buddy hope everyone is alive and awake this morning oh my goodness let's try that one more time hold on already good morning everybody everybody's alive and awake today ready for one more snow day one more snow day they say there's one more coming and a two hour delay on Tuesday we're prediction from a fairfax county employee right there thank you very much you're hurting here first ladies and gentlemen turn the alarm clocks off tonight tomorrow's cancel Tuesday's a two hour delay all from the prophecy of Julie what we are talking about here today for those from the book of Julie well we are talking about is a different book today alright and what we are talking about is we're in the middle of a series it's called you are what you eat we are talking about the most important book in the whole wide world which is the Bible the Word of God and what we are talking about here is the same way that each one of us our bodies our physical fitness and our physical health is largely based on the food that we consume and what we put inside of our bodies in the same way our spirits and our souls are their health is largely to turn by the spiritual food that we put inside so if all we do is put junk inside of us that will end up being junk but what we want to do during this season during this series is really talk about how to feed our souls because if you all remember in the first week I told y'all that if you put a microphone or a microscope inside to your soul and you could somehow interview your soul you could ask yourself how you feeling these days a lot of our souls would say we're hungry we're not being fed we are confused we have no direction in life we are frustrated we have all kinds of problems and we can't seem to keep up with them so what our souls are screaming out is somebody feed me somebody feed me with the good food the good stuff that's we're talking about here in this series first week in the series we talked about case you weren't here we talked about the reliability of the scriptures and we talked about how the Bible is what it says it is it is the word of God and if you weren't here that week and you missed that talk all right and you struggle with how do we know the by is true and how can we believe what it says and sign says this and all let's go back and listen to week one because we talked about and we saw that without a shadow of a doubt any person who's got a reasonable mind in their head would see that the Bible is what it says it is it is the word of God and then last week what we looked at is not what the Bible is but what the Bible is supposed to do for us and we saw how the Bible is supposed to be three things for us remember the role the Bible is to cleanse our minds from all the junk that's around this and all the confusing thoughts and all that the stuff around us that messes up our minds the Bible is also there to give us faith because so much of the world tells us to not do this and you can't do this the Bible gives us faith one word from God's mouth is enough to build a kingdom on and you can stand on that you could go through a brick wall and then third thing remember is the Bible is the light for our path we said how the Bible is like a flashlight and it shows me the next step and then when I take that step the flashlight shows me the next step and it just shows me the step right in front of me that's what the scriptures are today we're going to answer the question that today really I don't need often times when I have something I'm going to preach I have to say okay I had to make sure in the beginning that I make sure that everyone realizes how it's relevant to their lives I have subject here I have to make sure that you see it's relevant to your life today I don't need to do that because today speaks for itself we're going to talk about today is something every single person in this room has struggled with has thought about has debated with the only person who has any struggled with this is a person who never picked up the Bible we're going to talk about today is we're in talk about the real reason that we don't read our Bible like we go to the truth because oftentimes we dance around the issue and we say we don't believe what it says that's not true or we say that we don't have time that's not true either or we say that we want to but you know it's just it's a lot of things going on in my life not does none of that stuff is true there's one reason why someone who doesn't read the Bible is not reading their Bible you know that reason is is I don't get anything out of it bottom line is all those other things are just excuses the truth in the matter is is that we like the people in this nice little picture that's how we feel when we open up our Bibles by ourselves we look at it and we get nothing out of it and that's why I believe I don't believe there are bad people in this room today I don't believe that anyone is not reading the Bible because they're bad I believe today people are not reading the Bible because they are frustrated you know why because you do look I do you go one day and you say you know what man I am in need of hope today I'm in need of encouragement today I'm in need of like God's light today and you open it up and you find Jacob begat zaruba bell and zaruba velba got Jack and I and Jack and I abhi got obed Edom you come one day and you say I got something in my marriage I just need guidance something about my husband then you open it up and you read a whole bunch of rules about what to do with your donkey on the tab date that is not about your husband by the way in case you do end up reading that okay do not say that's about your spouse all right let's be honest let's be honest often times we hear sermon we are inspired we want to read the Bible and then we go to it it has nothing to do with anything in our lives right am i seduce me we open it up and we are coming seeking answers seeking guidance seeking something and we open up with myzel be in Chinese because we don't understand a thing that it says and even if we do understand it when the worlds that have to do with my problem at work when the world's ever do with my kid who won't listen to me when I walls out of do with my stress and my anxiety and all the problems i eat guidance and you giving me stuff then you give me names I never heard of places I never I can imagine or anything about them it makes no sense and we feel like the Bible it's nice it's cute but it's not really relevant to our lives don't believe me some statistics the Center for study of religion in American culture did a study recently called the Bible in American life and they came up to the conclusion okay they asked people this question and roughly eighty percent a little bit under eighty percent 79 points something eighty percent of the people that they interviewed said that they believe that the Bible is the Word of God they believe the Bible is not a normal book it is an inspired book it is the word of God eighty percent of the people believe that ok so if eighty percent of the people believe that this is not a normal book this book was written by God what percentage of people read their Bible daily 99 eighty percent say I believe nine percent opened it up on a daily basis and even more this eighty percent that believes fifty percent of that eighty percent that believes is the word of God said they haven't opened the Bible in the last year outside of church fifty percent of the people who believe the Bible is the Word of God they're in church they opened the Bible and have the Bible at home I never even touched the Bible in the past year haven't opened it like nine percent daily but I'm talking about in the past year fifty percent of people haven't even opened it and this isn't just statistics from a study somewhere else like let's be honest if we look at our own experience like our own experience is better than any statistics or any study the truth of the matter is is a lot of us every single person believes but how many of us are open in our Bibles and then on top of that we believe it's the Word of God we don't open it and then what is the number one most common question I get asked emails I get from people all over the world who don't know me and people who just try to find any way to reach me to ask me this one question what's the one question you want to ask me what does God want from me how could I hear God's voice what do you think God wants me to do in this situation either we have a problem here either people aren't very smart and have very short-term memories because they say I believe this is the word of God and I believe this is written to god this is a messenger got to me and then they say can anyone tell me what God wants me to do in life there's a disconnect either people aren't very smart or there's a problem that we can't understand what's in this Bible and we are not benefiting from the words that are in it if these eighty percent of the people if eighty percent of the people really believed really believed and and felt like if I open up this book I will hear God's voice speaking to me and i will get divine solutions to human problems divine solutions to human problems if i believe this verse there's a verse in psalm 119 verse 98 that your commands are always with me and they make me wiser than my enemies if I really believe that God's commandments make me wiser and smarter and better off than anybody else do you think that nine percent would remain at nine percent or maybe it would have an impact on our lives our goal today is to do what the eighty percent of the people say we should be doing we're saying it's the Word of God and we're saying that it's God speaking to us well if that's the case we want to learn how to take this book which is difficult for us and is confusing and turn it into a divine experience and to find inside my Bible not boring not dry not confusing but life-changing why is this some people same book some people look at and say it's boring some people look at it and they say I cannot leave my house this day until I open it up and drank from it some people look at and say I don't get anything from it other people say this book changed my life and my life has never been the same from this book because you have the same book to people saying different things clearly that shows us that either there's a problem with the book or there's a problem with us who thinks there's a problem with the book good the problem is with you and that's the best news ever you know why because if the problem was with the book there be no hope because the book ain't going to change no one's gonna change the book but the problem is with you that's the best news every because you can change what we want to talk about today is one thing believe me I can sit here and talk all day and all night about different things ways to get stuff out of your Bible but I really believe it comes down to one thing one thing that if you can do this one thing and you can change this one thing that you can find life and meaning and guidance and purpose and everything that you're looking for inside this one book that's going to be our topic today so if you've ever struggled to find meaning in the Bible you came to church on a good weekend before we see how to do it let's see how not to do it once upon a time there was a man who wanted to find the will of God for his life and he was struggling he didn't know what to do whether to go this way or this way and he's really struggling with a decision that he had to make so he did what sometimes people do which is the flip and dip you know the flippin dip right you just kind of like this they put his finger down on a verse that's the worst thing that you could never do invite but that's what we sometimes do that that's what this guy did and he did that he prayed and he prayed me braid and he flipped he put his finger down and he found it John 27 verse 5 which said then he departed and went and hanged himself is it okay that's a mistake she said okay I'm a flip on the flip on the flip and put my finger down again and this time he found Luke 1037 then jesus said to him go and do likewise so he said two out of three alright one more time he did it one more time one more time you're flipping Flynn flip we'll just bring her down he found then jesus said to him what you do do quickly the flippin dip is not a good methodology for finding the voice of God inside the Scriptures the Bible is not a fortune-teller the Bible is not the magic 8-ball the Bible is not your horoscope is not a fortune cookie from a Chinese restaurant which tells you some magical thing what the Bible is is in second Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 and 17 all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good work we talked about this a little bit last week the Bible is not given as they open it up find the answer all my problems the Bible is given as a book as a manual some would say that the more you're in it and the more you're reading it regularly it is guiding you in all these areas it is giving you doctor and it's helping you up here to believe the right things it is giving you reproof all right it is correcting you when you need correction it is instructing you when you need instruction its purpose is that over the course of your life your relationship with the Bible would make you complete perfect lacking nothing not one day of reading is going to make you perfect but over the course of your life as you continue to read and you continue to understand there's no trick there's no magic 8-ball that gives you the answer to all your problems but it's a relationship with the word of God that makes us perfect complete lacking nothing how is the question for today though how does that happen I want to give you general idea all right then specific and it's going to be very very simple not many points today not many things right down one thing to understand all right and then one way that we're going to do that together how am I going to find profit and value and find really God inside the scripture well simple we need to open our eyes how do you find God is you open your eyes but you open the right set eyes you open your spiritual eyes did you know you have to set size did you know that you have a body and that body has a physical set of eyes and that physical set eyes was given to you so that you can relate with and understand the physical world around you if you didn't have these physical eyes you couldn't understand the physical world well did you know that you have spiritual eyes as well and those spiritual eyes were given so you understand the spiritual world in which we exist as well what do I mean by that let me explain that one okay when you go first Ephesians chapter 1 verse 18 says I pray that the eyes of your heart see the eyes of your heart you have an eyes in your face you have eyes in your heart I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you the riches of his glorious inheritance and his holy people and is incomparable incomparably great power for us who believe see what we oftentimes don't realize is you live in two worlds at the same time you live in a scene world and an unseen world you live in a physical world than in the spiritual world I know that sounds kind of mystical and kind of weird and kind of crazy but you know this to be true because you believe just like I believe that the world came in to exist came into existence from the spiritual world there's a spiritual world where God existed he's got his spirit and God had Angels and and and and arch angels and demons and Lucifer and that spiritual world existed way before the physical world and then at a moment in time the physical world was created from the spiritual the spiritual gave birth to the physical and the physical is about here for a little bit physical that's going to go away but the spiritual is what's going to last forever right that's why we say one of the verses that we say often is we do not love the world and other things which are in the world for the world shall pass away but the will of God he who does the will of God abides forever jesus also said it he said heaven and earth shall pass away but my words will by no means pass away there's a spiritual world at a physical world when you're born you get physical eyes hopefully God willing when you come out they open up you see the fold around you when you're born spiritually you get spiritual eyes but the difference between the spiritual eyes in the physical eyes is the spiritual don't automatically open by themselves we need to make sure that those things are open so that we can relate to and see the spiritual world around us okay this is kind of weird now i'm talking about spirit like this is kind of weird I understand this is kind of weird but let me ask you a different way are there things that you believe in that you cannot see ya for example in my head there's a brain anybody seen my brain anybody ever seen my brain no you never seen it why because you don't have the right set eyes to see it you can't see it now if i gave you a different set of eyes a microscope or uh my ground microscope uh uh yeah actually mine doesn't eat a microscope mine means a office it okay something is so large okay microscope mean no the thing that the doctor sticks in your ear to see your brain you know the thing is thick in there the sticking your nose if you had one of those things or a MRI cat scan am i anywhere near the right thing okay cat scan was right probably right cat scan maybe you had cat scan for eyes you'd be able to see what physical eyes can't see because I have a brain in there but you can't see with your eyes but if you have a different set of eyes something called a cat scan then you can see it same thing spiritually there are many spiritual unseen doesn't mean unreal unseen doesn't mean unreal my brain and your brain are very real parts of us that nobody can see but if somebody has extra special set of eyes they can see it same thing in the spiritual world there are spiritual things going on around this that you cannot see that doesn't make them not real just makes them not seen I hope you realize that every page of the Bible every page of the Bible has unseen mysteries revealed every page of the Bible has unseen not unreal real but unseen has unseen guidance light cleansing all stuff we talked about last week every page of the scripture has mysteries of the kingdom of heaven which people have been searching and philosophers and all that kind of stuff that stuff is revealed to us unseen in every page of the scripture so we need to do is we need to make sure we got our eyes like st. Paul says here our eyes would be open enlightened so we can see those things because if not we're looking at them is exactly like if I get a manual okay of a something I want to build and the manuals written in Korean or in Chinese it's a there's mysteries inside there how this thing works mysteries how my VCR works it's all in there but I can't read it because my eyes can't see Korean or my eyes can't see chinese well same thing in the scriptures inside here is there's mysteries revealed answers problems anything that you need is inside here but the question is do we have eyes to see it give you an example from the Bible we're gonna go to the story in Luke chapter 24 the story in Luke chapter 24 is the famous story that takes place on the very first Easter day afternoon Jesus died on a cross on Friday rose very early Sunday morning some of the women saw that saw him but then he kind of disappeared from and then the disciples went and they saw the tomb was empty but they didn't really know where he was later on that day you have two disciples of Jesus and they are leaving Jerusalem going back to wherever it is that they're going and the reason why they're leaving is because the disciples put ourselves in their shoes for a little bit these disciples had gone through a very tough 72-hour period they had Jesus as the Messiah as the Son of God the one who's going to solve all their problems they had already left their jobs left their homes left everything to follow him he's going to take us to the promised land he's one who provided our food he's going to provided our income he provided everything for us and then what happened to him he got killed all of our dreams and hopes shattered not just that they killed him who are they gonna go for next us where's followers surely they'd come after us so these guys in a 72-hour period went from on top of the world to about as low as you can get so these two disciples are leaving town they're getting out of Dodge early before the bad guys come and get them while they're walking on that road a very interesting hat thing happens to them pick up the story in verse 13 says now behold two of them we're traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus which was seven miles from Jerusalem and they talked together of all these things which had happened so it was while they conversed and reasoned that Jesus himself drew near and went with him but their eyes were restrained so that they did not know him they're walking on the road from Jerusalem down to Emmaus they're talking about man I can't believe Jesus got killed this is the worst thing ever what we gonna do my wife's gonna kill me it all kind of stuff and then some guy shows up and it's Jesus there notice hey buddy come join us and I start chatting with Jesus on the road what's a discussion go first 16 and he said to them what kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk in our sad Jesus things like why did I such a bad mood what's going on they say one of them whose name is Clovis answered and said to him I really the only stranger in Jerusalem and you have not known things which happened here in these days he said to them what things this is a funny conversation that's a funny conversation like sometimes you got to realize God has much of a sense of humor as the rest of us he likes to pull a fast one on sometimes and we all like a good laugh so they're walking down there miserable I can't believe his habit is the worst thing that ever happened and he says what you guys talking about what's going on they say you under a cave or you're living a cave are you born under a rock you know a guy in time don't know what happened everything happened everyone in the whole world knows what happened these past few days and he says tell me what things then they go on they start to tell him alright and they basically tell him Jesus was this great guy we thought he was the Messiah and then he got killed and now that he got killed that we're in trouble and all this kind of stuff basically they did this salt long sob story about how Jesus got killed their life is over and then Jesus responds then we skipped a little bit we go to verse 25 then Jesus sets in after they told their long story he said o foolish ones and slow of heart to believe and all the prophets have spoken ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory and beginning at Moses and all the prophets he expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself pause right here and I just want everybody to take comfort and the fact that here you have two disciples of Jesus standing face-to-face with jesus knew the scriptures inside out and now he's explaining to them the same scriptures that we are clueless on when we read they apparently were clueless on it as well so take comfort in that we're not the only who don't understand it they were as well after that he's explaining to the description then they drew near to the village where they were going and he indicated that he would have gone further but they constrained him saying abide with us for his toward evening in the day is far spent and he went in to stay with them they felt something special about this guy so he's explaining to them about himself okay but they still didn't get it now here we go verse 30 is where their eyes are open aim to pass as he sat at the table with them they took bread blessed and broke and gave it to them then their eyes were opened and they knew him and he vanished from their site this is the holy moly moment of a lifetime that we just walked this entire way telling Jesus how it stinks that Jesus is no longer with us we spend the entire trip telling Jesus that our lives are over and there's no answer to all our problems because Jesus is dead and Jesus is not with us and Jesus has left us and then all of a sudden I realized holy moly Jesus has been with you the entire time you know what that is that's every single day when we open the scriptures we open it up say there's nothing here don't see anything this story makes no sense every time I read this story in Luke 24 I'm reminded of exactly what happens when every time we open the scriptures we open it up we say this is boring this makes no sense I don't understand it how come God doesn't guide me how come God is a speaking to me and then all of a sudden have that holy moly moment where your eyes are open and you say oh my goodness he's been speaking the whole time you ever had one of those moments maybe you don't have them every day but i bet you there's been a time in your life where you've read the same verse the same stories you heard a thousand times and all of a sudden was holy moly Jesus is really speaking to me in this story that's what we want to get to it is not uncommon as it was with the disciples that you have Jesus right in front of you and you can't see him that's exactly what happened he was right in front of them and it couldn't see him which is exactly every single day we opened this and he's right in front of us but sometimes we can't see it how do we open up the eyes of our heart what is the secret to open the eyes of our heart there's one thing but as I said if you do this one thing I don't want to say it like it's like a formula I don't want to say it like it's a like a trick that we play on God but I'm telling you if you do this one thing I promise you the level of understanding of Scripture were skyrocket the level again not in one day I'm not say in one day talking about over a consistent period I'm not saying you do this one day you read it one day and you got all the answers all problems answered I'm saying if you have this attitude in life one thing and who's going to give us this answer mr. Miyagi is going to give us the answer to this y'all remember the movie Karate Kid as before y'all's time y'all remember karate kid okay Karthik is a fantastic movie many spiritual lessons a many many many many all right basically in the movie for those who never seen it there's a guy his name is Daniel son okay and he comes to mr. Miyagi and he asked him a teach him karate and mr. Miyagi okay they developed this like disciple protege relationship and mr. Miyagi like tells him you have a part in this and I have a part in this you do your part I'll do my part and he tells him very eloquently in very few words all right exactly what his part is and what Danielsson parties you'll remember this line from the movie all right we'll play it right now the audio is kind of low so said see if it works here ready you promised run I say you do no questions that to your partner you get it as one more time to do one more time you promised lund I say you do no question that to you part 1 was mr. Miyagi teaching us he said you promised learn I say you do no question I say you do no question was mr. Miyagi Thailand Danielson here mr. Miyagi unlocks a secret here for us the number one factor that is going to lead let's do mr. Miyagi and in the Bible the number one factor for you as a karate pupil to learn karate from me the master the number one thing is going to be the attitude with which you approach me agree because i have a karate class of 50 people and i'm gonna do the same moves okay of karate and imma give the same instruction and one's gonna be a black belt and the other one's going to be a nobody why based on the attitude of the listener or of the pupil agree one who comes in and says this man is my master whatever he says I do another one comes to says it's got to know what he's talking about attending the class reading the books none of stuff is as important as the attitude of the listener y'all agree bible god speaks plainly to the one who listens submissively god speaks plainly to the one who listens submissively said another way i say you do no question one person comes to the bible and says I have a question I want to see what the Bible is going to say and then I'll think about it another person comes to the bible says I have a problem I'm going to open up the Bible and I'm gonna read it every day or my rest of my life and whatever it tells me I'm going to do I'm telling you those two people can read the same passages and read the exact same words and night and day between their difference between the outcome for those two people the first guy will read it and say the Bible give some okay advice but yank the second guy will say the Bible is the life-giving Word of God said another way is when I approached the Bible who's the master and who's the pupil because if we're honest a lot of us approach this book and we make ourselves the master you tell me what you have to say and then I will judge you to see if what you're saying is good or not good I will judge you where is the one who comes to say you God who wrote the scriptures or the judge and I'm coming to submit myself to you which one do you approach the scriptures with God does not i read this nice quote one time God never gave the ten suggestions God gave the Ten Commandments God doesn't give suggestions that we review and get back to him and give him our analysis of God gives Commandments only and the one who approaches with a submissive heart the one who says i'm going to obey you God the one who says that I'm coming to listen to you and whatever you tell me to do I'm going to do that one God will speak to that one eyes will be opened that one will see God in a new way and I bet you that the majority of time and we open the scriptures and we don't find nothing inside the scriptures it's not that the text is wrong or the text is irrelevant it's that our attitude is wrong and our attitude needs to be changed why because God speaks plainly to the one who listens to miss Elise say it with me God speaks plainly to the one who listens to miss right in here everybody say it again God don't listen to anything else I say get this this is the only one thing that I want you to take away from what I'm saying today that God speaks plainly to the one who listens submissively the Bible is not an ordinary book let me get a let's get a little theoretical here when we read an ordinary book what do we usually do there's a relationship between the book and my mind and usually the relationship is my mind is above and the book is down so I go to this book for information and then I process the information in my mind and I say does the information in his book match what is in my mind my knowledge my experience does it match and if yes okay then I incorporated in but if no then I throw it away for example I read uh not something says magazine says exercise is good exercise is good magazine says exercise is good that fits with my knowledge okay what I know that fits with my experience I feel good when I exercise I read another magazine that says it's good to punch yourself in the back of the head all right punching yourself in the head is very good I'd say that doesn't match my experience nor my knowledge of what feels good in life so I would reject that we can't do that to the Bible oh we go to the Bible with our mind here and the Bible here as if it's some information that we have to incorporate in if we agree or don't agree or if we agree or if we like it that's not the bible bible is the opposite the goal of the Bible is not to put information in my head the goal of the Bible's to put my life inside it or better inside its author the Bible is the book the only book in the world where the goal of the book is not information the goal of the book is a relationship with the writer how many other books you read that you can speak to the writer and the same moment that you're reading the Bible was given to us to lead us into a divine eternal everlasting relationship you can't fit that inside your head so answer this question honestly be honest and answer this question sorry this question be honest do I judge the Bible or does the Bible judge me and be honest because if you're judge in the Bible I bet you not get much out of it bible says he who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart and my mind says bible the text said looking and doing equal adultery my mind says no looking isn't as bad as doing my mind says my mind says doing is bad but looking at who's who's judging who the Bible says forgive seventy times seven my experience says no don't forgive if you forgive they can do it to you again who's judging who Bible says be anxious for nothing but in everything let your requests be made known to God my experience said that's not possible to really not worry my experience says that praying about it really isn't going to do anything who is judging who the Bible is easy when it says love your neighbor that's great that's beautiful everyone okay I agree with it I agree with the Bible honor your father and mother yeah we don't really want to but ok we're because we'll be fathers mothers we say okay we'll let that one go to don't steal don't murder ok we agree with those those are fine but the problem is I'm still the one who's judging them I'm judging the commandments and I'm saying this commandment is okay this command is okay but what's gonna happen when you get a commandment that doesn't fit here what's gonna happen you could not love your neighbor but love your enemy what's going to happen when you get not honor your father and mother both a saint when it says bless those who persecute you and pray for those who spitefully use you who is judging who you know at this problem with judging the word of god Adam and Eve Adam and Eve were given a word from God don't eat of this proof it's not that that's good don't eat of this fruit don't eat it this fruit they said okay makes sense and then the surf one came says knock she doesn't make sense look hey you know what you're right it up make sense and they judge the Word of God the commandment of God and because of that they lost everything had they only been able to that was this verse that I put it wrong please he guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way had they only been able to humble themselves under that word of God and say I don't understand your word I don't get your word but I submit to your word had they only been able to do that we'd all be in a different position right now who is judging who in your relationship with the word of god are you judge the Bible you go to the Bible to submit yourself or you go to the Bible to submit it to your way of thinking I promise you you change this one thing look all the other things like the translation that we read and the time of day that we read and every journal or don't journal or all that stuff that stuff is great those all those techniques those make up five percent of your benefit from the scriptures five percent ninety-five percent of your ability to do hear God's voice in the scripture ninety-five percent is your attitude is not your technique our problem though is that we focus ninety-five percent of our time on the technique all I need to sit in this chair and face this way no maybe if I face this way maybe if I did it in the morning maybe didn't even maybe if I read it on the Bible on my head or maybe we have all these different techniques that we do and this translation I write all those techniques that's great ninety-five percent of the problem is an attitude is it not in technique st. Paul says this in Ephesians chapter three verse 17 he says that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith this is his prayer that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ which does what the not the love of Christ does what it passes knowledge that you may be filled with the fullness of God you cannot put in immeasurable God immeasurable God in a very measurable and finite little pea-brain that's inside your head and if you are trying to put an infinite eternal God make him fit by the rules of your brain you are trying to put the ocean inside a little for a 6-ounce plastic cup you're trying to put the ocean inside that little plastic cup you is never going to work the only way this relationship is going to work is if you take that cup and you throw it in the ocean and you let it wherever the ocean leads it and we need to do that same thing in a relationship between us in the scripture like I said there's no bad people in this room today there's no one who doesn't believe in the Bible there's no one who doesn't want the Bible to give them life there's no one who doesn't want answers and guidance and comfort and hope there's no one who doesn't want the peace which surpasses understanding there's no one who doesn't want to be filled with the fullness of him who fills all in all know one doesn't want that our problem is not that we're bad our problem is that we approach the scriptures with the wrong attitude don't believe me put this in your head now what would my life look like if I approached the Bible and whatever it told me I did what would my life look like let's start small well my family look like my immediate family if the words of Scripture and how we relate to one another and how we treat people who hurt us and how we treat people who offended us and how we deal what if those words of Scripture if we took those and we follow those and we submit ourselves to those what our families look like well my friendships look like all those words about backbiting and gossiping and talking about one another all those you know ridiculous commandments that none of us do what if those what if we submit ourselves to those what our friendships look like what would happen if I go to God and I go to his word and I say my career my finances my future all that i submit it before you and you guide me and I'm not saying again I don't don't misunderstand me i'm not saying i'm gonna go tomorrow and it's gonna tell me to leave not like that i'm saying that i make my decisions based on your word and what you teach me in your word and the principles that you teach me and every principle you teach me I don't take it as theoretical I take it as fact why because I know that God speaks plainly to the one who listens submissively say it again God speaks plainly to the one who listens submissively say one more time God mr. Miyagi has a wealth of information and if you daniel son you come and say you teach me that you will never have a shortage of information never shortage of knowledge but the question is is do we have that submissive attitude now before I before I finish up here I say to you you submit yourselves entirely to God and to his word and whatever he says we do we don't question we don't argue okay he say we do no question for a lot of us that's a scary thought let's be honest as I'm saying that some of us are sitting here and saying that's scary like I want to give God the keys but I don't know if I'm ready to give him the keys to the car like can't you just kind of like tell me where to go and i'll drive there like can't can't we still can't we be like share like you hold one side of the wheel hold the other side of the wheel a lot of us it's a scary thought to give god full control and a really submit to whatever i read before i read it i'm submitting before i read it i'm submitting to what it says that's a very scary thought but you know why this is scary thought is because you don't know your father in heaven very well me I'm an earthly father I'm not a heavenly father I'm an earthly one and I got flaws and I got weaknesses and if my son comes to me today nine years old and says dad whatever you want for the rest of my life I will never question I will do what you say when you say it how you want me to do it whatever you say I will never disobey you again how am I gonna respond as a dad big mistake boy big mistake you're a mole on your gonna do the dishes hey get my oil change even though you're only not you're still gonna flirt how to do it youtube all that kind of stuff big mistake you just made the biggest mistake of your life go get my laundry go make my bed go clean something any dad in the universe would do that any time in the universe would say now I got you sucker any dad why do we think he would why do we think he would I'm an earthly dad I got all kinds of problems I'm selfish sometimes I'm lazy sometimes I would never do that to my kid why you think our Heavenly Father our Father who art in heaven would ever do that to you what I discovered as a dad came dads and moms too but as dads as a dad I want what's good for my son more than he wants it does that make sense like I want his good more than he wants his good like he wants his good but I really really really want his good and that's why he could say okay sweets okay no dinner but I really really want his good so I'm gonna force him to do some stuff because I really want his good and even if I make mistakes my desire for his good it cannot be matched I want his good more than he wants is good and I promise you God wants your good more than you want you good God wants to lead you more than you want to be led God wants to give you hope more than you desire that hope God wants to comfort you in your trials and tribulations and hardships more than you desire that comfort I promise you because he is our Father who art in heaven and when are we gonna get to the point well we take that step when we say God man I don't know but I trust you I'm taking a step because i know that you speak plainly to the one who listens submissively and god I'm approaching your word and I will submit whatever you say in your word I will do I promise you life is not a game of hide and seek God wants to reveal himself but a question is when we come with the submissive attitude we've been doing some memory verses for the past few weeks so we try to get it into the scripture and we try to keep the scripture with us this week's memory verse is very easy very simple you say it wouldn't say right now and then you're gonna say this every time you open the scripture every time let's say it all together psalm 119 18 say it with me open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your laws psalm 119 18 state with the reference again open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your laws psalm 119 18 this is what we're going to do we're gonna open the scripture but before we do when say Lord open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your loss I submit Lord to your law whatever it is open my eyes that I may see it when listen to a sermon on the Internet Lord opened my eyes they may see wonderful thing we're going to pray this prayer all throughout we keep God's Word inside of our hearts inside of our minds because we know just like those two disciples on the road to Emmaus that we know that God is with us and just because we haven't seen him doesn't mean that he's not there we know he's there and sometimes when he turns on the light we're gonna realize man he was a lot closer than we realized like we really dumb dumbs walking on that road of life and we were complaining we were asking God where are you in the whole time he was right there with us so we're gonna pray let's say one last time who's willing to pray what are we gonna pray we're gonna pray open I eyes that I may see wonderful things in your laws so I'm 119 18 let's stand together for a prayer please the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit one God amen Lord we thank you because we know that you never leave us alone even Lord when we feel like we're in darkness and we feel like we're confused and we don't know where to turn would we know that you are with this you promised it a thousand times and I'm with you always even to the end of the ages I pray Lord that you would open our eyes to see wonderful things in your law open our eyes to see you in in your word every time we open it open our eyes Lord to see you working in the circumstances in the events of our day-to-day life like those two disciples on the road to Emmaus Lord open our eyes that we may see you in front of us speaking to us feeding us and guiding us and giving us everything that we need I pray Lord for every person who's standing before you that you would open their eyes of their heart they may see beautiful things and wonderful things inside your law they would find life and they would find everything that they need inside your word we pray this in the name of your only begotten Son our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ and with the intercessions and the prayers of all your saints here's as we pray thankfully our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us an evil one through Christ Jesus our Lord for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever amen thank you all very much have a great week see y'all next week no music
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