 Am I on? Yeah. Appreciate the chance to be with you again. Sermons on special days are always a challenge because on the one hand, you wanna acknowledge the day and the thing that's being honored. On the other hand, you don't wanna just get cute or throw out a lot of cliches or say what's been said a hundred times before. And that's especially a challenge because our culture is really recognizing two days at the same time, Father's Day and Juneteenth. Juneteenth being the day that evidently the last segment of African-American slaves were notified about their emancipation in Texas. And then of course, Father's Day honoring fathers. Now, you can't think about Juneteenth without thinking of freedom. It's really hard to think about Father's Day without thinking of responsibility. And there is where it all comes together for me because the two are so interdependent. If you have responsibility without freedom, that's servitude. If you have freedom without responsibility, that is licentiousness. So freedom and responsibility have to go together if they're both going to be paid, do attention. And both of them, and this is a key point I wanna make this morning, they both call for watchfulness. Freedom calls for watchfulness. Responsibility calls for watchfulness. You gotta keep an eye on what you are responsible for. And you certainly will not remain free if you do not remain watchful. Eternal vigilance, that's the price of liberty. Well, that's what I would like to talk about this morning, especially as we're referencing Freedom and Father's Day. And that is the man on watch. The man on watch. That is the man who by the grace of God recognizes God has both given to me and commissioned me. He has given me whatever I have, be it my body, my gifting, my spouse, my children, my work, my finances, my property, whatever I have under my influence that has been given. As Paul said, what do you have that you haven't been given? But with the gifting has come commissioning. And this to me as a father is critical. I will answer to God for how I have managed what he commissioned to me. So I remember, for example, 35 years ago when I married my wife, one of the sobering thoughts I had at the altar was good heavens. This beautiful woman has been given to me for now. But I will answer to God for what her life becomes as a result of being united to me. So there is both the giving and there is the commissioning. The man who stands watch then recognizes that and he assumes responsibility and remains watchful and good grief is that kind of guy ever needed in 2022. The world and the church are crying out for men who will watch, who will assume responsibility, who will assume the position of a watcher. Habakkuk assumed that position when in his book he was prophesying about the Babylonian takeover of Judah. Now this guy had lived under Josiah's reign so he had seen Judah when it was thriving in revival. But now he was seen deterioration. It is a bleak and familiar position for a believer to be in. To have known that there was a time when this people served God and now it's all become corrupt. And so in recognizing the oncoming captivity he prayed to God basically asking when, what, how, what should be expected? And then he made an interesting comment, chapter two, verse one, I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower and will watch to see what he will say to me and what I will answer when I am reproved. The man on watch is the man who is seeking to hear from God, whether or not he likes what he's going to hear. He wants to hear what is necessary and when necessary he will hear a reproval and respond accordingly. So basically the man on watch is saying, I'll assume the responsibility to watch, to wait, to receive from God and to speak as needed. That all is wrapped up under that word authority. Now, this is where it gets interesting. We are living as mothers and fathers and believers and pastors and people who have any kind of influence, any kind of authority. We are living in a time of extreme contempt and demand for authority. Contempt for authority in that at this time, many parents are being undermined by the culture even at times by their own school systems, a contempt for parental authority. Many husbands are experiencing contempt for assuming authority in their home as though it is somehow misogynistic and outdated to be the head of a house, contempt for a husband and father's authority. The church is experiencing unprecedented cultural contempt as in many ways the culture is now attempting to tell the church what we may or may not preach or even believe. There is a growing contempt for authority evidenced in absolute lawlessness which we've seen in, again, unprecedented portions over the last few years. Well, at the same time, there is a demand for authority. That is the very forces that are expressing contempt for our God-given authority are also saying and we demand that we be able to take authority over you which is a great and scary contradiction. We are being told do not assume authority, apologize for it if you assume authority and by the way, we will assume authority over you, deal with it. Now, I will be the first to recognize authority of all kinds, parental authority, pastoral authority, the authority of the father. Yes, in many cases that authority has been horribly abused, horribly so. And I don't wanna be there when men who have abused their authority, who have abused their children, abused their wives, abused their flock, abused people when they have abused that authority, I don't even wanna hear what God is going to say to them as they answer for the abuse of their God-given authority. That is serious business. But the answer is not to apologize for authority itself rather more than ever to assume it and to assume it and exercise it properly. Now, to my thinking, authority is largely about three things, prevention, preservation, purpose, all three, prevention, preservation, purpose. Let's think about this for a minute. Almost as soon as man was created, God commissioned him with authority, didn't he? When he said, okay, here it is, take charge. You keep the garden up, you name the animals, you decide what tree you're gonna eat from, I commissioned authority to you, exercise it properly. Now, at that time, I think authority would have been awesome because everything was cooperating. Sin hadn't entered into the environment, there was no corruption. So when God told Adam, keep the yard up, I'm sure the yard cooperated. I'm sure the animals cooperated, everything was in harmony. Good for Adam, but for us, authority is, among other things, a difficulty because we are called to take authority over elements that are frequently bucking our authority. So when we are told, for example, that authority is largely about prevention, that means when I have authority over something, I have to be watchful over elements that would hurt the thing I have authority over. Well, when I'm trying to take care of my yard, for example, there are elements that would interfere with it that would cause it to corrupt and decay. When I'm dealing with people, they may or may not wanna cooperate with me, and this is really the sad reality of what we've been dealing with ever since the fall, isn't it? You remember when Adam and Eve sinned? Adam sinned, Eve was deceived. God said, all right, well, as a result of what you've done, the human experience will now contain things I never meant it to contain. You're gonna die, I didn't mean that to happen. Your body's gonna decay, I didn't mean that to happen. You're gonna get into these weird power struggles with each other, I didn't mean that to happen. The environment is gonna become adversarial to you. You're not gonna just keep the garden, you're gonna work until you're sweating. That's what it means for us to take authority. We take authority over elements that are oftentimes not cooperating, so much of what we have to do is by way of prevention. We guard against what will harm what we have authority over. We also seek to preserve the good of what we have authority over, and we take authority with purpose. The man on watch is the man who says basically, this is the direction I am going, this is the direction we need to be going, follow me. Now that idea used to scare me to death because I thought follow me, you gotta be kidding. Paul could say that, be you followers of me, good for Paul, but Joe Dallas, because somehow I had it in my head that in order to say follow me, that means you have to think you've arrived. Well, I know crazy well, I have not arrived, but that's not what it means. It means that's where I'm going. Now, if you said, where's the cafeteria? And I said, I know where it is, I'm going there, follow me. Yeah, that's legit. I'm not saying I've made it. Paul himself said, I'm not saying I have attained, but yes, this is the direction I'm going in. I seek the will of God. I submit myself to the word of God. I am involved with the body of Christ. I am living a Christ-centered life. It is not a perfect life, but it is centered on Him. And thereby I can say with integrity to the people I have authority over, whether it's my family, my sons, the people I counsel, whatever, yeah, follow. So it's about prevention, preservation, and purpose. That's the job description of a good father, really the job description of a good leader or influencer of any sex. It also is a challenge to anybody who wants to do what Paul said to do. We're talking about both freedom and authority regarding freedom. He told the Galatians, stand fast in the liberty where with Christ has set you free. And don't be entangled again in a yoke of bondage. These are significant challenges. The challenge to lead, the challenge to prevent, the challenge to maintain liberty. How the heck are we gonna do that? This is where I wanna land for the bulk of this message. The job description Paul gave to Timothy when he said, okay, this is what is required of the servant of the Lord. First Timothy 416, excuse me, First Timothy 416 saying what a man needs to do if he is on watch. Take heed. Take heed to thyself and unto doctrine. That is, know yourself. Be honest enough with yourself to admit your areas of weakness. Be honest enough with yourself to admit and confess the sin in your life. Be honest enough to know your quirks. Be honest enough with yourself to know your gifting and your strengths given to you by the grace of God. Just like if you're handling a vehicle, if you're a good steward of that vehicle, you have a good working knowledge of the vehicle. It's strong points and it's weak points. So Paul said, take heed to yourself and to doctrine. Be a student and absorber and a follower of the word of God. For in doing this, Paul said, you will save both yourself and those who hear you. Every father I have known who has failed significantly failed. Every leader I've known who has significantly failed has compromised one or both of these two. Either he would not be honest with himself about his own areas of weakness, his own sin, his own difficulties, his own unresolved conflicts, or he was not a student of the word. He abandoned the diligent study of the scripture. And that is a setup for failure. So let's look a little more carefully at that job description. The description of the man on watch to take heed to himself and to doctrine. Let's first talk about taking heed to ourselves, taking heed to ourselves. I need to know as a man who claims to be a man of the word of God, we speak often of men of their word, which I think is honorable, but there is something much more important than that. We need to be men of the word. Men who adhere to, who know, who follow and are transformed by the word of God, men of the word. To be such a man, I must know what I believe. That is to say, when I am called to give an account, and you know that's happening more and more today, isn't it? Have you noticed how our environment has changed so that when you claim to hold a certain position, you're asked, why? Why do you believe that? Why don't you believe what everybody else believes about that? What's the basis for your prejudice, for your hatred, for your archaic belief system? Such a man needs to be able to answer, to give an answer and apology for his position. I must know what my worldview is so that I can say along with Martin Luther, yeah, this is where I stand. God help me, I can do no other. That is especially relevant in 2022 because this is exactly what Paul predicted when he said to Timothy, the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. They will not endure sound doctrine. One of the greatest scandals I believe we have in the church is not so much about moral failure, although there is that, but it is about on a broader scale biblical ignorance. And biblical ignorance is a setup for a crippled church. If you look at some of Barnas' latest statistics, it's shocking to see the number of people who identify themselves as Christians who seem to know nothing about what the Bible says about Christianity. It's almost as if the word Christian these days means, I'm nice, so I'm Christian. Biblical ignorance is like a broken immune system. Decades ago, I lost many friends to the AIDS epidemic. And the horror of AIDS is that it weakens your immune system so that diseases that would otherwise not affect you do affect you. There are plenty of diseases floating around, but most of us have healthy immune systems so we're not susceptible to those diseases. Our immune system wards them off. When the immune system is compromised, now you're susceptible to illnesses that can kill you. So it is with biblical discernment. You get biblical discernment by having a working knowledge of the word of God, not by being a theologian, though God bless theologians, I am not one. I could not relate to that kind of intellect, but I sure admire the guys. But you don't have to be a theologian to have a working knowledge of the Bible. You need to simply read the document. I am not an English professor. I'm not a literature professor. I could not give you a detailed account of the life and times of Charles Dickens, but I would say every two to three years I read and reread a tale of two cities. Apart from the Bible, that is my favorite reading and I get something profound out of it every time I read it. I have a very good working knowledge of that novel. So if you come to tell me something about Tale of Two Cities, I've read the book enough times that I will know whether or not what you're saying is true. Because I'm brilliant? Nope, because I read The Sucker. I know who Madame Defarge was. The woman was nuts and scary. She loved to knit while she watched people get their heads chopped off. So if you come and tell me, oh yeah, Tale of Two Cities. That's the one about Madame Defarge who ran a daycare center for children of aristocrats. No, thank you for playing. I know that book, so I know that's wrong. That's all we're talking about here. When your Biblically-based immune system is built up, you are not susceptible to the errors and the heresies that are floating around affecting so many people today. That is to say then to be in harmony with the will of God, I must know the word of God, I must know where I stand, and I must also be able to say this is how I stand. And this to me is significant. If I say I am a man of the word of God, my behavior should be an argument for my beliefs. As a father, the behavior my children see, the behavior my wife sees, the behavior the people I deal with see should be an argument for what I believe. So with that in mind, I recognize that I must be living in harmony with these beliefs. Now, what are those beliefs that I articulate as a modern believer? I believe we have a creator. That is logical, perhaps as an atheist, one would not agree with me, but one would at least admit it is logical to assume that if you have a creation, there must be a creator. That's a logical belief. It is also logical to assume if we have a creator, our creator created us with intentions. You don't create anything without intentions in mind. Therefore, there must be divine intentions. Ah, if something falls short of those intentions, that means that that behavior is not what our creator intended. Now, this gets interesting. How do I know what those intentions are? I further believe that our creator inspired a number of men to write an authoritative document which has stood the test of time after all so that I do not have to sit around and guess what his intentions are. And if my life is lived essentially within the parameters of those intentions spelled out in the Bible, I believe I have a fruitful and an abundant life. That is what I believe. That is what I present when I say, I want my life to be in harmony with the will of God. The man then who would be the man on watch must be living in harmony with the will of God. He must also be a man of achievement. I don't mean rich and successful. I don't mean powerful in that sense, but rather a faithful steward. I appreciated what John was saying about stewardship earlier, talking about the parable of the talents. You'll notice in that parable, every servant was given a different amount, wasn't he? And the servants were not judged by how much they had been given. Some of us are wealthy, some of us are not, some of us are beautiful, some of us are plain, some of us are eloquent, some of us, ooh, whatever, we don't answer to God for what we've been given or for what we've not been given, but rather, very important, what we have done with what we've been given. The body of Christ thrives when the men on watch basically say, okay, let's do inventory. What have I been given? My property, my finances, my spiritual gifts, my natural gifts, the people I love, the people who rely on me, the people I have authority over, the things I do, this I have been given. As Paul queried the Corinthians, what do you have that you haven't been given? It's a rhetorical question. And given the fact that it has been given to me, and this is, again, very sobering, I will answer for it, won't I? This is something I hope you and I will always keep in mind. We do have an inevitable date with the judgment seat of Christ. That's not necessarily scary. Now, a date with a white throne judgment, that's scary, because of course at that time, anybody whose name isn't found written in the book of life is banished forever. But the judgment seat of Christ, that is for believers who are saved, positioned in Christ, but are now going to answer like athletes for what they have done during their earthly existence with what they were given. And you will, you know. You will answer for what you've been done with that body you were given, those people you were given, those abilities you were given, you're gonna answer for all of it, of course you will. One of the reasons I believe many pastors are stressed today is because so often in the church, you have believers who essentially come as an audience, as spectators, but have not dived into the life of the church. And as a result, a lot of people are holding out. When members of the body hold out, they don't give of their finances, they don't give of their time, they don't give of their gifting, they don't offer what God has given them as functioning members of the body. The body cannot function the way it is meant to function. Now, we may like this or we may not like it, but we're stuck with each other. I mean, we are members of the same body, that's it. And my body operates the best when all of it is in submission to my head. Now I'm 67 years old, so there are times my body will not do what my head tells it to do, and I hate that. I don't mind getting old, I just mind everything that goes along with it. The numbers are okay, the body, eh. But there it is, when the members of the body are functioning for the good of the body, the body is healthy, that's how it works. So achievement in that sense, very important. The man on watch will be asking, am I making the most of what I have been given? Harmony, achievement, and finally connection, very critical. I've had the honor of walking alongside women and men for the last 35 years in my counseling ministry, and my first supervisor said to me, when people come into your office and sit down and say they need help, invariably you will find they are not mentally ill, they're not there for some deep psychological problem. They are there because something has gone wrong in relationship. Somewhere along the line, they've been hurt, they've been betrayed, and in response to that, they may have made any number of sinful decisions, they may need to forgive, they may need to let go of a high sense of entitlement, or they may need to be healed, they may need a new way of thinking. Something has gone wrong in the soul because something went wrong in relationship. And as a result, many people are not connecting the way they need to connect. The very thing they need is the very thing they fear, intimacy and the vulnerability that goes with it. Now among men in particular, I think this is problematic. I find we are much better at doing than we are at connecting. If you give me a job to do, I love that. If you tell me, now go out and let everybody get to know you, are you nuts, that is not the easiest thing to do. Which is why a lot of men have on a regular basis, proximity with other men without connection. They are in proximity to other believers, but not necessarily connected to other believers. What I don't think we need is one big touchy feely get together, although I didn't mean it like that. I like affection very much. And I think emotion, it's God given. I'm only saying that I think the love we need to have for each other as men goes beyond affection, it will include that, good. But it also includes, I believe, exhortation, education, and empathy. Exhortation is a beautiful part of that kind of brotherly love. At the gym, you will often see guys working out together, workout partners. And workout partners love each other, although you never know it the way they talk to each other. Because you know what they don't say? Good fellow, would you care to pick up the weight? Mustn't sweat? No. I mean, listen to the way they handle each other. Come on, move it, don't wimp out. Go for that bird, no, you know, and they're like, wow, they're animalistic with each other. They certainly wouldn't talk under any other circumstances to another man that way. But there, what are they assuming? On my own, I won't be sufficiently pushed to do what I need to do, so brother, push. I need somebody to hold me accountable to be at the gym and while I'm at the gym working out, I need somebody who's gonna make sure I'm giving it my all. So they're there to exhort each other. It's a very important part of brotherly love, mutual exhortation. As is education. One thing I love about the friends I have, they're not at all shy about telling me about my blind spots, cause we all have them. And that's part of knowing yourself too, is knowing you don't fully know yourself. That's why the author of Hebrews said, exhort one another daily while it's called today. Why lest any of you be hardened in your hearts through the deceitfulness of sin? Leave a guy alone long enough and yes, he will start kidding himself. That's why I need the men in my life who will sometimes say, you know, Joe, you sound like you're whining. You sound bitter. Oh, that was sarcastic, Joe, that was unnecessary. It's not like they're judging me or giving me a hard time. They love me. And they love me enough to expect me to call them on their blind spots and they love me enough to call me on mine. So there's the exhortation, there's the education and empathy. There are times I gotta say, look, I'm in pain. And there's a place for that. So Paul said, rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. And yes, there are times I'm like, huh, can I just vent for a while? I am really hurting and I need that. Yes, I believe we all do. So take heed to thyself, be a harmony achievement and connection and take heed unto doctrine. That is to say, know yourself, now also know the word, know the word. Paul put a beautifully 2 Timothy 2 15 study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. If God has spoken, you must know what he has said. If you would be a man of the word of God, you must apply yourself to studying the word of God on a regular basis, really should be a part of your lifestyle, should be a part of mine. I know that nobody does that perfectly. I have been committed for decades to daily reading at least a chapter of the word. I know that's not much, but it's, you know, the consistency is the main thing, sometimes more. And I don't do it perfectly, but my wife and I both individually and together try to make sure we with each other and then on our own also get in at least a chapter, usually more of the Bible on a daily basis. We are not prayer warriors. We are not super saints, but we do understand this is a vital part of lifestyle. And that is something that gosh, when I was born again back in 1971, why it was assumed that's what you did if you're a Christian, you study the word of God, you have a prayer life, you go out and witness to anything that breathes and if it tries to get away from you, you hit it and drag it back and witness to it again and that was our way back to the Jesus movement. You know, we were, we were wonderful. We were just crazy, but that means staying grounded in the word. Now we have the logos, the written word of God. That's the ultimate authority by which we judge everything. We also need the Ramah through which God is speaking directly to us by revelation, either illuminating what the logo says at a particular time or that direct voice from God. Of course, we judge the Ramah by the logos, right? I never can assume just because I feel something, oh, that's God speaking to me. Maybe yes, maybe no, how do I judge it? Primarily by what the word of God says, of course. But they're both critical. The man on watch is gonna basically say, I will be grounded in the logos, I will stay open to the Ramah. I'll be grounded in the logos, I'll stay open to the Ramah on a daily basis. Knows the word, but then such a man also must live the word that he knows. That's why James said, don't kid yourself. James 122, be a doer of the word, not a hearer only. I've got no business shooting my mouth off about things that I have not applied to myself. I can't do that. Now that's not true, I can do that. And I know I can do that because I've done it. I had a six year back slide from 1978 to 1984. After having been born again, studied for years under Chuck Smith, been an active part of the ministry, and then reaching a point where I basically said, I, well basically it was I will, actually it was just I will. I'm disillusioned with the church. I've been let down by some people. I don't like the way my life turned out in a few ways. So boohoo, I'm angry, I'm resentful, getting hardened in my heart. And finally by 1978 I thought, why should I resist? I hereby give myself permission to use pornography. And that was when as a spirit field born again former minister believer, I deliberately walked into an adult bookstore. What shocks me to this day is not what I did, although that is shocking, it's horrible. What was shocking to me especially is not what I did, but how easy it was to do it. All it took was a decision. That's all. Now I don't want to live my life in paranoia, but I would like to live my life in such a way that I have a reasonable expectation of opposition. Because believe me, everything that we are proposing this morning runs counter to the way of the world. That's why Paul told the Ephesians, at one time you walked in the course of the world, according to the course of the world and the prince of the power of the air. Now you're walking in a different direction, literally swimming upstream. If I'm gonna be swimming upstream, I must accept the fact that there are a lot of forces, the world, my own flesh and the devil, who are all in concert operating against the very thing I'm wanting to do by the grace of God. I have to accept that. So I have to accept the fact that yes, there will be temptation, there will be opposition, and yeah, even persecution. Paul said, nobody's exempt, live godly in Christ Jesus. Boom, you're gonna get persecuted. It's gonna happen. And because I hardened myself and gave myself permission, that was the beginning of a downward spiral, which led into an illicit affair, which led to an abortion, which finally led to about five and a half, six years of gay activism, where I identified as a gay activist, preached a pro-gay interpretation of the Bible, gave myself over completely to sexual sin and defilement. All because at some point I decided I didn't have to live what I believed. It would be covered by grace. There would be no high price to pay. There is no such thing as getting away with sin. All that to say, if perhaps you are on this end of the spectrum, you can certainly be smarter than I was. If you know there is a significant, ongoing, unrepentant sin in your life, this Father's Day, the greatest gift you can give your family is to confess that, bring it to the light, and deal with it, not only to confess it, but to turn from it with a full recognition, you cannot exercise the authority God has given you properly when you are deliberately taking in something which defiles you. You cannot drink poison and run a marathon. The two simply will not go together. You have to be a man who knows the word and a man who lives the word. And finally, a man who expresses the word, 2 Timothy 2, 24, the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle to all, apt to teach. This, I think, is so critical and so needed, and eagerness to communicate what we've been given. You look at the early church and the way Luke described the early church in the book of Acts. Can't you see the urgency in those people? I mean, there's a theme of urgency through the whole book because they had it very clear. And by the way, where there's gospel clarity, there will be urgency. Because where there's gospel clarity, you realize, all people are either dead or they are alive. They're either dead in sin or they're alive in Christ. All people have to be born again or they will remain dead in sin. People are born again when we faithfully preach the gospel to them. That's how it works. Therefore, there was an urgency about preaching the gospel and an urgency about making disciples. What's making disciples about? Largely, it's about teaching, communication, communicating. App to teach and patient. We have a huge need for the men and the women in the church to both speak prophetically to the culture and speak pastorally to the church, not as official pastors, but as shepherds, as mentors, as people who are mature in the faith. Huge need, huge need. This is the season for the apologist, isn't it? Because look what happened. I'm tempted to say look what happened while we were sleeping, that may be accurate. The culture shifted, didn't it? Started decades ago, I remember even in the 60s when it was starting to seriously shift and the major cultural influencers, the education institution, the entertainment industry, the psychiatric industry, the news media industry, they all shifted, didn't they? Those are key influencers of the culture, so the culture shifted. Now what's happening today? The culture's looking at you and me saying, your turn, and we're like, I don't mean to start a fight here, but my back's against the wall. You're asking me to say things I don't believe. I cannot call a man a woman. I cannot say two women make a marriage. I cannot say the life within a womb is a disposable choice. I can't say that. And if you want me to say that, much as I want to be a good citizen and cooperate, I have to say what Peter and John said. If it's better to obey you rather than God, you be the judge, but as for us, we cannot help but speak the things that we have seen and heard. We ought to obey God rather than man. Isn't life a hoot? I'm 67 years old. When I was a young man, I was a hippie. And I was like, resist the government, question authority, free speech. Now I'm an old man on Medicare. What am I saying? Resist the government, question authority, free speech. Might as well be at a Grateful Dead concert, but it isn't just saying to Christian to get you in trouble, is it? I mean, you can say, I believe in Jesus. I love Jesus. You can quote Psalm 23, saying a chorus of amazing grace. No big deal, nobody will bother you. It's when you are faithful in expressing the biblical distinctives. The doctrine of salvation, there is only one way to the Father. The doctrine of fallen humanity, we are not wonderful by birth. We are sinful by birth. The doctrine of marriage, no, you're not, he created the male and female. The doctrine of assigned sex at birth before you form me in the womb you knew me. The doctrine of true justice. Those are the biblical truths that'll get you in trouble, but they are not secondary truths, are they? Those are primary biblical doctrines. We cannot afford to compromise, come hell or high water. We cannot back down on these. And because of that, yeah, there will be pushback. I know, I know. All the more reason though, first to be speaking prophetically as ambassadors who have been commissioned. The ambassador answers to the sender. The ambassador hopes to be accepted by the people he is sent to, but that's not his primary responsibility. He answers to the sender, regardless of the way he or she is received. That's one reason we can't back down. The second, I'm exhibit A. I don't know anybody who messed up his life more than I did. I don't know any worse failure than me. I don't. And anybody who knew me from 1978 to 1984 had every right to give up on Joe Dallas and say, Ichabod, the Lord is departed. He's a heretic, he's a deviant, leave him. And you couldn't blame them for saying that. I gave them plenty of reason. But what happened? Same thing that happens to every prodigal. My life got interrupted. I came to myself and I realized this is not what I was created for by the grace of God. Now, did the people who exhorted me know that I was gonna repent? No, they didn't need to. They needed to do what the sower and the parable did. They sowed the word, not responsible for the kind of ground it fell on, but for sowing the word. And that's why Paul told Timothy at the end of that job description, the servant of the Lord must be apt to teach patient in meekness, instructing those who oppose themselves. If perhaps God will grant them repentance according to the acknowledgement of the truth that is happening to this day. I know that not only because of my own life, but because every week I see upwards of 20 people who are all saying the same thing. Yes, I know I'm attracted to the same sex. Yes, I know I feel like I'm in the wrong body. Yeah, I'm hooked on porn, but I know I don't care what the culture is telling me this is not what God intended. And by the grace of God, I will not settle for less than what God intended for me. Don't ask me why, but I'm gonna swim upstream. That's what they're doing. And that's happening today as we speak. I know that the answer to much of the void that exists in the world is the man who will watch the Godly leader. I needed such a man when after my own childhood I had been routinely abused physically and sexually. I was a walking void. And then finally at age 16, I walked into Calvary Chapel and listened to Chuck Smith teaching the word. And as I began attending there, I realized, now this is a father. I can hear him, I can trust him, I can follow him. And that experience of five, six years under his teaching would forever ground me, sometimes even when I didn't wanna be grounded. Every, every successful father I have known has been a man who has been willing to know and admit the truth about himself. No grandiose ideas about who he is. No false expectations. He knows his limitations, he knows his strengths, he knows his weaknesses, he knows his sin, and he knows his calling. He knows all of that, he knows himself. And every successful man who has fathered people, either biologically or spiritually, has been a man who knows the word of God. I would suggest if we are celebrating Juneteenth that we recognize we are celebrating freedoms largely given to us through the sacrifices of men who rose to those challenges. They paid attention to themselves, they paid attention to the truth. So I hope today we can celebrate freedom, celebrate responsibility, but always keeping an eye towards a fresh ongoing commitment to both. Let me pray with you before we close please.