Live Bait

Love this year got a new house got a new place. All right, some of you have how many want to move? I'm here trying to get out of California. Let's just be honest. Okay, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Okay, just look up for your Redemption draweth tonight that we're blessed. You're here this morning before we get into the word. We're going to be in the Book of Matthew chapter 4, but we're going to start in Hebrews chapter 4 in just a moment here. But before we do that we're going to pray for Paul. Am onion Polident is getting ready to go to Romania, and I just give her a warm welcome and she comes forward.

So I guess the question is are you ready to go? Almost ready starting to pack a woman after my own heart. Yes. She's leaving in about 20 minutes, but the And you're going to be gone how many days 10 days and you share with us than anything that remains that that we can help you with before you go other than prayer? Nothing that you need to get your tennis shoes. All right, just got warm sleeping bag. She got warm socks got warm tennis shoes. What else do you need right now? Let's pray for her this morning have if I know the Lord will be using her tremendously and that we're just blast it till she has a heart that for Mission. She has a heart for people and again, she's not one that just says Hey, I want to go to the remote parts of the world when she's home. She's safely out every single month that here in our church family and sometimes going door-to-door going to the marketplaces any place that the Lord would lead. She is bold and as she loves Jesus and more than anything else. She wants to see the Kingdom of Heaven expanded so not all of us can go but all of us can send a man so we have an opportunity to send her off with prayer and just remember to pray for her head. She's gone and if you've got questions for before she goes to see her love on her how daughter especially do that before she takes off and let's pray for Paul this morning. Forgot we thank you so much for Paula and thank you for her love for you more than just demonstrated that week in and week out day in and day out in her life her love for the gospel her love for the lost and love her sister love for the body of Christ in the Lord. Thank you that you provided for this trip that through your people or do you have met every need that? She has in the Lord we're blessed to be able to be part of that. But every person here for it has a has a play a part in sending her and soul or we Rejoice with her. We pray a hedge of protection about her life as she travels we pray that the Lord will would be done on Earth as it is in heaven that you give her. Peace Lord for any anxiousness that she might have always going to places unknown where you never been before. Thank you for her Zeal Lord. Thank you. Most of all for her compassion and love and we pray just fresh anointing upon her life at Lourdes that you would use her and when she comes home that the Lord she would do what your word declares to do that as we come together and we hear from her that lured her testimony would stir each and everyone of us have to love and to Good Works ourselves. And or just thank you for her. Again. Thank you that we has a church family get to be part of this and what we just so look forward to watching how you work in and threw her at least send her to you who commanded to you as into a faithful God and that look forward to her coming home safely, and we just thank you for the day. We lift her to you in The Wonderful Name of Jesus and we all agreed saying amen. Amen. Thank you so much to give her another round of applause.

And again, if you have a Bible handy this morning on inviting you to open up with me to a Hebrews chapter 4 and I'll buy you two stand to your feet will a start their the series that were in as in the gospel of Matthew find out the series is titled fulfilled because Matthews written this gospel primarily to a Jewish audience with the hope of helping them to see that all the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah are fulfilled in Christ. Jesus himself to be reading that versus 12225 here this morning. I titled this message live bait because it'll make sense as we go along many people like the fish here this morning. Any fisherman, how many do not like fishing at all? It just discussed. You hook a hoe. You'll get the thank God again. It's not really about fishing. It's about Jesus causing us and making us become Fishers of Men. So again, hopefully we can all find her place in that but the in Hebrews chapter 4 to me as we we study this here this morning one of the things that you know, I want you to be aware of you think about God could have sent an angel, you know from Heaven to proclaim the gospel, but it would have resonated with us. It wouldn't have it wouldn't have touched us at the place where Jesus did and where he does being able to relate to us. So I want you to know this morning, you know, whatever you're going through whatever things are happening in life. We have a God that understands we have a God that scripture says that he was like us it he's experienced as we studied the last few weeks about 10. Haitian whatever you're going through he's experienced it some way shape or form to some degree the very same things that you're going through and I love the fact that we have a god that is big enough, you know to relate to every single heart that's represented here this morning. Amen. And so is I think about you know Hebrews chapter 4, you know again, when you look at this, it's just a great reminder to assume that the Jesus understands no broken hearts. He he came to broken people. He and I share with you often the other at work. We're broken people living in a broken World in a Ministry and other broken people and it's Jesus who brings us to a place of wholeness. It's Jesus who makes us whole and that was this message it again that he sharing throughout the Matthew's gospel and it's why you know thousands upon thousands would come out and they would flock and follow him. There was a different wasn't religion, you know, it was about keeping a set of rules. It was an invitation to come into a relationship with God himself that got him Self is what we celebrate at Christmas Emmanuel God With Us amen. And so is you look at this Inn in Hebrews chapter 4 here this morning verse 14 and will read this together and then we'll pray just seen them that we have a great high priest to pass through the heavens Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast our confession for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was an all points tempted as we are yet without sin and what that's what we were studying. Just let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find Grace to help in time of need and this morning. I guess the great question for each and every one of us is do you have need this morning? And if you do then join me as we come boldly before the throne of grace father God. We thank you this morning that we can come boldly before you and we do in The Wonderful Name of Jesus Jesus. You're the one who makes it possible by your body broken your blood shed for us on calvary's cross that we have access now to the father do we have right standing before God or regardless of what we've done that's not the basis of our standing with you lord. It's what you've done for us is that God so loved this world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever would believe in him will not perish but have everlasting life or may you massage that deep within our hearts. The reason that you came May at all. After this Christmas season or just cause us to stand in awe and wonder at the god of Heaven the god of Earth would love us so much that he would come and make a way that we could know him that we could spend eternity. I'd only with God but eternity together Lord help those truths become a reality in each of our hearts this morning. We pray for your glory and for our good we pray these things in The Wonderful Name of Jesus. And again, we all agreed saying amen a man you can be seated. So. Matthew chapter 4, obviously Jesus is coming through the Temptation in the wilderness. He's come through and flying colors. He defeated the enemy as you saw using the word of God. The word of God is powerful the same way that a work for Jesus is the same way that it works for us and he's come to model life of faith in practice verse 12 there Matthew forces. Now when Jesus heard that John had been put into prison he departed to Galilee to imagine the scene. Here you go. John has meal come as the The runner to Jesus, right? And he says, you know, there's one coming after me who's shoelaces, you know her sandals. I'm not even going to fit to tie and and then he sees John John sees Jesus mean when he says, you know Behold the Lamb of God who's come to take away the sins of the world and I'm so I mean John is in this total place of excitement, you know, John is believing like many of the Jews that again when you think about the concept the terms that you'll see in Matthew, he no speaking of the Kingdom of Heaven vs the kingdom of God Matthew really speaks about the Kingdom of Heaven. He uses it many more times than the kingdom of God and for good reason of the Jews believe that when the Messiah came he was going to establish a physical a literal Kingdom and they were they were looking forward to that. And so John's thinking that as well you done so he's proclaiming this and you know, he's excited about it. Now. Jesus is on the scene. He's baptized him, you know now a year goes by John is still preaching. He still teaching you don't to get John is more or less really his focus is life on preaching. He's making the proclamation. He's not so much teaching or nurturing in that respect. He's calling people to repentance. He's telling me there's one coming, you know to make his path straight and go get things right repent do a 180 you'll get yourself right with God turn from yourself turn to God, so he's proclaiming this message and you know, you know what happens when people get really jealous about that message and they go public with it, right? They get put in jail. And so John here he gets thrown into jail and you have to really just read this to appreciate some put yourself in John's position, right? So everything you thought I've ever had a thought about God and not work out the way that you thought and it takes you back. Isaiah, you know that his ways are higher above our ways John's going to have one of these moments right here, cuz look what it says verse 12 Jesus heard that John had been put into prison he leaves That's what I'm saying. He departs he goes to Galilee new Magic Johnson. Hey, hey, hey, you know if you like a good Adventure movie, like I like her a good love story if you're a woman here and you know, when you get you know, when you get taken captive, you know, what's the heroic supposed to do rescue you John's waiting for bail to be posted it. What does it say? Jesus Does He Lives just going it's almost like the tomb of Lazarus right there waiting for Jesus comes. I'm glad I didn't show up you're going I mean, I mean Walking With Jesus, I mean would have us on our ears most of the time just not understanding we say it, you know, so cute, you know and Isaiah and his ways are higher above our ways but it's frustrating you're trying to figure somebody out and you can't figure it out. If you want to hear I want to figure you out and you go and you can't, you know, it's like grabbing water and that's how it is with Jesus here and he's playing things you ever prayed something then got hold you to it. Yeah, what it what is John praying? He said I must what did he say decrease that he might what increase right? So now he has his chance you're ready to grow before, you know, it's like man and so hear Jesus de parks near one of the beauties of this you can silence a voice but you cannot silence light and that's one of the amazing things are receiving today or the gospel is still going forward in this world. You can put people in prison but me and the gospel continue. How does the gospel in a Prosper more in the world is during times of great Prosperity when things are going good, or is it when there's great persecution you going to have one people are are suffering Martin and when they're dying or being broken you might say for the cause of Christ the greater light actually signs for Jesus again. This is the sad part of it. He came to his own John says in his own know. I'm not Matthew 13:57. Because they were so offended at Jesus's but Jesus said to them a prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house and so here is he can't even do ministry in his hometown. So what does he have to do? He's going to a place where there's people that are hungry that again and he's being the lead of the spirit. There's something that's important here that the people were in darkness where where Jesus was headed because Jesus wasn't there in a river Jesus isn't at that's where darkness is. Hell is hell because Jesus isn't there in heaven is heaven because Jesus is there a man and so, you know, one of the things that we see right away from his life that's important to know that you know, Jesus obviously is born of the spirit. We we we see that he's filled with the spirit. He's led by the spirit. He's actually driven by the Holy Spirit when he he personifies a Spirit-filled spirit-led Spirit Driven Life in this is the very thing that he desires for you and I as his disciples that again the invitation that he'll make it. Goes along here. And so again, the greatest blessing we have is again what we celebrate it Christmas, you know, Emmanuelle think about that. You know, what does it mean again Emmanuel God With Us and he's with you today. If you're in Christ, Jesus is with you no matter where you go no matter what goes on again. He's with you and yet here is Jesus going to Galilee Philippians doesn't he humbled himself to the point of becoming a man you think you know as the king of the Jews where would be the place that you would establish your throne in your kingdom Oldham. It's where it's going to be. It's going to be in Jerusalem, right? But he's being rejected now, he's not being received by his people. So he's going to go to the farthest in a remote place that he can get to he's going to go up into the Galilee region, which is it in the North near Syria near the go on Heights there that it again places where there's just a continual war that takes place will read about some of this in the in the names that that he expresses here, but you would think that he'd be right there in Jerusalem. You know monks the religious leaders who are teaching that and proclaiming that the Messiah is coming and he's right there amongst them, but they're in darkness and yet he's come to bring light into this world. I love the fact that you know when he began to again preach, you know, he picks up right where John leaves off. He preaches a message of repentance. But he's also not just proclaiming but he goes about his teaching as well and It Again Luke Scottsville. He he reminds us of this when Jesus went into the synagogue in and that's where you always went. The first place that he went was to his people he he came for the lost sheep of the House of Israel. That's where he went first when he was rejected their did he just say, okay, I guess I won't do anything and sometimes that's what we do. What will pray about you know, Ministry and doing something and it won't work out the way that we hope so we just quit and we just as opposed to the scripture say no no, no, you know dust your shoes and do what keep on going knock on the next door how many rings sales really been in sales here? You don't have sales are tough. Huh? How many how many knows they say, you know, you get like seven knows of it before you get a yes. So you learn to liver rejection. How many love baseball any baseball players in here? I mean strikeout most of the time, you know, and you can still be a millionaire. That's what's so amazing. But as long as you get a really good head every, you know, like three at-bats your ear in the thing but it it's hard but yours Jesus in his first Ministry of teaching in the synagogue. It says in Luke 4 verse 17 it says and he was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah says we need to open the book. He found the place where was written. The spirit of the Lord is upon me if we know that from Reading Matthew's gospel write the he's being led of the Holy Spirit the key to being used of God churches be glad of God's spirit. He said the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. So, where is he going? He's going to the poorest of the poor. I mean you think about you know, where he's going to be at in that Galilean region there I mean, Utah, Get out to the Gentiles, you know, I mean to the outcasts of the downcast mean use it. It's like in Altamonte and arvind parts of Bakersfield in Oildale, you know chapter, you know, I mean, you could be all these areas, you know, the Shafter, you know, Wasco Lamont Delano You Know Tab Lost Hills, you know, Derby Acres Dustin Acres, listen be the kind of place where the king of kings and Lord of War II imagine that's that's he's walking around going from place to place in the people are coming out to to see him there and he says that he says God he said he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted Proclaim Liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind to set at Liberty those who are oppressed to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and he told the people said today that this this scriptures been fulfilled in your mitts that God had come from Heaven to Earth. Again, going back to your John's Gospel of John chapter 1 verse 6. It says there was a man sent from God. His name was John says this man came as a witness to Bear witness of the light that all through him might believe that's what John is the lightest hear. The light is coming to the world and he says he was not the light but he was sent to Bear witness of the wife. That was the True Light gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world in the world is made through him in the world did not know him. He came to his own his own did not receive him. That's how we ended up in the Galilean region here. It says but as many as received him the damn he gave the right to become children of God to those who believe in his name who are not born not of blood nor of the will the flesh nor the will of man but God, so we're seeing you. This is what we're going to see is it takes off from here is Jesus begins to the preaching to teach there in the Galleon reader and study starting next week. We'll see the the Mount of Beatitudes in The Sermon on the Mount and it's one of the most wonderful teachings it in scripture there verse 13 And leaving Nazareth. He came and dwelt in capernum which is by the sea in the regions of zebulun and naphtali capernum means Village of Mayhem against little fishing Village in the north exit on the east shore of the Sea of Galilee. There's about fifteen hundred people history tells us living there a little obscure Village anything about this king of kings and Lord of War that that's where he goes to, you know, again verses 15 and 16 Day quote Isaiah chapter 9 verses 1 and 2 and it says that it might be spoken and fulfilled which was by the prophet Isaiah say in the land of zebulun and the land of NAFTA Lie by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan Galilee of the Gentiles again, he's not even going to the Jews. He's going to the Gentiles. How does the people that's us by the way, you know, that's good news that says the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light didn't say that they were in darkness in that sense or they walked in darts as they sat in it. If that's how dark it is, I mean, they're literally you're just sat in the dark. You're headed to have been at home. And then the power goes out. You're just sitting in the dark and it's just like Doom and Gloom. It says in-app on those who sat in the region and the shadow of death. Now that region was called the shadow of death because of the go on Heights because many of Israel's Wars took place. There was a constant play have attacked by their enemies. There has been a light has Dawn this is a major, you know, Caravan route that connected to the Mesopotamia are there to Egypt all came through that it was, like, I guess if you're looking at, you know, try to picture Bakersfield for a second the same kind of hair. You got the 99 Freeway. You got the 58 freeway coming through there I-5 you don't pass me to take out before I v I was there when it happened to everything had to go through Bakersfield, right and you were people excited about coming to Bakersfield. We are Big B on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, you know, yeah, I got towed into Bakersfield one-time got a flat, you know who got arrested there one time, you know Tumbleweed came and you know, all kinds of stuff, you know, just who was always know something not flattery. Will this is so you can picture it. It's the same kind of general area where Jesus now is doing Ministry there people like what is he doing? You know up there in this particular area at 4:17 that says and from that time Jesus began to preach and say repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. I love about this is does he come up with a new message? What are Jon courson ISM if it's true? It's what it's not what new and if it's new. It's not true. If it's true, it's not noon. If it's new, it's not true know. Jesus is just picking up. It's like a baton and that's always asked you and I to do is is to receive the receipt from him like a baton in to take that message and to continue on with it. We don't have to change I could ask you this morning and we believe your dad scripture is infallible, right the way that God gave it to us. And it's it's origin. It's completely infallible. And then the real good question for me and you today. Yeah. This is the argument that's taking place in the church is the word of God sufficient in our lives. Can we study the Bible and find what we need to live this life? Absolutely. And that's what Jesus is talking about. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand at these when it's right there. It's right before you Jesus is here on this Earth. And so he preaches a message of repentance. And again, what does it mean to repent? Minster turn right turn I do a 180 to turn then I just turned go do something else turn from your own ways to God's ways right turn to the things of God and I'll begin to do the things that God has called us to do when you go. Can I you've read the Bible. I read the Bible who can you do those things are possible. They're impossible impossible. We said I like I said, we try to do those things right and you get going for a while and you get a couple of them down good then what happens if you plates fall off and next thing, you know, you're just going and what are we do we give up because God hasn't called this to a bunch of rules and regulations. He hasn't called us two religions what we're sharing last Sunday. He's called this to a relationship to find our identity in him. That is this is a beautiful thing that he just keeps regenerating here as we walk through this, you know, again, he says that he'll make us become Fishers of Men and I found it as people were either Oriented the people mean that we love people but we're not really good at that you're in the gospel or we're really good that you're in the gospels were not oriented the people meaning that you know, we love sharing the word. We don't really care for the people you go and it's kind of like, you know, there's a there's kind of a happy medium there. You know that God wants to bring in our life These fishermen, you know, they were small business owners and they were profitable and what they did and what God is calling us is the same thing that he was calling John the Baptist to have this realization. We must do what if we're going to be effective in living the life that Jesus is about ready to invite your the disciples into I'm just ahead of the game here because we read the Bible were looking back on a story here. This isn't the first time that we've heard it. He said John himself. He said I must have been do I decrease that? He might increase and I think we understand that and that's the call that's upon all of our Lives its downward Mobility. Jesus said the greatest among shoe is who the servant and the one who serves is that the one who's at the top but the one who's at the bottom. I mean these guys all own stuff. They were business owners. They they had things would you agree that repentance comes at a cost?

Does repentance coming to cost? Yeah, it's it's it's going to be about you know, surrendering. It's about giving up. You know, again, it's coming alongside. Yes. I see that I think about the Christmas season and you know, it isn't it amazing how many more people we run into that have need during the holidays? It's almost like you can't even go out shopping without running the more people that have signs that are saying, you know, not even will work for food. You know, that was the old one. Tell me just saying I'm starving. Can you spare a few know some change? No family you out of work for you know months and months just need food for our baby or we need diapers. And and we do what you know, we become so callous. We just fit right, you know, you're just going to use that for you know, some greedy purpose. So I'll go there for turn my heater up in my truck and you keep on on driving and they're standing out there, you know on the sidewalk. And it's easy to do that. That's what happens you known religion. And again you look at you know, what Jesus is about ready to unfold here. So why should I Repent? Why should I turn my world upside down? That's the question for me. That's the question for you to trust me. I had to study this this week for myself is why because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and if there was a kingdom of heaven was not at hand then it would be just go that what you're doing if the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand then you know, what don't worry about anybody else if you know that he who has the gold makes the rules going to go for it as much as you can afford it under yourself. What is the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand again in in you look at the gospel of Matthew and what is about to unfold for us? This is a radical call. This is a radical change that God is calling us to make we can't make it on her own or is he telling us he's not pointing to something and say hey you guys need to go do this you need to do this. He says follow me. your followed anybody before

not like a stalker. I mean, I don't mean like like that but I mean like, you know, how many likes he likes sports sports sports enthusiasts hear you have a favorite team how many other favorite play Pandit sportser, you know in whatever in life you got so many people you like in sports. You can tell somebody likes a sports team. Usually they'll they'll do whatever we got some guys that like football and they'll come in on a Sunday in your Tim pool be wearing his New England Patriots jersey, you know, some people still need another shirt is that the only one that he has you don't know he's got plenty of clothes. He is the Patriots Manny from Boston news for Massachusetts. Do you need loves loves the Patriots? And so he he shows his love for the team by doing what by dressing like them. Will there's a way that you and I can dress that followed. Jesus will look at that in just a moment, but it's about repenting. It's about following God that that's the invitation. You know, that that he's making one of the interesting things in those I was studying through the Never really studied it in this death of a of a way that usually take place in Jesus day people go to the rabbis and just like new people Stanford. I want to go to Ivy League school and you do what you know, you you try to get in right? Well in in Jesus day, that's what you did you went to the rabbi's you should have like to I'd like to learn under your tulips, you know, the Apostle Paul. He sat under Gamaliel, which is like to the Harvard theology school of Paul's dad. So it wasn't, you know, if you were named dropping to say while I studied under the milia the man that was something will Jesus isn't having people come to him. You got to think about this. They're not for the most part coming in and going Jesus. We want to follow you. There's a good reason. Because if you follow Jesus there was a good chance that what you were going to die Jesus on the other hand went to people and he said to them follow me. All of Me and again, if you're going to follow him then then there was something again you the beauty of this church that I hope that you do understand a Christmas more than just a manual that God is with us he's going I want you to be with me or John 17 is his father I pray that they would be with us he wants us to be with him forever in eternity. Should I go to prepare a place for you loves you so much that he wants you to be with him. That's awesome. He's going to put the price that that it that it'll cost, you know, cuz it could cost you your life. You know, Jesus said hey follow me, but you know, there's a good chance you're going to get crucified. You think a whole bunch of people where we sign up there two pages. You will just one signature drive to date at that means like you don't do I need a thumb stamp on that one. You need a notary now. There's a high cost.

Again, God has so much more for us church, then we can possibly know. Why should we repent and you look at that this morning again? There's a new kingdom that's coming the Kingdom of Heaven at use 32 * there in Matthew's gospel were kingdom of God is only use five times. Like I said the Jewish people remember they were looking for a physical, you know, a material a literal Kingdom. Angie is going know. There's something more. There's a spiritual there's an eternal Kingdom settle looking around. I want you to look up I need in your life each day. Cuz we tend to do what we look around we measure life and everything by the things that we see around us who has one who's doing what and he's going at it and that's that's going to matter what really matters is lookup new lookup set your affections on the things we're up above now, not on the things of this Earth and so here's Jesus inviting us and I also want you to think about this this morning in this invitation that we have to follow him turn real quick. If you were the Colossians chapter 3 verses 12 through 14. Again, because one of the the pictures that Jesus is painting for us here is that this is what he wants for us is bigger. It's way better than what you and I can imagine that that that's the beauty of God. I mean, you know, it says I hasn't seen nor ear heard nor is it even entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him. I mean we've seen some pretty amazing awesome things in this world every one of my grandbabies man are amazing. So beautiful, you know to look at to the hold, you know anything can you go and and they won't compare To what heaven will be like in a one day and you go if there's going to be some amazing things to lay our eyes on the look at this cuz it wasn't just about the Jewish people. It's about me it's about you. It's an invitation here today Church. Jesus is saying repent turn from your way. That's not a bad thing. Okay, people have the same. No, cuz we've seen the signs and repent or go to hell repent Turner burner that wasn't the beauty of repentance. The beauty of repentance is we don't have to do things our way. We don't have to, you know live by Einstein's theory of insanity that we do the same thing over and over and over and over again expecting a different result to know. If not we can there's a New and Living Way, you know Hebrews tells us in Christ Jesus in his personal relationship. Not what you can do for God not what I can do forgot what God can do in and through us as we learn how to watch surrender to him. And that's a process sanctification is a process justification happened all in one day. The date of Jesus Christ died on that cross the day that you open your heart to him. You were justified by the blood of Jesus Christ with the process of becoming like Jesus is a slow slow slow. Okay, I'll be like, you know, I love you and they design roller coasters and stuff you ever seen those shows where they do that and then they have people that know they're like test people that get on it, but when they admit made one and it's just got too many G's to pull know that's how they learn to tone it down because everybody gets on there and they get my bag and they go around the first Turns full like 60s now. Okay. Well, we better slow than Engineers are going. Jesus is know if he just took us from who we are to who ultimately we're going to be one day. We need a barf bag. I'm just telling you right now. It was this week. We couldn't handle the transformation. Now. It's a process will look at us in that process Colossians 3 12 through 14 you think about this especially over the holidays does put on them? This is the NAB translation says put on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved heartfelt compassion what you think it is worth heartfelt compassion kindness humility gentleness and patience bearing with one another and forgiving one another if one has a grievance against another so is the Lord is for giving you so must you also do and over all these put on love that is the bond of perfection. So what is he telling us to do close ourselves? You should follow me. Just like, you know, you could identify somebody that you know, if you are a Green Bay Packer fan, you know what it would it have identified Green Bay Packer fan for the most part where they do they go to the game and they have on what you came in to church or 2T said somebody might think it's strange that might think you know, but they're going to let you in because they've seen it before right there going to rain here comes a cheesehead and you're going why they're worth at the church or they go to the Packers play today so that and you can do that with any you know religion. Give me for the most part except for Christianity. I mean you can look and could you could you tell a Buddhist monk is a Buddhist monk walked into the church. How about a sheep, you know didn't have a headdress. How about a Muslim, you know, there's some type of garbage or some type of clothing. You know that we wear when you go get a Christian. You go. It's not a I mean look at this is a real look around. The dirt is a room full of Christians and nobody's dress the same in here. How do we know? How could we possibly know Jesus said follow me and I will make you become Fishers of Men and so here jumping ahead. Then you'll Colossians tells us. So how do we do it? How do how do we become Fishers of Men? You look at what it what were the things that Jesus did remember that old expression people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. How many by a show of hands believe that's true. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care what your hands up. It's okay, even if they answer that but look at this. So look at these words. I mean cuz Paul hear nothing about Paul and you got to love this was Paul always a compassionate person. Okay, if you study Paul's wife in Paul, you know, I mean, he's like, you know stand there's a coat rack. Unova's Stephens killed right? He's calling for the death of Christians. He goes 300 miles to Damascus. Christians back to Jerusalem to be built ride and thrown in jail was not a very kind person and I'm very patient person is definitely not compassionate but something's happened. What did he do you repented he repented he went from being Paul Saul of Tarsus to the Apostle Paul. What did he do? He repented you turn from himself, and he turned to the things of God, and he and again he didn't say all going to try to be we've all done is like I said, it's not remember sin is a noun. It's not a verb. It's a connection to Adam and righteousness and Holiness and Justice it again, all these things that are in Christ Jesus. They're not they're not verbs either. It's a noun. It's a relationship between the Waters of baptism. We died to send an atom. We came out at Water raised in the new new new life. It's in Christ Jesus. It's a wonderful thing and then these become the demarcations of our life you think about that word compassion now in some of your Bibles, it'll say the word ballet anybody has that in the King James version says don't you love that? You know, I love you with all my bowels with your spouse still make honey. I just want you to know. I love you with all my bowels, and I know you do honey, and and please stop it. No, it isn't where we get the expression. I love you with all my heart, right? So again, meaning you again as in the special you think about the initial response to have compassion and this is what Jesus did mrs. What he did so well and we know you go because the masses flock to him who the Gentiles the rejected these guys were fishermen. They lived out in villages. They were herdsmen. They were they were farmers in Bakersfield living in the surrounding, you know areas here that this was an Agricultural Society Marion until you look at this and you go boy, what did you think about compassion with what they have if you had to Define compassion, how would you define it? What you think about that for a second? It's feeling feeling but other people are feeling.

That's that's where it begins to say God help me to feel what they feel. As opposed to going in your hate, you know, I mean we don't religion is somebody knocks on your door, right or did when they knock on your door. They feeling what you feel they have an agenda or just want to tell you something. They just have the information is like a Salesman right? I want to sell this thing. I just want to sell it. How do we close the deal? Why do we close the deal and here is Jesus coming along and we see this in Matthew's gospel. He's doing what he's feeling what other people are feeling. That's why I started with keyboards for we have a high priest church that can relate to us. He's been tempted in all points. He he feels he has felt what we feel he understands he knows he's going I want you if you're going to follow me then these are the things that will that will earmark your life that you'll feel compassion about kindness. Can you define kindness? What what's when you say being kind to someone what it what do you think of?

Maybe by definition of cyclone in your strength to someone else like someone showed you kindness that you see somebody who has more than you that stronger than you that humbles themselves and they do something then that was very kind of you, you know to do that day they gave up their strength to to your weakness in that in that moment about humility. Not seeing yourself for who you really are, you know for the most part, you know Jesus he condemned apocracy right and there's a pieocracy in all of our lives. And what is it a hypocritism someone who wears a mask, right? We try to present ourselves in the best light possible Right, but who we really are is who we are win when nobody's looking except forgot, okay? But humility haven't having a right view of Self in relationship to God and other people I guess the point with humility is or any of us better than anybody else.