Now here was my problem with that scripture. I could not find a separation point between me and them. Could you? Can you? What separates you from them? Have you cried out Lord, Lord? Yes. Have you cast out devils? I have a couple of times right. I mean if it happens here I'm just handing you off okay, but [laughter] I mean I've done it a few times. Have you ever prophesied? I have. So my problem with that scripture was what separates me from them? It scared me. It did, just being [introspective of it. 01.04.21] I've cried out Lord, Lord. Jesus seems to indicate there there are a lot of people at the end of the day that think they're in but they're actually out, and the people He's describing sound like Pentecostal leaders. So I went to my Bible College professor - he has this doctorate in theology. I said what do we do with this? This was his answer: It doesn't apply to you. That verse doesn't apply to you. I said why? He said because you're saved, that verse doesn't apply to saved people, [some are 01.04.50] unsaved people. I said well dude, with all respect they thought they were saved. He goes yeah, but it just doesn't apply to saved people. I said man, that doesn't cut it. He said it's going to have to cut it, it's the only answer I have. [Laughter]
The question becomes it seems to me - I'm just giving you my journey okay. It seems to me in that scripture that the central question is what does it mean to know God? Then the question is is there any way in scripture that God defines what it means to know Him? [Yeah.] Right? Because we could make up anything we want and you know what? Fifteen years I've prayed prayers like this: Lord, if I'm in that category please be nice enough to tell me. Then I found an answer. I was studying something else and the Lord showed me a scripture where He actually defines what it means to know Him. Then I started looking and I can't find another scripture anywhere else in the whole Bible. It's in Jeremiah 22:16. This is what it says. I'll quote it directly because I've put it in my memory. This is what it says, this is God talking: He took care of the poor and the afflicted, so it will go well with him. Is this not what it means to know Me, declares the Lord your God.
So God defines knowing Him as having a generous spirit toward people who can do nothing in return. When you have a generous - and you think about it, how well does that fit in with the rest of Jesus' teachings? Who is the only person in Jesus' whole ministry that Jesus said went to hell? The only person, there was only one? In His whole three and a half years that Jesus actually proclaimed that guy went to hell - who was it? The rich man who overlooked the poor man. Jesus deals with everybody nice, everybody: a woman caught in the act of adultery - ha, you'll be okay. A divorced five times, shacked up with the sixth one - He's like can I get you a drink? You look like you need a drink. [Laughter] Thieves on crosses - no, okay. People throw a dice for His clothes - Father, forgive them too. Prostitutes, washing His feet with her hair - He says oh your faith has healed you, yeah, your faith has forgiven you, it's fine.
But there was a rich man who overlooked a poor man. That's the guy that goes to hell. Yi-yi-yi. Who's the only person in Jesus' whole ministry that did something so horrible God killed him? There's only one. It says that God blessed all the work [from this guy's hands 01.07.33] and Jesus said hey, there's a lot of hungry people out here. What are you going to do with all your spare food? The guy goes I've got this great idea. I'm going to build bigger barns and store it up for myself. Jesus said God's going to kill you. Tonight God's going to kill you actually. Wow! Who are the only other people in the Bible that God killed, in the New Testament that God killed? Ananias and Sapphira. What did they do? They stole the offering to the poor. Is this not what it means to know Me declares the Lord. Listen, the greed in our heart has to be taken care of. In the Bible there are 2106 scriptures that connect righteousness with generosity, that when someone journeys to a generous heart that's when they know they're righteous.
1 John 3:16 says this. It says - give me some ability to paraphrase here. 1 John 3:16 says let us not love in word only, but in word and in deed. So if any of you have material goods let him share with those who have material need, for it is in this generosity that we can know we belong to God. In other words there is something in developing a generous heart that is equated in the scripture to righteousness; 2106 scriptures talk about generosity and righteousness going together. There is almost an equal amount of scriptures that talk about wickedness and greed going together - generosity/righteousness, greed/wickedness. Jesus said it this way: The outside of your cup and platter are clean, but the inside of you is full of greed and wickedness. He could have easily just said wickedness; greed and wickedness, they go together okay, so we have to handle that part of us. Alright, so the cure for greed is to give. Now number four, the cure for jealousy is to celebrate. The cure for jealousy is to celebrate. We need to go out of our way to celebrate publicly the things that threaten us privately.