[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, let's all turn through the book of Proverbs, chapter three.
[SPEAKER_00]: Proverbs chapter three, we're going to read verses one through eight.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you can please stand on the reading God's word, it would be appreciated.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are a couple of verses in here that we mentioned a lot, or at least I do.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mentioned a
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you can please stand out and read in God's word, I already said that, didn't I?
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so, Proverbs 3 verse 1 through 8, it says, my son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments.
[SPEAKER_00]: For a length of days and long life at peace will they add to you, do not let mercy and truth forsake you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: So you will find favor and good understanding in the sight of God in man.
[SPEAKER_00]: And here's the verses, is to hear a lot, physically, five here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that's not what you say to yourself every single morning.
[SPEAKER_00]: It goes on to say in verse 6, in all your ways of knowledge, and he will direct your paths.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord in depart from evil.
[SPEAKER_00]: It will be health to your body and strings to your bones.
[SPEAKER_00]: God bless and honor the reading of His Word, and you may be seated.
[SPEAKER_00]: Beautiful words, God's love is so big, last week we spoke about God's love, and we spoke about the importance of it, it's very important, God's love is so big.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we're going to talk about some of that again just a little bit.
[SPEAKER_00]: We know about the types of love, the storage love, which is family love and parental love.
[SPEAKER_00]: We spoke about some of that.
[SPEAKER_00]: We talked about filial love, which is friendly affection, funness.
[SPEAKER_00]: Lutus love, playful, you know, crushes, butterfly, kisses, you know, love, that's a little bit in the beginning of romance, and then you have arrows that's romantic, passionate love.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you have pragma, pragma is enduring love, which is a mix of stores of affiliate love or free all those, excuse me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's more than romance.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's where you become one.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then you have Fulucia love.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's self respect, love and compassion for self.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes that gets taken out of conquests too.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll talk about something that today.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then there's Agape love.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the most important.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the sacrificial godly love.
[SPEAKER_00]: the kind of love that Christ has for us and that we feel because it's God through us for others.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll talk about some of that today.
[SPEAKER_00]: So we spoke about that.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then, we'll also speak about something else.
[SPEAKER_00]: You might wonder why I'm wearing a baseball tie.
[SPEAKER_00]: You may not even notice it's the peanut character.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's playing baseball.
[SPEAKER_00]: You may wonder why.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, there's a reason for it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the reason is this, I was thinking about an old comedic act and old comedy act between Abbott Costello, Abbott Costello who you might recall, they were very, very funny.
[SPEAKER_00]: They did a lot of movies and things, but the most famous act was one that's called, who's on first?
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was first done on radio in 1938.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was in on film in 1945.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was finally in 1956 became a golden record in sales.
[SPEAKER_00]: It did really, really well.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was a baseball.
[SPEAKER_00]: play so to speak and act for us is about baseball players with silly nicknames how it started and they talk about all these silly nicknames that baseball players have and they say that one of them's name was who and they say who's on first and the one of them would be confused Abbot knows my favorite of the fat one you know and he would say who's on first is who and they get confused about that and what what was the name of the guy who was on second so who's on first
[SPEAKER_00]: and then later on we find out that a guy by the name of tomorrow was the pitcher and it goes on on on to who's on first what's on second I don't know as on third and tomorrow was the pitcher so they went through with all these crazy names so I ask you today who's on first now that is the title today's sermon who's on first in other words who's in first place in your heart who's on first
[SPEAKER_00]: It could be easily said, as people do, I haven't list for you, and I'm given it to you before, but it is biblical speaking, this list is.
[SPEAKER_00]: And a lot of people, or even lie to themselves about who they have first in the heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: We all know who's supposed to be first in the heart, and we will say who's first in the heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: But then if we truly look into mirror, and we truly look at our actions, our actions we are known, and I'm talking to myself,
[SPEAKER_00]: But I can't judge by others and judge by myself.
[SPEAKER_00]: Many of the times I'll say who's first, but if I really look at what I have done or do, sometimes I hope, is that true?
[SPEAKER_00]: We have to ask you.
[SPEAKER_00]: So let's see what the Bible says.
[SPEAKER_00]: Where does our first love?
[SPEAKER_00]: Who's the first love in our life?
[SPEAKER_00]: The love is to be in this order, biblically speaking.
[SPEAKER_00]: The love is to be in this order.
[SPEAKER_00]: God is to be never one.
[SPEAKER_00]: And by God, we're talking about the Trinity.
[SPEAKER_00]: God, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the Lord God.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's the first love of our life.
[SPEAKER_00]: The second love of our life is bear spouse.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're a woman today, a wife, your spouse.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your husband is to be your second one.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you are a husband today, your wife is to be your second one.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now,
[SPEAKER_00]: This is completely opposite of what the world tells us.
[SPEAKER_00]: It tells us, that's not true.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your pastor's lying to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says that because he's single.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, listen, I'm telling you what the Bible says.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll get to that in a moment where I have a scripture for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, the thing is I understand why it seems like that every romantic comedy, by the way, I like a lot of romantic comedy.
[SPEAKER_00]: These I do, I'm a man, but that part of me is a little dirty.
[SPEAKER_00]: I do like some romantic comedy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here's the thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: the thing is in those comedies and in those movies and in the way everything is a hallmark hallmark a punchbow right now, if I told you this, but the truth is,
[SPEAKER_00]: It's good to love your wife, it's good to love your husband, it's good to love your girlfriend, it's good to love your boyfriend, but here's the problem.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're not supposed to love them more than you love God.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, it's okay to miss church on Valentine's Day.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some would say, it's okay to not serve God on that day.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's okay not to go to do the same to the Lord on your wife's birthday, or whatever, or whatever.
[SPEAKER_00]: The problem is, if you do that, you're choosing your wife or your husband for God, we'll get to all this in a moment.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not saying that you're not supposed to show love, compassion, kindness, and all that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm saying not to do it before the Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: In other words, don't put them above God or other things.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll get to that.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, number one is to God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Number two is the spouse.
[SPEAKER_00]: Number three is your family.
[SPEAKER_00]: Number four is your friends.
[SPEAKER_00]: Number five is others.
[SPEAKER_00]: acquaintances and such.
[SPEAKER_00]: People you job or whatever.
[SPEAKER_00]: You say, I'm friends with them.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's good.
[SPEAKER_00]: You might be family with them.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's good too.
[SPEAKER_00]: But not all of my friends.
[SPEAKER_00]: They might just be people you see, acquaintances.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are some people I work with who I can see.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're really good friends.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then they're my brothers and sisters of Christ too.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they make come to your curse someday later on.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they're right, Brother Kee.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's always a blessing, a real blessing.
[SPEAKER_00]: enemies.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now hang on, let me explain something to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: By enemies, this is not who's Satan, you're eternal enemy or the devil's, about devil's and talking about the demons, because that's what the word devil means, demon.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not Satan or those, you can hate their guts and liver and that's opaque of the Bible tells you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know some people a lie to you say, you're supposed to love the devil, though that's stupid.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's opposite of the Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're not supposed to love him.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you are supposed to love the people in this world who hate your
[SPEAKER_00]: Francis is selling politically, thanks you're an idiot, and they might, but that's okay, you can love them anyway.
[SPEAKER_00]: How about someone who's your job, who can't stand you because you love Jesus?
[SPEAKER_00]: Love them anyway.
[SPEAKER_00]: That doesn't mean agree with them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Say, yeah, you're right, I am dumb.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, but you can love them.
[SPEAKER_00]: They might think you're stupid because you like a certain entertainment.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's all right.
[SPEAKER_00]: They might be right in their mind.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I've been made fun of for like a different things, I like that's okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: In their mind, I am, but that's okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: They can have that opinion, doesn't mean they're correct and completely.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I know some people think I'm stupid because I believe, and no, I know that Jesus the only way to have it, and I've been called a fool, but the Bible says different.
[SPEAKER_00]: and I believe the Bible over them.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I still love them, and I pray for them every day, and I speak them with love.
[SPEAKER_00]: What does that mean, pastor, that you speak to love?
[SPEAKER_00]: And say, you're right, I'm wrong, I never didn't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Means you turn the other cheek, be loving, and walk.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't spend time with them in that sense.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm loving them, I'm kind of, but they're not my best pals.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, no, no, no, no.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, my best pals, my first love is Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: Number seven, who's the last on their self?
[SPEAKER_00]: Self.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not going to be selfish.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I got to love me too.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, you may think that's weird.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, let me tell you, most of my life I couldn't stand my own self.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you need to love yourself.
[SPEAKER_00]: But most people put themselves on number one on the list.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not kidding.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's many people if you look at that people say, you need to love yourself before you can love anyone else.
[SPEAKER_00]: Wrong.
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing is, yes, you need to love yourself.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, you need to have self respect.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I'm not talking about being selfish.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not talking about putting yourself above everyone.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, no, no, no, no.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, but you do need to love yourself.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because Jesus loves you.
[SPEAKER_00]: If Jesus loves you, if God loves you enough to die for you, you need to love you too.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you don't understand.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not just, oh, no, we understand that.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, I'm kidding.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you might say, you don't understand, I'm not perfect.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, I do know that.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you were perfect, he wouldn't have needed to die on the cross for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not perfect either.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know that one's really hard to believe.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the fact is, is that Jesus loves you enough to die for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is why you have to believe that you are good enough to love.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not good enough to be saved without salvation in Jesus, but you're good enough to love.
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you saying that God is wrong?
[SPEAKER_00]: That's wrong, will you say God loves you?
[SPEAKER_00]: Then why can't you love you?
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you better than God?
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think so.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, truth is, we need to level ourselves because maybe not on our purpose for putting ourselves above the Lord when we say, we're not good enough.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's stupid.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're good enough through Jesus, only through Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: Only through Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, here's the verse.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here's the verse.
[SPEAKER_00]: First Corinthians 11 3.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, after this, they talk about the being in Corinth, and it talks about the men wearing stuff on their head and all that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, that's a religious thing, but here is a truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I would have you know that the head of the woman is the man.
[SPEAKER_00]: The head of every man is Christ, and the head of Christ is God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now this is the way the home is made to be.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is where women, I'm not talking about you necessarily, but this is where women of the world gets weird and says, that's sexist!
[SPEAKER_00]: No, that's the way God made it.
[SPEAKER_00]: didn't make it that men are more important than women.
[SPEAKER_00]: It means that in the home, the Christian home, the home of the Lord God, God is the head of the house.
[SPEAKER_00]: God, through God, Jesus who's the same, by the way.
[SPEAKER_00]: My father and I are one, John 10 30.
[SPEAKER_00]: God, Jesus, then the husband, then the wife.
[SPEAKER_00]: We already know this because the other verse is Ephesians and others talk about the father and the mother, raise the children.
[SPEAKER_00]: So then comes the family, then your friends.
[SPEAKER_00]: You got to love them too.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then your friends, then others in your life, then you're enemies, then yourself.
[SPEAKER_00]: That doesn't mean treat yourself poorly.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it means, what does it say?
[SPEAKER_00]: It says, take up that cross and follow me.
[SPEAKER_00]: So we know this to be true.
[SPEAKER_00]: who's ahead and all that.
[SPEAKER_00]: So then what comes next?
[SPEAKER_00]: So we know we the first love needs to be.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why do we do this because of the love of God?
[SPEAKER_00]: Now I don't mean because of the love that God has for us.
[SPEAKER_00]: We didn't know about that.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll talk about that in a minute.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm talking about the love that we have for God.
[SPEAKER_00]: The love of God that we have.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's to be the first.
[SPEAKER_00]: But here comes the big question, who's your God?
[SPEAKER_00]: Or what's your God?
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll talk about how God's supposed to be first in life.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, many of people will place their wife or their husband or the children as a God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, my children don't feel like going to church.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I don't think they should go.
[SPEAKER_00]: Or my, and I'm not talking about a one-time event.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm talking about every week.
[SPEAKER_00]: They don't want to, so I'm not going to make them go.
[SPEAKER_00]: They should be able to make their own choices in life.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's dumb.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, your child has become your God.
[SPEAKER_00]: God tells you to bring up a time the way that you go and then you're not apart from them.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're sitting and saying, well, but my kid doesn't want to.
[SPEAKER_00]: Guess what?
[SPEAKER_00]: Your kid doesn't want to burst your teeth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't be surprised, they're teeth fall out and they look like ugly orange teeth either.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you say, oh, but that's not nice to say.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's still true.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, be surprised if they have sin cavities in their life because you get raised them up to follow Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't be surprised if they go to hell.
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you saying God's not powerful enough?
[SPEAKER_00]: No, I'm saying you're dumb.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you didn't listen to God, when he told you to raise him, I'm sorry for being so, no, I'm not sorry.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have to be blunt, I have to be honest.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm loving enough to be honest.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know that's not the way people like it, sometimes.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so glad my doctors are honest with me.
[SPEAKER_00]: I really am.
[SPEAKER_00]: I had a doctor want to.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to say every word that he said, but he told me that I won't be able to be healthy unless I lose weight.
[SPEAKER_00]: And he was so funny, I laughed because the way he said it, but I laughed so hard, anyway, that being said, he was loving enough to tell me the truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't make me feel good about myself.
[SPEAKER_00]: He made me look in the mirror and see the truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's the way God is, because he's loving enough to tell us the truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: So what's your goal?
[SPEAKER_00]: What's your true God?
[SPEAKER_00]: Who is your love?
[SPEAKER_00]: Who's first in life?
[SPEAKER_00]: Is it God the Father?
[SPEAKER_00]: Everyone wants to say yes and maybe he is, but that's not always true, if I be your loved ones, if I be your friends, if I be your job, if I be your money, now I'm not saying you can't have a job, you have to have a job, we know you have to have money.
[SPEAKER_00]: But some people will put the ridges and belongings and they'll say later on, our serve got but for now.
[SPEAKER_00]: We saw Jesus Christ had a call of God on that, didn't he?
[SPEAKER_00]: He said, leave all that you have and come follow me.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now a lot of people will use the Scripture and they'll miss Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that means God doesn't want to have anything.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not what he said.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was talking to this individual, this individual who had a problem with money.
[SPEAKER_00]: He might come to me and say, entertainment is a problem for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: You put too much of that there.
[SPEAKER_00]: He might come to you and say, sports is a problem for you specifically.
[SPEAKER_00]: That doesn't mean you can't watch sports.
[SPEAKER_00]: That means don't put sports for God.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's not saying I can't watch your entertainment.
[SPEAKER_00]: He said, don't put your entertainment for God.
[SPEAKER_00]: For some people, it's better than to be married.
[SPEAKER_00]: But he's not saying it's wrong to have marriage.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's saying for some people they can't.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because they have problems in their life.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because everybody's got weaknesses.
[SPEAKER_00]: They've once got strange.
[SPEAKER_00]: And everybody's calling is different.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's all.
[SPEAKER_00]: So entertainment can be a God for some.
[SPEAKER_00]: Emotions give me a God for some.
[SPEAKER_00]: They can't.
[SPEAKER_00]: Emotions, because I once called God can cause gossip.
[SPEAKER_00]: Emotions can cause fights, hatred.
[SPEAKER_00]: It can cause lust.
[SPEAKER_00]: Emotions can cause you to leave a church because you got irritated about what someone has said because you not to go to church because you don't understand pastor.
[SPEAKER_00]: They weren't very nice to me one day.
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't understand.
[SPEAKER_00]: I wasn't feeling very good and I walked in the church and they gave me a look and that made me leave the church.
[SPEAKER_00]: God didn't want me to be there
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, you don't understand.
[SPEAKER_00]: God doesn't call you to always feel good.
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't understand.
[SPEAKER_00]: Every single church you go to has a problem.
[SPEAKER_00]: People, and you're one of them.
[SPEAKER_00]: about that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you're a people, you're a person.
[SPEAKER_00]: And one day, you might be the person that looks their direction and they might be having a bad day.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, you might be thinking yourself, oh, man, I hope I turn my lights off at home.
[SPEAKER_00]: But they might look at you, looking at that direction and think that you're thinking, boy, they look ugly.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you might not be thinking about them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, what's my point?
[SPEAKER_00]: My point is that emotions can be the biggest problem in a forward life because they're not putting their first love God first and they're
[SPEAKER_00]: you you all understand what's going on right then that what we do sometimes we let emotions and everything's bare God and not the Lord God, father God, Abba.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes it's all unintentional but it happens.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have to check myself every day because I'll get up and turn it all wake up and it comes to have it click click turn on the TV and I'll say wait a minute.
[SPEAKER_00]: Unclick click.
[SPEAKER_00]: open up your Bible, unclick, click, get into the word, unclick, click, get the praying.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you click, click too much, you're never going to, and I'm not just talking about TV.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm talking about whatever the problem is that you find out becomes your first love.
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't mean it to be, but it can become that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever it might be.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe there's not any insulting body.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe the problem is on, I'll use my phone for that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Use my phone's in there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, that might be the first level, and they just can't put a weight.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, put it a weight.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I can't do it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because that becomes the first level.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever it might be, the problem is we all have weaknesses, but we need to give that over to God's will.
[SPEAKER_00]: It could become strength.
[SPEAKER_00]: God can use it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But he needs to be our first level.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's go to some scripture now.
[SPEAKER_00]: Colossians 3, 2.
[SPEAKER_00]: Paul, since three, two, says this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Set your affection, that means compassion, love, whatever.
[SPEAKER_00]: Set your affection on the things above, not things, honor, follow God first.
[SPEAKER_00]: God needs to come first.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ephesians 427, Ephesians 427, oh, here we go.
[SPEAKER_00]: Is it good?
[SPEAKER_00]: Do not give place to the devil.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you have a weakness, and you know it,
[SPEAKER_00]: And he says, don't watch this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't read that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't listen to this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't talk to that person.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't go to there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't do this.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you continue to go there and you'll wonder why you're having a problem.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're like, if you know why, because though you say God's first, you're putting this other love before and you know it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know that you know it, but you don't want to admit it.
[SPEAKER_00]: You got to get it right.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't give place to the devil.
[SPEAKER_00]: Once you give place to the devil, I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm having a heart such heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you do.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: You do.
[SPEAKER_00]: Psalm 374.
[SPEAKER_00]: David says, delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: Our delight, our joy, our happiness, our love needs to be in the Lord God and will be happy as a
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll be very happy.
[SPEAKER_00]: What did Jesus say in Matthew 624?
[SPEAKER_00]: In Matthew 624, Jesus says, no one can serve two masters.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now this is, I'm applying this to whatever you put first.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, God or something else, but in this case specifically, I'm talking about those who a lot of times put their job first or money first.
[SPEAKER_00]: richest, things that make you feel like you're above the world, you know?
[SPEAKER_00]: It could be almost anything, but this is what it says.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus says in Matthew 624, no one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.
[SPEAKER_00]: You cannot serve God and money.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not telling you to erase the word money.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am saying you can replace the word money with sin and it was still be true.
[SPEAKER_00]: You cannot serve God and greed for money.
[SPEAKER_00]: You cannot serve God and whatever sin you may have either.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can only serve God and God.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if it's lost, if it's gossip, if it's anger, if it's hatred, whatever it might be, you can't serve both.
[SPEAKER_00]: One is, well, pastor, I love God, and I love doing this, whether on a thing you can't do it, I'm saying, one is going to win out in the scale.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what I'm saying.
[SPEAKER_00]: One is going to be here, meaning you love it more, or one's going to be up here, meaning you love it less, because that's how scale works see.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what it means.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so then there's Matthew 10, 37 through 39.
[SPEAKER_00]: Matthew 10, pretty sure through 39.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is important because when we talk about family, and we love our family, we should love our family.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're so blessed if you have a family.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I wanted a family so, so bad.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was blessed in a very good family, a wonderful family, a loving father, a loving mother, two loving brothers and two beautiful sisters.
[SPEAKER_00]: I really was.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was so blessed and a beautiful dog at that, Herman, who I still love like his my own.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's gone now.
[SPEAKER_00]: and an ugly cat.
[SPEAKER_00]: We talked about that.
[SPEAKER_00]: But that being said, and I still love it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But that being said, people who love times put their family above God, they don't realize that you need to put God first, because you love your family, because you want your family to follow God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't put your family before God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's what it says.
[SPEAKER_00]: In verse 37, Jesus says, He who loves Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And He who loves Son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And He who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.
[SPEAKER_00]: He who finds his life will lose it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And He who loses his life for my sake will find it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now the cross here is not a religious symbol.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's literally talking about a death sentence.
[SPEAKER_00]: Give your life to Christ is what he's saying.
[SPEAKER_00]: Give your life to Jesus, put him first.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus and God are one, we know that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now let's look at Romans, Romans five and Romans eight, we'll get to that in a minute.
[SPEAKER_00]: Romans, but then I say, Romans five, excuse Romans eight, Romans eight five.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what, before we go to Romans eight five, let's go to Romans eight 28.
[SPEAKER_00]: Romans eight is a beautiful chapter.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll talk more about that next week, but Romans eight 28 says this.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you've heard this scripture many, many, many times.
[SPEAKER_00]: Romans say 20, and it gets misquote.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is misconstrued between the meaning of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It gets changed to people's either understanding or want to.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it says this in Romans 828, for all things work together for good.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not all it says says for all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose, that's what we need to love God follow his will not our home.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now a lot of people will take that and stop it all things work together for good, meaning the way I want it.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not necessarily true, but we'll talk about that in a week.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now listen to Romans 85.
[SPEAKER_00]: For those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh, for those who live according to the spirit, the things of the spirit.
[SPEAKER_00]: We can't have both.
[SPEAKER_00]: We need to be separate.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes we have that match, that wrestling match going on inside of us, and I understand that it's like a teeter-totter in our hearts.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we need to be careful to give it over to the Lord so that the teeter out does the totter.
[SPEAKER_00]: God's a gophe love needs to win out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because when you put God first, God's a gophe love can be felt to everyone else.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's God's love.
[SPEAKER_00]: So we talk about the love of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: That when you talk about God's love and he's be felt by everyone.
[SPEAKER_00]: So just a moment ago, I had to read Romans eight five now.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to have you read Romans five eight.
[SPEAKER_00]: Romans five eight.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we know about our love for God, but now listen to God's love for us.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Romans 580 says, but God demonstrates His own love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, that's love.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, some of these, I said last week, caution, 314, and above all these things embrace love, which is the bond of
[SPEAKER_00]: We need to feel God's love and let people feel it through you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then we have Romans 1210.
[SPEAKER_00]: Be devoted to one another with brotherly love, prefer one another in honor.
[SPEAKER_00]: We need to do that.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then last week we've read First Corinthians 13.
[SPEAKER_00]: But we read verses four through 13.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I want to go there again.
[SPEAKER_00]: But this time, I'm going to do it a little differently.
[SPEAKER_00]: Set first Corinthians 13, fourth through 13, which what we usually read.
[SPEAKER_00]: This time we're going to do, first Corinthians chapter 13 or one through seven, and it's important, and we'll see why.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, let me just read the last part of chapter 12 here.
[SPEAKER_00]: It says in verse 31 of chapter 12, but earnestly, covet the greater gifts.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yet I show you a more excellent way.
[SPEAKER_00]: If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not loved.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have become a sounding brass or a clanging symbol.
[SPEAKER_00]: If I have the gift of prophecy and understanding all mysteries and all knowledge and I have all faith, so so that I could remove mountains and have not love,
[SPEAKER_00]: I am nothing.
[SPEAKER_00]: If I give all my goods to feed the poor and I give my body to be burned and have not love, it profits me nothing.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's saying, you can do all these wonderful works.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can have the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can have all these things.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can do all these things for the church.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can do all these things for people around you.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you do it without the love of God, the agape loved, it's nothing.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's nothing.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're doing it for the wrong reasons, you have to understand he's talking to the people who is given and gotten in front of people and said, look, look, look, look at what I'm doing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe even though people who've done that, by the way, I'm not blaming anyone.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not even suggesting that you're one of them.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm simply saying, there are people to do that, but it goes on to say, this is where it talks about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Love is got people.
[SPEAKER_00]: Love suffers long and it's kind.
[SPEAKER_00]: Love envies not, love floats not itself and it's not puffed up.
[SPEAKER_00]: does not behave itself in property, seeks not its own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, for a joyous is not an iniquity, but for a joyous is in the truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: It bears all things, will leave all things, hope, solve things, and endure all things.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now I'll stop at that and move on.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've seen first Corinthians 1614, it says,
[SPEAKER_00]: In first, during your 16, 14, and you know it, we just said it earlier, that all things you do be done with love.
[SPEAKER_00]: Pastor, that so much easier said in the done.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I know it is.
[SPEAKER_00]: When you get cut off on the way home, I hope that didn't happen by the way.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you get cut off by some car, I know it's gonna be difficult to say, THEAK YOU!
[SPEAKER_00]: That's gonna be really, really hard.
[SPEAKER_00]: But don't let a person take the joy from your day.
[SPEAKER_00]: There, not worth it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I could grab my little sign here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I will.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: All of it is a trap.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a trap from the devil.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh boy, part of the sticker thing's going to be done.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a trap from the devil for you to fall into your temperament.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a trap from the devil for you to get angry.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe get fleshly.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what we do.
[SPEAKER_00]: If we start getting into the flesh and we start letting ourselves be seen and I'm talking about the ugly parts of us, it's be seen and we're not being a good witness for Christ and we're not letting the love of God be seen.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a trap.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a trap so that you can't be used that day in that moment as a witness to Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've heard people say, it's funny how mad people get when you don't get mad back.
[SPEAKER_00]: But let's not do it for that reason.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's do it because we want them to see the love of Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what we should do.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here's what we need to remember.
[SPEAKER_00]: God's love is filtered through you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now that may sound weird when I say filtered, but you gotta remember, we're not perfect.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it can't be seen perfectly, but it's filtered through you, and through you, it's felt by everyone else around you.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's why we got to do a very best.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not to let people see our flesh, but God's perfection in us.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it says, in Galatians 220, Galatians 220, I have been crucified with Christ.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who love me and gave Himself for me.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now this verse is beautiful.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna read it again, I'm gonna read it slowly.
[SPEAKER_00]: Paul wrote this and I loved it because he's not speaking about living in the flesh and a immoral way.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's talking about living in a literal skin of our body.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll say again, I have been crucified with Christ, come about the oldest is gone, okay?
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, it is no longer, I who live, but Christ who lives in me is Jesus, who's now living in us.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes we don't give Jesus first by the stewy.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's why I say it's important.
[SPEAKER_00]: Who's on first?
[SPEAKER_00]: Is it you, have you woken up, not feeling well?
[SPEAKER_00]: I do that a lot, sad, sad, sad, sad.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's why I have tied it on in the mirror all over the place.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the thing that sad is that sometimes we're not feeling well, we say, well, God understand, I don't feel good.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes we're like little Brad, it's aren't we?
[SPEAKER_00]: And then we do that, let's say, he understands it.
[SPEAKER_00]: That doesn't give us excuse to act all, all fleshly, it doesn't, but we do it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes, I don't talk about you necessarily.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm just talking about as human beings.
[SPEAKER_00]: But don't give a excuse to the flesh to be fleshly.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is where we need to stop.
[SPEAKER_00]: Pray, say, Lord God, I can't do this on my own.
[SPEAKER_00]: I need you to live in.
[SPEAKER_00]: Lord God, shut my mouth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Take over my mouth.
[SPEAKER_00]: As I'm afraid I'm gonna say words that are not good for others to hear.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm afraid I'm gonna think things that should be heard.
[SPEAKER_00]: It should be even heard of my mind.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I pray you will take over, and it's amazing.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're really meaning that when you pray it, you'll feel a spirit take over.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when that happens, your whole name can be changed, but it's all up to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: But leave her.
[SPEAKER_00]: Who's on first?
[SPEAKER_00]: Who comes first?
[SPEAKER_00]: And the life I now live in the flesh, that means in your body,
[SPEAKER_00]: I live by faith in the Son of God, who love me, gave Himself for me.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let Jesus take over you.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what it means.
[SPEAKER_00]: Romans 12 too.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do not, this is a good one.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do not be conform to this world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I love it.
[SPEAKER_00]: We make excuses.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna eat him and now, not anymore.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm only human, I live in a fallen world, have you heard that before?
[SPEAKER_00]: We live in a fallen world, well, we know that.
[SPEAKER_00]: We know that Melissa says, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't just do it once a week at church.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't just do it, I mean, if that's the case, and you end up missing, then you're in real trouble.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't just do it once a week, don't just do it once a day, do it hourly, minutely, if need be.
[SPEAKER_00]: Pastor, that makes me feel bad because then I feel, is if I'm really a fault, you are!
[SPEAKER_00]: So am I, you're human, I'm human, but I'm a saved human being, that's not because of me because of the glory of Jesus and me.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know you're not gonna believe this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have to bathe more than once a week.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know that's hard to believe.
[SPEAKER_00]: I heard the thank you, thank you.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what?
[SPEAKER_00]: There is a movie called Pete Stragon, where these people, these crazy hillbillies, say, I don't took my math and math, and math.
[SPEAKER_00]: And as if that was a really horrible thing, if they took it, you know, early, the point is that too many Christians bathe once a week, spiritually speaking.
[SPEAKER_00]: They bathe once a week.
[SPEAKER_00]: Folks, you might take a bath once a day, and I'm talking physically now.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I guarantee you wash your hands more than that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I guarantee that you do other things,
[SPEAKER_00]: We as Christians need to bathe spiritually every single day and continue to wash your face, wash your hands.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some talk with spirits in now, wash your hands, wash your head, you know, I cut my hair pretty short.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know that I don't use shampoo as much as I do so.
[SPEAKER_00]: I do both, but somebody takes soap whenever I feel itchy up here, which I do because my scars wash, wash, wash, wash, wash.
[SPEAKER_00]: and then I feel a lot fresher and do it.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, and I smell like I are spring.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, what ends up happening is, we lot times that you do it to our literal mind, spiritually speaking.
[SPEAKER_00]: We need to take the soap of the Word of God, do the love of the Lord God all around us, and then feel so fresh, because you're washing away the disgusting filth of this world, get that old fleshly skin.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, we get skin all over it, it comes up.
[SPEAKER_00]: We need to get that old skin office and get the spirit all over the amen.
[SPEAKER_00]: We do that by putting God first in our lives, put the flesh last name, man.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do not be conform to this world of Romans 12, too.
[SPEAKER_00]: But be transformer the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, and I quoted often.
[SPEAKER_00]: I quoted so often, John the Baptist as he was told by his disciples.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was told by his disciples,
[SPEAKER_00]: that there's more people falling on Jesus now, more than you, and he said, it's okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: What does he say?
[SPEAKER_00]: In John 330, he must increase, but I must decrease.
[SPEAKER_00]: In your life, everyday, less of you, more of Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: Less of you, more of this, he must increase, but I must decrease when an argument or someone starts bickering with you.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you want to say something like, I got so many comebacks, no, no, don't go fishing.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is where you pray in the God, it's a Lord, shut my beautiful mouth with this beautiful gap of my teeth, say, Lord, be quiet.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let me be quiet, Lord, make me be quiet.
[SPEAKER_00]: You speak out.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that my variable means you say nothing at all.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know why?
[SPEAKER_00]: Silence is louder than words sometimes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Amen.
[SPEAKER_00]: Especially if that's what the Lord tells you to.
[SPEAKER_00]: First, Thessalonians 2-4, first Thessalonians 2-4.
[SPEAKER_00]: But as we were allowed by God to be, this is important, I'm gonna say it again.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a Paul, it's a Paul statement that he's saying to the Thessalonians.
[SPEAKER_00]: First Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 4 says this.
[SPEAKER_00]: But as we were allowed by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak.
[SPEAKER_00]: not to please men, but God, who examines our hearts.
[SPEAKER_00]: So as you go into the world today or tomorrow, or the next day or the next, or even next week, there's gonna be a part of you, or maybe part of your family, or people that you know that say, we really need to make the others happy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not at the expense of putting them before the Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a trap.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a trap that the devil does to us all the time.
[SPEAKER_00]: We need to treat people good, yes, but not at their loss.
[SPEAKER_00]: Who got first, who's on first?
[SPEAKER_00]: It needs to be the Lord God.
[SPEAKER_00]: We must continue.
[SPEAKER_00]: The list of the says says, God has entrusted us with the gospel.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're blessed.
[SPEAKER_00]: God has entrusted us with the gospel.
[SPEAKER_00]: even so we speak, not to please men, but God.
[SPEAKER_00]: What you're saying is we're pleasing to God.
[SPEAKER_00]: So whenever you're tempted to say something you shouldn't remember, does this make God happy?
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what we need to remember.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, oh, and God examines our hearts.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, in closing, if God isn't our first love today, if he isn't our priority, we need to do some rearrangements.
[SPEAKER_00]: We need to do some adjustments.
[SPEAKER_00]: our heart be painful for a moment.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what we read just.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I don't know about you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes even now, I have to rearrange my office.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have to rearrange my room.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have to rearrange things sometimes.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not always fun.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's sometimes painful of noxious annoying where it has to be done.
[SPEAKER_00]: Spearously speaking, it might be difficult to do some rearrangements right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: It might even mean that some people's feelings may be hurt in your life for a little while, but in the end, it's for the better.
[SPEAKER_00]: Put God first, make God your number one love.
[SPEAKER_00]: These adjustments and rearrangements and need to be made in our hearts today.
[SPEAKER_00]: Am I be painful?
[SPEAKER_00]: But we have to admit we have a heart problem.
[SPEAKER_00]: We have to admit it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because God can help us with this.
[SPEAKER_00]: He needs to be our first love.
[SPEAKER_00]: So when we hear the phrase who's on first, the answer out of Matt and Jesus say, our Lord God Jesus, the Father, the Almighty.
[SPEAKER_00]: And let me close reading Mark, 1230.
[SPEAKER_00]: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: And with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the first commandment.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's close and prayer.
[SPEAKER_00]: Lord Jesus Christ, we just wanna thank you so much today, Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: We love you, Lord, so very much.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you, Lord God, for loving us.
[SPEAKER_00]: Lord God, thank you for giving us your love and being with us, your all our difficulties.
[SPEAKER_00]: Lord, I pray that we will look at our loveliest, if you will.
[SPEAKER_00]: And honestly take a glance to see if we're placing you first on lives each and every day.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Lord, I can admit there's times that I unintentionally place you second or third or whatever.
[SPEAKER_00]: Depends on the day depends on sometimes my emotions or my physical problems and blood.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray that that not be the case.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray that you will always be number one.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray that we will, I will always adjust it to where you come first so that everything else can be placed where it ought to be.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that they can feel your love.
[SPEAKER_00]: When we truly love someone, Lord, we will always put you before them, so that they can feel your love as well.
[SPEAKER_00]: Lord, I pray this for everyone here and for everyone at home.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray that you're in love with the Proless and be with us and help your love be felt all around.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray this and your holy precious name, Lord Jesus, amen.