Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW210036S
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 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 3ABN Today Family Worship, 01:12 and happy Sabbath to you. 01:13 I'm Jason Bradley. 01:15 And I'm so glad that you decided 01:16 to worship with us this evening. 01:19 If you're watching ,on television 01:20 you can see that the set is very festive. 01:23 We've got... 01:24 We're getting ready for the Christmas season here. 01:27 And, you know, we want 01:29 to just focus on the reason for the season. 01:32 If you're listening on radio, 01:33 I just want to tell you it's very peaceful, serene, 01:36 and all of those things. 01:38 And we are going to open up the Word of God. 01:41 We're going to study and learn about Jesus, 01:45 our saving grace. 01:46 Here with me, we have Idalia Dinzey. 01:49 It's great to have you. 01:51 Thank you for the invitation, Jason. 01:53 I'm blessed to be here with you. 01:54 Yes, it's a blessing to have you. 01:56 We have your husband over here, John Dinzey. 01:59 It's great to have you with us. 02:01 It's a blessing for me as well. 02:02 And I'm looking forward to talking about the grace 02:06 and salvation that we find through Jesus. 02:08 Amen. Amen. 02:09 And we have Ronnie Shelton, also known as Uncle Ronnie. 02:13 There you go. 02:14 It's great to have you here, Uncle Ronnie. 02:16 Thank you, Jason. 02:17 I appreciate the invitation. 02:18 Yes, Sir. Yes, Sir. 02:20 So before we dive into the Word of God, 02:21 I want to start with prayer. 02:23 Uncle Ronnie, will you pray for us? 02:25 Our great heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, 02:27 we just thank you for this opportunity 02:29 to be here, to dive into the Word of God. 02:32 And I pray that our hearts 02:34 and minds can be open to the leading of Your Spirit. 02:37 Lord, bless each and every one 02:38 that might be viewing the program this evening. 02:41 I pray again that hearts would be turned to You 02:43 in Christ's name, amen. 02:45 Amen. Amen. 02:48 Our opening scripture 02:49 is Jeremiah 31:3, 02:54 "The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying, 02:57 'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. 03:01 Therefore, with loving-kindness, 03:04 I have drawn you.'" 03:05 Amen. 03:07 What stands out to you all within this verse? 03:10 Or what does this mean to you? 03:13 It's intense. 03:15 I have loved you with an everlasting love, 03:20 that everlasting love. 03:23 And I thank God for His loving-kindness 03:27 that draws us to Him. 03:29 Amen. Amen. 03:31 Amen. 03:32 Yes, and I liked that it's love everlasting. 03:37 You know, it's... 03:38 God's love is not dependent on, oh, 03:42 what time of the day is it? Or what day of the week is it? 03:44 His love is everlasting. 03:46 It's a love that's beyond our ability to describe. 03:52 And all are blessed by it. 03:56 Amen. Amen. Amen. 03:58 I was thinking also a couple of things could be taken out 04:02 of that that God didn't differentiate between people. 04:07 He didn't say, "I love all of you people, but not you." 04:10 You know, He just throwed it out there. 04:11 And I believe the love He was talking about 04:13 was the agape love that you don't see 04:16 much in the Old Testament. 04:17 That a lot of people would say, "Well, you know, 04:19 Jesus and God were two different things." 04:21 But Jesus said, "If you've seen Me, 04:23 you've seen the Father." 04:24 And here the Father, I believe, 04:25 is using that agape love. 04:28 He didn't discriminate with who He was talking to. 04:31 Absolutely, absolutely. Praise the Lord. 04:33 You know, I love the fact that it says, of course the... 04:36 You know, loved you with an everlasting love, 04:37 but therefore with loving-kindness, 04:39 I have drawn you. 04:41 You know, when you think about the love of Christ 04:42 like God loved us first, 04:44 you know, and out of that love, it awakens love in us 04:47 toward Him. 04:49 And so that amazes me 04:51 and the fact that it's with loving-kindness. 04:54 And I think that, you know, as Christians, 04:55 we need to follow that example of Christ 04:58 and how we love others, how we show love to others. 05:02 And that's very important to me. 05:07 I'd like to share that God loved us 05:10 from the very creation. 05:12 Yes. 05:13 And that is why we are blessed 05:14 to be able to receive the Sabbath, 05:17 because the Sabbath was made for us 05:19 out of love for us. 05:21 The Lord blessed us with this special day. 05:23 It's just not any day, 05:26 it is a day that was sanctified. 05:29 It was separated. 05:30 It was hallowed because God loved... 05:35 Loves us with this everlasting love, 05:38 that He has made provision for every need. 05:42 And He is longing for us 05:44 to draw closer to Him especially every day, 05:48 of course. 05:49 But for us to sup with Him, 05:53 if you will, on Sabbath. 05:55 Amen. Amen. 05:57 Focusing in on that word, loving-kindness, 05:59 you know, it has the word love in it. 06:01 And there really... 06:03 I was looking a little bit into the Hebrew of that word. 06:06 And it's... 06:07 There's really no English word equivalent for it. 06:11 And this is, I guess, 06:12 you could say the best word they can come up with. 06:14 Some translations will say faithfulness. 06:17 Okay. 06:19 And it talks about even God's covenant 06:24 relationship with us, and that He is faithful. 06:27 His loving-kindness is consistent, continual. 06:33 And it says He draws us with loving-kindness. 06:36 I don't know if you have ever been... 06:39 Maybe as a child perhaps you would say, 06:41 "You're going to come with me whether you like it or not." 06:43 And they're pulling you and pulling you to come with me. 06:46 Come with me, you know, 06:47 and you're kind of just pulling on him. 06:51 He draws us with loving-kindness. 06:54 His love is a drawing, 06:58 has a drawing characteristic towards it. 07:01 It's like a magnet. Yes. 07:03 Hallelujah. 07:04 You know, I was also thinking on that, 07:06 Johnny, what it's just talking about, 07:08 to build on that a little bit. 07:10 If He didn't draw us, where would we be? 07:12 Oh, terrible. 07:14 You see, we're all born with that carnal nature. 07:16 We would be going away from Him 07:19 if He didn't continually draw us to Himself. 07:22 Amen. 07:23 And should we draw away from Him, 07:27 that love is so intense that as we walk away from Him, 07:32 we are like, you know what? 07:34 The Holy Spirit speaks to us and God allows U-turns. 07:38 So you know what I mean? Yes. 07:39 That love is so everlasting 07:42 that if you're tempted in walking out of the path 07:45 where the Lord has called you to walk through, 07:49 the Lord will prompt your heart. 07:51 Your ears will feel something, 07:54 I believe, because it has happened to me. 07:57 You know, when I was young and all. 07:59 When anxious, I'm like, "You know what? 08:01 I think I'm just going to take another turn in life 08:04 or whatever." 08:05 But when I skipped church and instead of going to church 08:09 and my mind was like, "Well, Lord, I know I'm not... 08:13 This is not pleasing to You. 08:14 This is not pleasing to You." 08:16 So I did go back, you know, 08:18 and I did feel that love of acceptance 08:23 and that love that those arms are wide open 08:26 waiting for you to just come and rest in Him. 08:29 Yes. Yes. Amen. 08:30 You know, you think about the parable of the lost coin, 08:33 the lost sheep, the lost son, 08:34 and just how heaven just rejoices 08:38 when one comes home, one turns and repents 08:41 and gets drawn to the Father. 08:44 I mean, this love is truly incredible. 08:46 You know, when you think about love and you think how love... 08:52 When someone loves someone, 08:53 they have a plan for them that is way better 08:56 than they could ever imagine. 08:57 And so like Jeremiah 29:11, 09:01 and we'll go down a little bit. 09:03 But Jeremiah 29:11, 09:05 "For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, 09:07 says the Lord, thoughts of peace 09:10 and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 09:13 Then you will call upon Me 09:15 and go and pray to Me and I will listen to you. 09:19 And you will seek Me and find Me 09:20 when you search for Me with all your heart." 09:25 Amen. God has a plan for us. 09:28 He has thoughts of... 09:30 He wants us to be in peace. 09:32 Amen. 09:33 And if we seek Him, 09:34 we can talk to God anytime of the day. 09:37 No matter what we're doing, we can go to God, 09:41 which is absolutely incredible. 09:43 Amen. Absolutely incredible. 09:44 Yes, I remember. 09:46 I'm sorry, I'm going to share this experience as well. 09:49 I remember I was so frustrated. 09:50 I was just having a rough day and I'm, oh, Lord! 09:53 You know, and just I was praying out loud 09:56 and the person that heard me said, 09:59 "You talk to the Lord like that? 10:02 I'm like, "Well, 10:05 He understands that I'm frustrated. 10:07 I'm just like getting all this off of my chest. 10:11 I mean, don't you express yourself like that 10:13 with your closest friend?" 10:15 You know what I mean? Or my mom. 10:17 It's like, "Mom, blah-blah," you know? 10:19 But with the Lord, it's like, "Lord, like, 10:22 I am so frustrated right now." 10:24 And as I'm talking to Him, He'll put a... 10:27 Even a song in my heart and I'll start singing. 10:31 And, oh, before you know it, 10:33 you know, that peace that exists 10:36 when you go into mode of worship. 10:39 So this Sabbath day, we worshiped the Lord, 10:43 we adored the Lord. 10:45 We thank the gift of salvation. 10:48 We thank that baby Jesus is the reason for the season. 10:53 Yes, amen. 10:54 You know, I'm thinking about the idea Idalia mentioned that, 10:59 you know, sometimes we walk away, 11:01 sometimes we walk away. 11:02 And the Bible presents God, as you mentioned, 11:06 the lost coin, the lost sheep has got interested in us 11:11 and goes to search for us 11:14 as if there was no other. 11:16 And it's a marvelous thing. 11:18 And when you combine that with loving-kindness 11:20 He draws us, you know. 11:22 There's a scripture in 2 Peter 3:9 that says 11:25 that He is not willing that any should perish, 11:28 but that all should come to repentance. 11:32 And we can see God searching for us 11:36 and appealing to us. 11:38 Because when we walk away from the Lord, 11:39 we are heading towards destruction and suffering. 11:43 And, you know, 11:46 I'm going to go ahead and tell this story. 11:50 I was trying to avoid it 11:52 The Dinzeys are full of stories. 11:53 Jump in there. We love the stories. 11:55 I was trying to avoid it. 11:56 But anyway, many years ago, 11:59 you know, when I used to go 12:01 to a Spanish church in South Chicago, 12:04 one of the young guys that was married, 12:07 you know, he stopped coming to church. 12:10 And many years passed. 12:14 And one day, I was already working at 3ABN. 12:17 I mean, many years passed. 12:19 And I drive by the church because I was by there. 12:21 I'm driving by the church, 12:23 and I see him just looking at the church. 12:28 He's outside of his car, looking at the church. 12:31 And I said, "Daniel." 12:34 And that's not his name by the way. 12:36 "Daniel, I haven't seen you in so long. 12:38 How are you doing?" 12:39 And his hair was longer than he used to keep it. 12:41 You know, he used to keep it nice and combed, 12:42 but now it's longer. 12:43 He looked different. 12:45 And he goes, "No, I was just passing by and I decided to, 12:48 you know, just kind of thinking of the old days." 12:51 And I said, "Oh, are you back in church?" 12:52 "No, not yet, not yet." 12:54 I encouraged him to come back. 12:56 He goes, "Yeah, I should come back. 12:58 You know, I should come back." 12:59 And so we talked for a little bit then I left. 13:03 I had to be somewhere 13:05 and so continued to pray for him. 13:08 I don't know if it was three, maybe five years that passed. 13:11 We organized an evangelistic campaign in Chicago 13:15 for 3ABN in Spanish. 13:19 By the way, Pastor Bohr, he speaks perfect Spanish. 13:22 And so he was there. 13:25 This guy, Daniel, was there. 13:27 And so I was there, you know, talking to people 13:29 and he comes and he greets me. 13:31 And now his hair was shorter 13:34 like he used to keep it, nicely combed. 13:36 He looked neater and he's in a suit now, 13:38 you know? 13:40 And I go, "Wow, Daniel, how are you doing? 13:44 You look so different." 13:46 And he says, "Yes, I'm back with the Lord." 13:48 He says, "It's been two years now." 13:53 He said, "You know, I was away from the Lord for 17 years." 13:55 Wow. 13:57 And then he said this, 13:58 he said they were terrible years. 14:01 And I said, "Praise the Lord." 14:04 I said, "Praise the Lord," 14:05 that he recognizes that without the Lord, 14:08 they are terrible years there. 14:10 You're out there suffering and, you know, 14:12 you don't have peace. 14:14 And he said, "They were very bad." 14:16 And I say, "Yes, praise the Lord." 14:17 And he says, "I'm happy, 14:19 and I'm glad to be back in church." 14:21 So I, you know... 14:22 And God was drawing him all the time. 14:26 And you ask yourself, why do we resist? 14:28 Why do we resist God's love, God's mercy, 14:32 God's willingness to accept us to become His children? 14:36 And He's offering something that doesn't have a value 14:40 that you can put on. 14:42 I mean, eternal everlasting life without any suffering. 14:46 I mean, there's nothing on earth 14:48 that can compare with that. 14:49 Absolutely. You know, he says... 14:51 Daniel you were talking about was part 14:54 of this verse that we talk about in Jeremiah 29, 14:57 where he says, "I've come to give you peace, 15:00 and a hope, and a future." 15:03 That's what the world needs today. 15:05 Amen. 15:06 I mean, there's so many people with no hope, 15:07 with no future. 15:09 Their future... 15:10 They can't see any hope in their future. 15:12 Absolutely. And that is so needed today. 15:13 And so I think that sounds like that's what Daniel had found. 15:16 In the meantime, he had found a future that had hope in it. 15:21 And, of course, he got that by coming to the Lord. 15:23 That's right. That's the source. 15:24 Now imagine being in a house. 15:26 You're sitting at home, your house is on fire, 15:29 and you're just sitting there 15:30 and you hear a knock at the door. 15:33 It's the firemen. 15:35 They're coming there to rescue and you're like, 15:37 "No, I'm comfortable. 15:39 I don't want to be rescued. I don't want help. 15:42 I'm okay. 15:44 It's a little warm, but I'm all right." 15:45 You know, and you refuse the help. 15:48 They're trying to lead you to life, but instead, 15:51 you just want to stay in your comfort zone 15:55 and you're in the fire. 15:56 I mean, it really makes no sense. 15:58 Why wouldn't we accept 16:00 what God has to offer for us, to us? 16:04 And, Idalia, you mentioned something a little while ago, 16:07 you know, with the song and all of that. 16:10 I remember there was a time 16:11 where I was worried about something. 16:13 And I was listening to just some songs, 16:17 some gospel songs. 16:18 And it was on one of these platforms 16:21 that it just goes and it it'll take you 16:23 to the next song and all of that. 16:25 And I was worried about a particular thing. 16:30 And this song came on, trust in the Lord. 16:34 And I was just like, "Thank you for speaking to me." 16:37 Amen. I appreciate it. 16:38 It was... 16:40 And I was just like, "Lord, I trust in You." 16:42 And it's incredible. 16:44 God draws us with His loving-kindness. 16:47 And that's so powerful. 16:48 I want us to look at Romans 6:23. 16:52 And, John Dinzey, if you could read that for us. 16:57 John... 16:58 I mean, Romans 6:23. Romans 6:23. 17:01 Yeah. 17:02 And we have the words, "For the wages of sin is death, 17:08 but the gift of God is eternal life 17:11 in Christ Jesus our Lord." 17:13 Yes. 17:15 Beautiful passage there because it tells you, 17:18 you know, the wages of sin is death. 17:20 But there's a gift that God has for each 17:23 and every one of us, 17:24 which is eternal life in Christ Jesus 17:27 if we choose to accept Him. 17:30 We have the choice. That's the... 17:33 That's such a key word, if we chose, if you choose. 17:37 Because praise the Lord, He's a kind God. 17:43 He does not make us follow Him. 17:46 He gives us the choice. He gives... 17:49 He presents before us, this is the way of perdition, 17:53 this is the way of salvation. 17:54 Choose you this day. 17:56 That's right. Right? 17:57 So right here, 17:59 I see in and it echoes in my mind, in my heart. 18:03 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God 18:05 is eternal life in Christ Jesus. 18:09 So choose you this day, death or life. 18:12 Simple as that. 18:14 Just like you were giving the illustration 18:16 of a house being burned down 18:17 and the people inside are not listening 18:19 to the call to save them. 18:22 So, but they chose to say, "Hey, we have a shower. 18:25 We'll turn on the water here. 18:27 And you know, we'll stay away from the water, from the fire." 18:30 So... Yeah. 18:31 They're sitting there, oh the game's on. 18:32 I don't want to go anywhere. 18:34 The game, my TV. 18:35 I've got my TV, I've got my nice stuff, everything. 18:37 I'm comfortable with my appliances, everything. 18:39 And no, I don't want... 18:41 I don't need any rescuing. I'm okay. 18:42 Yes, the distractions of the world. 18:45 Yes. 18:46 It's a dangerous place and also it's our passions. 18:49 I think it's one of the things that, 18:52 in my opinion, the passions that we might have 18:55 and our priorities that may draw us from... 19:00 Away from seeking first the kingdom of God, 19:05 you know, and His salvation. 19:07 You know, I think also, Jason, attached to that, 19:10 you can look at that and say, 19:12 you know, there are consequences 19:14 to the choices that we make. 19:15 Yes. 19:17 I mean, so many think, well, I can do this. 19:19 It won't bother me. 19:20 It won't hurt me, you know? 19:22 I've done it so many years, you know? 19:25 For instance, you know, there's certain things 19:27 that we could do to our body and think, 19:29 man, that never touches me. 19:31 And after they'd been there a number of years, 19:33 they find out they got cancer or something. 19:35 And they look back and maybe they'd been a tobacco user, 19:38 maybe some other things, you know? 19:40 And you think, there is a consequence 19:42 to all the choices we make. 19:44 That's right. 19:45 And so when it comes to the salvational part of it, 19:47 for the wages of sin is death. 19:50 That's the consequences of the choices of being, 19:54 you know, locked up into sin 19:56 and not being willing to give it to the Lord. 19:59 So there's consequences. 20:00 You know, and the Bible is so full 20:02 of promises that are conditional. 20:05 Yes. If you look at that, so many. 20:08 And I think I've said this before. 20:09 I think maybe all of the promises are conditional. 20:12 They're based upon God says 20:14 I will do this for you if you will do this for Me. 20:18 And so all we have to do is choose Him. 20:21 He says, "Choose life." Why would you choose death? 20:23 Right. 20:24 Because the wages of our actions, you know... 20:27 The wages of sin. 20:30 Yeah, the wages of sin... 20:32 Is death. Is death. 20:34 Why would we want to go that route when we don't have to? 20:37 That's right. 20:38 What if there's someone watching right now and saying, 20:40 "You know what? 20:41 This sounds all good and all, but how do I accept that? 20:45 How do I, you know, 20:47 respond to that calling or drawing?" 20:51 Because, you know, apparently, it happens all the time, 24/7. 20:56 The Lord draws people to Him. 20:59 But it comes to a point where we're like, 21:02 "Wait a minute. 21:03 I'm feeling something, but how do I handle that? 21:05 What steps should I take, 21:07 you know, in order to claim, okay, I accept Jesus? 21:11 I accept. I want life. 21:13 I want life eternal. 21:14 I want that gift of salvation. 21:16 I want that grace that the Lord has for me. 21:19 So how do I do that? 21:21 How do I get it?" 21:22 That's a very good question. 21:24 I think I'd like to start with Revelation 3:20. 21:28 Because in Revelation 3:20, 21:31 we have a scripture 21:34 that tells us what Jesus is doing. 21:37 He says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 21:41 And if any man hears my voice and opens the door, 21:46 I will come into him 21:48 and sup with him and he with Me." 21:50 So I really... 21:53 I never noticed that before until somebody mentioned it, 21:56 but there is a painting made by someone 21:59 that's depicting Jesus knocking at a door. 22:02 And as you look at that painting, 22:03 you will notice that there's not a knob on the outside. 22:07 The knob is on the other side. 22:08 And this is why you see Jesus pictured as knocking 22:12 because you are supposed to open the door. 22:16 So in order to respond to God's call, 22:19 God's drawing, we have to open the door, 22:22 in this case, the door of our heart and say, 22:25 "Yes, Lord." What is Jesus offering? 22:28 He's offering us forgiveness for our sins, 22:32 complete forgiveness, 22:33 and He's offering us eternal life. 22:37 And this eternal life comes through His sacrifice 22:40 that He made for us. 22:41 He took our place and died for us, 22:44 the equivalent of the second death. 22:47 Because we say the wages of sin is death. 22:50 And we say, "Well, everybody dies." 22:51 They basically... 22:53 If you continue living on this earth, 22:55 you either will die of old age, 22:57 die of a disease, or somebody will kill you. 23:01 But what God is offering goes beyond 23:04 what this world has to offer. 23:07 So it's eternal life without suffering or pain. 23:09 So the steps respond by saying, 23:13 "Yes, Jesus, I want what you offer. 23:15 You're offering me eternal life." 23:17 Well, He's drawing us. 23:18 He's drawing us to repentance to say, 23:22 "I want that forgiveness. 23:24 I repent of my sins." 23:26 And repentance is a word that means sorrow for sins. 23:31 And you also do not want to do that anymore. 23:35 You want to turn away from that 23:36 and go in the opposite direction. 23:38 Yes. And so that is repentance. 23:40 And it's very simple in a sense, 23:42 but it was paid for with an infinite price. 23:46 Yes, it was. 23:47 That's what... I'll add to that. 23:48 If somebody wants to... 23:50 Okay, I think that we need to add to that the step 23:53 of recognizing your need of the Savior. 23:56 Yes. 23:57 You know, a lot of times people don't realize their state. 23:59 They think that they're okay and that they're fine, 24:04 and they're doing just fine without any help 24:07 or anything like that. 24:08 We're all in need of the Savior. 24:10 We're all in need of Jesus. That's right. 24:12 And, you know, 24:13 I think right now in the place 24:17 in which we are with society, 24:20 is we're seeing a whole bunch of enablers 24:23 and people that want to enable bad behavior 24:26 and condone it or be supportive of it, 24:29 rather than teaching that you can gain 24:31 the victory over things. 24:32 You know, whatever you're struggling with, 24:34 whatever stronghold, whatever you're battling, 24:37 you can gain the victory through Christ. 24:39 Amen. 24:40 You know, with Christ, we can do all things 24:42 through Him who strengthens us. 24:44 So I think that's an important step in there as well. 24:47 You know, Johnny, and I would point out 24:50 to that it all starts. 24:51 We say, how do you do that? 24:52 How do you grab hold of this thing and put it in my life? 24:57 It all starts with that tiny little bit of faith. 24:59 A little... Mustard seed. 25:01 The size of a mustard seed. 25:03 Tiny little bitty thing, you know? 25:04 That's right, Ronnie. And somebody just... 25:06 I was in contact with somebody just last night, 25:09 I think it was. 25:10 An old friend that I've known for many, many years. 25:12 One of my stories. One of these... 25:14 But it's recent. 25:15 I mean, it just happened last night. 25:17 And this person had gotten some bad news from the doctors, 25:21 and was getting an MRI run today. 25:24 And anyway, this person had been out 25:25 of the church for many years, not going anywhere. 25:29 And so I noticed on Facebook, they'd come on there and said, 25:34 "I need prayers." 25:35 I thought, "Well, this is positive." 25:36 You know, this is positive because they've been out 25:38 of the church for a long time. 25:39 So I contacted him and I said, "You know, 25:41 I would like to pray with you." 25:43 You know, Jesus said where two or three are gathered 25:45 together in My name, 25:47 there I'm in the midst. 25:48 Make your petitions known to Him, you know? 25:51 And so this person said... I said something about was... 25:55 This is all happening quick, isn't it? 25:57 And so this person says, "Well, you know, 26:00 it took me a long time to get to my doctor 26:03 to actually make an appointment for me." 26:05 I said, "During this COVID time, 26:06 seem like it's hard to get medical attention, you know." 26:08 Yes. 26:10 And he said, "It took forever," 26:11 is what this person said. 26:13 "It took forever for my doctor to get me for an MRI, 26:15 which is happening today while we're on this set." 26:18 Wow. And anyway, I told the person... 26:22 And then she said, 26:24 after I got the hold of my doctor 26:27 and the doctor made the appointment, 26:29 it all happened just very quickly. 26:32 Within this last week, 26:33 all of a sudden I saw my doctor 26:35 and they got me this appointment for this MRI. 26:37 Happened very quick. And I said, "You know what? 26:39 Just last week 26:41 when I saw you had posted on Facebook, 26:43 I need prayers," I said, God was working then. 26:47 That's right. 26:49 God was working then. 26:50 And I said, "And then I contacted you." 26:52 And I said, "Let's pray about this together." 26:54 And after that happened, immediately, 26:56 she got her MRI appointment. 26:58 Wow. 26:59 I said, "Can you see the connection there?" 27:02 And she wrote back two words or three words, 27:05 "I can see that." Praise the Lord. 27:07 Amen. 27:08 You know, because like I say, 27:09 she had wandered so far away from God, 27:12 having no practice of God in her life for a long time. 27:15 Right. Yes. 27:16 But I said, "Before we were praying, 27:18 you said it took forever for your doctor to get you 27:20 the appointment. 27:21 Now that they have, you got an appointment within a week." 27:23 We started praying last week about this situation. 27:25 Right. 27:26 So those little confirmations that start out small 27:31 allows your faith to grow. 27:33 You know, and as the faith grows, 27:34 you know, you say, "Well, God is real 27:36 and God cares for me. 27:37 God loves me. 27:38 I can see that now." Amen. Amen. 27:40 I think that the Lord gives us 27:42 the faith that we need to go through 27:45 the trial that we're facing right then. 27:47 Yes. And He is... 27:50 He gives us the peace that we need. 27:53 I mean, we need to accept it. 27:56 But yes, that trust in the Lord, 28:01 whatever trial you're going through for that moment 28:04 and your faith has strengthened. 28:06 And then you can encourage somebody else, right? 28:10 Because nothing happens just to happen. 28:13 There is a purpose. 28:14 I mean, there's a blessing in everything. 28:17 Your faith grew 28:18 or was stronger then you share with somebody else. 28:21 You know, I said, the Lord is going to be with you, 28:24 pray with them and give the Lord a chance. 28:26 Haven't you noticed how that God will lay it on your heart? 28:29 Yes. Maybe you've not contacted. 28:30 You know, I've been in contact with that person for months, 28:33 maybe a year or two. 28:35 And all of a sudden, that person is on your mind 28:37 and you make the connection. 28:39 And that's exactly the person that they needed to hear from. 28:42 Amen. 28:44 Right on time. Right on time. 28:45 You know, I want to look at where salvation comes from. 28:49 Idalia, if you could read Acts 4:12 for us? 28:53 Acts 4:12. Yes. 28:55 Gladly. 28:57 Okay, Acts 4:12. 28:59 Acts is in the New Testament, 4:12. 29:02 It says like this, 29:04 "Nor is there salvation in any other, 29:07 for there is no other name 29:09 under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." 29:14 Amen. 29:16 Blessed be the name of the Lord. 29:17 Who's that talking about? Jesus Christ. 29:19 Jesus. Absolutely, absolutely. 29:22 In Isaiah 53:6, let's look at that. 29:25 I'll read that for us. 29:27 "All we like sheep have gone astray. 29:31 We have turned everyone to his own way. 29:34 And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." 29:38 So does... 29:39 Did that say some have gone astray? 29:42 We've all... 29:43 We've all gone astray. 29:45 We're all in need of a savior, and that savior is Jesus. 29:51 Have you... 29:52 And perhaps we can open the floor for discussion here. 29:55 Have any of you gone astray from the Lord? 29:59 Have you, maybe gone in the opposite direction 30:02 or you started veering down the wrong path? 30:05 How has God grabbed a hold of your life? 30:08 Well, I was never a goody goody two-shoes. 30:12 Is that how you say it? 30:13 Is that the expression in English? 30:15 Yes. 30:17 But you know, praise the Lord. 30:18 I had a wonderful mother 30:20 who's very strict 30:22 and very responsible for her children, you know? 30:26 The Lord has been good and merciful to me. 30:31 I had tried, like I mentioned earlier, I tried... 30:34 I don't know why, but curiosity 30:39 when you're young is, you know, you go with the flow. 30:42 You don't have your feet on the ground. 30:44 It's like, "All my friends are doing this. 30:46 I may as well do it." 30:48 And stuff like that. 30:49 So when I became a young adult, 30:53 my acquaintances from work had a lot 30:56 of influence in my life. 30:59 I mean, I'm older now 31:00 and I've been at 3ABN since 1994, 31:03 but I'm talking about when I was a young, young, 31:06 young person, adult person. 31:08 Anyway, we were doing the business 31:13 after five events, which is cocktails 31:15 and sandwiches and, you know, just parties. 31:18 So, I mean, I like to party. 31:21 I like a gathering, 31:22 you know, there's nothing wrong with a gathering. 31:25 But one gathering would lead to the other and to the other. 31:28 You know, eventually I would start telling my mom, 31:30 "You know, I'll meet you at church, Mom." 31:32 Ronnie, that's what I would tell my mom. 31:34 I said, "Mama, I'll meet you in Milwaukee. 31:37 Don't worry about it. I will meet you there. 31:39 I will go to church." And guess what? 31:42 I didn't show up for church because there was a gathering, 31:45 you know, not a Sabbath gathering. 31:47 So and I saw how... 31:51 The Lord showed me. 31:52 I know it was that Lord showed me that what I... 31:55 The direction 31:57 where I was heading it was not going to be for eternal life. 32:00 Right? 32:02 It was going to be of perdition. 32:03 So slowly but surely, 32:08 I felt the Lord just drawing me back. 32:12 And I was the youth director and we did, 32:15 you know, door to door activities 32:16 and very, very faithful and active in our local church. 32:21 But I put a way... 32:25 I used to, you know. 32:27 I know we're not created to smoke because otherwise 32:30 we would have a chimney, right, on our head? 32:33 So, you know, the smoking and, you know, just socializing. 32:37 All these things that were not... 32:38 I knew it was wrong. Yes. 32:40 But the Lord rescued me from all that. 32:42 And so anyway, 32:44 different ideas that I wanted to do with my life 32:46 that were not godly, I was able to overcome. 32:49 And here I am, praise the Lord. Yes. 32:53 So nothing wrong with a gathering, 32:54 but it depends on the type of gathering. 32:56 Exactly. 32:57 That it is for sure. 32:58 What are you breathing in? 33:00 You know, fresh air or, you know, toxic air? 33:02 Yes. 33:04 Well, I praise the Lord I did not stray away. 33:08 Basically, from a child that was shown 33:14 to go to church and I've never really walked away. 33:16 But you know, like you said, 33:19 all we like sheep have gone astray. 33:20 All we have gone through our way. 33:22 We have all sinned. Yes. 33:23 And we all need a savior. 33:25 And why do people sin? 33:28 Well, because it either looks good, tastes good, 33:32 or feels good, 33:33 or you enjoy taking something from someone else. 33:37 But what does it all do for you? 33:39 Well, you have enjoyment for a while. 33:41 But the results are that you're either hurting yourself 33:46 and you're hurting others. 33:47 Yes. 33:48 And, of course, you know, 33:52 we have this cloud over our head 33:54 of you're going to have to pay for this somehow. 33:58 Because the Bible says the wages of sin is death. 34:00 And what you sow, you will have to reap the results of it. 34:04 Yes. 34:05 And so many people are sick because of a sinful life. 34:07 Maybe some are listening to me right now 34:10 that something they did, 34:12 now they are reaping some of the results. 34:14 Yes. 34:15 But they can see that God has been merciful 34:17 because God has been merciful to each and every one of us. 34:20 And so, you know, you ask yourself, "Why?" 34:22 You know, you asked before, "Why would anyone want that?" 34:24 Because the result is death. 34:28 Well, I mentioned some of the reasons 34:30 why people do things, you know. 34:31 It looks good, tastes good, feels good, whatever it is, 34:34 but it all will bring bad results. 34:37 And some people think, oh, you being a Christian is boring. 34:39 No, no. 34:41 There are many, many things you can do as a Christian. 34:43 And I like to read to you this because some people say, 34:47 "Oh, I don't know if I want to be a Christian." 34:48 Look... 34:49 Where are you reading from? 34:51 Psalm 16. 34:52 Psalm 16. 34:54 People have to understand that being a Christian is fun. 34:58 Yes. It's enjoyable. 35:00 You are blessed with peace 35:02 and you have that hope that Ronnie was talking about. 35:05 Yeah. 35:06 That a hope and a future with hope. 35:09 So Psalm 16, reading verse 11. 35:11 It says, "You," that is God, 35:14 "will show me the path of life. 35:18 In your presence is fullness of joy." 35:23 Yes. What verse is it? 35:24 I'm sorry. Psalm 16:11. 35:26 Okay. 35:27 So in your presence is fullness of joy. 35:29 At your right hand are pleasures forever more. 35:34 Yeah. 35:36 So if you really want to have pleasures forever more 35:39 and have fullness of joy, go with the Lord. 35:42 Answer the door that Jesus is knocking at your heart, 35:45 and you will begin to experience 35:47 this wonderful joy of the Lord. 35:49 And being a Christian, to me, has been fulfilling. 35:54 And I am very happy that I am a Christian 35:58 and praise the Lord for that. 35:59 Yes. So I recommend it to anyone. 36:01 Yes. 36:02 We're surrounded by Christmas decoration. 36:05 You know, people are celebrating 36:07 the birth of Jesus. 36:09 But have we taken time to know Jesus? 36:13 I mean, do we just celebrate, go to the party? 36:16 You know, I love parties, 36:17 I love gatherings, I love gifts. 36:19 Sure, Ronnie, anytime. Yeah, yeah. 36:22 Right? Yeah. 36:24 But all these things distract us from the very important 36:28 point of we don't know when Jesus was born. 36:32 True. Exactly right. 36:35 We do not know. 36:36 But Jesus did come. 36:38 Jesus did... Was born. 36:40 Huh? 36:41 I said, yeah, He was born, whenever that was. 36:43 Exactly. 36:45 So who is this Jesus that you're celebrating today? 36:48 Is He your savior 36:50 or is this something an excuse for you to just join in, 36:53 you know, because your friends 36:55 and your peers are celebrating? 36:56 And let's have a party, you know? 36:59 What is the reason for you to do, 37:02 be doing what you're doing, you know? 37:05 Because if you are celebrating Jesus' birth here on earth, 37:10 in earth, He came because He was the gift 37:14 that no one else can replace. 37:16 Yes. Right? 37:17 Yes. The gift of salvation. 37:19 So I just want to challenge all of us 37:24 to remember to not get distracted. 37:29 That everything looked pretty. 37:31 The lights look so pretty and peaceful. 37:34 But is that peace in your heart 37:36 the peace that God has given us? 37:38 Are we celebrating Jesus? 37:40 Are we thankful to Jesus for the sacrifice that He did? 37:44 He left everything in heaven. 37:45 He came willingly. 37:47 He was here, lived, suffered, and died for our sins, 37:51 our transgressions. 37:53 And that's important. 37:54 We need to stay focused on that. 37:56 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, 37:58 "For He made Him 37:59 who knew no sin to be sin for us, 38:02 that we might become the righteousness 38:04 of God in Him." 38:06 Uncle Ronnie, I want to go back to you 38:08 so you can maybe share a story with us 38:10 about maybe there was a time in your life were you walked... 38:13 I was thinking very definitely when on that Isaiah 53:6. 38:17 "We all like sheep have gone astray. 38:19 I was one of the sheep 38:20 who went astray while still in the corral. 38:22 Ah. You see? 38:24 Yes. 38:25 See, a lot of the sheep, you know, 38:27 they'll jump the fence or break down the gate 38:28 and go out into the world to do whatever. 38:31 I was going astray while still in the corral, 38:33 while still in the church. 38:35 That's interesting thought. 38:36 And so whenever you do that, of course, 38:38 you've lost your relationship and it's really waning, 38:40 it's really weak, you know? 38:42 And things begin to fall apart in your life. 38:45 And, of course, mine did, you know, as many people has. 38:48 But thank God our God never gave up on me. 38:52 Amen. Amen. 38:53 He never gave up on me till when I think 38:55 I talked to you a little bit earlier today that I was, 38:58 I think I was 57 when called into the ministry. 39:00 Yes. 39:02 And I think, thank God, you know, 39:03 even though I went astray while still in the corral, 39:06 He still takes me back. 39:08 Amen. 39:09 And has a ministry work for me to do. 39:10 And I became a pastor when I was 57. 39:12 Yes. 39:13 You know, for a lot of people would say, "Well, 39:15 you're done over the hill. 39:16 You know, if you're going to be a pastor, 39:18 you got to start, you know, go through 39:19 the colleges and the, you know, 39:21 get your degrees and all of that. 39:23 But God uses those that He thinks can be used, 39:28 that are willing to be used. 39:29 Let me put it that way. 39:31 And He called me into ministry to be a pastor 39:33 when I was 57 years old. 39:34 Wow. Praise God. Amen. 39:36 So praise God. 39:37 And so now I'm considerably older and not pastoring now, 39:40 but I still preach every chance I get, you know? 39:43 Amen. 39:44 I still spread the news 39:45 and spread the good news that Jesus is coming soon. 39:47 Absolutely. 39:49 So I'm so thankful that He never gives up on us. 39:50 Amen. Yes. 39:51 And we're thankful that you're on the Lord side. 39:53 That's right. Absolutely. 39:54 That's right. That's the best side to be on. 39:56 You know, when I was 14 years old, 39:57 I strayed away. 39:59 My mother had raised me in the church 40:00 and all of those things, but I ended up going down 40:03 the wrong path. 40:04 And, you know, with staying focused on the Word 40:07 and staying focused on Christ, I wasn't doing that. 40:10 I was filling my mind with poison. 40:13 I was listening to the wrong types of music, 40:15 I was watching the wrong types of movies. 40:16 I was doing things that were leading me down 40:19 another path that's contrary to the biblical principles 40:23 that we find in the Word of God. 40:25 And so that took hold of my life. 40:28 And then I saw those things manifesting in my life, 40:33 in my everyday activities. 40:35 Like my whole behavior, 40:38 all of that stuff 40:39 started shifting in the wrong direction. 40:41 And I remember just going through life. 40:43 I've run into some serious issues 40:46 where I was arrested at one point 40:48 and was facing a potential maximum prison sentence 40:51 of 15 years. 40:53 Wow. 40:54 And it was just a downward spiral, 40:57 downward spiral, downward spiral. 40:58 Well, I hit my rock bottom. 41:01 And I didn't give my heart to the Lord at that point. 41:03 I just made a simple behavioral modification. 41:06 That was the last time I touched drugs. 41:08 But then I switched to alcohol. 41:11 And then I started managing a sports bar 41:13 and doing those things. 41:14 And I was doing club promotions and all of these other things. 41:17 So I didn't have that genuine transformation 41:20 that only comes from Christ, 41:22 but thank God that He doesn't give up on us. 41:24 Amen. And thank God for a praying mom. 41:27 Because my mother had prayed for me, 41:29 and prayed for me, and prayed for me for so long. 41:32 And the Holy Spirit was working on my heart. 41:34 I remember I was working 70 hours a week. 41:37 Wow. 41:39 And I got a call from my mom 41:40 and she invited me to come out to 3ABN. 41:43 She was looking for an assistant 41:45 and she had been praying for me. 41:47 And I happened to be at a place in my life 41:50 where I was feeling so empty because there was a void 41:54 that I knew from my upbringing that only Christ could fill. 41:59 And so I came out to 3ABN, checked it out. 42:01 And pop, for our viewing audience and listeners, 42:05 Danny Shelton, who said that, you know, 42:08 "If you leave this place and you can't get it out 42:09 of your mind, then perhaps this is where God 42:11 would have you to be." 42:13 I went back to that 70-hour week job 42:15 and all I kept thinking about was 3ABN. 42:18 And I was like, you know what? 42:19 I got to turn in my resignation. 42:20 This is not... 42:22 This life of sin is not working for me. 42:24 I got to go accept life. 42:26 Praise the Lord. And I'm so glad. 42:28 Things are so much better on the side 42:31 of Christ than on the side of the world. 42:33 Amen. 42:34 You know, something that I thought about 42:36 when you was telling that story is the story 42:37 of the prodigal son. 42:38 Yes. 42:40 Those of us who are familiar with that, 42:41 the viewers that are familiar with that. 42:42 Luke chapter... 42:44 I think that the prodigal son didn't mean to go 42:47 where he went. 42:48 You said you hit bottom. Yes. 42:49 You know, you don't plan that. Right. 42:51 You don't plan to hit bottom. That's all right. 42:53 You know, but one day you wake up and you say, 42:55 "I don't know how I even got here." 42:57 That's right. 42:58 I don't remember making those choices. 42:59 But again, you make the choices 43:01 and there's consequences to our choices. 43:03 And one day, you hit bottom 43:05 without planning on being there. 43:07 At that point, the prodigal son began to look back. 43:10 He looked back at his father's home and he said, 43:12 "Well, I had it made in my father's house." 43:15 Yes. You know. 43:16 That's right. And he said, "Now look at me. 43:17 I'm here feeding the swine. 43:19 You know, I'm in the pig pen." Yeah. 43:21 That's basically where you are when you hit bottom. 43:23 You're basically living 43:25 the life of living in the pig pen 43:27 instead of in the shepherd's fold. 43:29 Yes. 43:30 So you look back then and you say, 43:32 "You know, only thing I can do is go back 43:35 to my father and go back to his house 43:38 and see if he will accept me." 43:40 His arms are wide open. 43:41 And, of course, we know that he did. 43:43 It says that the father ran to meet his son 43:45 whenever he saw him coming. That's right. 43:47 And then they had a great celebration 43:48 because the son was home. 43:50 Yeah. 43:51 That's the way He looks at each one of us 43:52 when we stray and return. 43:54 So there's nobody out there 43:55 who can say I've been too bad. 43:57 There's no such thing as being too bad, too old, 43:59 too young, nothing, you know? 44:01 Yes. 44:02 Return to the father's house 44:03 and He will take you back instantly. 44:05 Amen. Amen. 44:06 I just want to thank the Lord for the forgiveness of sin. 44:09 You know, 44:11 I've had times of meditations. 44:14 And you know when you are praying 44:17 and asking the Lord to reveal to you, 44:19 you know, anything that you have not repented of, 44:24 He will reveal it to you 44:25 and you will feel so elated. 44:30 I mean, 44:32 so filled because the Lord has brought this to your mind 44:36 and you have an opportunity to repent from your sin. 44:41 And I tell you what? 44:42 You feel it in your veins, 44:44 you feel it from your head to your toes 44:47 as you are praying, confessing. 44:49 And the Lord is so merciful 44:52 and to forgive you from your sins. 44:55 So I just want to tell you that if you are thinking, 45:01 you know, the Lord will not forgive my sins. 45:04 The Lord will forgive you your sins. 45:06 If you do not remember your sin, 45:08 ask the Lord to remind you. 45:10 So there's nothing between you and His throne, 45:13 you know, and Him. 45:15 So that way, you can walk with your face high, 45:19 your chin up high, because you know 45:21 you have been forgiven and you are clean. 45:24 Your sins will be tossed in the deepest part 45:28 of the ocean, right? 45:29 Yes. 45:30 Idalia, while you were saying that it made me think 45:32 of when you pray that prayer 45:33 of bringing up what I need. 45:35 Yes. Bring back what I need to repent of. 45:38 And my first thought went to... 45:40 And be as gentle as you can about it. 45:43 And He will, that's the thing. Praise the Lord. 45:45 Whenever He does bring those to your mind, 45:47 He's not bringing them with a big club 45:49 to hit you over the head. 45:50 That's right. That's right. 45:51 He's bringing to you with that agape love. 45:53 With that loving-kindness. 45:54 That loving-kindness that He has drawn you with. 45:56 Yes. 45:57 So He will be as gentle as He possibly can 45:58 and still get through to you. 46:00 Yes. Absolutely. 46:01 You know, I just want to encourage all because, 46:04 you know, we human beings remember 46:06 what you did or what not. 46:10 And the Lord chooses 46:14 and He has promise. 46:15 He... 46:17 It is forgiven us as if nothing has ever happened. 46:20 Yes. 46:21 So shame on us that when the Lord 46:24 is transforming someone's life, 46:27 if we do not encourage that person in domination 46:31 and the love of Christ, 46:33 to have that kindness towards them. 46:37 It's not the same as Christ, because Christ is perfect love, 46:41 you know, agape love. 46:43 But we need to ask Christians as brothers and sisters, 46:47 to lift and encourage those that are growing, 46:50 that are having their transformation in their lives. 46:53 Amen. So that we are not a stone... 46:57 Stumbling block. Yes. 46:59 Absolutely. 47:01 You look like you got something on your mind, 47:02 John, didn't you? 47:03 Well, I was thinking, you know, that... 47:06 Something Idalia said made me think about this 47:08 because we do have an enemy and the enemy, 47:13 you know, sometimes the enemy is us. 47:15 Yes. 47:17 Because Ronnie mentioned this earlier 47:19 that there's something in us that draws us to sin. 47:23 But Jesus... 47:25 When Jesus comes in, 47:26 He begins to change that so that we are not drawn 47:28 to sin, but drawn to goodness. 47:30 Yes. And so... 47:32 But we have to remember that the devil 47:34 is as a roaring lion seeking who he made devour. 47:36 Yes. 47:38 And he knows because he keeps a list of what you've done. 47:41 And even though you've been forgiven, 47:43 he may take out that list and say, "Hey." 47:45 All of a sudden. I remember that. 47:47 Especially when you asked for it, huh? 47:50 You did this. 47:52 And he looks through his list. 47:53 And you did this. 47:55 You don't deserve God's goodness. 47:56 You don't deserve His mercy. 47:58 But you see, 48:00 just as I may have words on this side, 48:02 you know, God wipes that record clean 48:05 because the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us 48:08 completely from sin. 48:09 Amen. 48:10 And whatever list the devil has, you know. 48:13 Because of Jesus, we have been forgiven 48:15 and we have to remember 48:17 that we are accepted by the Lord 48:19 because of Jesus Christ. 48:21 Amen. 48:22 And this is why when, you know, when you have that scripture 48:24 that you read earlier, 2 Corinthians 5:21. 48:28 Yes. 48:29 "For He made Him, that is Jesus, 48:32 who knew no sin 48:34 to be sin for us," 48:38 notice, "that we might become the righteousness 48:42 of God in Him. 48:44 What an exchange. Amen. 48:46 A life of sin completely forgiven, 48:51 and you get the full righteousness 48:53 of Christ given to you. 48:54 Yes. 48:56 You know, Johnny, when we add to that picture, 48:58 we say, well, why does that have to take place? 49:00 Because the law demands justice. 49:03 That's right. That's right. 49:04 And Jesus says, the Bible teaches us that the blood 49:09 of Christ takes away our sins. 49:11 So there has to be bloodshed. 49:13 That's right. 49:15 So what he says is, "I will shed my blood for you." 49:17 Yes. And that's how you get His righteousness. 49:19 Yeah, and you think what a trade is that? 49:21 He takes my sins and I take His righteousness. 49:24 Wow, what a God. 49:26 We get all the benefits. Yes. 49:27 And, of course, He didn't benefit from dying for us 49:30 except that it says that for the joy... 49:32 It says in Hebrew. This is a marvelous scripture. 49:34 In Hebrews Chapter 12, I believe it is. 49:37 It says, "For the joy that was set before him 49:41 He endured the cross." 49:42 Yes. What joy? 49:44 What was the joy? The suffering? 49:46 No. 49:47 The joy of you, you accepting 49:51 His sacrifice in your behalf. 49:54 That was His joy. 49:55 And it really speaks to the fact 49:57 that we can't work our way into heaven. 49:59 Ephesians 2:8-9, 50:01 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, 50:05 and that not of yourselves. 50:08 It is the gift of God, not of works, 50:11 lest anyone should boast." 50:15 So we can't work our way into heaven. 50:18 That's right. I was thinking about that. 50:19 I preached last week over at Marion Church, 50:21 and this was my focus text, right here. 50:24 Wow. 50:26 And I said all the way through this, 50:28 and I was speaking to Dave Turner that we all know. 50:31 I was working with him yesterday and he kept saying, 50:33 "You know, Ronnie kept telling me at church last week 50:36 I can't do any good work. 50:37 I can't do no good works, he said." 50:39 You know, I said, "I don't know 50:40 why 3ABN's kept you around for 28 years 50:42 if you couldn't do some good work, 50:44 you know." 50:45 But spiritually, we can't do good work, you know. 50:48 As Isaiah 64:6 says all of our works, 50:53 all of them, no matter how good we think they are, 50:56 are as filthy rags. 50:58 And anytime that we mix in our works 51:02 with the equation of salvation, 51:04 we've polluted the whole principle of the thing. 51:07 Yes, that's true. 51:09 You know, you alluded... 51:10 You were heading in that direction about this. 51:12 You know, the Lord... 51:14 If you're not doing sin, what are you doing? 51:17 You're going to be doing righteousness by the grace 51:20 of the Lord. 51:21 Yes. 51:23 And it says in Psalm 119 verse like 164 51:27 or something around there. 51:28 He says, 51:29 "All of your commandments are righteousness." 51:32 So doing God's commandments is doing righteousness 51:37 through the grace of Christ. 51:38 Does that earn you entrance into heaven? 51:41 No. Because you just said it. 51:44 By grace are we saved through faith 51:47 and that not of ourselves. 51:48 It is the gift of God. 51:49 So it's a gift from God. 51:52 But after we see that we have been drawn 51:56 to the Lord with His loving-kindness 51:58 and we realize that Jesus died on the cross for us, 52:01 and a love for the Lord 52:05 awakens in our heart for Him. 52:07 And Jesus says to us, 52:09 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 52:12 Yes. 52:13 In John 14:15, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 52:17 Why? 52:18 Because if you're walking in His commandments, 52:20 you're not doing harm to yourself, 52:22 you're not doing harm to others. 52:23 Yes. 52:25 You are loving the Lord 52:26 and loving your neighbor as yourself. 52:28 Let me ask you this question. 52:29 And why do you treat Idalia so good? 52:32 Why do you do the things like, 52:34 let's say your wedding vows, for example. 52:35 Like, why do you carry those out? 52:38 Why didn't you ask me? I treat him good. 52:43 You know, you look at that and... 52:46 I love her. Yes. 52:48 And she loves you. Yes. 52:51 And you want to find more reasons to show your love. 52:55 Yes. 52:56 And to, you say, well, I wish I could treat her better 52:58 than I do. 53:00 But why? It's because of love. 53:02 Because of love. 53:04 And so you've established that relationship. 53:07 And how did you establish that relationship together? 53:10 I will let her speak this time. 53:14 Wise man, wise man. 53:16 By spending time together. Yes. 53:19 I mean, it's been since 1994 that we've been married. 53:22 Wow. 53:23 So you know, it's been a long time. 53:28 And it's been with its highs and its lows and of challenges. 53:34 But love overall, it conquers all. 53:38 So you spent time together. Spent time. 53:40 So if we want to... 53:42 We grow closer to the Lord we spend time in His Word. 53:45 We learn what He likes. Yes. 53:47 And we get drawn towards what He likes 53:51 and we dislike what He doesn't like. 53:52 By beholding we become changed. Absolutely. 53:55 Yes, yes. Absolutely. 53:56 That's powerful. 53:57 You know, I want to jump down 53:59 to this verse here because people 54:01 that are searching, they need to hear this. 54:03 This is Isaiah 55:6-7. 54:06 "Seek the Lord while He may be found. 54:10 Call upon Him while He is near. 54:13 Let the wicked forsake his way, 54:15 and the unrighteous man his thought. 54:18 Let him return to the Lord. 54:20 So if you've gone astray, return to the Lord 54:24 and He will have mercy on him. 54:27 And to our God, 54:28 for He will abundantly pardon." 54:32 Amen. Powerful, pastor. 54:33 Praise the Lord for His pardon. 54:37 Absolutely. 54:38 I mean, we'd be in a world of trouble 54:40 if we didn't have it. 54:41 You know, it's interesting as you look at the beginning 54:44 and when you look at Genesis 54:46 and you see that Adam and Eve were tempted with appetite, 54:49 and then Jesus in the wilderness 54:50 was tempted with appetite. 54:52 And then what do you think we're going to be tempted 54:54 with as human beings? 54:55 We're tempted with our appetite, 54:57 our passions, our desires, our, you know, 54:59 the things that we want that we shouldn't. 55:03 We're tempted with those things. 55:05 But here's the beautiful thing, 55:07 is that the devil can't make us sin. 55:10 He can't make us yield to temptation. 55:12 He can present the temptation and he does, 55:15 but he can't make us yield. 55:17 And where there is temptation, the Lord provides 55:19 a way of escape. 55:21 Amen. Which is absolutely incredible. 55:24 Praise God. Praise God. 55:26 Hallelujah. 55:27 Thank you, Jesus. 55:28 You know, the natures that we have... 55:30 Of course, I said earlier 55:31 we are born with a carnal nature. 55:32 That's the nature that sins. Yes. 55:35 But God offers us an eternal nature, a spiritual nature. 55:40 And whichever one we feed, 55:42 that's the one that's going to grow. 55:43 That's true. That's right. 55:45 That's right. 55:46 We feed the spiritual nature and that's the nature 55:48 that will grow. 55:49 Yes. Amen. 55:51 And that's what we need to be feeding. 55:52 1 John 3:7-9 says, 55:55 "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, 55:59 we have fellowship with one another, 56:01 and the blood of Jesus Christ 56:03 His son cleanses us from all sin. 56:06 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, 56:10 and the truth is not in us. 56:12 If we confess our sins, 56:14 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 56:18 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 56:22 So we have to recognize our state. 56:24 We have to recognize the state that we're in 56:27 and recognize our need for a savior. 56:30 And that savior is Jesus Christ. 56:32 Yes. Amen. 56:34 Well, I'm the first one to recognize it 56:36 and acknowledge I need Jesus in my life. 56:39 Amen. Amen. 56:41 Well, I praise the Lord 56:42 that salvation is by grace, 56:48 through faith in our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. 56:51 And we all have the opportunity of having 56:53 salvation through Jesus. 56:54 Amen. That it is a free gift, by the way. 56:58 You can't buy it, you know... It's been paid. 57:01 You just accept it by faith. 57:03 Ask for it and He promises to provide it, 57:06 to give it to us by faith. 57:07 Praise the Lord. Amen. 57:08 I'm so thankful for that. 57:10 And you know, I'm glad that we can't pay for it. 57:13 You can't put a price on that. 57:15 We'd in trouble, wouldn't we, if we had to pay for it? 57:16 We would be in a world of trouble. 57:18 That's right. Yes, absolutely. 57:19 Thank you so much for... Thank you, Jason. 57:21 What you all have contributed here 57:23 and with this study. 57:24 And I'm so thankful for Jesus. 57:26 And I hope that you are thankful for Jesus too. 57:29 If you haven't given Him a chance, 57:30 give Him a chance. 57:32 Your life won't be the same. 57:33 God bless. Amen. |
Revised 2021-12-09