Flee, Pursue, and Take Hold First B Jackson 2018-06-24 Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record. ---- Alright. Good morning, church. How are we? Good to see everybody. Here's some good news from from Psalm. It says, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with a steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. What do you say we stand out and we sing? Bless the Lord. Worship his holy name. Sing like never before, oh my soul, I worship your holy never before. Oh, my soul. I worship your holy name. I worship your holy name. I worship your Amen. Y'all can have a seat. We've got a few announcements this morning. Not as many actually. We're arriving at some of these. So, here we go. Patriotic Color Run. I was alerted to the fact that I don't know what a color run is this week. Do y'all know what a color run is? Okay. A lot of people doing this. Y'all are on Facebook. Y'all see people going to color runs. I don't ever see that. I don't know. I didn't know what it was. You don't have to wear red, white, blue because if you start this race, by the time you finish, you'll be covered with red, white, and blue. Alright? There's a color run. Apparently, they shoot powder at you at various places along the trail, But it's supposed to be really, really fun. I understand that patriotic five ks color run. Jackson Hole Young Life is doing this. It'll be June 30 at 10:07. So that is next Saturday at 10:07AM at the high school and it'll be five ks run. Please come out. That'll be fun. Support Young Life in that. Rolling River Rampage. I almost forgot about that this morning. I did not almost forget. There are plenty of volunteers here yesterday setting all this up. The Rolling River Rampage VBS. Really really going to be a fun, good time. So, if the kids, if you know of kids that are not signed up for here or another Vacation Bible School in town, then sign em up and bring em on in. You can do that up to time that it starts tomorrow. That'd be fine. 9AM to noon, the twenty fifth through the twenty seventh. Come on in. When you pass through the waters, I'll be with you. It's one of their theme verses for the week. Isaiah 43. Youth group, times and dates will change for the summer. Mike D, what's going on? Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate that. Monday nights at First B is happening tomorrow night, Monday night, 06:00. We're on. 06:00 meal, music, and message. Tomorrow's theme is stewardship. What we do with the gifts we've been given until Jesus returns. Amen. So, that's in the Fellowship Hall tomorrow night, 06:00 in the evening. If there are any other prayer requests that you have, you can call in. Let us know. We'll put em in the bulletin. If there are other announcements that I'm forgetting, they are in the bulletin. The written paper printed bulletin that they hand you when you come in. If you don't have one, grab one on the way out. I'll let you know what's going on and I think that's it. So, if you would, stand right now. Leave space for other people. There are folks still coming in. If you'd stand and greet one another and then welcome somebody into the seats next to great surprise. Yeah. Alright. I open up to you. I open up to you. This love that makes me Alright. My heart is open wide. My heart is open wide. I will receive your life. Give me faith like a child. You give me faith like a child. I take hold of you. Alright. More than words are more than good ideas. More than words more than good ideas. I found your love in the old bound feet. More than words, words, more more than than good good ideas. I found your love in the Alright. He takes our place. Let's sing this again. He takes place and stands in front of God all night. He speaks on our behalf since we don't have the right. He pleads before the God who judges odds of man. Mediates are the sentence for us. And there's one, There is only one God. There is only one. Maybe the apes standing between God and man, we see the only way to salvation. Redemption through the price that he has paid. He gave his life to purchase freedom from the fall. We mediate to serve the ransom for us all there is. Would you pray with me? God, thank you for giving us the God man, Jesus Christ, to be one God, the one mediator between between us and you, the man Jesus Christ. Thank you for that. Thank you for the hope that we have in you. Thank you that you are a living hope. I thank you God for life and freedom in the spirit. I thank you God for each person here today. I pray that you would reach us right where we're at. You know exactly where we're at, and I pray that we would be, just as we sang, that we would be open to receive, that we would not stand at an arm's length away from you, but rather to draw close to you, and you say you will draw close to us. Amen. A child of God. I am no longer staying in fear. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. Let's sing that again. You split the sea so I could. You split the sea so I could walk right through it. My fears are drowning perfect. You rescued me so I could stand and see. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. Amen. You can have a a seat. I'll invite the frontline team to come forward here as we participate in the worship through giving. Let me just share this from from first John. In light of the song we're just saying, see how very much our father loves us for he calls us his children, and that is what we are. Let's pray. God, I thank you for a new identity in you. I thank you that you call us sons and daughters, that you call us friends, God, that you are not far off, but that you are near. Thank you, God, for every gift that you give. There's so many things that we, can so easily take for granted, and I I pray that, looking at the Tetons would would would never get old, that enjoying the beauty that surrounds us would never get old, that, everything that you have entrusted to us that we would use for your glory and the good of others and find true joy because that's where where it is is is found to love you and to love others. That's really where it's at, and it's basic stuff. But, yeah, we need to be reminded of it every day because we're leaky people. We tend to forget. So that we we take a moment, we pause, we remember to give thanks to you, our God almighty, our creator, our sustainer. We thank you for all that you have blessed us with. Would you take these gifts, use them, multiply them? They're yours to begin with. Thank you. In Jesus' name, amen. Speak over and renew our minds. Help us grasp the heights of your plans for us. True, some change from the dawn of time that we'll then go down to return. Well, good morning. It's I'm so used to hearing the sound of little pitter patter of feet going out of here in between song and sermon that it feels weird when it doesn't happen. I'm glad the kids are up here this week. We've got, I've got a message for you this morning and I typically feel like I'm more of a teacher than a preacher. Prepare yourselves, alright? This is a preaching message not a teaching message and it is because it hits us right where we live. So, I, this week, went went back and read the passage obviously but I've also read a lot of some of the old minor prophets, minor major prophets. I love Amos. I use Amos a lot when I'm doing wedding ceremonies. I think of can two walk together unless they be agreed. It's a great thing that says, listen, agree and walk together. Rhetorical question. I like that but Amos has a hard word for his people. It's hard for him to deliver for one thing because he was he was forecasting exile. He was forecasting. This is going to happen. You've wandered far away from God and now you're going to be exiled and so the king didn't really like hearing that message and Amaziah, the priest who was actually kind of like the folks that Paul is saying, Timothy, there are people who think godliness is a means of gain. Well, his priest were sort of like that at that time. So, Amaziah was the priest at the time and Amos goes to him and he gives this message and he goes on for a couple of chapters and he's saying, this is a hard word but you're going into exile. Nothing you can do. Yes, I know. You got plenty of money right now. Things are going well for you. I understand that but you've wandered away from God. You've gone to idols. You've gone away from him. You don't care anything about justice. You don't care anything about mercy and so, you're going to be exiled. Well, Jeroboam, the king doesn't like it. Amaziah doesn't like it. Amaziah says, man, you gotta just quit spread this message. You're making us look bad. He goes, you are bad. He also says, later on in in chapter seven, when Amaziah's pleading with him not to keep on spreading this word, he looks, Amos looks to him and says, listen, I was not a prophet nor the son of a prophet. I was minding my own business, tending my sycamore figs, and dealing with the sheep out in the field but the word of the Lord came to me and this is what it says. Not a popular message for his time, and I'm afraid I don't have a real popular message for our time. It's not to be mean, but it is to be honest about what it says. Mark Colgate is in Sky five. Well, this this is very interesting. Apparently, the bear decided to try, you know move around. Oh, garbage cans are out too. Yeah. Just a couple of minutes ago, the bear left the clearing in the backyard there, he made his way over to the driveway over on Mayfield. He came down that driveway, down Mayfield, and now he's on Briggs, and now it looks like he's got turning into another driveway here. We're gonna kinda maneuver around and see if we can get another shot of him. But, yeah. Put some noise right there. Oh, man. You got someone, resident there. Yeah. He just saw the bear. Oh. Walkway. So, thank you, Blake. That little clip, that guy was walking along texting. And when he looks up, he sees a big black bear. That's a pretty good sized black bear and what did he do? I think the biblical word is fled. He fled, didn't he? So, if we can get to the the beginning, there we go. So, this is a message for today and couple of those highlighted ones at the top. We covered last week. Imma drop back a few verses and go through that too but I want you as we consider today, as you think about it, what is it that you are desiring? What is it that you're craving? What is it that you're fleeing and what is it that you're pursuing? I've never felt more like a preacher in my life than right now. This sounds just like a message, right? It's not just teaching along. Let's go back though and say, first Timothy six five be the end of it. Imagining that godliness is a means of gain. In Amaziah, Amos' time, that's what the priest were pretty set up because politics and religion had gotten intermingled pretty good and it was expedient for the priest to say whatever the king wanted them to say they were well rewarded for it with monetary things, material things. Imagining that godliness is a means of gain. That happens today but Paul says to Timothy, godliness, actual godliness with contentment is great gain for we brought nothing into this world. We can't take anything out of this world but if we have food and clothing, if we have our basic necessities met, then, with these, we will be content but those who desire actually, it's progressive action. Those who are desiring to be rich fall into temptation. Into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires and there's the word again, desiring that plunge people into ruin and into destruction for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. Now, I went over this last week. I'm not going to beat this one but you see, the love of money, not money, the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It's all kinds, not just the love of money or money is evil or the love of money is evil. It is the love of money is a root for all kinds of evils. Money is actually neutral. It can be spent for good or it can be spent for ill. Phones. Phones can be used for good or they can be used smartphones, you know. Computers, they can be used for good or for evil. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving and that's kind of a guttural visceral type desire. This craving that some have wandered away from the faith. So, they started out understanding what was going on but they were lured away by temptation and by desires and by the evil influence of the love of material things and money. It's through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. So, pierced themselves. They brought it on themselves by succumbing to the temptation falling into the snare but as for you, oh man of God, he turns that corner right there but as for you, oh man of God. He's speaking directly to Timothy. He's speaking directly to me. He's speaking directly to you. If you are a believer in Jesus, he's saying, as for you, oh person of God, flee these things and in particular, in this context, what is he saying? Flee these things. He's saying, flee materialism. Yes, I'm delivering this in Jackson, Wyoming. Flee materialism. It's hard but flee it. Flee from the desire to be rich. Now, you can have money and you can use your money for blessed things and I know that. Be desiring God. Does that make sense? Desire God and he'll add all these things. Seek first the kingdom of God and all of these things will be added unto you but get your priorities in the right situation. So, desire God. Flee the desire to be rich. Flee from the craving or the love of money. Flea these things. In the context, that's exactly what he's talking about. That's the message from this immediate context but he he uses the word flee so seldom. It's only used four times in the New Testament and it means just like that guy ran from that bear. Get away from there and I I know I'm not the park ranger. I don't know what the best thing to do with the bear. If something, you know, take off your backpack, sit it down, slowly walk away. I'm running. I'm fleeing. I'm a big guy. I ain't that big. I was not designed to be able to handle a bear, right? And when Paul says this, God, the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul to Timothy to us, says, flee something. He means flee it because we're not designed to handle that temptation. Okay? So, materialism, flee these things. The other thing he says to flee is in first Corinthians six is flee sexual immorality. Flee it. You're not designed to handle this kind of temptation. Flee it. Get away from it. I think of this verse. Six eighteen says, flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin that a person commits is outside of their body but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body and it's something that we see in scripture played out actually in David and Bathsheba, right? He saw her. He was tempted. Started thinking about it. He dwelt on it and then, he went after her and he had her and then, he killed her husband like it begets other sins too as well as Solomon in this case. David said, my sin is ever before me. He could not shake it because it was inside of his own body and he could not get over it. Flee sexual immorality. We have another example from the Old Testament is Joseph. Joseph, he's, you know, been sold into slavery. He's going through in Genesis 39 is where it is if you want to look it up this afternoon but he's gone through a lot of stuff in his life already and he finds himself second in command, Potiphar's first in command, Potiphar's wife, he's left in charge of his household and Potiphar's wife starts coming on to it and tempting him. When you pass through the waters, and he he literally fled. He got out of there because he knew that he was not designed to withstand that kind of temptation. So, flee sexual immorality. Flee from these things. Materialism in our context, immediate context. Flee sexual immorality is from first Corinthians six and then, first Corinthians 10 says this, no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to a man. Do you agree with that? There's nothing new under the sun. There's no new news. Mike is fond of saying. There's no new news. There's only old news happening to new people. Think on that one for a minute. There's no temptation that's overtaken you that's not common to a man. God is faithful and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability to withstand it but with the temptation, he'll also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, he cares about these people. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. Flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people, judge for yourselves, what I say. I like that. I'm speaking to sensible people. Consider that you were not designed to handle some things. Materialism is one of, it's a temptation, it's a snare. Sexual morality is another one. It does not go anywhere good. And idolatry flee these things. Those are the three. Actually, he says again in second Timothy and we'll get to it. So, I'm not going go over it right now but second Timothy two, he says, flee youthful lust or youthful passions depending on your translation which cover these three things pretty well. Materialism, sexual immorality. Idolatry, the last one we talked about right there. I just looked up different dictionary definition, not a theological dictionary definition or lexicon but just a dictionary definition, idolatry. Now, worship of idols. Okay. We can look at that and we go, oh, it's Old Testament. Nobody does that anymore. Nobody has carved something out of stone, set it up, and looked at it and thought, oh, I'm going to worship this thing that I just made or paid somebody to make. Oh, wait a second now. If I paid somebody to make it, the boat. No, I'm just kidding. Worship by the phone. No, wait a minute. No, but look down one more definition. It's the same exact thing really. Worship of idols but it is an extreme admiration of love or reverence for something or someone. If I had looked that up in a theological dictionary, it would say, anything that takes the place of God in one's life. Are are you with me? So, extreme admiration, love, or reverence should be for God, for his goodness, for his grace, mercy, love, for his family, for Christ, for his sacrifice. Synonyms, I like synonyms. Idolization. That is fetishization. Fetishism. Idol worship, adulation, adoration, reverence, veneration, glorification, lionization, hero worshiping. The lionization actually reminds me of something else. Hero worship them. The prophets railed against idolatry. So, Amos was railing against idolatry and Amos five, right? One of the things that he says is, why is it that you're so looking forward to that great and mighty day of the Lord? So, I think in Christian circles, we often look forward to heaven, that's great. I'm not trying to stop you from that but if you're looking forward to heaven because you just feel miserable here and you just want it to be over but you have Jesus, there are plenty of people who don't have Jesus, okay? And the great and mighty day of the Lord for you, believers, will be a great and mighty day and you will be resurrected or caught up with him in the air but for those who don't know Jesus, it is a day of terrible torment. I, please tarry, lord. Please tarry until we can save every last soul. Does that make sense? Are you with me? So, the prophets railed against idolatry. He was saying to the Amaziah and talking to these folks and he goes, listen, Amos's message. You are so caught up in that great mighty day of the Lord and thinking, oh, this is where they get what's coming to him and this is where we get to go and be in the bosom of Abraham and blessed heaven above with our creator God. Everybody else deserves the death they're going to get. He said, you're looking forward to it. You don't have any idea that what you're believing and what you're practicing is not actually godly. It's not actually good. You fall short too. In fact, he says, it will be as if someone was chased by a bear which we just saw, right? And he runs from the bear and gets away and as he's taking a breath, he's caught by a lion. Actually, I think it's other way around. He was chased by a lion and he was caught by a bear or he goes into his house and takes a breath and sits his hand on the wall and is bitten by a serpent. You think that you're going the right direction but you're not. Your limitations. So, make sure that you don't have anything else in God's place. That was Amos' message. Put God first. Put justice first. Put righteousness first. I I think this is interesting. I'm a word nerd so I look up stuff like this. The use of the word idolatry. I went back further. This is from 1800 to 2008, I think and the use of the word idolatry during the second great awakening in this country was very high. And then, it has tapered off. Thank you, Blake. It's a slight uptick here at the end. Does that, is that telling to y'all? I went back to the seventeen hundreds to see. Maybe the, maybe it's not the great awakening, maybe it's just coincidence. Yeah. It's when people are paying attention to what God's word says. They recognize idolatry. So, let's think about that. What are we putting in God's place? What do we have extreme admiration or reverence for? It's good when somebody says flee but it's even better when they say what to run towards, right? So, I like this. I prefer to present positively. There's no way to present flee positively. Flee. Get away from it. You weren't designed for it but instead, pursue righteousness. Righteousness. That's another one. This kicked in Amos thinking of Amos because y'all remember Martin Luther King and lots of his speeches would use, may justice flow down. And righteousness like an ever flowing stream. I think Yeah, there it is. Justice come around like waters and righteousness. It's overwhelming. That's what God is looking for. Micah, another prophet. What is it that God has required of you? Just act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream at Samos 525. Pursue righteousness. Not just being right, okay? Not just being right, not just winning the argument. If you're Twitter battling someone and you're quoting scripture, they don't care. Do you understand what I'm saying? They don't usually really care. Be righteous. Pursue righteousness. Not just being right. Now, the prophets do cry out and if that's what God is calling you to do, do it. He's not going be to do that. Get on Twitter. Ugh. Can't imagine it. Ugh. Pursue godliness. Look at the things about God. His immutable aspects, his attributes, and pursue those things. Love and mercy, grace, and goodness, kindness, holiness. He is holy. Be holy as I am holy. He said that. There there's a we gotta do that. That is what he wants from us is holiness. So, be set apart. Yeah. Jesus hung out with wine bibbers and gluttons and I'm all for doing that. Let's do that. Right? But be holy while you're doing it, alright? Don't be drawn into it. When he says flee, yeah, flee sexual immorality. Get away from it. Flee materialism. Get away from it. Idolatry, get away from it but if you can keep your mind focused on God in the midst of a society that just doesn't care about him and you're good and great, gracious to them, and righteous, that's good. If you can be godly and they can recognize God in you, amen. Pursue godliness. Pursue faith. It is not by faith but by sight that most of us live, right? I'm saying, I know that I said that backwards for Christian. I got you but truly, if you have a choice to choose between faith, the faithful way out of a situation or but I could just do this little thing and get all of this. It's tempting to take what you can see. Pursue the life of faith. Pursue it. The faith that is of the gospel. The message of the cross. You really do trust in the sufficiency of Christ's death and you want to carry that message forward and your agenda is carrying that message forward. Pursue faith. Pursue love. God is love. He is. Pursue it. How can I show myself and my God to be loving? Love one another. They will know that you're Christians by your love. Love, just as I have loved you, Christ said, be loving one another. Pursue love. Pursue steadfastness. Oh boy. Stand fast. Is that the end of most of Paul's letters, right? Stand fast. Hold on to that which you know. Continue in righteousness. Continue in faith. Continue in godliness, and continue in love and be steadfast about it like ever forward in that realm. Are you with me? Does it sound more like preaching than teaching today to y'all? Gentleness. Pursue gentleness. I actually this week, Tanya and Pasco are on a mission trip right now. They took off this morning for Belize. So, they've been gone for about a week in preparation for this trip. They went to New Orleans for a wedding first then to Georgia but they're on the plane right now. Should be landing in just a few minutes. They're going to do a vacation Bible school, children's ministry in Belize. Where did gentleness get me to that? That's an aside. Please pray for him, alright? Let's please pray for him. I look back up at the board to remind me where I was, Pursuit gentleness. Oh, since they have not been here. I've been watching TV because I don't usually watch a lot of TV because when I'm there, I don't, I mean, I'm not saying that's holy and good all the time but I am saying I don't watch as much TV when they're here because I'm not doing that but I've been watching it. Gentleness is not something we value highly. In our society, Everybody is harsh and hard and sarcastic and just a little bit mean even to their mama. You know what I'm saying? There's no gentleness. In anything that I've watched this week, I haven't seen anybody that was gentle except for the people they're making fun of. And that with this message looming in my head, I'm like, man, pursue gentleness. I think of the statement in Paul when he's talking about Christians suing one another and he says, why not rather be wrong? Why not rather you just take the hit? Why not rather be wrong and be gentle about it? Pursue gentleness. Jesus though he was absolutely sovereign, absolutely God. He was gentle. Fight the good fight of the faith. Make sure that if you're fighting the fight, it's the good fight of the faith. Fight the good fight of the faith. If you're going to make your point, make your points based on what Christianity actually is, not just religiosity, okay? Fight the good fight of faith. What is that? Pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. That is the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you are called. It is yours and you can be looking forward to it. He's not saying, don't be looking forward to the incorruptible hope we have in heaven. That's great. There are lot of places in New Testament when things are bad that they're saying, look forward to this great mighty day of the Lord but when things are good, we're tempted to just not look at him at all. So, take hold of that eternal life to which you are called, making your investments wisely based on that. Take hold of the eternal life to which you are called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I know Timothy that you've grabbed hold of this. I'm just saying, take hold of it. Hold on to it. Ride it. I charge you in the presence of God. When he says, I charge you, it reminds me of this. The aim of our charge people is love, agape love, unconditional, good, and godly love that issues from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. I charge you in the presence of God who gives life to all things as Carl alluded to several times in the song service this morning and of Christ Jesus who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession. He just told him to make the good confession that he had made in the presence of many witnesses and he told him to pursue gentleness and then he mentions, Jesus before Pilate. And Pilate's like, I've got the, I've got the power here and I can set you free and Jesus gently says, the only power that you have is that which God has given to you. Jesus knew the purpose for what was going on and he was able to rest in anguish and agony for sure but he was able to rest in the fact that God was using his difficult circumstance and he made the good confession. It is, as you have said, he was the king of kings. He was the Lord of lords. Still is. He made his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession. So, Paul says, I charge you all of that other is Pauline flowery language. I charge you to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's saying, you can be looking forward to that great mighty day of the Lord but don't rest on your laurels. Don't rest in the fact that you're saved, that you've got fire insurance. Keep on. Keep on going about this. Pursuing righteousness and godliness, gentleness, faith, and love. I charge you to keep the commandment. He's saying, be holy. Did Jesus say, be holy as I'm holy? He did. Did God say, be holy as I'm holy? He did. It still stands. Yes, we have freedom. We have liberty in Christ. I believe that but that liberty sets us free to be holy. Which God will display at the proper time. He's the only one that knows. Jesus said, he's the only one that knew. He's the blessed and only sovereign, the king of kings, lord of lords, who alone has immortality. God holds immortality in his hand. He is the immortal, invisible God, only wise. He dwells in unapproachable light whom no one has ever seen or can see. Now, that's a little confusing. I know. Because Jesus said, if you've seen me, you've seen the father. Paul is saying, God is a holy and righteous and good God. Yes, we can see him in that. We see Jesus. But to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. Now, that sounds like the end of the book. That actually does sound like the end of the book of first Timothy and we're really close but he reprises something really quickly. He comes back and hits again. So, Paul has been going on and in the last couple of chapters, throughout the whole book, he's been saying, listen, the disparity between wealth and those who have and those who have not is difficult in your church in Ephesus. It's difficult. The economy, economic situation is difficult. He's been saying that and then he warns him about greed and desiring money and craving and all of that. Tells him what to pursue, tells him what to flee, and then he hits again and says, as for the rich in this present age and that as I mentioned right before the close last week, that covers pretty much all of us. Maybe not all of us but pretty much all of us. I mentioned last week that the top 1% of people in the world, dollars 32,400 is the threshold to be in the top 1% of earners. So as for the rich in this present age, that redefined my thinking a bit. As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty. Don't be arrogant about that which you have. Charge em, Timothy, not to be haughty. Nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches. I actually did a funeral here for a guy a couple years back now. Very very wealthy man and I loved him dearly. I knew him as the guy with the pink tennis balls on the bottom of his walker and his wife was the gal with the what no, he had blue tennis balls on the bottom of his walker. She had pink ones on the bottom of hers. Cal and Margaret Matthew, fantastic, lovely, wonderful people and I dearly love both of them. Margaret's in the living center and she's somebody I like to visit. Florine visit me. A lot of y'all do. When he was 99 when he died and his father was a banker during the crash in 1929 and he was a very wealthy man but he never set his hope. I didn't mean to use him for an example. This just came up. Sorry. He never set his hope on the uncertainty of riches because he saw what that day did in October 1929 when the crash happened. He said, we went from being bankers that had plenty to being farmers within a very very short time who didn't have much and they were able to build back up over the years and God blessed. I was amazed by that guy. I was really amazed by him but he always kept in mind that riches were uncertain but God was eternal. That make sense? I know that there are wealthy people here and in Jackson and all over the world that see God as first and they see everything that he's given as blessing and they are doing these things. I'm saying all of us need to be doing. Don't be arrogant about that which you have. Don't set your hopes on uncertainty of riches but on God who richly provides us with everything that we enjoy. They or us, we, are to do good. With what God has given us, we are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, and ready to share. Standing ready to say yes to someone in need. Thus, storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future. Jesus said, you can't serve both God and money. You will serve the one and hate the other, right? He says, lay up for yourself treasure in heaven. So that they may take hold of that which is truly life. He's already told Timothy, take hold of that eternal life to which you've been called. So, I'm saying that. Grab hold of that eternal life and start thinking with that perspective. So, self examination. This is one of those messages and I read something from Oswald Chambers. I like Oswald Chambers. My utmost for his highest is the daily kind of Bible study. I have it the on my computer as the home screen and I'm reminded by him just to keep your heart right there ever before God. Keep him first in your mind. So, self examination, this is what he says, am I and I want you to read this to yourself too. Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus? That Shekinah glory that Moses wore on his face when he came down after being with God that reflected the glory of God. Do people see Jesus reflected in our lives? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus? Or am I getting more self assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth. That's from the place of help by Oswald Chambers if you wanted to know. So, I go back to the original slide from this message and I leave you with that thought and then this, what is it that you're desiring? Do you desire God? Are you desiring a close relationship with God where you find peace that passes understanding and joy unspeakable full of glory. What are you desiring? What are you craving? There's a there's a word in Spanish You know what is a craving. A lot of times it's used for pregnant women. Pregnant women are craving something a lot of the time. Antoho but the word comes from before my eyes. What is before my eyes is what draws my attention and then therefore, I crave it. In the case of this message, he's saying flee. Flee sexual immorality. Flee idolatry. Flee materialism. Use your resources by all means for God's glory, for the good of your family as you seek and and endeavor to live for him. What are you desiring? What are you craving? What are you fleeing? When I mentioned this message throughout the week this week, I mentioned what are you fleeing and a lot of people said, well, Jackson's full of people that are fleeing something. And I hadn't really thought of it that way. I was thinking, there was full people that were desiring and craving and pursuing but we are fleeing something. What is it that we're fleeing and what is it that we're pursuing? Imma invite the band back up and I also want you to know there's always an open altar here, always. The altar is open for you to come up and pray. I know that it's not the culture of this place and it is the culture of the place that I'm from. Shiloh, Georgia, man oh man. It's an invitation at the end of every single message. It's always going to be that. I'm telling you, it is a wide open invitation for you to come up and pray anytime. If you come forward and you want to talk to me, I'll stop playing the bass, turn off my mic. I'll talk to you right here in front of everybody or if you want to meet me in the study afterwards or throughout the week, I'm always available to talk, to point you as best I can to the truth of scripture and the goodness of God. So, if you want to, please come forward and pray as we sing this last song. It's a hopping one. I saw the light. Would you stand up and sing with us? Amen. For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and to worldly passions and to live self controlled, upright, godly lives. In this present age, it is possible. Jesus, would you help us do it? Amen.