In other words, while you're sinning, you could have been doing something else, and that would have helped your life. So it's not just what you do, it's what you didn't do. When Jonah was in the fish, he wasn't just in the fish, that's pretty bad.
But he was not fulfilling his calling. There's a movie, well, I said a movie, it's a book originally by Charles Dickens, you've probably heard it, called Great Expectations. And it has a woman who was abandoned by her fiancé on the wedding day. And the rest of her life she lives in a room with the wedding table and the wedding cake.
Everything's the same. And many people live stuck. It's not like that. You don't see it like that.
But they actually live that way. And it keeps rolling over, rolls over. Do you want to be identified by that?
Or do you want to be identified by what the Bible says you are? You know, you, you, yes, we go through things, but you got to go through them. You know, I'm going through this. Well, if you're always staying there, you're not going through anything.
You're living there. Go through it. Get through it.
You got the power to do that. You got the power to do that. Depart from it.
God's saying not only depart from sin, depart from all that. He, He doesn't want His children being, being, being, uh, being oppressed by that their whole life. Now notice what it says. Next verse.
It's only, we only looked at two words. Next one. Notice what it says. Depart from evil. Next phrase is, and do good.
Now critical thing. Goes together. Goes together. Because the only way to move away from evil, as we saw, is to move to good. And the more you're involved in doing good in God and in His goodness, the more you're going to be, the less you're going to be involved in that.
You have a problem with bad thoughts. Thoughts that, impure thoughts. The answer is not trying to not think bad.
thoughts. It's very hard to not think bad thoughts. I'm not, I don't want to think about, well then you just thought about it. But the idea, the way to do it is to get your mind on the things of God. What does it say?
Whatever is good, dwell, we actually talked about, we talked about your thought life, how to have a healthy thought life. Whatever is good, let your mind dwell on these things. And the peace of God is going to do it. So there's the principle of replacing things. When you're being tempted, that's the time.
To not only just try not to be tempted, but turn your attention to something good in God. Turn your attention to, to rejoicing in the good thing, the blessings of God. Turn away from evil. You got to turn to good.
And not that you're perfect, and not that people are going to be perfect in ministry. We know that. But to the degree that you, the degree that you, you are in, you are dwelling on evil, you're not going to be able to be much good for God, and dwelling on God.
The more you are dwelling, the less you're going to be able to do that. How are you going to be a minister of the good news? Yes, we're aware of what's in the world.
Yes, we address it. But our heart and mind has to be focused on the things of God. Abraham had to leave the city of Ur and leave the gods of his fathers. Gideon had to smash the altar in order to serve God.
Isaiah had to get cleansed of his sin in order... to fulfill his calling. Matthew the tax gatherer had to leave his tax gathering, or leave the station to follow God.
Paul had to leave his anger and his sinful way. So to follow Messiah you do have to leave something. You cannot be a disciple if you haven't left something.
You know remember Peter said we've left everything to follow you. He said yes and you're getting far more than that. You know because it can stop you if you never break free of the old.
Jonah had a break free. Okay, that's over. And that's the, that's the double hurt of sin.
One is what it does to you. This, but the second part is what it keeps you from. In other words, while you're sinning, you could have been doing something else and that would have helped your call, it would have helped your life.
You know what I mean? So it's a double, it's not just what you do, it's what you didn't do. When Jonah was in the, was in the fish, you know, he, it's, he wasn't just like he was in a fish. That's pretty bad.
But he was not fulfilling his calling. It's a double thing. So doing good, getting into the will of God, is a double blessing.
Because one, because you're doing, you're doing good and you're not doing that other junk. You can't just not do evil. You need an antidote. And the opposite of being selfish is not, oh, I'm going to try not to be selfish. It's getting into the love of God that you actually want to give to somebody.
The opposite of being hateful is not by being nothing. It's actually by being loving that I love that. And if I'm dwelling in the forgiveness of God, I'm going to want to forgive others.
That's how it works. I can't work it up myself. I mean, I can try, but I cannot work up love. I need the love of God to do that. And then I go, depart from evil means you have to go somewhere.
And, and, and, and therefore again you cannot just be centered on what you're not supposed to do. Don't do this. Don't do that. You know there's some people that that's what they think of holiness is, I don't do this. I don't...
and that's a part of it. But that's not the first part. That's the result of it.
I'll not do this. Not do this. I shouldn't be doing this. That's tough when you get, you're into all these knots. You know you'll go knots with, by trying to do that.
People in the Bible, they always had to let go by, because of what was ahead of them. Is the Israelites. They left Egypt.
Well now they, they, anybody would want to leave Egypt. We know that because of the slavery. But it wasn't just about leaving Egypt. God said, set my people free so that they may worship me and that they may serve and minister to me. So it wasn't just, in order to leave Egypt, that's a secret right there.
So they couldn't just leave Egypt to be in the wilderness. They had a... leave Egypt for a purpose that God had called them to. And for the promised land on top of it.
I will bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey. It's written, even Messiah, he died for you for the joy set before him. How do you go through all that?
Well, it's set for the joy. What's the, the joy, you know, he didn't need anything. The joy was seeing you saved. That's the only thing.
That's what he, that's what he didn't have before, is you being saved. So the best way to leave something is to be focusing on the joy of what God has for you. And, and the calling that God has. Imagine you're on a plane and somebody asks you, where are you going? And, and you answer, well I'm not going anywhere.
I just want to leave the airport. I'm, I'm just here to leave New Jersey. Now I understand that, but you know, I'm not here to go anywhere. That'd be ridiculous.
It's not primarily, you're not on a plane to leave a place primarily. You're there to go somewhere. And so the best, the key right there... powerful key, focus ahead. Paul said, I leave that which is behind me, I'm not looking, I leave it behind and I'm focusing on what is ahead.
That is key. And if I'm focusing on what's ahead, I'm going to go ahead. If I'm focusing on what's behind, I'm trying to leave, I'm not going to go ahead because I'm facing the wrong way. That also, by the way, goes with spiritual warfare.
So, you know, it's like me sitting in a room trying not to think of Doritos. It doesn't work. You know, rather I should get my mind on something else. You know, and so, and so that is the best thing. Fill, delight yourself in the Lord.
He'll give the desire of your heart. You know, fill up. You know, in the presence of the Lord is fullness of joy.
To get into the joy of the Lord and you will not get tempted with the junk. When you are... physically when you're full you are not basically tempted. You know, never go to the supermarket when you're hungry. You know, and that says something.
So you want to resist spiritually. get filled up and you will not be, the temptation loses its power. So it says do good.
But the Hebrew also means commit to doing good. Commit to good. It's not just that I'm going to do good.
Okay. I am committed to get into your, to get into your will, Lord. To get into your, your, the moving of your spirit.
And you're, it also means be busy with. Be, get yourself involved with. Get busy in doing God's will.
Make it every day you wake up. Not just, I don't want to sin. That's good. I want to avoid sin. But how can I please you, Lord?
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