WEBVTT - Salvation After Addiction 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:04.360 Coming to you from the Morning Star Mission sponsored studio. 0:00:04.720 --> 0:00:08.760 This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio. I got 0:00:08.760 --> 0:00:09.760 up early this. 0:00:09.760 --> 0:00:12.000 Morning earlier than early. 0:00:12.039 --> 0:00:15.200 I was going to say, as opposed to this kind 0:00:15.200 --> 0:00:17.840 of comes with the job getting up early. 0:00:17.880 --> 0:00:20.479 Oh my goodness. I was wrestling with God. I've shared 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:23.800 my story so many times, and I was in a 0:00:23.800 --> 0:00:26.960 battle man and not really wrestling with God. I think 0:00:26.960 --> 0:00:30.040 that there was a spiritual attack afoot. In fact, young Thunder, 0:00:30.040 --> 0:00:32.600 I told him early when we came in here, I said, man, 0:00:33.120 --> 0:00:36.519 it's a battle raging and there always is. Especially if 0:00:36.520 --> 0:00:39.720 you think about the apex of the gospel of Jesus 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:41.640 Christ and what it's done in a person, there's going 0:00:41.640 --> 0:00:44.120 to be a battle there. So I pour out my 0:00:44.120 --> 0:00:47.600 heart to you today in absolute humility and asking God 0:00:47.600 --> 0:00:49.960 to use it as he would see fit. And father, 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:52.800 I'm asking you to move empower here as I just 0:00:52.800 --> 0:00:54.680 open up my heart and share with some friends that 0:00:54.680 --> 0:00:57.639 I've not even met yet. Many of them, but that 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:01.240 you would move in a powerful way In the name 0:01:01.240 --> 0:01:03.000 of Jesus, I pray. Amen. 0:01:03.040 --> 0:01:03.520 Amen. 0:01:04.240 --> 0:01:06.880 You know what, guys? I was, uh, I was raised 0:01:06.880 --> 0:01:10.520 in a far off place. I was raised in Alaska, 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:13.759 and I was born in Homer, Alaska, and I was 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:15.560 raised by a mom and dad that had me in 0:01:15.560 --> 0:01:19.520 church constantly. And they loved the Lord. My dad, just 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:24.720 a big grace guy, a big guy, big Swedish dude, man. And, uh, 0:01:24.760 --> 0:01:28.080 a great man of God. And my mom, a great 0:01:28.080 --> 0:01:30.479 woman of God. But my dad had huge impact in 0:01:30.480 --> 0:01:34.000 my life. Still resounds to this day in my heart. 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:38.840 Got a picture of him nearby here and I. I 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:41.520 did the whole deal like young Thunder. If you weren't 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:44.120 here yesterday. And here it is. Story. I mean, I 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:47.640 was raised in church and baptized as a young guy 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:51.840 and I knew all the songs, memorized verses one huge 0:01:51.840 --> 0:01:55.240 candy bars for memorizing verses, the oversized ones, man. And 0:01:55.240 --> 0:02:02.800 that was great inspiration. Um. Even as a young boy, 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:07.520 I remember wrestling with a lot of identity issues. I, 0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:10.320 I didn't suck a thumb when I was a kid. 0:02:10.320 --> 0:02:12.680 I sucked 2 or 3 fingers, looked like I sucked 0:02:12.680 --> 0:02:14.800 a fist because I had huge buck teeth hanging out 0:02:14.800 --> 0:02:18.160 the front of my face. And I had I had 0:02:18.160 --> 0:02:23.840 an electric orange hair. And that brought as a young 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:27.200 boy some insecurity. If it wasn't the fact that I 0:02:27.200 --> 0:02:29.079 was a leader and I was a fast kid and 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:32.040 sprinting and things like that use a lot of things 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:34.640 to deflect things that were going on inside my heart. 0:02:34.639 --> 0:02:38.200 But I, I didn't have, even as a young man 0:02:38.200 --> 0:02:41.400 raised in church and baptized and walked aisles, I didn't 0:02:41.400 --> 0:02:45.400 have a living, breathing, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And 0:02:45.400 --> 0:02:47.360 when you're lacking that, you go on a quest to 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:49.840 find something to fill that void. And I did, man. 0:02:52.440 --> 0:02:56.040 15 years old, I was listening to the broadcast of 0:02:56.040 --> 0:02:58.840 the finish of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. It 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:01.080 had only been going a few years at that point, 0:03:01.080 --> 0:03:03.919 but for some reason I got this cockamamie, to use 0:03:03.919 --> 0:03:06.239 my dad's word idea that I'm going to compete in 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:09.720 this thing when I turn 18. And I set my 0:03:09.720 --> 0:03:13.280 heart to it, and I began to train for two 0:03:13.280 --> 0:03:15.280 years in high school, struck a deal with the vice 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:17.639 principal at a school, high school. I was going to, 0:03:17.680 --> 0:03:19.040 he said. If you keep your grades a B, you 0:03:19.040 --> 0:03:21.120 can keep training for the Iditarod. In fact, he was 0:03:21.120 --> 0:03:22.959 all fired up. He's like, go for it, man. We'd 0:03:22.960 --> 0:03:25.519 love to have a Wasilla warrior. That was my high school. 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:27.960 We'd love to have Wasilla Warrior complete that race. That 0:03:27.960 --> 0:03:31.639 would be awesome. So I trained, came to the starting 0:03:31.639 --> 0:03:38.880 line first Saturday in March, 18 years old, and took 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:41.120 off on that race. My dad actually stopped me before 0:03:41.120 --> 0:03:44.520 I headed out and there were dog teams all around me, 0:03:44.560 --> 0:03:47.680 dogs yelping and people just getting their gear on their 0:03:47.680 --> 0:03:49.600 sleds and everything. And he said, I want to pray 0:03:49.600 --> 0:03:51.680 with you. And I'm like, oh boy, pray in front 0:03:51.680 --> 0:03:54.119 of all these tough dudes that I'm competing against. This 0:03:54.120 --> 0:03:56.040 is awkward, he said, I want to pray for you. 0:03:57.640 --> 0:03:59.720 And he prayed with me and he actually told me 0:03:59.720 --> 0:04:02.400 that day. He said, I've. I want you to know something. 0:04:02.400 --> 0:04:04.120 There's a lot of rumors about whether or not you're 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:08.040 going to make it to Nome because you're young. He said, 0:04:08.040 --> 0:04:09.840 I want you to know I already bought my ticket 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:11.960 to Nome. I'll see you when you get there. That's 0:04:11.960 --> 0:04:13.360 a powerful move of a dad. 0:04:13.680 --> 0:04:16.920 I gave you such confidence that he so believed that 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:17.920 you could do it. 0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:21.599 Yeah. It wasn't until two years after the Iditarod was 0:04:21.600 --> 0:04:24.400 over that it dawned on me I might not make it. 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:25.279 How about that? 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:27.800 You're done with it for years. You're like, oh, wait, 0:04:27.800 --> 0:04:28.880 I could have died out there. 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:31.479 Yeah. So I'm out on that race. And I saw 0:04:31.480 --> 0:04:33.760 God reach out his hand to me once in a snowstorm, 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:36.120 going from, I mean, there was every turn of the 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:40.480 Iditarod I could see, looking back, God's mercy. I was 0:04:40.480 --> 0:04:43.080 still far from God. Thought I knew him, but I 0:04:43.080 --> 0:04:48.400 didn't finished that race 21 days, eight hours, 12 minutes 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:52.240 and 32 seconds. And I had the most awesome and 0:04:52.279 --> 0:04:55.359 awful feeling. I had the elation of finishing this race 0:04:55.360 --> 0:04:59.719 in the emptiness of oh no, that didn't fill the void. 0:05:00.560 --> 0:05:03.120 And it was crushing to me. To be candid with you. 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:05.200 I've never cried about that part of the story, but 0:05:05.200 --> 0:05:09.320 I was one lonely, hurting, 18 year old kid. It's 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:12.680 a horrible feeling when you feel like everyone's looking at 0:05:12.680 --> 0:05:15.960 you going, wow, you made it to Nome. And I'm 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:21.240 saying to myself, yeah, big deal. I made it to Nome. 0:05:21.279 --> 0:05:24.960 Why am I so hollow inside? And there's some of 0:05:24.960 --> 0:05:31.120 you chasing things in life. And you're hollow inside. And 0:05:31.120 --> 0:05:33.720 you can be like me. Go to church and know 0:05:33.720 --> 0:05:37.839 verses in your hollow inside. Because you had a problem 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:39.880 like I had. And I didn't discover it for a while. 0:05:39.880 --> 0:05:43.640 I walked out onto the sea ice in Nome, Alaska. 0:05:44.200 --> 0:05:47.560 I put on my mukluks. I put on my socks, mittens, 0:05:47.600 --> 0:05:49.920 beaver hat, wolf rough, pulled it over my head and 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:54.000 walked out alone and lonely into the night. Sleep deprived 0:05:54.000 --> 0:05:57.040 but so wired. Just wondering where do I go now? 0:05:58.430 --> 0:06:02.030 And I heard the voice of God clearly calling me 0:06:02.029 --> 0:06:06.110 to himself. But I was a reckless young man, and I. 0:06:06.150 --> 0:06:10.349 I was going my own way. And for the next 0:06:10.350 --> 0:06:15.030 several years, I made a mess of my life. And 0:06:15.029 --> 0:06:16.670 I thank God that I made a mess of it, 0:06:16.670 --> 0:06:18.950 because I don't know if I'd have snapped out of 0:06:18.950 --> 0:06:21.070 it if I could have kept it under control. There's 0:06:21.070 --> 0:06:22.750 some of you that have made a mess of your life, 0:06:22.750 --> 0:06:26.430 but it's not quite messy enough for you to hear 0:06:26.430 --> 0:06:32.510 the voice of God. That's a bummer, but maybe God 0:06:32.510 --> 0:06:36.350 will use my story to help you today. It was, uh. 0:06:37.190 --> 0:06:39.070 It was crazy because I was a good kid. I 0:06:39.070 --> 0:06:41.390 was a good church kid. And now I'm finding myself 0:06:41.390 --> 0:06:45.190 in the oil field to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, making a 0:06:45.190 --> 0:06:48.029 couple thousand a week after taxes. Back in the day. 0:06:48.029 --> 0:06:51.150 That was a lot of money then and now, and 0:06:51.150 --> 0:06:53.950 I started. I just went down a path, man. I 0:06:53.990 --> 0:06:59.790 couldn't even imagine myself. I got hooked on cocaine. Bad 0:06:59.790 --> 0:07:01.430 to the point where I had a gram in one 0:07:01.430 --> 0:07:03.990 pocket and a few hundred dollars in the other everywhere 0:07:03.990 --> 0:07:07.950 I went. And it got so bad, this addiction that 0:07:07.950 --> 0:07:10.390 I wanted to fund it and not pay my own 0:07:10.390 --> 0:07:15.430 money to have to feed my habit. I found a 0:07:15.430 --> 0:07:19.550 connection in Southern California. The second little shipment. I wasn't 0:07:19.550 --> 0:07:22.870 a big dealer, but I'd cut it up and send 0:07:22.870 --> 0:07:24.790 it out to guys that were going to bars just 0:07:24.790 --> 0:07:29.270 to pay for my own addiction. And the second package 0:07:29.270 --> 0:07:31.790 I had shipped to Alaska was busted by the feds 0:07:31.790 --> 0:07:35.750 with my name on it. And sometimes when you're running 0:07:35.750 --> 0:07:38.190 from God and you might be running from God right now. 0:07:38.230 --> 0:07:44.830 And you are. You're blown away if you look back 0:07:44.870 --> 0:07:46.630 and you might look back today and go, man, I've 0:07:46.630 --> 0:07:49.030 been running from God, but he's been extending mercy to 0:07:49.030 --> 0:07:51.110 me the whole time, and God allowed me to avoid 0:07:51.110 --> 0:07:53.670 picking up that package. If I'd have picked it up, 0:07:53.670 --> 0:07:55.790 I'd have done a lot of years. 15 to 20 0:07:55.830 --> 0:08:00.390 in prison would have never met my bride. I wouldn't 0:08:00.390 --> 0:08:03.990 know the children that I have now, let alone my 0:08:03.990 --> 0:08:12.350 precious granddaughter. But God saved my soul. And let me 0:08:12.350 --> 0:08:16.070 tell you how he did it. My dad loved me 0:08:16.070 --> 0:08:19.910 so much that he knew my life was out of control, 0:08:20.110 --> 0:08:22.830 and I was out at their home, sitting on a 0:08:22.830 --> 0:08:25.550 hearth in the very house that dad and I built 0:08:25.550 --> 0:08:30.230 together when I was 16. And mom had found a 0:08:30.230 --> 0:08:33.830 money order for Western Union for thousands of dollars. And 0:08:33.830 --> 0:08:36.390 it would. It was the receipt that I had sent 0:08:36.390 --> 0:08:40.990 this drug dealer. I will leave his name out, but 0:08:40.990 --> 0:08:43.670 I had sent him some money, and they knew I 0:08:43.670 --> 0:08:52.350 wasn't buying used cars in Southern Cal. And, um, dad 0:08:52.350 --> 0:08:54.190 walked around the corner and he had tears coming down 0:08:54.190 --> 0:08:56.670 his face. I'm like, oh no, no, no. Here comes 0:08:56.670 --> 0:09:00.550 the come back to church talk. And he said, you 0:09:00.550 --> 0:09:03.550 know what? Son wrapped his arm around me. He said, 0:09:03.550 --> 0:09:05.870 I'm no longer praying. I mean, tears are flowing off 0:09:05.910 --> 0:09:09.510 of his face, man off of his chin. And he said, 0:09:09.510 --> 0:09:11.590 I'm no longer praying that you come back to church. 0:09:11.590 --> 0:09:14.710 I'm praying that you would finally have a relationship with 0:09:14.710 --> 0:09:16.950 Jesus Christ, or that God would take you out of 0:09:16.950 --> 0:09:21.710 this world because you're killing yourself anyway. And I'd seen 0:09:21.710 --> 0:09:28.110 my dad's prayers answered regularly for 20 years plus. And 0:09:28.150 --> 0:09:32.309 on that day, God, by his grace, set in motion 0:09:32.590 --> 0:09:35.190 a series of events that kicked every crutch out from 0:09:35.190 --> 0:09:42.470 under Carl, every crutch. And in one cold winter in Alaska. 0:09:42.470 --> 0:09:50.230 February 11th. Under the influence of Crown royal and cocaine. 0:09:50.990 --> 0:09:55.110 But sober as can be. Empty young man driving down 0:09:55.110 --> 0:09:57.550 a cold road I'll never forget it. I know the 0:09:57.550 --> 0:09:59.990 stretch of road when I've been back a time or two. 0:09:59.990 --> 0:10:02.309 I drive down that stretch and I almost can't make 0:10:02.309 --> 0:10:06.030 it without crying. And God just said to me, are 0:10:06.030 --> 0:10:12.390 you done yet? And on that day I said, God, 0:10:12.390 --> 0:10:18.790 I'm so done. And I drove to my big sister's home, 0:10:18.790 --> 0:10:21.190 who was just down the road and knocked on her door, 0:10:21.270 --> 0:10:24.030 and she saw me sobbing and she said, what's going on? 0:10:24.030 --> 0:10:27.110 I said. She said, what's wrong? And I said, nothing's wrong. 0:10:27.110 --> 0:10:31.230 Everything's right. Sharon, today I gave my life to Jesus Christ. 0:10:34.429 --> 0:10:37.550 And I just I want you to know because in 0:10:37.550 --> 0:10:43.830 my heart aches for people who are in the church 0:10:43.830 --> 0:10:46.630 or have been churched or are measure in their life 0:10:46.630 --> 0:10:49.470 by who knows what, but you're trying to cram something 0:10:49.470 --> 0:10:52.910 into a God shaped void, and only God belongs there. 0:10:52.910 --> 0:10:56.270 And I just if Paul did this for people in 0:10:56.270 --> 0:10:58.150 the scriptures, I'm going to do it with you. Now, 0:10:58.150 --> 0:11:00.910 I beg you, be reconciled to God. And I want 0:11:00.950 --> 0:11:04.030 to ask you one question, one question that the Spirit 0:11:04.030 --> 0:11:06.510 of God asked me. And I'm praying that the Spirit 0:11:06.510 --> 0:11:08.910 of God uses my words to speak into your heart. 0:11:08.910 --> 0:11:18.270 Are you done yet? Are you done yet? On February 11th, 0:11:18.870 --> 0:11:21.710 the power of the spirit set me free from addictions. 0:11:23.790 --> 0:11:26.189 And he put my feet on a path and a 0:11:26.190 --> 0:11:28.830 journey that I had heard about, but I had never 0:11:28.830 --> 0:11:32.950 tasted until that day. And he made me brand new. 0:11:34.150 --> 0:11:36.790 And what's amazing is, is that I'm more fired up 0:11:36.790 --> 0:11:40.350 about my faith in Jesus Christ today. If it's possible, 0:11:40.350 --> 0:11:43.790 than I was even then. Do I have battles? Oh, 0:11:43.830 --> 0:11:47.910 big ones and my perfect. Far from it. Follow me 0:11:47.910 --> 0:11:52.350 for around for a week, you'll see that. But it's 0:11:52.350 --> 0:11:56.910 the grace of God. Transform me! Oh you betcha. And 0:11:56.910 --> 0:11:58.790 I just want to ask you, are you done yet? 0:11:58.790 --> 0:12:02.270 I don't care. I don't care what your substitute God is. Today. 0:12:02.270 --> 0:12:05.670 I'm asking you, please know that you know you've been 0:12:05.670 --> 0:12:10.350 saved by the power of God. And this is how 0:12:10.710 --> 0:12:12.790 I want you to repent right now. Just cry out 0:12:12.790 --> 0:12:17.630 to God. Say I'm turning around. I'm done. I'm turning around. 0:12:17.630 --> 0:12:19.910 Today I give my life to Jesus. Today I confess 0:12:19.910 --> 0:12:22.070 to you that you are King of Kings. And I'm 0:12:22.070 --> 0:12:26.350 making you the leader of my life. And today, right now, 0:12:28.270 --> 0:12:30.589 I embrace the truth that I'm a sinner and I 0:12:30.590 --> 0:12:34.110 need a Savior. And it's a cry of the heart. 0:12:34.110 --> 0:12:35.910 I didn't pray a fancy prayer. I did what you 0:12:35.910 --> 0:12:38.110 just did right now. And if that's you, I want 0:12:38.150 --> 0:12:39.990 to help you right now. I want you to text 0:12:39.990 --> 0:12:42.750 the word new because God is making all things new 0:12:42.750 --> 0:12:45.470 for you. Today, I just want you to text the 0:12:45.470 --> 0:12:51.349 word new right now, wherever you are, to 805 five, 578, 98. 0:12:51.350 --> 0:12:54.430 Come on. I'm ready for some new brothers and sisters 0:12:54.429 --> 0:12:56.910 in Christ, come on into the family. Takes the word 0:12:56.950 --> 0:13:02.910 new to 800 555, 7898. Today is the day. Don't wait. 0:13:03.390 --> 0:13:08.070 Today is the day of your salvation. Come one, come all. 0:13:08.270 --> 0:13:14.229 Text new to 800 555 7898. 0:13:14.510 --> 0:13:18.350 He was running from God. But God's love brought him home. 0:13:18.510 --> 0:13:22.390 Carl is in the crew. It's Carl and crew on 0:13:22.429 --> 0:13:23.510 Moody Radio. 0:13:23.550 --> 0:13:27.670 Father, we're grateful for the power of your spirit that 0:13:27.710 --> 0:13:30.790 reaches in and grabs hearts and changes them. It's been 0:13:30.790 --> 0:13:34.590 an overwhelming week, and we're thankful that as we march 0:13:34.630 --> 0:13:38.390 on today, that you are. We're following Jesus and you're 0:13:38.390 --> 0:13:41.470 in front of us, and your spirit gives us the unction, 0:13:41.470 --> 0:13:43.950 the filling to keep in step with you. And I 0:13:43.950 --> 0:13:46.830 praise you for that God. We couldn't do this crazy 0:13:46.830 --> 0:13:51.270 show without you, Lord. And we're grateful for your guidance 0:13:51.270 --> 0:13:54.190 and your direction and your love. It's awesome. God and 0:13:54.190 --> 0:13:57.790 I give you thanks. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen. Amen. 0:13:57.830 --> 0:14:00.190 It's good. Good to have you guys with us today. 0:14:00.230 --> 0:14:03.190 It's I just got done in the last hour sharing 0:14:03.190 --> 0:14:05.230 my story. And one thing dawned on me. I'm asking 0:14:05.230 --> 0:14:07.270 people to text the word new to our number here, 0:14:07.270 --> 0:14:10.110 and it's awesome. So many of you did. And yet 0:14:10.110 --> 0:14:12.949 I want to explain why we send you that link 0:14:12.990 --> 0:14:16.110 in that link, when you text the word new and I, 0:14:16.230 --> 0:14:20.150 we got some one off comments from people saying I'm done, man. Uh, 0:14:20.150 --> 0:14:22.990 somebody said, I'm tired of letting my job define me. 0:14:23.350 --> 0:14:27.030 Somebody said, I'm I'm giving up. I'm giving it up 0:14:27.030 --> 0:14:30.190 to Jesus today. But the reason we send you this 0:14:30.190 --> 0:14:32.190 link is that we do everything we can here to 0:14:32.230 --> 0:14:34.510 help you take your first steps with Jesus when you're 0:14:34.510 --> 0:14:37.310 a new follower of Christ. And so if that is you, 0:14:37.710 --> 0:14:40.350 why we ask you to text the word new, it's awesome. 0:14:40.350 --> 0:14:42.590 You're putting a flag in the air going, that's me. 0:14:42.630 --> 0:14:44.630 But it's so much more than that, right, Ali? 0:14:44.670 --> 0:14:47.710 Absolutely. And so we always want to provide content that's 0:14:47.710 --> 0:14:49.230 going to help you take that next step. 0:14:49.630 --> 0:14:51.910 Yeah. And the content in this link new has three 0:14:51.910 --> 0:14:54.030 things embedded in it. This is why we want you 0:14:54.030 --> 0:14:56.350 to text it to us. When you surrender for the 0:14:56.350 --> 0:14:59.070 first time in your life to Christ, it's got a 0:14:59.230 --> 0:15:01.550 I put a blog in there of how to find 0:15:01.550 --> 0:15:03.310 a church with people that are going to help you 0:15:03.310 --> 0:15:05.990 grow up in Jesus, because we don't presume everybody's in 0:15:06.030 --> 0:15:10.350 that or experiences that you may be, but you may 0:15:10.350 --> 0:15:13.830 not be. So it's also got a link for a 0:15:13.830 --> 0:15:16.869 good we. I went through and found a good collection 0:15:16.870 --> 0:15:19.430 of Bible links so that you can grab a Bible. 0:15:19.470 --> 0:15:22.270 I'm blown away in this day. How many folks maybe 0:15:22.270 --> 0:15:24.630 don't have them? And there's not a lot of Christian bookstores, 0:15:24.630 --> 0:15:26.830 but we got links for you to find one right there. 0:15:26.830 --> 0:15:29.630 And then the third one is a link that you'll click. 0:15:29.910 --> 0:15:31.790 We're going to ask you to just fill out your 0:15:31.830 --> 0:15:34.430 home address. We won't spam you. We're not going to 0:15:34.470 --> 0:15:36.710 harass you. Nothing like that. We're here to help you, 0:15:36.710 --> 0:15:38.670 but we'll send you a resource that will show you 0:15:38.670 --> 0:15:41.110 how to now walk in God's power and no longer 0:15:41.110 --> 0:15:44.750 bootstrap it with self-help. So if you're surrendering your life 0:15:44.750 --> 0:15:47.550 to Jesus today for the very first time, just text 0:15:47.550 --> 0:15:53.430 the word new to (800) 555-7898. It's more than just putting 0:15:53.430 --> 0:15:55.910 an arm in the air going, I'm new. It's we're 0:15:55.910 --> 0:15:58.430 helping you take your next step. What an amazing week 0:15:58.430 --> 0:16:00.470 we're having here. Ali, what's on your heart this morning? 0:16:00.510 --> 0:16:03.590 You know, and this conversation I think is so important. 0:16:03.590 --> 0:16:06.790 And when you start thinking about cultural Christianity, what does 0:16:06.790 --> 0:16:08.790 it mean to be saved? I know sometimes that can 0:16:08.790 --> 0:16:11.150 feel a little bit uncomfortable, and it doesn't get talked 0:16:11.150 --> 0:16:14.510 about much in the church, and I'm not sure why 0:16:14.590 --> 0:16:15.310 that is. 0:16:15.350 --> 0:16:19.390 That's a good question. I think that's an interesting question. 0:16:19.390 --> 0:16:22.030 And having been a pastor for a lot of years 0:16:22.030 --> 0:16:25.110 and a pastor right now in Chicago, by the way, 0:16:25.110 --> 0:16:27.390 we got a campus downtown in the South Loop and 0:16:27.390 --> 0:16:31.470 one out in the burbs. Um, you know, it's it's 0:16:31.470 --> 0:16:36.110 an interesting things. We have been inoculated by our heritage. 0:16:37.070 --> 0:16:40.710 We've been inoculated by our heritage. And what I mean 0:16:40.710 --> 0:16:44.910 by that is that we've had three great awakenings in 0:16:44.910 --> 0:16:47.430 our nation. And what came out of that was a 0:16:47.430 --> 0:16:50.070 great movement of God. I mean, all my ancestors came 0:16:50.070 --> 0:16:53.230 from Sweden. I mean, D.L. Moody had a huge audience 0:16:53.230 --> 0:16:55.950 in America. His second largest audience was in Sweden. 0:16:56.230 --> 0:16:56.590 I didn't. 0:16:56.590 --> 0:16:59.630 Know that. Isn't that cool? Wow. And so all of 0:16:59.630 --> 0:17:03.990 my grandparents and great grandparents, they had heard or not heard, 0:17:04.470 --> 0:17:07.189 they read the written material of D.L. Moody. And so 0:17:07.190 --> 0:17:10.070 when they came here to Chicago, when they immigrated, a 0:17:10.070 --> 0:17:12.670 lot of them were here. And what what happens is 0:17:13.030 --> 0:17:15.750 we're living kind of in the fumes of what was 0:17:15.750 --> 0:17:19.790 an awakened church. And it creates this culture of Christianity 0:17:19.790 --> 0:17:23.070 without the power of God, a form of godliness, but 0:17:23.070 --> 0:17:27.030 without the power thereof. And that's the danger, isn't it, Ali? 0:17:27.070 --> 0:17:30.870 It is. And so these conversations do we is this 0:17:30.869 --> 0:17:34.310 all we do on our show? No, no, this is 0:17:34.350 --> 0:17:37.110 we're focusing it on it this week. We do talk 0:17:37.109 --> 0:17:38.950 a lot about it from time to time. But no, 0:17:38.950 --> 0:17:41.190 this is not what we do every single day of 0:17:41.190 --> 0:17:44.710 our show. We want to cover as much of Scripture 0:17:44.710 --> 0:17:46.949 as we can, and the Bible talks about lots of 0:17:46.950 --> 0:17:50.670 other things too. But this in particular is is part 0:17:50.670 --> 0:17:52.940 of our heart and part of what we feel like 0:17:52.940 --> 0:17:53.859 is our mission. 0:17:54.100 --> 0:17:57.380 Yeah. I mean, our brand promise here is to help 0:17:57.380 --> 0:17:59.900 you take your next step with Jesus. But here's what 0:17:59.900 --> 0:18:04.139 I've learned as a pastor. It's hard. No, let me be. 0:18:04.500 --> 0:18:10.900 Let me be accurate. It's impossible to disciple people who 0:18:10.900 --> 0:18:14.460 are bound by culture, cultural Christianity, and have never been 0:18:14.460 --> 0:18:17.980 born again. It's impossible. And I've talked with a lot 0:18:18.020 --> 0:18:22.060 of pastors about this guys, and it's it's one of 0:18:22.060 --> 0:18:26.580 these aha moments when pastors realize, whoa, we're trying to 0:18:26.580 --> 0:18:29.139 help people take their next step who have never stepped 0:18:29.140 --> 0:18:33.180 into relationship with Christ. Yes, that's that's impossible to do. 0:18:34.619 --> 0:18:36.740 And so we're wanting to clear the decks this week 0:18:36.740 --> 0:18:39.020 and just go, here's where we're at. This is our heart. 0:18:39.020 --> 0:18:42.179 These are our stories. This is our song. Praising our 0:18:42.180 --> 0:18:44.500 Savior all the day long. Man, now I'm going classic 0:18:44.500 --> 0:18:45.020 on us here. 0:18:45.020 --> 0:18:47.340 And I want to give you an exercise to do. 0:18:47.340 --> 0:18:49.460 And I've actually done this with my own kids to 0:18:49.500 --> 0:18:54.459 sometimes surprising results. If your kid has been raised in church, 0:18:55.140 --> 0:18:58.140 ask them what they believe it means to be saved 0:18:58.140 --> 0:19:01.460 or to be a Christ follower. Just ask them and 0:19:01.460 --> 0:19:04.060 see what they say. And I've asked my kids this, 0:19:04.060 --> 0:19:07.300 and at times have been surprised by areas where they're 0:19:07.300 --> 0:19:10.740 a little foggy and they've been in church for their 0:19:10.740 --> 0:19:14.699 whole lives, and there has been some messaging that they've 0:19:14.740 --> 0:19:19.700 absorbed in an awesome church in an awesome Christian culture. 0:19:19.859 --> 0:19:22.780 But there's some areas of confusion that I realized that 0:19:22.780 --> 0:19:24.660 they had that I'm like, okay, I want to know 0:19:24.660 --> 0:19:27.020 what it is that you think it means, and then 0:19:27.020 --> 0:19:29.340 let's talk about it. So try that exercise with your 0:19:29.340 --> 0:19:31.739 kids if they're old enough to kind of have a 0:19:31.740 --> 0:19:35.180 general understanding. Talk with them about it. Ask them. So, 0:19:35.420 --> 0:19:37.100 you know, we go to church every week. What do 0:19:37.100 --> 0:19:39.659 you think it means to actually be saved, to actually 0:19:39.660 --> 0:19:42.379 be a disciple of Jesus? Open that. That opens the 0:19:42.380 --> 0:19:44.060 door to a conversation. Try it. 0:19:44.100 --> 0:19:47.220 It's good. And here's why. The truth will set you free. 0:19:47.260 --> 0:19:53.020 Absolutely not. Half truths, not Cultural Christianity truths. The truth 0:19:53.020 --> 0:19:56.980 will set you free. Oh, you know, I'm feel prompted. 0:19:56.980 --> 0:20:00.700 I'm going to do it, father. Open hearts today. Bring 0:20:00.700 --> 0:20:03.580 us to this raw. I mean, strip the veneer off 0:20:03.580 --> 0:20:07.580 of our lives and help us to live so power 0:20:07.619 --> 0:20:11.740 packed by your spirit that we're being honest with you. 0:20:11.740 --> 0:20:15.940 Honest with ourselves, honest with our kids, honest with what's 0:20:15.980 --> 0:20:19.380 going on in our world today and responding appropriately. I 0:20:19.380 --> 0:20:22.340 pray it in the name of Jesus. Amen. And let 0:20:22.340 --> 0:20:26.179 it be. Well, coming up, one of our favorites, Doctor Sam, 0:20:26.180 --> 0:20:28.900 storms the fact that Sam has makes time to come 0:20:28.900 --> 0:20:31.260 on here is awesome. Yes. 0:20:31.300 --> 0:20:34.980 So let's talk about what some of those foundational understanding. 0:20:35.180 --> 0:20:38.300 What is salvation? How do we talk about it? You'll 0:20:38.300 --> 0:20:39.540 hear more from him coming up. 0:20:39.980 --> 0:20:42.980 He was sharing the gospel on the radio and then 0:20:43.020 --> 0:20:47.340 he got saved. Young thunders in the crew. It's Carl 0:20:47.340 --> 0:20:49.100 and crew on Moody Radio. 0:20:49.300 --> 0:20:55.740 The reality is we have great gospel preaching churches that 0:20:55.740 --> 0:20:59.740 people flock to are filled or half filled with well-meaning 0:20:59.740 --> 0:21:04.420 people every weekend, Ali, some of whom are going to 0:21:04.940 --> 0:21:09.699 possibly experience this, not a well done and good and 0:21:09.700 --> 0:21:14.619 faithful servant, but I never knew you. And even saying 0:21:14.619 --> 0:21:17.220 those words out of Matthew seven, it grips our heart, 0:21:17.260 --> 0:21:18.100 doesn't it, Ali? 0:21:18.300 --> 0:21:23.740 Absolutely. But the reality is, in a Western mindset where 0:21:23.780 --> 0:21:28.900 cultural Christianity is so prevalent, it can be confusing. Are 0:21:28.900 --> 0:21:32.020 you born into a Christian family? Are you a Christian 0:21:32.020 --> 0:21:34.459 because your mom and dad and your grandma were, and 0:21:34.460 --> 0:21:37.020 you went to church your whole life? No. 0:21:37.300 --> 0:21:40.180 And are you Christian? Because you're spiritually active, you're doing 0:21:40.180 --> 0:21:43.300 mighty works. You're even baptizing in the name of Jesus. 0:21:43.740 --> 0:21:45.580 And then you add to it, the God of this 0:21:45.580 --> 0:21:47.820 age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving. And we've 0:21:47.820 --> 0:21:51.340 got a spiritual battle. sand storms with us right now. Sam, 0:21:51.340 --> 0:21:53.419 we're in a war for souls, aren't we? My man. 0:21:53.820 --> 0:21:58.100 Absolutely. Perhaps at an all time high, so to speak. 0:21:58.580 --> 0:22:01.940 I hate to compare ages or generations, but it seems 0:22:01.940 --> 0:22:06.020 as if the enemy is ratcheting up his attack on us, 0:22:06.140 --> 0:22:10.139 trying to delude us and confuse us about what salvation 0:22:10.140 --> 0:22:11.500 is and who Jesus is. 0:22:11.540 --> 0:22:14.140 Doctor Sam Storms, our guest right now founder and president 0:22:14.140 --> 0:22:16.939 of Enjoying God Ministries, serves on the Council of the 0:22:17.020 --> 0:22:20.780 Gospel Coalition. You've written extensively on a lot of different topics, 0:22:20.780 --> 0:22:25.260 but celebrating our salvation. One of your most recent blog 0:22:25.260 --> 0:22:30.340 posts that we're featuring today. You write that there's some embarrassment, 0:22:30.340 --> 0:22:34.980 some modern day embarrassment, even around using the term salvation 0:22:34.980 --> 0:22:38.300 or being saved. It seems outdated. Old fashioned to some. 0:22:38.340 --> 0:22:39.459 Talk a little bit about that. 0:22:39.740 --> 0:22:42.859 Yeah, it really does. And I think perhaps the reason 0:22:42.859 --> 0:22:45.900 for that is because we don't know what we're saved from, 0:22:45.980 --> 0:22:48.900 and we don't know what we're saved to. We've lost 0:22:49.020 --> 0:22:51.859 any sense really of the of the justice and the 0:22:51.859 --> 0:22:55.780 holiness of God. And we fail to realize that what 0:22:55.780 --> 0:22:59.939 I'm saved from isn't low self-esteem. It's not, you know, 0:23:00.020 --> 0:23:03.620 a warped view of myself. I'm not saved from some 0:23:03.619 --> 0:23:08.659 psychological disorder. We're being saved from the wrath of God. 0:23:08.700 --> 0:23:12.380 Delivered by God's love from the wrath of God. And 0:23:12.380 --> 0:23:15.780 I think we've lost that sense of God's transcendent holiness. 0:23:16.020 --> 0:23:18.659 And we just assume that as long as I, you know, 0:23:18.700 --> 0:23:21.300 pay my taxes and don't commit some scandalous sin, that 0:23:21.300 --> 0:23:24.100 I'm in good shape. And yet, as you mentioned a 0:23:24.100 --> 0:23:26.660 moment ago in Matthew seven, there will be a lot 0:23:26.660 --> 0:23:29.260 of people who are confused about that and who are 0:23:29.260 --> 0:23:31.940 convinced that because of all the great things they've done, 0:23:32.260 --> 0:23:34.780 that they are in good relationship with God. And Jesus 0:23:34.780 --> 0:23:38.380 said quite clearly, I never knew you. You are workers 0:23:38.380 --> 0:23:42.980 of lawlessness. So we need to recover the word salvation. 0:23:42.980 --> 0:23:46.020 It's everywhere in the New Testament and kind of redeem 0:23:46.020 --> 0:23:48.300 it for what God intended it to be and what 0:23:48.300 --> 0:23:49.980 he intended us to understand. 0:23:50.380 --> 0:23:53.340 We know that the spiritual war afoot here, Sam, and 0:23:53.340 --> 0:23:55.619 the God of this age, has blinded the minds of 0:23:55.619 --> 0:23:58.020 the unbelieving. The God of this age is Satan and 0:23:58.020 --> 0:24:01.180 all of his demonic forces. How do we intervene? There's 0:24:01.180 --> 0:24:03.419 a lot of people listening right now. Some are very 0:24:03.420 --> 0:24:06.260 secure in their salvation. Others are rattled a little bit 0:24:06.300 --> 0:24:10.899 this morning. Some are brokenhearted. For kids that were raised 0:24:10.900 --> 0:24:14.060 in church. Talk about an epidemic, Sam. That's everywhere. Kids 0:24:14.060 --> 0:24:17.620 raised in church but far from Christ. How do we 0:24:17.900 --> 0:24:21.380 deal with this spiritual war of blindness? 0:24:22.020 --> 0:24:24.420 The ultimate answer is with the truth of God's Word 0:24:24.420 --> 0:24:27.460 in the power of the Holy Spirit. Because my words 0:24:27.460 --> 0:24:30.180 are your words alone are. Listening to a radio program 0:24:30.180 --> 0:24:33.580 isn't ultimately the solution. What people need to do is 0:24:33.619 --> 0:24:36.940 they need to return to the the inspired and authoritative 0:24:36.940 --> 0:24:39.540 Word of God. They need to listen to the voice 0:24:39.540 --> 0:24:43.580 of Jesus through the New Testament authors, and to realize 0:24:43.820 --> 0:24:47.380 that real power, real purpose, only comes in a personal 0:24:47.540 --> 0:24:50.420 relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, you just 0:24:50.420 --> 0:24:53.540 mentioned there about people raised in the church and walking away. 0:24:53.580 --> 0:24:56.859 I've had two young ladies in the church where I 0:24:56.859 --> 0:25:00.060 used to pastor, who were vibrant, it seemed, and were 0:25:00.060 --> 0:25:04.100 very active in church and passionate worshipers. And now they 0:25:04.100 --> 0:25:06.820 have both walked away, and they I don't know if 0:25:06.820 --> 0:25:10.420 they use the word deconstruction, but they have lost confidence 0:25:10.580 --> 0:25:13.460 in the goodness of God and the the truthfulness of 0:25:13.460 --> 0:25:17.020 his Word. And basically, my response. I've reached out to 0:25:17.020 --> 0:25:19.180 both of them and I just say, look, let me 0:25:19.180 --> 0:25:21.740 talk to you about Jesus. If you saw something in 0:25:21.740 --> 0:25:24.780 church that offended you or you were hurt or manipulated, 0:25:24.820 --> 0:25:27.379 let's try to look beyond that to the person of 0:25:27.380 --> 0:25:30.780 Christ Himself, who will never manipulate, who will never lie, 0:25:30.820 --> 0:25:33.220 who will never fail to come through on his promises. 0:25:33.260 --> 0:25:35.500 Doctor Sam storms our guest right now. You know, when 0:25:35.500 --> 0:25:39.380 I was first presented with the gospel, I remember hearing 0:25:39.380 --> 0:25:43.260 a lot about hell. I remember watching a graphic presentation 0:25:43.260 --> 0:25:46.700 of Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames. And so the idea 0:25:46.700 --> 0:25:50.820 of being saved from hell or the wrath of God 0:25:50.820 --> 0:25:54.060 was made clear to me. What wasn't made as clear 0:25:54.060 --> 0:25:57.420 to me was what I was being saved to. Talk 0:25:57.420 --> 0:25:58.500 a little bit about that. 0:25:59.100 --> 0:26:03.820 Really, we need to understand God's ultimate purpose in our salvation. 0:26:03.820 --> 0:26:06.060 We read about that in Ephesians one where he says, 0:26:06.060 --> 0:26:10.180 we have been predestined us to adoption as children of God, 0:26:10.580 --> 0:26:14.100 being taken into the family of God, being given an 0:26:14.140 --> 0:26:17.420 insight and wisdom and understanding the beauty and the majesty 0:26:17.420 --> 0:26:20.420 of God. Although we have to make it clear that 0:26:20.420 --> 0:26:24.780 there are eternal consequences for unbelief and rebellion. We need 0:26:24.780 --> 0:26:28.700 to make clear that the greatest and most powerful, alluring 0:26:29.140 --> 0:26:32.620 factor in the Bible is the beauty and the transcendent 0:26:32.619 --> 0:26:36.419 majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ. I often ask people, 0:26:36.580 --> 0:26:38.420 you know, if you could go to heaven and have 0:26:38.420 --> 0:26:41.219 every physical need met and get to walk on streets 0:26:41.220 --> 0:26:43.740 of gold and get to be reunited with your family 0:26:43.940 --> 0:26:47.420 and get to have a redeemed body? But Jesus wasn't there, 0:26:47.420 --> 0:26:50.620 would you be happy? And I hope they would say, well, no, 0:26:50.619 --> 0:26:55.459 because what we're being saved to is a captivating, enthralling 0:26:55.460 --> 0:26:59.180 vision and experience of the majesty and the beauty of 0:26:59.180 --> 0:27:02.100 the God who has Genesis one on his resume. I 0:27:02.140 --> 0:27:06.020 love that first Peter 318 which says that Jesus, the 0:27:06.060 --> 0:27:10.260 Righteous One, died for the unrighteous to bring us to God. 0:27:10.540 --> 0:27:13.660 That's the ultimate purpose. People need to realize that we're 0:27:13.660 --> 0:27:18.340 not primarily talking about setting them free from past behavior 0:27:18.340 --> 0:27:22.619 or moral failures, although that's important, but we're talking to 0:27:22.619 --> 0:27:25.540 them about the only way in which you can come 0:27:25.540 --> 0:27:30.220 and get God gaining the experience, the personal intimacy, the 0:27:30.220 --> 0:27:33.300 vision of the majesty of our great Triune God. That 0:27:33.300 --> 0:27:35.699 is what we are saved to. And that's what I 0:27:35.700 --> 0:27:39.020 think ultimately will captivate people and take their eyes off 0:27:39.020 --> 0:27:40.419 of the flesh in the world. 0:27:40.540 --> 0:27:44.220 You mentioned our adoption as sons and daughters of our 0:27:44.220 --> 0:27:49.139 Heavenly Father, which contrasts the popular notion that everyone is 0:27:49.140 --> 0:27:53.660 a child of God. Adoption. Where do we misunderstand this word? 0:27:54.100 --> 0:27:56.740 Well, you're exactly right. Everybody says, oh, well, we're all 0:27:56.740 --> 0:27:59.340 children of God. And of course, in one sense that's 0:27:59.340 --> 0:28:01.379 true in the sense that God made us all. We 0:28:01.420 --> 0:28:04.219 are his creatures. But that doesn't mean that you are 0:28:04.220 --> 0:28:06.780 a part of the spiritual family of those who will 0:28:06.780 --> 0:28:10.460 inherit everything that Christ has died to secure for us. 0:28:10.619 --> 0:28:12.780 And in fact, I would say, let me just kind 0:28:12.780 --> 0:28:14.780 of riffed on that just a moment. I would say 0:28:14.780 --> 0:28:19.220 that if there's one default belief among most people in America, 0:28:19.260 --> 0:28:23.500 maybe worldwide, it is universalism. Yes, I'm going to die 0:28:23.500 --> 0:28:26.060 and go to heaven because, well, that's what God does, 0:28:26.100 --> 0:28:28.260 or I haven't been that bad. Or maybe my good 0:28:28.260 --> 0:28:32.060 works have outweighed my bad. But this default view is 0:28:32.140 --> 0:28:34.420 and you see it all the time somebody died, a 0:28:34.420 --> 0:28:37.420 famous actor or athlete and say, well, he's up there 0:28:37.420 --> 0:28:39.540 looking down on me, or she's up there looking down 0:28:39.540 --> 0:28:42.820 on her family. Maybe not. Death does not qualify you 0:28:42.820 --> 0:28:45.739 for heaven. It's faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who 0:28:45.740 --> 0:28:47.100 has delivered us from death. 0:28:47.380 --> 0:28:50.740 You know, talk to the person right now who wrestles with, 0:28:50.740 --> 0:28:55.220 I have this fear of God's wrath, and yet I 0:28:55.260 --> 0:28:57.979 want to experience the love of God. How does a 0:28:57.980 --> 0:29:03.459 holy fear. Healthy fear, biblical fear of God really jive 0:29:03.460 --> 0:29:06.060 with the love of God? How do they come together? 0:29:06.740 --> 0:29:09.260 You know, I think the best answer to that is 0:29:09.300 --> 0:29:12.860 is right there in Romans chapter five where Paul says, 0:29:12.860 --> 0:29:15.180 if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God 0:29:15.180 --> 0:29:17.060 by the death of his son, how much more, now 0:29:17.060 --> 0:29:20.460 that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life? 0:29:20.860 --> 0:29:24.700 So we have to understand. Yes, we were at enmity 0:29:24.700 --> 0:29:29.180 with God because of our moral failure, our brokenness, our rebellion, 0:29:29.180 --> 0:29:33.180 our unbelief. But the love of God sent the Son 0:29:33.180 --> 0:29:35.620 of God to die for us, that we might become 0:29:35.620 --> 0:29:37.780 the children of God and be delivered from the wrath 0:29:37.780 --> 0:29:40.140 of God. So the wrath of God and the love 0:29:40.140 --> 0:29:44.500 of God are not mutually exclusive. God's love is precisely 0:29:44.500 --> 0:29:48.209 designed to deliver us from a well deserved wrath, a 0:29:48.210 --> 0:29:51.570 well deserved, eternal condemnation. So I think we just have 0:29:51.570 --> 0:29:55.410 to again come back to the reality of what God 0:29:55.410 --> 0:29:57.209 has done for us. You know, right there in that 0:29:57.210 --> 0:30:00.170 Romans five passage, he says, much more shall we be 0:30:00.170 --> 0:30:03.770 saved by him from the wrath of God. So Paul 0:30:03.770 --> 0:30:06.930 doesn't shy away from talking about wrath, but he says, look, 0:30:07.250 --> 0:30:11.050 God's love is greater still. God's mercy in Christ has 0:30:11.050 --> 0:30:13.330 made a way for all of us to be set 0:30:13.330 --> 0:30:15.930 free from that condemnation. So we can say in Romans 0:30:15.930 --> 0:30:19.930 eight one, there is therefore now no condemnation for those 0:30:19.930 --> 0:30:22.170 who are in Christ. We say, well, where did that 0:30:22.170 --> 0:30:25.210 condemnation go? It was laid on the Son of God 0:30:25.210 --> 0:30:27.570 at the cross. And if we will only lay hold 0:30:27.570 --> 0:30:30.250 of that by faith, we can live in the joy 0:30:30.250 --> 0:30:33.370 and the freedom that we know. There is no condemnation 0:30:33.370 --> 0:30:35.170 now or for all eternity. 0:30:35.210 --> 0:30:37.890 It's beautiful. Sam storms our guest. Sam, we're going to 0:30:37.930 --> 0:30:41.650 spike this blog that you wrote here not long ago 0:30:41.650 --> 0:30:45.370 celebrating our salvation. How can this be used both in 0:30:45.370 --> 0:30:50.250 the life of someone who can celebrate their assurance of salvation? 0:30:50.290 --> 0:30:54.290 It can also mirror back for someone. Boy, I might 0:30:54.290 --> 0:30:57.610 not know this savior. There's nothing really to celebrate. Speak 0:30:57.610 --> 0:30:58.250 to that. 0:30:58.570 --> 0:31:02.090 Well, again, it comes from the perspective that a person 0:31:02.090 --> 0:31:05.050 brings to the whole issue of the Christian faith. If 0:31:05.050 --> 0:31:08.730 we look at it exclusively as being delivered from judgment 0:31:08.730 --> 0:31:11.850 that we otherwise deserved, we will have a warped view. 0:31:11.890 --> 0:31:15.730 What we need to see is that God desires that 0:31:15.730 --> 0:31:21.130 his people experience him, enjoy him, delight in him, find 0:31:21.130 --> 0:31:24.330 their ultimate satisfaction in him. If you talk to a 0:31:24.330 --> 0:31:27.770 typical unbeliever today and you really press deeply, they will 0:31:27.770 --> 0:31:32.530 confess to being deeply unsatisfied, wandering with no sense of 0:31:32.530 --> 0:31:35.810 purpose or meaning or value, not sure of the reason 0:31:35.810 --> 0:31:38.050 for their existence and we need to present to them. 0:31:38.050 --> 0:31:40.530 Look the person of the Lord Jesus in his life, 0:31:40.530 --> 0:31:44.530 death and resurrection has provided for us a way to 0:31:44.570 --> 0:31:48.970 experience the greatest glory, the greatest joy that any human 0:31:48.970 --> 0:31:52.610 being could ever know. And that is seeing. Believing in. 0:31:52.610 --> 0:31:58.810 Trusting in knowing. Uh, resting. In being enthralled and captivated 0:31:58.810 --> 0:32:01.450 by the majestic beauty of Jesus Christ. We have to 0:32:01.450 --> 0:32:05.170 keep Jesus central in all of our discussion and dialogue 0:32:05.170 --> 0:32:06.130 with the unbeliever. 0:32:06.370 --> 0:32:09.450 Dynamite Sam Storms, our guest. He's written this great blog 0:32:09.450 --> 0:32:12.130 called Celebrating Our Salvation. 0:32:12.130 --> 0:32:15.090 This is a lengthy read, but totally worth it. There's 0:32:15.130 --> 0:32:17.210 a lot here. I want you to get it. We'll 0:32:17.210 --> 0:32:19.490 send it right to your phone. Just text the word 0:32:19.530 --> 0:32:29.330 storm to 800 555 7898. Just text storm to (800) 555-7898. 0:32:29.610 --> 0:32:34.130 A basketball mom who's mastered the dad joke. Ali is 0:32:34.130 --> 0:32:37.810 in the crew. It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:32:37.850 --> 0:32:38.970 Well, guess what? It's the bottom. 0:32:38.970 --> 0:32:40.090 Of the hour and it is. 0:32:40.130 --> 0:32:41.050 Wednesday. 0:32:41.290 --> 0:32:44.050 It is time for Young Thunder. Take it away, my man. 0:32:44.090 --> 0:32:47.650 Making herself laugh no matter who joins her. It's time 0:32:47.650 --> 0:32:49.650 for Ali thinks it's funny. 0:32:51.650 --> 0:32:52.410 Here we go. 0:32:52.650 --> 0:32:54.250 Here we go. You're on kiddo. 0:32:54.290 --> 0:32:58.570 Wednesday mornings they cue the mic. They set up the stage, 0:32:58.730 --> 0:33:02.930 and I go up there and I tell jokes. Have 0:33:02.930 --> 0:33:06.130 you ever paid attention to the insect world? 0:33:06.890 --> 0:33:07.450 No. A little. 0:33:07.450 --> 0:33:07.610 Bit. 0:33:07.650 --> 0:33:13.489 Not really. Watched how spider moves or I don't know. 0:33:13.490 --> 0:33:15.250 What do you call those ones with all the. All 0:33:15.290 --> 0:33:16.450 the legs? Centipede. 0:33:16.450 --> 0:33:16.930 Centipedes. 0:33:17.130 --> 0:33:19.770 Those are the worst ants, though. We can learn a 0:33:19.770 --> 0:33:23.130 lot from ants. Yeah. The Bible even says. Consider. The 0:33:23.170 --> 0:33:25.650 ant can learn a lot from those little guys. 0:33:25.890 --> 0:33:27.130 Get up and get going. Man. 0:33:27.170 --> 0:33:32.490 Absolutely. Ants also rarely get sick. They're a remarkably healthy 0:33:32.490 --> 0:33:35.170 little bug. Do you want to know why that is? 0:33:35.170 --> 0:33:37.450 Why don't ants ever get sick? 0:33:37.650 --> 0:33:38.090 Why? 0:33:38.410 --> 0:33:44.010 Because they have little antibodies. Little antibodies that keep them 0:33:44.010 --> 0:33:44.490 from killing. 0:33:44.490 --> 0:33:47.370 I love that one. That one's very good. Young thunder. 0:33:47.530 --> 0:33:50.330 Not nary a grin. Young thunder. 0:33:50.370 --> 0:33:52.650 This next one, though, I think Young Thunder is gonna get. 0:33:52.690 --> 0:33:56.450 I've been excited to tell this one. So yesterday my 0:33:56.450 --> 0:33:58.970 husband asked me if I could clear the dinner table. 0:33:59.010 --> 0:34:00.250 Simple request. Right? 0:34:00.290 --> 0:34:00.650 Sure. 0:34:01.170 --> 0:34:02.850 I told him. The answer is no. 0:34:04.170 --> 0:34:05.250 Wow. Why? 0:34:05.730 --> 0:34:08.330 Even with a running start, I couldn't clear it. 0:34:09.170 --> 0:34:11.770 Ready? Ready. Ready. Ready. Ready to run. 0:34:17.930 --> 0:34:19.130 Clear the table. 0:34:19.890 --> 0:34:21.370 Oh, can you picture that? 0:34:21.890 --> 0:34:25.650 I actually can clear your brother. Your brother's a hurdler, 0:34:25.650 --> 0:34:27.130 and I don't think he can help you on that one. 0:34:27.130 --> 0:34:28.529 I don't know, my brother might be able to clear 0:34:28.530 --> 0:34:31.410 the dinner table, but definitely not me and definitely not 0:34:31.410 --> 0:34:34.730 at my age. Text the word jokes to 800 800 0:34:34.730 --> 0:34:39.290 555 7898. If you want this morning's jokes, this our 0:34:39.330 --> 0:34:43.650 only text jokes to 800 555 7898.