Possessing Confidence and Assurance

Welcome to this week's message from the Church at Chelsea Westover.

Our core values are vibrant worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth.

We pray that this message changes your life.

Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you.

Turn with me this morning to Colossians chapter 2.

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

Oh, that's beautiful, honey.

Now, when you you know, we've been talking about, and I had a lot of response this week from the message.

Uh Carrie was saying he watched us in Houston.

And for you that are watching, we praise the Lord for you tuning in.

Uh but uh we really got in the beginning of chapter one, and by the way, if you do not have a uh worship guide, raise your hand.

We'll make sure everyone has one.

Most of Bob's good and our guys are good, brother Harry about making sure everybody gets a worship guide.

Uh because on the back's the outline for the message today.

And we've been looking at chapter two, and really the synopsis of chapter two deals with Paul's burden for the church.

Paul's burden for the church at Colossae.

Because even though he had never been there, uh he knew a lot of friends and Epaphoras who started the church, had worked with him for many years, and it had exploded.

It was growing, they're reaching a lot of people for Christ.

And as every church that started and begins to be blessed by God, Satan can't stand it.

Can I get an amen?

Satan can't stand what CCW is doing, let me tell you that right now.

He can't stand it.

And we have opposition all the time.

A lot of it you don't know about, because you know, I'm not gonna give Satan.

I don't want Satan to think that he's doing anything to discourage us.

Can I get an amen?

Because greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.

1 John 4, 4.

Nothing's impossible with my God.

Luke 137.

And so he, I bless God, we're just gonna kick him in the teeth and keep going.

But Satan can't stand a church prospering.

And we talked about all the different philosophies, the Gnosticism and the angel worship and all that was going on.

We saw that in chapter 1.

So now he's addressing the church saying, in order for you to keep these false philosophies and this false teaching out, you've got to know the truth.

You've got to know the truth because when you know the truth, guess what?

It shall set you free.

Amen.

And you shall be free indeed.

So we see he deals with that, and in verse one, we saw that in the beginning of verse 2, and then I want us to pick up part two of the message.

Last week, part one was Paul's burden for the church, and we didn't get past chapter 2, verses 1 and 2, because it was the foundation really for the rest of the book, because it's dealing with a mature church and its distinguishing marks.

What he says now, he presents all the challenges that they're gonna have with the false worldly philosophies and the Gnosticism and the cults and all the different groups, and not just the Gnosticism, but also the legalism that came from the Judaizers, saying that in order to be saved, yeah, you got to believe in Jesus, but you gotta add the works, you gotta be baptized, you gotta do this, you gotta do that, you gotta be this.

And so he's dealing with all these false teachings, and now he gets to the part where he says, and the key is understanding the truth, but then not only are you one together positionally, we by the way, if you're here this morning and you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are all in the same family of God.

Can I get an amen?

Amen.

Wherefore, as by one Spirit, we're all baptized into the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12, 13.

There's neither Jew, nor Greek, nor bond, a male, the female.

We are all one in Christ.

Galatians 3, 28.

So positionally, we're all one.

But then Paul deals, and we see that, look at verse 2.

He says that their hearts might be comforted, strengthened, and we looked at that in detail.

And then he says, hey, in other words, we're one in Christ, we're one body, just like all the cells in our body equals actually, but it they come together as one, all the Christians and all the world.

Doesn't matter when we go to Tanzania, when we go to Honduras, when we go to these other third world countries and you meet the Christians, it's as if you've known them all your life.

Amen.

It's such a bond there.

Spirit bears witness with each other's spirit.

Why is that?

Because positionally we're one in Christ.

But now he deals, but now you got to be knitted together in love, he said.

And this is what we did.

If you missed last week and it deals with emotions and loving, and it was one of the most convicting messages to me I've preached in a long time.

Not that they don't convict me every week, but this one, because we dealt with how do we control our emotions?

And that's what I'm gonna follow up.

And when our emotions start making, hey, our emotional beings are to be the responders, and remember to intellect and the will, our mind or be the one that's what guiding us, and the truth that's in our minds and our hearts should be lived out, and then our emotions should respond to that truth.

But when we allow our emotions not to respond to the truth of God's word, then we get in trouble.

And we dealt with that last week, and that's what he was talking about when we got, when he talked about being needed together in love, that we are to live out that positional relationship we all have in Christ through salvation practically.

And that is we're to love one another.

And we talked about that.

We talked about that.

So that was a very powerful message.

Please go back and watch it.

Uh, Carrie said it really exhorted him.

And uh so please do that.

Now, with that said, let's pick up the next part of the verse.

Then he goes on and he says, after we've been knitted together in love, then he goes on and says, unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God and the Father and of Christ.

Now, what that's where I got the title of this message, and that is possessing confidence and assurance.

In other words, when you and I, somebody asked me, can we can we really understand how to control our emotions?

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

How do we do that?

By having confidence and assurance in the truths that God teaches us.

And the way we have that assurance in that, and confidence in those truths is by living out those truths, and then we see how God comes through for us.

Hey, in every situation, can I get an amen?

And the more he comes through for you in those situations that you trust him, the more confidence and the more assurance you have.

So, that's what he's dealing with here.

And notice what he says.

How can we possess that confidence and that assurance in Christ?

Well, first of all, number one, and this is so good, you can know God's will for your life because he promises us.

In other words, if we're going to have that confidence and that assurance, we have to go from number one, is from guesswork to guidance.

We don't have to guess what God wants for our lives.

Can I get an amen?

And the problem a lot of us allow our emotions to take over and they become the leaders instead of the responders, is because we're living by guesswork.

We're living, and you say, wait a minute, what does that mean to live by guesswork?

Living by guesswork means we live by our feelings.

Hello, hello, come on, church.

Amen.

Oh me.

We live by our feelings.

That's why if you're feeling good, woo-hoo! Man, Jesus is awesome.

If you're feeling bad, hello.

Oh, oh.

I mean, hey, God is God when you're feeling good, and God is God when you're feeling bad.

God, hey, does not respond to your feelings.

Hello.

Amen.

Now I'm the world's worst, but I'm telling you, God is God, and it doesn't matter how you feel, he's still the same yesterday and today and forever.

He changeth not.

God's God.

So you don't have to worry about that.

And guess what?

God's eye is on the sparrow.

I know.

Amen?

I know.

So that's the confidence because you know.

And how do you know?

Because you've seen him come through.

Ask Ivil.

He was dead.

Literally.

Shocked how many times?

Twenty-eight?

Twenty-seven times with the paddles.

Man, I'm glad they didn't give up.

I'd probably quit after about five or six.

I mean, man.

I said, well, you're gonna kill him, you're gonna kill.

Hey, he's dead anyway, just keep shocking.

But God wasn't through with him.

Why?

Because his eye was on Ivan, the sparrow.

He had another plan for Ivan.

Scared me to death.

Woke me up.

I was sick.

I was up on the mountain, sand mountain preacher at a little church, a revival for one of my graduates.

And shoot, he called me and said, Where are you, preacher?

Why haven't you come to see me?

I thought to myself, who in the world is this?

Because when I left Sunday afternoon, I was Rosemary and I prayed, and I thought to myself, you know, I'll be called back any moment to come back and to do I will's funeral.

I really thought that.

I'm glad he, hey, you didn't, I'm glad he didn't count on me.

I mean, that's what the doctor told me in Rosemarie right there.

You know, he he didn't, he just said, it looks pretty, pretty dim.

You really need to pray.

And then he was calling me, he said, Where are you, preacher?

And then Friday, he's walking out.

I get back Thursday, he's walking out of a hospital.

Give God a hand.

Amen.

Shocked 27 times, and then, hey, on Sunday, and then walks out of a hospital on Friday morning.

Good grief.

You say, What in how that happened?

There's a God.

Hey, it's not the doctors, even though some of them think they're gods.

It's not the doctors.

God's in control.

Amen.

So, and that's exactly what he's saying here.

That we, uh we've got to, and Susan used it.

The key here is going from guesswork to guidance.

You don't have to guess what God wants for your life.

You can know.

Look at what he says in Proverbs 3, verses uh verse 6.

He says, in all your ways, that's not some, that's all.

You know, I'm guilty of, I want to acknowledge him in the ways that I think I really need his help.

Hello, you with me out there?

I'm good about acknowledging him in, hey, in the ways that I know I need his help.

But in the other ways, you know, I can handle it, Lord.

If I need you, I'll call.

Hello?

No, that doesn't work with him.

Hey, you know what he says?

If I can't be God in the little things, why do you need me to be God in the great things?

Because it's in the little things that builds the confidence and the assurance for the big things.

Hello.

Somebody say that's good, preacher.

It's the little things.

So he says, in all your ways, acknowledge him and watch.

He shall, not he might, he may, he shall direct your paths.

What unbelievable truth, right there.

In other words, he's gonna guide us.

He's gonna direct us.

I love what the scripture says in Psalms 48, verse 14.

Psalms 48:14

For this God is our God forever and ever.

In fact, read it with, read, church.

Read it with ready?

For this God.

That's why, as Christians, when you're walking with the awesome God, you don't have to worry about death.

Hello, you don't have to worry about death.

One, 2 Corinthians 5, 8, to be absent from the bodies, to be present with the Lord, but number two, he's gonna guide you through it.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

Psalms 23.

Amen.

What a joy.

I've been there when I've watched Christians die, and when, hey, people that have died that weren't Christians, there's a major difference.

And the difference is God's guiding that Christian through death.

Amen.

I mean, I uh recently, uh Vanessa's dad, when I visited him and we were talking with her with her mom, and they were here that next Sunday morning.

We're sitting right there on the front door.

I mean, front row.

And here's what they said.

He said, he turned to his wife and said, Honey, I'm going home.

I'm ready to go.

Now, how can someone say that?

Right here, there's the verse.

Why?

Because he will be our guide even unto death.

And by the way, my soul, you can't threaten me with death.

Where am I going?

I'm going to be with Jesus.

Amen.

So, again, we see the guidance from guesswork to guidance.

But getting, hey, but getting there, if we're going to get that guidance instead of guesswork, requires four things.

Ready?

Here we go.

Number one.

This is good.

Knowing that God's will begins with surrendering our will.

Mm-mm.

Look at verse 3.

In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

There's three words there that I like.

The whom?

Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is God the Father.

God the Father is Jesus Christ.

He's his son.

They're one.

You've seen the Father, you've seen me.

You've seen me, you've seen the Father.

John 10.30.

Amen?

So they're one.

So we see that he's the Lord.

And that's what he's talking about when he talks about the mystery of God in the end of verse 2 and of the Father and of Christ.

That the mystery is that Jesus Christ is God's Son, but Jesus Christ, John 10.30, is God the Father as well.

And then you have the other part of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, which comes and takes up residence in our heart when we get saved, and he becomes our pericole, our comforter, the one who comes alongside of us and strengthen us, as we were talking about in verse 1.

So we see that that's the mystery, but the mystery is that, hey, he is God and He is Kuros, He is Lord of all.

Amen.

That's what Paul is conveying to the church of Colossae, in whom are hid all the treasures.

Now watch.

We got the W with whom?

Now we got the wealth.

The wealth.

And then notice of wisdom.

Then we have the wisdom.

Whom?

Christ, treasures, wealth, wisdom.

Hey.

Now watch this.

This is awesome.

And the knowledge.

So here we go.

We have the world's ideology of, and here's what he's talking about when he's talking about uh rebuking the false teachings.

You have the world's ideology of wealth, and then you have God's ideology of wealth.

The world's is power, prestige, money, things.

God's ideology and definition of wealth is a spiritual relationship with God.

Knowing him that I might know.

I'm about to have a spell.

That I might know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering being made conformable unto his image.

Philippians 3.10.

He didn't say, oh, that I may know him, that I may be rich.

Oh, that I may know him, hey, that I may suffer.

Big difference in ideologies and philosophies.

And then we have the world's wisdom compared to God's wisdom.

The world wisdom says that you're only, hey, hey, prosperous if you're, hey, healthy, wealthy, and wise.

That's what it says.

That's their philosophy.

Well, God's, hey, philosophy of wisdom.

God gives wisdom.

Out of his knowledge comes, hey, understanding.

Proverbs 2.6.

His is, hey, through the word of God, which says, instead of exalting yourself, you become the least of yourself.

Big difference.

Last week we said, hey, most of the world's ideology and philosophy is to exalt yourself.

God's philosophy and ideology is to humble yourselves.

There's a big difference.

And we saw the example with Christ last week.

So, knowing that God's will begins with surrendering your will.

Jesus said, I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

John 5.30.

Jesus said, I do not say, seek my own will, but I seek the will of him that sent me.

And then he goes on and he said in Matthew 4.34, My meet is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

So God's, hey, wisdom.

God's word for success is that we finish the work that God has given us to do.

That's true success.

That's true success.

In fact, the only place the word success is used in the Bible for a Christian is Joshua 1.8.

The book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that's written therein.

Watch.

All that's written therein, then shall I make the way prosperous, then shall you have good success.

I tell young people all the time, listen to me, listen to me.

You want to be successful?

You want to, hey, you want to be successful?

Will you just follow God and you memorize his word and you be doers of his word, and God will bless you unbelievably.

I look back on my own life and a little old boy from Sylvester, Georgia, who was voted the most likely to be locked up, not to succeed.

And to see how God has brought me from where I started.

Only a miracle, awesome, mighty God could do that.

But the reason for that was God got my heart.

He got my heart.

He gave me that strength, and my allegiance went from trying to be the best athlete for Danny Lovett to being the best Christian for Christ.

Amen.

Big difference.

Yes.

Big difference.

Big difference.

So, again, we see that.

Notice the second thing.

God wants you to move from guesswork to guidance by one, knowing that God's will begins with surrendering your will.

By the way, go to the second thing.

That's Romans, you may want to put down.

That's Romans 12.

Hey, one.

In fact, yeah, let me go to Matthew 7, 21.

Thank you.

Hey, this is good.

Read with me, church.

You gotta read this.

Amen.

Amen.

Read, church.

Not everyone that saith unto me, go.

See, we have this notion in America because we're so rich and wealthy and in need of nothing, the Church of Laodicea.

Hello, hello, hello.

Hey, that we think, well, all we gotta do is go to church, okay?

Make a decision, maybe be baptized even and kind of be faithful, maybe even time.

Just do all this and still do my own thing, but just, you know, work God in when I can, that we're okay.

I got, that's not what Jesus just said.

Jesus said, Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, Curos, Curos, Supreme Ruler, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but what he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven.

And here's what you think.

What's this?

I've been I've been doing this 30 almost 34 years now.

Now, what we think his will is to go to church.

Hello.

What we think is his will is to be good.

What we think that his will is, is maybe even to give money to the church.

What we think is that we ought, you know, not not to be a bad person and treat my neighbor right.

And I know what you're thinking.

Well, that's kind of what a here's what the will of God is.

That you are fulfilling the calling in your life of, hey, serving him with the gifts and the talents and all that you are because you're fearfully and wonderfully made, that you're not just sitting in the pew, you're doing something for God.

That's his will.

Now, all that other happens to encompass that, but those are the things that we think, you know, makes us a Christian.

No, what makes a Christian is our relationship with the God the Father when we ask Jesus Christ to come in and rapidly change us and save us.

And now it's not I, but Christ.

Galatians 2.20, I'm crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless, I live yet, not I, but Christ liveth in me.

And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2.20.

That's God's will for your life.

You know what?

When people say, well, I go to church for you.

You know what?

You ought not even have to say that if you're walking with Jesus.

It's a part of your life.

It's, hey, hey, you said, well, will I tithe?

Well, you ought not to have to say that.

That ought to be, hey, you ought to thank God.

You ought to get up on Sunday.

I got up so early this morning, I'm so excited about just preaching.

I can't help it.

But but but you know, I'm thankful.

God's giving me another Sunday.

The door is fast.

Worship is put in the word the word of God.

So I can do more tomorrow.

But that's not what the book is.

But adjusting one another so much more just approach of Christ.

We love each other till we get our money.

We know each other.

We encourage each other.

So it's so important.

And we see that's what he's saying.

You've got to.

Hey, oh, there it is.

Matthew 721.

Now, point number two from guesswork to guidance.

Keeping a spiritual mindset.

Keeping a spiritual mindset.

It's not possible to sense God.

Hey, you can't.

You can't do it.

No way.

You can sense God while you are totally engoved with your own self-interest.

Hello.

Watch this.

Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

It's up there.

Notice verse 7.

The carnal man, the carnal mind.

What does he say?

In Romans chapter 8, verse 7.

Romans 8:7

Get it up there for me, Jason.

In fact, what he says, the carnal mind is enity.

The word there literally means hostility.

I'm under point two, keeping a spiritual mindset from guesswork to guidance.

Keeping a spiritual mindset.

In other words, the carnal mind is an enmity.

What does that mean?

It goes against everything that God stands for.

There it is.

Read it with me, church.

And then watch verse 8.

So then, read church, so then that are what?

In the flesh.

Okay.

So see, a carnal mind, hey, oh, you can still say I'm saved, but a carnal mind, you don't have, hey, you don't have a desire for the things of God.

You still have the things that, hey, the desire for yourself.

Big difference.

That fits Matthew chapter 7.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

Oh, many may say that, hey, Lord, Lord.

And he goes on, did we not worship in your name?

Did we not cast that demon?

And then he says, Depart from me.

I never knew you.

Why?

Because it's all about you and not all about him.

Amen?

It's all about him.

Him being Lord of your life.

I mean, that's it.

In fact, I wrote carnality opposes God in his word.

Look at Matthew 16, 23.

You had it up there a while ago, Jason.

This is good.

Look at Matthew 16, 23, what Jesus said.

But he turned and said unto Peter, Remember, Peter?

He goes and he tells Peter, he says, Peter, hey, he tells the disciples, he says, hey, hey, I've got to go.

I've got to leave you now.

I'm going to be crucified.

This is God's will for my life, so that you can be set free.

And Peter, in that meaning, gets up and rebukes Jesus.

When I get to heaven, I'll say, Peter, what were you thinking?

He literally gets up and rebukes Jesus.

Look at what he says.

But he turned and said unto Peter, after, in fact, he said, No, Jesus, you can't.

In verse 22, I think he says, or 21, 22, you can't do this, Jesus.

No.

And let me tell you why he said that.

Now you got to understand why he said that.

Okay?

He said that because in their thinking, they thought he had come to set up an earthly kingdom, do away with the Roman tyranny, do away with all the persecution.

And then they would sit in, hey, in leadership position with him and rule the world.

That was their thinking.

Now why?

Because they were selfishly thinking.

It was all about them and not all about him.

And that's good, preacher.

Because watch what he says to Peter.

But he turned.

He knew that it was a self-serving interest for Peter and the disciples.

And he turned and said unto Peter, Woo! How would you like Jesus to say this about you?

Get thee behind me, Satan.

Me?

Hey, hey, I'm Peter.

Doesn't matter.

You're self-seeking.

It's all about you.

Get thee behind me, Satan.

Now watch what he goes on and says.

Thou art an offense unto me.

Oh my goodness.

Some of you didn't get that.

Or maybe you got it and you're going, boom, what a boy, that was a knockout punch.

Bam.

I know.

Read it again.

For hey, thou art an offense to me.

You know what that means?

For you and I to be self-seeking, self-interest, and all about us instead of all about him, right there, he says, is an offense unto the Lord.

Now notice what else he said.

For thou savorest.

That word savorest is the old King James word, but here's what it means.

You are all caught up.

In other words, you're totally enguffed.

That's what it means.

Not the things that be of God.

But those that be of me.

Wow, wow, wow, wow.

Can we all say o me together?

O me.

What is that?

Unbelievable.

Unbelievable.

James put it this way in James 4, 4, your adulters.

Powerful, strong.

Your adulters, adulteresses?

Know you not that the friendships of this world, in other words, what you love is love of men, the worldly wisdom, the worldly philosophy, the worldly ideology, is enity, hostility with God.

Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, what does it say?

Say it out loud, church, is what?

Wow.

Number three, in all your ways.

Knowing that God wills begins with surrendering our will.

Number two, keeping a spiritual mindset.

My mind is set on thee, O God, and the Lord is my trust.

Psalms 141, verse 8.

Psalms 141:8

Doing away with wrong thinking, or we called it last week, stinking, thinking, thinking, stinking.

Wrong thinking stinks.

Then number three, praying for God's guidance.

Look at what David prayed in Psalms 141, verse 3.

Psalms 141:3

Powerful verse here.

Powerful, powerful, powerful.

And by the way, let me give you the verse in Colossians where this comes from.

Look at verse 4.

This I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.

In other words, wrong thinking, wrong philosophies, wrong, hey, ideologies.

In other words, what?

Philosophies are world, the world's wisdom that goes against what God's word says.

And remember this: God's word always says that we are to put others before ourselves and not ourselves first.

Always.

That's a good thermometer.

So with that said, here he is.

Watch what he says with that.

He says, so Lord, here's what we pray every day.

Actually, here's what I do.

I start out in the mornings with Psalms 139, 23, and 24.

Search me, oh God, know my heart.

Because we said this last week.

Remember, strengthening the heart in verse 1.

Search me, oh God, know my heart.

Try me, know my thoughts.

See if there be any wicked way and lead me in the way of everlasting.

Okay?

Powerful verses to start your morning off with.

And then notice what I go to Psalms 143, verse 10, and I quote these.

Psalms 143:10

Teach me, Lord, to do thy will.

For thou art my God.

Thou art my Father.

I have an intimate relationship with you through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

And notice what he says: thy spirit is good.

In other words, the Holy Spirit is a comforter.

He's come alongside us to teach us and to guide us and to direct us.

So that's good.

And now let what the Spirit has come to do.

Notice what he says.

Lead me into the land of uprightness.

In other words, lead me in the right path.

Notice what he says.

Here it is.

Teach me.

One, we must be teachable.

Hello.

I may repeat that.

We must be teachable.

You know what's wrong with some of us?

I'm guilty of this sometimes.

I'm not teachable.

Hey, am I the only one?

I'm going to say that again.

I'm not teachable.

Now, why do you know, why do you think we're not teachable?

Why is that?

Because we think we already know it all.

And why do you think that we already know it all?

Man, I'm on a roll.

You know why we think we know it all?

Because it's all about us.

And we are, we do know all, hey, we do know it all about us because all we're thinking about is us.

And what we want and how we want it and how we can get it and how we can keep it.

Hello.

I can't say that again, but that was good.

Amen.

Is that not true?

I'm guilty.

So we see that's pretty powerful right there.

Hey, we've got to be teachable.

Notice what else he says in this verse.

Not only must we be teachable, but we must learn.

I'm married to a very smart woman.

And when I'd get mad at Susan, I'm being easy.

I'm just giving a good example.

We're okay right now, I think.

Last idea, I got a kid, so I think we're okay.

She didn't leave me on the couch.

But when I used to want to get at her, I'd call her Miss Perfect.

That was the wrong thing to say.

Because my definition of that was that she knew it all.

And that's not true.

But you know why I would say that?

Because it was all about me.

Because I wasn't winning the fight.

I was losing.

So I started cheating.

You understand that, I bet you, Darren.

Amen.

Oh yeah.

Anybody else can say, oh, me with me?

Amen.

Oh me.

Okay.

All right.

But here's the problem.

We're not teachable, and we won't learn when we think we're okay.

Or when we think we know it all.

And here's another one.

Oh, this is bad.

When we think our way's the best way.

Oh, I just got crucified.

Hello?

I think that's enough on that one.

Point made.

Woo! Point well taken.

Amen?

So, praying, keeping a spiritual mindset, and then praying for God's guidance.

James said this about guidance.

If he, James 1, 5, he that lacks wisdom, let him ask.

But there was one other thing.

We got to learn, we got to be teachable, and then watch.

We got to be doers of God's word.

Can I, amen?

We got to do what we learn.

Can I get an amen?

Because a lot of times we learn the truth, we just don't do it.

And again, why is that?

Because we think our way's better.

All gets back to pride.

Our way's better.

Well, you keep going your way, you're going to keep getting what you're getting.

If we really want God's blessings, we've got to go God's way.

Then He's going to open the windows of heaven and pour us out a blessing.

That's what I pray every day for this church and for you individually.

I go through that covenants list and I lift you up.

Oh, God, give them a thirst and a hunger for God.

But there's one other thing.

Number four, reading God's word with a heart that's open to hear from Him.

And that just, I don't have to explain it.

That just did.

In other words, we're teachable, we're learnable, and we are doers of God's word.

By the way, it's good to have Gabe back with us today.

Jesse son, good to have you, Gabe.

You gonna stay a while with us?

You stay in something?

Good, good.

Are you listening to me?

I figured we needed a break.

We've been beat up pretty good there.

Amen.

Give me a water break.

Preacher, you're killing me.

No.

We're learning the truth.

Can I get an amen?

And when we know the truth, say it with me.

What will it do?

Remember our saying around here?

We love it.

We learn it.

We live it.

That's it.

That's it.

That's it.

So and then I love this one.

God's word with a heart that's open to hear from Him.

Let me give you one verse.

Go to uh, well, we know it, we'll say it, but go to John 10, 4.

And when he puts forth his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

I got a little dog named Rocky.

Boston Terrier Brando.

He's my buddy.

And I'm gonna tell you something about Rocky.

He knows my voice.

He even knows the sound of my voice.

He knows when I'm happy with my voice.

He knows when I'm not happy with my voice.

Hey, buddy, you my buddy.

Come on here, baby.

Rocky! Big difference, isn't it?

I don't do that with Susan.

I know what you're thinking.

No, I don't do that.

In fact, sometimes Susan gets jealous of Rocky because she says, You don't ever talk sweet to me like that.

So I'm trying to get better, I'm getting better.

I'm gonna say, come here, baby.

Jill Mia.

That was a bad illustration.

Honey, I didn't mean that the way it came out.

I promise I did not.

Watch it, Melvin.

I did not, I really didn't.

God, you know my heart.

Next point.

But notice what he says here.

Hey, if you are walking in God's will, you hear his voice.

So when you hear his voice, you respond.

When I Rocky responds to both of my voices, whether it's positive or negative, he responds.

Because he knows if he doesn't, he knows the consequences.

Well, guess what?

When you and I respond or don't respond, or we respond in a negative way, guess what?

There's consequences.

Hello, there's consequences.

And you wonder why you in the mess you in.

Hello.

You decided to do it your way and not his way.

And then you know what we do?

And I'm good at this.

Ah, God help! I messed up.

Why'd you mess up?

I don't know.

I didn't know.

Yeah, you do know.

You didn't listen.

You weren't teachable.

You didn't do what he told you to do.

And here's what you're gonna say.

Well, I didn't know.

That's true.

You didn't know.

And the reason you didn't know, because you weren't in the book.

You weren't in church.

You weren't getting the teachings and the admonition and the encouragement from the Word of God that you need so that you can walk right, talk right, live right, think right.

Woo! That's good.

That's good.

Sheep knows his voice.

Second thing.

Number two, boy, this is good.

Taking control of our thoughts.

Look at verse 4 and 5 again.

And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.

For though I be absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

In other words, he's saying, You are steadfast in the faith of Christ.

And faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10, 17.

You are steadfast in the word of God.

You are allowing your thoughts to be controlled by the word of God and not your flesh.

That's why he says in 2 Corinthians 10, 4, for the weapons of.

And I know what you're saying.

Well, Pastor Danny, have you, and by the way, I've been there.

And it's pretty good, pretty bad when you know every thought he knows before you think it.

Anybody ever thought about that?

That's pretty bad.

I don't like that verse.

I really don't.

Because sometimes I have these horrible thoughts.

You know?

And I'm saying, but now where'd they come from?

We know where they came from.

They come from Satan.

But we have to control them.

You say, well, sometimes I just can't control my thoughts.

Now watch this.

This is good.

Look in the outline.

Because here it is.

Under that.

A.

And I'm going to go back to 2 Corinthians 10, 4 and 5, Jason.

Just keep it right there.

A stronghold is a thought pattern that controls you.

What is a stronghold?

A stronghold is a thought pattern that controls you.

Boy, that's good.

In other words, if you can't get rid of something, I'm going to give you a good example of me again.

After Christmas, I decided that I was going to try to beat my sweet addiction.

And I've done pretty good.

Until I have a church member.

No, I'm not.

Not Granny.

You bring a chocolate pie today?

Thank you.

But I have a missions director, I won't call her by name, that texts me.

I'm walking out of the Y, just burned about four, three to four hundred calories in an hour hard class, and she said, Pastor Danny, I know you're on a diet, but it's donut free day at Krispy Kreme.

Now you don't understand.

I'm right there.

Here's the Y, there's Krispy Kreme.

And I'm gonna print about it.

My car just wouldn't listen to me when I didn't just get the free one.

The waste my games and my tangent just to get one.

And then I thought nobody's watching me.

And then I'm gonna send.

You know who it was?

Stephen and Cassie.

So I said, now I gotta tell the whole church.

Busted.

But they sure were good.

None of your business.

And then I get home till soon as she said, Well, you didn't bring me one.

I said, Well, I didn't want to be caught.

Did you have it and you ate it, though?

Did I have it and eat it?

Do you think they're gonna let me get a uh a free donut from a wife that ain't there?

They're not that dumb.

But I should have bought her one, but I didn't want to contribute to her because she's on a diet now, too.

So anyway.

So thank you, Deedra, for looking after me.

I did enjoy it.

But I hadn't.

Anyway.

But what makes me want that donut right here?

It's right here.

I'm telling you, folks, it's right here.

You can say no or you can say yes.

It's your choice.

Well, I can't help it.

Yes, you can.

Because we go back now to 2 Corinthians 10, 4 and 5.

Now watch.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.

Hey, hey, we've got powerful weapons.

Watch.

Casting down imaginations, every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every thought to the beating of Christ.

You and I have the power of God living in us through the power of the Holy Spirit to, hey, take control of our thoughts patterns.

Can I get an amen?

And how do we do that?

We do it through the word of God.

Now, watch this.

I did take control of my thought patterns.

Because I could have bought a dozen and eaten every one of them.

I've done it.

I could.

And I buy a thing of chocolate milk too.

That's even better.

And drank the whole quart of chocolate milk and eat a dozen donuts, and that's about 5,000 calories.

I gained two pounds right there.

But I, you know what I did?

I ate two.

A free one and I paid for one.

That's it.

Because I made myself.

And then I jumped in the car and took out of there.

Or somebody else saw me.

So we can control our thought patterning.

Amen?

We can.

We can.

And how do we do that?

Realizing that strong holes are our thought patterns.

And what's this?

Second thing.

We've got to become proactive.

We've got to be proactive.

When that thought starts controlling you, what kind of thoughts?

Oh, there they are in that verse.

Those, hey, hey, those enticing thoughts.

Isn't it amazing?

They're enticing.

I mean, the bad thoughts, why are the bad thoughts, why can't the bad thoughts be not enticing?

You ever thought about that?

I asked the Lord that He didn't give me an answer.

Why did the bad thoughts have to be enticing?

And the good thoughts sometimes seem to be boring.

You ever thought about that?

Come on now, I'm helping you.

We're learning.

You ever thought about that?

Am I the only one that thinks that weird?

Why are the bad thoughts enticing?

And the good thoughts sometimes are kind of bland.

That's a good word.

Because it's Satan.

He's luring you.

Go to the temptation, James chapter one.

Hey, hey, it's the one tempting you.

It's like that, it's like that bass fisherman with that lure.

Oh, he throws that big lure out there and he's got that lure and it's going like that, and that big old bass comes by, and that big old bass looks at that lure and he's, hey, looking's no problem.

Then all of a sudden he starts thinking, uh oh, now he's starting to have a problem.

Thinking what?

Thinking, oh, that'll be good.

Oh, that'll be good.

Still no problem, but all of a sudden, whoop! Oh, big problem.

Set the hook, fish he's on the wall.

He's gone.

Or he's in your belly.

Why?

But that's the way Satan works.

That's the way your thoughts, hey, that are bad for us are enticing.

He's got that lure out there.

Hot nail, hot nail, hot nail, hot nail.

I've gotten to the point I just looked the other way when I go by.

No, to the right, towards the sign.

I have to look toward the left.

But anyway, we see.

We got to be proactive.

And then number three, we must train our minds to go the right way.

Can I get an amen?

In Philippians 4 8, we must think on those things that are true, honest, good rapport, virtuous.

We have to.

We have to.

We have to.

We must train our minds to think and go in the right direction.

Let me show you Deuteronomy chapter 30, verse 19.

Deuteronomy 30:19

When God was talking to the nation of Israel.

I saw this verse, I'd never seen it.

Well, I've read it.

But I said, man, this is powerful.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you.

God's talking to His, hey, chosen people, the nation Israel.

That I have set before you life and death.

Blessings and cursings.

Therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.

Now watch what I saw here that's so powerful.

You and I do, hey, affect our seed.

The choices you and I make do affect the ones that we love the most.

Hello?

It's pretty strong, folks.

But it's pretty enlightening.

Can I get an amen?

And you go to Joshua 1 8, 19 and 20.

If you're willing and obedient, you should eat the good of the land.

But if you refuse and rebel, you should be devoured by the sword.

We have a choice.

Deuteronomy.

Hey, Malachi 3, same thing.

About the only place that strongly says you can test God in the area of giving.

But that's not just tithing, it's your test of everything.

And he says, I'll open the window of heaven and pour you out a blessing.

And then what you don't realize, most people preachers start there, but verse 12 says, And I will rebuke the devour from your home.

Powerful.

And I will bless you, your grandchildren, and their children.

That's what it says.

That's powerful.

So controlling our thought patterns tremendously important.

Last thing, and I'm through.

Third thing?

We have to stop trying to control everything.

Look at verse 6 and 7.

This is good.

Look at verse 6 and 7.

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus, the Lord, curace, controller, owner, walk ye in him.

Rooted and built up in him, established in the faith as ye've been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

In other words, we might, hey, we've got to quit controlling everything.

We've got to allow God to be Lord of our life.

Can I get an amen?

We got to be rooted and built up in Him.

And how do you do that?

Study to show that stuff to prove unto God a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Stay in the book.

Have your daily quiet time.

Stay in prayer.

Stay on your knees.

Pray through thy prayer sheets.

Get a prayer sheet.

They'll be up on the table back there.

And also it tells you the weekly events going on, so you can keep up with us.

But hey, pray.

Pray through that.

Study.

Be in church.

On Wednesday night, right now, we're studying Cornea, the fellowship that we're talking about here, that Paul was so adamant about.

Susan did a phenomenal job Wednesday night on the difference in fellowship and friendship.

There's a difference.

Amen?

You with me?

The marks, watch this.

The marks of a healthy church and a healthy Christian.

They go from guesswork to guidance.

They take control of their thoughts.

And they stop trying to control everything.

It's not about us, it's about him.

How many of you have a problem letting go of controlling everything?

Wouldn't it be nice to know?

And I'm learning this.

This transition from me coming to Chelsea and Bob Cersei O, Miss Nancy, and all them back there when I was a president of Chelsea Temple, co-pastor of Holland Park Baptist Church.

Talking about trying to control and make things happen.

But you know what I've learned?

I'm learning and learn and and boys.

And a lot of it has to do on getting older.

But sometimes I don't think that's just it.

Okay?

And I won't call any name.

But I'm learning.

If I just believe what I just preached, if I surrender my will to him and I live every day for him to teach me what I need to do instead of what I think I need to do.

And what I want to do.

Did you hear that?

What I need to do.

And what I what want to do?

And just let him take control.

It's amazing.

My blood pressure's gone down.

I think a lot of that may have something to do with a lot of weight.

But really, I I was because y'all don't understand it.

I can get up here and preach my heart out, but I I I can do all things through Christ's training.

Yes, I believe that.

But but I'm such a doer and such a deep personality that I got, God, I got it.

If I need you, I'll call.

But being here has been so good.

You know why?

Because I wake up in the morning and I say, Lord, it took me a long time to get here.

And I'm still not there.

I still do it every day.

I have to.

This is not Danny Lovett's church.

It's not David Will.

It's not yours.

It's not the you know whose it is?

This is.

And we have the blessings of being a part of.

All of us.

There's no hierarchy here.

We have our positions, we have our gifted, we have it.

We're all one in Christ.

Can I get an amen?

And I really believe that.

I I live that.

Hey, God's called me to be your under shepherd.

He's the chief shepherd.

Can I get an amen?

Okay?

That's it.

And my heartbeat for you and me is that we'll grow in the likeness of Christ and be the church that He wants us to be.

To reach this community.

We're a community church.

That's what I want to do.

I want to be a part of that.

I want to be a part of that.

So I get up in the morning, I say, Matthew 16, 18, upon this rock I'll build my church.

The gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Woo! God, you've you've said you'll build it.

Okay, give me my marching orders.

What am I supposed to do today?

You'll be amazed.

How he leads me every day like that.

From phone calls, texts from you, I need to do this.

And I go ahead, I make my to-do list, but not like I used to.

Because God convicted me about that.

Lord, I'm I'm on your assignment today, not mine.

Now, here's some things that I would like to get done, but I'm yours.

I'm yours.

Oh, he's interrupted me, Turk, taking me, Bob, so many different places.

And you know what?

I get home, and I just that was fun today.

Thank you.

And minister, leading people to Christ, helping people.

Wow.

What?

That's it.

If you surrender your will to him and not your will, I'm telling you, it'll change your life.

Not I but Christ.

Say that with me, church.

Not I, but Christ.

Galatians 2.20.

Not I but Christ.

Now we start doing that as a church.

Woo! Look out.

And we're already seeing that.

A lot of you are.

And hey, a lot of you are.

But we got a long ways to go.

Can I get an amen?

We got a long ways to go.

But this is his church.

And we ambassadors for him.

And what a beautiful, what a beautiful peace that is.

What a beautiful peace.

Every head bow, every eye closed.

Thanks again for tuning into this week's message.

We pray that your life has been changed.

If you would like to find out more about us, visit us on our webpage at thechurch at cw.com.

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Send us an email at office at the church at CW.com.

We hope you have a wonderful day and again, God bless you.