Beware of the Poison

0 (2s): Well, good morning harvest family. How's everybody doing today? Lots of good smile and hello to everyone watching on campus and at home online. We're so glad as always to come together and worship. So why don't you find some worshiping space and stand up? And you're able, I'd love to just get our bodies, our minds, our soul, everything. Just focus on those this morning. 1 (31s): Why don't we pray 0 (35s): His presence here today? Lord, thank you that we're two or three or more are gathered in your name that you promised to be in our midst. And so we know that you are here today. I just pray that your presence would stretch out all over this County, all over the world, wherever anyone might be tuning in and watching, we are one body connected Lord by your spirit. And I just thank you for what you're doing in our midst. I pray that you would continue just to meet us as we draw near to you, would you draw near to us? How would you lift our weariness? 1 (1m 16s): How would you 0 (1m 16s): Just put your yoke upon us? That is easy and light 1 (1m 20s): Today. 0 (1m 22s): Thank you that you carry our burdens. You lift our sorrows. 1 (1m 30s): You give us 0 (1m 32s): Joy instead of mourning and laughter instead of tears. 1 (1m 37s): Yes. 0 (1m 41s): So God come and be here in our midst or get our hearts. 1 (1m 53s): too deep or too dark. 1 (7m 52s): Thank you for your presence here today. Thank you for the price that you paid. You laid down your life for us in the midst of all of our faults and our scars. There's nothing that we could do to be good. We all fall short and that we all are in need of a savior. 1 (9m 33s): 0 (16m 43s): Know. Sometimes you put a new song in our hearts, so thank you, Jesus. Just for the wind in our sail this morning. Yeah. Sprayer read hearts this morning that are weary, are achy. Any bodies that are bruised and broken any healing. So you continue to come and move by your spirit and power. Set our feet upon a rock, a new song in our hearts. May we need walking, living testimonies of your faithfulness and of your power. 0 (17m 30s): When people see us, you're like, Oh man, what was different about this person? It's just joy radiating from their soul. There's a piece that's beyond my comprehension. They go through all they walk through and still have joy and peace in the mess because we have a savior. And if he's for us, who could be against us, I continue to just put those the deep in our heart, your amazing grace available to us each and every moment of every day Just like gets spread. 1 (18m 22s): 0 (19m 7s): Right. 1 (19m 13s): 0 (23m 12s): It was eyes to see years, 1 (23m 17s): No more. 0 (23m 26s): Would you open our hearts to receive all that you have for us this day? 1 (23m 34s): Okay. 0 (23m 34s): Heart's desire to be more like you got to be a reflection of your love in this world. So would you continue that good work in our hearts today? And we ask all of this in a name. Jesus. Oh, so sweet, such a sweet spirit in the house the day. Well, we're going to spread some of that sweet spirit to spread his peace this morning to one another. Would you greet someone around you and say, hello, let some announcements. And just a few moments. 1 (24m 4s): 2 (26m 48s): Find a seat. That'd be great. Thank you so much. Hey, I want to welcome everyone. Who's 3 (26m 55s): Sanctuary. And those of you who are in the loft and the patio area, and those who are tuning in online, thank you for being with us. My name is Ron. I'm one of the pastors here and this is a highlight of the service, the announcements, right? Yes. So today's a special day for many reasons. One is it's family Sunday. So family Sunday, we do every fourth, Sunday of the month. And the purpose is to kind of get families together, worship together. So kids that are first grade and up will be with mom and dad sitting in with, with them in the service. And if you have children younger than that, we do have classes available for them. 3 (27m 37s): And then in addition, another highlight of today is the fact that it is communion Sunday. And so when you came in to all the different venues, there were some community communion elements there, and you may have grabbed one already. If you didn't. One of the ushers will come around. When we get to communion part of the service and you can grab one then, and we're going to have communion together as well. But the other reason today is, is amazing is because it's donut Sunday. So if, if you head up the driveway to the info center area, you're going to find a whole bunch of donuts. So help yourself. And because we all need healthy food in our lives, don't we? Yes, we do. 3 (28m 19s): By the way, everything I'm mentioning right now this morning, you're going to find on our, on our website, on our harvest app and also at the info center, if you want to talk to somebody face to face about anything, that's going on, feel free to go up to the info center and there'll be there to help you out. Easter is coming up. So Easter is one of those things that happens every year. So unlike Christmas, Christmas is always on December. What does it? December 25th. That's right. So Easter changes. The date just kind of moves around. And so I'm never really sure what month or day or all, but it's this year. It, what is it? April 4th. Thank you. So April 4th, this year is Easter. So what we're doing a little different because of COVID things we're actually having Easter right here on the premises. 3 (29m 3s): It's going to be one service. It's going to be at 10 o'clock and we're going to be outside. Everybody's going to be outside up at the upper parking lot area. We're going to be setting a big, a big stage, can have live bound band out there. We're going to be doing baptisms. And so if there's somebody that if you want to get baptized or someone that you know, then let us know, you can either send us an email stop by the info table. You can sign up and you'll you, we will contact you and meet with you about, about, about getting baptized. And then in addition, we're going to be setting up about 600 chairs up there. All right. So with that, we're going to be needing help. You'll be hearing about this, going to be needing help to do set up and clean up and just different things, greeting and things for the service. 3 (29m 43s): So Easter is one of those annual times of year where it's a great time to invite people that don't normally come to church. And you know how some people, when you invite them to church, they're like worried that the, the roof is going to cave in on them. So this is an outdoor service. So they're not to worry about that. Although there are some eucalyptus trees kind of close by. So that might be a concern, but, but invite friends, family, those who, who, you know, really would benefit from an Easter service. So there's some other things going on. I'll just make mention of a few of them. There's a golfing group. That's going to be gathering at Cypress Ridge next Sunday at one o'clock stop by info center. They'll let you know about that. 3 (30m 24s): There's a good yarn club, so that they're going to be gathering March 13th at five o'clock. And there's a men's event coming up. It's the M six evening gathering. It's kinda been put on hold through COVID but now it's starting up again. So the date on that is, is March 15th. And it's going to be out at thousand Hills ranch where it's always been in the past. So guys, I would encourage you to take the opportunity to get involved in that. All right. So the last thing I want to make mention of this morning is so throughout this year, on the fourth, Sunday of every month, family Sunday, we're having a, another, a new missionary come. So these are missionaries that we support we've supported. 3 (31m 5s): So this morning, in fact, Darren, go ahead and make your way up. Let's welcome, Darren. This is Darren Johnson. So Darren Johnson is from child evangelism fellowship. And he's my baby brother in Christ. Yes. Yes. So we've been supporting harvest church has been supporting financially and prayerfully CEF for many, many years. So you might be familiar with the good news clubs. So they're, they're under the umbrella of child evangelism fellowship. So Darren's here with us this morning. Gonna share a little bit about the ministry. He's got a table set up outside. If you want more info, go talk to him and Darren, really happy to have you with us today. 4 (31m 47s): Okay. Thank you so much proof once more, that good things come in, small packages. 1 (31m 52s): 4 (31m 55s): We're close enough where I can teach you. Right. Okay. Good. All right. So we just want to thank you guys so much. You've been such a blessing to this ministry and all the kids that reaches. And a lot of, you know, we were in over two thirds of the elementary schools before this whole COVID thing came down the pike and we are just pivoting and scrambling to, to do our very best to reach kids, right where they're at. So right now we, we have 20 clubs going, 11 of them are online and nine are in person and we're just setting up in parks, church, parking lots, wherever we can to, to, to reach these kids. But I, one thing I just want to mention know, this is a hard time, especially for kids, it's our time for everybody, you know, no matter where you're at and how things should be handled, we all know that, you know, it's rattled a lot of people and there's a lot of fear going on in the world right now, a lot of confusion. 4 (32m 44s): And if you think about what that looks like from a child's perspective, you know, they're looking at the people that normally have it all together for them, their security, even though we know we're supposed to get our security from God, you know, kids do draw that from their parents and adults and, and, and they're looking at their parents and they're seeing them nervous and confused, and that just kind of feeds into their lives in a pretty big way. So, you know, I was kind of reminded of this. I've got a little five-year-old daughter, you know, and she just asked me point blank, one day, she goes, dad, are you scared of COVID? I thought, Oh, Whoa. Like I never told her that. But you know, she could pick up on things because her life is very different. Now, you know, kids are being told you can't go to the park. You can't go to school. 4 (33m 26s): You can't go to the water park or the play structure, or all these things are normally used to doing. And for a child, like my daughter is five. And you think about what a percentage of that life, this whole Corona confusion has been over her, right? She's five. I mean, this has been going on for like a year and a half and probably about two years back as far as she can really remember. So this is pretty much her normal at this point. So there's kids that just are growing up with this and we have this huge need and opportunity to, to anchor them to what really matters, right? God, his truth, eternal things that their hope. I mean, once our hope is in this world, we're in big trouble. Aren't we, our hope has to be in Jesus Christ. 4 (34m 9s): There's nothing else that we'll be able to, to get us into heaven or to give us a hope in this world. There's nothing else that can really make us secure. So that's our mission is to take that message of hope to the kids. We're so thankful for your partnership in that. And we just appreciate all you guys do. A lot of you have gotten involved over the years and we'd love to, to keep that going and just please feel free to come by and talk with me. If you have any questions, I've got a great little tool. I'd love to hand out to you guys. I wished I'd. I realized after my daughter said that I should sit down with her and go over this because it's just a little, you know, a little booklet to go on a child's level to take them through, Hey, you know, why is the world confusing? 4 (34m 51s): Where does our hope really lie? Help them know they don't have to be alone, right? God will go through everything with us. And he'll, he loves you. He'll, he'll help you through whatever challenge you're facing. So thank you guys for your support and partnership. And please keep us in prayer. We we've, we are excited about what God has opened the door to us to do even admits these challenging times, but we're never satisfied, right? We want to keep reaching every child and make sure the gospel is going out to all of them. So thank you so much. 5 (35m 31s): Thanks Darren. Appreciate coming in Sharon for us. Hey, my name is Jeremy. I'm the youth 6 (35m 38s): And family pastor here at harvest church. And pastor Steve is headed back from his step-mom's Memorial service in Colorado. So he's not with us this morning. So he asked me to step up. And so I get to open up the word of God. A few will be in acts chapter 14 today, but man, I really appreciate what Darren is doing in the schools and what that ministry is doing. You know, a number of years ago, I, when my family and I were living in Santa Santa Barbara, I interviewed for the director position of CF down there and actually came up and met Darren and shouted him for a day. And it's just amazing. The door that the Lord has opened in the schools, even, even during COVID I know things have changed, but he's really, they shifted to adjust for those things. 6 (36m 26s): But God has an amazing thing happening in the life of our students. And I may have shared this with you before you may have heard this, but I think it's worth repeating, you know, DL moody came back from a, a revival and they asked him, well, how did it go? You know, how many people were saved? And he, his response was two and 5 (36m 46s): A half. And that was met with 6 (36m 49s): Kind of a blank stare. What do you mean two and a half? You mean two adults and a child. 5 (36m 52s): He said, no, two children and an adult. And he said, when you, 6 (36m 58s): You save a child, you save a life a whole life. And that's why I believe in student ministry is like the utmost important. Whether you're in schools, whether here at church, it is so important. 5 (37m 11s): And you know, these, 6 (37m 14s): Those pouring into the life of the youth are making a change to a life a whole life. And it's not an insult to those who are older when they come to Christ. But God, because God is calling you to walk with him, no matter how long you have walked in your own path, he's calling you to join him in his path. So the encouragement is parents, grandparents keep the course, keep loving on these students, keep teaching them the truth. And that is what we're going to discuss today is the truth in our culture. And really to be aware of that 5 (37m 45s): Isn't as was 6 (37m 48s): Pairing this week. And, you know, I got asked on Wednesdays, Steve asked if I was able to, to share today. And he said, Hey, it'd be really cool to get some testimonies of some youth students to come up. And so I approached a few, used a few students on Wednesday and said, Hey, would you be willing to come and give your testimony on Sunday? And it was met with like this deer in the headlight look like, Oh, this is only a few days away. I don't know if I can do that. And off, and to the response that I got was, I don't really have a testimony. I don't have a, I don't have a car. I don't have this kind of crazy story. And I think often our minds, a testimony is when God's turned us away from crazy gnarly stuff, and then we've walked with him. But what about the testimony of a simple walk of obedience to God and his word? 5 (38m 31s): What about that testimony? And these, these students, as you give your life 6 (38m 36s): To the Lord and you walk with him, I look at the adults out here, think of the pain and the suffering and the struggle that you'll be saved from. If you just simply 5 (38m 47s): Walk with the Lord, that's right. That's 6 (38m 50s): An amazing testimony to simply walk with the Lord. Can I get an amen on that one? 5 (38m 54s): All right, let me pray. And then I'm gonna jump in Lord. You are on the move Lord and display 6 (39m 10s): Right with our culture. Despite what are the things that around us sort of, we trust in you. We trust 5 (39m 14s): The truth of your word, or do you speak to us this morning? Will you reveal our condition, Lord? And will you show us who you are, Lord and what you came to do in Jesus name? We pray. Amen. So let me tell you a little bit about my youth. 6 (39m 34s): Now, had you told me I would have a, a job in public speaking 5 (39m 38s): When I was in grade 6 (39m 40s): School, I would have ran away from my life. Like public speaking was never on my radar. It was the worst thing. It was the last thing in the world I wanted to do because I was pretty, I was pretty much a nerd. Okay. Our family genetics, we had bad eyesight. Okay. So you can imagine Jeremy with glasses. And in fact, my brother's eyesight was a little bad. I'm going to throw him under the bus. He was getting really bad grades at school. So the teacher said, well, maybe Brian needs to sit in the front of school. And so he sat in the front of class and that helped. And then the teacher saw, man, he's still struggling. He's this bright, smart kid, what what's going on? So she said, Hey, she talked to my parents, you should have his eyes checked out. So sure enough, he goes to the eye doctor and his eyes would bad. 6 (40m 22s): So he gets a pair of glasses and he goes into the classroom and he looks up and he's like, Oh, I never knew this. The flag had stars on it, poor kid. Right? That's the eyesight that I haven't. And at one point in my youth, I was actually given bifocals to where like, they like not the hidden bifocals, but the ones with the lions, you know? And so you can only imagine how much 5 (40m 48s): Flack I got from, from other students. 6 (40m 51s): So I was that kid. I was never the cool kid. I was, I was that kid. And I grew up in a really loving, awesome family. And, you know, we, we had a pet dog, but being the first born being one to have responsibility, I thought, man, I want to have my own animals are my own things to take care of. And I looked around different animals, like turtles, whatever. And I narrowed the search down to ants. I wanted one of those. And from you remember those and farms, how cool are those little and farms? You know, like you get to observe the aunts and what they're doing underground and those tunnels and how strong they are. They can lift up heavy things and move things around. And, and it was pretty easy to care for. So ants made the perfect thing and I would take a little droplets and add drops 5 (41m 35s): Of water and I would add their food as necessary. But you just got to observe these things. Well, one day I returned after being out of the house and I looked and I said, huh, there's what is that little thing in my aunt farm? I don't recognize that. And I could see that the answer very attractive 6 (41m 54s): Into it. And they were starting to bite off little pieces and take it down into their tunnels. 5 (41m 60s): And they were dying. I was like, that was weird. So I got tweezers pulled that thing out of there. And I started asking around and sure enough, my brother had snuck in and put ant poison into my ant farm. 6 (42m 17s): Am I answering or dying? So how do I stop this? Like, do I yell at them a little and from stop eating the poison, stopping the poison. Don't do it. It's going to hurt you. It tastes good. I know, but don't do it. I, as a human, I can't yell down to my aunt. So what do I do? I want to become an aunt so I can tell my aunts don't eat the 5 (42m 39s): Now, before you really get mad at me and my brother for poison my ass. That's actually just a story. Okay. I made the story up, 6 (42m 47s): Never had an ant farm. My brother never poisoned them, but it speaks to something true. There speaks to this poison. That's in, been inserted 5 (42m 55s): For our lives. And what do we do with it? 6 (43m 1s): Poison can come in many different 5 (43m 4s): Ways, many different attractive 6 (43m 5s): Packaging. Some poison makes us feel good. Some poison looks fun. Some poison, everyone else has taken. 5 (43m 13s): Why don't we, some poison makes us feel better about ourselves 6 (43m 20s): Came to this passage of scripture in acts chapter 14. And this is actually where we were on Wednesday night. How to do with that story, that, okay. All right. I repeated the story. They heard it on a Wednesday such. So acts chapter 14, let's check it out. 5 (43m 37s): It's 6 (43m 38s): Paul and Barnabas Barnabas, his first missionary 5 (43m 40s): Trip, the first mystery 6 (43m 42s): Journey. And they come to this town of Iconia. Now it says in acts chapter 14, verse one, 5 (43m 49s): It happened 6 (43m 50s): In, I conium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews. And so spoke that a great multitude, both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed verse two, but the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds 5 (44m 3s): Leans against the brethren. 6 (44m 6s): The work was happening. Paul and Barnabas were having amazing ministry that it was stirring up the whole town. And so then the gent, the Jews, the unbelieving Jews then snuck in and began to poison the minds of the Gentiles. They began to insert something other than 5 (44m 21s): Truth, other than the word of God. So what was that poison for them 6 (44m 27s): Specifically say, but I believe it's this workspace, religion, Judaism. They wanted Judaism to flow back into the church 5 (44m 35s): And they 6 (44m 36s): Were against what Paul and his message. 5 (44m 40s): There is a workspace based religion. Wasn't the gospel, 6 (44m 44s): Wasn't the gospel based on grace by 5 (44m 46s): Faith. 6 (44m 48s): And so if that was their poison, what is the poison that we can take in as well? 5 (44m 55s): What is the poison that we can take in as well? 6 (44m 59s): Same, right? That, that, that, that poisonous meshes is still around. That that we can add to what Jesus did in the cross. That when Jesus said to tell us it is finished on the cross, that it wasn't actually done. I have to be a good person to earn my way I have to do this 5 (45m 14s): Or that. That is still some 6 (45m 16s): Of the poison that flows in our culture. One of the things I hear a lot about now is my truth. Have you heard the claim? My truth, 5 (45m 28s): That 6 (45m 28s): The truth no longer, there's not a truth. There's not one truth. There's multiple truths. And you can come to a conversation. Well, that conflicts with my true, see my truth says this. Oh, but, but my truth, no, there's no, there's this, this battle for truth in our culture 5 (45m 45s): World. One of the things, 6 (45m 50s): The things I think plaguing the youth to his age is go try everything first and see if you like it. See if it sticks, good, try everything first as if it won't harm you there 5 (45m 60s): Your life. 6 (46m 4s): What about being young and dumb? That's like one of the things going around, 5 (46m 9s): It's a poison they'll hurt 6 (46m 12s): The rest of your life. Cause choices that you make now can affect you the rest 5 (46m 15s): Of your life. What about our 6 (46m 18s): Culture? Where socialism and communism is becoming praised in our culture. It's being taught in our schools of critical theory and cultural Marxism, or where companies, big tech companies have the ability to, to monitor what we and I read and how we get our news and all these things of just the censorship 5 (46m 40s): And the truth 6 (46m 40s): I feel is getting harder and harder to find big pharmaceutical companies are making millions, if not billions, on telling us how our health 5 (46m 50s): Need to do 6 (46m 53s): One of the lies, our cultures, there's more than two genders. God said, let there be male and female man, and woman that, 5 (47m 2s): That God that wasn't it. We have to have more genders now. 6 (47m 7s): Jesus, isn't returning and so much more. There's so much that's being attacked in our culture. And I often ask the question, how much poison is too much. 5 (47m 19s): And what do we do 6 (47m 21s): When we find this poison, that's kind of come into our, our thoughts in our heads, in our, in our culture. What do we do? This is what, this is what Paul and did verse three. It says, therefore, they stayed there a long time. Speaking boldly in the Lord who was bearing witness to the word of his grace granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. What was the antidote in their day? 5 (47m 47s): It was the truth. The word of God, the word of his grace, that was 6 (47m 52s): The serum, the antivenom. It was the word of God or the logos, 5 (47m 58s): The truth, you know, 6 (48m 0s): As we continue, you know, we've always been marching towards the end 5 (48m 4s): Times, 2000 years. 6 (48m 6s): We've always been more, but you start to read Jesus's words about end time deception. You start to look at the book of revelation. You realize that deception is only going to get harder and harder. So it makes truth all the more important, 5 (48m 22s): Yeah. 6 (48m 22s): Verse four says, but the multitude of the city was divided part sided with the Jews and part with the apostle. And that's the truth. That truth divides. And it's a hard message. These 5 (48m 33s): Culture trues divides, the gospel brings division. 6 (48m 39s): I only read about Matt in Matthew chapter 10, how Jesus talks about even that division can come into homes. 5 (48m 44s): The families between loved ones, 6 (48m 50s): Favorite statements in the Bible, favorite words in the Bible. 5 (48m 53s): But God, because 6 (48m 57s): The what's happening around us, we look at the culture. We look at the situations we are, Oh my what, what is happening? What is going on? What can be done and yet reread, but 5 (49m 8s): God Romans 6 (49m 10s): Five eight, but God demonstrates his own love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, it really looked really, really dark for us. But God, and I want to say that God is on the move in the life of our youth. And that's what I'm so excited to share with you this morning. 5 (49m 27s): You know, you think of 6 (49m 28s): Different use in the time of Bible. Think about the youth and time of when Daniel was 5 (49m 31s): Living. These young men were taken out of their Homeland and placed in a very dark idolatrous, poisonous culture in Babylon, in the thing 6 (49m 48s): That surrounded them and their friends and the pressures. And yet Daniel and his friends, even in their youth, were able to recognize the poison and abstain from those things. Daniel chapter one verse eight says, but Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King's delicacies, nor with the wine, which, which he 5 (50m 9s): Drank. Therefore he requested 6 (50m 12s): Of the chief of the Unix that he might not defile himself 5 (50m 16s): Meet 6 (50m 16s): And drink that were offered to idols to fake gods. He said, he didn't ask the question. How much can I have and still be 5 (50m 23s): Okay if I just have a once a week, 6 (50m 28s): Twice a week, he didn't say that. He said, I don't want any of that thing. I don't want any of that. So impressive by Daniel. And I asked, I wonder if I would have what I would have been like, I think we all do. What if we wouldn't like, if we've been dropped in that culture, Daniel had the thought like he could have said, well, you know, God abandoned me. So I'm going to do what feels good to me. He could have said, well, there's no parents around. So I'll do what I want. He could've said new location. I'm going to live my best life ever. But he didn't. He said, no, I don't want any of it. Even if I had it even at a cost because he knew the truth in this poison or live comes so often in the form of idols as well. 6 (51m 18s): I do idols. I would define as things that we prop up to look at to save us, to look for help in our situations acts chapter 14, verse 15, Paul would say those things are useless things. I mean, we could think of a list of the different idols that we have in our culture. The adultery that goes on, we don't have those little things on our shelf any longer, but we have these icons or statuses around us, money, wealth, Hey, those things are going to save me. If everything goes South in our economy, those, the money that I got, my bank account, that's going to save me. 6 (51m 58s): We looked at different political parties to save us. We look for self, for health. We have often so often put comfort and safety as idol on our shelf. If you think about it, comfort and safety. What about status or appearance or success or business? Can we put others on that place? Can we lift them up maybe as a spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, maybe a prospective boyfriend or girlfriend. What about different public figures? Can we put them in a place in our lives to speak into us or to, or to idolize? 6 (52m 42s): What about sports actors? Musicians, you know, I hope I'm not taking this out of context, but Billie Eilish, right? That's how you may say her name. Okay. I got it wrong on Wednesday. Totally got wrong in a, in a commercial for her documentary that was coming out. She is at a concert of young fans who really idolized her, who put her in this place because of her, the words, her lyrics. And they put her in this place of like, Oh man, sh I, I just got to come and relate to her words. And she says this to her, her concert. She says, Hey, you guys need to be okay because you are the reason that I'm okay. 6 (53m 27s): Think about the young people that are going to listen to a concert and saying, okay, I relate to her songs. I relate to her music. I need, I feel good when I listened to her stuff makes me feel good about myself. And then they go to a concert and the, and the person who's singing these songs who wrote these words says, well, I'm going to be okay. But only if you're okay. So if you're not okay, that I'm not okay, it's dangerous. What we lift up in our culture. So if that is the poison, that's around us, what is the remedy to that poison? And what do we do? Well, it's the truth. Not a truth, not my truth. Right? 6 (54m 7s): Jesus says, I am the way the truth and the life. Steve has been asking the question all month and made me think about this morning. He says, the question was, do you want me, what do you want me to do today? What do you want me to do today? My encouragement was looking at a fusion six. What does the fusion six say? He says, put on the full armor of God. What is the first thing? What is the first bit of armor that God asks us to put on the belt of truth? It all starts with truth. 6 (54m 49s): What is truth? Because as we look around and we see all this craziness in our culture, Ephesians six, six verse 12 says we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against these powers against these principalities, right? Tim Mackie would say that humanity's real problem is not merely another human. It's the spiritual powers that animate our cultural idols that inspire hatred, division and violence. Those are the things that we have to put on our armor for Were Adam and Eve wearing their armor in the garden. When the lies came against them. 6 (55m 31s): When the deceiver came up and began to speak these words about the truth, 1 (55m 35s): 6 (55m 41s): Genesis three verse four says, then the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die for. God knows that in the day that you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like, God knowing good and evil. He brought the light to Adam and Eve in the garden. St. Well, God's actually withholding. God's actually not good. He's withholding something good from you. Even though man, and woman were created to be image bearers, right? Made in the image of God. Even though there are image bears, he said, nah, that God's still holding something back. And actually this, I can offer you what God's holding back. And that's the knowledge of good and evil. And you can actually elevate your status. 6 (56m 22s): You can actually become something than what God has called you to be by eating of this tree of the fruit. He said, you will be like, God. And that is the basis of the, of the, of the foundation of evolution that, that we were created to be something. And then we can somehow elevate ourselves beyond that. What did, what would humanity be like if, if we were not living out the effects of that choice in there in the garden, 5 (56m 55s): Jesus, in the wilderness, 6 (56m 59s): That same deceiver, that same, you surfer that same serpent came and spoke to Jesus out in the wilderness, tempting him as well that Jesus could have sustenance outside of God, that glory, without the crown of thorns, that there could be a kingdom without the cross draw, all the lies, all the poison that Satan brought before Jesus and Jesus, every time he used the word he used the truth. Matthew records, Jesus saying every time it is written, he always went back to that foundation of it is written. 6 (57m 43s): We have to go back to that foundation. You know, Luke chapter six talks about a man building a house who had to dig deep and go all the way to the foundation. He had to place that foundation on the rock. And that foundation is what was he had to build his house on. He had to build his life on and that when storms came, that house wouldn't move because it was on the rock. And that is hard work to dig down until you get to the rock. 5 (58m 15s): But we have to stand on that rock. 6 (58m 20s): I believe God is on the move. And let me see, see that even even stronger. I know God is on the move because I've seen it in our, in our youth. You know, it's crazy as you look around what the internet has done to the global youth community, all of a sudden all the youth around the world because of the internet are being influenced by the same musicians, the same social media influencers, by the same things in they're all coming together. And it's often not for good, but I can tell you what is happening here in our five cities area in our harvest youth group. Let me tell you quickly about that harvest Corps started a couple of weeks ago. 6 (59m 5s): And we started for those students who want to go a little bit deeper in their faith. And we started by taking a w Tozer knowledge of the Holy, a book that I read in college 20 years ago. And we started by taking that book and then becoming, going into these discussion. So the students go home, they have 5 (59m 23s): Their own book, they read 6 (59m 25s): A couple of chapters. And then every other week we discuss those chapters 5 (59m 30s): And 6 (59m 31s): The conversations, the discussions that we have in those, those rooms 5 (59m 36s): Are amazing. You know, I bought 6 (59m 38s): Twenty-five books thinking, okay, this is a step of faith. Thinking that 25 students are going to want to read AWS Tozer and discuss it. 5 (59m 46s): You know what? There's 25 students 6 (59m 51s): And there's more students I wanted to come. They just had sports and other activities. So it's amazing to see that these students are wanting to press in and pursue God. And it's been, it was phenomenal conversation. I'm looking forward that to go for continually, do you know, harvest gathering or Wednesday night youth groups we have between 50 and 60 students each week show up here. 5 (1h 0m 12s): Sometimes even a couple of weeks, we've even had over 70 students 6 (1h 0m 17s): That want to meet in person. They want to fellowship. They want to hang out with their friends. 5 (1h 0m 22s): They want to play 6 (1h 0m 23s): A few fun activities games. And then we have worship bands, student led, worship bands that come up and lead the other students in worship. And it is phenomenal. We have three worship bands. We have to rotate each 5 (1h 0m 35s): Week. These students 6 (1h 0m 38s): Are leading each other in worship. And then I get up and say, Hey, open up your Bibles. And we go verse by verse through a book of the Bible, we started out in the book of John and now we're going through our working our way through acts. And it is phenomenal because they listened to me for 20 to 25 5 (1h 0m 52s): Minutes. That's 6 (1h 0m 54s): Amazing. Right? And on a Wednesday night, and there's a hunger, I see this hunger for the 5 (1h 1m 2s): Truth, 6 (1h 1m 6s): Hunger for a truth in our generation. The other question that Steve's been asking, his second question was, what do you want me? What, what do you want to do through me today? What do you want to do through me today? 5 (1h 1m 20s): Fusions 6 (1h 1m 21s): Chapter four, verse 15 says, but speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things to him who is the head Christ and God has called us to speak the truth in love. 5 (1h 1m 38s): You know, I, I 6 (1h 1m 40s): Start out this conversation, this message about truth by lying to you, right by lying about my aunt farm. Somebody pointed out the irony of that between services. You start out a message about truth by line. I see how it is Jeremy, but like my pretend little and farm, you can't yell down on those poor sick little ants. God calls us to go down. I mean, Jesus ultimately was the one who came down to our condition. And if the bridge between us and ants is this much, the bridge between God and man is infinitely more. And he came to speak the truth and love to a hurting and lost world. 5 (1h 2m 20s): And as we transitioned now into this into a time of communion, I see this communion cups as the truth serum says, if you did not get a cup yet you can raise your hand into the ushers and greeters can pass out some cups. Let me pray. While we buy. Those are passed out heavenly father and a culture that is anti-God anti truth. 5 (1h 3m 1s): You pray that your truth would just flood us would just invade us. Lord, your love for us. You're coming to earth to die for us Lord. And that you pay the ultimate price with your body. So you can welcome us into your kingdom. Pray that the truth of speaking is just speak and sink down deep into our hearts. Lord Jesus name. We pray. Amen. This is verses actually after Paul gives the communion verses, he says this, he says, therefore, whoever eats of this bread or drinks of this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the blood, the body and the blood of the Lord, but let a man examine himself. 5 (1h 3m 50s): And so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup for you, eats and drinks in an unworthy manner, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. So before we partake, let's take this next song to really dwell on what poison have we partaken of what poison have we allowed into our hearts and our minds? Are there any lies that we believe? Was it like I conium where morality and works have entered into us. We pray that the Holy spirit, I now would just reveal those things to you. And after the first song, we'll take of the drink in the cup. 0 (1h 4m 31s): You'll stand together as a worship. We're cheeses. 0 (1h 4m 44s): 6 (1h 6m 50s): So delivered to you. Does the Lord Jesus on the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, take eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. So together let's take up the bread. And in the same manner, he also took the cup after supper saying, this is the cup of the new covenant of my blood. This do, as often as you drink it in remembrance of me, for as often as you eat of this bread and drink of the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes. 1 (1h 7m 40s): Thank you, Lord 0 (1h 12m 55s): Thank you that we are your sons and daughters. We belong to you. There's a place for us. We belong. Just let that soak in for just a moment. Do you belong as a place for you? There's a place for you here. There's a place for you and God's kingdom and your father's house. Those who felt like outcasts all their lives. Like you never fit in, like, something's wrong with you? The Lord says you belong. I've chosen you. I've called you by name. 0 (1h 13m 36s): I just pray Lord that all this week that we would be reminded of these trues again and again, that we've heard today, that they would take root deep in our hearts and bear good fruit that we love people with your kind of love that we would be examples. Hope in a world. That's feeling pretty hopeless right now in so many ways, which you shine through us, make people know we're Christians by our love reflect. 1 (1h 14m 8s): Thank 0 (1h 14m 8s): You for your presence here with us. We love you. Jesus. Thank you so much for joining us today. If anyone would like prayer this morning, we would love to pray with you. If you want to head on towards the front, we'll have some volunteers and staff that would love to come alongside. You have a wonderful day, say hello to someone, grab a doughnut. If there's any laptops and more copy, and we'll see you again next Sunday, bye to everyone watching online. We'll see you real soon.