent or place to buy. So if you have any connections Let them know they've been out looking You know pretty much every day since but but Rick let me know last night or yesterday that he would not be here to sing this special music today with Carolyn. And I have actually been practicing a song that I'll be singing later this afternoon over at Ridge Overlook. And I want to share it with you. And I think Rick and Carolyn, they're going to sing a song next week called, what's it, Ancient Ancient words, which I love, right? It's a song just reflecting on the power of the scripture. And this is along the same lines. And it's called Wonderful Words of Life. As a matter of fact, if you want to follow along, it's on page 406 in the book in front of you. Now, here's what you got to understand when I play and sing. Because when I sit in my living room and sing at home, Kathy is always saying, I don't think that's the way it goes. So I always say, when I sing, you get to sing with me, OK? Let me lead. You're going to mess me up if you sing it right, OK? But anyway, I'll just do my best. God knows, God knows. Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life. Let me more their beauty see, wonderful words of life. Words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Christ the Blessed One gives to all wonderful words of life. Sinner lists a loving call, wonderful words of life. All so freely given, wooing us to heaven. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Sweetly echo the gospel call, wonderful words of life. Offer pardon, peace to all, wonderful words of life. Jesus, only Savior, sanctify forever. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. I have something special planned that I've been waiting for you to hear. I have a couple of testimonies this morning. And the first person I'm going to call up to share testimony is James. And James is a little nervous. After all, you should always be nervous, right, when you're talking in front of folks, and it's a good thing, right? Now, James, come up here so they can hear you at the mic. And a couple weeks ago, James came to church, and he couldn't wait to share something with me, couldn't wait. And even his dad, his dad literally had tears coming down his cheek as James shared with me something that happened, and I said, hey, I want you to share a testimony with everyone, because how old are you, James? 15. 15 now, when are you gonna turn 16 September 30th? So that's that's gonna be here real soon. Now. What school do you go to? Fsk any playing any sports or anything like that? Now, let me see you haven't started school this year now this year is it any with all the top and last year? You're looking forward to getting back in the classroom Yeah, I mean... It's been a challenge, hasn't it? For a 15-year-old, how have you been dealing with all this stuff? Um, I mean, I don't really know. Okay. Well, here's why I asked that question, because every one of us, we're different, and we have different, you know, things going on. But what happened a while back? You get an invitation to go where? To a Young Life Camp. Now where's this camp at? Tell me about Young Life a little bit. Yeah, so Young Life is a camp for, it's a group for a bunch of high school kids. It's all counties. But the trip that we went to was over in Rock, was it Rock Bridge, I think? Yeah, Rock Bridge, Virginia. And there was actually over 406 kids there. And there was over 30-some kids who actually accepted God into their life, and I was one of them. So, yeah, they pretty much just reach out to everybody. It's a very welcoming place. And it's nice because it's like I grew up in a family where, you know, as far back as I can remember, we always had been a church. It wasn't always consistently, but we were still going. They have always been very loving and just were believers of God. I thought I understood stuff in church that different pastors would say. I kind of realized that everything went over the top of my head. Until I went on that camp and we actually got time to talk to Lord. I don't even have the words to describe what I felt. There was a presence there when I talked to Him. That's just when I knew that I did. I wanted to give my life to God. He gave his life to God. And that's the difference, right, when all of a sudden it becomes personal. Yes, sir. Right? It becomes personal to you, right? Yes, sir. Now what did God, what was the, was there one thing said, or what was a culmination of a lot of things, or leading up to that moment when all of a sudden you say, I'm giving my life to God. What led up to that? So, we would always have every night, we'd have like three, it was three times a day where we'd go and listen to the word of God. just the way he described it and we started from the beginning of the Bible and just truly hearing about how God actually cares about you and like you know, each and every one of you, even though we're all undeserving of it. It just, it actually, like, hit home to the way that I feel about myself or others. And, you know, just realized that I'd want to see the world and everybody else the way God does. Just tired of being, you know, mad all the time or something like that for, you know, just the stupid reasons. Well, you arrived on what day? What day did you get there? Was it like a Monday or Tuesday? I believe it was a Monday. And what day did you actually make that call? Saturday. It was a Thursday. Thursday. And then how many days were you there before all of a sudden your heart has been, you know, God has been working on your heart? How many days went past? I think it was the third night. The third night. Yeah. That was the night that we actually got to go out by ourselves and just go and talk to God. And that's just when I felt that presence. Now, here's what I want you to share, something major that they also did, that your dad shared with me, and you confirmed. When you first got there, what did they take away from you? Oh, they took away our phones, which honestly was a good thing. Like, it was well-needed, honestly. Yeah. It was well-needed. It took away his phone. You know, something, when I was a youth pastor, I know what it was like to get to a place. Now, back when I was a youth pastor, they still had the Walkmans, okay? But even just getting to the place. And then, usually, you get there like on a Monday. By Friday night, we would give the gospel. All week long, for the Word of God to saturate and to prepare. And that's what happened. And you went out by yourself, you and God, you and God alone, right? And He ministered to you as only He can, right? The Holy Spirit ministered to you, and you still put your faith and trust in Him, right? We start with His grace and your faith. That's awesome, James. Now, what's looking forward since that day that you made a decision, everything in your life has just turned to a cotton candy, right? Everything's just sweetened, right? Actually not. So every day you wake up, what must you do every single day? Just, you know, just putting my trust in God. Every day. Every day. Every day. You know, and just, I always used to pray, you know, before I ate or when I'd go to bed, but it was always just a memorized prayer. It was never anything from the heart. Truly didn't even know what it meant. And so now when I talk to him, it's, you know, truly what I feel and truly what I need from him. It's just, it's nice. It really is. Now what's our responsibility as a church to help you in your journey being a disciple of Jesus? What's our responsibility? You might not know the answer to that. I'm gonna answer that. Yeah, that's our job, right? That's the church, right? To equip, to encourage, to edify. So we have a role in this. It's not just for James. You see how important it is to have folks ministering with other folks to help them along? So you guys pray about that, right? James, I'm proud of you, buddy. I'm going to pray for you right now. James, since I've known James, first time I met James, see this right here? Before he left this building, he walked up and took my hand, shook it like that, and looked at me square in the eye. And I went and told his parents. I said, you know what? That is different. And I congratulated the parents on that. And Jordan also. Jordan, same with you. I'm proud of both of you. But anyway, let me pray for you right now. Dear Gracious Holy Father, I thank you so much for my friend James. I know he has the same name as your brother, your half-brother, James. And Lord, I know that you used him to pen the words for us to be doers of the word, not hearers only. So we do pray, Lord, even now for James, for his walk. We know that Satan doesn't like what he did. And he's going to do all that he can to trip him up along the way. And he is going to trip, but you got him by his hand and you won't let him fall. You've got him in your grip and no one's going to take him out. So we thank you so much, Lord. Pray for this young man that every day as he dwells on the principle in Romans 12, 1 and 2, that he's reminded that he's a living sacrifice. And that's a decision we make every single day. So again, we just pray for James. We thank you so much for the Whitaker family. Thank you for their friendship, for their seriousness. And Lord, as we move ahead, pray for your will to be done. In Jesus' precious name I pray, amen. Love you, buddy. I have someone else I need you to hear from. And I want you to take out your pen and write down a date, because you're going to pray for this young lady, because she has a big day coming up in her life, and she needs your prayers today. And it's my friend Loretta. Loretta, can you come on up? And the more I get to know Loretta, She is a dear friend and God has used her to encourage me, but her passion is real and she's one of these people that she doesn't just believe what she believes, she puts her prayers to action. She has served in so many capacities in church and even in the political world. She hasn't just talked about the folks in Annapolis, she went down to Annapolis and got involved. And so she has an amazing story. And just a little bit of background, at home today, her husband, Neil, has Alzheimer's, and that's why you never see him. And he's a character, right? Yes, he is. He's a character. And matter of fact, Kathy and I were able to go down and help Loretta with something yesterday. And I've been down there on several occasions. But yesterday, Neil was different. Why was Neil different yesterday? Medicine. Medicine? I think there was something else too. Kathy went yesterday. That's true. Yeah, and there was something just, it was something different yesterday was the answer. It really was. And I guess that's part of AL. You never know who you're going to meet. It's so fluid. It's ever changing. It's ever changing and praise God that he was very receptive and even helpful. Yeah, step up here a little bit closer, Loretta, because I want folks to hear you. Now, Loretta, we were praying for her because a while back I got word from Candace, who gave a testimony on Law Enforcement Day, that she's the one who let me know I just took mom to the hospital and she had COVID and she was in such bad shape that the way that Candace found out about it was because, how did she find out about it? Well, I had missed a doctor's appointment, and with this particular doctor, I never miss appointments. And the doctor, who's also a Christian, got concerned and looked up my emergency contact, who is my daughter. And that day, Candice had decided that she wasn't going to take her high-energy dog on a very long walk. Instead of taking him four or five miles, she only took him like a mile. So when she got that call, she rushed back home. I have three different telephone numbers that you can contact me by. And Candace could not reach me on any of them. And that's when she drove down to the house where I was. And I was still in the bed. I knew that there was something wrong with me, but I didn't know what. And she said, Mom, you're so short of breath, you can't even say your name. And so when she took me to the hospital, well, first she asked me if she wanted to call an ambulance. I was like, no, you the po-po, let's go. And so Ledford and Annie rushed me over to the hospital. And when I got there, it was really pretty bad. My oxygen level was about 80. I had pneumonia, respiratory failure, kidney failure, And sepsis has started. So that's why she immediately called the pastor and began asking for prayer, because I was in the fire fighting for my life. But I held on to God does not finish with me yet. And I think when one time when I was talking to pastor, I even told him that I'm in the fire, but it's okay, because Jesus is in here with me. And I'm just waiting to see what's gonna happen when I come out on the other side. It's not fun and it hurts, but no, I'm not giving up. During that process, they had to take x-rays because I also had pneumonia. And they took a couple of x-rays. And right before they wanted to send me to rehab, which by the way I didn't go. I said, no, I'm going home. Carhead lady, right? They said, you have a mass. I said, OK, whatever. But I followed it up, went to see my primary care, who did another study. And they found out I have a cancer on my kidney. So the date that Pastor's talking about is September 23, because that is the day that I am scheduled to have surgery to have this cancer removed. Even though I have two torn rotator cuffs, that we're supposed to be having surgery in August, but because I've been coughing since January and we were trying to get that squared away before I got the COVID. So it looks like rotator cuff surgery for both arms has been put away for the moment. And I will have this kidney surgery on September 23rd. And I really deeply appreciate your prayers. I believe and I know that God has got me. You know, and I know all of this is going to work out for my good, because I am called according to his word, and I claim that. By his stripes, I am healed. He is my Jehovah Rapha. He is my healer. He is my Jehovah Sharma. He's always with me. Amen. Amen. And I get the privilege of going down on Thursday, one of the Thursday nights when she's in the hospital, she's going to be laid back for two weeks. And she's needing someone to step in and help watch Neil. I volunteered myself to be one of those people. She has a service that comes in, but they don't cover all the bases. So if you're interested in even helping Loretta, please let her know, let me know. And anyway, I love my sister, Loretta. I'm gonna pray for you also, okay? Okay. Dear Gracious Holy Father, I thank you so much that as Loretta lay in her bed, and could not even respond to the phones ringing and all that was going on around her. Lord, you never left the room. You were right there with her. You put upon the hearts of the nurse to call several numbers and finally get hold of Candice who rushed to the house. And just all the little details, Lord, we thank you. They're finding out that they're in a hospital that there's a lump and it's cancerous. And as Loretta shared yesterday, when they go in it could be this scenario or that scenario or something else. And so they will respond accordingly. But we do know this, no matter what the doctors do, you are the great physician. Lord, we are gonna trust you today, tomorrow, and on September 23rd. So we place our sister in your more than capable hands. We're gonna trust you. We're gonna trust that all the kneel will be taken care of. And again, Lord, we just lift this situation up before your throne where we can find grace and mercy in our time of need. Thank you so much. In Jesus' precious name I pray, amen. Amen. Thank you, Loretta. Thank you. No, that's good. I'd love to hear, I'd love to hear all the folks. I remember the church I grew up in, our pastor, when Wednesday nights we would break up into little groups and pray. And he loved the humming of the prayer, all the little groups just around praying in the church. I'll never forget that. But turn to Ephesians chapter four. We're going to continue our journey through this little letter. And it's a powerful letter. And we know that Paul wrote this to the church in Ephesus, but also is to be distributed to all the churches, including cross like Bible Church. We need this. And what a great reminder we have this morning as we look back at Chapter one, we focused on the body of Christ. And then in chapter two, we focused on us being a temple of the Holy Spirit. Chapter three, the church, this body was a mystery, Paul said. Jew and Gentile coming together. And folks, this is the answer. We are the answer to what this world is looking for, I'm telling you. The gospel's the answer, but we are an example of what it looks like when we live according to his word. It's not a mystery to us, but that's why it's a mystery to the world. But they're searching for what we have. And that's why the way we live and what we believe is important. And so we got to chapter four and we've been focusing on this new creation. We saw the importance of the first thing as Paul went from the doctrinal into our duty, you know, from those principles until the practical. He first focused on our unity, how to reunify it. And even the night before he died on the cross, that's why I washed the disciples' feet and said, guys, listen, this is the message. This is what people are going to see. And know that you're my disciples, the way that you love people and you serve people. And then we noticed, you know, the unifier is Christ. He's the one that brings us together. Him and the Holy Spirit and God the Father. Because we're to be useful. I remember when we were serving with Word of Life, I remember Kathy got, come home and was so upset at one of the get togethers we had because we were missionaries and we had another missionary up in a different state said, and we drove hours to get up to this event and they begged us to come up and help. And when I got there, I jumped out and we were helping, but they weren't organized and they didn't give Kathy anything to do. And she got back in the car and said, you know what? I could have stayed home today. And she's just like many of you, you want to be useful, right? And what's more frustrating to come to a church and the pastor's always telling you to get involved, but don't give you anything to do, right? That can be very frustrating. And our service, our undivided service, right? And last week we focused on, well, what's the difference? What a difference Christ has made in our life, or possibly what difference? It's one or the other, either what a difference He made, or you could be saying, well, what difference? You see, when, if that's the case, if we're even, we're wondering, the church, what difference does it make? How's the world gonna, what difference is it gonna make in the world? And we focus on our distinction. How the road ahead. Jesus is the authority. The aim is to no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles. And He was generally speaking and making a distinction, right? Like, in general, you're not like that anymore. And then He gave the assessment of the unsaved. He said, because here's where we were. We were depraved. We were devoid of the truth. and the futility of their minds. And I even point out, when you look at the world and even watch whatever news you're watching, you wonder, why do people do what they do? Because this describes them to a T. They have a different agenda. They're living in darkness. Their understanding's darkened. I will tell you this, I'm gonna show you a great picture of darkness. I don't want you to get mad at me for talking politics for a minute, but I'm gonna tell you a great example what happened this week of how dark a mind can be. Please don't throw any rocks at me, but I will tell you, when we saw what was happening this week unfold, were you emotionally stirred? When you saw that airplane moving through that airport and people grabbing on and trying to hold on for their, and some did until they fell off to their death, were you emotionally disturbed? What about later when people stood in front of the microphone and said, made statements like, it's all under control? Did your mind let go? Bill? This explains it. There is a darkness. It's real, and they are distant. And I'm talking as a Christian, because when you say, how come they don't see this? They really don't. Because of the ignorance that's in them. Now Paul's not saying this to say, hey, we're better than them. No, he's saying this to remind us of where we were and what the power of the gospel, and for us to do what every missionary does, you study the culture that you live in, you understand the way they think and why they do what they do, so that when you share the gospel, you know how to approach them. And so, then he says, because of the blindness of their heart. And here's, and this is where I ended last week, we ran out of time, because look, he says, who being their past feeling. Do you know what that means? That means they have a seared conscience. They're past feeling. This left leg of mine is past feeling. I had sciatic in it so long, there's parts of this leg. Matter of fact, I lost my wallet one day. And the whole time it was in my back pocket. It was past feeling, I couldn't feel it back there anymore. Right? Now, I have a front pocket wallet now. I did, I literally lost my, I was looking all over for it and it was there, it was past feeling. Right? But also because we need to surrender, the world has surrendered to all the sensuality. It's everywhere, isn't it? Everywhere is appealing to the flesh. Right? You watch a commercial, what's a commercial appealing to? to the flash that's that carrot. Over the lewdness. We live in a world where this lewdness, this sensuality has been redefined and even promoted in such a way like never before. You can't get away from it. You can't get away from it. But please do me a favor and don't put up with it. Don't just throw your hands up and say, I give up. Keep standing up for the truth. Keep opening up the Bible and showing your kids and your grandkids, your nephews and nieces, and say, let me show you what the Bible says. Let me tell you why I believe what I believe. Again, there's so much happened this week. Even, did you see the school teacher this week tell the kids, hey, you know what? When you get over the fact that you know more than your parents, the whole world's going to open up to you. Did you hear that? That's exactly what she said. I'm not making it up. When you get over that you know more than what your parents said, the whole world's going to open up to you. Folks, that's, that's evil. We're to be distinct. Also self-serving. There's a selfishness. To work all uncleanliness with what? Greediness. Wow, we live in a greedy world. It's all about me. That's why I love what James shared. The first thing he did was he took his phone away from him, right? Kind of isolated and just in the power of the word of God, right? I'll bet you some of those young folks, they were probably upset when they had their phone taken away. I'll bet you, right? But today we come to this portion where it says, and as Adam read, but you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard him. And now what Paul's doing, now Paul, I love this, because I told you before, if I was to write a book, I always want to write a book called But God, and just go through scripture where you see this happening, and then all of a sudden, the Holy Spirit would say, but God, who is rich in mercy. The second book I'd like to write is But You. Because you have the but God, right? But what difference would that make if it wasn't but you? It's bringing home. Let's make it personal. But you have not so learned Christ if indeed you have heard him and have been taught by him. Let's break this down. Now I want you to catch this. I want you to understand the importance, because what Paul is about to point out to us is the importance of doctrine. He says, but you have not so learned. He's gonna start and say, but you haven't learned this. You haven't learned. The importance of having the right mind, renewing your mind is in this passage too, but it starts with the doctrine. Doctrine tells us who God is. We learn more about who He is and who we are in light of who God is and how to adjust, right? Because all scripture is profitable for this. But it starts with the doctrine, but you need not just doctrine. I grew up going to a Bible church. I loved, even though I wasn't here, I was out in Indiana at a Bible church. Grew up at Faith Bible Church. This is Cross-Life Bible Church. Here's the danger of being part of a Bible church, because we love doctrine. Can't get enough of it, right? But I tell you what, if you don't bring in the discipline with that doctrine, you're gonna have a lot of prideful people with a lot of degrees, a lot of education, but you better learn discipline. Because when Jesus, his method of making disciples, he used doctrine with what? With discipline. And what did he produce? Devoted disciples. As a matter of fact, I have in my, I went and got me a copy. I was discipled by someone years ago that I'm so thankful for that this guy that discipled me, He was like the Apostle Paul. He wouldn't let you make any excuses. And here's the chart, a copy of the chart that he used when he discipled me. And you've heard me preach this, and this is because it's part of my makeup. And I'm going to challenge you, because I'm going to tell you right now, those of you who are serious about doctrine with the discipline, and you want to be a devoted disciple, I need to see you, because I need your help. But here's what's been instilled in me. First of all, when Jesus made his disciples, he had a pattern. You can study scripture and see he had a pattern. And the first thing he did was when someone come, in John chapter one, when John the Baptist's disciples, when John said, behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, you remember, you have Andrew, went over and said, hey, where are you staying? And Jesus said, well, come and see. That's where a lot of people are in the world. They're just at that come and see stage. Hey, you say, well, just come and see. Come to church with me Sunday. What's this? Why are you so different? Well, just come and see. But then as time went on, Jesus got to the point with some of his disciples, he says, now, I don't want you just to see, I want you to come and follow me and I'll make you fishers of men. Come and follow me. And then, after a while, they followed Jesus, right? Peter followed, but you realize that after Jesus had come and followed, you know, Peter did go back fishing. He didn't follow Jesus. That wasn't the day that he totally committed himself to following Jesus for the next several years. No, he went back fishing, and that's the occasion when Jesus came again on the shore, went out and said, Peter, now. And that's when Peter sold everything, or left everything and started following. But here's what he said to his disciples later when he appointed 12 men. He says, come and be with me. Come and be with me now. You saw, you followed, you witnessed, now come and be with me. And then in John 15, the night before he dies on the cross, there's the last stage of discipleship, and here's what it's called. You abide in me, you remain in me, don't give up, you keep going. And you take those phases, and I have an awesome study that will take you through all those phases that you will love if you're interested in going through that study with me and you grow. But here's the thing, maybe you're seeking, maybe you're a believer and you like following, but hey, I kind of like being back here and just following at the moment. Maybe you're at the point, hey, I'm at the point, I need to get involved, I need to serve. Maybe you're at the point and God's calling you to do what I do. Maybe you say, you know what? I believe God might be calling me to full-time Christian service. I share that because look what Jesus says next as we focus on this next verse where he says, but you have not so learned Christ. if indeed you heard him and have been taught by him as the truth in Jesus. I share this because all this came from the teaching of Christ, but I want you to notice here, in this verse, first I want you to notice the contrast, but you. But you, Quint. It's one thing to read scripture and always think of other people, it's another thing to always bring it home to you, but you. Sure, I can look out here and I can see all this crazy stuff, and I can sit in front of my TV or listen to my radio going down the road, and it stirs my, you know, it's like, wow. But you, Gwen, you don't have to do that. And if you know what you know, what difference is it making in my life And what am I to do about it? Well, that's why the next thing is, but you, but you have not so learned Christ. Now, I caught the cricket on because look real close at what that statement's saying. You have not so learned what? Now he didn't say, you have not so learned the 25 things that we do at Cross Life Bible Church, right? And some of you come out of a church that was so legalistic, you had your checklists, right? This is what we don't do. This is how we dress. This is, you know. I love this church. I love how God brought together people from so many different walks of life. And we learn from each other as we learn to work together. But here's the thing, but you have not so learned Christ. The subject, the curriculum is Jesus. As a believer, right? He's at the heart, our Christology. determines our ecclesiology. You know what I mean by that? Our church life goes back to our Christiology. I heard a preacher say one time that he believed that the church just needs to stay between the two R's, Romans and Revelation. He's wrong. How many times did Paul point us back to Jesus? Because Jesus said this, you go into all the world and you make disciples and you teach them what I, what? I taught you and you baptized them. That's the curriculum. Jesus is the curriculum. And guess what? He's the coach. Look, if indeed you have heard Yeah. Now some of you, because of your translation, what the translators will do, they will try to smooth out the Greek in your, and sometimes they'll insert things and move it around, and you start reading and say, wait a minute, mine says something a little bit different here. We had a Bible study yesterday morning, there were four of us here, we met yesterday morning, and we went over this passage together, and I was allowing these three other men to kind of help me dissect this passage and seeing what they got out of it. And we were making that personal application, and Adam was there. And Adam, he had a different translation than what I had. And he says, wait a minute, mine says something a little bit different. It says, if indeed you have heard, and he had a word inserted before him. If you heard about him, he said. Mine says if I heard about him. Is there a difference between if you heard about him and heard from him directly? Is there a difference? There's a difference, isn't it? If indeed you have heard him, can I tell you, James, your testimony today is a spot on because you can go to your church your whole life and hear a lot about him and never hear from him. The difference when you put your faith and trust in Christ is when you got off and all of a sudden you're hearing from him. It's that Holy Spirit ministering to your heart personally. No, I heard him and we hear from him through his word. We heard and have been, and not only do we hear, but we've been taught by Him. He didn't just lead us to that point of salvation. No, He takes us beyond that into our sanctification. You've been set aside for a purpose. That Old Testament word is consecrated. I want to use you and taught by Him as the truth is where? Where are you going to discover truth? It tells you right there. Because that's where you're gonna find the truth. That's the truth. Do you know how many times just in this past year as people bring up all this critical race theory and all this stuff, I'll say, let me show you, the verse I take them to is there in John chapter one. How he has given us the power to become the children of God. I don't care where you come from, but you and I, Christ can be united in a way that this world's never gonna bring about no matter what they teach. Right? That's the answer is the gospel. The truth is in our Savior and that's why he told Pilate he'd come to bear witness of the truth and Pilate says what's truth? Not only do we see the resource that we have, but notice the rejection in the renouncing. And here's what we do, because of the learning we've heard from our Savior, that you put off concerning your former conduct. The old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lies. Put that off. It's like getting undressed and you worked hard all day. Went home yesterday, I was at Loretta's house, and she had a tree fall in her backyard. So we went over and helped her cut this tree up and throw it back in the woods so the guy could cut the grass in her lawn. It was muggy yesterday. Matter of fact, I was soaked with sweat. Neil came out and gave me a bottle of water and said, here you go. I drank it. And he said, here's another one. It looks like that one leaked out. Right? Right? So I got home later, and we went, matter of fact, we were planning to stop somewhere on the way, God says, let's go straight home, we can't get nowhere looking like this, right? So get home, and I get all cleaned up. Now how foolish would it have been for me to go back and put them same clothes on? That'd have been pretty weird, wouldn't it? That'd have been wrong. Do you realize, Bible says, hey, put off those things concerning your former conduct. Don't just put them in a hamper, get rid of them. The old man which grows corrupt according, again, to what? To his deceitful lusts. We're to renounce those things. We're to be different. And I know, I'm looking for my friend Billy. Is Billy here? Billy's in the back there. Bless your heart, Billy. Know one reason Billy started coming across life? He's one of my best friends. Because of Jill. Right, Billy? You know what he told me? He said, God has made such a difference in Jill's life, he had to check this out. And so we built a relationship. And we studied the word together. And we built a bond that's very strong. I'm so thankful for that. The old man which grows, but according to what? To the deceitful lust. That's what happens when you don't change. So when you see someone make a profession of faith and you see no change, you start to wonder, wait a minute, did they really hear from Jesus? Or just hear about Jesus? And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. You see where it starts? It starts here. Be renewed, to be made new. You see, He didn't just... That word that's used when God created a new person in you, it is the word created. He created something new in you. Our renewal. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And here's why this is important. And that you put on the new man. which was created according to who? According to God. That's that new person. It's God. According to God in true righteousness and holiness. And he put that word true in there. When I was in West Virginia pastoring a little church down there, I'll never forget that when there was a gentleman in our church, he took his own life. And his wife struggled. She was a Bible teacher. He was a pastor. He fell into depression because of things he was involved in. And one day he goes out in the woods and hangs himself. It was bad. And Rachel, his wife, And she came to me and Kathy, and it was the last semester I was at Appalachian Bible College. I was pastor in church and also going to Bible college at the same time. And I'll never forget, it was Rachel that came. And as we helped her through that situation, she went to Sears, where Kathy worked, and found Kathy in the shoe department. And she said, Kathy, how much does Quint owe on his education? And Kathy said, I'm not going to tell you that. And she left and she was upset with Kathy. And she come to me and said, how much do you owe in your last semester of school? I said, I'm not going to tell you that. She goes to school in the financial department and says, how much does Quint Merson owe in his? And she pays off my account. I graduated with no debt. She paid it all from the money that she received from life insurance. But this is what she told me when she came to church. She was mad at me. She goes, I can't believe you're trying to rob me of a blessing. I'll never forget her standing in front of me. I just paid this, but I want you to do me a favor. I want you to promise me one thing, that you will always minister to other people like you ministered to me. And God brings that to my mind every now and then to remind me of the difference you can make in someone else's life. Do you know what, the way I ministered to Rachel, I just kept sharing a word with her. Had nothing to do with me, I promise you. Had everything to do with God and his word. But I will tell you that, after that funeral, That little church down in southern West Virginia people start coming to me and saying well, I guess Wayne never made it to heaven Because he took his own life. I Said I'm not gonna place him and I'm not gonna place him in hell But we'll tell you this what I know about salvation And it ties into what I'm talking about with His righteousness. Do you know that when you receive Christ as your Savior, you can fall into depression if you allow that to happen? That's a real thing that folks deal with. But let me tell you something, what you need to understand about what this principle is, what Jesus wants you to know, that when He died on that cross for you and you put your faith and trust in Jesus, God Almighty took His righteousness and he gave it to you and took your sin and he placed it on that cross on his son. That's what happened. And he could see your entire life from the time you were born to the time you took your final breath. And that's what he took from you. And he clothed you in his righteousness. So when you see this and that you put on the new man, which was what? Created according to who? How right is God? hundred percent right a hundred percent of the time and that's what he gave you and me when you put your trust in him in true righteousness and holiness and we're gonna continue this we're gonna continue this okay I'm gonna stop right here but that's important for you to understand the doctrine of justification how a holy guy can look at Quentin Mercer after I said I'm guilty and say justified That's amazing. That's powerful. That's life-changing. Dear Gracious Heavenly Father, I thank you so much, Lord, for this passage that we looked at today. We didn't get far, but Lord, just even dwelling on your righteousness, I can't help but think of the prodigal son and the dad. Now when that boy walked up the driveway, and how his loving father was waiting and took the best garment in the house and put it on his son and celebrated. But I know that when James put his faith and trust in you and committed his life to you, I know there was rejoicing in the presence of the angels. I know all of those who put their faith and trust in you, we are clothed in your righteousness. We're called to be holy because you're holy. Lord, I pray that the enemy would be held at bay, that even this week as we watch and we just witness what's taking place around us, that that would be a motivation for us to share you more, to be more about Jesus. Lord, I don't know the spiritual condition of everyone in this room this morning, but I know that you do. While your heads bow and your eyes are closed, we always get share the gospel and give an invitation here across life. Right there where you're sitting, maybe the Holy Spirit is tugging on your heart today and you're and you're thinking today's today, I would like to receive Christ as my savior. Right there where you're sitting, you can cry out to him in your heart of hearts. You can pray to him right now and say, dear God, I admit that I have sinned and I have fallen short of your glory. I admit that. But I believe that Jesus died for me on that cross and was buried for me and rose again for me. I believe that with all of my heart. And therefore, I put my faith and my trust in Jesus alone for my salvation. As the Bible says, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. As we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Cry out to him. He'll answer, I promise. Again, Lord, we thank you so much for this day. Thank you for this message. I pray for each and every individual in this room. Some have received you as Savior, and as we leave this place today. I pray that we remember the importance of our conduct and we don't have to be like the rest of the world. We can be different so that people will see our light and give you the glory and be curious and just wanna know the truth and we know where to find that truth. Thank you, Lord, so much. I love this church. I love your people. I love your word. Again, we ask all this in Jesus' precious name, amen. I need your help, Carolyn. May the mind of Christ my Savior, wow, what a good song. I was going to say, this song doesn't seem to need much of an introduction after the message that we have just heard. May the mind of Christ my Savior dwell in me, drive my actions, change my thinking, change my life. Yeah. I just want to stay in that. And even pray this as a player as you're singing. But the words are powerful. I didn't cut out any of the verses because every verse is just so rich. Pray this as you're singing. May the mind of Christ, my Saviour, live in me from day to day. By His love and power and glory, all I do will say. May a man have God, you and she, in my heart from one to all, so that all may see I triumph only through His power. May the peace of God, my Father, all my life, in everything, do not make me come to go through sickness or woe. May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea. He who exalted self by grace in grace is vict'ry. May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the flow. Come ye, come ye, come to Jesus, as I on my go. May His beauty rest upon me, as I seek the lost to win, and may the forget-me-not channel see it only in me. Thank you so much for being here today. And I just want to share a couple things before Chris comes up and closes us. Next week is going to be a very special Sunday. There's so much good stuff. Folks join the church. There's going to be a baptism. Baptisms next Sunday. There's going to be a fellowship meal in the back. I know one person told me they have 11 guests coming with them next week. So that's just one person. So we're going to have chairs in the back for the overflow. And so do your best to be here. But I want to thank Bill and Jean Neal are here today. And we've been praying for you, Jean, for a long time. And just seeing you stand and walk. I told them to sit in the back. And they said, nope, they wouldn't have come all the way up front today. Isn't that awesome? And my friend John is here today in the back. And John had a son he was very close to. It was a special needs son who passed away this year. And it's the first time I've seen John since then. So I appreciate John being here. He was good friends with my Uncle Herbert, if you remember my Uncle Herbert. So and then other folks, let's see a mr. Shaw back there came and visited us today. Thanks for being here and others Thank you so much But next week, please be here and plan to stay for the fellowship if you have not signed up So Kathy knows how many are coming and if you can bring something we're gonna we're gonna have a bunch of fried chicken And then you bring the sides. Okay, bunch of right you just bring the side. So please be here and then here's another thing I don't have a slide for this but I got a call one Friday from my friend Jack Long with Christian Farmers Outreach. And I have signed up at the Maryland State Fair, starts this week. And he asked me if I could be at the booth and share the gospel from 10 o'clock to 3 o'clock this coming Saturday. And he's sending me three tickets. So I got one of them. I got two spots. If you're interested in going to this Maryland State Fair from 10 to 3 and just sharing the gospel with anybody who wants to come, please let me know. I need two folks to help me. And then here's a picture of Dave Nelson, October 2nd and 3rd. Please, please, please. I'm going to be sending out emails on this this week with more information. But a while back, Dave Nelson, you know, I actually spoke to him when he was in the airport after the travel restrictions of COVID was lifted. And he travels the world all year long. And he is a disciple maker. Even last year during COVID, he had 6,000 students around the world where he has this curriculum and he trains lay leaders to be leaders. And those lay leaders actually go out and plant churches, become pastors. And he believes strongly like I do. You don't always have to go to a seminary and Bible college. Guess what? Right here sitting in a pews. That's what our job is to raise up, right? He's come here to help us understand the importance of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry. Can't wait for you to be part of this. Crossing Cultures International. So Chris, can you come up and close us in prayer? About Sunday school, you can, you can. Yeah, I'm teaching next week. Last minute, you know. So anyway, I just finished up the Sunday school class for this period and Pastor is going to be doing Sunday school next week on Cross Life and you have to come and hear him and see what it's about. So if you want to be here at 930 next week for fellowship, and then we start a quarter of And one more thing anybody doing the church or being baptized Please come up right after done and come up here and see me right here, okay? Right, okay. So with that, let's go to our Lord in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, we are so blessed, Lord, to be your children, Father, to be in your house where your word is taught, Lord, and we can love one another, fellowship with one another, encourage one another, help one another, Father. Lord, I just pray that you would bless each and every one that's here, Father. Lift us up, Lord, for your service, Lord, as we go forth through these doors, Lord, that we will continue to show your love and tell others about you. Lord, until the day you return, Lord, you take us home. And we just thank you for that honor, that privilege to serve you, Lord. And we just give you all the praise and the glory in Jesus' precious name. Amen. Amen. I don't know.