Regaining Lost Ground

Pastor Shane Idleman: One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek. Nothing else, nothing more, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. My career comes after that. My job comes after that. My money comes after that. My marriage comes after that. My questions come after that. My health comes after that. One thing have I desired. That will I seek. Beginning tonight and tomorrow morning, I will seek the Lord. He is my shelter. He is my rock. He is my Sabbath rest. He is my everything. He is a strong tower. I run to him when the storm comes. He will lead you through.

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us here at Westside Christian Fellowship, located in Leona Valley, California, one hour north of Los Angeles. Today on Regaining Lost Ground, we hear the third and final part of this igniting message titled, "He Set His Face Like a Flint, So Should You."

In Luke 12:49, Jesus said, "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled." Do you seek to be on fire for Jesus? Overflowing with his Spirit, the Spirit of the living God? Listen now as Pastor Shane sparks a firestorm of holiness. What will it take for God's people to be burning for more of Christ? To have a thirst for truth and a hunger to see the lost found? Buckle up and catch fire right now here on Regaining Lost Ground.

You can hear the whole message at Pastor Shane's YouTube and Rumble channels. Make sure to subscribe today. For more information, visit us online at westsidechristianfellowship.org. We also encourage you to hear more truth from Pastor Shane with the Idleman Unplugged weekly podcast. And now, from Westside Christian Fellowship in Leona Valley, California, here's Pastor Shane Idleman.

Pastor Shane Idleman: Children worshipping highlights God's strength perfected through weak, unexpected sources. When the broken worship, God moves. As much as I would like to see this, it won't happen for obvious reasons. But instead of seeing LeBron, Kobe, and Michael Jordan worshipping, I'd love to see the broken, the hurting, worshipping. That would be amazing. But that is worship.

I'm not discounting that. I'm just saying God often uses the lowly and the broken to represent the heart of the Father because it's genuine. Where does this verse come from? Psalm 8. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! If you don't know why we should worship, just focus on this Psalm today.

Lord, our Lord, how majestic—in other words, how beautiful, how great—is your name in all the earth! Who holds a second to God? Nobody. He set his glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants, you have established a stronghold against your enemies to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon, the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them? Human beings that you care for them? I spoke on this Wednesday and I threw out the challenge for you to look it up as well. How many galaxies are there? Have you ever looked into that? And then how many stars are in each galaxy? It is incomprehensible.

That's what he says. Who are we that you're mindful of them? That you care for them? Shouldn't that get all of us to drop to our knees and glorify the one true and living God? That God wants to be in relationship with you. That God wants to hear our prayers. He's not answering my prayers? Well, welcome to the club. Sometimes it's more about pursuit than it is answers. And when I get answers, I stop pursuing. Just something to think about on your way home. Thank God for unanswered prayers from time to time.

Here are these guys again. The chief priests saw the wonderful things that he did, and they were indignant. Does anybody else have a problem with these guys or is it just me? They would see people healed and say, "Come back on the Sabbath. Come back later to be healed." Are you kidding me? You've never healed anybody in your life, and you see all these miracles, and that's your attitude?

We see that in the church. God could be moving in profound and powerful ways, yet you still have the negative Nellies and the judgmental Jerrys. But it shows you the destruction, the pain, and the deception of pride. Obadiah says, "The pride of your heart has deceived you." He was writing to the Edomites who were going against God's enemies to fight Israel, and God says the pride of your heart has deceived you.

The reason I put "destruction" is because it does destroy families. It destroys churches. It destroys careers. It's destroying our nation. And then what follows is pain. I would need a whole sermon to really unpack what the Bible says about pride. But it's hard to narrow down to just a few sentences. You know the look of it, and you know the look of humility, don't you?

Pride is that self-assertive, "Me, me, me, me, me. I would never. I this, I that. I study the Bible. I... Oh, oh, judgmental, oh." How could they fall again? There's just a prideful, unteachable spirit. You think you're always right in the home? I feel like crying sometimes because I've seen so much pain. Haven't you too, Tim, from counseling?

Destruction in marriage. It's the most frustrating thing you'll ever witness. You talk to couples and say, "You guys could fix this right now." What do you mean? Humble yourself. Now, disclaimer, there are some spouses who, through no fault of their own, are humbly seeking the Lord, and they can't control the choice of the other. I'm pretty sure you know that's not what I'm talking about. But I have to throw those disclaimers out there because people like to put words in my mouth.

I usually say, "Can you find that sermon where I said that?" and I never get a response because they make me say things because they're convicted. But we see that if you humble yourself, this is fixed today. Right now. I got it. I'm not minimizing anything. Even now, I can think of lots of divorces in this church over 15 or 16 years that shouldn't be in the church. I don't want people to feel bad because sometimes it might be warranted and a person's done all they can do. I got it. But nine times out of ten, or the person did all they could do but the other spouse didn't, it was because of pride.

Kids are resilient? They'll be fine? Let me tell you. What else would make somebody act that prideful? "I can't admit that I'm wrong." Many times, you'll see that they never had a relationship with Christ to begin with. Because I'd like you to tell me how two people filled with the Spirit of God can end up divorced.

Now, again, one person could be quenching and grieving the Spirit. I got it. I'm not naive. I've heard every single scenario ever given. But the Holy Spirit, when somebody wants to be filled with the Spirit and the other spouse is filled with the Spirit, that's a very beautiful thing. It doesn't mean it's easy, but that's by far, there's not even a close second. Pride, pride, pride.

The danger with pride is that it is deceptive. It deceives you. I'll run into some of these people at the store three years later and they're still blaming their spouse. They don't see it. "They never understood me. They never listened. You know, you know." You're deceived, brother. Humble yourself. Humble yourself before God does.

But an encouragement, if you've ever wore the "big D" on your forehead, "divorce," God can redeem. It's not the unpardonable sin. God can do amazing things if you've done all you can do. You can rest in that. Don't leave here feeling beat up. You've done all you could do.

But if you're listening later on radio, social media, and you haven't done all that you could do, humble yourself. "I just don't love them anymore, Shane." Right, because you're hooked to pornography. Of course, you don't love them anymore. You've given yourself over to an addiction. Love doesn't leave you. You leave love. Pride has slain its thousands, but jealousy its ten thousands.

These men were not only prideful but jealous. Jealous. Look at all the accolades. Look at what this guy does. And they're in jealousy. We should be excited for things that God is doing. We should be excited for things that God is doing. Who cares if somebody has a bigger Bible study? Who cares if somebody is being used of God more than you want to be? Lift them up. Encourage them.

Lastly, on this topic of setting your face like flint like he did, we talked about cleaning up worship, removing compromise, getting involved in ministry, reaching out to people, humbling yourself. When it comes to setting your face like a flint, you've got to make sure you get that flint from the solid rock.

Isaiah 50 said, "Why, when I came, was there no man? Why, when I called, was there none to answer? Is not my hand shortened that it cannot redeem? Or I have no power to deliver?" In other words, God's talking here. He said, "Indeed, my rebuke, at my rebuke, I dry up the sea. I make rivers a wilderness." I'm actually getting to the last verse, but God's word is so powerful, I want you to hear it in its context.

At my rebuke, I dried up the sea. Remember that when he dried up the sea? "I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering." The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should show how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away. I gave my back to those who struck me. Who is he talking about? "I was not rebellious. I did not turn away. I gave my back to those who struck me and my cheeks to those who plucked out my beard. I did not hide my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me."

Therefore, I will not be disgraced. I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed. Isaiah, 700 years before Jesus, writing this. Basically saying they're killing me, my back and they're beating me up and they're whipping me. It doesn't matter because I've set my face like a flint. I'm going to Calvary no matter what. You can't stop me, Devil.

It's a good reminder for us. Philippians 3:13-14, "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I set my face like a flint. Therefore, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. And I know that I will not be ashamed." Guys, that's the key to the Christian walk.

To set your face like a flint to Christ. Nothing's going to persuade you. Nothing's going to push you away. No matter what's in the news, no matter the financial uncertainty, no matter your health update, no matter what it is, you set your eyes on Christ, and you set it like a flint, and nothing's going to move me. I don't care if they come out with a study next week. "We found the Bible to be untrue." Well, join the rest of the club and they've all perished, and God's word still stands.

So I'll leave you with these keys. How to set your face like a flint. What do you gaze upon? Throughout the day, what do you gaze upon? Of course, other things happen, but are you fixed on that cross and Calvary and the resurrection? I gaze upon him and taking the sin, the sin of the world, and because the Father... I fixed my gaze because when you fix your gaze, it's hard to knock you off course.

What do you focus upon all week? Where do you focus? What are you standing for, and what are you standing on? Some of you that are flirting with the truth, you better get on full board because again, the truth isn't yielding. It doesn't bend. You don't change truth. Truth changes you.

And then, oh, what are you holding on to? "Oh man, if this stock goes through, if this gold and silver and cryptocurrency and my retirement, and this is what I'm holding on to." Many of you know I released that booklet to help a lot of people fighting cancer, and every day I got to remind them, nothing is guaranteed. You can do this and try that.

Who are you holding on to? That's the only thing that's going to be able to navigate through the storms of life. Now, God leads us to do other things, of course, but that's what I'm holding on to. Do you know why I'm holding on to that? Because it's not going to fail. It's not going to fall. It's not a corroded foundation that will corrode after a hundred years like concrete.

This is a rock that will never fail. It will never crack. You're holding on, so when you're holding on to it, you fix your gaze upon what you're holding on to. What do you do when you fall? You get back up and you fix. You know, that's what people need to do. They get so discouraged when they fall. I know when they fall because I don't see them here for a long time.

And then they come back crying, they're at the altar in prayer, and you see it a lot. You have to remind them, get up. You fell? That was close. I did it on purpose. You fell, but what do you do? You get back up. You get back up and you keep your gaze upon him. You set your face like a flint. Don't head for the exit, head for the cross. That's the key.

Where do you run when you fall? Where do you run? Who do you run to? The pharmacy, the liquor store, the cannabis factory? Who do you run to, I should say? Here's what we need to do. Stand strong when you don't think you can. Men, let me talk to you for a minute. This is important as you're leading a family or going to lead a family. You need to stand strong even when you don't think you can.

A little secret about boldness and not being a coward, it's not that you don't struggle with fear and doubt. It's that you don't let them control you. You stand strong. You build hope when all hell is breaking loose. You speak the truth in the face of evil. You keep moving forward when the road ahead isn't clear. That's how you set your face like a flint.

I mean, I just this week think of all the times could Jesus have changed course? Go find a donkey? No, go find a ship headed for Tarshish. I'm out of here. I mean, the creation, man, spitting on the creator? As soon as they slapped me, okay, ten thousand legions of angels, where are you? Right, evaporate, pillar of salt. But all these opportunities, knowing what he's going through, still ministering to the people through this whole thing, set his face like a flint.

I'll leave you with this verse. Psalm 27. One thing have I desired of the Lord. Guys, you need to leave here with this in your heart. If I could preach louder and more boldly, I would. There's a lot sometimes I have to contain myself because this is so important. This is church worship for the living God. To me, there's nothing more important on planet earth for me than to preach God's word, for people to come and hear God's word, to worship the living God. More important than visiting Trump? Absolutely. More important than this? Absolutely.

This never fails. This never ends. It's the most important thing we can do. And the psalmist says one thing have I desired. You need to get this in your heart. Not many things have I desired and I'll try to fit God in. It says one thing have I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek. Nothing else, nothing more, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

So my career comes after that. My job comes after that. My money comes after that. My marriage comes after that. My questions come after that. My health comes after that. One thing have I desired, that will I seek. Beginning tonight and tomorrow morning, I will seek the Lord. He is my shelter. He is my rock. He is my Sabbath rest. He is my everything. He is a strong tower. I run to him when the storm comes. He will lead you through.

See, the problem with that verse for many people, one thing if I desired of the Lord, that will I seek. They don't desire it. They don't really desire it. As I'm speaking, they've already got excuses in their head. Well, that's good for him. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that. "Well, Pastor, that's good for you. That's what he's called you to."

No, I was seeking him when I was digging ditches. I was seeking him when nobody listened. I had to. I had to. And that's my passion for all of you. One thing have I desired, that will I seek, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. And here's the good news. If you don't desire it, all you have to say is, "Lord, I repent. I repent. Please give me that desire. Please give me that desire."

And then maybe you'll agree with Maddie next time she says, "We are hungry, we are thirsty for more of you." Many of you are not saying that. Are you truly hungry? Are you truly thirsty for more of God? And it's okay if you're not, you repent. You repent and you say, "God, I'm sorry that my heart is not fully engaged with the living God. I want that desire." And then as you humble yourself, the mighty filling of the Holy Spirit comes in and says, "Son, daughter, I've been waiting."

Guest (Male): You've been listening to Regaining Lost Ground with Pastor Shane Idleman. You can find more information at westsidechristianfellowship.org. That's westsidechristianfellowship.org. And for all the latest on what God is doing with his ministry here, please be sure to follow us on most social media platforms.

Westside Christian Fellowship is located 60 miles north of Los Angeles in Leona Valley, California. Thank you again for listening to today's message of Regaining Lost Ground where we are reminded daily: times change, truth does not.