Life is War, Part 2

Katie green or alcohol adds excitement to your life by giving you a cheap real the spirit as excitement to your life by bringing you into the presence of God. There is fullness of joy right hand are pleasures forever for the jack, you fill in of Jehovah. You'll need absolute vodka. Absolute truth.

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Now there's no doubt the wall have hard days. In fact, sometimes hard seasons.

So when life is inevitably hard ready turn for comfort. Some people he on alcohol or sex. Others turn to more subtle crutches like binging TV shows or overeating. But no matter what form our vices take their never really get to Phyllis the way that we want them to.

And they most certainly will remove the difficulties today. Pastor Jay reveals the only true cure for our broken and hurting hearts. It's part of our study in Ephesians, mystery and clarity.

Pastor Jenny titled this message. My God, it's not going to happen naturally.

You got to intend to do if you choose to do it well with your family you choose to do that don't have extra time waiting around to figure out what your budget. I wait to how much money you have been due at the beginning of the nonbelievers of a surprise to me what you got to intend to do that.

You got to choose to do otherwise is the tedium of the world picture the opposite direction because it doesn't value God say like I'm not saying that you're not a drought worshiping Satan you'll do it is because you lose time college to listen to growth.the summer is not as happy as can be. Because you go home, so plan is would be home and you set priorities is because you intentionally prioritize or things that will help you grow stale if you're going to grow with God is not just happen because one your kids is always going to need your attention is to be because you establish that that is a big rock and you were going to devote time to all Jesus told the disciples to pray that they would not enter into temptation. This garden Gethsemane. They slept because they were tired. As a result, temptation overcame them when it was presented to them.

It's the same still for us today. If you don't take time for God to search your heart you don't devote attention to prayer you are debt what happened with the disciples is what's happening with you.

You got to be intentional about this.

Thanks is making sense number three. So far, how to engage in warfare .1 is what careful in how the wall points to be intentional with our time .3 verse 18. Do not be drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the spirit, three. Choose the spirits, not the spirits to deal with life's little cheesy, but maybe you're never right. Choose the spirit, not the spirits that they would like to think that life is hard to disagree with that but the pressures nobly back and have kids change your mind. Lots of pressures lots disappointment and most everybody learns throughout the life, life difficult.

Paul identifies the two ways people most often deal with life's pressures and anxieties. By the way, when I say alcohol here. I'm not saying you I will have Rob alkalosis and applied this really anything that is a means by which you cope with life pressure so maybe I'll call for you.

Maybe business or something else, but just use alcohol so that's why here's the first way that people built like pressures is alcohol. The second is the spirit of God. Now there's a lot of similarities to what the Spirit does in your life and what alcohol does in your life. You believe that people dream because they're worried the spirit of God gives you the peace that passes all understanding. Some people drink to get courage. WAC says it when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were filled with boldness.

Some people drink because they're having problems and alcohol for them becomes an escape. Romans five says the spirit of God sheds a broad God's love in our hearts and assures us that we are the children of God, and that is our refuge. Some people drink because it helps them open up and be vulnerable about their feelings to others.

The spirit gives use the security by testifying to your spirit that you are a beloved child of God and that gives you the security to let others see your weakness. Alcohol in the spirit both produce some of the same things in you, but they do it get this an entirely different ways. Alcohol is a depressant that dulls your senses to reality. Alcohol makes you less aware of your surroundings, the Holy Spirit, by contrast, is a stimulus that makes you more aware of reality.

Both alcohol and the spirit give you a way to cope with life's difficulties, but they do it in entirely different ways. One does or says is reality one awakens your senses great realities of them except your soldier you're fighting about your foxhole as you would like, really guys in this foxhole and suddenly you get word that 2 miles away. There were 200 enemy troops all by yourself in their coming and they are going to kill you. How do you get the courage and the confidence to be able to fight them in battle with just for you and the 200 of them out how to do that.

A lot of people would use alcohol you dole your senses so that you would be brave and you could meet them with confidence. But what if you get a little reconnaissance and you found out that a half-mile away. There were 2000 friendly troops and they were headed to you and they were going to surround you and protect you from the 200 enemy troops that would give you a joy and a confidence in them is that foxhole is getting at and what you got confidence and bravery by bowling your senses to reality and the other one you had a greater sense of reality that gave you confidence to face the same thing. The Holy Spirit gives you a way to cope by opening your eyes to the reality of God. Alcohol gets rid of worry by making you forget the spirit gets rid of worry by helping you remember.

Alcohol gives you courage by making you unaware of the dangers around you.

The spirit gives you courage by making you aware of how much larger God is the fierce that are around you. Alcohol adds excitement to your life by giving you a cheap thrill. The spirit adds excitement to your life by bringing you into the presence of God where there is fullness of joy at his right hand are pleasures for evermore. You'll need 1/5 of Jack, you need a filling of Jehovah.

I don't need absolute vodka you need absolute truth. Commentators point out that Ephesians 518 to 20.

In Colossians 316 and 17 on Paul's other letters are parallel passages in order to understand the one you got understand the other. Ephesians 518 to 20 be filled with the spirit. What this addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you be just by what license three classes 316 let the word of Christ dwell in you richly watch teaching at a mass you one another in all wisdom, singing songs and hymns and spiritual songs that put us in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, to everything in the name of the Lord Jesus give thanks to God about it through him that same passage they want except one phrase and that one phrase is in Ephesians 5 he says be filled with the spirit and in Colossians 3 he switches it to let the word of Christ dwell in you richly what that shows you it shows you that in the mind of Paul being filled with the spirit and having the word of Christ dwell in you richly is the exact same thing is very important as what it means be to filled with written Ephesians 3 what if Paul had prayed in Ephesians 3 that we would be able to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth in the know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge that you may be seen as phrase that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. How are you filled with all the fullness of God.

You comprehend what is the breadth and length of the height of the depth of God's love for you. Do you get that filled the spirit of knowledge a present knowledge of how much God let you one of those words mean link the breadth of heightened links of God's love. Ephesians, Paul has explained God has loved you from eternity past and love you for eternity past, there was never a time that God did not know about you and love you and that there is nothing you can do in the future to change God's love for you. That's a link of God's love the breath or it was the height of God's love, the height of God's love someone at the recesses had as the heavens are above the earth. That's how great his love is for those of us who are his children. What that means when you got your telescope or you look at some of these images from the Hubble telescope and you see before the star that is the dimension God used to measure the intensity of his passion for you how much he cares about your pain how much he cares about you the breath of God's love without a reference to login Ephesians once explained that there is not a molecule.

The universe is outside of God's control and the God has marshaled every molecule in our universe for your good and his glory, which means that you never have to worry about something happening to you. That is going to derail his plan for your life, the breath of God's love is as wide as the universe God controls everything. For the purposes that he has on earth. The depth of God's love. What's that that's a reference Ephesians 2 to the fact that God reached down into the grave to the sand that we had rebelled against him with and came to earth to live a life that we should've lived in the diet cursed out that we should have Dr. that he could save us refers to how deep God had to reach the safety and Paul says when you get your mind around the height of the doubt and the link in the breath of God's love when that word of Christ dwell in you richly in the spirit fills you, you can come up with life's difficulties you see that much better way to deal with life problems get jacked up on grandpa little cough medicine and it yeah right, waiting to be filled, the spirit, so we will turn to things like alcohol or pornography or overworking or mindless TV is in attainment or extramarital affairs to deal with life pressure and that's why Paul gives you the commands of the next verses. Just make sure you follow along here.

How do we engage in warfare and one look carefully at how we want to be intentional. Your time.

Three. Choose the spirit, not the spirits to build life problems, number four, verse 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart is forcing a new song constantly in your heart 11 verse 19 with telling them to remind themselves constantly of God's great love on their behalf should watch what it's interesting that he tells them to do it through music.

What" Scripture themselves and tell them to listen to sermons on your iPod. Not that there's any other things that he chose music why why we choose music there is a worship pastor and he's gotta want to really exalt music no songs communicate emotion and worship river a few weeks ago. I explained to you the gospel change is the spirit of God using the story of God to make the beauty of God come alive in your hearts, it's only when the beauty of God.

Captivate your heart that you actually change when a heart is captivated by beauty that is better represented by Guy with the song as art that it is by God who can quote verses or explain doctrines to be saved means that you are in love with Jesus not knowledgeable about doctrine only. That's why I have told you I want you to study Jesus but not like the seminarian studies doctrine, but like someone would study a sunset that left him speechless or the way that a man who was in love with his wife studied his wife until the music of her beauty burst alive in his heart is not sure with her beauty drove out all the other enticements for the women. That's what makes Paul say and that is to be saved means you get swept up into a song that becomes so beautiful to you and so forming in your heart that makes Udall to the music of the world around you because you got a greater purity that I was driving on I 40 so little Summit church sticker on the back of the car and I didn't recommend the car so you see, this is also free people. I like drama by monopoly Academy. They recognize me as a pastor is kissing my head to drive him my supple exes guy and this is not only New Year's my beer and recognizing clearly in his car worshiping at the top of his lungs just sitting in and move and I was like well like I know this will humiliate him if he sees me see him do this and he would not pay any attention to me or anybody was oblivious to what was going on, just so caught up in the midst of this moment… But that's you know you have to do that everywhere you drive around, but I thought that's actually good picture of what it means to walk with Jesus as your heart is so captivated by beauty that you're not really aware of a lot of other things because you slept up into this. The sky that you've suddenly become a part is much better than what happened to me. By the way, little while ago I was listen to for about six months I was in one amount sermons only every six months because I do it is like to hear a little annoying speaker things that I do this himself so I was doing that only for six months and I was in my car and I had the windows down, so I had to have interminably well living clearly right now so I never turn out loud what I come up. White before I have time to turn it down somebody from the Summit church pulled up next to me with their windows down. I where you are not nearly as narcissistic as that may be saved okay only every six month point is like to be saved means you get swept up into the beauty of worship, so we are commanded to sing a new song constantly in our hearts are also commanded number five sing that new song to others. Verse 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

What is that mean walk around each other like hello how are you like is like where the musical to see wicked tonight at the door. One art center and my wife and I we had a baseball game and it was a mess. Downtowns will relate wonderful relate and so if you get there on time for this your show that actually hold you out until about 10 minutes out and so my wife and our sin out small group of people who talk of their labor. Send their coach ashamed and I know the deals or whatever you know and this girl beside me who didn't come with us. She was she was distraught.

She was crying she was going to miss something on this part of the look plot movements in these things take about 45 minutes.

When God makes one statement. The male dance around about it for about 45 minutes right you not miss anything of these. Not saying your life is a musical were you saying to each other all the time what he say what what he saying is our love for Jesus is constantly put on display in a way that entices other people to the beauty of Jesus.

What he means singing this song to others that happens in a big way right here in worship we see this all the time allotted. I cannot tell you how many times somebody was not a Christian comes and they're not persuaded to open the heart of Jesus to a sermon that I give you the logic of an argument, but better persuaded when they are captivated by the cutesy Jesus they see put on display in worship.

For example, Emma might which if you're in the literature, you know that is a popular novelist for a while. She was an adamant non-Christian recently became a Christian she said she was first attracted to God to the music of a local church, she said before she could even stand to sit through a sermon. The music revealed to her God's beauty and redemptive power. She said and I quote when I was in the worship service. Something inside me that was stiff and rotting would feel soft and tender. Somehow the singing wore down all the boundaries that kept me feeling so isolated, sitting there and then eventually standing with them to see sometimes so spiritually aching and sick that I felt like I might tip over is a saying God's praises, I begin to feel bigger than myself like I was being taken care of. It was almost like I was being tricked into coming back into life. God was tricking me through music. We see this all the time at our church back some of you it's exactly why you're here right now there's something that is curious to you there's a beauty that your hearing it's echoing in your heart is not becoming because the force of my logic. It's coming because your heart is hearing it to I'm speaking. Yes, metaphorically tearing it beauty and it's happening to worship at least me.

The last thing I want to tell you. Number six means you gotta be around the people of God is the last command for being involved in this warfare be around the people of God.

Verse 19 close enough to the people God that you can hear the song in their hearts. Ephesians chapter 5 is one of the 58 one another passages in the buyer in the New Testament love one another. Pray for one another, admonish one another. Here it is addressed one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs guides you can only do this if you are around the implication for many of you is clear you need to get off the sidelines and get involved in the church may never entirely too long a spectator and you gotta get connected so you need to join the church is not a membership drive okay to talk about you, but we need to have you on the role. I mean, you've got to become a part of this place and not to somebody. Was this an audience to join up with a small group told you you can only have access to the power of God.

When you are intimately connected to the people of God because the people of God are the means by which God's power flows.

See, you need to get connected here frequenting the community of God is the only answer to gradual backsliding, there you have like this. The situation to get him carefully how you all be intentional, your time, choose a spirit singer song save each other and be around people of God. That's how you engage in warfare you get this if you post you die if you close you die now. Something like yeah I'll get this now to do the six things that I saw coming out of my heart, if anything, the music in my heart is more like a grown it's more like confusion. It's more like pain and I will become a fake. I don't pretend like you're being inside my heart is beautiful is not understand where that starts. That song begins to change. They were going to verse two says that Jesus wore the main things that he did when he say this is a put a new song in our the writer of Hebrews says that he quotes will follow the quote Psalm 22 to the last verse of Psalm 22 says that Jesus will put a new song in the congregation. Psalm 22 is the song that Jesus quoted on the cross. Psalm 22, one, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. Psalm 22 is a song of abandonment. Jesus quoted that song because he was living that Saul he was being abandoned by God because of my sin.

He was suffering the penalty that I have brought on myself which brought into my life. All that confusion and all that pain. Watch, because Jesus sang the song of abandonment.

For me I can sing the song of reconciliation enjoying. You want to know that song changes in your heart is when you receive the fact sang the song of salvation from you when you realize that you sang the song of abandonment for you. Your heart will be filled song of joy you want to know where to start. Start with the gospel before you all start having trouble saying no to sin in your life you want to know to start grasping Jesus the reason he saying that some of abandonment was because of your sin and is the weight of that salvation comes in your heart, it will drive away sin because you be captured by the beauty of the love that God showed you in the start of the gospel always changes.

We encourage you to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ by visiting our website or giving us a call. You're listening to Senate life Bible teaching ministry pastor and author JD Greer.

You can always find more information at our website. JD Greer.com. Today's message is such a beautiful reminder of the love of God think for a lot of people it can be hard to believe that God actually loves them, especially when life is hard. The reasons why it's so important to hide scripture in our hearts when life cuts us believe the word of God. Our latest Bible study follows our current teaching seriously on the program called mystery and clarity has a new feature in it since 2021 is the year of memorizing God's Word press here at Senate life, we've included a Scripture memory component in this latest resource. You're welcome to request a copy of the study today when you donate to support this ministry suggested level of $25 or more Bible study is our way of saying thanks because your donations make Senate life. When someone hears the gospel. Thanks to listeners like you who invest in the mission of God through this today and be sure to your copy of the mystery and clearly study, 866-335-5220 866-335-5221 lines JD Greer.com Molly benefits tomorrow and pastor JD Greer revealed actually the bigger purpose for our marriages just our own happiness Friday on Senate life JD Greer ministry