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  SMALL HINGES OPEN BIG DOORS
  by Shane Idleman
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Summary: This sermon emphasizes the impact of small choices in our
lives, urging listeners to be mindful of the small things that can lead
to significant consequences. It delves into the importance of
repentance, putting off old behaviors, and putting on the new self in
Christ. The message highlights the need to walk worthy of our calling,
avoid anger and bitterness, and extend forgiveness to others as Christ
forgave us.

Duration: 1:08:01 Topics: "Mindfulness in Choices", "Transformation in Christ"
Scripture References: Ephesians 4:22, Ephesians 4:31, Ephesians 4:1, Ephesians 4:26, Ephesians 4:22

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DESCRIPTION
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This sermon emphasizes the impact of small choices in our lives, urging
listeners to be mindful of the small things that can lead to significant
consequences. It delves into the importance of repentance, putting off
old behaviors, and putting on the new self in Christ. The message
highlights the need to walk worthy of our calling, avoid anger and
bitterness, and extend forgiveness to others as Christ forgave us.

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CONTENT
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Small hinges open big doors. Small hinges open big doors. I had the
title initially was, small choices make a big deal.

But my friend Malachi O'Brien texted me this title and I said, I like it
better. So we'll give him credit for that. And even in the illustration
I just mentioned with the person I know and others, it's the small
things that are gonna begin to add up.

You've gotta nip those small things in the, that's where the nip it in
the bud comes from. Remember hearing that a lot? I did when I was a kid
by my mom. It's the small things are gonna open the big door.

And we find ourselves in Revelation 9, 13 through 21. And I didn't want
to just glance over this. I wanted to really give it some due diligence
because the topic is so important.

So let's look at this very first verse. The sixth trumpet, the angels
from the Euphrates. Now, this topic is interesting because there's so
many different views on this.

But let's just read scripture and see what God wants to say. And where
God wants us to remain silent, where he wants us to speak possibly.
Revelation 9, 13 through 19.

Then the six angels sounded. And if you don't know what I'm talking
about, you gotta go back and listen to the different messages. And I
heard a voice.

I almost titled it, I heard a voice and hearing the voice of God, but
maybe for a later date. And so he heard a voice from the four horns of
the golden altar, which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had
the trumpet, release the four angels who are bound at the great river
Euphrates. So something is being withheld.

And then they're given permission. Remember, the devil is God's devil.
Once you process that, you'll understand what I'm saying.

He's under God's sovereign control. And something is being withheld. And
so when it's released, and that's my concern even with where our
country's going.

I mean, you can't read all this perversion to kids in the school
districts and the school, the cowardly woke school boards and pranting
around this sexual perversion. And you've got men dressing up as women
and inviting kids, things that's family friendly. Give me a break, that
is demonic and that is perverted.

And you have these things being released as well. Release the four
angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. This could be some
commentators say, and I don't disagree.

And it's an interesting concept. And I haven't fully embraced the
different, one of the views out there where you can take authority over
principalities in your area, but there's scriptural backing to that. The
Prince of Persia withheld the angel that was gonna deliver a message to
Daniel.

How did this Prince of Persia, it wasn't some actual prince. So are
there, and there could be strongholds over certain areas. We wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities.

And it goes on to say rulers, powers of darkness. So there's different
things and it's weird to think that, that is there a principality over
Los Angeles County? I don't know where God draws the lines at, but you
know, atmosphere and environment matter. There are certain areas where,
and I wanted to share some tonight.

I don't know if I'll be able to put it all together, reading, there's
actually a book, it's called They Found the Secret. No, it's not
something Oprah endorses. And you've heard me mention it before.

It's 20 stories of solid Christians who fully surrendered their lives
years later and the spirit of God came upon them like never before. And
that's when they became God's man or God's woman. It wasn't until then
that the mighty baptism of the spirit, the mighty anointing of the
spirit, the unction, whatever it is, you gotta have it, especially now
to get through these dire times.

And so there could be where a group of people are worshiping and the
atmosphere is thick with God's presence and reading. I think it was even
New Hebrides revivals where people were just walking down the road. You
know, they're a mile from the chapel and they fall down on their knees
and they begin repenting and giving their hearts to the Lord all across
the town of New Hebrides.

You can read Duncan Campbell's work on that. Same thing with Evan
Roberts, 1904, 1905 revival. And even no matter what your thoughts are
on the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles, many, you know, there's some
questionable things I have about any revival.

Any revival is gonna be questionable. Hello, God's moving, God's
breaking, God's equipping. The gifts of the spirit might be prominent
and that upsets half the Christian community right there.

There's just no way around it. But people would be, as they're driving
there, miles away, filling the conviction or filling the draw. Why do I
feel drawn to go there? Other times they, I forget what it is.

And of course you can't verify all this but I've read it enough times
and I've checked the source initially. And even the person who talked
about it in their book, the book is about 100 years old or so, maybe 80
years old, but talks about a fire department was even called because
they thought the church was on fire. Because of all it was, exactly.

Because of that, it looked like it's just something, there's something
there. So I think there is something to principalities over certain
areas. I mean, you go into just Taiwan or let's say, you go into certain
parts of Africa where the witch doctors are very prevalent and that's a
lot of that calling on the dead and the bones and what they do.

You can feel the difference. And I've shared this before. Many years
ago, I think we were in Lancaster still, this lady came to me and asked
if I would go with her and I think we arranged driving things so it
wouldn't be weird.

I think she drove down with her husband and we went and her brother was
a homosexual prostitute and was sick and he looked like he could be on
GQ model. And so we're in his house or the apartment in North Hollywood
and I'll never forget just even being in the area, parking in the wall
and going in and the smell of the incense and the drapes were closed and
it's like, when can I get back to Lancaster Palmdale for all you people
who complain about Lancaster Palmdale? Let me tell you, let me tell you,
there are some heavy oppression in other places too. And long story
short, I just shared my testimony and just loved on him and prayed with
him and his sister was there and then I heard back six weeks later that
he actually finished my book, Desperate for More of God and gave it to
his family and then all of a sudden passed away.

And we did his memorial here, believe it or not. I don't know if it was
this location, was it here? It was right when we got here, right when we
got here and you have people, maybe 50, 60 people, some from North
Hollywood, gay people sitting right there. And I preached the gospel,
the love of God calls us to repentance, calls us to turn back to him.

But the point was, you could feel that, I don't wanna upset people in
LA, but even driving sometimes into Los Angeles, can you feel that? I
haven't been to Vegas and maybe one time for a rally three or four years
ago, since the 1990s, because I don't have, me and Las Vegas, it's not
good. So let's just leave it at that. And just driving, I mean, I can
see it out there, I'm just like getting sick already.

You know, just like, oh man, can I just wanna come home? You know, and
so there's something too. It could be principalities over an area. I'd
rather err on that side because the Bible, if we had time, we could go
through Ezekiel or some of the different prophets.

Prophets, they actually speak against the principalities given to a
certain area and not just the people. And I don't know how it works. And
when I don't know how something works exactly, I wanna be careful not to
make connections where the Bible doesn't make connections.

And so the four angels who had been prepared for the hour and the day
and the month and the year were released to kill one third of mankind.
Now, the number of the army of the horsemen was 200 million. And I heard
the number of them.

And thus I saw the horses in the vision. Those who sat on them had
breastplates of fiery red and a blue, I can't pronounce, hyacinth? Oh,
hyacinth, yeah, that sounds right. And sulfur yellow.

So they had fiery red, this blue, the sulfur yellow. It's funny, if you
look at a Chinese jet, it's exactly what you see. Of course, we don't, I
mean, it's all speculation.

A friend of mine, Joe Pettick, I don't know if you listen to the radio
network, you'll hear his sermons. I just heard him talking about this
and I was gonna text him and, hey, give me some of your notes. But we
don't know.

We don't know what this is. And the heads of the horses were like heads
of lions and out of their mouth came fire, smoke, and brimstone. Wow, I
was right.

However, this says nothing of an army from the east but of a demonic
horde that destroys a third of mankind. So we can't, let's say, tie in
China, for example. They boast of a 200 million man army in the 1970s.

And we can't just throw them in here because it doesn't talk about those
from the east until we get to Revelation 16. And let me just read that.
The sixth angel poured out his bull in Revelation 16.

Now, I know what many of you are thinking because if I think it, I know
you're thinking it. I can't keep track of all these judgments. There's
bull judgments, there's Trump judgments, and there's seals being broken.

It's like, are these 21 different events? Are they all talking about the
same thing? And that's why I mentioned there are different views. Some
would say it's a snapshot of church history over 2,000 years and the
battle between good and evil. Or some people believe these are succinct.

I think the seal's broken, and then the bulls are poured out, and then
the trumpet judgments. There's a lot of judgments going on. And we don't
quite understand to what degree they will happen.

We just know we need to be prepared. And the best way to be prepared is
not with food that expires in 25 years, but to know God and to be filled
with His Spirit. And so this angel poured out his bull on the great
river Euphrates, and its water was dried up.

And you can watch a lot of YouTube clips on where that is actually
happening now. Then demonic spirits that perform signs, they went out to
the kings of the whole world to gather them for battle on the great day
of God Almighty. Then they gathered the kings together to the place that
is in Hebrew called Armageddon.

This is the one we all hear of, right? Let me just give you an end times
fact that's interesting. The 109th Squadron right now, right now out of
the Israeli Air Force which operates the F-16s, these fighters are out
of Ramat David Air Base located in the Jezreel Valley or the Valley of
Armageddon. Right now.

I don't know, it's just interesting, isn't it? And by these three
plagues, a third of mankind was killed by the fire and the smoke and the
brimstone which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their
mouth and in their tails. For their tails are like serpents having heads
and with them they do harm.

So we don't know because you can see even missiles, you know, they look,
they leave that trail. Was he describing fighter jets or helicopters or
chemical warfare? Or as some would say, this has to do with AD 70 and
how I showed you they referenced Josephus or different times in history.
And to me it looks like this could be a cataclysmic event coming up.

But the rest of mankind, but the rest of mankind, what happened to them?
Who were not killed by these plagues, this just amazes me. They still
did not repent. You see what's going on in the world, you see what's
going on, I mean this is, I mean nothing has even remotely happened like
this before.

And you're still gonna be mad at God? You're gonna shake your little
fist at him? I'll show him, no you won't, he'll show you. They did not
repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons
and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone and wood which can neither see
nor hear nor walk. So this group of people, they are worshiping things
that are not God.

They're worshiping the creation rather than the creator. And again, they
did not repent. What did they not repent of? Their murders, yeah that's
pretty bad.

But here's what's interesting, or their sorceries. Now I had a long
rabbit trail but I went against it. That word is actually drugs,
spirits.

Anything you know called that? Drugs, what many people are running to,
running back to. That's what it is, it even comes from the word
pharmacy. I think it's pharmakeia, these are all linked together.

And am I saying if a person stumbles and goes back to that, are they
lost forever? No, there's a difference between a struggle and a
lifestyle. Remember I gave you the analogy months ago about the pig and
the lamb. They both find their way back to the mud that resembles sin.

But the lamb cries out and hates its miserable condition and wants
desperately to come out of it. That's the struggle. But the pig wallows
in the mud and enjoys it and even leads others in.

It's a big struggle, I mean it's a lifestyle. And that's the difference,
you can struggle versus a lifestyle, and I don't give permission to
struggle. And that's why people are convicted, they don't want to come
to church, there's a lot of shame and guilt, it's because they're like
that lamb who was caught.

And so he's putting murderers in the same camp of those who go to their
drugs, go to their drink, go to that party lifestyle, and of their
sexual immorality, and of being a thief, taking things. Well, that's
quite a broad group there, John. But it's important to know that worship
is a posture.

Worship is a posture of submission, either to God or the God of this
world. So when we say, well, they worshiped the work of their hands,
what does that mean? It's really a, we hear worship, right? We think of
what we just did this morning. And that's true, that's a form of worship
though.

Biblical worship is the outflowing of a person's lifestyle. So you can
come in here and do that for the last 40 minutes, and go home and live a
certain way, you didn't really worship. You went through some motions,
ah, that felt great, thank you, thank you, John Waymaker, no, no, no.

Ah, that felt great, felt great. We even have unbelievers come in a lot,
and oh man, that worship, that just felt great. They don't know God,
nothing changes.

So is that worship, or is that false worship, going through the motions?
So worship is the lifestyle. What flows out of you all week? Yes, Sunday
morning worship. Yes, worship tonight.

Yes, get up in the morning and you read the word, and you begin to
worship God. Later in the day, begin to pray, and that's what worship
is. It's not just something we do for a moment.

So it's a posture of submitting our lifestyle either to God or to the
God of this world. It's really how we spend our time, energy, resources,
and money, and that reveals who or what we worship. Is that not true?
Show me your checkbook and your calendar.

We can figure out a lot. Do we worship Target, Costco, to feed King's
stomach? No, of course, all those things in and of themselves are not
wrong. Maybe Target, right? Ridiculous, ridiculous.

Having a background in marketing, I would love to talk to these
marketing people. So you're the stupidest person on the planet. You're
trying to cave in to 1% of the whole population to make a statement.

Really, you're concerned about a credit score with the big guys
upstairs, and you're gonna have a little kid wear a onesies. I love
transgenderism. He's one year old.

This is ridiculous. How do we spend our time? How do we spend our money?
And this is why most people have a hard time worshiping God, correct?
This is why most people have a hard time worshiping God. Their
affections are elsewhere.

How can I come in and worship God if my affections are elsewhere? I've
been feeding on things that are not of God all week. Maybe I've
stumbled, maybe I've fumbled, and if I don't repent and get back on
track, it's hard. I don't really, I come to church and I kind of feel
stagnant and I feel dead, but I did the right thing.

I checked it off and I got it right. Why are those people so emotional?
Why do they wanna come to church every night? I'm just not, I'm not
feeling it. And it's often because our affections are elsewhere, even as
believers.

And over the years, I've noticed, speaking now probably for 20 years,
traveling and speaking, and it's interesting. There's an interesting
group of believers out there. What I call conservative Bible thumpers.

Boy, they love that Bible, but do they love God? And rightly so. We look
to the word, it's truth. But they're not worshipers.

They hide behind this study of doctrine. The study, I looked, and they
just totally push out worship and prayer and all these other things that
are so-called too emotional. And if we're not careful, we can become a
Martha, not a Mary.

Oh, Martha, Martha. You're worried about too much stuff. You love
reading about systematic theology, but I never see you at the altar.

I never see you here worshiping and praying and pulling down heaven.
Don't we know that the Bible appoints us to the one we're supposed to
worship? I love the Bible. I read all the time.

It's our gauge for truth. It's everything. It's God's inspired word.

But that is supposed to deepen our relationship with God, not push us
further away from Him. And that's why most people have a hard time
worshiping. They come in and they haven't been consuming a lot of God,
His word and prayer and things.

And because of that, it's kind of hard, right? Like I could go to a
Taylor Swift concert and I would be out of place. I can't, that girl's
shorts are too short, that skirt, this, and that music's demonic and too
much marijuana in the crowd. Why are so many people at home there
screaming at home and love it, love it, love it.

We'll wait outside for six hours because that's where their affections
lie. I love what Oswald Chambers said. Why doesn't God reveal Himself to
you? Which is to know His will.

He cannot. It is not that He will not, but He cannot because you are in
the way as long as you won't abandon yourself to Him in total surrender.
Oh, it's hard, isn't it hard? I had an interesting conversation this
week with a family member, good close family member who goes to a
different church in the Valley because they serve in different things.

And it was encouraging because he said, you know, cousin, just keep
doing what you're doing because people need to hear what you're saying.
And many people aren't willing to say what you're saying because it's
not popular. Because he knows, he talks to people who leave this church
who go to that one.

They're just convicted. They do not want to hear it. And that same
problem, that same struggle, they just bring it here, but they're not
challenged so they can sit comfortably.

And it's good to hear that because you get discouraged a lot of times.
And you realize as long as it's coming from a heart that's not upset and
angry and judgmental, but just, if what I said is not true with God's
word, let me know. Because everything I just said has tons of scriptural
support.

And if the truth be told, all of the prophets were way more hardcore.
How would you like me to come in here and call half of you stiff neck
people? God's gonna judge you, you arrogant, arrogant people. How dare
you come in here in the house of the living God and act as if you're
worshiping him when you go out there and live like hell.

That's what they said. Now they need a little more grace and mercy. I
understand that, but there's something, here's why.

Because little things make a big deal. Little things make a big deal. Is
that not true? They make a big deal physically.

They make a big deal spiritually and they make a big deal emotionally.
So the little things, so many of you have come to me about this issue.
And it's a struggle for all of us and of course our personal health,
right? Taking care of our body and wanting to be productive and have
energy.

And that's one thing now I really regret is I could have done better,
but as you get older, it's like, whoa, this is no joke. Gosh, did I
almost miss a step right there? I'm gonna look like Biden pretty soon.
And it's like, you can feel your body's not, but it's the little things,
the choices we make, these little things are eventually gonna end up to
a big problem or a big issue.

It's the little things, the little hinges open those big doors. A little
thing spiritually. Oh, I wish I could just stay here the whole sermon.

The little things spiritually. Like I said, every week we're talking to
people who have fallen back into sin. It's like what we do.

And guess what it starts with? Something big? Never. Hey, I haven't seen
you for a few weeks. Oh yeah, I'm busy, I got a new job, a promotion,
I'm making more money.

You cannot, let me tell you how much, how often that has taken people
out. The love of money is the root of all evil. And so that's a, but on
the flip side, that's not a, if you gotta pay the bills, and so there's,
but if that's, oh, I'm making more now, I'm working more, I'm working
the days at church, and of course they say, but I'm doing good, Pastor.

I'm in my Bible like never before. Here it comes. Give it a few weeks or
a few months.

Anytime they have to justify, no, I've never been doing better
spiritually. It's coming. Because something is convicting them, and they
have to say something to excuse that conviction.

Pastor, am I, am I lying? Straight up, all the time. You can see the
indicators. Hey, we've got Red in the Heavens every single night.

Try to come for a few nights. Get at that altar, get broken. Oh man,
World Series.

I committed to my dad, who I haven't talked to in a while, to spend some
time with him. Now that's good, right? No biggie, but these small things
are gonna get ya. Eventually.

Too busy to get up and read the Word. Too busy to do this. Now I'm
making this choice instead of this choice.

I'm spending too much time on the internet or things now, but, and so
these little choices, these little things eventually add up. Correct?
The little things. Do this sometime.

I don't know the numbers, so don't quote me on it, but if a young adult
teenager, 18, 19, starts putting away like $200 a month. Okay, what is
it? 100 a month, how much will they get when they retire? Over a million
dollars, yeah. So I could have been a millionaire by now.

Did you know that? Just $100. See these little things, and I'm just
concerned that, you know, I'm like many of you. I mean, it's the big
things we want to avoid, and please do, but oh, watch out for those
small foxes.

Oh, those small foxes, the Bible says, they spoil the vine. They have
this huge grape harvest coming in, and the Bible says, watch out for
those little foxes. They like to go and eat those grapes and damage the
vine.

The little things make a big deal, physically and spiritually and
emotionally. The little things we begin to dwell on eventually become
big things, don't they? Taking your thoughts captive is not just a good
idea. Those little thoughts.

Do you know, and I want to be careful and sensitive, but this, you know,
over the years, same thing in counseling people, where let's say an
affair has taken place. It's the initial thought right there. They don't
get up one morning, go to work, and then, I'm gonna drive and have an
affair right here.

I don't really like them anymore. They're really upsetting me. That
person at work, I'm kind of drawn towards, it's harmless, you know, so
no big deal, and then more conversations, and I've actually had people
tell me this.

The pastor, I think that's who I should've married. Let me just wreck
your world right now. If that's who you're supposed to marry back when
you were seeking God 10 years ago, that's what you would've hooked up
with.

Small things, right? Well, they're definitely not gonna have an affair,
but lunch won't hurt. Hey, we'll eat outside. You know, it's a business
meeting.

You see, right? The small things are gonna get ya. They get me. They'll
get you.

These small hinges open big doors, and in Psalm 31, we read this months
ago when we were in that Psalm on Wednesday night. He says, my strength
fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away. See? Did his
actual bones waste away? I mean, if you wanna get real technical, there
is an aspect of the health and fitness studies that show how toxic
emotions and things wear down your calcium levels, and you're like,
okay, I'm not gonna go there today, because that's true.

Toxic emotions and all these things can really, really break, wreak
havoc on your body, from your micro gut biome to your serotonin levels,
and it just releases certain toxic things. Isn't that interesting? When
you follow God's word, it also has health benefits. But he said
something, he said, when my strength fails me because of my sin, and my
bones, my literal bones, they're not wasting away, but it feels like
everything inside of me is coming undone.

It's hard to even get through life. I feel undone. I feel wrecked.

Colossians says this, therefore, well, I probably should have told you
why I'm transitioning here from Revelation. I wanna talk about these
small things real quick before we leave. Small things, because he said
murder, murderers, and then those who steal things, those who are
involved in sorceries.

I mean, these little things that we think, and that's what, if you'll
talk to unbelievers, you'll hear that a lot. Well, I'm not like Chris
down the street, my neighbor. Or I'm not like my uncle Bill.

I'm a pretty good guy. The little things, the little things. So let's
look at a few little things that maybe we need to work on.

Now it'll make sense, right? Colossians 3, 5-7, and this, man, man,
there's so much there, because a lot of people, and I understand what
they're saying, and this might be some of you, this will be helpful. We
live in an interesting time because we live in what they call the age of
grace, correct? Thank God, I don't know about you, but thank God I don't
live in the Old Testament. I do not wanna be Isaiah or Jeremiah.

They call it the dispensation of grace, or the heir of grace, or we
don't live under law anymore, we live under grace. I know what they're
saying, because they didn't have the grace of God through Jesus Christ
until he came, rose again, and now you can believe and have faith. And I
do believe there was a cataclysmic shift that took place.

I mean, the demons were running the show, running the show, until Jesus
came. They were running it until he came and conquered that kingdom, and
took the authority back. And there is more grace.

If there wasn't, I don't know if our church would have anybody in it, if
God handled Ananias and Sapphira the same way, even though that was
after Jesus ascended in the book of Acts. So we live under that, and
there has to be more grace, and there has to be more mercy, and we're
not beat him up, beat him up. But any time in the church where you'll
see a damaged doctrine, it gets damaged because people take it to the
extreme.

Camera's gonna get mad at me, I'm trying to fall. Like to trick them.
See how far you guys can go, huh? See how far that swivel goes.

So we can damage that doctrine if we go too far. Then you hear the terms
messy grace, loosey-goosey grace, because it's been abused. And you have
to bring it back to the center.

And you have to have that grace, but also the righteousness of God, and
the holiness of God. And the reason I say that is one of the charges
that people have made against me over the years is, man, brother, it's
all about, you gotta do this, you gotta do this, you gotta do this.
Where's the grace in just living in God's grace and not worrying about
all this other stuff? I said, well, I see what you're saying, but
there's a lot of scriptures that, you know, put to death, do not walk,
put this mind in you, put on the armor of God, do not make no provision
for the, I mean, there's a lot of application.

I don't think obedience is a bad word, I just think you don't like to
obey. I'm not stupid, but if we go too far this side, and we're sin
sniffing, hey, your wife said you had a six pack this weekend, you're
out of here, buddy. What is this? You looked at porn two months ago,
don't ever come in here again.

Right, just go beat him up, go beat him up. And you're looking for that,
that's why I call a sin sniffer. You guys down here, but, and you're too
far over.

Right, and you have, you're just, now you've abused this doctrine of
obedience. And so you'll see throughout church history, it's that
constant, that tension of trying to, trying to get things back. And I
know a lot of people hear this too, I might as well just tell you
everything I hear this morning.

Man, you talk too much about fasting. Well, guess what? It's a doctrine
that has been lost. Not a doctrine, but it's a practice of the church
that's been lost.

So how do you bring something back, sweetie, that's been lost? You go
find it and you focus on it. And if it doesn't register with you, okay,
water off a duck's back, just let it go. But if I'm called to, and I
just told you now, they're airing the messages in San Diego.

They said 35, 40,000 people every single week, just in San Diego. So God
might have something to say to them too. I just, I don't know.

And so you recapture these doctrines or these traditions that are lost.
And sometimes in doing that, you go the wrong way. You go too far out.

So can you talk too much about fasting and focus too much on it?
Absolutely, no one knows that better than me. But also right now there's
about 200 people on the texting system just for fasting. I hear it all,
I need to fast.

What do you recommend? So we're trying to help those people as well. And
it's a conglomeration of God working in the hearts of different people,
different ways. I'll never forget back in Lancaster, we had somebody,
they actually left, I think, and wrote me an email.

You talk too much about the Holy Spirit. Did you know we're in a six
week series on the forgotten God of the Holy Spirit? Hello, hello.
Where's the grace on the other side? That's the series we're in, golly.

Just this stuff drives me crazy. Now can you talk too much about the
Holy Spirit and forget about Christ? Of course, of course. So now let's
talk about some of these Scriptures that can help us.

Abram, don't be texting me. Therefore, therefore, I text him way more
than he texts me, so he's off the hook. Therefore, put to death, wait a
minute, Paul to the church in Colossae, can you be a little bit more
seeker friendly? The little things, the little things, put to death
fornication.

So if you are sleeping with someone who's not your spouse, put it to
death. Stop the silly little excuses. Well, we love each other.

We love each other. I think this is the one. And doesn't the Old
Testament say that's the way to do it? Well, here's another truth, Bob.

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. If you look at someone and you
begin to lust for them and fulfill that lust, and you're not married to
them, it is fornication. Jesus actually used the word pornea when he
said any type of sexual morality outside of marriage, pornea.

That's why I love when people say, he didn't say anything about
homosexuality. He didn't have to. He said anything, he didn't say
anything about bestiality, necrophilia, hey, we can keep going.

He didn't say anything about pedophile. Well, so is it okay? Give me a
break. See, we look for loopholes in scripture.

If I can just find that loophole, where's it at? I can begin to continue
to indulge. Repentance, repentance. So put to death.

And that's like, there's no other option. Put to death, get rid of it.
When you put something to death, you get rid of it.

Have your spouse check your Instagram messages. Do you know I recommend,
that's often people are like, I don't know about that. How bad do you
want it? Why are you coming here playing games? I'm not preaching to
people playing games.

I'm preaching to people who wanna make some serious changes. But Shane,
you might drop us down to one service. That's okay, that's much easier.

One service would take care of our parking issue. We could just not be
in a hurry. We could, you know, hey, I'm done, I'll see you later.

Now I gotta do this at the 11, I'm not gonna remember half the stuff I
told you guys. Put to death, fornication, uncleanness, which is corrupt
morals. Don't even entertain it, put it to death.

Get rid of, put to death passions. Well, what is that? That's an
unhealthy lust. And you know what? It can be a good thing, a God thing,
but it becomes unhealthy.

In the New Testament, it says, those who are, I think the word is
corrupt, or those who are misled and are rejecting God, make their God
their stomach, indulging a good thing. Thank God for food, amen? But
when it becomes our master, and that's what I've told you before, that's
one of my struggles. Always, when I was a little kid, they called me
chubby in lead pants.

My mom was like, Shane, can't you just stop after dinner? I still
remember that at 12 years old. I mean, no, the sugar gods call out. Ask
my wife, I tell her to hide the chocolate, hide the stuff, just put it
somewhere where you, I don't wanna get up at midnight, cause I just get
up and I know where it's at at midnight.

Did you do that? Golly. So put to death, that's a good thing about
fasting, cause that's actually what it does. And that's why it's so
hard.

It's a struggle against those fleshly appetites, against those lusts.
And you're saying, no, God, I need you more. I'm giving up this appetite
for a greater appetite.

And they say, put to death the lust. And I know if I don't put to death
those things, eventually, right, I will have, I know I'll have diabetes.
I've got a lot of the signs already, because I shouldn't weigh 220
pounds at 54 years old.

Because as you get older, the glucose, the blood sugar, you gotta even,
lean is the key these days. As you get older, get the rock out of your
mind, Arnold Schwarzenegger, guys, lean is the key. Gosh, there's lots
of rabbit trolls.

And then put to death, put to death, these passionate evil and evil
desires. What are evil desires? You know, if people just get up and they
just, they just are full of hate, maybe to their spouse, maybe to
others. People, even they come to church, I can tell they're just full
of hate, evil desires and covetousness.

What's the big deal about that? Covetousness, well, I should have
really, I wanna be clear here too. Paul, although unbelievers will read
this, guess who he's writing to? He's writing to a church in Klossy.
You, me.

And sometimes we, oh boy, oh boy, that's for unbelievers. Well, no,
because he knows it will destroy you. So get rid of covetousness.

What is that? I want that Lamborghini, Pastor Abram talked about in the
message. No, I don't really, but now the Dodge Rebel, 6.7, 2,500 diesel,
$125,000 Dodge Ram. I see that, I'm like, mm, that's, right, but that's
what covetousness is.

I'm not gonna be honest with you guys anymore. If you don't give me some
grace. But I know I can't drive that and pull up in it, right? And this,
then it won't look good.

So, what am I doing? Covetousness, covetous. Oh yeah, so you want
something that someone else, I want, if I could have their spouse. I
wish I could have their spouse.

Honey, you don't see even half of it. You think everything's good? You
don't know what they deal through, what they've been through? Oh, if I
could just have that marriage, like that. If I could just have that job,
or that house, and it's one thing, okay, Lord, that would be nice if I
get a better, I mean, who wants to buy a house in the future, right?
Good luck.

I feel, I do, I feel for the young adults, really do. They'll be living
with their parents for a while. So, I won't get into all that.

But if you look at the interest rate and the price of homes, a house
that was 2,500 is now four grand a month, in two years? Because all that
interest, you're just paying, it's a waste of money, complete waste of
money paying interest. Now, I gotta say something, because people are
buying a house right now. So buy a house, if God's put that on your
heart, and you can afford it.

See, I assume that when people hear things, it's just like, well,
obviously this doesn't apply to me. Because my mom used to do that a
lot. She loved me to talk about fasting.

She loved me to talk about morning worship. She loved for me to talk
about, man, get at that altar. But people get upset at me.

My mom never came to these things. But she knew, obviously, she, I mean,
so I think people just use me as an excuse, because so they don't have
to seek God harder. Blame the messenger.

That's been tried and tested for millenniums. And so he's telling the
church, well, this is real therapeutic for me today, by the way. This is
a good service.

I just got it all out there. No, don't clap. Don't clap.

My motives are not always pure, because I hope some of those people go
back and listen to this later. Right, can tell them off. That's why they
call it the bully pulpit.

So put to death, don't consider it, don't fool around with it. Put to
death covetousness. So repent.

That's why I think this altar should be full at every service because we
come in here acting like, I have got nothing to give up. I'm doing
great. That's true.

Sometimes it is. Well, thank you. Are you here? Is that, well, of
course.

Maybe more full. Is that proper English? Properly more full. More full.

And backed up. And because, Lord, I'm surrendering afresh. I'm getting,
I gotta give this up.

If I would have just married that person, or if I would have just went
there, if I would have just went to that school, I covet, you know, if I
would have just finished graduating, or if I would have just, oh, if
that would have been me. And covetousness, what it does is it eats you,
it eats you from the inside out. And I just told my oldest, I said, just
don't look, don't be on Instagram stuff too much at all because it's so
unrealistic.

These people are miserable, and they're painting this picture. So what I
finally did is I sent them a, it's called a, what is that? Some social
media influencer studio, like in the Philippines, where they got all
these girls, like in a jail. 30, 40, 50 of them.

They all have their own studio. And they're all making these videos
about clothing, and they're locked, not locked up. But it's this, it's
this, it's this, it's this like a, just this system where they're not
happy, and they're paying them to make these videos.

And we think, oh, look at that. That is so awesome. No, they're in a
little cubicle in the Philippines.

Do not covet. One bad thing about social media is we covet. I don't
remember if you knew, but a few nights ago when Alex was filming up
here, he said, hey, guess what? We have 3,000 people watching just on
TikTok.

Because people are sharing it, right? And so there's some good things
there, but if you let that become your standard, how to dress, how to
act, how to conduct yourself, what your goals should be, what your
ambitions should be. Look, I wanna be a, look at this guy makes 100,000
a month on YouTube. I wanna be that influencer.

No, you don't. You wanna work your tail off and earn your money, so it
means a lot to you. You want to work hard like God says it.

Don't these fly-by-night type of endeavors and these quick, get-rich-
quick schemes, all because of coveting. Many divorces, if you look often
at the root of it, it can be covetousness. I want something different.

And he says, which is idolatry. And because of these things, because of
these things he just mentioned, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons
of disobedience. Now, I don't think the church were referred to as the
sons of disobedience, but I think what he's saying, you know, correct me
if I'm wrong later, because of all these things that you're allowing
into your own heart, God's actually gonna judge the wicked because of
these same things.

They're not right with me, so they're gonna be judged because of it. But
why should you, children of light, children of obedience, engage in
these things that the sons of disobedience are doing, in which you
yourselves, you once walked. You once walked in them.

So in a nutshell, if I could sum this up, he's saying, why are you going
back into the enemy's camp? Why are you willingly, remember those
things? And I have to ask anybody here, or that's on staff or
volunteers, maybe too much so, too much grace, believe it or not. Like,
just, you know, let them keep serving. Let's do this.

Let's, you know, tons of grace. Let's build them back up. Let's, because
I understand that it's a battle every single day of our life.

And so Paul says, don't go back to those things you came out of.
Remember, you worked so hard to come out of them. You came to the altar,
even.

You got into the word of God, and you felt the fire of God. And so he's
shouting, Pastor, I'm doing so good. And then months go by, and those
things begin to draw you back.

Oh, wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from these choices that
keep pulling me back away from you, Lord? He says, make that decision.
Repent to them. Put them to death.

You don't play with something that's dead. If you put it to death, don't
resurrect it. People are confused.

Shane, I thought my sins died at the cross. They did, but you keep
digging up the bones. Paul goes on to say in Romans, whoever you choose
to obey becomes your master.

You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose Christ's
righteousness, which leads to life. You choose. You choose.

Why walk back into the enemy's camp? Ephesians goes on to say,
therefore, I am the prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ. I beseech you. I
beg you to walk worthy of the calling which you were called.

Don't we need to hear this from time to time? I know I do. I need to be
woke up from my slumber sometimes and realize the word of God is sharper
than any sword. It goes in and it hits you because it loves you.

It wakes you up when you're asleep because God knows that these little
things will be the things that take you out. I'm trying, Joe. Ephesians
four, one through three again.

I beseech you, walk worthy of the calling. See, we're worthy. We're
God's children.

We're saints. So he says, walk like that. Remember who you are.

Walk like that. Walk like you're chosen. Walk like you're a king's kid.

Walk like that. You might feel like the enemy's pushing you down and
discouraging. Oh, you blew it.

God can't use you now. Well, hello, if that's the case, I'll go sit down
right now. I'll retire.

I'll hand in my resignation because God takes broken people and rebuilds
them and rebuilds them. He takes broken people. It doesn't mean you stay
in your mess.

It means you repent and get out of your mess. And then guess what? Now I
can pull others, people up. Taking those thoughts, captain.

I'll share something with you too. Years ago, when we first came up
here, a family was coming, then they stopped coming. They said, oh, that
church is just all about it.

It's an addiction church. You don't care. You guys remember this? Yeah.

And see, that still discourages me. Seven years later, like I better not
hit on that topic too much. People think I'm, you know, and I got to
fight those thoughts.

God will use Christians to shoot fiery darts at you. Did you hear what I
said? That's why people think I'm arrogant. No, I'm just careful who I
listen to.

You're gonna come tell me something about my heart. You don't even know
me. Be careful.

Like I said, it's a very therapeutic service. I'm telling you. This one,
this one.

But again, I'm just sharing stuff that God's been putting in my heart
all week. And it's important how even I get hurt by words. How I get,
like that conversation I had with the family member, you know, just this
week, or I talked too much about fasting.

If I didn't know what, I told my wife this week, if I didn't know what
God has called me to do, I would be locked up in an assailant asylum.
Because you want to hear this? Oh, you want to hear this? Oh, I
shouldn't have said that. I was to this, I was to that.

I talked too much about fasting, and I'm too much about obedience, and
too much about the Holy Spirit. Holy cow. What do you want me to say?
What would you like to hear today? Please tell me what you'd like to
say.

What do you want to hear? Oh, that offended you, but that encouraged
you? Well, should I not do it that way next time then? Well, that, you
offended me, you didn't, but then. I'm paralyzed. If I listen to the
opinions of men, and I will not.

Pastor Abram sees it, my wife sees it, core group sees it. I'll show you
emails where people will leave here, they'll list seven things I do
wrong. And I ask, do I need to work on these things? I go to our elders,
do I need to work on these things? No, no, no, keep saying it.

They just don't want to hear it. So my point in all this. No, I just
heard, see, three weeks ago, you use sermons to tell people off.

Well, hello, I'm just opening up and being honest. See, I can't even say
what I just said, because somebody will get offended. It's ridiculous.

It's absolutely ridiculous. My goodness, grow up. God is convicting you.

Shoot the messenger and God's word will still go out. So no longer walk
as the rest of the Gentiles in the futility of your mind. That's why I
said that, that's where the enemy attacks my mind.

I don't know if I can keep up with these slides. That you put off, okay,
last verse. That you put off concerning your former conduct.

That you put off concerning your former conduct. What does that mean?
Put it off and be renewed in the spirit and put on. See, anytime, here's
the key.

You, we teach this in nutrition all the time. As soon as you get rid of
that junk food, you better put something good in. So once you put
something off, you've got to put something on.

Put on the new man. So I'm putting off the old man. Okay, I'm coming to
the altar or later to, Lord, I've got to crucify these lusts.

I've got to give this up. I'm putting all of these things off. I'm
leaving them here.

And then when I leave here today, I'm going to put on the new man. I'm
going to get that daily devotion. I'm going to grab Oswald Chambers and
read what he has to say every single day.

I'm going to make time, make time not for Cinemark or Voodoo or Video
Prime or whatever, Netflix. I'm going to put God's word on my calendar.
Put it on the calendar.

Do you know I started 20 years ago? It's on my calendar. That's what I
do when I get up. We have to, you're a pastor.

No, I was working my tail off, digging ditches when I started this.
Leaving the house at 5.30 in the morning. Don't lecture me on I can't
fit it in, I can't squeeze it.

If you want something bad enough, you'll fit it in. You'll fit it in.
Remember when Black Friday was something? These people get up at 2.30 in
the morning, hit Starbucks by 4 a.m. And they'll be in line all day long
to spend lots of money.

Telling me they're too tired, they don't have time. Golly. By the way,
all the elders, you're here, most of you can email me today.

That was a little too much, so. So put on the new, man. I'm just going
to go, just, I'm going to bring it to an end because we're going long.

He basically says, do not grieve the spirit. See, if we had one service,
I could keep going. Do not grieve the spirit.

Do not grieve the spirit. One thing that stood out is verse 27. Do not
be angry.

It goes on to say, do not give place, what? Do you know, I did a study
on the Greek. What you have to do is not just a word, but like on the
sentence structure. Like, is this a passive participle or is this an
active verb tense? Meaning it's like something we're doing now or is it
past that something already happened to us? And it's interesting,
studying this, it literally means do not invite the devil in through
anger.

How many of you after an angry outburst are just broken? I saw the hands
go up. The rest of you weren't honest. But isn't it hard? I thank God he
broke that out of me because I was raised in a home.

That's how you dealt with things. Hearing doors slam every day. Holes
punched in doors.

Anybody relate? Will, now you're quiet. Come on, help me out here. How
many times we have drywallers come over and fix the drywall or put
pictures there? But see, those are angry outbursts.

And God can take that away. Maybe you can come to the altar this morning
or the prayer room. Let us pray with you.

Because I thank God I'm not who I used to be. I'm not who I want to be
fully, but thank God. And you guys should read, you should just read
these verses at your leisure.

He talks about no bitterness or wrath or anger. We put these things away
from you because what you're doing is you're grieving the spirit of God.
All of Ephesians, read all of Ephesians four if you can, even tonight.

But the point is small choices make a big deal. And it's funny, he goes
on to say, be kind to one another, forgiving one another. Ooh, that's
hard.

But when he says this, what excuse do we have? Even as God and Christ
Jesus forgave you. So God forgave me. See, that's the thing about
forgiveness.

It doesn't mean the other person's right. That's why I think we don't
want to do it. I'm wrong.

No, it just means, hey, I'm releasing this because God forgave me, I'm
releasing this. And if you're here this morning and God has not forgiven
you, because it says even Christ forgave you, if God has not forgiven
you, it's the reason, the reason is because Jesus Christ bridges that
gap. So the grace of God is poured out on those who believe in Jesus,
believe he took the punishment of God.

God can't forgive me as a sinner because how do I pay that price of sin?
The wages of sin is death. I've nothing, I'm lost. God can't forgive me
because there's this sin gap that there's nothing I can do.

What can I do to God to usher in forgiveness for my soul? That's why
Jesus came. He died on the cross. He said, it is finished.

The Bible says, the King James says he gave up his ghost. He gave up his
spirit. It says done, paid in full, paid in full.

So maybe you need to do that this morning. You need to repent. You need
to repent and believe the gospel.

Oh, it's funny, I'll share it with you. I got an email from Muscle and
Fitness, big secular magazine. They want to do a story, interview me and
hopefully point people back to the church website and the church YouTube
channel.

So God is using that as well. Again, if some of these issues, if you
need to put something to death, that can be anything. You know what it
is, because God will show you.

If you need to put that to death, the altar is going to be open.
Addictions, maybe you're confused. Maybe you don't know, got confused
about sexuality.

Did you know we don't look down upon that? Sin is sin. Sin is sin. We
don't judge, oh, I'm attracted to the same sex.

Well, that guy has to go get a drink later tonight. That guy can't get
as off as oxy. That guy can't stop having angry outbursts.

I mean, it's a house of God, it's for broken people. And you love, you
know, I love when the atheists, the church is just a crutch. We remind
them, no, it's an entire hospital.

We have the emergency ward here. We have critical care. We have
recovery.

We have rehab. We have the glorious prayer room in the chapel. And we
have everything, because we're here to encourage and equip sinners, but
also to convict them.

That's how the Bible directs us.

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Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/t4CL-i2_cPA.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/shane-idleman/small-hinges-open-big-doors/
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