1182. What Do You Really Want? pt. 2

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville South Carolina this week on The Daily Platform featuring sermons preached from the Bob Jones University 2021 Bible conference with the theme of sanctification in today's sermon pastor will gulp and will be finishing the sermon from yesterday from James 41 through 10, sometimes in our day and age when we talk much of God's grace is forgiveness, but I tell you, God is holy and he hates idols and he hates your idolatry and he is opposed to it, and that is a good thing by the way, this just has two choices on the shelf. Are you to pursue God for you to please yourself and eventually to realize that God's I can give your idols Reiki you have not because you asked not be asked to miss this may consume it upon your last is not God to give you your title so you gotta go to the world and the world loves making idols in the world of the world system is the collective/it's really the passions of unregenerate man, ways to reduce the loss. The eyes and the lust of flesh and the pride of life. In such an effective way that you can even get it next day and they dispense their idols and we would take the trials we shop to a job like this, like, okay, sing a song okay open my Bible take some notes but I just can't wait to get to my idol. I just can't wait to get that thing that Susan over Novocain shots.

The ache in my soul. I just can't wait to get back to those things. But then there are times of sobriety.

We just we can awake obscures like it doesn't work it doesn't satisfy.

This world is broke. You know what happens is our addiction to these idols that victim we lose our spiritual edge. We'll talk about God. We talk about our successes on this earth.

We don't talk to others about Christ week we talk about our possessions. Were you out with your idols. This conflicted soul probably has outward manifestations all through that text back into James three. The bitter ending the strife. The confusion and every evil work. The lusting, the killing, the fighting the powerlessness God is against your idols is hostile towards our divided heart but jealous for our whole heart. He pursues us see the latter half of verse four know you not, do you think the Scripture says in vain. Verse five the spear the 12 that is lusted to NB this is a very difficult verse to translate let alone interpret. I mean, some people think, so that the hardest are the second hardest tax in all the New Testament that the first issue is that do you think the Scripture. And so it is referring the Old Testament. James is the first book written in the New Testament. So do you think the Scriptures the Old Testament says in vain. But the promise.

There's no verse that can be found in the Old Testament that makes this exact thing, but rather looking for exact verse I think it's not a direct quote of the OT, but instead is his overall general truth can really explain the jealous nature of God, I mean you just go throughout the Old Testament, and especially through the prophets, and you see God's jealousy for his own people, but then the actual phrase the spear the 12 slots attendee can be interpreted two ways. It could either mean that that the spear the gods made made in Oz actually has this propensity to cause a loss for all these other things, or the second option which I am more inclined is that that God is spirit jealously longs for us, that would be wholly committed to the father from from really a interpretive standpoint from an exegetical standpoint you put out the options in use, like I need to go either way. I think when you drop it in the context of me when you go back and you see that that he actually called us adulterers and adulteresses I think that that the context lends itself to reading that that he yearns jealously over the spirit that is made to dwell in us. God is jealous for us it's a good thing he's hostile against her idols and he's jealous for a whole heart. You know that God's jealousy is proper.

Whenever I think of the word jealous. An image comes to mind from the Twin Falls County fair. I grew up in Idaho and the biggest thing we had gone right after potatoes was the county fair and I remember one time I mean work is where is the 80s do not does anyone here know anything about the 80s.

Take out your parents pictures. That's the 80s. The girls would wear their hair way up to use like 1/2 can of aqua nut hairspray and it rained all the girls here is down in the whole place smells like hairspray. I remember standing by the zipper ride is on the zipper right, I still see everyone's well and the zipper, right. I'm standing in line thing why my doing that and also in commotion breaks out and I see these two girls that went to our school are Christian school. These two girls and their the catfight and they're fighting over a boyfriend or something and there's like I'm using two girls really fight happens all the time here Bob Jones is going who I think jealousy I had. I've zero healthy connotations of jealousy except for God. You know why is proper for God to be jealous because he cannot break the first commandment God exists for God mine own sake. Isaiah 48 mine own sake, will I do it for first.

How should my name be polluted. I will not give my glory to another. Thou shalt not have been no thou shalt have no other gods before me and don't make graven images don't don't treat these idols don't bow down myself to them, nor serve them.

You finish the phrase, for I the Lord thy God, MA, jealous God and God is jealous for you. Have you walked the Christian life long enough to be thankful to God is jealous for you he hunts you down. How many of your thankful God wants you down.

Spurgeon's not disrespectful. He referred to God as the Holland of heaven. I member when traveling with Dr. Pettit in evangelism. We went to a church in East Tennessee and the pastor there been there numbers and numbers of years and I was just fascinated talk to my sister. What you do, do you take it. He often goes, I try to slow down on Monday and so what I do on Sunday after the service I take my bones. I said, you're what he was my hound dogs. I taken my Linda's Ron latest out there and I cannot wrap up the week and I pray and I just can't rejoice and I listen.

Those dogs and when they get there they get there they get on the scent of a cocoon and they just take off and I at least talk and I just also remembered a really dumb book who's ever read were the Rhett Redfern grows that's a stupid book you cry that looks at dumb book big Dan little and don't don't get me started. Mike, cry here there jump in the creek there circling trees. Those dogs are on the scent and they won't stop until I get there. Kuhn. How many of you are glad that God chases his own is she the go astray again and again and again all these against your idle he's going after you. God knows will be no rest in the heart of his creation.

If the creator is not raining supreme. He's like a husband with adulterous wife and husband's going after and going after and going after he's like a father going out to the prodigal looking and looking and looking you see God's grace for our divided heart is hostile towards her idols and yet he's jealous for our soul, and he is gracious to work in us all hard look at verse six, but he giveth more grace call he resists and convicts us but he pursues us and he empowers us.

This verse is just a repeat of Proverbs 3, verse 34 God's grace is greater than our sin far spiritual adultery it deserves rejection. How many times would you let your spouse cheat on you how many times before. You just walk out the door and yet God's grace is exactly opposite of what we deserve.

Sometimes we hear greater than our sin. I think we think about is greater than the penalty of sin, and I get this site. I understand what you mean like like I deserve, how, and yet he wants to give me the glories of an eternal relationship with him but it's deeper than that. He's it's it's a grace that's greater like a greater kindness is like all other laws I got is is like better. It's it's it's it's deeper and is stronger than the power of our send the law of gravity keeps a million pounds yet anchored to the sphere, but a greater law. Flights kicks in when they push up the throttle and the after onion and push up the throttle and those turbo fans kick in and and they go about hundred 75 mph and the law of flight kicks in and soon there's a greater law, something more powerful than gravity and God's grace is greater than 10 are sin, where sin abounded, grace that that much more abound. You see I'm talking to you know your idols.

You know your depression. You know your broken relationships and it could be. You've heard this over and over your discouraged. I just want to know something God is going after you. If you have ears to hear this morning the hound of Heaven is coming for your soul and you have ears to hear is Tanya my grace is sufficient. I want to give you a grace that's more than your idle following it be grace, that's greater than your skin and yet it demands a response. Wherefore God resists the proud but gives grace the humble. He says he is not like these have these is not like oh yeah I need God to come to do a work but I want to keep my don't know you can go into directions and here Jane sees the eggs order and there's like like 40 expectations in his book and and if this was Paul.

Paul would just kind of launched into this Christology of grace. And he would've the setting of his braces found because the death and burial and resurrection of Jesus not James.

James is this flat out. He said okay you want grace and get on your face brings us through the prescription for a divided heart is every man that God makes is met with his all sufficient grace he has more than enough grace to enable every believer to live a committed life to go to the lowly of heart sums like James gives us a little booklet.

This book is three to the parts as an introduction is got a conclusion in Kansas this little booklet. In fact, if you're here this morning and you and your ear got stern your heart, you gotta do is you want to go find a quiet place this morning or this afternoon. The audit is think about, try to maybe even write write down this these are my idols.

And you go to verse seven and you pray your way through these you say Lord I need grace you give grace the humble support help me be humble that introduction of that little booklet that prescription booklet. He says this to Mitch, submit yourselves to God. Submission to God.

There's no way there's nowhere there's no summation there's no humility. Submission is the act of the well it's is not my will but I'm done is like you been loaded up with all the grace that is necessary to obey and now it's time to obey. You got all of God leaning towards you.

His initiative is going your direction without your responsibility to take that grace and obey the commands of God. And so you're going to submit yourself to God. You place your desires under God's desires.

It's it's really what you did it salvation if you are a child of God.

You remember the time he said I can't save myself in my pride I III can't say myself. I humble myself before God and asked that you save me to the finished work of Jesus Christ alone where illustrating you that your desires and God has his desires. And there's conflict because your desires or Kong are are are contradicting God's desires you had a lightbulb moment home four years ago I was looking to this passage for another context, house thing, and I want my idols in the light, but was this God will never submit to you, you know that never. He can't, he won't recycle IPO for me. I am, I thought of an idol that it's just not God's will for me to ever have most most idols, it could be that you're supposed to have them in a different time. This is an idol God never wanted me to have Iris member going. I'm just like Lord forgive me and I volitional, he mentally submit. I may not feel like it. My emotions may not yet be caught up by yield to your desires.

You take this little prescription book in the introduction tells us about submission but then we see part one is to declare which side Ronnie says in verse seven and eight resist the devil, he will flee from you.

Draw nigh to God, he will draw nigh to you.

Resist the devil in just because just because you submitted to God. Just because you prayed after a Bible conference service just because you went to some service or professor was teaching. Are you read something or watched a cool little video in your your heart was emotionally stirred. It doesn't mean that the fight is now over know he says, resist the devil, cement yourself to God, but but keep on fighting.

How many of you wish there was some little pills we could take and never struggled to Stinson again raising right past the Kool-Aid I'm drinking.

I can tell you how may times the best of intentions. I prayed with the best of intentions. I stood up and the temptation was staring at me right there who's ever been there but he says you can resist now why because the God who was resisting you and your idolatry is now with you and fighting that battle against the enemy.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. You see, the devil will attack trying to seduce by putting the evil desires be soberly vigilant your abs are the devils, a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Be ready for the horn of God. Finally, brother, be strong and or the power of his knife from the whole armor of God. You see, God resists our pride and idolatry. And we submit to him, guess what God through his Spirit in his word. We have all the means everything you pertain to life and godliness in Christ Jesus, he will flee from you, temptations come in seasons II can members a college student, I just want you know I came to college I went to Bible College Wisconsin Northland I came so messed up so broken, so, so many idols so many addictions. There were seasons. My sophomore and junior year I was so worn out by myself. I meant one time waking up like like waking up. It was like my junior year I just so weary of my own failures. I just I slammed my elbows on my knees and I just said God you'll deliver me today I'm gonna die honey thankful to God's greater than our sin all your idols big big. Resist the devil draw near to him. You can come close to holy one because the cleansing work of Jesus Christ. He made away he was 10. He is the perfect sacrifice he is the perfect high priest. You see when we move towards God and I we truly turn towards God. He's walking we walk he runs we Ronnie flies drawing God is the product of the most beautiful picture I've heard. I was listening to a sermon series on the prodigal son, the most beautiful picture is that that's on these got his head down. He can't even look up, and his dad plows into with but I don't know where you're at. I know why your Dragon go to the father doing whatever it takes get up in the morning early or go to bed like like trout the devices at a certain time and get 3 x 5 cards and climbing your bunk and just read the Scripture go to bed with the dwell out Baptist pound and the Scripture into your brain.

Do whatever it takes. Every member was here in seminary, I set up a class with God. I just broken Shire there was a prayer room and I just as at a certain time and three I had three hours in the course the week I was in between classes. I didn't study I just go over there to set up a class of God, get notebooks and start journaling through sermons to listen to sermon series on things I'm just clam this flashback is driving this morning I found out Roman 678 with Dr. Minnick on cassette tape you as Americans that I listen once I put it back and I listened to it twice, because you know what I just felt read about Martin Luther and comes Roman seven slammed his elbows down on the text, you will yield wives as his desperate dozen examples of people want God to climb up trees. The push through crowds, the touch his garment and rip up roofs.

They weep at his feet. Do whatever it takes to draw near to God. Just declare what side you're hunting just submit yourself to God.

Resist the devil draw near to God. But then, not only do we declare which side run we deal with our sin completely cleanse your handy centers purify your hearts, you double minded clippers and flexion since cleanse your hands, is like take responsibly fiancé Michael clear conscience book series I don't deal with whatever is bothering you in your relationships with others.

I seriously don't go go deal with the things that you stole Google take care that restore those things I just do whatever it takes. Delete the apps delete the friend carefully be radical when Puritan said crushed the tunnels. Don't let there be an escape back no little secret path to that treasure that so offends God at this guy come up to me goes, he will. I'm just really strong with like looking at porn on my phone and I just thought maybe like to keep me accountable and so will you keep me accountable and I was my job. By the way, I was working at camp and that was my job. I was I was like the camp's staff counselor and is it can keep him accountable and I said no because this series and I can keep you accountable to when, but how many other people right now are keeping you accountable 56 house working out said throwing the phone go through the way right now.

But there's a dumpster culturally because no man is like 700 bucks said exactly.

I think Jesus probably said it's better to go to heaven with no phones to go to hell with the phone but crushed the tunnel but clean up your sinful actions might be radical but purify your hearts, you double minded. Like it down to this level that were talking about what I want or let the word renew my heart. I love you more than anything else. Oh Lord, help me treasure you greater than everything else. Blessed are the pure in heart, the Lord let me do it. My sin completely but then determine, after repentance.

It's been a long time since we've been afflicted morning wept, where laughter turned morning and a joy to happiness. You know what were giddy about our sin were very carefree and nonchalant and I got some friends that poked me deeply. They pulled me about materialism. They pulled me about moral purity. They put me about fear of man and arrogance.

I got some dudes to get right down to the level of the distal. This was about 20 years ago. So friends with this guy and I were talking on a landline that you guys not landmines are there the right by the stack of cassettes and talking to a woman where we talk on something to someone about this with us.

This, like all we hooked it up to the last Lord forgive me and and he asked a question that pierced me so deeply. I'm her hang up the phone walked out into the woods and just weeping was last time you swept for the Lord because your idolatry like you really want to love Jesus like you like your factions want to love Jesus but your affections are so wrapped up in something that breaks and cannot satisfy and and wins last time you just your afflicted you mourned.

You wept brings us to the conclusion of our little booklet. The prescription booklet from the introduction submit to God and then part one declare which side you're on her to do with your sin completely. Part three determined after repentance and then this conclusion you evilly Caicos full circle just like just like the desires of my heart for this relational brokenness which produces desires my heart that produces relational brokenness. Guess what this does there if there's a humility there's a there's a closeness to God. If there's a closeness to God.

You see is CCS wonder and you and that will there's that submission and that here's a there's a dealing with sin and then there's a closeness to God. And there's a cycle that starts to take place. As you just walk with the Lord this humility with the Lord. Verse 10 was he say humble yourself in the side Lord and he will lift you up, that that's all that the Christian life is just a humble walk with God right, what is the Lord require of you but to walk humbly measures like day after day you every everything vacation passages just a facet of the same thing. I make you walk in the spirit you will, nevertheless, the flasher abide in the vine, you go to every single one of these syndication passages and what you see, it just keeps on pushing you towards a relationship with God found only in Jesus Christ. You see your idol this morning only yourself and as I the Lord and he will lift you up.

You see a brokenness of your own heart, the Lord will make you whole. You you see something not right wrong, the Lord will find you yourself inside the Lord could turn 18 and he just laughed.

Want any of us parents stuff wanting his parents vague.

He just laughed and no no goodbye and over the next four or five years.

There's not one text message. Not when I love you, not one phone call every day those broken parents pray for their boy. Every day they weep at the breakfast table every day. Part of the heart aches one day there's a knock at the door. The dad opens up the door and sees his son whose aged about 20 years and five and the first words out of this kid. The day I can even hear the words barely this boy just weeks in the dad grab some. He pulls his sons head on his chest and the and the and the boys just weeping. I'm so sorry I'm so sorry I'm so sorry – joy coming. Dad just turns to go get mom like he's crying and he's got joy goes to get mom and the son is so overwhelmed he falls on the he doesn't even go in the house.

He just falls right there and mom and dad come back and he's on the ground. This was on the ground weeping. I'm so sorry, so sorry sorry what to those parents do I know God. Humble yourself inside the Lord, you so how many of you know some of your items but you really need God's grace.

Well then, aren't you glad we don't have to go through priest that we go to the high priest Jesus. Aren't you glad God's grace, not for this moment right here so humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up. You been listening to the conclusion of the sermon by pastor will Goeken from the 2021 Bob Jones University Bible conference. Thanks for listening and join us next time is will hear more soul stirring sermons on The Daily Platform