Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000163A
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00:18 Hello, friends, and welcome
00:20 to our Wednesday night Bible study 00:21 here at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:23 Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in. 00:25 We're gonna continue and hopefully finish our study 00:29 on the anatomy of righteousness. 00:32 And it has been an amazing study 00:34 because as you'll discover 00:36 so much of the challenge or the issue 00:38 is not so much what we believe doctrinally 00:41 but what we do spiritually. 00:44 And we want to go ahead 00:45 and balance your walk with Christ 00:46 as we study what is involved in living the righteous life 00:50 and what it means to be a Christian, 00:52 what it means to reflect and reveal 00:54 the character of Christ. 00:56 And so thank you so much for taking the time to tune in. 00:58 We hope you have your Bibles, and your pens, 01:00 gather around for the next 57 minutes 01:03 and just a little less than that 01:06 as we study God's Word together. 01:08 We often sing our theme song, but before we do anything, 01:11 before I let you know how to get a copy of the lesson, 01:13 let's bow our heads and invite the Lord's presence. 01:16 Loving Father in heaven, 01:17 thank You so much for the opportunity 01:18 of opening Your Word and studying together, 01:21 something that we are all in need of. 01:24 We need Your Holy Spirit's strength and guidance, 01:27 and we pray that You'll reach out now and touch the hearts 01:30 and lives and minds of those who expose themselves 01:33 to the power revealed in Your Word. 01:36 May Your Spirit do a job in our hearts, 01:38 we pray in Christ's name, amen. 01:42 Now if you'd like to get a copy of it, 01:43 it's lesson number 38, 01:44 and you go to this following website, 01:46 ASF.3ABN.org 01:49 and download lesson number 38. 01:52 That's ASF.3ABN.org 01:55 and download lesson number 38. 01:57 Tonight, we're gonna begin on question number 19, 02:00 question number 19. 02:02 And we have 29 questions, 02:04 and I'm gonna try my best to be as expeditious and efficient 02:07 as I possibly can 02:09 because this topic is not only very informative 02:12 but it's something that we are all in need of 02:14 as we look for victory in Jesus. 02:18 On that note tonight, 02:19 join with us as we sing our theme song 02:21 which has been become 02:22 our favorite song wherever we've gone, 02:23 let sing together, Victory in Jesus. 02:35 I heard an old, old story 02:39 How the Savior came from glory 02:43 How He gave his life on Calvary 02:47 To save a wretch like me 02:50 I heard about His groaning 02:54 Of His precious blood's atoning 02:58 Then I repented of my sin 03:02 And won the victory 03:06 Oh, victory in Jesus 03:09 My Savior forever 03:13 He sought me and bought me 03:17 With His redeeming blood 03:21 He loved me 'ere I knew Him 03:24 And all my love is due Him 03:28 He plunged me to victory 03:32 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:36 I heard about a mansion 03:40 He has built for me in glory 03:43 And I heard about the streets of gold 03:47 Beyond the crystal sea 03:51 About the angels singing 03:55 And the old redemption story 03:58 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 04:02 The song of victory 04:05 Key change. 04:06 Oh, victory in Jesus 04:10 My Savior forever 04:14 He sought me and bought me 04:17 With His redeeming blood 04:21 He loved me 'ere I knew Him 04:25 And all my love is due Him 04:29 He plunged me to victory 04:33 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:36 He plunged me to victory 04:40 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:46 Amen. 04:49 Tonight's topic is 04:51 the truth about the anatomy of righteousness. 04:55 Now if you've ever taken anatomy and physiology, 04:58 maybe, you got to be maybe in high school to take that. 05:02 But another phrase for anatomy of righteousness 05:05 is the scaffolding of righteousness, 05:08 what holds it up. 05:10 There's always something behind the righteous life we live 05:13 and it's an anatomy. 05:15 And what we're gonna talk about tonight 05:16 is how to get to the place 05:18 where that can be reflected and revealed in our lives. 05:21 Now, why is this topic of such great importance? 05:25 Not everybody that is a Christian lives 05:28 the Christian life. 05:30 Not everybody that has a certain set of beliefs. 05:33 And I hate to say, in every Christian community, 05:37 even in the Seventh-day Adventist community 05:39 where the doctrines I believe are very pure, 05:42 we don't all live pure lives. 05:44 We don't all live victorious lives. 05:47 We have a good system of beliefs here, 05:50 but as one writer once said, "The longest distance 05:53 is between our heads and our hearts." 05:56 What we believe here 05:58 and what is lived out in our hearts 06:00 which in fact affects our lives, 06:01 it's a long distance. 06:03 And some people become intellectual Christians. 06:05 In other words, they agree to a certain set of beliefs, 06:10 and then they join a church, 06:11 and then they struggle from that point on 06:13 and what it means to live a Christian life. 06:15 And God never intended for that to be the case. 06:19 He intended for every one of us to find victory in Jesus. 06:22 And so tonight, we're gonna talk about that. 06:24 We're gonna dive right in to the topic 06:26 because it's important, 06:27 I'm gonna get to some very important issues 06:29 that are related to how to live the Christian life. 06:32 Because if you think about an Olympian, 06:34 if you think about a baseball player, 06:36 or a football player, 06:37 or if you're in Australia or in England, 06:41 a soccer player or rugby player, 06:43 if you think about a person 06:45 that play sports or competes, no one, 06:47 he or she wants to be a looser. 06:50 Everyone wants to be a winner. 06:52 They want to be victorious in the Olympics 06:54 that are held world wide and many countries compete. 06:57 No one wants to go to represent their country 06:59 and say, "My intention is to lose. 07:03 I want to lose for America." 07:05 Well, the Christian life is not a competition 07:08 but it is an even field for everyone. 07:11 And what is made available for you and for you and for you 07:14 is made available for me. 07:15 Every one of us can find victory in Jesus 07:18 if we understand how it is accomplished. 07:22 We talked about God's law, 07:25 we talked about the definition of sin, 07:27 we talked about the birth of sin 07:29 being found in Lucifer's heart, 07:31 being unsatisfied about the government of God 07:34 and God's requirements. 07:36 And then we talk about the effect of sin, 07:38 how it came into the world 07:39 through Adam making the choice to open the door. 07:41 We also talked about how it was passed on to everyone of us. 07:44 Every one of us is born with a nature 07:46 that has a natural tendency to do wrong. 07:49 We lean like a tree that leans toward the sun, 07:52 we lean toward the darkness. 07:54 That's our natural inclination, that's our natural tendency. 07:58 We are not born to want to do right. 08:00 We are not born to want to live right. 08:03 We are not born to want to make right choices. 08:05 We are not born to do anything right. 08:08 The Bible says, "There is none that is good, 08:09 no, not even one." 08:12 Even if we have a good job, great education, 08:15 a wonderful salary and nice home, 08:17 a bank filled with income or money, 08:21 we still don't have that inherent. 08:22 We can't buy goodness. 08:24 And so we're gonna talk about tonight 08:26 where our hope comes from. 08:27 Now Paul the Apostle made a statement 08:29 that I want to open up with 08:31 and then we're gonna go to question number 19. 08:33 He says, "But thanks be to God 08:34 who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 08:37 Can you say amen to that? 08:39 1 Corinthians 15:57 is where you find that, 08:41 "Thanks be to God who gives us the victory." 08:44 So the question is, since He gives us the victory, 08:48 how do we obtain it? 08:49 How do we embrace it? 08:52 How do we experience it? 08:54 When we receive the victory, 08:56 that means Jesus has already won the victory 08:59 and He wants to give it to us. 09:01 But how do we receive it? 09:02 How does it become something present 09:05 and active in our lives? 09:06 Go to question number 19, 09:08 let's begin to look at some of the places 09:09 where the impact of His righteousness takes place. 09:12 Question number 19. 09:15 How does the Apostle Paul 09:17 describe the war that sin causes? 09:22 How does the Apostle Paul 09:23 describe the war that sin causes? 09:28 Let's go to Romans 7:22-23. 09:32 Now the reason why there is a war 09:34 you'll discover in this verse. 09:36 There's a war that sin causes, 09:39 because there is on one side a desire to do right, 09:44 on the other side a nature that doesn't want to do right. 09:46 So you have a desire and you have a nature 09:48 and they are warring against each other. 09:49 Let's look at how the Bible reveals this. 09:51 The Apostle Paul says under inspiration, 09:54 "For I delight in the law of God according to the," what? 09:58 "According to the inward man. 10:00 But I see another law in my members warring 10:04 against the law of my," what? 10:06 "My mind." Notice, it's in there. 10:08 And what happens? 10:10 "And bringing me into captivity 10:13 to the law of sin which is," where? 10:16 "In my members." 10:18 Now let's break that down. 10:20 The law, Paul says, "There is another law 10:22 warring against the law that's in my mind 10:26 bringing me into captivity," 10:28 meaning capturing me... 10:32 "According to the law of sin which is in my members." 10:35 So get this. 10:36 We have this nature 10:38 that is fighting against what we believe. 10:39 Now why is the law described as the law of my mind? 10:42 Hebrews 8:10 or 8:16, the Lord says, 10:45 "I will put my laws into their minds." 10:47 So we don't walk around 10:49 with two tables of stone saying, 10:50 "Commandment one, two, three, four, 10:53 five, six, seven, eight, nine ten." 10:55 We don't walk around with tables of stone 10:57 because the Lord put them in our minds. 11:00 So when we think of doing right, 11:03 and when we have a conscious mind 11:05 as to what is wrong 11:07 is because the law in our minds saying, 11:08 "Right, wrong, wrong right, right wrong," 11:12 and then we have a body that says, 11:14 "I don't care what your mind says, I ain't doing right," 11:17 because our nature fights against it. 11:19 We have this nature that Adam gave us, 11:21 1 Corinthians 15:22, "As in Adam all die." 11:24 So we have this nature that we were born with, 11:26 that's why babies when they're born, 11:28 they cry incessantly 11:30 because they only have one desire, 11:31 to fulfill their selfish needs. 11:33 "I need my bottle, I want my diapers change, 11:35 I need comfort, I don't like what you gave me to eat," 11:38 and they're continually in controversy. 11:40 That nature is un-regenerated, it's fighting. 11:43 And until that nature is under control, 11:45 we're gonna grow up like babies having a mind that says, 11:49 "This is what we should do," 11:50 but our heart that says, "I don't want to do it." 11:55 That's why the Bible says, 11:56 "Whatever your hands find to do, 11:58 do with all your might," 11:59 where there in Ecclesiastes 9:10 12:01 is do it with all your heart, put your heart into it. 12:04 But how you put your heart into it 12:06 when there's a war between the mind and the heart? 12:07 So let's answer the question, how does the Apostle Paul 12:10 describe the war that sin causes? 12:13 He calls it the law of sin, 12:16 the law of sin which is in my members. 12:20 The law of sin is simple. 12:22 A good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit, 12:25 and a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit. 12:28 It's a law, like the law of gravity, you cannot... 12:31 I mean, you could jump 12:32 and you'll think the law of gravity is suspended 12:34 but you'll be back down on the ground real quickly. 12:37 There's a law at work. 12:39 Now here is something that's very powerful. 12:42 Since it is the law... 12:47 This is really deep. 12:49 Since the law of sin is a law, 12:53 we've got to come up with this idea, 12:55 how do we break that law and keep God's law, 13:00 because you can't keep two laws. 13:02 Because Paul mentioned, "The law in my... 13:05 I delight according to the law of God, 13:08 I delight in the law of God according to the inward man." 13:11 So the law of God, and the law of sin, 13:14 which is in my members, 13:16 how do we break away from the law of sin 13:19 and live in harmony with the law of God? 13:21 That's the question that we have to ask ourselves. 13:23 We'll discover that in just a moment. 13:25 Let's look at the next one. 13:26 Question number... 13:28 So write this down, you did answer that... 13:30 We answered that question. 13:31 Let's go to question number 20. 13:33 Go to question number 20. 13:34 And this is what happens 13:35 when the law that is in our members holds us down. 13:38 Question 20, where do we usually end up 13:41 when we realize that we are slaves of sin? 13:44 Where do we usually end up? 13:47 Romans 7:24. 13:49 Romans 7:24, let's look at what it says, 13:51 where do we usually end up. 13:53 And I like us to read this together 13:54 because this is been an experience 13:55 of every one of us at one point or the other. 13:58 It says, together, "O wretched man that I am! 14:02 Who will deliver me from this body of death?" 14:07 Who will deliver me? 14:08 So you realize you're dying, you know, every one of us, 14:11 the Lord said, "In the day that you eat thereof 14:13 you shall surely die." 14:15 It's true. 14:17 Adam lived 930 years and he died. 14:19 Everybody born ever since Adam died, 14:22 with the exception of Enoch, 14:26 Elijah, and Moses was resurrected. 14:29 But outside of it everyone is subjected to death. 14:31 But this is not just talking about the fact 14:33 that we're gonna all be buried, 14:35 but this is talking about a body of death. 14:36 We're in caps... 14:38 We're captured here 14:39 because our bodies are designed to just want to do wrong. 14:43 Our minds says, "I have a list of right things here 14:47 but I can't do it down here." 14:49 And so Paul says, "When I realize 14:51 that there is a list of good things to do 14:55 but I can't do it, I feel wretched. 14:57 I want to do good but I can't do it. 15:00 O wretched man that I am," 15:02 and he asks, "Who will deliver me?" 15:04 And the reason he asked that question 15:06 is because he cannot deliver himself. 15:11 And one thing we have to get at the very outset here 15:13 is we cannot deliver ourselves 15:17 because we are slaves. 15:19 Have you ever seen a slave deliver him or herself? 15:22 No. Slaves are chained. 15:25 There's a master in charge. 15:26 And get the principle here, 15:28 the slave is not in charge of the master, 15:30 the master is in charge of the slave. 15:33 So when you are a slave to sin as Paul mentioned earlier, 15:36 "Bringing me into captivity," that's the bondage got you! 15:40 That's why Jesus used so many parables, 15:43 and even at times He used actual stories, 15:45 the demoniac was bound by chains. 15:48 Peter was in prison bound by chains, 15:51 and when you look at the story, 15:53 not only were the chains broken in Peter's life, 15:56 but the Lord released him from prison. 15:57 So we're not just gonna talk about how to break the chains 16:00 because people give up alcohol, smoking in cigarettes, 16:02 and all the other things, 16:03 but then sometimes they realize, 16:05 "I've given up a lot of things 16:06 but I still feel like I'm in prison." 16:08 The Lord wants to bring us all out. 16:09 So write this down. 16:11 Question number 20, where do we usually end up 16:13 when we realize that we are slaves of sin? 16:15 Where do we usually end up? 16:17 Wretched, wretched. 16:21 We come to church, it's the Sabbath, 16:23 or whatever day you go to church on, 16:25 if you don't go to church on the Sabbath study that, 16:29 because I'm not proponent 16:30 to whatever day you go to church on. 16:32 But if you come to church, 16:34 and you want to worship 16:35 but your mind is somewhere else, 16:37 you're praying but your mind is somewhere else, 16:39 you see somebody 16:40 your mind instantly go somewhere else, 16:42 you have challenges during the week, 16:44 your mind... 16:45 You don't catch up to worship until it's done. 16:48 You come to church with just no desire, 16:51 what is being said doesn't hit you, 16:52 you can't catch it 16:54 because you're in this constant battle. 16:56 You're at home in a battle, 16:58 you and your family in a battle, 17:00 you in your marriage you're in a battle, 17:02 with your children 17:04 you're in a battle, and you're wondering, 17:05 "Why do Christian families argue? 17:07 Why are there battles in the home? 17:08 Why are there battles in the church? 17:10 How can we as Christians be a better testament 17:14 to those who don't know Christ?" 17:16 The answer is we have to find a way 17:18 to be freed from that law of sin 17:20 which is in our members. 17:22 And so Paul talks about it as a wretched man. 17:25 Now let's go to the next question. 17:27 We're gonna slowly go through this 17:28 because there are some powerful points 17:30 that are gonna come out tonight, 17:31 and I want to do more teaching than preaching, 17:33 that's why I'm going to the questions 17:34 at a greater pace tonight. 17:36 Question number 21. 17:39 In what language does the Bible describe 17:41 the freedom from sin's law? 17:45 In what language does the Bible describe 17:47 the freedom from sin's law? 17:51 This is wonderful. 17:53 What way and what language does the Bible describe 17:55 the freedom from sin's law? 17:57 Okay. 18:00 Romans 8:2 by the way is where we're going. 18:03 Romans 8:2. 18:05 Okay. 18:09 I like this. 18:11 Now I want to say before I read the text... 18:16 Since you can't violate laws because the law of gravity, 18:20 all the other laws of the universe, 18:22 they're all intact, 18:23 you got to replace one law with another law 18:27 since laws are laws, the laws cannot be broken. 18:30 I mean, you can break them, like speeding, 18:33 yeah, you could violate that 18:35 but you'll discover there's a penalty for that. 18:37 So laws... 18:38 So many years ago, let me use an example. 18:40 When I was growing up between New York and Washington DC, 18:43 the speed limit was 55. 18:45 We all applauded the government when they changed it to 70 18:49 because we all want to go fast anyway. 18:51 Can I get an amen? 18:52 We know nobody who drives 55 anymore 18:55 except the police is around. 18:58 But when they replaced the law 55 with the law 70, 19:02 people got excited 19:03 because the law, they had less of a tendency. 19:07 But now if you go to some places like, 19:08 I heard, I don't know, 19:10 but there's some places between Las Vegas and other places 19:12 where the speed limit is 80. 19:15 And in... Huh? 19:16 Texas. Texas, right? 19:17 Speed limit is 80. 19:19 It's great. 19:20 San Francisco. Right. 19:22 There is nothing out there. 19:23 Speeding, and what it is, you're not violating the law, 19:26 they just changed it from 55 to 80. 19:30 You replace one law with the other. 19:31 So when we read the text 19:33 we're gonna see the principle here, 19:34 it's not breaking one law and honoring another, 19:37 but replacing one law that had us with another law 19:41 that frees us. 19:43 Okay, Romans 8:2, look at this, the language. 19:46 "For the law of the Spirit of," what? 19:49 "Life in Christ Jesus has made me," 19:53 together, "free from the law of sin and," what? 19:57 "Death." 19:58 Notice, so the language 19:59 is the law of the spirit of life. 20:02 Write that down, that's the answer. 20:04 In what language? The law of the spirit of life. 20:07 So there is a law, God takes out one, 20:10 and this is what's called conversion. 20:13 He takes out the law of sin and death, 20:15 and inserts in the law of the spirit of life. 20:20 And then what happens as a result of that, 20:21 now he begins, 20:23 and you're gonna see what this is all about, 20:25 and I want you to know this is something else 20:28 that I want to clarify. 20:31 We say, "Okay, now I can live the Christian life." 20:34 I'm gonna dispel that rumor tonight. 20:38 We'll say, "Now, I could live the Christian life." 20:40 What I want you to see 20:42 is even how that is accomplished. 20:44 I will go to Galatians 2:20 in a moment. 20:47 "It is no longer I who live." 20:49 So therefore it is not you who live, 20:52 so I can't live the Christian life. 20:54 It is no longer I who live, amen? 20:57 So I can't live the Christian life. 20:59 One of the greatest battles 21:02 we've tried to accomplish is how to live the Christian life, 21:05 and the Apostle Paul says, "It is no longer I who live," 21:08 because when you die, 21:09 if baptism is a symbol of death, 21:12 burial and resurrection, 21:14 one of the greatest challenges we have 21:15 where we find failure is we say, 21:17 "Okay, I could do this, I got this." 21:19 And we go out trying to do right, 21:21 and then we bump into the law of sin and death 21:24 which is in our members. 21:25 And we say, "But wait a minute, 21:27 I have the right doctrinal positions. 21:28 Why is it that I can't? 21:30 I have everything I believe is according to the scriptures. 21:32 Why can't I live this life?" 21:34 Because you'll discover as I've discovered, 21:37 as we have all discovered at one point or the other 21:39 that there is whatever is still alive 21:42 in you from your old man 21:44 will always be in control of you. 21:46 Whatever still alive from the old man 21:49 will always be in control of you 21:51 until every aspect of who you are is put to death, 21:54 so that the spirit of life 21:57 could now bring to you a new law, 22:00 the law of the spirit of life. 22:02 That's the only way that we can be free 22:04 from the law of sin and death. 22:05 The old law has to be replaced with a new law. 22:09 And it doesn't say, "The law of the Christian of life, 22:13 it says the law of the spirit of life." 22:18 It's a law beyond our ability. 22:20 The quotation I read the other day 22:22 and I'll share with you if we have time tonight. 22:24 But, so write the answer down. 22:26 You wrote the answer down, the language, 22:27 the law of the spirit of life. 22:29 Let's go on now to number 22. 22:31 Number 22, okay. 22:36 What responsibility... 22:39 What responsibility do we have 22:41 in maintaining freedom from sin's law? 22:45 What responsibility do we have 22:47 in maintaining freedom from sin's law? 22:49 Okay, before... 22:50 We're gonna go to Romans 8:1, just going back one verse. 22:52 But before we read the verse, if somebody is, 22:55 if you're a prisoner, if you're ever incarcerated, 22:59 if you're ever in jail, if you're ever been bound, 23:02 and they say, "Okay, your sentence has been completed," 23:05 or, "you've served your time, now we're gonna let you out." 23:08 When you go out, what's your responsibility? 23:13 To live as a law abiding citizen. 23:17 So the way you walk before, you walk differently now. 23:21 The way you live before, you live, what? 23:23 Differently now 23:25 because you have this continually in your mind 23:28 this idea that, "I could end up right back where I was," 23:31 and sometimes in a singular act 23:33 you can end up back where you were before 23:35 and you say, "What am I doing in here again?" 23:39 It's called the recidivism rate. 23:41 And in Christianity that happens. 23:44 Christians who don't understand how to live a righteous life 23:48 end up recidivised. 23:50 They end up as a repeat offender 23:56 because they tried, and they failed, 23:58 and they cannot understand the science, 24:01 and I'm gonna use that word carefully, 24:02 there is a science to righteousness 24:04 that is not as tough as the science 24:06 you took in class. 24:08 Let's look at this now. 24:10 What responsibility do we have in maintaining freedom 24:12 from sin's law? 24:14 Look at the wonderful phrase here. 24:16 "There is therefore now no," what? 24:20 "No condemnation to those who are," where? 24:23 "In Christ Jesus." 24:26 Here's the responsibility, 24:27 "Who do not walk according to the," what? 24:30 "Flesh but according to the," what? 24:32 "Spirit." Now that is another one. 24:34 So now there is no condemnation. 24:37 Amen to that. 24:39 So you don't feel condemn, 24:41 you're not living in a condemned state, 24:44 you don't feel condemned anymore 24:46 even though we should never live our lives by feeling, 24:48 it's a dangerous thing 24:50 because when it's rainy, you feel horrible, 24:53 when it's sunny, "Oh, it's gonna be a beautiful day." 24:55 Don't live your Christian walk 24:57 based on the conditions that are around you 24:59 because then we make this point, 25:01 the things that are happening around you 25:03 have less of an impact on your life 25:05 than the things that are happening inside of you. 25:08 What's taking place in here 25:09 determines more of what's happening in your life, okay? 25:13 But now we have to walk not according to the flesh, 25:17 by the way, let me make this real clear. 25:19 You know even after you're born again, 25:21 even after you become a Christian, 25:23 you know what you have left? 25:25 Somebody tell me, what is this? 25:27 Flesh. 25:30 I could use a phrase here, 25:31 you have a defective hard drive, right? 25:35 For those of us who are computer literate, 25:37 you've got a computer that has a lot of viruses in it. 25:41 Faulty hardware that's because it's made by man, 25:45 because it's affected by man. 25:46 So the one thing that we all have 25:48 even after we're born again, 25:50 we have a new life in Christ. 25:53 But here is the beauty and the power of Christianity, 25:58 we have a new life in Christ 26:00 lived out in an old body. 26:05 So the power of the cross 26:08 is to show other people that are in the body... 26:14 in the body that where the war is taking place, 26:19 how do we with faulty flesh 26:22 live a righteous life? 26:26 The answer is simply what? 26:28 Through Jesus. 26:29 But I'm gonna make it clear 26:30 because we know we've said that so often. 26:32 But people say, "Okay, okay, I know it's through Jesus 26:34 but how?" 26:36 We sing, "Victory in Jesus," 26:37 I know it's through Jesus but how? 26:40 Because, you know, the how is a big, big question, "How?" 26:45 People want the specifics. 26:46 Okay. 26:48 "How do you win the race?" 26:49 You say that to the Olympian, to the Olympian, 26:52 to the Olympian, "I run." 26:54 "Oh, but that's not..." 26:56 They will say, "No, wait a minute. 26:57 It's not... because anybody can run." 26:58 He says, "I train, I train, 27:02 I have a proper diet, 27:06 it's the way I eat, it's the way I live, 27:08 it's the habits in my life, 27:10 everything I do prepares me for the race." 27:14 You say to the basketball player, 27:15 "How do you win the basketball game?" 27:17 "You play." 27:18 No, anybody could play, 27:20 but he trains, he trains, he trains, 27:22 he has a regiment. 27:24 He understands that there is no such thing as failure. 27:27 Failure is not an option. 27:29 And I want to give you good news. 27:30 Christians don't have to fail and succeed, 27:32 and succeed and fail. 27:34 God does not calls us, 27:35 He doesn't call us to live a yo-yo life 27:38 because you know what happens, 27:39 if that's the kind of Christianity we live, 27:41 somebody in the world will catch us on a failure day, 27:45 or somebody in the world will catch us on a victorious day, 27:47 and somebody in the church who catch us 27:48 on a failure day, or vice versa. 27:51 So it's not a hit or miss life, it is a life where we can, 27:55 according to the strength that the Lord makes available, 27:57 we can walk according to the spirit. 28:00 But let's find out how that happens. 28:02 Okay, are you ready? 28:04 We're gonna go now to some very tough questions, 28:08 and we have enough time to cover it. 28:10 Thank the Lord. 28:12 We're gonna go to question number 23, 28:16 question number 23. 28:19 This is gonna be powerful. 28:21 Here it is. 28:22 What are the two choices that we have 28:26 that determine our actions? 28:30 What are the two choices that we have 28:33 that determine our actions? 28:35 Now I'd love to say three choices, 28:38 but you only get how many? 28:39 Two. Two. 28:41 And let me also say this, there is no third lane. 28:47 You're either going east or you're going west, 28:50 you're going north or you're going south. 28:53 You are either going in the right direction 28:55 or the wrong direction, 28:57 there's no third lane. 28:58 There's no place where we wait to decide, 29:01 "Am I gonna be a Christian? 29:02 Am I gonna follow Christ?" 29:04 When you're not following Christ, 29:05 you're following Satan. 29:07 When you're not living for God's glory, 29:09 you're living for the, not for Satan's glory 29:12 'cause he didn't have any glory, 29:13 but you're living for a kingdom of darkness, 29:16 sorry, kingdom of darkness on the left, 29:17 or kingdom of light on the right. 29:20 Okay? There's no third lane. 29:22 But this is where now we're gonna get 29:25 into the nitty-gritty of the specifics 29:27 on how it happens. 29:28 All right? 29:29 The question is, what are the two choices that we have 29:32 that determine our actions? 29:33 Romans 6:16, let's look at that together. 29:37 Romans 6:16. 29:39 Okay, here it is. 29:41 "Do you not know 29:44 that to whom you present yourselves," 29:47 King James says, "Yield yourselves." 29:50 "Slaves to obey, you are that one's," 29:54 say it, "slaves whom you obey 29:58 whether of sin leading to," what? 30:01 "Death or of obedience leading to," what? 30:03 "Righteousness." 30:05 You only have two, sin leading to death, 30:08 of obedience leading to righteousness. 30:10 Now what's gonna happen? 30:11 What we're looking here 30:13 is the word slave is a troubling word 30:17 because of the history that is behind the word. 30:20 But in the context here, the word is more like present, 30:25 and then the word slave there also means yoke, to yoke up, 30:30 to be connected to, 30:33 to not be in control of the final outcome. 30:36 So when a person is a slave, and I mentioned this earlier, 30:39 kind of jump the gun but I could reiterate it. 30:42 Who's in charge, the slave or the master? 30:44 Somebody tell me. 30:46 The master is always in charge. 30:48 The slave is never in charge. 30:49 The slave does what the master determines the slave to do. 30:53 Another way of saying that, when we get on the plane, 30:56 wherever we fly, our final leg of the flight 30:59 always leads us back to St Louis. 31:01 And American Airlines has been faithful in saying, 31:05 the cabin is now full, everybody is on board, 31:09 and their final announcement is this, 31:11 "If your final destination is not St. Louis, 31:14 this is a good time to get off the plane." 31:17 You know that means? 31:18 When the doors are closed, you're going to St Louis. 31:21 Once the door is closed, 31:23 you are now a slave to that airplane. 31:27 Wherever it turns 31:29 or if it doesn't make its final destination, 31:31 that's your last flight. 31:32 But wherever the destination is, 31:34 is where it's gonna take you. 31:35 Let me even go a step further. 31:37 When you decide to present yourselves 31:43 in the morning, 31:44 let me make it very practical. 31:45 When you get up in the morning, 31:47 every morning that God gives us breath, 31:50 we've got to begin the day... 31:51 I love the way that the servant of the Lord says, 31:53 it's Ellen White. 31:54 She says, "The first thing we should do in the morning 31:56 is present ourselves to the Lord." 31:58 Let that be our first work, present. 32:00 You know why? 32:02 Because there are two masters waiting for you. 32:05 That's why Paul says, "I die daily..." 32:07 because if Paul, if we were to live out, 32:10 I want to make this clear. 32:12 If we live out what we want to do, 32:14 if we just said, "This is what I want to do." 32:18 We're gonna do it 32:19 because, and here's the other side of that. 32:22 Whether you believe you could or whether believe... 32:24 Whether you believe you can't, you're right. 32:29 Be it unto according to your faith. 32:32 You get what you believe. 32:33 So when you wake up in the morning, 32:34 there are two masters presented right there. 32:39 The one that's gonna lead you to death, 32:41 you can choose to be his slave, 32:44 or one that leads you to righteousness, 32:47 and you can choose to be His slave. 32:49 If you don't like the word slave, 32:50 use the word servant. 32:53 But the reason why the word slave is used, 32:56 the Apostle Paul wanted to be clear 32:58 because he's saying, 33:00 once you connect to one or the other, 33:02 you are not in charge. 33:03 Did you get that? 33:05 When you connect yourself to Satan, 33:07 you are not in charge. 33:09 Let me give you an example. 33:10 Go to Romans 7 very quickly. 33:11 Let me give you a glimpse of a man 33:13 who knew this by experience 33:15 that when you make the wrong choice, 33:16 you are not in charge. 33:18 Okay? This is Paul the Apostle. 33:20 Romans 7, let's look together at verse 15. 33:24 All right. 33:26 Verse 15, this is what happens. 33:29 Well, let's start with verse 14, okay, 33:31 because there's a word in that verse 14 33:33 that I want to show you 33:34 is a word that's connected with slavery. 33:36 Verse 14 of Romans 7. 33:38 He says, "For we know that the law is spiritual," 33:42 nothing wrong with God's law. 33:43 So many Christians have been taught 33:45 that God's law needs to be done away with. 33:46 No, if you get rid of God's law, 33:48 you're lost 33:50 because there's nothing to point out that you need Him. 33:52 "For we know that the law is spiritual but I am," what? 33:55 "Carnal sold," that's the word for slavery, "Sold under sin." 34:00 So you wake up in the morning, there's an auction. 34:03 How many gonna give me... 34:05 How the whole thing goes. 34:07 Okay, who's gonna be... 34:08 Jesus says, "Wait a minute, I've paid the price. 34:13 You are bought with the price. 34:15 Therefore glorify God in your body, 34:17 and in your spirit which are mine." 34:21 And on the other side, the devil, 34:22 the accuser of our brethren say, 34:23 "You can't do anything." 34:25 So you want to follow somebody who says, 34:27 "You can't live right," 34:28 or you want to follow somebody who says, 34:30 "I bought you with a price, 34:31 therefore glorify me in your body and in your spirit 34:33 which belongs to me. 34:35 And I have for you life ever more, joy ever more, 34:38 peace ever more." 34:39 And the devil is, his road is sin, and darkness, 34:42 and death, and continual defeat. 34:46 And look at what happens when you decide to go that way. 34:49 When this law is not yet killed in you, 34:51 when the law of sin and death is still in charge, 34:53 look at what happens. 34:55 Verse 15, "For what I am doing I do not understand." 35:00 Have you ever done something 35:01 that you don't know why you did it? 35:02 Come on. 35:04 "I don't understand, why am I talking that way, 35:06 why am I doing that? 35:08 Where did that come from?" 35:09 Because when you present yourself to Satan, 35:11 you do and say things that you don't have any power over 35:16 because he is in charge. 35:18 "For what I will to do, this is what I'm thinking, 35:21 I want to do this that I do not practice, 35:25 but what I hate that I do." 35:28 We do things we hate 35:29 because the wrong master is in control. 35:32 And we hate it because we say, "Oh, man, 35:34 if I had only know it would have been this way, 35:36 I would never have connected myself to that master." 35:40 Look at verse 16, "If then I do what I will not to do, 35:44 I agree with the law that it is good." 35:47 And here's the key, verse 17, "But now I get it. 35:53 It is no longer," who? 35:55 "I who do it but," what? 35:58 "Sin that dwells in me." 36:01 Now, I want you to get that. 36:04 It is not I who do it. 36:05 So often we have been blamed for what we do, 36:08 but it's not us who do it. 36:10 It's sin that it is no longer I who do it 36:14 but sin that dwells in me. 36:17 "What did you do, Yannick?" 36:20 "I have no idea. 36:22 Can't explain it you." Why? 36:23 Because sin is in control. 36:25 Sin is first an enslaving power, 36:30 then it is a controlling power. 36:32 Write that down. 36:33 It first enslaves us, and then it controls us. 36:37 All through the scriptures, those are the pattern. 36:40 Sin enslaves, then sin controls. 36:44 So what you do you say, and when you get free, you say, 36:47 "Man, the stuff I did..." 36:57 And then he says, "I can't find the answer in me." 36:59 Look at verse 18, "I can't find the answer in me, 37:02 something wrong." 37:03 He says, "For I know that in me, 37:05 that is in my flesh," this thing, 37:09 "nothing good dwells. 37:11 For to will is present with me," 37:14 but here we go again, 37:16 "but how to perform what is good 37:19 I do not find, I can't find it." 37:23 "I'm looking in my mind, I'm looking in my... 37:25 the backseat of my car, I'm looking at my family line, 37:29 I'm looking at my genealogy, I'm looking at the doctrines, 37:32 well, that's a right doctrine, that's a right doctrine 37:34 but I want to do right," 37:35 and Paul says, "I'm looking everywhere 37:37 and I cannot find it." 37:40 And I'm not gonna find it in my flesh 37:41 because if I look at my flesh, nothing good is there. 37:45 So Christian or a person 37:49 who wanted to give his or her life to Jesus, 37:50 let me make it very clear. 37:53 Don't make the mistake of giving your life to Jesus 37:56 than trying to live that life yourself. 38:01 Let me tell you why. 38:05 Galatians 2:20. 38:06 You might say, "Wait a minute, 38:08 but I'm supposed to live the Christian life." 38:09 Let me clarify that what I meant. 38:11 Galatians 2:20, Galatians 2:20. 38:15 All right, look at it. 38:16 Galatians 2:20. 38:18 I'm gonna read it in the interest of time 38:20 because I want to get through the questions here 38:22 that are very powerful. 38:23 Galatians 2:20 said, "I have been crucified with," who? 38:27 "Christ, it is no longer I who live." 38:33 Paul just said it in Romans 6:18, 38:36 "It is not I who do it but sin does it so that," 38:39 watch this, this is huge, this is powerful. 38:42 When you decide to follow sin, 38:46 it enslaves you and controls you, 38:48 and it does what it's designed to do, 38:50 like the train you get on that you can't jump off, 38:53 like the plane whose doors are closed that is in flight 38:55 and you can turn it around. 38:57 But when you give your life to Christ, 38:59 ooh, this is powerful. 39:02 When you give all your life to Christ, 39:03 it's still not you, it is Christ. 39:08 It is no longer I who live. 39:10 Paul said, "It's not I who do it, 39:12 and it's not I who live." 39:14 But who is? "But Christ lives," where? 39:16 "In me." And now get this. 39:19 How many of us want to live the Christian life? 39:21 Come on. All of us. 39:22 I hear you say amen 39:23 on the other side of the television, 39:25 we all want to live the Christian life. 39:26 Here is the answer. 39:27 "And the life which I now live in the flesh," 39:31 this defaulty thing, 39:33 it's possible to live a Christian life 39:35 in this defaulted thing. 39:36 "The life I now live in the flesh, I live by," what? 39:41 "Faith in the Son of God who loved me and did," what? 39:46 "Gave Himself for me." 39:51 Isn't that a blessing? 39:53 And I have to add verse 21 'cause it ends the chapter. 39:56 "I do not set aside the grace of God 39:58 for if righteousness comes through the law 40:02 then Christ died in vain." 40:03 The law was just there to point out 40:05 your need of Christ. 40:07 So when you wake up in the morning, 40:08 there's a law, the Ten Commandments. 40:10 It shows you, "You are a sinner. 40:14 But I can't help you. 40:16 You need Jesus." 40:18 The law can show you your condition, 40:20 but it can't change it. 40:22 Jesus is the one that does it. Amen to that. 40:24 So now let's get back to Romans 6:16. 40:26 So one is a slave to obedience, one is a slave to disobedience. 40:32 On the left side, disobedience, on the right side, obedience, 40:36 and in both cases, a slave. 40:38 You don't accomplish either 40:43 but you still ask him, "But how?" 40:45 I'll give you a hint very quickly. 40:47 Let's go to question number 24. 40:50 I'll give you a hint very quickly. 40:51 When Jesus was at a pivotal time 40:54 in His walk to the cross, 40:57 when Jesus was on His way to the cross, 41:00 the very thought of the agony that lay before Him, He said, 41:04 "Father if it be Thy will, let this," what? 41:08 "Cup," do what? 41:09 "Pass from me." 41:11 In other words, if there's anything 41:12 you could do to avoid this journey I'm on, 41:15 please do it. 41:17 But then He said something that's the key issue 41:19 that I'm gonna expand on in just a moment. 41:22 He said, "Nevertheless not My will but," what? 41:26 "Thine be done." 41:28 When we make a choice 41:34 to put our will on the side of God's will, 41:38 we recognize as Paul says in Philippians, 41:41 "For it is God who works in us both to will and to do 41:48 of His good pleasure." 41:49 So God awakens within us a will because Paul says, 41:52 "What I will to do," he couldn't do it. 41:56 But God, Jesus comes and says, "Oh, Paul, 41:59 I'm not gonna get rid of your will to do right 42:02 but I'm gonna do it through you." 42:03 Amen? 42:04 Christ in you, the hope of glory, 42:08 it is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me. 42:13 See that, righteous... But what do we do? 42:17 What is our part, because we're not robots. 42:19 What's our part? 42:21 Our part is to do, what? 42:23 Choose. 42:24 Who is going to be my master? 42:26 If this is my master, I'm gonna talk a certain way, 42:29 live a certain way, act a certain way 42:31 because that's what Satan as a master does. 42:34 He doesn't say, "Okay, do you want to lie today? 42:38 The choice, you don't have to, you can if you don't want to." 42:40 No, that's not the... He's a father of lies. 42:43 He doesn't give you a choice to lie or not to lie. 42:46 He doesn't give you a choice to do right 42:47 and just partial wrong, you're gonna do all wrong, 42:51 and embarrass yourself, and deny God, 42:54 or you're gonna link yourself to Christ, 42:55 and say, "I can't do it." 42:57 And He says, "No problem. 42:59 If you let me in, I'll both will and do 43:02 of my good pleasure." 43:04 For it is God who works in us. 43:06 It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. 43:09 The biggest battle on a daily basis 43:13 is getting Jesus on the inside. 43:16 But, you know, it is as simple as making a choice. 43:19 Let's go on. This is gonna be powerful. 43:22 Let's go to very next question. Question number 24. 43:26 What transaction takes place 43:29 when we realize that we are what? 43:32 We are weak? 43:33 That is been a huge, that's a big one right there 43:37 because a lot of people say, 43:38 "I'm not weak, who said I'm weak? 43:41 You know, I'm 35 years old. 43:45 How dare you call me weak?" 43:46 Now I'm not referring to my age, I'm not 35 anymore. 43:51 But no matter how old you are, 43:54 when you get to the place where you say, "I got this," 43:59 then you don't need Jesus. 44:01 When you think that you could do it, 44:03 you don't need Jesus. 44:05 That's why the Apostle Paul brings us to this passage. 44:08 Go with me to 2 Corinthians 12. 44:11 2 Corinthians 12, we're gonna look at two verses. 44:15 And by the way, as we look at these verses, you know, 44:18 we are told to grow in grace. 44:19 We are told to do, what? Say it together. 44:21 Grow in grace. I want to make it clear. 44:24 We don't grow into grace, we grow in grace. 44:28 Now, what's the difference? 44:30 Let me use an illustration. 44:31 A fish doesn't swim into the ocean, 44:35 a fish swims in the ocean. 44:37 It's already in there. 44:39 We are in God's grace. 44:41 We grow in His grace. 44:46 A plant doesn't grow into the pot, 44:48 a plant grows in the pot. 44:50 Christ has to grow in us. 44:52 If we put Him in every, if we invite Him in every day, 44:55 Paul says, "I die daily." 44:57 You've got to die to self because you know why? 44:59 Flesh is still hanging around. 45:01 This old worn out messed up machine 45:04 that Adam gave us is gonna be one day replaced 45:06 with a bottle that... 45:08 A body that is immortal and incorruptible. 45:11 Amen to that. 45:12 But right now, it's corruptible, 45:13 and it's mortal. 45:15 Or more specifically, it's immoral. 45:19 That's another way of saying mortal, immoral, 45:23 corruptible, mortal, all those things together. 45:27 So what's the answer? 45:29 What transaction takes place 45:30 when we realize that we are weak? 45:31 Look at this, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. 45:36 Listen what Jesus says. 45:37 Paul the Apostle, I love this. 45:39 "And he said to me," what did he say? 45:41 "My grace is," what? 45:42 "Sufficient for you, for my strength, 45:47 for my," what? 45:49 Come on, talk. "For my," what? "My strength is made," what? 45:53 "Perfect in weakness." 45:56 What kind of strength is made perfect in weakness? 45:58 Jesus' strength is made perfect. 46:00 Watch this. 46:02 "Therefore most gladly 46:04 I will rather boast in my," what? 46:07 "Infirmities, that the power of Christ 46:10 may rest," where? 46:12 "Upon me." 46:13 Now don't go to the next one yet, 46:14 I want to make some application here. 46:17 He says his strength is made perfect in weakness. 46:20 Who is weak, him or us? We are. 46:22 Who is strong? He is. 46:24 What kind of strength does He have? 46:27 Say it, His strength is what? Perfect. 46:31 His strength is what? Perfect. 46:33 So is it possible to be perfect? 46:36 Come on. Yes. 46:38 In whose strength? His. 46:41 But we gotta say this, "I'm weak. 46:45 Once you don't admit you're weak, 46:46 you're gonna try to do it. 46:47 "Oh, man, I've been..." 46:50 I cringe when I hear these words, "I was, I, I, 46:54 I have been struggling this week." 46:56 You will struggle every week when you try to do it yourself. 47:01 You'll always struggle. 47:02 I learned that. 47:04 We all learned that. 47:05 You're never too old to get a new lesson taught to you. 47:09 You'll learn sometimes the hard way, 47:11 "Man, I don't know how that happened." 47:13 So Paul says, when you admit you're weak, 47:17 when you boast, "I'm weak," don't use it as a trophy. 47:20 Don't go around boasting, "Hey, did you know I'm weak?" 47:24 Don't do that way, don't be proud weak. 47:27 Say, "Lord, I'll be humble weak, 47:30 Father, I'm weak, I need your strength." 47:34 Don't boast about your weakness, 47:35 that's not what he's talking about. 47:37 He's saying, "I know what the issue is, I'm weak. 47:42 He is strong." 47:43 Let's go to the next verse. 47:44 Now bring that one up, verse 10. 47:46 It's what it says, 47:48 "Therefore I take pleasure in," what? 47:52 "Infirmities," and what else? 47:54 "In reproaches, in needs, in persecution, in distress," 47:59 the Christian life, "for Christ's sake." 48:02 And let's end this together. 48:03 "For when I am weak," what? "Then I am strong." 48:08 See when I admit I can't do it... 48:10 I had a big sister that always came... 48:13 Not always, I'm gonna tell the story very quickly 48:15 'cause I want to get a couple more questions in here. 48:17 But when I was a young boy and just getting 48:19 into junior high school, I was a little puny thing. 48:22 You know, I've gained some weight, 48:24 thank the Lord for that. 48:25 But I was a little scared kid in a big school 48:27 with a lot of rough kids that love to fight, 48:30 beat you up, curse at you, beat you up, 48:31 steal things, threaten you. 48:34 And I was nervous so I wouldn't go to school. 48:36 I didn't go to school for 42 days 48:37 when I was in the sixth grade because I was afraid, 48:42 I was weak, and I knew I was weak. 48:45 My sister found out though and stepped up and... 48:50 Her strength was not perfect but a lot stronger than mine. 48:55 And I realized, I don't have to be afraid, I have a sister. 48:59 And now it's the other way around. 49:02 She doesn't have to be afraid because she has a brother. 49:06 But here's the point, we don't have to be fearful 49:07 because we have a Father. 49:09 Come on, say amen. 49:10 Jesus, His strength is made perfect 49:12 when we recognize that when we are weak, 49:16 His strength is perfect, 49:18 His strength is perfect. 49:21 Amen? 49:25 So let's go to the very next one. 49:27 His strength is always perfect, our strength is always weak. 49:30 We got to remember that because we have this thing 49:32 called the flesh, what is it called? 49:33 The flesh. 49:35 And what the flesh does, see the mind is programmed, 49:37 our experiences, the things we practice, 49:40 the things we continue to repeat, 49:43 creates grooves in our brain that defaults in bad actions. 49:47 When those bad actions are replaced with good actions 49:51 by choices, 49:53 we're gonna talk about choices in the next time, 49:55 how to make right choices, the power of choice. 50:00 When those choices lead to different actions 50:04 that grow different habits, 50:06 that develop a different character, 50:08 that determine a wonderful destiny, 50:11 then we recognize that every day 50:13 we're making the choice to follow the Lord. 50:15 "Choose you this day whom you will serve," 50:18 Joshua 24:15. 50:20 Go to question number 25. 50:21 So the answer to number 24 was, what transaction takes place? 50:27 We receive His strength when we recognize we are weak. 50:31 Question number 25. Okay, look at this. 50:34 Very quick one, I'm gonna hit this 50:35 and go on to the next one. 50:37 What assurance do we have from Jesus regarding sin? 50:40 What assurance do we have 50:41 from Jesus regarding sin? 50:43 Very quickly John 8:36, here it is 50:46 for those of you who know this already, together, 50:49 "Therefore if the Son makes you free," together, 50:53 "you shall be free," what? 50:55 "Indeed." 50:57 Partially free? Come on, talk. 50:59 Partially free? 51:03 "Free," what? "Indeed." 51:06 Totally free, free... 51:11 Now I want you to get the picture now. 51:13 Imagine somebody that said 51:14 they've just been freed from prison, 51:19 but half of their body is behind the fence, 51:21 and the other half of their body 51:23 is in front of the prison. 51:25 Come on, I'm trying to be cynical here for a reason. 51:28 "How did you said you... 51:29 I thought you said they let you out." 51:31 "Well, they didn't let me go yet 51:32 but I'm on the outside half way, 51:34 but I'm still locked on the inside." 51:37 Is that freedom? 51:39 But when the chains are broken, when the prison doors are open, 51:43 and you are walking on new ground, 51:45 are you free indeed? 51:47 Can you say amen? Yes. 51:49 The Lord doesn't want us to... 51:50 So when you know that you've been set free, 51:53 you're free indeed. 51:54 But how do you stay free, that's important. 51:56 How do we stay free? 51:58 Okay, we've got to make choices. 52:00 Let's go to question number 26. 52:02 Moving right along, I think we might finish it tonight. 52:05 I'm trying my best. 52:07 If we don't do it, we'll cover it the next time. 52:10 But question number 26. 52:12 When Jesus sets us free, 52:14 what does He intend for us to become? 52:18 When He sets us... 52:19 What does He intend for us to become? 52:21 Now we know the answer simply is, 52:22 children, sons and daughters of God, yes. 52:25 As many as receive Him, to them He gave power 52:28 to become the children of God, or sons and daughters... 52:30 He gave us that power, that power 52:32 is His imputed righteousness. 52:35 He's the one now calling the shots, 52:36 working out His righteousness in us 52:38 by us choosing Him daily. 52:41 But look at the answer more specifically. 52:42 Romans 6:18, we're gonna stay in Romans 6 52:45 for the next few questions. 52:46 Here it is. 52:48 "And having been set free, you became," what? 52:54 There's that word again, "Slaves of righteousness." 52:57 There's that word again, slaves. 53:00 Well, now wait a minute. 53:01 When you're a slave to sin, Yannick, what did Paul say? 53:04 Could Paul do what he wanted to do? 53:06 Yes or no? No, he couldn't. 53:08 He said, "It's no longer I who do it 53:10 but sin that dwells in me. 53:11 What I want to do I can't do, 53:13 what I don't want to do, that's what I'm doing, 53:16 Oh, I'm sold under sin. 53:18 I'm carnal, I'm sold." 53:20 The word for slavery, "I'm sold into slavery 53:23 therefore as a slave, oh, I can't do right." 53:25 But when the Lord sets us free, he says, 53:30 "You're free from the law of sin and death, 53:34 you're free from being a slave to disobedience." 53:37 But guess what? 53:38 Now you're gonna become a slave of righteousness. 53:42 Amen? 53:43 Now don't get the word, 53:45 don't let the word slave throw you 53:46 because slave of righteousness is this. 53:49 I want to slow down to make this point very carefully. 53:52 A slave of righteousness means, if when you are a slave to sin, 53:57 all you did was sin, 54:00 if you're slave to righteousness, 54:02 all you do is what? 54:04 Right. 54:05 Right, R-I-G-H-T is the route to righteousness. 54:10 See, S-I-N, sinful, 54:13 R-I-G-H-T, when you become a slave to righteousness, 54:17 you discover, "I'm living right, 54:20 I'm thinking right. 54:23 I'm treating people right," come on. 54:26 "I have the right attitude when I go to church. 54:29 I have the right... 54:30 I have the right feelings about people 54:33 because the Lord has taken over my mind. 54:36 My mind has been transformed." 54:37 Romans 12:2, "I have been transformed 54:40 by the renewing of my mind." 54:41 Philippians 1, Philippians 2, "Let this mind be in you 54:45 which was also in Christ Jesus." 54:47 The key to be... We're gonna talk about this, 54:49 we're gonna talk about the choices. 54:50 And I'll just give you a hint, you cannot be free... 54:52 Your mind can't be free 54:54 unless the Word of God is in that. 54:57 The Thessalonians discovered, the word of God 55:00 effectively works in those who believe, 55:02 but the Word of God like a loaf of bread, 55:03 you could have the best dinner on the table, 55:06 but if you don't eat it, you will get no nourishment. 55:09 You could have all the Bibles in the world, 55:11 but if it's not being stored in your mind, 55:13 remember what David the Psalmist says, 55:15 "Thy word have I hid," where? 55:17 "In my heart," remember the distance, 55:19 "that I might not," what? 55:21 "Sin against thee." 55:22 The power is in the living word. 55:24 So when you're set free from sin, 55:27 that is, a slave to sin, 55:29 now you become a slave to righteousness 55:32 which is in fact right doing. 55:33 One last question. 55:35 I have enough time for that. 55:36 Question number 27. 55:38 So I hope you put down for 26, when Jesus sets us free 55:41 what does He intend for us to become? 55:42 Slaves of righteousness. 55:44 In other words, all we are gonna be, 55:46 all that's gonna be happening in our lives is right things. 55:49 Live right, eat right, talk right, treat people right, 55:52 have the right attitude. 55:55 All these things happen when Christ is now the one 55:58 we're linked to. 55:59 Question number 27. 56:01 What is the result of presenting ourselves 56:03 as slaves of righteousness? 56:06 What is it? What is the result? I'm gonna hit it right away. 56:09 Here it is, Romans 6:19, just the next verse. 56:12 Here it is. 56:13 "I speak in human terms because of the weakness 56:16 of your flesh," he's being very frank. 56:19 "For just as you presented your members as slaves 56:22 of uncleanness, and of lawlessness 56:24 leading to more lawlessness, 56:27 so now, so now present your members 56:31 as slaves of righteousness for," what? 56:35 "Holiness." 56:37 Righteousness for what? Holiness. 56:40 In other words, he says, 56:42 you made the choice to use your lips to curse, 56:44 and smoke cigarettes, and drink alcohol, 56:47 now choose to use your lips to speak good things, 56:51 speak righteous thing, use clean words. 56:54 But how does that happen? 56:55 Christ comes in and transforms you. 56:58 He works His life out in you, 57:00 He lives His life out through you. 57:02 See. 57:06 And then there's a power made available 57:08 that you've never known before. 57:10 Now I can't cover the last two 57:11 because we don't have enough time. 57:12 But I want to make it clear, there is a power 57:14 made available to you 57:16 that was not made available before. 57:19 In your former... 57:20 After you agreed to all the doctrines 57:23 that are always right, 57:24 all the 28 fundamentals, or the 29 fundamentals, 57:27 or how many fundamentals you have, 57:28 as long as it is in harmony with the scripture, it's right. 57:31 That's not the battle. 57:33 When you become a Christian, don't just check 57:34 if the Sabbath is right, state of the dead is right, 57:37 died is right, 2300 days is right, 57:39 that's never gonna be wrong. 57:41 But you want to be right, 57:43 and the only way that you can be right 57:45 is linking your life to Christ 57:47 and become a slave of righteousness. 57:51 We're gonna continue studying this topic 57:53 because there's victory in Jesus. 57:55 But here's what you do, 57:56 keep linking yourself to Christ, 57:58 and if it doesn't make sense, friends, one day 58:00 it will come into A Sharper Focus. 58:03 God bless you. |
Revised 2017-12-07