Valley Gospel
A Pentecostal church experience.
Valley Gospel
A Fool's Death
Can forgiveness truly change a life? Join us as we uncover the gripping story of Abner, a key yet often overlooked figure from the Bible. Abner's journey from loyalty to King Saul, to his complex relationship with King David, reveals layers of betrayal, redemption, and the power of grace. Despite Abner's past attempts to undermine him, David’s decision to welcome Abner into his kingdom stands as a profound testament to forgiveness and acceptance. We explore Abner's internal conflict with fully embracing David’s godly rule, mirrored by his reluctance to enter Hebron—a potent symbol of God's presence. This narrative serves as a striking metaphor for the modern struggle between worldly distractions and a committed life of faith.
Discover the awe-inspiring yet often misunderstood power of God, as we reflect on the Old Testament stories where miraculous interventions failed to bring His people closer to truly understanding Him. We challenge you to deepen your trust in God's sovereignty and resist the tendency to rely on human solutions during crises. Finally, embark on a reflective journey with us, as we discuss the importance of rekindling our faith and actively seeking God's presence in our daily lives. From church services to personal anecdotes, this episode encourages you to use your spiritual gifts and maintain a dynamic, faith-filled relationship with God, ensuring you remain within the gate of His presence.
God will open. He'll open up the windows of heaven and he'll pour you out a blessing. My God will open. He'll open up the windows of heaven and pour you out of blessing, and you will not have the room to know doubt because of you, but because he is good, and you will not have the room to receive Him.
Speaker 2:Hello, welcome to Valley Gospel Church Podcast. We are an independent full gospel church, worshiping in spirit and in truth, located in Springdale Pennsylvania. Worshiping in Spirit and in Truth, located in Springdale, pennsylvania. Our single mission is to present a message of truth and hope centered on Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Speaker 3:So let's go into a service recorded live at Valley Gospel Church A couple of years ago in a Bible study well, actually, more than a couple of years ago in a Bible study well, actually more than a couple of years ago. But we talked about a man that we don't hear too much about, a name that we don't talk about a lot Abner. Abner, I love that name. If Arabelle and I have another child, what, what are you laughing at? Boy or a girl, we will name it Abner, I love that name. Abner is King Saul's uncle. He was a commander in Saul's army and, as we saw in our study those years ago, he was for a time Saul's personal bodyguard guard. It was Abner who introduced David to Saul as a means of after he slew Goliath. That must have been an interesting meeting.
Speaker 3:After Saul and his son Jonathan die on the battlefield when they were fighting the Philistines, david is finally given the go-ahead as king of Israel. God, finally, you remember he was tapped to be the king of Israel back when he was 13, 14 years old. He's finally given the go-ahead by the Lord to ascend to the throne of Israel. But 11 of the 12 tribes they're not too sure about David and they reject him as king of Israel. So David is only king in one province, judah. Judah, that's all that is what he is king of Now. It represented the big portion of Israel, but still he is only king of Judah. His capital city this is the part I want you to remember His city of rule, his capital city is Hebron. Hebron it's important because the name means the presence of God Hebron and I pull back a little from calling it Hebron because I don't like the way it sounds Hebron, presence of God. Keep that in mind.
Speaker 3:Now, even after Saul's demise, even after Saul is killed, the kingdom kind of is in shambles. Abner is still loyal to the house of Saul, doesn't he? He's one of the detractors of David, don't like him? Abner puts forth Saul's son, ish, ish-boseth I just call him Ish puts forth Ish as the next king, and now Judah and the remainder of Israel getting this long, drawn-out civil war over whose kingdom it is. Abner is the commander of Israel's army under the house of Saul, saul's dead, but still the army. He comes up against David at Gibeon. The fight at Gibeon, and when it became apparent that David would win, abner ran. He ran and actually the Bible tells us. He killed one of his own soldiers who was just trying to catch up to him to give him news, and Abner killed him and that became a real problem that issue killing one of his own guys, and a bunch of other things that we won't get into now a lot of sexual sin in Abner's life. It turns out that he wasn't quite as loyal to Saul as we thought, wasn't quite. He wasn't quite Saul's loyalist, but he sees David, who won this battle now, and David represents righteousness. And Abner starts to come up with all the religious sayings, because David is a godly king, starts shalom, shalom. Starts with all praise, god, all that, and he stands reciting scripture and praising God and his loyalty to David, and we're going to read it all in 2 Samuel. And we're going to read it all in 2 Samuel.
Speaker 3:David, through all of his failing and all of his trouble, the city of his rule is called Hebron. What does it mean? The presence of God. It is then that Abner defects and declares his loyalty to David. Chrissy, let's go. 2 Samuel, we're in.
Speaker 3:David accepts Abner into his kingdom, into Hebron, capital city, gated city, and he accepts him with open arms. This is the man who just fought him. This is the man who spent a long time trying to kill David, trying to give Saul information about David. He accepts him, just like we as a Christian church should react, giving benefit of the doubt to the lost, to the backslider, to the bound, to the fallen. But once welcomed, once Abner is welcomed in, david says come on in, come on in, you're welcome, you're welcome in this city. Once he's welcomed, he starts to get distracted and he hesitates. He's not sure how he'll fit in with all these religious people. He's not sure they're a little churchy for him, not sure how he'll fit.
Speaker 3:Just like so many young Christians today, not young in age but young in their relationship with God, we start to weigh our options, considering all of life's offering. Is this where I want to go? And just outside the gate of Hebron, hebron, what's that mean? The presence of God, the presence of God Just outside the gate of the presence of God, the gate of safety, the gate of security. You just talked about a gate, didn't you, daniel? The gate of security. Just talked about a gate, didn't you, daniel? Just outside the gate where, inside, the children of God gather, inside the presence of God, inside, the Holy Ghost is active, unwilling to go all the way in. Let's just wait outside the gate and see what passes by.
Speaker 3:David mourns Abner's death. Oh, I forgot to tell you Abner's killed outside the gate and David mourns his death and he speaks at his funeral. David does, and Chrissy is going to read to you what he said at the funeral in 2 Samuel 3, 32 through 38. Whenever you get there, I'll ask you to please stand for the reading of God's word 2 Samuel 3 and 32.
Speaker 2:2 Samuel 3 and 32. As a fool dies, your hands were not bound, nor your feet put into fetters. As a man falls before wicked men, so fell you and all the people wept again over him. And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it yet, I'm sorry. And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, david swore saying so, do God to me and more also, if I taste bread or aught else till the sun be down. And all the people took notice of it and it pleased them, as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people. For all the people and all Israel understood that day, wow, wow.
Speaker 3:Far too many who come to Christ make a statement of faith, a trip to an altar, possibly moved by a song, moved by a message. Far too many remain outside the gate. What does he, brun, mean? Presence of God, stay outside the presence of God, thinking that our profession of faith, our trip to an altar, our recitation of a sinner's prayer, will keep them. And David was very clear. He died a fool's death, and I'll use that for a subject this morning the death of a fool Amen, let's pray, heavenly Father. Thank you, lord. Thank you, lord, for this Old Testament trip, this ability to relate that which is thousands and thousands of years old, and that it makes sense in the here and now. Lord, I thank you for the enlightenment today. I ask your anointing not only on me to rightly divide your word, but on your people to hear and to receive. In the name of your blessed Son, we pray Amen and amen. Please be seated Alright.
Speaker 3:I'm going to begin with a little confession this morning, as I began my research on this message several weeks ago, two weeks ago. As is, my habit before I start to work on the title or the content is to spend a long time in prayer before the Lord. And I felt the Lord say to me are you ready to preach my word? And I quickly replied yes, I am, even though I haven't had much time to spend with you this week. I haven't had much time to spend with you this week. I didn't say, but I thought which is really kind of stupid because he can read my thought anyway, so I don't know why I didn't just say it. I thought but it's been quite a week Work issues, really hot, storms, bee issues, more bees outside the hive than inside the hive Well issues, no water, family, personal, truck issues that I mentioned, it was really hot and all of that might be true, but the Lord spoke to my heart that maybe I was spending a little more time than I needed to outside the gate and in some respects I wonder if that isn't true for so many modern Christians that we don't spend as much time in prayer, in the word, in communion with our king as we would like to or as we should be.
Speaker 3:In the Old Testament the Bible says that God separated unto himself a people right, a people no richer, no smarter, no more loyal, no more spiritual, no less troubled or afflicted or consumed by the things of this life than the masses, but a people to whom he could be God, my, a teachable people, a sensitive people who will stop what we're doing when God speaks, who will stop and we will listen, a people that would learn his word, a people that would understand his ways, a people that would hear his voice, a people that would get him. See, we see all the commercials at sporting events and on television about him getting us. That's not the call. The call is we need to get him. We need to get him. That's the real question.
Speaker 3:Think about the ways that the Lord revealed himself in the Old Testament Through angels, through physical miracles, through parting rivers and seas, and he spoke audibly to his children. He carved books into stone, flowers bloomed in rocks where they shouldn't grow. Yet after all these proofs, for more than a hundred years, god's assessment of his people is still they don't know me. All those things that he did and they don't know me. He delivered them with mind-boggling miracles. He opened seas, providing ways of escape, and then had the seas fall back on their enemies. He brought water out of the rock to slake their thirst. He sent fire to consume water-soaked altars to consume water-soaked altars. He dropped honey bread from the sky. He gave them a cloud by day that followed them for shade. He gave them a pillar of fire at night for warmth. He vanquished kingdoms and empires for his children's sake. Empires for his children's sake, and yet he says they don't know me. He led them to a promised land. They lived in homes they didn't build. They tended vineyards they didn't plant. The people tended, used, harvested, possessed and sold. Yet the Lord said you don't know me or how I work my Quite. An indication of where they and we as his people are.
Speaker 3:Hebrews 3. Just a couple of verses Hebrews 3, 9. When your fathers tempted me, proved me and saw my works forty years wherefore, I was grieved with the generation and said they do always err in their hearts and they have not known my ways. The people that God took to himself, that he taught and loved, they didn't know him. You know our God today is still looking for a people that will allow him to be their God. He's looking for a people that will allow him to be our God. That's the point. You know.
Speaker 3:We bring testimonies as Christians. We stand up in church and we talk about how God has provided for us, how God has healed us and taught us. And when a crisis comes, sometimes our impulse is to look to man, To look to a man, to look to an institution, or to try to figure out a way out of this mess or out of this affliction, or to run away, forsake brothers and sisters, forsake the church, to walk away from what God has called us to Now. I'm not being judgmental, nor would I venture to say about someone's personal relationship, whether or not they know God, but I'm raising the question this morning Are we hindering God from truly being God in our lives? Are we actually a hindrance to God being God in our lives?
Speaker 3:And you know, I've seen it play out in far too many brothers and sisters who were greatly used of the Lord, receiving of the Lord, going deeper in his word, being used in worship and praise, and suddenly and without warning, turn away from God, turn away from their calling, turn away from their anointing, from their anointing, and it's usually a response to a perceived offense. And in retrospect, it seems to me that in 100% of the cases that their faith had limits, their faith had limits, their commitment had limits and maybe, maybe, god was asking too much of them. It came with too great of a price God's call came with. Too great of a price of time or treasure, maybe, maybe some areas of their lives that they weren't able to completely give to him a relationship, spouse, family member, a bondage or any issue at all that we think that God is either unable or ill-equipped to use us. In spite of or because of that point was made clearly in our opening this morning. God is not a man that he should lie, or maybe it's become too big for a commitment for us to continue at this level.
Speaker 3:So we back away outside the gate. Back away outside the gate. We limit God. We believe he can undertake for others. All of you believe that in the prayer request you made today that God can do it, but I don't know if he can do it for me. We limit God and tell him not us, not our problems, you can't handle them, not our issues.
Speaker 3:Several years ago, our bass player well, more than a several, but I remember him interrupting a service and I'm just not using his name because he'll probably listen to it on the tape and go. That's me, but he was playing his bass and just boom, boom, boom, boom and shouted at the top of his lungs don't limit me. I am the sovereign Lord and I can do anything, hallelujah. We know that God will deliver Israel. We know that God will right the wrongs. We know that God will dry every tear. He will subdue every enemy, he will imprison the devil and cast him into the bottomless pit. We know that every knee will bow, every tongue will confess him as Lord. And we know that on one great and cloudless morning, he will give a shout and we will all rise to meet him in the air and we profess and believe that. And still, all right, now I'm going to flip this on you. And still, all right, now I'm going to flip this on you. Still, we will worry about a problem on the job. We will worry about our kids, we will worry about a relationship.
Speaker 3:Sometimes we are consumed by anxiety and fear about situations and stuff. If that is sometimes true with you, as it is sometimes true with me, maybe we don't know him as we should, maybe we don't, maybe we're hanging around a gate. Your Bible says that it's God's desire to do exceedingly abundantly in our lives, above all that we can ask or think Amen, according to the powers. According to the powers, listen according to the powers. This is the thrust of this, this is the core of this, because we want to stop at. He wants to do exceedingly abundantly. He wants to do exceedingly abundantly in your life, according to the power that works in us. According to the power that works in us, and when we doubt him, when we don't believe for healing, for deliverance, for freedom, then we're, in essence, tied his hands. Glory, glory. How can he move in our lives, our situation, if we don't believe that he can and he will, even if we're struggling?
Speaker 3:The worst thing, the very worst thing that we can do, is leave Hebron. Worst thing we can do, is leave Hebron WhatBRAHM, presence OF GOD, to GO OUTSIDE THE GATE. You KNOW, I SENT SUCH A DEEP SORROW FOR THOSE THAT HAVE WALKED AWAY. I SENT SUCH A DEEP SORROW FOR THOSE WHO I CAN SEE DRIFTING AWAY. When we walk away from God, when we walk out of his presence, we are in a dangerous, dangerous place, and I'm preaching to you from a place I understand very well.
Speaker 3:Been there, did it? Israel? Continually asked God, continually asked the question can God, can he? Yeah, he parted the sea. Yeah, he gave us some honey bread. Yeah, he brought water out of a rock. But can he give us meat? Can he give us meat? Can he give us meat? And that might be unique in itself, but they were asking will he deliver us? Will he deliver us? Instead of saying, can God? You and I need to say God, can God, can?
Speaker 3:We talk a lot about being in God's presence, drawing near to him. We use the term that I don't like intimacy with God. It's a correct term, nothing wrong with the term, it just creeps me out a little bit. But I don't know how well that's understood in the modern church. I really don't, because every Christian that goes to prayer rooms and closets their private personal prayer closet really might not know him. Those that take the pulpits that sit in board meetings as the head, whatever, maybe doesn't know him.
Speaker 3:Consider this the disciples spent nearly three years, 24-7, in the presence of God. Right, they spent three years, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the presence of Jesus, who is God. Yet at the end of his earthly ministry, just prior to the cross, jesus told them you don't really know me. I've spent all this time with you and you don't know me. Still didn't understand. So much so that Jesus said look, I don't have time, the it's closing in here. I'm gonna have to send somebody else to try to teach you after I'm gone. Where are you going? Because they weren't able to receive it. They ran, ran away, they forsook him, they even denied him because they didn't know him.
Speaker 3:And I believe the Holy Spirit is making a point that God doesn't hear our pleas sometimes, because we repeat them often or even because we shout them Somehow. In the Pentecostal church, if we shout our prayer, god hears us. What? God has a hearing problem now and it's possible to pray, to fast, to do good works and still not know him. I remember years ago I got to see if I can find my notes, but it was a message entitled Lost in the House and it was in regard to people who were actually integral part of the church and were completely lost, didn't know him. Our Father has so much he wants to show us, so much he wants to give us. He resides in a full storehouse. It's not like he has to go over here and get some of this to give to this. He resides in a full storehouse and he wants to open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing, a blessing the Bible says we can't contain. That's way too much for us. And while we are grateful and we are thankful, let me say this Don't be satisfied.
Speaker 3:Don't be satisfied with the status quo. I'll clarify. Content, yes, satisfied. No, you can be content. Do not be satisfied with pretty good. Don't be satisfied with a pretty good church. Don't be satisfied with that. Don't be satisfied with a pretty good church. Don't be satisfied with that. Don't be satisfied with pretty good music. Don't be satisfied. Pretty good walk. Don't be satisfied with a powerless Christianity. Don't be satisfied with that.
Speaker 3:All right, how many of you are saved? I want hands. Wow, wow. I'm getting pretty close, aside from the closed eyes, pretty close to 100%. Now I'm going to ask you another question. Don't raise your hands. Just think the answer how many of you have been baptized in the Holy Ghost? And here's my statement If as many people were able to raise their hands to the second question, as did the first, we could move mountains. As did the first, we could move mountains, hallelujah, we could turn this world upside down.
Speaker 3:Don't be satisfied. Don't be satisfied with a good prayer life or a pretty good relationship with God. Don't be satisfied standing at the gate. Come on in. Come on in. Don't be satisfied with your ministry, what God has called you to. Some folks say they'd be satisfied Barbie being a doorman in heaven. Not me, no, no, I'll just be satisfied to be at the gate of heaven. I want all that heaven offers. I don't want to go in the back door. I don't want to be snuck in the side. I don't want to get carried in on a stretcher. I want to march in banners, flaring music playing in the parade, voices raised in song, glory. I want to be in that number where not only lights are flashing and banners are flown and flags are flown when the saints go marching in. I don't want to be carried in the back door.
Speaker 3:Whatever God has called you to, whatever God has ordained you to do, it is, if there's anything that needs to be written down, this is it. It's far short of what he wants to do in your life. Whatever he's called you to, it's far short of what he wants to do in your life, what he desires for you. Greater work shall you do than you saw me do you know who said that? Jesus said it. The sovereign God of the universe said you're going to do greater things than you saw me do.
Speaker 3:I relayed some things regarding the church that I was saved in, where my family, my son, my daughter, my Arabelle, all came to the Lord, and toward the end of my ministry there, it seemed that all we did was talk about miracles of the past. I called them Eustas, eusta. We used to see God move. We used to see people healed. We used to have a Holy Ghost shout, we used to have a Holy Ghost dance. We became satisfied with Eusta, satisfied with what used to happen.
Speaker 3:Remember when that diabetic woman walked from the front of the church to the back of the church and lost 50 pounds front to back? Do you remember when that blind man saw? Do you remember when that blind man saw? Do you remember when we would pray on someone and cancer was healed? Remember when we would touch heaven and strongholds were broken, when we'd stand in faith against principalities and powers? Our vision was huge. Our faith was without limits.
Speaker 3:Eustace, eustace, eustace. I'm here to beg you today let's go back in, let's go back inside the gate. Can't we move inside the gate? And I'm going to tell you just I don't want to relate negative things from the past, but once we were outside the gate, in the church that I was saved in. Once we were outside the gate, we couldn't figure out how to get back in. Once we were outside the presence of God, it seemed like we didn't know how to get back inside the presence of God. It seemed so far away and so foreign.
Speaker 3:Jesus said his sheep hear his voice. Right, his sheep hear his voice. To be assured it's his voice, without doubt or fear, secure and safe. How do we do that Secure and safe? How do we do that? We physically, number one, physically, put ourselves in his presence. You know that I always tell you while I'm praying for Uncle Lou get Uncle Lou in church, get him in the presence of God. Amen, it's great, nothing wrong with us praying for Uncle Lou. Get him in the presence of God. Yeah, he's not going to come. Get in the presence of God. Put ourselves in the presence of God. If you sense a moving, a stirring in worship, be there with your sacrifice of praise, ready to worship in a garment of praise. If he's present at women's study or George's challenge, be there. Be there, put yourself in his presence. Make every effort to get into service, into Bible study, as often as you can, because his presence helps us shut off the outside noise. It helps us shut off interfering voices in the world of darkness.
Speaker 3:Even Christians that are strong limit our godly encounter to the five senses. Right, we're not tuned in to the sixth. We're not tuned in to the sixth sense. As you move forward in your walk and that's only possible in his presence as you move forward in that walk, confidence grows. As you move forward in that walk, confidence grows, call it, and I just shared briefly. It was like as god reveals more and more and it's here, and it's there and it's here and our confidence as teachers, as ministers of the word, grows because he's revealing things to us and we know. We know where it's coming from. It's from the throne, because there's no room for interference. We won't allow it. Hallelujah, we grow in confidence.
Speaker 3:Two Latin words, comon fidella, mean with faith. With faith, faith grows. If you've been gifted listen carefully everyone If you've been gifted by the Holy Ghost, exercise those gifts, use those gifts, use your prayer language, Utilize faith and wisdom and knowledge and prophecy and discernment. Utilize those gifts and just ask him speak my Lord, he will. What do you think? The stories where all the Old Testament prophets said you got my attention, go ahead. You think that's just a story. Speak my Lord, he will. What would you have me do? You see, when God speaks to you, peace follows. Peace always follows.
Speaker 3:Even when he suggested to me two weeks ago that I was spending a little too much time outside the gate, it wasn't threatening. It wasn't threatening, it wasn't demeaning, it wasn't. Well, what did I tell you that it was. It came with instruction and it came with peace. Instruction and peace, not guilt that I was unworthy or I somehow failed him. It came with peace, not guilt that I was unworthy or I somehow failed him. It came with peace To be in God's presence.
Speaker 3:You and I need to know his son. We need to know his son, not as a man teaches about him, but know him Not as you and I think he is, or as maybe you saw a depiction on a velvet painting, not even as you've been taught he is or as the church says he is. You know, we read so many books and articles and treatments to try to depict who Jesus is and I have to tell you, chosen has done a great job in my understanding and depicting how Jesus is, but we need to know him not as Dallas Jenkins portrays him, but as the Holy Ghost reveals him. Hallelujah, hallelujah. Do you remember when Jesus said if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. If you've seen me, you've seen the Father.
Speaker 3:Now that revelation of Jesus can be very individual. It can be very specific. In other words, jesus is to us who he needs to be in his children's life, individually, one-on-one, or corporately. He is who he needs to be in their life. I don't know if I'm explaining this well. He can be a little rough with me, he can be a little sarcastic. Oh, you got that answer, pastor. I get those kind of responses and I'm good with that. I respond to that. But I mean, if you have more than one child and you may treat both children a little bit differently because of their need for a mother and father, it doesn't matter what it is, but you may encourage and lead them a little differently, even though you're the same caring, loving father or mother. And the differences with how you deal with your two children or more is only evident to them. It's only evident to them, see, I'll be a different father in Abner's life than I was in Michael or Stephanie's Abner's life, than I was in Michael or Stephanie's In general.
Speaker 3:The Holy Ghost reveals Jesus as a gift. He reveals Jesus as a gift. Jesus is where the Father put all of his attributes, all of his power, all of his character, all of his mercy, all of his grace, all of his mercy, all of his grace, all of his kindness, and gave him to us, gave him to us as the love of our life, or all in all our everything. Hallelujah, hallelujah. I never thought that I would refer to Jesus as lovely Huh, or as the rose of Sharon or the lily of the valley. Those words aren't in my vocabulary. He is the fullness of the Godhead. Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead. In him we find everything, everything we need to live a joyful, peaceful, righteous life. Do we see him like that? That's the question. Do we see him like that, or do we see him as a buddy? Or do we see him as a wingman? Or do we see him as a buddy or do we see him as a wingman? It's somebody who's oh. When we get in trouble, we can run to him, someone we can relate to.
Speaker 3:In the Old Testament, jesus was the ark, he was the rock. He was the cloud. He was the fire. He was the temple. He was the manna. He was the dove. He was the altar, the offering, the meat offering, the red heifer. He was the mercy seat. That's in the Old Testament. That's the reference. He was the shoe, bread and the lamb upon the throne.
Speaker 3:Glory, he's the source of power. He's the way and the truth and the life. That was Old Testament. That was all in shadow and in type that Israel was supposed to recognize, they were supposed to get. It was a precursor of things to come, a gift, and that all resides in us. That all resides in us. Everything we need is in here. We don't need to go outside of there.
Speaker 3:We always hear folks say well, my prayers didn't get above the ceiling, didn't need to. All they needed to do is get to your chin, because you are the temple of God and the spirit of God dwelleth in you. Glory, the way, the truth, the life dwells in you. He knows what we need, he knows what we lack and when we need it. We don't need answers from an army of answer prophets or specially selected pastors. Our answer to our crisis is one man, one man that heals the hurt. One way, one direction to find our way. That way is Jesus Christ.
Speaker 3:Whether you know it or not, our Father was there all along. Your Father was there all along, wanting to embrace you, wanting to love you, and he's asking you to come beyond the gate. Come on into Hebron. The gate's open, you're welcome. Come all the way. In past, religion, past knowing about him. Past hoping this is all real. Past the hype and the religious activities. How many of you know religious activities are actually the distraction to keep you outside. Past the intellectual knowledge of who he was historically, through the gates of Hebron, into his presence, to know him, to truly know him. We're welcome beyond the gate.
Speaker 3:Outside the gate is death. Outside the gate is death. Halfway is worse than no way. That's why Jesus said I'd rather you were either hot or cold rather than lukewarm. Outside the gate, those thoughts of I'm good, I live a good life, I help people and I do and I go Outside the gate, those things mean nothing, absolutely nothing.
Speaker 3:Inside the gate, we rest in his holiness. We rest in his holiness, we lie back in his embrace. That's where he wants us. That's where he wants us to be, as Colette pointed out to me again that it's not aside from work. We rest in his work, we rest to work, even when we stumble, when we trip we fall when we're in his presence. You know, it's that old trust thing you fall into his arms. If you fall inside the gate, you fall into the Lord's arms. Outside the gate, you hit your head, secure, broken. When we're unable to spiritually motivate, when we're lost in the house, in his presence, within the gate, his grace, his grace is enough, his grace is enough. Outside, there's a fool's death. A fool's death. That's harsh, I know heavy, because the gate is right there. It's right here. He invites you in, he invites you through. It's so easy. It's harsh, I know heavy, because the gate is right there, it's right here. He invites you in, he invites you through. It's so easy, it's so right.
Speaker 3:Don't get caught outside the gate, and that's a personal, that's a personal, private thing. If you're thinking I'm leading up to an altar, call, I'm not, because I don't want you to come to a carpeted altar. That's not the point. Go inside the gate of the presence of God, hallelujah, hallelujah. Outside the gate, we're looking for the next exciting religious thing to come by the gate so we can grab on, so we can latch on to that next exciting thing that happens by that we can join up with.
Speaker 3:Come on inside, outside, a fool's death. Come inside, and I'm not inviting you to try harder or put your shoulder to the wheel or your nose to the grindstone. Just come on in the gate. Just finish the walk. It's only a couple of more steps. Come inside the gate where darkness can't touch you, evil can't harm you. Come inside the city, hebron. Am I telling you all your issues will be gone? No, no. Am I telling you nothing's ever gonna go wrong again? Family, business, work, nope. But inside you'll find joy and peace, resolution and rest and rest the answer to every problem, the solution to every need Inside the gate. Amen, I'm done. Thank you so much for listening.
Speaker 2:Hallelujah, we pray. This message is a blessing and encouragement to you, most of all, that it fortifies your faith as the return of our Lord draws near. We encourage you to share the love of Jesus this week and invite you to listen to next week's podcast.