Participants:
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000179A
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00:18 Hello, friends,
00:20 welcome to our Wednesday night Bible study here 00:22 at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:24 As you know A Sharper Focus is a time to open our Bibles 00:27 and study the Word of God together, 00:29 and we welcome you with a hearty amen. 00:31 Can we say amen? Amen. 00:33 And we know that wherever you're joining us from, 00:35 you will join us as we walk through God's Word together 00:38 on a very important topic, Living In Victory. 00:42 In a moment, I'll tell you 00:43 how to get a copy of the lesson, 00:44 but thank you for taking the time to tune in. 00:46 Get your Bibles, get your pens, 00:48 and we know that as we walk through God's Word, 00:51 we will not be disappointed. 00:53 But let's pause now and begin with a word of prayer. 00:56 Loving Father in heaven, thank You for the opportunity 00:58 of opening Your Word, 01:00 we pray that You'll open our hearts 01:01 as we study together, 01:03 that our minds will be furnished with what we need 01:05 to not only understand Your Word 01:07 but to find that victorious walk with You. 01:11 We pray in Jesus' name. 01:13 Amen. 01:15 Now what do we do before we sing our theme song? 01:18 We tell them where to get the lesson, right? 01:20 Go to the following website to get a copy of the lesson, 01:23 ASF.3ABN.org and download lesson number 40. 01:28 What number did we say? 01:30 Lesson number 40, 01:32 as my crowd enthusiastically said, 01:33 what did we say? 01:34 Forty. 01:36 Number 40, and the lesson is Living In Victory. 01:38 As we download that lesson, 01:40 we will study in a beautiful way 01:41 and find the secrets in Scripture 01:43 as to how we can gain and appreciate victory. 01:47 But we're going to sing our theme song, 01:49 which is in fact Victory in Jesus. 01:51 So join us as we sing this theme song together. 02:03 I heard an old, old story 02:07 How the Savior came from glory 02:11 How He gave His life on Calvary 02:15 To save a wretch like me 02:19 I heard about His groaning 02:22 Of His precious blood's atoning 02:26 Then I repented of my sins 02:30 And won the victory 02:34 O victory in Jesus 02:37 My Savior, forever 02:41 He sought me and bought me 02:45 With His redeeming blood 02:49 He loved me ere I knew Him 02:53 And all my love is due Him 02:56 He plunged me to victory 03:00 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:04 I heard about a mansion 03:08 He has built for me in glory 03:11 And I heard about the streets of gold 03:15 Beyond the crystal sea 03:19 About the angels singing 03:23 And the old redemption story 03:27 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 03:30 The song of victory 03:33 Key change. 03:34 O victory in Jesus 03:38 My Savior, forever 03:42 He sought me and bought me 03:45 With His redeeming blood 03:49 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:53 And all my love is due Him 03:57 He plunged me to victory 04:01 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:04 He plunged me to victory 04:08 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:14 Amen? Amen. 04:17 Living In Victory, say that with me, 04:20 Living In Victory. 04:22 Now what's amazing about this topic is... 04:27 I don't know of anyone who wants to be a loser. 04:30 I don't know of anyone 04:32 who wants to be on the losing team. 04:34 I don't know of anyone who pursues all the principles 04:37 of being a person who never experiences victory. 04:41 As a person who likes sports, 04:44 I know that when the seasons come, 04:46 whether it's baseball, or basketball, 04:47 or where you may be living, it's rugby, or soccer, 04:50 or cricket, whatever that might be the case of, 04:54 teams often study each other 04:56 to find out how to win against the opponent. 04:59 And let me ask you the question tonight, 05:01 who is our opponent? 05:02 Satan. Satan is. 05:05 The adversary, that serpent of old 05:07 called the Devil and Satan. 05:08 If you could see them, I want you to remember this, 05:11 if you can see them, they are not your enemy. 05:16 Amen. 05:18 The enemy is Satan. 05:20 Every other person 05:22 has either been delivered by Christ 05:24 or still in bondage to the enemy. 05:27 But if we can see them, they are not our enemy. 05:29 So what we're going to talk about tonight 05:32 is the pursuit of victory, how to live in victory, 05:35 how to know that you're victorious. 05:37 Go with me first to Ephesians chapter 4, 05:39 I want to show you a text. 05:40 We're going to begin 05:41 at question number seven tonight, 05:43 but I want to go ahead and read Ephesians chapter 4 05:44 because what I want you to see is the pursuit. 05:47 What is the ultimate aim? 05:49 What does Jesus want us to do? 05:51 Now a lot of us sometimes think 05:53 that the ultimate aim is to get to heaven. 05:55 Well, that's the end result 05:58 of what Jesus accomplishes in our lives. 06:01 But that's not the aim. 06:02 The aim of the Christian is not to get to heaven, 06:05 that's the joy and the reward. 06:07 He brings His reward with us, with Him. 06:11 But that's not the aim. 06:12 The aim is for... 06:14 Well, the aim is not something that we wait for till then, 06:18 the aim that Christ has 06:19 is something that can be accomplished now. 06:22 Ephesians chapter 4. 06:24 And I'll go ahead and read... 06:27 Well, I'll start with verse 11, verse 11. 06:32 "And he himself," Ephesians 4:11, 06:35 "And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, 06:39 some evangelists, and some pastors, and teachers, " 06:44 we have some teachers here tonight, 06:46 "for the equipping of the saints, 06:48 for the work of the...?" 06:49 Ministry. 06:51 "Ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, 06:54 till we all come to the unity of the faith 06:58 and the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, 07:03 to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." 07:08 So what is the aim that Jesus has established? 07:12 Where is He guiding us? 07:14 Where is He going? Talk to me, where is He going? 07:16 What did you see in verse 13? 07:19 What do you see in verse 13? Unity. 07:22 Okay, unity is one. 07:23 What's the next one? 07:25 Knowledge of the Son of God. 07:27 The knowledge of the Son of God was another one. 07:29 What do you say, Ann? Faith. 07:30 Faith, but where is... 07:32 What do you see His words of aim or goal? 07:34 Perfect man. 07:35 Perfect man, and then also, 07:38 the measure of the stature of the what? 07:41 Fullness. Fullness of Christ. 07:44 You know, I have had opportunity years ago... 07:47 I lived in Brooklyn, New York, 07:48 and we had a swimming pool in our backyard. 07:51 Now if you know what I mean, we lived in Brooklyn, 07:54 we didn't have backyards that were huge, 07:56 and in some places in Brooklyn, they have large backyards 07:58 but not where we lived 07:59 because the houses were side by side, 08:02 brownstone homes there in Brooklyn, New York. 08:05 We had a swimming pool. 08:07 We had a plastic swimming pool. 08:11 One that you blow up, 08:13 one that you better not dive in. 08:16 Because it was deep enough that if you knelt in it 08:20 the water would get up to your waist. 08:23 That's if you knelt in it. 08:24 So it wasn't a... 08:26 I don't know why they called it a swimming pool 08:28 because you couldn't swim in it. 08:30 If I tried to flatten my body out, 08:33 I'd probably reach from one end to the next. 08:35 It was a little swimming pool. 08:37 It was a swimming pool at, a mini swimming pool. 08:41 But my job was to fill up the swimming pool 08:45 and I always thought that was kind of funny 08:48 because it didn't take very long 08:50 to fill up the swimming pool, 08:52 you know, first of all I had to blow it up. 08:57 And back then, there were no air pumps, 09:00 not in our family, there were no compressors. 09:03 So that's what took the longest 09:05 for me to blow up the parts of the swimming pool 09:06 that could inflate, so the sides would get solid. 09:10 And then I was supposed to take this 09:12 kind of galvanized wall 09:13 and bring it around to make it rigid, 09:16 and then clip it so that the plastic swimming pool 09:18 will have some rigidity, 09:20 then I'm supposed to fill it up. 09:21 Well... 09:24 The fullness was what everybody waited for. 09:28 They said to me, 09:30 "Tell me when the pool is full." 09:32 And I think about that... 09:34 The Lord might be looking at us 09:37 and the angels of God might be saying, 09:40 "Tell us when your children are full." 09:43 Because we are not going to be allowed into the kingdom 09:46 until the measure of the stature 09:48 of the fullness of Christ is reproduced in us. 09:51 Because none of us is going to get it in, 09:53 nothing about us is making it in. 09:56 Only when Christ is fully reproduced in us, 10:00 the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 10:03 when He's fully reproduced in us, 10:05 when that verse is fulfilled, 10:07 when the perfect man comes into view. 10:09 So what I want you to find out to understand... 10:12 Go with me now to the Book of Philippians. 10:15 Galatians, Ephesians, the next book is Philippians. 10:18 And this is the encouraging part 10:20 of this pursuit of excellence. 10:24 Because if it was something that we were responsible for, 10:27 then we would have a lot of work to do, 10:29 we would be busy filling ourselves up. 10:32 But here is the encouraging phrase, 10:34 Philippians 1:6. 10:36 What are the first two words you see there? 10:38 What are they? 10:40 Talk to me, what it is. 10:41 Being confident, 10:43 being confident, in other words, 10:45 no fear there, being confident, "We can be confident of," what? 10:50 "Of this very thing 10:51 that He who Has begun a good work," where? 10:55 "In you will do," what? 10:57 "Will perform it or complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." 11:00 Both of those words, the word in the King James is 11:03 "perform it" 11:04 and the New King James version is "complete it." 11:07 He's performing it and He will do what else? 11:10 Complete it. 11:11 Now go to Philippians chapter 2. 11:14 Look at Philippians chapter 2. 11:16 Verse 12 is often the verse that brings people 11:18 to the point of a trepidation and they wonder 11:20 "Well, how I'm going to get this accomplished?" 11:24 Philippians 2:12, "Therefore, my beloved, 11:28 as you have always obeyed, not in my presence only, 11:32 but now much more in my absence," 11:35 look at this phrase, 11:36 what's the next two words? 11:38 Work out. 11:39 "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." 11:42 And a lot of people finish that and say, 11:43 "How long is this work of my salvation going to take?" 11:47 But don't stop reading. 11:50 Verse 13, let's read verse 13 together, "For it is," who? 11:54 "God who works in you both to will and to do 12:00 of His good pleasure." 12:01 So who's doing the work? 12:03 God. 12:04 We have to simply participate with the process. 12:06 We have to present ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice, 12:10 holy, and acceptable to Him, Romans 12:1-2, 12:14 we have to present ourselves, when we present ourselves, 12:17 He does the work in us. 12:19 So this idea of living in victory 12:20 is something we have to keep in mind 12:22 that the work that is being done in us, 12:24 even though the work is being done by Christ, 12:26 the participation on our part 12:28 is we have to present ourselves, we have to do what? 12:32 Present ourselves. 12:33 When we present ourselves, then He does the work in us. 12:37 So this is not, it's not... 12:39 We're not automatons, we're not robots 12:42 just waiting for Him to finish the work. 12:44 But we present ourselves to Him how often? 12:46 Every day. 12:47 Every day, presenting ourselves to Him on a day-by-day basis. 12:50 So let's look at question number seven 12:52 because this whole beauty... 12:55 The whole aim of the kingdom 12:57 is to reveal and to reflect Christ, 13:00 is to reveal and to reflect. 13:04 I could ask the question 13:05 but it's kind of a dumb question. 13:08 Well, let me ask it anyway. 13:13 Well, it's kind of a ridiculous question 13:15 'cause I don't think you know the answer. 13:18 Do you remember 13:19 when you saw your first reflection? 13:23 Okay, I told you it is a ridiculous question. 13:26 Now the reason that question is important, 13:30 is because do we see our reflection 13:32 on a day-by-day basis? 13:35 I hope the answer is yes 13:37 because it's good to look in the mirror 13:38 before you go out in public. 13:40 My mamma taught me that. 13:42 Make sure you look the way you should 13:44 before you go out in public. 13:45 Now the beauty of that question 13:47 is one day we're going to look in the mirror 13:50 and we're going to see the measure of the stature 13:52 of the fullness of Christ. 13:55 And the reason why that's so important 13:57 is because one of my favorite verses in the Bible says, 14:01 you could look in the mirror every day 14:03 and it has not yet been revealed 14:05 what you shall be but keep looking. 14:08 I have to turn there with me, 14:10 I have to have you turn there with me, are you ready? 14:12 1 John. 14:15 If you keep looking in the mirror 14:16 and submit to the process, 14:18 one day you're going to look in the mirror 14:20 and you're going to see the work completed. 14:23 And that's when he's going to seal us, 14:25 that's when the Bible says, He that is un... 14:27 He that is righteous, let him be righteous, 14:29 still he that is holy, let him be holy, 14:32 still when the work is done, we are sealed that way. 14:35 Look at 1 John chapter 3, 1 John chapter 3, 14:40 and I'm just going to read verse 2. 14:43 Verse 2 says, "Beloved, now we are children of God," 14:47 when are we children of God? 14:48 Now. 14:50 Now, and this is the part 14:51 that has to do with the reflection," 14:54 and it has not yet been revealed 14:56 what we shall be." 14:57 So if you look every day, you see, 14:59 "Man, I still see so much of me, 15:01 I still see so much of me, I still hear so much of me, 15:04 I still struggle with so much of me." 15:05 But as you submit to the process every day, 15:08 you're going to notice wow, that doesn't bother me anymore, 15:12 I don't say that anymore, I don't desire that any more, 15:15 that doesn't appeal to me anymore. 15:17 You'll begin to sense that you are diminishing 15:20 and Christ is increasing. 15:23 But if you keep looking for the image, 15:25 you'll say, well, it has not yet been revealed 15:27 what we shall be, 15:28 but look at the confidence here. 15:30 "It has not yet been revealed what we shall be 15:33 but we know that when He is revealed, 15:38 we shall be," what? 15:40 Like Him. 15:41 "Like Him for we shall see Him as He is." 15:46 Now how many of you want to see Jesus as He is? 15:52 Everybody is raising their hands. 15:54 But now, what's even more exciting than that 15:58 is Jesus wants to see us as He is. 16:04 Because that's what He says, we will see Him as He is, 16:07 so Christ is waiting 16:08 to reproduce His nature completely in us. 16:11 What's even more joyful 16:12 than our desire to see Him as He is, 16:15 He wants to see us as He is. 16:19 That's what the text says, 16:20 when He's revealed, we'll be like Him 16:22 for we will see Him as He is. 16:24 But let's look at what are we going to be reflecting. 16:27 Let's begin with question number seven. 16:29 Question number seven. 16:31 Here it is. 16:33 What is the source of the light that shines through us? 16:38 John 8:12. 16:40 What is the source of light that shines through us? 16:46 Okay, I'm turning there. 16:50 Even though I have it on the screen, 16:52 I want my Bible to be active. 16:55 Okay, and since it's our first scripture for the night, 16:59 I like to have you all look at the screen 17:01 and read it with me. 17:02 Are you all ready? 17:04 Here we go, "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying," 17:07 together, "'I am the light of the world. 17:10 He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, 17:15 but have the light of life.'" 17:17 So how is that light going to be revealed in us? 17:24 I heard somebody say, by following. 17:27 Have you ever walked with somebody 17:28 that had a flashlight and it was really dark? 17:31 What do you do? 17:33 You follow the light. 17:35 The moment you stop and the light keeps moving, 17:38 you realize wait a minute, it's getting darker and darker 17:40 and I can't see my way, but if we follow Christ... 17:43 Okay, 1 John, go there with me. 17:47 Jesus is the light of the world. 17:50 So write that down, the answer to number question, 17:52 what is the source of light that shines through us? 17:56 What is it? Jesus. 17:57 Exactly, it says who is it, it is Jesus. 18:00 But now as Cynthia answered the question, 18:04 let's go ahead and confirm that with scripture. 18:06 1 John, look at the beauty of walking in the light. 18:12 Look at the beauty of walking in the light. 18:15 And this is a very important passage 18:17 because what we try to accomplish 18:20 can only be accomplished if we walk in the light. 18:23 Some people come to church for friendship and for social 18:26 but it's broader than that. 18:28 The word that the Lord will accomplish in us 18:29 is fellowship. 18:31 But what do we have to do? 18:33 Here it is. 18:34 1 John chapter 1 and look together at verse 6. 18:44 The comparisons. 18:46 "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, 18:52 and walk in," what? 18:53 "Darkness, we lie, and do not practice the truth." 18:57 So can you walk in darkness and say 18:59 you have fellowship with Christ? 19:00 No. Why not? 19:01 Because He is the what? Light. 19:03 It's not possible to be with Him and be in the dark, 19:06 it just cannot happen. 19:07 He is the light of the world and it's a radiant light, 19:10 it's a divine light, 19:11 it's a light that never diminishes. 19:13 So you cannot walk in darkness, 19:14 that means you can't practice darkness, 19:15 you can't partake of darkness, 19:17 you can't find joy in darkness, 19:19 and say you have fellowship with Him. 19:21 But look at the next verse. Look at the converse of that. 19:25 "But if we," do what? 19:29 Verse... 19:30 No, verse 7, verse 7, "But if we," do what? 19:33 "Walk in the light as He is," where? 19:36 "In the light, we have fellowship with one another," 19:41 and look at the residual benefit, 19:43 "and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son," does what? 19:47 "Cleanses us from all sin." 19:49 So in order to stay in the light, 19:52 you can't just say, "I have a light," 19:55 what do you have to do? 19:56 You have to walk in the light, and Jesus says, 19:59 "Walk in the light, lest darkness comes upon you." 20:03 And so flood lights, flash lights, 20:06 I always have a light, 20:08 but when the night time comes, 20:10 you begin to realize how beautiful that light is. 20:12 And I'll give you in just a moment, I believe it's here, 20:15 I don't want to jump ahead of myself, 20:16 if I don't see the text here, 20:18 I'm going to go ahead and give it to you. 20:19 Let's go very quickly to Isaiah, 20:21 and this is something 20:22 why living in victory is so vitally important, 20:24 Isaiah 60, go there with me. 20:26 When you're living in victory, 20:27 only then can other people find victory. 20:31 Did you hear what I said? 20:32 When you're living in victory and reflecting Christ, 20:36 only then will someone else be able to find Christ 20:40 through your life. 20:42 They'll not find it unless you commit yourself 20:44 to walking in the light. 20:46 It's not possible to reject light 20:48 and expect people to find Christ in your life, 20:50 it's not possible. 20:51 But look at the reason why. 20:54 There's a powerful reason why the Lord wants us 20:58 to walk in the light 20:59 because there's a word that He wants to accomplish, 21:02 and when Jesus left, 21:04 He made a statement that I want to show you 21:05 the fulfillment of it. 21:07 He said to His disciples, He says, "Greater works," 21:10 what two words did I just say? 21:12 He said to them, "Greater works than these will you do 21:16 because I go to the Father." 21:18 "You won't see Me anymore, I'll come back 21:19 but you won't see Me anymore 21:20 but greater works than these will you do." 21:23 Now the reason why He said that 21:25 is because when Jesus rose, He had... 21:29 He forever was now our brother. 21:34 But He was our brother in victorious flesh, 21:38 He was our brother prior to His trial, 21:41 He put on our human nature, and He took that human nature 21:46 to the cross and defeated it, 21:48 then He came forth in perfect flesh. 21:50 The Bible says, Philippians, glorified body. 21:55 We will want to have His glorify, 21:57 He will transform our lowly body 21:59 that it might be fashioned like unto His glorious body. 22:03 So the reason why He wants all of us, 22:06 that is wherever we are in the world, 22:08 the reason why He wants to allow this light 22:10 to be developed in us 22:11 is because that's the only way 22:14 the work is going to be accomplished, 22:16 the only way the light is going to be reflected 22:18 into the world 22:20 is as it is reflected through His people. 22:24 So somebody might say, "Well, you know, 22:27 can He finish the work Himself?" 22:29 Of course, He can. 22:30 But He wants us to be lights. 22:33 Why does He want us to be lights? 22:34 Because He's not here, He's the light of the world 22:37 but when He left, He said what? 22:39 "You are the light of the world." 22:41 So when that light is reflected all over the world, 22:43 look at what happens, Isaiah 60. 22:47 Isaiah 60, beautiful. 22:49 And this is... 22:52 Not only is this a prophecy of the glory 22:55 that will be revealed through God's people 22:57 but this is a glory that will be revealed 22:59 in the future to the world, 23:01 "Arise, shine," 23:03 say that with me, "arise, shine, 23:07 for your light has come, 23:09 and the glory of the Lord is risen," where? 23:12 "Upon you. 23:13 For, behold," look at the context, 23:17 "for, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, 23:20 and deep or gross darkness," 23:22 as the King James Version says, "gross darkness the people, 23:26 but the Lord will arise over you 23:29 and His glory," His what? 23:32 "His glory will be seen," where? 23:35 "Upon you." 23:36 How will that glory be seen upon us? 23:38 When we come to the measure of the stature 23:40 of the fullness of Christ. 23:41 So do you now wonder why Satan is so determined 23:45 to keep us from reflecting the measure of the stature 23:47 of the fullness of Christ? 23:49 Because if we're able to allow Jesus 23:51 to be reflected through us, look at what's going to happen, 23:54 verse 3. 23:55 Look at what's going to happen, 23:57 "The Gentiles shall come to your," what? 24:01 "To your light and kings to the brightness of your," 24:05 what? "Of your rising." 24:07 So when the glory of God is being revealed through us, 24:10 then people see it and they come to it. 24:12 They say, "What is there about Courtney? 24:14 What is there about Cindy? 24:16 What is there about Yannick?" 24:18 Exactly, thank you, very good example. 24:21 When they saw Moses was in the presence of God, 24:23 the glory was so great 24:25 that they had to cover his face. 24:26 The glory of God was seen upon him. 24:28 He was in the presence of God. 24:30 Can you imagine 20 million people 24:33 circling the globe and the Lord turns the light on 24:36 and lights up the world? 24:39 And everywhere, Revelation 18 is fulfilled, 24:44 an angel coming down and the earth was lightened 24:47 with His glory. 24:49 That's what that is. 24:50 So Isaiah 60 24:51 is a forecast of Revelation chapter 18. 24:56 God is going to one day accomplish through His people 24:59 and the earth is going to be the lightened 25:01 with the glory of God 25:02 and how is that going to be revealed? 25:03 How it's going to be revealed? 25:06 Thank you, say it again. In us. 25:08 In us, through us. 25:09 So the light that this talked about, 25:11 the source is Christ but now that He's not here, 25:16 who is the source on earth? 25:19 He says, "You are the light of the world. 25:21 I'm not here, I'm coming back, 25:23 but in My absence, who's the source? 25:26 You are." 25:27 That's why the devil surrounds us with darkness 25:29 in so many avenues. 25:31 In the media, in the music, in society, in entertainment, 25:37 he plummets us with the darkness 25:39 because he doesn't want the light to be seen. 25:41 Because if the light is seen, the gentiles will come 25:45 to the brightness of your rising. 25:48 And the word "gentiles" there means, in this context, 25:51 the unsaved, those that don't know Christ, 25:54 will see rest and say, "What is there about her?" 25:57 And they'll come as the glory of God 26:00 is risen upon you and shall be seen upon you. 26:02 Amen? 26:04 It's vitally important, that's why the devil 26:05 makes it so difficult for us. 26:07 He tries to beset us with trials, and difficulties, 26:10 and hardships. 26:11 Earlier today, you know, when my wife came home, 26:15 she looked at my face, she said, "Are you okay?" 26:17 And I was playing... 26:20 Maranatha, you know Maranatha praise, 26:22 "Be still and know that He is God." 26:25 And she said, "You okay?" 26:27 I said, "You know, earlier I felt 26:29 Satan's oppression on me, 26:31 I felt him just trying to really oppress me, 26:34 and I put on Christian music, and I began to sing, 26:36 and, you know what? 26:38 It wasn't a minute, it wasn't even two minutes, 26:40 that oppression was gone 26:42 'cause he wasn't there to sing any Christian music with me, 26:45 he was not about to sing Be Still 26:46 and know that He is God." 26:48 There is no other. There is no other. 26:50 That's why the servant of the Lord, Ellen White says, 26:53 "When we are surrounded by darkness and distress, 26:55 lift our voices to God in song, 26:58 the devil doesn't like to hear his children praise the Lord." 27:02 That's why Paul and Silas, when they were in prison, 27:04 what were they doing? 27:06 At midnight, singing hymns, and psalms, and... 27:08 hymns and spiritual songs, hymns, and psalms, 27:11 and spiritual songs at midnight... 27:14 in prison singing to the glory of God. 27:17 Why? 27:18 Because wherever God is being glorified, 27:20 the devil cannot be there. 27:22 So if you ever feeling depressed, 27:24 I thought it's not bad to call and say to somebody, 27:26 "Pray for me." 27:28 But the quickest thing you can do, 27:29 put on some Christian music 27:31 and start songs where Jesus is being uplifted 27:34 or open your voice and say, 27:36 you know, "To God be the glory." 27:39 And the devil says, "I'm leaving." 27:41 Exactly. 27:42 He doesn't want to hear, he doesn't want to be 27:44 in the presence of any praise to God. 27:46 He cannot handle that. 27:49 At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, 27:51 every tongue will confess. 27:53 And the devil has to run 27:55 because he doesn't want the light to be turned on. 27:57 Years ago, we got to question number eight, 27:59 but years ago when this term came out, 28:01 I thought, I went like this, 28:02 "Man, how can we didn't get that first?" 28:06 Motel 6. 28:08 Motel 6, what was their saying, their slogan? 28:11 "We'll leave the light on for you." 28:14 Shouldn't that have been a Christian term? 28:15 Yes. 28:17 "We'll leave the light on for you." 28:18 Man. 28:20 And Motel 6, every time you hear that, 28:22 you don't think of a Christian church, 28:23 you think of a motel. 28:26 We're ought to buy that from Motel 6, 28:28 we'll leave the light on for you. 28:30 Question number eight. 28:32 Wow, question number eight, how does the transaction 28:37 of accepting Jesus change our standing? 28:41 How does the transaction of accepting Jesus 28:44 change our standing? 28:47 We must remember our standing is not the same 28:50 after we accept Jesus. 28:52 How does it change our standing? 28:54 Look at 1 Peter 2:9. 28:57 I'm going to go right there, 1 Peter 2:9. 29:01 And if we would remember this, if we would appreciate this, 29:05 if we would embrace it, 29:06 it would change the way we see ourselves, 29:09 it really would. 29:10 We live in a society that says, "We are biological birth 29:12 but we want to explosion or we evolved out of monkeys." 29:16 But if you tell children this, they'll act like it. 29:20 Let's read it together. 29:21 1 Peter 2:9, "But you are a," what? 29:24 "Chosen generation, a," what else? 29:28 "Royal priesthood, a," what else? 29:31 "Holy nation, his own," what? 29:35 "Special people." 29:36 Can you imagine what would happen 29:37 if you said to children, 29:39 "You're special, you're royal, you're holy, you're chosen." 29:43 They say, "I am? 29:45 I am special?" 29:46 "You're special." 29:48 We're special. 29:51 And why did He make us that way? 29:53 That you may proclaim or as the King James Version 29:57 says that "You may show forth, 29:59 that you may show forth the praises of Him 30:03 who called you out of darkness into his," what? 30:07 "Marvelous light." 30:09 Marvelous light. 30:10 Recently somebody gave me a green laser pointer 30:14 and I'm so glad they gave to me because that's not something 30:16 that should be in the hands of children. 30:18 Because just a day before that, I was reading an article 30:20 where a child, a young child, 30:22 I think maybe seven or eight years old 30:24 had a green laser 30:25 and he kept pointing in his eye, 30:27 he was fascinated by it, he kept pointing it in his eye. 30:30 And they showed the X-ray or I guess the X-ray it is 30:34 of what happened to his eye, the retina, 30:36 the hole was burned so large 30:38 that they couldn't even repair it. 30:40 So they said, "He'll be permanently blind 30:41 in that section of his eye." 30:44 And what I discovered is, 30:45 light is not something to look at, 30:48 light is something to walk in. 30:50 And so continuing with the story, 30:52 a few nights ago, my wife likes to go to sleep before me, 30:58 and the lights were off, 31:00 and we had just done our prayer, 31:01 and I went to see how bright that green laser was. 31:05 Because it's one of those laser that you can literally point up 31:07 in the sky and point... 31:08 I mean, it could just go forever. 31:10 I tested it out 31:12 in the country up in the Michigan, 31:14 dark country. 31:15 And it's like piercing, bright. 31:18 So I just decided to aim it on the ceiling 31:21 and it lit up the room like a meteor. 31:24 It just... 31:25 It radiated off it, because we have the... 31:29 What do you call that, popcorn ceiling? 31:31 And of all the pop, 31:32 it just started bouncing everywhere, 31:34 and I thought wow, 31:35 let me turn that off real quickly. 31:36 It was brighter than the big bulb 31:39 that was right next to my bed. 31:41 It just literally lit up the room. 31:44 And the guy that gave to me, 31:47 I don't know if I should say this, 31:49 the guy that gave it to me, he says, 31:50 "If you're ever brave enough, 31:52 while you're driving on the highway, 31:53 just aim it at one of those big green exit signs 31:56 and see the green explode." 31:58 I said, "I'll never do that." 31:59 You know why? 32:02 You could blind somebody. 32:04 Why would you want to blind another driver? 32:06 But here's my point, the light of God is to walk in, 32:10 not just to look at. 32:12 Now understand the analogy. 32:16 When you read your Bible, are you looking at the light? 32:21 That's not a trick question. Yes. 32:23 Is the Word of God light? Yes. 32:25 "Thy word is lamp unto my feet and light to my..." 32:27 So when you read God's Word, are you looking at the light? 32:29 Yes. 32:30 So... 32:32 But if you don't follow it, you're not walking in it. 32:35 It's one thing to read it, 32:37 it's something altogether to live by it. 32:40 So when the Bible says, "Walk in the light," 32:42 you read it and say, "Okay, Lord, 32:45 give me the willing heart to walk in 32:46 what I just read and learned." 32:48 That's what walking in the light mean. 32:50 It doesn't mean trying to find this glowing light somewhere 32:53 in the sky or in the community and walk in it. 32:55 It means the light of God's Word, 32:57 "Thy word is a lamp and a light." 32:59 It means walking in the light. 33:01 And it changes our standing. 33:02 So here's the question, how does the transaction 33:05 of accepting Jesus change our standing? 33:08 You can pick any of those words. 33:10 But what I like more than anything else, 33:11 rather than the royal, and the holy, and the special, 33:14 it means proclaiming him, showing him, proclaiming him, 33:20 it changes us, we are special, we're chosen, 33:22 we're royal, we're holy, 33:24 all those things matter, 33:26 and you can put that in any capacity 33:28 that you'd like or any answer that you'd like. 33:30 The entire verse is perfect. 33:33 But you can put any answer that you'd like there. 33:35 Moving right along to question number nine, 33:39 question number nine. 33:45 What makes the difference 33:47 in being able to reflect Christ? 33:51 In other words, how does that happen? 33:53 What makes the difference? 33:55 Do you just say, 33:56 "Well, I learned these wonderful doctrines 33:58 and I'm going to go ahead and live it out in my life, 34:01 I will find a way to do it." 34:05 How does it happen? 34:06 Galatians 2:20. 34:08 Go there with me, Galatians 2:20. 34:11 And you'll discover what I'm pointing at tonight 34:13 as I'm pointing away from human ability 34:18 to divine capability, 34:21 from human ability to divine capability. 34:24 In other words, we only have a capacity 34:26 to do certain things. 34:28 But there is nothing that divinity cannot do. 34:31 That's why this verse is so important. 34:33 Galatians 2:20, what makes the difference? 34:35 In other words, 34:36 how is reflecting God accomplished? 34:39 The Apostle Paul put it in these words. 34:42 He says, "I have been crucified," how? 34:46 "With Christ," and get this, 34:47 and I have this highlighted in yellow, 34:49 "it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives," where? 34:54 "In me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, 34:59 I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, 35:02 and," did what else? 35:04 "Gave Himself for me." 35:06 So are you the one reflecting the light? 35:10 Yes or no? Yes. 35:12 I want you to get that. 35:14 But where is a light coming from? 35:15 Christ. 35:16 Christ because it's no longer you who are living, 35:19 but Christ who's living in you and the beautiful transaction, 35:23 as 1 John chapter 3 says, 35:25 "Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, 35:28 that we should be called the children of God." 35:30 We're called the children of God, 35:31 not because He's just our Father but... 35:33 it's not just a lateral relationship, not just a... 35:39 horizontal relationship, that's vertical, 35:40 but not just a horizontal relationship, 35:43 but a relationship where the two become one. 35:46 Did you get that? 35:48 Because if Christ is living in us, 35:51 the two have become what? 35:53 One. 35:54 And then it says, "It is no longer I who live." 35:59 So the beauty of that, 36:00 while we're living in the flesh, 36:02 and I want you to grab this, 36:04 while we're living in the flesh, 36:06 is it possible, this is the question, 36:09 while we're living in this flesh, 36:11 is it possible for Christ to be seen in us? 36:14 Yes. 36:16 Yes, because that's what the text says, 36:23 "The life which I now live in the flesh." 36:30 You see, Satan doesn't want us to think 36:33 that it is possible to be human and to reveal Christ. 36:38 He says, "Look at you." 36:39 And that's why we have to focus less on our failures 36:42 and focus more on Christ's successes. 36:47 Because if we look at ourselves so much, 36:49 and I don't know of anybody... 36:50 I mean, I'm critical of myself, if we look at ourselves... 36:56 As one writer says it so beautifully, 36:58 if we keep looking at ourselves, 36:59 we can't see any way we're going to be saved. 37:02 But if we look at Christ, 37:03 we can't see any way we're going to be lost. 37:06 So when you look at yourself, 37:07 it's for the purpose of self examination. 37:10 For what? 37:11 Self-examination, 37:13 only to realize what your need is. 37:16 And we need that self-examination 37:18 to help us understand our great dependency on Christ. 37:22 Because this verse, according to this verse, 37:25 the first thing that has to happen 37:26 for Christ to now reign in us 37:29 is we have to be crucified with Him. 37:31 That mean that old person, that person that has failed, 37:35 that has fallen, that is incapable 37:38 of doing anything right, 37:39 that person has to be put to death. 37:42 And then Christ has to come in 37:44 and when He comes in, we have to declare, 37:46 "I'm living in the flesh, I'm still in this flesh", 37:49 and by the way, the last thing to be consumed, 37:52 the last thing to be changed is the flesh. 37:57 How is that going to be changed? 37:58 From what to what? 38:02 Say it again. From mortal to immortal. 38:03 From mortal to immortal. 38:06 But what this text is saying, what this verse is saying 38:09 is while we're still mortal, 38:12 Christ can be reflected in us. 38:15 Isn't that good news? Amen. 38:17 But it can only be done as we submit, 38:20 as we submit to the cross of Christ every day. 38:23 Now that's why Paul says, "I die," how often? 38:25 "Every day." 38:26 So that crucifixion has to be every day, 38:28 and you'll discover the day that you are not... 38:30 The day that you don't take up your cross daily, 38:34 the day you don't take up your cross, you realize man, 38:38 at the end of the day, now I know what happened. 38:41 And you can always trace your failures to the day 38:44 you choose to lay down your cross. 38:46 But let me add a component here that's really important 38:49 because sometimes people will hear that statement 38:52 and they say, "Well, does that mean I'm saved, 38:54 then I'm lost, then I'm saved, then I'm lost, 38:57 then I'm saved, then I'm lost?" 38:59 And what's the answer? 39:00 No. 39:01 Because a runner, I want you to get this now, 39:04 run the race with patience that I said before you. 39:08 If a runner is running 39:09 in the direction of the finish line, 39:12 and he falls, 39:14 and he gets back up, and keeps running, 39:16 where is he running to? 39:18 The finish line. 39:21 And it's not once saved, always saved, 39:24 you have to make that commitment to Christ. 39:26 But here is where... 39:27 Here's where He judges the life. 39:29 He doesn't judge it on any single deed 39:32 or any single misdeed. 39:35 But He says, which direction was he running? 39:39 Towards the finish line. 39:40 That's why the Apostle Paul says, 39:42 "Press toward the mark for the prize 39:43 of the upper call of God and Christ Jesus." 39:45 Which direction was he running when he fell? 39:49 That direction. 39:50 I heard a preacher say, and this is really interesting, 39:54 David the Psalmist says, 39:56 "A righteous man falls seven times, 40:01 and he gets back up. 40:03 But a wicked man falls once." 40:07 Now what is so beautiful about that? 40:10 If you're running, and you stumble along the way, 40:15 and you get back up, what do you do? 40:18 You keep running. 40:19 If you keep running, and you stumble on way, 40:21 and you get back up, what do you do? 40:22 Come on, say it. 40:24 Keep running. Keep running. 40:25 See, the righteous man in the journey, 40:27 we stumble along the way 40:29 but the Lord will govern us 40:33 by the direction our lives are going in, 40:37 not by the periodical misdeed. 40:41 But don't make that misdeed intentional iniquity, 40:45 there's a difference altogether. 40:46 You might stumble on the way, that's why the Bible says, 40:50 if anyone sins, 40:51 he has an advocate with the Father, 40:54 Jesus Christ, the what? 40:55 Righteous. 40:57 He's not saying... 40:58 Because in this flesh, this flesh is so Adam, 41:00 this flesh is so Adam, but this character is so Jesus. 41:04 Amen. 41:06 So the devil's claim is 41:08 Adam's Jesus Christ's righteousness 41:12 can never be revealed in a body that's defective 41:17 based on Adam's nature. 41:19 So the Lord takes that nature, destroys it, He moves in, 41:24 and then He says, "Can you see Me?" 41:27 And the devil doesn't like it when Christ is being revealed 41:30 through a body that is still mortal. 41:34 But He does it 41:35 because there's nothing too difficult for Christ. 41:37 Amen. Amen? 41:39 "It is no longer I who live." 41:42 And then the last part of the verse 41:43 which I don't want to run past, 41:44 what do you need for this to happen in you? 41:46 Look at the line just before the last, 41:48 what do you need in order for this transaction 41:51 to be real in your life? 41:52 Faith. Faith. 41:54 What do we need? 41:55 Faith. Faith. 41:57 For by grace, are you saved through faith, 41:59 without faith it is impossible to please Him. 42:02 "For he that comes to God must believe that He is 42:05 and that He is the rewarder 42:06 of those that diligently seek Him," 42:08 Hebrews 11:6. 42:09 Do you see Jesus every day? 42:13 But how you see Him? 42:14 By faith. By faith. 42:18 Now question 10, write the answer down, 42:21 what makes the difference in being able to reflect 42:23 the glory of God? 42:24 The answer is, "It is no longer I who live 42:27 but Christ lives in me." 42:29 Or you could shorten it, Christ lives in me. 42:39 That verse itself is a whole message 42:41 all by itself. 42:43 I don't want to take much more time on it. 42:45 But that whole... 42:46 that one verse, verse 20 of the Galatians chapter 2 42:49 is a story all by itself. 42:52 Now we're going to take a little detour here 42:55 just for the purpose of understanding 42:57 how the Bible describes. 42:59 Look at question number 10. 43:00 How does the Bible describe our character 43:04 before we accept Christ? 43:05 We're going to go through this. 43:07 We're going to go through this kind of at a... 43:09 at a cadence that will help us move along. 43:12 We'll begin with Isaiah 64:6. 43:15 Now this is going to be a complete contrast 43:19 to what we just read. 43:20 We're going to begin to see ourselves, 43:22 and the reason I included this is because a lot of times 43:25 I hear phrases like, "Well, I'm a nice person," 43:28 and then I read these verses that I put here 43:31 and I realize wow, without Christ, 43:34 there is nothing nice about me. 43:37 Without Christ, there's nothing nice about me. 43:40 I might be able to camouflage my intent or the life I live, 43:44 but without Christ, there's nothing nice about me. 43:48 Because as an Adam, all die. 43:51 Let's look at this, Isaiah 64:6, together, 43:55 "We are all like an unclean thing, 43:58 and all," how much? 44:00 "All our righteousnesses are like," what? 44:05 "Filthy rags, we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, 44:11 like the wind, have," done what? 44:14 "Taken us away." 44:15 So is any of our righteousness clean? 44:18 No. 44:20 Isn't that depressing? 44:21 If that was the only verse in the Bible, you'd say, 44:22 "Forget this... 44:25 I'm looking for answers." 44:27 But the doctor, Christ Jesus is diagnosing us 44:30 and He's saying, 44:33 "You really need a transformation. 44:37 Because here is what you are." 44:41 And we think about ourselves, 44:42 "Well, how much progress have I made? 44:46 I'm better than I used to be." 44:48 And He says, "But all your righteousnesses 44:51 is as filthy rags." 44:53 "But ain't I doing better than I used to be?" 44:58 "But all..." 45:00 How much, Nori? 45:02 All. 45:04 So what He is saying to us, "Don't ever get to the place 45:08 where you think that there is anything 45:10 about you that's righteous 45:13 'cause all," come on, together, how much? 45:17 "All your righteousnesses..." So you say, "What? 45:21 But I've had 1600 baptisms. 45:25 I preached 4,000 sermons. 45:28 I've been a pastor 31 years. 45:30 I've got nine albums. 45:33 I've been to 62 countries. 45:37 People love me." 45:39 And He says, "You know what, what did I say, John? 45:41 How much of your righteousness? All." 45:43 That's humbling, that's like... 45:47 Put yourself back in the wrapper and seal it 45:50 'cause nobody wants you' 45:52 'Cause if you gave yourself to somebody and says, 45:54 "You know, I've done so much, 45:56 if you put on my character, you'll make it, Marlina." 45:58 "And you'll put on my character", 45:59 and Lord will say, 46:01 "Marlina, hey, guess what, all of his righteousnesses, 46:04 all of his unrighteousnesses 46:06 are now your unrighteousnesses." 46:10 You're double trouble. 46:12 So don't try to... So what that... 46:13 And the reason I say that is 46:15 because I've heard people say, "Oh, I want to be like him." 46:21 "Man, I want to preach like him." 46:24 "I want to sing like him." 46:26 "I want to lead people to Christ like him." 46:30 No, I only have one aim, I want to be like Jesus. 46:32 Amen. 46:34 Because anybody you idolize 46:36 and put in that place of Christ, 46:38 he becomes antichrist, anti doesn't mean against, 46:41 it means in place of. 46:44 So as beautiful as people do certain things, 46:46 don't ever idolize another human being 46:49 for any quality they have. 46:51 Amen. 46:52 And that's why Paul said it very carefully, he says, 46:56 "Be imitators of Christ." 46:59 Be imitators of who? 47:01 Christ, imitate Him, do what He does, and he said, 47:05 "The only time you should follow me 47:07 is as I follow Christ." 47:09 Because the game the kids played, 47:10 what it's called? 47:12 Follow the...? 47:13 Leader. Follow the leader. 47:14 I'll Follow Him, you follow me, we both follow Him. 47:18 Only follow me, if I follow Christ. 47:20 It's a very humbling reality, all of us. 47:25 It's a passage that says, 47:27 "Lord, did I get anything clean?" 47:30 "You really tried." 47:33 So write it down. 47:35 Wow. 47:37 Boy, that's kind of hard one to put, 64:6. 47:40 How does the Bible describe our character 47:42 before we accept Christ? 47:44 Just put unclean. 47:48 Wow, filthy, unclean. 47:51 Boy. 47:53 Now let's... 47:54 Maybe we'll find something good on the next one. 47:57 Jeremiah 17:9. 47:59 Let's see if our neighbors are real nice. 48:01 'Cause people say, "Well, my neighbor has a nice heart, 48:03 well, my kids have a nice heart, 48:05 well, he has a nice heart." 48:06 And then I read a text like this. 48:08 Jeremiah 17:9. 48:10 It's on the screen, are you ready? 48:12 "The heart is," what? 48:13 "Deceitful above all things, 48:17 and," what else? 48:19 Desperate. 48:20 "Desperately wicked, who can know it?" 48:23 Now whose heart is that talking about? 48:26 Your neighbor's heart? 48:28 Whose heart? Mine. 48:30 Wow. 48:32 We used to call that a dress down. 48:35 You just be like, "Okay, I just, you know, address down, 48:39 the Lord just revealed me." 48:41 Let a man examine himself. Let a man examine himself. 48:44 So what kind of heart do we have? 48:46 Write it down, deceitful and what else? 48:49 Desperately wicked, 48:51 don't forget the word "desperately" 48:53 'cause we're kind of... 48:54 "Well, he is wicked." 48:56 The Lord said, "No, he is desperately wicked." 48:58 That's really sad. 48:59 The heart can flip, 49:01 and the heart there is interchangeable 49:02 with the mind. 49:05 That's why when they do those polygraph tests, 49:07 they strap around your heart 49:09 because when you start thinking differently, 49:10 the heart registers it. 49:13 They say... 49:15 "That was a lie." 49:17 "How do you know?" 49:18 "'Cause your heart told me." 49:20 Look at the next one, I think we'll find one here. 49:25 Psalms 14:1, 49:28 "The fool has said in his heart, 49:32 'There is,'" what? 49:33 "'No God.' 49:34 They are corrupt, 49:37 they have done abominable works," 49:39 and look at the last part, say it with me, 49:44 "there is none who does," what? 49:46 "Who does good." 49:48 That's why when the rich young ruler came to Jesus 49:50 and he said, "Good Master," 49:52 He said, "There is none that's good. 49:56 There's nobody that's good. 49:59 That's right, only My Father, there's none that's good." 50:02 And you know why Jesus said that? 50:05 We often say, and this is... 50:08 Be ready for it, we often say, 50:09 "Well, He should have said I am good." 50:13 But what hadn't He done yet? 50:15 This is really deep. 50:21 He had not yet gone to the cross 50:24 and been victorious over that nature. 50:27 Right. 50:28 But when He was victorious over that nature, He said, 50:32 "All authority is given to Me." 50:37 You see, until you are victorious, 50:39 He was carrying the very nature that we just read about 50:42 in Jeremiah 79 and Isaiah 64:6. 50:45 He was carrying that unclean, filthy nature 50:48 but He never allowed it to pollute Him. 50:51 He never participated in that. 50:53 Do you know how hard that is? 50:55 Do you know hard that is? Yes. 50:58 To be in a defective place, 51:02 and not allow it to affect you 51:05 or infect you, that's... 51:07 I mean, we talk about... 51:08 Some people say, "But he never had marijuana." 51:10 Well, you try it. 51:11 You try to be good for one month. 51:13 No, sorry, try to be good for one day. 51:15 Right. 51:22 That's why He says there's nobody good but one 51:25 because He had not yet been victorious, 51:27 He had not yet taken that human flesh 51:29 and pulverized it on the cross. 51:32 The devil was trying to get Him to... 51:33 He was trying to prevent him from doing that. 51:36 If He could prevent him from doing that, 51:38 not even Jesus would be good enough to save us. 51:44 That's why He said that. 51:49 Look at the next one, we're going to get it. 51:52 So write that down. 51:53 How many of us are good? 51:55 None, there's none who does good. 51:58 Let's look at James 3:8. 52:00 Let's see if there's something about us 52:01 that we can find us good. 52:03 James 3:8. 52:07 It says, "But no man can tame the," what? 52:12 "Tongue. 52:13 It is an unruly evil, full of," what? 52:16 "Deadly poison." 52:17 You all want to say it. 52:19 Full of what? 52:21 "Deadly poison." 52:23 Have you ever had a battle with your tongue? 52:27 No responses necessary. 52:32 Because... 52:34 I think right now, we live in a society 52:36 where people are battling with their tongue. 52:39 There's things 52:41 that are happening in the world, 52:43 people are battling. 52:45 And people even say... 52:48 You don't want to hear what I just thought. 52:53 The tongue is full of what kind of poison? 52:55 Deadly. 52:56 Deadly poison. 52:58 I did a sermon years ago 53:00 called "the worst member in the church." 53:04 But on the board, they put the sign on the board 53:06 in front of the church, you may remember that, 53:09 and I was preaching the sermon, instead of them putting 53:13 Pastor Lomacang, sermon title, 53:16 "the worst member in the church, " 53:20 they put "Pastor Lomacang, 53:21 the worst member in the church." 53:24 And it was all over Facebook. 53:26 And I said that's not even right. 53:30 You know, and I began the sermon, 53:32 and I described 53:33 the worst member of the church, 53:34 and everybody is smiling, and next thing I know 53:36 it's all over Facebook, and the sad reality, 53:39 and this is what I rebuke, people click like. 53:43 That was not right. 53:46 But I want to make the point today, 53:48 this text applies to all of us. 53:50 Amen. 53:51 No amen necessary, it's a fact of the Bible, 53:54 the tongue is full of deadly poison, 53:56 and the tongue, I tell you, boy, that's why quiet people... 53:59 See, Jodie is working on not having much to repent of 54:03 because the Bible says, "By your words, 54:04 shall you be justified, by your words, 54:07 shall you be condemned." 54:09 Jodie is going to have like 115th of... 54:12 I am very talkative, in eternity, 54:16 they're going to bring Jodie's books out 54:17 with just one angel, these are Jodie's books, 54:19 this all she said. 54:20 And when they bring out my books, 54:22 it's going to be like a train. 54:23 Yes. 54:24 It's like he's done nothing but talk. 54:27 "What do you mean by that?" 54:29 And so in a nice hearted way, 54:32 we have to really watch our words. 54:33 Amen. 54:35 But who's the only one that can make us 54:36 watch our words? 54:37 Christ. 54:39 When Christ is in us, He cleanses that deadly poison, 54:41 and that's why the Bible says, 54:43 "With our tongue, we praise the Lord 54:45 and with our tongue, we curse men." 54:47 And sometimes, it's just a matter of seconds 54:49 between the two. 54:51 Amen. 54:52 And look at Romans 3, Romans 3. 54:59 Wow, Romans 3:10-12 and the Bible says, 55:02 the Apostle Paul writes, "As it is written, 55:06 there is none righteous," how many? 55:09 "No, not one." 55:12 There is none who understands," how many? 55:15 "None, there is none who seek after God." 55:19 Man. 55:21 Verse 12, "They have all turned aside, 55:26 they have together become unprofitable, 55:29 there is none who does good," let's end it together, 55:33 "no, not one." 55:36 That's really a sad reality. That's really a sad reality. 55:40 So when we look at this diagnosis, 55:43 we realize how our need for Christ is very great, 55:48 right? 55:49 How our need for Christ is very great. 55:53 That's a diagnosis that's hard to get past. 55:56 So I can't even go home and say, "But, Lord, I mean, 55:59 I've been in the ministry 31 years, 56:01 I've been singing for You for like a long time, 56:04 people have been coming to You 56:06 based on my studies and Bible lessons." 56:08 And He says, "I could use a goat, 56:12 I could talk, I could use a tree, 56:14 I could use a donkey, 56:16 nothing that happened through you was you. 56:19 If you brought people to me, it was Me 56:22 bringing people to Me through you." 56:25 So we can't even boast about that. 56:28 Let's look at one more. Let's look at one more. 56:32 Question number 11. 56:34 What is the greatest distance in the Bible? 56:37 Wow. 56:39 What is the greatest distance in the Bible? 56:40 Matthew 15:8. 56:45 Wow. 56:47 Jesus... 56:48 And by the way, just to qualify this passage, 56:51 Jesus was in particular, 56:52 and this applies to all of us though, 56:54 Jesus was in particular rebuking the Pharisees, 56:57 the religious men, and He made these words, 57:00 He made this statement, 57:01 "These people draw near to Me with their," what? 57:05 "Mouth and honor Me with their," what? 57:08 "Lips, but their heart is," what? 57:10 "Far from Me." 57:13 "Their heart is," what? 57:15 "Far from me." 57:17 I... 57:19 Wow. 57:21 I don't want to just praise the Lord with my mouth 57:24 and with my lips, I want my heart to be with Him. 57:26 Anybody else? 57:28 We have to pray that prayer of David, 57:29 "Create in me," what kind of heart? 57:31 Clean. "A clean heart." 57:33 The prayer of the David the Psalmist, Psalms 51, 57:36 "Create in me a clean heart, oh God, 57:38 and renew," what kind of spirit? 57:40 "A right spirit within us." 57:42 And only as we pray that prayer, 57:44 will that be our experience. 57:46 And so what we've studied so far, 57:48 and we're gonna pick up on question number 12 57:49 the next time, 57:51 but what I want to cap off tonight's lesson by saying, 57:54 we're going to see further on, where we get this divine aid, 57:58 and we're going to see some comparisons 58:00 between our helplessness and our hopefulness 58:05 because when you look at the picture 58:06 that was just drawn, it could be pretty hopeless. 58:09 But when you look at 58:11 where the power comes from with Christ, 58:13 we are no longer helpless. 58:15 Amen? 58:17 Hopeless on one side but when you look to Christ, 58:20 we'll find that we are not helpless. 58:22 So, friends, 58:23 it really may not make sense to you right now, 58:25 but I guarantee you, if you keep on studying, 58:27 one day it will come into A Sharper Focus. 58:30 God bless you. |
Revised 2018-10-08