Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000176A
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00:18 Hello! Welcome to our Wednesday night Bible
00:20 study here at the 3ABN Worship Center. Thank 00:22 you so much for taking the time to tune in 00:24 as we walk through the Word of God 00:26 together. We are ready- can we say amen? 00:29 - [Amen.] - We hope that you are ready 00:31 to walk through the topic on conversion- 00:34 repentance and conversion. So often, church membership 00:37 is talked about, but very few times is 00:40 repentance and conversion described. 00:42 So, tonight, as we open the Word of God 00:44 together, we do pray that you'll join us- 00:46 that you will ask for the Spirit of God to 00:49 guide you. Before we tell you how to get a 00:51 copy of the lesson and follow along 00:53 with us, we'll go ahead and ask for 00:55 the Lord's presence to be with us. Bow your 00:58 heads with me. Loving Father in heaven, thank 01:00 You for the beauty of studying your Word, 01:04 we pray, Lord, tonight as we open the 01:06 Bible that You'll open our hearts. 01:10 This topic of conversion, which is our greatest 01:12 need is something, Lord, that we pray 01:15 for Your Holy Spirit to impress upon our 01:17 hearts and minds. Teach us, strengthen 01:20 us, and cause our passion to serve you 01:22 to be something that Your Spirit accomplishes 01:26 in our lives not only tonight, but each 01:28 and every day. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen. 01:33 Now, to get a copy of the lesson, go 01:35 to this following website. It's asf.3abn.org. 01:40 Download lesson #39 and you'll see- it should 01:44 go up to question #37; that way, you'll know 01:46 you have the correct lesson. That's lesson #39; 01:49 has up to 37 questions. That way, you'll know 01:52 you have- and at that very same website, 01:55 you can look at all the prior programs, 01:57 because sometimes you may have tuned in 01:59 for the first time and say, "Well, 02:00 they're up to 26. What happened to 02:02 1 to 25?" At that very same website, 02:05 all the topics are covered from lesson 02:08 #1 all the way to 39. We've been having 02:13 a wonderful time- but before we do 02:15 anything else, we always sing our theme 02:16 song. Don't we know that? And what is 02:18 our theme song? It is...Victory in Jesus. 02:21 Join us as we sing our theme song together. 02:31 I heard an old, old story 02:35 How the Savior came from glory 02:39 How He gave His life on calvary 02:43 To save a wretch like me 02:46 I heard about His groaning 02:50 of His precious blood's atoning 02:54 then I repented of my sin 02:58 And won the victory 03:02 Oh, victory in Jesus 03:05 My Savior forever 03:09 He sought me and bought me 03:12 With His redeeming blood 03:16 He loved me e'er I knew Him 03:20 And all my love is due Him 03:24 He plunged me to victory 03:28 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:31 I heard about a mansion 03:35 He has built for me in glory 03:39 And I heard about the streets of gold 03:43 Beyond the crystal sea 03:47 About the angels' singing 03:50 And the old redemption story 03:54 And some sweet day, I'll sing up there 03:58 That song of victory (Key change!) 04:02 Oh, victory in Jesus 04:06 My Savior forever 04:09 He sought me and bought me 04:13 With His redeeming blood 04:17 He loved me e'er I knew Him 04:21 And all my love is due Him 04:24 He plunged me to victory 04:28 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:32 He plunged me to victory 04:36 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:43 Amen? [Amen.] Tonight, our topic is the truth 04:47 about our greatest need. The truth about our 04:50 greatest need. Now, oftentimes-just 04:54 laying some foundation for the lesson-oftentimes, 04:57 people join churches based on what they 05:01 have considered to be truth in God's Word, 05:04 which is a good thing. But the process of 05:07 joining a church, the Bible says, "He that 05:10 believes and is baptized will be saved," so 05:14 baptism is a very essential part of 05:16 joining the church or following Christ- 05:20 putting the old life to death and then beginning 05:24 to walk in the newness of life. You find that 05:25 in the book of Romans chapter 6. But so 05:28 often, there's a very big portion 05:32 that's missed when it comes to becoming 05:34 a Christian. I'd like to begin by pointing 05:37 out one of the more familiar passages 05:39 in the Bible that includes all- both 05:41 of these parameters. It takes into consideration 05:44 where we used to be and what we used to 05:47 do and if we make a decision to make a 05:49 change, what happens on the other side. Go 05:52 with me to 2 Chronicles 7 and verse 14. 05:55 2 Chronicles chapter 7, and let us look together 05:59 at verse 14. A very familiar passage. 06:04 This is- if you look in the Bible, there 06:06 are many passages that have if and 06:07 then. If and then. These are what I 06:11 call conditional promises. What 06:13 are they called? Conditional promises. 06:16 So, you say to your kids, "If you get 06:19 a good grade, then you'll be able to 06:20 use the car for the weekend." "IF you 06:23 pass all your classes, THEN you'll be able 06:25 to get that particular thing that you want." 06:27 If and then. God is the very same way. 06:29 There's an if and there's a then. Now, since 06:31 we know the passage very well, let's walk 06:33 through the before and after. The Bible says, 06:36 together, "If My people who are 06:39 called by My name will humble themselves, 06:43 then," first thing, "pray, seek my 06:46 face," and do what? "Turn from their 06:49 wicked ways." Notice here's now the second 06:52 half. "Then, I will hear from heaven and 06:56 will forgive their sin and will heal their 06:59 land." Notice what we're told to do. 07:01 Humble, pray, seek His face, turn from 07:04 our wicked ways. Humble, pray, seek HIS face- 07:09 not just His hands-and turn from our wicked 07:12 ways. "Then, I will hear from heaven, will 07:18 forgive their sin, and heal their land." So, 07:21 it's safe to say that if we don't humble 07:25 ourselves and pray and seek His face 07:27 and turn from our wicked ways, He 07:28 won't hear! He- what it means when it 07:31 says He will hear, that means He'll 07:33 listen to us. But if we don't do what 07:36 God has called us to do, then the conditions 07:38 not being met on our side will not bring 07:41 with the promise that He has on His side. 07:44 Are you following? He says if, then, the 07:47 conditions are there. So often, people 07:50 accept the truth about what the Bible 07:54 teaches about a particular doctrine. 07:56 In our church particularly- in the Seventh-Day 07:58 Adventist church-there are 28 fundamentals, 08:01 and you really can't argue with them 08:02 because they're according to the Bible. 08:04 They are all in harmony with the Bible. So, 08:06 when you come to the conclusion that they 08:08 are all true and you said, "Well, I want 08:10 to follow the truth of God's Word; I want 08:13 to join your fellowship," the Bible says, "The 08:15 Lord added to the church daily those who were 08:18 being saved." Well, if you join just based 08:21 on the fact that it's true and you don't 08:25 humble yourself, pray, seek God's face, and 08:30 then turn from your wicked ways, then 08:32 the latter part of the text will not be our 08:34 experience. And so, so many people are 08:37 joining, but they are not being converted; 08:42 they're not repenting of anything. They're 08:44 just coming in as educated members 08:47 rather than converted saints. Do you get it 08:52 now? Because we were once sinners, but can 08:55 you be a sinner after Jesus has changed 08:58 you? You're a saint! Now, the word 'saint' 09:02 is often misused; we think it means 'perfect.' 09:05 Does this mean perfect? It means you are 09:08 no longer who you were, but you are 09:11 now in Christ. If anyone's in Christ, 09:13 he is a new creation. Isn't that right? 09:15 2 Corinthians 5:17. So, this new creation 09:18 takes over. If you are a new creation- 09:20 follow carefully-if you are a sinner 09:22 before Christ and old things have 09:24 passed away, and you are a new creation, 09:28 are you still a sinner? You missed 09:33 the swing. You are now a saint. If you 09:37 put that word in the New Testament, 'saint,' 09:39 Paul over and over and over and over 09:41 again said, "Greet the saints that are in 09:44 Ephesus. Greet the saints that are in 09:47 Rome." But the word 'saint' has been 09:49 exalted in our day and age to mean people 09:52 that have died and, quote and quote, are 09:53 "now in heaven," which is not true, 09:55 and they're now perfect and they're now looking 09:57 down on us, like St. Peter, St. Paul, 09:59 all these kinds of "saints" that the 10:02 Catholic Church has canonized. That's not 10:04 what a saint is. When you are in a relationship 10:08 with Jesus and the old life has been buried 10:10 and you are now a new creation, you 10:12 are a saint. Amen somebody? [Amen.] 10:15 That means you are growing every day, 10:17 growing in grace... Hear what I'm saying. 10:20 You're not growing INTO grace. You're 10:23 growing IN grace. Plants don't grow INTO the pot. 10:29 They grow IN the pot. Fish don't swim INTO 10:34 the sea; they swim IN the sea. Christians 10:38 don't grow INTO grace; they grow IN grace, 10:42 and in knowledge. And so often, that's not 10:44 even pointed out. So tonight, what we're 10:46 going to look at... We're going to begin 10:48 with question #26 and we're going to see, 10:51 before we go to the changed life, we're 10:53 going to see how best can the experience 10:55 of repentance be described. Let's just go 10:57 ahead and look at question #26 real 10:59 quickly tonight. 11:14 And we're going to look together at 11:19 the 23rd Psalm, and then we're going to 11:23 look at verse 3. Okay? I'm just going to 11:27 catch up with you. Psalm 23 and verse 3. 11:32 This one is going to be on the screen 11:33 for all of you who are here, and since 11:35 it is our first passage, I'd like us all to 11:37 read it together. Are you ready? 11:39 Here it is. The Bible says, together, 11:51 So, how best can the experience of repentance 11:54 be described? What does He do to us? 11:57 He restores our souls. He al- and then, 12:01 somebody else is taking over. "He leads me in 12:05 the path of righteousness." Now, that is huge, 12:08 because the question that is often asked 12:12 after conversion is, "Who's leading in 12:15 your life now?" Who's leading? Right. Jesus 12:20 ought to be leading. Day by day, we have 12:23 to choose Him as our leader, because if 12:25 He's leading, what path is He leading 12:27 us in? Path of righteousness. 12:30 If anybody else or anything else 12:31 leads you, it's leading you in the 12:33 wrong direction. Let's go to Romans 6:16 12:35 to add a component to that. Romans 6:16. 12:38 Just show you. It's a principle that 12:43 cannot be broken. Romans 6:16. Okay, 12:49 I'm there. Almost there. Here it is. 12:53 Ok, here we are. Acts. And right after Acts 12:56 is Romans. Here we are; great. Romans 6:16, 12:59 and I want you to pay a particular attention 13:00 to the word 'leading.' Alright? Romans 6:16. 13:12 It says, "Do you not know to whom you 13:16 present yourselves slaves to obey, you 13:20 are that one slave whom you obey? 13:25 Whether sin..." What does that say? "Sin 13:29 leading to death or obedience..." What else? 13:34 "Leading to righteousness." Depending on the 13:37 translation- the New King James version says, 13:39 "Sin leading to death," or "Obedience leading 13:42 to righteousness." Leading. Somebody's 13:45 gotta lead you day by day. So, the 13:48 converted life, the Christian's life-every 13:50 morning we wake up, we have to choose a what? 13:56 A leader! You ever play the game Follow 14:01 the... [Leader.] Every morning we 14:04 wake up, we have to choose a leader. If 14:06 you don't choose a leader, you choose a 14:08 leader. Did you hear that? If you 14:10 don't choose the right leader, by 14:12 default you choose the wrong leader, because- 14:14 and no choice is a choice. When you only have 14:16 two choices and you don't pick the right 14:18 one, which one did you pick? The wrong 14:20 one. That's by default. That's exactly what 14:21 happened. Right? You say, "Okay, pick 14:25 one." "Uhh, I'm not picking one." "You pick 14:29 one. Pick the right one or the wrong one." 14:31 You've picked one of them if you've chosen 14:32 not, and usually, if you don't pick the 14:34 right one, you pick the wrong one. So every 14:36 day, we have to make a decision, because 14:38 here's the key: not only does the Lord 14:40 restore our soul- that's the immediate 14:41 justification-but the leading part is the 14:45 sanctifying aspect of our lives, which is 14:48 the growing part. He's leading us in the paths 14:51 of righteousness. So, in this path, what 14:55 are you going to learn? What are you going to 14:56 continually learn? If He's leading in the 14:58 paths of righteousness, what are you going 15:01 to continually learn? Tell me. It's not a 15:04 trick question. If He's leading you in the 15:07 path of righteousness, what are you going be 15:09 continually learning? Righteousness. Exactly. 15:12 The opposite of righteousness, somebody once said, is 15:16 wrongteousness. [I was just getting 15:18 ready to say that.] You were just 15:20 getting ready to say that? It kind of fits. 15:23 So, you want Him to lead you every day 15:25 in the path of righteousness, but 15:27 here's the key-you can't lead yourself in 15:29 that path. He's gotta lead you. That's why 15:33 He said to the disciples, "Follow 15:34 Me and I will make you.." Forget the fishers of 15:38 men. You're not fishermen. None of us 15:40 is fishermen. But He will make us 15:41 that eventually, but, "Follow Me and I will 15:43 make you..." If you don't follow Him, He 15:45 won't make you! If you're not following 15:48 Him, somebody's making you. And 15:50 according to Romans 6:16, the wrong one is 15:52 making you. Somebody's leading you into 15:54 disobedience unto- I mean, sin leading 15:59 to death. That right? Now, go back to question 16:01 #26 and look at the second part-part B. 16:04 Psalm 51:12. How best can the experience 16:08 of repentance be described? First of 16:11 all, it says, "He restores my soul," 16:14 but there's something else He does. There's 16:16 something else He does. Psalm 51:12. In the 16:20 interest of time, I'm going to go 16:22 ahead and put it on the screen. We 16:23 have time, but I'm going to go ahead 16:25 and keep the pace going very well. Psalm 51:12. 16:28 What is the first word? 16:42 Generous. Is there ever a time when the 16:46 Holy Spirit is not available through Christ? 16:48 Because what kind of Spirit is there? A 16:51 generous. People that are generous, 16:55 they always give you more than you ask 16:58 for. But notice in both cases, He 17:01 restores my soul, and then He restores to 17:05 me the joy of my salvation, and that 17:09 is something that is often missed a lot 17:11 of times in our walk with God. We don't 17:15 seek- I talked to somebody just recently 17:18 who said, "The joy in my walk is missing. 17:21 I need that joy to be restored." Now, let's 17:24 go to Psalm 85 and verse 4. Psalm 85:4- 17:28 we're in question #26 and C. Psalm 85:4. 17:32 We're going to follow this particular path. 17:35 Psalm 85:4. And look at this again! Look 17:39 at this again. Are you ready? Here it is. 17:42 Let's read it together. 17:53 In all these passages, what word did you see 17:56 continuously? 'Restore.' He restores my soul, 17:59 He restores salvation, and restores us. So, 18:03 we don't just want Him to restore portions 18:05 of us; we want Him to restore us. Am 18:07 I right? So, that's one of the passages 18:10 where repentance can be best described. 18:12 And, by the way, if you're just joining 18:14 us for this topic, we covered repentance 18:15 on #24, 23, 22, and so on and so forth. We 18:20 talked about repentance. Repentance is a 18:22 sorrow for sin and a turning from it. Repeat 18:27 that with me. Repentance is a sorrow for sin and 18:31 a turning from it- going in the opposite 18:35 direction. You've heard the phrase, 18:37 "If you're going in the wrong direction, 18:38 God allows U-turns." But now, let's go 18:41 another aspect of it. The question #27- 18:45 let's look at that together. Question 18:47 #27. 19:03 Not just repentance. Acts 3:19. Let's go 19:08 there. Acts 3:19. 19:17 Okay. I'm going to just- Lois, you have a nice, 19:21 boomy voice. You think you can read 19:24 what's up on the screen for us? Okay, here 19:26 it is. What is the answer? Acts 3:19, 19:28 together. 19:41 Ok. Repent and be what else? Converted. 19:45 Not just repent, but be converted. 19:48 A lot of times, we repent-... And 19:51 repentance is like a guy standing before 19:53 the judge and said, "I did it! I'm guilty." 19:56 But as soon as he's out of the court 19:59 and a little time passes, he's right back 20:01 to it again. Repentance means, "I admit it." 20:08 Conversion means, "I'm no longer even 20:10 living in that avenue." Now, let me make 20:15 it really, really clear. Conversion means 20:17 you're connected to a different source of 20:19 power. I used the example of when we 20:22 went to New Guinea a number of years ago. 20:28 We took all this American sound 20:31 equipment, which was designed back then 20:33 was not multi-voltage. Back in the '80s, 20:35 everything was like 120 here, 240 over 20:37 there. We took all this- two- that 20:42 have tons of equipment when I was in the 20:44 Heritage Singers. Well, we took two 20:46 large converters that were like 100 20:49 and something pounds each, and in-concert, 20:52 outside, in the rain, on stage, with all 20:57 these microphones. There were no cordless 20:59 mics then-was wired. We had to put tape 21:02 around the handles, 'cause we were continually 21:04 being shocked. So if you look at the video, 21:07 we got tape around the handle 'cause its 21:09 voltage. And then, the audio guy, Greg Mace, 21:14 who is the guy that runs sound for 21:17 Heritage still to this very day, he said, 21:20 "Keep your eye on the converter. If 21:22 it goes too high, it'll blow up the equipment. 21:26 If it goes too low, the equipment will 21:29 shut off." So, on this end was the bass singer 21:32 looking at it. On this end was another 21:34 person. There's a big, huge dial like a 21:36 dial that you open a safe deposit 21:39 box, a bank- big old handle, and had 21:41 very fine increments, so the voltage went 21:44 to 120.1.2.3.121. and very minimum increments 21:50 because you're dealing with current that 21:52 could literally- if you turn it fast, 21:54 it'll blow the equipment to smithereens and 21:56 there's just no coming back. Here's my point. 22:01 We may have great value, but unless we 22:05 are connected to our source of power that 22:06 converts us, we are of no value. Because the 22:11 Christian life is entering into a 22:13 foreign territory. The Christian life 22:18 is not natural. It's spiritual. So, living a 22:23 natural life, living a spiritual life in a 22:25 natural place, it doesn't work unless there's 22:27 conversion. Right? So, when Dr. Luke 22:32 wrote this, this is what Peter preached 22:34 on the day of Pentecost. "Repent therefore and 22:37 be," what? "converted." What's the benefit of 22:39 being converted? What did he say? What's the 22:42 benefit? "That your sins may be blotted 22:44 out." Amen? [Amen.] Blotted out. Not absorbed, 22:50 but blotted out. That's huge! Have you 22:53 seen a blotter before? That's the kind of 22:55 terminology they used then. They literally- 22:58 if ink spilled, because they wrote things not 23:00 like us today-not with pens, but if it 23:03 spilled...a huge stain. They had blotters 23:06 that would absorb anything that spilled. 23:09 When our sins are spilling out into our 23:12 lives and we repent and are converted, the Lord 23:16 blots them out. Amen? [Amen.] So did you 23:18 write that down? What else besides repentance 23:20 does the Bible prescribe as for a changed life? 23:23 What's the word? 'Conversion.' 23:28 Very important. Let's go now to Matthew 23:32 28... Sorry, question 28. 23:39 Matthew chapter 18. There's question 28. 23:58 Let's look at that. Matthew 18:3. 24:05 What's the first word? [Assuredly.] 24:08 That's with certainty. "Assuredly I say to 24:10 you, unless you are," what else? "converted 24:14 and become as little children, you will 24:19 by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." 24:22 Now, I talked about this in a private 24:23 program, but I wanted to begin today to 24:25 reiterate this because I found this 24:26 to be fascinating. Why would the Lord 24:29 use little children? Well, little children- 24:31 in some sense, they try to prevent the children from 24:36 coming to Jesus. Remember that? Suffer the 24:39 little children. That means, allow the 24:41 little children to come to Me." The King 24:43 James version says, "Suffer the little 24:44 children to come to Me." We don't talk that 24:46 way anymore. Suffer the kids to come to me. 24:48 But we say, "Allow the children to come to 24:51 Me and do not prevent them for of such is 24:53 the kingdom of heaven." Why little children? 24:55 Because when you are converted and you 24:58 become as a little child- I'll use the 25:01 illustration. When children- little 25:04 children- now, notice it says, "Become 25:07 as a," what kind of child? "Little." 25:09 This is huge. Not just the child, 25:12 but a little child. Little children, 25:16 when they play and they have an 25:18 owie- our teacher knows. When they have 25:23 little incidents that they get all 25:25 upset, you say, "What's wrong?" 25:27 "He took my pencil." "Did you take his 25:30 pencil?" "Yeah." "Why?" "'Cause I 25:32 wanted it." And then he said, "Apologize." 25:36 "I'm sorry, Mikey." "Okay, I accept your 25:39 apology," and they run off and they go 25:41 play right away! It's like, that's it! 25:43 But adults? When we have owies, "I'm 25:49 not talkin' to him. He's not talkin' 25:51 to me. I don't care. I don't-... Walk up 25:54 that aisle; I'll walk up this aisle." 25:56 Conversion brings into us, we have to have the 26:00 heart of a child. [Amen.] Because 26:02 the heart of a child- they may get hurt 26:05 quickly, and I've often seen- we don't 26:07 have children, but I've seen children. 26:08 When they fall and they get that hurt, 26:10 you know what they do? They look to 26:11 the parent right away to see how critical 26:13 that fall was. If the parent says, 26:15 "Aw, you'll be okay," they'll get up and 26:16 run; but if the parent says, "Are you 26:18 alright!?" You know, they go into crisis 26:20 mode! They start screaming, they're crying, their 26:23 head's off... When we fall and we look 26:26 to our heavenly Father, you know what you're 26:27 going to find? A compassionate heavenly 26:28 Father that'll say, "I can handle that." 26:31 Amen? [Amen.] So, what happens here- 26:34 the heart of a child keeps looking to the 26:36 parent. The heart of a child-the little 26:38 child-looks to the one in the position 26:41 of authority. And the heart of a child 26:44 does not hold onto ills. The heart of 26:48 a child lets it go and they go play 26:51 again. Something that we could learn from 26:55 children, because the Lord said... How bad 26:59 is this? How important is it? What's the 27:02 latter part? Say it with me. "You will by," 27:04 what? "no means enter the kingdom 27:09 of heaven." You might be converted, but if 27:11 you don't become like a little child... That's 27:14 really sad. So, in heaven, are we going 27:16 to all be little children? Do yourself 27:18 an assignment. Just try this out. One day, 27:21 look at the writings of the apostle John. 27:24 You'll see him- he'll say, "My little children, 27:27 I write to you," or, "You have no need 27:31 that I should write to you, little children." 27:33 You'll find that phrase often through the 27:35 Word of God. "Little children." Because he's 27:37 been talking to those of us who have been 27:38 born again. And when you are born again, 27:40 you are what? A little child. Amen? Let's 27:45 go to number- so write the answer down. 27:47 What was the answer for #28? How important 27:51 is the need for conversion? Say, 27:56 how important? Very. Let's put a bigger 27:59 word than 'very-' imperative. Absolutely 28:03 necessary. [Assuredly.] Thank you, Brian. 28:07 Assuredly! I like that. Assuredly. 28:10 #29. 28:11 #29. 28:38 "Is imperative" is one word- I 28:39 made it one word. Just say, "isimperative." 28:43 Little space there, but it's okay. You'll 28:46 survive. Psalm 19:7. Let's see if we can 28:53 get there. Let's see who I could pick on, 28:55 'cause we have little microphones in here 28:56 and I know those are active. Let me get 28:58 somebody to read that. ...But I need somebody 29:01 with a big voice. Who has a big voice? 29:05 Okay, great. Brian, do you have a big 29:07 voice? [Big enough.] Go for it. Here it 29:10 is on the screen. 29:22 The law of the Lord is what? Perfect. 29:25 What is it doing? Converting the soul. 29:30 Now, you could easily illustrate that to a 29:37 train being on the tracks. Some people 29:42 claim this- I've heard people say, "I'm free 29:44 now; I'm free in Jesus." Uh, well, 29:47 don't take that too far. You're free from 29:51 the penalty of sin, but you're not free to 29:55 do what you want anymore than a train 29:58 is free from the tracks and is going anywhere. 30:00 Some people say, "I'm free! I've been set 30:03 free." You've been set free from the PENALTY 30:05 of sin, but you need Jesus- sorry. WE need 30:08 Jesus, how often? Every moment of every 30:10 day. And, the transcript that guides us is the 30:16 law of the Lord that is what? Perfect. Now, 30:19 I was raised in New York City and I know 30:21 what a subway is. Anybody not know 30:23 what a subway is? A subway is an 30:25 underground train, and you might be 30:27 watching from someplace in the world where they 30:28 have no subways. Like in New Guinea, there 30:31 are no subways. In the Caribbean, there 30:34 are no subways; you can't dig holes under 30:35 the ground. In Puerto Rico, there are no 30:38 subways. But they have underground subways! 30:43 You could hear trains coming. Where I got 30:46 on the train-where we got on the train, 30:47 Franklin Avenue-there are 4 tracks: two local; 30:50 two express. You hear something coming, but 30:53 you don't know. What amazes me is you're 30:55 flying through the tunnel. Trains are- 30:58 it seemed to be about a foot apart at 31:00 high rates of speed. Just...whoosh. 31:03 You know why it's safe? Because they're 31:06 on the tracks. Here's my point: if you try 31:09 to live your Christian life without the law 31:11 of God, it's like a train off the tracks. 31:15 There's nothing guiding you. You may be free, 31:18 but you're not going anywhere OR, more 31:21 deadly than that, you are in line for a 31:24 severe collision. In other words, your 31:29 life is being derailed and you're saying 31:31 you're free. But if you live by the law 31:33 of God, which can only be done by the 31:35 indwelling Spirit-am I right? Then you are 31:38 being converted. You're being what? Converted. 31:41 Converting the soul. And conversion- how 31:44 long does it take to convert somebody? 31:47 Huh? We are justified instantly, but we are 31:52 being converted every day. Every day. 31:55 Conversion is a work. I think it's Philippians 31:59 1:6-you might check that-"He who has begun 32:01 a good work in you will complete it." 32:03 All right? So, what transcript of life 32:06 is imperative? What is? What is it? 32:08 The law of the Lord. The Commandments of 32:11 God. Now, look at this. Let's go to 32:16 question #30. I like the pace we're moving 32:19 at tonight. We might get to 37. But if not, 32:22 that's okay. Question #30, and here it is. 32:38 'Cause a lot of times, when we baptize 32:40 people, "I baptize you in the name of 32:42 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit," 32:44 "Are you excited?" "Lord, Holy Spirit, 32:46 come into this person's life," but there are 32:49 some very important things that we have to 32:51 understand. What actually happens? 32:52 What does the Lord decide to do for us? 32:54 What promise has He made to help us in 32:58 this experience of conversion? In what 33:05 way does the Bible describe the transaction 33:07 of conversion? Let's look at this. Ezekiel 33:10 36:26. This is beautiful. The Lord says of us, 33:36 Stone and flesh. Which one is harder? 33:39 [Stone.] Stone! 33:43 This is important. We've got to really 33:45 be careful, and little indicators in our lives 33:48 will tell us when we need to be calibrated. 33:53 You know the word calibrated? You know 33:55 what calibration is? People into electronics.. 33:58 I remember we used to do that. We used to 34:01 work in- you hear the sound, 34:03 [hums rising and descending pitch] 34:08 A certain sound, you know you're right at 34:09 the right frequency. When you tune up 34:13 a guitar, you could hear [hums again]. 34:16 Tune a piano - calibration. The whole aspect. 34:19 The Lord is calibrating our lives in harmony 34:22 with His will. Calibrating our lives 34:24 in harmony with His purpose. Calibrating 34:27 our lives in harmony with His law. But what's 34:29 happening? How's He doing that? He's 34:31 putting a new heart and a new spirit 34:32 within us. The spirit that the Lord wants 34:34 us to have is what kind of spirit? Somebody 34:38 tell me. What kind of spirit does the Lord 34:40 want us to have? [New spirit. Holy Spirit.] 34:45 Holy Spirit. Yes. Now, the Holy Spirit- 34:49 the presence of the Holy Spirit- how do 34:51 you know when somebody has the 34:52 Holy Spirit? 34:58 Not a trick question. I don't want to trick 35:00 you guys tonight. It's not a trick question. 35:04 Say it again? [They have the fruit of the 35:05 Spirit.] They have the fruit of the Spirit! 35:09 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 35:14 longsuffering, gentleness, meekness, 35:17 patience. And the apostle Paul says, 35:19 "Against such, there is no law." Meaning, 35:22 there is no limit. In other words, you could 35:24 be a person with 10 million pounds of love. 35:28 Great! Get 10 million 1! The more loving you 35:32 can be- there is no limit. Amen? [Amen.] 35:35 Joy. Have you ever met a person and say, 35:37 "You know, you are too happy. You're too 35:39 joyful." Have you ever heard somebody? 35:41 "You need to be less joyful." No! If you 35:44 have the fruit of the Spirit, you will be 35:45 what? Joyful! "Joyful, joyful-" don't just 35:49 sing it; be it. Love, joy- what else? 35:51 Peace. Do you know anybody that needs 35:53 peace? Yes! When the Spirit is not there- 35:56 because here's the key. The promise the Lord 35:59 makes in Isaiah, it says, "He will keep 36:02 him in," what kind of peace? "Perfect peace 36:05 whose mind has stayed on Thee because he 36:08 trusted in Thee." We try to find peace 36:10 over there, either in other people, other 36:14 circumstances, other things, and we're 36:16 not focusing on Him. He will keep us in 36:18 perfect peace if our minds are stayed on 36:20 Him. Like a dad will say to the kids. Like 36:26 the little girl that was in the thunderstorm 36:27 and the lights went out. Immediately, 36:33 she didn't see her dad and it was dark. 36:36 When I was raised- OK. When I was a 36:40 little boy, I used to be afraid of thunder. 36:42 Okay, you got out of the way. But I'm not 36:44 afraid of thunder; I like thunder now. 36:46 ...But I just don't like Southern Illinois thunder. 36:49 [laughter] 'Cause it brings with it 36:51 sometimes tornados- and when they have 36:54 tornado warnings and they say, "Seek shelter 36:57 now," and it's nighttime and it's thu- you can't 37:00 see anything out here. You all know what 37:01 I'm talking about? If you're in the 37:03 Caribbean, ignore us. ...Where was I 37:07 going with that? [laughter] [Shelter.] Okay, the 37:11 shelter. So, I used to- Momma, when 37:15 she was raising me, I used to run to 37:17 Momma and grab her, and she says, "Okay, 37:19 I'm here," and I would always feel safe 37:22 because she's there. When we run to the 37:25 Lord, in that moment, we find that He is 37:29 our ever-present help in time of need. 37:32 When we focus on the only One that can 37:34 deliver us in our times of storm, what do we 37:38 have? Peace. "Daddy, I can't see you." 37:42 "But I'm here." And he reached out 37:44 and touched the shoulder of his little daughter. 37:46 "Daddy, I can't see you." "But I'm here." 37:49 And so the beauty of the Lord is when we 37:51 focus- when we focus, the Lord is changing us 37:54 every day. The new heart- and the word 37:58 heart is interchangeable. New heart also means 38:02 what else? New mind. Because I know one 38:05 of the reasons they have the polygraph 38:07 tests nowadays is because what the 38:09 mind is thinking, the heart is reacting to 38:11 and they both work in tandem to the way 38:16 you feel. Boy, nobody says, "I mind you." 38:20 We say, "I heart you." Which means what? 38:22 "I love you." So, we don't go... 38:29 "What is he saying?" No, but if you go... 38:32 There you go. [laughter] You get the message! 38:36 See? But in reality, in the Bible, heart 38:39 and mind are interchangeable! Right? The Lord wants 38:43 to be in our hearts. Now, when He gives 38:46 you a new heart, what's in that heart? Go 38:48 with me to Hebrews chapter 10. What is 38:51 in that heart? 38:56 [The law.] That's right; you 38:59 know exactly where we're going. Hebrews 39:01 chapter 10:16. Hebrews 10:16. 39:08 To say that the Lord has given us a new 39:10 heart and to ignore His law is a contradiction. 39:16 It's a contradiction. Because notice, "I 39:22 will give you a new heart." Look at Hebrews 10:16. 39:25 He says, "'This is the covenant. I will make 39:29 with them after those days,' says the Lord. 39:35 'I will put My laws into their hearts 39:40 and in their minds, I will write them.'" 39:43 Interchangeable. It's here and it's here. 39:47 He puts it in both places, so we can't 39:49 say, "Well, it's not in my mind." It's 39:52 in your mind AND heart. It's in both places. 39:54 So, when He puts that new heart in us, He 39:57 also installs in us a new rail system to 40:00 keep us in line. And honestly, nobody would 40:03 argue. The only time we're afraid of trains 40:06 is if they're off the track. Somebody once 40:09 said, "I don't like stop signs. I've 40:11 discovered that stop signs are not really 40:14 stop signs; they're go signs," because 40:17 if you get to an intersection and- 40:19 sorry; stoplights. Comparison but not- 40:23 if you get to an intersection in a 40:24 city and the stoplights are not working, 40:26 nobody's moving. But if it's working, there's 40:29 motion. The law of God is the go light, 40:34 but it gives you continual direction in our lives. 40:37 It tells us when to go; it tells us when 40:39 to stop. Amen? So, in what way does the 40:43 Bible describe the transaction of conversion? 40:45 He gives us a what? New heart and a what 40:48 else? New spirit, and He gives us a what 40:51 kind of heart? [Heart of flesh.] Heart of flesh. 40:54 That means it's pliable. It's not- when you 40:59 say to somebody- you ever say, "It's 41:01 written in stone"? What does that mean? Say 41:04 it again? Unchangeable. Non-negotiable. But 41:10 when it's set, it's written in flesh. 41:13 It's latitude. That's why I'm so glad the 41:16 Lord writes His law on stone, but He 41:20 writes our sin in the dust. Amen? 41:24 Writes our sin in the dust; writes His law 41:27 in stone. Look at these quotes. I don't 41:29 normally do this, but I wanted to do this. 41:31 This is really important. From a 41:33 book Evangelism- I don't normally have 41:35 that- very rarely would you see me 41:36 with a quotation, but I thought this was beautiful 41:38 to have. It says, 42:00 Going on. 42:15 So a lot of times, people say, "Hey, 42:16 I'm a member of the Adventist church." 42:18 What does that mean? "Well, the doctrines are 42:23 true; I'm finally in the light now. I 42:25 understand; everything is now clear..." 42:26 What does that mean? Are you changed? 42:28 Changing churches and changing hearts 42:32 is not the same thing. The Lord 42:35 wants us to be in the truth, He wants 42:36 us to walk in the truth, but He wants our 42:38 hearts to also be new. Am I right? Wow. 42:44 Let's go to #32. And you guys are so wise, 42:49 you already know the answer here. 43:07 You want to put that little "as" there. 43:11 I was probably on the phone with Lois and 43:14 forgot to put an 's' there. [laughter] 43:17 I gotta blame somebody. Don't worry- I got a 43:19 new heart. It wasn't Lois' fault. It was 43:21 mine. 2 Corinthians 5:17, a very familiar 43:26 passage. What percentage of character change 43:29 qualifies as converted? All right. I want us 43:33 all to read this one together. Very 43:35 important one. There's not a passage in the 43:37 Bible that's not important, but this is a staple 43:39 in the topic. Together... 43:57 What's another word for the phrase "passed 43:59 away"? Have you seen in the Bible- 44:02 [Dead.] That's right. If you say, "He 44:06 passed away," that means he's what? Dead. 44:10 And he's going to be what? Buried-hopefully, 44:12 because people cremate, they sprinkle, they 44:18 do all kinds of strange things. Old things- 44:22 yes! We were reading that this morning, 44:24 actually, in our devotions! One of my favorite 44:28 devotional people- Oswald Chambers. 44:30 He says, "We have to be ready as 44:34 Christians to sign our death certificate." 44:38 He said, "Not enough Christians have signed 44:42 their death certificate. They've become Christians 44:45 but they have not died to anything," and it's 44:48 like, woo. That was really powerful. 44:51 Ok, I already closed it. That was really- 44:53 so he says, "When you wake up every day, 44:54 be willing to sign your death certificate, 44:57 because old things have died. Behold, 45:01 all things have become new." I tell you- 45:03 this is not just a single application, 45:07 but a what? Daily application. Because 45:10 at no point- and here's the reason 45:12 why. Here's the very important reason 45:14 why. Practice makes... [perfect.] Ah, that's 45:19 incorrect. I just threw that at you. 45:21 Practice does not make perfect. Do 45:24 you know of any doctor- this is- 45:26 I kind of got it this way. Doctors practice for 45:31 their whole career. If you go to a doctor 45:35 that's not practicing, run for your life. 45:38 Right? Because information is continually 45:41 being updated and new techniques are coming 45:43 to the forefront. A pilot- as long as a 45:45 pilot flies, he always has a checklist. If 45:49 you find two pilots without a checklist, 45:52 don't get on that plane. There's a 45:55 continual process in our lives, and the 45:57 continual process is a day-by-day process. 46:00 So, here's the point. If a Christian doesn't 46:03 have a daily process in his or her life 46:07 that keeps the old dead and the new alive, 46:11 then the old will be alive and the new will 46:15 die. Because there's one thing we all have 46:19 that's going to be hanging around until 46:22 it's finally gone. And what is it? 46:28 Huh? [Leaving self behind.] It's actually 46:31 our storage system. Do you know that our 46:35 storage system-which is our brain-now, we 46:37 are unlearning old things, but there are 46:41 some things- how many of you can remember 46:42 stuff like, when you were a kid? Sometimes, 46:45 you know, childhood memories come back. 46:48 Depends on how far back it is. Sometimes 46:50 you'll see something- "Ah, that reminds me 46:52 of such and such!" We have things that 46:54 we've practiced in our past that sometimes, as 46:58 the old life, if we don't daily put the 47:01 old man to death in our practices, in our 47:06 thoughts, in our desires, in our attitudes, 47:09 then he's waiting at the front door. 47:11 He's waiting at the foot of the bed if 47:14 we don't put him to death right away. 47:15 That's why- I think it was Simon Sinek 47:18 who said this. I don't know if he's a Christian 47:20 or not, but he said, "In an age with so 47:22 much technology, we should put our phones 47:24 in the other room." And I would add to 47:27 that, put our Bibles right next to our bed. 47:29 Because we wake up in the morning and 47:31 the first thing we do is what? "What's the 47:33 weather?" "Who texted me?" "I heard a message." 47:38 And during the night, some people don't 47:39 silence their phones. A few nights, we've 47:42 had that issue. I like my room completely dark, 47:47 and sometimes, my wife, when we go to sleep, 47:49 she has her phone face-up and somebody 47:51 would text during the night and her iPhone 47:54 will brighten up the whole ceiling and 47:57 all of a sudden, it's like a plane landing. 47:58 And I say, "Would you please turn your phone 48:02 over or turn it off?" Some people sleep with 48:06 it right there, and then some people 48:08 leave it on and you hear, "Ding!" and 48:09 they wake up. "Honey, what time is it?" 48:11 Now, my wife doesn't do that- praise the Lord. 48:13 But some people live that way. What if 48:15 we woke up during the night and read our 48:17 Bibles? What if you couldn't sleep and you're 48:20 reading your Bible? [You can't; it's 48:24 pitch dark.] Ah, we have a light right 48:27 above our head. Two variables so we could 48:29 grab it instead of looking for switches 48:31 on the wall, just grab and read our Bible. 48:33 Here is the key- so guide your life, 48:36 so organize your life that in case of 48:39 an emergency- I was raised- my dad taught 48:42 me this when I was being raised and 48:43 I said this last night. "Can't go to bed 48:45 without knowing where my flashlight is!" 48:49 I don't ever go to bed without knowing where my 48:52 flashlight is. Dan, are you the same? 48:54 I would think you are 'cause you're a 48:56 techie like I am. But don't go to bed 49:01 without knowing where your Bible is. It's 49:04 right by our bed because every night, 49:07 we read it before we go to bed. You've got 49:11 to plan your life to have a spiritual, 49:13 successful life every day. Amen? [Amen.] 49:16 You gotta plan it purposefully so that 49:18 the old things stay dead and the new things 49:21 keep staying new every day. One of the 49:24 dangers, and the Lord talked about this 49:25 to the church of Ephesus- the church of Ephesus 49:28 had a new awakening. The church of Ephesus 49:30 was the period when the church just was 49:32 burgeoning. It was exploding. And as the 49:36 disciples began to die off, the rebuke that 49:40 the Lord had for the church of Ephesus 49:41 is they lost their first love. So, you 49:45 got to, every day, you got to keep your love alive 49:47 in Christ. Amen? Let's look at the 49:50 next one. What number am I up to? [33.] 49:52 33. Okay. Another component that 49:57 keeps- this is another thing that- this is 50:04 another very important question. 50:10 This is a- I'm including this text 50:13 for a special reason, and you might not 50:16 see the word 'conversion' in it, but I'll tell you 50:18 the reason why I've chosen it. All right, 50:21 Ephesians 2:10. Now, we like Ephesians 2 50:23 verse 8 and 9 because the Bible says, "For 50:25 by grace are you saved through faith 50:27 and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God- 50:30 not of works lest any man should boast." 50:32 We like that. But verse 10 is also 50:34 included; we cannot forget that. And here 50:36 it is. The Bible says... 50:52 I likened this to a person being hired. 50:55 I likened this to a person being- 50:57 by the way, we are created in Christ Jesus. 50:58 That's the truth, right? But I likened this to 51:02 a person being hired by a company. The 51:04 person being hired by the company says 51:06 to the employer, "This is all I'm going to do 51:10 for your company." The employer says, 51:13 "Excuse me?" "I got the job, right? But this 51:16 is all I'm going to do for your company." 51:19 The employer says, "But there's a job 51:21 description that we've hired you to fulfill." 51:24 And you say, "Well, let me see the job 51:26 description." And so, watch this. I'm 51:28 going to be cynical intentionally. 51:30 "Okay, I'll come to church, but I'm not coming to 51:34 Sabbath school." "Uhh, yeah; I'll decide 51:39 whether or not Wednesday night 51:40 prayer meeting's going to be a part of my 51:42 exercise. I'm not sure about that. I know 51:43 it's in the job description." You 51:44 said, "Don't forsake the assembling of 51:46 ourselves together, but I gotta think about 51:47 that one. "Share my faith? Uh, I don't 51:51 know about that one. Hmm. Give me some 51:54 time to think about that one." When you look 51:57 at this passage, it says before the 51:59 Lord shows us, He had work for us to do. 52:04 "Created in Christ Jesus for good works which 52:08 God prepared beforehand that we should walk 52:13 in them. Here's my point- so important 52:17 on conversion. People that are not actively 52:19 involved in the mission of their church in 52:22 some capacity is not being converted. 52:25 'Cause it's gonna get old. You can only sit at 52:30 the bus station long enough. After a while, 52:33 it gets boring that you're waiting. 52:34 "What are you doing?" "I'm waiting for the 52:36 bus." "I'm waiting for Jesus to come." 52:39 What are you doin'? "I'm waiting for Jesus 52:43 to come." There's a reason why the 52:46 Lord says, "Blessed is the servant whom 52:49 the master when he comes finds so doing." 52:51 And as the old negro spiritual, "Keep so 52:55 busy working for Jesus, ain't got time 52:57 to die." So many people are not doing 53:00 anything for the Lord, so after a while, 53:03 their new birth gets stale. It starts to 53:07 dry up, 'cause I'm not connected to the 53:09 mission at all. Let's try to apply that to 53:11 other aspects of life. Let's just say, you 53:13 work at the hospital, or you work for an 53:15 airline, or you work- wherever you work! 53:17 And you go to work every day and you 53:19 sit down. "What are you doin'?" "I'm waiting 53:22 for payday." "You're waiting for...payday?" 53:28 That's why- you know, somebody once 53:30 said, "People stop looking for work 53:32 when they find a job." And the same thing is 53:35 true with many churches! People stop looking 53:37 for work when they find a church! But 53:40 God didn't call us to be members; 53:43 he called us to be workmen! The workmen 53:48 that needeth not to be ashamed rightly 53:51 dividing the word of truth. But so many 53:53 people have nothing they're connected to, 53:55 so they get excited about joining, they 53:57 get baptized, they're happy, but when they 54:00 don't get connection to a mission, some aspect 54:04 of the growth of the church, they will die. 54:07 They will die, because you know what? The 54:11 most exciting event- if you're just waiting 54:15 for the event to start, after a while, 54:16 it just gets boring. And like a cat, and 54:21 like a dog, we become nothing more than an 54:24 exalted animal, meaning, "I'm waiting to get 54:27 fed, waiting for you to take me out, 54:29 waiting for you to give me a bath, waiting 54:31 for you to walk me..." That's what an animal 54:34 does-they wait. They wait for their food, 54:37 they wait for their water, they wait to 54:38 be petted, they wait till you come home, 54:40 they wait till you leave. Christians 54:43 ought to be active. Amen? [Amen.] 54:45 Created in Christ- which God prepared 54:48 beforehand that we should walk in... And 54:51 my encouragement is, find a way-... I always 54:55 say to people- and I was talking with 54:56 somebody this week that was saying, "I 54:58 don't know what happened but I just don't feel 54:59 that joy anymore." You can't find joy 55:02 in something you're not doing. Right? You'll 55:07 never- "Well, I can't remember the Bible 55:09 passages." Well, how will you remember 55:12 the Bible passages if you're not reading 55:14 the Bible? And don't just read it; share it! 55:18 You remember what you share. Right? That's 55:21 why teachers are so good; they're telling 55:23 young kids every day! Math, social studies, 55:27 science- and the longer they do it, 55:29 they become like these walking libraries of 55:31 numbers and statistics and figures- keep 55:34 doing it for a number of years, Jody. You'll 55:35 be like a professor just by default because you're 55:38 sharing it every single day! What you don't 55:41 use, you will...lose. That's what happened 55:45 with the guy with the one talent. He buried 55:47 it. Did nothing with it and nothing came 55:51 out of it. Let's try to get one more here. 55:53 So, get connected to some mission. Do 55:55 something, because I don't care how good 55:57 your church is and how truthful what they teach 56:00 is; if you're not involved, you're gonna 56:03 die! You are going to die, because conversion 56:07 requires activity. Not working to be saved, 56:11 but working because you are in a saving 56:13 relationship. Okay... #34. Let's try to 56:17 get one more in here. 56:23 I think this is the last one we're going 56:25 to get. Let's try to plug this right 56:26 away. Colossians 3:5-7- let me go ahead and 56:29 read it. In the interest of the clock, here it is. 56:32 "Therefore," the apostle Paul, "put to death 56:36 your members." That is, not the church members. 56:41 [laughter] I'm going to clarify. 56:43 That means the things that happened in your 56:45 life- the things that are controlling you. 56:50 Notice the challenges... 57:12 That's where you used to walk. But to not 57:14 go there again- put them to death. Do 57:17 what? Put 'em to death. How do you put them 57:20 to death? I'm going to ask the question- 57:22 how do you put them to death? Somebody 57:24 tell me. [Conversion. Surrender.] How often 57:32 do you put them to death? [Daily.] When you 57:35 put them to death, you put them to death by 57:38 when you wake up in the morning, "Father, 57:40 I commit my life into your hands; 57:42 I cannot keep myself." And don't just verbally 57:46 commit your life into the Lord's hands; 57:47 do it by activity. Read His Word, get it in 57:50 there because the Word of God is like food. 57:52 It's like what? Food. And Paul in Ephesians 57:55 says, "The Word of God effectively works 57:58 in those who believe." Meaning, if it's the 58:00 bread of life, can you get nourishment from 58:02 bread you don't eat? No! Can you get your 58:05 thirst quenched from water you don't drink? 58:08 No. But those who hunger and thirst 58:10 after righteousness- what's the promise?- 58:12 will be filled. We're going to continue- 58:16 we have 3 more questions in the next program, 58:18 but let me tell you, friends. We sure need 58:20 to believe that the Lord has a desire 58:22 for each one of us- not only to repent- 58:24 but to be converted. And if it doesn't 58:26 make sense, keep studying. One day, it 58:28 will come into a sharper focus. 58:30 God bless you. |
Revised 2018-10-09