 Amen. So keep your place in Acts chapter 15. We're going to be going there in just a few minutes. So tonight we're talking about Personality types. We're talking about personality types and many of you took the personality test and you all have your different personalities. So what I want to do with the next couple of sermons is I want to first I want to pick we're going to talk about a certain type or maybe a couple types of personalities in each sermon and then I want to pick a character in the Bible that I mean obviously I don't know but you know who I think would match this personality type. Look at a story in the Bible about that and then I want to go through what secular philosophy says about weaknesses and strengths of this personality and see if they are according to the Bible really weaknesses and strengths. Okay, so that sounds complicated, but tonight we're going to talk about defenders and we're going to talk about defenders and defenders actually share a lot of these characteristics. We're going to talk about this evening with Councils. So if you're a council or a defender this this is for you tonight. So defenders are one of the largest groups of personalities on the person personality test. They say 13, 14 percent of the population is defenders in churches that I've been in most most of the time you'll usually see a lot of defenders. I think almost every one of my family is a defender except for me. So defenders we're going to talk about this evening. Now the main category or the main characteristic of defenders is that they are supportive people. Let me read you what secular philosophy says. Defenders are the universal helpers sharing their knowledge, experience, time, and energy with anyone who needs it and all the more and all the more with so many friends and family. People with this personality type strive for win-win situations choosing empathy over judgment whenever possible. So keep that in mind that they choose empathy over judgment whenever possible. So now look at Acts chapter 15 and let's look at verse number 36. So Acts chapter 15 is a long chapter. There's a few things that happen there, but towards the end of the chapter Barnabas and Paul actually get in an argument and they get in an argument that is so heated that they actually don't go out sharing the gospel together. They take their ministries in separate direction at that point. Look at verse 36. So what was this about? What was this about and what does it have to do with our sermon this evening? Look at verse 36 of Acts 15. The Bible says, and some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, let us go again and visit our brethren where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take with them John whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought it not good to take with them who departed with them from Pamphylia and went not with them to the work. And the contention was so sharp between them that they departed asunder from one another. So Barnabas took Mark and sailed unto Cyprus and Paul chose Silas and departed being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. So Acts chapter 13 go back a couple of chapters. So basically in Paul's first missionary journey something happened. Something happened in his first missionary journey in Acts chapter 13. And what happened was in Acts chapter 13, look at verse number 13. Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. So if you read Acts chapter 13 verse 13, you're like, okay, he left. You know, no big deal. You're kind of reading through that and it's just kind of a oh by the way, you know, John or surname Mark, you know, he just left, okay. But we find out in Acts chapter 15 and so many things in the Bible are like this where gaps are kind of filled in as you read. We find out in Acts chapter 15 that Paul did not approve of John leaving at this time. He felt betrayed. He felt like he didn't stick it through. He felt like he should not have left. We don't know why he left, but we do know that Paul didn't think it was okay. All right. Paul didn't think it was okay. Now turn to Colossians chapter 4. Colossians chapter 4 in verse number 10. So in Colossians chapter 4, look down at verse number 10. But the first thing I want to point out is that Paul thought that Mark shouldn't go in Acts chapter 15 and Barnabas was advocating for Mark. Barnabas was choosing mercy over judgment and Paul was just not letting it go. He was saying, I don't think he should come with us. He's not reliable. He left us. You know, he could leave us again, whatever his reasoning was there. But Paul didn't want him to go. Barnabas did. Now here's an interesting thing about Barnabas. Look at Colossians 4 in verse number 10. In Aristarchus, my fellow prisoners saluted you and Marcus, sister son to Barnabas, touching whom you receive commandments if he come unto you, receive him. So first of all, now you know, we're talking good about Mark again. We're talking good about him. But the point I want to make in Colossians chapter 4 in verse 10 is you have Paul that doesn't want to take Mark because they left him and Barnabas that does. But Paul, or Mark, is sister son to Barnabas. So what does that mean? That Mark is Barnabas's nephew. Okay, so he's advocating for his nephew. That's just kind of an interesting fact for you there. But look, Paul was not a defender, clearly. Paul was not a defender. But Barnabas, in my opinion, likely was. Barnabas was very supportive and as this secular description of defenders gives us, he was choosing mercy over judgment here. Paul was hard charging, getting things done. I mean, think about him before he got saved. And then Jesus decided to grab him and get him on the right team. But look, with Mark, this didn't work out well. Because Mark was either not as hard charging as Paul or it doesn't, you know, it obviously doesn't mean that Mark didn't have value as a disciple. He became one of the greatest disciples. He wrote the Gospel of Mark. But in this case, he kind of got run over by Paul. So, you know, who was right is what people will ask. You know, who was right? You know, maybe they were both right. Maybe Paul and Mark weren't a good pair together. And Barnabas and Mark were supposed to go together and Silas and Paul were supposed to go together. But I mean, the Bible does say this as far as defenders go, as far as what Barnabas did. You know, blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. So, I mean, the Bible actually lines up with this advantage or this strength of defenders. Showing mercy whenever you can is the right decision. Mercy over judgment. And look, because, you know, and another benefit of it is if you're the kind of person that shows mercy all the time, that means you're going to obtain mercy. And, you know, I don't know about you, but I need mercy. I need mercy from the Lord. So, Mark was a great disciple. He wrote the Gospel of Mark. But he just didn't fit well with Paul. So, it's a good thing that we had a defender here in the Bible. Turn to Galatians chapter 5. Turn to Galatians chapter 5 and look at verse number 13. So, it's good. It's good that, you know, Paul had a different, you know, personality type than Barnabas, but it all worked out. It all worked out where they both were able to find somebody to go with, and now you have two teams instead of one. So, turn to Galatians chapter 5. Look at verse number 13. On defenders being supportive. On this being a strength. Look what the Bible says. For brethren, you have been called unto liberty. Only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh. You've been called unto liberty, meaning you have free will. You can do whatever you want. But don't use liberty for an occasion to the flesh. But by love, serve one another. There's your defenders. The Bible definitely teaches that we should support one another. Be a help to one another. Be a blessing to one another. I mean, think of just all, just personally, think of this just for a minute. Think, we've been here for almost, what have we been here? A little over a year and a half. Think of all the brothers and sisters in your life in this room, in this church that have been a blessing to you. That's what we're supposed to do. Think of all the brothers and sisters in your life that maybe they weren't a physical blessing to you. Maybe they were just an emotional blessing to you. Maybe they were just there, I mean, look, I'm telling you. I mean, I had, you know, sometimes I have difficult weeks and you know, you all have difficult weeks. It is a blessing just being here with you all every Sunday and every Wednesday and Saturdays and whenever we all get together. So look, we are blessings to each other and I'm sure that you can all think of people in this church that have been individual blessings to you, whether they're defenders or not. So look, defenders just have a tendency towards it. They have a tendency towards it. But you know, we should all be this, you know, have this strength of being supportive of one another. You don't have to be a defender to do this, you know, just do what we're supposed to do according to the Bible. Now, let me ask you this. As far as being supportive of one another, turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Could being supportive and empathetic always, you know, is it always a good thing? Is it always a good thing no matter what to be supportive? You know, should you always support your brothers and sisters in Christ? No matter what. The answer is no. Okay, so this is a miss on secular philosophy right here. Should you support anything is the question. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Now look, secular philosophy would say yes. Be who you want to be. Just find yourself, man. You know, be just, you know, you just got to be true to yourself, bro. You know, that's what, there's a name for those people. What did you guys call them? Punkers or something? You know, hippies? You know, there's some California name for these type of people with the hat build up. They're just like, bro, just bro, dude, bro, bro. You know, that kind of personality, you know, that's the philosophy of the secular world that just support anything your kids, they just float around in the world and they just choose whatever wicked thing grabs ahold of them and just support them no matter what. Wrong! The Bible does not teach that. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 5. But we're all saved. We're all brothers and sisters in Christ. We should be supportive of each other no matter what. Wrong! Wrong! That's not what the Bible teaches. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse number 11. But now I've written unto you, not to keep company. Look, don't be hanging around these people, is what he's saying. If a man that is called a brother, look, this is your brother in Christ. This is your brother in Christ. And it's saying, don't be around this person. If a brother be a fornicator or a covetous or an idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with such and one, no, not to eat. It's like, don't be fellowshiping with these people. That's why a biblical church, look, if someone that's called a brother is in fornication, you know, they're going to have some certain choices laid out to them in a biblical church where they're either going to not be in fornication anymore or they're going to have to leave the church. I mean, we don't want that to happen, but that's what's going to happen, because that's what the Bible says. Because we're not to keep company. How can we keep company? I mean, how can we not keep company if people, we just allow people that are in these sins to come to you? Like, how serious could you really preach against these sins if we just allowed it no matter what in the church? So for what do I have to do to judge them that are without? Do you not judge them that are within? But them that are without God judges. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. Look, it doesn't say they're not saved. It doesn't say that they're not saved. Eternal security is eternal security. It's a punishment. It is meant to be a punishment for what end? So they get right and come back. We're not just going to ignore sins that will destroy people's lives. And this is another protection, by the way, that, you know, Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against my church. More protection right here. Just like we talked about this morning. Look, certain sins turn to 1, 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. Certain sins should cause us to not be associated or not support our brothers and sisters in Christ. It doesn't mean it doesn't mean that they're not still brothers and sisters in Christ. It doesn't mean that they're not saved. It just means that they should be put out of the church and we shouldn't be fellowshiping with them in certain cases. Now look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. We see another case. Look at verse number 7. For yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you. Neither did we eat any man's bread for naught, but wrought with labor and travail night and day that we might not be chargeable to any of you. So Paul is saying here, he's saying, look, when we were there, when we were there with you, they didn't come to be evangelists and to preach at these churches and just live off the people. They did not do that. Why? So they weren't chargeable to anybody. They didn't ask the church to put them up and take money from the church. Look, not because we have not power. Not because they wouldn't have been right to do so. They could have done it. They're laboring for the church, but to make ourselves in a sample under you to follow us. They're just trying to be an example to the flock. Look at verse number 10. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. Boy, would that solve a lot of problems today. When people get hungry, I bet they're going to work. When people get hungry, I bet, you know, when you see a healthy man, when you see a healthy man with two arms and two legs standing around, you know, asking people for money all day long, he should be working or he should get hungry and then he'll go to work. That's what the Bible teaches. For we hear, look at verse number 11, for we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly. What's that mean? So they're not in order. They're walking in the wrong way, working not at all. So not only are they working not at all but you will always see these two things connected by the way. You will always see these two things connected. They're working not at all but our busy bodies. Now them that are such, we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ that by quietness they work and eat their own bread. But ye brethren, be not weary and well-doing. But here's the thing, it goes further than that. It goes further than that. Look at verse 14. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed. Look, you're not supposed to support that. If there's some man that just won't work and is just mooching off the church, mooching off people, won't eat his own bread, the Bible says get hungry and then he'll work. We're not to support that. And as a matter of fact, not only are we not to support that, we're to not even have company with that. All these things are the same philosophy, folks. How could we preach against these things? How could we try to raise kids to, you know, believe what the Bible is preaching here when we just allow it all around us? I mean, we're all sinners, but these certain things are not to be allowed in the church. If a man won't work, we shouldn't keep company with him. That's what the Bible is teaching here. So there's some things, defenders, councils. There's some things that shouldn't be everybody, by the way. There's some things that shouldn't be supported. And I just read you a few here. I mean, sin shouldn't be supported by your brothers and sisters in Christ. You should not be helping somebody, enabling somebody. I mean, we talked about some things that will get you actually thrown out of the church in, you know, extreme cases. But look, sin in general. Think about the support that you give people in your life and think about is this support that I'm giving enabling sin? Is this support enabling, you know, bad behavior that leads to sin in this person's life? I mean, so think about that because you can be supporting someone in the wrong way. So what are some other things about defenders? I'm just going to read through a few more. I don't have time to go into all these, but I mean, it's basically all positive things about these people, okay? It's kind of sickening. No, I'm just kidding. They're reliable and patient. They're imaginative and observant. They're enthusiastic. They're loyal and hardworking. And they have good practical skills. I mean, that's all pretty much really great things. There's nothing bad you could say about any of those things. But, you know, now their listed weaknesses is where it gets really good, okay? So there's all these wonderful things that you could really, I mean, I tried to find some negative in the supportive part and there is some negative in that where if you support the wrong things. But look, the rest is very positive about the defenders. Now, here's the listed weaknesses and this is where it really kind of gets me. Why defenders get so much sarcasm from me? So here's their weakness. Their weakness is that they're humble. That's kind of like going to the job interview and it's like, well, tell me one of your weaknesses. Well, I'm just, I'm too hard of a worker, Bob. You know, Bob, I'm just, I'm just, I'm too dedicated to the company, Bob. You know, when you turn your weaknesses into strengths, you know, and I mean, apparently that works. I don't know. But look, this weakness, this weakness listed as being humble is actually a biblical strength, okay? You know, so go back to, go to Proverbs chapter 27. So, I mean, the point I'm trying to make here is with some of these things is you need to be careful with secular philosophy and advice. And the reason, this is a great example because the world, the world teaches you that you should be praising yourself. The world teaches you, you know, your life in this world is going to teach you and you're going to see from other people that you should just be taking credit for everything, heaping praise upon yourself and that's how you get ahead. And look, you're going to see people get ahead that way. You're going to see it. Look at Proverbs 27 verse 2. The Bible says, let another man praise thee and not thine own mouth, a stranger and not thine own lips. Look, you're going to watch people get ahead by praising themselves, your whole life, just get used to it. But that's not what the Bible says. That's not what the Bible says. You know, I mean, I think about people that just come into a new job and just tell people constantly about how great they were at their last job. You know, oh, I've done this and this and this and this and I'm just, I'm kind of like, well, what can you do now? Is what I think when people are just constantly praising themselves like that, show me what you can do here. So don't listen to the secular advice on this one, defenders. It's good to be humble. And God, look, God turned to 1 Peter chapter 5. Turn to 1 Peter chapter 5. This is all you have to remember about being humble. If you're like, well, you know what? If I'm humble, nobody's going to know. I mean, if I go to work and I do a good job and I fix something and nobody saw me fix it. What? I mean, I must go tell everybody. I must go tell everybody how great I am and how good I am at everything and all the great things that I do every day or every week or whatever. Look, you don't have to do that and that's why. Look at 1 Peter chapter 5 in verse number 6. The Bible says, humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you. The Bible says that if you humble yourself that God will lift you up. That God will exalt you. And look, that may be through other people. That may be through other people. You just go and do what you're supposed to do, do something about it, help others, be supportive when you're supposed to be supportive and you let God handle the credit. You let God handle the recognition. It says God will exalt you in due time. And it might not, look, you know what that means? It might not be right away. It might take some patience. Maybe you have to work somewhere and work really hard for a year. Maybe you have to, you know, just homeschool the kids and do the hard work for maybe years before you get exalted and start, you know, seeing, you know, those results. And seeing, you know, because look, I mean, especially with moms, it may take years before you actually see, you know, the results of your hard work. But the Bible says if you're humble that God will exalt you in due time. But be patient. So be patient. That you deserve. It's our, look, it's our flesh. It's our flesh that wants people to notice us. That wants people to notice us. Some other weaknesses, you know, that about defenders, you know, they aren't really weaknesses. They take things too personally. They're sensitive. They repress their feelings. And, you know, this is a good one. They overload themselves. They just work too hard. That's a weakness. So, but here's an actual weakness. I actually have a real weakness here of defenders. And look, I'm kind of saying it tongue in cheek to just defenders. This is a weakness for anybody. But the secular philosophy says that defenders will have this weakness. And it's this. Is that they are reluctant to change. Quote, these challenges can be particularly hard to address since defender personalities value traditions and history highly in their decisions and are reluctant to change. Turn to James chapter one. Now, this is actually being reluctant to change is actually a very serious weakness. It's a very serious weakness. And I mean, there had to be one with these folks, right? So here it is. They're reluctant to change. Turn to James chapter one. And I'm not saying that if you're a defender that you have this weakness, okay? I'm saying that this is just a tendency that secular philosophy will say that defenders have. And you know, I'll get to that at the end of the sermon. Turn to James chapter one. So reluctant to change. You say, why is that a weakness? But it's a serious weakness. Look at James chapter one in verse number 22. The Bible says this. It says, but be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves. So the Bible says that you're to hear the word of God and you're to do the word of God. You hear the word of God and you don't do it, you're lying to yourself. You're deceiving yourself. Then he gives a little analogy. He gives a little analogy that's even scarier. For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like. So here we go. He is like, or I guess that's a metaphor. I didn't do very well in English. He is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he beholdeth himself and goeth his way and straight way forgeteth the manner of man he was. So here you have a man who walks and he looks at himself in the mirror and he recognizes himself for who he is, for his sin and for just the ugliness of what he's been doing and the way he's living his life. And you're like, that sounds pretty good. He sees it. He sees it in the mirror. He's saying, look, if you're a hearer of the word, if you come here and you listen to the Bible preaching and you get yelled at twice, three times a week, whatever it is and you hear it but you don't do it. You're like this guy. You're like this guy, looks in the mirror he sees how bad he is. Because look, that's the first step. That's the first step to change. But look what he does. And he goeth his way and straight way. Look, that means right away. Right away, straight way he forgeteth what manner of man he was. So he looks at it, he sees it he sees how bad he is. I mean, look, step one's admitting you have a problem. Even the secular people will say that. He admits he has a problem he sees the problem and then he turns away from the glass and he just forgets about it. That's a terrible curse to have right there. That is a terrible look, why do I say it's a terrible curse? Because look, if you have that curse where you are a hearer only, you know what that means? That means that church can't help you. That means that your brothers and sisters in Christ can't help you. That means that the iron that's supposed to sharpen iron can't sharpen you. That means that the Bible can't help you. If you sit there and you read the Bible and while you're reading the Bible you're like oh, you're getting the it's just pouring into you and then you turn away from the Bible and you forget it five minutes later. That's a terrible curse to have. This is the reluctance to change. It's what James chapter one is talking about being a hearer and not a doer. What a terrible thing. That person that listens to sermon after sermon how many people have you heard of that just binge watch sermons online or whatever. But they just change nothing. They change nothing worse. What did Matthew five say? Blessed are the merciful for they will obtain mercy. How about this person? How about the person that just constantly is just pouring sermons into their mind and then will change nothing but they get super judgmental about everything. How about that person? That's even worse because not only are they changing nothing but they're not going to obtain mercy because they're being just unmerciful in their life. I mean, it would be terrible to be that person. So look, reluctance to change is a bad one. It's a bad one for anybody. This sermon is just a reason to bring it up. It's a bad character trait to have. You have to listen to the Bible, listen to preaching, listen to the Word of God and actually do it and actually change. Or you will do nothing for yourself. You will do nothing for your family. Do nothing for your children. You will damage your children because guess what? Your kids and you'll be shocked at the age that they start to see this. Kids can smell hypocrisy like, you know, pick something. They can sense hypocrisy right away at young ages and see it in you. Here's the last one I want to bring up. Another weakness for defenders is this. They are too altruistic. It's not a weakness. It's not a weakness. As a matter of fact, it's let's just park it here for a minute. Turn to what is altruism? Let me explain what altruism is first of all. First of all, it's a theory. What altruism actually is keep this in mind. It's a theory that was coined in the 1800s. In the 1800s. Like 200 and some years ago. Now here's the definition. This is another example of why we have to be careful about secular philosophy in general. Altruism, coined in the 1800s is the principle and moral practice of concern for happiness for human beings or other animals resulting in a quality of life both material and spiritual. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures in a core aspect of various religious traditions etc etc. It's basically a secular term. Turn to Philippians chapter 2. It's basically a secular term coined to describe the mind of Christ. Talk about a rebranding. Talk about taking something from the Bible, changing the name of it adding some stupid secular stuff on the ends and packaging it as your own. But it's also keep in mind it's also listed in the weaknesses of this personality group. Look at Philippians chapter 2. Look, I wouldn't go around. Look, I wouldn't go around saying I'm altruistic. I would go around saying I'm a Bible-believing Christian. That's what I would say. It's the same thing they stole the term. They rebranded it. Look at Philippians chapter 2 in verse number 8 or verse number 4. The Bible says look not at every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in you. This altruism is the mind of Christ. The definition of altruism is what Christ was. He came here to do nothing for himself. That's why this stupid book that came out 15 years ago or whatever of the Da Vinci thing where it's like oh Jesus was married and all this kind of stuff and everyone's like oh what's the big deal if he was married? It doesn't change the fact that he died for the sins of the world. Yeah, it changes everything because Jesus didn't come here to do anything for himself. He came here to be a sacrifice to live a perfect life and be the perfect sacrifice for the entire world. He did nothing for himself. Nothing. The mind of Christ was selfless and the idea is to be selfless and it's just this stupid term just stealing that. It's stealing basically the best thing that's ever happened to the world and calling it some name. Call it whatever term you want. Jesus had it first. Okay? But look, it is the world that's listed as a weakness. Let's get back to that. Being selfless and doing things for others and being selfless to the point of sacrificing yourself for others and looking on the things of others is considered a weakness to the world. That is considered a weakness to the world. I mean a weakness to serve others? A weakness it goes right with praising yourself and right with being humble. The world would say that being humble is a weakness but the Bible says it's a strength. It's what you're supposed to do. But I mean also, but here's the reason that altruism notice it said that there's a certain lifestyle that comes from it. Did you know that helping people creates joy in you? Did you know that? Did you know that somebody some of the guys were talking today and I was just listening to them talk and they were talking about the ministry. They were talking about the ministry and how difficult the ministry was true and how it just would be tough. I think we were talking about in the context of what our kids would be or something like that and yeah, it would be tough to be a pastor and it would be tough to go into the ministry. Yes, but you know what? There's actually a lot of joy in it. There's actually a lot of joy in it because being in the ministry you know I have a unique opportunity to help people. I have a unique opportunity and my wife has a unique opportunity to be put in positions to be able to help people and you know what? That creates great joy in us. Because helping people, I mean it seems you know it seems counterintuitive. It seems counterintuitive, right? Because look the world teaches that you need to focus on what you can get. You need to focus your life on what you can get. That's what the world teaches you. That will make you happy. What can you accumulate? What can you have? That's what the world will teach you. In the Bible's teaching it's not a little bit different. It's opposite. So let me ask you this. Why are so many people that accumulate all these things and focus only on themselves? Why are they so miserable? Why are all these celebrities like miserable? King Solomon and Ecclesiastes, he did it too. I mean why? Because you know what? The more you focus on yourself and the more selfish you are the more depressed you will be. Depressed people are selfish people in many cases. They're focused completely on self but look helping other people will create great joy in you. Being supportive where you can actually do something. We're not to do things for people that are going to turn it into sin or go off and sin with it. But if you can do something that will help your brother and sister in Christ and that will help build them up and help move them forward in their Christian life and you do that, look that's a great thing you're supposed to do that, but you'll get great joy out of that. I mean it's not like all the rewards are in heaven. A couple of the guys said but being a pastor is a great retirement plan because of all the rewards in heaven. Okay maybe true, but there's rewards here too because it's very joyful to help people but it's counterintuitive to what the world teaches you. So being altruistic but just quit using that term having the mind of Christ is a strength is a strength and we need to have it. We need to have it. So look, I mean we see here that defenders, that councils they're tuned they have the tendency to be caring and supportive people to be humble people to be very selfless people these are all very good things but look, these are things that we should all be which brings me to really the lesson on these sermons is this no matter what these silly little surveys say and all these secular studies say our tendencies may or may not be that's why when I told my wife what my results were she started crying and I said no it's no big deal because I don't have to be that way I don't have to be that way the reason people like this stuff the reason people like this stuff is because they can seem accurate these surveys they can seem accurate they can say yeah I do see these tendencies in myself but look, the point I'm trying to make the point I'm trying to make tonight and next Sunday night is it should have nothing to do with who you actually are these surveys we should be reading we should be listening to the word of God and becoming that all of us no matter what your tendencies are no matter what your flesh wants you to do regardless of what these things say regardless and look it can be a crutch it can be a crutch you can say well I am that way and I just defend and I just support everything and I support all this wigginess because that's just my personality that's just who I am no, you are to listen to the Bible and be a doer not just a hearer no matter what your results were just a little survey you are to be what the Bible says you are to be and that means that's going to require for everybody that's going to require some change that's going to require some change but here's a measuring stick for you before we close this evening here's a measuring stick for you you say well how do I know if I can change or not how do I know if I have the ability to change or not because a lot of times the reason people that will just never change don't seem to realize that they won't change these are the people that kind of have the blinders on and they don't realize that they've got problems in certain areas they listen and they behold their natural face and they forget right away and it's not obvious to them well here's the thing the closer this survey is to you is a measuring stick of your inability to change as a Bible believing Christian because you should be reading the results of your survey and you should be going through the biblical strengths you should be able to filter these things you should know the Bible and you should be able to filter secular philosophy through the filter of the Bible and you should be able to look at this and say I need to be humble no no it says that that a commander is not humble and that he's arrogant but you should be knowing that and humbling yourself and you should say yeah but I am you should try to be humble you should recognize that and be changing and knowing to change you should know as a defender that you may have a tendency to support things and you should read that and be like yeah but I don't support everything because I know what the Bible says and I don't support everything look even kids you want to hear the baby boomer generation in a nutshell here's the baby boomer generation in a nutshell they raised a bunch of wicked kids they changed their philosophies look I don't like blanket statements this is a stereotype but the point is they changed their philosophy to match how their kids turned out and they support every stupid thing or every wicked thing that their kids get into they change they change on fornication they change on homosexuality they change on all these things because it's easier than saying oh yeah you know I can't support that because you know what that means that means that they didn't do it the Bible way and look that's a judgment on them so they change they change their philosophy so look if secular science is accurately describing you it means you know you have some problems changing with the word of God and you might be a hearer and not a doer and you might need to work on that so defenders they're one of the better ones you can see that secular things and secular philosophy flips some things upside down you have to know the Bible folks it's not bad to read other books and it's not bad to read whether it be motivational or business books or whatever but you better know what the Bible says before you get into a lot of that stuff because you gotta be able to read through that stuff and say oh yeah this was stolen from Jesus and oh yeah it's wrong there might be 70% of the book that's wrong and 30% that's right maybe the 30% is pretty good and has some good insights on things that apply to you in your life but if you don't know the Bible you're gonna get all mixed up is the point so learn the Bible and then you don't go and read some other books and whatever but you gotta know what the Bible says let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer