S1: Coming to you from the Morning Star Mission sponsored studio.
S1: This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio. It's freedom Friday.
S2: Rise and shine. Everybody get a cup of coffee or tea,
S2: whatever it takes. But let's get rolling. So we've been
S2: talking faith and culture all week, Ali, and this has
S2: been some of the best content I man, I can't
S2: keep doing that.
S3: I can't keep. I love it. I was going to
S3: say if I had a dollar for every time we
S3: set a new record. This has been my favorite week
S3: of all time next week. Hey, hey, I have some.
S2: I have something in common with Jesus. We both use hyperbole.
S3: Can I blame.
S2: It on Jesus? Can I blame it on Jesus? He
S2: used hyperbole. Can I use hyperbole?
S4: Uh, you know what? I'll allow.
S3: It. Of course.
S4: You can.
S3: No.
S2: No, I'm stretching a christocentric theology there. That he used
S2: hyperbole for the purpose of describing things that were innately truthful,
S2: but in mine is not innately truthful because you can't
S2: keep raising the bar.
S3: It's okay though. I'm with you though. I really have
S3: enjoyed our conversations this week.
S2: It's been epic. All right, I want to break down
S2: a Christian worldview. I've jotted down four things that are
S2: characteristic of a Christian worldview. Now, let's. Okay. Christian worldview.
S2: Let's be more accurate. Biblical worldview.
S3: Okay.
S2: Because you can get a little mushy on that one.
S2: God is creator and sovereign Lord. Humanity has fallen, but
S2: redeemable still. Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation,
S2: and a life of faith leads to transformation and purpose.
S2: Those are just a tried to crunch it down to four.
S2: That's four. Okay. So if that's a worldview, here's my
S2: concern with this. And I've been noodling on it all night.
S2: Literally woke up in the middle of the night going
S2: home because I've been wrestling this week in a good way,
S2: not wrestling against God. But like, we've been going down
S2: a path together and Jesus has had his arm around
S2: my neck going. Listen up, kid. We're still growing up here.
S2: But here's the cool thing about this I am convinced
S2: that we have so made Christianity transactional and not transformational
S2: in our culture today, that this can just become a
S2: list that people can ascend to, but never experience it.
S2: That's a problem, man. We got our guest groaning in
S2: the studio here, which is a great sign.
S3: Yeah, he's in agreement with you.
S5: You can't see this online, but I am. Thumbs up,
S5: I am nodding. I am getting very excited right now.
S3: Yeah.
S2: So let's bring you in here, Peter Worrell. Ali, give
S2: the bio on this. He's more than a groaner.
S3: And a firmer. He is a moody professor. He's an
S3: associate professor here at Moody Bible Institute. Professor of educational ministry.
S3: We brought him in to talk about faith and culture
S3: because he actually teaches a class here on faith and learning.
S3: So when he heard that this was our theme this week,
S3: he popped in the studio actually and said, hey guys,
S3: can we talk about this? Yeah. So yeah, he's he's
S3: giving you lots of affirmation this morning.
S2: Yeah. And what's really cool about Peter Worrell and we're
S2: going to, by the way, load up a link, because
S2: by the time we're done with them this half hour,
S2: we're going to want to tell people how they can
S2: come learn from guys like this. Seriously, it's a cool thing.
S2: I mean, Peter's alive in Jesus, but that whole transaction,
S2: you know, versus transformational it Peter, that that can be
S2: a problem. And I wonder if, in fact, that's what
S2: happened with a lot of our kids growing up in
S2: the church for a long, long time is that they
S2: had a transaction mentally, but not a transformation. What do.
S5: You say? Oh, I've been thinking about this, actually. Um,
S5: just the the transactional nature of, oh, we speak at
S5: camps and at the camp. We build up to a
S5: Thursday night, and on the Thursday night we lay out
S5: the gospel. But the gospel is get out of hell free.
S5: And and they're like, oh, I want to get out
S5: of hell free. And they, they say a prayer and
S5: then they think they're done and nothing changes. Nothing goes on.
S5: Whereas if a person is alienated from God, you want
S5: them to have a relationship with God. And actually a
S5: lot of things that I have conversations with kids about,
S5: a lot of things I have conversations with people about
S5: the devil also believes, and so the devil believes that
S5: Jesus is the Son of God. The devil believes that
S5: Jesus came and died, and he's very upset that he
S5: rose from the dead, and he's very upset, but he
S5: believes those things. And if it's just an idea of
S5: what do I understand, then you haven't got that relationship
S5: with Christ necessarily, because you have to have a dynamic
S5: relationship of loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul,
S5: mind and strength, and loving your neighbor as Is yourself.
S5: And that is something that actually I don't have. Now
S5: let me explain that a little bit.
S2: Okay. Yeah. Let's get some explanation here.
S5: I love God more today than I ever have, but
S5: I don't love God with everything I've got all the time, everywhere.
S5: And I'm pushing on towards that and I'm pushing deeper.
S5: And it's a relationship that keeps growing and it keeps
S5: changing and it's dynamic. And some people, they're done with
S5: something that happened when they were seven and, and they,
S5: they just don't know God. And it's knowing God where
S5: the delight is.
S4: Peter, do you mind if I jump in here for
S4: a second? I you know, as you're talking about this
S4: dynamic relationship and loving the Lord your God more every
S4: day and loving your neighbor as yourself. Well, I think
S4: of that. And I say, well, I don't do that perfectly.
S4: And and I think about the illusion of salvation that
S4: I had, you know, and so I can think of
S4: myself as a young Christian going, oh, that kind of
S4: makes me nervous. I don't love him perfectly every day.
S4: Am I? Am I saved now because I love him
S4: really well? But when I don't love him really well?
S4: Am I unsaved? You know. How does that. How does that.
S5: Work? Yeah, well, it depends who you're walking with. So
S5: who is the first person in your life who is
S5: the first person that you're following? Did you come to
S5: Jesus and say, he is my Lord and I am
S5: going to follow him, and I am going to walk
S5: with him? If he says, go to that building, I'm
S5: going to that building. If he says, go to that country,
S5: I'm going to that country. I'm submitted to him, and
S5: I live for Jesus. Yeah. And I think, you know,
S5: how we can get into just the study of Jesus
S5: and we can pass tests on Jesus. You know, I know,
S5: and I know, you know, and that's why I'm looking
S5: at you right now. Because I know, you know, because
S5: if you don't know Jesus, that's the whole crux of
S5: the gospel, because you've got this personal relationship with Jesus
S5: that just excites you and sets you on fire. And
S5: I see fewer people in America who are on fire.
S5: And the religion of Christianity, died in England a long
S5: time ago, in a sense. I mean, I've heard you
S5: talking to England people. English people. And I'm being a
S5: little bit facetious. But the thing is that if we
S5: related the Jesus that we actually know. I think people
S5: would take our hands and they would hold his hand
S5: and we would introduce them, and they would be excited
S5: and they would be actually set on fire.
S2: You know, the Spirit of God might be, as a
S2: result of our interview with Peter here, just compelling you
S2: to come to Moody, and we're going to have a
S2: link for you. And we got a we got a
S2: Carl and crew, like, little special deal going on. So
S2: we'll tell you all about that coming up here in
S2: just a moment. But I want to I've been noodling
S2: on something here, Ali. As a matter of fact, I
S2: was preaching on it once downtown campus just recently, last
S2: week downtown three weeks ago out in the burbs. And
S2: I called it three dramatic realities of authentic salvation. One
S2: is we're overwhelmed with gratitude for God's grace. I see
S2: it everywhere in Scripture. Guys, you can't avoid it. Yeah.
S2: And my concern here is that we sometimes look at
S2: the disciples story, and we almost elevate them like they
S2: are something that we can only aspire to. Right. No. What? What?
S2: That's not biblical. That's not true. No. The woman at
S2: the well, the the the tax collector, Peter. Andrew, the
S2: list goes on and on. There's something characteristically different about
S2: a life that has been transformed by God. And we
S2: live imperfectly. Yeah. But there is an underlying, even transcending personality.
S2: There's an underlying passion, then, to live with God.
S5: Yes. Well, it is undeniable. I think that part of
S5: the thing that I'm wrestling with in the culture is
S5: people don't see that they're dead without Christ. Yeah. People
S5: don't see that they have no life that's worth anything.
S5: People don't see that they come from a worthless position.
S5: And if you come to God and you bring something
S5: and it's better than me, I mean, the people here
S5: in this room, I'm. I'm sure you've lived in your
S5: 20s and been a little bit better than me. Well,
S5: if you're better than me, that doesn't mean anything than
S5: in front of God. Because God is God and He
S5: is Almighty, and he is transcendent and he is perfect. Now,
S5: if you look at the disciples, the disciples would have
S5: known what sin was and the disciples would have fallen
S5: off that, and they would have been like, I am
S5: a sinful person. And Jesus says, well, find God through me.
S5: They find God through him. And on Pentecost they get transformed.
S5: And in the book of acts, they're going out and
S5: telling everybody because they're excited, because they have access to God.
S5: They all were absolutely excited to the point that they
S5: would die for this. They would die for it because
S5: they believed it so fervently. Yeah.
S3: Peter Worrell, right now associate professor here at Moody Bible Institute,
S3: we're talking faith, learning and a whole lot of extra.
S3: We're throwing in extra this morning on Freedom Friday, which
S3: I love.
S2: So, Peter, let's boil this down. Coming up here in
S2: a few minutes, I want to boil this down to
S2: someone who's listening this morning and they say, man, I'm
S2: not overwhelmed by the gratitude of God's grace. I'm I
S2: there isn't an underlying passion for God. What do they do?
S2: It's on this Freedom Friday. It's there's a growing imperative
S2: that we feel led by the Holy Spirit, that we
S2: help draw a very clear line about transactional faith on
S2: one side of that line, and transformative faith on the
S2: other side of that line. And then even in this hour,
S2: we're going to talk about the three barriers that keep
S2: you from salvation. And then you actually know how to
S2: pray for people. It's all pretty cool. It all comes
S2: together when you look at God's Word just in an objective,
S2: humble heart. Hang on.
S1: He was running from God, but God's love brought him home.
S1: Carl is in the crew. It's Carl and crew on
S1: Moody Radio.
S2: Talking faith and culture all week. And today we're really
S2: drilling down on faith. It's freedom Friday. We've already established
S2: that transactional faith is no faith at all. Transformative faith
S2: is is what Jesus aimed at. And it's the fruit, Peter,
S2: of authentic discipleship. And I want to go back to this.
S2: It seems like we've elevated the apostles and even that
S2: early church. But if you look at the book of acts,
S2: it wasn't just a few guys that were meeting together.
S2: They were meeting home to home. I mean, leaning into
S2: God at the cost of their own lives.
S5: Oh yeah. Well, the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples
S5: and just transforms them and makes them different people. But
S5: if you see that, they're always kind of grasping. It
S5: struck me only after I studied at Moody because I
S5: studied at Moody, too. The transformational nature of what went
S5: on with the disciples. Because you've got people like Levi,
S5: the tax collector. He's swindling people. He's trying to make
S5: a buck, and he's he's trying. And then he just
S5: leaves it all, and he starts to follow Jesus and
S5: he starts to see what's Jesus about. Where's Jesus going?
S5: And he knows the person of Jesus. And then the
S5: Holy Spirit fills him. And you see, in the New Testament,
S5: Peter can't stop speaking about Jesus. Paul can't stop speaking
S5: about Jesus. They're absolutely transformed because the Holy Spirit sets
S5: people on fire. And it's the fire that I want
S5: to see in a student's eyes. So when I'm at
S5: Moody and I'm teaching, I look around and there's some
S5: students who are just, you know, I got up, I
S5: got to your class, leave me alone. But there are
S5: many students who that fire begins to really catch. And
S5: I get so excited with them. And we have conversations
S5: and we're wrestling with things. And we actually took the
S5: article that you were talking about earlier this week from
S5: Arizona Christian, and because you were talking about it on
S5: the radio, I used it to introduce my class and
S5: they were talking about it and they were wrestling with it.
S5: And it's the fire that you see in the in
S5: the students because they want to know Jesus. It's about
S5: knowing a person, not just a concept. It's about knowing
S5: a person relationally. And I get excited about that.
S3: You know, when you talk about the fire, a lot
S3: of times people start to really look at what do
S3: I feel? Do I do I feel like I love
S3: Jesus today? Do I feel that fire? What do we
S3: what do you advise for the student who takes a
S3: lot of Bible classes, or for our listener who maybe
S3: listens to a lot of Christian radio and podcasts and
S3: takes in sermons and starts to wonder. I don't I
S3: don't know if I feel the right things.
S5: Yes, well, actually, it's what you think that leads to
S5: what you feel. So in our society, we've got things
S5: backwards and we think, well, when I feel different, I'll
S5: think different. But actually when you study scripture. Yeah. Things,
S5: things will leap off the page and you'll know something
S5: different and it'll excite you. And you've got to tell
S5: somebody else. My wife also teaches here, so I love
S5: to tell her. She loves to tell me things. We
S5: go back and forth and we get excited. So yes,
S5: being emotionally turned on to God is a thing, but
S5: it often comes through thinking different thoughts about God. So
S5: you have to be disciplined and you have to think
S5: and you have to wrestle. And when you wrestle, you
S5: get to know God. And when you know God, he
S5: sets you on fire. I mean, I think there's something
S5: about a fire resting over the heads of the the
S5: early Christians in the New Testament in acts because they
S5: they were set on fire by the God who they loved,
S5: and they began to serve him. But they knew so
S5: many things that they learned with Jesus, and then they
S5: were set on fire. So it's the knowledge first.
S2: So, Peter, these four little anchors, I just whittled it
S2: down to these God is the creator and sovereign Lord.
S2: Humanity is fallen but redeemable. Jesus Christ is the only
S2: way to salvation. A life of faith leads to transformation
S2: and purpose. We need to think deeply enough where those
S2: thoughts turn into what?
S5: Well, you're thinking about them, and they can be on
S5: a test and and you could pass them on a
S5: test and then you'd be cold. But there's something about
S5: the God who in in inhabits those ideas. Yes, God
S5: inhabits those ideas. And when you study them, you have
S5: to think, okay, how do I get to know the
S5: personal God who gave me this gift? How do I
S5: get to know the personal God who's running with me
S5: and walking with me and leading me on? And this
S5: is the importance of Jesus because Jesus shows us in
S5: Scripture what this God is like as a person and
S5: what he's like. Because the concept of God in the
S5: Old Testament is good and it's right, but it's God
S5: the Father, largely, and it's God the Father transcending reality.
S5: And you need to obey him and walk with him,
S5: and that is good. But the excitement that comes through God,
S5: the the Son and God the Holy Spirit, the Trinitarian
S5: view of of the Godhead, it actually sets us on fire.
S5: And that's what I'm saying. It's a relational thing that
S5: inhabits them.
S3: We've got Peter Worrell with us right now, associate professor
S3: here at Moody Bible Institute. So when you see a
S3: student and you notice that they are taking in the information.
S3: They're going to class, they're showing up, but you don't
S3: see that fire. They're passing the test. What do you
S3: do as a professor? I'm curious. Do you? I mean,
S3: give us a window into when you see a student. And,
S3: you know, I know Jonathan was a student here, and
S3: he can relate to this when you when you observe
S3: that happening in a student that you have enough of
S3: a relationship with, that you feel like you can have
S3: a conversation. Yes. What do you what do you do?
S5: Well, I don't always have enough of a relationship because
S5: it's a class scenario, sure. But what happens is I'll
S5: see people discussing and some students just 1 or 2
S5: in the class though. So it's a class of 35 students,
S5: and there may be 1 or 2 who are done
S5: with the discussion early because they want to get it done.
S5: And I'll just move over and I'll say, so what
S5: are you thinking then? Oh, well, I think this, this, this.
S5: But do you, you know, are you thinking in a
S5: relational sense, are you actually moving towards God? One of
S5: the things that really sets me on fire is the
S5: other side of the coin, where you have students who
S5: the spark catches and they begin to be enthusiastic. I
S5: get to meet them for lunch, I get to I
S5: have the students round to my house. I, I have
S5: those kinds of things going on which are relational. Can't
S5: force a relationship on people, right? But when I say
S5: I'm following Jesus. So come and follow and walk with
S5: me as I follow Jesus. It's not a it's not
S5: a case of following me. It's a case of following me,
S5: following Jesus. And they will have conversations with me, and
S5: we will get excited about Jesus, and we will find
S5: that we're up until late at night talking about Jesus.
S5: But you've got to try to set it on fire.
S5: And so in the classroom, I'll just move alongside somebody
S5: and say, so what are you thinking? How's it going?
S5: What are you thinking about?
S2: You know, I feel compelled here that there is someone
S2: listening and maybe far more than one, because Jonathan's story,
S2: the short of it is he was at Moody Bible
S2: Institute and he was passing tests with pretty good grades,
S2: but he wasn't born again. And that isn't a one off, folks,
S2: to be overwhelmed with God's gratitude, or the gratitude that
S2: you can have in his grace to be imperfect, but
S2: have a deep seated passion for God. If that's absent,
S2: could the Holy Spirit be calling you to follow Jesus
S2: today for the very first time? And the answer is absolutely. Amen.
S2: And I just want to appeal to you right now
S2: to surrender your life to Jesus. The Apostle Paul said,
S2: I beg you, be reconciled to God. And why would
S2: he urge that? Because he's urging people to get over
S2: the speed bump of religiosity and pride and self-will, and
S2: the Holy Spirit can use our time this morning to
S2: convict you and to compel you to surrender your life
S2: to Jesus today. And I want to ask you, have
S2: you been stuck in a transactional relationship with God? But
S2: the Holy Spirit right now has revealed you need transformation.
S2: I want you to just take a moment. If you're
S2: at home or driving, you can do this. I want
S2: you to bow your heart with me. I want you
S2: to bow your heart. Heads are optional, but I want
S2: you to receive Jesus today. So let me tell you
S2: what we find in Scripture. There needs to be a
S2: full throated confession and agreement with God that you're a
S2: sinner who needs a Savior. That God is sovereign over
S2: all things. That Jesus is the only way to not
S2: only eternal life, but life abundant today. And that he
S2: alone can change you in this new relationship with God.
S2: And if you're willing to confess with your mouth, speak
S2: it out. I'm a sinner. Say it right now. Wherever
S2: you are. I'm a sinner. I need a savior today.
S2: I don't want to have a transactional faith with God
S2: any longer. Today, for the first time in my life,
S2: I'm feeling the embrace and the love of Jesus Christ.
S2: I'm feeling the tug of the Holy Spirit dragging me
S2: across this threshold of pride and religiosity and self-will. And
S2: today I'm following Christ, which means that you repent. You
S2: turn around, away from all of your thinking into a
S2: relationship with Jesus. And if that's you today, your heart
S2: has cried the most honest prayer to God. The most
S2: honest prayer. And I want you to get your phone ready.
S2: I'm going to pray for you right now, but Ali
S2: is going to give you a link here in just
S2: a moment. I know we're blowing through news and everything,
S2: and I don't much care because this is most important. Yes,
S2: but today I want you to know that we are
S2: going to help you take your first steps with Jesus.
S2: I want to appeal to you, friend. Don't let the
S2: pride of your religiosity in your behavior and your comparison
S2: hold you back from life eternal and life today. So
S2: let me pray with you. Let's codify this with the
S2: Lord Jesus. Today I confess to you you are the
S2: Savior of the world and I needed it. Just tell
S2: him that I needed it. I thank you that you
S2: saw my sin And all my flaws. But you haven't
S2: rejected me. You've embraced me. So I come to you
S2: today for the first time authentically in my life. Moving
S2: past transaction into transformation. Today I surrender my life to
S2: you fully. Completely. Nothing held back. And Lord, I pray
S2: over this person right now who is turning around, surrendering
S2: all to Jesus Christ. That your love would wash over
S2: them in ways that would be. Inestimable. That you, Lord,
S2: would show them this whole new world. You've done it
S2: right now you're doing it, Lord. And I give you
S2: praise in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Ali, just from your heart.
S2: We want to help them, don't we?
S3: We do. We have something that we've put together. It's
S3: a resource just for you. Those of you who are
S3: accepting Jesus, you are turning and going a new direction
S3: with him. Just text the word new to 800 555 7898.
S3: Text new to 805 557898. You're going to get from
S3: us an auto reply that's going to have a link
S3: with some hyperlinks embedded. Go through it carefully. It's going
S3: to coach you up on what do I look for
S3: in a church if you don't already have one? What
S3: kind of Bible should I be reading? Is there a
S3: translation that I should look for? We also an opportunity
S3: to get a resource from us sent directly to your
S3: house that's going to help and encourage you. So if
S3: today that's you, just text new to (800) 555-7898 new new
S3: to 800 555 7898.
S1: Romans eight brought her to Jesus while broadcasting traffic overnight.
S1: Super die is in the crew. It's Carl and crew
S1: on Moody Radio.
S2: You know, I made a promise, Sally, that we would
S2: get a link out so that people can know. How
S2: in the world could we get schooled and under the
S2: tutelage of people like Peter Worrell. And boy, have we
S2: got a deal for you. Boom crew.
S3: We do. If you've ever considered Moody Bible Institute for yourself,
S3: or maybe for a loved one in your family who
S3: wants to go back to school or a first time
S3: college student, we've got some great perks for you. We've
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S3: Doctor Jim Coakley, doctor Winifred Neeley, we've got so many
S3: great professors that are regulars on our show. You could
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S2: Yeah, that's a sweet thing. So really spread the word.
S2: And as Ali said, it might be you. It might
S2: be a student, it could be a grandkid. And you go,
S2: I want you to check this out. You don't know
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S2: So Tex Moody to 800 555 7898. Get the secret
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S3: Secret. We're sharing it pretty liberally.
S4: On the radio.
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S2: Yeah, I love it. Oh my goodness. Okay. Tex Moody
S2: 805 five five 7898. Coming up, we're going to talk
S2: about the three barriers, the three barriers that keep us
S2: away from authentic salvation.
S1: He was sharing the gospel on the radio and then
S1: he got saved. Young thunders in the crew. It's Carl
S1: and crew on Moody Radio.
S2: I was blown away when we were talking with Peter Worrell.
S2: We had a lot of just inadvertent boom show cast
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S2: So if we take three dramatic realities of authentic salvation,
S2: which are we're overwhelmed with gratitude for God's grace. We
S2: live imperfectly. But there's an underlying passion for God. And
S2: by the way, one that we hadn't even hit this
S2: morning because we got sometimes too much content here. But
S2: let me just lay it out right now. We care
S2: for people's souls more than their behaviors. That's a big one,
S2: by the way.
S4: When you a gigantic one.
S6: Yeah, we need that on a shirt.
S2: Yeah. I mean, because and this is most lethal with parents. Okay.
S2: You you want your kids so much to know God and. Right.
S2: I mean, come on, if you've been born again, you
S2: want your kids to know God. Yes. They're pretty quick.
S2: You'll start looking for behaviors to validate.
S7: Your.
S2: Passion. Yeah, and that can be tough. So yes, Jesus
S2: is clear, by the way, a lot of people say
S2: we're not called to be fruit inspectors. I couldn't disagree more.
S2: We actually are called to be fruit inspectors.
S3: What do you mean by that? Someone who's hearing that
S3: for the first time?
S2: Well, that's that's a common term from ages ago. I
S2: remember probably 30 years ago, people were saying, we're not
S2: called to be fruit inspectors. I would say a tweak
S2: on that. We're not called to be fruit scrutinizers. But
S2: Jesus himself said, you can tell. You can tell what
S2: a tree is because a good a good tree cannot
S2: bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
S2: So we and we see the fruit of the spirit
S2: in Galatians five. In fact, we're supposed to be looking
S2: at our own lives, going, oh wow, I got deeds
S2: of the flesh coming off my branches, not fruit of
S2: the spirit. I need to abide in my relationship with
S2: Jesus more and let the Holy Spirit flow through me.
S2: So we don't want to. I would say this you
S2: do want to be able to look at your children's behavior,
S2: but not through the lens of scrutiny for judgment, and
S2: especially not for the purpose of finding validation for yourself.
S2: That's where it gets kind of sticky. You're looking for
S2: evidence that my kids. Okay. A greater prayer is God,
S2: give me evidence that their souls okay. Not that they're okay. Yes.
S2: I tell parents this all the time. Don't pray that
S2: your kids get back in church. Pray that they get
S2: in Christ and that they can't stay away from church
S2: because it darkened. The door of a church might be good,
S2: but it might not.
S4: Yeah, there there are things that and I think that's
S4: where we need to understand what fruits of the spirit
S4: are nowhere in, in the Scripture does it say that
S4: a fruit of the spirit is church attendance, you know,
S4: and and so we can't say that that church attendance
S4: is this is this clear indication that that our kids
S4: know God but love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
S4: self-control those things show that's a fruit of the spirit.
S4: My kid knows Jesus because I see what God's doing
S4: in them through those things, not through church attendance. Or
S4: they went on a ministry trip last summer or those
S4: kinds of things.
S2: Yeah, and that's tough to hear. But here's here's what
S2: I'm saying. I know you love your kids enough that
S2: you want to pray rightly for them, and I know
S2: that about you and grandkids, I know that. I mean,
S2: I was talking with Howie Rosin, 95 years old, my uncle,
S2: he's in Clovis, California, in an assisted living home. I said,
S2: how are you doing, Howie? For 95? Carl ain't doing
S2: too bad. I'm actually doing pretty well. Pretty well here.
S2: I love.
S6: That answer. Wow.
S2: But he's, you know, one of his greatest joys. He said,
S2: my son is finally following Jesus Christ. I said, how'd
S2: that happen? He said the prayers of my bride that
S2: went home to be with the Lord. My aunt Barb, um,
S2: two years ago. He said her prayers got him around
S2: the corner. He said, I know it. Said I'd hear
S2: Barb praying morning, noon and night for our boy. Isn't
S2: that cool?
S6: That's emotional, man. That's emotional.
S2: So here's I'm going to coming up here. Do we
S2: have time for this, guys? Yeah. Yeah, we got time.
S2: We'll cram it in. Uh, three. The three barriers of salvation.
S2: When you hear these biblical barriers, then these biblical barriers,
S2: then you will know how to pray rightly. This is
S2: just right from the word. Hang on.
S1: She was trying to earn her way to God, but
S1: God showed her she didn't have to. Ali is in
S1: the crew. It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio.
S2: Great thing about God's Word is that it is so clear.
S2: And I want to give you the three barriers to
S2: salvation as I see it through Scripture. I'm not saying
S2: it's absolutely limited to these, but these are three big
S2: buckets that are barriers to salvation that are explicit in Scripture.
S2: And if you understand these barriers, then you can pray rightly.
S2: And that's the cool thing, right, Ali? Because we go
S2: to God for this anyway.
S3: It's not us changing ourselves or anyone else.
S2: Oh, and praise God for that. If this is on me,
S2: we're toast.
S4: Yeah.
S2: Toast. Terrific, man. It ain't going to change diddly. Okay.
S2: The three barriers to salvation. Number one rebellion. Now, this
S2: is going to surprise you. Romans one, check this out.
S2: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against
S2: all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their Unrighteousness.
S2: Suppress the truth, suppress the truth. For what can be
S2: known about God is plain to them, because God has
S2: shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his
S2: eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever
S2: since the creation of the world in the things that
S2: have been made. My granddaughter's little precious fingers in her eyes.
S2: Oh my goodness, there's a God. So they are without excuse.
S2: But look at verse 21. Romans 121. Always look at
S2: this verse. For although they knew God. So we sometimes ask,
S2: do you know God? Well, there's a depth of knowledge
S2: that is not going to change lives here. For they
S2: knew God, they did not honor him as God or
S2: give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking,
S2: and their foolish hearts were darkened. Rebellion is this. It's
S2: staring the truth right in front of your face. In
S2: your heart stays hard and your fist goes up in
S2: the air. In essence, your fist goes up in the
S2: air and says, I'm not going your way. Oh, and
S2: we know that. We know that happens. We've all met
S2: people that have been in rebellion and in true spiritual terms.
S2: We were all born with our backs to God, walk
S2: in our own way down this broad path, and by
S2: his grace alone, he softens those hearts. Let me go
S2: to barrier number two. It's blindness. Barrier number two is blindness.
S2: In Second Corinthians four three through four. And even if
S2: our gospel Paul writes to the Corinthian church is veiled,
S2: it is veiled to those who are perishing, in their case,
S2: the God of this world, that Satan and his demonic
S2: forces has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep
S2: them from seeing the light of the gospel of the
S2: glory of Christ, who is the image of God. And
S2: my contention here is that what Satan does is he
S2: creates spiritual light pollution that keeps us from seeing who
S2: Jesus is. He gets us so busy with this light
S2: pollution here horizontally that we can't see what's going on vertically.
S2: The third one is deception. It's out of Matthew seven.
S2: Many will say on that day. Didn't I prophesy, baptize,
S2: do mighty works in your name? And he's going to say,
S2: I never knew you. Here's how I want you to
S2: pray and think about this. Pray for those with hard
S2: hearts that they would be softened and that their fists
S2: would come down and they would receive Jesus. Pray for
S2: the blind, that the veil of darkness would be removed,
S2: and the light pollution of this world would fade away.
S2: And pray for those in deception that they would see.
S2: All the spiritual activity in the world cannot save them,
S2: but Jesus alone can. Ali, you get the final word.
S3: We put this up in a quick video on Facebook.
S3: If you want to share this. See this? See it again.
S3: Just go to Facebook. Carl and crew mornings. What are
S3: those three barriers to salvation? We've got them for you.