Awake! Arise & Shine! Part 3

Welcome to the sound a shower not thanking you for joining us today because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Today's message away arise and shine is a storied work to ignite our hearts with passion to fight against the tide of godlessness and persecution that is left some Christians in a state of carnal apathy, spiritual inactivity, let us be sober, and put on the armor of light. Let us away arise and shine. All right about the season five and we were talking about verse 14 let's go to verse 15. Seeing then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.

I like the word circumspectly. I know it's archaic and in all the new versions probably change it.

It's a curious word in the Greek word I could give you like reports because I know that a lot of you don't care but you do need to hear this one provokes provokes me spell it for you AK RI POS now the literal meaning is perfectly or diligently. So when you put it in a verb form of action it means to exercise extreme caution and care. It means to be exact, to be exact, and in reference to hearing in this verse means to hear and heed and walk according to the word of God.

Most all other places where you find it in the New Testament instead of being translated circumspectly. They translated perfectly the same Greek word accurate.

Those in Luke is especially fond of this word because he uses it quite a bit in the book of acts and were ever he attaches this word I propose to what he's talking about in his writings. It's always in reference to the word of God being perfect receiving the word of God acting on the word of God perfectly. I tell you the liberty that many preachers and teachers take the day when they expound the Scriptures is so dangerously out of balance and they really should be afraid to do that because this word tells us we have to walk circumspectly our English word circumspectly. I know right here doesn't sound like apropos's so don't get too confused here, let me just tell you this.

Do you know that the Bible when it was translated the New Testament out of Greek. It went into Latin. How many we know. I taught on that.

Not long ago we didn't get English version for quite a long time. It went to Latin. So what they've done is instead of borrowing the Greek word, they took the Latin word employee right into English. What is that mean Sharon it means certain CRC UN in Latin means around, and it means spec toe in Latin means to look how they got the picture.

Okay, so you're looking you're looking and you're looking you're walking and you're looking how many got that much of it. So while you're walking you are looking and this is the way a Christian is supposed conduct his life and navigated his way through this world this purpose and wicked in ungodly world. Amen is supposed to navigate his way. Walking and looking some of you may have so that I posted. I took a very bad fall. The other day on Thursday and I'm always careful that I don't see a rock or pothole or whatever but I was walking across this parking lot from my home and they had pine trees there and the wind was really blowing hard that day and apparently a pinecone just blew right about as I took my step and down I went. Thank God I'm sore but I'm okay amen thought that shows me that you can never be too careful and you can never be into Lent. I mean, it could've been worse.

I was going forward and I knew I was going. Photos try to stop it, IN the phone but I fell on this side. I call it my good side because the surgery I had on my back. It affected my right side, so I'm I always have to sorta like you to watch out for the side and I fell on this side, you know what I really have any bruises and I fell in asphalt and I hit my elbow pretty hard. My elbow getting get bruised. It didn't even bother me. I mean if you're going that's the way to fall. I mean if you want to go down like that. Nice and easy. So I would give most credit to the Angels that they will bear you up in their own hands that she would pass her foot against 90% of the credit and the other 2% will get to this extra padding right here. I told Benny on the work about that padding right here and help me that I let you know we will talk about that. It was like balancing bounced off.

Now I want to do a little experiment here and I do need one volunteer. I'm probably going to draft somebody, let's see who can I get some of these people when you draft then they end up trying to take your sermon go their way. Never forget the time I was betting. I remember this because she's to be my helper she's goodbye. All my props for me.

This is when I first started preaching my 30s I have lots of props lots of props. Back then, because you know my preaching was still developing to. I was going to prove that the Scripture in Hebrews where you gotta lay aside every weight in every sin and run with patients that we had people running around the building and then we had one guy was your brother Shane.

We tried a whole bunch of balloons on him. I said I'd never picked him for that part I should put them up when you're not encumbered because he wanted that you can't run with things you like you like you can get together they go to their own little space to help me with a so let me see hands were willing. After I said that somebody I wanted to be a guy okay Kevin coming across on your way to come when appear now, Kevin. The first part of this test is very easy and you can do it now were going to show what it means to walk circumspectly and to be vigilant and what I want you to do is I want you to look where you're going and I want you to walk down.

There were surely is. Can you do that all right. He's a Christian who's watching where he's going. Amen in the Lord is leading him and he made it just about there. All right. Given the race. This time you walk backwards just stop for a minute to show the people I would do the real thing is I don't have to. Goodbye emergency room. This is a bolder and this is a tree stump and this is a thorn bush and this is a sinkhole.

I now I want you to start walking backwards, but keep looking forward walk backwards. No, no, looking down, you just you just trees, not just trip down you go, I get back a brother. All right, now let's try some more here. He walking backwards. You just stepped on a thorn bush down you know. Amen.

To get the idea here I go to try again. Keep walking backwards, pick up your pace a little bit. You're in a hurry to get where you're going. Sinkhole okay, let's try again when you're really in a hurry you the things to do, places to go and people to see. All right, let's try again. The gates on hell when you hear today I'm showing you that you got walk circumspectly. Another words you watch where you are way amazing, because if you are looking one way and walking another way, you are going to fall you're going to stumble. God created us all with two eyes right here and were supposed to walk in the direction that we can see were supposed to walk in the direction that were looking amen you opposite of the direction that you're looking amen. And so that's how God created us were supposed to walk in the direction where we can see where were going amen. And if we go against that principal things are going to get bad so let me make this metaphorical for all of us to understand what are you focusing on and what are you looking to if you are looking to this world for your answers.

If you are looking to the arm of flesh to help you and get you out of your problems. If you are looking to man and think that he's going to fix you and he's going to deliver you your keep going from one fault to the other and sinking deeper and deeper. If you look in this well that we already agreed upon is evil and darkness you're going to bring panic and fear and anguish and amen even Christians some time looking at the helplessness. Amen.

But if you will see the first leg located get hung up doing with yourself you over your lifetime, get my rejection bonded and government. See problem problem problem problem know you're doing is bringing all those bad emotions. All those hurts know that stuff you just bringing it and rehearsing it and reliving it and you get in that sinkhole that sinkhole. But Jesus said that he's able to save to the utmost. All those who come to him. Jesus said in Matthew the 11th chapter, and will you whether you're a Christian down you don't have Jesus, but some times Christians let themselves get burned down the devil didn't do it. Help me to remember the story.

Lord, it's a true story this young Christian man. He had a mama who was saved and serve God, but she was so pessimistic all the time. She always all the negative things and they used to go round and round and round people time to stop being so negative all the time and he would only speak preaching at her about it, but it's like she just could not be delivered from this sense of negativity, so she was always walking around handy and burning and how many are well-equipped uncomfortable to be around someone like that is what you think if I can pull you up then you pull me down. But one morning she came in the breakfast table.

She was laying was going couldn't believe it was everything her demeanor. She was happy and lighthearted.

She said last night I had a dream and in my dream.

We were outside and I was thereto when I saw all these people walking around on this grassy land and then there was a road winding through it and she said these people had all of the black bundles on their backs, but there was thousands of them all everywhere laying on the grass. This evil person was going through anything. I knew it was Satan, and he kept dropping these black bundles and he said these people were going over and taken on the and put them with the rest of their bundles and they would go pick up some more and pick them up with the rest of their bundles and so they were getting way down and she was doing the same thing she was doing the same thing but then often the horizon she saw someone walking and they were full of the light and she saw that when he would talk to people that they would drop those bundles and they would start smiling at some point she realized it was Jesus and he came to her.

Amen. And he told her he said these bundles that you're carrying, I give you those bundles I didn't give you those bundles.

These bundles are from your enemy. These bundles are what Satan is dropped and you're picking them up and carrying these bundles. I never meant for you to carry you just throw those bundles down and looked at me and immediately she said in her dream she found to her knees through off all those bundles Jesus. He reached out and touched her head and the pain was so we've got look to Jesus what you're walking because wherever you're walking wherever you're looking for but end up in a ditch and a sinkhole. Amen. And now for Christians.

Let me get back to the word apropos's because that you can see comes into the English Acrobat recognize that in 2012, an American stuntman named Nick, Melinda, how many of the will and the family there. The want to do all of that is exciting, extraordinary over-the-top tricks on the high wire in a tight rope. It's a generational thing.

They just keep passing down the next generation so that year he became the first person to cross the Niagara Falls on a tight rope.

One of the most dangerous spots right near the falls. He was watched by an estimated billion with a B TV viewers and 125,000 people came to see it lie there.

It took him 25 minutes to cross an 1800 foot gap that separates Canada and the United States, and he did it on a 2 inch thick steel cable and he was fitted by swirling clouds of spray as 200 feet below him. The waves would crash over the precipice at 65 mph and all he had was a 40 foot hole that was attached to a brace when his neck because in tight rope walking balance is everything and he had to leverage that pole when he would go to far this way to get them straight again and keep going that way because balance is everything. If you're on a tight rope. Amen.

And I'm saying to you, child of God. God is a God of balance doesn't want us out of balance in any area of our lives no matter what it is we've got everything and sober you should want to be a tight walk or if you're not and you should want to be one amen you need to see where you're going in the Scriptures tell us what truth with amen you can do your research on that in the present tense which means you should be walking this way all the time all the time. Walk circumspectly redeeming the times because the days are evil. What is it mean to redeem the times you know we can't go back and relive our past like whatever we get is sin's history. It's under the blood.

We can't go back and redeem that time and get it back.

But that means that every moment that we had was a child of God. We got redeem every moment we can waste we can nicely amen we cannot waste time because God has given us everything that we need to print he's given us all things that pertain to our like this is what Peter said. We are his workmanship and anointing and we all are different. Much like they would not do. They cannot preach on where we bring something different to give any places in thing we we got 24 the same time every day. Redeem weight the big to anyone. We clean almost daily news reports of people still in the prime of their lives.

Went to work like they always did, went to the grocery store went to the mall what they always do, but that they someone from giving you know who. Why should some day there in a terrible accident tomorrow is not promised to anyone. That's why you gotta redeem the time today. Amen. Today is the day of salvation. And now is the acceptable time now. Jesus said if you can hear my voice today though hardened your heart.

Amen. Because you don't know how much time you have. I always pray Lord give me enough time to finish my assignment. I just want to finish my assignment and I want to finish it with excellence, not perfection. I can't do that none of us are going to reach perfection, but we can reach excellence. We can be excellent because we do whatever our hands find to do with all our heart and all our might and all our strength that we will we make mistakes. Yes, we look back and say I wish done it this way instead next time I want to do it this way: we learn from that we keep striving for excellence but I want to be like Paul when he said I want to finish my course with joy and the ministry which you have given me to testify the grace of Jesus Christ you know there was a time in his life when he said I'm in a straight betwixt to part of me wants to come to heaven to my glory. Part of me says wanting to stay down here and help the churches that are still growing. So I think I better stay here and help the churches there came a time when he said I'm now ready now ready to be offered by the faith. With every head down, the Lord is talking to people's hearts and he said what he said in the book of Revelation chapter 3 verse 20 behold, I stand at the door of your heart and I'm not getting I'm knocking. If any man will open up and let me come in, I will come in and my father will come in and we will ship with you and admittedly we likely will come to your house and sit down and have dinner at your table. That's what were going to do in your heart in your spirit in your life you will open up the door. Amen. So let's pray father I open up the doors of my heart and I received your invitation that you will come into my heart. Take this burden away from me that the enemy is put on me and delivered me from all bondage of despair and despondency, and fear and anguish and cleanse me your God. I'm not to forgive me. Pray in the book of life. I think you right now for delivering me from all the enemy you and your final grade. I will serve you all the days of my life in the Lord Exciting expectation of the Lord await a rise and shine, Jesus warned in Matthew 24.

His discourse on the signs of the end time because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold of the Greek term iniquity needs without law or lawlessness. It describes a departure from a disregard for God's laws the Bible when there is no restrainer. It allows evil to abound and instead of the saint standing up against the tide of wickedness. Their love and their passion for God's work. Waxes cold. This implies the progression into apathy and inactivity. But Paul declared with his pen of passion five things we are to do with this chaotic climate awake from your sleep, and Christ will give you light arise arise needs to stand up, not just on your feet in the physical sense but to stand up for or against something the church must stand against the hostilities of the world. We are at war against the kingdom of darkness shine. You are the lights of the world.

Jesus said, let your light shine before men walk circumspectly like a tight rope walker with extreme focus and balance and redeeming the times you can't change the past but you can buy back each moment wasted incentive failures to finish your course strong with joy, awake, arise and shine can be ordered on CD for radio love gift of $10 or more request SK 198 mailed to sound the faith PO Box 1744, Baltimore, MD 21203. You can also order online at sound the faith.work out the faith.org where MP3s are also available, but to order by mail send a minimum love gift of $10 to PO Box 1744, Baltimore, MD 21203 and request SK 198 till next time Sharon not saying