WEBVTT 00:02.521 --> 00:03.922 [SPEAKER_00]: High-braze podcast. 00:03.942 --> 00:10.609 [SPEAKER_00]: Hey everybody, this is Pastor Josh. 00:10.629 --> 00:15.633 [SPEAKER_00]: We'll leave Pastor here at High-braze and I want to thank you for downloading today's podcast. 00:16.134 --> 00:20.038 [SPEAKER_00]: We know that this message is going to encourage and bless you. 00:20.438 --> 00:24.342 [SPEAKER_00]: So I want you to open up your heart and receive with the Lord as for you today. 00:25.988 --> 00:28.849 [SPEAKER_00]: Grab your Bibles, I'm probably going to get a Mark Chapter 7. 00:28.929 --> 00:35.170 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to quote a lot of scripture before we get there, and it may take us a minute to get there, but we're going to get there in just a minute. 00:35.190 --> 00:39.111 [SPEAKER_00]: But I want to start kind of with just little exercise, if you will. 00:40.132 --> 00:48.934 [SPEAKER_00]: Whenever I show you something like this, what does it produce in you other than extra weight and calories? 00:49.794 --> 00:49.994 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 00:51.054 --> 00:52.975 [SPEAKER_00]: Whenever we write jealousy, 00:53.861 --> 01:06.368 [SPEAKER_00]: Whenever we see these tiny, fun size candy bars, they are generally produced for a certain season where you see them. 01:07.513 --> 01:10.875 [SPEAKER_00]: in great circulation, and it's in October. 01:11.415 --> 01:17.658 [SPEAKER_00]: We have mountains of this upstairs, and still need about three more mountains of this upstairs. 01:18.318 --> 01:19.839 [SPEAKER_00]: We have mountains of this candy. 01:19.939 --> 01:22.681 [SPEAKER_00]: And generally, and I'm gonna say this word sometime tonight, so don't freak out on me. 01:22.801 --> 01:23.661 [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, y'all just hang with me. 01:23.901 --> 01:26.242 [SPEAKER_00]: Let me, this is my fact, let's do this at the beginning of the message. 01:26.262 --> 01:27.943 [SPEAKER_00]: Before we even get into it, I want y'all to appear to me. 01:28.123 --> 01:30.324 [SPEAKER_00]: I will not be offended. 01:31.145 --> 01:31.605 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's do it again. 01:31.685 --> 01:33.986 [SPEAKER_00]: I will not be offended. 01:34.887 --> 01:35.327 [SPEAKER_00]: I will not. 01:36.444 --> 01:39.046 [SPEAKER_00]: Get my feelings hurt, okay? 01:39.327 --> 01:42.450 [SPEAKER_00]: Everybody, y'all said it, so I'm holding you to it tonight, Amen. 01:43.651 --> 01:54.841 [SPEAKER_00]: Most of the time when we see these candies, they were associated with a holiday that we celebrate in America that is on the American calendar that is celebrated by a lot of people a day that is called Halloween. 01:55.382 --> 01:58.505 [SPEAKER_00]: And that immediately sparse great debate. 01:59.653 --> 02:01.074 [SPEAKER_00]: in the social media realm. 02:01.955 --> 02:08.019 [SPEAKER_00]: And everyone acts like they are an expert on these topics, okay? 02:08.239 --> 02:10.741 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, the question is, isn't about Halloween so don't want you to get nervous. 02:11.482 --> 02:12.743 [SPEAKER_00]: But I can also do the same. 02:13.063 --> 02:13.864 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's go, let's just do this. 02:14.204 --> 02:14.384 [SPEAKER_00]: Ready? 02:14.544 --> 02:15.225 [SPEAKER_00]: Here we go, who wants it? 02:15.985 --> 02:18.167 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's also, hey, good catch, Graham. 02:20.669 --> 02:21.529 [SPEAKER_00]: I almost hit the baby. 02:21.549 --> 02:22.290 [SPEAKER_00]: They don't even bad. 02:22.310 --> 02:25.392 [SPEAKER_00]: That was perfect, Graham just goes, 02:33.488 --> 02:40.750 [SPEAKER_00]: I can also hold this up, and whenever we hold this up, what is your association immediately? 02:42.070 --> 02:45.051 [SPEAKER_00]: Christmas, which is already being celebrated by some of you. 02:46.991 --> 02:51.092 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to ask you, be honest, does anyone in this room outside of my mom's back porch? 02:51.772 --> 02:55.813 [SPEAKER_00]: Already have your Christmas decorations up, look at you all, look at you all. 02:56.193 --> 02:58.214 [SPEAKER_00]: My son would be so disappointed in you. 02:59.254 --> 03:02.335 [SPEAKER_00]: Josiah has a theory that decorations don't go up till after, 03:03.791 --> 03:17.655 [SPEAKER_00]: After Thanksgiving, and my response to that is, my wife has spent way too much money on Christmas decorations for those to only be up for one month of the year. 03:19.596 --> 03:22.777 [SPEAKER_00]: Those jokers are going up November 1, like you're just going to deal with it. 03:23.297 --> 03:25.618 [SPEAKER_00]: Thanksgiving and Christmas are the same holiday to me. 03:25.658 --> 03:26.438 [SPEAKER_00]: Come on, somebody. 03:27.358 --> 03:28.779 [SPEAKER_00]: It's the most wonderful time of the year. 03:28.799 --> 03:29.999 [SPEAKER_00]: It's almost going to get rolled together. 03:30.299 --> 03:33.080 [SPEAKER_00]: Some of you were like, I said I wasn't going to get offended, but too late. 03:36.583 --> 03:50.654 [SPEAKER_00]: And even this, the less offensive to a lot of people than Halloween can still be a tripping point for a lot of Christians, a lot of believers, and a lot of people. 03:51.615 --> 03:54.618 [SPEAKER_00]: And tonight, I don't inherently 03:55.528 --> 04:04.359 [SPEAKER_00]: Let me be honest, my goal is not to make a case or try to convince you that you should trigger treat or that you should have a Christmas treat. 04:04.800 --> 04:05.861 [SPEAKER_00]: That's not the point of this. 04:06.402 --> 04:12.610 [SPEAKER_00]: But tonight, we want to ask this question of our Christianity, can I do that? 04:14.546 --> 04:15.406 [SPEAKER_00]: Can I do that? 04:16.087 --> 04:18.387 [SPEAKER_00]: Because a lot of times, these are the questions we ask. 04:18.427 --> 04:22.889 [SPEAKER_00]: And this is the world, and this is non-shadderable, don't worry. 04:23.469 --> 04:26.811 [SPEAKER_00]: A lot of wheat we live in this economy of can I do that? 04:27.111 --> 04:31.693 [SPEAKER_00]: How many grew up with a list of Christian things you couldn't do, right? 04:32.093 --> 04:33.273 [SPEAKER_00]: Y'all don't want to talk about? 04:33.293 --> 04:34.153 [SPEAKER_00]: Somehow, right? 04:34.974 --> 04:37.175 [SPEAKER_00]: There's a comedian like he's a completely clean comedian. 04:37.635 --> 04:38.475 [SPEAKER_00]: But he says it this way. 04:38.495 --> 04:39.015 [SPEAKER_00]: He's about my age. 04:39.035 --> 04:42.116 [SPEAKER_00]: He goes, I grew up in the 90s, which is when parents 04:45.953 --> 04:50.097 [SPEAKER_00]: And we couldn't do anything, and it not be a sin. 04:50.697 --> 04:58.784 [SPEAKER_00]: Kyle and Amber grew up in a Christian tradition, a Christian way of thinking, where I think, if you had fun, it was sin. 05:00.806 --> 05:02.848 [SPEAKER_00]: It didn't matter, anything, it didn't matter what it was. 05:03.769 --> 05:05.050 [SPEAKER_00]: Am I right, Amber? 05:05.310 --> 05:09.794 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, if you, how many, I mean, how many of you grew up where playing cards were sin? 05:12.747 --> 05:17.390 [SPEAKER_00]: Straight to hell, don't pass gold, don't collect $200. 05:18.170 --> 05:19.191 [SPEAKER_00]: It matter if you are gambling. 05:21.372 --> 05:24.354 [SPEAKER_00]: If you are playing solitaire, hell. 05:27.596 --> 05:30.038 [SPEAKER_00]: Go fish, hell. 05:32.039 --> 05:35.721 [SPEAKER_00]: Poker, you're definitely definitely going to hell. 05:36.021 --> 05:37.202 [SPEAKER_00]: There is no doubt about it. 05:37.802 --> 05:40.144 [SPEAKER_00]: It's gonna burn 10 times hotter for you. 05:40.644 --> 05:41.565 [SPEAKER_00]: You poker player. 05:46.163 --> 05:50.945 [SPEAKER_00]: Anybody grow up in a tradition that a Christian way of thinking that going to the movie theater was sent? 05:51.545 --> 05:55.087 [SPEAKER_00]: Didn't matter what movie you could be going to see so no lies, all right? 05:55.107 --> 05:59.089 [SPEAKER_00]: If you went to go see so no white, you were probably definitely going to help because there's a winch in it. 06:01.050 --> 06:05.092 [SPEAKER_00]: But make sure you read your Bible because there's no witches in that except the one that we read about on Sunday. 06:09.914 --> 06:10.134 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 06:11.352 --> 06:12.653 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna go up in those kind of traditions, right? 06:12.853 --> 06:14.254 [SPEAKER_00]: Where there was a list of things. 06:14.294 --> 06:16.515 [SPEAKER_00]: That comedian talked about, he'd been at a friend's house one time. 06:17.156 --> 06:18.096 [SPEAKER_00]: He was the one we were raised. 06:19.157 --> 06:23.680 [SPEAKER_00]: He was also at a friend's house one time, and I was like 15 years old, and they turned on an already-d movie. 06:25.621 --> 06:30.624 [SPEAKER_00]: He goes, I thought I was being really good, and I stood in front of the whole, all my friends said, I'm not allowed to watch this. 06:32.406 --> 06:36.528 [SPEAKER_00]: And he said that his friend's mom said, hey, buddy, maybe we just like, you know, be quiet, buddy. 06:36.548 --> 06:37.169 [SPEAKER_00]: There's just too late. 06:37.209 --> 06:38.209 [SPEAKER_00]: I've already called my parents. 06:38.450 --> 06:40.471 [SPEAKER_00]: My mom's on her way to pick me up, and you're in trouble. 06:48.108 --> 07:00.875 [SPEAKER_00]: Some of us grew up in a tradition, in a way of thinking, of a vein of Christianity where we had this long list of things we could and couldn't do, different families, different churches, different cultures, different rules. 07:01.496 --> 07:07.079 [SPEAKER_00]: And at this time of year, those conversations start all over again. 07:07.699 --> 07:12.342 [SPEAKER_00]: And they happen every year all over again. 07:12.382 --> 07:13.523 [SPEAKER_00]: Can my kids wear a costume? 07:14.717 --> 07:16.779 [SPEAKER_00]: What do I do if somebody comes to my door wanting candy? 07:17.519 --> 07:24.124 [SPEAKER_00]: Is it okay for me to take my kids next door to my neighbor and knock on the door and get candy, right? 07:24.325 --> 07:26.967 [SPEAKER_00]: And before that conversation is over, we moved on to the next one in Christmas. 07:26.987 --> 07:27.967 [SPEAKER_00]: Can I have a Christmas treat? 07:29.368 --> 07:30.389 [SPEAKER_00]: Is Santa Claus demonic? 07:32.671 --> 07:33.652 [SPEAKER_00]: Is Rudolph bad? 07:35.723 --> 07:40.205 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, y'all are laughing, but these are the real conversations that people have over and over again. 07:40.425 --> 07:50.309 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not trying to be little to conversation, because these are people who love the Lord who are trying to do right, who are earnestly trying to seek him, who are earnestly trying to be holy, and we're all doing that. 07:50.349 --> 07:54.491 [SPEAKER_00]: So there's always this question, did I do that? 07:54.531 --> 07:55.532 [SPEAKER_00]: Or cannot, not did I do that? 07:55.552 --> 07:56.472 [SPEAKER_00]: That's what Steve Erkelsen. 07:59.945 --> 08:02.067 [SPEAKER_00]: The question is, can I do that? 08:02.087 --> 08:03.428 [SPEAKER_00]: Some of y'all don't know who Steve Erkel is? 08:03.949 --> 08:05.871 [SPEAKER_00]: I guess I actually thought about that. 08:05.891 --> 08:11.996 [SPEAKER_00]: When I had this title, I said, I said, Keith has said, Keith, do you know who Steve Erkel is? 08:12.056 --> 08:14.098 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I kind of know what the show is. 08:14.118 --> 08:15.059 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think I'll leave. 08:15.960 --> 08:17.622 [SPEAKER_00]: My back started hurting immediately. 08:23.742 --> 08:25.243 [SPEAKER_00]: Some of you grew up enjoying all these things. 08:25.263 --> 08:26.864 [SPEAKER_00]: You went, trick or treating you to whatever. 08:26.884 --> 08:27.724 [SPEAKER_00]: You had the Christmas tree. 08:27.744 --> 08:28.445 [SPEAKER_00]: You had Santa Claus. 08:28.465 --> 08:29.125 [SPEAKER_00]: You had the elephant. 08:29.365 --> 08:29.906 [SPEAKER_00]: You had all of it. 08:30.506 --> 08:31.907 [SPEAKER_00]: And some of you grew up in none of it at all. 08:32.892 --> 08:35.534 [SPEAKER_00]: And we find ourselves wrestling with this. 08:35.594 --> 08:36.495 [SPEAKER_00]: Where did that come from? 08:36.575 --> 08:37.495 [SPEAKER_00]: Can I do that? 08:37.695 --> 08:38.656 [SPEAKER_00]: Did it come from scripture? 08:38.676 --> 08:39.517 [SPEAKER_00]: Did it come from family? 08:39.757 --> 08:41.058 [SPEAKER_00]: Did it come from a church tradition? 08:41.078 --> 08:42.059 [SPEAKER_00]: Did it come from something? 08:42.079 --> 08:43.680 [SPEAKER_00]: I heard so often that I stopped asking. 08:44.280 --> 08:49.764 [SPEAKER_00]: And as we start, I want to start with this passage about Paul's talking to the church in Galatian. 08:49.784 --> 08:53.367 [SPEAKER_00]: Galatia chapter 5 verse 1, and he says this. 08:53.867 --> 08:56.209 [SPEAKER_00]: He says, stand fast, therefore, in what? 08:57.069 --> 09:05.275 [SPEAKER_00]: And the liberty by which Christ has made us free and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 09:05.635 --> 09:05.856 [SPEAKER_00]: Okay? 09:06.176 --> 09:13.401 [SPEAKER_00]: Now there's a lot, scripture is multifaceted, it is multilayered, it's not just saying one thing a lot of times, it's saying a lot of things, okay? 09:13.761 --> 09:15.042 [SPEAKER_00]: And it's saying a multiple things. 09:15.342 --> 09:20.947 [SPEAKER_00]: And a lot of times whenever we read this scripture, we immediately think of of sin and I say yes and I'm in. 09:21.687 --> 09:25.388 [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus has set us free from sin, do not become entangled with it again. 09:25.448 --> 09:28.548 [SPEAKER_00]: And the church says, Amen, I'm going to talk about that in just a minute. 09:28.768 --> 09:45.572 [SPEAKER_00]: But more specifically, whenever Paul is talking here about a yoke of bondage, he is not inherently talking about sin, he's talking about becoming entangled in observing a feast and the ceremonial law of Moses. 09:46.372 --> 09:48.273 [SPEAKER_00]: That is what he's actually talking about here. 09:48.674 --> 09:50.315 [SPEAKER_00]: He's not talking about sin. 09:50.675 --> 09:52.476 [SPEAKER_00]: He's talking about ceremonial law. 09:53.277 --> 10:09.028 [SPEAKER_00]: And what Paul is saying is, you don't have to get all of these laws right and observe all of these laws to be born again because we are saved through what Christ has done not through the observance of feast and of of keeping of ceremonial law. 10:10.228 --> 10:10.849 [SPEAKER_00]: And the church says, 10:16.832 --> 10:19.893 [SPEAKER_00]: You're not born again because you observe of Jewish feast or tradition. 10:20.674 --> 10:21.534 [SPEAKER_00]: Why are we born again? 10:22.375 --> 10:23.335 [SPEAKER_00]: The blood of Jesus. 10:24.315 --> 10:33.820 [SPEAKER_00]: So Paul is saying, stand fast in that liberty because his blood is enough and don't become entangled in this thing of trying to strive. 10:34.905 --> 10:36.246 [SPEAKER_00]: to be loved by the Lord. 10:36.786 --> 10:38.847 [SPEAKER_00]: That's what he's telling us here. 10:39.188 --> 10:43.690 [SPEAKER_00]: And oftentimes, we then take an immediately quite description to sin, which is true. 10:43.930 --> 10:53.676 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm gonna say this real quick, because Paul goes on to say in Romans 6, I'm gonna go back and say, he goes on to say this in Romans 6, he says this, what then? 10:54.097 --> 10:57.278 [SPEAKER_00]: Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? 10:58.319 --> 10:59.180 [SPEAKER_00]: Certainly not. 11:00.109 --> 11:10.776 [SPEAKER_00]: So we have to read these two scriptures in conjunction with one another because I've heard people take the former scripture and say see I can do whatever I want as long as I don't feel bad about it. 11:11.136 --> 11:12.497 [SPEAKER_00]: That's not what Paul is saying. 11:13.778 --> 11:24.425 [SPEAKER_00]: He is very clearly saying, just because we aren't under the law but under grace, that is not a reason for you to continue walking in sin, which means this. 11:30.318 --> 11:34.901 [SPEAKER_00]: In the new covenant, there are still actions that are sin. 11:35.481 --> 11:39.544 [SPEAKER_00]: And just because you don't feel bad about it, doesn't mean it's not sin. 11:39.564 --> 11:45.248 [SPEAKER_00]: And this is where I'll tell the story that that was gonna tell earlier, but I said, don't preach my message. 11:47.509 --> 11:49.491 [SPEAKER_00]: This week, there's something that went viral and it was a pastor. 11:50.631 --> 11:51.792 [SPEAKER_00]: Some of you are already seeing this. 11:52.553 --> 11:56.955 [SPEAKER_00]: It was a pastor standing up and was actually his wife standing up in front of the congregation. 11:59.752 --> 12:06.416 [SPEAKER_00]: Let all y'all know that we have, you're cheering too loud for this, brother. 12:08.377 --> 12:13.739 [SPEAKER_00]: That we have welcomed a second wife into our family. 12:15.540 --> 12:16.581 [SPEAKER_00]: And y'all all know her. 12:17.581 --> 12:19.342 [SPEAKER_00]: And she's minister so and so. 12:19.442 --> 12:24.465 [SPEAKER_00]: And she gets up and walks up with them in the old church claps and then that's sin. 12:26.186 --> 12:27.707 [SPEAKER_00]: Scripture was very clear on this. 12:28.927 --> 12:30.328 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, thank you for that lovely response. 12:30.888 --> 12:32.449 [SPEAKER_00]: I said, scripture is clear on this. 12:32.789 --> 12:38.913 [SPEAKER_00]: Says specifically, but turning to ministerial leaders says, let them be the husband of one wife. 12:40.474 --> 12:42.896 [SPEAKER_00]: Two is more than one. 12:46.298 --> 12:48.600 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, that's a no-no. 12:49.660 --> 12:51.942 [SPEAKER_00]: You can't do that, right? 12:52.122 --> 12:53.223 [SPEAKER_00]: The question, can I do that? 12:53.723 --> 12:54.063 [SPEAKER_00]: No. 12:56.545 --> 12:57.766 [SPEAKER_00]: No, you can't do that. 12:58.562 --> 12:59.843 [SPEAKER_00]: Can you live in fornication? 13:00.403 --> 13:00.824 [SPEAKER_00]: No! 13:01.885 --> 13:02.745 [SPEAKER_00]: Can you lie? 13:03.526 --> 13:03.966 [SPEAKER_00]: No! 13:04.487 --> 13:05.287 [SPEAKER_00]: Can you steal? 13:05.908 --> 13:06.328 [SPEAKER_00]: No! 13:07.009 --> 13:09.251 [SPEAKER_00]: Can you commit physical violence because you're angry? 13:09.791 --> 13:10.131 [SPEAKER_00]: No! 13:10.151 --> 13:11.572 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 13:12.633 --> 13:14.335 [SPEAKER_00]: There's things to scripture, right? 13:14.355 --> 13:17.097 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, see me all like, I don't know, best. 13:18.478 --> 13:19.519 [SPEAKER_00]: Depends on what it is. 13:19.579 --> 13:23.202 [SPEAKER_00]: If my husband gets to say, you're wife, I think God would understand. 13:26.911 --> 13:28.572 [SPEAKER_00]: I think God will be on my side. 13:28.972 --> 13:30.532 [SPEAKER_00]: Haven't you read about when J.L. 13:30.552 --> 13:32.813 [SPEAKER_00]: drove the tint peg through the guy's head in the Bible? 13:33.033 --> 13:35.294 [SPEAKER_00]: This is a scripture election, praise God. 13:43.537 --> 13:48.059 [SPEAKER_00]: There are things that scripture is incredibly clear about. 13:48.079 --> 13:49.000 [SPEAKER_00]: Can you get drunk? 13:49.820 --> 13:50.260 [SPEAKER_00]: No. 13:52.141 --> 13:55.102 [SPEAKER_00]: Bible says, be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the spirit. 13:55.954 --> 13:56.574 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 13:56.594 --> 13:57.735 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, it wasn't mine, it was a beer. 13:58.015 --> 13:58.535 [SPEAKER_00]: Same thing? 14:00.836 --> 14:01.536 [SPEAKER_00]: Why are you trying? 14:01.956 --> 14:03.717 [SPEAKER_00]: The operative thing here is, don't be drunk. 14:03.757 --> 14:04.817 [SPEAKER_00]: Not what the liquid is. 14:07.998 --> 14:08.838 [SPEAKER_00]: Can I go a little bit further? 14:09.079 --> 14:09.259 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 14:09.579 --> 14:11.679 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, Bible doesn't say that you can't do drugs. 14:12.180 --> 14:13.380 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, says, don't be drunk. 14:13.440 --> 14:18.302 [SPEAKER_00]: I think we can just kind of use that to cover anything that's altering your mind and your behavior. 14:20.142 --> 14:21.623 [SPEAKER_00]: Anything that intoxicates you. 14:22.693 --> 14:24.453 [SPEAKER_00]: No, you can't. 14:25.194 --> 14:32.655 [SPEAKER_00]: Not because I said that, not because that's a church tradition, not because that's a tradition of man, because that's what the Bible says. 14:33.555 --> 14:34.955 [SPEAKER_00]: But let me tell you something. 14:35.876 --> 14:38.376 [SPEAKER_00]: The Bible is quiet on Elf, on the shelf. 14:42.297 --> 14:47.358 [SPEAKER_00]: I know that's surprising, but whenever Paul was writing his letters to the church he didn't go, let me make sure I get this one in there. 14:49.896 --> 14:51.237 [SPEAKER_00]: No elves on shelves. 14:52.318 --> 14:54.460 [SPEAKER_00]: I see what you've done, you foolish Galatians. 14:55.040 --> 14:56.922 [SPEAKER_00]: Knock the elves down, praise God. 15:02.226 --> 15:06.209 [SPEAKER_00]: Scripture is not clear on where you go on vacation. 15:07.930 --> 15:12.013 [SPEAKER_00]: If you go to the mountains, or if you go to Disney World, right? 15:12.414 --> 15:17.818 [SPEAKER_00]: Or if you go cruising, or if you go to Europe, or if you do all those things in one, 15:19.697 --> 15:21.978 [SPEAKER_00]: Scripture is not clear on those things. 15:22.698 --> 15:42.168 [SPEAKER_00]: And this is where we have to fall into a place of being able to have a maturity enough to evaluate from person to person situation and situation, conscience to conscience and application to application, whether it is sinful for us to partake, or whether it is not sinful for us to partake. 15:43.238 --> 15:45.922 [SPEAKER_00]: I feel, tell me, let me back up before I'd say this. 15:45.962 --> 15:49.026 [SPEAKER_00]: Let me say this, even when we talk about holidays, right? 15:49.246 --> 15:51.189 [SPEAKER_00]: How many are old enough to all of you in this firm? 15:51.389 --> 15:56.996 [SPEAKER_00]: How many are old enough to remember a few years ago when everybody was talking about the war on Christmas? 15:59.348 --> 16:01.309 [SPEAKER_00]: Some of y'all thought, I don't know idea. 16:01.449 --> 16:26.024 [SPEAKER_00]: There was stories about it, there was all kinds of things, the war on Christmas, and there was a big deal made because stores were saying happy holidays, people were mad because they were saying happy holidays, and everybody's losing their minds, and all these kinds of stuff, and it's like, we're taking Jesus out of Christmas, do you realize that the word holidays, the word hallodase, is from an ancient, are shrimp, it's from old English, and the word literally means holy days, 16:28.484 --> 16:32.766 [SPEAKER_00]: The word Holidays literally means holy days. 16:33.407 --> 16:38.069 [SPEAKER_00]: So whenever we even sell somebody, and just to be clear, I don't really say Merry Christmas, because I just like Christmas. 16:38.910 --> 16:41.811 [SPEAKER_00]: But I am certainly not gonna think somebody is not saved. 16:45.513 --> 16:51.756 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not gonna let it ruin my whole week because the Walmart cashier said happy Holidays. 16:53.057 --> 16:54.918 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm like, I can't believe them. 16:54.958 --> 16:57.479 [SPEAKER_00]: They're just not even loving God around this place. 17:03.648 --> 17:29.765 [SPEAKER_00]: And let me let you know a few other things, even the name Halloween is developed from all hollows even or as we would sometimes call this is more commonly called now all hollows Eve which was actually in the early centuries a day that was on the church's calendar as a holy day because it is the day before all saints day. 17:30.715 --> 17:36.138 [SPEAKER_00]: And these were days where they remembered specifically people who were martyred for the faith. 17:37.079 --> 17:37.999 [SPEAKER_00]: And they remembered them. 17:38.640 --> 17:43.522 [SPEAKER_00]: That's actually the original origins of some of these holidays. 17:43.583 --> 17:44.963 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, once again, I'll make sure I'm clear. 17:45.203 --> 17:49.426 [SPEAKER_00]: If you don't want to celebrate, then God bless you. 17:49.466 --> 17:51.087 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I'm not here telling you you're wrong. 17:52.403 --> 17:53.263 [SPEAKER_00]: That's not what I'm doing. 17:53.283 --> 17:53.763 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't want you to. 17:53.783 --> 17:54.984 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not trying to convince you. 17:55.644 --> 17:56.944 [SPEAKER_00]: I do think we do need to do a few things. 17:57.164 --> 18:02.225 [SPEAKER_00]: One, if we are going to have a conviction about something, we do need to understand it well. 18:04.106 --> 18:04.346 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 18:05.546 --> 18:07.747 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't need to need to spout off some Facebook post we read. 18:09.047 --> 18:11.028 [SPEAKER_00]: Because 90% of Facebook is a lie. 18:13.928 --> 18:18.429 [SPEAKER_00]: And in today's world, in the world of AI and AI videos, you can have people say and do whatever you want them to say and do. 18:19.010 --> 18:20.490 [SPEAKER_00]: It's really, actually quite frightening. 18:21.482 --> 18:25.523 [SPEAKER_00]: It was actually recently, this was disturbing, this is something we need to pray about actually just in our nation. 18:26.023 --> 18:43.506 [SPEAKER_00]: It was actually recently a man who, who, a federal court threw out a case of child pornography and said the man could possess it without any sort of repercussion because no children were actually used in it. 18:44.006 --> 18:49.187 [SPEAKER_00]: He simply took pictures of kids and recreated child pornography using their pictures. 18:50.645 --> 18:57.331 [SPEAKER_00]: And a federal court said, well, because it's AI, no one's actually harmed, therefore it's OK. All right. 18:57.971 --> 18:59.332 [SPEAKER_00]: No, this is still a sin. 19:00.253 --> 19:01.194 [SPEAKER_00]: This is still wrong. 19:01.554 --> 19:02.495 [SPEAKER_00]: This is still vile. 19:02.515 --> 19:03.356 [SPEAKER_00]: This is still disgusting. 19:05.598 --> 19:06.799 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, well, thanks to me all I can do. 19:07.920 --> 19:09.121 [SPEAKER_00]: We should all be able to agree on this. 19:09.161 --> 19:11.122 [SPEAKER_00]: This is not a conscientist issue. 19:11.142 --> 19:11.763 [SPEAKER_00]: This is wrong. 19:11.783 --> 19:12.423 [SPEAKER_00]: This is evil. 19:14.165 --> 19:14.545 [SPEAKER_00]: The end. 19:16.767 --> 19:17.047 [SPEAKER_00]: Anyways. 19:18.067 --> 19:25.069 [SPEAKER_00]: What I was saying in all of this is this, even different people can associate different things with different days, right? 19:25.549 --> 19:26.349 [SPEAKER_00]: And freedom is real. 19:26.869 --> 19:30.810 [SPEAKER_00]: Paul says to stand in the liberty that Jesus has given us. 19:32.131 --> 19:35.272 [SPEAKER_00]: Stand in that and don't sin. 19:36.432 --> 19:37.572 [SPEAKER_00]: Sin is still sin. 19:37.932 --> 19:39.493 [SPEAKER_00]: Grace doesn't give me permission to lie. 19:40.813 --> 19:42.714 [SPEAKER_00]: Grace doesn't give me permission to mistreat people. 19:43.754 --> 19:44.894 [SPEAKER_00]: When God's word corrects me, 19:47.807 --> 19:54.891 [SPEAKER_00]: And by the way, if the Lord puts a conviction on your heart about something, then you don't need to do that thing. 19:55.692 --> 20:01.435 [SPEAKER_00]: Even if everybody else does it, if the Lord puts a conviction in your heart, you don't do it. 20:02.336 --> 20:03.776 [SPEAKER_00]: But what, and we're talking about this in a minute. 20:03.956 --> 20:14.142 [SPEAKER_00]: But what we then have to guard against is taking the conviction that God has given us and expecting everyone else. 20:14.182 --> 20:15.443 [SPEAKER_00]: Once again, I've talked about these areas 20:18.010 --> 20:20.831 [SPEAKER_00]: and to take and then place everybody to that standard. 20:21.571 --> 20:26.031 [SPEAKER_00]: If you don't want to go to Disney World because you feel like God was giving you a conviction to not go to Disney World. 20:27.452 --> 20:28.512 [SPEAKER_00]: Shorter lines for me. 20:32.953 --> 20:34.853 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm getting on space mountain faster. 20:34.893 --> 20:35.453 [SPEAKER_00]: Praise God. 20:38.914 --> 20:39.134 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 20:41.094 --> 20:43.815 [SPEAKER_00]: Because shockingly, the Bible's also quiet about Walt Disney. 20:45.655 --> 20:46.215 [SPEAKER_00]: And theme parks. 20:47.522 --> 20:49.323 [SPEAKER_00]: and cruisess, and the mountains. 20:50.143 --> 20:50.963 [SPEAKER_00]: I've had people telling me before. 20:51.404 --> 20:54.005 [SPEAKER_00]: I said, nobody here, this one we're in Orlando. 20:54.025 --> 20:54.205 [SPEAKER_00]: Right. 20:54.245 --> 20:55.145 [SPEAKER_00]: That's, that's godly. 20:55.165 --> 20:55.725 [SPEAKER_00]: It's biblical. 20:55.745 --> 20:55.925 [SPEAKER_00]: Right. 20:56.525 --> 20:59.387 [SPEAKER_00]: Cruisings biblical, dad said, Jesus got in the boat, went to the other side. 21:04.248 --> 21:04.909 [SPEAKER_00]: Right. 21:04.989 --> 21:05.449 [SPEAKER_00]: 12 times. 21:05.729 --> 21:07.590 [SPEAKER_00]: He's done a study on this, if you're wondering. 21:10.751 --> 21:12.912 [SPEAKER_00]: One time for each night, you should go, one every trip. 21:12.952 --> 21:13.152 [SPEAKER_00]: Right. 21:16.948 --> 21:42.128 [SPEAKER_00]: But no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, 21:43.034 --> 21:50.398 [SPEAKER_00]: but I went up to Knoxville to preach and went up to Knoxville to preach for my son-in-law when I said, well let's just take a couple of days and let's go to pigeon forage while we're there. 21:51.178 --> 21:52.539 [SPEAKER_00]: And that was the first, in last time. 21:56.200 --> 21:57.881 [SPEAKER_00]: I will go to pigeon forage Tennessee, right? 21:58.121 --> 21:59.922 [SPEAKER_00]: And if you love pigeon forage, man, you go for it. 22:00.383 --> 22:07.186 [SPEAKER_00]: But what blew my mind is I was told pigeon forage was this Christian holy place. 22:09.197 --> 22:28.496 [SPEAKER_00]: And I went right for families, and I went down the strip of pigeon forge, and let me tell you what I saw, a moonshine store followed by a weed dispensary, marijuana, that likes me say marijuana, everybody knows what I'm talking about, the guy everybody knows what I'm talking about. 22:29.477 --> 22:31.860 [SPEAKER_00]: Followed by a dolly part and store. 22:32.987 --> 22:35.868 [SPEAKER_00]: My right pastor Casey, follow by, yeah, he was up there. 22:36.188 --> 22:42.390 [SPEAKER_00]: Followed by a political store, followed by a restaurant that's charging four times too much for food, just like Disney World does. 22:44.070 --> 22:46.471 [SPEAKER_00]: Rents and repeat again and again and again and again. 22:47.131 --> 22:51.152 [SPEAKER_00]: And I had the thought of my mind like, I ain't selling marijuana and Disney World. 22:54.773 --> 22:57.934 [SPEAKER_00]: Mickey Mouse ain't dealing on the corner of Main Street. 23:02.522 --> 23:06.223 [SPEAKER_00]: And at the same time, if that's your gig, praise God, you go. 23:07.343 --> 23:11.965 [SPEAKER_00]: Not marijuana, I mean, to be clear. 23:13.145 --> 23:18.346 [SPEAKER_00]: Talking about pigeon forge, not partaking, right? 23:19.026 --> 23:28.169 [SPEAKER_00]: If you want to go buy all the dolly shirts, and if you want to hit whatever the theme dolly would, and you would do all that, go to Anna Kista, I don't like heights. 23:29.735 --> 23:32.196 [SPEAKER_00]: Then you go for it, it's awesome and wonderful. 23:32.676 --> 23:34.137 [SPEAKER_00]: And it's not sinful. 23:34.177 --> 23:35.357 [SPEAKER_00]: I'll talk to my brother about this today. 23:36.177 --> 23:38.598 [SPEAKER_00]: And this, we really want to get to this at some point. 23:39.258 --> 23:42.119 [SPEAKER_00]: There are activities where scripture is unclear. 23:44.040 --> 23:50.642 [SPEAKER_00]: And let me say this, if participating in activities drives you away from the Lord, that's sin. 23:52.423 --> 23:52.803 [SPEAKER_00]: All right? 23:54.152 --> 24:02.458 [SPEAKER_00]: simultaneously, if there are things that drive you to the Lord, to his presence towards wholeness, that are not a violation, they're not sinful, they're not wrong. 24:03.999 --> 24:07.362 [SPEAKER_00]: Me give you a very practical example, and this is gonna sound wild, maybe some of you. 24:07.962 --> 24:11.505 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm convinced that there's two places I hear very, very clearly from the Lord. 24:12.505 --> 24:13.506 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not kidding about this. 24:14.226 --> 24:15.808 [SPEAKER_00]: In Disney World and on cruise ships. 24:17.829 --> 24:19.350 [SPEAKER_00]: My dad's not in his head, yes, too. 24:19.770 --> 24:20.311 [SPEAKER_00]: And you know why? 24:24.275 --> 24:27.157 [SPEAKER_00]: They're places we're able to connect together, right? 24:27.397 --> 24:28.918 [SPEAKER_00]: Disney World is not a place of peace for him. 24:30.259 --> 24:33.562 [SPEAKER_00]: But it is for me, right? 24:34.763 --> 24:48.933 [SPEAKER_00]: They are some of the greatest places of peace for me in my heart, and places where everything quiets down, and I can hear from the Lord, and I can be with my family, and my marriage is built, and my relationship with my family is built, and we're not participating, we ain't getting turned. 24:52.726 --> 24:53.507 [SPEAKER_00]: Y'all know what I'm talking about? 24:54.047 --> 24:54.447 [SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't. 24:54.668 --> 24:58.010 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not partaking of booze, right? 24:58.831 --> 24:59.952 [SPEAKER_00]: That said, what is turned? 25:00.152 --> 25:00.833 [SPEAKER_00]: He's so confused. 25:00.913 --> 25:03.295 [SPEAKER_00]: Sorry. 25:04.356 --> 25:06.898 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not partaking of alcohol, right? 25:07.298 --> 25:08.660 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not doing anything wrong. 25:09.080 --> 25:10.381 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not doing anything sinful. 25:10.681 --> 25:12.543 [SPEAKER_00]: We're enjoying meals and sitting by the pool. 25:15.108 --> 25:15.909 [SPEAKER_00]: and watching the show. 25:16.789 --> 25:18.490 [SPEAKER_00]: And for us, that is a place of peace. 25:18.730 --> 25:20.492 [SPEAKER_00]: It's a place for our relationship as Bill. 25:21.012 --> 25:24.314 [SPEAKER_00]: I wouldn't only call that not sin. 25:25.375 --> 25:28.897 [SPEAKER_00]: I would call that for me in my situation, righteous. 25:31.399 --> 25:38.624 [SPEAKER_00]: A good thing, a holy thing, a healthy thing, building your marriage is holy. 25:45.497 --> 25:47.017 [SPEAKER_00]: These are righteous things. 25:48.318 --> 25:53.519 [SPEAKER_00]: So if you want to go to the mountains, go for it. 25:54.239 --> 25:58.500 [SPEAKER_00]: If you want to go to the beach and dip your toes in the water, go for it. 25:59.640 --> 26:03.241 [SPEAKER_00]: And if you want to go to Disney World and ride the rubber coasters, go for it. 26:04.501 --> 26:06.341 [SPEAKER_00]: If you want to go on the cruise, go for it. 26:07.242 --> 26:08.842 [SPEAKER_00]: And don't judge somebody 26:10.087 --> 26:20.409 [SPEAKER_00]: because they're conviction or they're practices on these things that scripture doesn't have to speak on do it different than you. 26:21.429 --> 26:28.770 [SPEAKER_00]: Because we can have different convictions and ways of life and still all gather at the same table. 26:28.810 --> 26:31.691 [SPEAKER_00]: And next week, I wanna talk more about how we practically do that. 26:32.011 --> 26:36.052 [SPEAKER_00]: But I wanna make sure that I'm abundantly clear, right? 26:36.092 --> 26:38.612 [SPEAKER_00]: We can't call disobedience freedom. 26:40.375 --> 26:43.016 [SPEAKER_00]: can't call sin Christian liberty. 26:43.076 --> 26:46.918 [SPEAKER_00]: So I start saying this early, like, people will go, well, I literally have he'll have this conversation. 26:46.978 --> 26:50.839 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, if I'm not convicted about it while I'm doing it, it's not sin. 26:51.840 --> 26:54.881 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, not if scriptures are already stated something is sinful. 26:55.421 --> 26:57.162 [SPEAKER_00]: As far as I think, that should concern you. 26:57.922 --> 27:03.745 [SPEAKER_00]: If scripture has said it is sin and you're doing it and it doesn't convict you, that's not a good, maybe you need to find some conviction. 27:04.624 --> 27:07.566 [SPEAKER_00]: You need to get convicted, because that's not a good place to be. 27:08.187 --> 27:10.349 [SPEAKER_00]: I talked about that past earlier, who took on a second wife. 27:10.689 --> 27:12.511 [SPEAKER_00]: He didn't seem like he felt very convicted about it. 27:14.592 --> 27:15.873 [SPEAKER_00]: He needs to get convicted. 27:17.515 --> 27:19.897 [SPEAKER_00]: There needs to be some conviction of the spirit. 27:20.097 --> 27:22.759 [SPEAKER_00]: It's right, if nothing can fix you, that's a problem. 27:23.380 --> 27:26.883 [SPEAKER_00]: That isn't being more mature, because you don't live in any conviction of sin. 27:27.483 --> 27:29.144 [SPEAKER_00]: It's my fact, it's being less or mature. 27:30.148 --> 27:36.810 [SPEAKER_00]: And simultaneously, thinking everything is a sin is equally as immature. 27:37.450 --> 27:42.192 [SPEAKER_00]: It is immature to think that nothing is a sin, and it is also immature to think that everything is a sin. 27:43.752 --> 27:51.175 [SPEAKER_00]: And Paul's very clear about this, throughout the New Testament, throughout the New Testament, I told you he's trying to mark seven, like 30 minutes ago. 27:51.595 --> 27:52.175 [SPEAKER_00]: So let's read this. 27:53.155 --> 27:55.036 [SPEAKER_00]: Mark seven verse seven, and in vain they worship me. 27:56.079 --> 27:58.120 [SPEAKER_00]: Teaching us doctrine, the commandments of men. 27:58.740 --> 28:07.765 [SPEAKER_00]: Give this, for laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the traditional men, the washing of pictures and cups, and many other such things you do. 28:08.385 --> 28:13.308 [SPEAKER_00]: He said to them, all too well you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your tradition. 28:14.301 --> 28:19.306 [SPEAKER_00]: For Moses said, honor your father and your mother and he who curses father or mother, let him be put to death. 28:19.566 --> 28:30.137 [SPEAKER_00]: But you say, if a man says to his father or mother, whatever prophet you might ever see for me is Corbin that is a gift from God, then you will no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 28:31.218 --> 28:36.924 [SPEAKER_00]: Making the word of God to know in fact, through your tradition, which you have handed down and many such things you do. 28:36.964 --> 28:37.925 [SPEAKER_00]: Now let me explain this. 28:39.078 --> 28:45.180 [SPEAKER_00]: What he's saying here is, it's already been told to you that you are too honored, your father and mother. 28:45.761 --> 28:47.881 [SPEAKER_00]: And in that culture, partially what that means. 28:47.941 --> 28:49.322 [SPEAKER_00]: By the way, it still means it's today. 28:49.782 --> 28:56.304 [SPEAKER_00]: Is as your parents age, if they need to be taking care of, you take care of them. 28:57.045 --> 28:58.645 [SPEAKER_00]: They took care of you at one point. 28:59.285 --> 29:00.326 [SPEAKER_00]: You take care of them. 29:00.806 --> 29:06.468 [SPEAKER_00]: And just because you mask your unwillingness to take care of them in religious language. 29:07.525 --> 29:11.327 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I received this as a gift from God, so I don't have to give them any of it. 29:12.908 --> 29:19.872 [SPEAKER_00]: That's a tradition that was handed to you, but you need to obey God rather than your tradition. 29:21.353 --> 29:21.794 [SPEAKER_00]: Are you with me? 29:22.174 --> 29:25.916 [SPEAKER_00]: You need to obey God and what you've already been told rather than tradition. 29:26.136 --> 29:35.422 [SPEAKER_00]: So this is the question we have to ask ourselves, are we doing what God says, or are we living in a tradition that we've inherited? 29:37.869 --> 29:38.069 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 29:38.850 --> 29:39.610 [SPEAKER_00]: Why do we do what we do? 29:39.650 --> 29:40.731 [SPEAKER_00]: Why do we believe what we believe? 29:40.771 --> 29:42.312 [SPEAKER_00]: Why do we operate the way that we operate? 29:42.552 --> 29:46.034 [SPEAKER_00]: Or we do it because what God said, we do it because it's a tradition we inherit. 29:46.454 --> 29:47.655 [SPEAKER_00]: But currently, I've thought about this a lot. 29:47.915 --> 29:51.737 [SPEAKER_00]: I mentioned this at the beginning, kind of some of the things they inherited growing up. 29:51.757 --> 29:52.778 [SPEAKER_00]: Don't go to movie theaters, right? 29:53.178 --> 29:55.220 [SPEAKER_00]: Don't hamburger you couldn't wear pants. 29:56.440 --> 29:57.101 [SPEAKER_00]: Just right to hell. 29:58.522 --> 30:03.444 [SPEAKER_00]: And if you asked any of them, why did you do that? 30:03.825 --> 30:05.606 [SPEAKER_00]: But we were told, 30:07.815 --> 30:13.837 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, why do we, well, that's just the way we were told to do, because if we didn't, we were going to hell, right? 30:14.578 --> 30:18.719 [SPEAKER_00]: It's something that was inherited, but it doesn't necessarily hold up to the truth of Scripture. 30:19.980 --> 30:20.360 [SPEAKER_00]: Are you with me? 30:20.700 --> 30:23.982 [SPEAKER_00]: And everything has to go back to the truth of Scripture. 30:25.062 --> 30:27.343 [SPEAKER_00]: I've heard people say things before, like, we're talking about Christmas. 30:27.663 --> 30:31.284 [SPEAKER_00]: You better not put up a tree that's a pagan symbol, right? 30:32.025 --> 30:33.625 [SPEAKER_00]: And if you want, if you don't want to put a tree, fine. 30:33.765 --> 30:34.626 [SPEAKER_00]: I have like eight miles. 30:39.561 --> 30:43.742 [SPEAKER_00]: full-size ones, dear to the question, full-size ones, I don't believe a lot of trees. 30:44.862 --> 30:46.683 [SPEAKER_00]: We are married for 20 years. 30:47.063 --> 30:48.743 [SPEAKER_00]: You know what has never happened in my house? 30:50.904 --> 30:55.345 [SPEAKER_00]: Nobody in my house has ever bowed down and worshiped the Christmas tree. 30:58.426 --> 31:02.067 [SPEAKER_00]: Nobody in my house has ever put Christmas lights above the name of Jesus. 31:03.607 --> 31:06.608 [SPEAKER_00]: Nobody in my house has ever, 31:08.400 --> 31:13.701 [SPEAKER_00]: decided that we were gonna build an altar in front of the tree and make sacrifices, right? 31:14.461 --> 31:20.322 [SPEAKER_00]: Because to us, this is something that is part of the culture that we live in as American citizens. 31:21.463 --> 31:22.023 [SPEAKER_00]: That is done. 31:22.863 --> 31:24.283 [SPEAKER_00]: The scriptures are pretty quiet about. 31:25.623 --> 31:30.424 [SPEAKER_00]: That at the end of the day, and also this is another reality, the end of the day, all of our Christmas celebration points to Jesus. 31:32.345 --> 31:33.025 [SPEAKER_00]: So you know what? 31:33.185 --> 31:37.386 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not going to do is if I see you post a picture 31:38.725 --> 31:44.728 [SPEAKER_00]: Go, center, go into hell. 31:46.189 --> 31:59.416 [SPEAKER_00]: And also, if you have a conviction that you don't need to have a Christmas tree and you don't put, and you post, and your house is bare of a Christmas tree, I'm not gonna go, can't believe them, and they probably think I'm a center. 32:00.497 --> 32:04.119 [SPEAKER_00]: They just don't get it, that maybe that's your conviction, you have your conviction. 32:06.828 --> 32:08.810 [SPEAKER_00]: And maybe your neighbor is going to go trick or treating. 32:08.830 --> 32:15.635 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe there's somebody in this room that's going to go trick or treating on Saturday and get candy from their neighbors. 32:16.636 --> 32:16.816 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 32:17.297 --> 32:19.118 [SPEAKER_00]: And if they post a picture, you know what we don't need to do? 32:20.599 --> 32:25.403 [SPEAKER_00]: Center, going to hell, all of celebrating witchcraft. 32:25.423 --> 32:30.247 [SPEAKER_00]: Because I guarantee you there's not going to be a single family in this church. 32:30.287 --> 32:31.048 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to guarantee you. 32:31.368 --> 32:32.028 [SPEAKER_00]: I am 99.9999% sure. 32:35.405 --> 32:51.092 [SPEAKER_00]: There's not a family in this church that if they elect to go trick or treating on Saturday is going to walk home to an altar of Lucifer and commit child sacrifice. 32:54.814 --> 32:58.876 [SPEAKER_00]: Or is going to engage in some sort of divination or commune with the dead? 32:59.977 --> 33:00.677 [SPEAKER_00]: You know what they're going to do? 33:01.197 --> 33:02.538 [SPEAKER_00]: Go home and eat their candy. 33:06.565 --> 33:08.407 [SPEAKER_00]: And somebody's going to go collect their taxes. 33:08.467 --> 33:10.469 [SPEAKER_00]: If I don't know, I'm talking about it tonight, come on, somebody. 33:13.551 --> 33:16.574 [SPEAKER_00]: The dad tax, which is the racist cubs. 33:16.614 --> 33:17.475 [SPEAKER_00]: Come on, somebody. 33:20.758 --> 33:21.259 [SPEAKER_00]: What'd you say? 33:22.460 --> 33:23.240 [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, hey, praise God. 33:27.164 --> 33:29.226 [SPEAKER_00]: Parents can make wise decisions for their household. 33:30.507 --> 33:32.629 [SPEAKER_00]: Churches can make wise decisions for their ministry. 33:33.880 --> 33:40.283 [SPEAKER_00]: And we can respect all of those decisions without making the same rule a requirement for every Christian. 33:41.643 --> 33:41.963 [SPEAKER_00]: All right? 33:44.104 --> 33:44.865 [SPEAKER_00]: We can respect it. 33:44.925 --> 33:45.605 [SPEAKER_00]: I want you to think about this. 33:45.805 --> 33:46.765 [SPEAKER_00]: And let me just say this real quick. 33:49.446 --> 33:52.408 [SPEAKER_00]: A child dresses up and it's October 31st. 33:53.328 --> 33:55.269 [SPEAKER_00]: And they're eating candy in your house. 33:55.709 --> 34:00.271 [SPEAKER_00]: In a costume, their favorite princess, her power ranger, her dinosaur, 34:05.002 --> 34:05.623 [SPEAKER_00]: Bible character. 34:06.663 --> 34:06.943 [SPEAKER_00]: Whatever. 34:06.963 --> 34:09.665 [SPEAKER_00]: I want October 31st. 34:11.646 --> 34:14.068 [SPEAKER_00]: And November 1st, they're dressed up. 34:15.088 --> 34:16.309 [SPEAKER_00]: Is that all about anybody else's kids? 34:16.369 --> 34:18.010 [SPEAKER_00]: My kids just dress up all the time. 34:19.671 --> 34:22.152 [SPEAKER_00]: So, no, no, I'm like, can you wear less outfits? 34:25.594 --> 34:26.495 [SPEAKER_00]: They do it November 1st. 34:27.836 --> 34:29.777 [SPEAKER_00]: And they eat candy in the house. 34:30.297 --> 34:31.318 [SPEAKER_00]: And we call that being a kid. 34:34.630 --> 34:39.173 [SPEAKER_00]: But because it's on a specific day, we label it as even what changes. 34:39.193 --> 34:41.974 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, what do you guys do you have a conviction? 34:42.154 --> 34:44.095 [SPEAKER_00]: Please, keep your conviction, I'm not trying to convince you. 34:44.636 --> 34:53.380 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm simply trying to get us to actually examine why we believe what we believe, why we think the way that we think, what changes besides a day on the calendar? 34:55.181 --> 34:56.542 [SPEAKER_00]: What changes besides a day on the calendar? 34:57.102 --> 34:59.704 [SPEAKER_00]: And I want to say this, association is not participation. 35:01.500 --> 35:09.248 [SPEAKER_00]: Paul helps us with this, believers in Corinth have to work out while living faithfully among people who don't share their same worship or beliefs. 35:09.268 --> 35:10.749 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if we have this up there. 35:10.809 --> 35:12.611 [SPEAKER_00]: First Corinthians 10, this is really fascinating to me. 35:12.631 --> 35:13.492 [SPEAKER_00]: I was talking to dad about this. 35:13.552 --> 35:14.933 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to close the news for a minute. 35:14.953 --> 35:16.875 [SPEAKER_00]: First Corinthians 10 says this. 35:17.256 --> 35:21.640 [SPEAKER_00]: Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience sake. 35:22.581 --> 35:25.063 [SPEAKER_00]: For the earth is the Lord's and all its fullness. 35:26.027 --> 35:33.970 [SPEAKER_00]: If any of those who do not believe in vites you to dinner and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience sake. 35:35.250 --> 35:38.272 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, no, we read that and we're like, okay, cool, that's weird. 35:39.672 --> 35:41.713 [SPEAKER_00]: Why is Paul talking about people going grocery shopping? 35:42.733 --> 35:44.254 [SPEAKER_00]: And why is he talking about dinner parties? 35:45.083 --> 35:55.869 [SPEAKER_00]: This is really, really strange because Paul is making this point whenever you go to the meat market and you're buying the meat in Corinth because this is a pagan culture. 35:56.449 --> 36:11.238 [SPEAKER_00]: The what would have happened is most of the time the vast majority of that meat would have been used in a pagan sacrifice and then sold in the market and Paul says, hey, just by the meat and cook it, need it. 36:14.712 --> 36:16.693 [SPEAKER_00]: which is incredibly counter-cultural to the time. 36:17.714 --> 36:23.258 [SPEAKER_00]: And then he goes, hey, and if somebody goes and invites you to their house, and these are people he's talking about that aren't fellow Christians. 36:23.939 --> 36:26.641 [SPEAKER_00]: They don't believe the same thing, whatever they put before you. 36:26.921 --> 36:29.923 [SPEAKER_00]: Because once again, there's a good chance it's going to be an offering to an idol. 36:30.663 --> 36:32.265 [SPEAKER_00]: You eat it, and you don't worry about it. 36:33.445 --> 36:33.966 [SPEAKER_00]: Think about that. 36:35.283 --> 36:35.723 [SPEAKER_00]: Think about that. 36:36.123 --> 36:51.290 [SPEAKER_00]: So what Paul is saying is just because something might have been used for an inappropriate means, your participation does not inherently equal inappropriate action, right, or sin. 36:52.030 --> 36:54.431 [SPEAKER_00]: So Christmas, let's use Christmas as an example. 36:55.071 --> 37:00.633 [SPEAKER_00]: There are people who absolutely do Christmas wrong. 37:05.890 --> 37:06.630 [SPEAKER_00]: overtake them. 37:07.310 --> 37:14.153 [SPEAKER_00]: There are people who let commercialism overtake them in those seasons, but just because somebody else misused it. 37:15.773 --> 37:21.095 [SPEAKER_00]: Doesn't mean that I look at it and go, I won't participate because I'm guilty of the same thing. 37:21.955 --> 37:29.317 [SPEAKER_00]: There are people whose marriages are wrong and unhealthy and unholy, but I don't go, well, I'm not going to get married. 37:29.337 --> 37:31.538 [SPEAKER_00]: Are you with me? 37:32.600 --> 37:41.482 [SPEAKER_00]: Just because somebody has misused it, does not mean that our participation is equal to their misuse. 37:42.483 --> 37:43.183 [SPEAKER_00]: Does that make sense? 37:44.203 --> 37:45.123 [SPEAKER_00]: Is that tracking with you? 37:46.024 --> 37:50.485 [SPEAKER_00]: And that's what Paul is trying to say that just because you associate, does not mean that you participate. 37:50.965 --> 37:54.846 [SPEAKER_00]: Just because you're eating at the table, does it mean you're worshiping the idol? 37:57.367 --> 37:57.667 [SPEAKER_00]: You win me? 37:59.003 --> 38:04.925 [SPEAKER_00]: This is the same poll who for a couple of verses earlier is gonna tell them, hey, everybody, flee from my Dollar Tree. 38:05.926 --> 38:08.607 [SPEAKER_00]: In the same chapter, flee from my Dollar Tree. 38:09.047 --> 38:10.308 [SPEAKER_00]: So Paul is making this point clear. 38:10.628 --> 38:11.788 [SPEAKER_00]: I Dollar Tree is real. 38:12.649 --> 38:13.209 [SPEAKER_00]: Don't do it. 38:14.049 --> 38:17.370 [SPEAKER_00]: And hey, if somebody gives you some meat that's been offered to an idol, just eat it. 38:20.312 --> 38:20.832 [SPEAKER_00]: It's wild. 38:22.054 --> 38:23.655 [SPEAKER_00]: But that's exactly what Paul was saying. 38:23.935 --> 38:28.798 [SPEAKER_00]: He rejects idolatry and also permits ordinary food and hospitality. 38:29.558 --> 38:32.580 [SPEAKER_00]: So maybe our question should be this. 38:33.540 --> 38:44.066 [SPEAKER_00]: When a kid shows up to our front porch on Saturday, dressed as an astronaut, holding a bag for candy, and you open the door. 38:46.512 --> 38:51.293 [SPEAKER_00]: And you go, I don't participate in this witchcraft pagan night. 38:51.893 --> 38:52.233 [SPEAKER_00]: Park! 38:56.194 --> 38:57.995 [SPEAKER_00]: And by the way, God bless you! 39:02.236 --> 39:03.656 [SPEAKER_00]: What have we communicated to a child? 39:05.237 --> 39:06.677 [SPEAKER_00]: Have we communicated more excellent way? 39:07.117 --> 39:11.478 [SPEAKER_00]: Or maybe even if we don't want a participant, even if you say home, when that kid comes knocking? 39:14.679 --> 39:15.359 [SPEAKER_00]: Hey, you're some candy. 39:16.890 --> 39:19.471 [SPEAKER_00]: God bless you, and your family. 39:19.831 --> 39:20.552 [SPEAKER_00]: You got a church anywhere? 39:21.192 --> 39:24.213 [SPEAKER_00]: And by the way, you never know when somebody's gonna be, somebody's gonna know you, or see you. 39:25.714 --> 39:26.514 [SPEAKER_00]: We learn this all the time. 39:27.915 --> 39:28.735 [SPEAKER_00]: I had to call up. 39:29.175 --> 39:33.837 [SPEAKER_00]: I had to call somebody, my smoker broke on my, that portion for Barbecue to be clear. 39:37.259 --> 39:39.500 [SPEAKER_00]: Got to make sure we're covering all the bases tonight. 39:40.160 --> 39:41.140 [SPEAKER_00]: Talk about Christian Liberty. 39:43.682 --> 39:43.902 [SPEAKER_00]: And... 39:45.243 --> 39:48.804 [SPEAKER_00]: I had to call to get it picked up, so I called like, you know, 1-800-Junk or whatever. 39:48.824 --> 39:54.225 [SPEAKER_00]: And the guy comes to the house and gives me a quote and takes the whole thing. 39:54.245 --> 39:55.106 [SPEAKER_00]: He's, I have to do the survey. 39:55.126 --> 39:55.806 [SPEAKER_00]: He gets some money off. 39:55.846 --> 39:56.466 [SPEAKER_00]: I was like, yeah, okay. 39:57.706 --> 39:59.467 [SPEAKER_00]: So, type in on my phone. 39:59.967 --> 40:00.887 [SPEAKER_00]: He was, man, you type faster. 40:00.907 --> 40:01.567 [SPEAKER_00]: Are you an IT? 40:02.148 --> 40:03.428 [SPEAKER_00]: I said, no, I'm actually a pastor. 40:05.308 --> 40:07.929 [SPEAKER_00]: And he goes, well, yeah, second. 40:09.950 --> 40:11.250 [SPEAKER_00]: He said, in Calamay, I said, 40:13.402 --> 40:14.302 [SPEAKER_00]: on the street to high praise used. 40:14.543 --> 40:15.323 [SPEAKER_00]: I go to your church. 40:18.705 --> 40:20.586 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm so sorry, Pastor, that didn't recognize you. 40:20.606 --> 40:21.506 [SPEAKER_00]: I was like, oh, it's okay, man. 40:21.526 --> 40:21.766 [SPEAKER_00]: It's okay. 40:21.826 --> 40:25.028 [SPEAKER_00]: It's okay. 40:25.048 --> 40:25.988 [SPEAKER_00]: Glad I was nice to you. 40:29.230 --> 40:33.112 [SPEAKER_00]: Thank God, I tiped you before I was, what am I saying? 40:33.472 --> 40:35.913 [SPEAKER_00]: You never know who's going to see, you don't know who he's wanting to do. 40:36.333 --> 40:41.616 [SPEAKER_00]: And our greatest, sometimes our greatest, greatest, greatest thing that we can do is just 40:44.192 --> 40:46.033 [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes our greatest thing we can do is just love. 40:46.813 --> 40:47.813 [SPEAKER_00]: And once again, I don't want to be clear. 40:48.133 --> 40:50.834 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not talking about participating in anything unholy in the name of a woman. 40:50.854 --> 40:51.814 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm just trying to reach people. 40:51.874 --> 40:52.195 [SPEAKER_00]: No, you're not. 40:52.235 --> 40:53.495 [SPEAKER_00]: That's don't lie to yourself. 40:56.096 --> 40:59.517 [SPEAKER_00]: But I am talking about situations or scripture's silent. 41:00.897 --> 41:01.657 [SPEAKER_00]: Or maybe it isn't clear. 41:02.498 --> 41:06.319 [SPEAKER_00]: It'd be different people of different convictions that we learn to walk with one another in grace. 41:07.612 --> 41:17.939 [SPEAKER_00]: that we learn to be understanding instead of throwing a stoncomoncy, that we simply sometimes offer hospitality and joy and love, because freedom ultimately works through love. 41:18.339 --> 41:23.983 [SPEAKER_00]: First Corinthians 10 goes on to say this, whenever you eat or drink, whatever you do, do all for the glory of God. 41:24.744 --> 41:28.426 [SPEAKER_00]: You know what we're doing on Friday night, turn her treat, we're doing it for the glory of God. 41:29.767 --> 41:29.967 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 41:30.347 --> 41:35.371 [SPEAKER_00]: And you know what, there will be, because we've done this for years now, there will be people who come through in costumes 41:38.725 --> 41:42.287 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, I did not expect to see Freddie Kruger, it church, but here we are. 41:45.670 --> 41:51.373 [SPEAKER_00]: And we're gonna treat the 17-year-old Freddie Kruger, the same way that we treat the five-year-old Moses. 41:57.818 --> 42:04.082 [SPEAKER_00]: We're gonna treat the 19-year-old Ghostface, the same way that we treat the four-year-old Snow White. 42:05.195 --> 42:05.415 [SPEAKER_00]: Why? 42:06.016 --> 42:08.697 [SPEAKER_00]: Because people need the love of Jesus. 42:09.257 --> 42:09.718 [SPEAKER_00]: And you know what? 42:09.738 --> 42:14.581 [SPEAKER_00]: The people that are hurt and broken and sometimes the things come out that way, they need it all the more. 42:15.721 --> 42:20.004 [SPEAKER_00]: And we need to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. 42:20.344 --> 42:22.686 [SPEAKER_00]: And we need to point them to Jesus. 42:23.566 --> 42:24.687 [SPEAKER_00]: No, you can come out of darkness. 42:25.728 --> 42:26.809 [SPEAKER_00]: in to his life. 42:27.009 --> 42:27.589 [SPEAKER_00]: What's sympathy? 42:28.429 --> 42:29.570 [SPEAKER_00]: I got so many other things I could say. 42:30.050 --> 42:36.333 [SPEAKER_00]: And we're going to talk a little bit more about this next week, but we start with this question of can I do that? 42:37.153 --> 42:39.254 [SPEAKER_00]: But sometimes I think we're actually asking the wrong question. 42:40.135 --> 42:42.616 [SPEAKER_00]: I think we don't necessarily to ask can I do that? 42:42.656 --> 42:44.497 [SPEAKER_00]: What we really need to ask is what does the word say? 42:45.997 --> 42:46.838 [SPEAKER_00]: What does scripture say? 42:47.798 --> 42:50.780 [SPEAKER_00]: And if we're not sure, it's OK to seek counsel. 42:52.220 --> 42:53.241 [SPEAKER_00]: It's OK to seek advice. 42:54.352 --> 42:56.254 [SPEAKER_00]: And it's also okay to follow your conscience. 42:57.154 --> 43:09.104 [SPEAKER_00]: And just because you have a conviction about something, does not mean we have the ability to impose that onto all of Christendom, or all of the church, because it's different for every person, which is why she, every circumstance. 43:09.484 --> 43:15.789 [SPEAKER_00]: We're all called to flee sin, flee immorality, and run to Jesus, and the church says, I mean, we lift your hands, that's one of pray for you tonight. 43:16.710 --> 43:18.712 [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks again for downloading this podcast. 43:18.772 --> 43:22.595 [SPEAKER_00]: We trust that this message has blessed and encouraged and identified you. 43:23.009 --> 43:26.711 [SPEAKER_00]: Make sure you subscribe so you never miss a message here for high praise. 43:27.212 --> 43:35.157 [SPEAKER_00]: Also, you can follow us on social media, on Facebook and on Instagram, and don't forget to go subscribe to our YouTube channel. 43:35.757 --> 43:38.019 [SPEAKER_00]: We'll be back soon with another incredible message. 43:38.159 --> 43:40.000 [SPEAKER_00]: God bless you and have a great week.