September 29, 2025 • 53 mins
Pastor Lance continues showing the characteristics of a life of adoration to the Lord from 1 Thessalonians 5; in verse 20, a life that adores does not despise God's Word. A believer desires the things of God, rather than the things of the world, and therefore listens and obeys.
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I don't know about you, but I love this time of year.
Yesterday and the day before, when I was dragging all of my
Christmas trees out of my garageand setting them up in my house,
all 12 of them, and I still havea few more to go.
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I was thinking about the Christmas narrative.
You know, whenever the weather turns and it gets a little
cloudy and a little cool, the trees got to go up.
And so in my house, they're, they're up.
And in the morning when I get upat 4:30, I go out there to all
my lights on. It's just me and the Lord and my
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lights. And it's a great opportunity for
me to commune with him and to read the word of God and to
really understand the beauty of the incarnation of Christ, God
becoming man. And I was thinking about the
Christmas narrative because we're studying the life of
adoration in the First Thessalonians, chapter 5,
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because that's the model life, the life that adores God.
And there's no better classic illustration of adoration than
the Christmas narrative because adoration begins with with
recognition, a recognition of who God is.
So the Angel said, do not be afraid, for we bring you good
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news of great joy. For unto you this day in the
city of David there's been born a Savior, who is Christ the
Lord. That begins the the adoration of
Christmas time, a recognition that the Christ child has come,
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the Savior has come, the Lord isamong us, a fulfillment of
Isaiah's prophecy. True adoration always begins
with a recognition of who God is, and that recognition then
leads to what I think is the greatest of all words and
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excitation to be with Him. Once the shepherd's heard the
word that was given to them, theBible says they went in haste to
see all that the angels had said.
I don't know how shepherds move in the haste with all of their
sheep. I don't know if they left their
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sheep under the care of someone else.
I don't know. All I know is that they could
not wait to see what the angels had said to them, that there was
this excitation to be with the Christ child.
All true adorers of God can't wait to be with God.
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That's characteristic of everybody in the Scriptures.
That's what a psalmist said. I was glad when they said to me,
let us go to the House of the Lord.
Why? Because there's one thing I
desire, just one that I may, maydwell in the House of the Lord
and behold his beauty. So all those who adore God,
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there's first of all a recognition of who he is.
And there's then there's an excitation to be with him.
That excitation to be with him leads to a proclamation about
him. Because the shepherds then began
to tell Mary and Joseph and all who would hear everything that
they had heard and seen, they they could not wait to proclaim
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the good news. So those who adore their God not
only recognize who he is and notonly are excited to be with him,
that they want to proclaim him to others.
So there's a, a recognition of who he is.
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There's an excitation to, to be with him.
There was a proclamation about him, and then all those who
adore their God will always be characterized by a meditation
upon Him. And that's when Mary would
ponder all these things in her heart.
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You imagine being 13 or 14 yearsof age, just having given birth
to the Christ child and all thatthat was involved in their lives
with Mary and Joseph and how there was no room in the end.
And the shepherd's come and proclaim to them all that the
angels had said. The overwhelming sense of all in
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the life of Mary. She would ponder all these
things in her heart because those who adore their God,
there's always a a meditation upon him.
Once there's a meditation upon him, there was always a
satisfaction with him. That's where Simeon comes in, in
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the Christmas narrative, becausehe was told by the Lord that he
would not die until he saw the Lord's Messiah, the Lord's
Christ. And when he finally holds the
Christ child in his arms, he said, now I can die.
I've lived to see what I've longed to see, and now I can die
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because the light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of
our people, Israel, has arrived.And there was this great longing
and satisfaction in the life of Simeon that led him to that
great and glorious day where he helped the Christ child.
Because all those who adore their king are satisfied with
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their king. So there's a recognition of him.
There is an excitation to be with him.
There is a proclamation about him.
There was a meditation upon him,there's a satisfaction with him,
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and there's always then a presentation to him.
That's where the magi come in. In the Christmas narrative, when
they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, they
bowed before him and presented him gifts.
Because those who adore their God can't wait to present to him
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the best of what they have. And there's a presentation to
him. And then of course, lastly,
there is a celebration of him. A celebration of him.
And the whole Christmas narrative is about the
celebration of the coming of theKing, as spoken of in Mary's
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song and in Zacharias's song there, there was great joy.
And that celebration is is characterized by three specific
attitudes. And Paul gives us those
attitudes in First Thessalonians5, and they're in the Christmas
narrative. They're joyful, they're
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prayerful, and they're thankful.When you look at Mary and
Zacharias's song, it's all aboutthe joy that comes, the great
Thanksgiving that comes because the Messiah has arrived.
But remember in the Christmas narrative there is there was
Anna who was the widow for 84 years and the Bible tells us
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that she did not cease to serve and to pray night and day in the
temple. She was prayerful.
So when Paul comes along and says in First Thessalonians
chapter 5, this is the life of those who adore God, they
rejoice always, they're joyful, they pray without ceasing.
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They they are prayerful and theygive thanks in everything they
are thankful for. This is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you. This is the, the celebratory
nature of those who adore God. But yet there's also things that
those who adore God, they do notdo, and that's in verse #19
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they, they do not quench the spirit, they do not stifle the
spirit, they do not suffocate the spirit for a variety of
reasons. They, they want to make sure the
spirits work flows in and through them.
They do not quench the spirit. That was last week's sermon.
And they also do not despise prophetic utterances.
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That's verse #20 of First Thessalonians 5.
They do not despise prophetic utterances.
They do not look down upon, Theydo not disregard, they do not
disesteem, they do not disrespect the revelation of the
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living God. Those who adore God don't do
that. They don't want to do that.
They don't want to devalue that which is absolutely valuable.
That's why the Lord said man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds for the mouth of God.
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That's the value of the truth ofGod's word.
That's the value of His revelation.
That's why you treasure God's word in your heart, that you
might not sin against him, because you value the word of
God, the revelation of God, the revelation of God spoken, and
the revelation of God written, because you know that every word
of God is breathed into existence by Him.
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Second Thessalonians, Second Timothy 316 And that word that's
God breathed is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction and righteousness, so that the man
of God will be thoroughly equipped, thoroughly finished,
furnished to do all that will make him complete and perfect.
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You value the treasure of the Word of God.
That's why Paul said in Acts chapter 20 verse #32 to the
Ephesians elders, I commend you to God in the word of His grace,
which is able to build you up. I'm going to leave, but I
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commend you to the word of God'sgrace because that's what you
need to build you up every single day.
The Thessalonians put out the welcome mat. 1st Thessalonians
213 They welcomed the revelationof God, the truth of God's holy
word. And Paul says, whatever you do,
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those who adore God, they do notdespise, disregard, devalued,
disrespect, think light of the revelation of God's holy Word.
Paul would say in in Second Timothy chapter 4, these words
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to Timothy, I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and
of Christ Jesus, who is the judge, the living of the dead,
and by his appearing in his Kingdom.
Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of
season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and
instruction. For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears
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tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in
accordance to their own desires,and will turn away their ears
from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
But you, Timothy, be sober and all things endure hardship.
Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry whenever,
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whenever. 1 rejects the revelation of God.
There is always a suffocation ofthe Spirit of God.
But Paul is concerned that that those in Thessalonica always
truly value that which is true and that is the word of God.
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But we live in a day and age where where people want to They
want to hear stories about life,but they don't want to hear the
scripture that gives life. We live in a day where where
people want to hear social issues addressed instead of
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sound doctrine applied. We live in a day where where
people want to hear words of comfort, not words of
conviction. We live in a day where people
want their ears to be tickled instead of their body to be
tackled by the truth of the living God.
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And that's unfortunate because whether you know it or not,
there are people all around us, in churches across the world
that despise the revelation of God.
And you know what? Unfortunately, there are times
in which all of us do, and so I want to show you how that
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happens so that we don't do that.
Remember Esau back in the book of Genesis, Genesis chapter 25,
verse #34 it says that Esau despised his birthright.
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Esau despised his birthright. He considered his birthright of
the covenant blessings of God asless important than his fleshly
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desires. Esau in Genesis chapter 25 would
sell his birthright to satisfy his belly.
He despised the word of the Lord, and he saw.
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And all of his descendants represent all those who have
decided that the world has more to offer than the word of God
has to offer. It's no wonder that God said,
Jacob I have loved, and Esau I have hated.
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Why? Because he despised the Word and
desired the world more than the revelation that God had given to
him concerning his covenant birthright.
But he is just one of many examples in the Bible.
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The Bible says in Proverbs chapter 1, These words Proverbs
chapter one verse #7 Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Wisdom is the the application oftruth and knowledge is the
verification of truth. And therefore fools despise the
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truth of God, because it gives wisdom and knowledge.
Proverbs 1/22 it says fools hateknowledge.
And then over in Proverbs chapter 23 verse #9 it says, do
not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the
wisdom of your words. And then over in chapter 19 of
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the book of Proverbs, the third verse, it says the foolishness
of a man ruins his way and his heart rages against the Lord.
Those who despise the the words of knowledge and wisdom and
understanding are those whose hearts Rage Against the Lord.
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In fact, if you go back to the book of Numbers, the book of
Numbers, the 15th chapter, listen to what God says.
He says the person who does not,who does anything defiantly.
This is Exodus 15 verse #30 the person who does anything
defiantly, whether he is a native or an alien, that one is
blaspheming the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from
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among his people. Why?
Because he has despised the wordof the Lord and has broken his
commandment. That person shall be completely
cut off. His guilt will be on him.
God is serious about how we takehis word.
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God demands and God deserves that we keep his commandments,
that we do what his word says that that's why over in in
Matthew Chapter 7, as the Lord would conclude His Sermon on the
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Mount by talking about what it means to to get into the Kingdom
and to live like a child in thatKingdom, He concluded with these
words. Therefore, everyone who hears
these words of mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise
man who built his house on the rock.
The rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and
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slammed against that house, and yet it did not fall, for it had
been founded on the rock. The rock is the truth of Christ.
Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act upon
them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
The rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and
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slammed against that house, and it fell, and great was its fall.
See, the foolish man despises wisdom, he despises knowledge,
he despises understanding, he despises instruction.
And Christ says that man is the foolish man.
He builds his house upon the sand.
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There's no foundation there. There's no, there's no solid
rock that's there. But the one who hears my word
and acts upon them, that's the wise man.
That man builds his house upon afirm foundation.
And when storms come, when the winds blow, when the rains
descend upon it, it does not move.
It's immovable. Why?
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Because he heard the word of God, he acted upon the word of
God. He did not despise that word.
He did not reject that word. He did not devalue that word.
Instead he valued it, accepted it, believed it.
That man stood with foolish man was unable to stand because he
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despised and rejected the revelation that God had given.
Now you're sitting there thinking, probably when you
know, I don't do that. I don't despise the word of God,
I don't reject the truth of God.I don't live obstinately against
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the statutes, the commands of God.
I don't do that. I don't despise prophetic
utterances. So let me give you an example, a
biblical illustration of how it comes about in our lives.
And for the most part, we don't even understand it.
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We didn't even know what's happening, but it happens.
So the Bible gives us illustrations, it gives us
examples. These things are written for our
instruction. Romans 15 says that we might
understand and have encouragement and have hope that
we might persevere. So the the Old Testament is
filled with instruction. So let me give you a very common
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illustration. You're going to know it very
well, but you're going to not not going to know how it comes
about unless you know what leadsup to the person's rejecting the
word of the Lord. And this is probably the most
godly man in the Old Testament, and yet he would despise the
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revelation of God. It's found in the book of Second
Samuel, the 11th chapter. Let me read it to you.
Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to
battle, that David sent Joab andhis servants with him and all
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Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged
Rabbah, but David stayed at Jerusalem.
Now when evening came, David arose from his bed and walked
around on the roof of the King'shouse, and from the roof he saw
a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful in
appearance. So David sent and inquired about
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the woman, and one said, is thisnot Bathsheba the daughter of
Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him he
lay with her, and when she had purified herself from her
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uncleanness, she returned to herhouse.
The woman conceived and she sentand told David and said, I am
pregnant now. We'll stop right there because
you know the story. At least you should know the
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story. But you need to understand what
led up to everything in David's life.
And it begins with laziness. You want to begin to reject the
revelation of God. It begins with the laziness, and
laziness always leads to idleness.
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At the time when kings go out towar, the Bible says David the
king did not go to war. But why not David?
David was a warrior. He couldn't build a temple
because he was a man of bloodshed.
God said he was Israel's great warrior king.
But when kings go out to war, David decided to stay back, not
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fulfill his responsibility as king.
David became lazy, and laziness always leads to idleness.
You don't do anything. So he began to wander around his
palace, and as he wandered around his palace in idleness
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because of his laziness, it led to mindlessness.
Always happens this way. Elates to mindlessness.
Now what evening came? David arose from his bed, walked
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around the roof, couldn't sleep.But when you don't fulfill your
responsibility, you probably can't sleep.
David had maybe insomnia, I don't know.
But instead of engaging in prayer, because prayerlessness
is always a issue, he engaged inmindlessness and wandered around
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his his palace on the roof, and from the roof he saw a woman
bathing. Laziness always leads to
idleness, idleness always leads to mindlessness, and
mindlessness always leads to carelessness.
Carelessness. He sees a woman bathing, and
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that carelessness led to lustfulness, says.
And the woman was very beautifulin appearance.
How does 1 become lustful? Because he's lazy,
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irresponsible, not fulfilling the duty that God had given to
him, and laziness will lead to idleness.
What do I do now that leads to mindlessness, leads to
carelessness, and then it leads to lustfulness, and that
lustfulness leads always to foolishness says so.
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David sent and inquired about the woman.
That's just foolish. David, you're married.
You have wives, plural. This is just foolishness.
And someone said, is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of
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Eliam, the wife of Uriah? Foolishness stemming from
lustfulness always leads to covetousness, wanting that which
is not yours, wanting your your neighbor's wife.
Is this not the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
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Is she not married David? Do you see the downward spiral
that David finds himself in because he was irresponsible to
begin with? That laziness, that idleness,
that carelessness, that that mindlessness, that lustfulness,
that foolishness led to covetousness.
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You wanted a woman that was not his.
David sent messengers and took her.
Covetous always leads to stubbornness, Just complete
stubbornness. I don't want her anyway.
I'm taking her. I'm the king.
I can have her. I deserve her stubbornness on
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the part of Israel's greatest king, Israel's godliest king.
That stubbornness led to the next step, which was
fearlessness. For it says David sent
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messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay
with her. No Fear, No Fear whatsoever, No
Fear of the consequences, No Fear of the violation of God.
He has gone down this spiral so far.
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That God is not even a thought in His mind led to fearlessness,
and that fearlessness led to lawlessness to live as if there
was no law. He committed adultery.
He slept with another man's wife.
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That lawlessness from fearlessness and stubbornness
and covetousness led to shamelessness.
Shamelessness. When she had purified herself
from her uncleanness, she returned to her house.
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No big deal. Just a night of frolicking in
the sheets. Shamelessness.
Just get up, cleanse yourself, and move on as if nothing ever
happened. That shamelessness LED to the
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relentless passion of unrighteousness.
Why the woman conceived. She sent and told David and
said, I am pregnant. In this relentless passion of
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unrighteousness would be the continued spiral of David's
life, leading him further and further away from his God into
sin by trying to figure out how to manipulate Uriah, how to
deceive Uriah, how to ultimatelykill Uriah so they could have
Bathsheba for himself. This is the king of Israel, this
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is David. So God sends the prophet Nathan
to David and Nathan gives a parable about a very rich man
who had tons of sheep, whole flock, and a poor man who had
one little you lamb who he loved, cherished and adored.
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A traveller came to the rich manand said, hey, I, I need one of
your when you're lambs. And so instead of taking one of
his own, he takes the poor man'sonly lamb and gives it to the
traveller. And Nathan, the prophet of God,
gives this parable to David. And David is incensed.
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He's angry. In fact, he says his anger
burned greatly. Verse #5 of chapter 12, instead
of Nathan as the Lord live, surely the man who has done this
deserves to die. He must make restitution for the
Lamb fourfold because he did this thing and had no
compassion. And Nathan said to David, David,
you're the man. You're that man.
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David, you're the man who had everything, all you could ever
dream of. You had it all, and you took one
man's prized possession. So Nathan said, Thus says the
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Lord God of Israel, listen carefully.
It is I who anointed you king over Israel.
David, you're king because I anointed you.
God says you're only the king because of me, David, not
because you, you killed Goliath,not because people saying your
praise. You're king over Israel because
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of me, and this I who delivered you from the hand of Saul as
many times as Saul tried to killyou, you thought you escaped by
your own creativity and your ownwarrior like skills.
But you know what? You didn't escape because of
that. You escaped because of me.
I allowed you to escape David. It was me who protected you.
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I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives
into your care. I gave you everything.
I gave you the House of Israel and Judah.
And if that had been too little,I would have added to you many
more things like these. And as if this wasn't enough, I
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gave you power over Judah, powerover Israel.
I gave you all the possessions you could ever imagine.
I gave you prestige. I gave you the Kingdom.
I protected you. I gave you everything.
And you know what? I would have given you more,
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more. Now listen carefully, verse 9.
So why have you, David king of Israel, despised the word of the
Lord? It's no wonder Paul says do not
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despise the revelation of God. Don't do that.
Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His
sight? You have struck down your riot.
The Hittite with the sword have taken his wife to be your wife,
and have killed him and the sword of the sons of Ammon.
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Now, therefore the sword shall never depart from your house,
because you have despised me. You cannot despise prophetic
utterances without despising theGod who gave the revelation.
When you despise His Word, you despise the God of the Word.
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When you despise the inspired Word, you despised the Incarnate
Word. You cannot separate the 2.
You've despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the
Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I
will raise up evil against you from your own household.
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I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them
to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad
daylight. Indeed, you did it secretly, but
I will do this thing before all Israel and under the sun, that
little phrase. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I
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will raise up evil against you from your own household.
Do you know that so many times as husbands, as fathers, because
we have despised and rejected and disregarded the word of the
Lord, there is an evil that rises up in our own homes that's
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a consequence of rejecting the word of God.
And it did for David. David experienced death,
defiance, defilement. He experienced complete and
utter disclosure of all of his sins and dishonor.
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He says to Nathan, I have sinnedagainst the Lord.
And Nathan said to David, the Lord has taken away your sin,
you shall not die. The consequences of adultery's
death Consequences of sin The way to sin is death.
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But the Lord has taken away yoursin.
You will not die. However, there's always the
However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the
enemies of the Lord, to blasphemy, the child also that
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is born to you shall surely die.You've given the enemies of the
Lord occasion to blasphemy the name of God, because you
disregarded, you despised the word of the Lord, which says you
shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not
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lie, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, you shall have
no other gods before me. You should worship me and me
only. David broke 9 out of 10
commandments in one act with Bathsheba.
God says you despise my word, you rejected my word.
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So when Paul says this, the First Thessalonians chapter 5,
and we think that we're the we're the ones who do not
disregard or look down upon or treat lightly the revelation of
God. We need to think again and ask
ourselves where have I, where have I took the word of the Lord
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lightly and not treated it with value and respect and dignity
and honor. I could in there, but I'm not
listen to Isaiah chapter 5 whichsays Therefore, as a tongue of
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fire consumes stubble, and dry grass collapses into the flame,
so their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away
as dust. For they have rejected the law
of the Lord of hosts and despisethe word of the Holy One of
Israel. Isaiah's prophesying 100 years
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before captivity and tells them from the outset you have
despised the Holy One of Israel because you have rejected his
word. And when you turn over to the
30th chapter of Isaiah, listen to what God says.
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Woe to the rebellious children, declares the Lord, who execute a
plan but not mine, and make an alliance but not of my spirit,
in order to add sin to sin. Have you ever executed a plan
that wasn't God's plan? Have you ever made-up your mind
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to do something no matter what God says?
This is Israel. You made a plan.
And what was your plan? Their plan was to go down to
Egypt. Assyria was coming, the great
army, the greatest Syrian Army. And so they would flee to Egypt
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to gain wisdom and understandingand to gain an alliance.
And Egypt in the Bible always represents the world.
And God is condemning Israel, His people, because they decided
to trust an alliance with the world instead of the authority
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of His Word. That's what Israel did over in
chapter 31 verse #1 it says woe to those who go down to Egypt
for help, cursed to be anybody who goes to the world for help
and rely on horses and trust in Chariots because they are many
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and in horsemen because they arevery strong, but they do not
look to the Holy One of Israel nor seek the Lord.
So often we we depend upon humanresources for our strength, but
don't trust in the Lord. And God says curse it.
Are those who do that. Shame on those who do that.
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Verse 2, it says of chapter 30, you proceed down to Egypt
without consulting me. You ever done something without
consulting the Lord? Maybe the second service people
do, but not first service people, right to take refuge in
the safety of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of
Egypt. You're seeking shelter in a
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shadow. Shadow has no substance.
You're trying to seek shelter from that which has absolutely
no quality of substance whatsoever to shadow, can't
protect you, can't watch over you.
The problem is you think it can.Therefore, the safety of Pharaoh
(42:08):
will be your shame in the shelter, in the shadow of Egypt,
your humiliation. You will be absolutely
humiliated because Egypt and Pharaoh cannot do anything.
The world cannot save you. The world cannot protect you.
It cannot. For six, the Oracle concerning
(42:31):
the beasts of the Negev through a land of distress and anguish,
from where come lioness and lionand Viper and flying serpent.
They carry their riches on theirbacks of their donkeys and their
treasures on camels humps to a people who cannot profit them.
Even Egypt, whose help is vain and empty, there's just nothing
(42:54):
there. You're you're about to embark on
the dangerous desert, you're filled with lions and fiery
serpents. You're going to be filled with
anguish and distress. Because when you decide to make
a plan without consulting God, there is nothing but anxiety,
There's nothing but worry, there's nothing but problems,
there's nothing but distress, there's nothing but turmoil.
(43:15):
God tells them in advance, so hesays in verse #8 now go write it
on a tablet before them, and describe it on a scroll, that it
may serve in the time to come asa witness forever.
Isaiah, write it down, put it instone.
(43:39):
Everybody needs to read this andunderstand this.
It's a witness forever. Please write it down because
everybody needs to know verse 9,that this is a rebellious
people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the
instruction of the Lord, who sayto the seers you must not see
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visions and to the prophets you must not prophesied.
To us what is right, speak to uspleasant words, prophecy,
illusions. Get out of the way.
Turn aside from the path. Let us hear no more about the
Holy One of Israel. We don't want to hear about
holiness. We don't want to hear about
(44:20):
justice and righteousness. Just tell us things that aren't
true. Tell us things that aren't
right. Just tickle our ears, tell us
things that won't bring conviction to our lives.
We don't need to hear all that people who say that are in their
rebellious state. That's why they don't want to be
convicted by the word of the Lord.
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Here's the clincher verse. Well therefore, thus says the
Holy One of Israel, since you have despised the Word and have
put your trust in oppression andguile, and if you lied upon
them, therefore the iniquity, this iniquity will be to you
(45:06):
like a breech about to fall, a bulge and a high wall whose
collapse comes suddenly in an instant.
You will be broken in a moment of time.
Because you despised the revelation of God, the Word of
(45:27):
the Lord, you've disregarded it,you've devalued it, you've dis
esteemed it. You, you have looked at the word
of the Lord as as nothing. It means nothing.
You think you won't experience the consequences of rebellion.
You think you won't experience the consequences of sin.
(45:50):
But you have turned against Me, and you have not regarded my
word as holy. And you don't want to hear from
me, the Holy One of Israel, any longer.
You have despised my word. You have despised me.
Verse 14, whose collapse is likethe smashing of a Potter's jar,
(46:12):
so ruthlessly shattered that assured will not be found among
its pieces to take fire from a hearth or to scoop water from a
system. In other words, there will be no
redeeming value in what is left of you because you despise my
(46:32):
word. Verse 15 here's hope for thus
the Lord God the Holy One of Israel said in repentance and
then rest. You will be saved in quietness,
and trust is your strength. But you were unwilling.
(47:01):
The hope is given. Repentance, rest, reliance,
returning to me. Come back to me.
Trust me, believe in me, hope inme.
But you would not. You weren't willing and you said
(47:27):
no, no, for we will flee on horses.
It's no problem. We can run away from the
Assyrians. We'll flee on horses.
The Lord says therefore you shall flee, and we will ride on
swift horses. And the Lord says, therefore
(47:48):
those who pursue you shall be swifter.
You think you can run from your enemy?
You think that you can take careof yourself without me.
You think that you can flee fromyour enemy without them catching
you? No way.
Think again. You got it wrong.
As fast as your horses are, theirs are faster.
(48:10):
As smart as you are, they are smarter.
You need me, but you are unwilling. 1000 will flee at the
threat of one man. You will flee at the threat of
five until you are left as a flag on a mountaintop and as a
signal on a hill. In ancient times, they they
(48:32):
would communicate by putting flags on hills so people would
know the condition and situations that people are
facing. And so he's saying you will be
like a flag on a hill. Everybody will know of your
condition, that you were defeated, that you could not
stand, that you are unable to conquer the enemy.
It will be known by everybody who sees the flag on the hill.
(48:55):
There's hope though. Verse 18.
Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore
He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice, and how blessed are all
those who long for him. There's always hope.
(49:16):
God is such a a graceful, merciful God.
He there's always hope. Just just return to me.
Oh, I long to be gracious to you.
I long to have compassion on this is what the Lord wants to
do. You see, it's, it's not him.
It's us and our sinfulness, our rebellion and our turning away
(49:37):
from the law of the Lord and see, it doesn't mean that much.
No big deal. God's not that serious about it
anyway. He'll let it slide.
He's a loving, graceful God. He is.
But he's also God of wrath and God of justice and the God of
(49:59):
holiness who wants his people tobe holy.
So Paul comes along in this longlist of adoration and says those
who adore their God will not disregard, disrespect, despise
disesteem, treat lightly as if it doesn't matter.
(50:22):
The revelation of God, it won't do that.
And yet so many times we find ourselves in that situation.
And when you do, guess what the God says in quietness and rest
will be your strength. I long to have compassion upon
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you. Just return to me.
Just come back to me. It's all He says.
You come back to me and you longfor me.
Everything will be forgiven and we can move on.
I don't know where you're at today.
(51:06):
I don't know if you have disregarded and despised the
word of the Lord. I have no idea, only the Lord
knows. But there was always hope for
those who do. Because you see, those who love
the Lord, they, they don't despise His Word, they, they
desire His word and they delightin His word.
(51:27):
And that's where God wants you to be.
And my prayer for us as a churchis that that would be
characterized by each and every one of us who are here, that we
would not leave today without a supreme desire to delight in the
truth of God's Word and make a commitment.
Lord, I do not want to despise the revelation that you've given
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to me because it reveals everything I need to know about
who you are and what you did. And because of all that, Lord, I
want to adore you as my God. Let's pray.
Lord, God, we thank you for today.
We are so grateful for the word of the Lord.
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Forgive us, Lord, for not treating it as we should,
because in despising the Word wedespise the Holy One of Israel.
So our prayer, Father, is that we would be the kind of people
that truly long to live for the glory of their king.
Lord, help no one to leave todaywithout understanding that You
(52:34):
long to be gracious to them. You long to show compassion upon
them if they would be willing tocome to you and to repent and to
rest and to rely on you alone for everything.
That's the way you work, Lord, and you are a great God and we
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thank you for that. So move us in that direction,
Lord, that we might honor you and never dishonor the name of
our God. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.
I don't know about you, but I love this time of year.
Yesterday and the day before, when I was dragging all of my
Christmas trees out of my garageand setting them up in my house,
all 12 of them, and I still havea few more to go.
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I was thinking about the Christmas narrative.
You know, whenever the weather turns and it gets a little
cloudy and a little cool, the trees got to go up.
And so in my house, they're, they're up.
And in the morning when I get upat 4:30, I go out there to all
my lights on. It's just me and the Lord and my
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lights. And it's a great opportunity for
me to commune with him and to read the word of God and to
really understand the beauty of the incarnation of Christ, God
becoming man. And I was thinking about the
Christmas narrative because we're studying the life of
adoration in the First Thessalonians, chapter 5,
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because that's the model life, the life that adores God.
And there's no better classic illustration of adoration than
the Christmas narrative because adoration begins with with
recognition, a recognition of who God is.
So the Angel said, do not be afraid, for we bring you good
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news of great joy. For unto you this day in the
city of David there's been born a Savior, who is Christ the
Lord. That begins the the adoration of
Christmas time, a recognition that the Christ child has come,
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the Savior has come, the Lord isamong us, a fulfillment of
Isaiah's prophecy. True adoration always begins
with a recognition of who God is, and that recognition then
leads to what I think is the greatest of all words and
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excitation to be with Him. Once the shepherd's heard the
word that was given to them, theBible says they went in haste to
see all that the angels had said.
I don't know how shepherds move in the haste with all of their
sheep. I don't know if they left their
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sheep under the care of someone else.
I don't know. All I know is that they could
not wait to see what the angels had said to them, that there was
this excitation to be with the Christ child.
All true adorers of God can't wait to be with God.
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That's characteristic of everybody in the Scriptures.
That's what a psalmist said. I was glad when they said to me,
let us go to the House of the Lord.
Why? Because there's one thing I
desire, just one that I may, maydwell in the House of the Lord
and behold his beauty. So all those who adore God,
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there's first of all a recognition of who he is.
And there's then there's an excitation to be with him.
That excitation to be with him leads to a proclamation about
him. Because the shepherds then began
to tell Mary and Joseph and all who would hear everything that
they had heard and seen, they they could not wait to proclaim
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the good news. So those who adore their God not
only recognize who he is and notonly are excited to be with him,
that they want to proclaim him to others.
So there's a, a recognition of who he is.
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There's an excitation to, to be with him.
There was a proclamation about him, and then all those who
adore their God will always be characterized by a meditation
upon Him. And that's when Mary would
ponder all these things in her heart.
(04:23):
You imagine being 13 or 14 yearsof age, just having given birth
to the Christ child and all thatthat was involved in their lives
with Mary and Joseph and how there was no room in the end.
And the shepherd's come and proclaim to them all that the
angels had said. The overwhelming sense of all in
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the life of Mary. She would ponder all these
things in her heart because those who adore their God,
there's always a a meditation upon him.
Once there's a meditation upon him, there was always a
satisfaction with him. That's where Simeon comes in, in
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the Christmas narrative, becausehe was told by the Lord that he
would not die until he saw the Lord's Messiah, the Lord's
Christ. And when he finally holds the
Christ child in his arms, he said, now I can die.
I've lived to see what I've longed to see, and now I can die
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because the light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of
our people, Israel, has arrived.And there was this great longing
and satisfaction in the life of Simeon that led him to that
great and glorious day where he helped the Christ child.
Because all those who adore their king are satisfied with
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their king. So there's a recognition of him.
There is an excitation to be with him.
There is a proclamation about him.
There was a meditation upon him,there's a satisfaction with him,
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and there's always then a presentation to him.
That's where the magi come in. In the Christmas narrative, when
they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, they
bowed before him and presented him gifts.
Because those who adore their God can't wait to present to him
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the best of what they have. And there's a presentation to
him. And then of course, lastly,
there is a celebration of him. A celebration of him.
And the whole Christmas narrative is about the
celebration of the coming of theKing, as spoken of in Mary's
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song and in Zacharias's song there, there was great joy.
And that celebration is is characterized by three specific
attitudes. And Paul gives us those
attitudes in First Thessalonians5, and they're in the Christmas
narrative. They're joyful, they're
(07:25):
prayerful, and they're thankful.When you look at Mary and
Zacharias's song, it's all aboutthe joy that comes, the great
Thanksgiving that comes because the Messiah has arrived.
But remember in the Christmas narrative there is there was
Anna who was the widow for 84 years and the Bible tells us
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that she did not cease to serve and to pray night and day in the
temple. She was prayerful.
So when Paul comes along and says in First Thessalonians
chapter 5, this is the life of those who adore God, they
rejoice always, they're joyful, they pray without ceasing.
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They they are prayerful and theygive thanks in everything they
are thankful for. This is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you. This is the, the celebratory
nature of those who adore God. But yet there's also things that
those who adore God, they do notdo, and that's in verse #19
(08:34):
they, they do not quench the spirit, they do not stifle the
spirit, they do not suffocate the spirit for a variety of
reasons. They, they want to make sure the
spirits work flows in and through them.
They do not quench the spirit. That was last week's sermon.
And they also do not despise prophetic utterances.
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That's verse #20 of First Thessalonians 5.
They do not despise prophetic utterances.
They do not look down upon, Theydo not disregard, they do not
disesteem, they do not disrespect the revelation of the
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living God. Those who adore God don't do
that. They don't want to do that.
They don't want to devalue that which is absolutely valuable.
That's why the Lord said man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds for the mouth of God.
(09:45):
That's the value of the truth ofGod's word.
That's the value of His revelation.
That's why you treasure God's word in your heart, that you
might not sin against him, because you value the word of
God, the revelation of God, the revelation of God spoken, and
the revelation of God written, because you know that every word
of God is breathed into existence by Him.
(10:10):
Second Thessalonians, Second Timothy 316 And that word that's
God breathed is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction and righteousness, so that the man
of God will be thoroughly equipped, thoroughly finished,
furnished to do all that will make him complete and perfect.
(10:31):
You value the treasure of the Word of God.
That's why Paul said in Acts chapter 20 verse #32 to the
Ephesians elders, I commend you to God in the word of His grace,
which is able to build you up. I'm going to leave, but I
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commend you to the word of God'sgrace because that's what you
need to build you up every single day.
The Thessalonians put out the welcome mat. 1st Thessalonians
213 They welcomed the revelationof God, the truth of God's holy
word. And Paul says, whatever you do,
(11:16):
those who adore God, they do notdespise, disregard, devalued,
disrespect, think light of the revelation of God's holy Word.
Paul would say in in Second Timothy chapter 4, these words
(11:40):
to Timothy, I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and
of Christ Jesus, who is the judge, the living of the dead,
and by his appearing in his Kingdom.
Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of
season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and
instruction. For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears
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tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in
accordance to their own desires,and will turn away their ears
from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
But you, Timothy, be sober and all things endure hardship.
Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry whenever,
(12:27):
whenever. 1 rejects the revelation of God.
There is always a suffocation ofthe Spirit of God.
But Paul is concerned that that those in Thessalonica always
truly value that which is true and that is the word of God.
(12:51):
But we live in a day and age where where people want to They
want to hear stories about life,but they don't want to hear the
scripture that gives life. We live in a day where where
people want to hear social issues addressed instead of
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sound doctrine applied. We live in a day where where
people want to hear words of comfort, not words of
conviction. We live in a day where people
want their ears to be tickled instead of their body to be
tackled by the truth of the living God.
(13:39):
And that's unfortunate because whether you know it or not,
there are people all around us, in churches across the world
that despise the revelation of God.
And you know what? Unfortunately, there are times
in which all of us do, and so I want to show you how that
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happens so that we don't do that.
Remember Esau back in the book of Genesis, Genesis chapter 25,
verse #34 it says that Esau despised his birthright.
(14:23):
Esau despised his birthright. He considered his birthright of
the covenant blessings of God asless important than his fleshly
(14:44):
desires. Esau in Genesis chapter 25 would
sell his birthright to satisfy his belly.
He despised the word of the Lord, and he saw.
(15:04):
And all of his descendants represent all those who have
decided that the world has more to offer than the word of God
has to offer. It's no wonder that God said,
Jacob I have loved, and Esau I have hated.
(15:31):
Why? Because he despised the Word and
desired the world more than the revelation that God had given to
him concerning his covenant birthright.
But he is just one of many examples in the Bible.
(15:56):
The Bible says in Proverbs chapter 1, These words Proverbs
chapter one verse #7 Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Wisdom is the the application oftruth and knowledge is the
verification of truth. And therefore fools despise the
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truth of God, because it gives wisdom and knowledge.
Proverbs 1/22 it says fools hateknowledge.
And then over in Proverbs chapter 23 verse #9 it says, do
not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the
wisdom of your words. And then over in chapter 19 of
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the book of Proverbs, the third verse, it says the foolishness
of a man ruins his way and his heart rages against the Lord.
Those who despise the the words of knowledge and wisdom and
understanding are those whose hearts Rage Against the Lord.
(17:04):
In fact, if you go back to the book of Numbers, the book of
Numbers, the 15th chapter, listen to what God says.
He says the person who does not,who does anything defiantly.
This is Exodus 15 verse #30 the person who does anything
defiantly, whether he is a native or an alien, that one is
blaspheming the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from
(17:27):
among his people. Why?
Because he has despised the wordof the Lord and has broken his
commandment. That person shall be completely
cut off. His guilt will be on him.
God is serious about how we takehis word.
(17:49):
God demands and God deserves that we keep his commandments,
that we do what his word says that that's why over in in
Matthew Chapter 7, as the Lord would conclude His Sermon on the
(18:11):
Mount by talking about what it means to to get into the Kingdom
and to live like a child in thatKingdom, He concluded with these
words. Therefore, everyone who hears
these words of mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise
man who built his house on the rock.
The rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and
(18:31):
slammed against that house, and yet it did not fall, for it had
been founded on the rock. The rock is the truth of Christ.
Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act upon
them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
The rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and
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slammed against that house, and it fell, and great was its fall.
See, the foolish man despises wisdom, he despises knowledge,
he despises understanding, he despises instruction.
And Christ says that man is the foolish man.
He builds his house upon the sand.
(19:15):
There's no foundation there. There's no, there's no solid
rock that's there. But the one who hears my word
and acts upon them, that's the wise man.
That man builds his house upon afirm foundation.
And when storms come, when the winds blow, when the rains
descend upon it, it does not move.
It's immovable. Why?
(19:38):
Because he heard the word of God, he acted upon the word of
God. He did not despise that word.
He did not reject that word. He did not devalue that word.
Instead he valued it, accepted it, believed it.
That man stood with foolish man was unable to stand because he
(19:59):
despised and rejected the revelation that God had given.
Now you're sitting there thinking, probably when you
know, I don't do that. I don't despise the word of God,
I don't reject the truth of God.I don't live obstinately against
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the statutes, the commands of God.
I don't do that. I don't despise prophetic
utterances. So let me give you an example, a
biblical illustration of how it comes about in our lives.
And for the most part, we don't even understand it.
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We didn't even know what's happening, but it happens.
So the Bible gives us illustrations, it gives us
examples. These things are written for our
instruction. Romans 15 says that we might
understand and have encouragement and have hope that
we might persevere. So the the Old Testament is
filled with instruction. So let me give you a very common
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illustration. You're going to know it very
well, but you're going to not not going to know how it comes
about unless you know what leadsup to the person's rejecting the
word of the Lord. And this is probably the most
godly man in the Old Testament, and yet he would despise the
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revelation of God. It's found in the book of Second
Samuel, the 11th chapter. Let me read it to you.
Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to
battle, that David sent Joab andhis servants with him and all
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Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged
Rabbah, but David stayed at Jerusalem.
Now when evening came, David arose from his bed and walked
around on the roof of the King'shouse, and from the roof he saw
a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful in
appearance. So David sent and inquired about
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the woman, and one said, is thisnot Bathsheba the daughter of
Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him he
lay with her, and when she had purified herself from her
(22:44):
uncleanness, she returned to herhouse.
The woman conceived and she sentand told David and said, I am
pregnant now. We'll stop right there because
you know the story. At least you should know the
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story. But you need to understand what
led up to everything in David's life.
And it begins with laziness. You want to begin to reject the
revelation of God. It begins with the laziness, and
laziness always leads to idleness.
(23:31):
At the time when kings go out towar, the Bible says David the
king did not go to war. But why not David?
David was a warrior. He couldn't build a temple
because he was a man of bloodshed.
God said he was Israel's great warrior king.
But when kings go out to war, David decided to stay back, not
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fulfill his responsibility as king.
David became lazy, and laziness always leads to idleness.
You don't do anything. So he began to wander around his
palace, and as he wandered around his palace in idleness
(24:18):
because of his laziness, it led to mindlessness.
Always happens this way. Elates to mindlessness.
Now what evening came? David arose from his bed, walked
(24:39):
around the roof, couldn't sleep.But when you don't fulfill your
responsibility, you probably can't sleep.
David had maybe insomnia, I don't know.
But instead of engaging in prayer, because prayerlessness
is always a issue, he engaged inmindlessness and wandered around
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his his palace on the roof, and from the roof he saw a woman
bathing. Laziness always leads to
idleness, idleness always leads to mindlessness, and
mindlessness always leads to carelessness.
Carelessness. He sees a woman bathing, and
(25:31):
that carelessness led to lustfulness, says.
And the woman was very beautifulin appearance.
How does 1 become lustful? Because he's lazy,
(25:54):
irresponsible, not fulfilling the duty that God had given to
him, and laziness will lead to idleness.
What do I do now that leads to mindlessness, leads to
carelessness, and then it leads to lustfulness, and that
lustfulness leads always to foolishness says so.
(26:22):
David sent and inquired about the woman.
That's just foolish. David, you're married.
You have wives, plural. This is just foolishness.
And someone said, is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of
(26:47):
Eliam, the wife of Uriah? Foolishness stemming from
lustfulness always leads to covetousness, wanting that which
is not yours, wanting your your neighbor's wife.
Is this not the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
(27:09):
Is she not married David? Do you see the downward spiral
that David finds himself in because he was irresponsible to
begin with? That laziness, that idleness,
that carelessness, that that mindlessness, that lustfulness,
that foolishness led to covetousness.
(27:34):
You wanted a woman that was not his.
David sent messengers and took her.
Covetous always leads to stubbornness, Just complete
stubbornness. I don't want her anyway.
I'm taking her. I'm the king.
I can have her. I deserve her stubbornness on
(27:59):
the part of Israel's greatest king, Israel's godliest king.
That stubbornness led to the next step, which was
fearlessness. For it says David sent
(28:20):
messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay
with her. No Fear, No Fear whatsoever, No
Fear of the consequences, No Fear of the violation of God.
He has gone down this spiral so far.
(28:41):
That God is not even a thought in His mind led to fearlessness,
and that fearlessness led to lawlessness to live as if there
was no law. He committed adultery.
He slept with another man's wife.
(29:05):
That lawlessness from fearlessness and stubbornness
and covetousness led to shamelessness.
Shamelessness. When she had purified herself
from her uncleanness, she returned to her house.
(29:30):
No big deal. Just a night of frolicking in
the sheets. Shamelessness.
Just get up, cleanse yourself, and move on as if nothing ever
happened. That shamelessness LED to the
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relentless passion of unrighteousness.
Why the woman conceived. She sent and told David and
said, I am pregnant. In this relentless passion of
(30:14):
unrighteousness would be the continued spiral of David's
life, leading him further and further away from his God into
sin by trying to figure out how to manipulate Uriah, how to
deceive Uriah, how to ultimatelykill Uriah so they could have
Bathsheba for himself. This is the king of Israel, this
(30:39):
is David. So God sends the prophet Nathan
to David and Nathan gives a parable about a very rich man
who had tons of sheep, whole flock, and a poor man who had
one little you lamb who he loved, cherished and adored.
(31:07):
A traveller came to the rich manand said, hey, I, I need one of
your when you're lambs. And so instead of taking one of
his own, he takes the poor man'sonly lamb and gives it to the
traveller. And Nathan, the prophet of God,
gives this parable to David. And David is incensed.
(31:30):
He's angry. In fact, he says his anger
burned greatly. Verse #5 of chapter 12, instead
of Nathan as the Lord live, surely the man who has done this
deserves to die. He must make restitution for the
Lamb fourfold because he did this thing and had no
compassion. And Nathan said to David, David,
you're the man. You're that man.
(31:52):
David, you're the man who had everything, all you could ever
dream of. You had it all, and you took one
man's prized possession. So Nathan said, Thus says the
(32:14):
Lord God of Israel, listen carefully.
It is I who anointed you king over Israel.
David, you're king because I anointed you.
God says you're only the king because of me, David, not
because you, you killed Goliath,not because people saying your
praise. You're king over Israel because
(32:35):
of me, and this I who delivered you from the hand of Saul as
many times as Saul tried to killyou, you thought you escaped by
your own creativity and your ownwarrior like skills.
But you know what? You didn't escape because of
that. You escaped because of me.
I allowed you to escape David. It was me who protected you.
(33:03):
I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives
into your care. I gave you everything.
I gave you the House of Israel and Judah.
And if that had been too little,I would have added to you many
more things like these. And as if this wasn't enough, I
(33:28):
gave you power over Judah, powerover Israel.
I gave you all the possessions you could ever imagine.
I gave you prestige. I gave you the Kingdom.
I protected you. I gave you everything.
And you know what? I would have given you more,
(33:51):
more. Now listen carefully, verse 9.
So why have you, David king of Israel, despised the word of the
Lord? It's no wonder Paul says do not
(34:15):
despise the revelation of God. Don't do that.
Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His
sight? You have struck down your riot.
The Hittite with the sword have taken his wife to be your wife,
and have killed him and the sword of the sons of Ammon.
(34:38):
Now, therefore the sword shall never depart from your house,
because you have despised me. You cannot despise prophetic
utterances without despising theGod who gave the revelation.
When you despise His Word, you despise the God of the Word.
(35:01):
When you despise the inspired Word, you despised the Incarnate
Word. You cannot separate the 2.
You've despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the
Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I
will raise up evil against you from your own household.
(35:25):
I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them
to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad
daylight. Indeed, you did it secretly, but
I will do this thing before all Israel and under the sun, that
little phrase. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I
(35:48):
will raise up evil against you from your own household.
Do you know that so many times as husbands, as fathers, because
we have despised and rejected and disregarded the word of the
Lord, there is an evil that rises up in our own homes that's
(36:11):
a consequence of rejecting the word of God.
And it did for David. David experienced death,
defiance, defilement. He experienced complete and
utter disclosure of all of his sins and dishonor.
(36:32):
He says to Nathan, I have sinnedagainst the Lord.
And Nathan said to David, the Lord has taken away your sin,
you shall not die. The consequences of adultery's
death Consequences of sin The way to sin is death.
(36:56):
But the Lord has taken away yoursin.
You will not die. However, there's always the
However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the
enemies of the Lord, to blasphemy, the child also that
(37:17):
is born to you shall surely die.You've given the enemies of the
Lord occasion to blasphemy the name of God, because you
disregarded, you despised the word of the Lord, which says you
shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not
(37:39):
lie, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, you shall have
no other gods before me. You should worship me and me
only. David broke 9 out of 10
commandments in one act with Bathsheba.
God says you despise my word, you rejected my word.
(38:02):
So when Paul says this, the First Thessalonians chapter 5,
and we think that we're the we're the ones who do not
disregard or look down upon or treat lightly the revelation of
God. We need to think again and ask
ourselves where have I, where have I took the word of the Lord
(38:22):
lightly and not treated it with value and respect and dignity
and honor. I could in there, but I'm not
listen to Isaiah chapter 5 whichsays Therefore, as a tongue of
(38:46):
fire consumes stubble, and dry grass collapses into the flame,
so their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away
as dust. For they have rejected the law
of the Lord of hosts and despisethe word of the Holy One of
Israel. Isaiah's prophesying 100 years
(39:09):
before captivity and tells them from the outset you have
despised the Holy One of Israel because you have rejected his
word. And when you turn over to the
30th chapter of Isaiah, listen to what God says.
(39:32):
Woe to the rebellious children, declares the Lord, who execute a
plan but not mine, and make an alliance but not of my spirit,
in order to add sin to sin. Have you ever executed a plan
that wasn't God's plan? Have you ever made-up your mind
(39:55):
to do something no matter what God says?
This is Israel. You made a plan.
And what was your plan? Their plan was to go down to
Egypt. Assyria was coming, the great
army, the greatest Syrian Army. And so they would flee to Egypt
(40:16):
to gain wisdom and understandingand to gain an alliance.
And Egypt in the Bible always represents the world.
And God is condemning Israel, His people, because they decided
to trust an alliance with the world instead of the authority
(40:36):
of His Word. That's what Israel did over in
chapter 31 verse #1 it says woe to those who go down to Egypt
for help, cursed to be anybody who goes to the world for help
and rely on horses and trust in Chariots because they are many
(40:56):
and in horsemen because they arevery strong, but they do not
look to the Holy One of Israel nor seek the Lord.
So often we we depend upon humanresources for our strength, but
don't trust in the Lord. And God says curse it.
Are those who do that. Shame on those who do that.
(41:23):
Verse 2, it says of chapter 30, you proceed down to Egypt
without consulting me. You ever done something without
consulting the Lord? Maybe the second service people
do, but not first service people, right to take refuge in
the safety of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of
Egypt. You're seeking shelter in a
(41:44):
shadow. Shadow has no substance.
You're trying to seek shelter from that which has absolutely
no quality of substance whatsoever to shadow, can't
protect you, can't watch over you.
The problem is you think it can.Therefore, the safety of Pharaoh
(42:08):
will be your shame in the shelter, in the shadow of Egypt,
your humiliation. You will be absolutely
humiliated because Egypt and Pharaoh cannot do anything.
The world cannot save you. The world cannot protect you.
It cannot. For six, the Oracle concerning
(42:31):
the beasts of the Negev through a land of distress and anguish,
from where come lioness and lionand Viper and flying serpent.
They carry their riches on theirbacks of their donkeys and their
treasures on camels humps to a people who cannot profit them.
Even Egypt, whose help is vain and empty, there's just nothing
(42:54):
there. You're you're about to embark on
the dangerous desert, you're filled with lions and fiery
serpents. You're going to be filled with
anguish and distress. Because when you decide to make
a plan without consulting God, there is nothing but anxiety,
There's nothing but worry, there's nothing but problems,
there's nothing but distress, there's nothing but turmoil.
(43:15):
God tells them in advance, so hesays in verse #8 now go write it
on a tablet before them, and describe it on a scroll, that it
may serve in the time to come asa witness forever.
Isaiah, write it down, put it instone.
(43:39):
Everybody needs to read this andunderstand this.
It's a witness forever. Please write it down because
everybody needs to know verse 9,that this is a rebellious
people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the
instruction of the Lord, who sayto the seers you must not see
(44:00):
visions and to the prophets you must not prophesied.
To us what is right, speak to uspleasant words, prophecy,
illusions. Get out of the way.
Turn aside from the path. Let us hear no more about the
Holy One of Israel. We don't want to hear about
holiness. We don't want to hear about
(44:20):
justice and righteousness. Just tell us things that aren't
true. Tell us things that aren't
right. Just tickle our ears, tell us
things that won't bring conviction to our lives.
We don't need to hear all that people who say that are in their
rebellious state. That's why they don't want to be
convicted by the word of the Lord.
(44:45):
Here's the clincher verse. Well therefore, thus says the
Holy One of Israel, since you have despised the Word and have
put your trust in oppression andguile, and if you lied upon
them, therefore the iniquity, this iniquity will be to you
(45:06):
like a breech about to fall, a bulge and a high wall whose
collapse comes suddenly in an instant.
You will be broken in a moment of time.
Because you despised the revelation of God, the Word of
(45:27):
the Lord, you've disregarded it,you've devalued it, you've dis
esteemed it. You, you have looked at the word
of the Lord as as nothing. It means nothing.
You think you won't experience the consequences of rebellion.
You think you won't experience the consequences of sin.
(45:50):
But you have turned against Me, and you have not regarded my
word as holy. And you don't want to hear from
me, the Holy One of Israel, any longer.
You have despised my word. You have despised me.
Verse 14, whose collapse is likethe smashing of a Potter's jar,
(46:12):
so ruthlessly shattered that assured will not be found among
its pieces to take fire from a hearth or to scoop water from a
system. In other words, there will be no
redeeming value in what is left of you because you despise my
(46:32):
word. Verse 15 here's hope for thus
the Lord God the Holy One of Israel said in repentance and
then rest. You will be saved in quietness,
and trust is your strength. But you were unwilling.
(47:01):
The hope is given. Repentance, rest, reliance,
returning to me. Come back to me.
Trust me, believe in me, hope inme.
But you would not. You weren't willing and you said
(47:27):
no, no, for we will flee on horses.
It's no problem. We can run away from the
Assyrians. We'll flee on horses.
The Lord says therefore you shall flee, and we will ride on
swift horses. And the Lord says, therefore
(47:48):
those who pursue you shall be swifter.
You think you can run from your enemy?
You think that you can take careof yourself without me.
You think that you can flee fromyour enemy without them catching
you? No way.
Think again. You got it wrong.
As fast as your horses are, theirs are faster.
(48:10):
As smart as you are, they are smarter.
You need me, but you are unwilling. 1000 will flee at the
threat of one man. You will flee at the threat of
five until you are left as a flag on a mountaintop and as a
signal on a hill. In ancient times, they they
(48:32):
would communicate by putting flags on hills so people would
know the condition and situations that people are
facing. And so he's saying you will be
like a flag on a hill. Everybody will know of your
condition, that you were defeated, that you could not
stand, that you are unable to conquer the enemy.
It will be known by everybody who sees the flag on the hill.
(48:55):
There's hope though. Verse 18.
Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore
He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice, and how blessed are all
those who long for him. There's always hope.
(49:16):
God is such a a graceful, merciful God.
He there's always hope. Just just return to me.
Oh, I long to be gracious to you.
I long to have compassion on this is what the Lord wants to
do. You see, it's, it's not him.
It's us and our sinfulness, our rebellion and our turning away
(49:37):
from the law of the Lord and see, it doesn't mean that much.
No big deal. God's not that serious about it
anyway. He'll let it slide.
He's a loving, graceful God. He is.
But he's also God of wrath and God of justice and the God of
(49:59):
holiness who wants his people tobe holy.
So Paul comes along in this longlist of adoration and says those
who adore their God will not disregard, disrespect, despise
disesteem, treat lightly as if it doesn't matter.
(50:22):
The revelation of God, it won't do that.
And yet so many times we find ourselves in that situation.
And when you do, guess what the God says in quietness and rest
will be your strength. I long to have compassion upon
(50:44):
you. Just return to me.
Just come back to me. It's all He says.
You come back to me and you longfor me.
Everything will be forgiven and we can move on.
I don't know where you're at today.
(51:06):
I don't know if you have disregarded and despised the
word of the Lord. I have no idea, only the Lord
knows. But there was always hope for
those who do. Because you see, those who love
the Lord, they, they don't despise His Word, they, they
desire His word and they delightin His word.
(51:27):
And that's where God wants you to be.
And my prayer for us as a churchis that that would be
characterized by each and every one of us who are here, that we
would not leave today without a supreme desire to delight in the
truth of God's Word and make a commitment.
Lord, I do not want to despise the revelation that you've given
(51:48):
to me because it reveals everything I need to know about
who you are and what you did. And because of all that, Lord, I
want to adore you as my God. Let's pray.
Lord, God, we thank you for today.
We are so grateful for the word of the Lord.
(52:11):
Forgive us, Lord, for not treating it as we should,
because in despising the Word wedespise the Holy One of Israel.
So our prayer, Father, is that we would be the kind of people
that truly long to live for the glory of their king.
Lord, help no one to leave todaywithout understanding that You
(52:34):
long to be gracious to them. You long to show compassion upon
them if they would be willing tocome to you and to repent and to
rest and to rely on you alone for everything.
That's the way you work, Lord, and you are a great God and we
(52:55):
thank you for that. So move us in that direction,
Lord, that we might honor you and never dishonor the name of
our God. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.
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