James Merritt - Stand Tall Stand Strong

May 4, 2025 | S25:E30

Touching Lives is the international broadcast ministry of Dr. James Merritt.

#Faith #Religion #WordofGod #Strength #Prophecy #inActive #Courage #Rejection #Murder #Devil #Conviction #Guilt #JamesMerritt

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Touching Lives with Dr. James Merritt | James Merritt - Stand Tall Stand Strong | May 4, 2025

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♪♪♪
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Male announcer: welcome to the international broadcast ministry
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Of "touching lives" with dr. james merritt.
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Here at "touching lives," our mission is to touch the lives of
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The lost and enrich the faith of the found.
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And now here is pastor, author, and speaker dr. james merritt.
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♪♪♪
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James merritt: as i was preparing this message, it was
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Two weeks after the worst school shooting in the history of
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Our state.
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And i'm sitting at my desk and i just kept playing that event
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Over and over in my mind.
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Those of you who are older like i am, it's hard to relate
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To that.
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The thought of anybody bringing a gun to school never even
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Crossed anybody's mind.
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It's just a different day.
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And as i got to thinking and running that through my mind
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Over and over, two thoughts hit me.
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Number one, evil is real; and number two, evil is rampant.
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It's everywhere.
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There is no evil-free zone anywhere in the world.
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And so i thought about something i read years ago that an author
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Said, and i want to put it up on the screen because it is totally
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Opposite of what the world thinks about the world that we
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Live in.
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It's totally opposite from the way the world think about people
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In general.
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And for some of you it's going to be a bubble burster, but i
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Want you to listen to what this man said.
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"i will never understand those who can read the headlines every
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Day and then assert that people are basically good.
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I will never understand those who believe that spiritual
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Problems can be solved with social programs, that peace can
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Be achieved by treaties, that prejudices can be eliminated by
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Discussion, that rebellious root youth can be corrected with
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Heavy doses of esteem and understanding, that scores can
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Be healed through therapy, that wrongs can be righted
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By litigations.
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Evil is woven into the fabric of humanity and it's obvious."
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If you think people are basically good, have kids.
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I've told you this a million times.
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You do not have to teach kids to lie.
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You have to teach them to tell the truth.
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You do not have to teach brothers and sisters to fight.
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You have to teach them to get along.
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You don't have to teach kids to be selfish.
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You got to teach kids to share.
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So that ought to tell all of us in this room people are not
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Basically good.
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They're basically evil.
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And we've been studying one of the greatest prophets in the old
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Testament in a series we've been calling the "god life."
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His name was elijah.
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And if elijah were here today, he'd be amening what i
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Just said.
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He would agree with that statement.
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Because when you go study and you go read about elijah, the
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Only account we have of his life, the entire time you read
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About him, he's facing evil.
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Sometimes he's fleeing evil, but all the time he's fighting evil.
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Now, that wasn't true just because he was a prophet.
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You may say, "well, but he was always getting himself
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In trouble."
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That wasn't his problem.
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The reason why he was always facing evil and fighting evil
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And sometimes fleeing from evil is because he was living the
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God life.
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Now, don't confuse the god life with the good life.
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The god life is more than the good life, but it's actually the
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Best life you could possibly live.
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However, this is the point i want to make today.
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I don't care how much you love jesus.
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I don't care how committed you are to god.
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I don't care how hard you try to dot every i and cross every t.
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I don't care how hard you try to do things right and do the
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Right things.
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You're going to face evil in your life.
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You going to get the short end of the stick.
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People are going to do you wrong.
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You're going to get things you don't deserve.
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That is just the world that we live in.
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The presence of evil goes with the territory of the god life,
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And elijah knew that.
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Now, we're coming to the close of the life of this
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Great prophet.
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We're going to move from 1 kings to 2 kings chapter 1.
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So if you brought a copy of god's word--i did it for--
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I did your homework for you.
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Go to genesis, go 13 books left, you'll get 2 kings.
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I want you to go to 2 kings chapter 1, now, the last time we
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Saw elijah, he had confronted king ahab and jezebel over
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Murdering an innocent man named naboth just so they could steal
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His land, just so they could take his property.
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And elijah, if you remember, not only predicted they would die;
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He prophesized how horrible their death would be, and they
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Both died just exactly the way that he said.
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Now, i'm sure that when they finally are dead, he's been
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Dealing with them the whole time, elijah is probably
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Thinking to himself, "now i can relax.
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Now i can rest.
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Now i can retire, don't have to deal with evil anymore.
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Maybe i can just live out the rest of my days quietly."
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But no, you can't do that when you live the god life, and
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Here's why.
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As you're going to see, elijah had a problem.
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It wasn't ahab.
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He's dead.
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It wasn't jezebel.
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She's dead.
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The problem was they had a kid
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And the kid didn't learn.
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The kid didn't get it.
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The kid didn't know.
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And you realize the apple didn't fall far from the tree, and
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Elijah is about to learn what i'm going to teach you today and
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That is if you live the god life you will never retire from
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Dealing with evil.
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You'll never retire from confronting evil because people
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Who live the god life are always going to have to put up
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With evil.
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And what you're going to see this morning is this, when we
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See evil we must stand against evil.
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Because if you would say today, "pastor, i want to live the god
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Life," well, maybe more than any sermon in this series we're
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Going to find out whether you really mean that or you don't.
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Because when it comes to evil, and there's plenty of it to go
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Around, if you live the god life you're going to do three things.
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One you have to do.
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First of all, we will confront the presence of evil.
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You can just make that--you can just absolutely write that down.
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We will confront the presence of evil.
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Let me go back to the last time we saw ahab.
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It's been 10 years since elijah confronted ahab over murdering
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Naboth and stealing his property.
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You remember we told the story last week.
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Well, they killed him because they wanted his property.
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And so he and jezebel make up this lie about him and they kill
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Him so they could get his property, but now ahab's son is
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On the throne.
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And so you're sitting there thinking to yourself, "okay,
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Surely you've learned your lesson.
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Surely you're going to be better than your parents.
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Surely you're going to be different."
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Nope.
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Go back to 1 kings 22. here's what we read.
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"ahaziah son of ahab became king of israel in samaria in the
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Seventeenth year of jehoshaphat king of judah, and he reigned
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Over israel two years.
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He did evil in the eyes of the lord, because he followed the
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Ways of his father and his mother and of jeroboam son of
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Nebat, who caused israel to sin.
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He served and worshiped baal and aroused the anger of the lord,
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The god of israel, just as his father had done."
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I scratch my head,
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I close my eyes and i go, "you've got to be kidding me."
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Because just think about this childhood of this kid.
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Ahaziah had grown up and he had witnessed and lived through the
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3 1/2-year drought that they had because elijah had shut the
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Spigots of heaven.
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There was no water. there was no rain.
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Famine is throughout the land.
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He lived. he saw that 3 1/2 years.
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That boy was on mount carmel when the fire fell on the
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Sacrifice because god answered the prayer of elijah.
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He saw 450 prophets of baal die.
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They were executed because they followed the wrong god, then he
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Witnesses his mom and his dad die this horrific death.
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They died just exactly the way elijah said they were going
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To die.
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Now you would think this kid would learn his lesson.
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You would think the kid could follow the crumbs.
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"how did it work out for your mom and dad, son?"
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"not too well."
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"so why don't you try something different?"
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No, never learned.
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But then to make matters worse and to get--you know, to see
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Just how bad this kid is, we read this.
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"after ahab's death, moab rebelled against israel."
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So now this son, this king is a wartime king.
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He's got a fight on his hands.
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He fall--"now ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper
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Room in samaria and injured himself.
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So he sent messengers, saying to them, 'go and consult
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Baal-zebub, the god of ekron, to see if i will recover from
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This injury.'"
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Now, this is the story.
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Ahaziah falls through a lattice.
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He's very severely injured.
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Don't know exactly what the extent of his injuries are, but
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He's in bad shape.
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So what's he going to do?
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"are you going to learn your lesson, go call for elijah?"
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"not calling for elijah."
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"go call on the god of elijah."
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"not going to call on the god of elijah."
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"what are you going to do?"
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"i'm going to do exactly what mom and dad would do."
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He turns to this pagan god called baal-zebub.
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Now, let me tell you about baal-zebub.
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That word's only used four times in the old testament.
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Every one's in this passage of scripture.
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Baal-zebub, the name baal means god or lord, and the hebrew word
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Zebub means fly.
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So it literally means the lord of the flies.
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He's going to go to the god of the flies and try to get healed.
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Now, why would they call it that?
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Because if you ever go to the middle east, some of you've been
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To israel with me, flies are still a big problem in the
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Middle east.
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They believed baal-zebub was the god of the flies and whenever he
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Would send flies it was because he was angry.
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So they would make sacrifices, hoping that he would get rid of
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The flies.
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So he turns to this false, wicked, pagan god.
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You say, "well, why would he do that?"
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That's what evil people do.
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One of the marks of evil people--can i tell you one of
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The marks of evil people?
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Can i tell you why i know our nation's becoming
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Increasingly evil?
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Evil--one of the real marks of evil is when you or me or people
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Turn to any god except the real god.
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When you turn to any god but the real god, it is a mark of evil.
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So today you say, "well, we don't turn to baal-zebub."
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No, we don't do that.
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Here's what we do.
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We turn to psychics, fortune tellers, ouija boards,
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Astrology, new age thinking.
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Anything and anyone except god.
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While i'm working on this sermon, i came across a story
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And i almost said, "i won't tell them 'cause they're not going to
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Believe it--" it's a true story.
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You won't believe this story.
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There was a jury in london and they were trying a guy on a
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Murder case.
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So they got all the evidence and the jury--judge sends them out
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To a hotel, gets them sequestered and said, "okay, you
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Got to decide is this man guilty or not guilty."
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Four of the jurors got a ouija board and they made contact with
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The murder victim, and with their fingers on the glass that
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Murder victim, they said, moved them towards a succession
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Of letters.
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And according to these four members, this is what this dead
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Murder victim said: "vote guilty tomorrow."
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So those four people convinced the other eight people to vote
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This man guilty of murder, a unanimous verdict because they
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Consulted a ouija board.
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Now, he was later on appeal.
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It was rejected and he was retried and convicted, but i'm
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Sitting there and i'm reading that story and i'm going, "this
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Is the 21st century."
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Are you kidding me?
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People can't just take the evidence and rationally think it
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Through, discuss it.
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"is there any reasonable doubt?
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If there is, we won't convict him.
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If there's not a reasonable doubt, we will."
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But instead they got to go to ouija board.
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I'm reminded what the prophet isaiah said.
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He said this: "when someone tells you to consult mediums and
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Spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people
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Inquire of their god?
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Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?"
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Now, y'all know what some of you are saying right now.
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You're saying, "now wait a minute, pastor.
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I don't turn to ouija boards.
00:13:21.650 --> 00:13:24.253
I don't know what my astrological sign is.
00:13:24.253 --> 00:13:27.690
I don't go to fortune tellers."
00:13:27.690 --> 00:13:30.893
No, but do you know what i see more and more christians doing
00:13:30.893 --> 00:13:33.462
And more and more church people doing?
00:13:33.462 --> 00:13:36.632
They go to these therapists, secular, godless, worldly,
00:13:36.632 --> 00:13:44.940
Unbiblical therapists, and they get their advice.
00:13:44.940 --> 00:13:49.645
And what blows my mind is god writes 66 books and you can't
00:13:49.645 --> 00:13:55.217
Find wisdom here?
00:13:55.217 --> 00:13:57.152
You can't find the wisdom of god there?
00:13:57.152 --> 00:13:58.888
You've got to go to some godless, biblical therapist that
00:13:58.888 --> 00:14:01.790
Wouldn't know god if god slapped him in the face and that's where
00:14:01.790 --> 00:14:04.326
You're going to get advice?
00:14:04.326 --> 00:14:06.128
See, here's the point i want you to understand.
00:14:06.128 --> 00:14:08.097
I don't care how much you love the lord.
00:14:08.097 --> 00:14:09.498
You're always going to be confronted with evil.
00:14:09.498 --> 00:14:12.067
You're always going to be confronted with trials and
00:14:12.067 --> 00:14:14.236
Troubles and temptation and tribulation and evil.
00:14:14.236 --> 00:14:17.273
Evil is going to be around us.
00:14:17.273 --> 00:14:18.707
It's going to be above us, it's going to be with us until the
00:14:18.707 --> 00:14:21.477
End of time.
00:14:21.477 --> 00:14:22.811
We will confront the presence of evil.
00:14:22.811 --> 00:14:25.281
Now, i didn't tell you nothing you don't already know.
00:14:25.281 --> 00:14:27.950
And you can live the god life
00:14:27.950 --> 00:14:29.285
And confront the presence of evil.
00:14:29.285 --> 00:14:30.686
You can live the good life, you can live a bad life, you're
00:14:30.686 --> 00:14:32.888
Going to confront the presence of evil.
00:14:32.888 --> 00:14:35.457
But if you say, "well, i want to live the god life," then there's
00:14:35.457 --> 00:14:37.726
A second thing you need to understand.
00:14:37.726 --> 00:14:40.763
Not only will we confront the presence of evil, we must
00:14:40.763 --> 00:14:45.534
Condemn the practice of evil.
00:14:45.534 --> 00:14:48.237
We have to condemn it because keep in mind from the very time
00:14:48.237 --> 00:14:51.974
That elijah comes on the scene there's been a bull's eye on
00:14:51.974 --> 00:14:55.277
His back.
00:14:55.277 --> 00:14:57.413
He's the most wanted man in israel.
00:14:57.413 --> 00:15:00.115
He's the most famous man in israel.
00:15:00.115 --> 00:15:02.718
Everybody knows his name.
00:15:02.718 --> 00:15:04.954
The king and the queen are looking for him.
00:15:04.954 --> 00:15:06.855
They want him to die.
00:15:06.855 --> 00:15:08.223
His name is a household word.
00:15:08.223 --> 00:15:10.259
But he's not just the most unpopular man in israel, he is
00:15:10.259 --> 00:15:14.363
The most courageous and once again god tells elijah to do
00:15:14.363 --> 00:15:18.600
What nobody else had the courage to do.
00:15:18.600 --> 00:15:21.603
He said, "i want you to go to this wicked son and i want you
00:15:21.603 --> 00:15:24.106
To call him out and condemn him for what he's doing."
00:15:24.106 --> 00:15:27.042
Now, keep in mind he's all alone.
00:15:27.042 --> 00:15:30.846
No sidekick.
00:15:30.846 --> 00:15:32.548
No lone ranger and tonto.
00:15:32.548 --> 00:15:33.949
None of that stuff.
00:15:33.949 --> 00:15:35.317
He's all by himself, and the reason why i tell you that
00:15:35.317 --> 00:15:40.489
Is this.
00:15:40.489 --> 00:15:42.358
Yes, there will be times if you decide to live the god life
00:15:42.358 --> 00:15:45.060
You're going to be all by yourself.
00:15:45.060 --> 00:15:47.262
It'll just be you and god. won't be anybody else.
00:15:47.262 --> 00:15:49.498
I was reading the other day--how many of you are old enough to
00:15:49.498 --> 00:15:51.934
Remember there was a television show--i still watch it.
00:15:51.934 --> 00:15:54.136
I love it. teresa loves it, too.
00:15:54.136 --> 00:15:55.771
It's really funny.
00:15:55.771 --> 00:15:57.106
It was in the late '90s, early 2000s.
00:15:57.106 --> 00:15:58.741
It was called "everybody loves raymond."
00:15:58.741 --> 00:16:00.309
How many of you remember that show?
00:16:00.309 --> 00:16:01.944
"everybody--" remember that?
00:16:01.944 --> 00:16:03.278
My son flies ray romano, by the way.
00:16:03.278 --> 00:16:04.880
He said, "daddy, he's just like the character, he's so funny.
00:16:04.880 --> 00:16:06.915
He's so nice. he's just awesome."
00:16:06.915 --> 00:16:09.018
Well, you may remember, but patricia heaton played his wife.
00:16:09.018 --> 00:16:12.354
Well, patricia heaton is a christian, a very
00:16:12.354 --> 00:16:14.757
Strong believer.
00:16:14.757 --> 00:16:16.091
So she heads up a pro-life organization in hollywood.
00:16:16.091 --> 00:16:19.061
It's called feminists for life.
00:16:19.061 --> 00:16:21.096
Now, if you want to be unpopular in hollywood, do two things.
00:16:21.096 --> 00:16:24.566
Stand for the life of the unborn or stand for traditional
00:16:24.566 --> 00:16:26.935
Marriage and you're not going to be very popular in hollywood.
00:16:26.935 --> 00:16:29.805
So she takes this real unpopular stand, unashamed, unabashed,
00:16:29.805 --> 00:16:33.275
Totally courageous.
00:16:33.275 --> 00:16:34.610
She is absolutely pro-life.
00:16:34.610 --> 00:16:36.278
Now, you take your career in your hands when you do that.
00:16:36.278 --> 00:16:39.448
Well, she was being interviewed one time by a reporter, and she
00:16:39.448 --> 00:16:42.184
Said, "i want to ask you a question.
00:16:42.184 --> 00:16:45.254
Why are you doing what you're doing?
00:16:45.254 --> 00:16:47.990
Why would you stand up for the unborn child?
00:16:47.990 --> 00:16:51.427
The unborn child can't give you an academy award.
00:16:51.427 --> 00:16:55.764
The unborn child can't help you get a role.
00:16:55.764 --> 00:16:59.701
The unborn child can never sign a paycheck.
00:16:59.701 --> 00:17:03.105
Why would you stand up for the unborn?"
00:17:03.105 --> 00:17:05.074
And i want you to listen to what she said.
00:17:05.074 --> 00:17:07.409
She said, "as a christian, it will not be barbra streisand i'm
00:17:07.409 --> 00:17:10.479
Standing in front of when i have to make an accounting of
00:17:10.479 --> 00:17:12.314
My life."
00:17:12.314 --> 00:17:14.149
"it will not be in front of her when i'm making an accounting of
00:17:14.149 --> 00:17:16.218
My life."
00:17:16.218 --> 00:17:17.586
See, if you're going to live the god life, you got to call wrong
00:17:17.586 --> 00:17:20.789
Wrong, you got to call sin sin.
00:17:20.789 --> 00:17:26.195
So you have to say with no malice and no bitterness in your
00:17:26.195 --> 00:17:28.730
Heart, "as much as i love all of them, what is going on in
00:17:28.730 --> 00:17:32.835
Atlanta with this gray pride--gay pride stuff is
00:17:32.835 --> 00:17:35.003
A disgrace."
00:17:35.003 --> 00:17:37.172
We are celebrating the things that god hates.
00:17:37.172 --> 00:17:40.843
It's wrong.
00:17:40.843 --> 00:17:42.177
Just flat dead, evil, wrong.
00:17:42.177 --> 00:17:45.214
And if you're going to live the god life, you got to call it
00:17:45.214 --> 00:17:47.616
What it is.
00:17:47.616 --> 00:17:49.785
So we read this: "but the angel of the lord said to elijah the
00:17:49.785 --> 00:17:55.290
Tishbite, 'go up, meet the messenger of the king of samaria
00:17:55.290 --> 00:17:57.326
And ask them, 'is it because there's no god in israel that
00:17:57.326 --> 00:17:59.962
You're going off to consult baal-zebub, the god of ekron?"
00:17:59.962 --> 00:18:03.432
Therefore this is what the lord says: 'you will not leave the
00:18:03.432 --> 00:18:06.135
Bed you're lying on.
00:18:06.135 --> 00:18:07.503
You will certainly die.'
00:18:07.503 --> 00:18:09.404
So elijah went."
00:18:09.404 --> 00:18:11.740
Now, once again bless elijah's heart, and here we go again.
00:18:11.740 --> 00:18:15.777
God says, "elijah, i want you to do what nobody else is going
00:18:15.777 --> 00:18:18.280
To do.
00:18:18.280 --> 00:18:19.615
I want you to walk into the palace.
00:18:19.615 --> 00:18:20.983
I want you to go to that king.
00:18:20.983 --> 00:18:22.317
I want you to tell that king, 'you are going to die.'"
00:18:22.317 --> 00:18:26.155
Now, i want you to think about this.
00:18:26.155 --> 00:18:27.489
Go back 3,000 years ago.
00:18:27.489 --> 00:18:29.858
If you were--if you even had the--if you even thought about
00:18:29.858 --> 00:18:33.095
Walking into a palace and telling a pagan king, "because
00:18:33.095 --> 00:18:37.166
Of the way you're living, because you're doing what's
00:18:37.166 --> 00:18:38.867
Wrong, because you're rebelling against god, you are going to
00:18:38.867 --> 00:18:42.704
Die," well, i'll tell you one thing.
00:18:42.704 --> 00:18:45.207
You probably would die first.
00:18:45.207 --> 00:18:48.177
You probably wouldn't make it out of that palace alive.
00:18:48.177 --> 00:18:52.714
And just like today, there is a fire of god's judgment; and that
00:18:52.714 --> 00:18:58.887
Fire falls on sin, and it falls on evil.
00:18:58.887 --> 00:19:02.824
Yes, there's god's grace to those who repent of their sin
00:19:02.824 --> 00:19:05.127
And receive him, but there's god's judgment on those who
00:19:05.127 --> 00:19:07.763
Repeat their sin and reject him.
00:19:07.763 --> 00:19:09.464
Because the king died--think about this.
00:19:09.464 --> 00:19:11.800
The king died with these words ringing in his ears: "you will
00:19:11.800 --> 00:19:17.773
Certainly die."
00:19:17.773 --> 00:19:21.243
And how does that relate to us in the 21st century?
00:19:21.243 --> 00:19:27.783
I don't care how much you do, i don't care how well you do it, i
00:19:27.783 --> 00:19:36.692
Don't care how hard you try, and i don't even care what your
00:19:36.692 --> 00:19:41.129
Reputation is with other people.
00:19:41.129 --> 00:19:45.200
If you do not receive jesus christ as your lord and savior,
00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:49.071
You will surely die.
00:19:49.071 --> 00:19:53.075
You will die physically, you will die spiritually, and you
00:19:53.075 --> 00:19:57.479
Will die eternally.
00:19:57.479 --> 00:20:00.882
I'm not, and the reason i'm not is because when i realized that
00:20:00.882 --> 00:20:07.089
The fire of god's judgment fell on the cross for my sin i took
00:20:07.089 --> 00:20:11.059
The one it fell upon.
00:20:11.059 --> 00:20:13.095
So i don't have to fear the fire of god's judgment 'cause that
00:20:13.095 --> 00:20:15.931
Fire has already fallen.
00:20:15.931 --> 00:20:18.367
But if you're going to live the god life, if you're going to
00:20:18.367 --> 00:20:20.402
Live the elijah life, you got to confront the presence of evil,
00:20:20.402 --> 00:20:23.405
You got to condemn the practice of evil, you've got to confirm
00:20:23.405 --> 00:20:26.141
The punishment of evil.
00:20:26.141 --> 00:20:27.643
And why do we do that?
00:20:27.643 --> 00:20:28.977
Why is it so important we do that?
00:20:28.977 --> 00:20:30.579
So we give people an opportunity to turn away from their evil and
00:20:30.579 --> 00:20:34.016
To turn to the god of mercy who forgives.
00:20:34.016 --> 00:20:37.586
So i want to remind you this one last part of this story.
00:20:37.586 --> 00:20:39.454
We'll be done.
00:20:39.454 --> 00:20:41.290
Remember 1 kings 19:18?
00:20:41.290 --> 00:20:44.159
"yet i reserve seven thousand in israel, all whose knees have not
00:20:44.159 --> 00:20:48.463
Bowed down to baal and whose mouths have not kissed him."
00:20:48.463 --> 00:20:54.403
So when you think about the story of elijah, don't forget
00:20:54.403 --> 00:20:56.672
This part of the story.
00:20:56.672 --> 00:20:59.841
He wasn't the only one that loved god.
00:20:59.841 --> 00:21:03.345
There were 7,000 other people that loved god.
00:21:03.345 --> 00:21:06.748
He wasn't the only person that believed the bible.
00:21:06.748 --> 00:21:09.751
There were 7,000 other people that believed the old testament.
00:21:09.751 --> 00:21:13.922
He wasn't the only one that followed god.
00:21:13.922 --> 00:21:18.060
There were 7,000 other people that followed god.
00:21:18.060 --> 00:21:23.999
But he was the only one that would stand tall and stand
00:21:23.999 --> 00:21:30.038
Strong and stand up and speak up when everybody else sat down and
00:21:30.038 --> 00:21:35.877
Shut up and said nothing, and i'm going to tell you why i say
00:21:35.877 --> 00:21:40.248
That and we're going to be done.
00:21:40.248 --> 00:21:43.085
We gripe, we moan, we complain about the way things are in
00:21:43.085 --> 00:21:48.123
This world.
00:21:48.123 --> 00:21:49.458
How in the world could we have this going on in atlanta with
00:21:49.458 --> 00:21:52.027
All the pride parade?
00:21:52.027 --> 00:21:53.462
How in the world could we be where we are today with the
00:21:53.462 --> 00:21:55.430
Gay marriage?
00:21:55.430 --> 00:21:56.765
How in the world could we be with all the sexual sin?
00:21:56.765 --> 00:21:58.667
How could we--with all the carnality?
00:21:58.667 --> 00:22:00.869
How could we be--how in the world did we get here?
00:22:00.869 --> 00:22:06.675
I think the church is pointing the finger in the
00:22:06.675 --> 00:22:09.745
Wrong direction.
00:22:09.745 --> 00:22:16.017
It's because the church sat down when it should have stood up and
00:22:16.017 --> 00:22:24.326
It shut down and shut up when it should have spoken up.
00:22:24.326 --> 00:22:29.064
Because edmund burke rightly said, and it will always be
00:22:29.064 --> 00:22:32.033
True, "the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good
00:22:32.033 --> 00:22:36.671
Men to do nothing."
00:22:36.671 --> 00:22:39.074
"so, pastor, i want to live the god life."
00:22:39.074 --> 00:22:43.211
Really? you want to live the god life?
00:22:43.211 --> 00:22:44.780
Okay, just understand while the majority of our country and the
00:22:44.780 --> 00:22:49.017
Majority of your neighborhood and the majority of our cities
00:22:49.017 --> 00:22:51.887
And the majority of this world is turning their back on evil,
00:22:51.887 --> 00:22:55.924
Turning their back on the wickedness, turning their back
00:22:55.924 --> 00:22:58.226
On sin, sticking their head in the sand hoping it will go away
00:22:58.226 --> 00:23:02.164
But not doing anything about it; if you're going to live the god
00:23:02.164 --> 00:23:05.100
Life, you got to face it head on.
00:23:05.100 --> 00:23:06.802
You got to stand strong, you got to stand tall, you got to face
00:23:06.802 --> 00:23:09.838
To the front, and you've got to say, "if i'm the only one left
00:23:09.838 --> 00:23:12.574
Standing, i will stand for god, i will speak for god, and i'll
00:23:12.574 --> 00:23:16.077
Be the person god wants me to be."
00:23:16.077 --> 00:23:17.913
That's the god life and it's not for everybody.
00:23:17.913 --> 00:23:21.583
I understand that.
00:23:21.583 --> 00:23:23.785
I'll just leave you with this.
00:23:23.785 --> 00:23:29.424
It's what jesus did when he went to the cross.
00:23:29.424 --> 00:23:34.196
I mean, if he did that for us, we ought to be willing to do it
00:23:34.196 --> 00:23:37.132
For him.
00:23:37.132 --> 00:23:39.334
So, heavenly father, in the name of jesus, i just pray for me.
00:23:39.334 --> 00:23:48.276
I just want to stand tall and stand strong.
00:23:48.276 --> 00:23:50.378
I want to do it in love, i want to do it in grace, i want to do
00:23:50.378 --> 00:23:52.781
It in kindness, but i want to be an elijah.
00:23:52.781 --> 00:23:56.585
I want to live the god life, and i pray there are people that
00:23:56.585 --> 00:23:58.787
Would say the same thing.
00:23:58.787 --> 00:24:01.456
With heads bowed, with eyes closed, i want to say again to
00:24:01.456 --> 00:24:03.558
All of you who are watching online and those of you in this
00:24:03.558 --> 00:24:05.427
Room right now, if you do not know jesus christ as your lord
00:24:05.427 --> 00:24:10.365
And savior, you will surely die, not just physically.
00:24:10.365 --> 00:24:13.201
You'll die spiritually, you'll die eternally if you do not know
00:24:13.201 --> 00:24:16.571
Jesus christ, if you do not commit your life to christ.
00:24:16.571 --> 00:24:21.510
You know, i read the other day the best definition of hell is
00:24:21.510 --> 00:24:24.546
Truth seen 5 seconds too late.
00:24:24.546 --> 00:24:28.183
So if you're watching right now, you're in this room and you've
00:24:28.183 --> 00:24:30.452
Never given your life to jesus, i just want to give you the
00:24:30.452 --> 00:24:33.488
Opportunity to do that.
00:24:33.488 --> 00:24:35.257
I just want to give you the opportunity in your heart to
00:24:35.257 --> 00:24:37.526
Pray something like this: "lord jesus, i'm a sinner and i'm
00:24:37.526 --> 00:24:39.995
Lost; and i need a savior, and i believe you are that savior.
00:24:39.995 --> 00:24:43.431
I believe you died for my sins.
00:24:43.431 --> 00:24:45.066
I believe god raised you from the dead.
00:24:45.066 --> 00:24:48.103
So, lord jesus, right now would you come into my heart, would
00:24:48.103 --> 00:24:51.640
You save me, would you forgive me?"
00:24:51.640 --> 00:24:55.310
Announcer: to watch an extended version of today's message from
00:24:55.377 --> 00:24:57.746
Dr. james merritt, go to touchinglives.org.
00:24:57.746 --> 00:25:01.850
James: because life is a journey, every season brings new
00:25:05.954 --> 00:25:09.057
Challenges and opportunities; but through it all one thing
00:25:09.057 --> 00:25:13.161
Remains constant, god's faithfulness.
00:25:13.161 --> 00:25:16.798
That's why this ministry exists, to bring the hope of god's word
00:25:16.798 --> 00:25:20.368
Into your life, your home, and your family every single day.
00:25:20.368 --> 00:25:25.607
And it's because of friends like you that we can continue to
00:25:25.607 --> 00:25:28.076
Share the truth of jesus with people all over the world.
00:25:28.076 --> 00:25:31.846
Your support enables us to reach those who are searching and
00:25:31.846 --> 00:25:34.716
Struggling and seeking to grow in their love of christ.
00:25:34.716 --> 00:25:37.686
And as a way to thank you for your generous support of our
00:25:37.686 --> 00:25:40.388
Important work, we have some incredible resources to
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Offer you.
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For your gift of any amount to this ministry, we want to send
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You a copy of "finishing our course with joy" by one of my
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Favorite authors, j.i. packer.
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This powerful book challenges us to continue to see aging not as
00:25:54.936 --> 00:25:58.974
An excuse to slow down but as an opportunity to finish strong; to
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Continue learning, growing, and serving god with endurance
00:26:03.678 --> 00:26:07.349
And joy.
00:26:07.349 --> 00:26:08.717
I can tell you i've read this book more than once and it has
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Ministered to me every time.
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Or for your gift of $75 or more, we would be honored to send you
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Every gift you give allows us to reach more people with the
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So don't wait, call now with your gift or you can also
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And remember, never ever doubt god.
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He's working in your life, and he's working through this
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Ministry thanks to your generosity.
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♪♪♪
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Announcer: touching the lives of the lost and enriching the faith
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Of the found, this is "touching lives" with dr. james merritt.
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♪♪♪
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James Merritt - Stand Tall Stand Strong

May 4, 2025 | S25:E30

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