Passions of the Heart - Part 4

Well, it's good to see all of you.

Welcome back.

We had a week off.

How did the week of snow go?

!

With the snow.

Doing all right?

Good.

You know, sometimes, and I'm grateful for this, sometimes the Lord gives you a much-needed

break.

And I really enjoyed last week just being able to be home and to do the work I would normally

do here, but do it at home, and to have some space to catch up a little bit.

I always feel behind, so to be able to get ahead is always a very special blessing.

But it's good to see all of you.

I imagine that as we keep going, more people will kind of funnel in.

But we're in the middle of this series on the passions of the heart, and I trust it's been

beneficial for you.

It has been meaningful and beneficial to me as well.

And how relevant, right?

How relevant the Word of God is in impacting us right where we need to hear the Scripture.

And so I trust it's been a blessing to you as well.

Let me pray for us, and we'll open this up.

We'll get this started and see what the Lord does.

Father, we are trusting you again today.

Thank you for your Word, the trustworthy, dependable Word of God.

And thank you that you don't just talk about problems that are other people's problems out

there somewhere, and it's detached from us.

But thank you that the things that you share with us are so relevant and so accessible, and

they penetrate the very core of who we are.

And they deal with the very issues that we struggle with day in and day out.

Thank you, Lord, for your patience with us.

Thank you that even when we mess up,

even when we fall on our face,

even when we turn away in rebellion against you

and decide to have our own way,

Lord, that even then you are still,

extend your grace to us.

You invite us into relationship.

You lead us by your mercy.

And day by day, every morning by morning,

we can enjoy the benefits of that mercy.

And so, Father, I pray that your mercy would be

just present with us this morning

as we work through this material

and that you would use it instrumentally

to change us into the likeness of Jesus.

We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

All right.

So just by way of a little bit of review,

and I don't want to do too much

because we've got some things to cover,

but if you remember a couple weeks ago now,

because we couldn't meet last week,

but a couple weeks ago,

we talked about gateway sins.

And I showed you that picture of that gateway

and the land that's beyond the gate

and how fertile the valleys were

and how clear the waters seemed to be.

And it was a picture of something.

Okay.

What was that a picture of?

And what did we learn a couple weeks ago

about gateway sins?

Anyone remember?

Morning, guys.

Great to see you.

What did we learn about gateway?

Yeah.

It looks fun until you're in it.

Okay.

It looks fun until you're in it.

Okay.

Good.

Someone want to build on that?

It never satisfies.

It never satisfies.

Okay.

So it looks appealing.

We see it like,

wow, this is like Disneyland.

And so you want to walk in.

You want to enjoy what's there.

You see things that are attractive to you.

And you get in.

And initially, it's a blast.

It's meeting and satisfying

every craving that you have, right?

And then the further you walk into that,

then what happens?

What happens?

The further you walk in through this gateway

and you're indulging in the land

that's there in front of you.

Anyone remember?

It's hard to get out.

And it's hard to get out for several reasons.

And I want to just talk about

what are some of the spiritual reasons

why it's hard to escape

back out of the gateway.

Okay?

And so let me set this up for you.

Okay?

That we walk down this road.

We walk down this road.

We revel in the sins that are there.

It continues to carry us.

And now because of that

consistent progression of sin

that takes us further away from God,

and maybe sins that, by the way,

become greater and greater

in terms of their offense against God.

Hey, Timothy?

I want you to pay attention, please.

Okay?

That the further we go in,

there are spiritual things that take place

in our life that make going back

that much harder.

Right?

Why?

Why is it harder to return?

Okay.

Okay.

That's good.

It feels good.

It is satisfying in some ways.

And so in a lot of ways,

it becomes electric.

It becomes euphoric.

And we want that next hit.

We want that next experience.

We want that next sense of fulfillment.

Right?

And so we're walking down this path

and turning around,

it looks like we're giving up

those delights that we've experienced.

Good.

What else is turning around

and coming back hard?

Pride and ego has to admit

that we were wrong.

Okay.

That's it.

That's another big thing.

Pride and ego,

now you're caught.

Right?

Now there's a sense of,

this has gone public.

And now there's a shame

that's attached to this sin

and to now admit that sin

and to come and make that right,

that turning around.

We talked about repentance of the heart,

kind of the realignment of the heart

and moving back towards God.

It becomes a bigger deal,

not just because you're giving up

some sort of delight or enjoyment

that you're having in the sin,

but also now the road back becomes hard

because you've got to come to terms

with the sin,

your offense against God,

and the way that it has brought shame to you,

the way that it is.

Others will now perceive you,

and that's hard.

Any other thoughts about

why that road back is hard?

Okay.

That's good.

That's good.

We talked about from Ephesians chapter 4,

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

beginning in verse 17,

where the apostle Paul says,

don't be like the Gentiles.

Remember?

Who have extended themselves beyond feeling.

Now they've become calloused.

Now they've become hardened.

Now their eyes have been darkened.

Their hearts have become stony

and hard and calloused.

And so now turning back

is not just no longer attractive.

It's like, well,

I'm not sure that I really want God anymore.

I'm not sure I really need God anymore.

And that is really,

that is really the essential danger,

the essential danger,

is what it does to our hearts

and how it begins to turn our hearts off from God.

That sensitivity,

that tenderness that was once there

is no longer present.

And so you don't really need God as much anymore.

You don't really want God as much anymore.

And so the hard road back

is compounded by the fact

that now you're not really interested

in wanting to please God anyway.

So why would I take that hard road

if it's not really something

that does anything for me?

And so the further we go,

the less exciting these sins seem.

And the more we need to do

to get the same hit,

the same high,

that same euphoric experience,

that same pleasure,

and it just keeps taking you

down that path, right?

And this story of the gateway

really describes the power

and the danger

of these sins

that we talked about.

Because rarely do these sins

announce themselves.

Those sins don't say,

hey,

if you walk down this road,

there's going to be trouble.

There's going to be danger.

There's going to be a heartache

and brokenness.

So don't walk down that road.

No,

the road just keeps beckoning you in

one step further.

It seems harmless at first.

It seems innocent.

And it seems natural.

The world would want you to think

that this road is the normal way.

It's the road that everyone's taken.

So of course,

you need to take it too.

If you want to fit in,

if you want to enjoy

that same experience

that everyone else has,

then join the crowd.

Do what everyone else is doing.

Have some fun.

Stop being such a

goody two-shoe, right?

Whatever they would say.

So take one more step.

Have one more taste.

Have one more glance.

Take one more look.

It's okay.

It's natural.

It's good.

And so little by little,

what's happening is you're actually

training your heart.

You're teaching your heart

certain things.

You're conditioning your heart

to believe certain things.

And so little by little,

those subtle demands

now turn into cravings.

We talked about

four of those gateway sins.

Four of those sins that seem like

everyone's doing this.

So this is natural.

This is normal.

This is what everyone does.

So we should do it too.

We kind of excuse ourselves.

And I know this was

a couple weeks ago.

Anyone remember

what one of those

four gateway sins was?

Anybody?

Anger.

Okay.

Tremendous.

And probably,

I don't want to put

all the guys

in this bucket,

but I just know for myself

and probably for a lot of

men in this room,

anger is something we excuse.

Flying off the handle,

being short with people,

you know,

pumping your fist,

being upset,

pushing your way around.

That's just seems

natural for us.

This impulse to respond

in the moment

because we're angry.

Right?

And so we excuse this sin

because this is something

everyone does.

Anger.

What's another gateway sin?

Fear.

Tremendous.

Okay?

So fear.

And, you know,

we could say a lot of things

about fear,

but I think it shows up

the most

in how we are afraid

to take certain steps

and do certain things

that we know are right

because we're familiar

with the word peer pressure.

Right?

Peer pressure is a word

that we hear a lot,

especially for you students

who may be going

to school,

high school somewhere.

Peer pressure is a big deal.

And peer pressure

can be really negative

to keep us

from doing what we know

is right.

Or the fear of losing

something that you want,

that you enjoy,

and so you're willing

to make compromises

in your life

because of fear

to get that thing

even though you know

it may not necessarily

be the right thing.

Discontentment

is one of those things.

And in our series

through Colossians,

we talked about

the significance

of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is one

of those things

that helps to tune

our heart

to see

what God is doing

when circumstances

seem to be

negative.

Right?

Okay, so the Apostle Paul,

I love how he says this

in Philippians chapter 3.

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

He says,

I have learned

in every state

to be content.

Whether I'm abased

or whether I abound,

whether I'm full

or whether I'm empty,

I can do all things

through Christ

who strengthens me.

Now, isn't it interesting

that he attaches

that promise

of Christ's power

to contentment?

Why?

Because,

let's be honest,

we're not very content people.

We tend to be

very critical people.

We tend to be

complainers.

We tend to be

belly achers.

We tend to be

jealous of what

other people have,

envious of the things

that they have

that we don't.

Their talents,

their things,

their stuff,

the fun they have,

the people,

the friends they have,

whatever it is,

it's really easy

for us to be

really discontent.

And especially

when things aren't

going our way.

And the Apostle Paul says,

you can do

all things

through Christ

who strengthens you

to be content,

to be thankful,

to be satisfied.

I love that.

The other one is

self-pity.

Feeling sorry for yourself.

Nursing wounds

without bringing them

to God.

And it's okay,

I think,

for us at times

to really feel

the sorrow

and the grief

and the disappointment

of a moment.

I mean,

I love how

the Lord Jesus

does this

in John chapter 11

John 11 · chapter mention

where Mary and Martha

are grieving

over the loss

of their brother Lazarus.

And what does Jesus do?

He enters in

with them.

He grieves with them.

He sorrows with them.

It's okay

for us to feel lost.

We don't have to

just walk through life

as if we're impervious

to feelings.

Feelings can be good,

but those feelings

must direct us to God.

And that's kind of been

the thrust

of this entire time together.

See,

with gateway sins,

no one wakes up one day

and says,

you know what,

I think I'm going to ruin

my reputation today.

I think I'm going to

blow up my marriage.

I think I'm going to bring

devastate my integrity,

my reputation.

I'm going to mess it up today.

I'm going to do it good.

We don't do that.

No, it's step by step,

moment by moment.

We're conditioning ourselves.

And quietly,

we transform our desires

into demands.

Those things that once

kind of pulled us

in a direction

because we wanted something,

now we're demanding this.

We feel entitled to this.

We feel like we deserve this.

And so these countless moments

of saying yes to sin,

those things that once

we were very sensitive to,

now we're calloused to.

And the longer we walk this road,

the more we convince ourselves

that we deserve this.

I actually deserve this.

And that's where

it becomes bondage.

We become comfortable

with our sin

and it doesn't embarrass us

the same way it did before.

It doesn't feel,

make us feel guilty

like it did before.

It feels normal.

It feels right.

It feels good.

It feels like

this is what I should be doing.

And this is where we move

into our time for this week.

Our heart begins

to excuse

and to justify

our sin.

And the more we do this,

the more we realize

that we're actually

slaves to that sin.

We have set up

little sanctuaries

or altars of worship

to those things

that we have to have.

They become governing for us.

They become our masters

in a way, right?

Because we have to have this

in order to feel right.

And so,

the life of Solomon

gives us this

remarkable,

real-to-life

gateway

parable.

It's kind of written

over

the life

of King Solomon.

He is the

ultimate

gateway traveler.

And so,

I want to just

look at his life

briefly

as kind of

an introduction

to what we're going

to cover

this morning.

Do you have that

in your...

I didn't bring

a guide with me.

Okay.

You have a section

about Solomon

as kind of the

ultimate gateway traveler?

Okay.

Good.

I want to just...

I'm going to read

the little portions

of this

and take a pause

and there's some

lines there

if you want to

take some notes.

but I want to just

walk through this

together

so we can kind of

see how this works,

see how Solomon

was this gateway

traveler

and what it led to.

The ruin

and devastation

that it led to

in his life.

Here we start.

Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 1:1

chapter 1

verses 1 and 2.

It says this.

The words of the preacher,

the son of David,

king in Jerusalem.

By the way,

King Solomon.

Vanity of vanities,

says the preacher.

Vanity of vanities,

all is vanity.

Now that's the

leading statement

of King Solomon

in this little book

called Ecclesiastes.

What do we...

Someone summarize

this for me.

What does vanity mean?

Chasing after the wind.

Okay.

Chasing after the wind.

Good.

That's a part of it.

And so anyone

who's chasing after the wind,

what does that mean

about their life?

What does it mean

about the results

of their life?

What are they left with?

Meaningless.

It's good.

It's meaningless.

It's empty.

It leaves them

with this void

in their heart.

They're missing something.

They've been chasing

and chasing

and chasing.

And all of that energy

is resulted in nothingness.

Vanity.

And that's kind of

the headline

over this entire book.

And that's the headline,

by the way,

of this series.

That apart from God,

chasing your desires

apart from God

will leave you empty

and devastated

like it did the preacher.

chapter 1,

verses 12 to 14.

What are some things

we're going to see

that the preacher

or King Solomon

pursued?

First,

we see this pursuit

of wisdom.

He says,

I, the preacher,

have been king

over Israel

and Jerusalem

and I applied

my heart

to seek

and to search

out by wisdom

all that is done

under heaven.

It is an unhappy business

that God has given

to the children of men

to be busy with.

I have seen everything

that is done

under the sun

and behold,

all is vanity

and striving

after the wind.

Verse 16,

I said in my heart,

I've acquired great wisdom

surpassing all

who are over Jerusalem

before me

and my heart

has had great experience

of wisdom

and knowledge

and I applied my heart

to know wisdom

and to know madness

and folly.

I perceived

that this

is also

but a striving

after the wind.

Now,

help me with the story

that the initial story

of Solomon,

okay,

and kind of

have to rewind

all the way back

to the beginning

of King Solomon's life

and remember

that God shows up

to Solomon

and says,

essentially,

I'm going to have to

kind of put this

in my own words

and it may or may not

be fully accurate,

but essentially,

Solomon,

tell me what you want,

whatever you ask

and I will give it to you.

Remember that?

Something along

those lines?

What could Solomon

have asked for?

Wealth,

popularity,

army power,

control,

land,

popularity,

wealth,

all of these things

and he asks for wisdom

and God honored that.

That was a very good thing.

But isn't it interesting here

that while Solomon

excelled in wisdom

above anybody else

who ever lived in that day

and probably anyone else

after with the exception

of Jesus Christ,

he excelled in wisdom

and it's wisdom here

that Solomon says,

it's empty,

it's worthless,

it's meaningless.

It's something,

isn't it?

And really because,

and maybe I won't give you

the answer,

why,

why was wisdom

meaningless for Solomon here?

What do you think?

In Colossians,

wisdom is a person.

Okay.

And so he's seeking wisdom

apart from a person.

Okay.

That's good.

Do you notice that

throughout this passage here

in Ecclesiastes chapter 1

Ecclesiastes 1 · chapter mention

that he's applying

his own heart

to wisdom

and so who is

the beneficiary?

Solomon is the beneficiary.

Right?

It's all self-serving.

It's all about

what wisdom does for him

and not about

how wisdom

is helping

Solomon

point

to the Lord,

to God.

Right?

And that wisdom

as we kind of went through

our study in Colossians,

we saw that

Jesus

is wisdom.

Right?

He is the wisdom of God.

He's the knowledge

that we get to enjoy

and so

wisdom is meant

to point us to

to the Savior

and not to

redirect ourselves

to our attention

to ourselves.

So there's no wonder

why it was empty.

No wonder why it was

a striving after the wind

because it was

it was an objective

that was self-serving

rather than

an objective

that was

intended to

to serve

and to help others.

Okay.

In this next little section

verses 1 to 11

of chapter 2

I have kind of

bolded

the ways in which

Solomon

applied himself

to get pleasure.

And just as I'm reading

I would just encourage you

to

to write down

what you see

in the spaces below

all the different ways

that

or all the different things

that Solomon pursued

to try to get

to try to get a hit

to try to pursue

this experience

of pleasure.

Okay.

So he says

I'll just read this.

He says

I said in my heart

come now

I will test you

with pleasure

enjoy yourself

but behold

this is also

vanity.

I said of laughter

it is mad

and of pleasure

what use is it?

I searched

with my mind

excuse me

I searched with my heart

how to cheer

my body

with wine

my heart

still guiding me

with wisdom

I made great works

I built houses

and planted vineyards

for myself

I made myself

gardens

and parks

excuse me

let me put my glasses

on so I'm not

skipping lines

and planted them

with all kinds

of fruit trees

I made myself

pools

from which to water

the forest

of growing trees

I bought male

and female slaves

and had slaves

who were born

in my house

I also had great

possessions

of herds

and flocks

more than any

who had been

before me

in Jerusalem

I gathered myself

silver and gold

and treasure

of kings

and provinces

I got singers

both of men

and women

and many concubines

the delight

of a son of man

so I became

great and surpassed

all who were

before me

in Jerusalem

also my wisdom

remained with me

and whatever

my eyes desired

I did not keep

them

or keep from them

I kept my heart

from no pleasure

for my heart

found pleasure

in all my toil

and this was my reward

for all my toil

then I considered

all that my hands

had done

and all the toil

I had expended

in doing it

and behold

all was vanity

and striving

after the wind

and there was nothing

to be gained

under the sun

what do you see

what are some of the ways

that he tried

to pursue pleasure

what do you see

that's good

that's good

and that is

the essence

that's the summary phrase

in the entire passage

that we arrive at

fantastic

that's good

but what are some

of the specific things

possessions

the things that he wanted

right

what kind of possessions

does he mention here

gold and silver

right

lands and vineyards

flocks and

and

herds

herds and flocks

what else

alcohol

wine

that's right

hard work

working hard

success

pools

and parks

and gardens

right

entertainment

right

beauty

and all of these

things are good

by the way

beauty is good

God put the most

beautiful garden

together

that Solomon

could ever imagine

and that was

good

right

but it was

all for self

gratification

laughter

that's right

enjoyment

and just

just the

experience

of having

fun

together

and

and

and

and

as

Timothy

did for us

already

that defining

statement

we see in

verses 10

and 11

whatever his

eyes desired

he did not

keep his

heart

from any

pleasure

and he

and he

saw at the

very end

of it

it was

all empty

it left

him feeling

worthless

right

and

and

and so

this no longer

becomes a parable

of a gateway

does it

this is

this is an actual

experience

of King Solomon

who's walked

down this path

and it's left

him

in bondage

and we see that

I don't have time

to read it for you

this morning

but in 1st Kings

chapter 1

or chapter 11

verses 1 to 10

God

his

his

own

indictment

against King

Solomon

is that

it had led

his heart

astray

all of these

things

it actually

left him

in rebellion

against

against the

Lord

to the extent

that Solomon

built high

places for

himself

and he built

high places

and he did

this for his

foreign wives

and the Lord

it says

in verse 9

was angry

with Solomon

because his

heart had

turned away

from the

Lord

wow

what a tragic

ending

Lord away

by this

impure

desire

this

indulgence

this passion

this fuel

of meeting

needs

in his own

way

and there are

some reasons

why we follow

this course

and so

those gateway

sins

might be

anger

and self

pity

and fear

and discontentment

but there's

something that

moves us

that direction

there's something

that kind of

motivates us

to even

consider

to walk

down that

path

and that's

what I want

to talk

about just

a little bit

this morning

before we

break up

for discussion

what are those

motivations

what are those

cravings in our

heart

that say

hey this is

okay

you need

this

or you

deserve

this

and

those

four

motivations

that we're

going to

talk about

are

probably in

your little

guide

but self

reward

for dedication

that's

motivation

number one

then a

craving for

flattery

and praise

that's

motivation

number two

a desire

for control

that's

motivation

number three

and a desire

for comfort

and we're

going to

come back

to those

and kind

of talk

about

those a

little bit

more

but

we begin

to make

excuses

for ourselves

we begin

to train

ourselves

that

this is

what we

deserve

this is

kind of

the reward

that I

should give

myself

for my

dedication

or this is

a reward

that I

should give

myself

because

I'm not

getting it

any other

way

and it's

the way

for me

to control

my environment

the uncertainty

that I

experience

I need

to control

it somehow

and so

we walk

through

this path

and we

begin

to convince

ourselves

that this

is something

that we

deserve

something

that we

need

and so

these heart

motivations

are there

and they're

present

for us

and I

want to

just give

you a few

minutes

right now

to just

evaluate

your own

heart

just as you

think about

motivations

these four

motivations

just evaluate

yourself

by working

through

these

questions

and see

where

your

tendencies

seem to

lie

with respect

to these

motivations

okay

what

do

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there anybody else but me?

Oh man, it's so easy.

The Apostle Paul says it this way, and I remember the very early being a pastor and struggling greatly with this.

But the Apostle Paul in Galatians 1.10 says,

Do I seek to please men?

Well, I'm so glad I'm in good company.

Because the Apostle Paul seemed to struggle with that too.

Oh, that's so hard, isn't it?

Oh, that's so hard, isn't it?

We want to please others.

We'll do whatever it takes to make sure they're happy.

How about, I'm tempted to bend truth or boundaries to preserve someone's approval.

Anyone find themselves there?

Other ones?

Okay.

I regularly avoid hard things by seeking quick relief.

Okay.

I regularly avoid hard things by seeking quick relief.

That is the spirit of our age, isn't it?

Escapism.

And there's so many ways to escape.

So many ways to get away from what's hard.

Anyone else?

I'm tempted most when my life is hard and I want to break.

Okay.

I'm tempted most when life is hard and I want to break.

Oh man.

That's tough.

Vicki.

Well, I'm just going to say, maybe relationships are sometimes making more of them.

Like the bounds.

Yeah.

Okay.

That's good.

Thank you.

My temptation to be angry, fearful, controlling, intensified, and microcaotic.

Okay.

Read that again out loud.

Nice and loud again.

I guess I can't remember all those words.

My temptation to be angry, fearful, controlling, intensified, and microcaotic.

That's good.

Boy.

Yes.

Timothy.

Timothy.

That's good.

We all do that, don't we?

Numb ourselves with when we feel in pain.

It's easy to numb ourselves.

It's great.

Well, I want to just briefly, you have a picture again on your page.

I think sometimes stories do a good job at helping to press the point in a little deeper.

Okay.

So kind of look at that picture.

And this is a story about the puppet on the strings.

You deserve it.

There once was a boy made of wood who tried hard to be steady, disciplined, dependable.

He woke early.

He did the right thing.

He kept his promises.

He carried more than anyone noticed.

He was a good little boy, but no one seemed to notice.

So the harder he worked, the more he thought, I've worked so hard, I need some relief.

That's the motivation.

Discipline leading to reward.

Then it happened.

One night, after a long day's work, he walked through town and saw a bright wagon parked

under a lantern.

Music drifted into the street.

Laughter spilled out like warmth.

A group of boys waved over to him.

Boys who looked carefree, fun-loving, fearless, and unburdened.

Come on, one shouted.

Have some fun.

You deserve it.

Finally, someone noticed.

And as he considered options between what he knew was right and disciplined and what

seemed fun and carefree, he thought, you know, I do deserve it.

So he went on.

At the wagon door stood a man with a smile too practiced to be sincere.

He leaned in close like a friend.

Are you ready for some fun tonight?

The boy hesitated.

He knew the wagon wasn't harmless.

But the man added softly, besides, everyone's going.

Don't you want to belong?

That appeal for praise.

So he climbed in.

The wagon rolled through the city, streets, past quiet neighborhoods, and then into the

bright, restless heart of downtown where everything moved faster and felt louder.

It finally stopped in front of a towering glass structure that rose into the night, into a

gleaming monument.

Every floor was pulsing with light.

Through the windows, he could see the world of thrill in motion.

Music thumping.

Banners waving.

Colors spinning.

Silhouettes dancing.

Laughter bursting like fireworks.

The scene electrified every imagination.

This is what the boy felt he really needed.

Then, in that instant, without warning, something happened he couldn't see.

A thin thread, light as cobweb, wrapped around his wrist.

Not tight, not painful, almost comforting, like a bracelet, like permission.

You earned this.

The next week, the wagon returned.

This time, the boys were louder.

We told you, they said.

You belong here.

And the wooden boy felt the pull of something he didn't want to admit.

The hunger for praise.

To be included.

To be wanted.

To be admired.

So he went again.

Another thread slid around his ankle.

Week after week, the boy went back.

And week after week, thin cords attached around the limbs.

He was offered pleasure for his pain.

Acceptance from his peers.

Control of his surroundings.

And relief from his burdens.

It was everything he had ever imagined.

Months passed.

The threads multiplied.

Still thin.

Still almost invisible.

But now, when temptation came, it was no longer a choice.

This time, there was a pull.

A tug.

An unbreakable resistance.

A network of invisible cords that drew him in.

Then, all of a sudden, the man's voice changed.

No longer with warmth.

No longer with praise.

No longer with sympathy.

You're mine, he said.

And you won't visit anymore because you belong.

And the wooden boy finally understood what promised him freedom had been training him for bondage.

The reward became a wage he couldn't stop collecting.

The praise became a chain.

The control became a cage.

The comfort became a master.

The cords weren't forged in a moment of rebellion.

They were braided quietly, night after night, from the very motives he used to justify his sin.

And so, we're going to take the next 45 minutes.

And you have some questions there.

Teens, I'm going to have you go up to the second floor.

And so, there's some questions here.

But there's also some verses.

And I would encourage you to kind of read through the passage.

The passages together before the questions.

And then spend some time working through those questions.

Basically dealing with these motivations.

The motivation of self-reward for extraordinary dedication.

The motivation of flattery and praise.

The motivation of desire for power and control.

And the final one, the motivation, the desire for comfort.

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