Questions of Jesus Series #4
Pastor David T. Elms Preached on 8/26/2025
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55:29
Summary
Pastor Elms explores Jesus' probing questions regarding the difference between the sacred and the profane, challenging believers to cultivate spiritual discernment and provide life-giving 'bread' rather than 'stones' to those they lead. This sermon emphasizes the importance of a heart oriented toward God's holiness and the power of modeling authentic worship for the next generation.
Key points
- •Jesus uses stark, shocking comparisons (holy things vs. dogs, pearls vs. swine) to warn believers against blurring the lines between the sacred and the profane.
- •Discerning the difference between bread and stones, or fish and serpents, is about more than intellectual knowledge; it is about the orientation of the heart and our priorities.
- •Parents and mentors have a responsibility to model a vibrant, authentic walk with God, ensuring they are offering their children 'bread' (spiritual life) rather than 'stones' (spiritual deadness).
- •Spiritual discernment is a discipline that must be exercised to distinguish between right and wrong, especially in a culture that seeks to pseudo-sanction unholy living.
- •True maturity in Christ requires a 'chronology of the journey' where our prayers and walk with God grow and mature along with our age, rather than simply repeating the same spiritual year over and over.
Scripture
Family
Holiness
Spiritual Growth
Wisdom
Worship
Life application
This week, evaluate the 'spiritual meals' you are serving your family or those you lead by ensuring your private prayer life matches your public witness. Choose one area of your life where the 'sacred' has become too close to the 'profane' and intentionally re-set a holy boundary.
Reflection questions
- In what areas of my life have I been settling for 'stones' when God has offered me 'bread'?
- Am I becoming more spiritually mature as I age, or am I replaying the same spiritual year over and over?
- What kind of spiritual legacy am I modeling for the 'eyes' that are watching me-my children, youth, or new believers?
- How can I better exercise the 'muscle' of discernment to test the spirits and stay aligned with God's Word?
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Full transcript
0:00right, though. I was a little stiff with
0:00the head. But, uh, anyway, join me in
0:00the book of Matthew, and we're going to
0:03read Matthew the 7th chapter, verse 6
0:07through 11, as we continue on this
0:10unique,
0:14unique series,
0:16questions Jesus asked. It's been
0:19interesting me as I've dug through this
0:21thing. All right, you ready? Give not
0:25that which is holy unto the dogs.
0:29It's quite a vivid picture.
0:34Give not that which is holy unto the
0:35dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before
0:39swine. Another backto back vivid, stark,
0:46almost shocking. I don't know if you
0:48could make a more shocking comparison.
0:52You know, I know we've got dog lovers in
0:55the house, okay? I am a dog lover.
1:00My kids don't always think that because
1:02I'm not an inside dog lover,
1:06but I love dogs and I wanted my kids
1:10raised with dogs. And I especially went
1:11out of my way to make sure they had a
1:13dog. But I don't have a dog anymore. My
1:16dog is in heaven. Joshua went on to
1:19heaven. He'll meet me there.
1:22>> But when you're seeing what Jesus is
1:24saying, he's not looking at your pet at
1:27home. When he's saying, "Given that
1:31which is holy unto your puppy."
1:35This isn't even the kind of dog that the
1:37Bible speaks of when the woman said,
1:39"Yeah, but even the dogs get the
1:40crumbs." That dog was almost a house
1:43dog. You know, I heard somebody who
1:46wrote in Thailand, apparently, there's a
1:49a hierarchy of dogs. There's the house
1:52dog, there's the there's the the uh
1:57street dog, and then there's a stray
1:59dog. I don't know how they get in that
2:02level, but if you're a house dog, you
2:04you know where you live. If you're a
2:06street dog, you have a place. If you're
2:09a stray, you got to just go wherever you
2:11can be. The hierarchy of dogs
2:15Well, Jesus is referring here to
2:17something that in the mind of the
2:19biblical crowd is a shocking
2:24statement to give holiness,
2:27holy things unto the dogs.
2:30And so he's saying, "Don't do that."
2:32Then he said, "Lest they trample them
2:34under their feet." In other words, they
2:35don't even know how to discern
2:39what was put in front of them.
2:43This is why When I come before you, a
2:45cat doesn't see a king. My daughter
2:49Scarlet has a cat. Matcha. Is that the
2:51dog? Is that That's the cat's name.
2:53Matcha. That cat was dead in this
2:56parking lot when my daughter found it.
2:58And it's the mut of all the kittens. Do
3:01kittens do they have muts? What do they
3:03call a small the runt? Okay, not a mut.
3:06The runt of the kittens. And matcha's
3:09she's been PTSD. I'm telling you, when
3:11you go see her, post-traumatic stress
3:14disorder is on macha.
3:17But you know, a cat can't see a king. A
3:20cat doesn't have eyes to discern what a
3:23crown is. But if a rat comes out,
3:27a cat has eyes for a rat.
3:32I'm already preaching.
3:33>> Uhhuh.
3:34>> Isn't it good already?
3:39And here's the Lord. He's trying to make
3:42sure his people have tuned
3:46eyes.
3:47>> Yes.
3:48>> Oh Lord, I pray right now that you would
3:50help this congregation
3:53do some assessment of our eyes.
3:59Don't cast your pearls before swine,
4:01lest they trample them under their feet
4:02and turn again to rend you. The pigs
4:05will come after you.
4:08Ask and it shall be given to you. Seek
4:10and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be
4:12open to you. For everyone that askketh
4:13receiveth. He that seeketh findeth. Him
4:15that knockth shall be open. Here's the
4:17questions.
4:19Or what man is there of you whom if his
4:23son asks for bread,
4:25will he give him a stone? That's such a
4:28cruel comparison.
4:31He's not messing around, is he? You got
4:34to imagine a father doing that.
4:38Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a
4:41serpent?
4:44If ye then, being evil, know how to give
4:47good gifts unto your children, how much
4:50more shall your father in heaven give
4:51good gifts to them that ask him? This
4:54Thursday at 10:00 will be the viewing,
4:57and at 11 o'clock will be the funeral,
5:00the homegoing celebration of brother
5:02Steve Sanford. All of you that have
5:04helped Sister Vicki and the team of
5:06ladies and the men that also are helping
5:09with the repass dinner, I give you such
5:12appreciation right now ahead of time.
5:15Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It's
5:17going to be a long trek up to the
5:19cemetery and then they're going to come
5:21right back here. And I believe that's
5:23where the repass is going to be. And I
5:25know that doesn't happen all by itself.
5:26So I want to say from the bottom of my
5:28heart, listen, I've been to country
5:30churches. Boy, those country churches
5:32put on a repass that blow your brain.
5:35>> I've walked into some of these repass
5:36and these country churches and I say,
5:38"My Lord, I don't think we can ever do
5:40this." I mean, food galore
5:45>> and it's just one of those things that
5:47I' I've been amazed by, but it's it'll
5:49be a great remembrance of one of our of
5:52our great brothers in this church. For
5:54the last few years, he's been stricken
5:57with dementia. And uh it was not who he
6:01was, but he was our first youth pastor
6:04when we came here. He was the first one.
6:07He and his wife even wrapped a little
6:10bit. Gospel rap. That was back when
6:12Carmen put out raps. I know y'all are
6:14too young. Y'all are all too young to
6:16remember Carmen. Okay, I understand. But
6:18but that when you would sing a little
6:20bit more conviction,
6:26>> I'll pull it back together. internet.
6:27Don't get under pressure. This is for
6:30the people in the house. You become.
6:35So, we're going to go into questions
6:36Jesus asked. You may be seated. If you
6:38want to sing with me, you can turn to
6:40page 104. Tears so sweet
6:45to trust in Jesus
6:49just to take
6:53him at his word.
6:58just to rest
7:01upon his promise.
7:05Just to know
7:09the saith the Lord.
7:14Jesus. Jesus.
7:17How I trust him. How I proved
7:25him. More and more
7:30Jesus,
7:32Jesus,
7:34precious
7:35Jesus.
7:38Oh, for grace
7:41to trust.
7:43I'm a drummer. I love songs with beats.
7:46as a drummer when I was growing up
7:48playing in church, man, I wish we had
7:51songs that had backbeats and offbeats
7:54and all that stuff. And they're fun to
7:57play, but as I get older, some of these
8:01songs that may not be real good for the
8:03drummer,
8:04and I'm talking as a drummer, boy, they
8:08go deep down in the soul. We're about to
8:11talk about Jesus and learn about
8:13questions that he asks. But when we do
8:17this, I want you to reach down in the
8:19preparation of your soul and ask
8:22yourself and remind yourself some of
8:24these things that this hymn of old
8:27reminds us because nobody ever cared for
8:31you like Jesus did. He's the sweetest.
8:37He's the greatest. He's the kindest.
8:41He's the most thoughtful. He's the most
8:44gentle. He's awesome.
8:48Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus.
8:56Just to trust
8:59his cleansing
9:01blood.
9:04lasting
9:06simple
9:07faith to plunge beneath
9:12the healing
9:15cleansing
9:17flood. Oh Jesus.
9:21Jesus.
9:23How I trust him. How I proved him more
9:33and more.
9:35Jesus.
9:37Jesus.
9:39Precious
9:41Jesus.
9:44for grace to trust him more. Verse
9:49three, hear it. Yes, it is sweet
9:54to trust in Jesus
9:58just from sin
10:02and self to cease
10:06just from Jesus
10:10sin.
10:12taking. Here's what I get. Life and rest
10:17and joy. And come on everybody. Oh
10:22Jesus.
10:25>> Jesus. How I trust him. How I proved
10:33him. Lord.
10:36Oh Jesus.
10:40Jesus.
10:41Precious
10:43Jesus.
10:45Oh, for grace.
10:49[Music]
10:51>> Y'all need to sing this with me. I'm so
10:55glad
10:57I learned to trust him. Preious
11:03Jesus,
11:05Savior
11:07friend.
11:09And
11:10I know that thou art with how long you
11:17will be with
11:20me to thee. Let it come from your soul.
11:24Jesus.
11:26Jesus.
11:28How I trust him. How I prove
11:36him. Oh.
11:38And oh
11:40Jesus.
11:42Jesus.
11:44Precious
11:46Jesus.
11:48Hope for grace
11:51to trust him more.
11:56Hope for grace
11:59to trust him more.
12:05for
12:08to trust him more.
12:15[Music]
12:22Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
12:25You know, I cannot get close enough to
12:27him.
12:29Oh Lord, sometimes we feel real high.
12:32Sometimes the songs are high and we feel
12:34real low. You I hope you've never been
12:37there. Sometimes you feel the like the
12:40song's too slow for where you're at.
12:42You're up here saying, "Come on, come
12:43on, come on." And everything's down
12:45here. What What's What's What What is
12:48that? That's the rhythms of life. The eb
12:50and the flow, the flux, if I could say
12:53that. The vasicissitudes to break out a
12:56buck 50 word. The vasicissitudes of
12:59life. these these ups and downs and the
13:03flow. That's healthy.
13:05It's healthy. Sometimes we feel like
13:08we're in a a a low spot and you think,
13:11"Well, I can't pray a lowsized prayer."
13:14Why not?
13:16David recorded his lowsized prayers.
13:21Sometimes somebody walks in and they're
13:22filled with this army marching kind of
13:25uh uh beat, you know, to their prayer.
13:27Bless the Lord God Almighty who reigns
13:31forever more. He is so high and lifted
13:34up.
13:35>> That's awesome to pray like that.
13:37Sometimes I do that. Sometimes I don't
13:40even feel like putting vibr in my voice.
13:42Lord, I love you.
13:46I'm here because you're the best thing
13:48that ever happened to me.
13:51I just want to tell you that in my
13:53weariness, in my uh my my time of
13:57setback or that time of dryness, you're
14:00still the best thing that ever happened.
14:03Last night at LXM, we had tongues and
14:05interpretation and and the word of the
14:07Lord that came forth said something I'd
14:10never even understood before, but he
14:12said, "Though you go through the
14:14wilderness
14:16as I did,
14:19so I have commissioned
14:22angels to minister unto you
14:26as they did unto me."
14:31I say, "Yes, Lord."
14:33Because even sometimes we're in the
14:36fertile valley. Sometimes we're on the
14:38mountain top with the apple trees
14:40everywhere. But sometimes we're on that
14:42long drought in the wilderness. And he's
14:45commissioned angels to watch over us. To
14:49God be the glory. To God be the glory.
14:52uh as we go into this I I I want to say
14:55that our desire as a church is to grow
14:58people. The the motto of our church
15:00which we've uh stretched over our
15:03Montasauri school is helping uh children
15:06become as our Montasauri school and then
15:09it's three dots because we're not trying
15:11to define what that looks like. And at
15:13the cathedral it has always been our we
15:15have an annual theme but our overarching
15:18motto is helping people become I have
15:22seen some churches in my life and I hate
15:24to say this but you know every church
15:26isn't a good church folks every church
15:28that has a building and a sign is not
15:31have full of life I have evangelized and
15:34traveled a lot of places and I'm telling
15:36you there were some places that were so
15:38blessed with with with buildings and
15:41facilities ities and they had all the
15:43equipment they wanted. They had
15:46phenomenal facilities and yet the church
15:48service was just drab. And I'm not
15:52talking about it being drab because it
15:54was a season. It was because there was
15:55no life among the people that it was the
15:59the pullpit did well. They spoke well.
16:01But even then at times you you felt like
16:03where's that that spring that that the
16:06prophet said spring up oh well within my
16:09soul? Where is that fire that gets shut
16:12up in your bones that you just can't
16:15stop it because something's in you? It's
16:17not put on you. It's not set around you.
16:21It's not situated at the foyer. It's not
16:23situated at the front. No, it is in you.
16:26And it's like a well. The Bible said his
16:29Holy Spirit would be like a well of
16:32living water that would spring up. In
16:36other words, you you have a hard time
16:38stopping it. The prophet said, "I wanted
16:40to be quiet, but I could not stay
16:43because his word was like fire in my
16:47bones." And how do we keep that
16:49freshness? I I don't want this church.
16:51I've been here 33 years and and I don't
16:54want this church to be a church that has
16:56had, you know, you could be in the same
16:58place for 33 years, but if you just
17:00replay the same year, all you've done is
17:03you've lived for God one year, 33 times
17:06back to back.
17:08because you don't grow.
17:10>> You just get to the end and you say,
17:12"Okay, well, I'm going to sweep back.
17:14It's that new year again." And God's
17:16wanting you to say, "No, you keep
17:18walking forward. You don't slide back
17:19and replay the same year again.
17:24>> We got to be challenged. We need a
17:26chronology of our journey. We need to
17:28know that I'm not praying a 15-year-old
17:31prayer now that I'm 32.
17:34I'm not praying a 45 year old prayer now
17:37that I'm 58.
17:39>> And I don't want to be praying a 58y old
17:42prayer when I'm 62. I want to know that
17:45my maturation is going at the same
17:48rhythm of my walk with God.
17:51>> And I don't want anybody to pet me and
17:53say, "Boy, you were good in the 80s."
17:59>> Listen, I know y'all don't know the 80s
18:00really really were around. You have to
18:02go to the radio to find out whether they
18:04were around or not. But no, it doesn't
18:06matter what I was in ' 07 or 0 and 17.
18:10My lord, 17 was a long time ago. No,
18:13what am I now? Am I progressing?
18:17>> And if we practice compartmentalization,
18:19we can get in dangerous places.
18:21Compartmentalization is good for
18:22closets. I know I almost lost the whole
18:25service Sunday when I told about my wife
18:28uh trying to get me to put my pajamas
18:30away. And so, uh, I listen, I'm still
18:33getting back at her. I'm I'm not done
18:35throwing my fit. I carried four sets of
18:38pajamas to the trash last night. I'm I'm
18:40getting back at her. I'm I'm getting
18:42back at her. And in fact, I'm getting so
18:45back at her, I had a brand new pair of
18:47pajamas show up yesterday.
18:50I'm gonna roll those things up, put them
18:52in that spot. Listen, she's not going to
18:55win every time. Just most of the time.
18:58But that compartmentalization, you put
19:01things in places. And it's a good thing.
19:05Plug your ears. It's a good thing to
19:08have your compartmentalizations
19:11in the right place. It's good for
19:12closets. It's, you know, I I can open my
19:15closet. To me, it's very organized. To
19:17others, it may not be. I know here's my
19:19casual shirts. Here's my ties and my
19:22shoes and my casual jackets. Here's my
19:26dress jackets and my suits and my dress
19:29shirts. And it's just ridiculous. That's
19:31my four compartments. I know where my
19:33drawers are, my sock drawer, all the
19:35rest. You You understand? There's good
19:38time to compartmentalize.
19:40But there's also sometimes that you
19:43don't need to compartmentalize.
19:45You know, some people compartmentalize
19:48in such a way. And if it would be wrong
19:50to compartmentalize, you you you start
19:52getting in prayer in this early morning
19:54prayer and you start really feeling move
19:56of the spirit and you just say, "Well,
19:59I'll just call my boss because I'm in
20:02the Holy Ghost right now. I'm in a holy
20:04compartment and he'll just have to
20:05wait." And I'm just telling you that
20:07compartmentalization doesn't need to
20:08work. You just need to go on to work.
20:12Why? Because it's called life skills.
20:15You know, I've I've told all my kids,
20:17just because someone's in the church
20:20doesn't mean they have life skills.
20:24Some of the biggest jerks I've ever
20:26known was in the church.
20:29You know, they walk in, they look like
20:31they're on something, and you get them
20:32in a way that's not comfortable for
20:34them, then you find out they are just a
20:36jerk. Some of the biggest shoutters in
20:39the church are just ogres to live with.
20:42And so I've always told my children,
20:44just because they shout, just because
20:47they talk in tongues, just because they
20:49got a neat testimony, just because they
20:51can play an instrument, doesn't mean
20:53they have life skills.
20:55Life skills are can you be kind when you
20:57have a headache.
20:59>> Can you Oh, Sister Elms is feeling the
21:01anointing coming on her over.
21:05So, you know, because some people are
21:07just mean.
21:09>> They're just mean. They need to go to
21:10the altar and meet Jesus.
21:13And they they they can fast. Some people
21:15are mean when they fast. Nobody in the
21:17family wants them to go on a fast.
21:20Oh, they're fasting. We're going to go
21:22away. You're on a fast. Jesus said,
21:25"When you fast, don't be like the
21:27Pharisees who goes around and lets
21:29everybody know it.
21:31>> Headache, backachche,
21:33>> no brushed teeth."
21:37He said, "You wash your face and fool
21:41everybody. Let them not even know you're
21:43fasting."
21:45>> Because here's the the thing about it is
21:47is we've got to learn life skills. You
21:50know, there's special ladies that think,
21:52"Well, I'm being spiritual today.
21:53Everybody's got to eat Vienna sausages
21:55for dinner." Does anybody know what a
21:57Vienna sausage is? See, I've got a bunch
21:59of rich folk in this church. Y'all are
22:01so rich you don't even know the gift of
22:04unccoring a can of Vienna sausages. You
22:07are a can of Vienna sausages with
22:10government cheese. I'm not saying
22:12government. I'm saying government
22:14cheese. When you get that block of
22:16government cheese and you mix that with
22:18a toothpick,
22:20you can get the toothpicks for free down
22:23at the restaurante and and you poke that
22:27government cheese through that Vienna
22:29sausage. We're talking about high
22:30cotton.
22:35>> But you can't always do that. Sometimes
22:38you wives need to cook and sometimes you
22:41men need to cook. I better watch out.
22:43I'm in a modern era. I just You see how
22:46I almost got in trouble right there? You
22:47like how I stepped out of that? I dodged
22:50that one quick like.
22:55And then there's times when
22:57compartmentalization
22:59is harmful. You know, people say, "Well,
23:02what they don't know
23:04won't hurt them." They have a world that
23:07they hide from another world. You know,
23:09we've heard of consenting adults. You
23:11know, if it's if it's consenting adults,
23:14then if since they agree, there's
23:15nothing wrong with it. And that's when
23:18you compartmentalize into sin and and
23:21and then you separate these things. And
23:23here's what the Lord does is he he
23:25probes the heart because his questions
23:28penetrate the mind and the thoughts and
23:32the way you order your life. His
23:34questions step into your stuff and ask
23:37you some questions. And last week we
23:40talked about confronting the shadows of
23:42hypocrisy. You know, you know what
23:45hypocrisy is? A person who has a lot in
23:47the showcase but not much in the
23:48warehouse. They're more interested in
23:50the approval of men than the approval of
23:53God. And you know what bothers a
23:55hypocrite more than almost anything
23:58else? Another hypocrite.
24:02Hypocrites are bothered by hypocrites
24:04because they don't know which one's
24:06getting by with the most.
24:09Well, I was slipping by over here, but I
24:11saw them getting by with that over
24:12there. So, I'm gonna get by with this
24:14and that. Because a hypocrite gets in a
24:17hypocritical competition.
24:20But when you want to please the Lord, it
24:21doesn't matter who in the church is
24:23getting by with whatever they're getting
24:24by with. If you're bothered with who's
24:27getting by with what, is it because
24:28you're upset as a hypocrite,
24:32>> that you think they're getting by with
24:34stuff that you're not getting by with.
24:37>> When you have your eyes on Jesus, you're
24:39not you're not sitting around and
24:41combing the Facebook to seeing who's
24:43done what and what caught who.
24:46You just say, "I've got my eyes on
24:47Jesus,
24:49>> and I don't know who's doing what and
24:51what's doing who. I'm just telling you,
24:53I've got to please the Lord."
24:56>> And then we come into this question
24:58tonight, which sounds so simple because
25:00it's seems like it's a it's a simple
25:02answer. Give not that which is holy unto
25:05the dogs.
25:07Holy to dogs. Neither cast your pearl
25:11before swine. And then he goes on, "What
25:14man is there of you who if his son asks
25:16bread, will he give him a stone? For he
25:20ask a fish, will he show up with a
25:22serpent?"
25:24Then he goes on in that same chapter,
25:26verse 16, "Do men gather grapes of
25:29thorns?
25:31Do they go try to find figs of
25:34thistles?" These are these are really
25:36opposite viewpoints that he's trying to
25:38bring about. Then he says another
25:41question. He said, "A good man out of
25:43the good treasure of his heart gives
25:45good things. But how can you being evil
25:52speak good things?"
25:55So he he asked these deep questions. And
25:58I don't want us to over complicate this
26:01with riddles. I just want us to see how
26:03the Lord is trying to grab these two
26:07opposites. holy things to dogs, pearls
26:13before pigs,
26:15son who asks for bread and you give him
26:18a stone. No, you wouldn't do that. He He
26:21knows you wouldn't do that. But his
26:23whole illustration, if a son asks for
26:25some fish, you know, you want to go to
26:27Culver's after church, they've got some
26:29good hatock there.
26:32It's free advertisement. I don't know if
26:33they will sponsor me.
26:36They could sponsor me with a Sunday
26:39once a month now. Okay.
26:42And he said, "Fish, will you give him a
26:45serpent?" I can't imagine laying down a
26:48plate and putting a snake on it for my
26:50child to eat. Maybe there's some
26:52cultures that do that, but it's it's
26:54just one of those things and that Jesus
26:58knew would be a stomach turning
27:01proposition.
27:03And so then he said, 'Would you go look
27:06for grapes and look for them among the
27:08thorn bushes? Would you go to try find
27:11figs among thistles? Now, we're not as
27:13familiar with fig trees. I talked about
27:16that Sunday as well. Figs. I I don't
27:18really know how to go pick figs, but in
27:19the Middle East, that's the main thing.
27:21I like me a fig Newton. Is that Is that
27:23what I'm talking about today? A Fig
27:25Newton. Yeah. Uh these these these were
27:28binding moments that would jolt the mind
27:32and the thoughts and the soul and and
27:35what he was doing is saying how aligned
27:39are your priorities
27:42and he's trying to reorient the heart.
27:45He said here's holy things.
27:48Do you put that in front of dogs? Now
27:51here's the thing. We can start thinking
27:54that these opposites
27:56are are not as bad as what Jesus
27:59intended them for them to be. We can
28:02start humanizing
28:05all these differences that the Lord
28:07wants us to have. Now, I don't know if
28:10you watch the breakout of the wild feral
28:14pigs that have broke out in Texas, but
28:16it's ruining a lot of the land, and
28:19there's major major problems with these
28:21wild pigs going crazy. And and it's it's
28:24just a terrible uh situation that's
28:26going on there. And you get to where you
28:29almost hate them because of what they
28:31destroy. And so these are the kind of
28:34pigs that the Lord said they will come
28:37and tear you. They'll turn on you. And
28:41then he said, "What about going and
28:43seeking grapes and you're going to get
28:44grapes and you're leaving bloodied
28:46because of the thorns?" These are not
28:49random metaphors. What he's doing is
28:51trying to get us to confront the static
28:54that goes between things that are sacred
28:58and things that are profane. Now, that's
29:01a powerful word.
29:03>> When you hear the word profane, you
29:05think, "Oh, I know that's I I I've got
29:07of my my my heart against profanities,
29:12the things that are profane." But here's
29:15what the Lord is saying there.
29:17Everything you see out here doesn't look
29:19to be profane. In fact, nowadays, I
29:21don't even know if there's any words
29:22that are profane anymore.
29:26What is I I the the the only there's
29:29only a very few profane words from
29:32compared to when I grew up.
29:34>> I mean preachers are cussing nowadays.
29:37>> And so so it just it it shocks my
29:40spirit. And here's the problem the Lord
29:43is asking. He said are you blending
29:46these two worlds that I have set a
29:50difference between?
29:52Are you getting the sacred too close to
29:55the prof to the profane? Are you kind of
29:58mixing back and forth and making this
30:00unholy weave between something that is
30:03holy and something that is not holy?
30:06>> This is how fornications occur. This is
30:08how adultery occurs because they they
30:11take something that is holy and then
30:13they start thinking, well, my heart's
30:14right. My I'm we are in love, so go
30:17ahead.
30:19We love each other. No covenant, no
30:22process, no honoring the ways of God.
30:26No, it's just the way of the world. And
30:28so they start looking at it like, well,
30:30we're it's sacred in the eyes of God.
30:32No, it's not.
30:38>> Lord, help us in this hour not to fall
30:40prey to the way the world, the spirit of
30:44this age pulls it together.
30:47people living together, going to church,
30:49and they never get convicted.
30:52>> They're not even the preacher doesn't
30:54even convict them. He pseudo sanctions
30:56it.
30:58>> Now, because the pastor and not not this
31:00one, but because a pastor may pseudo
31:03sanction it, did God sanction it?
31:08>> If people are winking at it in the
31:10church, does God wink at it?
31:14>> No. And that's what he was worried with.
31:17He was saying, "What are you doing? Are
31:19you taking things that are holy and
31:21you're casting them to dogs? Are you
31:22putting your pearls and putting them
31:24down before swine? Are you trying to get
31:27grapes from among the thorns? This
31:29kingdom is sacred. And the thing about
31:32this kingdom, it's made up of holy
31:34things and pearls and bread and fish and
31:37grapes and figs, things that bring life.
31:41But the profane and the absurd things
31:44are likened to the dogs and the pigs,
31:47the stones and the serpents, the thorns
31:50and the thistles. Those are what the
31:53Lord doesn't want in his house. And he
31:55said, "Please don't get them confused.
31:58Do you value the value the holy of God
32:01enough to protect it from desecration
32:06or do you not mind it being right beside
32:08one another?
32:10Do you seek nourishment from the sources
32:12that really sustain you? Are you getting
32:15your counsel from the world? Are you
32:18drawing your wisdom from the church? Are
32:21you drawing your not even the church
32:23from the word? The church is not
32:26powerful without the word. Folks, the
32:28preacher has no authority without the
32:30word. If I'm not preaching the word, I'm
32:33building your house on sand. It's the
32:35word that we've got to build our life
32:37on. Can an evil heart yield good
32:40treasure?
32:42Jesus is not prescriptive in this
32:46question asking. He's not even giving
32:48you the answer. Even though it seems to
32:51be a simple answer, he's wanting us to
32:53grapple with the question and think, I
32:56don't want to just say, I know that
32:58answer. I'm going to hurry. I was always
32:59so mad at my wife. Listen, I've got a
33:01cap in my in my office that says uh
33:06something along the lines that if you're
33:08in the pastor's family, you're liable to
33:11be used of an illustration at any time.
33:15And I've appreciated all you ministers
33:17online that never tell a story about
33:20your own family. You don't say a thing
33:22about your wife. I honor you. I salute
33:24you. But I read a book called you are
33:28the message and it talks about tell your
33:30story. So uh you know and and uh I have
33:34to use my wife as an illustration
33:36sometimes.
33:42We went to college together.
33:46>> I can't stand her.
33:51She makes me so mad.
33:55We would be in the same class. It's time
33:58to take a test. Start taking the test.
34:02And the first one to sache
34:06up to that desk and lay her test down
34:08and put her pencil down was my wife.
34:12I was so ticked.
34:14I can't tell you how mad it made me that
34:18she could test so fast.
34:21Oh, I'm not saying she made better
34:23grades than me.
34:26I'm not saying that. I won't say it
34:28silently and I won't say it out loud.
34:34But she could test. She's got some kids
34:38that that that are that way. It makes me
34:39mad. I'll tell you what was so funny.
34:41God paid her back, though. God was good
34:44to me because God paid my wife back so
34:48good. It was amazing. My wife had to
34:51take a class with my son Austin. Oh,
34:55they had to take chemistry together over
34:58here at NOVA. At No, was it Nova
35:00Southeastern? It was at Broward College.
35:02We went to Broward because it's cheaper.
35:06>> All you rich folks that go to NOVA,
35:08proud of you.
35:10>> Okay, you got your scholarship.
35:13Me and my family start with Broward.
35:16Okay, we get our two years in at Broward
35:18and then we'll go capture some degree
35:20somewhere else. Get it mailed to us.
35:29>> Lord, forgive me for I know what I'm
35:31doing.
35:34My wife had to take chemistry with
35:36Austin. She was taking a test. She
35:40looked up and Austin's just marching
35:42right on down, slapping his desk down.
35:45was done and she wasn't even close.
35:50Got to learn you.
35:59She's over here. He got straight A's
36:01without even looking at his notes.
36:04>> You know, he got that from his daddy.
36:05That's the man edition.
36:09>> Oh Lord, we're trying to preach here.
36:15Here's my point.
36:18The Lord,
36:20he doesn't answer your question for you.
36:24And he doesn't want that fast answer
36:27even though one is sitting there. Oh, I
36:30would never give stone to my son if he
36:32asked for bread finished. No. No. He's
36:35not letting you off that easy. At least
36:38this his servant's not letting you off
36:40that easy tonight. This is an easy test.
36:44But I think what the Lord wants you to
36:45do is grapple with. Do you understand
36:47how
36:49evil it is to feed somebody a stone?
36:53Of course you do. And the Lord assumes
36:56that you knew it would be evil. He
36:59didn't tell you an easy question so it
37:01would be easy. He told it to you so you
37:04would understand how defiled your flesh
37:07can get if you don't stay spiritual. If
37:12you don't humble yourself before the
37:14sight of God, you can literally and
37:16we're starting family month and and it's
37:18coming up. And when we have family
37:20month, I I was telling somebody the
37:22other day, I think it was during
37:23devotion, I I forget who I was telling
37:26how during especially children's revival
37:28when my kids were small, I would tell
37:30the church, I'd say, you know, I love
37:32your kids, but this month for family
37:35month, forgive me, I'm not praying for
37:38your kids.
37:40And I did pray for him some. Listen. But
37:42what I was trying to drill home was God
37:46gave them to you.
37:48>> And if you don't show them you know how
37:51to pray in the spirit, you're putting
37:53rocks on their plate instead of bread.
37:57>> If you don't show them you know the
38:00passion of an altar, then you're putting
38:02a serpent on their plate instead of a
38:04fish. If you don't show them that it
38:08matters. going to heaven matters so much
38:10to you, then you're walking among the
38:13thorns looking for a grape because you
38:16have lost the realization you you've
38:18you've subcontracted
38:20your kids' souls out to their Sunday
38:23school teachers. Don't do it. Don't
38:26subcontract their education to their
38:29school teachers either.
38:31>> The Holy Ghost would tell you tonight,
38:33you need to help them defragment every
38:35day.
38:37Get them around your dinner table. Take
38:39them to the ice cream shop or take them
38:42to your vegetable garden. What's that
38:44place that What's the carrot place up
38:46here that Tessa takes the kids?
38:48>> Carrot Express. Okay. God bless you.
38:52Good night. I'm not going to Carrot
38:54Express.
38:56Take your kids to Carrot Express.
39:00Whatever you do, ladies and gentlemen,
39:03God gave you those kids. And when we say
39:06it's family month, husbands, your wives
39:08need to hear you pray this month. I'm
39:11talking about pray like the fire of the
39:14Holy Ghost is consuming you. Don't let
39:17the pull pit pray your prayer. The pull
39:20pit can't walk through your valley. The
39:22pull pit can't walk on your mountaintop.
39:25No, the pull pits can't pray your
39:28prayer. I got to pray mine, but you pray
39:30yours. And when we lock arm in arm, then
39:33things break out in the Holy Ghost
39:35because we understand we're not here to
39:38substitute bread
39:41>> with stones
39:47in a world that trivializes the church
39:50and trivializes the sound of prayer and
39:54trivializes and leaves even worldly
39:56churches leave the sound of praise for
39:58just the platform. I've stood in
40:01churches and nobody in the audience of
40:02worship. They're just watching.
40:05>> They're just watching. They kind of look
40:06around.
40:08>> I'm thinking, "My Lord, God can't move
40:10off that platform." Platform's just
40:12jumping, going crazy. And people just
40:13look and stand around. Listen, it's not
40:17going to happen here. I'll stop the
40:18music. I'll wait till you make the sound
40:21of praise and we won't have any music
40:23because that's fraud.
40:25>> The rocks will take your place. The
40:28rocks will praise him.
40:31>> Nobody can praise him like you can
40:33praise him. I'm not trying to be
40:35Pentecostal. I'm trying to be biblical.
40:38This is what the Bible says. You got to
40:40let the redeemed of the Lord say. So say
40:45so.
40:49>> What does it look like when we're
40:51passing on legacy?
40:53>> Dads, are you showing your sons how to
40:56worship?
40:58Are you letting them hear the sound of
41:00prayer? What it sounds like for a man to
41:03pray?
41:04>> Listen, please. You ladies know I love
41:06you. And without women in the church,
41:07the church would be discombobulated and
41:10broken. We need the ladies. Ladies are
41:13spiritual creatures made by God, twice
41:16removed from the dust, special.
41:20But God made you men first.
41:22>> And he knew how you would pray. And he
41:24knew you wouldn't pray like a woman
41:26prays. You might have less words. The
41:29word count not may not be as mighty. It
41:32may not be as great. But that doesn't
41:33mean your prayer is less one iota than a
41:37woman's prayer. Women, please don't stop
41:40praying powerful travailing prayers of
41:44mothers of Zion. But men, come on. I've
41:48got to hear you stand up and say, "I am
41:52a son of God. I am in the battle of the
41:54Lord. I am a child of Gideon's band. I'm
41:58of Joshua's band. We're going to march
42:00and we're going to shout when the
42:02trumpet blasts.
42:07>> You got to model legacy. Model it. Model
42:10it. Model it. I don't want to tell you
42:13how to do it. I want to show you. I told
42:15you last week, some things are better
42:17caught than taught.
42:20I love it that our kids play church.
42:24>> Kids play what is serious to their
42:26parents.
42:27>> If they watch their father gamble, then
42:30those boys will grow up gamblers
42:33>> because they know where their daddy's
42:34heart is.
42:35>> But if they watch their dad worship,
42:38then they'll grow up worshippers.
42:40>> They'll baptize the puppies five and 10
42:43times a day.
42:46Every doll in the house at my house has
42:49been buried in the special sweet name of
42:52Jesus. They had line up for a baptismal
42:55service. It made the bath long. Why?
42:58Because it matters. I don't want to feed
43:01him a stone when I can feed him bread. I
43:04don't want to feed him a serpent when I
43:06can feed him fish.
43:08[Applause]
43:12Lord,
43:14I know I'm not making a too big of a
43:16deal about this, but I hope I'm doing it
43:19like you want me to do it. We must be a
43:22coherent church.
43:25It's a thoughtful, mindful, wise. Our
43:29worship must be wise, not ignorant, not
43:32uninformed.
43:34Quiet isn't wise, and loud isn't wise.
43:39Coherency means I understand a flow.
43:42That's the reason when a church is in
43:44order, the response during the service
43:47will flow with the level of the service.
43:50But if you've ever been in a church
43:51service, there's sometimes people don't
43:53even know the flow. All they are is like
43:55a jolt of fright in the middle of a
43:57service. And where did that come from?
44:00>> You know, we had brother Barnes, a man
44:02from Brother Barnes church here Sunday
44:04morning. In the middle of it, he just
44:05broke out that scream. He's been scaring
44:07me for 33 years. And he's a good man.
44:11He's a good man, but he doesn't
44:14understand flow of staying according to
44:17appropriateness to the flow.
44:20If it's a weeping service, don't bring
44:22in your marching band and your symbols.
44:24Feel the flow. Coherency. Does that make
44:27sense to anybody?
44:29>> There's a flow that's got to match and
44:31it doesn't get out of order, out of
44:33step. it. You know, this is the one
44:35thing that's so amazing about a an army.
44:38I I I I was talking to brother JP
44:40Fuller, who is my secretary, sister's
44:41come, if you start playing, it'll make
44:43me think I'm almost done. Brother
44:45Brother Fuller is my secretary for the
44:47men's department, and he had he was a
44:49Marine, and he asked me, he said, "You
44:51know why we sing when we march?" And
44:54I've never been a soldier, even though I
44:56am one in my imagination, but I said,
45:00"No, why do y'all sing when you march?"
45:01He said, "Because when you sing, the
45:05back will go as fast as the front.
45:10If you don't sing, there'll be a lag
45:13that gets and in infects the entire
45:16batch."
45:18But it's the song that keeps us unified.
45:24And that's what the army of the Lord is.
45:26We need to when when others weep, the
45:29what does the Bible say? Does it say
45:30rejoice with them that weep? No. No, it
45:33doesn't say that. Don't walk in with
45:35rejoicing. Well, you you shouldn't be
45:37crying like that. Come on, get up. It's
45:38victory time. No. Weep with them that
45:42>> weep. Rejoice with them that there's a
45:45coherency
45:47in our worship that fits. Now, I know
45:50we're shocking to anybody who's who's
45:52not accustomed to this kind of church. I
45:54understand that. And be extra kind,
45:56okay? But we're not going to change
45:57because of them. I've been to their
46:00soccer games. They don't worry about
46:01changing because of me.
46:03>> I've been to their football games.
46:05They'll turn around and stare me down.
46:07Go offense. Go. Go offense. Go.
46:14You're in our place now. Go Jesus. Go.
46:18Go. Jesus. Go. And they think we're
46:22crazy for doing it in church.
46:24>> Here's the thing. We got the revelation.
46:26They're not crazy for doing that at the
46:28hockey game. They're not crazy.
46:30>> Don't look down on them because they do
46:32that. Their soul is reaching for a
46:35community of rejoicing. And worship is a
46:39community of rejoicing. And when they
46:43worship over a soccer goal by a guy
46:45who's really messed up a lot, messy, he
46:47makes messes. That guy, I love him. I
46:50can't wait to baptize him in Jesus name.
46:53I'm telling you, I'm so glad he's in
46:54South Florida. I really am. I'm honored
46:57he's here. But I want to tell you,
47:00they're just worshiping to have
47:02community of victory. Well, when we come
47:05into this house, we're not confused on
47:08what is profane and what is holy. What
47:12is a pearl and what is a pig pin? What
47:16is a snake and what is a fish? What is a
47:20stone and what is bread? We're not
47:23confused. We're not going to go out and
47:25worship more over the serpent's delight
47:29than we do when people get fed in the
47:31spirit. So when a child gets the Holy
47:33Ghost, it's party time. When somebody
47:35gets baptized in Jesus' name, it's not
47:37just someone getting wet. We understand
47:40what just happened in that place.
47:46We need to first use discernment as a
47:48spiritual discipline.
47:50Not passive discernment, but active
47:52discernment. The Bible said that it is
47:56something that is used and it's a muscle
47:59to be exercised.
48:01discernment.
48:03First John 4:1, "Beloved, do not believe
48:05every spirit, but test the spirits to
48:09see whether they are from God."
48:11>> For many false prophets have gone out
48:13into the world. In other words, we're
48:15not even talking about people who are uh
48:17warlocks or witches. These are people
48:19who present themselves as godly, but the
48:22Lord said they're false prophets. So,
48:24discern and test the spirits.
48:29King Solomon's great prayer that got him
48:32the great gift from God said, 'Whatever
48:34you want, I'm going to give it to you.
48:36He prayed,"Lord, give your servant a
48:38discerning heart." First Kings 3:9 to
48:42govern your people and to distinguish
48:46between the right and the wrong.
48:50We got to have discernment as a
48:51discipline.
48:53Are our hearts shaped by the culture?
48:56Are they shaped by the church of the
48:58living God? You say, "Why the church?"
49:00Well, the church is where you learn how
49:02to be the church.
49:04You know how I learned how to pray? I
49:06heard people who knew how to pray. Pray.
49:08>> Yes.
49:09>> And I tried to be like somebody who was
49:12trying to be like somebody who was
49:14trying to be like somebody who was
49:16trying to be like the Lord. Paul said,
49:19"Follow me."
49:20>> Yes. As I follow
49:21>> As I follow Christ. Doug Church sat on
49:24the front row of the church in San
49:26Diego, California in 1972. And he stood
49:29with his feet across like that. And Doug
49:32was so cool to my five and six-year-old
49:34little heart. I wanted to be like Doug.
49:37I thought, "Man, you're cool." If you
49:39stand with your legs about that wide
49:41apart, if you would have seen me as a
49:43six-year-old when I went to church, I
49:46stood with my feet wide apart like that.
49:50Why? was trying to learn.
49:53He was sitting the front row worshiping
49:56God. All these kids are learning from
49:59you teenagers.
50:00>> I'm boring to them now. I still try to
50:03make them think I'm young, but I'm still
50:05I'm struggling to keep Gabby on my team.
50:08>> She knows I've I've slowed a bit, but
50:12she's sweet to me to my face.
50:18>> They're watching you guys.
50:21They're watching you. Asher loves me,
50:24but I'm too slow for Asher.
50:27Asher's paying a lot more attention to
50:29these younger guys.
50:31Why? They're learning how to be like
50:34Jesus. Do you move during church?
50:36>> Does a tear ever come down out of your
50:38eye?
50:39>> Do you ever smile just because you're in
50:42the presence of the Lord?
50:44Do you ever just say, "Oh,
50:48when was the last time you said that
50:49word at church?" Oh,
50:53oh, that men would praise the Lord for
50:57his wondrous works.
50:59Oh,
51:01praise the Lord. Oh my soul, oh my soul.
51:07That word's not in Webster, is it? Is O
51:11in the dictionary?
51:13I bet you won't find O in the
51:16dictionary. Now, I could be wrong. I've
51:18been wrong twice.
51:22>> Oh, is not a word to be defined.
51:27It's a word.
51:29Oh, that men
51:33would praise the Lord.
51:35It's a word that comes from a deeper
51:37place. It's souls speak.
51:43One year old boy, Steve Smith, I've told
51:45Steel um Smith, I mean Steel Smith, I've
51:47told you about this before,
51:50was in Greenale, Wisconsin at one years
51:53of age, he had calcification around one
51:56part of his heart. They went in and
51:59tried to do all kinds of therapies to
52:01stop it, but by his fourth year, his
52:03heart was almost totally calcified. They
52:06said his heart was turning to stone.
52:10Three days after his sixth birthday, he
52:12passed. It was about the 11th of
52:15December, just a few days before
52:17Christmas.
52:18And his parents knew that he was going.
52:20They didn't know how or when. But while
52:23on a mon on a morning when his mother
52:25was getting him medicine, he collapsed
52:27and was gone. His heart had turned to
52:30stone. But his mom and dad had prayed
52:33with him and sought the Lord with him
52:35and told him, "Son,
52:38when you die, just keep running cuz
52:43Jesus,
52:44he'll be right down that road."
52:49They had not opened presents yet, and he
52:51had already gotten them all presents as
52:53a six-year-old little boy.
52:56One said to mom,
52:58another one said to dad,
53:01and poignantly one was labeled, "From me
53:06to me."
53:08With tearful eyes, they opened it up and
53:11he had bought himself a Scooby-Doo toy
53:15that he had bought at his trip to Disney
53:18World.
53:21He's maybe the only person
53:24that will make it to heaven with a hard
53:26heart.
53:29If there's one thing the Lord said,
53:32keep
53:34your heart
53:36for out of it
53:40flows
53:42the issues
53:44of life.
53:46Oh Lord,
53:48I want my heart
53:50to know the difference
53:52between a stone and bread. Not my head.
53:57That's easy. I don't need you to pass
54:00this test fast. I need you to stop and
54:03think where what things am I carrying
54:07with me that are really just stones
54:10and what things are the bread of the
54:13soul that I may have forgotten is
54:16valuable.
54:18If your son, this was a family, if your
54:22son asked of you bread, would you give
54:25him a stone? If he asked of you some
54:28fish, would you give him a serpent?
54:32No. And his conclusion was, if you being
54:36evil, I know you're offended a little
54:38bit because he called us all evil, but
54:40if you really admit to yourself, we need
54:44to be more like Jesus. So, he's right
54:46and I'm wrong. All right? He's right.
54:48But if we know how to give good gifts to
54:51our children, how
54:58much more
55:00does your father know how to give good
55:04gifts to you? Never substitute a stone
55:08for bread because the best gift is in
55:12the bread. The best gift is in the
55:15grapes. The best gift is with the figs,
55:19the lifegiving forces, the pearls.
55:23That is where it's at. Just a question
55:27from Jesus. Shall we stand?