1
00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,199
Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wednesday Bible Study. My name is Rick Burgers,

2
00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:08,160
Speaker 1: and we are studying the hardy, wonderful Book of Ephesians.

3
00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:12,440
Speaker 1: It is chalked full, so much so we have spent

4
00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:15,120
Speaker 1: three weeks and are just now getting out of chapter one.

5
00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,560
Speaker 1: So today we will start in chapter two. So if

6
00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:21,240
Speaker 1: you want to go ahead and turn there in Ephesians,

7
00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,040
Speaker 1: I host a radio show called the Rick Burgers Show.

8
00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:27,760
Speaker 1: If you're just finding us, it is amazing how many

9
00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:31,080
Speaker 1: times we've watched all of these different formats. People who

10
00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:34,479
Speaker 1: found the Bible Study from the radio show, people who

11
00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:37,480
Speaker 1: found the radio show from the Bible Study. Now people

12
00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:40,520
Speaker 1: who are finding either one of those from the podcast

13
00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,400
Speaker 1: Strange encounters. So there's all sorts of people who have

14
00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,880
Speaker 1: gone to a Man Church function and then we're like,

15
00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:49,760
Speaker 1: who is this person? And then they go to find

16
00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:51,680
Speaker 1: the show and then find the Bible Study, then find

17
00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,560
Speaker 1: the podcast. So however it works, God orchestrates it. We're

18
00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:57,360
Speaker 1: glad you're here. We've been at this about eleven years

19
00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,800
Speaker 1: doing the Wednesday Bible Study. Heart of a bigger strategy

20
00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,480
Speaker 1: that you now can find at Themanchurch dot Com. The

21
00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:10,759
Speaker 1: Manchurch dot Com turns six in March, and as far

22
00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:15,400
Speaker 1: as our conferences, we turned four last weekend in Birmingham.

23
00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:17,959
Speaker 1: For those that were able to attend that we had

24
00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:20,920
Speaker 1: some weather that got involved, but there we were in

25
00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:24,400
Speaker 1: was protected and we still had over a thousand men

26
00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:28,000
Speaker 1: that made their way there. We saw multiple movements of

27
00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:32,240
Speaker 1: God in individual lives. It was a powerful, powerful weekend

28
00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:35,800
Speaker 1: this weekend. If you're catching this in real time, we

29
00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:39,240
Speaker 1: move on to Startville, Mississippi, but that is sold out.

30
00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:42,920
Speaker 1: But if you are looking for a Man church near you,

31
00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:44,920
Speaker 1: not a conference, because this will be our last conference

32
00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:48,040
Speaker 1: of the year, but we have gatherings of men just

33
00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:51,240
Speaker 1: with local churches. We have them happening all the time.

34
00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:53,320
Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, if you're listening in real time,

35
00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,960
Speaker 1: there's two going on this weekend, so you can find

36
00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:00,440
Speaker 1: our speakers going out for gatherings. That's the high challenge

37
00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:04,640
Speaker 1: part of what we do at Dmanchurch dot com under events,

38
00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:08,000
Speaker 1: and then there's the high equipping. That's all the resources

39
00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,160
Speaker 1: that we have. Now. If you go to our store

40
00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:13,000
Speaker 1: at the Manchurch dot Com and you're just an individual, hey,

41
00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,440
Speaker 1: I'd just like to look at y'all's devotions or full

42
00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:19,080
Speaker 1: length books designed for individual men. Then you click on

43
00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:21,680
Speaker 1: the store and you click individual. If you're someone that

44
00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:25,040
Speaker 1: says I'd love to see the curriculum that you guys

45
00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,200
Speaker 1: provide for small groups in churches that are for forty weeks,

46
00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:30,359
Speaker 1: we have six of those, then you would click that

47
00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:33,320
Speaker 1: you're a small group leader. If you are a pastor

48
00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:35,520
Speaker 1: or someone who's in charge of the men's ministry and

49
00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:37,640
Speaker 1: you're like, I want to see the whole strategy, well,

50
00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:42,000
Speaker 1: then you click I'm the person that's over the ministry

51
00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:44,720
Speaker 1: at my church or in your community. So all of

52
00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:47,399
Speaker 1: that's there at themanchurch dot com. If we can help

53
00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,200
Speaker 1: you in any way. This is designed for you to

54
00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:55,480
Speaker 1: have a sustainable men's ministry that will go on for years.

55
00:02:55,680 --> 00:03:01,240
Speaker 1: And the number one thing that encouraged this past weekend

56
00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,160
Speaker 1: when you get to meet thousand, you know, over one

57
00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:06,320
Speaker 1: thousand men from all over the country is they would

58
00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,320
Speaker 1: stop by and see the team and they would lean in.

59
00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:13,560
Speaker 1: They would say, please don't stop. We've seen so many

60
00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:18,079
Speaker 1: attempts at sustainable men's ministry that starts making a difference

61
00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:22,280
Speaker 1: and they never last. Please don't stop. Well, the Lord

62
00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,160
Speaker 1: continues to provide, and you know, and we the way

63
00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:27,680
Speaker 1: it's set up now. All we really have to do

64
00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,760
Speaker 1: is keep, you know, researching the Word of God and

65
00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:34,960
Speaker 1: producing the content speak sending the speakers out, just as

66
00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,920
Speaker 1: we were instructed when our Lord and Savior ascended. We

67
00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:41,040
Speaker 1: plan to keep at this as long as we can

68
00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,000
Speaker 1: mentally and physically do it. And when we can't, we

69
00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:46,080
Speaker 1: just learned from the apostle Paul, we handed off to

70
00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:49,920
Speaker 1: the next Timothy and hopefully they will continue. So let's

71
00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,560
Speaker 1: let's open up in a word of prayer and let's

72
00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:56,960
Speaker 1: jump into our study today of the powerful Book of Ephesians. Lord,

73
00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,840
Speaker 1: thank you for the opportunity to open your Holy Word,

74
00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:05,320
Speaker 1: and we celebrate you allowing us to see you move

75
00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:09,400
Speaker 1: and the fruit that you are producing through the power

76
00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,080
Speaker 1: that is you. All we are is a bunch of

77
00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:15,880
Speaker 1: beggars showing everyone where the bread is you, the bread

78
00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:20,760
Speaker 1: of life. Everything that happens that transforms the lives of men.

79
00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:25,320
Speaker 1: That's because you have the power to transform. All we

80
00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,640
Speaker 1: are doing is just being obedient and willing vessels to

81
00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:33,600
Speaker 1: be used. And even today, as an extremely unworthy teacher,

82
00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:38,480
Speaker 1: I will open up your Holy Word, but totally dependent

83
00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:42,720
Speaker 1: on you. Yes, I have prepared, but all that means

84
00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,440
Speaker 1: nothing if you're not with us. So may your Holy

85
00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,200
Speaker 1: Spirit be with us as the power of your word

86
00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:51,640
Speaker 1: pierces our hearts today. And it may rebuke us, it

87
00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:54,719
Speaker 1: may it may confirm us, it may encourage us, it

88
00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:59,279
Speaker 1: may convict us. Whatever needs to happen today, Lord, were

89
00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:02,000
Speaker 1: our hearts, our minds are ready to hear from you

90
00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:06,640
Speaker 1: In the powerful and holy name of Jesus, we pray amen. Okay,

91
00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,360
Speaker 1: So let's let's get into it. So we have gone

92
00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:13,160
Speaker 1: through chapter one, Paul has a lot to say, Well,

93
00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:16,159
Speaker 1: he's not done. We're going to get into some really

94
00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:21,160
Speaker 1: well known but extremely deep passages today in Ephesians chapter two.

95
00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:26,400
Speaker 1: So there's gonna be a bit of a disposition dispositional change,

96
00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:30,320
Speaker 1: meaning we're going to go from the present. Uh. And

97
00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:32,280
Speaker 1: for a minute, Paul's gonna talk to us and say,

98
00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:34,520
Speaker 1: not now, let's get back, uh, and let's go to

99
00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:38,760
Speaker 1: the past. Let's talk about what was the case before

100
00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:42,280
Speaker 1: Jesus redeemed you. Uh. And he'll start with that. He'll say,

101
00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:44,720
Speaker 1: first of all, let's let's talk about the state we

102
00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:50,360
Speaker 1: were in before Jesus provided what we needed. And he

103
00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:54,280
Speaker 1: says the words in verse one of chapter two, and

104
00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:59,040
Speaker 1: you were dead in the trespasses and sins and once

105
00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:03,680
Speaker 1: in which you once walked, following the course of this world,

106
00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:07,080
Speaker 1: following the Prince of the power of the air, the

107
00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:10,919
Speaker 1: spirit that is now at work, and the sons of obedience.

108
00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:13,600
Speaker 1: So that's verses one and two. So let's talk about

109
00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:19,200
Speaker 1: verse one. We were dead, we were not just you know, dead,

110
00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:23,120
Speaker 1: we're dead in our trespasses. Now. Now the Greek word here,

111
00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:26,440
Speaker 1: which I thought was really really cool because I'd never

112
00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:30,760
Speaker 1: seen the English word quite this way. The word in

113
00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:35,480
Speaker 1: Greek is paratoma. And what this means is you should

114
00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:39,880
Speaker 1: be standing upright, but you have fallen over like a tree.

115
00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:42,800
Speaker 1: If you're looking in the winter weather that's happening in

116
00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:45,760
Speaker 1: the real time here. If you've seen the trees and

117
00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:50,400
Speaker 1: say Oxford, Mississippi, you see that the weight of the

118
00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:53,760
Speaker 1: of this this ice is just called the tree, caused

119
00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:56,880
Speaker 1: these trees to just fall over. And that's what that's

120
00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:00,160
Speaker 1: what Paul was saying. Your trespasses have caused you, you

121
00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:02,719
Speaker 1: to to not be in the proper position. You have

122
00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:07,080
Speaker 1: now fallen over, which is what the Greek word actually means.

123
00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:11,280
Speaker 1: When you should be standing upright. Adam fell when when

124
00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:15,080
Speaker 1: he should have stood. We are also dead, he says,

125
00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:17,720
Speaker 1: in our sins. Now we've covered this. Y'all know the

126
00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,600
Speaker 1: Greek word here means to miss the mark. So not

127
00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:24,400
Speaker 1: only have we fallen over when we should be upright,

128
00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:30,200
Speaker 1: we have also completely missed the mark. So the natural

129
00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:35,640
Speaker 1: result of falling aside and missing the mark is death.

130
00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:40,600
Speaker 1: And he says, so, so let's let's remember that. You know,

131
00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:45,320
Speaker 1: the first party says, we were deluded before Jesus redeemed us.

132
00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:51,080
Speaker 1: Our utter deadness was evident in our behavior. We walked

133
00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,920
Speaker 1: in accordance to the course of this world. This now

134
00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:57,520
Speaker 1: is in the first part of verse two. The spirit

135
00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:04,240
Speaker 1: of the age held us in its firm grip. I

136
00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:05,600
Speaker 1: don't know how many of you. I don't know, love,

137
00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,320
Speaker 1: there's there's men in here been redeemed for a long time.

138
00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:10,840
Speaker 1: But I bet if you're like me, I've been redeemed

139
00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:15,160
Speaker 1: for thirty years. But but I can still sadly remember

140
00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:17,960
Speaker 1: that feeling when I saw that. John Phillips is the

141
00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:21,600
Speaker 1: one who had that phrase in his commentary when when

142
00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:23,840
Speaker 1: you when you were not redeemed, Now you just belong

143
00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,280
Speaker 1: to the world. And and if you belong to the world,

144
00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:30,880
Speaker 1: then then then the spirit of the age, the the

145
00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:36,439
Speaker 1: the spirit of worldliness, and which is godlessness that actually

146
00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:39,640
Speaker 1: is hanging you like you, and it's grip and it's

147
00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:42,719
Speaker 1: gripping you. And and because you're not redeemed, it's got you.

148
00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:46,040
Speaker 1: Uh and and so that what's flowing out of you

149
00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:48,640
Speaker 1: is because you have the spirit of the world. You

150
00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:52,520
Speaker 1: don't you don't have the Holy Spirit. And now why

151
00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:55,640
Speaker 1: is that important? Well, you've you've read scripture. A lot

152
00:08:55,679 --> 00:08:57,880
Speaker 1: of you men are not new to to the word

153
00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:00,760
Speaker 1: of God. But if out there you are, the world

154
00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:05,240
Speaker 1: is the sworn enemy of God, I'm with the wrong bunch.

155
00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:08,960
Speaker 1: I can remember Sharon and I just talked about this

156
00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:12,400
Speaker 1: this very week when she led one of our sons

157
00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:15,679
Speaker 1: to Jesus and she was doing the diagram about the

158
00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:20,640
Speaker 1: chasm between Us and Jesus, and Jesus was over here

159
00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:24,480
Speaker 1: and he was standing with a holy God and then

160
00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:27,200
Speaker 1: over here, we're on the other side. Here's the chasm.

161
00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:30,160
Speaker 1: And then she said, you remember Brody, he was just

162
00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:34,079
Speaker 1: a little boy, but he could understand seeing this visual

163
00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:35,840
Speaker 1: and he said to his mama, what am I doing

164
00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:39,240
Speaker 1: over here? I need to be over there. And then

165
00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:41,200
Speaker 1: she told him and Jesus provided the bridge, you know,

166
00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:44,520
Speaker 1: and for that between God and man when God became

167
00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:47,120
Speaker 1: a man. And so if we have it, if the

168
00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:50,840
Speaker 1: chasm is still there, then we're separated from God. So

169
00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:54,320
Speaker 1: what we have is we're an enemy of God. One

170
00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:58,679
Speaker 1: John two fifteen. If any man love the world, the

171
00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:01,200
Speaker 1: love of the Father is not in him. It's a

172
00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:04,160
Speaker 1: big statement from John. Now remember John at that time

173
00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:06,719
Speaker 1: in First John. We haven't done that in here, but

174
00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:12,120
Speaker 1: we probably will. It's a pretty powerful epistle because this

175
00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:15,679
Speaker 1: is older John, even beyond the Gospel, and he's taking

176
00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,360
Speaker 1: everything that he heard Jesus say. And I love him

177
00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:20,240
Speaker 1: the beginning. He goes by the way, the Gnostics and

178
00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:21,959
Speaker 1: all these people trying and teach you all this stuff.

179
00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:24,000
Speaker 1: You might want to listen to somebody that was actually there.

180
00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:27,280
Speaker 1: I was with Jesus. I think I'm a more credible

181
00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:29,720
Speaker 1: witness than these idiots. And this is one of the

182
00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:31,920
Speaker 1: things because they were preaching what sins no big deal.

183
00:10:32,679 --> 00:10:35,920
Speaker 1: You know, we're all going to sin. There's no victory

184
00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:38,679
Speaker 1: over sin. Jesus couldn't have lived a perfect life if

185
00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:41,160
Speaker 1: he took on human flesh. So God's not gonna worry

186
00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:42,680
Speaker 1: about the sin in your life. It was really a

187
00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:45,640
Speaker 1: version of universalism in the day, and they had some

188
00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:49,320
Speaker 1: other weird stuff that they brought in. But John steps

189
00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:51,520
Speaker 1: sin and says to the church, Hey, that's not That's

190
00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:54,839
Speaker 1: not what I heard Jesus say. And so John says, no, no, no,

191
00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:58,079
Speaker 1: If you love this world and you're with the world,

192
00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:00,360
Speaker 1: then the love of the Father is not in And

193
00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:02,040
Speaker 1: this is when he does all that about it, anyone

194
00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:05,360
Speaker 1: who abides in him, you know. And he's really quoting

195
00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,880
Speaker 1: what Jesus taught him in John fifteen about the fruit

196
00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:12,640
Speaker 1: that flows from those that have been redeemed. That a perpetual,

197
00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:16,760
Speaker 1: a deliberate life of practicing sin, he said, would not

198
00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:19,240
Speaker 1: be in the children of God. Why because we don't

199
00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:20,960
Speaker 1: have the spirit of the world anymore. Now we're not

200
00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:24,920
Speaker 1: perfect in the sanctification process. We stumble. But John says,

201
00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:28,559
Speaker 1: this deliberate sin and this practice of sin has left

202
00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:31,200
Speaker 1: the redeem because they now have the Holy Spirit, they

203
00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:34,800
Speaker 1: have God seed that now abides in him. And John

204
00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:39,160
Speaker 1: could say, like, like few, I'm not guessing on that.

205
00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,719
Speaker 1: I heard Jesus say that I was there. If you

206
00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:44,640
Speaker 1: look at if you look in my gospel, you'll see

207
00:11:44,679 --> 00:11:47,280
Speaker 1: it in the red letters. We went on to do that,

208
00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:51,240
Speaker 1: but it was a direct quote from Jesus. So then

209
00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:53,480
Speaker 1: he goes on to say that the Bible is clear

210
00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:59,240
Speaker 1: that there are spirits in the unseen world of the air. Now,

211
00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:01,319
Speaker 1: now we're gonna get get really deep on this when

212
00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:05,240
Speaker 1: we get to six Ephesian six. But this is Paul

213
00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:08,960
Speaker 1: already making us aware of this. Uh. There is a

214
00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,320
Speaker 1: war going on all around us in the spiritual realm,

215
00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:15,160
Speaker 1: and it is real. Uh and and he and these

216
00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:20,600
Speaker 1: are spirits that are falling. They're malignant, they're bitterly hostile

217
00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:25,120
Speaker 1: to man. I remember a dear friend of mine when

218
00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:29,120
Speaker 1: I was first being discipled, Mark Garnett, and he was

219
00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:31,880
Speaker 1: one of the first teachers I ever had in a

220
00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:36,120
Speaker 1: small group. And when I first, you know, became a

221
00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:38,959
Speaker 1: member of a of a church here in Birmingham, it

222
00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,520
Speaker 1: was actually the church that just hosted the conference last week,

223
00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:45,080
Speaker 1: Shades Mountain. And so that was we hit Shearing and

224
00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:48,079
Speaker 1: I had been studying the first three years of our

225
00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:50,520
Speaker 1: walk and in my little hometown, and we had a

226
00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:53,120
Speaker 1: great pastor that discipled us. Then we were kind of

227
00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:55,960
Speaker 1: handed off, you know to these new men into a

228
00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:59,600
Speaker 1: new pastor uh. And so now it's time to learn

229
00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:03,160
Speaker 1: from them. And I remember Mark talking about this and

230
00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:05,760
Speaker 1: he said, Rick, which you have to understand that as

231
00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:09,280
Speaker 1: much as it appears that God loved you through the

232
00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:12,560
Speaker 1: sacrifice of his son, understand your walking in a world

233
00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:19,120
Speaker 1: that has the bitter enemy, a rebellious angel and his horrible, horrible,

234
00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:22,800
Speaker 1: wicked angels that went with him. And because they're doomed,

235
00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:27,000
Speaker 1: they hate you as much as Jesus loves you. And

236
00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:29,679
Speaker 1: you got to understand that when you're out there, you

237
00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:33,160
Speaker 1: start playing games with this, they're after you. They want you,

238
00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:36,320
Speaker 1: and even if they can't take your redemption, they certainly

239
00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:40,160
Speaker 1: want to render you with no impact, take away your ministry,

240
00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:43,920
Speaker 1: take away your witness, whatever they can do. They're hostile

241
00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:46,120
Speaker 1: to us. And you've got to understand that. And by

242
00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:48,079
Speaker 1: the ways we've said a thousand times, that's why I'm

243
00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:52,200
Speaker 1: doing this new podcast now, Strange Encounters wherever you get podcasts,

244
00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:56,080
Speaker 1: is because Paul's going to tell us before we're done

245
00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:58,560
Speaker 1: with this study, you really don't you and I don't

246
00:13:58,559 --> 00:14:00,800
Speaker 1: have a choice whether we want to participating this war not.

247
00:14:01,679 --> 00:14:03,200
Speaker 1: You know, have you ever thought that there's a war coming?

248
00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:04,920
Speaker 1: I think I'll pass, I'll go sit up on a hill.

249
00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:06,719
Speaker 1: I don't want to be in it. Well, you can

250
00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:08,920
Speaker 1: do that in a human war, you because you can

251
00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:11,800
Speaker 1: get in trouble from running from the war. But you

252
00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:14,959
Speaker 1: can't run from this war. So you're in the war.

253
00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:18,880
Speaker 1: The question is are you prepared to fight it? But

254
00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:22,800
Speaker 1: it's going on every day when you take breath that

255
00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:26,960
Speaker 1: you walk out into a battle, onto a battlefield and uh,

256
00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:29,400
Speaker 1: and you're you're in a world that's hostile to God.

257
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,880
Speaker 1: The spirit of this world is hostile to God. Uh.

258
00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,520
Speaker 1: The the fallen angels uh and and and their their

259
00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:41,720
Speaker 1: leader Lucifer. They're malignant and they're bitterly hostile to mankind.

260
00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:45,640
Speaker 1: They're ruled by the dread Prince himself, the power of

261
00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:50,440
Speaker 1: the Heir Satan, and he roams the heavenlyes. That's why

262
00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:54,520
Speaker 1: Paul calls him the Prince of the Power of the Heir.

263
00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:58,520
Speaker 1: It's it's delivererate, deliberate that he's saying this. It's also definitive.

264
00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:02,520
Speaker 1: He is using a good deaf and because the Holy Spirit,

265
00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:06,800
Speaker 1: who is himself likened to the wind. John talks about

266
00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:10,120
Speaker 1: this again in John three eight. In his Gospel. He

267
00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:16,360
Speaker 1: uses this title to depict Satan and his sphere. It's

268
00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:22,720
Speaker 1: that he is ruling the situation right now. Jesus is

269
00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:25,800
Speaker 1: coming to rite this situation. But one of the things

270
00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:28,600
Speaker 1: I remember the first time I saw this and we

271
00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:30,880
Speaker 1: were studying this, and Sherry pointed this out to me.

272
00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:34,160
Speaker 1: She said, this Prince of the air. I would take

273
00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:35,680
Speaker 1: a note of that on what you do for a

274
00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:41,000
Speaker 1: living the airwaves. To think of the programming you hear

275
00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:43,480
Speaker 1: and see if you don't think Satan's in the middle

276
00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:48,040
Speaker 1: all that, look at the garbage that the airwaves crank out.

277
00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:51,120
Speaker 1: I mean garbage. Now, is there's some good that comes

278
00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:53,400
Speaker 1: in there that people can go and try to redeem it.

279
00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:56,920
Speaker 1: Of course, you know, when we're redeemed, we still have

280
00:15:56,960 --> 00:15:58,920
Speaker 1: a sin nature, but at least we were redeemed. Yeah,

281
00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:01,280
Speaker 1: there's places in the world that are being redeemed by

282
00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:04,040
Speaker 1: the Church, being redeemed by the Holy Spirit. But the

283
00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:06,960
Speaker 1: war is going on, and if it doesn't belong to God,

284
00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:11,560
Speaker 1: it belongs to him. And so I just got the

285
00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:14,440
Speaker 1: latest numbers today on my day job on the radio

286
00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:16,760
Speaker 1: show today. And Y've heard me say this, but I'm

287
00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:18,560
Speaker 1: gonna say it again because at the time we're doing

288
00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:21,960
Speaker 1: this Bible study. We're about ten days from the super Bowl.

289
00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:24,840
Speaker 1: Would anybody like to know what a thirty second commercial

290
00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:30,600
Speaker 1: on the super Bowl costs in ten days? Eight million dollars,

291
00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:33,200
Speaker 1: by the way, to put that in perspective, we had

292
00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:35,480
Speaker 1: this morning. The first Super Bowl was thirty seven thousand

293
00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:40,640
Speaker 1: dollars to advertise it. To run a commercial eight million

294
00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:46,080
Speaker 1: dollars for thirty seconds of your attention. Do you think

295
00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:48,000
Speaker 1: they just throw eight million dollars around saying, well that frout,

296
00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:53,960
Speaker 1: we'll have any impact. Everything you see and hear matters.

297
00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:57,280
Speaker 1: And if what you look at belongs to the prince

298
00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:03,920
Speaker 1: of darkness, the prince of the airwaves, he knows he

299
00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:08,240
Speaker 1: can manipulate you with it. Yep, you know that. You

300
00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:10,199
Speaker 1: know how it works. So guess what I do for

301
00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:12,240
Speaker 1: a living? You know? Like I say, I always tell

302
00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:14,719
Speaker 1: people all the time, if you rebuke me, of all people,

303
00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:17,399
Speaker 1: trust me, I wouldn't be paying my bills if people

304
00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:21,280
Speaker 1: didn't respond to advertising. Okay, that's how I get paid.

305
00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:24,760
Speaker 1: So do you remember we learned? What? What did what

306
00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:27,320
Speaker 1: did Coca CoA learn learn? A long time ago? You

307
00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:28,840
Speaker 1: go sit in the movie theater and what do they

308
00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:31,800
Speaker 1: do they pour you nice coca cola while you're sitting there,

309
00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:34,280
Speaker 1: and you hear that you had sparkling that carbonation. For

310
00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:36,960
Speaker 1: you know what, you're thirsty, Well, I need a Coca CoA.

311
00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:39,040
Speaker 1: That popcorn gets to popping around before you know you

312
00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:41,199
Speaker 1: can smell it, and they want they want you to

313
00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:43,000
Speaker 1: smell it. You know, you ever be going to a

314
00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:46,320
Speaker 1: trade day, anything like that trade day? You know that

315
00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:48,919
Speaker 1: many times the stuff in these food trucks, they're not

316
00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:51,760
Speaker 1: even putting onions on it, but they put onions on

317
00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:54,719
Speaker 1: that griddle, why so you can smell them cooked onions

318
00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:56,320
Speaker 1: offten For you know what, you want a corn dog?

319
00:17:56,359 --> 00:17:59,880
Speaker 1: You want a hot dog. All your senses are played upon,

320
00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:05,200
Speaker 1: and sadly that can be manipulated by the wrong influence.

321
00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:10,520
Speaker 1: Don't you ever say that you're strong enough to expose

322
00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:14,080
Speaker 1: yourself to garbage and not be impacted by it. And

323
00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:16,879
Speaker 1: and there's a reason. It's because Satan is in the

324
00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:20,640
Speaker 1: middle of it. So, in our unregenerated state, we were

325
00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,720
Speaker 1: completely deceived by Satan. Raise a hand if you live

326
00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:26,560
Speaker 1: that I did when I was unngenerated, man I fell

327
00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:30,560
Speaker 1: for everything he had, okay, And but because we were

328
00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:36,320
Speaker 1: devoid of spiritual life. That we were unaware of our

329
00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:40,720
Speaker 1: deadness to spiritual things. That's what was so sad. We

330
00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:44,560
Speaker 1: were walking around dead. Our spirit was dead because of

331
00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:47,520
Speaker 1: original sin. That's the reason why our spirit has to

332
00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,119
Speaker 1: be made new. It has to be awakened by the

333
00:18:50,160 --> 00:18:53,000
Speaker 1: spirit of God. Then he says, secondly, we were also disobedient.

334
00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:58,359
Speaker 1: Look at the second part of verse two, that we

335
00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:02,760
Speaker 1: we we were the son of disobedience. Now that includes

336
00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:06,919
Speaker 1: daughters as well. Paul's saying more than we were just

337
00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:10,120
Speaker 1: disobedient children of God. And he's not saying just that.

338
00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:14,440
Speaker 1: He's saying that we were sons of the disobedient. One.

339
00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:16,800
Speaker 1: See a lot of times I read this saying, well,

340
00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:19,320
Speaker 1: this just means I'm not a good son to God.

341
00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:21,160
Speaker 1: Now it doesn't mean that. It means you're a son

342
00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:23,639
Speaker 1: of the devil. If you're not a son of God,

343
00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:26,640
Speaker 1: we're sons of disobedience. So if you're not a child

344
00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:29,400
Speaker 1: of God, you're a child of the devil. Back to John,

345
00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:32,040
Speaker 1: and first John again, what does he say, It's evident

346
00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:34,080
Speaker 1: who are the children of God? And it's evident who

347
00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:36,440
Speaker 1: are the children of the devil? And you say, well, Rick,

348
00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:38,280
Speaker 1: how do I know which one I am. I'll tell

349
00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:41,240
Speaker 1: you how by the way you live, the fruit that

350
00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,560
Speaker 1: flows out of our lives shows who her father is.

351
00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:47,120
Speaker 1: Either we're a child of God or we're a child

352
00:19:47,119 --> 00:19:51,000
Speaker 1: of the devil. And so this is what he's saying,

353
00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:55,040
Speaker 1: that before you were regenerated, you weren't just a child

354
00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:58,560
Speaker 1: of God. That wouldn't behave No, you belonged to your father,

355
00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:02,520
Speaker 1: the devil. And that's read that differently because it's got

356
00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:05,320
Speaker 1: a little more punch when you realize that's what he's

357
00:20:05,359 --> 00:20:09,359
Speaker 1: actually saying. Uh. And here's the here's the good news,

358
00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:14,400
Speaker 1: though he said, Satan, our fallen nature has aligned with him.

359
00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:19,360
Speaker 1: It's his ally. But God has to overcome this disobedient

360
00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:24,320
Speaker 1: spirit in man, and praise God he did so. Then

361
00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:26,200
Speaker 1: we go into three. He says, hey, you got also

362
00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:30,560
Speaker 1: understand that that you were you were, you were defiled,

363
00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:33,200
Speaker 1: and that you were doomed. Look at this in three

364
00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:37,600
Speaker 1: A and B. This is before you were regenerated, among

365
00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:42,440
Speaker 1: whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh,

366
00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:46,760
Speaker 1: carrying out the desires of the body and the mind,

367
00:20:47,359 --> 00:20:51,479
Speaker 1: and were by nature children of wrath like the rest

368
00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:56,320
Speaker 1: of mankind. So we were defiled before we were redeemed,

369
00:20:56,320 --> 00:21:00,400
Speaker 1: we were controlled by natural desire. We were control old

370
00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:06,200
Speaker 1: by the passions of our flesh, human nature, controlled by

371
00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:10,320
Speaker 1: a natural depravity. Remember that this is one thing that

372
00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:15,080
Speaker 1: we talked early on. But let's do it again. So C. S.

373
00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:18,960
Speaker 1: Lewis lays this out perfectly. Scripture does that even when

374
00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:22,800
Speaker 1: we were redeemed, we now enter into a battle because

375
00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:24,919
Speaker 1: our spirit has been made alive, and now our flesh

376
00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:27,560
Speaker 1: begins to fight for its life. Now take that out.

377
00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:31,719
Speaker 1: When you weren't redeemed, there was no battle. The flesh

378
00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:37,600
Speaker 1: had no opponent, so we were completely run by our desires.

379
00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:40,400
Speaker 1: Now let me give you a hint from a man

380
00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:44,800
Speaker 1: who's going through this atification process. And I'm not where

381
00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:47,040
Speaker 1: I was, But I'm not where I need to be,

382
00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:49,080
Speaker 1: because one day I will be glorified and this battle

383
00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:51,600
Speaker 1: is going to be over. But I'm not where I was.

384
00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:55,760
Speaker 1: But I will tell you I am learning and making

385
00:21:55,800 --> 00:22:02,119
Speaker 1: this mistake less, not never, but less. That is, anytime

386
00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:06,480
Speaker 1: my reaction is about to be this defined this way,

387
00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:08,240
Speaker 1: well I'll tell you one thing. What I'm about to do.

388
00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:10,680
Speaker 1: It is a perfectly natural reaction. And that said why

389
00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:15,760
Speaker 1: it's absolutely wrong it's naturally wrong because my nature can't

390
00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:18,800
Speaker 1: be trusted. My spirit can be trusted now because it's

391
00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:22,200
Speaker 1: been redeemed, but my sin nature can't be trusted. You know,

392
00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:23,680
Speaker 1: when you think, well, I'll tell you what I'm about

393
00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:25,359
Speaker 1: to do, and nobody will be upset about it, you

394
00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:27,359
Speaker 1: know what, They'll say, that's the perfectly natural thing to do.

395
00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:32,000
Speaker 1: And every time I do something that's the natural flesh response,

396
00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:34,840
Speaker 1: it's always wrong. Always have to go back and clean

397
00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:38,920
Speaker 1: that up. We need to learn to respond by the spirit.

398
00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:41,159
Speaker 1: But Paul's not talking about that yet. He'll get to that.

399
00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:43,000
Speaker 1: He said, but when you were lost, you had no

400
00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:45,800
Speaker 1: ability to do that, so you were just run by

401
00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:48,159
Speaker 1: your flesh. You were run by your passions. Raise your

402
00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,480
Speaker 1: hand if you remember that, yeah, to me too. So

403
00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:54,840
Speaker 1: and it's almost like you you remember how many times

404
00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:57,800
Speaker 1: did you say I can tell you this before I

405
00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:01,000
Speaker 1: was redeemed? And I remember my friend laughing at me.

406
00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:05,480
Speaker 1: I was just, you know, just hell raisor horrible human

407
00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:09,280
Speaker 1: and you know, I'd have some bad experience, you know,

408
00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:13,760
Speaker 1: and what would what would you do? I'm changing by

409
00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:16,680
Speaker 1: the way, I'm done with that. And my friends would

410
00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:19,240
Speaker 1: laugh at me. They would literally laugh at me. You

411
00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:21,240
Speaker 1: know what, they say, you'll be in trouble by this afternoon.

412
00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:24,560
Speaker 1: And uh, and you know what it happened. I'd go

413
00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:26,960
Speaker 1: right back to it, you know why, because I had

414
00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:29,480
Speaker 1: nowhere to turn. It was it was flesh trying to

415
00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:31,639
Speaker 1: turn to flesh. And what does flesh. I always tell you,

416
00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:35,280
Speaker 1: it's fine. I know you nearly got killed this time,

417
00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,520
Speaker 1: but next time it won't be like that. And uh

418
00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:40,479
Speaker 1: and and everything you just did, it'll probably work out.

419
00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:43,560
Speaker 1: I'll probably be just fine. Anybody remember that, because we're

420
00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:45,840
Speaker 1: not talking to the spirit, we're just talking to the flesh.

421
00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:48,879
Speaker 1: So that's that's what Paul is talking about it. And

422
00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:50,760
Speaker 1: I think it's good for us, guys. We don't bring

423
00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:53,240
Speaker 1: glory to it. As a matter of fact, I remember

424
00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:57,360
Speaker 1: what I was first redeemed. My poor first pastor, bless

425
00:23:57,359 --> 00:24:00,639
Speaker 1: his heart, he had me. I think it'd be good,

426
00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:02,200
Speaker 1: maybe if you want to come over here and speak

427
00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:04,680
Speaker 1: on a Wednesday night or whatever and just tell you testimony.

428
00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:07,000
Speaker 1: By the time I was halfway through that testimony, He's like,

429
00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:10,000
Speaker 1: oh my goodness, you didn't have to tell all that,

430
00:24:10,119 --> 00:24:12,119
Speaker 1: you know, and and and so I don't want to

431
00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:14,560
Speaker 1: bring glory to any of it, and I don't have

432
00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:16,600
Speaker 1: to tell all of it anymore. I can just say

433
00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:20,200
Speaker 1: I was, I was, I was a depraved human being,

434
00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:22,680
Speaker 1: and I'm ashamed of the way that I lived. I

435
00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:24,359
Speaker 1: don't have to go back and share all the ugly

436
00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:29,000
Speaker 1: details anymore. I've gotten now, I don't overshare anymore because

437
00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:32,480
Speaker 1: I'm ashamed of it. But at the same time, Paul saying,

438
00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:34,680
Speaker 1: you can be ashamed of it and you don't bring

439
00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:36,360
Speaker 1: glory to it, and you don't have to always talk

440
00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:38,760
Speaker 1: about it, but don't forget it. Don't forget where you

441
00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:42,120
Speaker 1: came from. Now, don't forget the situation you were in,

442
00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:45,600
Speaker 1: because because you need to always be grateful for the

443
00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:49,040
Speaker 1: grace and mercy you've been shown by a holy God

444
00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:52,040
Speaker 1: that could have just killed you and has it and

445
00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:54,240
Speaker 1: has it gone on record that he has done that before.

446
00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:58,400
Speaker 1: So uh so three B. Then the second part he says,

447
00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:01,560
Speaker 1: so we were we were defiled, okay, but we were

448
00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:07,119
Speaker 1: also doomed. Our sinful parents, Adam and Eve, exposed us

449
00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:10,440
Speaker 1: to what God's wrath. We were protected from God's wrath

450
00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:15,560
Speaker 1: before our mommy and daddy decided that they wanted to

451
00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:17,280
Speaker 1: be able to decide what was good and bad and

452
00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:19,720
Speaker 1: not depend on God to do it. They got deceived

453
00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:22,760
Speaker 1: by this by by by Satan by saying he's holding back,

454
00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:24,960
Speaker 1: he's holding something from y'all. You don't want to trust

455
00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:27,359
Speaker 1: him to decide what's right and wrong, You go ahead

456
00:25:27,359 --> 00:25:29,840
Speaker 1: and get you a bite off that tree and letting

457
00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:32,400
Speaker 1: you that way you'll have a say in it. Who

458
00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:33,800
Speaker 1: is he to tell you what's right and wrong? You

459
00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:36,399
Speaker 1: can do that for yourself. Well, how's that worked out

460
00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:38,960
Speaker 1: for us? That has not worked out very well, has it? So?

461
00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:42,680
Speaker 1: So we're we're we were doomed because of original sin.

462
00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:46,640
Speaker 1: So and then we got exposed to God's wrath. Now,

463
00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:50,879
Speaker 1: the beauty of this gospel presentation here because here it

464
00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:54,760
Speaker 1: is if you were unredeemed, you're still exposed to God's wrath.

465
00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:59,240
Speaker 1: What did Paul tell the Thessalonians Those that are redemed

466
00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:03,960
Speaker 1: will never see god wrath? Okay? So, which also we

467
00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:05,879
Speaker 1: talked about the revelation a little bit about that, but

468
00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:08,840
Speaker 1: I won't go down that road. But I think let's

469
00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,200
Speaker 1: just let's just talk about what we all can talk about.

470
00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:17,399
Speaker 1: And the truth is, if you have rejected the satisfaction

471
00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:24,959
Speaker 1: of God's wrath, only satisfied in the life, the crucifixion

472
00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:29,400
Speaker 1: and the resurrection of Jesus, who resolved the problem. If

473
00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:34,080
Speaker 1: you're not under the covering of the blood of the Lamb, Jesus,

474
00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:37,760
Speaker 1: the final Lamb, the perfect Lamb, then you're still exposed

475
00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:42,159
Speaker 1: to God's wrath. So Paula said, remember before redemption, and

476
00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:46,440
Speaker 1: because of the original sin. Now human beings are exposed

477
00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:49,040
Speaker 1: to God's wrath. Some's got to be made right because

478
00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:54,159
Speaker 1: He's holy, holy, holy, and cannot tolerate the smallest speck

479
00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:57,880
Speaker 1: of sin. So he says, remember you were doomed before

480
00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:02,800
Speaker 1: because sin clouded, are to think clearly about the true

481
00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:06,160
Speaker 1: nature of God. So do you remember when you were lost?

482
00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:09,800
Speaker 1: You never been exposed to You weren't redeemed Did you

483
00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:14,360
Speaker 1: ever think about the holiness of God much? That's exactly

484
00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:17,119
Speaker 1: what Satan was hoping, what the demons were hoping, what

485
00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:20,119
Speaker 1: our sin nature was hoping. Because if I actually was

486
00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:23,280
Speaker 1: clear about the holiness of God, it might have convicted me.

487
00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:27,639
Speaker 1: I might have feared God, but I didn't because the

488
00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:31,480
Speaker 1: sin clouded my vision of God so much I didn't

489
00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:35,639
Speaker 1: fear him. His wrath really never came into my mind

490
00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:39,760
Speaker 1: at all. And so when I was redeemed, I actually

491
00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:43,600
Speaker 1: fear God more, even though I'm glad that I'm back

492
00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:46,480
Speaker 1: in good standing with him, but I understand to be

493
00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:49,719
Speaker 1: in good standing with him meant something was wrong between

494
00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:52,200
Speaker 1: he and I, and I didn't want to face his wrath,

495
00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:55,879
Speaker 1: which I now see clearly because I've been redeemed. I

496
00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:58,920
Speaker 1: didn't see God as holy, holy, holy, holy. I do now,

497
00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:02,359
Speaker 1: And so that's one of the things he said, you

498
00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:07,360
Speaker 1: didn't even understand that. So God's outrage concerning sin. We

499
00:28:07,359 --> 00:28:12,600
Speaker 1: were sinners by birth. But here's the thing, but then

500
00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:15,879
Speaker 1: we were also sinners by choice when we begin to

501
00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:19,120
Speaker 1: practice it. It was one thing to be born into

502
00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:21,040
Speaker 1: it. It was another thing to embrace and start doing it.

503
00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:26,080
Speaker 1: And so he said, because of all that, we had

504
00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:30,359
Speaker 1: a real issue. We were children of wrath like the

505
00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,720
Speaker 1: rest of mankind. That's the reason why we did the

506
00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:36,639
Speaker 1: thirty one day devotional, which, by the way, if you

507
00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:38,640
Speaker 1: want to know how it all works, sometimes I will

508
00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:44,040
Speaker 1: do a devotional and then that devotional only being thirty

509
00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:46,920
Speaker 1: one days, or turn to a forty week curriculum when

510
00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:49,760
Speaker 1: I felt called to write the devotional. Sin always matters.

511
00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:52,840
Speaker 1: The team rejected. It is a forty week curriculum, and

512
00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:55,440
Speaker 1: the quote was, no one can survive forty weeks of that.

513
00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:00,760
Speaker 1: But what it was supposed to do is to remind

514
00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:05,840
Speaker 1: us of how serious God takes sin. Because what do

515
00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:08,440
Speaker 1: we think, and we've talked about this before, when you

516
00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:12,600
Speaker 1: look at the brutality and the grotesque vision of the cross,

517
00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:17,120
Speaker 1: many times we might weep a little for Jesus and

518
00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:20,800
Speaker 1: then we might think for him to do that for us, man, this,

519
00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:24,840
Speaker 1: look how much he loves us. True, that's great, but

520
00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:28,920
Speaker 1: we also should never neglect to say, wow, look how

521
00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:32,160
Speaker 1: serious God takes sin, Because if we're not willing to

522
00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:35,520
Speaker 1: do that while always cheapen, his grace and mercy and

523
00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:39,120
Speaker 1: the redeemed should be able to see that clearly. And

524
00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:41,360
Speaker 1: that that was kind of what the point of that

525
00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:44,640
Speaker 1: devotion was. So now let's talk about the present. Now

526
00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:46,920
Speaker 1: it's gonna bring us into the present. We looked at

527
00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:49,560
Speaker 1: the past, Now he's gonna bring us into the present

528
00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:54,040
Speaker 1: Verses four through six, Ah, one of those wonderful but

529
00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,920
Speaker 1: God statements for everybody talk about that. So he's created

530
00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:01,240
Speaker 1: this this horrible, horrible picture. Let's read it up to

531
00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:03,840
Speaker 1: the but god' so it will really really pop, and

532
00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:06,640
Speaker 1: you were dead in the trespasses and sins verse one,

533
00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:09,720
Speaker 1: in which you once walked, following the course of this world,

534
00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:12,360
Speaker 1: following the Prince of the power of the air, the

535
00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:15,760
Speaker 1: spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience,

536
00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:19,640
Speaker 1: among whom we all once lived in the passions of

537
00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:22,680
Speaker 1: our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and

538
00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:26,400
Speaker 1: the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like

539
00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:31,480
Speaker 1: the rest of mankind. But God verse four being rich

540
00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:36,000
Speaker 1: in mercy because of the great love with which He

541
00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:43,520
Speaker 1: loved us. But God rich in mercy. Thank you Lord,

542
00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:50,040
Speaker 1: and love God's love was shown to us. Number one

543
00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:55,080
Speaker 1: in verse four, it's riches. We love to see the word.

544
00:30:55,960 --> 00:31:07,200
Speaker 1: But God's rich in mercy. He's rich in mercy. Just

545
00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:11,240
Speaker 1: just let that resonate for just a minute. He's rich

546
00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:14,960
Speaker 1: in mercy. So what are some of the examples. You

547
00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:16,800
Speaker 1: don't have to share them, and we won't get into

548
00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:19,760
Speaker 1: all that. But just think in your life right now,

549
00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:24,240
Speaker 1: how many times if I ask the question do you

550
00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:26,520
Speaker 1: think God is rich in mercy? You can say I

551
00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:33,200
Speaker 1: know he is. It seems to be an account that

552
00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:39,160
Speaker 1: is impossible to exhaust, because there's been many times that

553
00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:41,280
Speaker 1: I would think, well, God's probably out of mercy for me.

554
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:46,360
Speaker 1: Surely that account is empty. But Paul says, no, he's rich.

555
00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:52,560
Speaker 1: He's wealthy in mercy and in love. This is something

556
00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:56,360
Speaker 1: that is a reality. Is his wrath and judgment reality,

557
00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:59,960
Speaker 1: you better believe it. But is his mercy and love

558
00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:06,760
Speaker 1: and grace also reality? Yes? Yes, but God, Hey, I'm

559
00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:12,520
Speaker 1: in a bad shape. You know how wonderful that feeling is.

560
00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:16,720
Speaker 1: Think about it. I mean the downtrodden person that thinks

561
00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:19,840
Speaker 1: they're at the end of their rope and they finally

562
00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:22,120
Speaker 1: find the person that says I can solve your problems.

563
00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:30,040
Speaker 1: You're poor and whatever, not anymore. I will take the

564
00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:34,480
Speaker 1: mercy that I'm rich in and I will land on you.

565
00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:37,920
Speaker 1: I'm gonna resolve the problem. Because what Paul says is, man,

566
00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:41,040
Speaker 1: we got a problem. Can you imagine going to God

567
00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:43,760
Speaker 1: saying I don't know what to do, and God says

568
00:32:43,760 --> 00:32:47,640
Speaker 1: I've already done it. I'm rich in mercy because the

569
00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:53,080
Speaker 1: great love with which He loved us five, even when

570
00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:58,120
Speaker 1: we were dead and our trespasses made us alive together

571
00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:07,400
Speaker 1: with Christ by grace, you have been saved. It's reality.

572
00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:12,240
Speaker 1: Even when we were dead, he loved us when we

573
00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:18,480
Speaker 1: were not lovable. You know, it's easy to love people

574
00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:22,080
Speaker 1: that are lovable. Do you find it easier to love

575
00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:25,080
Speaker 1: people that really haven't done you wrong. They've never mistreated you,

576
00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:29,840
Speaker 1: they've never rejected you, they never blasphemed you, they've never

577
00:33:29,840 --> 00:33:35,360
Speaker 1: gone after your character, they never embarrassed you. You know,

578
00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:38,360
Speaker 1: Jesus taught that anybody. I can love those people. But

579
00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:41,160
Speaker 1: what about when someone walks up to you that has

580
00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:47,160
Speaker 1: defiled you, that has rejected you, that has blasphemed your

581
00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:56,880
Speaker 1: very name and character, has rejected you, has committed sin

582
00:33:57,120 --> 00:34:01,480
Speaker 1: against you. And when you look at them, you think,

583
00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:05,400
Speaker 1: you know, you're hard to even look at. And you

584
00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:11,200
Speaker 1: come in with your hat in your hand, and they say,

585
00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:17,960
Speaker 1: I forgive you. I'm going to and you say, but

586
00:34:18,200 --> 00:34:22,360
Speaker 1: it's worse than that. I think I'm going to die.

587
00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:25,640
Speaker 1: And they say, but then I'll heal you. I'll make

588
00:34:25,680 --> 00:34:31,320
Speaker 1: you alive. I'll literally give you life back, the eternal

589
00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:34,040
Speaker 1: life you were supposed to have, and you squandered it.

590
00:34:34,640 --> 00:34:38,480
Speaker 1: Through my son, I will return it to you. It

591
00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:42,279
Speaker 1: was taken from you, some of it you participated in.

592
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:49,799
Speaker 1: But even though you are by all accounts, grotesque and unlovable,

593
00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:57,520
Speaker 1: I will still love you well. It takes supernatural power

594
00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:02,240
Speaker 1: to do that, and I can say that that through time,

595
00:35:03,880 --> 00:35:07,279
Speaker 1: his presence in my life is giving me the ability

596
00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:10,520
Speaker 1: to do more of that. Not there, I'm not all

597
00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:15,440
Speaker 1: the way home, but I can honestly say that I

598
00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:20,799
Speaker 1: finally have discovered that holding grudges and denying forgiveness is

599
00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:25,600
Speaker 1: a waste of time. And it doesn't mean that what

600
00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:28,600
Speaker 1: people did is okay, or it doesn't matter, it didn't hurt,

601
00:35:28,920 --> 00:35:33,880
Speaker 1: None of that matters. All that's true. But the best

602
00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:36,319
Speaker 1: analogy I heard was, it's if you're going to if

603
00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:40,359
Speaker 1: you will not forgive as God has forgiven us, it

604
00:35:40,440 --> 00:35:44,719
Speaker 1: is literally you living your life drinking poison, expecting those

605
00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:47,759
Speaker 1: people to die. It ain't doing anything but killing you.

606
00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:53,319
Speaker 1: And who are we to deny? I'm not saying that

607
00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:58,080
Speaker 1: means that we pretend what someone did what legitimately wrong

608
00:35:58,239 --> 00:36:01,839
Speaker 1: or hurtful. It's not about that. It's about denying that

609
00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:05,200
Speaker 1: person the forgiveness that we were not denied. When I

610
00:36:05,239 --> 00:36:08,520
Speaker 1: think about all the things that a holy God forgave

611
00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:12,480
Speaker 1: me of I just have a hard time holding on

612
00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:16,480
Speaker 1: to unforgiveness, even if I never have a relationship with

613
00:36:16,480 --> 00:36:21,120
Speaker 1: a person again on this side of heaven. I just

614
00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:28,080
Speaker 1: don't see any benefit to denying grace to others when

615
00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:31,120
Speaker 1: it certainly wasn't denied to me. And Paul's reminding us

616
00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:35,200
Speaker 1: of that you were lovable when you were not lovable,

617
00:36:36,719 --> 00:36:41,360
Speaker 1: and the fact that God's love was shared with us.

618
00:36:42,719 --> 00:36:50,520
Speaker 1: It was he plucked us from the tomb. He was

619
00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:56,440
Speaker 1: not daunted by death. He made us alive. Now I

620
00:36:56,480 --> 00:36:59,759
Speaker 1: want you to think about that. Don't ever forget that.

621
00:36:59,800 --> 00:37:03,640
Speaker 1: If if you are redeemed again, this is a lot

622
00:37:03,640 --> 00:37:07,160
Speaker 1: of First John again. If you have been redeemed, and

623
00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:11,759
Speaker 1: John says this in First John, this means that the

624
00:37:11,880 --> 00:37:16,600
Speaker 1: very seed of God, God, the beginning and the end,

625
00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:21,319
Speaker 1: the very seed of God has now been planted in

626
00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:27,520
Speaker 1: our dead spirit, making our spirit alive. And what is

627
00:37:27,680 --> 00:37:31,880
Speaker 1: that seed, the Holy Spirit? And what are we taught

628
00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:36,080
Speaker 1: about the trinity? The Holy Spirit? He is the one

629
00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:41,440
Speaker 1: that raised Jesus from the tomb, and that power is

630
00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:46,480
Speaker 1: now available to dead people. And because of that power

631
00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:51,399
Speaker 1: we are alive. And though our body will die, we

632
00:37:51,480 --> 00:37:55,160
Speaker 1: will eternally live in the presence of the one and

633
00:37:55,200 --> 00:38:00,000
Speaker 1: only living God. Why don't we live like that power

634
00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:02,920
Speaker 1: or has actually had an impact if it raised Jesus

635
00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:06,160
Speaker 1: from the dead. If the Holy Spirit can raise Jesus

636
00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:12,600
Speaker 1: from the dead, he can absolutely transform every one of us. Remember,

637
00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:17,360
Speaker 1: you have the Holy Spirit. Now you have God in

638
00:38:17,400 --> 00:38:24,520
Speaker 1: his fullness that raised Jesus from the dead and those

639
00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:26,600
Speaker 1: of us dead in our sins. It will certainly raise

640
00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:32,560
Speaker 1: us too. And Paul is reminding us of that. But

641
00:38:32,880 --> 00:38:38,520
Speaker 1: God verse six and raised us up with him and

642
00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:45,359
Speaker 1: seeded us, seated us with him in the heavenly places

643
00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:48,880
Speaker 1: in Christ, Jesus, you got to be kidding meed, So

644
00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:55,480
Speaker 1: now now I've been plucked from death. God laughs at death.

645
00:38:55,960 --> 00:38:58,360
Speaker 1: I love In one Corinthians fifteen, I use it a

646
00:38:58,360 --> 00:39:00,840
Speaker 1: lot at funerals. I'm sure all of us have done funerals.

647
00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:05,160
Speaker 1: Oh death, where's your stem? Paul says, because of our

648
00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:10,680
Speaker 1: redemption the Holy Spirit trash talks death. Yeah, you sow what.

649
00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:13,120
Speaker 1: Their body died. That's because they were born to sin,

650
00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:16,600
Speaker 1: but their spirit lives in eternity. You couldn't beat him,

651
00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:20,040
Speaker 1: You couldn't beat Jesus. I love that In Peter, when

652
00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:23,880
Speaker 1: Jesus stands before all that attempt by Satan to have

653
00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:28,440
Speaker 1: his own God men and and they're they're they're in

654
00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:31,879
Speaker 1: prison forever, and they'll be cast into the lake of fire.

655
00:39:31,960 --> 00:39:35,239
Speaker 1: And as as Jesus has defeated sin and death, he

656
00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:38,560
Speaker 1: stands before them and say, you didn't do it. I've

657
00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:43,320
Speaker 1: done it. I've redeemed them. If they're willing to repent

658
00:39:43,560 --> 00:39:46,200
Speaker 1: and put their faith in me, you won't have them.

659
00:39:46,520 --> 00:39:49,239
Speaker 1: They have a way out now now, some of us,

660
00:39:50,080 --> 00:39:52,279
Speaker 1: that life preserver is in the water, and we just

661
00:39:52,360 --> 00:39:57,280
Speaker 1: keep treading. We won't grab it. You can only tread

662
00:39:57,320 --> 00:40:01,520
Speaker 1: for so long. Grab the I preserve, or grab Jesus

663
00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:05,400
Speaker 1: and let him bring you out of out of a

664
00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:12,080
Speaker 1: sure death to life. And Paul is saying, now he's

665
00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:18,920
Speaker 1: gonna take us. Doesn't this is just sound outrageous that

666
00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:22,440
Speaker 1: he's gonna take us. He's not just gonna say you're

667
00:40:22,480 --> 00:40:26,080
Speaker 1: not going to hell now, but stay away from me. Okay,

668
00:40:26,200 --> 00:40:29,040
Speaker 1: my goodness, I'm sick and tired of you people. Okay.

669
00:40:30,080 --> 00:40:34,320
Speaker 1: And he didn't just say you can be somewhere around

670
00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:37,120
Speaker 1: me here in the same we got a big giant

671
00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:42,040
Speaker 1: and you have a new earth. Keep your distance. He says,

672
00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:44,279
Speaker 1: I have redeemed you to such a place that I

673
00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:49,439
Speaker 1: will now place you on a throne seated with the sun.

674
00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:54,479
Speaker 1: And you know why that can happen. Mm hm hmmm.

675
00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:10,120
Speaker 1: Because of Jesus, God, the Father, Holy, Holy, Holy. I

676
00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:16,360
Speaker 1: have always existed, I am, I will always be. Cannot

677
00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:23,520
Speaker 1: look upon wretched sinners like me. But because of Jesus,

678
00:41:23,560 --> 00:41:27,759
Speaker 1: he can now turn his head to the right, and

679
00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:33,400
Speaker 1: when he looks at my horrible self, he sees Jesus,

680
00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:39,560
Speaker 1: he sees me. He's righteous. So I can come as

681
00:41:39,560 --> 00:41:43,680
Speaker 1: close to him as I want to. I can share

682
00:41:45,440 --> 00:41:49,600
Speaker 1: the space where his sun sits. Because you know what

683
00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:54,640
Speaker 1: the son says to the Father, he's with me. I

684
00:41:54,680 --> 00:41:58,000
Speaker 1: hope that gives you peace today. Now, if you're not redeemed,

685
00:41:58,040 --> 00:42:02,960
Speaker 1: I hope it gives you the desire for it, some conviction.

686
00:42:03,440 --> 00:42:07,000
Speaker 1: There is a way out. You're not doomed. Not as

687
00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:09,279
Speaker 1: long as Jesus has not come back and you haven't died,

688
00:42:09,320 --> 00:42:14,040
Speaker 1: you're not doomed. The grace fawcet is still open, is

689
00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:18,200
Speaker 1: still flowing. The church. We're still here, We're still doing

690
00:42:18,200 --> 00:42:21,800
Speaker 1: our work. You can join us, Come join the redeemed,

691
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:25,040
Speaker 1: the beggars that just know where the bread is. We're

692
00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:28,640
Speaker 1: all equal at the foot of the cross. We're all

693
00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:32,640
Speaker 1: in equal need of this redemption. Can you imagine God

694
00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:36,560
Speaker 1: looking at you and seeing Jesus. God made us to

695
00:42:36,600 --> 00:42:44,160
Speaker 1: sit together with his son Jesus. Wow, the prospect seven

696
00:42:44,200 --> 00:42:49,440
Speaker 1: through ten and will be done for today so that

697
00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:54,280
Speaker 1: in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches

698
00:42:54,360 --> 00:42:58,800
Speaker 1: of his grace and kindness toward us. In Jesus Christ,

699
00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:07,520
Speaker 1: this is the unstinted grace given without restraint, unrestricted. So

700
00:43:07,560 --> 00:43:10,759
Speaker 1: there's no limit to it. I'm gonna say that again,

701
00:43:10,800 --> 00:43:15,720
Speaker 1: there's no limit to it. It's unrestrained. Can I keep

702
00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:18,120
Speaker 1: Can I keep receiving your grace if I repent, no

703
00:43:18,160 --> 00:43:20,520
Speaker 1: matter how bad the sin. Yes, I don't look at

704
00:43:20,560 --> 00:43:23,319
Speaker 1: any sin and say no that. The only thing that

705
00:43:23,320 --> 00:43:26,400
Speaker 1: would doom anybody that God can't resolve is if you

706
00:43:26,480 --> 00:43:29,880
Speaker 1: reject Jesus. Now, if you reject, reject Jesus, then you

707
00:43:29,880 --> 00:43:32,359
Speaker 1: don't have access to the unrestrained grace. So it never

708
00:43:32,400 --> 00:43:38,200
Speaker 1: gets started. But in Jesus all sins are forgiven. Uh.

709
00:43:38,280 --> 00:43:44,440
Speaker 1: And it's eternal. I mean, it is eternally revealed and

710
00:43:44,800 --> 00:43:48,120
Speaker 1: it's going to be you know. Through us man's sin,

711
00:43:48,560 --> 00:43:51,200
Speaker 1: God gave the opportunity to display a side of his

712
00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:56,440
Speaker 1: character that otherwise might have never been fully revealed. How

713
00:43:56,480 --> 00:43:59,239
Speaker 1: about that we knew about his creation, we knew about

714
00:43:59,239 --> 00:44:02,640
Speaker 1: his wisdom, we knew about his power, we knew about

715
00:44:02,680 --> 00:44:05,680
Speaker 1: which includes his judgment and his wrath. Think about that,

716
00:44:05,719 --> 00:44:07,680
Speaker 1: if man had never sinned, we would never sing the

717
00:44:07,719 --> 00:44:12,799
Speaker 1: sight of God. God says, well, now that you've done this,

718
00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:16,480
Speaker 1: let me reveal another side of my character, grace and mercy.

719
00:44:18,520 --> 00:44:24,879
Speaker 1: It was revealed in man's sin. Our sin prompted him

720
00:44:24,920 --> 00:44:29,600
Speaker 1: revealing his grace and his mercy on the stage of redemption.

721
00:44:30,160 --> 00:44:34,240
Speaker 1: I love that line. God demonstrated not just his grace,

722
00:44:34,880 --> 00:44:39,040
Speaker 1: not just his riches of his grace, but exceeding riches

723
00:44:39,160 --> 00:44:43,359
Speaker 1: of his grace. We can't even comprehend. Guys, if all

724
00:44:43,480 --> 00:44:46,960
Speaker 1: God's grace was, if you knew nothing else about God's grace,

725
00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:49,720
Speaker 1: the fact that I've been forgiven, you would be amazed

726
00:44:49,719 --> 00:44:54,200
Speaker 1: at how gracious he is. That just my story alone,

727
00:44:54,400 --> 00:44:59,120
Speaker 1: and I represent millions of people, all of us at

728
00:44:59,120 --> 00:45:01,120
Speaker 1: different places. But but you got to understand, at the

729
00:45:01,239 --> 00:45:04,840
Speaker 1: end of the day, all have fallen short as paultos.

730
00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:07,719
Speaker 1: We've all fallen short. There's no one that God says

731
00:45:07,719 --> 00:45:12,600
Speaker 1: now that one got close. It's a big gap between

732
00:45:12,680 --> 00:45:16,359
Speaker 1: us and a holy God. It's also going to be

733
00:45:17,160 --> 00:45:22,880
Speaker 1: eternally revealed to us verses eight and nine. Here it is,

734
00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:25,200
Speaker 1: and you probably have heard this. This is the Gospel

735
00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:29,080
Speaker 1: wrapped up pretty tight right here. For by grace you

736
00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:32,400
Speaker 1: have been saved through faith. And this is not your

737
00:45:32,400 --> 00:45:36,120
Speaker 1: own doing. It is the gift of God, not a

738
00:45:36,160 --> 00:45:41,120
Speaker 1: result of works. So that no one may boast you

739
00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:45,919
Speaker 1: ever heard those verses before, pretty well known, but let's

740
00:45:45,960 --> 00:45:49,800
Speaker 1: pay attention to what is actually being said. It's not merited.

741
00:45:50,000 --> 00:45:53,040
Speaker 1: We all know that this is what separates us from

742
00:45:53,080 --> 00:45:56,799
Speaker 1: the other religions. All the other religions out there are

743
00:45:56,840 --> 00:46:00,840
Speaker 1: based on merit, They're based on works. It's one of

744
00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:05,279
Speaker 1: the greatest summaries of the Gospel here in the entire

745
00:46:05,320 --> 00:46:07,520
Speaker 1: New Testament. And you know what gets me about that, Paul,

746
00:46:07,600 --> 00:46:10,239
Speaker 1: is so deep. You every been around those people that

747
00:46:10,320 --> 00:46:12,120
Speaker 1: you can tell they're trying to tone it down for you.

748
00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:14,880
Speaker 1: Uh you know, like I said, I've chry and I

749
00:46:14,960 --> 00:46:16,839
Speaker 1: made some friends not too long ago, and we keep

750
00:46:16,840 --> 00:46:18,759
Speaker 1: in touch, but it was pretty clear that we're not

751
00:46:18,800 --> 00:46:22,279
Speaker 1: smart enough to be their friends. And they get into

752
00:46:22,280 --> 00:46:26,359
Speaker 1: conversations about things that I'm just like at some point

753
00:46:26,440 --> 00:46:28,360
Speaker 1: I'll get in here with something, but I don't know

754
00:46:28,400 --> 00:46:33,120
Speaker 1: what I'm going to bring here. And yeah, so yeah,

755
00:46:33,160 --> 00:46:35,239
Speaker 1: that was interesting man. So that's the entire poet. You

756
00:46:35,320 --> 00:46:39,279
Speaker 1: just described to me how a nuclear submarine works. That's incredible.

757
00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:43,960
Speaker 1: I shot a deer today, you know what I mean.

758
00:46:44,080 --> 00:46:48,480
Speaker 1: And so it's just all I had. But but so

759
00:46:49,760 --> 00:46:53,200
Speaker 1: the but can you And here's the apostle Paul that

760
00:46:53,400 --> 00:46:57,239
Speaker 1: was so learned. I mean, he was incredibly educated. But

761
00:46:57,280 --> 00:46:59,640
Speaker 1: remember with all of his education, what was he He

762
00:46:59,719 --> 00:47:03,400
Speaker 1: was as wrong? He was a zealot for God, no question,

763
00:47:03,880 --> 00:47:06,799
Speaker 1: but he just he just wanted no part of this

764
00:47:06,880 --> 00:47:10,760
Speaker 1: new grafting in the Gentiles and this this this grace

765
00:47:10,840 --> 00:47:14,160
Speaker 1: and mercy. We're Keith the law. That's what we do

766
00:47:14,600 --> 00:47:17,359
Speaker 1: and we merit it. And so but but with all

767
00:47:17,360 --> 00:47:19,880
Speaker 1: of his education, he had to be broken down by

768
00:47:19,960 --> 00:47:22,520
Speaker 1: Jesus and be taught grace and mercy. But boy, once

769
00:47:22,520 --> 00:47:26,520
Speaker 1: he got it, uh, he understood it, and then he

770
00:47:26,520 --> 00:47:29,200
Speaker 1: he does it. So it's so deep, but it's so

771
00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:32,920
Speaker 1: easy to understand. For by grace, you have been saved

772
00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:36,880
Speaker 1: through faith. So it's God's grace through our faith. And

773
00:47:36,960 --> 00:47:40,520
Speaker 1: this is not your own doing it's a gift of God,

774
00:47:40,920 --> 00:47:44,520
Speaker 1: not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Now,

775
00:47:44,520 --> 00:47:46,759
Speaker 1: what what does this faith look like? And it's a

776
00:47:46,880 --> 00:47:52,000
Speaker 1: very simple analogy. I just saw it just recently. Uh,

777
00:47:52,080 --> 00:47:54,239
Speaker 1: And and that was, you know, if I have a

778
00:47:54,280 --> 00:47:57,240
Speaker 1: pen right here, if I wanted to say to Benny

779
00:47:57,360 --> 00:47:59,400
Speaker 1: right here on the front row, Benny, I'd like to

780
00:47:59,440 --> 00:48:06,239
Speaker 1: give you the gift to this pen, We'll come get it.

781
00:48:07,040 --> 00:48:08,480
Speaker 1: So he still would have to get up and come

782
00:48:08,520 --> 00:48:10,799
Speaker 1: take it. But it was a gift. He didn't merit it,

783
00:48:10,960 --> 00:48:12,319
Speaker 1: and I decide to give to him, but he does

784
00:48:12,400 --> 00:48:14,960
Speaker 1: have to come take it. So that the faith part

785
00:48:15,080 --> 00:48:20,200
Speaker 1: is that my heart is solely completely sincere, that I

786
00:48:20,280 --> 00:48:22,799
Speaker 1: desired to repent of my sin. I want to turn

787
00:48:22,800 --> 00:48:25,400
Speaker 1: from my sin. I have no hope to rectify this myself.

788
00:48:25,600 --> 00:48:27,400
Speaker 1: And I'm taking the faith that I have in my

789
00:48:27,560 --> 00:48:31,360
Speaker 1: own merit, and I'm moving that faith all to Jesus,

790
00:48:31,440 --> 00:48:35,279
Speaker 1: saying I cannot merit it. And through the faith of

791
00:48:35,400 --> 00:48:38,919
Speaker 1: me recognizing that I have no hope without You, then

792
00:48:38,960 --> 00:48:42,760
Speaker 1: by grace, with that sincerity and truth and that belief

793
00:48:42,880 --> 00:48:45,879
Speaker 1: that Jesus is my only hope, he will then give

794
00:48:45,920 --> 00:48:52,040
Speaker 1: me the grace. So it is that God's grace. It's

795
00:48:52,239 --> 00:48:56,320
Speaker 1: by his grace, but it's through our faith and truly

796
00:48:56,400 --> 00:49:01,120
Speaker 1: believing it and truly leaving any faith and our ability

797
00:49:01,200 --> 00:49:06,560
Speaker 1: to merit God's approval. And he says, and the reason

798
00:49:06,560 --> 00:49:08,440
Speaker 1: why you have to understand it's a gift from God. God.

799
00:49:08,640 --> 00:49:12,000
Speaker 1: God also understood that this whole system of trying to

800
00:49:12,040 --> 00:49:15,240
Speaker 1: merit it, everybody starts getting in the playoff on who's

801
00:49:15,239 --> 00:49:18,120
Speaker 1: the most godly and who's the most obedient. And you

802
00:49:18,160 --> 00:49:20,200
Speaker 1: have you've seen this in the other religions. That's all

803
00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:23,239
Speaker 1: they do. Which you've heard me say this before with

804
00:49:23,680 --> 00:49:27,600
Speaker 1: Islam as we do this Bible study from somewhere in Memphis.

805
00:49:27,960 --> 00:49:31,000
Speaker 1: But you know, when it comes to what comes with

806
00:49:31,239 --> 00:49:37,040
Speaker 1: Islam is you know, one of the things that is problematic.

807
00:49:37,239 --> 00:49:38,680
Speaker 1: And we've said this before, but those of you that

808
00:49:38,719 --> 00:49:40,920
Speaker 1: don't know this, you need to know this. This suicide

809
00:49:40,960 --> 00:49:44,279
Speaker 1: stuff that's not an active devotion. It's an act of

810
00:49:44,360 --> 00:49:49,000
Speaker 1: desperation because it's a works based religion. And the only

811
00:49:49,040 --> 00:49:51,719
Speaker 1: way that they conveniently put into the religion for you

812
00:49:51,760 --> 00:49:54,920
Speaker 1: to be absolutely sure that you've done more good than

813
00:49:54,960 --> 00:49:59,080
Speaker 1: bad is to give your life for the faith. If

814
00:49:59,080 --> 00:50:03,279
Speaker 1: you are you kill yourself for the faith, then you

815
00:50:03,480 --> 00:50:09,680
Speaker 1: automatically it's instant approval. So they're sitting the other time.

816
00:50:09,719 --> 00:50:11,600
Speaker 1: They've got these skills and they're trying to figure out,

817
00:50:11,640 --> 00:50:13,719
Speaker 1: I've done more good than bad. Well, if you do that,

818
00:50:13,760 --> 00:50:16,080
Speaker 1: then the scales are in your favor for sure. It's

819
00:50:16,120 --> 00:50:19,280
Speaker 1: not an act of devotion, it's an act of desperation

820
00:50:19,360 --> 00:50:24,640
Speaker 1: because they know they can't merit approval of God. And

821
00:50:24,719 --> 00:50:27,919
Speaker 1: so this is the thing that that that Paul wants

822
00:50:27,960 --> 00:50:31,440
Speaker 1: to be sure that we clearly understand. Now some argue

823
00:50:31,520 --> 00:50:35,360
Speaker 1: over what the gift is, but it's clear it's neither

824
00:50:36,440 --> 00:50:39,600
Speaker 1: you know, it's neither grace nor faith, the gift of salvation.

825
00:50:40,960 --> 00:50:42,640
Speaker 1: You say, well, what's God's gift to me, Well, it's

826
00:50:42,680 --> 00:50:46,760
Speaker 1: it's grace or it's faith. Now grace, grace and faith

827
00:50:46,880 --> 00:50:50,040
Speaker 1: or what what we what is in playing? But but

828
00:50:50,160 --> 00:50:53,040
Speaker 1: what the gift is is the actual salvation. That's the

829
00:50:53,080 --> 00:50:57,000
Speaker 1: gift of God that we're actually redeemed, uh, and that's

830
00:50:57,040 --> 00:51:00,719
Speaker 1: been made available to us by God's grace and received

831
00:51:00,840 --> 00:51:04,799
Speaker 1: by us through our faith. It's not because we unearned it.

832
00:51:06,040 --> 00:51:11,279
Speaker 1: Boasting is always an expression of who satan. That's the

833
00:51:11,280 --> 00:51:16,319
Speaker 1: original sin. I want to take God's spot. I don't

834
00:51:16,400 --> 00:51:19,279
Speaker 1: like him being above me. And human beings have been

835
00:51:19,320 --> 00:51:22,240
Speaker 1: committing that sin ever since it is the original sin pride.

836
00:51:23,440 --> 00:51:26,239
Speaker 1: So doesn't that make sense that God's plant is sense

837
00:51:26,320 --> 00:51:29,080
Speaker 1: that God's plan of redemption would not include boasting, It

838
00:51:29,120 --> 00:51:33,480
Speaker 1: wouldn't include pride, the wrong kind of pride. There's nothing

839
00:51:33,520 --> 00:51:37,040
Speaker 1: wrong with having self worth, but to be arrogant and

840
00:51:37,120 --> 00:51:42,440
Speaker 1: prideful and lofty is sin, especially when you consider yourself

841
00:51:42,480 --> 00:51:46,240
Speaker 1: to be more important than God himself. Are that somehow

842
00:51:46,280 --> 00:51:49,480
Speaker 1: you are so wonderful that God says, oh my goodness,

843
00:51:49,520 --> 00:51:51,400
Speaker 1: I have to take notice of all the wonderful words

844
00:51:51,400 --> 00:51:55,160
Speaker 1: of Rick because they're nothing compared to me. I think

845
00:51:55,200 --> 00:51:59,440
Speaker 1: I'll just redeem him just because he's wonderful. That it's

846
00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:05,080
Speaker 1: not because earned it, and it's a gift and there's

847
00:52:05,120 --> 00:52:08,920
Speaker 1: no work that can earn it. And I wanted to

848
00:52:08,920 --> 00:52:11,800
Speaker 1: say something right here about some of the theological arguments

849
00:52:11,840 --> 00:52:16,400
Speaker 1: that we have. But my beautiful wife, who who is

850
00:52:16,440 --> 00:52:19,200
Speaker 1: always a gift from God herself, she says, please don't

851
00:52:19,239 --> 00:52:21,640
Speaker 1: be as smart of it on the Bible, stay tomorrow.

852
00:52:21,680 --> 00:52:23,960
Speaker 1: And I said, okay, so I want, but anybody who

853
00:52:23,960 --> 00:52:25,680
Speaker 1: wants to hear the line, I'll be standing by the door,

854
00:52:26,600 --> 00:52:31,480
Speaker 1: all right. So so then then and ten it's the

855
00:52:31,600 --> 00:52:33,880
Speaker 1: unstunted growth. Now this is where we got to be careful,

856
00:52:35,600 --> 00:52:42,040
Speaker 1: for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for

857
00:52:42,280 --> 00:52:45,239
Speaker 1: good works. Now watch out there. This line, the verse

858
00:52:45,280 --> 00:52:50,360
Speaker 1: ten is often ignored, which God prepared beforehand that we

859
00:52:50,400 --> 00:52:53,040
Speaker 1: should walk in them. Okay, so wait a minute. So

860
00:52:54,600 --> 00:52:56,800
Speaker 1: this is this is the you know with the Romans

861
00:52:56,880 --> 00:52:59,840
Speaker 1: chapter chapter eight, where Paul talks about that those of

862
00:52:59,880 --> 00:53:03,040
Speaker 1: it had been redeemed, we're predestined to be like Christ.

863
00:53:03,160 --> 00:53:08,319
Speaker 1: It will happen through sanctification. So works are part of

864
00:53:08,360 --> 00:53:11,279
Speaker 1: God's plan too. They just don't merit redemption, but they're

865
00:53:11,400 --> 00:53:15,000
Speaker 1: part of God's work. It's not at all a piece

866
00:53:15,000 --> 00:53:17,759
Speaker 1: of salvation. I'm not saying that, but it is proof

867
00:53:17,800 --> 00:53:21,080
Speaker 1: of it. You know, James really gets deep on that.

868
00:53:21,160 --> 00:53:23,480
Speaker 1: We have a new three to one day devotional on James.

869
00:53:23,480 --> 00:53:28,600
Speaker 1: By the way, that's the proof of the redemption. So

870
00:53:28,960 --> 00:53:33,479
Speaker 1: the works, they're evidence that we went from alive to dead.

871
00:53:33,840 --> 00:53:37,440
Speaker 1: Notice how Paul words it, for we are His workmanship

872
00:53:37,680 --> 00:53:41,560
Speaker 1: created in Christ Jesus for good works. So can we

873
00:53:41,560 --> 00:53:45,360
Speaker 1: accomplish good works without Christ. Jesus apparently not. But once

874
00:53:45,440 --> 00:53:50,080
Speaker 1: that happens, he says, because of Jesus John fifteen, if

875
00:53:50,120 --> 00:53:51,960
Speaker 1: I abide in you and you abide in me, I

876
00:53:52,080 --> 00:53:56,400
Speaker 1: will produce in you much fruit, proving that you're my disciples.

877
00:53:56,400 --> 00:53:59,040
Speaker 1: And by this my Father will be glorified. He'll love this.

878
00:53:59,520 --> 00:54:01,760
Speaker 1: And you know what, say that's one of my son's disciples.

879
00:54:01,840 --> 00:54:03,799
Speaker 1: I can tell why because I can see what my

880
00:54:03,880 --> 00:54:07,920
Speaker 1: son's producing in him or her. So don't get this

881
00:54:08,040 --> 00:54:12,760
Speaker 1: thought that somehow I've been redeemed but nothing is happening.

882
00:54:13,640 --> 00:54:15,960
Speaker 1: Some people take this good, this works thing, and this

883
00:54:16,040 --> 00:54:19,520
Speaker 1: anti works thing so far that they begin to start

884
00:54:19,600 --> 00:54:24,480
Speaker 1: confusing merited salvation with obedience. That's not the same thing.

885
00:54:24,760 --> 00:54:27,600
Speaker 1: Jesus said, if you love me, you'll obey my commandments.

886
00:54:28,640 --> 00:54:32,240
Speaker 1: Anyone who says they love me, they will obey. Anybody

887
00:54:32,239 --> 00:54:35,000
Speaker 1: that that doesn't obey me they don't love me. Then

888
00:54:35,000 --> 00:54:37,040
Speaker 1: you go to Matthew seven. Only those that do the

889
00:54:37,040 --> 00:54:39,000
Speaker 1: will of my Father are the real deal. A lot

890
00:54:39,000 --> 00:54:40,640
Speaker 1: of people talk about my names, a lot of people

891
00:54:40,640 --> 00:54:42,719
Speaker 1: say things, But it's only those that do the will

892
00:54:42,719 --> 00:54:44,879
Speaker 1: of my Father that will inherit the kingdom of Heaven.

893
00:54:45,080 --> 00:54:47,440
Speaker 1: What is he saying. When you see the works flowing

894
00:54:47,480 --> 00:54:49,640
Speaker 1: out of people that I've been redeemed, they probably are

895
00:54:49,680 --> 00:54:52,359
Speaker 1: redeemed if they claim to be redeemed, But you don't

896
00:54:52,360 --> 00:54:54,880
Speaker 1: see me flowing out of them, they probably aren't. Now

897
00:54:54,920 --> 00:54:57,680
Speaker 1: I'm not talking about making mistakes. I'm talking about a

898
00:54:57,760 --> 00:55:02,920
Speaker 1: fruitless life. I mean, look, until we're glorified, we all

899
00:55:02,960 --> 00:55:06,560
Speaker 1: going to have days we're inconsistent. You know, I talk

900
00:55:06,560 --> 00:55:08,360
Speaker 1: about it. I was talking about this with somebody that

901
00:55:08,560 --> 00:55:11,880
Speaker 1: was talking about some of the things, even what I

902
00:55:11,920 --> 00:55:13,800
Speaker 1: do for a living, and I said, well, look, I

903
00:55:13,880 --> 00:55:15,759
Speaker 1: can clarify this for you. There's days I just don't

904
00:55:15,760 --> 00:55:19,200
Speaker 1: get it right. But I hope you see the body

905
00:55:19,239 --> 00:55:22,440
Speaker 1: of work that you've seen a different human being than

906
00:55:22,480 --> 00:55:24,959
Speaker 1: you saw before I was redeemed. And of course he said, yeah,

907
00:55:24,960 --> 00:55:26,759
Speaker 1: of course, I said, but I'm just going to tell

908
00:55:26,800 --> 00:55:29,040
Speaker 1: you some days, trying to walk this in the world

909
00:55:29,280 --> 00:55:30,839
Speaker 1: and not of the world, that we just don't get

910
00:55:30,840 --> 00:55:34,239
Speaker 1: it right. Sometimes I take God's grace and I take

911
00:55:34,280 --> 00:55:38,440
Speaker 1: it further than I should. But that's I don't justify

912
00:55:38,480 --> 00:55:41,160
Speaker 1: that anymore. That's not who I am on a regular basis.

913
00:55:41,400 --> 00:55:43,839
Speaker 1: I had a guy that came up to me at

914
00:55:43,840 --> 00:55:47,600
Speaker 1: the conference this past weekend. I appreciate his frankness, and

915
00:55:47,719 --> 00:55:50,120
Speaker 1: he sent me an email explaining it, it's kind of

916
00:55:50,160 --> 00:55:52,840
Speaker 1: weird when you're sitting there meeting people, hugging people, people crying.

917
00:55:52,840 --> 00:55:55,839
Speaker 1: We got people coming redeemed people are coming by giving

918
00:55:55,880 --> 00:55:58,319
Speaker 1: us encouragement. Finally God comes up and says, I've really

919
00:55:58,400 --> 00:55:59,920
Speaker 1: enjoyed this conference, but I want you to know, Hey,

920
00:56:00,000 --> 00:56:02,920
Speaker 1: what did you for an entire year? And I said okay,

921
00:56:03,400 --> 00:56:06,319
Speaker 1: and he's and I said, would you like to We

922
00:56:06,360 --> 00:56:08,040
Speaker 1: don't have time for right now. I'll send an email

923
00:56:08,040 --> 00:56:11,120
Speaker 1: on yhere and I said, okay, so so but he did.

924
00:56:11,200 --> 00:56:13,160
Speaker 1: He walked out, you know some things, and you know

925
00:56:13,200 --> 00:56:15,799
Speaker 1: what his dad, he said, kept saying to him what

926
00:56:15,920 --> 00:56:18,920
Speaker 1: his dad kept saying, Yeah, you know, in this particular moment,

927
00:56:18,960 --> 00:56:21,000
Speaker 1: I understand what you're saying. You may not like him

928
00:56:21,040 --> 00:56:24,080
Speaker 1: in this particular moment, but I think I would give

929
00:56:24,120 --> 00:56:26,719
Speaker 1: him benefit of the doubt. And when the son said

930
00:56:26,719 --> 00:56:28,920
Speaker 1: to the dad, why why do you not agree with me?

931
00:56:29,120 --> 00:56:31,520
Speaker 1: He said, because the things that God's doing through the

932
00:56:31,520 --> 00:56:34,000
Speaker 1: platform that he's given him, I just don't think that

933
00:56:34,000 --> 00:56:36,719
Speaker 1: would be possible if he was a fake, If he

934
00:56:36,800 --> 00:56:39,440
Speaker 1: was a charlatan. Then he may have been bad in

935
00:56:39,440 --> 00:56:41,839
Speaker 1: one moment or did something you didn't like, which is,

936
00:56:42,000 --> 00:56:45,319
Speaker 1: you know, certainly true. But but the dad said, you

937
00:56:45,360 --> 00:56:47,640
Speaker 1: got to look at the overall life and see if

938
00:56:47,680 --> 00:56:50,520
Speaker 1: you see redemption. And he said, and of course after

939
00:56:50,520 --> 00:56:53,400
Speaker 1: the conference, he said, I just want to apologize and

940
00:56:53,880 --> 00:56:55,560
Speaker 1: ask for you to forgive me. And I said, well,

941
00:56:55,719 --> 00:56:58,000
Speaker 1: that's easy because I never knew you hated me. But

942
00:56:58,200 --> 00:56:59,719
Speaker 1: so I've only known you hated me for a couple

943
00:56:59,760 --> 00:57:02,960
Speaker 1: of days, so this is easy. So so that was

944
00:57:03,680 --> 00:57:06,560
Speaker 1: that wasn't so bad. But but and about this, I

945
00:57:06,600 --> 00:57:08,960
Speaker 1: appreciate his courage to do that. A lot of people

946
00:57:09,000 --> 00:57:11,960
Speaker 1: would have just kept that to themselves. They wouldn't have

947
00:57:12,040 --> 00:57:16,760
Speaker 1: been humble enough to come and say, hey, I was wrong.

948
00:57:17,720 --> 00:57:21,240
Speaker 1: That that requires humility and I respect that. And and

949
00:57:21,320 --> 00:57:23,280
Speaker 1: you know, and I know that I can be difficult

950
00:57:23,360 --> 00:57:28,240
Speaker 1: to deal with sometimes, but overall, I hope I'm an

951
00:57:28,240 --> 00:57:31,640
Speaker 1: example of God's grace because if he has forgiven me,

952
00:57:31,680 --> 00:57:33,600
Speaker 1: and he keeps work, he keeps tolerating me, then he

953
00:57:33,640 --> 00:57:37,240
Speaker 1: certainly will you. So but so remember that that is crucial.

954
00:57:37,960 --> 00:57:41,720
Speaker 1: We're not talking about works being a piece of salvation,

955
00:57:42,280 --> 00:57:45,480
Speaker 1: but we are and Paul is and the scriptures do

956
00:57:46,000 --> 00:57:48,600
Speaker 1: we are talking about works being the result of redemption

957
00:57:48,760 --> 00:57:52,440
Speaker 1: in salvation? Okay, you with us, Lord, We're just so

958
00:57:52,560 --> 00:57:56,560
Speaker 1: gracious to each other only because you were gracious to

959
00:57:56,640 --> 00:58:00,960
Speaker 1: us first. We will not deny the race to others

960
00:58:00,960 --> 00:58:03,920
Speaker 1: that you didn't deny to us. Thank you, Lord, through

961
00:58:03,960 --> 00:58:07,080
Speaker 1: the Apostle Paul, for reminding us of where we were

962
00:58:07,160 --> 00:58:11,880
Speaker 1: before you before redemption. We just had no hope and

963
00:58:11,920 --> 00:58:14,680
Speaker 1: we're embarrassed at the people we were. Thank you for

964
00:58:16,360 --> 00:58:20,200
Speaker 1: taking us from being dead to being alive. Thank you,

965
00:58:20,240 --> 00:58:22,600
Speaker 1: Lord for offering us redemption and paying the price that

966
00:58:22,640 --> 00:58:25,640
Speaker 1: we couldn't pay. And help us, Lord to continue to

967
00:58:25,760 --> 00:58:30,280
Speaker 1: use these this day to remember, and may it produce

968
00:58:30,320 --> 00:58:34,320
Speaker 1: a heart of gratitude. Maybe there's that person that today's

969
00:58:34,360 --> 00:58:38,000
Speaker 1: their day, just like we saw this past weekend, men

970
00:58:38,040 --> 00:58:40,200
Speaker 1: that got up had no idea that this was going

971
00:58:40,240 --> 00:58:42,680
Speaker 1: to be their weekend. Maybe there's a man or a

972
00:58:42,720 --> 00:58:46,160
Speaker 1: woman right now this is their day, and your beautiful

973
00:58:46,200 --> 00:58:48,640
Speaker 1: gospel was laid out for them by the Apostle Paul,

974
00:58:48,680 --> 00:58:51,080
Speaker 1: and the power of the Holy Spirit is can cut

975
00:58:51,120 --> 00:58:53,600
Speaker 1: their hearts, and right now they're doing just like the

976
00:58:53,600 --> 00:58:57,080
Speaker 1: folks did at Pentecosts. What am I supposed to do? Well,

977
00:58:57,120 --> 00:59:02,240
Speaker 1: I'll tell them, Lord, and you confirm it in their heart. Repent,

978
00:59:03,680 --> 00:59:07,720
Speaker 1: Just turn from your sin and turn to Jesus. Have

979
00:59:07,840 --> 00:59:11,080
Speaker 1: faith that He can redeem you when you weren't redeemable.

980
00:59:12,120 --> 00:59:17,120
Speaker 1: Take the gift of salvation through your faith in God.

981
00:59:17,320 --> 00:59:20,520
Speaker 1: And God's grace to you. If you have a sincere

982
00:59:20,560 --> 00:59:23,720
Speaker 1: heart of repentance and leaving faith in yourself and putting

983
00:59:23,760 --> 00:59:26,720
Speaker 1: it in Jesus, the Bible says he will forgive you.

984
00:59:28,040 --> 00:59:29,360
Speaker 1: If I can help you in any way, you can

985
00:59:29,400 --> 00:59:32,840
Speaker 1: email me Rick at Burgessmanistries dot com and I'll help

986
00:59:32,880 --> 00:59:35,680
Speaker 1: you walk through it. Thank you, Lord for this time

987
00:59:35,720 --> 00:59:38,120
Speaker 1: together with these wonderful brothers and your holy name. We

988
00:59:38,160 --> 00:59:38,840
Speaker 1: pray Amen.