History goes on the air. Get the message give into God's Kingdom give to your favorite radio ministry on the 9670 k. L.c. . Infusing your afternoon delight if God were going to take a m 67 feel t t f k o t t h d Commerce City Denver and now f.l. 95100000 the one at 670 calle t.t. Dot. Hello this is Adrian Hendrix and Jerry Hendrix of say one more now incorporated where our focus is to lovingly confront all activities that does honor human life made in the image of God There is no greater dishonor to God and to human life than to reject his salvation that is only available through the shed blood of Jesus Christ thank you for joining us today we are honored to share with permission excerpts from the testimony of Howard Storm we want to thank Paul Bass Darlene Greenlee Bob and Jane the Andrea all of the Christian television network and of course Howard Storm for making this presentation possible the full interview between Howard and the d. Andrea's from their flagship program the good life was originally broadcast on December 6th 2014 however you can see it by entering c.t. And Howard Storm in your search engine Additionally you can learn more about Howard on his website at Howard Storm dot com And now the testimony of Howard Storm one night change 85 I was a 38 year old college professor and when I was a young teenager I had become very disillusioned with the church and because of the influences around me and my own rebellious nature I eventually became an atheist when I went to college at the edge of 17 I had a philosophy professor who was an atheist and. He had me eating right out of his hand and I just bought that whole philosophy hook line and sinker I was predisposed I mean so that and when I was taking a group of art students around Europe in 1905 at the age of 38 I had a perforation of the small stomach and that just came upon me like that it was so sudden I my 1st reaction was I thought I'd been shot as just the most acute pain in the middle of my abdomen and brought me down to the ground kicking and screaming and make a long story short taken to an emergency hospital and they knew exactly what was wrong told me that I had to have surgery like immediately there wasn't even time to do anything I just had to go right to surgery so they took me from not hospital to another hospital nearby have surgery but it was a Saturday and there was no surgeon available to do surgery and that was I never saw our doctor for the next 10 hours so no one gave any orders for any pain meds or anything over it took my blood pressure temperature rose was parked in a room and they were the nurses and orderlies and stuff there were there were waiting a surgeon to come in to tell somebody to do something but since there was no doctor nothing ever happened the doctors in the us told him my life expectancy was 5 hours a lot like having a burst appendix if you get to it soon enough it can be cleaned the mess can be cleaned up but if you look go to law you can be fatal because you're going to get too much infection going through your body so it was after a number hours I knew I was dying I mean it was very clear to me and I was very very weak on the pain had magnified greatly since the original plan that took me to the ground and screaming and I don't want to die because I didn't believe in God and believe in anything I was 38 years old and I thought I was trying to achieve stuff in my life and thought I was going somewhere and doing something I thought I was somebody. I want to do was die so I was fighting. It as hard as possible the United States said on the Hon made it for the 10 hours that I did anyhow $830.00 that night nurse came in and said they were unable to get located dark in there to try and get one the next day which would be Sunday and when she said that I knew it was time for me to look go and let the inevitable happen which was I would go into that great emptiness of nothing I mean I would just cease to be light in full even life after death I didn't believe in anything just your hair and then you're gone and there is no more and so it's said goodbye to my wife and told her to tell my kids I love them when I say goodbye to my parents my sisters stuff and I close my eyes and went unconscious and I don't know how long I was unconscious probably not very long when I was very awake standing next to the bed that I had been feeling great no pain I knew I know exactly where I was and what the situation was but I was pain free so I was really happy and I touched myself to make sure that I was real and I could feel myself and as I started to check up my environment I noticed that the bed that I had been in was occupied and the person that was in the bed was looking away so I bent over the body of that person and to my surprise and horror at that person look just like me but I couldn't accept because if that was me then how could I be here I also knew that the person in the bed was dead I knew I knew that that person in the bed was just a cadaver and I couldn't accept the fact that that was dead and here I am feeling great so it was very confusing and I try to communicate with my wife she of course didn't respond because she didn't shoot and wasn't aware of the person standing in the room yelling and screaming at her and I try to communicate with the mate that I had the room very nice French and I heard people outside the room calling me. By name and they were speaking perfect English which I thought was very strange because they were in the French hospital spoke French or English with a very strong French accent and so that Howard come with us hurry up let's go so I went over the door with a Roman I said I'm sick I need to have surgery I'm waiting for dark and they said we know we've been waiting for you we know all about you come with us now you know I really believe that like attracts like and to make it real simple I I don't just believe I know that if you love God with your heart mind soul and strength and love a neighbor as yourself that that is irresistible to God just absolutely irresistible and nothing can separate you from the love of God and the whole universe is nothing that can keep you 2 apart because you're just drawn to each other God is as you are drawn to God God is drawn to you and that's going to go on in this world and in the next Conversely if you don't have that love although it's breaking God's heart because God does not want anyone to go to hell God would like everyone to be saved and come to heaven because God is the best father in the whole world and doesn't want to lose anyone but also God's not going to make anybody come home that doesn't want to come home there are these people beings whatever you want to force is whatever you want to call them that they know you to because you've been hanging you've been hanging with them with their spirits all your life there are there around in this world there are real and there waiting too and they're ready to take you to their world now because there is no truth in them you know when I agreed to go with them I thought we were going to a doctor and going to surgery and they stayed back in the distance far enough and it was murky where they were and I could if I could have seen their faces I would have been scared because not that they were monstrous the lifeless you know the this is no there is no life in this no there's nothing but cruelty in them and I probably would have been able to see that if I could see. Really but they they made sure to keep that distance but they led me to believe that I was going to get what I needed so they took me on this long journey and to their space which got darker and darker and darker it was a very long walk and I became aware that I couldn't see anyone or anything anymore because it was so dark and I was also very aware that they were not nice people I mean they were starting to be nasty and ugly towards me and I said I'm not going to go any further with you and they said oh yes you are you're coming further and so they started to push and pull and I so I fought back with them and because I had wrestled in high school and played football and stuff like that I mean I know how to fight but there were there were now a lot of them I don't know how many because I mean the object targets but by their voices and by their touch I mean dozens hundreds I don't know lots of them want to me and they're pushing and pulling and me hitting and trying to resist them was a few tile and then they're starting to bite and tear and doing unmentionables things invasive things to degrade me to tear me down motional me psychologically and physically and people have asked me Did it hurt and was like yeah. Like it would hurt here it hurt I mean this is hard for people and so this is all more real than what we call reality my sight touch hearing everything was greater more acute them and they played with me because I don't believe that they get any gratification for themselves but they want to tear down everything around them you know like when you're a naughty little boy and you see some pains to go out in the woods I mean just irresistible to want to rock up and break them or something like that you know who will while born with a predilection towards sinfulness. For what I find to be a little bit destructive and things like that you know skilled the kid builds a beautiful sand castle on the beach and someone comes along and kicks and because they can these people just want to tear down there's no pleasure in their world it's just they want everyone to be at the same level of hopelessness and despair and torment that they live in and so to put time to be I was being processed to become one of them to be part of their world which I hadn't even gotten into the death of yet this is this is I'm on the front porch this is the welcoming committee they've got more in store for me and they and they told me this I mean they made a clear to me I'm not now I'm not imagining this is this is just I'm getting being made ready for their existence their their existence is utter absence of God and everything that God gives us and what God gives us is basically everything that makes life worthwhile and that we enjoy both the material things like the sky and the light and the birds in the trees and the internal things like hope and joy and love and friendship and trust and faith etc When you reject God God can't give you what God wants to give us but for example one of the things that people miss is God wants to give us happiness and that real Christians know a joy deep down inside of them that nothing not even death and torment and cancer and heart disease nothing can take that joy away you know when you meet a real Christian we need even even if they're suffering they still have they still have that choice that sustains them and allows them to persevered through anything and everything these people have none of that and so they had their way with me and I'm all ripped up and torn up lying on the ground of that place and I hear a voice that I think was my voice but I didn't come out it didn't come out of my lips I think came out of my heart and said Pray to God and I thought I don't know how to pray don't believe in God in the voice of pray to God and I thought I can't do that and the voice said pray to God and I to. I had to remember some prayers that I'd learned when I was a little boy when my parents would take me to Sunday school and with those mentions of God those little bits in snatches of prayers that I could remember I drove them away from me because they cannot stand any mention of God our prayers don't have to be pretty They just have to come from the heart God's interested in heartfelt prayer not interested in how poetic or beautiful it's composed you know so I drove these people away with the mention of God important information here because evil can't stand the mention of God Jesus and it really does protect us from the power in that man so I'm left alone there and I couldn't go anywhere else all ripped up I was like roadkill and I thought about my life and without going through this very long period of time going over this but realized that my life was a big failure but I didn't know what how or why but I just realized that I had been the son to my parents the husband to my wife the father of my children the teacher Mr God my whole life was just and I knew that I belonged in this place so there wasn't a sense of like how could they do this to me so I knew that those people were the same kind of people that I was who had lived in this world who attacked me and as I lay there and complete despair knowing that they promised they were going to come and get me and take me further into their world which I didn't want to do I recalled what I had been taught us a little boy which was the song Jesus loves me so I started going through my head cheese sauce loves me this sign No and as a little boy I had believed in Cheesus and I had prayed to Jesus and then had asked him to protect me at times when I was afraid and things like that and in this vivid memory of myself believing and seeing that song I wanted what I had had 30 years earlier as a child I desperately wanted. I didn't I don't know I just wanted what I had lost and so I called out to Melissa chooses please save me and I meant it not knowing if anything would happen or not and with a light appeared in the darkness came over me and out of the light hands and arms emerged out of this beautiful white light and reached out and touch me and I saw myself in that light made hole and his hands went behind my back and he picked me up and held me close to him and hugged me tight and I put my arms around him and cried like a baby in his arms and he carried me out of the place and as we were moving out of that place I looked and we were going towards a world of incredible life and all of a sudden in all this adult life I'd said there was no God there was no heaven and now we're headed towards God's house I thought to myself he's made a most terrible mistake with me I don't belong here I felt sore shame and he spoke to me for the 1st time he said we don't make mistakes you belong here and so we stopped outside of heaven outside of God's house and we began to communicate he knew everything I thought and he responded very kindly patiently and he said that he wanted had some people who wanted to read so he called out not to refer to him a stranger as they had been my guardian angels throughout my life and he said they wanted to show me my life so we went over my life in chronological order and incredible detail with them showing me things that I had done that pleased God and things they'd done to displease God Unfortunately as I matured my pleasing God Life was diminishing and my displeasing God was increasing and it was horrible because it was as if I was causing physical praying to Jesus I mean it's an analogy but it was like I was stabbing him in the heart I don't want to you don't want to nobody wants to do that to the best friend you're going to have in this whole world . He is our best friend I mean he's our Savior He's our Lord He's coming he's all these things but he is also you never going to have a better friend than you're going to have in cheeses and hurting him is the last thing you want to do and when we do things that displease him it hurts him God has feelings you know the Bible testifies that from the beginning to the end God is a feeling God he's got emotions and of course the great emotion is love and that's why he created a secret a sort of love to receive His love and to respond back with love and to love one another and it was when we got done with my life choose assessment if I had any questions so I said I have a 1000000 questions and so I had an opportunity to ask him at that time everything that I could think of task I'm fortunate because I didn't have any religious understanding a background I didn't ask for a lot of good questions but everything I asked he answered I remember all this it was very nice it was huge education much better than the college in the graduate school that I've gone through and when we were done I said I want to go to heaven anybody who had any sense would want to go to heaven rather than go to hell it's a simple choice and he said it's not your time I'm going to go back and live life the way you were created to live in the 1st place and made it clear to me I was not suitable material for heaven at this stage and so I argued with him trying to persuade him to let me go on to heaven and he countered my arguments with better arguments better reasons why I needed to come back here and finally I realized that he was right and so I agreed to come back and so I came back and it was now at 9 o'clock at night and when I came back and mediately the nurse had been in the room and 830 who said there was no doctor came in the room said a doctor has now arrived at the hospital since Saturday night 9 o'clock a doctor's red hospital going to your surgery and so I was prepped and I had the surgery at 10 o'clock I had to have more operations and I was very sick for a long time has told me that was going to happen. You know it's like it was Ok with me it was just it was something I had to go through it really taught me how to pray I'm thankful for that but the medications made me fuzzy and I wanted to have a relationship with God so I was becoming quite a prayer where. I mean the happy with the car gave because they were doing their opening him mighty fortress is our God there's the congregation saying it with gusto and I come in and they're there smile at me bug welcome home church churches as close to heaven as we're going to get and I just want to add this because I heard this somewhere if you don't like church not going to like heaven either I cried for months in church because not not out of sadness not of joy that you are so great mean that you know it's the 3rd commandment and a lot of people. Non-believers don't care about it but a lot of Christians think it's Ok to use God's name the word is blasphemy but it means to use it in vain to use God's name an empty way isn't forgivable it says in the commandment that it's they will not be forgiven that and Jesus reinforces what g. Is was that's what's the on forgivable sin and he said to sin against the Holy Spirit sin against God to speak so we need to be careful what we sow because and the worse I asked Jesus what's the worst sin in the world and he said to use God and evil way you know a real obvious example of this is these people in the Middle East who tell boys and girls that they should strap bombs on themselves and go onto a bus and blow everybody up on the bus they have no idea how offensive that is to God to say that they're doing that you know for God but we have to be careful what we say about God and how we treat God and we need to keep God's name holy and not ever use it in some loose you know meaningless way was recuperating I became a bible thumping fanatic and I thought that if I could. Give my family or anyone who visited me at home so I wasn't any good Tory or when I was scripture because they weren't believe and they weren't and they weren't believing me had already told me you know it didn't happen you hallucinated you drink to forget about it and I knew that wasn't true so I thought Well Ok you don't believe me but here's a book it's 2000 year old book containing the wisdom and the knowledge of gone over a period of several 1000 years they got to believe this book's got authority I mean it's got it's got it Sturrock whole way to it you know they're going to believe it so I would memorize scriptures and because the cohost school my wife come of work and I'd let him have it I would shout Scriptures at him and tell him you know if they wouldn't accept this stuff they were going to go to hell and things well it didn't work it had the opposite effect to trove them away from me. And eventually I realised that I was trying to knock people over the head the Bible was not an effective way to evangelize them but took me months and I did irreparable harm to them trying to do it that way when we need to be patient and kind and loving and pray a lot you know I tried to get them to go to church and they refused and so they become estranged from me one of the things that I try to get across is like you know people want to be good parents and I think well to be a good parent I need to give my kids opportunities and clothing and food and housing and school and I need to give them all these things the most important thing we can give our children is faith because that's forever it's this world and it's forever and that faith they're going to hopefully pass on if they have children to not give children faith and not and the only way you can give Faith is faith is contagious you've got to give it by having it you can't send your kid somewhere and get him by them some faith and then bring them on to a faithless ome you've got to live the faith and then they'll catch it and get it I have begged and. God for forgiveness for Horus my kids and I believe I'm forgiven but I want tell people don't make the mistake that I did it's the worst thing you could do if I could if I could go to hell to save their souls but do it. And the new book is just coming out soon lessons learned I've tried to speak to Christians about the struggle of being a Christian so talk about I've done 27 mission trips I pastored churches for 22 years I've made lots of mistakes had lots of choice had things happen and so I've tried to describe my spiritual journey from when I was a little boy and why I went towards atheism and and then coming back to the faith and and how it's been since then because I think one of the biggest problems in Christian people get discouraged and they walk away from the church walk away from the faith and I believe Paul has a writes when he tells us that we need to persevered persevered perseverance and that through that perseverance this going to perseverance and prayer persevered in our prayer perseverance in our participation in the church when we do those things we're going to see miraculous things happen and we're going to have victory but we've got to stick with that if it's not a sprint it's a law as Paul says it's a long distance run we're going to be in it for the whole the whole course God loves you more than you could possibly imagine Look God loves you more than your mother or father ever were capable of loving you God's love is so great and what God wants few is nothing but good God wants you to have a choice that you've never even imagined was possible in your life the joy that will never leave you that will sustain you and the way that you can know this love and this joy and this peace and the power of God is through the One God sent His Son Jesus Christ and so I like to address God directly I like to address God through His Chosen One Jesus and I said Jesus. I want to know you. I want you in my life I'm not doing so good without you I've made a lot of mistakes Lord and you could tell God all the nasty things in your life if you want to he knows that already don't have any secrets so lay it out there get him make a clean slate of it and just get it all out there and tell him that she wanted way from the kind of life you want to give up that stuff. Doesn't matter how bad it is she loves you may not like things such you've done but he loves you. And he watched you to come home to him and said Jesus I want you to be in my heart I want you to be in my mind I want you to be my life I want to live for you and she is going to make you do anything you don't want to do he's going to gently gently nurture you and love you and and you may not have fireworks you may not have a shred of but your life is going to start changing if you say the prayer from your life and I just want to add one thing you need to find church in Acts for the apostles Peter and John were charged by the pairs these to stop speaking about Jesus they answered at birth 1020 whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God You judge for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard today you have heard from a man who by his own admission did not believe in God we encourage you to believe in and follow Jesus the light that lights every man who comes into the world according to John chapter one verse 9 Tell Jesus you want to leave your old dead life into the new eternal life he has for you he is waiting for you to ask him to save you one day you will know that the goal of your life should have been to live in such a way to see his face for ever be able to see. This. Love. We had say one more now incorporated encourage everyone to seek the Lord for His calling on you and why as you are faithful to spend time with him throughout the day you will know without a doubt that he really loves he and he has a purpose for your being here you can hear this message again on our website at save one more noun dot org We can be reached by e-mail at True Life at save one more now dot org for a telephone number in the United States 850-727-0493 we look forward to joining you next week and ask you to remember life is good God gives life God is good. The good news of Jesus for you in high definition radio and streaming at 670 calle t.g. Dot com This is calle t. T. Commerce City Denver. What would look like for peace to prevail in your life Jesus the Son of God reminds us and John 1420 something Peace I leave with you My peace I give t. Let not your hearts be troubled neither let them be afraid 3 things stand out in this passage piece trouble here I once read warre does not take away tomorrows trouble. It takes away today's peace we need to understand that peace doesn't mean that negative circumstances are troubling situations will befall us to the contrary these trials often serve as the gateway for God's Divine Spirit to intervene in genuine seasons of revival the followers of God realize that fear is the absence of faith but peace is the presence of the Lord lets make it our prayer that peace would prevail in our lives as we put all our problems into God's hands on Ryan loving revivalist with like action ministries for one Pride dot com. Mama listening to the mighty 67 k. I'll see Sandra. On August 10th get ready for a comedy that's off the leash tumors insurers calling a party room dogs I would say that found. For lonely strangers to discover for man's best friend still says Is your dog president or just super sad are the best match makers tugs open our hearts to love and to be loved as leaves the family dog days in theaters August 10th. Hi this is Drew Ross and I'm David language we are the pastors of Bethlehem Lutheran church and school in Lakewood Colorado thank you for listening to the Lakewood Lutheran our at Bethlehem we believe a regular worship is an important part of how God helps us experience the fullness of life in Jesus you are welcome to join us on Sunday morning at any of our worship services in multiple styles 7 45 am traditional 9 am mild contemporary or 1030 live band contemporary We also have worship on Thursday evenings at 6 45 pm Thanks for listening in to Bethlehem Lutheran Church as we join our service now in progress. In the mercy of Almighty God Jesus. Christ was given to die for us and for his sake God forgives us all of our sins to those who believe in Jesus Christ he gives the power to become the children of God and be still is on them the Holy Spirit May the Lord who has begun this good work in us bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ and man. Heavenly Father though we do not deserve your goodness still you provide for all our needs of body and soul grant us your Holy Spirit that we may acknowledge your gifts give thanks for all your benefits and serve you in willing obedience through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit one God now and forever. Maybe seed in. Our New Testament last and today comes from Ephesians Chapter 5 beginning of verse one and it's also be the basis for the sermon message therefore be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God Look carefully then how you walk not as unwise but as wise making the best use of the time because the days are evil therefore do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is and do not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery but be filled with the spirit addressing one another in Psalms and him in spiritual songs singing and making melody to the Lord if your heart giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father and the name of our Lord Jesus Christ submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ this is the word of the Lord. Please rise for the verse. The holy Gospel According to St John the 6th chapter. On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the see saw that there is only there had been only one boat there and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples but the his disciples had gone away are alone other boats from type areas came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given things so when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there nor his disciples they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum seeking Jesus when they found him on the other side of the sea they said Him Rabbi when did you come here Jesus answered them Truly truly I say to you you are seeking me not because you saw signs but because you ate your fill of the lows do not work for the food that perishes for the food that endures to internal life which the Son of Man will give to you for on him God the Father as his seal then they said to him what must we do to be doing the works of God Jesus answered them this is the work of God that you believe in him who he has sent so they said to him then what sign do you do that we may see him believe you what work do you perform our father say the man in the wilderness as it is written He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Jesus then said to them Truly truly I say to you it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven but my father gives you the true bread from heaven for the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world they said to him Sir give us this bread always Jesus said to them I am the bread of life whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst this is the gospel of the Lord. Before we take that posture of prayer let me share with you a few the prayers that we're going to be making specifically today we pray specially for Tom might learn who's having a back surgery on Thursday for Kathryn Lewis for extended rehabilitation and strength to walk again for Tina Burrows who has been diagnosed with bone cancer for Gary Shukman who has a disease that's taken over his lungs recently we also pray for guidance especially for our teachers as they head back to school this week in order to prepare for the beginning of school the following week the president for Madeline Tree Hill some difficult time with finances especially due to her difficulty in looking for a job we also have prayers of thanksgiving today especially for the 90th birthday for Don Meyer the 50th wedding anniversary for Ralph and Georgia Phillips and also the 1st wedding anniversary for Sam and Athena Reinhard church these are the prayers that we're going to bake making specifically today I know that you have other prayers that are on your heart and on your mind collectively we bring those to the Lord please take a posture of prayer whether sitting forward in your seat or using the kneel in front of you. Let's say I wanted to show you how much I appreciated you. And how much you meant to me as I hand you this beautifully wrapped package and as you open it you discover it's a Rolex watch. Or a louis v. Tahn bag or a Dior cologne or perfume. Ok now I know there's some of you would be rather unimpressed because you don't really care about designer accessories and fragrances right but there are some of you who would think I appreciated you a lot. Ok keep going with the scenario with me Ok Now let's say at some point you realize that my gift to you was not the genuine article. That it was an imitation Ok Now what's going through your mind see when we discover some isn't real that isn't what it claims to be that it is an imitation there are kinds of negative feelings this conjures up and this isn't just a phenomenon of designer luxury items a knockoff brands of those luxury items. Oded Shankar business professor the head of state university I wrote a book about imitation he did it about imitation in the context of business and he observed that imitation has always had a bad name and he for a long long time in fact he shows that scientists for a long time have de ride imitation and this is this is a quote from his book as a low level of ability a behavior typical of the mentally weak and the childish and a process much less demanding than individual trial and air Ok Now he also observed how 19th century naturalist so we're talking with the $800.00 right that they considered imitation So this is in the view of those 19th century naturalist you're going to love this quote. Care or istic characteristic. Of women children savages the mentally impaired and animals who have little ability to reason for themselves. Ok Dems fighting words. Now are also then goes on to say something else and observe it in the end I agree with him on this. That imitation can be a good thing and in the context of business it can actually give the advantage there's a saying in business imitation beats innovation. Imitation beats innovation and it's based on the reality that imitation often gives business is the competitive advantage and no innovation sounds better Ok and it's necessary in business but the reality is that a very small fraction of the value of an innovation goes to the innovator. Most of the value goes to the imitators of the innovation case in point I want everyone to pull out their diner's card. Why you don't have a diner's car Ok even though diners card invented the credit card Master Card and Visa have done a better job of imitating it Ok now I said that I agreed with Shankar that imitation some cans to compete can be a good thing and here's why. If Eason's 5 Verse one it says these words therefore be imitators of God Ok now I'm not talking about the you know the kind of cheap imitation as I'm knocked off brand of some luxury item here Ok In fact I mean do you realize that some of these knockoff brands they find like traces of urine and any freeze in some of the perfumes. That's growth you know I'm talking about the really good imitation the kind that kind of fools the experts I'm talking about the kind of imitation of God That means you genuinely unconditionally love people you genuinely sacrifice for them you generously give to people your approval and you you live a life of such holiness that people actually find it hard to believe that you say. Ok now we all got a long ways to go there don't we. But that's the target. Because when it comes to our I tend to. Who we are at the core we are imitators of God imitators of God. Ok but before we can begin to talk about imitating God there is an important foundation that needs to be laid so let's go back to verse one of our text here. Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children as what Yeah yeah beloved children here Ok can I tell you this is why identity theft is such a problem in the Christian life you know because you can ask people so who are you and they will give you a 1000000 answers before they'll come even close to saying something like I am a beloved child of God. And sometimes this is because. They don't like the sound of weakness and dependence there is in that word child but more often they don't feel deeply loved. And you know it isn't because they don't know what in their heads if I bet I could ask each one of you Does God love you and maybe with a few exceptions I would get a yes. But on a deeper level a lot of Christians. And their own sense. Will feel it and maybe. Maybe even they don't believe it so let's start there because it's a waste of time talking about imitating a God who doesn't love you deeply. God loves you. Deeply God loves you deeply. And the next verse Paul gives the proof of that but let's hold on to that just just for a 2nd because I want to ask you a question. Obviously this is a command here in this part of the Bible to imitate God Ok but what do you think God's worth imitating or what is it what is it what is it about God that's worth imitating because I think sometimes that happens is we are we are averse like this and we say I got I got it but we don't really do anything with it like what about your day to day has been imitating God and has it been that that kind of intentionality or do you leave imitating God because nebulous is undefined concept you know really put the flesh on it what does it mean for David language to imitate what does it mean for you. To imitate God. Ok now we're ready for what this imitation of God What it looks like and Paul kicks it off in verse 2 and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us Ok Ok stop there imitating God means walking in love not to get us to do this and to help us to get it right where does Paul focus our attention. On Christ on Christ in other words where we can say a word about imitating God we need to know what God has done for us in Christ and Polly saying he could just look at how much Christ loves us He gave Himself for us. Look at the cross look at his suffering look at look at his dad. All of that was for us look at how much Christ loves us now there are times when people demonstrating credible and incredible sacrifice. But it doesn't produce anything it doesn't get the job done you know for every story on the battlefield where one soldier sacrifices to rescue another soldier lays down his life for another there are 10 stories where the attempted rescue failed and that's why these very next words of Paul are so important. Christ loved us and gave himself up for us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Jesus didn't just make an offering of his life it was a fragrant offering. He did just sacrifice Himself His sacrifice was fragrant it was pleasing to God it was accepted by God Not every offering and sacrifice our means you member Cain and Abel back in Genesis right Cain offers up his sacrifice is pleasing it's acceptable to God But Keynes wasn't. And then on top of all of this in addition to Cain's heart not being in the right place with his sacrifice he turns and events the hatred of his heart against his brother any murders and. Not every offering sacrifice is fragrant to God. Is pleasing to God. So when in your life have you offered Cain's sacrifice. Borne out of duty. Obligation. When. When in your life have you resented what you had to give up for God instead of. Appreciating the privilege and yes to carry a cross alongside of Jesus Christ. They are some of our offerings that are sacrifices they're there except for the pleasing the fragrance of the Lord. But often they're not. But because Jesus offering his sacrifice was fragrant to the Lord and they were completely accepted by him it was productive he got the job done and the job that it got done was forgiveness a sense for all mankind salvation for all who believe this. So why am I spending so much time talking about this when we're supposed to be talking about imitating God only because Jesus is the key. Jesus is the fuel. He he's the model he's the power and the only love that you and I have that can be called legitimate love. Is that which has come from the cross and is that which is pour it out on us it is poor to us and it feels us to such a degree that it spills out on those around us so when Paul says be imitators of God That's how it happens he loves us 1st and then we love people with his law and what happens is Paul then goes on to talk about you know what this looks like in verses 3 to 14 he talks about what it's like from from a negative perspective things that you avoid like this avoid sexual immorality and impurities and covetousness and filthy language and crude jokes he calls all of those things the fruitless works of darkness. But today we're going to skip ahead a little bit we're going to go to verse 15 and verse 15 Listen here's where Paul says look carefully then how you are. Ok while imitating God is completely powered by Jesus and His gospel there is a call to was not how to work at it to work at in this does say evolves it doesn't make us love by God anymore imitating God What it does it improves our life. And honors God look carefully than how you walk and you know just about every moment in lie. Gives us 2 options and this is this is how Paul sums it up in this way. Look carefully then how you walk not as unwise. But as why was. He here 2 options for life. 2 diametrically opposed paths unwise Why yes. Be careful because walking or living is the unwise that can be tempting me it can look fine don't be fooled. Life is only found walking as the wise but God knows is that we might need some help in recognizing this and so he flushes this out a little bit more for us here's what unwise looks like. Being foolish which means not knowing what God says or we know what he says and we don't do it both of those are unwise both of those are foolish unwise also looks like this. Drunk don't don't do it. It's on lives. And I suppose a similar word could be said to getting high on marijuana don't do it. It is on why yes and there are more things on this list of wise things that there are some time maybe you can go back to verses 3 to 14 you can take a look at some of the sayings. But let's go ahead let's let's take a look at what why this looks like here. Wives makes the best use of time. Limited commodity the days are evil. See wise understands I have today only one. I I must make the best of it and Wise says I instead of being foolish I'm going to know what God says and I'm going to do it and that's what Paul means here when he says understand what the will of the Lord is no it do it. Was wise also realizes that getting drunk is stupid. It's dangerous. It destroys lives. And it's of an offense to God. But there is an option here and this is where Paul does a little play with the imagery. Instead of getting drunk and alcohol you can pour something into your body. Just let that something. Be the Holy Spirit and I appreciate what our text says next because it says the way that the Holy Spirit fills us the way we are filled with this Holy Spirit. Is through music and I want you to listen about God's word here says it is not just because I was a music major in school. How are we filled with the Holy Spirit verse 19 addressing one another in Psalms and him since spiritual songs singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart you know sometimes people wonder you know why we have so much music in our services because we're being filled with the Holy Spirit. Like the Bible says and that's why these look carefully then how you walk not is unwise but as wives. That's how you imitate God as beloved children that's that's how you do it that's how you walk in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us it sounds pretty good doesn't. And I guarantee you will be no cheap imitation. And that peace of God that goes beyond all human understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Thanks for being with us today at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in school please accept our open invitation to come worship with us in person as we'd love to see you we are located at 2100 North Wadsworth Boulevard in Lakewood Colorado 80214 at Bethlehem we provide a number of opportunities for spiritual growth through our discipleship pathway including children's ministries youth ministry adult Bible classes and life groups you can check out any of these on our website Bethlehem Denver dot com Once again thanks for listening in and we hope to spend some time with you again next week at 11 am Sunday morning on the Lakewood Lutheran our. My this is Pastor Dave Langer senior pastor. Invite you to join us Sunday mornings at 11 am as we bring the hope of Jesus Christ to the Front Range listen to Lakewood loser in our every Sunday morning at 11 am and 670 calle c. This is calle tt's Weekend Edition broadcast on am 670 ecommerce and even in stunning high definition and on loan at 67 the Calle t. T. Dot com. Do you ever find yourself right at the point of a decision and I'm not sure if this is right or not there's a question mark in your conscience that you're not exactly sure what the Bible says about it Jonathan Edwards anticipated no. It's like these and he wrote resolve never to do anything of which I so much as question the lawfulness saying if I have any question in my heart about whether one of them found to do it is acceptable to God in His Word then I'll stop. So many of us today try and see how close we can get to c.n.n. Without getting into serious trouble when we be better off staying as close to purity as we can all tells us in Romans whatever is not a face to see. If there's doubt in your heart to God is to the freedom to do something then why do it with seeking Him I'm Nancy to mosque walking. Celebrating God and His Word in America saw 181 and 2 I love you oh Lord my strength the Lord is my rock my fortress and my deliverer my God is my rock in whom I take refuge he is my shield in the Horn of my salvation my stronghold Does come. Inspiring you are some virtue to a m 6 of tail t.t. And tail t g h d. And now for at 95 point one and streaming many more at 670 calle t.t. Dot com. The following program bless Israel with Rabbi you Culex team is made possible through the friends and supporters of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews presenting the plight facing God's chosen people today so that you can be a blessing to them through your prayers and Christian love Here's the president and founder of The Fellowship Rabbi you Culex team my friends were facing turbulent tumultuous times around the world today is what many are calling an Arab Spring is more like a radical Islamic measure we are witnessing the rise of anti-Semitism around the world. In Europe that is all children on the sure if bad around then in the former Soviet Union the neighbor saying move poor is a new day to choose crossroads open to terrorist attack see say they were tortured and killed before the final shoot time is not on our side Zyrtec mean losses exist and is big problem every Jew who is in need of a scaping from the forces of anti-Semitism today there is an Israel that is the home for every Jew who flees there is our promise led you to prove. Time is of the essence.