Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Reverend Ben Coopers podcast, offers an inviting space for listeners to explore Christianity and spiritual growth with wisdom, humor, and a deep commitment to biblical truth. Through Rev. Ben's engaging conversations with guests, the podcast not only explores the timeless wisdom of the Bible but also tackles the pressing issues of life, faith, and hope in a way that is accessible, thought-provoking, and enriching. Whether you’re seeking spiritual nourishment, answers to life’s big questions, or simply a place to reflect on your faith, the Rev Ben podcast is a valuable resource on your journey.
In each episode, Rev. Ben guides listeners through profound theological reflections, personal stories, and practical insights drawn from the Bible and the broader Christian tradition.
Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
10-commandments-10th-commandment - (CST38) PT2
Podcast Show Notes: Breaking Free from Materialism and Embracing True Spiritual and Financial Freedom
What if you could experience true freedom, not just spiritually but also financially? In this transformative episode of Hashtag Christian Straight Talk, we guide you on the journey of breaking free from covetousness, debt, and materialism, aligning your life with the teachings of Jesus Christ. By focusing on the liberating truths of John 8:32, we emphasize how true freedom comes from a personal relationship with Jesus, rather than the pursuit of worldly possessions.
We kick off by drawing parallels between the modern-day allure of items like luxury watches and cars and the timeless wisdom found in Exodus 20. The pursuit of material desires can quickly ensnare us, just as it did for the Israelites in the past. In this episode, we explore how these desires can lead to spiritual unrest and emphasize the importance of re-aligning our focus on what truly fulfills—faith in Christ, not worldly possessions.
As we break bread and share wine, we are reminded of God's covenant and the spiritual freedom that comes from living in Christ. We explore the significance of communion and Jesus' teachings, emphasizing that spiritual freedom is not about rituals but about living a life of deep faith and contentment. Covetousness can rob us of peace, but faith in Christ provides profound and lasting peace.
Throughout the episode, we dive deep into Scripture, drawing from Exodus to Romans, and highlight the essence of contentment found in God's Word. We encourage our listeners to transform their lives by moving away from worldly desires and aligning their actions with God's will. True fulfillment, we argue, is found in a heart surrendered to God's purpose, not in the accumulation of wealth or possessions.
In addition to spiritual freedom, we tackle the practical aspect of financial freedom, pointing out that debt has become a modern form of enslavement. With biblical teachings as our compass, we offer practical advice on managing finances, setting financial goals, and living within one's means. By making short-term sacrifices, we emphasize the long-term spiritual and financial rewards that come from honoring God with our money.
We also highlight the importance of prioritizing a relationship with God above the pursuit of material wealth, focusing on the 'debt of love' we owe to God and others rather than accumulating material debts. By shifting our focus to the eternal, we inspire listeners to live a life free from the burdens of materialism.
As we conclude, we remind you that no matter where you are on your journey, God is with you. He offers hope, guidance, and the path to true freedom and fulfillment—spiritually, emotionally, and financially. Join us on this transformative journey and take the first steps toward a life of spiritual and financial freedom.
https://www.pastorbencooper.co.uk/
Brothers and sisters, jews, gentiles, slave or free, we welcome you to the second part of you can't use that word slave I've been told off time and time and time and time again but the Bible uses it we are slaves to righteousness. Anyway, let's get back to where we were. We were just in Exodus 20, the Ten Commandments, and we've been in this for a number of weeks, and we were in verse 17 thou shall not cover a neighbor's house, uh, your neighbor's wife, or his male or his female servants, his oxen, donkey or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. Welcome back, world. Wherever you are across this earth, god is with you. That watch, yeah, your neighbor had one, and I said where'd you?
Speaker 1:get that. And he told me and I, I got in debt for it thou shall not cut cover a neighbor's watch, or their car, or their tv, or their double glazing or their loft extension or their missus.
Speaker 2:Oh, thou, oh but it's serious and it's true because that's where we go in it all the time.
Speaker 1:Help us, lord. Yes, we're back in the second part of this. We just had a quick breather.
Speaker 2:What was?
Speaker 1:that scripture, ben, what one, john. Let's turn this music down a little bit. John 8, 32, I believe John 8, 32. And what does?
Speaker 2:it say. It says, ben, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. And Jesus said that, and he referred to himself as the truth. And so not only knowing the truth sets you free, but knowing Jesus sets you free and knowing what he can do for you. And it's such a freeing scripture, ben, there's freedom within.
Speaker 1:That isn't there there's freedom within the scripture of knowing Jesus, but we are living in a generation that doesn't really know Jesus. Who is this Jesus?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we've said it many times, but we live in a generation where people just know it as a curse word and it's said so many times across all platforms. People use it as an exclamation mark, but they never really get to know him and the only way we can get to know him is through his word, Ben, Through the living word of God, through the living word of God, yeah, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Speaker 1:It will set us free from this coveting, the wanting, the hunger, the desire for what the world is offering. Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, but store up for yourself treasures in heaven, the kingdom of God. We want to encourage you today to keep in the living word of God, whatever your life looks like, wherever you are, whoever you are today, be encouraged today that the God of Israel that created the heavens and the earth loves you and he wants you and he is calling you.
Speaker 2:It's not your mate who will set you free. It's not your spiritual director, it's not your bishop, it's not your pastor.
Speaker 1:It's not your reverend.
Speaker 2:It's not your spiritual director, it's not your bishop, it's not your denomination reverend, it's not. It's jesus next door neighbor. It's, it only can be jesus that sets you free from this stuff. So make your first port a call. If we've all got stuff going on, I would say he's on your knees, on your face or whatever before the lord, and just bring it to him.
Speaker 1:Bring it to the cross, bring, bring it to bring it to the cross of calvary, because when you come to the cross of Calvary again, that scripture is again is just at the forefront John 8, 32. Freedom is found in the living word of God, freedom is found in the Holy Scripture. Freedom is found in Jesus Christ. So if we are finding ourselves very covetous and we are always hungry for what the world is, and we might be materialistic but we're still believers we want the next gadget, we want the next house, we want the good CV, we want this, we want that. You know, jesus is the one that brings complete contentment and fulfillment, and then everything else will pass away Well, that's the truth, ben.
Speaker 2:So the opposite of covetousness is contentment, as you said, bring it to Jesus, and that's what we're going to do with communion right now.
Speaker 1:How do I bring it to Jesus, simon? What is this communion all about? How do I do this? It's a symbol, but Jesus says doesn't he as often as you come together? He's not referring to the priests.
Speaker 2:Don't say him make sure you do it every fourth sunday of the month and every time you walk in church and ask the priest if am I allowed to take this?
Speaker 1:jesus had the 12 at the table and he said as often as you come together, do this in remembrance of me. The me that he is talking about is the me that we are referring to. Come to me Jesus. Everything so communion and prayer and worship and coming to the cross is fundamental for a believer, wherever you are. If you're at work today, you can find that peace in Jesus. But Pastor.
Speaker 2:I haven't been to church for six months.
Speaker 1:Well, you know you can't come to communion, then no, if you fill the gift aid form out first, I think we might let you in, If you just let us. If you fill the form in and if you tie, can you back tie of a minute? Can you back tie of that money? Because my black book says you ain't been here for six weeks and, uh, I think that you owe us quite a few. Quid, do you imagine?
Speaker 2:could you imagine jesus saying that, yeah can you back, tithe, please.
Speaker 1:Uh, fellas you, ain't you when?
Speaker 2:he was on the sermon of the mount. He was feeding the 5000. Yeah, don't feed him over there don't.
Speaker 1:Don't feed that one because he's just been up to that round the corner with them. Don't feed him because he's been feeding. Don't don't because that's just been up to that round the corner with them. Don't feed him because he's been feeding. Don't because that one has been up to everything. Jesus. Don't discriminate anyone from culture, from age.
Speaker 2:Please don't let this religion lock you in and grab you into it. You could do this communion right now. It brings tears to my eyes when I think of the people that have been excluded from taking the bread and wine just because Catholicism.
Speaker 1:Let's not beat around the old church.
Speaker 2:handbag you ain't been to confession or You're not worthy. Your pastor don't think you're living the life right when he's doing nonsense himself. Do you know what I'm saying? So this is why we do it here. We invite you to come and get a bit of bread, a cracker or whatever. Get a bit of wine and we're on another bottle of what?
Speaker 1:are we on this morning? We're on grape juice this morning. No, we've got to have grape juice because there's driving involved. So this is non-alcoholic. This is pure. It might even be fruit shoot. It might even be fruit shoot. It might even be a fruit shoot. It can even be see this. This is what it's about, because jesus says it is symbolizing it is remembering.
Speaker 2:We're not making, uh, we're not making a lot of this, but but what we're making, light of the religion that binds, making sense in the darkness of religion.
Speaker 1:What did jesus say to the religious order when he was going to the cross and everything was happening in his life? He said darkness has got its. You've got one hour to carry on this religious stuff, but religion has carried that on. Christ said you've got one hour to do what you're going to do, and it has continued that all the way through. But what's really important brother, sister, slave or free Jew, gentile, whatever your background is, is that we, as believers, can take of this bread and wine as often as we want to. If you've got the word open in front of you and you're on your own, take the bread and wine on your own. If you're in a group of your friends, encourage each other, because what this does? It frees us up and it reminds us. It brings us to what God says in the book of Exodus the blood will be a sign. Put it over your doorpost. Simon, will you pray for the bread please?
Speaker 2:Yeah, father, we thank you that you gave us this, you gave us this communion, you gave us this bread, this life-giving bread, to fill us up, to fill that hole that we've been talking about, that God-shaped hole with Jesus, and it symbolises Jesus' body and we take it today to build us up, to empower us, to really edify us, to go on and do the things that you need us to do and be the men and women that you want us to be. So we take this, we take this bread and we say we give, we raise Jesus up to you, father, today, and we give him all the thanks, all the praise, all the glory and he's our first port of call in.
Speaker 2:Jesus name Amen. Thank you Lord.
Speaker 1:Thank you, jesus, thank you, holy Spirit. Father, as we come before you, we've broken bread, and as we take the cup of the new covenant, as we sit as we be, still, whether we're at work, wherever we are, father, we just pray that you'll cover us in the blood from the crown of our head to the sole of our feet, lord, as we stand at the cross of Calvary, as we lay, as we rest ourselves. Father, for those that are at work today, for those that are busy, we pray, father, that you will make a way where there seems to be no way. But Lord, no way. But lord, forgive me of my sins as I stand before you as a son of the living.
Speaker 1:God, cleanse me in jesus name, amen amen freedom, good stuff, freedom in the name of jesus. So who is this jesus? Who is the one that wrote these 10 commandments? Who is this god? That is is the life question that people are asking. Who is this Jesus that you serve? Who is he? Who is the one that wrote these Ten Commandments?
Speaker 1:And isn't it interesting that the world is looking all the time for the answers to life? And it's actually found in Jesus Christ, through the Ten Commandments, through the Old Testament, through the New Testament, and then, as Simon has said, as we've Commandments, through the Old Testament, through the New Testament, and then Simon has said, as we've read out John 8, 32, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. There is freedom in the truth, jesus. We can't get this conversation to go any wider outside of the word Jesus. It's impossible, because truth only can lie in Christ. Yeah, totally To be free from what Simon has brought to the table today, from Exodus 20, verse 17,. Not cover what your neighbour has, what the world before you is living in, that old line that they say you live in a dream.
Speaker 2:Are you living the?
Speaker 1:dream. We're living the dream.
Speaker 2:I'm living my covetous dream or the thing is, is it your dream or somebody else's dream? Living the dream? Are you living? Do you want to live his dream? Because I believe me, I know people that have absolutely dripping in money, have got amazing houses and what you think of lifestyles, but they're absolutely going to their houses. There's no peace, they're wrecked.
Speaker 1:You can see it on their face, can't?
Speaker 2:you Husbands out all doing this, that they're all over the place.
Speaker 1:Stability comes with Jesus. Money doesn't give you stability and we have to encourage those that are really gifted in the way that they earn money, that are Christian brothers and sisters that sow into the kingdom. We are so grateful for those that do that, but with covetousness. It gives me a mindset and a focus on what I can have to feed the flesh, a mindset and a focus on what I can have to feed the flesh and the governments and departments around the place that we live, even in education. You can have what you want when you want. You can be whoever you want, you can have whatever, and that is like fulfilling what the flesh is yearning for, this hunger, this sense of I want it, I want it, I want it no-transcript. And there are many out there that have reached that place of peace and they are at complete contentment with their heart, their mind, their body and with Christ. But there will be many in congregations, in ministry, there will be many that are still bouncing between the cross and the covetousness.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but if you get into the Word, if you get in the Word of God, if you get into the Bible, then you get in the word of God. If you get into the Bible, then there's so much about this stuff, all the way through the Bible, look, and there's so much of what happens if you fall into that jealousy. You know right, in the old Testament the first murder became out of a jealous cane, jealous of his brother, so he covered the well.
Speaker 2:he's Cain jealous of his brother. So he covered the God's relationship with his brother, didn't he? Yeah, and all the way through. We've got that. And all the way through. And Paul says in Romans 12, 2,. He says Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is good and acceptable and the perfect will of God, beautiful. So don't be conformed. So the pattern of the world, pattern of the world. So when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we are then separated from the world. But many people don't accept that separation. It's a big step to go from leaving the world behind to be a citizen. And how do we be in the world, but not of the world?
Speaker 1:Yeah, because the Jesus that we serve, the God that we follow, says go into all the world to preach and teach and make disciples and whatever. So you've got to go into the territory of the world, You've got to go to work, you've got to live your life. You've got to go to work, you've got to live your life, you've got to do what you've got to do as a, as a believer and as a human being. But as I do that, I cannot conform to the pattern of the world. I've only got to look at the governments, I've only got to look at education and I've only got to look at every area of life, really, and think, do you know what, as I analyze that and as I look at that, I cannot be conformed into that, I cannot be drawn into that, I cannot allow myself to step into that. As christ drew in the sand, he drew a line in the sand and, uh, you know, and there is a fine line in the sand.
Speaker 2:Well, uh, for you just say that, ben, and this is not. None of this stuff, uh, if you listen to, that, is scripted. None of this stuff is rehearsed. This is, uh, you know, we believe it's downloaded from the holy spirit, uh, who points to jesus all the time not to us, that's for sure. So, but I have heard it said, and and I know I tend to believe that that that was a very interesting um point, uh, of challenge from the religious leaders when, yeah, when uh, the, the woman was accused of adultery and by the religious law she should have been stoned to death. But Jesus put his mark in the sand, he drew a line and he wrote something in the sand Ben, what if he wrote the Ten Commandments? And he said to those religious leaders anyone of you who's broke any of this Can't cross. If you haven't broke any of these, you can throw the stone. And they all looked and they all knew. They dropped the stone and they walked away. They walked away Because it's the same for all of us, isn't it?
Speaker 1:All have sinned and fallen short of thy glory, whatever way you look at that. And you mentioned the word of jealousy, and a lot of people in the world of church will go oh, I'm not a jealous person. That's off the world, when actually the scripture is very clear. It says God is a jealous God. Yeah, so jealousy runs through the vein of Christianity. So God is a jealous God and he says I'm a God that will not be mocked. So jealousy doesn't just belong to the world. God says if you're going to serve foreign gods, I'm going to be angry and I'm going to be jealous and I will not be mocked. So we have to be very careful. These Ten Commandments are so strong.
Speaker 2:Well, ben, we keep saying it, don't we? Time after time? They are commandments, they are commandments, they are commandments. They're not guidelines, guidelines or a resolution they're not.
Speaker 1:we recommend.
Speaker 2:No, we think you should do this. Try if you can, Maybe can you schedule this into your life. No, it's a commandment.
Speaker 1:And then as you go through the commandments and as you go all the way through and you get to the very bottom one, and then suddenly it takes you back up to the top and you keep going around and you come back through it and you go back up to the top. But every time you go through it you're getting free. Every time you go through you're going through the blood.
Speaker 2:Now look what Paul said. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 13,. It starts at 8, he said oh, no one anything.
Speaker 1:Oh, what an absolute.
Speaker 2:I will use the word impossibility at this moment, owe, no one anything except to love one another.
Speaker 1:The only debt that should be outstanding is the debt of love.
Speaker 2:He says, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law For the commandments. You shall not commit adultery, yeah. You shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet. And if there is any other commandment, all are summed up in this saying, ben, namely you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love, love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore, love is the fulfilment of the law.
Speaker 1:That's right. Love is the fulfilment of the law. John 3, 16,. For God so loved the world. You know love. You know the scriptures are very clear.
Speaker 1:God is love, but we have a religious order, we have a religious setting out there. We have so much out there at the moment that all they're shouting is that God is love, but we have a religious order. We have a religious setting out there. We have so much out there at the moment that all they're shouting is that God is love. Yeah, god is love.
Speaker 1:God is a just God. He is a jealous God. He's Jehovah-Jireh, jehovah-nissi, he is our provider, he is everything, but what's really, really important, he is a God that expects us to push to live, to move through the 10 commandments. I can't do all of that without him. But my journey as a believer, as I go through the 10 and I come out the 10, I'm going through the blood, I'm coming out the blood, I'm washed. There's this movement we would encourage everyone. God is love and Simon has brought an enormous scripture onto this platform here. The only debt that any one of us should ever be outstanding is the continuation of the debt of love and I think you know if you're listening, ben, it's amazing that agape love, that love, that is above if you're listening to this out there, we would encourage you to make 2023 the year to be real.
Speaker 2:That's what we said the year to be real. Start being real, being real with your finances. So don't owe anybody anything except obviously, if you've got a mortgage, but try and clear off them. Credit cards, try and be free of them.
Speaker 1:Because that's the snare, that's the snare, that's the snare, that's the snare. And there may be many, there may be many. I know what it's like. I understand what it's like to be absolutely snowed under and flooded with debt and credit cards and this overdraft, that overdraft, trying to pay the tax man, trying to pay the VAT man, ducking and diving, weaving and bobbing. You've taken that credit card because you've got interest free for six months. You've switched it from that one to that one, you've pulled that one to that one. We know what it's like, but the prayer that should be prayed is Lord, I want to be like that Scripture says and if you are the God of Israel, I want to be like that. I want to be debt-free, I want to be clean and clear, and the only thing that I ever want to owe everybody is unconditional love.
Speaker 2:Wouldn't that be amazing? But you can reach it, we can reach it. It's possible You've got to set yourself goals and targets, but you can reach it. You can do it, putting together, clearing this stuff up, and it's so freeing, ben, to be honest with you.
Speaker 1:Where does the majority of debt come from? Coveting, yeah, totally, because I want, and I haven't got the cash in my pocket so I can sign up for the sofa. So I've wanted that, so I've coveted it. Oh me, mate, me brother, me, sister. Yeah, what a lovely sofa. Do you know what? I went down DFS. They gave me this, they gave me that you can get it, but I've got a bad credit rating. That don't matter, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2:Ben, you know you can get a loan just like that. Within minutes you can get a loan and the credit cards are always writing to you and saying we're going to put your credit limit up.
Speaker 1:Oh gosh, yeah, that old chestnut.
Speaker 2:And the thing is, you know, what happens is you might fall into that trap of putting all that debt onto one credit card which gives you a 0% interest for a number of years. So that means you've cleaned up like maybe two or three cards. Yeah, then you go down that route of going well, I've got nothing on that one, I'll sneak a few quid onto that one. Before you know it, you're in a worse situation. You've got to cut them up. You've got to cut them up. And I think that's the word Ben.
Speaker 1:Put the scissors through it.
Speaker 2:Put the scissors through it, you're not able to use it. Don't get it linked to anything. If you, if you have an amazon account, if you have anything, just get it linked to your normal bank card and then you can see the money going in and out and you'll know what you've got to spend. Because, ben, because the bible says do not owe anybody anything except love now what?
Speaker 1:what a scripture to talk about? Yeah, to encourage your friends and your family in church and around you in your ministry. Do you know what people might go? Well, actually, I've got 20, I've got 30. I've got so much through cars, through sofas, through this loan, that loan. If you add that up and you go well, I've got between 20 and 40 grand there. Do you know what? Don't look at the figure, but look at the size of god, because it's the heart condition, because god moves in mysterious ways and god will make a way. I believe the biggest snare that this world and I will use the scripture that simon mentioned earlier on do not conform to the pattern. The pattern of the world is to get you in track by debt, because the system has got you. The system has got you.
Speaker 2:So you become a word.
Speaker 1:I'm not allowed to use the word slave. You become a slave to the system.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's so easy to do that.
Speaker 1:But the Bible says you're a slave to righteousness.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, that's the opposite, isn't it?
Speaker 1:That's the opposite, the opposite.
Speaker 2:And you'll be more content being a slave to righteousness than you will being a slave to the system, because the system will just chew you up use you and spit you out on the other side. You may not be able to, you know you may have to take some cuts in your expenditure, your lifestyle. But it's use the term in training, ben, in the physical training. You've heard it many times. I'm sure it's short-term pain.
Speaker 1:Do you want a burger? Oh, I thought that's what David.
Speaker 2:Lloyd. I thought David Lloyd was a restaurant.
Speaker 1:I didn't realise it had a sweat box attached to it.
Speaker 2:It's short-term pain for long-term gain. That's the truth, because, look, ben, look at this one. There's another great scripture, ben, that we use a lot of the time In one John, in the Big John, the John's Gospel.
Speaker 1:It's all about love and learning to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:But the. Little Johns are the ones that tell us really how to live our lives. So here we are. 1 John 2, it starts at 15. It says do not love the world or the things in the world.
Speaker 2:And that's already telling you yeah, yeah, father should have that 60-inch TV screen. Yeah, but you only live in a small. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh? Yeah, that's the desire, isn't it the hunger for?
Speaker 1:do not conform for the pattern of the world.
Speaker 2:Do you remember, lord of the Rings, gollum?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I must have that, I must have that.
Speaker 2:And that's how it gets you the lust of the eyes, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:I like all that stuff. The pattern of the world.
Speaker 2:And eyes. Oh yeah, I like all that stuff. The world, the pattern of the world and the pride of life, oh dear, oh it's, it's for putting ourselves first. Putting ourselves central is not of the father, but is of the world. See, all that stuff is of the world, is of the world. So when we see these, all the trappings of the world and everything when we see these pastors and evangelists and so called ministeries jetting off all around the world and riding around mate this is not the world, it's not scripture.
Speaker 2:And the world is passing away and the lust of it, but he who does the will of the father of God abides forever so the question is you know time is escaping.
Speaker 1:The question is is right, okay? So if I come to jesus, I will start to lose the, the, the feeling, the wanting, what, the, the pattern do not conform to the pattern. So what simon is reading out there is the more you come to christ, basically, the more everything else will be stripped away, the more you will not want, the more you'll fall in love with christ. You know, come to me all of you that are wearing heavily laden. There must be so many people that are heavily laden with, with the trappings of everything around us and we get caught in a trap. And we get caught in a trap. We're, we get caught in a trap, we're caught in a, we're trapped.
Speaker 2:Elvis Presley had a song, didn't he? We're caught in a trap.
Speaker 1:We're trapped.
Speaker 2:But what you said there and what we come to is a relationship with Jesus Christ that sets us free. Yeah, yeah. So if we're going to have a relationship with Jesus Christ and we know the truth and the truth sets us free, then we've got contentment. Amen, and the truth sets us free, then we've got contentment. Amen, and there is just as we cover the land we'll finish off on this is that there is a good way of coveting things. Now I'll be honest with you. When I was at a low point in my life completely wrecked marriage all over the place, everything had gone berserk. I looked and saw the piece of a man who was a real violent character, but he found peace through his relationship with Jesus Christ and I wanted that. I wanted that.
Speaker 1:So your heart, not your mind, because the mind is far away from God, but your heart went what that man has got, whatever that is, I want that. I want that. Whatever that person has, whatever that believer has, I want that peace. I want that light in their eyes. I want that fresh look.
Speaker 2:That's it.
Speaker 1:I want what have you got?
Speaker 2:that I don't have, and exactly the same as Simon of Saucer. You cannot buy that.
Speaker 1:You cannot buy it, money cannot buy it, money cannot buy it.
Speaker 2:Money cannot buy that. It is a gift from God, isn't it? The gift of salvation, ben, my peace and contentment was seeing the Arsenal win or having a few quid in my pocket, you know, driving a nice car.
Speaker 1:But at the end of the day it's not really happiness, is it?
Speaker 2:It's not happiness, because it's going around all the time.
Speaker 1:It's going around all the time and then that escalates out of control.
Speaker 2:But that peace and the contentment comes from having a relationship and a love of Jesus. Christ that leads you to the. Father, yeah, yeah, and you can't get that without the Holy Spirit prompting you. So the Holy Spirit prompts you into a relationship with Jesus, and Jesus leads you to the Father. Amen, amen, that's the real deal. And you know, don't worry about what Dickerson says on the telly. This is the real deal. This is it this is the real deal, this is… and it's endurance.
Speaker 1:It's endurance. It's endurance.
Speaker 2:It's keeping it going.
Speaker 1:Fight, the good fight of faith.
Speaker 2:And you do that by knowing the Word of God. How do we…. We cannot live this life without the Holy Spirit. We cannot live this life without the Holy Spirit revealing to us stuff from the Bible.
Speaker 1:From the Word of God, From the Word of God, From the Word of God. So when I get into the Word of God Exodus 20 and 17, and all what we've been looking at is that it will take this. Wanting this worldly want this. Do not conform to the pattern of the world, do not run after what your neighbour has got. But the more I just seek Jesus. Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 2, keep your eyes on the author, the perfecter of your faith. Keep your eyes on Jesus. I've got to focus. I've got to focus on Jesus. That's great.
Speaker 2:I've got to focus on the King of glory.
Speaker 1:See, when you do that and then everything else melts like wax, it will go. It will go because Christ, you can't word, it can you.
Speaker 2:Well, what happens is, Ben? Is that you then become separated from the world?
Speaker 1:Yeah, Because now you're a citizen of the kingdom A born again and you can look at things.
Speaker 2:Your eyes can look at things and they can see things in a different aspect, so you're not looking with a worldview point.
Speaker 1:You're looking as a believer, eyes of Christ.
Speaker 2:I'm not getting my validation so you're not looking with a worldview point, You're looking as a believer eyes of Christ. I'm not getting my validation. I'm not getting my validation in the car I drive.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:I'm not getting my validation in the house I live in. I'm not getting my validation in the holiday. I go to Nothing Because my validation's in Jesus.
Speaker 1:Christ. Who does Jesus say I am? You know that will keep anyone from coveting, from falling into the pattern of the world or or or looking and trying to chase all this stuff that's out there, because we are human beings at the end of the day, and god created the human race and he knows our feelings, he knows our thoughts, he knows our thinking, he knows everything about us. It's it's really important in these moments of closing today's podcast that we just follow Jesus and we encourage one another to follow Jesus.
Speaker 2:He is the author and the perfecter of our faith and he's the truth and he will set you free and he will break that line of wanting. He will break it, but we've got to be prepared to To go through the going To go through it. Yeah, I mean you've got to go be prepared for the stripping away of all that stuff, and it's not easy because the rawness you could be, you know, end up being ridiculed by people that you were part of.
Speaker 2:All that sort of stuff will come with that. But you'll look at other people. Their lives will be a train wreck. Your life will be in order because you're seeking first the kingdom. Everything else will fall into place. It's not a rocket science, but we get ourselves all mixed up in the tentacles of the world and it takes a little bit of time for us to cut them down.
Speaker 1:You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.
Speaker 2:It's Jesus.
Speaker 1:We're done, we're out because we can continue. You know this has been a continuum of what we've done earlier on today. But wherever you are John 8, 32, you know, and we just pray that God will continue to lead you and guide you and we'll see you next week. And you know what? Never give up. God is always moving in your life. There is always hope. Brother, sister, jew, gentile, slave or free. God is with every one of us. But never give up, but always, always be in the debt of love.
Speaker 2:Be in the debt of love. Yeah, and we'd invite you to keep it real this year. Keep it real and come to the cross as your first port of call.
Speaker 1:Amen, ain't I right, ben Simon, you're completely, you're completely right in the power of the Holy Spirit. You know, you've got that summed up just right. It's with Jesus. It's with Jesus. God bless you, take care With Jesus, with Jesus. God bless you, take care.
