WEBVTT 00:00:01.249 --> 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 --> 00:00:18.710 here. Let us pray. Father, we thank you for this 00:00:18.710 --> 00:00:21.769 opportunity to learn and grow with you. Please 00:00:21.769 --> 00:00:26.190 open the eyes of our hearts and minds to what 00:00:26.190 --> 00:00:29.160 you have to speak to us today. And teach us how 00:00:29.160 --> 00:00:31.379 to apply it to our lives as we go forward in 00:00:31.379 --> 00:00:34.340 Jesus' name. Amen. All right. Again, welcome 00:00:34.340 --> 00:00:38.479 everybody to Cross 6 -6. I mentioned it last 00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:41.780 week. Everything is still showing Cross Christian 00:00:41.780 --> 00:00:44.460 Fellowship Route 66. But slowly but surely over 00:00:44.460 --> 00:00:46.240 this next month, everything is going to start 00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:48.500 transitioning over. So it's just the Cross 6 00:00:48.500 --> 00:00:50.240 -6. So everything just kind of falls in line. 00:00:50.740 --> 00:00:52.859 You know, with our website and our email address 00:00:52.859 --> 00:00:55.909 and everything else. So that's exciting stuff, 00:00:56.090 --> 00:00:58.189 but just a little reminder, if you see those 00:00:58.189 --> 00:01:01.909 little changes, that's what it's all about. Well, 00:01:01.969 --> 00:01:06.549 this week, as we get started, I'd like for everybody 00:01:06.549 --> 00:01:10.650 to just take a moment and just kind of reflect. 00:01:12.069 --> 00:01:14.390 And I want you to reflect on those times in your 00:01:14.390 --> 00:01:17.290 life when you've played the telephone game. Is 00:01:17.290 --> 00:01:19.430 there anybody here who doesn't know the telephone 00:01:19.430 --> 00:01:25.049 game? Okay, I'm seeing some faces. Okay, there's 00:01:25.049 --> 00:01:28.489 a nod there. So the telephone game, and once 00:01:28.489 --> 00:01:30.489 I start describing this, I'm sure everybody's 00:01:30.489 --> 00:01:32.069 going to know exactly what I'm talking about. 00:01:32.170 --> 00:01:36.329 The telephone game is where you give somebody 00:01:36.329 --> 00:01:39.150 a message, and they pass it along to the next 00:01:39.150 --> 00:01:41.129 person and the next person, and by the time it 00:01:41.129 --> 00:01:43.670 gets to the end, it's distorted or changed into 00:01:43.670 --> 00:01:47.129 something totally different. You guys know what 00:01:47.129 --> 00:01:49.790 I'm talking about now? It's called the telephone 00:01:49.790 --> 00:01:52.290 game. You know, it's like, oh, it's a phenomenon. 00:01:52.390 --> 00:01:54.950 It's not a phenomenon. It's just the way it works, 00:01:55.030 --> 00:01:59.329 right? So take a moment, just kind of reflect 00:01:59.329 --> 00:02:02.150 on your life at those times when the telephone 00:02:02.150 --> 00:02:04.170 game's kind of popped up in your life, because 00:02:04.170 --> 00:02:09.909 it's popped up in all of our lives. And for the 00:02:09.909 --> 00:02:11.750 next few weeks, and the reason I bring this up, 00:02:11.870 --> 00:02:13.949 and I want you to have it in the back of your 00:02:13.949 --> 00:02:15.770 minds, because for the next couple weeks, you 00:02:15.770 --> 00:02:18.300 can see here on the slide behind me, We're going 00:02:18.300 --> 00:02:20.879 to be talking about some of the most commonly 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:26.300 misquoted scripture in the Bible. And it twists, 00:02:26.439 --> 00:02:32.240 right? It's important to know. And when we go 00:02:32.240 --> 00:02:33.520 through it, we're going to be looking at the 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:35.680 context so we know that we have the scripture 00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:40.919 correct. No twist, no trying to change the narrative 00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:43.599 or anything like that. What it is, what it means, 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:47.659 and how it applies. And the reason why this is 00:02:47.659 --> 00:02:51.439 so important is because the devil and his ministers 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:55.759 love to twist the word. Love to do it. And it 00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:57.539 goes all the way back to the beginning, right? 00:02:59.020 --> 00:03:03.819 Twisted just enough to get Adam and Eve to question 00:03:03.819 --> 00:03:07.840 what they knew of God, right? And then when's 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:09.599 the next big time that we see him try that again 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:12.180 that really sticks out? Jesus in the wilderness, 00:03:12.379 --> 00:03:16.199 right? Boy, did he try, and he twisted it, and 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:19.759 he twisted it, and Jesus fired back, said, uh 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:23.659 -uh -uh, and he fired back with Scripture in 00:03:23.659 --> 00:03:26.840 the correct context to the point that finally 00:03:26.840 --> 00:03:31.020 Satan fled, right? So it's important to know 00:03:31.020 --> 00:03:33.159 because as we go through life and we come across 00:03:33.159 --> 00:03:35.180 Scripture that's being misquoted and taken out 00:03:35.180 --> 00:03:37.879 of context and twisted, we need to be able to 00:03:37.879 --> 00:03:42.819 respond in the same way as Jesus, right? especially 00:03:42.819 --> 00:03:44.580 these days because everything's always turned 00:03:44.580 --> 00:03:47.580 on. Cameras and mics and all this other stuff. 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:49.620 So people are watching and people are listening. 00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:51.599 And the people who know that you're a Christian, 00:03:51.740 --> 00:03:54.419 if you're just kind of like, eh, whatever, and 00:03:54.419 --> 00:03:55.919 you're just kind of going along with it and you're 00:03:55.919 --> 00:03:58.599 not firing back, say, no, that's not right. Guess 00:03:58.599 --> 00:04:01.719 what? You're the Bible they're reading. And now 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:04.020 they're getting bad information, bad theology. 00:04:06.180 --> 00:04:10.009 So it's very important. You know, this is a tool 00:04:10.009 --> 00:04:14.789 that we utilize in our spiritual battles. That's 00:04:14.789 --> 00:04:17.629 how the Lord uses us because we're on the front 00:04:17.629 --> 00:04:20.430 lines of that spiritual battle. This is one of 00:04:20.430 --> 00:04:26.509 the tools that we have to repel the enemy. It's 00:04:26.509 --> 00:04:28.970 also a good reason why we should all be studying 00:04:28.970 --> 00:04:31.889 and reading our Bibles on our own free time. 00:04:32.689 --> 00:04:34.250 And you're going to hear me say that a few times 00:04:34.250 --> 00:04:38.389 today because it's really important. So as we 00:04:38.389 --> 00:04:40.790 kick off this series, I'm going to be starting 00:04:40.790 --> 00:04:45.370 with a scripture, and this is one that tends 00:04:45.370 --> 00:04:50.189 to sting some people because of what they've 00:04:50.189 --> 00:04:52.129 come to know of it and how it's been used for, 00:04:52.269 --> 00:04:56.949 well, a really, really long time at this point, 00:04:57.009 --> 00:05:00.490 decades and decades and decades. This is one, 00:05:00.569 --> 00:05:04.129 it hurts a lot of people when I talk about it 00:05:04.129 --> 00:05:06.670 because in the conversations I've had with people 00:05:06.670 --> 00:05:09.470 in the past, what it does is it comes up and 00:05:09.470 --> 00:05:13.050 it slaps the face of religious nationalism or 00:05:13.050 --> 00:05:16.750 Christian nationalist, as some of us have come 00:05:16.750 --> 00:05:19.730 to know them. So let's open our Bibles, our Bible 00:05:19.730 --> 00:05:23.029 apps, whatever it is that you're using, to 2 00:05:23.029 --> 00:05:31.569 Chronicles 7, verse 14. So 2 Chronicles 7, verse 00:05:31.569 --> 00:05:38.220 14. And this is going to be the first piece of 00:05:38.220 --> 00:05:40.220 misquoted scripture. This is going to be our 00:05:40.220 --> 00:05:43.480 focus for today. All right, so 2 Chronicles 7, 00:05:43.540 --> 00:05:47.500 verse 14, and the word says, If my people who 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:50.279 are called by my name will humble themselves 00:05:50.279 --> 00:05:54.639 and pray and seek my face and turn from their 00:05:54.639 --> 00:05:57.839 wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and 00:05:57.839 --> 00:06:05.899 will forgive their sin and heal their land. This 00:06:05.899 --> 00:06:08.860 one pops up a lot, and it has for a long time. 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:11.819 This right here, in a lot of circles, especially 00:06:11.819 --> 00:06:14.639 when you go to conventions and that sort of thing, 00:06:14.879 --> 00:06:18.100 and unfortunately, a lot of veteran, because, 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:19.720 I mean, let's face it, as veterans, we're all 00:06:19.720 --> 00:06:23.500 very patriotic for the most part, right? It just 00:06:23.500 --> 00:06:27.000 happens. Unfortunately, though, this is one of 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:29.259 those that's often taken out of context, and 00:06:29.259 --> 00:06:32.860 it's referred to as the John 316 of the Civil 00:06:32.860 --> 00:06:36.100 War. It goes back much further than that, but 00:06:36.100 --> 00:06:38.500 Civil War was where this was used a lot to try 00:06:38.500 --> 00:06:44.339 to rally the troops. It's, to this day, matter 00:06:44.339 --> 00:06:46.420 of fact, you go to a lot of political rallies. 00:06:47.079 --> 00:06:49.920 This same scripture is used. We like to use it 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:55.399 in prayer, even. So political rallies, it's used 00:06:55.399 --> 00:07:00.240 at different speaking points by lawmakers, politicians. 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:03.879 You know, those people who are not afraid necessarily 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:06.740 to offer up a prayer of some sort at these types 00:07:06.740 --> 00:07:09.199 of conventions even. Right? Because it sounds 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:10.980 good. It's like, ooh, our nation. Our nation. 00:07:11.019 --> 00:07:12.980 This is good. We should be proud of where we 00:07:12.980 --> 00:07:14.519 live. We should be proud of where we come from. 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:18.660 Right? And yes, you know, we should be. Because 00:07:18.660 --> 00:07:20.199 we live in a great land. We've been blessed. 00:07:22.339 --> 00:07:24.439 You know, typically the way it's laid out is 00:07:24.439 --> 00:07:28.240 like this. It's basically a guideline or a blueprint. 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:31.620 Right? It's how it's often preached on even. 00:07:32.459 --> 00:07:35.079 And there's some truth to it. It says we should 00:07:35.079 --> 00:07:38.019 humble ourselves. Okay, that's good. We should 00:07:38.019 --> 00:07:41.980 pray. Absolutely. We should seek the face of 00:07:41.980 --> 00:07:47.379 God. Oh, yes. Definitely. We should repent of 00:07:47.379 --> 00:07:53.879 our wicked ways. So it sounds pretty sound, right? 00:07:54.339 --> 00:07:56.600 That is a good blueprint. That is a good way 00:07:56.600 --> 00:08:00.519 for us to all be living our lives. However, this 00:08:00.519 --> 00:08:03.939 is also where it all falls apart. The context 00:08:03.939 --> 00:08:08.660 is lost, and it starts getting misquoted. Because 00:08:08.660 --> 00:08:12.139 all too often, American Christians, and it's 00:08:12.139 --> 00:08:14.199 not just us, other countries do the same thing, 00:08:14.259 --> 00:08:17.560 Canada, Ireland, England, all these other places, 00:08:17.819 --> 00:08:21.579 all these modern countries, try to take this 00:08:21.579 --> 00:08:27.699 scripture and apply it as a promise that's made 00:08:27.699 --> 00:08:30.860 to their country. We try to apply this as a promise 00:08:30.860 --> 00:08:37.500 that's made to our country. It is not. That's 00:08:37.500 --> 00:08:44.279 why it hurts. That's where the issue lies. This 00:08:44.279 --> 00:08:46.700 is not a promise that the Lord made to every 00:08:46.700 --> 00:08:51.120 country out there. There is something very specific. 00:08:51.769 --> 00:08:54.070 about this promise. I said, there's truth in 00:08:54.070 --> 00:08:56.289 here, absolutely. Are those all good things that 00:08:56.289 --> 00:08:58.350 we should be applying to our lives, ways that 00:08:58.350 --> 00:09:00.929 we should be trying to live our lives? Absolutely. 00:09:05.909 --> 00:09:07.950 But the problem, like I said, is the application 00:09:07.950 --> 00:09:10.570 of this and other passages to the United States 00:09:10.570 --> 00:09:14.049 or any other nation, any other modern nation 00:09:14.049 --> 00:09:18.350 especially. Trying to apply it as though it's 00:09:18.350 --> 00:09:20.450 a covenant with God between our country and him 00:09:20.450 --> 00:09:26.830 because it's just not. You know, Russell Moore 00:09:26.830 --> 00:09:30.409 puts it like this. The problem is that the application 00:09:30.409 --> 00:09:32.769 of this and other passages to the United States 00:09:32.769 --> 00:09:35.690 or any other nation for that matter is a confusion 00:09:35.690 --> 00:09:41.090 of the question of who we are. I don't like doing 00:09:41.090 --> 00:09:45.389 air quotes, but there's your air quote. We. The 00:09:45.389 --> 00:09:48.149 United States or any other modern nation is not 00:09:48.149 --> 00:09:51.389 in a covenant with God. 2 Chronicles 7 verse 00:09:51.389 --> 00:09:54.710 14 is not a general statement about humbling 00:09:54.710 --> 00:10:02.889 or blessing, but the gospel. Ooh. Ooh. There's 00:10:02.889 --> 00:10:06.529 a good summary right there, isn't it? It's the 00:10:06.529 --> 00:10:10.870 gospel. Okay. See, and what happens is if we 00:10:10.870 --> 00:10:14.860 actually go in. And we read this passage in its 00:10:14.860 --> 00:10:18.559 entirety. We don't just pull out that one verse 00:10:18.559 --> 00:10:22.299 to make it sound like what we want it to sound 00:10:22.299 --> 00:10:25.039 like. We literally open up our Bibles and we 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:30.860 look at 2 Chronicles 7. Because we need the whole 00:10:30.860 --> 00:10:36.129 bit. I mean, we can... Go with a section of it, 00:10:36.149 --> 00:10:38.950 basically from 12 on. But having those first 00:10:38.950 --> 00:10:41.269 verses for the whole chapter really lay out the 00:10:41.269 --> 00:10:46.029 big picture. It's important to know. All right. 00:10:46.230 --> 00:10:51.730 If we see it in that big picture, we know what's 00:10:51.730 --> 00:10:53.490 going on. We know what the actual context is, 00:10:53.529 --> 00:10:56.649 how it applies. It's about a covenant. A covenant, 00:10:56.710 --> 00:10:59.350 in other words, is a promise or a contract, right? 00:10:59.409 --> 00:11:01.289 They're making a deal. They're striking a bargain. 00:11:01.789 --> 00:11:07.049 And it's between God. King Solomon, and the country 00:11:07.049 --> 00:11:11.350 of Israel. That's the country it's made for. 00:11:12.629 --> 00:11:18.129 Not us. Nobody else. It has never, ever been 00:11:18.129 --> 00:11:23.590 a covenant for any other country. Can we learn 00:11:23.590 --> 00:11:25.409 from it? Yes. Does it have truths and applications 00:11:25.409 --> 00:11:29.179 for us today? Absolutely it does. However, It 00:11:29.179 --> 00:11:31.200 is because of this misinformation, this misunderstanding, 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:33.720 and this misquoting, this taking out of context 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:36.720 that we have to study the word. Remember I said 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:37.820 I was going to say that a couple times today. 00:11:38.019 --> 00:11:40.440 We have to study the word in our free time. We 00:11:40.440 --> 00:11:42.080 need to take a moment, even if it's just like 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:44.039 a minute or two out of the day, we need to be 00:11:44.039 --> 00:11:46.340 reading the word and studying it and meditating 00:11:46.340 --> 00:11:48.379 on it, reflecting on it for ourselves to make 00:11:48.379 --> 00:11:51.159 sure that we truly understand. Praying over what 00:11:51.159 --> 00:11:54.399 we're reading, right? We need the Lord to open 00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:56.120 the eyes of our hearts and our minds to speak 00:11:56.120 --> 00:11:58.980 to us, let the Holy Spirit flow. So that we have 00:11:58.980 --> 00:12:02.740 understanding and knowledge. Two different things, 00:12:02.820 --> 00:12:06.559 right? Wisdom and knowledge, understanding. These 00:12:06.559 --> 00:12:08.559 are all different things. How we apply them. 00:12:08.919 --> 00:12:11.600 How they come together. And why do we have to 00:12:11.600 --> 00:12:17.480 study it? Because context is king. Right? So 00:12:17.480 --> 00:12:19.500 in looking at this passage, we have to ask, who's 00:12:19.500 --> 00:12:23.860 involved and why? Now, I encourage everybody, 00:12:24.100 --> 00:12:26.620 when you have some free time, read this chapter. 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:28.980 It's not a very long chapter. Right through it. 00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:31.279 I'm going to give you the cliff notes. I'm going 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:35.059 to sum it up. Right? Basically, this came about 00:12:35.059 --> 00:12:37.940 because King Solomon had completed his work on 00:12:37.940 --> 00:12:40.080 the temple. Everything that was on his heart 00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:43.679 to do for the temple had been done. And everybody 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:45.460 was starting to get in a motion of doing the 00:12:45.460 --> 00:12:49.139 things that they were supposed to. And God had 00:12:49.139 --> 00:12:51.899 made a promise to Israel. Hey, you go and do 00:12:51.899 --> 00:12:56.210 this. You make your sacrifices. You pray. to 00:12:56.210 --> 00:12:59.610 me. You humble yourselves before me and I will 00:12:59.610 --> 00:13:06.929 heal your land. He made it to this select group 00:13:06.929 --> 00:13:10.610 of people, to this select nation. It was the 00:13:10.610 --> 00:13:18.149 contract that they had done. The people met their 00:13:18.149 --> 00:13:20.110 end of the bargain. God would follow up with 00:13:20.110 --> 00:13:21.830 his because God does not break his promises, 00:13:21.850 --> 00:13:26.639 does he? He makes a promise. He keeps it. Plain 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:29.799 and simple. This is not a case of name it and 00:13:29.799 --> 00:13:32.360 claim it. This is not a name it and claim it 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:34.980 deal. Matter of fact, for any other country, 00:13:35.059 --> 00:13:36.879 even at that time, for any other eastern country 00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:39.519 to come in and try to claim that promise would 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:48.220 be blasphemy. Right? It's no different than any 00:13:48.220 --> 00:13:49.820 of us walking out, walking into one of these 00:13:49.820 --> 00:13:53.169 businesses on either side of the church. Walking 00:13:53.169 --> 00:13:55.029 in and be like, hey, I claim this in the name 00:13:55.029 --> 00:13:58.669 of the Lord and walking out the door. What do 00:13:58.669 --> 00:14:05.070 we call that? Stealing, right? Theft. That's 00:14:05.070 --> 00:14:07.690 the problem with naming and claiming. You can't 00:14:07.690 --> 00:14:09.389 take something that doesn't belong to you. When 00:14:09.389 --> 00:14:13.250 you do, you're stealing. It's a sin, right? You're 00:14:13.250 --> 00:14:20.309 lying. So this is a promise between God and a 00:14:20.309 --> 00:14:23.870 select people, and God kept his promise. He keeps 00:14:23.870 --> 00:14:29.230 his promises. No other nation fulfilled the promise 00:14:29.230 --> 00:14:31.230 that he made to them about healing their land. 00:14:32.289 --> 00:14:35.750 In fact, all throughout the New Testament, we 00:14:35.750 --> 00:14:39.750 see how God fulfilled his promise and how it's 00:14:39.750 --> 00:14:46.080 applied for everybody else. Because there is 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:47.899 an application that comes to everybody else. 00:14:49.700 --> 00:14:51.899 And it's because the ultimate fulfillment came 00:14:51.899 --> 00:15:01.480 in Jesus Christ. It came with Jesus Christ. And 00:15:01.480 --> 00:15:04.960 with Jesus, of course, as we know, a new covenant 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:10.059 was made. A new covenant was made. It was made 00:15:10.059 --> 00:15:12.799 through him. It was made through his blood, right? 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:17.159 A covenant that applies to everyone who is willing 00:15:17.159 --> 00:15:20.980 to accept the deal, the gift that has been made 00:15:20.980 --> 00:15:26.659 to us in mercy and grace. A deal that we're not 00:15:26.659 --> 00:15:31.299 worthy of, right? A deal that comes to us not 00:15:31.299 --> 00:15:32.960 through monetary, not because of what we can 00:15:32.960 --> 00:15:38.179 give, but because of love. This is one of those 00:15:38.179 --> 00:15:40.500 places where we have to remember as Christians, 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:43.940 as followers of Christ, yes, we might live, In 00:15:43.940 --> 00:15:46.480 the United States, right? There may be people 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:50.480 out here who live in New Zealand or the Philippines 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:54.259 or Japan or wherever else, and that's their home 00:15:54.259 --> 00:15:58.379 here on earth. But as Christians, the nation 00:15:58.379 --> 00:16:02.200 we truly belong to is in heaven. We belong to 00:16:02.200 --> 00:16:08.179 the kingdom of God. Plain and simple. We're ambassadors 00:16:08.179 --> 00:16:17.730 here. We're ambassadors. Now on that note, we're 00:16:17.730 --> 00:16:20.389 going to go into our next piece of scripture. 00:16:20.549 --> 00:16:24.090 Still looking at the same thing. I'm going to 00:16:24.090 --> 00:16:26.230 go to 2 Peter. If I get this to go. There we 00:16:26.230 --> 00:16:29.750 go. 2 Peter chapter 1, verses 3 through 4. So 00:16:29.750 --> 00:16:35.509 2 Peter chapter 1, 3 through 4. I promise I'm 00:16:35.509 --> 00:16:36.889 not going to have you flipping all over the place 00:16:36.889 --> 00:16:41.669 today. I know it's a little bit different preaching 00:16:41.669 --> 00:16:44.470 than what you're used to. It's okay. So 2 Peter. 00:16:44.909 --> 00:16:53.870 1, verses 3 through 4. The Word says, His divine 00:16:53.870 --> 00:16:58.789 power has given us everything we need for a godly 00:16:58.789 --> 00:17:02.070 life through our knowledge of Him who called 00:17:02.070 --> 00:17:06.930 us by His own glory and goodness. Through these, 00:17:07.089 --> 00:17:10.349 He has given us His very great and precious promises 00:17:10.349 --> 00:17:13.369 so that through them you may participate in the 00:17:13.369 --> 00:17:17.940 divine having escaped the corruption in the world 00:17:17.940 --> 00:17:23.059 caused by evil desires. This is where we find 00:17:23.059 --> 00:17:30.099 our covenant with God. Not as a nation, but as 00:17:30.099 --> 00:17:34.740 individuals. Because nobody gets to make the 00:17:34.740 --> 00:17:39.660 choice for us. We make the choice ourselves. 00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:47.700 You're either team Jesus, Or you're not. We should 00:17:47.700 --> 00:17:51.680 all pray for those who are not. Before it's too 00:17:51.680 --> 00:17:54.480 late. They need to come to know Jesus. That's 00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:59.140 why we've been given the Great Commission. But 00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:01.859 this is where we find our covenant. That all 00:18:01.859 --> 00:18:07.539 who come to God by faith in Jesus and follow 00:18:07.539 --> 00:18:12.609 him are entered into this agreement. We have 00:18:12.609 --> 00:18:15.910 no proxy filling in for us. We don't give our 00:18:15.910 --> 00:18:19.750 vote to somebody else. It's not allowed. It is 00:18:19.750 --> 00:18:24.569 our choice and our voice. And we have to remember, 00:18:24.789 --> 00:18:27.490 again, that while we live here on earth and we're 00:18:27.490 --> 00:18:31.410 in a country, we're in a good country. Some people 00:18:31.410 --> 00:18:34.710 take that for granted. We live in a great place. 00:18:35.430 --> 00:18:37.410 For all of its problems, we are in a wonderful 00:18:37.410 --> 00:18:41.000 place. But ultimately, we are ambassadors here. 00:18:41.099 --> 00:18:44.140 We are ambassadors of Jesus Christ. And how we 00:18:44.140 --> 00:18:45.900 live our lives and how we talk to people and 00:18:45.900 --> 00:18:48.720 how we treat people should always reflect that. 00:18:49.140 --> 00:18:51.259 Because for those who don't believe, for those 00:18:51.259 --> 00:18:53.660 who don't know the Bible, you are the Bible that 00:18:53.660 --> 00:18:56.160 they are going to see, hear, and therefore be 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:59.700 reading. Right? Because faith comes to us through 00:18:59.700 --> 00:19:08.750 what? That's right. Hearing. Hearing is much 00:19:08.750 --> 00:19:11.589 more than just this, because a deaf person can 00:19:11.589 --> 00:19:15.250 hear how you're living your life, right? Blind 00:19:15.250 --> 00:19:18.470 people can hear and see how you're living your 00:19:18.470 --> 00:19:23.930 life. Ray Charles was still alive. He could testify 00:19:23.930 --> 00:19:26.869 to that, right? He had some great gospel music. 00:19:29.890 --> 00:19:34.799 But we are ambassadors. Because as Christians, 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:37.319 as followers of Christ, our citizenship again 00:19:37.319 --> 00:19:42.220 is in heaven, not here. This is temporary. And 00:19:42.220 --> 00:19:44.000 we come by it because of our relationship with 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:45.940 Jesus, and that's how others come by it. There 00:19:45.940 --> 00:19:51.660 is no other way. It's not a birthright. We don't 00:19:51.660 --> 00:19:53.460 get to try to claim something that belongs to 00:19:53.460 --> 00:19:56.299 somebody else. Again, it's called theft. We have 00:19:56.299 --> 00:19:58.099 to study the word. We have to read it. We have 00:19:58.099 --> 00:20:01.599 to listen to it. We have to reflect on it, meditate 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:05.269 on it. Do what we need to do to make sure that 00:20:05.269 --> 00:20:06.849 we're seeing in the right context, that we're 00:20:06.849 --> 00:20:08.670 getting what it truly means. We have to be like 00:20:08.670 --> 00:20:11.470 the Bereans. Say, okay, cool, you have this, 00:20:11.490 --> 00:20:13.450 and you're saying this. Let's pick that apart. 00:20:13.670 --> 00:20:15.289 Let's study it, and let's make sure whether or 00:20:15.289 --> 00:20:19.109 not that is fact. Matter of fact, that's where 00:20:19.109 --> 00:20:25.269 our word amen comes from. Because when we say 00:20:25.269 --> 00:20:28.609 amen, and we go back to the original, is it Arabic, 00:20:28.890 --> 00:20:31.069 I believe it is? I could be wrong. It might be 00:20:31.069 --> 00:20:32.789 Hebrew. I'm going to say it's Arabic, though. 00:20:34.140 --> 00:20:36.380 When we go back, though, and we look at the origin 00:20:36.380 --> 00:20:39.400 of the word and how it translates, what it actually 00:20:39.400 --> 00:20:42.140 means, it's basically saying, yes, it's true. 00:20:43.460 --> 00:20:45.500 All right? When people would get done with their 00:20:45.500 --> 00:20:47.799 Bible studies, you know, or their studies of 00:20:47.799 --> 00:20:49.039 any kind, they're out there and they're with 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:51.200 the rabbi and all that, they would come back 00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:54.359 and at the end of it saying, amen. They say, 00:20:54.400 --> 00:20:56.440 yes, we've looked at what you've had to present. 00:20:56.819 --> 00:20:58.740 We agreed that what you've presented is true. 00:21:02.090 --> 00:21:08.869 There's amen for you. So like when we pray, when 00:21:08.869 --> 00:21:10.710 we get done, somebody's up here and they're saying 00:21:10.710 --> 00:21:12.369 something. Somebody's sitting out here and they 00:21:12.369 --> 00:21:13.450 say something. They're just like, yeah, amen. 00:21:14.130 --> 00:21:16.630 Yeah, it's true, absolutely. That's what it's 00:21:16.630 --> 00:21:25.490 there for. So it's a good thing. So we study 00:21:25.490 --> 00:21:27.769 the Bible. We learn from the Bible. We meditate. 00:21:27.829 --> 00:21:29.710 We internalize it. We take it into our heart. 00:21:29.809 --> 00:21:32.309 And when we do all this stuff, we find out that 00:21:32.309 --> 00:21:34.069 everything in it from the beginning to the end 00:21:34.069 --> 00:21:38.829 is all about Jesus. It all points to Jesus. That 00:21:38.829 --> 00:21:44.410 narrow gate. Not parts of it. Not little pieces 00:21:44.410 --> 00:21:46.930 that you take and you pick and choose from. The 00:21:46.930 --> 00:21:50.289 whole thing. Because it's all God breathed. It's 00:21:50.289 --> 00:21:53.509 all inspired by God. Right? Look at how many 00:21:53.509 --> 00:21:55.109 people it took to write the Bible over how many 00:21:55.109 --> 00:21:57.799 years. And it's all in context. It all flows 00:21:57.799 --> 00:22:00.200 together. We can't get everybody in this room 00:22:00.200 --> 00:22:02.819 to agree on everything in life, can we? You're 00:22:02.819 --> 00:22:04.819 going to tell me there's that many authors and 00:22:04.819 --> 00:22:09.380 it's not God -breathed? Come on. Let's be honest. 00:22:12.180 --> 00:22:15.079 So in that note, when we're looking at Scripture, 00:22:15.279 --> 00:22:17.039 when we're looking at things like 2 Chronicles 00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:19.619 7 -14, we have to look at it through the lens 00:22:19.619 --> 00:22:24.920 of Jesus, of who Jesus was. Right? And that lens, 00:22:25.119 --> 00:22:29.380 it's a biblical lens. It's that lens that shows 00:22:29.380 --> 00:22:32.640 us, you know, Jesus, who came, lived perfect, 00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:37.039 sinless life, took on our sins, died on the cross, 00:22:37.319 --> 00:22:40.880 went to the grave, rose three days later, ascended 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:43.019 to heaven, and is returning for his followers, 00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:46.619 for his family, for his bride. That is the lens 00:22:46.619 --> 00:22:49.700 that we have to be looking at it. If we look 00:22:49.700 --> 00:22:52.210 at it through any other lens, we're lying. We 00:22:52.210 --> 00:22:56.869 cannot try to paint him into another lens. Right? 00:22:56.950 --> 00:22:59.869 It's not white Jesus. It's not black Jesus. It's 00:22:59.869 --> 00:23:04.049 not nationalist Jesus. Right? Political Jesus 00:23:04.049 --> 00:23:06.089 or any of the rest of this nonsense that's out 00:23:06.089 --> 00:23:11.029 there. It is biblical Jesus through and through. 00:23:12.950 --> 00:23:17.670 Any other version is another misquote. It's another 00:23:17.670 --> 00:23:22.319 lie. It is another jab to separate us. from him 00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:25.460 through using the tools of the devil, right? 00:23:28.099 --> 00:23:30.940 You know, I'm talking about a lens, right? So 00:23:30.940 --> 00:23:33.839 let me give you an example of a lens that's very 00:23:33.839 --> 00:23:35.500 applicable today, especially for those who are 00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:38.920 online. Today, all of us pretty much have cell 00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:44.279 phones, right? Or tablets. What's one of the 00:23:44.279 --> 00:23:45.859 most common things that we see out there today? 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:49.200 What's made things like Instagram or Snapchat 00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:55.240 so popular? What's that? Pictures, yes. Selfies. 00:23:56.839 --> 00:23:58.880 I've got to video this. I've got to video that. 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:02.740 And we all have those coworkers. They're sitting 00:24:02.740 --> 00:24:09.240 there. Right? They're posing for their little 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:11.039 camera. They're taking all their little pictures. 00:24:11.720 --> 00:24:16.599 And then what do they do afterwards? They sit 00:24:16.599 --> 00:24:19.839 there forever. And they got all their filters 00:24:19.839 --> 00:24:22.519 out. Right? It's like, ooh, I got a pimple here. 00:24:22.619 --> 00:24:24.599 Let's get rid of that. Oh, I don't like that 00:24:24.599 --> 00:24:27.299 lighting. Oh, look at that. I got wrinkles. Let's 00:24:27.299 --> 00:24:29.180 get rid of the wrinkles. Oh, let's change my 00:24:29.180 --> 00:24:33.900 eye color today. Right? Let's change the background. 00:24:35.240 --> 00:24:38.500 It's like, oh, I don't like the part of my belly. 00:24:38.559 --> 00:24:41.819 So let's just crop that out. And they're editing 00:24:41.819 --> 00:24:44.259 and they're changing it. And they're making it 00:24:44.259 --> 00:24:48.500 look totally different than how it started. And 00:24:48.500 --> 00:24:51.250 then they're posting it. I got one friend. I 00:24:51.250 --> 00:24:53.170 worked at the hospital. She's really bad about 00:24:53.170 --> 00:24:55.029 this. I love her to death. I don't think she's 00:24:55.029 --> 00:24:56.789 ever posted a picture without spending at least 00:24:56.789 --> 00:25:00.890 30 minutes editing the thing. But we have a term 00:25:00.890 --> 00:25:04.890 for this because it's become so prevalent, especially 00:25:04.890 --> 00:25:08.250 people who are on dating websites, right? But 00:25:08.250 --> 00:25:09.890 now it's carried over into other types of sites, 00:25:10.029 --> 00:25:12.509 Instagram, Facebook, and everything else. It's 00:25:12.509 --> 00:25:18.190 called catfishing. And that's plain and simple. 00:25:18.210 --> 00:25:22.039 That's all it is. People are taking the original 00:25:22.039 --> 00:25:27.099 product, the truth, they're twisting it up and 00:25:27.099 --> 00:25:32.059 changing it into what they like, the lie, and 00:25:32.059 --> 00:25:38.539 they're posting it out there. Ooh, that's going 00:25:38.539 --> 00:25:45.000 to sting someone, huh? Huh? Sometimes it's good. 00:25:45.059 --> 00:25:46.700 Sometimes you want to change up the background 00:25:46.700 --> 00:25:50.059 or whatever. Brian and I were a while back. I 00:25:50.059 --> 00:25:51.539 took a picture of him and we were playing with 00:25:51.539 --> 00:25:52.960 a new app and we changed the whole background. 00:25:53.059 --> 00:25:57.579 I think I put you in Disneyland? Yeah. I was 00:25:57.579 --> 00:25:59.039 like, hey, look, when did you get to Anaheim? 00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:04.700 You know, just goofing around. We're having a 00:26:04.700 --> 00:26:07.640 good old time with it, just playing. Sometimes 00:26:07.640 --> 00:26:09.900 it's good to play, have a little fun. But when 00:26:09.900 --> 00:26:12.519 we present things to other people, we need to 00:26:12.519 --> 00:26:17.019 make sure that we're presenting the truth. When 00:26:17.019 --> 00:26:18.140 you're funny and you're going to put somebody 00:26:18.140 --> 00:26:19.900 on the moon with a set of Mickey Mouse ears, 00:26:20.099 --> 00:26:21.920 okay, cool. They're going to know, all right, 00:26:21.940 --> 00:26:25.619 this is a goof. But then when you're presenting 00:26:25.619 --> 00:26:27.839 something else over here where it looks like 00:26:27.839 --> 00:26:33.160 it's probably real, ooh. You're committing a 00:26:33.160 --> 00:26:35.460 sin. You're lying. You've got to be careful. 00:26:39.779 --> 00:26:42.000 Unfortunately, why do people change these images, 00:26:42.059 --> 00:26:47.259 though? Pride? Vanity? Take that picture and 00:26:47.259 --> 00:26:48.799 say, oh, I don't like that. I need to change 00:26:48.799 --> 00:26:53.460 that. Why? They don't like the truth that's in 00:26:53.460 --> 00:26:57.859 front of them. They don't like the truth that's 00:26:57.859 --> 00:27:00.019 in front of them. Does this sound familiar? When 00:27:00.019 --> 00:27:06.059 we look at the Bible, what happened with Jesus? 00:27:06.500 --> 00:27:11.299 Jesus spoke the truth. The Pharisees and the 00:27:11.299 --> 00:27:14.759 Sadducees, they didn't like that, did they? The 00:27:14.759 --> 00:27:16.720 people who should have known better than anybody, 00:27:16.819 --> 00:27:19.400 who knew the word better than anybody, who interpreted 00:27:19.400 --> 00:27:22.519 the scriptures for everybody else. And here's 00:27:22.519 --> 00:27:25.059 the truth coming to them. Smack them across the 00:27:25.059 --> 00:27:29.259 face. Right? They didn't like it. So what did 00:27:29.259 --> 00:27:34.400 they do? They bribed people. They used influence. 00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:39.799 Tried to change the narrative in their way. Even 00:27:39.799 --> 00:27:42.079 after Jesus went to the cross and was put in 00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:44.809 the grave, what did they do? Oh, let's make sure 00:27:44.809 --> 00:27:47.230 nobody goes in and tries to steal his body. Let's 00:27:47.230 --> 00:27:51.910 keep going because we ain't done yet. They kept 00:27:51.910 --> 00:27:57.210 twisting. They kept changing things. And it backfired. 00:27:57.410 --> 00:27:59.170 Because ultimately that's what happens. Those 00:27:59.170 --> 00:28:02.750 lies come back to haunt us. And we have to pay 00:28:02.750 --> 00:28:11.690 the piper, right? We have to answer to God. So 00:28:11.690 --> 00:28:13.089 going back to the whole picture thing with the 00:28:13.089 --> 00:28:15.049 catfishing thing, you know, people go out and 00:28:15.049 --> 00:28:16.630 they'll meet up with somebody for that first 00:28:16.630 --> 00:28:19.269 date, and they're like, oh, you don't look anything 00:28:19.269 --> 00:28:23.829 like your picture. You said you were a 5 '9 with 00:28:23.829 --> 00:28:26.089 blonde hair, blue eyes, and a six -pack, and 00:28:26.089 --> 00:28:33.170 you were 4 '6 and 5 feet wide with brown hair 00:28:33.170 --> 00:28:39.069 and makeup that makes a clown cry. And you're 00:28:39.069 --> 00:28:42.799 a dude, not a girl. What's up with that? Right? 00:28:44.160 --> 00:28:46.599 A little exaggeration, but, I mean, you get the 00:28:46.599 --> 00:28:48.440 point. That's how it works. I mean, there's plenty 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:49.519 of people who have gone out there and had something 00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:54.359 happen, like, nope, out the door. So having that 00:28:54.359 --> 00:28:55.680 in mind now, I'm going to have you think about 00:28:55.680 --> 00:29:00.460 some relationships. When it comes to the nation 00:29:00.460 --> 00:29:05.259 that we live in, right, here on earth, what are 00:29:05.259 --> 00:29:09.200 you willing to do for it? What have you done 00:29:09.200 --> 00:29:13.599 for it? It kind of sounds like a JFK moment, 00:29:13.700 --> 00:29:20.920 doesn't it? But it's true. Now, in comparison 00:29:20.920 --> 00:29:25.039 to that, how much are you willing to do? How 00:29:25.039 --> 00:29:27.240 much are you willing to give for another nation? 00:29:29.400 --> 00:29:34.480 Hmm. Boring on the edge of politics here, aren't 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:41.160 we? We're just talking about people. Now coming 00:29:41.160 --> 00:29:42.859 down a little bit, we're going to funnel it down. 00:29:43.240 --> 00:29:46.740 How about your state? How much have you done 00:29:46.740 --> 00:29:48.079 for your state? How much are you willing to do 00:29:48.079 --> 00:29:51.019 for your state? How about your city, your neighborhood? 00:29:54.539 --> 00:29:56.740 If somebody comes up here, say you're just outside 00:29:56.740 --> 00:29:58.740 here, right? I'm going to pick on Marvin for 00:29:58.740 --> 00:30:00.000 a second because I know he's parked out here 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:03.480 on this side of the building. All right? So Marvin 00:30:03.480 --> 00:30:06.839 goes out. He's getting ready to leave, and somebody 00:30:06.839 --> 00:30:12.559 walks up to him. What's $10? Maybe, maybe not, 00:30:12.660 --> 00:30:16.859 right? If you had it. But it's still a maybe. 00:30:17.519 --> 00:30:19.079 You know, you get somebody come up stumbling, 00:30:19.180 --> 00:30:23.079 they're drunk. Probably not. Like, no, go get 00:30:23.079 --> 00:30:25.240 your fix somewhere else, right? I think that's 00:30:25.240 --> 00:30:30.759 most of us, if we're honest. Now, let's change 00:30:30.759 --> 00:30:37.140 it up. Let's say Molly here. It's a relative. 00:30:37.220 --> 00:30:39.170 It's somebody you love. Somebody you know well, 00:30:39.250 --> 00:30:40.910 somebody you have an intimate relationship with 00:30:40.910 --> 00:30:45.490 comes up, hey, can I get 10 bucks? If you haven't, 00:30:45.490 --> 00:30:46.789 you're probably going to pull that lot up like, 00:30:46.869 --> 00:30:49.609 okay, yes, here you go, right? Right? That's 00:30:49.609 --> 00:30:54.490 how all of us are. Brothers, sisters, whoever, 00:30:54.849 --> 00:31:00.309 right? We need help with something, we go to 00:31:00.309 --> 00:31:08.339 somebody, we're a little bit more willing. And 00:31:08.339 --> 00:31:16.500 that's how it changes. And you're thinking in 00:31:16.500 --> 00:31:20.380 that perspective, here's somebody you know. Here's 00:31:20.380 --> 00:31:22.000 somebody you have an intimate relationship with. 00:31:23.200 --> 00:31:29.319 You have made them a promise. They're going to 00:31:29.319 --> 00:31:32.240 take care of this. And in return, you're going 00:31:32.240 --> 00:31:37.569 to do this. Right? Now here comes somebody else. 00:31:38.549 --> 00:31:40.210 I've just made this promise with Mike, and here 00:31:40.210 --> 00:31:45.049 comes Brian. Now Brian wants to claim that promise 00:31:45.049 --> 00:31:50.130 for himself. No, that's my promise too. How's 00:31:50.130 --> 00:31:52.829 that going to work? Is that going to go over 00:31:52.829 --> 00:31:55.890 real well? Someone's probably going to get a 00:31:55.890 --> 00:31:57.309 little upset, huh? Like, who do you think you 00:31:57.309 --> 00:32:02.869 are? Get out of here. That's what people do when 00:32:02.869 --> 00:32:06.190 they misquote 2 Chronicles 7 .14 like this. That's 00:32:06.190 --> 00:32:09.089 exactly what they do. But they try to take it 00:32:09.089 --> 00:32:13.470 on a national front. As a nation, we speak for 00:32:13.470 --> 00:32:17.430 everybody. No, you don't. Because as a nation, 00:32:17.569 --> 00:32:19.829 you want to kick my Jesus out of courts, out 00:32:19.829 --> 00:32:21.750 of schools, and everywhere that's important. 00:32:21.930 --> 00:32:26.009 You don't speak for me, and you certainly don't 00:32:26.009 --> 00:32:35.019 speak for him. I turn to him, and I speak because 00:32:35.019 --> 00:32:42.900 of him. So we have to be careful. We have to 00:32:42.900 --> 00:32:44.759 look at the context. We have to look at how it 00:32:44.759 --> 00:32:47.960 applies. The context is so important because 00:32:47.960 --> 00:32:51.460 we need the real Jesus, not the fake Jesus, not 00:32:51.460 --> 00:32:54.720 the celebrity Jesus, right? Some of us have seen 00:32:54.720 --> 00:32:59.740 the Kevin Smith movie, Your Buddy Jesus. Nope, 00:32:59.859 --> 00:33:04.759 none of that. We need the real biblical Jesus 00:33:04.759 --> 00:33:09.220 in our lives. And in doing so, in reading his 00:33:09.220 --> 00:33:11.660 word, and coming into a relationship with him, 00:33:11.740 --> 00:33:14.920 we find out what the true promises are for us. 00:33:16.200 --> 00:33:20.140 How they apply to us individually. No longer 00:33:20.140 --> 00:33:22.240 is a nation, we don't have a king speaking on 00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:25.319 our behalf. Most nations that still have kings 00:33:25.319 --> 00:33:27.460 and queens, that royalty doesn't even speak for 00:33:27.460 --> 00:33:29.240 their nation. They're there in a celebrity status, 00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:38.829 right? We come, we make the decision, not as 00:33:38.829 --> 00:33:40.670 a nation on earth but as individuals because 00:33:40.670 --> 00:33:44.269 those promises that are made apply to us individually. 00:33:44.549 --> 00:33:46.450 And we start to find that out because we learn 00:33:46.450 --> 00:33:49.109 from the Bible, we understand it, and we begin 00:33:49.109 --> 00:33:54.109 to see how trustworthy it is. How much we can 00:33:54.109 --> 00:33:57.569 have faith in Jesus. How our relationship with 00:33:57.569 --> 00:34:00.269 him grows. How the Holy Spirit comes into us 00:34:00.269 --> 00:34:04.269 and changes us from who we were. into who we 00:34:04.269 --> 00:34:07.490 need to be. And it's a daily process, right? 00:34:07.549 --> 00:34:15.869 It's gradual. So we have to do this in order 00:34:15.869 --> 00:34:18.250 so we can find out where we stand with Jesus, 00:34:18.489 --> 00:34:22.690 where we stand in this world as a follower of 00:34:22.690 --> 00:34:26.769 Jesus. And we start figuring out this stuff that's 00:34:26.769 --> 00:34:29.050 preached that just doesn't sit right now. We 00:34:29.050 --> 00:34:33.409 know why it's not right. And we can fire back 00:34:33.409 --> 00:34:38.469 like, no, that's wrong and this is why. Look 00:34:38.469 --> 00:34:44.829 at the full context. See, the beauty is all this 00:34:44.829 --> 00:34:47.550 comes to play. We figure out where we stand. 00:34:47.650 --> 00:34:54.670 We find our relationship with Jesus. And that's 00:34:54.670 --> 00:34:57.230 not part of a nation here on earth. It's individually, 00:34:57.429 --> 00:35:01.769 right? Because when you accept Jesus with your 00:35:01.769 --> 00:35:03.489 heart, your mind, and your soul, you become part 00:35:03.489 --> 00:35:05.690 of something much bigger. And when that happens, 00:35:05.730 --> 00:35:08.329 those promises run a little bit deeper than they 00:35:08.329 --> 00:35:11.250 did. They mean something a little bit more than 00:35:11.250 --> 00:35:13.369 what you thought they did. And when people try 00:35:13.369 --> 00:35:20.769 to interfere with that, it's upsetting. So you 00:35:20.769 --> 00:35:25.489 take a stand. And it's because you become part 00:35:25.489 --> 00:35:27.690 of the family of God. You're adopted back into 00:35:27.690 --> 00:35:29.969 the family. You now have a place. place in heaven. 00:35:31.369 --> 00:35:33.349 You have a place where treasures are stored up 00:35:33.349 --> 00:35:35.090 for you. You have a place at the table with the 00:35:35.090 --> 00:35:37.849 Father. You're put back in a relationship. Your 00:35:37.849 --> 00:35:40.730 sins are covered by the blood of Jesus on the 00:35:40.730 --> 00:35:44.170 cross. And you begin to have that relationship 00:35:44.170 --> 00:35:47.989 with Him. And it's important to know this. It's 00:35:47.989 --> 00:35:49.670 important to know that it's not as a nation. 00:35:52.489 --> 00:35:54.429 It's important to know this as an individual. 00:35:57.219 --> 00:35:59.179 Because that relationship means so much more. 00:35:59.619 --> 00:36:01.460 And in eternity, it's going to mean even more. 00:36:05.840 --> 00:36:07.980 These promises are made to you as an individual 00:36:07.980 --> 00:36:11.920 for a reason. And it's because Jesus loves you. 00:36:13.480 --> 00:36:16.800 He wants a relationship with you. He wants to 00:36:16.800 --> 00:36:19.119 be able to help clean you of your sins, wash 00:36:19.119 --> 00:36:24.050 your feet, bring you back into the family. And 00:36:24.050 --> 00:36:25.550 he wants to be able to reach everybody, which 00:36:25.550 --> 00:36:27.110 is why he's given us the great commission to 00:36:27.110 --> 00:36:29.849 go out and share with others what he's done for 00:36:29.849 --> 00:36:31.210 us so that they can come to know him as well. 00:36:34.849 --> 00:36:36.110 Ultimately, it's to be a part of the family. 00:36:36.150 --> 00:36:39.449 So we have to be very careful, not misquote things, 00:36:39.570 --> 00:36:43.730 not take things out of context. And as we end 00:36:43.730 --> 00:36:45.409 today in prayer, I'm going to do something a 00:36:45.409 --> 00:36:48.409 little different. I'm going to ask everybody 00:36:48.409 --> 00:36:51.340 to join me. here in just a second of praying. 00:36:51.440 --> 00:36:53.199 And we're going to pray the Lord's Prayer. I'm 00:36:53.199 --> 00:36:55.380 going to put it up here on the screen. This is 00:36:55.380 --> 00:36:57.519 the New King James Version, so I know most of 00:36:57.519 --> 00:36:59.320 us know it by the King James Version itself, 00:36:59.519 --> 00:37:04.179 but it's okay. It's not that different. All right, 00:37:04.219 --> 00:37:08.659 so let us pray. Our Father in heaven, hallowed 00:37:08.659 --> 00:37:11.980 be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be 00:37:11.980 --> 00:37:15.840 done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this 00:37:15.840 --> 00:37:18.980 day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses. 00:37:19.630 --> 00:37:23.449 We forgive those who trespass against us. Do 00:37:23.449 --> 00:37:25.750 not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from 00:37:25.750 --> 00:37:29.190 evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power 00:37:29.190 --> 00:37:31.469 and the glory forever. Amen. See, there I am. 00:37:31.510 --> 00:37:33.329 I'm going back to the King James while I have 00:37:33.329 --> 00:37:34.829 the new King James behind me because we typically 00:37:34.829 --> 00:37:37.010 go out the new King James in here. So I kind 00:37:37.010 --> 00:37:38.869 of mix it up a little bit. It's like, wait, that's 00:37:38.869 --> 00:37:42.090 not right. See, that's what I get trying to be 00:37:42.090 --> 00:37:43.650 helpful. And when I put things up on the screen, 00:37:43.690 --> 00:37:45.289 it backfires because I start looking at that 00:37:45.289 --> 00:37:49.659 and going off of what I know. But anyway. I did 00:37:49.659 --> 00:37:51.320 this. It's a little different for a good reason. 00:37:52.659 --> 00:37:55.320 Sometimes we get away from it as a church. We 00:37:55.320 --> 00:37:57.780 start praying and we forget things. So it's just 00:37:57.780 --> 00:37:59.840 one last thing I want to go over here real quickly. 00:37:59.980 --> 00:38:01.599 I do mean very quickly and we're going to get 00:38:01.599 --> 00:38:03.199 out of here. I'll get you to lunch, I promise. 00:38:06.099 --> 00:38:07.800 We should all look at this, which is why I put 00:38:07.800 --> 00:38:10.440 it up with the scripture, Matthew 6, verses 9 00:38:10.440 --> 00:38:14.760 through 13. Even when we're alone, we should 00:38:14.760 --> 00:38:20.119 pray this by ourselves. We should do it regularly. 00:38:21.500 --> 00:38:25.739 And the reason why we do that is because it's 00:38:25.739 --> 00:38:28.159 a reminder. This is a blueprint for us to follow 00:38:28.159 --> 00:38:30.119 because this is a blueprint given by Jesus himself 00:38:30.119 --> 00:38:33.579 of all the things that we need to include in 00:38:33.579 --> 00:38:38.199 prayer. Sometimes we get caught up in things 00:38:38.199 --> 00:38:41.019 and we just go to him for the things that we 00:38:41.019 --> 00:38:45.219 want or the things that we think we need. Sometimes 00:38:45.219 --> 00:38:47.599 we go to him on behalf of others to intercede 00:38:47.599 --> 00:38:50.780 for others, right? But we forget the first thing 00:38:50.780 --> 00:38:53.159 is we need to acknowledge his greatness, who 00:38:53.159 --> 00:38:57.039 he is, and we need to give him praise. We need 00:38:57.039 --> 00:38:59.739 to thank him for who he is and what he's done 00:38:59.739 --> 00:39:03.920 for us. So a little bit of homework for everybody. 00:39:04.480 --> 00:39:07.840 Reflect on this. Meditate on this. Pray it and 00:39:07.840 --> 00:39:10.099 start using it as a daily part of your life. 00:39:11.380 --> 00:39:13.960 And you'll see that your prayers will start to 00:39:13.960 --> 00:39:17.690 change as well. All right, on that note, as promised, 00:39:17.809 --> 00:39:20.489 I was going to keep it brief. So remember, you 00:39:20.489 --> 00:39:22.989 are loved, you are blessed, so go and be the 00:39:22.989 --> 00:39:37.070 church. God bless. Thank you for joining us at 00:39:37.070 --> 00:39:57.340 Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. Until next 00:39:57.340 --> 00:39:59.739 time, take care and God bless.