WEBVTT 00:00:01.230 --> 00:00:03.950 Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton, 00:00:04.129 --> 00:00:07.269 the official podcast of Cross Christian Fellowship, 00:00:07.290 --> 00:00:10.769 Route 66, in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico, 00:00:10.990 --> 00:00:14.150 where Burton is the lead pastor. We're glad you're 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:20.410 here. Thanks. Yeah, I love this church. I love 00:00:20.410 --> 00:00:22.710 the people here. I love coming down here. And 00:00:22.710 --> 00:00:26.210 you know what? This area needs it so badly. You 00:00:26.210 --> 00:00:29.949 know, this is the war zone. It really is. I remember 00:00:29.949 --> 00:00:32.090 being down here at night, and you could see the 00:00:32.090 --> 00:00:34.549 dark shadows moving by the windows, you know, 00:00:34.590 --> 00:00:37.969 the enemy just wanting to pounce on people as 00:00:37.969 --> 00:00:42.109 they walked in here and walked out. And this 00:00:42.109 --> 00:00:45.770 area, you know, I got off at Tramway because 00:00:45.770 --> 00:00:47.549 I live out in East Mountains, and I was coming 00:00:47.549 --> 00:00:50.590 down, and, I mean, this whole area's buildings 00:00:50.590 --> 00:00:53.530 are closed. There's no stores open anymore, and 00:00:53.530 --> 00:00:56.850 it breaks my heart, you know. Because when I 00:00:56.850 --> 00:01:00.289 was the assistant pastor here, you know, it was 00:01:00.289 --> 00:01:02.710 thriving quite a bit more. You know, Walmart 00:01:02.710 --> 00:01:07.250 was open, and now it's nothing. I mean, the enemy 00:01:07.250 --> 00:01:09.950 has got such a foothold. You know, and there's 00:01:09.950 --> 00:01:12.430 this one little light that shines here, and that's 00:01:12.430 --> 00:01:16.670 cross 66, you know. And it will be here for a 00:01:16.670 --> 00:01:20.079 long time, you know, the Lord. It's put that 00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:22.140 in my heart that this church is going to be here 00:01:22.140 --> 00:01:24.599 for a long time. You know, somebody will replace 00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:26.599 somebody and it's just going to keep going because 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:31.739 it's needed. But anyway, I left here and I went 00:01:31.739 --> 00:01:34.980 up. God called me back to my community in the 00:01:34.980 --> 00:01:37.359 East Mountains and I opened the youth center 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:39.780 there. And that's finally thriving. I mean, we 00:01:39.780 --> 00:01:42.480 have like 60 events lined up. We're having robotics 00:01:42.480 --> 00:01:46.519 workshops and jujitsu. We recently had a Lego 00:01:46.519 --> 00:01:49.489 competition. But if you want to check it out, 00:01:49.510 --> 00:01:52.170 it's the Stancy Valley Christian Teen Center. 00:01:52.450 --> 00:01:55.489 You know, it's on Facebook. So if you want to 00:01:55.489 --> 00:01:58.810 see more, you know, check it out. If you're in 00:01:58.810 --> 00:02:01.150 the East Mountains or know kids in the East Mountains 00:02:01.150 --> 00:02:04.250 that need a place to go, we have events. You 00:02:04.250 --> 00:02:07.290 know, it's non -denominational. We want all churches 00:02:07.290 --> 00:02:10.069 to come alongside and feel welcome there. You 00:02:10.069 --> 00:02:12.990 know, it's for kids, you know, because kids need 00:02:12.990 --> 00:02:15.250 a path. They need something to do, and that's 00:02:15.250 --> 00:02:20.750 why we started it. Anyway, Burton called me last 00:02:20.750 --> 00:02:23.409 night and he said, Ted, could you do me a favor? 00:02:23.469 --> 00:02:27.330 Could you step in? And I said, sure. And we started 00:02:27.330 --> 00:02:29.210 talking about messages. And he said, well, I'm 00:02:29.210 --> 00:02:34.750 doing kind of an Easter thing going right now 00:02:34.750 --> 00:02:38.569 with the messages he's been giving. And I sat 00:02:38.569 --> 00:02:43.340 down at my computer and, you know. What is this 00:02:43.340 --> 00:02:46.860 whole thing about? What is Easter about? What 00:02:46.860 --> 00:02:49.939 is Christ about? It's all about the message of 00:02:49.939 --> 00:02:54.740 the cross. Why did Christ come? What is he here? 00:02:54.819 --> 00:02:57.800 What was his purpose? And that's what we're going 00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:02.180 to talk about today. What exactly was the message 00:03:02.180 --> 00:03:05.180 that Christ taught? And what was the promise 00:03:05.180 --> 00:03:08.860 of the new covenant that he made with us? So 00:03:08.860 --> 00:03:11.080 today we're going to look at the basic truth. 00:03:11.659 --> 00:03:13.900 Because that's what the message of the cross 00:03:13.900 --> 00:03:18.219 is, the truth. And that truth is what all other 00:03:18.219 --> 00:03:21.439 truths are formed on. The truth of God and the 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:27.219 truth of Christ. The truth of Christ dying for 00:03:27.219 --> 00:03:30.159 us and the truth of Christ being resurrected 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:34.900 so we could be resurrected with him and open 00:03:34.900 --> 00:03:38.860 up heaven for us. That's it. No more, no less. 00:03:38.919 --> 00:03:42.419 That's the message of the cross. But today we're 00:03:42.419 --> 00:03:45.300 going to, you know, let's turn to John 3 .16. 00:03:45.319 --> 00:03:47.080 We're going to read a couple of scriptures here, 00:03:47.180 --> 00:03:50.479 and then we'll pray. So let's start with John 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:55.180 3 .16. I mean, if you know it, you know, you 00:03:55.180 --> 00:03:59.759 don't need to look at it, but, you know, it starts, 00:03:59.860 --> 00:04:06.500 For God so loved the world that he gave his only 00:04:06.500 --> 00:04:10.300 begotten Son that whoever... believes in him 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:13.400 should not perish but have everlasting life. 00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:17.339 For God did not send his son into the world to 00:04:17.339 --> 00:04:20.240 condemn the world, but that the world through 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:23.980 him might be saved. He who believes in him is 00:04:23.980 --> 00:04:27.920 not condemned, but he who does not believe is 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:31.019 condemned already because he has not believed 00:04:31.019 --> 00:04:34.259 in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 00:04:36.220 --> 00:04:39.279 This is the condemnation that the light has come 00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:43.660 into the world and men love darkness rather than 00:04:43.660 --> 00:04:47.180 light because their deeds were evil. For everyone 00:04:47.180 --> 00:04:49.819 practicing evil hates the light and does not 00:04:49.819 --> 00:04:53.220 come into the light, lest his deeds should be 00:04:53.220 --> 00:04:57.720 exposed. But he who does the truth comes into 00:04:57.720 --> 00:05:00.800 the light that his deeds may be clearly seen. 00:05:01.629 --> 00:05:04.689 that they have been done in God. So let's pray. 00:05:04.769 --> 00:05:07.649 Father God, I just pray that you speak through 00:05:07.649 --> 00:05:11.149 me, Lord, and, you know, fill our hearts with 00:05:11.149 --> 00:05:13.269 the message of your Son and the message of the 00:05:13.269 --> 00:05:16.649 cross and why everything had to happen the way 00:05:16.649 --> 00:05:20.569 that it happened and why Jesus came and why Jesus 00:05:20.569 --> 00:05:24.709 didn't come. And I just ask you, Lord, to speak 00:05:24.709 --> 00:05:28.009 through me. just to give us something that we 00:05:28.009 --> 00:05:30.750 didn't know before or put something on our hearts 00:05:30.750 --> 00:05:33.970 that we can go forward with, you know, and bring 00:05:33.970 --> 00:05:36.329 it into the world. And I ask all this in your 00:05:36.329 --> 00:05:40.370 holy name. Amen. So why did Christ come? Did 00:05:40.370 --> 00:05:43.170 he come to heal the sick? You know, was it to 00:05:43.170 --> 00:05:47.370 mend our broken relationships? Was it to heal 00:05:47.370 --> 00:05:51.370 cancer or anything else in our physical world? 00:05:51.689 --> 00:05:54.449 No, it had nothing to do with any of that, you 00:05:54.449 --> 00:05:58.050 know. We sometimes get so focused on what's wrong 00:05:58.050 --> 00:06:01.410 with the world that we wanted Christ to come 00:06:01.410 --> 00:06:04.129 and fix it. And that was the problem with the 00:06:04.129 --> 00:06:07.029 Pharisees. You know, they wanted Christ to come 00:06:07.029 --> 00:06:10.970 to be a king, to lead them into victory over 00:06:10.970 --> 00:06:14.449 the Romans and take over, take over the world. 00:06:14.730 --> 00:06:16.910 They were so focused on what he was going to 00:06:16.910 --> 00:06:20.149 do in his worldly kingdom. that they forgot the 00:06:20.149 --> 00:06:24.470 whole thing of God is eternal. He's not of this 00:06:24.470 --> 00:06:29.730 world. You know, he's above us. And someday, 00:06:29.930 --> 00:06:32.370 you know, for those that believe, we'll be there 00:06:32.370 --> 00:06:35.209 with God, and this world will no longer exist. 00:06:35.829 --> 00:06:38.949 Christ didn't come to fix this world. He came 00:06:38.949 --> 00:06:41.949 to bring light into the world because it was 00:06:41.949 --> 00:06:45.610 so dark. They prayed for 400 years for Christ 00:06:45.610 --> 00:06:47.959 to come save them. And they didn't even know 00:06:47.959 --> 00:06:50.660 what they were being saved from. And Christ came 00:06:50.660 --> 00:06:53.620 to save them from themselves. You know, he came 00:06:53.620 --> 00:06:56.959 to make a new covenant with them to say, look, 00:06:57.180 --> 00:07:01.680 you are so corrupted with your hearts that, you 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:04.180 know, your sacrifices don't mean anything to 00:07:04.180 --> 00:07:06.959 me anymore. You know, so I'm going to lay down 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:10.949 my blood. So you can have the perfect sacrifice. 00:07:11.290 --> 00:07:14.050 And if you believe in my blood that washes away 00:07:14.050 --> 00:07:17.589 your sins, you will be with me forever. You know, 00:07:17.589 --> 00:07:22.250 that's why Christ came. You know, in John 3 .16... 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:26.579 Long celebrated is the powerful declaration of 00:07:26.579 --> 00:07:28.560 the gospel. I mean, who doesn't know about John 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:31.779 3 .16? Tim Tebow wore it every time he went and 00:07:31.779 --> 00:07:34.720 played football. Athletes have crosses, John 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:37.939 3 .16, 3 .16. You see it everywhere. You see 00:07:37.939 --> 00:07:43.279 it in TV commercials now. You know, of the 31 00:07:43.279 --> 00:07:47.860 ,102 verses in the Bible, it's the most popular 00:07:47.860 --> 00:07:51.509 single verse used in evangelism. John 3 .16. 00:07:51.589 --> 00:07:54.250 That's the first thing somebody learns is John 00:07:54.250 --> 00:07:58.689 3 .16. So God so loved the world, you know, and 00:07:58.689 --> 00:08:01.370 that's the way it should be. But, you know, and 00:08:01.370 --> 00:08:06.329 that's what this is all about. For God so loved 00:08:06.329 --> 00:08:09.490 the world, God did not wait for the world to 00:08:09.490 --> 00:08:14.069 turn to him, to honor him, to give him praise. 00:08:14.149 --> 00:08:17.230 He sent his son because he loved us, period. 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:19.939 It wasn't anything that we did. He didn't say, 00:08:19.980 --> 00:08:23.740 well, these guys deserve a savior because truthfully, 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:26.939 we didn't deserve anything. You know, we were 00:08:26.939 --> 00:08:30.339 murderers, rapists, extortionists, embezzlers, 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:34.379 you know, preachers of false gospels. You know, 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:36.340 the Pharisees were all over the place with their 00:08:36.340 --> 00:08:39.799 gospels. You know, they sold sacrifices for money. 00:08:40.019 --> 00:08:42.399 So basically, they sold salvation for money. 00:08:42.940 --> 00:08:45.740 You know, buy five turtle doves and you'll be 00:08:45.740 --> 00:08:49.919 free. You know, it doesn't work that way. You 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:52.759 know, but God knew what we needed and he loved 00:08:52.759 --> 00:08:55.480 and he gave his only begotten son to the world 00:08:55.480 --> 00:08:59.480 when it was still the world. The Jews of that 00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:01.700 day rarely thought that God loved the world. 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:05.220 You never heard, you know, in old scripture about 00:09:05.220 --> 00:09:07.759 the love of God, it was always about obedience. 00:09:08.259 --> 00:09:11.419 Do this or else you're damned. Do this or be 00:09:11.419 --> 00:09:14.299 damned. Sacrifice this or else you're damned. 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:16.740 You know, a sin offering, I never would have 00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:19.080 gotten out of line, you know. I would have made 00:09:19.080 --> 00:09:20.960 a sin offering, and by the time I made my sin 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:23.259 offering, I would have committed another sin, 00:09:23.320 --> 00:09:25.159 and I'd be right back in line again, you know. 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:29.379 I'd be stuck like in this revolving sin offering 00:09:29.379 --> 00:09:31.419 line, you know. I would run out of money for 00:09:31.419 --> 00:09:37.019 turtle doves the first day, you know. But, you 00:09:37.019 --> 00:09:41.039 know, the universal offer of salvation and life 00:09:41.039 --> 00:09:45.139 in Jesus was revolutionary. You know, he offered 00:09:45.139 --> 00:09:47.879 us salvation, not to be healed from the sick, 00:09:47.980 --> 00:09:51.000 not to be healed from cancer. You know, those 00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:53.580 were all byproducts because he loved us. In miracles, 00:09:53.799 --> 00:09:55.879 he was going to show people that he did have 00:09:55.879 --> 00:10:00.519 power. But that was just to show. He even commented 00:10:00.519 --> 00:10:02.740 that, you know, don't believe in me because of 00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:04.960 miracles because that's short -lived and you'll 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:07.879 soon forget about it. Believe in me because you 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:10.600 believe like the woman at the well. He didn't 00:10:10.600 --> 00:10:12.779 show her any miracles. He just started telling 00:10:12.779 --> 00:10:15.860 her about her husbands. And she knew, you know, 00:10:15.860 --> 00:10:18.220 in her heart that he was the Savior, that he 00:10:18.220 --> 00:10:21.220 was the Messiah. It wasn't anything fancy he 00:10:21.220 --> 00:10:24.360 did. And then the other people that saw the miracles, 00:10:24.440 --> 00:10:27.740 look at Judas. Judas walked with them, talked 00:10:27.740 --> 00:10:31.580 with them, saw every single miracle. And he didn't 00:10:31.580 --> 00:10:36.470 believe enough to... You know, he sold Jesus 00:10:36.470 --> 00:10:40.309 out. Had he really believed in Jesus that he 00:10:40.309 --> 00:10:42.190 was the Savior, he wouldn't have sold him out. 00:10:42.929 --> 00:10:47.870 You know, you kind of can't do both. But, you 00:10:47.870 --> 00:10:50.970 know, this also talks about everlasting life, 00:10:51.289 --> 00:10:55.210 the duration of God's love. He loves us so much 00:10:55.210 --> 00:10:57.450 that he's willing to give us everlasting life 00:10:57.450 --> 00:11:01.830 with him and not in hell or separated from him. 00:11:01.850 --> 00:11:05.330 He wants us to be with him. The love we receive 00:11:05.330 --> 00:11:08.549 from people is going to fade or turn, but God's 00:11:08.549 --> 00:11:11.909 love will never change. He will never stop loving 00:11:11.909 --> 00:11:16.850 his people, even into the furthest distance of 00:11:16.850 --> 00:11:20.049 eternity. I mean, just think about that, having 00:11:20.049 --> 00:11:22.750 to love somebody for eternity. I mean, we are 00:11:22.750 --> 00:11:25.049 so fickle. We fall in love with somebody. We 00:11:25.049 --> 00:11:27.549 fall out of love with somebody. They make us 00:11:27.549 --> 00:11:29.769 mad, so we don't love them no more, you know, 00:11:29.789 --> 00:11:34.389 and God just loves us. If we treated people the 00:11:34.389 --> 00:11:37.470 way God treated us, we would love nobody. And 00:11:37.470 --> 00:11:41.110 nobody would love us, you know. But God, he does. 00:11:41.409 --> 00:11:44.009 I mean, he loves us no matter what. He loved 00:11:44.009 --> 00:11:48.309 us when we were sinners. You know, before we 00:11:48.309 --> 00:11:50.269 were saved, and he loves us when we're saved. 00:11:50.529 --> 00:11:53.850 You know, his love never changes. You know, either 00:11:53.850 --> 00:11:56.870 you love or you don't love. You know, in John 00:11:56.870 --> 00:12:00.669 3 .16, it's God so loved the world. Not just 00:12:00.669 --> 00:12:02.350 the people that are going to believe in him. 00:12:02.409 --> 00:12:06.789 He so loved the world and everybody in it. He 00:12:06.789 --> 00:12:09.409 loved all his creation, you know, his animals, 00:12:09.570 --> 00:12:14.269 his mountains, the people, everything. Even the 00:12:14.269 --> 00:12:16.730 angels, even the dark angels, he loved them all. 00:12:16.889 --> 00:12:19.590 But the problem was the dark angels would not 00:12:19.590 --> 00:12:23.509 repent. You know, and we may say that there's 00:12:23.509 --> 00:12:28.750 seven wonders in John 3 .16. Number one, it starts 00:12:28.750 --> 00:12:32.509 off with God, okay? God's the almighty authority. 00:12:32.529 --> 00:12:36.730 If that's not one of the seven wonders, I don't 00:12:36.730 --> 00:12:39.049 know what is. There's nothing more wonderful 00:12:39.049 --> 00:12:43.210 than God and nothing bigger than God. And number 00:12:43.210 --> 00:12:46.590 two, he so loved the world. And that's the mightiest 00:12:46.590 --> 00:12:49.889 motive that anybody could have is he so loved 00:12:49.889 --> 00:12:53.549 the world, period. And then the greatest gift 00:12:53.549 --> 00:12:57.929 that he gave his only begotten son. And then 00:12:57.929 --> 00:13:02.909 the widest welcome that whoever, it doesn't say, 00:13:02.909 --> 00:13:08.889 you know, the Jews or the Greeks or anybody. 00:13:08.990 --> 00:13:13.700 It says whoever. The next one is believes in 00:13:13.700 --> 00:13:16.580 him. It's the easiest escape. We don't have to 00:13:16.580 --> 00:13:19.779 do anything except believe. You know, it's not 00:13:19.779 --> 00:13:22.440 like we have to pay money. We don't have to pass 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:26.299 some tests. We don't have to, you know, be on 00:13:26.299 --> 00:13:29.279 our knees all day long, you know, and worship 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:32.759 him. No, it's just all we have to do is believe. 00:13:32.980 --> 00:13:37.399 It's that simple. And then number six, should 00:13:37.399 --> 00:13:41.240 not perish. And that's divine deliverance forever. 00:13:41.620 --> 00:13:45.039 It should not perish. And that is eternity. And 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:48.179 the last one, but have everlasting life, the 00:13:48.179 --> 00:13:51.240 most priceless possession there is. You know, 00:13:51.240 --> 00:13:53.279 it doesn't make a difference what we go through 00:13:53.279 --> 00:13:57.139 here on earth because if we believe, we're going 00:13:57.139 --> 00:13:59.559 to have everlasting life and where there's no 00:13:59.559 --> 00:14:02.840 tears and no suffering anymore. God never promised 00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:05.100 us that we would not have suffering on earth. 00:14:05.320 --> 00:14:07.559 Matter of fact, he told us just the opposite, 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.759 that we would. For those who believe, you're 00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:13.960 going to be persecuted as I was persecuted. And 00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:17.000 whether that's through Satan, through the culture, 00:14:17.220 --> 00:14:20.940 you know, we're all persecuted in some way. You 00:14:20.940 --> 00:14:24.879 know, whether it's through, you know, spiritual 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:28.700 warfare or whatever, you know, we're all persecuted. 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:32.500 Nobody's immune to it. You know, we all battle 00:14:32.500 --> 00:14:35.740 with disease. We all battle with darkness. We 00:14:35.740 --> 00:14:38.059 all battle with depression at times, you know. 00:14:38.669 --> 00:14:40.649 I mean, I'm no different. I battle with depression 00:14:40.649 --> 00:14:43.450 just like everybody else does, you know. I go 00:14:43.450 --> 00:14:47.750 through my periods, you know. We all do. I go 00:14:47.750 --> 00:14:50.710 through my periods of disbelief, and, you know, 00:14:50.710 --> 00:14:53.629 we all struggle at times. There's nobody beyond 00:14:53.629 --> 00:14:58.370 that. If there is one sentence that sums up more 00:14:58.370 --> 00:15:00.450 than another, which sums up the message of the 00:15:00.450 --> 00:15:04.809 fourth gospel, is this. The love of God is limitless. 00:15:07.340 --> 00:15:11.320 It embraces all mankind. No sacrifice was too 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:15.259 great to bring its unmeasured intensity home 00:15:15.259 --> 00:15:19.240 to men and women. The best that God had to give, 00:15:19.460 --> 00:15:24.580 he gave his only son, his well -beloved son. 00:15:24.980 --> 00:15:27.480 And that was a quote from Bruce, and that's pretty 00:15:27.480 --> 00:15:31.600 powerful. God gave us the best of what he had 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:35.259 to give us, and that was his only son. Imagine 00:15:35.259 --> 00:15:38.559 that. the best of what God could give. Of all 00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:41.500 the things God could give in this universe, some 00:15:41.500 --> 00:15:43.860 of us, you know, the worldly people would think, 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:46.460 well, you know, if he would have given us the 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:48.700 power to conquer Rome, that's what we really 00:15:48.700 --> 00:15:52.720 wanted. But he gave us his son. There is no greater 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:56.779 love than to give up your son for a bunch of 00:15:56.779 --> 00:15:59.299 sinners so they can have everlasting life. It 00:15:59.299 --> 00:16:02.580 was never about the power to conquer Rome. It 00:16:02.580 --> 00:16:05.879 was always about love. You know, God is just 00:16:05.879 --> 00:16:09.940 totally love. You know, does it anywhere say 00:16:09.940 --> 00:16:12.700 that Christ came to wipe away our tears or to 00:16:12.700 --> 00:16:15.779 heal our bodies? Yes, of course, there's miracles 00:16:15.779 --> 00:16:18.460 and Healing Act did do that, but that's not the 00:16:18.460 --> 00:16:21.700 message of the cross, nor the purpose why he 00:16:21.700 --> 00:16:24.379 came. He could have did that from afar. You know, 00:16:24.379 --> 00:16:26.720 how many times do we pray to God for a miracle 00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:29.080 and it happens? He doesn't need to come to earth 00:16:29.080 --> 00:16:31.620 to do that. You know, he whispered this whole 00:16:31.620 --> 00:16:35.559 universe into existence. If he wants to fix something, 00:16:35.620 --> 00:16:38.120 he doesn't have to come and physically do it, 00:16:38.139 --> 00:16:41.220 you know. He can do it with just a blink of an 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:42.899 eye. He doesn't even have to do that. He just 00:16:42.899 --> 00:16:48.200 thinks it into existence. But, you know, that's 00:16:48.200 --> 00:16:50.340 not the message of the cross or the purpose he 00:16:50.340 --> 00:16:55.360 came. The only thing he could not do from heaven 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:58.919 was to die for us. Think about that, you know. 00:16:58.919 --> 00:17:01.960 The only thing and the only reason he came was 00:17:01.960 --> 00:17:05.329 to die. you know, to show us his love and the 00:17:05.329 --> 00:17:07.609 Father's love and to teach us about the Father 00:17:07.609 --> 00:17:11.650 than to die for us. That's the one and only reason 00:17:11.650 --> 00:17:16.269 he came was to die. Imagine that, being born 00:17:16.269 --> 00:17:19.029 and you know your whole life, that that's your 00:17:19.029 --> 00:17:23.170 only purpose is to die for a bunch of people 00:17:23.170 --> 00:17:27.210 that want to kill you. You know, I can't wrap 00:17:27.210 --> 00:17:29.630 my head around that, you know, the love of God 00:17:29.630 --> 00:17:32.579 and how... just how much he loves us, you know, 00:17:32.660 --> 00:17:35.859 that he knew it. He could have bailed any time 00:17:35.859 --> 00:17:37.660 and said, God, I don't want any part of this. 00:17:37.700 --> 00:17:41.079 This is awful. No, he stayed and he died for 00:17:41.079 --> 00:17:50.140 us. You know, and to send his son to die so the 00:17:50.140 --> 00:17:52.740 blood sacrifice would be paid and we would be 00:17:52.740 --> 00:17:56.400 forgiven. He came to teach, teach those other 00:17:56.400 --> 00:18:00.259 than the Jews. He came for everybody, all mankind, 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:06.299 the Gentiles, the Jews. He taught the Gentiles 00:18:06.299 --> 00:18:10.039 as much as he did the Jews. So let's take a quick 00:18:10.039 --> 00:18:13.720 list of the reasons why he came. Number one, 00:18:14.779 --> 00:18:20.339 Matthew 5, 17 through 18. I can just read these 00:18:20.339 --> 00:18:23.339 unless you want to read them too. Matthew 5, 00:18:23.559 --> 00:18:49.500 17, 18. So, number one, he came to fulfill the 00:18:49.500 --> 00:18:54.720 law that was wrote by the prophets that... You 00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:58.680 know, God directed Moses to write about the law 00:18:58.680 --> 00:19:03.200 and write it down. He came to fulfill that. But 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:05.160 in a different way than we thought, you know. 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:10.079 So check this out. Romans 8, 2. For the law, 00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:14.099 the spirit of life in Christ Jesus had made me 00:19:14.099 --> 00:19:17.779 free from the law of sin and death. You know, 00:19:17.779 --> 00:19:19.940 the law used to be sin and death. It was all 00:19:19.940 --> 00:19:23.440 about death and dying and sacrifices. Christ 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:27.559 came in, it's different, the law, the spirit 00:19:27.559 --> 00:19:30.880 of life. He gave us life where the law gave us 00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:36.160 death. Romans 8 .3, for what the law could not 00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:40.279 do in that it was weak through the flesh, God 00:19:40.279 --> 00:19:42.740 sending his own son in the likeness of sinful 00:19:42.740 --> 00:19:46.859 flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. 00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:52.289 Romans 8 .4. that the righteousness of the law 00:19:52.289 --> 00:19:55.809 might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after 00:19:55.809 --> 00:19:59.690 the flesh, but after the Spirit. The law spoke 00:19:59.690 --> 00:20:02.970 about the coming Messiah, and Christ fulfilled 00:20:02.970 --> 00:20:05.890 that. The Pharisees spent their lives trying 00:20:05.890 --> 00:20:08.210 to fulfill the law, but they missed fulfillment 00:20:08.210 --> 00:20:12.029 by a mile. How important is it to know Jesus 00:20:12.029 --> 00:20:14.910 was not talking about our fulfilling the law, 00:20:15.089 --> 00:20:19.380 but his fulfilling of the law. You know, because 00:20:19.380 --> 00:20:21.579 we couldn't fulfill the law. We don't have that 00:20:21.579 --> 00:20:25.200 power. Best we can do is like be, you know, even 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:28.980 the best of us be 90 % good, but there's 10 % 00:20:28.980 --> 00:20:32.599 that is not good. So we can never fulfill the 00:20:32.599 --> 00:20:36.259 law. We don't have that ability in us. Only Christ 00:20:36.259 --> 00:20:39.480 has that ability to come fulfill the law. And 00:20:39.480 --> 00:20:41.599 that's why he came was to fulfill it because 00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:45.599 we could not. We're not pure enough. He came 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:51.099 to seek and save the lost. I mean, you even look 00:20:51.099 --> 00:20:55.500 at Zacchaeus, okay, that Christ entered and passed 00:20:55.500 --> 00:20:58.720 through Jericho. Now, there was a man named Zacchaeus 00:20:58.720 --> 00:21:01.460 who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 00:21:01.940 --> 00:21:04.259 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but he could 00:21:04.259 --> 00:21:07.140 not because of the crowd, for he was of short 00:21:07.140 --> 00:21:10.059 stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore 00:21:10.059 --> 00:21:13.220 tree to see him. for he was going to pass that 00:21:13.220 --> 00:21:15.880 way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked 00:21:15.880 --> 00:21:18.880 up and saw him, and he said to him, Zacchaeus, 00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:21.299 make haste and come down, for today I must stay 00:21:21.299 --> 00:21:24.460 at your house. So he made haste and came down 00:21:24.460 --> 00:21:27.519 and received him joyfully. But when they saw 00:21:27.519 --> 00:21:29.440 it, they all complained, saying, he's gone to 00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:33.359 be a guest with the man who is a sinner. So, 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:37.819 you know, Jesus sought him out, you know. He 00:21:37.819 --> 00:21:41.119 sought, he seeks all of us out. He came to seek 00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:44.200 and save the lost. We didn't even have, you know, 00:21:44.220 --> 00:21:46.700 Jesus knocks at our door. We don't go knocking 00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:50.779 at his door. You know, we think that, you know, 00:21:50.779 --> 00:21:52.920 we made this great decision, but heck, all we 00:21:52.920 --> 00:21:55.640 do is say yes after a period of time. All right, 00:21:55.660 --> 00:21:59.980 I'll agree. More than we go seeking out Jesus. 00:22:00.500 --> 00:22:02.680 You know, when we're desperate enough, we finally 00:22:02.680 --> 00:22:06.539 let him in. You know, that's how my salvation 00:22:06.539 --> 00:22:10.119 worked. You know, when I finally got tired and 00:22:10.119 --> 00:22:12.619 I was beat down, I said, yes, Lord, please, you 00:22:12.619 --> 00:22:16.119 know, come in. I can't do this anymore. And that's 00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:20.759 when the miracle happens. You know, so he seeks 00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:25.339 us out. He never stops. Every single person. 00:22:25.579 --> 00:22:28.119 You know how many doors Jesus has knocked on? 00:22:29.779 --> 00:22:35.740 Billions upon billions upon billions. You know, 00:22:35.740 --> 00:22:38.420 Zacchaeus really believed on Jesus, the true 00:22:38.420 --> 00:22:41.079 son of Abraham, not only descended from Abraham 00:22:41.079 --> 00:22:44.759 genetically, but also had the faith in God that 00:22:44.759 --> 00:22:48.420 Abraham had. Even though he sought Jesus, it 00:22:48.420 --> 00:22:51.220 turns out that he was the one who was lost and 00:22:51.220 --> 00:22:55.819 Jesus sought him. Zacchaeus was lost to his parents, 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:59.200 lost to religion, lost to his community, lost 00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:02.359 to whatever friends he might have had, yet in 00:23:02.359 --> 00:23:06.240 a sense, not to God. Not lost to God. As the 00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:10.519 story of his conversion unfolds, his seeing Jesus 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:14.640 in Luke 19 .3 turned out to be the result of 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:17.960 Jesus first seeking him. If Jesus not went to 00:23:17.960 --> 00:23:23.640 Jericho, he never would have found him. That 00:23:23.640 --> 00:23:26.119 entire account with Zacchaeus gives us a remarkable 00:23:26.119 --> 00:23:29.740 who, what, where, when, why, and how of receiving 00:23:29.740 --> 00:23:34.200 Jesus. Who wants... Who Jesus wants to receive 00:23:34.200 --> 00:23:37.859 him, those lost. What Jesus wants with those 00:23:37.859 --> 00:23:41.380 who receive him, a relationship, nothing more. 00:23:41.819 --> 00:23:44.460 That's all Jesus wants is a relationship with 00:23:44.460 --> 00:23:48.000 him, a one -on -one. Where Jesus wants to go, 00:23:48.220 --> 00:23:51.960 he comes down to us. You know, we don't go up 00:23:51.960 --> 00:23:54.960 to heaven. We can't reach heaven. He comes down 00:23:54.960 --> 00:23:58.859 and meets us on our own terms. The God that created 00:23:58.859 --> 00:24:02.880 this entire universe comes to us. I mean, what 00:24:02.880 --> 00:24:07.380 an honor. When Jesus wants you to receive him, 00:24:07.500 --> 00:24:12.599 when Jesus wants to receive him immediately, 00:24:13.099 --> 00:24:15.619 you know, he doesn't make us wait. As soon as 00:24:15.619 --> 00:24:18.759 we say, yes, Lord, come in, he's there. You know, 00:24:18.779 --> 00:24:20.980 we don't have to wait on him. He's always waiting 00:24:20.980 --> 00:24:24.880 on us. Why Jesus wants you to receive him, to 00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:27.240 be with him, to connect with him in life and 00:24:27.240 --> 00:24:30.299 life thereafter. And he wants you to receive 00:24:30.299 --> 00:24:33.619 him joyfully. He's all about joy. He's all about 00:24:33.619 --> 00:24:36.480 love. You know, you let the Lord in and he's 00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:40.740 never going to fill you with bad or, you know, 00:24:40.740 --> 00:24:43.079 misgivings. He's going to fill you with joy. 00:24:44.339 --> 00:24:47.900 And then number three, he came to serve. Mark 00:24:47.900 --> 00:24:50.740 10, 45, for the son of man did not come to be 00:24:50.740 --> 00:24:54.059 served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom 00:24:54.059 --> 00:24:59.339 for many. A slave cannot free himself. He must 00:24:59.339 --> 00:25:02.539 be purchased. Sinners could not free themselves 00:25:02.539 --> 00:25:06.700 without a purchase. What did Christ do? He purchased 00:25:06.700 --> 00:25:11.480 us with his blood. Number four, he came to give 00:25:11.480 --> 00:25:15.500 his life in payment for our sins. Matthew 20, 00:25:15.599 --> 00:25:19.259 28. Just as the son of man did not come to be 00:25:19.259 --> 00:25:22.779 served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom 00:25:22.779 --> 00:25:27.539 for many. And then again in 1 John 3, 5. But 00:25:27.539 --> 00:25:30.420 you know... that he appeared so he might take 00:25:30.420 --> 00:25:34.940 away our sins, and in him is no sin. You know, 00:25:34.940 --> 00:25:42.240 and he is so pure, but yet, you know, Jesus loved 00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:46.119 to be with sinners. You know, it's such a contradiction, 00:25:46.440 --> 00:25:49.259 you know. God of the universe that is so pure, 00:25:49.400 --> 00:25:51.819 well, who did he seek out? The worst of the worst. 00:25:52.359 --> 00:25:55.420 Saying, come to me, your sins are forgiven. Just 00:25:55.420 --> 00:25:59.829 ask. Number five, he came that we might have 00:25:59.829 --> 00:26:04.529 abundant life. John 10 .10, the thief comes only 00:26:04.529 --> 00:26:08.789 to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that 00:26:08.789 --> 00:26:12.990 they may have life and have it to the full. Jesus 00:26:12.990 --> 00:26:15.450 points and says, now this is the way and you 00:26:15.450 --> 00:26:18.089 can't do it, but as you believe in me, I'm going 00:26:18.089 --> 00:26:20.869 to come and I'm going to indwell in you. I'm 00:26:20.869 --> 00:26:22.710 going to take over, and I'm going to make you 00:26:22.710 --> 00:26:24.829 a new person, and I'm going to give you the power 00:26:24.829 --> 00:26:27.990 to do what you can't because I want you to have 00:26:27.990 --> 00:26:30.789 this abundant life of fellowship with the Father, 00:26:30.849 --> 00:26:33.910 and he does for us what we can't do for ourselves 00:26:33.910 --> 00:26:38.509 by the indwelling. You see, no religious system 00:26:38.509 --> 00:26:40.930 other than that gives you the power to abide 00:26:40.930 --> 00:26:45.509 by its concepts. Only Christianity is the infusion 00:26:45.509 --> 00:26:47.950 of God's power to live the life that God would 00:26:47.950 --> 00:26:51.730 have you live. that more abundant life in Christ. 00:26:53.269 --> 00:26:57.329 Christianity is the only religion where the Spirit 00:26:57.329 --> 00:27:00.529 comes and dwells in you. Everything else, you 00:27:00.529 --> 00:27:02.549 have to be good enough, you have to do this. 00:27:02.609 --> 00:27:06.190 It's all about you and what you have to do. Christianity 00:27:06.190 --> 00:27:09.390 is just the opposite. You accept Christ and let 00:27:09.390 --> 00:27:13.230 him in. All the other ones want, become a slave 00:27:13.230 --> 00:27:16.200 to that. When the other way is Jesus, you let 00:27:16.200 --> 00:27:19.240 Jesus in and he fills you abundantly with everything 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:22.279 for all eternity. There's no other religion that 00:27:22.279 --> 00:27:29.160 offers that. Not even close. He came to reveal 00:27:29.160 --> 00:27:34.380 the Father, number six, Matthew 11, 27. All things 00:27:34.380 --> 00:27:37.539 have been committed to me by my Father. No one 00:27:37.539 --> 00:27:40.619 knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows 00:27:40.619 --> 00:27:43.859 the Father except the Son, and those to whom 00:27:43.859 --> 00:27:47.579 the Son chooses to reveal him. He said, no one 00:27:47.579 --> 00:27:50.900 really knows the Father but the Son. Oh, that's 00:27:50.900 --> 00:27:55.240 just a repeat. Okay. And the ones who really 00:27:55.240 --> 00:27:57.680 know the Father are those to whom the Son reveals 00:27:57.680 --> 00:28:00.920 him. There are a lot of people who thought they 00:28:00.920 --> 00:28:03.140 knew the Father, but they had the wrong concepts 00:28:03.140 --> 00:28:05.440 of God. There are a lot of people today who think 00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:08.470 they know God. but their concepts of God are 00:28:08.470 --> 00:28:11.849 all messed up. Jesus said, no one really knows 00:28:11.849 --> 00:28:14.329 the Father unless I reveal the Father to them. 00:28:14.910 --> 00:28:17.250 Look at the concepts that many people have of 00:28:17.250 --> 00:28:20.670 God and the concepts they developed in their 00:28:20.670 --> 00:28:23.869 own minds. If I were God, this is how I would 00:28:23.869 --> 00:28:25.710 live, and this is what I would do, and this is 00:28:25.710 --> 00:28:28.150 how I would react, this is how I would respond. 00:28:28.769 --> 00:28:32.450 So this is my God. I've created my own God after 00:28:32.450 --> 00:28:35.430 my own likes and wishes and all. And this has 00:28:35.430 --> 00:28:38.569 been the epidemic of man through history creating 00:28:38.569 --> 00:28:42.549 his own gods. You look back at, you know, even 00:28:42.549 --> 00:28:48.390 Abraham. The story of Abraham, he lived in a 00:28:48.390 --> 00:28:52.269 house where his father was creating the little 00:28:52.269 --> 00:28:55.609 statues of gods. And then God called him, you 00:28:55.609 --> 00:28:58.210 know, to go to the promised land to take his 00:28:58.210 --> 00:29:00.170 family and leave. But they were creating little 00:29:00.170 --> 00:29:03.279 gods. That was their business. And so a man has 00:29:03.279 --> 00:29:06.440 this habit of creating their own gods because 00:29:06.440 --> 00:29:11.140 they can't accept God for what God is. They want 00:29:11.140 --> 00:29:13.720 their own God. They want a mold God to be this 00:29:13.720 --> 00:29:16.500 or be that. I'm going to make this God so my 00:29:16.500 --> 00:29:19.279 crops are better. I'm going to make this God 00:29:19.279 --> 00:29:24.259 so my financial stuff is better. You know, Diana, 00:29:24.519 --> 00:29:26.839 the goddess of love, I'm going to make a God 00:29:26.839 --> 00:29:29.960 so... This God will lead me in love, you know. 00:29:30.099 --> 00:29:33.000 Man is always wanting to create the God to fit 00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:36.019 what he thinks his needs are, you know. And they're 00:29:36.019 --> 00:29:39.400 not. The only true need is needing God in Christ. 00:29:40.539 --> 00:29:44.240 That's the only real need we have. And we need 00:29:44.240 --> 00:29:47.240 to accept God for what and exactly he is. This 00:29:47.240 --> 00:29:50.059 being that loves us so totally that he sent his 00:29:50.059 --> 00:29:55.099 only son, period. There's no, you can't. morph 00:29:55.099 --> 00:29:58.140 that into something else because it's not the 00:29:58.140 --> 00:30:01.380 truth. The truth is a God that loves us so much 00:30:01.380 --> 00:30:03.880 that he wants us to be with him for all of eternity. 00:30:05.359 --> 00:30:08.619 In John 14, 9, Jesus answered, don't you know 00:30:08.619 --> 00:30:11.039 me, Philip, even after I've been among you such 00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:14.539 a long time? Anyone who's seen me has seen the 00:30:14.539 --> 00:30:16.980 Father. How can you say, show us the Father? 00:30:17.720 --> 00:30:21.660 That's when Philip was resurrected and he came 00:30:21.660 --> 00:30:25.019 back and Philip didn't believe it was him. He 00:30:25.019 --> 00:30:29.799 said, look, it's me, Philip. Number seven, he 00:30:29.799 --> 00:30:32.400 came to separate believers from non -believers. 00:30:33.259 --> 00:30:37.920 Matthew 10, 34, 36. Do not suppose I had come 00:30:37.920 --> 00:30:40.619 to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to 00:30:40.619 --> 00:30:43.980 bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to 00:30:43.980 --> 00:30:46.440 turn a man against his father, a daughter against 00:30:46.440 --> 00:30:49.420 her mother, a daughter -in -law against her mother 00:30:49.420 --> 00:30:52.579 -in -law. A man's enemies will be the members 00:30:52.579 --> 00:30:56.700 of his own household. The gospel of Jesus Christ 00:30:56.700 --> 00:31:00.000 unifies men. It brings together a tax collector 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:04.200 and a zealot, you know, the apostles. But yet, 00:31:04.420 --> 00:31:09.799 it also carves apart believers from non -believers. 00:31:09.980 --> 00:31:13.720 So Christ is not only a uniter, he's also a separator. 00:31:14.319 --> 00:31:16.279 Because he has a sword of truth that's going 00:31:16.279 --> 00:31:19.000 to carve people into believers and non -believers. 00:31:19.240 --> 00:31:21.380 And it's going to be that way until the very 00:31:21.380 --> 00:31:27.480 end. Revelation talks about it, you know. A son 00:31:27.480 --> 00:31:32.359 will kill his father, kill his mother, you know, 00:31:32.359 --> 00:31:39.279 and all over religion. Child comes into the kingdom 00:31:39.279 --> 00:31:42.099 of light, but the father continues to rebel in 00:31:42.099 --> 00:31:44.519 the kingdom of darkness. And so division comes 00:31:44.519 --> 00:31:47.839 and a difference comes. This contention often 00:31:47.839 --> 00:31:50.940 arises over the differences of being in the kingdom 00:31:50.940 --> 00:31:55.079 of light and the kingdom of darkness. Jesus was 00:31:55.079 --> 00:31:57.359 talked to speaking out of personal experience 00:31:57.359 --> 00:32:00.319 for at this particular time, his brothers were 00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:02.880 against him. His own brothers didn't believe 00:32:02.880 --> 00:32:06.119 that he was the son of God. You know, and that 00:32:06.119 --> 00:32:09.200 shows you about a family, you know. There's just 00:32:09.200 --> 00:32:11.619 as much discord in a family as there is in the 00:32:11.619 --> 00:32:15.019 rest of the world. Number eight, he came to proclaim 00:32:15.019 --> 00:32:19.940 truth. John 18, 37. You're a king then, said 00:32:19.940 --> 00:32:22.559 Pilate. Jesus answered, you say that I am a king. 00:32:22.900 --> 00:32:25.440 In fact, the reason I was born and came into 00:32:25.440 --> 00:32:29.079 the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone 00:32:29.079 --> 00:32:33.480 on the side of truth listens to me. What is truth? 00:32:33.799 --> 00:32:36.079 Many in our day ask Pilate's question from a 00:32:36.079 --> 00:32:38.480 different perspective, knowing that many things 00:32:38.480 --> 00:32:42.059 are truly true on the basis of personal preference 00:32:42.059 --> 00:32:45.480 or perspective. Well, my truth is my truth, and 00:32:45.480 --> 00:32:48.900 your truth is your truth. But the truth be known, 00:32:49.079 --> 00:32:52.099 the only truth is the message of the cross, that 00:32:52.099 --> 00:32:54.680 God is God, and Christ is his son, and Christ 00:32:54.680 --> 00:32:56.980 came to die for us. And if you believe in him, 00:32:57.099 --> 00:33:00.440 you have everlasting life. You don't even need 00:33:00.440 --> 00:33:04.319 to know anything else. You know, that's the answer 00:33:04.319 --> 00:33:07.640 to everything. And Christ came into this world 00:33:07.640 --> 00:33:09.920 to bear witness to the truth and to bear witness 00:33:09.920 --> 00:33:13.980 to the Father. And even Pilate couldn't find 00:33:13.980 --> 00:33:16.660 no fault in him, you know, because he knew it 00:33:16.660 --> 00:33:19.039 was truth, but yet he couldn't accept the truth, 00:33:19.160 --> 00:33:22.599 but he knew it was truth. And then number nine, 00:33:22.640 --> 00:33:25.019 he came to give us a pattern of holy living. 00:33:26.380 --> 00:33:28.819 To this you were called because Christ suffered 00:33:28.819 --> 00:33:31.440 for you, leaving you an example that you should 00:33:31.440 --> 00:33:36.240 follow. in his steps. And I want to read a quote 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:38.599 here from Spurgeon, and it says, we have died 00:33:38.599 --> 00:33:41.519 to sins in the sense that our debt of sin and 00:33:41.519 --> 00:33:45.480 guilt was paid by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. 00:33:45.920 --> 00:33:48.720 When we died to sins with Jesus on the cross, 00:33:48.839 --> 00:33:51.500 it means that he paid our debts. We do not trouble 00:33:51.500 --> 00:33:54.779 ourselves over debts that are paid. He who bore 00:33:54.779 --> 00:33:57.940 my sins in his own body on the tree took all 00:33:57.940 --> 00:34:01.440 my debts and paid them for me. and now I am dead 00:34:01.440 --> 00:34:04.779 to those debts. They have no power over me. I 00:34:04.779 --> 00:34:07.839 am dead to my sins. Christ suffered instead of 00:34:07.839 --> 00:34:10.500 me. I have nothing to do with them. They are 00:34:10.500 --> 00:34:13.739 gone as much as if they have never been committed. 00:34:14.639 --> 00:34:17.440 So if you believe, your slate is wiped clean, 00:34:17.599 --> 00:34:20.159 and that's it. You're responsible going forward, 00:34:20.280 --> 00:34:23.900 but you can get forgiveness the same way. Ask 00:34:23.900 --> 00:34:27.170 for forgiveness and repent. And if you repent 00:34:27.170 --> 00:34:29.349 in your heart and it's true, God will forgive 00:34:29.349 --> 00:34:33.289 you of anything. And then number 10, he came 00:34:33.289 --> 00:34:38.230 to ignite a spiritual fire. Luke 12, 49 says, 00:34:38.389 --> 00:34:41.550 I have come to bring fire on the earth in a how 00:34:41.550 --> 00:34:46.829 I wish it were already kindled. Number 11, he 00:34:46.829 --> 00:34:50.750 came to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 00:34:50.750 --> 00:34:53.989 3, 8. The one who does what is sinful is of the 00:34:53.989 --> 00:34:56.530 devil because the devil has been sinning from 00:34:56.530 --> 00:34:59.469 the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared 00:34:59.469 --> 00:35:03.789 was to destroy the devil's work. Just think that, 00:35:03.829 --> 00:35:07.369 I mean, the devil was responsible for this whole 00:35:07.369 --> 00:35:10.130 darkness that came over the earth, you know, 00:35:10.130 --> 00:35:14.329 way back when in the Garden of Eden. Had it not 00:35:14.329 --> 00:35:18.090 been so, we'd all be... Still in the Garden of 00:35:18.090 --> 00:35:20.429 Eden, there'd be no purpose for hell, no purpose 00:35:20.429 --> 00:35:23.590 for heaven because we would be there. He gave 00:35:23.590 --> 00:35:27.190 us a paradise. What more could God do? But no, 00:35:27.309 --> 00:35:30.289 the devil wanted more. He wanted to be worshipped 00:35:30.289 --> 00:35:34.550 like God. They had free will and free choice 00:35:34.550 --> 00:35:38.570 too. Everything has free will and free choice. 00:35:38.630 --> 00:35:44.480 The angels, man. If it wasn't... For Adam, it 00:35:44.480 --> 00:35:45.980 would have been somebody else. It would have 00:35:45.980 --> 00:35:49.079 been the next person that sinned. I know I would 00:35:49.079 --> 00:35:53.159 have, you know. You know, it's like God will 00:35:53.159 --> 00:35:54.980 give us everything, but it just seems like it's 00:35:54.980 --> 00:35:57.960 never enough. You know, we always want more, 00:35:58.039 --> 00:36:00.539 you know, and we have to learn to be content 00:36:00.539 --> 00:36:06.179 with Christ. Number 12, he did not come to judge, 00:36:06.420 --> 00:36:10.900 but he came to bring judgment. Again, John 3 00:36:10.900 --> 00:36:13.940 .17, For God did not send his Son into the world 00:36:13.940 --> 00:36:16.840 to condemn the world, but to save the world through 00:36:16.840 --> 00:36:25.880 him. Okay, to sum this up, Scripture makes it 00:36:25.880 --> 00:36:28.599 clear that this victory will not be fully realized 00:36:28.599 --> 00:36:32.980 here on earth. John 16 .33, I have told you these 00:36:32.980 --> 00:36:37.039 things so that you may... have peace. In this 00:36:37.039 --> 00:36:39.079 world you will have trouble, but take heart, 00:36:39.199 --> 00:36:42.360 I have overcome the world. You know, so know 00:36:42.360 --> 00:36:45.340 that no matter what we go through, Christ has 00:36:45.340 --> 00:36:49.500 already overcome it. And if we believe in him, 00:36:49.599 --> 00:36:52.440 we have overcome the world as well. We may suffer 00:36:52.440 --> 00:36:57.340 on earth, but it's short -lived. Even before 00:36:57.340 --> 00:37:00.000 redemption was completed, Christ assured his 00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:02.599 followers that he had overcome the world, but 00:37:02.599 --> 00:37:06.239 they said, that they would still have trouble 00:37:06.239 --> 00:37:09.079 in the world. How could this be? Here's some 00:37:09.079 --> 00:37:11.699 more scriptures that further explain this truth. 00:37:11.860 --> 00:37:17.239 Romans 8, 19 through 23. For the creation waits 00:37:17.239 --> 00:37:20.880 in eager expectation for the children of God 00:37:20.880 --> 00:37:24.400 to be revealed. For the creation was subjected 00:37:24.400 --> 00:37:28.400 to frustration, not by its own choice, but by 00:37:28.400 --> 00:37:31.019 the will of the one who subjected it, and hoped 00:37:31.019 --> 00:37:33.599 that the creation itself will be liberated from 00:37:33.599 --> 00:37:37.699 its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom 00:37:37.699 --> 00:37:40.699 and the glory of the children of God. We know 00:37:40.699 --> 00:37:43.219 that the whole creation has been groaning as 00:37:43.219 --> 00:37:46.159 in the pains of childbirth right up to the present 00:37:46.159 --> 00:37:49.940 tense. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have 00:37:49.940 --> 00:37:53.469 the firstfruits of the Spirit, Grown inwardly 00:37:53.469 --> 00:37:58.010 as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, 00:37:58.010 --> 00:38:02.610 the redemption of our bodies. You know, our bodies 00:38:02.610 --> 00:38:05.469 grown, creation groans. We all want this over. 00:38:05.670 --> 00:38:09.969 We want to go home. You know, we all want to 00:38:09.969 --> 00:38:14.389 go home. Therefore, this is Corinthians 4, 16, 00:38:14.489 --> 00:38:18.150 18. Therefore, do not lose heart. Though outwardly 00:38:18.150 --> 00:38:21.510 we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed 00:38:21.510 --> 00:38:26.230 day by day. For our light and momentary troubles 00:38:26.230 --> 00:38:30.090 are achieving for us an eternal glory that far 00:38:30.090 --> 00:38:34.730 outweighs all. So we fix our eyes not on what 00:38:34.730 --> 00:38:39.130 is seen, but what is unseen. Since what is seen 00:38:39.130 --> 00:38:42.489 is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 00:38:43.579 --> 00:38:46.300 Our physical world and our bodies have been subject 00:38:46.300 --> 00:38:50.000 to disease, death, and decay since the fall of 00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:53.219 mankind. We have faith in the unseen reality 00:38:53.219 --> 00:38:57.539 that in heaven all things will be perfect, sinless, 00:38:57.599 --> 00:39:02.699 healthy, and whole. We will experience perfection 00:39:02.699 --> 00:39:06.179 in all areas in eternity but not here on earth. 00:39:06.480 --> 00:39:09.440 In fact, we will not fully understand our... 00:39:09.800 --> 00:39:13.380 Our Lord or our salvation until we see Jesus 00:39:13.380 --> 00:39:17.179 face to face. And that's from 1 Corinthians 13, 00:39:17.420 --> 00:39:22.820 12. So our time is coming, you know. But that's 00:39:22.820 --> 00:39:26.079 it. That's, you know, just the message of the 00:39:26.079 --> 00:39:29.900 cross. It's simple, you know. Believe in Christ 00:39:29.900 --> 00:39:32.920 and you're set free. And you will go through 00:39:32.920 --> 00:39:36.420 stuff on earth. It's just the nature of it because 00:39:36.420 --> 00:39:39.199 the enemy is so powerful and this is his dominion. 00:39:39.780 --> 00:39:43.719 And this dominion will not cease to exist before 00:39:43.719 --> 00:39:46.739 we're taken out of it. This dominion is going 00:39:46.739 --> 00:39:49.159 to stay here until the final days in Revelation 00:39:49.159 --> 00:39:54.199 when the great battle happens. So the tribulation 00:39:54.199 --> 00:40:01.280 is coming. If the rapture comes and we're out 00:40:01.280 --> 00:40:05.900 of here or we die and we're out of here. For 00:40:05.900 --> 00:40:08.119 those who believe that, you know, we have the 00:40:08.119 --> 00:40:12.000 rapture, so that's the sooner event, and we don't 00:40:12.000 --> 00:40:14.300 have to go through the tribulation. You know, 00:40:14.300 --> 00:40:16.440 if you're on the fence about believing in Christ, 00:40:16.739 --> 00:40:18.880 you know, it's time to get real, you know, because 00:40:18.880 --> 00:40:23.300 this is the truth. I don't know who is so blind 00:40:23.300 --> 00:40:25.579 to the world to see what direction it's going. 00:40:26.099 --> 00:40:27.980 Everywhere you look, there's war. Everywhere 00:40:27.980 --> 00:40:32.309 you look, there's floods. I mean, California 00:40:32.309 --> 00:40:36.349 just burnt up. Let's face it. I mean, you can't 00:40:36.349 --> 00:40:41.250 not believe it anymore that this world is going 00:40:41.250 --> 00:40:46.710 away. It's going away fast. The days are coming. 00:40:47.170 --> 00:40:49.929 The days are coming. It's not going to get better. 00:40:50.090 --> 00:40:53.530 No man's going to fix it. No man has the power 00:40:53.530 --> 00:40:55.530 to fix it. The only one that can fix it is God. 00:40:56.010 --> 00:40:57.789 And he already told us he ain't going to fix 00:40:57.789 --> 00:41:01.219 this world. He's going to burn it up. You know, 00:41:01.219 --> 00:41:03.800 and that's it. So believe in Christ. That's where 00:41:03.800 --> 00:41:05.699 the strength is. And if you're out there and 00:41:05.699 --> 00:41:07.840 you're on the fence, you know, get real with 00:41:07.840 --> 00:41:10.619 yourself and get in touch with this truth because 00:41:10.619 --> 00:41:14.119 this is the message of the cross, why Christ 00:41:14.119 --> 00:41:17.739 came, why he died for us. You know, and Easter's 00:41:17.739 --> 00:41:21.280 coming and, you know, Good Friday, he dies. And 00:41:21.280 --> 00:41:24.320 then three days later, he rises from the dead. 00:41:24.599 --> 00:41:28.840 And that was our rising from the dead, to believe 00:41:28.840 --> 00:41:33.730 that. He overcame death and so will we. And that's 00:41:33.730 --> 00:41:36.510 it. Let's pray. Father God, we thank you. And 00:41:36.510 --> 00:41:39.409 Lord, I just thank you for everything, Lord, 00:41:39.489 --> 00:41:41.909 that you do. And I thank you for everybody here. 00:41:42.150 --> 00:41:45.389 And I just hope, Lord, that something's on somebody's 00:41:45.389 --> 00:41:49.489 heart today that wasn't before. And we love you, 00:41:49.510 --> 00:41:52.389 God. And we thank you. And I ask all this in 00:41:52.389 --> 00:42:18.730 your holy name. Amen. Until next time, take care 00:42:18.730 --> 00:42:19.949 and God bless.