Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW210010S
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00:02 I want to spend my life
00:08 Mending broken people 00:13 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:35 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:08 Hello and welcome to another 3ABN Today Family Worship. 01:12 I'm Jason Bradley. 01:14 I'd like to take a moment to wish you a happy Sabbath. 01:17 So thankful that you are tuning in as you do 01:20 each and every Friday night. 01:22 And as I always recommend, 01:23 you should get a pen and a piece of paper, 01:26 because we're going to go through 01:28 quite a few verses. 01:29 Tonight we're going to be focused on 01:32 going from darkness to light. 01:35 Have you ever been in a dark place in your life? 01:37 Have you ever been without Christ? 01:40 Have you been in an area 01:43 where you just didn't want to walk 01:46 with the Lord? 01:47 Well, tonight, we're going to talk about 01:49 some of our dark moments. 01:51 We're gonna look at the Word of God 01:53 and we're gonna go from darkness to light. 01:56 And we're gonna show you how you can do the same. 01:59 With me this evening 02:01 we've got my pastor, Pastor John Lomacang, 02:04 pastor of the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church. 02:07 Uncle Lomi for short. 02:09 Okay. 02:10 Good to see you, nephew. 02:11 That's right. Great to have you here. 02:13 We say that affectionately. 02:15 Not necessarily blood, 02:17 but we are covered by the blood of the Lamb. 02:19 That's right. That's right. 02:21 And we have Angela Lomacang, your lovely wife. 02:25 My aunt, Ang. 02:26 Yes. Hello, Jay. 02:28 Now you're the associate producer, 02:30 editor and radio host for 3ABN Radio. 02:33 Yes. Yes. 02:35 You wear quite a few hats. 02:36 I'm very busy at work. 02:38 Yes. 02:39 Which is good. Yes. 02:41 And we've got our D2D video editor Ricky Carter. 02:44 Ricky, it's great to have you here as well. 02:46 It's good to be here. Happy Sabbath. 02:47 Happy Sabbath, Brother. Happy Sabbath. 02:50 So why don't we start with a word of prayer 02:52 before we dive into this subject. 02:54 Will you pray for us? Sure. 02:56 Loving Father in heaven, 02:58 we thank You for the privilege and opportunity. 03:00 Whenever You give us 03:02 the privilege of opening Your Word, 03:03 we ask Your Holy Spirit to guide us. 03:06 Lord, move us out of the way and have Your way tonight. 03:09 As we communicate from Your written Word, 03:12 we pray that people will have an experience 03:15 with the living Word. 03:16 And truly when this program is done, 03:18 they will understand what it means 03:20 to go from darkness into this marvelous light. 03:23 In Jesus' name we pray. 03:25 Amen. Amen. 03:28 If you wanna go to 1 Peter 2:9, 03:32 we'll look at that 1 Peter 2:9. 03:35 And it says, "But you are a chosen generation, 03:39 a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 03:42 His own special people 03:44 that you may proclaim the praises of Him 03:47 who called you out of darkness 03:49 into His marvelous light." 03:53 Powerful verse. 03:54 Very much so. 03:55 You know, have you guys ever been, 03:57 at a point in your life, 03:59 have you ever been in darkness? 04:01 Hmm. 04:03 How much time you have? 04:05 I believe that in order, 04:08 I can't say you have to be in darkness, 04:10 but we are all born in darkness. 04:12 I mean, that's our default place, 04:15 but that's just the condition before we are even aware of it. 04:19 But then as we grow up, 04:21 I'm aware of, you know, family traits. 04:24 It's sometimes called a hereditary tendencies 04:27 that instead of us rejecting them, 04:30 we cultivate them 04:31 and it leads us into a dark place 04:33 and not knowing my mom or dad. 04:36 I'm sure that some of the things 04:37 that I participated in as a young man 04:40 or some of the cultivated tendencies 04:41 that were, you know, took me to a dark place. 04:44 And even throughout life, 04:47 sometimes in the journey of the Christian 04:49 which is our journey, 04:52 marriage journey, pastoral journey. 04:54 There are times that darkness comes upon us. 04:57 And as that's why 04:59 I love that the patriarch David said, 05:01 "A righteous man falls seven times, 05:03 but he get back up again." 05:04 So yeah, we know what it's like. 05:06 I mean, I know what it's like 05:07 to have to be in that dark place 05:10 and pray for the Lord 05:11 to allow His light to shine again, 05:13 to lead me out of it. 05:14 Yeah, definitely. Amen. 05:16 What about you, Angie? 05:17 I have been in a dark place too in my life. 05:19 And I know growing up in New York City, 05:23 such a challenging place for teenagers 05:25 who grow up in that city. 05:28 And for me, 05:29 it was before you, honey, 05:34 I had my days where I'm like, what on earth am I doing? 05:37 And I just praise the Lord 05:39 for pulling me out of the darkness 05:41 into this marvelous light, where would I be without Jesus? 05:45 And so I'm very grateful. 05:47 All of us have an experience. 05:49 For sure. Amen. 05:51 I think about a challenging experience 05:55 that I went through. 05:57 In my first marriage, it ended in a divorce. 06:00 It was very painful 06:03 and that was a very dark period in my life. 06:07 But praise the Lord. 06:08 He was right there next to me 06:12 and He was the light to lead me 06:16 out of that dark time period of my life. 06:19 And I'm very thankful for that. 06:21 Amen. 06:23 So how did you feel when you were 06:26 in that dark period in your life, 06:29 did you feel an emptiness? 06:31 Did you feel like there was a void that you couldn't fill? 06:35 What did you feel? 06:37 Well, darkness is kind of like being blindfolded. 06:40 I mean, you're feeling your way around, 06:41 you know, there's a way, 06:43 but you just don't know which one it is. 06:45 And that's why you know the Bible 06:47 says that Jesus is the light of the world, 06:50 sometimes our theology, 06:52 when it clashes with our condition, 06:54 we realize that theology is not all you need. 06:57 We need Christology with Christ 07:00 'cause you could, 07:02 there are those who are watching the program. 07:04 You might even know the Bible texts. 07:06 You might even understand exactly how to quote them, 07:09 but sometimes darkness is so overwhelming 07:11 that it brings in this feeling of despair, 07:15 brings this feeling that why try again? 07:17 And so, yeah, darkness is a... 07:20 It's a terrible thing. 07:22 But praise the Lord, I heard somebody once say, 07:25 even the smallest candle could be seen 07:29 in a dark dense forest. 07:32 So yeah, that's the light of God's glory. 07:34 That's how beautiful it is over the darkness. 07:36 And here I am to talk about it. 07:38 Amen. Amen. It's true. 07:40 Yeah, you know, I was going through 07:43 many dark periods in my life 07:45 for about 14 years, you know, 07:47 being raised in the church and everything like that. 07:49 Mother raised me up in the church 07:51 and then I wandered off and did my own thing. 07:53 And it just led down a path that was, 07:55 it was basically leading to destruction. 07:58 And during that time period, 08:00 like I had things and you know, 08:04 stuff, but it didn't fill the void. 08:07 There was still an emptiness, but you know, the Bible says, 08:10 "Train up a child in the way he should go on, 08:12 when he grows old, they won't depart from it." 08:15 Well, you know, I held on to that 08:18 and the teachings that my mom instilled in me 08:21 from the Word of God and devotions 08:23 and all of that stuff. 08:24 And later on down the line, 08:26 you know, God had been pulling at my heart 08:28 and my mom had been praying and you know, 08:32 coming back to the Lord was just absolutely amazing 08:35 and a tremendous blessing. 08:37 And we'll probably... It is such a peace now. 08:39 Yes, it really is. 08:42 It's, you can't even really describe it. 08:45 You know, that type of peace, it's the peace, 08:48 which passeth all understanding. 08:49 So yes, and we'll transition into what it's like 08:53 on the other side of things 08:55 a little bit more and a little bit, 08:57 but let's examine our condition 09:00 because you know, when you're looking at, 09:03 it could be a 12 step program. 09:06 It could be whatever the case may be 09:08 in order for you to fix a problem 09:11 or be able to get a problem fixed, 09:13 you have to be aware that there is a problem. 09:16 You have to acknowledge that there is a problem 09:18 and that you need help. 09:19 And so we're gonna look 09:21 at our condition the human condition. 09:25 And Aunt Angie, if you would take Isaiah 64:6? 09:31 Yes. Oh, this is all of us. 09:36 I have this highlighted in pink. 09:39 "But we are all like an uncleaned thing, 09:43 and all our righteousness are like" what? 09:46 "Filthy rags." 09:48 We all fade as a leaf and our iniquities 09:52 like the wind have taken us away." 09:55 Wow! 09:56 All of us, nobody wants to be told they're unclean. 09:59 Nobody wants to hear, "Oh, you're dirty. 10:01 Oh, you've done something so bad." 10:03 And nobody wants to be told that, 10:06 but this is who we are until Christ cleans us up, 10:10 until we submit to Him. 10:12 You know, a lot of times 10:13 we read verse 6 of Isaiah 64, 10:17 but this is that famous passage where a songwriter, I believe. 10:22 God's inspiration in verse 8 10:24 because he talks about our hopeless condition. 10:26 I wanna add verse 7 and 8. 10:27 It says, "And there is no one who calls on your name." 10:30 And when we're in that dark times, 10:32 sometimes we don't even call on the Lord, 10:34 "Who stirs up to take hold of you, 10:38 for you have hidden your face from us 10:41 and have consumed us because of our iniquities." 10:44 I love verse 8, "But now, O Lord, You are our Father. 10:49 We are the clay and You are the potter." 10:52 So mold me and make me, 10:54 and that's a beautiful passage 10:56 and all we are 10:58 and all we are the works of Your hand. 11:03 And we are not to do the work of the potter 11:05 it says in my little blue box. 11:07 That's right. He is the potter. 11:08 That's right. Right. 11:10 We don't do the potter's work. 11:11 So sometimes when you are at that place 11:13 where our lives are just kind of, 11:17 I'll use the word leaking, we can't hold God's glory. 11:22 And the potter continues His work continues molding us. 11:26 And we look back on, I mean, 11:28 Angie talked about this being in New York, 11:30 growing up in the city, 11:31 getting involved in gambling, 11:33 pool, hustling, partying, 11:34 living a dark life even struggling 11:38 to get out of that dark life 11:40 and a number of other things, 11:42 which were, may not said, 11:44 the Lord, I find that He didn't leave me. 11:49 But He was there somewhat like 11:54 when the president travels, you know, 11:56 he has a medical team with him if anything happens, 12:01 an emergency packet, God is our emergency packet. 12:06 And I look back on and now I think, 12:07 man, there's no way I could have made it 12:09 if the Lord wasn't right there to bring us out of it. 12:11 Yes. Amen. 12:12 Yeah. 12:14 If the devil had his way, we'd all die in our sins. 12:17 He would try and take us out. 12:19 You know, it's interesting though, 12:21 as you think about the potter and the clay. 12:24 It's interesting how human beings like 12:27 we try and take on the position of the potter 12:31 and fix our own problems and mold our own thing. 12:35 And that's being in darkness is trying to fill that void, 12:40 trying to, you know, satisfy some temporary moment. 12:46 Maybe it's as you think it's gonna bring you happiness 12:48 or something along those lines. 12:50 But if we would just allow God to mold us in the way that 12:54 He wants to, we would be so much better off. 12:59 Pastor, will you take us to Romans 8:6-7? 13:04 It's my book. He loved Romans. 13:06 What do you call Romans? 13:08 Roman, Paul is the deep writer. 13:11 And he even mentioned that 13:12 there are some times things that are hard to be understood 13:15 that people wrestle to their own destruction. 13:17 And I've seen it happen, 13:19 like understanding the law of God 13:22 versus the ceremonial law. 13:23 And sometimes Paul is talking about them 13:25 in the very same verse. 13:27 People get them all mixed up 13:28 and want to get rid of the Sabbath. 13:30 But here he makes a point about our condition. 13:33 Verse 6 and 7 of Romans 8. 13:35 He says, "For to be carnally minded is death. 13:39 But to be spiritually minded is life 13:43 and peace because," 13:45 verse 7, "the carnal mind is enmity against God, 13:49 for it is not subject to the law of God, 13:52 nor indeed can be." 13:54 My wife gets this phone call periodically 13:56 from a lady that's always trying to convince us... 13:58 She call me here at work. 14:00 Always trying to convince us 14:02 that something's wrong with the law. 14:04 Got to get rid of the God's law. 14:05 And I asked her a question one day, 14:07 I said, "Honor your father and your mother is, 14:10 do we not want to do that?" 14:12 She would not answer me. 14:14 And I thought, 14:15 that's the condition of the mind. 14:16 When the mind is against God's law, 14:18 it just doesn't want to be subject to it. 14:20 And it can't be, and that's a dark place. 14:22 So you don't have to be like a dark, dark sinner, 14:25 and I mean, drugs, sex, violence, crime, 14:28 you know, killing folk. 14:29 Sometimes you could be 14:31 a person naming the name of Christ, 14:33 just refusing to be subject to the law of God, 14:37 which in fact the commandments is His light. 14:40 So it kind of goes deeper than just the sinful life, 14:44 straight out sinful life. 14:45 That's an excellent point. 14:47 Are you, Ricky, you were gonna say something? 14:48 When we are talking about this condition that we're in 14:51 and the word there in verse 7, 14:54 that talks about how the carnal mind 14:57 is enmity against God. 15:03 I don't know if we really 15:04 grasp the meaning of that word, enmity. 15:09 There's an illustration that I think about. 15:12 There was a rock concert and at the rock concert, 15:17 the singer had a cup passed around 15:21 to those who were 15:22 in the front rows of the concert. 15:25 And the singer had... 15:27 Those who were in the front row, 15:29 they spit in the cup and that cup 15:32 just kept passing around till it's filled up. 15:36 Then that cup was given to the singer 15:40 and the singer drank it. 15:42 No. What? 15:44 Now, what you just felt 15:47 is enmity, a disgust. 15:53 So when it says that 15:56 the carnal mind is enmity against God, 16:01 that carnal mind has that kind of disgust towards God. 16:05 The NIV says, 16:08 the mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God. 16:14 So this shows us even more 16:17 how bad our condition is, 16:22 but we need a Savior and praise God, 16:24 we've got a Savior that can bring us out of that. 16:26 Amen. Yeah. 16:27 I know what the word enmity means, 16:29 but then, I'll never forget it that illustration. 16:32 I'm sure that somebody listening to this program 16:34 probably said, "Oh, I know what he means now." 16:37 Yeah. 16:38 That's really a disgusting thing. 16:39 It's a disgusting attitude toward God's law or hostile. 16:43 Wow. 16:45 Don't want to be hostile towards God. 16:46 Yeah you really painted the picture for sure. 16:49 Yeah. 16:50 Man, Ricky, let's go to 1 John 1:8. 16:54 Yes. 16:55 1 John 1:8. 17:01 Says here in 17:03 1 John 1:8, 17:08 "If we say that we have no sin, 17:12 we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." 17:17 Mercy. 17:19 Truth is not in us. 17:22 Who are we deceiving? Yeah. 17:23 I don't think anything else can be said about that. 17:25 It's just, it's plain. Yeah. 17:27 It is plain, you know, there was a study 17:30 and I forgot what the statistics were, 17:32 but it was talking about 17:34 how like people's estimation of themselves. 17:37 And there was a certain percentage 17:38 that they had just this grandiose like 17:43 type picture of themselves. 17:44 And then there were 17:46 other people who were just like, 17:47 just way down on themselves and all of that. 17:52 But you know, when you look at, 17:54 like maybe some Christians or some people in the world 17:58 who think like, oh, well I don't, 18:01 I'm infallible, like I don't do anything wrong. 18:03 Or they have that view of themselves like that. 18:06 Just read this verse. 18:08 Tell us a story about the lady in Sacramento years ago? 18:13 Oh, yeah. 18:14 Actually was a lawyer. 18:16 We had a series of meetings, Pastor Doug Batchelor 18:19 and I had a series of meetings 18:21 and he made an appeal 18:23 for people to give their lives to the Lord. 18:26 But a lady at the door, 18:27 she shook our hands as she was leaving. 18:30 And we had seen her night after night. 18:33 We said, "Have you thought 18:35 about giving your life to the Lord?" 18:37 She says, "Well, I haven't sinned. 18:39 I mean, I don't know 18:41 why should I give my life to the Lord? 18:42 I haven't done anything wrong. 18:44 I have not. 18:45 I don't even remember ever sinning." 18:48 And I thought, evidently either 18:51 we didn't make it clear enough or, 18:53 and the odd thing was she was a lawyer. 18:57 And there's some people 18:59 that think you have to do something. 19:01 That's why this passage say, 19:03 if we say we have no sin, notice what it, 19:06 what it didn't say, 19:07 "If we say that we did not sin." 19:10 But if we say, "We have no sin." 19:12 There's the difference, condition, 19:13 and I'm glad you put this here for condition 19:14 because we are by nature sinful. 19:17 And that's what it's saying. 19:18 If you say that you're not that way, you know, 19:21 you're the only one deceived by that 19:23 because the Bible is diagnosing our condition. 19:27 So we don't have to really be like some chain mesh criminal 19:33 or some, you know, 19:35 the kind of things that people think about 19:36 when they think about a criminal. 19:37 Absolutely. 19:39 You don't have to be a criminal, 19:40 but your nature is hostile to God. 19:43 That's why one doctor said 19:45 that's the reason why babies are born as infants. 19:49 Doctor, actually was a doctor. 19:52 Anyway he was the writer of a book called 19:55 "Expository Preaching." 19:57 And he said, "One of the reasons 19:59 why babies are born as infants is 20:00 because their natures are so unregenerated 20:02 so sinful that if they were 150 pounds, 20:06 if they were born 150 pounds 20:08 they would beat up their mom." 20:10 They would, he said, 20:12 "They would be the worst murderers, 20:14 rapists, criminals that'll ever walk the earth." 20:18 So the Lord allows, I mean, obviously we know 20:21 for size reasons, 20:23 but the nature is so unregenerated, 20:26 that's why you have that phrase, terrible what? 20:28 Two terrible. Oh, yeah, terrible twos. 20:31 That's a transition, they're walking now 20:33 and nothing is out of reach. 20:35 Everything is could be broken. 20:39 They could cut themselves, terrible twos. 20:41 That's when they didn't. No, no, just every word is no. 20:45 Well, I want it. No, see. 20:47 So, but that's that nature, is a terrible thing. 20:51 And that's why training up a child is important. 20:56 That's why God has... Praise the Lord. 20:58 That's why you are where you are today 20:59 because your mother did the job when you were young. 21:01 Yeah. Praise God. Yeah. 21:03 I would not want 150 pound, two-year-old and terrible twos. 21:08 That'd be pretty rough. 21:10 That's an excellent illustration 21:11 that you brought out. 21:13 And I love the fact that you talked about, 21:14 you know, with sin and the nature or human nature. 21:20 You know, a lot of times people think also, 21:23 and I guess outside of the spiritual sense, 21:27 but in the physical, 21:28 just every day law of government 21:32 that people that go to prison, 21:33 they think while they must've done 21:35 something really horrible, 21:38 or, but that's not always the case. 21:40 Somebody could have been texting 21:41 and driving and hit a pedestrian 21:43 and guess where they're going? 21:45 That's right, negligence, oversight. 21:46 They're gonna be in prison. 21:48 So, you know, this is the same thing 21:50 with transgressing God's law. 21:52 Like if you break God's law 21:55 and you don't repent for your sin 21:58 and turn away and ask Him to, 21:59 you know, help you, like you could be in trouble. 22:05 You could be in trouble. 22:07 You could be in trouble. 22:08 You will be in trouble. 22:10 Yeah, that's right. 22:12 And so many people don't realize that. 22:13 That's why I'm glad you're 22:15 bringing out this program 22:16 from darkness to light because some people believe 22:19 that education is a substitute status in life, 22:23 material possessions is a substitute, 22:25 upstanding citizen, well-known, highlife. 22:29 I have it all. I'm very successful. 22:31 Some people think that that is a substitute 22:34 and therefore God's gonna give them a pass 22:36 because they have it like that. 22:38 But that's not the case. 22:40 It's like when your sister, she's working in the jails, 22:43 I remember her in New York. 22:44 And she says, the Hasidic Jews were the ones that 22:48 so many arrests, 22:49 but they look so holier than thou 22:51 with their black and the curls. 22:53 But she said, you'd be shocked how many religious, 22:55 and we don't want to pigeonhole 22:58 that particular segment of society. 23:00 But the point that Angie's making is 23:02 because you could even look very religious, 23:05 but the heart is unregenerated. 23:07 That's why it's really important 23:08 not to take the name of the Lord in vain. 23:11 And the way you could do that is name the name of the Lord 23:14 but live a life opposite to that. 23:16 And the last thing you said is you could look religious. 23:18 You could look religious. 23:19 And that's the point that she's making. 23:20 But your heart is not. 23:22 What would you say about religious complacency 23:27 or someone that's complacent in their spirituality? 23:33 I like the way I learned so much 23:35 from Elder C.D Brooks 23:37 and people that watching may not know who that is. 23:40 I would say, I wish you had, 23:41 but yeah, he's a now deceased pastor, 23:44 a very giant, 23:45 when you think about a preacher 23:47 and a man of the word, and he and his wife were 23:49 such examples to my wife and me, 23:51 but he once said it this way, spiritual complacency, 23:54 he says, some people are just too lazy to be saved. 24:01 They just don't want to do anything. 24:03 And he said, all you have to do 24:04 to be lost is do nothing because you're already lost. 24:07 All you gotta do is stay lost is do nothing. 24:10 And there's some people that just absolutely do nothing. 24:14 I even challenged my sister. 24:15 I said, okay. 24:17 Because she left the church at 16 years old 24:19 and she's retired now. 24:21 And I said, come on sis. 24:23 You know, we talked straight. 24:24 I think, let me encourage some of you. 24:26 If you have a family member that you want to be saved, 24:28 just talk to them the way you would to a person 24:31 that you want to be saved. 24:32 So I said, come on. I do it with love all the time. 24:35 I says, sis you know I love you, 24:37 but what, when Jesus comes and I go to heaven 24:41 and you're not there, and mama's there, 24:44 you know, lady who raised us. 24:46 I said, what am I gonna tell her 24:47 if you're not there? 24:49 And I said, now you got to be there. 24:51 She said, I am. 24:52 But I said, let's think of it this way. 24:54 Okay. 24:55 You say you lived to be 85, 24:57 but God wants to give you eternity. 25:00 Why would you trade eternity for just 85 years? 25:04 It doesn't even make any sense, but some people are just like, 25:08 and I think on the other side of that, 25:09 it's not just laziness, but the habit is so ingrained. 25:15 You know, like one lady said 25:17 there used to be a time when children born with, 25:20 you know, left-handed, they would think in the 1700s 25:22 that they were possessed by an evil spirit. 25:25 So they would tie their hands to force them 25:27 to write with the right hand, 25:29 because it was thought in the Puritan era 25:33 that person's possessed. 25:35 And that's how life is sometime sin binds you 25:38 and forces you to go its own way 25:41 until the Lord comes and frees you. 25:42 And I think it's a mindset. 25:44 That's why it's a hard thing for some people to break loose. 25:46 Yeah. 25:48 And, you know, the longer that you're in darkness, you know, 25:51 let's say physical, 25:53 let's take the physical darkness 25:54 for a second. 25:55 The longer that you're in darkness, 25:57 your eyes get adjusted and get used to the darkness. 25:58 And so you're navigating through the darkness, 26:02 but you're in, 26:04 you should just flip the switch on, 26:06 you should flip the light on. 26:07 You used to be a DJ, tell them. 26:09 You know what I mean by that. Oh, yeah. 26:11 You know what it's like to be in the club. 26:12 I do. 26:13 Tell me what you mean by flip the switch on. 26:15 You get surprised when the lights come on. 26:17 In a party? 26:19 In a party, you know, and even like, you know, 26:21 'cause back in the days when I wasn't with the Lord, 26:25 I used to do club promotions. 26:27 And so I'd have to go get some money on, you know, 26:29 when the, during daytime 26:31 and there were no lights on, 26:32 there were none of that. 26:34 And it looked, it was a horrible 26:36 and the lights really transformed everything 26:40 and made everything look a certain way. 26:44 But yeah, it's yeah. 26:45 Because you know, club walls are painted. 26:47 Black back in the day, the walls was painted black, 26:51 the speakers are black. 26:53 And then they had, they just fixed it up 26:55 with red lights and purple lights. 26:56 And you know they're kinda orions, 26:58 but you know, it's darkness. 27:00 It is. 27:01 But some people when that light comes on, 27:02 they say, party's over. 27:04 People don't look the way they do in the dark. 27:05 No, they don't. 27:07 You're dancing with somebody who you think is cute. 27:09 It's like uh? 27:11 I remember Pastor Raymond Saunders years ago he said, 27:13 because they smell good, watch it! 27:17 Because they look like a man. Watch it. 27:20 Because in those dark places, 27:21 you don't know what you getting. 27:24 I don't want to lighten the moment here a little bit, 27:26 but yes too darkness messes your eyesight. 27:28 It does. It really does. 27:30 You come outside you're blinded. 27:32 You're blinded by the light. It does. 27:34 You know, I want to look at Romans 3:23, 27:39 because I believe that this answers the question. 27:42 How many people have sinned? 27:44 You know, people think, well, you know, 27:46 maybe I don't have any sin. 27:48 You know, like the lady was saying the lawyer, 27:50 she didn't sin. 27:53 But Romans 3:23 says, 27:55 "For all have sinned 27:58 and fall short of the glory of God." 28:00 So how many people have sinned? 28:02 All. Everybody. 28:03 That's right. Everybody has sinned. 28:06 How many people are in need of a savior? 28:08 All of us. Everybody. 28:10 That's right. We all need Jesus. 28:13 And there's wages, isn't it? Oh, yeah. 28:15 It comes at an expense. Romans 6:23. 28:18 The wages of sin is what? 28:21 Death. But what's the gift. 28:23 The gift of God is what? 28:24 Eternal life. 28:25 In who? Christ Jesus, our Lord. 28:28 Amen. 28:29 It's a gift. 28:31 But there's wages. Go ahead, Honey. 28:32 We talked about this text not too long ago. 28:34 And the Lord gave me new eyes for this verse 28:37 because you know, for the wages of sin is death. 28:40 That's what we deserve. 28:42 However, I love the way that Jesus says, 28:44 but I have a gift for you, see. 28:47 So you may think there's no hope for me, 28:50 but the Lord says, but I have a gift for you. 28:53 So don't feel so bound in your despair 28:57 because if death is hanging over your head 28:59 and the Lord taps on your incarceration, 29:02 whatever that thing is, He says, 29:04 but I have a gift for you. 29:06 And He pays for the gift. 29:08 So we can't buy ourselves out, 29:10 but He wants to give it to us as a gift. 29:11 And I don't think there's any sensible reason 29:13 to ignore it. 29:14 Yeah. 29:16 And why would you turn down that gift? 29:17 Right. What? 29:19 Why would you return that? Open your hand and receive it. 29:21 That's right. 29:22 You know, with all of this opposition 29:25 that you're facing in the human nature, 29:29 all of this opposition and attacks, 29:31 who are we wrestling with? 29:33 Well, let's look at that. 29:34 Ephesians 6:12, the Bible says, 29:38 "For we do not wrestle 29:41 against flesh and blood, 29:45 but against principalities, against powers." 29:49 That's why sometimes 29:50 people can break that power 29:52 against the rulers of the darkness of this age. 29:55 That's why the world is so dark against spiritual hosts 29:58 of wickedness in the heavenly places. 30:03 Wow. 30:05 The King James says 30:06 spiritual wickedness in high places. 30:07 And when it talks about that, 30:09 if you put that word in the King James Version, 30:11 high places, boy, it just jumps out at you. 30:13 We were in Myanmar 30:15 and in Thailand not too many years ago. 30:18 And in Myanmar all the mountains, 30:21 there were golden temples at the tops of the mountains. 30:25 And there were grooved with hundreds, 30:27 sometimes thousands of idols lined up 30:30 so symmetrically perfect. 30:32 And this verse came out to us because in the Old Testament, 30:35 anytime the people were led into rebellion, 30:38 they put shrines in the high places 30:42 and it took them away. 30:44 And it took them down that path where they were not, 30:47 they were no longer fighting against flesh and blood. 30:49 They were now bowing at the wrong altar. 30:51 So, yeah. 30:53 We're not fighting against what we could see. 30:55 Yeah. 30:56 And in this text, you can see that Satan, 31:01 he's just a sore loser 31:04 because instead of, so he's already lost. 31:09 And instead of leaving the playing field 31:14 or the battlefield and just going off by himself 31:18 or whatever, he goes off and tries to, 31:22 while he's going off to inflict more damage. 31:26 Damage to God by destroying 31:31 or causing God's prize possession 31:35 to fall into sin. 31:36 Okay. 31:37 And he knows that 31:39 if he can get God's prize possession 31:40 to fall into sin humans, us, 31:43 then if we fall into sin 31:46 and keep on going in that direction, 31:49 he knows that we'll be lost. 31:51 We'll be destroyed just like he is. 31:53 And so that's what he trying to do. 31:54 He's trying to get back at God somehow and take us out. 31:59 And he's just a sore loser. 32:02 Kamakazi, as someone said, Satan, 32:06 he'll get you to do something bad. 32:08 Get you to sin, then he'll tell on you. 32:10 Yes. 32:12 And he will, he'll get you to do bad. 32:14 Then he'll say, see what you did. 32:16 He'll tell on you. 32:17 That sounds like a lot of criminals 32:19 that tear into. 32:20 It really does. It's true. 32:21 Yeah. 32:23 There's no camaraderie in crime. 32:24 Oh, no. 32:26 Like the phrase he turned state's evidence. 32:28 That's right. 32:30 And then anyway, but that's the point. 32:32 No honor among thieves. No honor among thieves. 32:34 That's right. Yeah. 32:37 Horrible. 32:38 So now as we're transitioning into the light, 32:41 what do we need to do? 32:44 Ricky, Psalm 34:8- 9? 32:48 I like this verse Psalms 34:8-9, 32:51 "Oh taste and see 32:55 that the Lord is God. 32:58 Blessed is the man who trusts in Him. 33:03 Oh, fear the Lord, you, His saints. 33:07 There is no wants to those who fear Him." 33:12 I love this, taste and see. 33:16 I love to eat. Me too. 33:19 I think you and I are brothers like cousins as one in God, 33:23 love to eat. 33:25 And I love this picture here because God is, 33:29 He's trying to woo us. 33:33 And He says, look, just try it. 33:35 Just taste it. 33:37 And you're gonna see it's going to be, 33:38 oh, so good, so sweet. 33:42 And this is the spiritual food 33:45 that he's trying to get us to have, to take. 33:49 And when we eat it, 33:51 and then we want to see that it's good. 33:53 And there's a blessing that comes in it. 33:56 He says there, 33:57 blessed is the man who trusts in Him. 34:01 And then we are to fear the Lord. 34:03 And some people may think of it as being scared of Him. 34:09 But this is more, 34:11 I see this more of being in awe of Him, 34:16 you know, just what He's done and worshiping Him 34:21 'cause He's due this, you know, 34:25 for all that He's done for us 34:26 we should just be worshiping Him 34:28 and at His feet 34:29 and just putting our all in Him. 34:32 Amen. 34:34 Well said. 34:35 So I see taste and see, trust in Him, 34:39 fear the Lord, 34:41 those three things. 34:43 I love food probably just as much as you do, 34:46 like you stated like love food. 34:49 So I love this illustration as well. 34:52 You know, I've been into prisons 34:53 with Lemuel Vega and he's used the illustration. 34:57 He's taken a piece of fruit and an apple or something. 35:00 And he's told inmates. 35:03 He said, "How do you, what is this?" 35:05 And they'd say like, "Oh, it's an apple." 35:07 How do you know it's an apple? 35:08 It looks like an Apple. 35:10 And then he'll have a volunteer come up 35:12 and he'll say, smell this. 35:14 And it smells like an apple, 35:16 but then he'll say, 35:18 "Well, how do you know it's really an apple. 35:20 So what do you have to do? 35:22 You have to bite into it. 35:23 You have to taste it. 35:24 You gotta, you have to grab hold of that." 35:27 And the Word of God is the same way. 35:30 I like Hebrews 11:6, 35:34 which says, "But without faith, it is impossible to please him. 35:39 For he who comes to God must believe that He is. 35:44 And that He is a rewarder 35:46 of those who diligently seek Him. 35:50 So we must believe, 35:52 we have to have faith 35:54 and we have to diligently seek Him. 35:56 What does it mean to you guys 35:59 when you diligently seek something? 36:04 You lost anything? 36:07 We ended up getting 36:10 those trackers that you put on your key. 36:13 Oh, the Tile do. The Tile. 36:15 Yes. 36:16 'Cause sometimes it just doesn't make sense. 36:19 It's where we thought it was supposed to be, 36:22 but we just didn't see it. 36:23 Like I asked him so yeah, 36:26 we've all lost stuff, but I liked what it says here. 36:31 Gotta diligently look for it. 36:33 And sometimes you can get cynical. 36:35 You know, when you start opening the fridge, 36:36 looking for your car keys, you know, 36:39 it's time to just take a break or lifting up stuff 36:42 that's smaller than your car keys looking under it. 36:45 But we do those things, 36:47 but that's the whole point diligently seeking Him. 36:50 What it's illustrating is don't stop looking for Him. 36:54 Don't stop. 36:55 And it's not that God is playing hide and seek. 36:57 But what in essence is being said 36:59 by the writer of Hebrews is make it a priority, 37:03 make it the top of your list. 37:06 We read a devotional by Oswald Chambers, 37:09 and he says, make being pleasing to God, 37:14 the number one priority in your life. 37:17 And if you're pleasing to God, 37:20 you don't have to worry about pleasing anybody else. 37:22 Because pleasing to God, as Paul says, you know, 37:26 be diligent to be pleasing to God. 37:29 And that's what this is saying. 37:30 Seek Him with everything you have, 37:31 the way you think, the way you live, 37:33 your actions, your entertainment, everything. 37:37 Well, we've played basketball together. 37:39 You know, when you play basketball, 37:41 have you ever heard that expression like, 37:43 oh, that team has heart, like that part. 37:45 No matter what, if they're behind, 37:47 if they're down and out, if, whatever the case may be, 37:51 they're gonna keep running. 37:52 They're gonna keep plugging away. 37:54 They're gonna keep trying, you know, 37:56 getting back up and trying to score 37:58 and all of that stuff, because they have heart. 38:01 We have to seek God with our whole heart. 38:02 I like that. 38:04 And yeah, I think that's crucial. 38:07 Now if we have sinned, what must we do? 38:12 Okay. 1 John 1:9. 38:14 Let's look at that. 38:16 It says if, and I like that word, 38:17 it's powerful. 38:19 "If we confess our sins, 38:21 He is faithful and just to forgive us, 38:23 our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 38:28 You know, when you compare that 38:29 to the one we read earlier in 1 John 1:8 38:31 and just the verse right before that, 38:34 you know, it says we say we have no sin. 38:36 See the verse 8 is talking about your condition. 38:39 Verse 9 is talking about your fruit. 38:42 Okay. That's the difference. 38:43 Verse 8 is saying, verse 9 is saying, 38:45 you need to confess because if verse 8 is true, 38:48 which is true. 38:49 Your tree is gonna produce some bad fruit. 38:51 But if you confess it, don't worry about it. 38:53 That's what, it's the good news about it. 38:55 It's not just saying you're sinful, 38:56 but just confess it, 38:58 and He is faithful and He's just to forgive. 39:01 Well, why would somebody who's just forgive you 39:04 when just means issuing a penalty. 39:07 You stand before the judge, you don't say I'm guilty, 39:10 but I want justice. 39:12 He says, you're crazy. 39:14 You're guilty and you want justice. 39:17 You better ask for mercy. 39:18 But notice what He's saying, 39:20 that's why I wanna go to this text 39:21 because we don't often see that He is faithful and just. 39:25 So wait a minute, He's faithful and just, 39:27 which means he should not forgive you. 39:32 'Cause if you commit a crime, you don't say your honor, 39:34 please forgive me. 39:36 He says, wait, you broke the statute. 39:38 Here's the only thing that you deserve. 39:40 But He is faithful and just. 39:42 What that means is He is the justifier. 39:46 He is just, and the justifier. 39:48 So that means He's taking it on Himself. 39:51 That's what that means. 39:53 He's not getting rid of it. 39:54 He's taking it on Himself. 39:56 Paul says, the Lord God made him 39:59 who knew no sin to become sin for us. 40:01 He's saying, Jason, thank you for confessing it. 40:04 I got it. I'll take your penalty. 40:06 So that passage is more powerful 40:07 than we often give it credibility to be. 40:10 Absolutely. Yeah. 40:11 Absolutely. Okay. 40:16 Now this one, I love this text. 40:19 I don't know if you've ever played, 40:21 follow the leader. 40:22 When I was little, we blindfold you 40:25 and someone's a leader and we'd follow them. 40:29 And this text reminds me of that. 40:33 Where is it? 40:35 First, no, John 8:12. 40:38 I love this. 40:39 "Then Jesus spoke to them again, 40:41 saying, 'I am the light of the world. 40:44 He who follows 40:46 Me shall not walk in darkness, 40:49 but have the light of life.'" 40:51 You will have the light of life when you follow Him. 40:54 He's not gonna lead us off the cliff. 40:56 He's gonna lead us to eternal life. 40:59 So that's, there's a difference, 41:01 Satan is going to lead us off the cliff to death, 41:05 eternal death. 41:07 And the Lord is gonna, 41:08 He wants to give us eternal life. 41:09 And the choice is ours, isn't it? 41:11 That's right. Yeah. 41:12 Follow the leader. 41:16 And He's gonna lead you in the right place. 41:17 Yes, He will. Yes. 41:21 Ricky, you wanna take us away with Psalm 119:11? 41:24 Yes. Psalms 119:11. 41:28 One of my favorite scripture songs. 41:32 Thy word have I hid in my heart 41:36 that I might not sin against you. 41:40 And it just repeat that over and over, 41:42 but that's found in Psalms 119:11. 41:45 So when you find yourself 41:53 being tempted 41:55 or you have a challenging problem 42:00 in your life 42:02 when you memorize God's Word, 42:07 then, and you recall it, that can, 42:11 and you claim it that can help you 42:15 with whatever challenge you face 42:16 with overcoming the temptation. 42:19 Whatever kind of problem, because there's power, 42:23 so much power in God's Word. 42:25 Remember in God's Word, when He spoke, 42:29 He created things. 42:31 So whatever challenge you could be facing, 42:34 just claim God's promise, 42:37 call it to memory, memorize it first. 42:39 And then you can use that in overcoming that temptation, 42:44 helping you with that challenge, 42:45 whatever problem you may face. 42:47 We gotta put it there first, 42:49 you know, want to bring it to your mind. 42:50 Amen. 42:52 And, you know, that verse, 42:53 I just thought about it and hide it in the heart. 42:56 Exactly. 42:58 That's where it came from. So, yeah. 42:59 So tell us about those scripture songs? 43:02 Oh, yeah. Yeah. 43:04 I've got a scripture song site, 43:07 my YouTube channel. 43:08 It's called "Hide it in your heart." 43:11 And it's just a place 43:13 where you can find catchy tunes 43:19 going with scripture, could have found that 43:21 with music for me when I was trying 43:23 to memorize scripture, 43:24 just reading it over and over again. 43:26 Maybe you've had this problem. 43:28 You just doesn't want to stick in your head, 43:30 but if you're putting a tune to it, 43:33 man, it just causes it to stick. 43:36 So I hope you can just check it out, 43:38 hideitinyourheart.tv is the website. 43:40 Oh, little shameless plug there. 43:42 Huh? 43:44 Well, we also air them on Dare to Dream. 43:45 So it's, yeah, so they're neat. 43:47 And they're really good. They are. 43:49 Praise God. 43:50 We found out about it and it's just really you 43:51 and I did little seminar on evangelism. 43:54 It's just phenomenal. 43:55 I was just blown away by the creativity 43:57 that God has blessed you with, but... 43:59 Praise God. 44:00 But I like what you're saying, hiding it. 44:01 And when I'm looking at, Jason, 44:03 if I could go back real quickly, 44:04 before we go to the next verse. 44:06 Absolutely. You're looking at the steps. 44:07 We're looking at the steps that we need to do. 44:08 One is first taste and see, then diligently seek Him, 44:12 then confess our sins and follow Him. 44:14 Then hide His word in your heart, 44:16 which leads us to the next one. 44:20 If you love Me, keep My commandments. 44:23 And that's found in John 14:15. 44:27 If you love Me, keep My commandments. 44:30 So you're married and Ricky, you're married. 44:34 Do you guys wake up every day? 44:37 And you're like, okay, well I kept this one. 44:40 I kept this wedding vow. 44:42 I kept this one. 44:44 You know, do you do that every day 44:46 or it's out of that love for your spouse. 44:49 You just automatically want to do 44:52 those things that you agreed to? 44:54 I'm gonna agree 44:55 with the second part out of love. 44:58 I took that, one day I sat down 45:00 as I was eating a meal and I said, 45:02 "Honey, do you realize how long 45:04 you've been cooking for me?" 45:05 Going on 38 years, 45:07 you realize how many meals it is and you know... 45:09 Yeah. 45:11 You're blessed, I mean she can cook. 45:15 And she said, 45:16 now you're getting a little belly. 45:17 I said, "I got to get rid of it". 45:19 She said, "No, I love it." 45:20 And I said this is, 45:21 and she said you shouldn't tell the whole world 45:24 I have a belly, but it's a little belly. 45:27 It's a belly that is a good belly. 45:29 It's a good belly. I'll help you out. 45:31 We can divvy up your portions to my plate. 45:34 And you know it's a joy for me to feed him. 45:37 I look forward to cooking. 45:39 I don't say, oh, here I go again. 45:41 I gotta go home and cook. No. 45:44 You know it's a part of taste and seeing, isn't it? 45:47 Taste and see my husband's happy. 45:49 He enjoys the food. 45:51 And the same goes on our side for me. 45:53 I just love to show her that I love her. 45:57 And so there's nothing I said, sometimes I say, Honey... 45:59 We love on each other. 46:01 What do you like, what would you like? 46:03 And she'd tell me sometimes. 46:04 And I say, all right. 46:06 And I'll shock her with that. 46:07 But sometimes 46:09 just doesn't have to say anything 46:10 because I know how she's thinking. 46:11 And sometimes she has to stop me 46:13 because sometimes I buy something new 46:15 and I buy her something new. 46:17 And she say, "You don't always have to do that." 46:19 I said, "Honey, let's enjoy something new together." 46:22 I love that. 46:25 She keeps telling me, I need to do a seminar for men 46:27 that are married on how to be nice. 46:30 I keep telling him, do a seminar for men 46:33 and how to treat a woman because he's so good at it. 46:36 And I'm not saying it because it's television, okay? 46:39 I'm saying it 46:40 because I've lived it with this man. 46:43 It is pure, it's true. 46:44 And I'm like run and get me my slippers 46:47 while I'm in the kitchen, Honey, 46:49 these are decent little things that I appreciate. 46:52 But I want to go to Philippians 4:13. 46:56 I absolutely love that text. 46:59 I can do some things through Christ. 47:01 No. 47:03 I don't know what translation you're reading. 47:06 Let's say together. 47:07 I can do all things through Christ 47:10 who strengthens me. 47:12 Amen. Is that a promise? 47:14 Wonderful promise. 47:15 What? Wonderful promise. 47:17 It is. 47:18 And if you look back at 47:19 what we just covered in this section alone 47:23 taste and see, trust in Him, fear the Lord. 47:27 We must believe, 47:29 diligently seek Him, 47:30 first off if you taste and see, 47:32 you're gonna want to diligently seek Him. 47:34 Confess our sins. 47:37 Follow Him, hide His word in our heart. 47:40 Keep His commandments. 47:43 This last verse here. 47:45 I can do all things through Christ 47:47 who strengthens me. 47:48 We're not even doing the heavy lifting. 47:50 So all of those things listed under 47:52 what do we need to do? 47:54 Like Christ has given us 47:56 the strength to do it in the first place. 47:57 Cast your cares on Him. 47:59 Oh, yeah. Yes. 48:01 He'll carry the burden, the load from us. 48:03 Yeah. You don't have to carry it? 48:05 Honey, where are you going? Yeah. 48:06 Well, Philippians, you know, 48:07 it says right there, we often read this passage. 48:10 But Philippians 2:13. 48:15 We like to read verse 12 and verse 13. 48:17 It says, "For it is God who works in you both to will 48:22 and to do of His good pleasure." 48:26 So yeah, like you brought that out. 48:27 God is the one doing it. We're letting Him in. 48:31 And so, that's that power that you talk about. 48:33 He's the one doing the lifting. 48:35 And a lot of people need to know that 48:36 because to come out of darkness, 48:38 a lot of people say, well, what do I do? 48:39 What do I need to do next? And I encourage people. 48:42 Don't try to clean up before God cleans you up, he said. 48:47 And that's what the devil wants. 48:50 You know, he wants you to think, 48:52 oh, you're not good enough to go to church yet. 48:54 You're not perfect enough to go to church yet. 48:57 Like, do you wait until 48:58 you're healthy to go to the hospital? 49:00 No. Like, no. 49:02 You gotta go. 49:03 If you're sick, you need to be in church. 49:06 Hospital for sick is right? That's right. 49:09 So, yeah. 49:10 That's, you know, 49:11 that's one of the traps of the enemy. 49:13 It is. 49:14 They do that. That's yours. 49:15 That's why I like 49:17 where you put this in the section, 49:18 what has God done for us? 49:20 Come on now. This is beautiful. 49:21 This is a passage that we've read so many times 49:22 that we've run past it like almost something we ignore. 49:25 It starts with your name. That's right. 49:27 John 3:16, 49:30 "For God the greatest lover 49:34 so loved the greatest act, 49:38 the world, the greatest people in need 49:43 that He gave the greatest gift, 49:47 His only begotten Son that whosoever, 49:52 that means anybody, believes in Him, 49:56 the simplicity of it, 49:58 should not perish, but have everlasting life. 50:01 The greatest gift avoiding the most severe punishment, 50:05 receiving the greatest gift instead. 50:07 And so John 3:16 is far greater than 50:09 we often think about it. 50:11 But I'm always amazed. 50:13 How did this verse, 50:14 I guess God will tell us in heaven 50:16 become the most known verse of all time. 50:19 It's like the song Amazing Grace, John 3:16. 50:22 That's true. It's the most amazing... 50:25 It's powerful, that's why. 50:26 Yes. Very true. 50:28 And I love how you just kind of broke 50:29 that down as you were reading it. 50:32 Will you also read John 3:17 as well? 50:35 Because a lot of people think, oh, well, you know, 50:37 he's here to condemn me or, yeah. 50:39 Sure. 50:40 It says, "For God did not send His Son 50:42 into the world to condemn the world, 50:45 but that the world through Him might be saved." 50:47 That's right. 50:48 That's important, because a lot of times people 50:50 think that, oh, I just feel so condemned. 50:53 He didn't condemn us, He condemned sin. 50:55 That's right. He didn't come to condemn you. 50:57 He came to condemn sin. 50:59 He said He didn't send His Son to condemn 51:01 because we are condemned already. 51:03 Oh, it's like saying to somebody in jail, 51:04 you know you in jail? 51:08 Oh, yeah. 51:09 Did you come to tell me I'm in jail 51:11 or tell me I could get out? 51:12 That's right. And you know what? 51:14 Jesus is the greatest bondsmen... 51:18 Come on now. 51:19 I've ever known. I like that. 51:21 He paid the bond 51:23 and He didn't ask for us to pay Him back. 51:24 Amen. 51:25 I think we'll be seeing that on the sermon soon. 51:27 Okay. I do too. 51:29 That's right. 51:30 You ever noticed near the jails, 51:31 there always this bond offices. 51:34 Absolutely. That's prime time real estate. 51:40 Right next to the hospitals there's a funeral parlor. 51:42 That's true. Kinda sad, but... 51:44 It's true though. Very true. 51:46 You know, Jason, another good texts for about, 51:49 oh, what has God done for us 51:51 is Romans 5:6-8, 51:56 which says, "For when we were 51:59 still without strength, in due time Christ died 52:05 for the ungodly. 52:07 For scarcely, 52:09 for a righteous man will one die, 52:12 yet perhaps for a good man, 52:14 someone would even dare to die". 52:17 Here it is. 52:18 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us 52:24 in that while we were still sinners 52:27 Christ died for us." 52:31 I think about a story 52:32 that I read recently of a young lady 52:36 who was, in 2000 in the trade 52:41 when the towers fell down, she was there in that, 52:44 she was on the 64th floor coming down 52:48 when the tower started to come down. 52:52 And she had, she was blessed 52:57 'cause she was one of the four 53:00 that were alive that came out of that rubble. 53:04 She was, somehow 53:06 she miraculously was in a pocket, 53:08 air pocket. 53:10 Her leg was of course trapped. 53:13 Her head was trapped and she couldn't get out. 53:18 But before this time period, she had been searching, 53:22 searching for God and coming. 53:24 She had started to come, go to church. 53:26 She had made her way back to God. 53:28 So while she's here in this rubble, 53:30 she starts praying. 53:32 She's praying and asking God to help her get out. 53:35 She passes out for a little bit and comes back, wakes back up, 53:40 starts praying some more. 53:43 So later on, I don't know how many hours later it was. 53:46 She hears the searchers. 53:50 They're coming to get her. 53:51 And she starts yelling to them. 53:55 Here I am, here I am, save me. 53:57 Come and get me here. 53:58 So they heard her 54:00 and they started shining a light in there. 54:03 Hey, can you see the light? 54:04 She couldn't see anything. 54:05 So she grabbed some concrete. 54:07 She starts banging on the debris 54:09 that was around her. 54:10 And that was able to, 54:12 that helped them to find her. 54:16 She reaches her hand through the cracks 54:20 and somebody grabs her hand. 54:22 And so then she's taken out of that rubble after that. 54:28 Well, what that reminds me of is how, 54:31 in a similar situation, 54:34 we are trapped in sin 54:38 and we can't get out. 54:40 But we reach our hand out, and the Lord can save us. 54:46 Through the death of His son, Christ Son, God's Son, 54:50 He has used that to save us 54:52 and pull us out of this desperate situation 54:55 that we're in. 54:56 Beautiful, well said. 54:58 Out of darkness into this marvelous light. 55:01 That's right, we've all experienced that. 55:02 That's the truth. 55:04 And let's talk about what happens 55:05 when you enter into that marvelous light. 55:07 2 Corinthians 5:17. 55:10 It says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 55:13 he is a new creation. 55:15 Old things have passed away, behold, 55:18 all things have become new. 55:21 So if you're tired of being an old creation 55:24 and you wanna become new, 55:26 give your heart to the Lord. 55:27 Amen. Yes. 55:29 And, Honey, Ephesians 2:8-9? 55:33 Oh, I have that. 55:34 Okay. Oh, I love this one. 55:37 "For by grace you have been 55:39 saved through faith and not of yourself. 55:44 It is a" what? 55:46 "Gift of God. 55:47 Not of works lest," what? 55:49 "Anyone should boast." 55:51 And I'm just gonna pile right on to the next one. 55:53 Go ahead, Honey. The greatest gift. 55:55 But then here's something that people need to know. 55:57 God is gonna finish what He started. 55:59 Philippians 1:6, "Being confident 56:01 of this very thing 56:03 that He who has begun a good work 56:05 in you will complete it 56:07 until the day of Jesus Christ." 56:10 He's not done with us yet, but He's gonna complete it. 56:13 Be encouraged by that. Be encouraged. 56:15 Yes. 56:16 There's so many more scriptures 56:19 that we have to cover, 56:20 but we're almost running out of time. 56:23 Romans 12, you know, 56:27 it's literally entitled 56:30 and in a portion of it behave like a Christian. 56:34 Behave like a Christian. 56:36 I mean, if you go and look at that, 56:38 being a Christian is not for the faint. 56:41 Faint of heart. That's right. That's right. Yeah. 56:44 You gotta be pretty tough, you know, but you can do what? 56:47 All things through who? 56:49 Through Christ who strengthens us. 56:50 That's right. 56:52 And so He does the heavy lifting 56:54 and all of that. 56:55 But if you want to learn about how to behave like a Christian, 57:00 go to Romans Chapter 12. 57:04 I wanna thank you all 57:06 for the insight that you've provided tonight. 57:09 And really just how you've broken it down 57:11 and praise God that 57:12 He's led us out of darkness 57:14 into His marvelous light. 57:16 And what a wonderful place it is to be here. 57:21 I wanna thank you for joining us. 57:23 If you have not given Christ a chance, 57:27 we invite you to do so right now, 57:30 don't put it off until tomorrow. 57:32 Until next time, God bless you. |
Revised 2021-04-23