1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,240 Come, just as you are before your God 2 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:25,680 Come, now is the time to worship 3 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:36,000 Come, now is the time to give your heart 4 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:56,320 Come, just as you are until the world 5 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:22,160 Come, now is the time to give your heart 6 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:50,320 Come, now is the time to give your heart 7 00:01:50,320 --> 00:02:05,680 Come, now is the time to give your heart 8 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:21,040 Come, now is the time to give your heart 9 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:36,400 Come, now is the time to give your heart 10 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:51,760 Come, now is the time to give your heart 11 00:02:51,760 --> 00:03:07,120 Come, now is the time to give your heart 12 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:22,480 Come, now is the time to give your heart 13 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:37,840 Come, now is the time to give your heart 14 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:53,200 Come, now is the time to give your heart 15 00:03:53,200 --> 00:04:08,560 Come, now is the time to give your heart 16 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:23,920 Come, now is the time to give your heart 17 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:39,280 Come, now is the time to give your heart 18 00:04:39,280 --> 00:04:54,640 Come, now is the time to give your heart 19 00:04:54,640 --> 00:05:10,000 Come, now is the time to give your heart 20 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:25,360 Come, now is the time to give your heart 21 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:40,720 Come, now is the time to give your heart 22 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:56,080 Come, now is the time to give your heart 23 00:05:56,080 --> 00:06:11,440 Come, now is the time to give your heart 24 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:26,800 Come, now is the time to give your heart 25 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:42,160 Come, now is the time to give your heart 26 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:57,520 Come, now is the time to give your heart 27 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:27,520 Come, now is the time to give your heart 28 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:40,320 Come, now is the time to give your heart 29 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:55,680 Come, now is the time to give your heart 30 00:07:55,680 --> 00:08:11,040 Come, now is the time to give your heart 31 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:26,400 Come, now is the time to give your heart 32 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:41,760 Come, now is the time to give your heart 33 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:57,120 Come, now is the time to give your heart 34 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:09,920 Come, now is the time to give your heart 35 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:25,280 Come, now is the time to give your heart 36 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:40,640 Come, now is the time to give your heart 37 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:56,000 Come, now is the time to give your heart 38 00:09:56,000 --> 00:10:08,800 Come, now is the time to give your heart 39 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:24,160 Come, now is the time to give your heart 40 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:39,520 Come, now is the time to give your heart 41 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:52,320 Come, now is the time to give your heart 42 00:10:52,320 --> 00:11:07,680 Come, now is the time to give your heart 43 00:11:07,680 --> 00:11:23,040 Come, now is the time to give your heart 44 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:38,400 Come, now is the time to give your heart 45 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:51,200 Come, now is the time to give your heart 46 00:11:51,200 --> 00:12:06,560 Come, now is the time to give your heart 47 00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:21,920 Come, now is the time to give your heart 48 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:34,720 Come, now is the time to give your heart 49 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:50,080 Come, now is the time to give your heart 50 00:12:50,080 --> 00:13:02,880 Come, now is the time to give your heart 51 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:18,240 Come, now is the time to give your heart 52 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:33,600 Come, now is the time to give your heart 53 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:46,400 Come, now is the time to give your heart 54 00:13:46,400 --> 00:14:01,760 Come, now is the time to give your heart 55 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:17,120 Come, now is the time to give your heart 56 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:32,480 Come, now is the time to give your heart 57 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:47,840 Come, now is the time to give your heart 58 00:14:47,840 --> 00:15:03,200 Come, now is the time to give your heart 59 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:18,560 Come, now is the time to give your heart 60 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:33,920 Come, now is the time to give your heart 61 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:49,280 Come, now is the time to give your heart 62 00:15:49,280 --> 00:16:04,640 Come, now is the time to give your heart 63 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:20,000 Come, now is the time to give your heart 64 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:35,360 Come, now is the time to give your heart 65 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:50,720 Come, now is the time to give your heart 66 00:16:50,720 --> 00:17:06,080 Come, now is the time to give your heart 67 00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:21,440 Come, now is the time to give your heart 68 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:36,800 Come, now is the time to give your heart 69 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:52,160 Come, now is the time to give your heart 70 00:17:52,160 --> 00:18:07,520 Come, now is the time to give your heart 71 00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:22,880 Come, now is the time to give your heart 72 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:38,240 Come, now is the time to give your heart 73 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:53,600 Come, now is the time to give your heart 74 00:18:53,600 --> 00:19:08,960 Come, now is the time to give your heart 75 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:21,760 Come, now is the time to give your heart 76 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:37,120 Come, now is the time to give your heart 77 00:19:37,120 --> 00:19:52,480 Come, now is the time to give your heart 78 00:19:52,480 --> 00:20:07,840 Come, now is the time to give your heart 79 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:23,200 Come, now is the time to give your heart 80 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:38,560 Come, now is the time to give your heart 81 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:53,920 Come, now is the time to give your heart 82 00:20:53,920 --> 00:21:09,280 Come, now is the time to give your heart 83 00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:24,640 Come, now is the time to give your heart 84 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:40,000 Come, now is the time to give your heart 85 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:55,360 Come, now is the time to give your heart 86 00:21:55,360 --> 00:22:10,720 Come, now is the time to give your heart 87 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:26,080 Come, now is the time to give your heart 88 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:38,880 Come, now is the time to give your heart 89 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:54,240 Come, now is the time to give your heart 90 00:22:54,240 --> 00:23:09,600 Come, now is the time to give your heart 91 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:24,960 Come, now is the time to give your heart 92 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:40,320 Come, now is the time to give your heart 93 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:50,320 Come, now is the time to give your heart 94 00:23:50,320 --> 00:24:10,800 Everyone needs a passion, love is everything 95 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:20,400 Love and mercy fall on me, everyone needs forgiveness 96 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:35,120 Find His love, save the heart, the whole foundation 97 00:24:35,120 --> 00:24:44,320 Save the heart, He can't hold a weapon, like that is fighting to save 98 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:54,080 He is fighting to save, forever the Mother of salvation 99 00:24:54,080 --> 00:25:15,840 He holds and fights on the grave, He has fought on the grave 100 00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:51,600 Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound 101 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:58,880 That saved a wretch like me 102 00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:06,480 I once was lost, but now I'm found 103 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:13,840 Was blind, but now I see 104 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:21,520 Twas grace that taught my heart to fear 105 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:28,560 And grace my fears of breathing 106 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:35,840 How precious did that grace appear 107 00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:42,320 The hour I first dreamed 108 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:49,680 My chains are gone, I've been set free 109 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:56,880 My God, my Savior has worked for me 110 00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:04,080 And like a bird, it's gonna sing a song 111 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:23,280 An angel of amazing grace 112 00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:38,000 The Lord has promised unto me His word my hope still holds 113 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:45,680 He will my shield and portion be 114 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:55,760 And the Lord has gone and ruled my chains are gone 115 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:59,440 I've been set free 116 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:06,800 My God, my Savior has worked for me 117 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:14,240 And like a bird, it's gonna sing a song 118 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:21,600 An angel of amazing grace 119 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:28,960 My chains are gone, I've been set free 120 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:36,400 My God, my Savior has worked for me 121 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:43,840 And like a bird, it's gonna sing a song 122 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:55,760 An angel of amazing grace 123 00:28:55,760 --> 00:29:03,280 The earth shall soon default, light is on 124 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:10,400 The sun for better shine 125 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:16,080 My God, who called me here 126 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:25,440 You will be forever mine 127 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:33,200 Will be forever mine 128 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:43,920 You are forever mine 129 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:49,280 Okay, so what I'm about to share with you 130 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:53,120 may or may not come to you as a great revelation. 131 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:59,680 I hope it does not, but it did to me at least in one major point. 132 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:03,840 And so I'm going to get there pretty fast. 133 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:07,600 The text that we're going to study today, we've already studied. 134 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:12,320 So a lot of times when I stand before you, I have to kind of teach through the text and explain 135 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:15,360 because we haven't done it in a while or we haven't looked at it. 136 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:19,920 And then I have to kind of come back and preach in the three points kind of method 137 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:24,000 and really bring it home what I think God wants to see for that day. 138 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:28,240 But this passage of Scripture, we have already studied it with this entire group. 139 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:30,960 We did it in part of a sermon earlier this month. 140 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:34,240 And then the main key verse, the first starting verse, I don't know if it's the main key verse, 141 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:37,600 but the starting verse we looked at last week as the kind of the starting point. 142 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:40,240 And then this is right picking on up from there. 143 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:44,080 And so we will not be teaching through this passage of Scripture today, 144 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:47,440 which means we will get to the points really fast. 145 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:50,640 And this message will go by fairly fast, I think. 146 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:53,040 I mean, it did when I practiced. 147 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:57,040 And so I think I'm asking you to really be in it with me 148 00:30:57,040 --> 00:30:59,360 because we're going to and then it's going to be there all of a sudden. 149 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:01,040 And it hit me when it got to me. 150 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:02,480 It really hit me in the face. 151 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:05,200 And I realized that this is something that we have been dealing with, 152 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:09,440 not in my family and in our church and in really every church I've ever been in. 153 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:13,360 For since I became a Christian and even before I became a Christian, I can see it now. 154 00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:15,520 I couldn't see it when I was a young Christian 155 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:18,880 and I hadn't really put my finger on it until this message right here. 156 00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:23,600 OK, so that being said, I want to say if we don't get this thing 157 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:28,560 that is shown here in this passage, the very salvation that we claim 158 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:32,480 can maybe be kind of stolen from us. 159 00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:38,400 We say it can never be stolen, but the truth is we may never actually have had it. 160 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:41,200 OK, there is a question about perseverance of the saints, 161 00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:44,960 a question about never, you know, once saved, always saved. 162 00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:48,720 And this, what we're going to look at here today, if you don't get it, 163 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:54,240 if we don't get it, there's a chance we never got it, this part of Jesus's message. 164 00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:57,200 And then that's where maybe we say our salvation can't be stolen, 165 00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:00,560 but maybe it kind of can be because we really missed this key thing 166 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:03,440 that Jesus was trying to show us by all that he did. 167 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:06,000 Now, I'm going to get it straight out of the scriptures, 168 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:08,560 so don't trust me in that, but you'll see it as it develops. 169 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:11,680 OK, so grab your Bibles and go with me, if you would, again, 170 00:32:12,320 --> 00:32:14,640 one more time to Luke chapter two. 171 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:16,880 Amen. Thank you very much. 172 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:18,800 Praise the Lord. It is twenty twenty three. 173 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:21,760 And we begin reading in verse twenty one, 174 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:25,520 which is the verse that I was I kind of ended with as we read in Luke last week. 175 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:29,200 And it says in Luke two twenty one and when eight eight days were completed 176 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:32,480 before his circumcision, his name was then called Jesus, 177 00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:35,920 the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 178 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:39,840 So he got his name Jesus because the angel gave it to Mary. 179 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:42,880 We hammered that kind of hard last week, then twenty two. 180 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:45,840 And when the days for their purification, according to the laws of Moses, 181 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:50,000 were completed, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 182 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:51,680 as it is written in the law of the Lord. 183 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:55,360 Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord 184 00:32:56,160 --> 00:33:00,000 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the law of the Lord. 185 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:02,320 A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. 186 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:05,760 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. 187 00:33:05,760 --> 00:33:10,160 And this man was righteous and devout looking for the consolation of Israel. 188 00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:11,840 And the Holy Spirit was upon him. 189 00:33:12,720 --> 00:33:14,320 So we're going to deal with kind of two people. 190 00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:16,240 Obviously, got Mary and Joseph and Jesus all there, 191 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:18,160 but really talking about two people in the passage. 192 00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:19,200 One is Simeon. 193 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:23,200 We kind of studied him before a little bit, but here we see he is a righteous man. 194 00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:24,720 OK. 195 00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:27,520 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. 196 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:32,000 And this man was righteous and devout looking for the consolation of Israel. 197 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:36,160 And the Holy Spirit was upon him, was upon Simeon. 198 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:39,600 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death 199 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:41,360 before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 200 00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:43,600 And he came in the spirit into the temple. 201 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:49,440 And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to carry out for him the custom of the law, 202 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:55,120 then he took him, that's Jesus, he took him into his arms and blessed God and said, 203 00:33:55,120 --> 00:34:02,640 this is verse 29, Now, Lord, thou dost let thy bond servant depart in peace according to thy word. 204 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:09,840 For my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples. 205 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:15,360 A light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel. 206 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:20,720 So that was the prophecy, if you will, that he gave in the Holy Spirit as he held the baby Jesus. 207 00:34:20,720 --> 00:34:21,360 Verse 33. 208 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:27,360 And his father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about him. 209 00:34:28,160 --> 00:34:34,880 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, behold, this child is appointed for the fall 210 00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:40,240 and the rise of many in Israel and for a sign to be opposed. 211 00:34:40,560 --> 00:34:50,080 And a sword will pierce even your own soul to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. 212 00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:52,000 Verse 36. 213 00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:58,320 And there was a prophetess, Anna, she's the second character, the daughter of Fenual, 214 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:00,800 of the tribe of Asher. 215 00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:05,200 She was advanced in years having lived with a husband seven years after her marriage 216 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:08,880 and then as a widow to the age of 84. 217 00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:17,040 And she never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. 218 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:23,680 And at that very moment she came up and began given thanks to God and continued to speak of him, 219 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:29,600 the baby Jesus, to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 220 00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:32,240 So first of all we see Simeon. 221 00:35:32,240 --> 00:35:40,080 Simeon was looking to see the coming of the Christ, the Messiah, the appointed one. 222 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:49,920 In fact, God had told him through his Holy Spirit that that promise would be fulfilled in his sight 223 00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:51,520 and that he would not die. 224 00:35:52,240 --> 00:35:58,720 So the first thing in the text to realize that Simeon was looking to see the coming of the Messiah. 225 00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:00,240 The coming of the Christ. 226 00:36:02,240 --> 00:36:10,960 Expecting to see it before his death because there was a Holy Spirit imbued promise. 227 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:17,840 I submit to you that like Simeon we are looking for the coming of the Christ. 228 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:26,160 Without dwelling on that I submit to you that there are promises in the New Testament that we can live. 229 00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:30,000 And if you will read those promises, and there are more than I'm going to list here, 230 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:34,560 but there are three in particular that tie right in with the way Simeon perceived life 231 00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:36,320 and what he was expecting, what he was doing. 232 00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:42,560 The first is that Jesus promised that he would be with us. 233 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:44,160 Of course that comes from Matthew 28. 234 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:46,160 Now it's an if. 235 00:36:46,720 --> 00:36:49,760 Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations, 236 00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:51,600 baptizing them in the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, 237 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:54,320 and teaching them all things that I have commanded you. 238 00:36:54,320 --> 00:36:57,760 And lo, I will be with you even unto the end of the age. 239 00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:01,920 Now there's a lot of people who want to claim the promise that Jesus said 240 00:37:01,920 --> 00:37:04,720 that he would be with us even unto the end of the age 241 00:37:04,720 --> 00:37:08,400 without realizing its contingent in the command that Jesus gave. 242 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:12,640 He said, and I will be, meaning if you do that, and I will do this. 243 00:37:12,640 --> 00:37:15,600 It's a quid pro quo of a sort. 244 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:18,880 The truth is Jesus promised via the Holy Spirit, 245 00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:20,160 you can go in Matthew 28 and read it. 246 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:23,040 I guarantee you if you go read the end of Matthew 28, 247 00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:27,200 chapter 28, and there it says, and lo, I will be with you even in the end of the world. 248 00:37:27,200 --> 00:37:29,520 If you are a Christian and you are here, 249 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:32,240 and you are following the Lord Jesus Christ as a Christian, 250 00:37:32,240 --> 00:37:34,320 that's the kind of people we say we are. 251 00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:36,000 The church is that. 252 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:39,360 If we are that, then that testimony will be there for you. 253 00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:41,440 You will feel the Holy Spirit inside you. 254 00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:43,760 You say, God, God, are you with me? 255 00:37:43,760 --> 00:37:46,080 And the Holy Spirit will say, yes, I am here. 256 00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:48,480 And I may say it quietly because you may have been doing 257 00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:51,360 a number of things that have offended the Holy Spirit, 258 00:37:51,360 --> 00:37:54,720 or even kind of squashed His testimony in you. 259 00:37:54,720 --> 00:37:57,360 But the truth is we have the Holy Spirit testimony, 260 00:37:57,360 --> 00:38:02,960 not separately or alone, but through Matthew 28 testifying, 261 00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:05,680 lo, I will be with you even under the end of the age. 262 00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:09,120 Notice how that is very similar to the situation of Simeon, 263 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:14,880 because the Holy Spirit was, doesn't say in him, but upon him. 264 00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:18,960 God's Holy Spirit presence was upon Simeon. 265 00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:21,760 Simeon had the promise that he would see the Christ. 266 00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:23,760 Now we don't have a promise, there's nowhere in Scripture 267 00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:25,760 they have a promise that you will see the Christ 268 00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:28,240 before you die on earth. 269 00:38:28,240 --> 00:38:30,800 There is no promise of that. 270 00:38:30,800 --> 00:38:32,800 There is a promise that at salvation, 271 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:34,320 He will come and take a president in you, 272 00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:37,440 and He does that in the form of His Holy Spirit. 273 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:41,120 But there is no promise that Jesus will come again before we die. 274 00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:44,000 However, we have a Holy Spirit promise, 275 00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:48,000 God given through His word, that Jesus will be with us 276 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:52,320 if we are about His business. 277 00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:55,200 Secondly, we have a promise which Paul wrote out, 278 00:38:55,200 --> 00:38:58,640 a Holy Spirit promise, that God will turn all things, 279 00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:02,720 He will work all things together for our good. 280 00:39:02,720 --> 00:39:06,480 So we have a Holy Spirit promise that He will work all things 281 00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:10,880 together for our good, if indeed we love the Lord 282 00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:12,720 and are called according to His purpose. 283 00:39:12,720 --> 00:39:14,400 Again, it's a quid pro quo. 284 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:16,640 This is the kind of people we are. 285 00:39:16,640 --> 00:39:19,200 We love the Lord. I love God. 286 00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:20,640 And I'll talk a little bit more about why that is, 287 00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:25,360 but I love God pretty much with all that I am. 288 00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:29,040 I often think that I love my wife more than money, 289 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:31,680 more than food, more than time, more than recreation, 290 00:39:31,680 --> 00:39:32,960 more than anything that I do. 291 00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:35,360 I love my wife probably more than any human being 292 00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:36,240 on the face of the earth. 293 00:39:36,240 --> 00:39:37,520 I love my children. 294 00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:39,680 And I don't want to tell you, I love you less than your mother. 295 00:39:39,680 --> 00:39:41,600 I'm not doing that, but I'm saying I love my wife 296 00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:44,000 more than anyone. 297 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:47,920 But I love God more than my wife. 298 00:39:47,920 --> 00:39:50,560 And then it says, if you love Him and are called 299 00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:51,840 according to His purpose. 300 00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:53,040 In other words, if you'll be what? 301 00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:54,960 Matthew 28, right? 302 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:56,240 That go ye therefore. 303 00:39:56,240 --> 00:39:58,080 Jesus gave us the great commission. 304 00:39:58,080 --> 00:39:59,600 And love one another. 305 00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:01,360 The basic things that God wants to do, 306 00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:04,480 then God will work all things together for your good. 307 00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:06,960 Notice that is similar to Simeon's situation, 308 00:40:06,960 --> 00:40:08,800 because Simeon had been promised that he would see 309 00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:09,920 the Christ before he died. 310 00:40:09,920 --> 00:40:12,560 That meant whatever he was going through, 311 00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:14,720 if a Mack truck grew through the side of the temple 312 00:40:14,720 --> 00:40:19,120 right into Simeon's bedroom and ran over his bed, 313 00:40:19,120 --> 00:40:22,160 Simeon would have survived because he was going to see 314 00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:24,000 the Christ before he died. 315 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:26,800 If Simeon wound up in a wheelchair or coughed horribly 316 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:28,960 for the remainder of his life and couldn't see out one eye 317 00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:31,200 or was blind or deaf or whatever, 318 00:40:31,200 --> 00:40:34,240 he could know because God had told him that he would see 319 00:40:34,240 --> 00:40:35,920 the Christ before he died. 320 00:40:35,920 --> 00:40:39,200 Whatever that is, it's all going to turn out this way. 321 00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:41,120 I'm going to see the Christ before I die. 322 00:40:41,120 --> 00:40:43,280 Because he had a Holy Spirit promise that we have 323 00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:46,400 a similar protection, if you will, 324 00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:50,320 that God will turn everything out for your good. 325 00:40:50,320 --> 00:40:51,360 It may be tough at times, 326 00:40:51,360 --> 00:40:53,680 but he will make everything out for your good 327 00:40:54,880 --> 00:40:58,240 if you love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. 328 00:40:58,240 --> 00:40:59,920 And if you go there in Romans 8, 329 00:40:59,920 --> 00:41:03,120 you read that verse, you can feel the Holy Spirit say to you, 330 00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:04,320 look, He's going to do it. 331 00:41:05,040 --> 00:41:06,560 It's going to work out. 332 00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:08,880 In the worst of times, it's going to work out. 333 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:11,440 And then third, we have a promise that he's coming again. 334 00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:13,040 Maybe the greatest promise of all, 335 00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:17,680 this is especially good because of the nature of Simeon's promise. 336 00:41:17,680 --> 00:41:19,440 But we know that Jesus come again. 337 00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:22,080 He said, if I go to prepare a place for you, 338 00:41:22,080 --> 00:41:25,520 I will come again that you may be there with me also. 339 00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:29,760 He is the way to the Father and He is making it ready for us. 340 00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:32,960 Arianna said, why is it taking him so long to build me my mansion? 341 00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:34,240 I said, it's not, honey. 342 00:41:34,240 --> 00:41:37,440 I said, that mansion is going to be based on 343 00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:38,880 all that you have lived in life. 344 00:41:38,880 --> 00:41:40,560 It's going to be all taken into account. 345 00:41:40,560 --> 00:41:42,400 Everything I say, right now, what's your favorite color? 346 00:41:42,400 --> 00:41:42,960 She said pink. 347 00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:46,000 I said, in 50 years, your favorite color might be green. 348 00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:50,160 So you might have green rugs or green panes or green walls 349 00:41:50,160 --> 00:41:53,040 or a green mansion or a green, you know, whatever. 350 00:41:53,040 --> 00:41:56,400 It might be more green because by the bottom line is, 351 00:41:56,400 --> 00:41:58,000 we don't know what that's exactly like. 352 00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:01,360 But your mansion is under construction because you are under construction. 353 00:42:02,720 --> 00:42:04,320 It's not taking him forever. 354 00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:06,800 He's taken into account everything that you are living through 355 00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:08,080 and everything that you are doing. 356 00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:12,640 He is coming again and will take us to be there with Him for an eternity. 357 00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:16,080 Notice the similarity between that and Simeon's promise. 358 00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:18,880 Simeon had the Holy Spirit on him, upon him, 359 00:42:18,880 --> 00:42:20,080 and the Holy Spirit had told him, 360 00:42:20,080 --> 00:42:21,680 you will see the Christ before you die. 361 00:42:21,680 --> 00:42:23,680 Now, we don't have that exact kind of promise, 362 00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:26,160 but we know that Jesus is coming again. 363 00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:28,480 And if He comes again before we die, 364 00:42:28,480 --> 00:42:30,240 we will see it and we will know it. 365 00:42:30,240 --> 00:42:32,400 And it will not be a surprise to us, 366 00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:35,360 even though it will be a surprise in timing or surprise in the way 367 00:42:35,360 --> 00:42:38,720 it happens a little bit, but it will not be a surprise to us. 368 00:42:38,720 --> 00:42:42,480 We will be summoned, meet with Him. 369 00:42:42,480 --> 00:42:44,400 The Bible says we will meet with Him in the air. 370 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:47,600 First Thessalonians, I think it is four. 371 00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:48,880 We will meet with Him in the air. 372 00:42:48,880 --> 00:42:50,240 He is coming again. 373 00:42:51,360 --> 00:42:52,800 Now, as I said, there are others, 374 00:42:52,800 --> 00:42:55,520 but these three promises we can claim every day. 375 00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:58,320 You can see how they can get you through, 376 00:42:58,320 --> 00:43:00,480 essentially everything you're going through, 377 00:43:00,480 --> 00:43:06,400 if you just trust in those promises of the Lord. 378 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:08,400 Notice that there is an if in every one. 379 00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:10,000 I didn't mess with the if of coming again. 380 00:43:10,000 --> 00:43:10,880 He's coming again. 381 00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:14,720 But the question is, what's it going to be like for you 382 00:43:14,720 --> 00:43:16,000 when He comes again? 383 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:18,320 If He comes again and you have not trusted in Him 384 00:43:18,320 --> 00:43:19,280 and you're not following Him, 385 00:43:19,280 --> 00:43:21,280 or you've built on the foundation of Christ 386 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:22,720 things that are not good, 387 00:43:22,720 --> 00:43:25,360 then it ain't going to be pleasant when He comes. 388 00:43:25,360 --> 00:43:29,520 So it will be great when He comes if indeed we are following Him. 389 00:43:29,520 --> 00:43:34,160 So there are Holy Spirit promises for us, 390 00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:36,080 and they will be fulfilled, 391 00:43:37,600 --> 00:43:39,680 just as they were for Simeon. 392 00:43:39,680 --> 00:43:41,840 The second thing in here is to say, 393 00:43:41,840 --> 00:43:44,240 the truth about Jesus is amazing. 394 00:43:44,240 --> 00:43:45,600 Notice that Mary and Joseph were going, 395 00:43:45,600 --> 00:43:49,200 whoa, whoa, what does that mean? 396 00:43:49,200 --> 00:43:52,880 They were taken aback, aghast, baffled, amazed, confused 397 00:43:52,880 --> 00:43:55,040 by everything that was being said about the baby Jesus. 398 00:43:55,040 --> 00:43:57,520 Despite the story of the singing angels 399 00:43:57,520 --> 00:44:02,800 that they just heard eight days before, right? 400 00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:05,120 Despite the shepherds that came 401 00:44:05,120 --> 00:44:07,120 and the craziness of the night of His birth 402 00:44:07,120 --> 00:44:08,720 and how it went down, 403 00:44:08,720 --> 00:44:11,280 they were amazed at the prophecy 404 00:44:11,280 --> 00:44:13,120 that's now being spoke about Him. 405 00:44:13,120 --> 00:44:14,480 And let me just say to you, 406 00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:18,640 the truth about Jesus is amazing. 407 00:44:18,640 --> 00:44:21,520 It's amazing grace, but it's not just amazing grace. 408 00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:23,520 Everything about Jesus is amazing. 409 00:44:24,560 --> 00:44:27,040 They were hearing that He would be salvation. 410 00:44:27,040 --> 00:44:29,360 It is amazing to think that the God of the universe 411 00:44:29,360 --> 00:44:31,760 would send His own Son to die for me 412 00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:32,720 or come in the flesh, 413 00:44:32,720 --> 00:44:35,120 if you can understand the doctrine of the Trinity, 414 00:44:35,120 --> 00:44:39,520 as we do, to die for me, to pay for. 415 00:44:39,520 --> 00:44:42,800 That means when I lied for that lie I told, 416 00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:45,120 or lies I told back in the day, 417 00:44:45,120 --> 00:44:46,640 I would have gone to hell for eternity, 418 00:44:46,640 --> 00:44:48,000 separated from God forever, 419 00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:49,440 but Jesus wasn't having that, 420 00:44:49,440 --> 00:44:51,600 so He died on the cross to pay for my lies. 421 00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:54,960 The stuff I stole when I was a kid 422 00:44:54,960 --> 00:44:56,400 and never told anybody about 423 00:44:56,400 --> 00:44:57,840 and even as a teenager, 424 00:44:57,840 --> 00:44:59,040 and got away with, 425 00:44:59,040 --> 00:45:01,280 and what are, Jesus died on the cross 426 00:45:01,280 --> 00:45:02,640 to pay for that for me. 427 00:45:03,520 --> 00:45:06,480 This is an amazing truth about Jesus, 428 00:45:06,480 --> 00:45:08,640 that Jesus would be the salvation, 429 00:45:08,640 --> 00:45:12,080 but not just the salvation for the Jews or the Gentiles, 430 00:45:12,080 --> 00:45:14,560 but the salvation for all people at all time. 431 00:45:15,520 --> 00:45:17,680 God prepared this salvation 432 00:45:17,680 --> 00:45:20,080 in the presence of all people. 433 00:45:20,080 --> 00:45:22,640 Literally everybody on the face of the earth, 434 00:45:22,640 --> 00:45:25,440 blind as they may be, confused as they may be, 435 00:45:25,440 --> 00:45:26,960 everybody on the face of the earth 436 00:45:26,960 --> 00:45:31,120 can figure out that they have sin, 437 00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:33,440 and that that sin would be a problem 438 00:45:33,440 --> 00:45:35,280 if they bumped into a holy God. 439 00:45:36,320 --> 00:45:37,920 There were bullies in my neighborhood 440 00:45:37,920 --> 00:45:38,800 when I was growing up. 441 00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:40,560 There was one kid in particular 442 00:45:40,560 --> 00:45:41,600 who had become a bully 443 00:45:41,600 --> 00:45:44,240 and he was just about 20% faster than me, 444 00:45:44,240 --> 00:45:45,520 20% stronger than me, 445 00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:46,720 and he was really smart. 446 00:45:47,280 --> 00:45:49,040 And so whenever he would come and play, 447 00:45:49,760 --> 00:45:51,040 there was this kind of nagging thing 448 00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:52,240 in the back of my head. 449 00:45:52,240 --> 00:45:53,440 We played kickball, 450 00:45:53,440 --> 00:45:54,240 we used to play tron, 451 00:45:54,240 --> 00:45:55,920 where we'd throw frisbees at each other, 452 00:45:55,920 --> 00:45:57,520 we did all these things in my side yard. 453 00:45:57,520 --> 00:45:59,120 There was this kind of thing in the back of my head 454 00:45:59,120 --> 00:46:01,680 that I had to kind of be on my best behavior 455 00:46:01,680 --> 00:46:04,080 because he was faster and stronger than me. 456 00:46:05,040 --> 00:46:06,560 When he didn't come play, 457 00:46:06,560 --> 00:46:08,960 I was the fastest, strongest kid playing. 458 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:11,760 And even if I wasn't the fastest, strongest, 459 00:46:11,760 --> 00:46:14,400 I was always the craftiest and most manipulative. 460 00:46:14,400 --> 00:46:15,360 And so there was one kid 461 00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:16,560 who was maybe stronger than me, 462 00:46:16,560 --> 00:46:17,920 but he wasn't faster than me, 463 00:46:17,920 --> 00:46:19,120 and there was a kid who was faster than me, 464 00:46:19,120 --> 00:46:20,400 but he wasn't stronger than me, 465 00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:22,960 and none of the kids were as crafty and manipulated as I was. 466 00:46:22,960 --> 00:46:24,800 So I could basically run the show. 467 00:46:24,800 --> 00:46:25,840 I picked the teams, 468 00:46:25,840 --> 00:46:26,720 I told them this is the game, 469 00:46:26,720 --> 00:46:27,840 we're not done playing that game, 470 00:46:27,840 --> 00:46:29,040 now I want to play this game. 471 00:46:29,040 --> 00:46:31,200 And everybody did what I told them to do 472 00:46:31,840 --> 00:46:32,800 for several years. 473 00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:34,000 But then when he would come, 474 00:46:34,640 --> 00:46:35,680 I had to kind of be, 475 00:46:35,680 --> 00:46:37,120 and by the time we were done playing, 476 00:46:37,120 --> 00:46:38,000 we'd butt heads, 477 00:46:38,000 --> 00:46:38,960 next thing you know, 478 00:46:38,960 --> 00:46:40,000 it's a fight. 479 00:46:40,000 --> 00:46:41,040 And I already told you, 480 00:46:41,040 --> 00:46:43,040 he was faster than me and stronger than me, 481 00:46:43,040 --> 00:46:45,520 and he was at least as crafty and manipulative as I was. 482 00:46:45,520 --> 00:46:47,280 So you know how those fights went. 483 00:46:48,080 --> 00:46:48,640 Right? 484 00:46:48,640 --> 00:46:50,640 So I learned too much of, 485 00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:51,840 this is when I learned the lesson, 486 00:46:51,840 --> 00:46:53,680 too much of a good thing is a bad thing. 487 00:46:53,680 --> 00:46:54,960 So we'd play for a while, 488 00:46:54,960 --> 00:46:55,920 we just kind of like, 489 00:46:55,920 --> 00:46:56,560 let's play this, 490 00:46:56,560 --> 00:46:57,120 let's talk it out. 491 00:46:57,120 --> 00:46:58,720 And him and I would do most of the side, 492 00:46:58,720 --> 00:46:59,920 and we'd do it in four, 493 00:46:59,920 --> 00:47:00,720 six, eight hours, 494 00:47:00,720 --> 00:47:01,440 we'd go by, 495 00:47:01,440 --> 00:47:02,000 and then I'd say, 496 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:02,400 you know what, 497 00:47:02,400 --> 00:47:03,440 I think I better go in. 498 00:47:04,560 --> 00:47:05,600 No fight had happened, 499 00:47:05,600 --> 00:47:06,320 no real arguments, 500 00:47:06,320 --> 00:47:07,120 I think I better go in. 501 00:47:07,120 --> 00:47:07,840 I'm going to call it, 502 00:47:07,840 --> 00:47:08,480 I'm going to call it a day, 503 00:47:08,480 --> 00:47:09,280 I'm going to go in. 504 00:47:09,280 --> 00:47:10,480 Yeah, I'd have to go in. 505 00:47:10,480 --> 00:47:10,880 And they'd be like, 506 00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:11,520 you don't have to go in, 507 00:47:11,520 --> 00:47:12,480 your mom's not calling you, 508 00:47:12,480 --> 00:47:13,200 you don't have to go in, 509 00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:14,000 you already ate dinner, 510 00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:29,440 you don't have to go in. 511 00:47:29,440 --> 00:47:48,400 They wouldn't fool us like that. 512 00:47:48,640 --> 00:47:55,840 That won't go in on the future 513 00:47:55,840 --> 00:47:57,360 because we might not be there 514 00:47:57,360 --> 00:47:59,040 when things don't do their way. 515 00:47:59,040 --> 00:48:02,280 before him, even though you didn't when you were a kid and a teenager and a young adult, 516 00:48:02,280 --> 00:48:05,480 but you start following out, you stand before him, as long as you do more good than bad, 517 00:48:05,480 --> 00:48:08,480 then you'll just have to flip a coin, maybe you'll make it in. 518 00:48:08,480 --> 00:48:11,080 That's the third most major religion in the world. 519 00:48:11,080 --> 00:48:13,280 That's basically how it works. 520 00:48:13,280 --> 00:48:16,420 And there's millions of people all over the earth that want to believe that because they 521 00:48:16,420 --> 00:48:23,380 know when they stand before a holy God, they're going to answer for what they've done. 522 00:48:23,380 --> 00:48:27,400 There are more people in the world that have figured out that you've done bad, and you're 523 00:48:27,400 --> 00:48:32,840 going to answer for the bad that you do when you stand before God, than there are that 524 00:48:32,840 --> 00:48:35,120 have not figured that out. 525 00:48:35,120 --> 00:48:37,920 The ones that haven't figured out are few and far between. 526 00:48:37,920 --> 00:48:41,880 But there's a lot of big effort to go, no, no, no, no, not me, no, no, I'm fine, I'm 527 00:48:41,880 --> 00:48:46,420 good, I'm better, haven't I always done a good job, blah, blah, blah, blah, right? 528 00:48:46,420 --> 00:48:50,060 Because this salvation is in the presence of everyone. 529 00:48:50,060 --> 00:48:52,560 It's amazing that God could do that. 530 00:48:52,560 --> 00:48:56,600 Not that he could do it because he has the capability, but he baffles my mind how awesome 531 00:48:56,600 --> 00:49:01,160 and powerful he is that he could in one event save anybody who's willing to be saved, and 532 00:49:01,160 --> 00:49:04,160 that everyone, everywhere could figure it out. 533 00:49:04,160 --> 00:49:09,600 There are people who have come to saving faith in Jesus Christ without anyone telling them 534 00:49:09,600 --> 00:49:12,780 how to do it. 535 00:49:12,780 --> 00:49:16,880 Because it's done in the presence of everybody. 536 00:49:16,880 --> 00:49:17,880 It's amazing. 537 00:49:17,880 --> 00:49:21,080 The teaching, the truth about Jesus is amazing. 538 00:49:21,080 --> 00:49:23,480 He would be a light of revelation to the Gentiles. 539 00:49:23,480 --> 00:49:26,400 See, the Jews kind of already had salvation. 540 00:49:26,400 --> 00:49:29,800 What they were told to do in the Old Testament is basically trust in the way that God would 541 00:49:29,800 --> 00:49:30,800 make. 542 00:49:30,800 --> 00:49:31,800 So it was accessible to them. 543 00:49:31,800 --> 00:49:34,960 If they would just trust in the way that God would make, they would be saved. 544 00:49:34,960 --> 00:49:35,960 That was it. 545 00:49:35,960 --> 00:49:39,280 That was their very simple gospel from the Old Testament all the way up to Jesus' birth. 546 00:49:39,280 --> 00:49:43,520 The problem was when Jesus came, which was the way that God would make, they didn't want 547 00:49:43,520 --> 00:49:45,440 to trust in the way that God would make. 548 00:49:45,440 --> 00:49:46,960 Well, that's another problem. 549 00:49:46,960 --> 00:49:49,840 The Gentiles didn't have any of that. 550 00:49:49,840 --> 00:49:53,500 They didn't necessarily understand who God was for sure or how many gods there were or 551 00:49:53,500 --> 00:49:56,320 whether it was just the God of the Jews and he would never save them. 552 00:49:56,320 --> 00:49:57,320 They were distant. 553 00:49:57,320 --> 00:50:01,840 But at a moment in time, through the crucifixion, through the gospel, the spreading of the church 554 00:50:01,840 --> 00:50:06,720 and God's Holy Spirit to do so, empowering witness, everyone could figure out now that 555 00:50:06,720 --> 00:50:08,400 this salvation was not just for the Jews. 556 00:50:08,400 --> 00:50:10,360 It was going to be for the Gentiles too. 557 00:50:10,360 --> 00:50:13,200 Guess who already knew that? 558 00:50:13,200 --> 00:50:14,320 The Jews. 559 00:50:14,320 --> 00:50:16,680 They already knew. 560 00:50:16,680 --> 00:50:20,680 They already knew that the salvation was going to be for everybody, but the Gentiles didn't. 561 00:50:20,680 --> 00:50:24,180 The Jews were supposed to be taking it to everybody, but they weren't. 562 00:50:24,180 --> 00:50:25,180 Some of them were. 563 00:50:25,180 --> 00:50:30,160 But not nearly enough and not effectively or efficiently enough to get the job done. 564 00:50:30,160 --> 00:50:33,920 God prepared this salvation in the presence of all people and Jesus would be a light of 565 00:50:33,920 --> 00:50:37,560 revelation to the Gentiles so they could be saved like the Jews. 566 00:50:37,560 --> 00:50:41,520 He would be the glory of God's people and that was referring to the Jews first and then 567 00:50:41,520 --> 00:50:43,240 the Gentiles and the church at large. 568 00:50:43,240 --> 00:50:45,960 Jesus is our glory. 569 00:50:45,960 --> 00:50:50,960 The light of revelation that is Jesus has shined on God's people and you can go and 570 00:50:50,960 --> 00:50:51,960 talk to somebody. 571 00:50:51,960 --> 00:50:53,680 I've had a couple of different conversations. 572 00:50:53,680 --> 00:50:56,240 People sharing the gospel with somebody, not nearly enough. 573 00:50:56,240 --> 00:51:01,040 I'll tell you, I stand before you today ashamed of how little I have shared the gospel. 574 00:51:01,040 --> 00:51:03,760 So don't go, well that's Pastor Danny talking to everybody about Jesus. 575 00:51:03,760 --> 00:51:07,760 I am consistently ashamed of how little I share the gospel with people. 576 00:51:07,760 --> 00:51:13,040 But I will tell you that almost half the time that I've shared the gospel with somebody, 577 00:51:13,040 --> 00:51:16,680 that person was going, I wish somebody would come and tell me how to get saved. 578 00:51:16,680 --> 00:51:17,800 They didn't say it necessarily. 579 00:51:17,800 --> 00:51:20,640 One time I actually had somebody walk in the front door of the life station and go, I heard 580 00:51:20,640 --> 00:51:21,640 this is a Christian operation. 581 00:51:21,640 --> 00:51:24,760 I said yeah and he said, will you tell me what I have to do to be saved? 582 00:51:24,760 --> 00:51:27,680 And so I did because I recognized that verse from Paul's life, right? 583 00:51:27,680 --> 00:51:28,680 It happened to him. 584 00:51:28,680 --> 00:51:31,320 The jailer said, what must I do to be saved? 585 00:51:31,320 --> 00:51:32,840 So I did. 586 00:51:32,840 --> 00:51:36,720 But many times I've been sharing the gospel and I run into people and basically I run 587 00:51:36,720 --> 00:51:40,480 into people who don't want to hear it at all because they know if they were in God's presence 588 00:51:40,480 --> 00:51:41,480 they would answer. 589 00:51:41,480 --> 00:51:43,880 I run into people that are kind of in the middle. 590 00:51:43,880 --> 00:51:46,480 If you overcome some of their objections, tell them how available it is. 591 00:51:46,480 --> 00:51:50,600 Like there are people who say, well yeah I want to believe but I'm so wicked or I have 592 00:51:50,600 --> 00:51:54,440 so many sins or whatever, I can't possibly be saved. 593 00:51:54,440 --> 00:51:56,080 Those people really want to hear it. 594 00:51:56,080 --> 00:51:59,680 And then I've heard people, about half the people that I've talked to, who were waiting 595 00:51:59,680 --> 00:52:00,960 for somebody to tell them. 596 00:52:00,960 --> 00:52:04,960 Listen, I tell you right now, if we all left here today and told three people by next Sunday 597 00:52:04,960 --> 00:52:08,800 the truth, the actual biblical truth about Jesus and the simplest of terms, we would 598 00:52:08,800 --> 00:52:11,560 all come back in here with stories of 20 people getting saved. 599 00:52:11,560 --> 00:52:13,760 You're like, but I don't have anybody to tell. 600 00:52:13,760 --> 00:52:14,760 Yeah you do. 601 00:52:14,760 --> 00:52:16,960 You have people all over your life that you can tell. 602 00:52:16,960 --> 00:52:21,160 And it's already done in the presence and the light of revelation is not you or your 603 00:52:21,160 --> 00:52:22,760 words it's Jesus. 604 00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:24,280 It's already there. 605 00:52:24,280 --> 00:52:26,200 We just need to go and tell them. 606 00:52:26,200 --> 00:52:32,200 It's available to anyone or as Arianna's devotional said last night, we're reading it at 1230, 607 00:52:32,200 --> 00:52:33,360 which we never read it that late. 608 00:52:33,360 --> 00:52:39,040 As we read it, it said, salvation is for everyone. 609 00:52:39,040 --> 00:52:41,320 For everyone. 610 00:52:41,320 --> 00:52:49,120 So look, Jesus is appointed for the rise and the fall. 611 00:52:49,120 --> 00:52:51,360 He would be a sign. 612 00:52:51,360 --> 00:52:57,040 Look a sword would hit Mary's soul. 613 00:52:57,040 --> 00:53:00,560 Hit Mary's, strike Mary's soul. 614 00:53:00,560 --> 00:53:03,600 And thoughts from many hearts might be revealed. 615 00:53:03,600 --> 00:53:06,540 We are living in the day of looking. 616 00:53:06,540 --> 00:53:08,560 This is what it's like. 617 00:53:08,560 --> 00:53:12,200 Sometimes being a Christian, I'm going to be completely playing with you right now. 618 00:53:12,200 --> 00:53:14,440 Sometimes being a Christian sucks. 619 00:53:14,440 --> 00:53:17,960 Okay, finish up what you're doing for one second and then put that away. 620 00:53:17,960 --> 00:53:18,960 This is not the time. 621 00:53:18,960 --> 00:53:19,960 Okay? 622 00:53:19,960 --> 00:53:20,960 Thank you. 623 00:53:20,960 --> 00:53:22,080 All right. 624 00:53:22,080 --> 00:53:23,640 Sometimes being a Christian sucks. 625 00:53:23,640 --> 00:53:25,320 It's hard work. 626 00:53:25,320 --> 00:53:26,560 Study to show yourself approved. 627 00:53:26,560 --> 00:53:30,040 A workman who needs not be ashamed means it's hard work. 628 00:53:30,040 --> 00:53:31,040 Be diligent. 629 00:53:31,040 --> 00:53:32,040 Study. 630 00:53:32,040 --> 00:53:33,040 Work. 631 00:53:33,040 --> 00:53:34,040 Do the work. 632 00:53:34,040 --> 00:53:35,040 And working sometimes tires you out. 633 00:53:35,040 --> 00:53:36,040 It hurts. 634 00:53:36,040 --> 00:53:37,040 It's painful. 635 00:53:37,040 --> 00:53:38,040 It causes sweat. 636 00:53:38,040 --> 00:53:39,040 It causes pain. 637 00:53:39,040 --> 00:53:40,040 It causes pain. 638 00:53:40,040 --> 00:53:42,080 Sometimes you have to be willing to divorce yourself. 639 00:53:42,080 --> 00:53:44,080 You have to put your phone down. 640 00:53:44,080 --> 00:53:45,080 Stop doing whatever you're doing. 641 00:53:45,080 --> 00:53:46,080 Stop your distractions. 642 00:53:46,080 --> 00:53:47,820 It's not about just passing the time. 643 00:53:47,820 --> 00:53:50,640 It's about the work that needs to be done as a Christian. 644 00:53:50,640 --> 00:53:55,000 We are looking for something and we are working towards it and it's tough. 645 00:53:55,000 --> 00:53:56,880 Mary's soul would be struck with a sword. 646 00:53:56,880 --> 00:53:59,240 A sign would be given. 647 00:53:59,240 --> 00:54:02,080 And thoughts of many hearts would be revealed. 648 00:54:02,080 --> 00:54:04,180 It's not going to be easy all the time. 649 00:54:04,180 --> 00:54:07,520 This lady was 84 years old and she was serving. 650 00:54:07,520 --> 00:54:10,360 I thought about Judy who didn't live to be 84 years old. 651 00:54:10,360 --> 00:54:15,120 But Judy with a trach in her throat. 652 00:54:15,120 --> 00:54:16,880 Pain a little every day. 653 00:54:16,880 --> 00:54:19,440 Not a lot of pain but a little every day. 654 00:54:19,440 --> 00:54:22,440 Hardly able to talk. 655 00:54:22,440 --> 00:54:26,360 Her glasses prescription could not keep up. 656 00:54:26,360 --> 00:54:28,560 She was getting glasses every four months. 657 00:54:28,560 --> 00:54:32,460 Unless you go like, oh it's almost time of year from now I've got to get my glasses 658 00:54:32,460 --> 00:54:33,460 again. 659 00:54:33,460 --> 00:54:36,400 She was getting glasses again every four months. 660 00:54:36,400 --> 00:54:38,080 She had all these medications she had to take. 661 00:54:38,080 --> 00:54:41,120 This big medication divider. 662 00:54:41,120 --> 00:54:43,080 All her medications stepped out and had to take every day. 663 00:54:43,080 --> 00:54:48,800 She had to have a machine at night to make sure her oxygen stayed up while she was sleeping. 664 00:54:48,800 --> 00:54:51,600 Because otherwise she could just randomly die. 665 00:54:51,600 --> 00:54:53,440 She was on radiate or on chemo. 666 00:54:53,440 --> 00:54:54,440 She couldn't take radiation. 667 00:54:54,440 --> 00:54:56,100 She was on chemo. 668 00:54:56,100 --> 00:55:02,840 And she was volunteering at the church building or at the life station and talking about Jesus 669 00:55:02,840 --> 00:55:06,520 three to four days a week. 670 00:55:06,520 --> 00:55:08,720 Can you lift 20 pounds? 671 00:55:08,720 --> 00:55:09,720 She couldn't. 672 00:55:09,720 --> 00:55:14,340 Can you get up without immense pain? 673 00:55:14,340 --> 00:55:15,340 She couldn't. 674 00:55:15,340 --> 00:55:17,280 Now when she got up she was fine. 675 00:55:17,280 --> 00:55:23,480 She would walk around my house and play bouncing the ball back and forth with Ariana for an 676 00:55:23,480 --> 00:55:25,480 hour. 677 00:55:25,480 --> 00:55:28,040 Ariana was two or three years old. 678 00:55:28,040 --> 00:55:33,920 When's the last time you spent an hour or two or three making a small child feel good 679 00:55:33,920 --> 00:55:35,880 about themselves? 680 00:55:35,880 --> 00:55:39,960 See when you start to run out and it really hurts and it really sucks and it really gets 681 00:55:39,960 --> 00:55:46,600 difficult you're going to go, man I wish when I was younger, stronger, whatever I had all 682 00:55:46,600 --> 00:55:51,480 that going on that I had done more. 683 00:55:51,480 --> 00:55:54,760 And then you'll push by and then you'll overcome the pain, you'll overcome the difficulty, 684 00:55:54,760 --> 00:56:02,080 you'll really do the hard work of recognizing the truth about Jesus is truly amazing. 685 00:56:02,080 --> 00:56:06,520 But right now while we're still young and strong and do all these things we'd rather 686 00:56:06,520 --> 00:56:12,600 play, we'd rather watch TV, we'd rather work on our personal stuff or our projects or our 687 00:56:12,600 --> 00:56:16,160 health or our finances or our whatever. 688 00:56:16,160 --> 00:56:17,720 You don't have time. 689 00:56:17,720 --> 00:56:22,820 The truth about Jesus is amazing. 690 00:56:22,820 --> 00:56:29,120 They were looking for the redemption of the Jews and the salvation that would be for all 691 00:56:29,120 --> 00:56:35,000 people and she was fasting and serving daily in the temple, fasting, praying and serving 692 00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:38,840 daily in the temple at 84 years old. 693 00:56:38,840 --> 00:56:43,920 Before I go on to my final point and then my conclusion I want to ask you to think about 694 00:56:43,920 --> 00:56:46,520 this question for a moment. 695 00:56:46,520 --> 00:56:50,360 Why do people pray and fast? 696 00:56:50,360 --> 00:56:54,400 Fasting and fasting has essentially just a few purposes. 697 00:56:54,400 --> 00:56:57,280 It seems like you could do it for a lot of things but it isn't. 698 00:56:57,280 --> 00:56:59,720 Biblical fasting has these three purposes. 699 00:56:59,720 --> 00:57:01,360 Number one, to seek God. 700 00:57:01,360 --> 00:57:04,960 In other words, I want to draw closer to God. 701 00:57:04,960 --> 00:57:06,920 Bible says you draw close to God, He'll draw close to you. 702 00:57:06,920 --> 00:57:08,160 So I want to draw close to God. 703 00:57:08,160 --> 00:57:09,840 So I fast to give up food. 704 00:57:09,840 --> 00:57:13,440 By the way, the original fasting was to give up all food and all water for a period of 705 00:57:13,440 --> 00:57:14,440 time. 706 00:57:14,440 --> 00:57:15,440 There's a few different ways you can fast. 707 00:57:15,440 --> 00:57:21,320 You can fast because you only eat fruits and vegetables, don't drink anything that's not 708 00:57:21,320 --> 00:57:24,280 made of a fruit or a vegetable, don't eat anything that's not made of a fruit or a vegetable, 709 00:57:24,280 --> 00:57:28,480 you can't use salt because that's a mineral, not a fruit or a vegetable. 710 00:57:28,480 --> 00:57:30,800 All those, that's Daniel fasting. 711 00:57:30,800 --> 00:57:34,200 You fast, one of the main reasons is to seek God or draw close to God. 712 00:57:34,200 --> 00:57:38,000 So she's seeking God. 713 00:57:38,000 --> 00:57:43,000 Another reason is to entreat God, to beg God to do something you want God to do. 714 00:57:43,000 --> 00:57:46,400 So God, please give me this request. 715 00:57:46,400 --> 00:57:49,240 You can do that as a form of intercession for other people. 716 00:57:49,240 --> 00:57:53,080 You're going to look at the book of Esther, where Esther had to go in front of the king 717 00:57:53,080 --> 00:57:55,600 and she might have been going to die because you walk in front of the king under your own 718 00:57:55,600 --> 00:57:58,800 volition and if he doesn't tip the scepter toward you, you're dead. 719 00:57:58,800 --> 00:58:03,000 He doesn't have to say a word, but if he doesn't tip the scepter, they take you out and kill 720 00:58:03,000 --> 00:58:04,240 you right then. 721 00:58:04,240 --> 00:58:05,240 That was the law. 722 00:58:05,240 --> 00:58:10,520 So she and her uncle and all her women that were with her and all his friends, they all 723 00:58:10,520 --> 00:58:15,640 fasted for three days before she went for the king and then he tipped his scepter toward 724 00:58:15,640 --> 00:58:22,120 her and she was not put to death and that was all because they entreated God to intervene. 725 00:58:22,120 --> 00:58:23,880 So it's about entreating God. 726 00:58:23,880 --> 00:58:26,600 And then lastly, it's about taming self. 727 00:58:26,600 --> 00:58:31,320 It's about getting yourself under control because the truth is we're so wrapped up in 728 00:58:31,320 --> 00:58:35,360 the things that we like to do in this life that we can't put ourselves completely on 729 00:58:35,360 --> 00:58:38,840 the line for the things that are right. 730 00:58:38,840 --> 00:58:43,360 In the moment we might, I'd love to be able to sacrifice my life for somebody if that's 731 00:58:43,360 --> 00:58:46,960 what God requires me to do, but I might do it. 732 00:58:46,960 --> 00:58:51,240 But if I tame myself and I know I'm completely under control, then I can know that I will 733 00:58:51,240 --> 00:58:53,080 do what's right. 734 00:58:53,080 --> 00:58:58,040 And until you do that, until you tame yourself, you can't know in the moment if you'll do 735 00:58:58,040 --> 00:59:00,680 what's right because you might be in the middle of one of your fits. 736 00:59:00,680 --> 00:59:03,640 Or you might be in the middle of one of your health struggles. 737 00:59:03,640 --> 00:59:07,240 Or you might be in the middle of distraction by one of your friends or family members or 738 00:59:07,240 --> 00:59:08,240 pastimes. 739 00:59:08,240 --> 00:59:12,240 So you don't even know if you'll be paying attention, let alone doing the right thing. 740 00:59:12,240 --> 00:59:16,760 So she was fasting, which means she was seeking God and treating God and taming self and probably 741 00:59:16,760 --> 00:59:18,840 all three of those things. 742 00:59:18,840 --> 00:59:20,060 And then she was praying. 743 00:59:20,060 --> 00:59:22,920 She was talking to God, listening and interceding. 744 00:59:22,920 --> 00:59:24,520 There's really only three things in prayer. 745 00:59:24,520 --> 00:59:26,400 You can do it a lot of different ways. 746 00:59:26,400 --> 00:59:32,160 But basically you talk to God, you listen to God, and you intercede for other people. 747 00:59:32,160 --> 00:59:36,200 So you're talking for them, you're listening for them, right? 748 00:59:36,200 --> 00:59:37,960 Or you're talking or listening for yourself. 749 00:59:37,960 --> 00:59:39,960 That's basically what it comes down to. 750 00:59:39,960 --> 00:59:45,160 And so this lady at 84 years old who's fasting and praying, I want you to see what her response 751 00:59:45,160 --> 00:59:48,520 is and then we're going to go to the final point. 752 00:59:48,520 --> 00:59:53,120 After being a person at 84 years old that does nothing but fast and pray and serve in 753 00:59:53,120 --> 00:59:58,360 the temple every day, all day, every night, all night, it's all she does, she runs into 754 00:59:58,360 --> 01:00:01,000 Jesus and what does she do? 755 01:00:01,000 --> 01:00:08,240 She is speaking of Jesus to all who are looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 756 01:00:08,240 --> 01:00:13,120 So her response after encountering Jesus, after all her praying and fasting and service, 757 01:00:13,120 --> 01:00:18,440 all her seeking God and treating God and taming herself, all her talking to God and listening 758 01:00:18,440 --> 01:00:24,600 to God and interceding for others, all of that, her response is she is telling everyone 759 01:00:24,600 --> 01:00:26,080 about Jesus. 760 01:00:26,080 --> 01:00:29,480 And we go to the third point. 761 01:00:29,480 --> 01:00:33,600 And so I accept things aren't right. 762 01:00:33,600 --> 01:00:37,000 Have you noticed that things aren't right? 763 01:00:37,000 --> 01:00:41,480 That there are people in the world who are, in this world, in this country even, who are 764 01:00:41,480 --> 01:00:50,720 literally starving while in food banks 200 pallets of cereal stacked, filled in an entire 765 01:00:50,720 --> 01:00:56,680 warehouse a block away or three blocks away is somebody who hasn't eaten in three days. 766 01:00:56,680 --> 01:01:00,640 This is the country that we live in. 767 01:01:00,640 --> 01:01:02,440 But that's just hunger. 768 01:01:02,440 --> 01:01:07,880 There's a guy who was living at the, just very briefly, he and his wife were having 769 01:01:07,880 --> 01:01:13,720 a disagreement, he was living at the Mission downtown, I think it's on Madison, it's like 770 01:01:13,720 --> 01:01:17,720 you rent, you pay to stay there, not the church remission and it's across the street from 771 01:01:17,720 --> 01:01:21,960 there, across the street from Kitty Corner from the Y and he came outside one night to 772 01:01:21,960 --> 01:01:27,920 walk to the carry out and two young men, one 15 and one 17, beat him to death. 773 01:01:27,920 --> 01:01:29,920 They attacked him. 774 01:01:29,920 --> 01:01:32,240 They didn't know him from Adam, never met him before. 775 01:01:32,240 --> 01:01:36,960 They attacked him, threw him down in the parking lot and kicked him until he was dead. 776 01:01:36,960 --> 01:01:41,080 They did it as an initiation into a gang because the gang told them if they would kill somebody 777 01:01:41,080 --> 01:01:42,120 they could be part of the gang. 778 01:01:42,120 --> 01:01:45,840 Now they're both in jail, probably for life because they were tried as adults. 779 01:01:45,840 --> 01:01:46,840 He's dead. 780 01:01:46,840 --> 01:01:51,000 He would have probably reconciled with his wife and gotten back together but for the 781 01:01:51,000 --> 01:01:53,920 time they were separated but they were planning on getting back together. 782 01:01:53,920 --> 01:01:56,360 Now his children were raised fatherless. 783 01:01:56,360 --> 01:02:01,000 Have you noticed something is actually wrong in this world? 784 01:02:01,000 --> 01:02:05,280 While we have the most important truth that we can possibly have and God is speaking to 785 01:02:05,280 --> 01:02:09,240 us, we are distracted by the things of this world. 786 01:02:09,240 --> 01:02:10,840 Something is wrong. 787 01:02:10,840 --> 01:02:16,400 So all the while that we have Holy Spirit promises that are going to be fulfilled, Holy 788 01:02:16,400 --> 01:02:20,720 Spirit promises that we can trust him because God never makes a promise and doesn't keep, 789 01:02:20,720 --> 01:02:22,200 doesn't keep that promise, right? 790 01:02:22,200 --> 01:02:26,960 He doesn't fail to fulfill his promises and the truth about Jesus is the most amazing 791 01:02:26,960 --> 01:02:27,960 thing. 792 01:02:27,960 --> 01:02:32,840 While all of that is going on, the church at large, 80 to 90 percent is failing to tell 793 01:02:32,840 --> 01:02:37,240 anyone about Jesus. 794 01:02:37,240 --> 01:02:40,600 And people are sitting in church, not in our church, praise God, because what we teach 795 01:02:40,600 --> 01:02:42,360 here is the Bible, right? 796 01:02:42,360 --> 01:02:49,520 But people are sitting in churches filled with 200, 300, 500, 2000, 3000 people that 797 01:02:49,520 --> 01:02:54,440 ask them and they can't tell you two of the Ten Commandments. 798 01:02:54,440 --> 01:02:58,000 They might tell you something like what Miss Chris showed us in that video, that Jesus 799 01:02:58,000 --> 01:03:01,760 was an angel or just a human being. 800 01:03:01,760 --> 01:03:06,600 Now they'll sit in the church building every week on Sunday, Saturday night, whatever their 801 01:03:06,600 --> 01:03:10,000 meeting time is and they'll sit there and they don't have doctrine. 802 01:03:10,000 --> 01:03:14,040 Now you won't be able to persist in this church not understanding the basic truths about Jesus 803 01:03:14,040 --> 01:03:17,960 because if you're sitting here in this room, you're getting what the Bible says and what 804 01:03:17,960 --> 01:03:22,880 we know to be true out of what the Bible says. 805 01:03:22,880 --> 01:03:25,760 But in other churches all over the world, that's not necessarily true. 806 01:03:25,760 --> 01:03:27,560 And as you'll notice, we don't have 2000 people. 807 01:03:27,560 --> 01:03:30,320 I submit to you, if we'll take the gospel out and start to preach something a little 808 01:03:30,320 --> 01:03:35,840 more friendly, a little less cut to the quick, a little less demanding, we could get ourselves 809 01:03:35,840 --> 01:03:39,400 a few hundred people. 810 01:03:39,400 --> 01:03:44,560 There are places in the world where you can get paid to go to temple. 811 01:03:44,560 --> 01:03:50,320 There's a guy that was quoted publicly, you can probably Google it, and he said that he 812 01:03:50,320 --> 01:03:52,960 was really struggling financially and started going to temple and they pay him to go to 813 01:03:52,960 --> 01:03:57,120 temple and he goes five days a week and now because of that, that combined with money, 814 01:03:57,120 --> 01:04:03,680 he's fine, he's economically solid because they pay him to go to temple every week. 815 01:04:03,680 --> 01:04:05,800 She wasn't getting paid to be there. 816 01:04:05,800 --> 01:04:08,060 You're not getting paid to be here. 817 01:04:08,060 --> 01:04:15,680 The bottom line is, things are not right in this world and while you are living in this 818 01:04:15,680 --> 01:04:18,360 world, this is what's going to happen to you. 819 01:04:18,360 --> 01:04:22,760 You're going to regularly run into things that are not right. 820 01:04:22,760 --> 01:04:26,720 It's going to happen literally every day, all the time. 821 01:04:26,720 --> 01:04:30,600 Now your chief tool for dealing with that is sharing the gospel. 822 01:04:30,600 --> 01:04:35,320 If you run into somebody that's addicted to drugs, share Jesus with them, you can't get 823 01:04:35,320 --> 01:04:36,320 them unaddicted. 824 01:04:36,320 --> 01:04:39,520 You can't stay with them 24 hours a day and get them off, it's not going to happen. 825 01:04:39,520 --> 01:04:43,920 You run into somebody who's truly bankrupt, financially hurting, share Jesus with them 826 01:04:43,920 --> 01:04:46,560 because you can't financially make them stable. 827 01:04:46,560 --> 01:04:50,080 You're not going to get them a job, pay their bills, pay their utilities, buy them a house, 828 01:04:50,080 --> 01:04:51,900 pay all their medical stuff, get them on their feet. 829 01:04:51,900 --> 01:04:53,480 You can't do it. 830 01:04:53,480 --> 01:04:54,920 You're not physically able. 831 01:04:54,920 --> 01:05:01,120 You might be able to do it with one person over the space of 10 years, but Jesus has 832 01:05:01,120 --> 01:05:02,600 made these promises. 833 01:05:02,600 --> 01:05:07,760 I will be with them, I will turn all things out for their good, and I am coming again 834 01:05:07,760 --> 01:05:11,480 to take them where I am for an eternity. 835 01:05:11,480 --> 01:05:15,320 Those are things you can't do, but Jesus can. 836 01:05:15,320 --> 01:05:20,160 So the first thing you do before you do anything else to help someone is make sure they're 837 01:05:20,160 --> 01:05:21,160 saved. 838 01:05:21,160 --> 01:05:25,560 Now if they don't want to hear it, doesn't mean you can't be compassionate or loving 839 01:05:25,560 --> 01:05:27,200 toward them, that's fine. 840 01:05:27,200 --> 01:05:32,800 But the bottom line is, things are not right in this world. 841 01:05:32,800 --> 01:05:40,720 Lately, now I'm coming into my conclusion right now, there is this phenomenon that has 842 01:05:40,720 --> 01:05:41,720 occurred. 843 01:05:41,720 --> 01:05:44,320 In fact, it happened to me last night. 844 01:05:44,320 --> 01:05:46,520 I watch movies with my wife. 845 01:05:46,520 --> 01:05:53,680 She likes dramas with just maybe a hint of comedy or a hint of action, good writing, 846 01:05:53,680 --> 01:05:54,680 good characterization. 847 01:05:54,680 --> 01:05:57,360 I like good writing, good characterization. 848 01:05:57,360 --> 01:06:02,560 And we'll get to the height of the movie, we'll come to a moment in time, happened last night. 849 01:06:02,560 --> 01:06:04,760 Has anyone ever seen the show Madam Secretary? 850 01:06:04,760 --> 01:06:05,760 Raise your hand. 851 01:06:05,760 --> 01:06:08,080 Okay, we've got one person in the entire room. 852 01:06:08,080 --> 01:06:09,080 Two? 853 01:06:09,080 --> 01:06:10,080 Anybody else? 854 01:06:10,080 --> 01:06:11,080 Three? 855 01:06:11,080 --> 01:06:12,080 Okay, so not a lot. 856 01:06:12,080 --> 01:06:15,080 If you want to watch it, it's on Netflix, you can watch for free if you have Netflix. 857 01:06:15,080 --> 01:06:20,680 You probably can find episodes on YouTube and that kind of thing. 858 01:06:20,680 --> 01:06:23,240 I don't even know that it's a good show, I'm not recommending the show, but I'm going 859 01:06:23,240 --> 01:06:28,560 to tell you that there is a scene in the show where Madam Secretary has become Madam President. 860 01:06:28,560 --> 01:06:30,760 And Madam President has been getting impeached. 861 01:06:30,760 --> 01:06:33,160 They've been trying to impeach her, they have an impeachment hearing, trying to kick her 862 01:06:33,160 --> 01:06:34,600 out. 863 01:06:34,600 --> 01:06:38,720 And it gets to the end of that time and it's been a turmoil and she's exhausted and she 864 01:06:38,720 --> 01:06:40,760 finally sleeps in one day. 865 01:06:40,760 --> 01:06:46,260 And while she's sleeping in one day, her husband comes to wake her up, and actually he doesn't 866 01:06:46,260 --> 01:06:48,960 wake her up, he's sitting in the room but he doesn't wake her up, and she hears this 867 01:06:48,960 --> 01:06:51,440 noise and she wakes up and says, what is going on? 868 01:06:51,440 --> 01:06:52,560 What is that? 869 01:06:52,560 --> 01:06:55,280 And he says, come and look. 870 01:06:55,280 --> 01:07:00,520 And look outside and a huge protest has broke out all over the United States and it started 871 01:07:00,520 --> 01:07:03,960 with a 10 year old girl who asked her mom to drive her to Washington D.C. and put up 872 01:07:03,960 --> 01:07:08,600 a sign that says, she's my president. 873 01:07:08,600 --> 01:07:13,440 And people picked up on social media, whatever, and people all over the country come out for 874 01:07:13,440 --> 01:07:16,120 the she's my president movement. 875 01:07:16,120 --> 01:07:18,740 After all the hard work that she's been doing, she's physically exhausted, she finally gets 876 01:07:18,740 --> 01:07:23,840 a day of sleep and the morning sleeps in a little bit and then millions of people come 877 01:07:23,840 --> 01:07:27,840 out protesting saying she's my president and they voted not to impeach and it all blows 878 01:07:27,840 --> 01:07:34,440 over and I'm watching the show and I have to take my glasses off. 879 01:07:34,440 --> 01:07:36,200 You know why? 880 01:07:36,200 --> 01:07:38,080 Because tears are streaming down my face. 881 01:07:38,080 --> 01:07:39,080 It's just a show. 882 01:07:39,080 --> 01:07:41,440 It's not even real. 883 01:07:41,440 --> 01:07:44,760 I don't get worked up when a dinosaur eats half a person. 884 01:07:44,760 --> 01:07:48,280 I don't watch those shows because I just don't want to see it but it doesn't bother me. 885 01:07:48,280 --> 01:07:55,960 I don't get worked up when a villain shoots a cop in the head or somebody gets tortured 886 01:07:55,960 --> 01:07:56,960 on TV. 887 01:07:56,960 --> 01:08:00,320 I don't watch that stuff because I don't want to see it but it wouldn't really bother me 888 01:08:00,320 --> 01:08:01,320 to see that. 889 01:08:01,320 --> 01:08:04,040 But tears are streaming down my face. 890 01:08:04,040 --> 01:08:08,560 And I'm asking myself, I'm saying why. 891 01:08:08,560 --> 01:08:16,960 Why can I watch a show and it comes to a moment of human triumph and I'm crying like a baby. 892 01:08:16,960 --> 01:08:24,400 Not a sobbing but I can produce about like probably a pint of water out of my face in 893 01:08:24,400 --> 01:08:26,400 a moment like that. 894 01:08:26,400 --> 01:08:27,400 Why? 895 01:08:27,400 --> 01:08:29,240 I'll tell you why. 896 01:08:29,240 --> 01:08:37,880 Because every day, all day, I'm living in a world that's not right. 897 01:08:37,880 --> 01:08:40,880 Things are wrong. 898 01:08:40,880 --> 01:08:42,920 You're suffering. 899 01:08:42,920 --> 01:08:43,920 Darkness. 900 01:08:43,920 --> 01:08:44,920 Wickedness even. 901 01:08:44,920 --> 01:08:46,260 You can call it that. 902 01:08:46,260 --> 01:08:50,320 People do what it is that they want to do rather than doing what's right. 903 01:08:50,320 --> 01:08:52,880 And I see it all the time. 904 01:08:52,880 --> 01:08:54,800 And all the time I'm vexed. 905 01:08:54,800 --> 01:08:55,960 All the time I'm irritated. 906 01:08:55,960 --> 01:08:57,220 All the time I'm sad. 907 01:08:57,220 --> 01:09:00,360 And then in that moment of human triumph, I think about it. 908 01:09:00,360 --> 01:09:04,920 I'm feeling, I'm sensing God saying, see, I love you. 909 01:09:04,920 --> 01:09:06,880 I'm saving you. 910 01:09:06,880 --> 01:09:12,000 I have promised you eternity with me. 911 01:09:12,000 --> 01:09:17,800 And this little moment is just like a hint or an inkling of what that's going to be like. 912 01:09:17,800 --> 01:09:23,880 Human triumph is finding Jesus Christ in salvation and living in eternity with God. 913 01:09:23,880 --> 01:09:24,880 That's human triumph. 914 01:09:24,880 --> 01:09:25,880 That's how you get beyond. 915 01:09:25,880 --> 01:09:29,120 So, the guy backs out of his driver and T-bones your van. 916 01:09:29,120 --> 01:09:31,320 That sucks. 917 01:09:31,320 --> 01:09:33,720 Right? 918 01:09:33,720 --> 01:09:36,240 But we have promises. 919 01:09:36,240 --> 01:09:39,240 And we are looking for the fulfillment of those promises. 920 01:09:39,240 --> 01:09:40,960 And it aches. 921 01:09:40,960 --> 01:09:42,640 It's like a thirst. 922 01:09:42,640 --> 01:09:44,560 And Jesus said, come and have living water. 923 01:09:44,560 --> 01:09:45,560 Right? 924 01:09:45,560 --> 01:09:47,080 And so, this is the mistake that people have made. 925 01:09:47,080 --> 01:09:52,040 Well, if you will become a Christian and follow the Lord Jesus Christ, you'll be alright. 926 01:09:52,040 --> 01:09:53,040 Everything will be great. 927 01:09:53,040 --> 01:09:56,160 Even quoting God will work everything out for your good and Jesus will always be with 928 01:09:56,160 --> 01:09:57,160 you and all that kind of... 929 01:09:57,160 --> 01:09:58,160 It's going to be great. 930 01:09:58,160 --> 01:10:01,000 You're not going to encounter difficulties that you can't handle. 931 01:10:01,000 --> 01:10:02,000 God... 932 01:10:02,000 --> 01:10:03,000 Misquoted Bible. 933 01:10:03,000 --> 01:10:05,480 God will never give you more than you can handle. 934 01:10:05,480 --> 01:10:10,240 If you can show me that in the scripture, and I've searched thoroughly, I would be amazed 935 01:10:10,240 --> 01:10:11,960 because it ain't there. 936 01:10:11,960 --> 01:10:13,360 Okay? 937 01:10:13,360 --> 01:10:18,960 The closest you'll get is about temptation. 938 01:10:18,960 --> 01:10:22,000 And with temptation, He always makes a way out. 939 01:10:22,000 --> 01:10:23,000 Right? 940 01:10:23,000 --> 01:10:24,000 That's the closest you'll get. 941 01:10:24,000 --> 01:10:26,480 There's nothing else that's even remotely close to God won't give you more than you 942 01:10:26,480 --> 01:10:28,260 can handle. 943 01:10:28,260 --> 01:10:31,240 But that's the gospel that's being taught. 944 01:10:31,240 --> 01:10:33,520 And this is what's happening. 945 01:10:33,520 --> 01:10:38,600 People are believing that when you start to be a Christian, everything will now be perfect. 946 01:10:38,600 --> 01:10:41,840 Everything will be okay and you won't be affected by this world. 947 01:10:41,840 --> 01:10:44,320 That is not the gospel that Jesus taught. 948 01:10:44,320 --> 01:10:45,320 Right? 949 01:10:45,320 --> 01:10:52,320 He actually said, when they hate you, don't be surprised because they hated me first. 950 01:10:52,320 --> 01:10:58,840 And now I'm paraphrasing, but when you struggle, see the difficulties, face all the challenges, 951 01:10:58,840 --> 01:11:00,200 don't be surprised. 952 01:11:00,200 --> 01:11:02,600 The student is not greater than the master. 953 01:11:02,600 --> 01:11:03,920 And well, what did they do to Him? 954 01:11:03,920 --> 01:11:07,260 They crucified Him for crying out loud. 955 01:11:07,260 --> 01:11:12,000 The gospel is not us sailing through life and everything is okay. 956 01:11:12,000 --> 01:11:15,760 I preached a sermon recently about holy discontent and discontent. 957 01:11:15,760 --> 01:11:20,480 And I said this, I said, if it's holy discontent, if it comes from the Lord, you're meant to 958 01:11:20,480 --> 01:11:21,480 do something about it. 959 01:11:21,480 --> 01:11:22,680 We broke down those steps. 960 01:11:22,680 --> 01:11:23,680 Right? 961 01:11:23,680 --> 01:11:27,120 But if it's discontent that has nothing to do with God, if it's not holy discontent, 962 01:11:27,120 --> 01:11:30,440 then most of the time, you're just supposed to let it go. 963 01:11:30,440 --> 01:11:34,200 You don't have time to stop and be vexed by everything that you're seeing, experiencing, 964 01:11:34,200 --> 01:11:35,320 what you don't think is right. 965 01:11:35,320 --> 01:11:39,000 You don't have time to stop and try to fix every little injustice in the world. 966 01:11:39,000 --> 01:11:40,720 You're busy doing something. 967 01:11:40,720 --> 01:11:45,760 The looking, the waiting, the watching God do what God is doing, that's where our eyes 968 01:11:45,760 --> 01:11:49,640 need to be. 969 01:11:49,640 --> 01:11:51,400 Christianity is this statement. 970 01:11:51,400 --> 01:11:57,840 I still haven't found what I'm looking for. 971 01:11:57,840 --> 01:11:59,840 The Bible says this in Revelation 22. 972 01:11:59,840 --> 01:12:00,840 I'm going to flip there and read it. 973 01:12:00,840 --> 01:12:03,560 You can flip along if you want. 974 01:12:03,560 --> 01:12:05,760 Revelation 22, way to the end. 975 01:12:05,760 --> 01:12:11,320 It's going to be the very end of your Bible, which kind of is good because that means it's 976 01:12:11,320 --> 01:12:13,800 sort of the end that settles the matter, if you will. 977 01:12:13,800 --> 01:12:16,760 Revelation 22, 16 and 17. 978 01:12:16,760 --> 01:12:19,120 Jesus is speaking in 16, 22, 16. 979 01:12:19,120 --> 01:12:24,880 He says, I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things for the churches. 980 01:12:24,880 --> 01:12:29,400 I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star. 981 01:12:29,400 --> 01:12:34,560 17 says, and the spirit and the bride say, come, so not Jesus speaking, but the Holy 982 01:12:34,560 --> 01:12:36,200 Spirit of God and the bride. 983 01:12:36,200 --> 01:12:38,200 Who's that, by the way? 984 01:12:38,200 --> 01:12:39,200 That's the church. 985 01:12:39,200 --> 01:12:40,760 The bride is the church, right? 986 01:12:40,760 --> 01:12:46,440 So and the spirit and the bride say, come, and let the one who hears say, come, and let 987 01:12:46,440 --> 01:12:54,800 the one who is thirsty come, let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. 988 01:12:54,800 --> 01:13:02,400 See, if you're not living that vexation, if you have not experienced that trouble, if 989 01:13:02,400 --> 01:13:07,560 you cannot figure out that the world is not right and that where we are going, it will 990 01:13:07,560 --> 01:13:10,600 be, but right now it's never going to be exactly right. 991 01:13:10,600 --> 01:13:15,200 If you cannot be thirsty, if you cannot be aching for the people around, if you cannot 992 01:13:15,200 --> 01:13:18,720 be caring about things that you can't do anything about and go like, man, I've got a list of 993 01:13:18,720 --> 01:13:22,840 things and this is not justice, I've got to fix this, and I've got to do that, except 994 01:13:22,840 --> 01:13:26,720 realizing in Christ, no, what I really have to do is be still and know that he is God 995 01:13:26,720 --> 01:13:30,720 and trust that he will fulfill his promises, and I'm looking for when he will fulfill his 996 01:13:30,720 --> 01:13:34,120 promises, not when I can get everything fixed that's bothering me. 997 01:13:34,120 --> 01:13:38,640 In case you haven't figured out this already, if you could manage to get, say, six months 998 01:13:38,640 --> 01:13:41,920 off work and not have to work and not have to cook and not have to clean and not have 999 01:13:41,920 --> 01:13:46,840 to do laundry, not have to pay any bills and spend that entire six months fixing all the 1000 01:13:46,840 --> 01:13:50,800 things about life that bother you, it would be a drop in a hat because by the time you 1001 01:13:50,800 --> 01:13:54,840 got to the end of the sixth month, it would be 60 times as much stuff as there was at 1002 01:13:54,840 --> 01:13:58,960 the beginning because you'd have been spending that time not only trying to fix everything 1003 01:13:58,960 --> 01:14:04,080 but also discovering everything that's truly wrong. 1004 01:14:04,080 --> 01:14:07,120 You can't do it. 1005 01:14:07,120 --> 01:14:14,880 What you can do is recognize that it's real and receive that pledge, down payment promise. 1006 01:14:14,880 --> 01:14:18,720 Jesus has filled you up with the Holy Spirit if you've become a Christian, sealed you for 1007 01:14:18,720 --> 01:14:24,720 eternity, and the Bible says that that is a down payment, a pledge. 1008 01:14:24,720 --> 01:14:26,300 Look at Ephesians 1. 1009 01:14:26,300 --> 01:14:30,040 This is the last verses that we'll read for the day. 1010 01:14:30,040 --> 01:14:35,360 Ephesians 1. 1011 01:14:35,360 --> 01:14:38,920 Ephesians 1, verses 13 and 14. 1012 01:14:38,920 --> 01:14:45,960 It says, In him, you also, after listening to the message of the gospel of the truth, 1013 01:14:45,960 --> 01:14:52,040 the gospel of your salvation, having also believed, you were sealed in him with the 1014 01:14:52,040 --> 01:14:58,680 Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge, or you'll find a little sub note there 1015 01:14:58,680 --> 01:15:03,360 because it could be translated down payment, a pledge or a down payment, given as a pledge 1016 01:15:03,360 --> 01:15:10,080 of our inheritance with a view that means you're looking to the redemption of God's 1017 01:15:10,080 --> 01:15:14,840 own possession to the praise of His glory. 1018 01:15:14,840 --> 01:15:21,680 You were thirsty, so you came to Christ, and He gave you His Holy Spirit, which is living 1019 01:15:21,680 --> 01:15:27,080 water and will not run out, but will fuel you until He fulfills His promise, at which 1020 01:15:27,080 --> 01:15:33,120 time you will receive in total the presence of God. 1021 01:15:33,120 --> 01:15:37,520 Adam and Eve walked in the Garden of Eden with God in the coolness of the day, but never 1022 01:15:37,520 --> 01:15:40,680 had God's Holy Spirit living in them. 1023 01:15:40,680 --> 01:15:44,160 They were innocent and without shame. 1024 01:15:44,160 --> 01:15:50,840 Then they sinned against God, and they lost fellowship with Him and every generation since. 1025 01:15:50,840 --> 01:15:54,080 But if you've been born again as a Christian, if you've become a follower of God through 1026 01:15:54,080 --> 01:16:00,560 Jesus Christ, then that fellowship with God has been restored, and His Holy Spirit comes 1027 01:16:00,560 --> 01:16:01,560 and lives in you. 1028 01:16:01,560 --> 01:16:04,360 That's the living water, John 4. 1029 01:16:04,360 --> 01:16:06,480 And it's always available. 1030 01:16:06,480 --> 01:16:11,680 It never runs out, but you're living in a world where things are not right, looking 1031 01:16:11,680 --> 01:16:15,920 for a world where things will be right. 1032 01:16:15,920 --> 01:16:19,600 That's what salvation is. 1033 01:16:19,600 --> 01:16:23,560 It's as if I came to say to you, I'm going to give you a mansion one day. 1034 01:16:23,560 --> 01:16:27,640 When you're 90, if you live that long, I'm going to give you the best house you've ever 1035 01:16:27,640 --> 01:16:28,640 lived in. 1036 01:16:28,640 --> 01:16:29,820 I'm building it now. 1037 01:16:29,820 --> 01:16:35,360 It's in sunny California or fruit country Florida or whatever. 1038 01:16:35,360 --> 01:16:38,720 It's going to be three, four stories, and I'm going to move in all your family. 1039 01:16:38,720 --> 01:16:41,240 I'm going to give you several cars with it, whatever. 1040 01:16:41,240 --> 01:16:42,640 And you go like, I don't believe you. 1041 01:16:42,640 --> 01:16:44,240 I don't believe you're going to do that. 1042 01:16:44,240 --> 01:16:45,240 That's so much. 1043 01:16:45,240 --> 01:16:46,240 You're just one person. 1044 01:16:46,240 --> 01:16:47,800 I mean, yeah, but I've got God on my side. 1045 01:16:47,800 --> 01:16:48,800 He's pouring in the resource. 1046 01:16:48,800 --> 01:16:50,600 You go, ah, no, I still don't believe you. 1047 01:16:50,600 --> 01:16:51,760 And I say, all right, you know what? 1048 01:16:51,760 --> 01:16:52,760 You don't believe me? 1049 01:16:52,760 --> 01:16:53,760 Here's what I'll do. 1050 01:16:53,760 --> 01:16:54,760 I'll give you $100 million right now. 1051 01:16:54,760 --> 01:16:55,760 You're going to be like, you didn't got $100 million. 1052 01:16:55,760 --> 01:16:56,760 I'm saying, watch me. 1053 01:16:56,760 --> 01:16:57,760 Here's the check. 1054 01:16:57,760 --> 01:16:58,760 You look at the check. 1055 01:16:58,760 --> 01:16:59,760 I don't believe in the check. 1056 01:16:59,760 --> 01:17:00,760 This is stupid. 1057 01:17:00,760 --> 01:17:01,760 It's a check. 1058 01:17:01,760 --> 01:17:02,760 It's cashier's check. 1059 01:17:02,760 --> 01:17:03,760 What is it? 1060 01:17:03,760 --> 01:17:04,760 Cashier's check for $100 million? 1061 01:17:04,760 --> 01:17:05,760 That's something. 1062 01:17:05,760 --> 01:17:11,560 You put $100 million in your bank account, the next day you go to McDonald's and use 1063 01:17:11,560 --> 01:17:12,560 your debit card. 1064 01:17:12,560 --> 01:17:13,560 And you check in. 1065 01:17:13,560 --> 01:17:15,560 It says you have $999 million left. 1066 01:17:15,560 --> 01:17:16,560 Or whatever. 1067 01:17:16,560 --> 01:17:17,560 $99 million, $999,000 left. 1068 01:17:17,560 --> 01:17:21,920 You're like, that really was $100 million. 1069 01:17:21,920 --> 01:17:26,080 Maybe he's really going to build me that mansion because now he actually did give me the $100 1070 01:17:26,080 --> 01:17:27,280 million. 1071 01:17:27,280 --> 01:17:29,580 It's amazing what Jesus can do. 1072 01:17:29,580 --> 01:17:35,300 He said, when I go back to heaven, I will send you God's Holy Spirit as a down payment 1073 01:17:35,300 --> 01:17:36,300 for what I'm going to do. 1074 01:17:36,300 --> 01:17:38,600 You don't have to trust me and nothing happens. 1075 01:17:38,600 --> 01:17:43,640 He trusts me and I'll send you the Holy Spirit and He'll be in you and then you'll know, 1076 01:17:43,640 --> 01:17:49,480 beyond a shadow of a doubt, that one day, for my eternal, everlasting, unstopping glory, 1077 01:17:49,480 --> 01:17:53,120 I'm going to bring you to be with me forever. 1078 01:17:53,120 --> 01:17:57,600 You're like, oh, that's great. 1079 01:17:57,600 --> 01:18:01,160 But I'm supposed to believe that, down the road, that God's going to do that. 1080 01:18:01,160 --> 01:18:02,160 I'm going to go to heaven. 1081 01:18:02,160 --> 01:18:03,160 It's going to be great. 1082 01:18:03,160 --> 01:18:04,960 I have to believe that. 1083 01:18:04,960 --> 01:18:09,440 He sends His Holy Spirit as a down payment to testify with your spirit. 1084 01:18:09,440 --> 01:18:11,000 Now you know that you're saved. 1085 01:18:11,000 --> 01:18:13,400 You know where you're going when you die. 1086 01:18:13,400 --> 01:18:18,240 So when you look around and you should and see all of this that's not right, everything 1087 01:18:18,240 --> 01:18:25,560 that you see that's not right is a reminder of how right that's going to be. 1088 01:18:25,560 --> 01:18:29,720 And if you can't look around, if you're a coward, I was, so I get this. 1089 01:18:29,720 --> 01:18:32,280 You look around and go, I don't want to look at it. 1090 01:18:32,280 --> 01:18:35,240 I don't want to recognize the problems of the world because then I might have to do something 1091 01:18:35,240 --> 01:18:37,920 about them or God might use me. 1092 01:18:37,920 --> 01:18:41,360 If I pray that God will send workers into the harvest like the disciples did, then maybe 1093 01:18:41,360 --> 01:18:43,960 God will send me into the harvest, right? 1094 01:18:43,960 --> 01:18:46,120 Like He did with the disciples. 1095 01:18:46,120 --> 01:18:51,440 If you recognize the problems and start doing something about them, which would start with 1096 01:18:51,440 --> 01:18:54,400 the gospel, of course, it's going to be work. 1097 01:18:54,400 --> 01:18:55,680 It's going to be hard. 1098 01:18:55,680 --> 01:18:57,240 The world is not right. 1099 01:18:57,240 --> 01:18:59,840 It's messed up. 1100 01:18:59,840 --> 01:19:05,440 And we are, for the meantime, until Jesus comes again, meant to be the solution to the 1101 01:19:05,440 --> 01:19:08,480 problem, not the problem. 1102 01:19:08,480 --> 01:19:14,160 To say that our lives are not about arrival is not quite accurate. 1103 01:19:14,160 --> 01:19:18,160 Our lives and everything we experience is exactly about navigating from the moment of 1104 01:19:18,160 --> 01:19:24,560 our salvation to the moment of the once and for all resolution of that salvation. 1105 01:19:24,560 --> 01:19:30,640 It is learning to wait on God, to look to God, to trust His promises, and to know that 1106 01:19:30,640 --> 01:19:35,320 there is no greater calling than to be called sons and daughters of God while we work and 1107 01:19:35,320 --> 01:19:39,320 serve our way through this life to its conclusion. 1108 01:19:39,320 --> 01:19:45,840 The hand that clutches us is bloodied and yet strong. 1109 01:19:45,840 --> 01:19:53,640 Resolute to hold on to us against tangible, jagged assaults on its total sovereignty. 1110 01:19:53,640 --> 01:19:59,600 Meanwhile, the chief two assaults, the main things, are a misunderstanding of the nature 1111 01:19:59,600 --> 01:20:04,680 of this walk, which is literally waiting, looking, and faithfulness. 1112 01:20:04,680 --> 01:20:08,240 If you could get good at waiting on God, get good at looking for God to do what God is 1113 01:20:08,240 --> 01:20:14,240 going to do, and get good at faithfulness, you'd have mastered the game of life. 1114 01:20:14,240 --> 01:20:18,160 We have a misunderstanding of the nature of this walk, and that's the main attack against 1115 01:20:18,160 --> 01:20:20,640 God holding on to us. 1116 01:20:20,640 --> 01:20:27,000 And an understanding of the readiness of the enemy to use that misunderstanding against 1117 01:20:27,000 --> 01:20:28,000 us. 1118 01:20:28,000 --> 01:20:30,040 He wants you to think it should be easy. 1119 01:20:30,040 --> 01:20:34,920 He wants you to think others should do what you want, or you should be able to deal justice, 1120 01:20:34,920 --> 01:20:37,080 or you should be able to fix this problem. 1121 01:20:37,080 --> 01:20:40,720 The enemy wants you to think that because then when it doesn't happen, it becomes your 1122 01:20:40,720 --> 01:20:43,480 greatest doubt, your greatest fear, your greatest question. 1123 01:20:43,480 --> 01:20:47,800 You walk out of the great thing that God is intending for you because it looks like it's 1124 01:20:47,800 --> 01:20:51,800 going to be hard, because it looks like it's going to be too much, because it doesn't seem 1125 01:20:51,800 --> 01:20:54,680 wise, because it will cost you a lot. 1126 01:20:54,680 --> 01:20:58,960 And you go, well, when I got saved, God said He was going to be with me always and turn 1127 01:20:58,960 --> 01:21:02,480 everything out for my good, and I can't see how this could possibly be a good thing. 1128 01:21:02,480 --> 01:21:07,440 So even though I feel like God is what God wants me to do, I'm not going to do it. 1129 01:21:07,440 --> 01:21:12,160 Indeed, I have seen the enemy. 1130 01:21:12,160 --> 01:21:17,040 And if we do not understand this very thing that we're talking about, then I have found 1131 01:21:17,040 --> 01:21:22,560 that the enemy, He, is us. 1132 01:21:22,560 --> 01:21:27,480 Because we will undermine everything that God is trying to do in us if we do not accept 1133 01:21:27,480 --> 01:21:31,600 and realize that your view of the world is always going to be of a world that is not 1134 01:21:31,600 --> 01:21:33,900 right because it's simply not right. 1135 01:21:33,900 --> 01:21:37,200 That is an open-eyed view. 1136 01:21:37,200 --> 01:21:41,800 Every time a lost person who refuses to recognize that they're lost has a windfall in their 1137 01:21:41,800 --> 01:21:49,040 eyes, they experience great joy, great happiness. 1138 01:21:49,040 --> 01:21:52,560 Oh yes, my ship finally has come in. 1139 01:21:52,560 --> 01:21:54,640 She finally did what I wanted her to do. 1140 01:21:54,640 --> 01:21:57,280 He finally did what I wanted Him to do. 1141 01:21:57,280 --> 01:22:00,120 Finally got the car that I was waiting for. 1142 01:22:00,120 --> 01:22:02,880 Heaven on earth, baby! 1143 01:22:02,880 --> 01:22:04,920 No. 1144 01:22:04,920 --> 01:22:11,640 No success that you ever have, even in serving God, will by any stretch or imagination compare. 1145 01:22:11,640 --> 01:22:15,880 And there's always another bump in the road waiting. 1146 01:22:15,880 --> 01:22:21,320 This life is about looking for, living toward the moment in time at which our salvation 1147 01:22:21,320 --> 01:22:23,640 will be complete. 1148 01:22:23,640 --> 01:22:29,160 So make yourself about looking in the right direction, about waiting on God to do as He 1149 01:22:29,160 --> 01:22:30,680 promised. 1150 01:22:30,680 --> 01:22:35,160 And by the way, eliminate the weight busters, the things that you do to just fill the time, 1151 01:22:35,160 --> 01:22:39,040 because it's not about getting by while time passes. 1152 01:22:39,040 --> 01:22:44,200 Waiting on God is not just person, just kind of like existing through it, still surviving. 1153 01:22:44,200 --> 01:22:46,440 That's a humanistic life. 1154 01:22:46,440 --> 01:22:49,360 Waiting on God is about being faithful to God and doing the things that God wants you 1155 01:22:49,360 --> 01:22:51,360 to do. 1156 01:22:51,360 --> 01:22:55,500 So put the weight busters aside, get off the phone, stop playing too many video games or 1157 01:22:55,500 --> 01:23:01,720 watching too much TV, and think about what does God want me to be doing with my time? 1158 01:23:01,720 --> 01:23:05,280 How can I be bettering myself to be able to serve God better? 1159 01:23:05,280 --> 01:23:07,680 How can I serve God better? 1160 01:23:07,680 --> 01:23:09,800 Be found faithful. 1161 01:23:09,800 --> 01:23:15,200 Literally be looking for every opportunity to serve God you can find, and then do those 1162 01:23:15,200 --> 01:23:17,240 things. 1163 01:23:17,240 --> 01:23:21,560 These services, the things that you do for God, they become your lifeline, your tether, 1164 01:23:21,560 --> 01:23:26,480 so that when you think you could actually fall out of the carriage, you instead recall 1165 01:23:26,480 --> 01:23:30,020 He has you right where you are supposed to be. 1166 01:23:30,020 --> 01:23:34,080 When you see that you have not found what you are looking for, you will remember that 1167 01:23:34,080 --> 01:23:37,920 that is the way it was meant to be. 1168 01:23:37,920 --> 01:23:38,920 Video. 1169 01:23:38,920 --> 01:23:40,840 This is the last thing we are going to do. 1170 01:23:40,840 --> 01:23:42,800 There was a band called U2. 1171 01:23:42,800 --> 01:23:46,600 Literally, this is what I know about U2. 1172 01:23:46,600 --> 01:23:48,640 There was a band called U2. 1173 01:23:48,640 --> 01:23:49,640 That was it. 1174 01:23:49,640 --> 01:23:50,640 That's the summation. 1175 01:23:50,640 --> 01:23:58,040 However, they wrote a song, and it's called, I've Not Found What I'm Looking For. 1176 01:23:58,040 --> 01:24:01,840 Neat thing is they were trying to write a gospel song, even though they were not a gospel 1177 01:24:01,840 --> 01:24:02,840 band. 1178 01:24:02,840 --> 01:24:05,680 They were, oh, I just realized I know more about U2 than I thought I did. 1179 01:24:05,680 --> 01:24:08,960 They are three guys who profess to be Christians who wrote this song. 1180 01:24:08,960 --> 01:24:09,960 They come out of Ireland. 1181 01:24:09,960 --> 01:24:15,920 In fact, the one guy said, I rode my bike to school one day, and because I rode my bike 1182 01:24:15,920 --> 01:24:20,200 to school, I got to school early, and if I had walked to school like I always did, I 1183 01:24:20,200 --> 01:24:25,760 would have died like thousands of other people died in three bus bombings in town that day. 1184 01:24:25,760 --> 01:24:29,560 They lived through the greatest persecutions of Christian warfare, basically, that took 1185 01:24:29,560 --> 01:24:32,600 place in Ireland, and they survived it. 1186 01:24:32,600 --> 01:24:38,200 The day before they made it great, if you want to call becoming a very popular band, 1187 01:24:38,200 --> 01:24:42,280 making it great, they went to their manager and said, we have to stop doing this. 1188 01:24:42,280 --> 01:24:43,560 We're not going to play music anymore. 1189 01:24:43,560 --> 01:24:45,680 We've got to get busy serving Jesus. 1190 01:24:45,680 --> 01:24:48,200 He said, I want you to go back and pray to your God. 1191 01:24:48,200 --> 01:24:49,200 He was not a Christian. 1192 01:24:49,200 --> 01:24:53,240 I want you to go back and pray to your God and ask him, what do we do then with all the 1193 01:24:53,240 --> 01:24:55,920 concert dates I just signed up for you for the next year? 1194 01:24:55,920 --> 01:24:59,120 Do we just cancel all our commitments? 1195 01:24:59,120 --> 01:25:03,200 They agreed to go back and pray to God, and they said, God said, keep your commitments, 1196 01:25:03,200 --> 01:25:05,240 and they became U2. 1197 01:25:05,240 --> 01:25:08,680 One of the albums they produced, they wanted to write a gospel song. 1198 01:25:08,680 --> 01:25:11,400 Gospels considered a genre if you're not saved, right? 1199 01:25:11,400 --> 01:25:12,960 So they wanted to write a gospel song. 1200 01:25:12,960 --> 01:25:18,080 This is the song that they wrote, but this is a video of what happened when they went 1201 01:25:18,080 --> 01:25:21,560 to go sing that gospel song with an actual gospel choir. 1202 01:25:21,560 --> 01:25:22,560 Go. 1203 01:25:22,560 --> 01:25:30,080 Well, we wrote the song as the one I'm looking for, which is a gospel song pretty much. 1204 01:25:30,080 --> 01:25:33,480 I mean, it doesn't sound much like a gospel song the way we do it. 1205 01:25:33,480 --> 01:25:38,960 If you look at the lyric and the basic music, that's exactly what it is. 1206 01:25:38,960 --> 01:25:44,800 And we got a cassette from a friend of ours and I and great words of the gospel choir 1207 01:25:44,800 --> 01:25:45,800 covering the song. 1208 01:25:45,800 --> 01:25:51,280 And it sounded like, it sounded totally different, but it sounded really exciting to you. 1209 01:25:51,280 --> 01:25:56,240 So we traveled down to Harlem, visited this church in the middle of Harlem, this choir, 1210 01:25:56,240 --> 01:25:59,240 and we were going through a rehearsal. 1211 01:25:59,240 --> 01:26:23,120 And we played with them, got the idea to do a combination of it. 1212 01:26:23,120 --> 01:26:29,300 Yeah, 1213 01:26:29,300 --> 01:26:45,240 Oh 1214 01:26:45,240 --> 01:26:50,240 All I have to be with you 1215 01:26:50,240 --> 01:26:55,240 I am a, I am a 1216 01:26:55,240 --> 01:26:59,240 I'll stay with you, this and it won't 1217 01:26:59,240 --> 01:27:03,240 This and it won't 1218 01:27:03,240 --> 01:27:08,240 All I have to be with you 1219 01:27:08,240 --> 01:27:13,240 But I still have to 1220 01:27:13,240 --> 01:27:18,240 What I'm looking for 1221 01:27:18,240 --> 01:27:22,240 All I feel, all I know 1222 01:27:22,240 --> 01:27:27,240 What I'm looking for 1223 01:27:27,240 --> 01:27:31,240 I have kids, all I have to do 1224 01:27:31,240 --> 01:27:36,240 Is to be a man, a man, a man 1225 01:27:36,240 --> 01:27:41,240 I'm a man, I'm a man 1226 01:27:41,240 --> 01:27:45,240 I'll be buried with desire 1227 01:27:45,240 --> 01:27:50,240 I am a woman, on your way to hell 1228 01:27:50,240 --> 01:27:54,240 I am hell, hell on the floor 1229 01:27:54,240 --> 01:27:58,240 I'm a woman, I'm a man 1230 01:27:58,240 --> 01:28:01,240 I'm a woman, on your way to hell 1231 01:28:01,240 --> 01:28:06,240 All I've got to do is feel 1232 01:28:06,240 --> 01:28:11,240 What I'm looking for 1233 01:28:11,240 --> 01:28:15,240 What I feel 1234 01:28:15,240 --> 01:28:21,240 What I'm looking for 1235 01:28:21,240 --> 01:28:24,240 What I feel 1236 01:28:24,240 --> 01:28:30,240 What I'm looking for 1237 01:28:30,240 --> 01:28:40,240 For I'm still looking for, for I'm looking for 1238 01:28:40,240 --> 01:28:50,240 For I'm still looking for, for I'm looking for 1239 01:28:50,240 --> 01:29:03,240 I've been there, in the deep dark night, all my troubles leading to you 1240 01:29:03,240 --> 01:29:13,240 I didn't even know, where, for I'm still, running down 1241 01:29:13,240 --> 01:29:22,240 For I'm looking for, for I'm still running down 1242 01:29:22,240 --> 01:29:31,240 For I'm looking for, for I'm still running down 1243 01:29:31,240 --> 01:29:45,240 For I'm looking for 1244 01:29:45,240 --> 01:29:57,240 That statement, and I still haven't found what I'm looking for, is literally true of every single human being. 1245 01:29:57,240 --> 01:30:03,240 The lyrics in the song say, I believe in the kingdom come, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for. 1246 01:30:03,240 --> 01:30:07,240 Hear me now, no one has. 1247 01:30:07,240 --> 01:30:16,240 The difference is, we have a down payment, and promises from God, that we will. 1248 01:30:16,240 --> 01:30:23,240 If you become a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, if you've turned your life over to God, and you're following the Lord, 1249 01:30:23,240 --> 01:30:29,240 you receive the Holy Spirit to seal you up for that day at which he will fulfill his promises. 1250 01:30:29,240 --> 01:30:33,240 You still haven't found what you're looking for? Join the human club. 1251 01:30:33,240 --> 01:30:37,240 Every human being still breathing hasn't found what they're looking for. 1252 01:30:37,240 --> 01:30:45,240 The problem is, we know what we're looking for, and we know we will one day find it. 1253 01:30:45,240 --> 01:30:49,240 Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but live this way. 1254 01:30:49,240 --> 01:30:57,240 Understanding, it will always look out here problematic. It's always going to be wrong. 1255 01:30:57,240 --> 01:31:10,240 But that day, in his presence, tears wiped away, healed, an eternity with God, that day you will find what you're looking for. 1256 01:31:10,240 --> 01:31:14,240 I ask the praise team to come forward at this time and lead us in a closing hymn. 1257 01:31:14,240 --> 01:31:20,240 This is our opportunity to make a decision, to let people know what we have decided. 1258 01:31:20,240 --> 01:31:23,240 You say, I still haven't found what I'm looking for. Okay. 1259 01:31:23,240 --> 01:31:29,240 That's the way it should be. But we trust God. 1260 01:31:29,240 --> 01:31:32,240 The truth about him is amazing. 1261 01:31:32,240 --> 01:31:38,240 He is restarting. You'll start fresh today, regardless of anything you've ever done. 1262 01:31:38,240 --> 01:31:45,240 You'll start fresh today, and you'll probably still make mistakes, but his salvation is able to handle it. 1263 01:31:45,240 --> 01:31:49,240 We accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and live looking for that day. 1264 01:31:49,240 --> 01:31:54,240 Found faithful. Stay with me as we sing this song. 1265 01:31:54,240 --> 01:32:00,240 God is calling you to respond in some way, then you come to be repenting of a specific sin, 1266 01:32:00,240 --> 01:32:05,240 turning to Jesus again today, or turning to Jesus for the first time ever. 1267 01:32:05,240 --> 01:32:09,240 Or I need to be baptized, or I need a home church, or I know the ministry that God wants me to do. 1268 01:32:09,240 --> 01:32:15,240 Whatever it might be, you come and make that public today. Don't say no. 1269 01:32:15,240 --> 01:32:18,240 He loves you. It's amazing. 1270 01:32:26,240 --> 01:32:33,240 This is the hour of the rain. 1271 01:32:33,240 --> 01:32:38,240 This is the hour of the dream. 1272 01:32:38,240 --> 01:32:44,240 Your holy presence 1273 01:32:44,240 --> 01:32:51,240 living in me. 1274 01:32:54,240 --> 01:32:59,240 This is my daily bread. 1275 01:32:59,240 --> 01:33:04,240 This is my daily bread. 1276 01:33:04,240 --> 01:33:11,240 Your fiery word 1277 01:33:11,240 --> 01:33:17,240 so gallant to be seen. 1278 01:33:17,240 --> 01:33:23,240 And I 1279 01:33:23,240 --> 01:33:30,240 I'm blessing for you. 1280 01:33:53,240 --> 01:33:59,240 I'm blessing for you. 1281 01:34:23,240 --> 01:34:29,240 I'm blessing for you. 1282 01:34:53,240 --> 01:34:57,240 If you have felt the leading to join New Heights Fellowship Baptist Church of East Toledo, 1283 01:34:57,240 --> 01:35:00,240 but you're listening to this podcast from somewhere else in the world, 1284 01:35:00,240 --> 01:35:05,240 you should know that we have what are called non-resident members. 1285 01:35:05,240 --> 01:35:08,240 So we have members that believe that God is leading them to be a member of the church, 1286 01:35:08,240 --> 01:35:12,240 but they have geographical or otherwise barriers that preclude them from doing so. 1287 01:35:12,240 --> 01:35:15,240 You can read about membership on our website or in our app, 1288 01:35:15,240 --> 01:35:19,240 and there's more there about becoming a non-resident member. 1289 01:35:19,240 --> 01:35:21,240 If you just need information, talk to somebody on the phone, 1290 01:35:21,240 --> 01:35:23,240 you can call the Life Station Call Center, 1291 01:35:23,240 --> 01:35:26,240 419-242-3340, 1292 01:35:26,240 --> 01:35:28,240 and talk to Ms. Chris, Sister Chris, 1293 01:35:28,240 --> 01:35:31,240 who is a member of New Heights Fellowship Baptist Church and works for the Life Station, 1294 01:35:31,240 --> 01:35:35,240 and she'll happily explain all of these things to you and get your questions answered. 1295 01:35:35,240 --> 01:35:54,240 May God bless you as you serve Him right where you are and reach New Heights in Jesus.