When A Vessel Is Struck, What's Inside Spills Out | Pastor Shane Idleman

When a vessel is struck, what's inside spills out. So when a vessel is struck, what's inside spills out. I've been going back and forth on this, of course. I shared last Sunday, we were getting the results on Monday. Did not go like we were hoping. God shifts us just like everybody else. And I will tell you this, if you're a nurse, learn from this. Okay, don't do this. So she comes in, she goes, the doctor's going to be here right away. Your PET scan's up. You guys have a lot to talk about. And closes the door and leaves. I'm like, well, that's not good. Like what's a protocol on that? That's an enemy dropping a fiery dart there. So of course, he comes in and wants to look down the throat and everything again. Long story short, we're thankful because it could be a lot worse. But it is the lymph nodes, two or three, have the cancer, and it's a small tumor back on my left side. So, it's hard because

when you're dealing with conventional, because there's a certain way they have to do things. I won't get too deep into this, because YouTube, you know. But it starts with big and then PHARMA. Okay, you can spell that later if you want. There's a protocol. And I said, can I try some things and come back in three months? And see if it's, you know. He goes, oh. He laughed and he's like, you'd be the first person in my practice that I've ever happened to. I'm like, okay, well, thanks for that encouragement. And God does things differently, doesn't He? He leads people differently. I just talked to Susan. We put up her PET scan two years ago. It was lit up like a Christmas tree. All throughout her body. We prayed over her with oil, anointing oil. She did it a month later and it's nothing on the PET scan. Zero. We have the proof. She has the proof. And I'm like, God, you know, remember that a couple years ago? But He uses things too.

When a vessel's struck, what's inside spills out. And it's bringing things out that would clean you up and closer to the Lord. So of course, I want to share this so I can move on and kind of just, it's helping a lot of people. I didn't realize how many people it was helping sharing as they're watching us go through it. One option is five days a week, every day, drive down to Valencia and wear a radiation mask. Get the radiation. That's one option. And then we saw, actually, the USC surgeon on Tuesday. And he recommends, it's an incision from my ear down to my throat to remove all the lymph nodes. And I'll need PT because I won't be able to lift my shoulder because of the connecting tissue there. And then while I'm still under, he'll go in with the robot and remove a good chunk. Lots of complications with your voice.

You'll lose probably 10 pounds at least. Just setting us up for just the truth. And Morgan's like, bless her heart, so he'll be cancer-free. He's like, oh no, there's no guarantee of that. Of course, you have to say that. You're right, I understand. And so we're looking at all these different options that's out there. And trusting the Lord. You can just wait and pray. That's good too. I mentioned that there are other routes to go. I don't know if we have the image. You can put that up. A calculated assault against that. I won't say it. So it took me many, many, many hours of putting that together. I better say it. A calculated assault against cancer. You can find it because people listen on radio. It's at shaneidelman.com. It'll all be 25 pages from PubMed, Stanford. I went deep into all the different types of things out there for people. And helping a lot of people throughout the United States. And it's available right now

at shaneidelman.com. It goes into a lot more of things I can't say this morning. And so if you want more information, it'll be there. I have decided to leave the country tomorrow morning. So we've got the coverage set up for the church. I'm excited about it. I've done my due diligence. If you want to know in person, I'll tell you about confirmation. It's unbelievable. But you guys know the heavy environment. They're just worst case scenario. So where I'm going, I talk to the oncologist for 30 minutes. And they shoot you straight. Words matter, guys. So, he said, can we pray to Jesus that God will honor this, what we're going to do? By the way, while you're getting treatment, there's worship, we do devotionals, I'm like, wow! Unbelievable! Unbelievable! And I'm like, Lord, even this morning, can You just let me feel burning and healing?

He goes, I'm ready. Just come on, last minute, God. And I don't know why He's doing things. I don't know. But you trust in Him. I've never been closer to the Lord, so we're just doing everything we know and we're not ruling out other things either. But that's the plan for now. I'll be back hopefully Wednesday the 13th to preach and to keep preaching. And let's say, okay, Lord, what do You want to do? Because that surge is pretty invasive. There's some complications with voice box and speaking and swallowing. So, it was a hard week. Maybe I should tell them the confirmation. No? Later? In person? Because my mind... yeah, in person later? Alright. But it was a good confirmation. I'm just saying in a nutshell, a portion of it is, I'm leaving USC, driving on the good old five, and you just feel numb, and you're just like, holy smokes! Wow, Lord, what's going on here? We're not ruling out anything. And we get to the place in Valencia

we're going to eat. And Morgan's like, why don't you reach out to your pastor friend? Ask what kind of cancer he had and what kind of surgery. I'm like, that's a good question. I haven't talked to him in a little while. And so, he's actually doing a different approach, which is weird. He's actually well-known, and so I can't say his name. Bold pastor. And I'm like, why aren't you sharing this? He goes, God specifically told me not to mention it to anybody, because I don't want to receive the empathy. And I'm like, well, I'm the opposite. For me, it's humiliating to tell people. So God's working on my pride to say we need help. We're going through something. It's very humbling. Where his was the other thing. So it's like, wow, it's interesting how God works. So I texted him. I didn't even know this. Same exact cancer. Down to the same proteins. Down to the same swollen lymph nodes on the left.

Down to the same tumor in the mouth. And he goes, I didn't do anything. Get down here where I'm at ASAP. And so we're already praying. It's like, okay, that's interesting. And then of course, my mind, well, if it doesn't work, then people are going to mock me. So I go through the whole thing too. But I'm just trusting God. He's the best place you can be. So, that's what's going on. I'm actually doing really good. Some tears with leaving my kids and wife and church. It's good because I can tell you, the Lord's never been closer. There's so much joy. Usually, most days, I don't even know. I'm just doing it. I'm feeling great. And then somebody I'll run into, I'm so sorry. I'm like, oh, here it comes again. Right? And so it's this very, you know you're triggered. And you're very sensitive. And what inside comes out. I haven't been that nice of a person to some people,

just because they caught me at the wrong time. In the wrong way. So I might come back speaking a different language. No? I know Shakespeare, too. Did you know that, guys? Out, out, brief candle. Life is but a walking shadow. Poor player that struts his hour upon the stage and is heard no more. It is the east and Julian is the west. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon. So, there's a lot in here. That you don't know about. So that is what we are going through. And praise God is right. So, I'll be back. I just want to keep preaching and live my life. And it's hard to bring these things up. And I don't know what God's doing. But I do know when a vessel's struck, what's inside spills out. What spills out when you're struck? Bad news, finances. Things aren't going your way. We all have a certain plan, don't we? I'll tell you what, tomorrow was not my plan. It was not. I was pretty confident.

But God never spoke. He never told me. He just said, trust Me and seek Me. And then you really live out Scripture. You do. Oh, you slay me, yet do I trust Him. And you've got to go through those fires to really be purified and build that relationship with the Lord. So, we're in Acts 13. Acts 13 v. 26 Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God. This is where we left off last week. But I'd love to remind you about this. Many fear God, but they don't know Him. Many fear God, do they not? But they don't know Him. Most religions fear God. Oh, yeah, of course. But they don't truly know Him because they haven't repented of their sin and had the Holy Spirit fill them. Psalms 89.7 God is greatly to be feared. This really stood out this week because of what it says here. God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of His saints. This is why we don't play games here.

And we're careful with what type of music and announcements. And big church growth models are actually that I'm supposed to direct this service, the music, this, based on unbelievers coming in. Now, I get it. I understand. You don't want to just totally... But really, the point of us coming together is you can come and watch if you're an unbeliever. But I'm not going to tailor it to what you might be wanting because the darkness is in the heart. We need to let the light of the Gospel shine through in this place. And God will be feared in the assembly of His saints. And He will be held in reverence by all those around Him. So the things we do, the things we support, the things we promote, we want to make sure there's a holy standard there. We don't always hit it. But God is to be feared in the assembly of His people. And as I said last week, to you, the Word of the salvation, Paul is talking to the Jews.

It's went to you. For those who dwell in Jerusalem and their rulers because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the prophets which are read every single Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. So basically, whatever you're reading on the Sabbath, you actually fulfilled it in condemning Jesus Christ. If you have problems with God's Word, the problem may not be intellectual, but spiritual. Many times we come across people who have a problem with God's Word. And if you dig a little deeper, you realize, oh, they don't want the facts. They don't want the God of the Bible. And that's what was happening here. God's Word was sent to you, and intellectually you had it. You draw nigh unto Me with your lips, but your hearts are far from Me. And so, be careful. Anybody listening who's approaching this intellectually only. I praise God the Bible makes sense to me intellectually. I mean, if you're intellectually honest, look at how the body was made. You want to be blown away. Study your immune system.

Your T-cells. Your bone marrow. Your lymphatic system. Just study what it does. It's amazing. So it's not like, oh, I'm a Christian. I checked my brains at the door. I believe in Santa Claus. Oh, wait, is it the clue? But that's not Christian. It's very intellectual. It makes sense too. Of course, there's a Creator. Hello! But you can't just have it intellectually. You also have to make the spiritual condition. And then final recap, though they found no cause for death in Jesus, they asked Pontius Pilate that let's put Him to death. And so when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Jesus, they took Him down from the tree and they laid Him in a tomb, but God raised Him from the dead. And that's why we are here. We know that fact with absolute certainty that God has raised Him from the dead. By the way, I'm so glad. Thank you, Lord. I wanted to say this all morning. I was going to put notes. If you need prayer for healing, we have oil, just like the Bible says.

I mean, the Bible says it. So let us pray for you if you're sick between services. Or you need some type. Let us lay hands on you. The team is qualified to pray for that and believe in God. Okay, sound good? Acts 13, picking up here, v. 31, Jesus was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem who are witnesses to the people. This is what I love about the resurrection. It wasn't just one and done. Boom! Well, where did He go? I don't know. Nobody knows. Do you know how many days He stayed around? Forty days. Forty days. And He appeared to His disciples. He appeared to people. And that's why these people could later give their life. Because they saw the risen Savior. They saw Him. And they said, we declare to you this great news that promises which have made to the fathers

have been fulfilled. God has fulfilled these promises and He raised up Jesus. And if you're like me, you're like, yeah, boy, if we were there, of course I would believe. And you just saw Him crucified. Now you're walking with Him. He's making fish by the beach. Sorry, plant-based only crowd. Boy, that's confusing too, isn't it? That whole debate? Must be keto. Must be plants. Oh my goodness, Lord, give us direction here. But this verse is very encouraging. John 20.29, Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Guys, this is for us. Ready? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Your faith is actually stronger to some degree than those who actually saw Him and believed. Because that's real faith. I didn't see, but Lord, I take You at Your Word. I believe You. I've got the witness of the Spirit. And I'm just believing in faith. You remember I've told you before

that just an hour up in those mountains by Arrowhead is where Billy Graham had that crisis of faith. A guy by the name of Jack Templeton was a more gifted preacher than Billy Graham. And he began to what we would consider today left and liberal. He began to go that direction. And the wrong intellect. He began to question God's Word. And he began to challenge Billy on things. And so he laid his Bible, Billy Graham, on a tree stump and said, Lord, from this moment forward, I believe this is Your Word. This is the inspired Word of God. Closed it. Never turned back. That's faith. Some of you might need that faith. Because it's crystal clear, there's a Creator. There's no doubt in most people's mind that the earth just isn't sitting here with the moon. Come on. Guys. Hello. I can't even build a chair with wood. How did all this happen? There's a Creator. And so God raised Him from the dead.

No more to return to corruption. He has spoken thus, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Therefore, He also says in another psalm, you will not allow your Holy One to see corruption. Now, I'm thinking the Pharisees know this psalm. Jesus was raised from the dead, which means His body didn't break down. That's what corruption is. David's body was into corruption. To the earth you shall return. Dust to dust. Earth to earth. You will return to that. But Jesus, nope. He didn't see corruption. And so you think there's a Pharisee, you wonder like going, hmm. Wow, that Zechariah, Isaiah, this. The soldiers actually said the angel appeared and rolled back the stone. The soldiers didn't say, oh, somebody stole the body. I don't think. It looks like they're scared to death. They go back and look what happened. And they still hid the truth. We say, wow, that's amazing. That's what pride does. That's what pride does. Self-assertive.

Can't be wrong. Anybody in here can't be wrong? You don't like to be challenged? David, after he served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep and was buried, and he saw corruption. But he whom God raised up, Jesus, saw no corruption. Therefore, let it be known to you, brethren..." Remember, Paul is speaking in the synagogue to the Jews, breaking down God's Word. I wish I could have saw this sometimes. Like he's speaking to you, "...therefore, you guys..." And he didn't have notes. "...that through this Man, Jesus Christ, is preached to you for the forgiveness of sin, and by Him..." Everyone who believes is justified from all things. In other words, he's going to wreck the world right now from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what has spoken in the prophets come upon you. He just told them, you're following the law and that's not going to save you. What's that going over?

When they're struck, what's inside is going to spill out. And this is so important for us today too. If you break down, there's different religions out there. I don't have to say the different names. But I don't know one that is not works-based. Works-based. If you get down to it and you talk to the different groups that knock on your door, it will eventually come out, yeah, you have to do these things. That's why you see so many of them. They have to do it. That's the difference. We don't have to. We should want to. And many people don't want to. But they think these works. Again, look it up if you want. There are religions that say it's salvation outside of their group. Because you have to follow their teachings. You have to follow what they believe. And that is deadly and damning. If you're basing, I'm going to be right with God someday, that's pride. It's sickening. You're going to be right with God

because of some of the things you did. Let's think this through. But then it's pride because it's self-assertive. Self-salvation. Self. I can do this. But then, to make things worse, he said the prophets actually spoke about you. You guys ready for this? What about if I said this? Behold, you despisers. That's to strongly dislike, to hate, to look down with disrespect. Behold, you guys that look down upon God wrongly and upon Christ. You are despisers. You're going to marvel and you're going to perish. For I work a work in your days, a work which you will by no means believe, though one were to declare it to you. Paul's fulfilling this. He's declaring it to them, and they're not believing it. And there's many today, maybe not here this morning, but listening later, or might come across this, they strongly dislike, they hate the truth. They look down upon with disrespect. You know those people.

They look down upon you because you're a Christian. Anybody have those in your family and friends? I'm the only one that gets slammed. Nobody else here? Okay. No? I hate what you stand for. I look down. You poor Christians. Oh my goodness. You have to believe something. You believe that everything came from nothing? Tell them that. Well, no, I'm agnostic. I mean, there's got to be a higher power somewhere, and you're going to dictate who that higher power is? According to your rules and what you think? How silly is that? And I talk to people. Well, I think God is... And they tell me, I'm like, are you sure? Like, that's a big deal! That's a big deal that you think God is like this. What about if He's not? What about if He's revealed to us who He is? Through the nature of His Son. Through His written Word. Through the conviction of the Spirit. Acts 13. So when the Jews went out of the synagogue,

out the door, probably a little hot-headed, the Gentiles, here's the difference, the Jews leave upset. The Gentiles beg them that these words might be preached to them. What's that? Did I say it wrong? Oh, okay. So when the Jews went out, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Look at the difference. The Jews go out upset. This other group is hungry for more of God. Oh, let me tell you, I could camp out here for a minute of what I've seen. I've seen over the years. Whoa! It's amazing! Storm out. I'm not coming back. And then other people are broken, crying. They come back to the Lord. Lord, what happened? It's the same Word. Different hearts. Pride versus humility. How dare You challenge us versus, God, we need You. Tell us more. Tell us more.

Do we not see this in our day? Now when the congregation had broken up, it's just like us, guys. It's just like us. Fortunately, the vast majority of you leave encouraged. We want to hear more on Wednesday and Sunday. But that doesn't always happen, does it? Hopefully, Alfred, this is a good plug for you to remind them on that Wednesday that you did not like my preaching for a while. You would come in like... God was wrestling with him. And now it's an incredible couple. What God has done. Incredible! I'm excited that you guys can hear that. So when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devoted proselytes, meaning those who had been converted, they followed Paul and they followed Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. So guys, this is where we need mentors in. If you want to mentor, maybe you're retired, let the office know. Because we need people to come alongside and just persuade people to keep walking in the right direction. Persuade them in their faith.

They weren't negative. Oh, look what's happening in the world today. Look what's happening in America. Oh, we're going to Hell in a Ham Basket. No, they persuaded them. But I don't want to give this up too soon. The Gentiles were hungry for the Word. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Listen, are you coming on Sunday just to get here? I guess I'll come on Sunday. But is there a hunger? Is there a desire? I've got to get to church. I've got to hear worship. I've got to hear Your Word. There's a hunger and there's a desire. And as you're doing that, the Bible says, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Filled with what? Food? Filled with what? The Spirit of God. Filled with blessings. Filled with peace. Guys, I'll tell you what, I'll take peace any day of the week

than any other comfort. Knowing God. Having that peace. And when you read this, blessed are those, don't believe the lies of the prosperity Gospel that says you're going to be a millionaire. God wants you healthy, wealthy, carefree. You're going to prosper just as your soul does prosper. You're doing okay financially? Anybody? Well, you're not exercising faith. Come on, guys. How ridiculous. Can I just be honest? The people I know that come here, I know them pretty well, they're the most blessed. Paycheck to paycheck sometimes. It's amazing. Now those who are doing really well financially, God uses them, of course, to bless others. Thank God for that. There's a whole mix there. There's a whole mix there. But blessed means God's got you. His grace is upon you. He's leading you. He's guiding you. He may heal. If not, He may sustain while you're waiting. There's something there, freedom. I'm walking in the blessings of God.

Lord, You know my heart. Also, it makes no sense, most of us don't have jobs where we're going to be millionaires. So where is this money coming from? Have you ever thought about that? Of course, you have three jets and you're a millionaire because you sucker people all over TV who send you money. That's not the same as most of us. I don't live in that world. Neither do you. They were persuaded. It's a continued trusting in Jesus alone for salvation instead of the works of so many. of effort that they were accustomed to. Rely on God's empowering presence versus your performance. You cannot rely on your performance. And we know those people, they're performers. Like, I've done this, I've done this, man, pastor, I've been reading the Bible. Okay, that's good, but don't base your walk with the Lord based on your performance. It's got to be based on intimacy. On God's empowering presence. On seeking Him. And so the next Sabbath, almost the whole city came together.

I bet they did. Can you imagine the talk of the town? But when the Jews saw the multitude, uh-oh, oh my goodness. Think about what's happening now. The Jews would love... Gentiles could get converted by the way. As a process, I don't have time to go into. Look at all these people coming to church. Wouldn't you be excited? You'd think. When we came up here ten years ago, not everybody was excited that we were bringing so many people. That was hard to swallow. We don't want these city people up here. We like our small little group. And I don't blame them. I like a small group. So I get it, but the heart's wrong. The heart's wrong. Because it shouldn't be filled with envy. It should be filled with excitement. Look at what the Lord is doing. Look at what the Lord is doing. I'll never forget. Dave and Donnie, you remember, but Jim Davis and Wendy Totten were guys who helped bring us up here. Old elders.

They'd be in their 80s by now. And I think both of them at least... There's tears in their eyes. Like, wow. We haven't opened the balcony in years. We have no children's ministry. And to see it full of kids. It was like, man, I'll never forget that day. Like God just honored their prayers through the church. But then not everybody's happy. What it does is when a vessel's struck, what's inside spills out. Are you excited for the success of others? I hope so. Because not everybody is. Why isn't God doing that in my life? It's okay to want what others have and pray for as long as the heart's right. I want what happened with Susan. I'm like, Lord, hey, remember me down here. But He's trying to do a different thing in my heart. In my what? Not yet, son. By the way, ministry opportunity. Where I'm going, 85% of all the people there are stage 4. And they're on their This Is It. And I'm thinking, Lord, I'm ready to go. Let's get some into the kingdom.

And so you look, had that not happened... You don't know God's a chess player. You submit to His will. Don't fight it. Pray like you want to pray. Hope for like you want to hope. But ultimately, like, Lord, You're the chess player. And there's peace in that. And that's why He doesn't do things the same way for everybody. Because we usually want the comfort. I'm ready to get... Lord, pull me out of the pit. I want life back to where it was. And it's different for all of us in every situation of life. How did that happen? You just got to trust God's sovereignty. That truly is your sanity. I mean, I don't know how people get through life without God. Do you? And so they all came together. The whole town. And the Jews saw it. They were filled with envy. Envy's deadly. Envy just eats you up. Is that what they call the green monster? Remember that? Is it envy or jealousy? It's just... And it will happen to Christians too, guys.

You've got to take your thoughts captive. Repent. And just be thankful. Did you know what happened to you too? Did you spend 30 minutes on Instagram? Lord, why aren't I in Cancun? Sipping a Virgin. Rita on the beach. Wiring up an eye on the Kern River fishing for the next week. They're having so much fun at Malibu. Lord... Let me tell you, most of that's fake. They'll show you the highlight, but not the darkness and depression. Now, I'm all for posting positive things. Right? Don't get me wrong. But don't judge others. Oh, they're always on date nights. Cheesecake Factory. Or some other good place. I don't know. Venice. No, it's not good right now. Homeless population. But they're always just like, why can't we? And we begin to envy. And get jealous, don't we? It can happen. All of us. All of us.

And you just take those thoughts captive. You're like, Lord, you know, where do You want us? Where do You want us at? And they blasphemed. They blasphemed. And they opposed things spoken by Paul because envy doesn't just stay in the heart, it comes out in our words and our actions. We've got to pull others down so I look better. And that's what they do. How do you act when others are promoted? Healed? Or married? I've talked to people, I pray with people that they're getting older and they're getting jealous that other people are getting married and starting their families, and they're not. I mean, these are real things. What about blessings? You see, God blessing people. Because that will just grow in your heart. Because it's envy and bitter. They're either growing or they're withering. Are you feeding it or are you starving it? Because let me tell you,

once you start to get thankful, gratitude, there's tons of peace. There's tons of peace. I mean, I go through things too. Just like everybody. And I know it's hard to take those thoughts captive. We've been praying for maybe, God wants a larger location, more central. We've been praying that for ten years. I've got friends, Jeremy in the Highlands, they're expanding the Highlands. Caleb at Faith Community, they're expanding the church. Peter in New Life, getting a church building. A friend of mine in South Valley, going to buy a building. The church is growing. It's like, awesome! Because we need more churches in this valley. So Lord, are we here? That's fine. I'm good with that. That's fine. I've learned a long time ago, not to rate my success by numbers. Because a lot of the numbers don't reflect necessarily true preaching coming from the pulpit. For sure. I've seen enough over the years.

And you just trust God. Lord, what do You want to do? What do You want to do? And be thankful for others. We send people to those churches all the time. We pray for those churches. We get together every few months. We're on the same team. We have to remember that. We're all on the same team. All on the same team. So again, when a vessel is struck, what's inside spills out. I just read yesterday, I didn't have time to put up here in James. I said I have to share this. I didn't write the reference. I just put James real quick. You guys have Google now. You can find this easier than me. He's writing to believers. If you have bitter envy, it is demonic. I think he goes on to say jealousy, bitter envy, these things, it's adverse. But if there's bitterness and envy growing in your heart, and you're fueling it, it's demonic.

Let me explain that for you. Everything's demonic. Here's what we mean by that is there's not a demon under every rock. Not everybody has a demon, needs a liverence, and all these things. I believe it's true that some people can open up a door. I've never taught Christians can be possessed, but they can be oppressed depending on what doors they open. So we know that. So demonic is, when we say something's demonic, it means that the fiery darts that the enemy is shooting at you, instead of putting up the shield, you welcome them. So you are demonically influenced because you allowed that demon thought to keep growing, and you outdid yourself. and act out on it. And so you can say, hey, that's demonic. That's demonic. And you can call it out, I believe. And now of course, our own flesh gets in there. And sometimes we say things we shouldn't. And we don't want to overanalyze. Everything's demonic.

But there is a choice to make. Do we choose God's path? Or do we choose the demonic path? And I know I've seen things recently where it's clearly the devil's trying to depress, discourage me, our family. You guys know. That's what demonic is. So you know, you know that somebody has caved in to allowing the demonic influence into their heart and they are being, you can be led by that too. This is why people lash out. They don't repent. They act a certain way. That's why homes, sometimes homes are very, even Christian homes are very intense. Anybody? Volcano, waiting to erupt, walking on eggshells. It's because demonic influences penetrate the hearts often of the parents. And instead of repenting and praying, they bow up, pride up, and then things come out. It's demonically influenced. So be careful in this area. Because that's what fiery darts are. You're allowing things to come into your heart and cause fear. So Paul and Barnabas, I love this part. So Paul and Barnabas got scared and they left the city. Okay, in case you're listening on the radio later,

let me read this better. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold. Grew bold. Guys, let me tell you, this is exactly what happens when you're full of the Holy Spirit. You grow bold. And you know, you can confront stuff, you know, with the right heart. You say, no, that's not right. Versus, oh, okay. Passive Christianity. Just take it. I'm a doormat. Jesus said, turn your cheek. Didn't He? Jesus said, turn your cheek. Guess what? What did Jesus do when He was slapped? He didn't turn the other cheek. He said, what evil have I done? Why have you hit me? Whoa, bold. Bold. Bold in the face of adversity. Bold when confronted by demonic influences. They grew bold, why? Because it's a holy righteousness. Jesus grew bold. Because you're full of the Spirit,

you can't just say, oh, okay, and cower back. You grow bold in things, don't you? You watch Disney 40 years ago to Disney now. And you grow, like, this is not right. This is not right. And I have people say, well, Shane, you can't boycott them, it's fine. Like, I don't know if you can or not, but I don't have to allow garbage into my home. I don't know about you. But you get bold about these things. How dare you? How dare you do that? We were in Arizona last year. I was walking by a church, it was a beautiful church, and here's this huge rainbow flag. And I did an Instagram thing, and it went kind of viral, and ran into people that were like, that was kind of mean of you. You have the audacity to put that on God's church? And that's mean of me? What do you think Jesus would do if He walked by? Oh, that's cute. He would have ripped that sucker down. I didn't even do that. And see, we have to be bold enough to confront this. We love you, we love, but I will not allow the house of God to be desecrated. And there's a righteous zeal that you want to flip over a money table sometimes.

You want to just, God, this is not right. You have to do something. People protest the abortion clinic, or they do this, they've got to do something. They grow bold. And they said it was necessary that the Word of God should be spoken to you. But since you rejected it, judge for yourselves, unworthy of everlasting life. Boy, he's going to get stoned here at some point. Not with marijuana. With actual stones. But check this out. You're unworthy of everlasting life, and we're turning to the Gentiles. For God has commanded us, I set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth. Boldness was the response to those filled with envy. So when people are filled with envy or people attack you, it's, hey, God really just wants me to be quiet right now. Okay, I've been there too. But sometimes you've got to lovingly confront. I mean, you look at most examples in the Bible, they lovingly confronted. Isaiah and Jeremiah wouldn't just go run back to their house. They confronted the people lovingly.

What about Elijah? Guys, read the Bible. But again, it has to be from the right spirit. It can't come from pride and let me confront. Because I see those guys too on YouTube. You can tell when some are prideful, some are loving. The prideful ones are just mean and nasty. It's like, that's not good. And really, what you do is you're quick to listen. You're not forming your comeback right now. But you're listening okay. Alright, but have you thought about this? When warranted. You're bold. You challenge. And words are so powerful that people get upset. See, the truth loses its power and effectiveness when we're silent on it. Do you see the new law that was passed in Canada? About preaching the truth? You don't think we're too far away? You get the wrong people in office. Are you going to be bold enough? Are you going to be bold enough when it's against the law? Because I'll tell you right now, the majority of the Christian church will not be bold enough. I'll lose my 401K and my job. And I get it, you don't want to do that on purpose.

But if you have to live fearing preaching God's Word and sharing God's Word, we need to pray for our nation. Boldness also arises when Christians become carnal and lukewarm and lack holiness. What I mean by that is Paul, the Barnabas, they're talking to unbelieving Jews, believe it or not. These Jews thought they were saved. Isn't that amazing? Most of the Jews, most Pharisees are not in heaven, guys. That should cause us to wake up. But we'll see throughout the Pauline Epistles and other letters, that he was also bold when it came to lukewarmness and carnality in the church. He would call the church to holiness. He would call out compromise. He would call out carnality. There's a boldness there. They'd say, church, we can't do that. Why? Because the church loses spiritual power when it compromises. And I've seen so many, you have in the videos, and I've shared this before,

churches that will play ACDC's song, I'm on the Highway to Hell in their lobby on Easter just to think it's cool. Or they'll play Justin Bieber in the lobby because people like that. Or Taylor Swift. And then I'm going to come up here, I've got a lot of unsafe people here, so I'm just going to tread lightly. What does that mean? Well, I'm not going to talk about the blood. Oh, boy. The judgment of God? No way. Repentance? Shame. People already feel bad enough. Should they be in the pulpit? What about if doctors said, everything's fine, bro, you're okay. They would lose their license. Why aren't pastors losing that position if they're weak and woke and not telling people what they need to hear? That's just the truth. And that's where that boldness comes from. You know all the pastors we have on the radio network, one of the things we're certain of is they have to have boldness

in the day and age that we live in. There might be different ways of doing it. You know, Greg Loury preaches a lot different than me. Different callings. John Randall, a guy I know as well, he does great on teaching. We're different, but we're all bold for the truth. Because I've found when you tell the truth, that's what changes lives. Let me ask you this question. How would anybody ever get saved if I never talked about the things that saved them? No, really, I'm being honest. I'd love to hear your answer in the prayer room. Come and tell me. This is how. And I'll tell you what I heard from a pastor. Buckle the seatbelt. Shane, it's not my job to convict them. It's the Holy Spirit's. Okay, let's rewind a little. Rewind a little. How is He going to convict them? If you don't talk about it? And they don't open their Bible. How is He going to just... You're telling them all these pleasantries. You're not a watchman. You're a coward.

And the Holy Spirit is going to still convict them of something they're not hearing? No, actually, you're encouraging sin by being silent. God's did the false prophets in Jeremiah 23. These prophets tell My people, peace, peace. God says judgment is coming, Jeremiah. Cry out to My people. Return to Me, O backsliding Israel. And I will return to you. God's judgment is going to fall and you need to get right with Him. You need to repent. You need to turn to Him. The righteous indignation of God is in my heart. And you're calling the people to repentance. The false prophets would say, no, no, hey, don't get excited. Hey, guys, everything's okay. Who cares if we butcher children in the womb? Who cares if the rain...? Guys, God is for you. And if He's for you, who can be against you? Just stay positive. Just stay positive. Can you do that for me? He loves you. And He does, but it also says, for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son

to be hung on a cross that whoever repents and believes, he shall be saved. So don't tell them that part. What it is, it's cowardliness inside the heart. They've quenched and grieved the Spirit to such a degree that there's no longer the fire of God. Maybe there wasn't ever there to begin with. Do you know a lot of people get into the ministry who aren't even saved? Are you aware of that? I could go down a rabbit trail here, but I'll probably not. Real preaching will cause people to either hate their sin or hate the preacher. Ask my wife. Ask my kids. This is probably the number one reason I am hated by a lot of people. That's it right there. That's it. Can I be a jerk sometimes? Of course. Prideful? Of course. Hello? Anybody else? But the main reason is I call it out. And it has consequences. They hate it. But they love it.

Isn't that true? I love when Morgan's mom used to introduce me or say things, she goes, well, you're either going to love it or you're going to hate it. Like inviting people to church. Because they will. They're like, I don't want to hear this. Darkness doesn't want to hear the light. And when God said, I called this person from A.V. Hospital in 1969. I don't remember the room number. I'm going to call Him to do this. My word is going to be like a burning fire in His heart. This is what He's called me to do. Other people won't preach like this. They're teachers. They've got a different calling. A different knack to things. Like when Sean's coming next Sunday, we've joked about this. Completely different. It's hard for him sermon prep and preaching, but the other things go with it. For me, it's the opposite. Because that's what God has designed certain people for. Your calling will come out of you. You'll gravitate toward what you enjoy.

What sparks you? What kind of worship do you listen to? That's what kind of worshiper you are. Or that's how the song registers to your heart. Correct? Many times, even my family, I do this too, they'll send me a worship song. Oh my gosh, Pastor, that's the best song I've ever heard. And I'm like, uh... Not bad, but, mm... Nope, don't think I'll be having this one on Rewind. And then I'll hear one that brings me to my knees. And I'm like, mm... It's not doing it for me. Why is that? Because God's working differently in our hearts. Real preaching. It will cause people to either hate their sin or hate the preacher. Listen, you can go back to church history. Read the early church fathers. Just keep reading about what God did with bold preaching. And then 1 Corinthians. Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit, but as people who are still worldly.

You're still worldly for since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Paul called them out. This is 1 Corinthians in the church. Paul is calling them out. And they're going to get upset at him or they're going to repent. That's the options. So we'll close out here. Ready? Acts 13.44 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad. They're glad he's chewing out the Jews. So they're glad and they glorify the Word of the Lord, basically saying there's hope for us? There's hope for us? Unbelievable. Here's the key here. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life, they believed. Did you see that in highlight there? As many as had been appointed to eternal life, they believed. The Word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region, but the Jews stirred up. They stirred up the people. Do you know there's people in churches that stir it up?

They can't just stay at home and deal with their own issues. They've got to stir it up. Did you hear? Why is that? Gossip, slander. I'm going to stir you. Feel better. They stirred that pot and they did the same thing here. They stirred it up. And they raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas. And they expelled them from the region. They kicked Paul and Barnabas out of the city. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them and came to Iconium. Basically, that was a sign of just, we're done. Not even the dust of your town is going to go with us. But this is amazing. The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. They just got kicked out of town. But they're filled with joy. If you are not filled with joy this morning, I want to challenge you, you are not filled with the Spirit. It doesn't mean you're going to go through tough times. But joy will eventually arise the fuller you become of the Spirit.

If you're full of envy and jealousy and bitterness and you've got a chip on your shoulder and attitude, you're quenching and grieving the Spirit. How can you say those things? Because I've been there. Hello? And I know the damage it causes. You've got to repent of it. Clean house. Clean the heart. But I want to talk about this and I'll close with it. As many as had been appointed to eternal life, believed. Okay, just reading this on the surface, this one verse, in my opinion, would support something called Calvinism. There's different views on this. And because it fits right here, people have questions. There are two primary views on this, on salvation, and I believe there needs to be a healthy tension. You ever have that healthy tension? You know, you need that to pull down things and tie down things. There's a healthy tension there between God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. And I remember, man, I really struggled through this issue. When I came back to the Lord,

I'm reading books on, like, whoa, this is, wow, what? You know, because you hear about things and you read about things. I would read St. Augustine, I think 4th century, with his debate with Plagianism. I'd obviously gravitate toward Augustine. And then you read Martin Luther and his debates with Rasmussen. Rasmussen, I believe. Rasmussen, he's one of the editors of the Bible. And a lot of times, another threat, Norman Geisler versus R.C. Sproul. I can just keep going for a while if you guys want. Wesleyan Whitfield. And it was this tension of God's sovereignty, which if you break it down, it's called tulip. Total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints. To sum it up, God calls certain people. He elects certain people. You're called... Sorry, Mel. No, you're called Steve. No, you want to be called?

So God calls certain people. And the others He doesn't. And that's called election. And of course, there's nuances and you can read that. But we do see in the Bible that God calls. John the Baptist didn't have a choice. When you're filled with the Holy Spirit in your mother's womb... And people still tell me, I don't think He did. Jeremiah, before you were even born. Jeremiah, I formed you in your mom's womb. Why? You're going to be a prophet to my nation around 700-something B.C. to call my people back to Me. God did that. He's sovereign. Absolutely. Absolutely sovereign. But then the other side is a lot of other Scriptures that show you did not repent. It's not that you could not, you did not repent. You were not willing. God is not willing and He should perish. Repent and believe, you will be saved. So you see all these verses that show,

man, there's a responsibility that man has on his side. And Charles Spurgeon said man's responsibility and God's sovereignty are like two parallel lines. We don't know where they cross until eternity. So I got to a safe spot of saying I don't follow an ism. Armenian ism. Calvinism. All these other isms. Lord, You're sovereign. Thank God for that. Thank God You're sovereign. But Lord, man, You call me to preach repentance. Let's see the next screen. Okay, one more. Then we'll come back to that. Repent. Repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped away. And Peter said to them, Repent, be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins. So there's always a call to the person to repent. But then the other side, also this gets tricky

because the Calvinism side, there's an order of salvation that's different from this side. The order of salvation is you actually first get the Holy Spirit. First. And then, because you have the Spirit, now you can repent and exercise faith. Where this order of salvation is you repent and believe, then you get the Spirit. You can't repent and believe without the work of the Spirit. Personally, I believe the Holy Spirit is convicting, drawing, that a person can repent. Again, just personally reading Scripture, that's my personal conviction. It's that God gave man the ability to accept or reject Him. To me, that's the only way Scripture makes sense with an all-knowing, loving God who calls everybody to repentance. I'm not whittling any shepherd. She's not going to create billions of people and only choose certain people. It's left up to them. Again, my own personal conviction. I have friends that are different.

That's how I feel. But also, I understand that God is sovereign and He can put people on His team whenever He wants. Thank God for that. Thank God for that. And here's the main argument, just so you know. People say, well, Shane, what you're basically saying then is man is good, and because man is good, he can accept God. I'm actually not saying that in the same way I'm not saying Adam was evil when God created him. Adam was perfect. How did he choose evil? Because he was given the choice to accept or reject. So to me, Scriptures make complete sense. God gets all the glory, all the credit. Man is not good because he's able to accept or reject God. We need the conviction of the Spirit. And there's Scriptures. In the back of my Bible, I have about a hundred Scriptures written down on this topic. I go, what about this one? What about this one?

You just have to realize that it's healthy to believe that man, somehow, someway, will be held responsible for his actions. What do they choose to do with God? And that's really what it boils down to. Now, on this topic, I should say this too, I know it gets... But I think it's good to know what the lead pastor believes versus being vague. So that's my belief is I believe people can make a choice. They're judged based on their choice. However, I also believe once they make that choice, they can't lose that salvation. It's almost like this. I thought of this the other day. We're in sin, right? Can you guys hear me okay? Want me to play the drums? Alright. So, I'm in sin. I'm a sinner. I repent. I believe. And what happens? You're born again. The new birth takes place. And it's a new birth. Now I'm a child of God. I'm a child of God.

The new birth has taken place out of the Holy Spirit. The door's shut. I can't go back in there. I can hang out and say, I remember the old days. Oh, Lord. I remember those old days. I'm a prodigal. Lord, but I'm miserable. I'm miserable. See, it can still draw you back. But I can't undo what God has done. And it's not just theory. Here's why. The Bible says you have been given the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of your inheritance. So the question is, is it a partial guarantee? Heck no! I couldn't live like that. Well, the Holy Spirit's a guarantee. Well, kind of. What about if I get dementia? Or Alzheimer's? Or lose my mind? So I'm holding on to God or is He holding on to me? Big difference.

Now I know I'm going to get people, you want saved, always saved, you're giving permission to sin. No, I tell people if they're living in sin and they like it, they're not even saved to begin with. Let's start there. Let's start there. That's the real problem. Wait a minute, I'm not done. The Holy Spirit seals you until the day of redemption. So let me try to understand. You're sealed by the Holy Spirit. He's given to you as a guarantee of your inheritance. And you can somehow lose that? So what keeps that together? Me doing what? Believing, exercising faith. No, I already did that. Now I'm sealed. Now I'm born again. So you can't undo this incredible... That's what people don't realize. It's a supernatural act of God. Where you come out and He closes the door. You're a child of God with the Holy Spirit. How can you just undo that?

You can't. In my opinion, again, that's what I believe. If you believe differently, that's fine. Go start a church. And tell people, you can lose it. You better walk the straight and narrow. I know what they're saying though, because you see so many people. What about this person? What about this? What about Chuck Templeton with Billy Graham? Well, two things. At the end of his life, you can watch the interview, he started to tear up when the interviewer asked him, do you miss Jesus? He said, I do. So I don't know where he may be. But many people don't have a relationship. I mean, we could get more Scriptures. They walked away from us. Had they been of us, they would have not departed from us. There's lots of verses. How can you undo being a child of God? What keeps you a child of God? Faith.

No, you already exercised faith to believe. Now you're sealed. I just can't imagine telling people, listen, I know it says you have a guarantee of the Holy Spirit, and you've been sealed by the Holy Spirit, but it's a partial guarantee. Based on what? Based on these other Scriptures. Well, Hebrews 6, those who have tasted, those who have been enlightened, those who partook, if they fall away, there's no renewing them to penance. Well, why are those words used that are not used of salvation? Judas Iscariot partook. He was enlightened. He experienced. He tasted. But he never fully repented and believed. If anybody turns a sinner back from the error of his way, he saves a soul from death. How do you know it's not sin due to sin and a believer is on their way to death because of their sin? You turn that person back. There's clarity on this issue if our eyes are open to it.

Okay, so that's my rant on that. And again, I would just challenge you, just look at the Scripture. It doesn't say it's a partial guarantee. It doesn't say you're temporarily sealed. Here's the thing with you being sealed with the Holy Spirit, you're holding that seal together. Can you imagine if the Bible said you're sealed with the Holy Spirit, you've got to keep that seal together. Get that duct tape out. Get that welder out. So, I'll leave with the verses. Do you need to repent and turn back to God? Repent and be baptized. Everyone, if you want to be baptized, I will change. Maybe you're coming to the Lord for the first time. Maybe it's been a while. I've got people asking me, like, man, I don't know if it was real to me. If God's convicting you and you need to publicly declare your faith, then let us know. I'll be in the prayer room. But I'm going to talk briefly here for two minutes. Watch the timer. I don't want to discount this part.

And the disciples were filled with joy and filled with the Holy Spirit. The majority of believers, especially in the American church, are not filled with the Spirit. Guys, what's it going to take you to get down off your high horse? Submit and surrender everything to God. I can't give up this addiction. I can't give up my job. I can't give up these finances. I can't give up this relationship. I love my habits. I love my sin. You've got to fully surrender. You've got to fully surrender your life. That's how you're full of the Spirit. Many are quenching and grieving the Spirit to such a degree they have no spiritual power. Can we be honest? When was the last time you led someone to the Lord? Or at least were bold enough to tell them about God? When was the last time? And again, I've been there. We come to church like, I at least get in once a month. There's no hunger for worship. There's no hunger for secular music. As soon as this is over, you're going to get back on TikTok,

Instagram, and YouTube and be watching things that are ungodly. I'm just being honest. That's the world we live in. And God's call is to the church to be filled with the Spirit of God. To humble themselves. Pastor, you don't know, I've been dealing with this for 20 years. God knows. God knows. I'm not saying, don't let Him come unto the hem of His garment. Don't let go. Sometimes He doesn't immediately give you joy and fullness. Sometimes there's a seeking. Sometimes there's a pressing. Sometimes there's a pursuing. How bad do you want it? Are you still going to follow Me when you get the report you didn't want to hear? Are you still going to follow Me when that relationship doesn't work out? Are you still going to follow Me when those finances don't come? Are you still going to follow Me regardless because you've got to get like Job and say though He slayed me, yet will I trust Him?

In the mighty hand of God. Guys, the only reason I'm so bold about this issue is I've seen the difference. I've seen the difference. I was a Christian in my 20's. You wouldn't really know unless you asked me or I filled out a survey. And many people, I've seen it. I've seen it. Many times. Pray for my anger. Pray for my alcohol addiction. Pray for my porn addict. And they're just miserable. And then they fully repent. And then, who is this person? Who is this person? They look different. Because a Christian carrying around that weight and that sin, it does something to you. Your face looks different. Your contentment. There's no joy. There's no peace. You're bound. You're eating with the pigs, prodigal son. And when you're set free, it's beautiful. Pastor, I've been listening to worship all week.

The Bible came alive. I've seen the difference, church. I've seen those who are blind, but now they see. I've seen the lost, but now they're found. I've seen it. First of all, many of you, stop fighting God and fully surrender to the work of the Spirit in your heart. You might not like what I'm saying, but I guarantee the hound of heaven, the Spirit will stay on you all week.