I'm Glad I'm Just a Man

Psalm 8:4,5

4 What is man that You are mindful of him,

And the son of man that You visit him?

5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,

And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

Jesus was a man... but not just any man.

He was the only begotten son of God. The second Adam, or more succinctly the "last adam" as it says in 1 Corinthians 15:45.

Who is Jesus, and who is man? "Man" is imperfect.......... Jesus was perfect.

It's a matter of sin, and sinful nature with man. Jesus was and is divine. Perfect.

Man has got to SEEK the Lord, so the Lord may be found. You have to seek the Lord. You have to wait upon him. You're the server at the restaurant, not the patron. You do the grunt work. C'mon now.... Are we right on what our place is? Are we getting the order of operations? Do we understand the chain of command? Praise God.

Man is honest with himself in that he knows his limitation. Because, he will submit himself to other men- sometimes women, organizations, and authorities.

The bible says to submit yourself to authority. (1 Peter 2:13-14)

If you get pulled over or have to go to court or the tax man shows, you have to go... everyone normal knows you can't go against it.

But, I think there's something there with that, that has been around for so long, and it's sort of enslavement, and it's all around the world. I mean an enslavement of the mind and perhaps our faith (the believing part of us).

Maybe there's very few places with indigenous people on very small islands where government isn't officially involved in everyone's lives.

What I'm trying to say is, this life we know isn't the fullness like the old ways.

I'm not here to stand like some monumental expert.

No, but what I'm saying is what's different now and from back then is that in the ancient days, people understood things because it was just humanity and whatever else was out there. There wasn't all this philosophy and science and mathematics and university expertise and body of knowledge like today... There was not an "end all, be all" trust and faith in the government. Sure people submitted themselves, but today people treat the government like a god. Even Christians. I'm preaching today that that's idolatry. The government isn't your god. God is your God. School isn't your God. Your parents aren't your God. Your job is not your God. Your preacher is not your God. Your church isn't even your God. Nothing can replace it. You (**knock knock**) are not your God. Your spouse, your kids, your pets are not it... God is your God! Jesus is the Lord!

We were born into this stuff, and it's kind of trained our mind. But what I'm trying to get at today is that we have to undo that stuff. Undo these imposter systems trying to play God. I want you to see God solely in your life... I want you to see Christ is the focal point and center piece. I want you see yourself as a man, imperfect and limited in DIRECT connection with Jesus Christ who is perfect and UNLIMITED.

The Bible says Christ could do no mighty works because they lacked faith (Mark 6:5). Can you believe that? Even Christ couldn't do it BECAUSE of the state they were in!

We have to really question, really examine... Are we in a state that we need to get out of? A spiritual state. Are we lacking a connection where there should be a connection? Have we investigated that, and taken an inventory in our lives? I'll ask again: Has something taken place of my God in my life? Oh, that hurts because it can't be... Hey maybe your mind is there but is your soul there? Is your spirit there?

Is the whole you linked up with your faith? The ancient faith where Man was dropped into this earth, in a jungle, in a desert, in a forest, on the never-ending horizon of water... wherever... Are we there where it's just us and God, and we're not looking for someone else? We're not looking back for mom's blessing or dad's approval or the longing for the old days or that haunting voice of your mentor. C'mon now, love 'em all you want on your own time, lick your wounds on saturday at 7, but let the dead bury the dead, come and follow Jesus! Hallelujah. Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone. We've got a world to reach! Praise Him!

In the old days, people looked at God as their source. They didn't look to the doctor, and medical science as their source. I mean, by all means go if you gotta go. But what if you didn't have all that? What if these things disappeared one day? Where would you be then? You might say it's all over, or you could be like those in the old days and say... "it's just me and God". We are ancient people living in a modern age, and it's weird, but let's sort it out here today.

At what point will we say, "I'm tired of what's going on around me, and for once in my life I want to live a life where there is a spiritual takeover, where we're not living in this logical realm anymore... but we are living a spiritual life".

This all starts by you recognizing you are you, and you recognizing that God is your God. I am finite, I am a lower being, I am lower than an angel, I have a sinful flesh, I have weakness in some areas, and strengths in others. Another person might be weak where I'm strong, and I'm weak where they are strong. But God is the one working in us all. Can we GIVE MORE of ourselves? The only way to GIVE MORE is to take places and doses of us and our energy... we give to OTHER things............ and TAKE IT AWAY FROM THEM.......... and GIVE IT TO GOD!

The devil wanted to be more than just an angel. He wanted to take the place of the Almighty, and that's impossible. But he got thinking... he started to become really talented that he thought he had it all figured out.

Maybe he had a lot figured out being so close to God, and for so many years... but there's just one problem... He isn't God. He could never be. Who you are can only be who God created you to be.

Often...God will use the last guy in line... but let me tell you that man's gonna go through a lot. Sometimes though, God just needs a do-over. He needs a fresh set of ears and eyes. He needs a clean slate, He needs some raw material. He needs a catalyst, He needs a good story that will be told for the ages. People love an underdog. People are inspired by people who rise up and God does a work in their life.

The Bible says the last shall be FIRST and the FIRST shall be last (Matthew 20:16). It's a paradox. Paul was the last guy who should have ever been an Apostle... but he wrote most of the New Testament, and he had more Torah skills than anyone. Yet, he was real high up, and wrote most of it from prison. Think about that. He goes from last to first and then first to last. The other people in the middle are saying things like... "Oh Paul... what a guy... he really use to cut it up back in the day"...... Dude, it was like 3 years ago! Paul doesn't need more gladhanded sanctimonious praise... He's still in charge and in prison!!! SEND THIS GUY SOME MONEY. GET HIM A LAWYER or something!. ...........But that's Christians for you. Sometimes they're like bumps on a log. They want all the bells and whistles, and I'd have to wonder if Jesus came back and was walking around would they even notice Him? Would he say and do all the things you're looking for? LET ME REMIND YOU. You are a fallible man or woman. You gotta know your place. Hey maybe you're doing good, 6 figures, 7 figures, hey, maybe 8 or 9. God bless you. Seriously. Pay your tithes and offerings. You got the Lincoln Navigator (not picking on anybody- it's a good car)... Got your Prada bag, your designer frames.... WHATEVER! Let's not forget, God doesn't need your money, or your ego, or your competition. NOBODY CARES. I'm glad I'm a MAN. Because that means I'm NOT GOD. GOD IS GOD. THERE IS ONLY ONE. ***SMACK DOWN!*** GOD BE LIFTED HIGH FOREVER AND EVER!

HE SAID TURN THE OTHER CHEEK and everyones loves that one... but down the line in the series of events He says to the disciples, remember when I said go into town and don't take anything with you? Well, now I'm telling you sell your cloak and buy a sword. They turn and see two shiny new swords divinely placed by the tree... and they say, "Look Lord there's a couple swords here... will that work?" .... and then Jesus says "YUP!" and walks off (Luke 22:38). At what point to you "got it". Where Jesus don't have to help you with everything. You can take the training wheels off. All i know is I'm really looking to have church. But let me ask......... Did anyone really listen? Not really, and most of the Christians got slaughtered in the coliseum according to history. You can listen or you can not listen that's up to you. There's a devil looking to take us out. Why do you think Peter said be Sober be vigilant, for your adversary roams around like a roaring lion SEEKING WHO HE CAN DEVOUR (1 Peter 5:8). This can be a game, it can be serious. It can be whatever you want it to be because we're just people. And people have to make their own decisions. We make those decisions based off the WORD of GOD. That's all we can do. Don't take my advice, take the advice of the Bible. Jesus isn't gonna sit around a beg you to obey His Word, He's God. He says Jump, you say how high? C'mon now.

Don't be a dullard. Don't be hard headed, don't be afraid. We don't have time for that. Be an actor. Be activated. Be Strong. You are those things. Tell yourself you're those things. Don't let this world Program you. Say I'm a man. I'm a woman (if you're a woman) .....and say God is my God. Nobody, nothing else is my God. God is my God.

What I'm saying is..... don't trust anybody but God. Hallelujah. God says end time are comin'. I don't know! Maybe it's in my time, maybe it's not. Nobody knows the time or day of Christ's return, but it says be ready at all times. Let's not get complacent and set up shop here on earth. We do what we can for the church, but it's not about us as individuals.

God is a creative God. He created us. vvv

We're talking about a God who created the antelope, and the tiger, and the cheetah... He had the idea for stripes, and for spots, and colors. Could your imagine a world without color? It could just as easily have been a world without color, and you can go into outer space and really not see much color in it. But, He gave us that reality. I don't know if color is part of His nature or if it's a creation, and forgive me Lord of my ignorance, but what I can say with certainty is that God is a RICH God.

He is a pure God.

Everything comes from Him (Romans 11:36). He's got it all. He's not just "ultimately" good... HE IS GOOD.

He gives you the beauty of wonderment when an infant looks up at you.

He gives us the graceful movement of animals and birds flying, the mountains, the trees, the vast ocean, the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Oh, how wonderful He is!

He is purely good.

He is pure! ..........

Keep your purity, because that is godliness. You are to be holy and sanctified. You are separate for His purpose, and not ANOTHER purpose. No sir!

Young people- don't let this world pull you apart and abuse you, chew you up, and spit you out. Keep your purity. There's nothing wrong with that at all. You may not hear that these days, but you're doing a good thing when you do. Praise God. Keep your purity. You don't owe anything to anyone when it comes to running with the crowd.

..........There's an old, by now, Christian punk band I would listen to before I was ever a Christian. They were called Broken Cedars, maybe someone's remembers them if you ever watched "G-Rock" on TBN. Sidenote... never underestimate telemedia or technology to preach the gospel. Nobody was reaching me as a kid but some punk rock Christians on tv we're the closest thing. I was probably around 12 years old or so. I was really into rock and some types of punk music because I liked that fast-paced energy and intensity and catchy melody, but this one band stood out to me. They had all the speed and energy, but it lifted my spirit, and it made me feel like I was going up and not down like most music, and I couldn't really understand why then... but I do now... They had a song that had a lyric that I remember to this day... it's kind of silly and maybe they were just kids when they wrote it, but it can still resonate with me today... the lyric goes........ "and when I bit into that burger, it was a block of wood, and it left all my teeth broken, and I don't want no more...".

..........What do you think?

Does that sound about right? Did you ever go and try something you knew was not the will of God, and you find out it was a mistake and it hurt your life? It caused you pain you didn't have to go through. It was self-inflicted? I'm here to tell you these things don't have to happen. You don't have to be pulled away by temptation to make decisions that will alter the entire course of your life for worse. This separation from God is the problem. Don't forget you're just a man. You're just a woman. We're not Superman or Wonder-woman.

We are God's creation and we are His creation lower than Him, but with great grace and favor and mercy on our lives. Don't go beyond what is written. Amen!

We want to connect with that reality. This separation from God is the problem. If you fail, just get back on the horse.

If you're riding high, maybe it's time to bring it back down a little bit.

You know what happens when you take a plane to high? Too vertical? There's an issue with the law of physics.

I'm not an expert... but I know there's a sweet spot you can fly in, and if you go too vertically, you're gonna stall and the wings stop working with the air flow, and gravity is gonna pull you down. We just want to make it through. The goal is Heaven. Remember we are just fallible humans still in our fleshly bodies and so let's not get ahead of ourselves. We're just trying to keep all that in line. Our job is to keep ourselves pure from the world. I'll tell you... perhaps you don't watch some dirty film, but just the same, don't let some dirty boss take you down either. Don't let some dirty friends take you away to the wrong place. C'mon now! You don't have to be pressured to do anything they want.

They are the wicked and wayward, and we are the separate and peculiar. If they think it's weird they think it's weird. We think they're weird. We'll call it even. The Lord said, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.

If they only knew!

Man is the one who failed and ushered in all the bad an evil. Those things are apart from God, but they are products of the disobedience from the nature of God.

God is a creator.

Yet in spite of the mistakes that have been made, God is a redeemer.

He didn't have to, but He did. He saved us. None of us truly know if we're saved until we go to the throne of judgement and hear what is said to us. But I can tell you, He saved us as humanity. He did everything that needed to be done to reunite us to Him. This I know. "It is Finished" (John 19:30), Christ said on the cross before he gave his last breath.

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And here WE are.........

Paul was a tent maker when he wasn't busy writing the Bible, performing miracles, or busy bringing salvation to the whole gentile world... and for some time he was dealing with the rather mundane life in the book of Acts. We're talking about Paul who had spoke with Jesus in the spirit realm for long conversations and brought people back from the dead. Why? Because he's just a man. Not until God changes us in the resurrection will be fully changed into the full new man. We are still humans with a promise. We are still working things out with God. He's still working on us. I have not arrived, and neither have you. We walk in humility, and we want to build up everyone. We want to do our best.

Paul said to the Jew i became like a Jew and to the Greek like a Greek. Why? Because Paul didn't have a special power or any manual or handbook on how to save people. He said,

in 1st Corinthains 9:20-22

20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

We're just trying to figure out things as we go along. Because we're just people. I'm glad I'm just a man, because there's a whole lot of room for God.

I'm glad I'm just a man, because that means I need God.

I need him and need to depend on Him.

I'm glad that nobody is really that special because we will all be judged by God.

I'm glad I'm just a man because it means I haven't lost sight of things.

Man is a soul and for those in Christ, resurrected in our spirit.

That's why beyond logic we desire church, and to hear the word, and are willing to go out of our way to listen to preachers and teachers of the Word. The world is not resurrected like us (Ephesians 2:5).

When we are grounded with this simple truth, we are able to put things in perspective and in the proper perspective.

I'm not some Hollywood star or a high up politician or anything. I'm just a man who believes in Christ and am willing to do His work where I can. Hallelujah.

We don't need a bunch of superheroes or some high ascended spiritual gurus, we need people who are willing to get with the people and show them Jesus. Get them Jesus. Talk to them about how Jesus can help them. Talk to them about the Bible and the book of Acts. Tell them your testimony.

A man knows his place.

A woman knows her place.

I don't want to get where I think I'm above anything. It says if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Maybe you are something, maybe you're nothing... bottom line- we can't go past what is written. God is God. Man is man, and that's that.

When we start thinking more than that... we start to have these lavish expectations, and this sense of entitlement and pride, and then we start comparing ourselves. "A little leaveneth the whole lump"...

Galatians 5:9

9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded

We can all get there, but let's strip off all the trinkets and extraneous baggage and get back to the old ways. Like Abraham. See a little you and a big God. Hallelujah, and nothing in between.