Wake Up Call - Part B

The battle is with your brother across the aisle was a different political venue the battles with Satan and the wars were to be one spiritually not politically that the battle we fight is a battle to God is called us to make a difference in the battle that can change the eternal destination of people from hell to heaven without as Christians can grow complacent to the work God is doing in this world today on connect with Skip-Skip's roommate Isaac shares how you can get busy living out God's plan and purpose for the end of the program. Skip and his wife. When you share about the importance of having godly examples in our lives. I stand on their shoulders and I'm thankful for their example in Chuck Smith, my pastor was one of I appreciate his love and is accepted as a got a guy who accept his ranks tell you to go for it and follow the dream God is a particular I love that about. Be sure to stay with us after today's message to the full discussion right now we want to tell you about a resource that will help you tackle your fears by praying stronger prayers. No wonder the guys asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. We need direction, we would still be saying now I lay me down to sleep instead of just playing God. Would you do this for me dangerous boilerplate is God. What did I do for you, terrific idea.

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This book could bring a major milestone in your life over your lifetime. I believe that if you're a follower of Jesus, there will be certain messages that when you hear the encounter God in such a way that it literally changes the trajectory of your life unlock it for potential trigger shows book dangerous prayers is our gift to you when you give $35 or more today to help keep this ministry on the request your copy when you get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer or you can call 800-962-1888 now another clip from Craig's book dangerous prayers. Prayer of availability as we play a very, very dangerous prayers for this prayer. God led to a lot of life may lead you to go to a different city may reveal a calling in your life and you never ever expected before May stay somewhere when you know you were supposed to go somewhere else.

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Chapter 14 the message with Nate-the first category think we should live for is don't live empty pleasures. He says not in revelry or drunkenness. This word revelry. It covers a spectrum of things but basically he is saying don't devote your life to seeking good times. Some people live their entire life for the next good time for the next party for the next adventure for the next fun experience, but people who live their lives constantly seeking good times eventually end up depressed because once it had enough good times. They finally had a bad time. They don't know what to do with it at nighttime when they get to the room by themselves and they had all the good times they've had that promo creeps in that fear of missing outcomes in and they say man. What else is there left for me to experience when they realize there's nothing that I want to go on the will of their lives. This answers why so many celebrities famous movie stars, rock stars commit suicide because even though they have tens of thousands of people screaming their names even though they got all the biggest parties had sex with all the most beautiful people done all the drugs all the alcohol when they get alone at night in their room and they ask is this all that there is they realize that's all that they have that want to live and want to go to try to find another good time this one and book. There's nothing wrong with having a good time, but there is something wrong with living for good times. Paul is not saying that the Christian life is to be miserable that there's joy or that there some kind of false piety found in looking bummed out all the time that will okay have a nice was that good times means I have to have bad times so my life just be miserable and that will bring the Lord glory. No, that's not what it's saying there is joy in the Lord. It's okay to have fun. It's okay to have a good time. It's not okay to live for good times an endless round of parties entertainment. It's a waste of life because one day her to wake up and realize you don't have any more life ahead of you that there's more behind you than there is a head and you can ask yourself, what about done with my life and of all you've done is party to find yourself depressed. First Timothy 56 says she that lives in pleasure is dead while she lives. Proverbs 1413 says even in laughter.

The heart has sorrow, drunkenness is also mentioned here. Ephesians 518 tells us, be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit want to talk about this for a second because there's this huge misconception in the church that anytime we see anybody drinking a sip of alcohol there going to hell because it says don't be drunk with wine, you're right.

It does, but it doesn't say don't drink wine. As a matter fact, Paul told Timothy to drink a little wine for his stomach. David talks about wine that makes the heart happy.

Let me tell you, the Greek word for wine that Jesus made it a wedding wasn't grape juice. Sorry it was wine and that's not an excuse for everybody to drink wine does not excuse for everybody say okay what's about to go on a bender, then talk a lot about this next week we look at Romans 14. The essential point of nonessential points. It really comes down to motive why are you doing it.

You need to know yourself, to lead yourself.

You need to recognize the areas in your life that you might have the tendency there's some people who should never drink wine, be they should never drink alcohol because they get one taste and it leads him down the road when they just want more and more, more, they don't know how to stop. They don't know how to cut it off. One drink becomes 10 drinks, but in the same way. There's some people of crippling addictions to pornography and sexual addictions that they should really watch a whole lot of media they should watch movies and TV because they're gonna see something that's gonna trigger them Creighton impulse inside them to make them want to act out upon that and go look at pornography or have sex.

We all need to know the areas in our lives that we have potential downfalls in and protect ourselves from those areas whether there good bad or gray. We need to know those areas of their lives and protect ourselves with the issue of drinking. The question really comes down to. Why, what's the motive behind why do you drink to escape. Don't do it to feel better. Don't do it to numb yourself to your problems. Don't do it to have fun because you say, while just not be fun until about a couple drinks will then learn how to be fun and stop being such a miser. You don't need alcohol to make you fun if you do know you shouldn't have it. You shouldn't drink it. Protect yourself. Know the areas in your life you need to put up guards but also recognizing local something sin less. The Bible expressly calls it sin. The second thing we see is don't live for sex.

Look at verse 13 says, not in lewdness and lust basically don't live for sex. Now this is in reference to the sexual act itself, but is also in reference to having one's mind filled constantly with sexual thoughts and this can even be a problem in marriage.

If all you ever do is think about sex there's a problem there's nothing wrong with having sex with your spouse, but if you're living for sex with your spouse. There's a problem if you're living for sexual gratification. If your spouse is simply simply a sexual gratification for you.

What's gonna happen when you don't get your needs met his organist are looking for someone else to be your knees because you looking for sex. It's okay to have sex but it's not okay to live for sex. Here's a sin that is so prevalent in our society. It's even in the church today and 41% of marriages. One or both spouses admit infidelity. 57% of men and 54% of women admit to committing infidelity in at least one relationship they've had 74% of men and 68% of women say they would have an affair if they knew they wouldn't get caught again as that thought patterns like man I want to have an affair. I'm just scared of what I what happens if I get caught but again this thought patterns. They dwell on this is a think about this.

Eventually, those thoughts will get projected in life in there and act on those impulses. It's not just about the act itself. It's about the thought life that's behind it and given the increasingly permissive views toward sex. Today, researchers Gilbert Nast and Roger Libby have predicted the between one half and two thirds of all husbands will have an affair before they reach 40.

But men aren't alone in this.

Women are quickly catching up the numbers of women being unfaithful to their husbands is higher than it has ever been before in history. The number of women who have sexual addictions to pornography is higher than it has ever been in history and I also think that this all has a direct effect on teenagers who are finding a godly example of fidelity within their homes born seen fidelity praised or glorified in TV but there seem the opposite sexual pervasiveness that having an affair is okay in movies and TV, 47% of all night through 12th graders report having had sexual intercourse.

The median age for first intercourse is 16.934% of women become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20 is just over one third, 75% of teenagers have at intercourse. By the time they turn 20 parents, you need to talk to your kids about this if your answer to relationships and sex is just don't talk to me about tier 18 are not allowed to date something to stop vendors in the door behind her back.

They probably are doing the behind her back. Right now, you just don't know it you have a responsibility to talk to your kids about this if you don't.

If your daughter ends up pregnant or your son ends up getting a girl pregnant. You share some of the blame and that because you refused to have real hard conversations with your kids awkward conversations, uncomfortable conversations, but important conversation we have the responsibility to guide our kids and our families in this. When Paul talks about this. She's covering the whole range of sexual sin here, adultery, homosexuality, pornography is not only speaking of those who gratify these desires by the act itself, but on those who have desires and minds dominated with sexual perversion for some people. You notice is practically all they talk about is sex. It's all they think about it's all they joke about every remark is a sexual innuendo or a double entendre don't live for sex. It will make you happy third and finally don't live for strife, dissension and jealousy.

Verse 13 he says, not in strife and envy know there's many people, especially in the church today who would never dream of having an affair on their spouse.

They never dream of getting addicted to alcohol or drugs, but they sure do love to tear people down. They sure do love to dig up dirt on other people. They sure do love spreading it to others in the church or being crippled by jealousy for what another person has or does when they ponder the church parking lot and they see Martha pull up in that new test of their like live it to her husband. As you know she's having an affair on either people don't even know who they really are and I hate gossip I hate especially Christian gossip is the worst and I will point out this is just as sinful as the first two categories, which means that if you heart by your kids or your friends for their addiction is some substance of the affair they're having. And then you go and gossip about it with your girlfriends. You just as bad. Christian gossip is so filthy and so destructive I can't stand it and it always happens this way it's always like in a prayer circle will come to me my friends for some coffee talk and then it happens this way and how can you just pray for my friend there really just cotton some bad stuff right now I'll just leave it at that. I don't see anything else and that of course some of the table says will you know were supposed to pray specifically so maybe it would help if we knew who it was to be could pray specifically for them and if you could spell it in detail everything they did is we need to pray specifics well okay what I want to say their name at all to say this, they were supposed to be here today but they couldn't make it. It's so destructive gossip.

It's why people don't want to come to church because they come to church.

They tell somebody know what they're dealing with. And that person tells 10 other people.

So the next time they come to church they got 10 eyes look at them like I know what you did. Hey, I'm praying for your marriage. How do you know what was going on in my life and they get so judge the they feel so because they just never want to come back.

First Corinthians 33 says for whether envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal. One of the seven things the Lord hates, is he that sows discord among the brethren.

Remember, we are told to abhor what is evil that includes gossip gadgets challenge you to don't give an ear to gossip, we could shut all the gossipers up if we didn't listen to what they had to say if someone comes in and says hey did you hear about so-and-so to sit on 18 don't talk to me about. I want to hear.

Do you have permission to be telling me this. Did you ask them if it was okay for me to hear this. If not, shut your mouth I don't hear we could do a better job not giving ear to gossip and if we did there be less gossip being spread. Verse 14 says make no provision for the flesh. This is the attitude of secretly expecting to gratify the sin that you want to do if not now than later is the decision we say will not have an affair now that person in my job who I talked to for little bit longer each day that I know there's the potential to lead to something more, not a cut that relationship off. I'll continue to have those conversations to foster that relationship in case I want to have an affair with him later that pornography addiction that I have instead of cutting it off instead of putting some software on my computer my phone that can keep me from giving into those pleasures. I'm just not going to just in case I want to do this later that alcohol addiction. I'm finally free of that. I'm finally breaking out of my life. I'm not gonna clear out my cabinets of all that stuff because right now I have the willpower to withstand it, but if I have a really hard day and I need to break into that cupboard. I want to know it's there. It's giving the sin in your life. A foothold in your life just in case you want to gratify later on.

Look, we all know of certain people, places, activities or situations that promote sin within our lives.

Don't give any chances to the flesh to have its way with you. Abraham had to separate from his nephew Lot, but a negative effect on them spiritually. Don't give sin or self any opportunity don't give it the time of day that we seen three things three categories that we shouldn't be wasting our lives on LaSalle Sierra last point and see what we should do instead because it's not enough to just get up and get out. We gotta get going. Look at verse 12 he says put on the armor of light. Why because there's a war you will put on armor less. There's a war you don't put on a bulletproof vest unless you plan on getting shot at. Many believers are shocked to find that the Christian life isn't a playground it's a battleground.

God has called us as his spiritual soldiers to not just hold ground he has called us to gain ground. He has called us to take enemy territory.

He has called us to take back our city. We should be complacent as we see the crime rate rise. We should be complacent as we see homelessness and poverty spread through our streets. We should be complacent as babies are being murdered before they are born, we should be gaining ground.

We should be occupying our city.

We should be making change, not just sitting in our churches holding our Bibles hoping that they don't come for us. We should be gaining ground. We shouldn't just be defenders. We need to be aggressors.

We need to invade enemy territory.

Sure, some people might say, will you donate the games one by the defense okay. But if the offense doesn't score a single point.

The best you can do is tie the loser.

We need to be aggressors. We need to focus on our offense, we need to get going, keep in mind the defender is at the disadvantage in the battle.

There simply waiting around for the enemy's next attack, hoping they can survive it. In contrast, the aggressor has the advantage of the initiative, the aggressor can choose where, when and how to attack there in the superior position and we under the direction of our commander-in-chief have to seize the moment and invade enemy territory. In this critical and strategic period of time, or as in the case of Esther for such a time as this, because time is short and eternal destiny is literally are hanging in the balance and Satan knows this is the critical and strategic period of time and he is dramatically stepping up his efforts. Again, look at the news.

Should we do any less should we not respond in kind a war over the souls of men and women who are either caught alive by God are caught alive by Satan. Many believers are asleep and I want to rock the boat. Others are running in retreat or even falling away from the Lord.

We can't retreat battle is too important. Winston Churchill said victory is not one by evacuation church. Can we not give up on our city.

Can we choose right here now do not give up on our state. Can we choose here now to not give up on our country. Can we not run away, but can we stand arm in arm, recognize there's a battle of foot and the battle is not with flesh and blood, but it's against spirits and principalities.

The battle is with your brother across the aisle who has a different political views and you the battles with Satan and the wars can be one spiritually not politically that the battle we fight is a battle that God is called us to.

And it's a battle that we can make a difference in it's a battle that can change the eternal destination of people from hell to heaven.

That's where the battle is verse 14 he says finally put on the Lord Jesus Christ, or literally clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. But once you get up.

The second most important thing to do is to put clothes on, are you thankful that all of us chose to put clothes on. This morning we woke up this church.

We really weird if we didn't when I wake up in the morning I put on my clothes and I intend for them to be a part of me all day long to go where I go to do what I do and if for some reason those clothes come off of me.

We have a problem. Paul is saying put on Jesus Christ. When you get up in the morning to make him a part of your life today going with you everywhere and acting through you and everything you do call upon his resources in your life. JB Phillips said let us be Christ men from head to foot literally enter into his views and his interests imitate him in all things. Have you put on Jesus Christ today. Have you entered into his views and interests are you imitating him in all things. Are you putting on the world are you entering into the world's views and interests are you imitating the things the world does the me tell you the world is not the answer. Beauty is a $532 billion industry that will make you pretty education is a $1.3 trillion industry that won't make you smart diet is a $72 billion industry that will make you lean pharmaceuticals is a $1.5 trillion industry that won't make you healthy. The world can't save you from yourself. See, God desires the world to look to us for change, not the other way around. As we close or read a story online titled fire means early wake-up call for hotel guests. A fire force dozens of hotel guests to leave their rooms early Thursday morning.

The fire started shortly before 430 in the morning at the comfort in firefighters managed to contain the flames to a conference room but smoke spread through all five floors of the hundred and 27 room hotel. No one was hurt. It would be a shame if we had to wait for the fire to wake us up God's calling to us. We come wake up, it's time to get up it's time to get out. It's time to get going. Let's not wait for the judgment day. Let's not wait for Christ's return to wake us up. Let's realize the urgency of the hour. Let's not waste our lives on the empty pursuit of pleasure and sinful activities like drunkenness and sexual immorality and gossip and jealousy. Instead, let's realize a battle is raging. We must work will it is the day may God help each and every one of us to be Christ men and women from head to foot that the message from the sewage partnership to talk about how important it is for us to have godly examples in our lives today we heard in teaching, stagnate about being ready for Jesus return the earth. He mentioned that we as believers must dress ourselves.

Christ character gift.

Encourage us to do likewise.

Can you talk about someone in your life who represented Jesus to you in such a unique and profound way will I have a lot of different people that I I stand on their shoulders and I'm thankful for their example and mentorship, Chuck Smith, my pastor was one of them. I appreciate his love and his acceptance. He was a kind of guy who would accept you in his ranks and tell you to go for it and follow the dream God is equipped you to do. I love that about his brother, Paul Smith was somebody that I looked up to him. He was an advocate for my parents with my parents help me reconcile in that relationship.

He was always available to me and my family Dr. John MacArthur. I've always appreciated his steadfastness in the word of God and the truth of God Walter Martin if anybody remembers that name, but he was Siebel answer Babel had some of the original Bible answer man and one who wrote books about the Colts but he was very honest in his counsel with me and when I was making couple important decisions and I asked him or called him. He gave me such great insight and then finally, one comes to my Sammy dagger from Lebanon from Beirut Lebanon unashamed of the gospel. But this diplomatic witness for Christ and he had a way whether he was with a peasant or king to to to make a beautiful inroad for the gospel. I have been and am impressed with his life.

Langston is the man who is rich in friends. Thank you, Skip and Liana. The Bible gives you foundational truths about who that is sent how he looks in your life are hiring is to help build the faith of friends like you making this difficult teachings available on-air across the US and around the world that your support is final to make that happen today will help keep these messages not on the air to encourage you and countless others.

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