1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:18,200
Revelation chapter 7.

2
00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:24,600
This is what we started last week and for everybody tuning in, we're going to be very

3
00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:25,600
short.

4
00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,760
These people got me rantin' tonight so you can blame it on them.

5
00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,880
Revelation chapter 7, we're going to start in verse 9 because last week you remember

6
00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:39,200
we were covering the 144,000 and that really interesting list which is on the other side

7
00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:42,000
of this whiteboard but I don't have enough space to turn it around.

8
00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,600
But you remember that list was really interesting and it was talking about the different tribes

9
00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:49,480
and the people who were going to be sealed from each tribe.

10
00:00:49,480 --> 00:00:53,760
So we were basically looking at that, discussing that, drawing all these different conclusions

11
00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:58,720
and we were saying the most interesting thing that happened if you weren't here is that

12
00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:03,280
the same thing happened here that happened in Revelation chapter 5.

13
00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:09,040
That John is standing there and he hears an elder say to him, here's the number of the

14
00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:13,800
sealed, 144,000 and then he tells them the sealed from each tribe.

15
00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:15,740
That's what he hears, right?

16
00:01:15,740 --> 00:01:19,120
But then what happens next?

17
00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:20,760
He looks, there's the contrast.

18
00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:26,600
He hears one thing but then he looks and what does he see?

19
00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:32,960
This innumerable multitude from every tribe and tongue and nation and language and people

20
00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:36,560
and so it was the same thing that happened back in Revelation chapter 5.

21
00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:40,800
Remember he's crying, no one can open the scroll and break open its seals and so the

22
00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:45,560
elder says, hey, don't worry about it because there's this lion of the tribe of Judah, he's

23
00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:47,320
going to come and he's going to open it.

24
00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:48,320
That's what he hears.

25
00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:52,440
He's not a lion but then he turns and he looks and what does he see?

26
00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:55,760
A lamb standing as though it had been slain.

27
00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:57,800
Now they refer to the same being, right?

28
00:01:57,800 --> 00:01:59,040
Both of them are referring to Jesus.

29
00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:03,520
He is the lion of the tribe of Judah and he's also the lamb of God who comes to take away

30
00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:04,520
the sins of the world.

31
00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:06,600
That's exactly what John the Baptist said about him.

32
00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:08,880
So the same thing is happening here in Revelation 7.

33
00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:15,680
He hears a number, 144,000, he looks and sees an innumerable multitude and this is what

34
00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,760
we read, Revelation 7, 9-12.

35
00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:26,520
After this, I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number from every nation,

36
00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:31,840
from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the

37
00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:37,640
lamb, clothed in white robes and palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud

38
00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:44,120
voice, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb.

39
00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:48,160
And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four

40
00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:53,520
living creatures and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God saying,

41
00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:54,520
Amen.

42
00:02:54,520 --> 00:03:02,400
Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God

43
00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:04,440
forever and ever.

44
00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:05,600
Amen.

45
00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:11,040
So this is what John sees when he looks and he finally gets to see this multitude and

46
00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:17,360
he sees this multicultural, multi-ethnic multitude that no one can number and notice here it

47
00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:23,280
is people from every nation and tribe and people and language which again, polls and

48
00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,440
we can just go back to what we were talking about a second ago.

49
00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:30,600
It's easy for a lot of Christians to look and go, well, those Palestinians, you see

50
00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:35,000
what they're doing, all of them, I know where they're going when they die and notice what

51
00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:36,480
the Bible says here.

52
00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:40,080
Actually, are there going to be people from Palestine and heaven?

53
00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:41,080
Amen.

54
00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:43,480
And to the glory of God for that.

55
00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:44,480
Amen.

56
00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:48,600
Because it shows that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace, that if they will turn

57
00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:52,800
from their sins, that there were a pen of their sins and trust in Christ alone for salvation,

58
00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:54,200
they will be saved.

59
00:03:54,200 --> 00:04:00,200
And if you as a Christian cannot rejoice in that, you've got a heart problem.

60
00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:06,000
If God's saving someone does not cause you to rejoice, that says more about you than it

61
00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,840
does about what God is doing in the world.

62
00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:12,880
So there are people from all over in this multitude.

63
00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,560
And I want you to notice something here that gets overlooked a lot.

64
00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:24,160
It's that this vision, it is the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham.

65
00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:29,600
All right, so remember back to Genesis chapter 12, verses one through three.

66
00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:31,600
It'll be on the screen for you.

67
00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:33,600
This is what the Lord said.

68
00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:38,000
He says to Abraham, go from your country and from your kindred and from your father's

69
00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,720
house to the land that I will show you.

70
00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,280
There's that land we talked about earlier.

71
00:04:43,280 --> 00:04:47,200
And I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great so

72
00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:49,680
that you will be a blessing.

73
00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:53,160
I'll bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you.

74
00:04:53,160 --> 00:05:01,400
I will curse and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

75
00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:06,800
Now that's continued in Genesis 15, verses five through six, because this is what God

76
00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:08,600
says to him next.

77
00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:14,760
He brings him outside and he says, look toward heaven and number the stars if you're able

78
00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:15,760
to number them.

79
00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:16,760
Can you number the stars?

80
00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:20,040
You look up at the stars, innumerable, right?

81
00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:22,320
John looks at this crowd and they're what?

82
00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:23,320
Innumerable.

83
00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,480
So notice the connection there.

84
00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:29,160
Then he said to them, so shall your offspring be.

85
00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:33,240
And he believed the Lord and he counted it to him as righteousness.

86
00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:39,240
Now there's another one in Genesis 17, four, this is what the Lord says now.

87
00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:47,240
He says, behold my covenant is with you and you shall be the father of a multitude of

88
00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:48,560
nations.

89
00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:53,240
So that's where God actually changes his name from Abram to Abraham.

90
00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:56,760
Abraham means a father of many people, father of nations.

91
00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:59,560
And so he's going to be the father of this multitude of nations.

92
00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:06,280
And here's what we know that all the promises that God made to Abraham are fulfilled in

93
00:06:06,280 --> 00:06:08,160
whom?

94
00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:09,480
In Jesus.

95
00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:12,880
And those promises are then extended to the children of Abraham.

96
00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:18,440
Galatians chapter three, verses six through eight, this is what the Bible says.

97
00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:24,440
Just as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness, know then that it

98
00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:30,760
is those of faith, faith in whom?

99
00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:32,760
Okay, so let's just say this question backwards.

100
00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:35,080
Who are the sons of Abraham?

101
00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:41,760
Believers, those who have faith in Jesus and scripture for seeing that God would justify

102
00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:50,360
the Gentiles by faith, preach the gospel beforehand to Abraham saying, in you shall all the nations

103
00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:51,360
be blessed.

104
00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:56,520
So here's what you have when you look at this multitude, it's not just this multitude of

105
00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,680
many people from all these tribes and tongues and nations and languages.

106
00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:04,400
It's like that's enough to rejoice about, but it's also the fulfillment of God's promises

107
00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:09,600
to Abraham and they are finding their fulfillment in Jesus and the gospel.

108
00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:16,280
In Jesus being the one who redeems and reconciles these people to God through his sacrifice.

109
00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:22,560
And notice here that they are actually clothed in white and they have palm branches.

110
00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:27,160
Now here's something we've talked about before.

111
00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:29,200
White is a symbol of something.

112
00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:30,680
What is it a symbol of?

113
00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:31,680
Purity?

114
00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:32,680
Yeah, we're going to get that.

115
00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:34,080
That was actually our second thing.

116
00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:35,080
I'll go ahead and write it.

117
00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:37,040
It's a symbol of two things.

118
00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:38,040
So you have purity.

119
00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:39,040
What's the other one?

120
00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:40,040
Anybody remember?

121
00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:41,040
Cleanliness?

122
00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:44,120
Okay, I'm going to chalk that up with purity.

123
00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:45,680
But it is kind of different.

124
00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:47,080
Yeah, we'll go with that.

125
00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:48,560
Alright, anybody else?

126
00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:49,560
White.

127
00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:50,560
Peace?

128
00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:51,560
Maybe?

129
00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:52,560
Okay.

130
00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:57,680
You know, it's actually ironic because the one thing I'm looking for now is we use this

131
00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:00,240
in the exact opposite way today.

132
00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,760
If you're going to give up today, what do you do?

133
00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:04,760
You wave what?

134
00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:09,280
Okay, back then it was the exact opposite.

135
00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:11,040
It was the color of victory.

136
00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:14,560
So there's a bit of irony going on there about why I'm asking you.

137
00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:20,720
So we use it for surrender today, but back then it actually stood for victory.

138
00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:22,120
And so did the palm branches.

139
00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:24,840
Both of those are symbols of victory.

140
00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:33,480
And so notice that this multitude are standing here victorious, but did they win any sort

141
00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:34,480
of victory?

142
00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:47,440
Okay, did they accomplish the victory?

143
00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:49,960
No, that's the big distinction.

144
00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:56,520
So they are standing there victorious, but they didn't accomplish a victory.

145
00:08:56,520 --> 00:09:01,120
And so here's this beautiful picture that you have of every single believer getting

146
00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,640
to share in the victory that Christ has won.

147
00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:12,480
Jesus is the one who defeated sin, death, and Satan, and we could have never done that.

148
00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:13,480
Amen?

149
00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:16,320
We still fail to do it on a daily basis.

150
00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:18,680
If you can make it one day without sending, give me a phone call.

151
00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:20,280
I'll buy you something, but you can't.

152
00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:21,280
You've already sinned a day.

153
00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:24,360
And if you haven't sinned a day, you're sending right now because you're going, I hate that

154
00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:25,360
preacher.

155
00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:26,520
He says I'm a sinner all the time.

156
00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:27,520
We are.

157
00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:28,520
We all are.

158
00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:30,040
And I say it about myself too.

159
00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:32,080
It's not the rejoice in, it's just the reality.

160
00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:33,920
But here's the thing, okay?

161
00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:39,320
It was a symbol of victory and so we are standing victorious because we get to share in the

162
00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:43,080
victory of Christ through repentance and faith in Him.

163
00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:48,480
I mean, it'd be like someone who is getting this gold medal who's never participated in

164
00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,640
the Olympics and they're getting to stand on the podium with a gold medal there and

165
00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:54,480
everybody's celebrating and they're like, woohoo, this is awesome.

166
00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:58,600
And that guy is thinking to himself the whole time, I've never even been to the Olympics.

167
00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:00,560
I don't even watch them on TV.

168
00:10:00,560 --> 00:10:01,560
This is crazy.

169
00:10:01,560 --> 00:10:06,000
And that's how crazy this scene is, but we just overlook it because we're so used to

170
00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:07,000
it, right?

171
00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:08,800
There's a great multitude in heaven.

172
00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:13,880
Yes, but they are standing victorious even though they didn't win anything.

173
00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:19,480
They were constantly being defeated and yet here they stand and it's because of Jesus.

174
00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:24,400
But as we've also heard, white was a symbol of purity.

175
00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:32,080
And so you have this great group of sinners who is not pure, who have been made pure

176
00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:34,200
by the blood of Jesus.

177
00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:38,840
This is another one of those ironic, weird type of things in the Bible where the Bible

178
00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:42,920
says our sins are like crimson.

179
00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:45,560
What do you do to get out of bloodstain, you know?

180
00:10:45,560 --> 00:10:49,040
Like Anna has to get out bloodstains all the time because we've got boys and they're constantly

181
00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:52,480
just rough-housing with each other, throwing each other off the porch and just crazy things

182
00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:53,480
like that.

183
00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:54,760
And how do you get blood out of clothes?

184
00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:56,040
You've got to treat it with stuff and do all this.

185
00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:57,560
I don't know because I don't do the laundry.

186
00:10:57,560 --> 00:10:59,640
My dishes are my area.

187
00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:01,400
But you've got to treat it with stuff, right?

188
00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:06,560
Well, you hear the Bible says your sins are like crimson.

189
00:11:06,560 --> 00:11:09,360
How do you wash them clean?

190
00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:11,480
Get them in more blood.

191
00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:13,560
Get the red stuff out with the red stuff, right?

192
00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:14,960
Your sins are like crimson.

193
00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:20,360
But wash them in the blood of Jesus and you will be made white as snow.

194
00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:26,160
And so here you have this multitude of believers who are standing victorious, celebrating in

195
00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:30,760
the victory of Christ, sharing in the victory of Christ, and they stand there pure.

196
00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:35,640
Now again, if this hasn't hit you, right, and you don't really understand what's going

197
00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:37,680
on here, you can't appreciate this.

198
00:11:37,680 --> 00:11:43,480
Let me just ask you to think about your life if you'll indulge me for a moment.

199
00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:49,760
How often do you have those days when you're having a good day and then your sinful self

200
00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:53,440
or the enemy or whoever else reminds you of that thing you did when you were 13 and you're

201
00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:56,640
like, oh man, why are I going to think about that today?

202
00:11:56,640 --> 00:11:58,360
I know I was not good, okay?

203
00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:00,040
Like, well, I forget these things.

204
00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:04,560
I can't remember what I was supposed to remember last week for important things, but all the

205
00:12:04,560 --> 00:12:08,280
horrible events in my life, they're just stuck like glue to my memory, you know?

206
00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:12,320
So like, on a weekly basis, does this not happen?

207
00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:16,120
How often are you reminded of all your failures?

208
00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:17,760
Of all the ways that you fall short?

209
00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:24,480
How often are you riddled with this shame and this guilt and this just weight of being

210
00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:28,440
a failure before God, even when you're trying to do your best, right?

211
00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:31,880
And you're trying to live that life that you know God wants you to live and you're trying

212
00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:35,480
to pursue Him and do all these things that you know you should do as a Christ follower

213
00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:39,400
and then you mess up and you go, God, I'm terrible.

214
00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:40,760
Why would you save me?

215
00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:42,240
And this is your reality.

216
00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:43,800
This is what you deal with.

217
00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:45,480
Here's the beautiful thing about this picture.

218
00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:48,120
This is why you should rejoice in this now.

219
00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:52,480
It's because the Bible is saying when you stand amongst this group and if you're a Christian,

220
00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:53,480
you will.

221
00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:56,640
There's going to be no more guilt.

222
00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:59,280
There is going to be no more shame.

223
00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:03,400
There's going to be no more of those memories that remind you of what you did when you were

224
00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:07,800
however years old and all the ways that you failed.

225
00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:08,800
There's going to be purity.

226
00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:17,200
There's going to be cleansing and you will stand pure and cleanse before God, not just

227
00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:18,600
declared to be righteous.

228
00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:24,880
Now you will actually be made pure and completely cleansed.

229
00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:27,000
No longer having any sin.

230
00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:33,360
No longer having any guilt, any shame because you have washed yourself in the blood of Jesus.

231
00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:36,480
He has come and made you clean.

232
00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:39,400
And so that is the great hope that we have here.

233
00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:41,920
That's what this picture is painting for us here.

234
00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:48,520
It's this picture of this mixed multitude who are literally shouting at the top of their

235
00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:53,680
lungs praising God for the salvation that they have.

236
00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:57,440
And it's something important to remember here.

237
00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:01,880
They're shouting because salvation belongs to the Lord.

238
00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:02,880
Did you see that?

239
00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:03,880
That's what they said.

240
00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:04,880
That is their cry.

241
00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:05,880
They're crying out with a loud voice.

242
00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:07,440
They're literally at the top of their lungs.

243
00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:09,400
They're screaming.

244
00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:15,120
Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne into the Lamb.

245
00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:17,040
Notice what they're not saying.

246
00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:18,400
This is another easy thing to miss.

247
00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:25,440
They're not saying praise God that I went to church every single time the doors were

248
00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:26,440
open.

249
00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:31,360
Praise God I grew up in the south where I had good opportunities to hear about the Gospel

250
00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:32,760
and about Jesus.

251
00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:35,720
Praise God that I made sure I was baptized at that age.

252
00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:38,760
Praise God that I did this and I filled out this card.

253
00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:41,720
They don't say anything about themselves.

254
00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:43,040
Why?

255
00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:46,600
Because they're not there because of something they did.

256
00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:49,040
They shout for the reason they're there.

257
00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:51,720
Praise God salvation belongs to the Lord.

258
00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:57,000
They are saying the only reason I am here amongst this multitude and will be here for

259
00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:01,360
all of eternity if you can even grasp, you know, wrap that around your mind.

260
00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:02,360
It's infathomable.

261
00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:07,200
Let me say some other words that I can't get out tonight because my tongue is twisted.

262
00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:11,880
The only reason they're there is because of Jesus.

263
00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:16,760
And so that's who they give their praise and their honor and their glory to.

264
00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,880
There's a lot of application stuff we can take away from this.

265
00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:22,000
We don't necessarily have time to do that right now.

266
00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:26,160
So let me just hit on this last point that I was mentioning.

267
00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:33,800
We have to make sure that people understand the one true way of salvation because it's

268
00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:40,560
very easy for us to look at, say, the Palestinians or the Jews or anybody who holds to a false

269
00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:45,520
religion and say they need to know about Jesus.

270
00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:47,280
We know that's the only way of salvation, right?

271
00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:49,400
They need to know about Jesus.

272
00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:54,880
But then you have people in a church who are going, hey brother, how do you know you're

273
00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:55,880
saved?

274
00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:56,880
Well, of course I'm saved.

275
00:15:56,880 --> 00:15:59,160
I've been in this church my whole life.

276
00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:01,280
I've been a member since I was six.

277
00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:03,560
I was baptized when I was six.

278
00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:04,760
You know, I filled out that card.

279
00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:05,920
I've done everything right.

280
00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:08,720
I've served as a deacon three different times at this church.

281
00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:09,720
I've done this.

282
00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:10,720
I've done that.

283
00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:11,720
I've done that.

284
00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:14,840
We say that the sinners and people of false religions, they need Jesus.

285
00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:19,560
But church people, you ask them how they know that they're saved and their answer is rarely

286
00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:20,560
Jesus.

287
00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:22,960
They start looking at themselves.

288
00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:26,680
Well, how does that person, they need Jesus.

289
00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:27,960
How do I know I'm saved?

290
00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:30,320
Because of all the religious stuff that I do.

291
00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:32,800
And that's what we start basing it on.

292
00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:34,800
And here's the problem.

293
00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:38,400
If we believe that, then we're going to train other people to believe that as well.

294
00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:41,720
And so you're going to have people come into the church and we're going to teach them a

295
00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:49,200
way of legalism that is going to wear them out and burn them out and absolutely turn

296
00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:52,360
them away from the gospel of Jesus Christ.

297
00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:57,680
When you make people think that they have to do a certain thing and act a certain way

298
00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:02,520
and check off a whole bunch of check boxes in order to actually be saved, what you're

299
00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:08,200
actually doing is turning people away from Jesus who literally said, repent and believe.

300
00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:10,880
Turn from your sins and follow me.

301
00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:13,000
Again, I talk about this whole time.

302
00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:16,240
We make things a lot harder than they have to be, don't we?

303
00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:17,440
We like to complicate it.

304
00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:20,040
I did this when I was 19 years old.

305
00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:21,160
I've told this story before.

306
00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:25,520
I literally made a list and I said, okay, here's all the stuff that's wrong with me

307
00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,000
and here's all the things that I'm not doing.

308
00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,960
Here's all the things that God wants me to be and I'm going to start checking these things

309
00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:32,960
off.

310
00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:34,160
And once I check them, I literally did this.

311
00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:35,520
This is not made up.

312
00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:39,800
And once I check these off, then God will be pleased with me and I'll be a good Christian.

313
00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:41,800
You know what I put first on that list?

314
00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:42,800
Anybody remember?

315
00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:43,800
Humility.

316
00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,920
It was doomed from the start.

317
00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:47,920
I'm just kidding.

318
00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:49,160
I checked that off in five minutes.

319
00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:52,520
I'm joking, obviously.

320
00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:56,680
I play humility first and I literally said, okay, this week I'm going to work on humility

321
00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:01,120
and by next week I'll be humble and God will be pleased with me.

322
00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:03,520
And I never got by the first one.

323
00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:07,040
I couldn't even mark one off the list.

324
00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:08,960
But that's what legalism does to you, right?

325
00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:13,720
It wears you out and it makes you disappointed constantly because you go, I can't do this.

326
00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:16,600
And the Bible is saying, exactly.

327
00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:17,760
You can't do this.

328
00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:19,200
You need Jesus.

329
00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:23,920
He is everything that you're not and he is everything that God requires you to be.

330
00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:26,200
So how about you turn it over to him?

331
00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:28,280
You don't have to make yourself something.

332
00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:29,960
Jesus makes you something.

333
00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:32,240
You don't have to change everything about yourself.

334
00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:36,240
The Holy Spirit is going to conform you more and more into the image of Christ.

335
00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:39,280
So turn from your sins and pursue Jesus.

336
00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:41,800
It's that simple, right?

337
00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:43,920
And so something we're going to end now.

338
00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:48,280
But something I want us to take away, very importantly from this, is that they are shouting

339
00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:51,680
because the only way of salvation is in Jesus.

340
00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:57,360
And if we are to tell other people about Jesus, if we want to see this mixed multitude grow

341
00:18:57,360 --> 00:19:02,400
and grow and grow, then we have to make sure that people actually know the one true way

342
00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:03,400
of salvation.

343
00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:06,320
That it's not about all the religious things you do.

344
00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:08,160
It's not about your church attendance.

345
00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:11,960
It's not about how many Bible verses you have memorized or anything like that.

346
00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:15,600
It's about what are you trusting in right now?

347
00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:21,960
If someone were to ask you, why do you believe that you are saved?

348
00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:23,840
Why do you believe it?

349
00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:27,680
What are you trusting in right now for your eternal salvation?

350
00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:32,680
What is it that gives you confidence that when you stand before God, he is going to

351
00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:34,680
say, come on in?

352
00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:40,760
And if your answer is anything other than Jesus Christ, you have been misguided in this

353
00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:47,920
way, he is our only hope and he is the one in whom salvation is found.

354
00:19:47,920 --> 00:20:14,680
Alright, Gene McKinney, give us a word of wisdom.