WEBVTT 00:00:01.369 --> 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 --> 00:00:10.750 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 --> 00:00:18.429 here. Father, we thank you for this time together 00:00:18.429 --> 00:00:20.489 in fellowship. We thank you for this time in 00:00:20.489 --> 00:00:22.629 your Word. Please open us up to what you have 00:00:22.629 --> 00:00:24.750 to speak to us and how to apply it to our lives 00:00:24.750 --> 00:00:26.670 as we leave from here today, in Jesus' name. 00:00:27.190 --> 00:00:32.359 Amen. All right. So, of course, it is a new year. 00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:35.939 Happy New Year, everybody. Last week, of course, 00:00:36.039 --> 00:00:38.939 for most of you know, I had a broken tooth I 00:00:38.939 --> 00:00:40.560 was dealing with, so I got that fixed. And then 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:42.520 right after that, Tess and I went out of town. 00:00:42.780 --> 00:00:45.399 So, Reverend Mark Tross was here filling in the 00:00:45.399 --> 00:00:48.979 pulpit. Was he not awesome? I was watching online. 00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:51.719 I love Mark. We went to the Shepherd School together. 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:53.840 He's been in ministry, though, about as long 00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:57.799 as I've been alive. For him, it was just another 00:00:57.799 --> 00:01:00.240 school to go through to keep learning, keep improving. 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:04.280 But he is awesome. I was very appreciative. I 00:01:04.280 --> 00:01:06.519 reached out to him again to thank him for coming 00:01:06.519 --> 00:01:10.519 and filling in, especially on short notice. He 00:01:10.519 --> 00:01:17.599 had no problem doing that. So, yes, that's exciting 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:21.200 times. Sometimes it's good to have things like 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:22.879 that, a little something to change things up, 00:01:22.900 --> 00:01:24.840 right? That's kind of what we're looking at with 00:01:24.840 --> 00:01:26.799 the new year. The new year, a lot of people, 00:01:26.840 --> 00:01:28.120 they go out there like, oh, it's a new year, 00:01:28.120 --> 00:01:30.200 a new me. And I say hogwash, and I usually have 00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:32.540 a message that goes along with that because New 00:01:32.540 --> 00:01:34.780 Year's resolutions are typically the first lie 00:01:34.780 --> 00:01:39.180 of the year that most people break, right? I 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:41.359 say, hey, set yourself a goal and keep that goal 00:01:41.359 --> 00:01:44.099 until you reach it. Don't worry about resolutions. 00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:48.439 Because a lie is a lie, and a lie is sin. That's 00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:51.859 right. This year, I'm going to go in a different 00:01:51.859 --> 00:01:54.060 direction, though. I'm not going to talk about 00:01:54.060 --> 00:01:56.000 that. That's all I'm going to talk about it on 00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:02.400 that one. Instead, we're going to take a look 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:04.519 at what it is to be a new creation, what that 00:02:04.519 --> 00:02:07.239 means. I did condense this a little bit because, 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:09.819 well, let's face it, I can already get long winded. 00:02:10.759 --> 00:02:12.800 I'm a pastor and you don't have to agree so quick, 00:02:12.860 --> 00:02:18.159 Albert, stop it. It's what we do, right? We come 00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:20.280 out of the pulpit and we'd be as quiet as can 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:22.199 be. When we come up here and it's time to speak 00:02:22.199 --> 00:02:25.039 about the word and teach and well, we just kind 00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:30.580 of vomit at the mouth. I'll admit it. So I did 00:02:30.580 --> 00:02:33.939 condense this a bit. Hopefully I didn't condense 00:02:33.939 --> 00:02:36.419 it too much. If I did, if there's anything afterwards, 00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:39.539 please let me know. Let's go ahead and let's 00:02:39.539 --> 00:02:42.199 open our Bibles or Bible app, whatever it is 00:02:42.199 --> 00:02:53.689 that you use, to 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17. So 00:02:53.689 --> 00:02:58.490 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17. And the word says, 00:02:58.689 --> 00:03:02.050 therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new 00:03:02.050 --> 00:03:05.770 creation. All things have passed away. Behold, 00:03:05.849 --> 00:03:09.210 all things have become new. It's a good starting 00:03:09.210 --> 00:03:12.789 point for us, right? When you accept Jesus as 00:03:12.789 --> 00:03:14.930 your Lord and Savior, you profess him as the 00:03:14.930 --> 00:03:17.169 Lord and Savior, the King of Kings, the person 00:03:17.169 --> 00:03:19.150 who is the master of your life and who you are 00:03:19.150 --> 00:03:21.870 and your path, guess what? You become a new creation. 00:03:23.180 --> 00:03:25.879 The old is gone. Now, I'm not saying things change 00:03:25.879 --> 00:03:30.020 overnight for you. No. That would just be ridiculous, 00:03:30.259 --> 00:03:34.979 right? Some things might, but it takes time. 00:03:35.719 --> 00:03:37.900 But you do become a new creation when you become 00:03:37.900 --> 00:03:40.800 a follower of Jesus Christ. In church knees, 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:42.620 it's what we call when you become a believer, 00:03:42.780 --> 00:03:46.979 right? We have to be careful with the lingo. 00:03:48.659 --> 00:03:51.240 But in other words, what it means is you pledge 00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:56.419 your faith. also known as trust, to Jesus Christ, 00:03:56.639 --> 00:03:59.900 right? Trust is another way of saying faith. 00:04:00.680 --> 00:04:02.560 Most of the time, you can use it pretty interchangeably, 00:04:02.599 --> 00:04:05.120 right? Sometimes people like to make it sound 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:07.800 like it's this magical, mystical thing. It's 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:11.680 not. It's not. Because it comes from relationship. 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:14.120 And the stronger your relationship is, and the 00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:16.899 bigger you build it up, the more trust you have, 00:04:16.920 --> 00:04:24.100 the more faith you have, right? So you become 00:04:24.100 --> 00:04:29.879 a new person on the inside. You're not reformed. 00:04:29.879 --> 00:04:33.000 You're not rehabilitated. You're not re -educated. 00:04:34.759 --> 00:04:36.759 You know, that's the stuff that people try to 00:04:36.759 --> 00:04:38.660 say, you know, the mystical. Unfortunately, that's 00:04:38.660 --> 00:04:42.540 why we lose people in the church, right? Because 00:04:42.540 --> 00:04:44.779 they buy into it. You know, it's kind of like 00:04:44.779 --> 00:04:49.470 a prosperity. Gospel, right? So you come, you 00:04:49.470 --> 00:04:51.209 be a believer, and that injury is going to be 00:04:51.209 --> 00:04:53.470 miraculously healed just like that. You're not 00:04:53.470 --> 00:04:56.170 going to have that pain anymore. You're not going 00:04:56.170 --> 00:04:57.990 to need that surgery anymore. You're not going 00:04:57.990 --> 00:05:00.370 to need that medication anymore. That's nonsense. 00:05:01.550 --> 00:05:04.629 That's not how it works. As much as we wish it 00:05:04.629 --> 00:05:09.149 would, that's not the way it works. Like I said, 00:05:09.189 --> 00:05:11.610 you are changed. You're not the same person anymore. 00:05:11.850 --> 00:05:16.519 You're no longer a person of the world. You're 00:05:16.519 --> 00:05:18.600 not the person you used to be. You're now a person 00:05:18.600 --> 00:05:22.439 in Christ. Christ who is in you now, right? It 00:05:22.439 --> 00:05:26.399 fills you with the Holy Spirit. So what happens 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:28.639 is you start to look at the world differently. 00:05:28.860 --> 00:05:31.000 You think about things differently. You speak 00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:33.160 about things differently. You understand things 00:05:33.160 --> 00:05:36.180 differently. You see things through a new lens. 00:05:36.300 --> 00:05:39.199 You see things through the lens of Christ instead 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:42.959 of the lens of the world. You see things through 00:05:42.959 --> 00:05:49.389 a lens of hope. And not a lens of despair. That's 00:05:49.389 --> 00:05:51.589 a big one. Especially in the world that we live 00:05:51.589 --> 00:05:55.769 in, right? So when each of us becomes a new person, 00:05:55.970 --> 00:06:00.589 as Paul was speaking about, there's much more 00:06:00.589 --> 00:06:05.629 to it than just that. You're not just changed 00:06:05.629 --> 00:06:09.189 from within. You're filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:06:12.709 --> 00:06:17.529 You're held under a new covenant. Covenant meaning 00:06:17.529 --> 00:06:23.949 promise, right? Contract, if you will. And it 00:06:23.949 --> 00:06:26.889 changes because you're no longer a citizen of 00:06:26.889 --> 00:06:30.769 the world. You're now an adopted child into the 00:06:30.769 --> 00:06:36.610 kingdom. We turn to Philippians 3, verse 20. 00:06:37.730 --> 00:06:40.790 It's a firm reminder. Philippians 3, 20, the 00:06:40.790 --> 00:06:42.949 word says, for our citizenship is in heaven. 00:06:43.800 --> 00:06:46.279 From which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, 00:06:46.459 --> 00:06:51.740 the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, you're not 00:06:51.740 --> 00:06:53.839 under the same contract as the rest of the world, 00:06:53.899 --> 00:06:56.939 the same covenant as the rest of the world. You're 00:06:56.939 --> 00:07:00.759 part of a new community, a new family. And that's 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:03.339 what it's supposed to be, is a new family. Not 00:07:03.339 --> 00:07:07.800 just friends, but family. With all that entails, 00:07:08.139 --> 00:07:11.100 the ups and the downs, do we always get along 00:07:11.100 --> 00:07:16.079 with family? No. We always agree 100 % with family. 00:07:17.560 --> 00:07:19.379 Sometimes they're right and we're wrong though, 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:24.019 huh? But other times it's very joyful, it's very 00:07:24.019 --> 00:07:26.980 peaceful. Sometimes things happen, someone gets 00:07:26.980 --> 00:07:29.939 sick, someone gets hurt, and we worry. Right? 00:07:30.920 --> 00:07:36.600 That's family. That's a good thing. You no longer 00:07:36.600 --> 00:07:39.980 look to experience the superficial changes of 00:07:39.980 --> 00:07:44.029 the world. Those superficial things that fade 00:07:44.029 --> 00:07:46.370 away. Yeah, they might be tempting. Oh, you know 00:07:46.370 --> 00:07:48.089 what? That's cool. That's an awesome car. I'd 00:07:48.089 --> 00:07:49.889 love to have a car like that. But you know what? 00:07:49.930 --> 00:07:53.170 It's not as enticing as your relationship with 00:07:53.170 --> 00:07:55.670 Jesus and what you can do to serve the kingdom. 00:07:57.730 --> 00:08:00.050 Those superficial things that all just fade and 00:08:00.050 --> 00:08:02.329 disappear. Instead, we see things from a new 00:08:02.329 --> 00:08:05.470 perspective that puts Jesus Christ front and 00:08:05.470 --> 00:08:09.850 center in our lives. We want to do the things 00:08:11.069 --> 00:08:13.490 We're not compelled to. We want to do the things 00:08:13.490 --> 00:08:16.910 that he's asked us to, to go the directions that 00:08:16.910 --> 00:08:20.370 he's directed us to go. I could tell you years 00:08:20.370 --> 00:08:21.850 ago, if you told me I'd have been up here in 00:08:21.850 --> 00:08:23.189 this pulpit, I would have told you you're out 00:08:23.189 --> 00:08:26.910 of your mind. I'd have told you, take it, Jesus, 00:08:26.910 --> 00:08:33.049 squat and pound sand. Change. Things change for 00:08:33.049 --> 00:08:40.399 the better. You see things differently. You see 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:43.740 people differently. However, when this happens, 00:08:43.860 --> 00:08:49.059 there are a few things that need to occur in 00:08:49.059 --> 00:08:52.200 order for all this to take place. Let's turn 00:08:52.200 --> 00:09:07.659 to Isaiah 43. Isaiah 43, verses 18 and 19. Isaiah 00:09:07.659 --> 00:09:11.580 43, 18 and 19, the word says, Do not remember 00:09:11.580 --> 00:09:13.620 the former things, nor consider the things of 00:09:13.620 --> 00:09:17.460 old. Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall 00:09:17.460 --> 00:09:22.200 spring forth. Shall you not know it? I will even 00:09:22.200 --> 00:09:24.620 make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the 00:09:24.620 --> 00:09:29.679 desert. We have to let go of the past. Plain 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:32.549 and simple. We have to let go of the past. This 00:09:32.549 --> 00:09:34.590 is one of the hardest things that has to change, 00:09:34.750 --> 00:09:36.330 one of the hardest things that has to occur, 00:09:36.590 --> 00:09:39.610 because we want to cling to it. There's a security 00:09:39.610 --> 00:09:43.570 that's there, and that's why we cling to it, 00:09:43.610 --> 00:09:47.649 because it is a known factor. We know what happened. 00:09:47.710 --> 00:09:53.950 We know how it impacted us. So we reach out and 00:09:53.950 --> 00:09:58.679 we cling to it. But here's the thing. Not everybody 00:09:58.679 --> 00:10:00.259 might get this reference. I understand that. 00:10:00.379 --> 00:10:02.820 But none of us is Al Bundy. None of us gets to 00:10:02.820 --> 00:10:04.940 relive those four touchdowns in a single high 00:10:04.940 --> 00:10:08.960 school game of football, right? Silly enough. 00:10:09.860 --> 00:10:11.840 But that's what we do. We cling to the past. 00:10:11.919 --> 00:10:13.679 We want to hold on. We want to relive the glory 00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:15.840 days. We all know those people who relive the 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:19.220 glory days constantly. I got a friend. I talk 00:10:19.220 --> 00:10:22.220 to him every so often. I've known him since middle 00:10:22.220 --> 00:10:28.809 school. We called it junior high. I know not 00:10:28.809 --> 00:10:30.690 everybody here has junior highs. I mean, I was 00:10:30.690 --> 00:10:32.169 in middle school for like 50 years here. I don't 00:10:32.169 --> 00:10:36.049 know. But that dude still clings to the past. 00:10:36.470 --> 00:10:38.549 He still collects toys. He still talks about 00:10:38.549 --> 00:10:42.169 wrestling. He still talks about the stuff that 00:10:42.169 --> 00:10:46.970 was on TV 30 stinking years ago. 30 years ago. 00:10:47.149 --> 00:10:49.070 Who in here wants to pick up the phone and talk 00:10:49.070 --> 00:10:55.009 about the Smurfs? I don't. I might give you five 00:10:55.009 --> 00:10:56.529 minutes talking about dressing up like Elf for 00:10:56.529 --> 00:10:58.309 Halloween, but, you know, that's as far as it's 00:10:58.309 --> 00:11:01.789 going to go. You know, maybe the rabbit costume 00:11:01.789 --> 00:11:03.429 that my mom made for me when I was knee -high 00:11:03.429 --> 00:11:05.269 to a turtle, and no, it wasn't pink like a Christmas 00:11:05.269 --> 00:11:10.710 story, it was blue. But still, that's the stuff 00:11:10.710 --> 00:11:16.309 people cling to, right? They hold on to it. Instead, 00:11:16.549 --> 00:11:19.789 the past, we need to learn what it was there 00:11:19.789 --> 00:11:22.330 for. We had the past there for a reason. Things 00:11:22.330 --> 00:11:24.720 happen for a reason. We came through things the 00:11:24.720 --> 00:11:27.080 way we did for a reason. There are things there 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:32.279 that we need to learn from. And it's not just, 00:11:32.360 --> 00:11:35.000 hey, what was it? It's what needs to happen in 00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:38.360 my life now. We learn from it. We apply those 00:11:38.360 --> 00:11:43.919 lessons to our life and we move forward. We move 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:46.879 forward. Unfortunately, this is also one of the 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:48.679 problems that we deal with when it comes to PTSD. 00:11:49.899 --> 00:11:53.750 I can speak to that from my own experience. Because 00:11:53.750 --> 00:11:57.610 the mind doesn't want to let go. And the slightest 00:11:57.610 --> 00:11:59.610 thing takes you back to a time and place that 00:11:59.610 --> 00:12:03.649 you don't want to be. And it's just as real as 00:12:03.649 --> 00:12:05.429 if you were there, you're there at that moment, 00:12:05.470 --> 00:12:09.509 even though you know you're not. It's a crossed 00:12:09.509 --> 00:12:14.929 wire and it's hard. It's like, okay, there's 00:12:14.929 --> 00:12:17.669 still something here I need to learn from. What 00:12:17.669 --> 00:12:22.779 do I need to learn from? Unfortunately, a lot 00:12:22.779 --> 00:12:25.659 of people don't learn from it. They turn to drugs, 00:12:25.700 --> 00:12:27.299 they turn to alcohol, they turn to all these 00:12:27.299 --> 00:12:33.320 other things. Try to avoid it. Avoidance isn't 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:36.980 an answer. Avoidance is not a cure. At some point, 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:38.620 you are still going to have to deal with it, 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:46.000 or it will deal with you. Plain and simple. You 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:48.870 have to move ahead. We don't get to dwell on 00:12:48.870 --> 00:12:51.110 days long gone. Those days will not come again. 00:12:51.169 --> 00:12:54.450 They are not supposed to. Instead, we should 00:12:54.450 --> 00:12:58.090 be looking to a future, a future of hope with 00:12:58.090 --> 00:13:03.590 God. A future that we should eagerly be looking 00:13:03.590 --> 00:13:09.029 forward to and be running towards. Away from 00:13:09.029 --> 00:13:13.669 the darkness and into the light. So things happen 00:13:13.669 --> 00:13:15.750 in our lives. There's changes that we have to 00:13:15.750 --> 00:13:18.620 make. God's put them in front of us. Don't hesitate. 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:24.659 Make the change. The word explains this clearly 00:13:24.659 --> 00:13:29.980 in Matthew 6, verse 24. Matthew 6, verse 24. 00:13:31.320 --> 00:13:33.879 The word says, no one can serve two masters. 00:13:34.039 --> 00:13:36.259 Either he will hate the one and love the other, 00:13:36.340 --> 00:13:39.340 or else he will be loyal to the one and despise 00:13:39.340 --> 00:13:41.850 the other. Now, of course, This right here, when 00:13:41.850 --> 00:13:43.350 you look at the full context of the passage, 00:13:43.389 --> 00:13:44.950 it's talking about treasures in life, right? 00:13:44.990 --> 00:13:47.230 The things that you hold dear, those things that 00:13:47.230 --> 00:13:51.470 could potentially become your idols. Well, the 00:13:51.470 --> 00:13:55.269 same thing applies here, though. Because basically 00:13:55.269 --> 00:13:57.169 what it's saying is you have to choose Jesus, 00:13:57.350 --> 00:13:59.350 you have to choose God, or you have to choose 00:13:59.350 --> 00:14:03.049 the world. You don't get one and the other, right? 00:14:03.250 --> 00:14:04.529 It's where people like to say you don't get to 00:14:04.529 --> 00:14:08.350 have your cake and eat it too. My birthday's 00:14:08.350 --> 00:14:09.610 coming up. I'm going to have my cake and I'm 00:14:09.610 --> 00:14:13.029 going to eat it. Either way, you have to make 00:14:13.029 --> 00:14:15.669 a choice though. You have to look towards the 00:14:15.669 --> 00:14:20.850 kingdom of God or the world. You can't serve 00:14:20.850 --> 00:14:25.169 both. You serve the world, you're going to be 00:14:25.169 --> 00:14:28.330 missing out on heaven because you turned your 00:14:28.330 --> 00:14:29.570 back on it and you're going to be marching straight 00:14:29.570 --> 00:14:34.149 into hell. You serve the kingdom and the world's 00:14:34.149 --> 00:14:36.879 going to reject you. It's going to attack you 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:40.220 with everything it has. That's just the way it 00:14:40.220 --> 00:14:48.419 works. In other words, you look at what it's 00:14:48.419 --> 00:14:50.620 saying here and you look at the context when 00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:54.940 it's talking about your treasures, right? You 00:14:54.940 --> 00:14:58.059 had to choose because everything is tied to one 00:14:58.059 --> 00:15:02.200 of two masters, right? God of this world, God. 00:15:04.379 --> 00:15:07.480 Jesus Christ or Satan? Those are the choices. 00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:10.779 Because when we look to the world and everything 00:15:10.779 --> 00:15:12.919 that's connected in it and all that stuff that 00:15:12.919 --> 00:15:17.200 we want to hold on to, we have to let go. Why 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:18.759 is it important that we let go? What's it all 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:22.139 connected to? At some point down the line, it's 00:15:22.139 --> 00:15:23.799 connected to sin because it comes to our own 00:15:23.799 --> 00:15:31.039 selfish wants. Plain and simple. We have to grow 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:36.980 up. We can't keep living like children. In other 00:15:36.980 --> 00:15:42.320 words, we have to put childish things away. 1 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:48.139 Corinthians 13, verses 10 through 12. The word 00:15:48.139 --> 00:15:51.080 says, but when that which is perfect has come, 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:54.039 then that which is in part will be done away. 00:15:54.919 --> 00:15:57.659 When I was a child, I spoke as a child. I understood 00:15:57.659 --> 00:16:00.419 as a child. I thought as a child. But when I 00:16:00.419 --> 00:16:03.379 became a man, I put away childish things. For 00:16:03.379 --> 00:16:07.759 now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:11.559 face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know 00:16:11.559 --> 00:16:19.240 just as I also am known. You were part of the 00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:23.919 world. You spoke as the world. You looked at 00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:26.740 things as the world. You understood things as 00:16:26.740 --> 00:16:30.720 the world does. You thought of things as the 00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:35.980 world does. You did all this stuff the way the 00:16:35.980 --> 00:16:40.240 world says to do it. As a follower of Jesus Christ, 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:45.179 you put that world behind you. You put those 00:16:45.179 --> 00:16:48.799 ways behind you. You stopped looking at it through 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:54.039 that lens, that worldly lens. Christ -like lens. 00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:59.960 A lot different. It's a bit like the saying, 00:17:00.039 --> 00:17:05.400 you can't go home again. Because you can't. Once 00:17:05.400 --> 00:17:10.980 you know the truth, once you know the word, try 00:17:10.980 --> 00:17:15.799 and try as you might, you can turn your back 00:17:15.799 --> 00:17:17.880 on Jesus, you can go back to the world, but it's 00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:21.740 still never going to be the same. Because once 00:17:21.740 --> 00:17:23.799 you know the truth and you know what the lie 00:17:23.799 --> 00:17:26.519 is, you can never look at it the same as you 00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:28.500 did before. You can never live in it the way 00:17:28.500 --> 00:17:32.900 you did before. It won't happen. It can't happen. 00:17:34.359 --> 00:17:42.220 You are changed forever. It's never going to 00:17:42.220 --> 00:17:47.470 be the same. Your eyes have been opened. People 00:17:47.470 --> 00:17:49.170 like to take that and look at it politically. 00:17:49.309 --> 00:17:52.470 Ooh, the woke movement and all that. No. Because 00:17:52.470 --> 00:17:53.990 both sides are still looking at it through a 00:17:53.990 --> 00:17:58.769 worldly lens for the most part. It's not about 00:17:58.769 --> 00:18:00.509 the donkey. It's not about the elephant. It's 00:18:00.509 --> 00:18:04.309 about the lamb and its sacrifice for you and 00:18:04.309 --> 00:18:10.930 for me. Following Jesus, you're not just changed. 00:18:11.230 --> 00:18:20.579 You're born again. You're born again. We turn 00:18:20.579 --> 00:18:28.559 to John 3, verse 3. Jesus said this. Jesus answered 00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:31.279 and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, 00:18:31.339 --> 00:18:34.119 unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom 00:18:34.119 --> 00:18:37.759 of God. Here, Jesus is having a conversation 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:41.299 with Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a very devout Pharisee, 00:18:41.299 --> 00:18:45.119 right? He knew what he'd been taught. He knew 00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:47.539 what had been said in the synagogues for years 00:18:47.539 --> 00:18:48.940 and years. He knew what the scripture said. He 00:18:48.940 --> 00:18:50.660 knew the way it had been twisted and had been 00:18:50.660 --> 00:18:54.779 passed on from generation to generation. And 00:18:54.779 --> 00:18:57.259 Jesus is here and explaining to him that in order 00:18:57.259 --> 00:19:00.279 to spend eternity with the Father, you have to 00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:01.640 be born again. He's like, well, what do you mean 00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:04.019 born again? It's like I've already been born. 00:19:04.079 --> 00:19:05.500 How am I going to go back in the womb and come 00:19:05.500 --> 00:19:10.180 back out? Right? But he already had a pretty 00:19:10.180 --> 00:19:13.859 good idea. He understood what, he's trying to 00:19:13.859 --> 00:19:15.940 understand what Jesus is saying. He's been taught 00:19:15.940 --> 00:19:20.880 something much different. Jesus is opening his 00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:27.039 eyes and his mind. Nicodemus, he knew from scripture 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:32.079 that the kingdom, God was coming. He knew it 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:36.180 was going to be restored on earth. He knew the 00:19:36.180 --> 00:19:41.470 meaning behind it all. It wasn't just one group. 00:19:41.950 --> 00:19:43.970 It wasn't just going to be the Jews. It wasn't 00:19:43.970 --> 00:19:45.329 going to be the Gentiles. It wasn't going to 00:19:45.329 --> 00:19:47.509 be just the country of Israel. It was going to 00:19:47.509 --> 00:19:53.130 be the entire world. Entire world. It's going 00:19:53.130 --> 00:19:56.450 to be changed. And it was going to, once it was 00:19:56.450 --> 00:20:01.529 rebuilt, it was going to incorporate God's people. 00:20:03.349 --> 00:20:05.970 Right? The believers, the followers of Jesus 00:20:05.970 --> 00:20:10.170 Christ, God's people. Not just these people who 00:20:10.170 --> 00:20:13.750 are over here doing things, trying to earn their 00:20:13.750 --> 00:20:17.690 way. You don't earn your way. When you do things 00:20:17.690 --> 00:20:19.170 under compulsion because you're told you have 00:20:19.170 --> 00:20:24.009 to do this, and that's why you do it, it means 00:20:24.009 --> 00:20:28.210 nothing to God, nothing at all. You have to do 00:20:28.210 --> 00:20:30.849 things because you want to, because in your heart 00:20:30.849 --> 00:20:33.349 it's saying, hey, you need to go do this, and 00:20:33.349 --> 00:20:42.500 so you do it. It is an act of love. And that 00:20:42.500 --> 00:20:44.440 love comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ, 00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:47.680 not religion. Religion says you do things, you 00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:53.059 earn your way. Relationship says you do things 00:20:53.059 --> 00:20:58.500 because you want to, not because you have to. 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:05.359 And Jesus only requires a little repentance of 00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:12.960 sin and a spiritual rebirth. That's it. repentance 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:15.339 of your past and repentance of the world and 00:21:15.339 --> 00:21:17.920 the world in your life and acceptance of him 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:24.799 as your Lord and Savior. And then it becomes 00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:29.519 really easy to see that the change that God's 00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:35.599 making in the world is already happening. It's 00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:37.680 already happening because it starts in here. 00:21:37.740 --> 00:21:40.960 It starts in the heart of every single follower. 00:21:42.859 --> 00:21:46.779 The heart of you and the heart of me. So you 00:21:46.779 --> 00:21:48.640 have to let him become the master of your life. 00:21:50.059 --> 00:21:53.539 That's what Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus. 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:56.220 It's also similar to what he was explaining to 00:21:56.220 --> 00:21:59.619 the woman at the well, right? It is also talked 00:21:59.619 --> 00:22:07.299 about in John 4, verses 13 through 14. John 4, 00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:10.279 verses 13 through 14. Jesus answered and said 00:22:10.279 --> 00:22:12.279 to her, whoever drinks of this water will thirst 00:22:12.279 --> 00:22:14.960 again. But whoever drinks of the water that I 00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:17.779 shall give him will never thirst. But the water 00:22:17.779 --> 00:22:20.059 that I shall give him will become in him a fountain 00:22:20.059 --> 00:22:23.240 of water springing up into everlasting life. 00:22:25.180 --> 00:22:28.740 We have holes in our hearts. We have these big 00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:35.920 gaping pits in our spirit. And when we try to 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:39.460 fill them on our own, we fail. Time and time 00:22:39.460 --> 00:22:43.779 again. Every time. We try to fill them with the 00:22:43.779 --> 00:22:46.259 things of the world, and that's why we fail. 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:49.599 We fill them with things like gambling, porn, 00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:54.880 sexual relationships, right? Drugs, alcohol, 00:22:55.319 --> 00:23:00.480 gambling. The list goes on and on. Cars and houses, 00:23:00.779 --> 00:23:06.940 you know, status, wealth, right? That whole thing, 00:23:07.180 --> 00:23:09.559 you know, he with the most toys dies. Well, guess 00:23:09.559 --> 00:23:11.420 what? He with the most toys still just dies, 00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:13.839 period. You don't win nothing. You ain't taking 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:17.420 any of it with you. None of it. You can sit there 00:23:17.420 --> 00:23:18.980 and you can focus on building all that treasure 00:23:18.980 --> 00:23:20.460 up here. Guess what? You're going to miss out 00:23:20.460 --> 00:23:22.099 on the treasure that's there because you're not 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:25.200 going to make it. You're not going to make it 00:23:25.200 --> 00:23:32.099 if that's what you're focused on. We never find 00:23:32.099 --> 00:23:35.859 that truly lasting happiness. Because we're trying 00:23:35.859 --> 00:23:41.019 to fill this void with the world. And there's 00:23:41.019 --> 00:23:45.400 a reason why it never gets filled up. Because 00:23:45.400 --> 00:23:47.180 there's only one thing that can fill that void, 00:23:47.299 --> 00:23:49.779 and that is the Holy Spirit. That void is in 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:52.000 you because that is the home of the Holy Spirit, 00:23:52.099 --> 00:23:53.980 right? The Word tells us that we are the temple. 00:23:56.319 --> 00:23:59.039 You think back to it, all the way back to before 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:01.420 Jesus was crucified, what happened? They had 00:24:01.420 --> 00:24:04.759 the temple, right? They had the veil. That was 00:24:04.759 --> 00:24:06.660 the place, that was the holiest of places, right? 00:24:06.700 --> 00:24:08.619 That's where the Lord resided. There was still 00:24:08.619 --> 00:24:11.279 a separation between him and man. Jesus came, 00:24:11.400 --> 00:24:13.720 Jesus died for you and died for me. The veil 00:24:13.720 --> 00:24:16.380 was torn. Not from bottom to top like man did 00:24:16.380 --> 00:24:17.920 it, but from the top to the bottom. Something 00:24:17.920 --> 00:24:23.579 that no man could do. And it brought us back 00:24:23.579 --> 00:24:26.079 into relationship with God. It gave us access 00:24:26.079 --> 00:24:29.759 to God. And when Jesus died, he said he was going 00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:31.819 to send the Holy Spirit. Why? Jesus was a man. 00:24:31.859 --> 00:24:34.180 He could only be so many places at one time, 00:24:34.259 --> 00:24:36.099 right? Because he was a physical man like you 00:24:36.099 --> 00:24:38.579 and I are. So instead, he sent the Holy Spirit 00:24:38.579 --> 00:24:40.119 because the Holy Spirit could be everywhere. 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:44.000 And the place for him to reside is in his temple, 00:24:44.119 --> 00:24:48.700 which is in us. We never think of it that way, 00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:50.859 though, right? Like, ooh, the Holy Spirit. What's 00:24:50.859 --> 00:24:53.339 up, dude? Don't worry, I won't call Ghostbusters. 00:24:54.640 --> 00:24:57.700 Right? I joke, but I mean, that's the way we 00:24:57.700 --> 00:25:02.539 look at it. He's supposed to reside in us. Don't 00:25:02.539 --> 00:25:06.200 push him out. Don't close the door. Let him in. 00:25:08.279 --> 00:25:12.599 Let him in. He's called a gift for a reason. 00:25:15.220 --> 00:25:17.640 And you're going to keep on struggling until 00:25:17.640 --> 00:25:19.460 you open that door and you let him into your 00:25:19.460 --> 00:25:22.359 heart. Not to say you're not going to struggle 00:25:22.359 --> 00:25:23.940 afterwards, but the struggles are going to be 00:25:23.940 --> 00:25:30.319 different. Because at that point, you're going 00:25:30.319 --> 00:25:31.779 to have hope. You're going to have love. You're 00:25:31.779 --> 00:25:38.539 going to know the warmth of his embrace. You 00:25:38.539 --> 00:25:41.660 know, Jesus here, he's talking. It's something 00:25:41.660 --> 00:25:44.539 that was known at that time. It was giving water, 00:25:44.720 --> 00:25:49.019 drinking water. It can be dangerous. It can be 00:25:49.019 --> 00:25:52.880 dangerous. You got people that go out there and 00:25:52.880 --> 00:25:54.859 they have these silly challenges online they 00:25:54.859 --> 00:25:56.880 have for years now, right? It's like, oh, we'll 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:58.680 pound like two gallons of water real fast. What 00:25:58.680 --> 00:26:00.339 happens? They get sick. There's been recorded 00:26:00.339 --> 00:26:01.920 incidents where people have been impacted so 00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:06.059 bad that they've died, right? Drinking water, 00:26:06.160 --> 00:26:09.759 while it's good for you, done improperly can 00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:13.619 hurt you. You go to somebody who's in shock. 00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:17.380 You're not supposed to give them water. But one 00:26:17.380 --> 00:26:18.700 of the first things that people do, oh, you're 00:26:18.700 --> 00:26:20.240 in an accident. Let me give you a bottle of water. 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:23.200 No, I'm going to tell you right now. I'm a medical 00:26:23.200 --> 00:26:26.259 professional. Don't do it. There's a reason. 00:26:28.200 --> 00:26:30.619 Somebody's in shock. Somebody's hurt, right? 00:26:31.220 --> 00:26:33.559 You got somebody who's suffering from heat stroke. 00:26:34.599 --> 00:26:36.640 You give them that water. They start chugging 00:26:36.640 --> 00:26:38.660 it and chugging it. They're never going to quench 00:26:38.660 --> 00:26:41.259 that thirst. What's going to happen is it's going 00:26:41.259 --> 00:26:43.099 to do even more damage because that water is 00:26:43.099 --> 00:26:44.660 going to the body, the body is trying to distribute 00:26:44.660 --> 00:26:46.460 it, and blood is being pulled away from those 00:26:46.460 --> 00:26:52.839 vital organs where it's needed most. They may 00:26:52.839 --> 00:26:57.779 not recover from that. You can drink and drink 00:26:57.779 --> 00:27:00.539 and drink. You can drink yourself to death on 00:27:00.539 --> 00:27:04.819 the water of the world. You're going to be thirsty 00:27:04.819 --> 00:27:12.059 like a diabetic. Sugars are out of whack. Keep 00:27:12.059 --> 00:27:14.839 chugging and chugging. You go to the Lord, you 00:27:14.839 --> 00:27:20.259 go to Jesus Christ. One little sip and you're 00:27:20.259 --> 00:27:28.559 good. Everlasting life. All your ailments will 00:27:28.559 --> 00:27:32.140 be healed. Not overnight. Not some miraculous 00:27:32.140 --> 00:27:33.519 thing where you're just going to wake up and 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:36.240 everything is good to go. And be fit as a fiddle 00:27:36.240 --> 00:27:38.990 again. No. Word tells us, When we're called home, 00:27:39.049 --> 00:27:41.069 when we go to the kingdom, we will be renewed 00:27:41.069 --> 00:27:46.609 in a new body with no pain. That's a good one 00:27:46.609 --> 00:27:49.190 right there. I don't know, the last couple of 00:27:49.190 --> 00:27:52.210 weeks, I was hurting. That tooth is screaming. 00:27:54.690 --> 00:27:57.470 But it happens. And, you know, that's what's 00:27:57.470 --> 00:27:59.329 going to happen in this world. But ultimately, 00:27:59.390 --> 00:28:01.890 we will be healed. We will have a place in eternity 00:28:01.890 --> 00:28:04.470 without any of those issues, no sickness, no 00:28:04.470 --> 00:28:10.950 pain, just healed. And to remember, Jesus is 00:28:10.950 --> 00:28:12.730 our great physician. He will look out for us. 00:28:13.829 --> 00:28:17.029 We need to go to him. It may not be the healing 00:28:17.029 --> 00:28:20.369 that we want in this world, but there will be 00:28:20.369 --> 00:28:26.930 healing. I promise you that. When you think about 00:28:26.930 --> 00:28:29.049 it, when you really need medical help, you're 00:28:29.049 --> 00:28:32.049 hurt. You go to the emergency room or you call 00:28:32.049 --> 00:28:35.430 911. Are you sitting there and you're barking 00:28:35.430 --> 00:28:36.990 at them? Hey, you got to do this. You got to 00:28:36.990 --> 00:28:43.009 do that. Nope. I can tell you it never happens. 00:28:44.250 --> 00:28:46.470 There's a nurse for, what, 40 -some -odd years 00:28:46.470 --> 00:28:49.549 sitting right there. 50? Yeah, before she retired. 00:28:49.650 --> 00:28:51.390 She could tell you, that doesn't happen. You 00:28:51.390 --> 00:28:52.890 get these people out there, oh, and I told them 00:28:52.890 --> 00:28:55.930 this, and I told them, no, you didn't. An emergency 00:28:55.930 --> 00:28:58.069 happens, you go to the medical professionals, 00:28:58.210 --> 00:29:01.269 you trust that they're going to do what's needed 00:29:01.269 --> 00:29:02.650 to be done, that they're going to do it right. 00:29:03.329 --> 00:29:07.690 That's called faith. You're surrendering yourself. 00:29:08.470 --> 00:29:13.869 To their care. To their direction. Right? They 00:29:13.869 --> 00:29:16.710 tell you to roll over, you roll over. Tell you 00:29:16.710 --> 00:29:20.049 to cough, you cough. They tell you to stop throwing 00:29:20.049 --> 00:29:21.750 up on them, you do your best and aim for a garbage 00:29:21.750 --> 00:29:26.869 can. But you're under their management, right? 00:29:26.930 --> 00:29:28.690 You're under new management. And I promise you 00:29:28.690 --> 00:29:32.309 all, we're going home pretty quick. When you 00:29:32.309 --> 00:29:35.569 are converted, right? When you become a follower 00:29:35.569 --> 00:29:37.190 of Jesus Christ, when you become a believer, 00:29:37.880 --> 00:29:41.180 You aren't just turning over a new leaf and life. 00:29:42.160 --> 00:29:46.900 You're beginning a new life under the leadership 00:29:46.900 --> 00:29:51.079 of Jesus Christ. I'm going to say that again. 00:29:51.140 --> 00:29:54.720 You're not turning over a new leaf. This isn't 00:29:54.720 --> 00:29:58.779 a new chapter. This is a new life, a new book. 00:30:02.920 --> 00:30:06.720 We turn to Colossians 2, verses 6 through 7. 00:30:11.759 --> 00:30:18.220 Colossians 2, verses 6 through 7. I heard that. 00:30:20.660 --> 00:30:25.440 Yeah, 6, 7. I heard it. No, no, no. Right there. 00:30:28.680 --> 00:30:33.019 I did not start that one, I promise you. It is 00:30:33.019 --> 00:30:41.079 everywhere. Colossians 2, 6, 7. The word says, 00:30:41.240 --> 00:30:43.420 as you therefore have received Christ Jesus, 00:30:43.559 --> 00:30:46.460 the Lord, so walk with him, rooted and built 00:30:46.460 --> 00:30:50.240 up in him and established in the faith as you 00:30:50.240 --> 00:30:54.079 have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 00:30:56.099 --> 00:31:01.440 You see, becoming Christian, new life, being 00:31:01.440 --> 00:31:07.599 born again, becoming a new creation. It doesn't 00:31:07.599 --> 00:31:10.809 start. Until we have fully surrendered ourselves. 00:31:12.069 --> 00:31:32.000 What's up, Marvin? Well, it's... The way it took 00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:34.180 off, that song was around long before this term. 00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:36.319 That song, people just kind of tie to it. There's 00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:39.079 actually something entirely separate from that. 00:31:41.259 --> 00:31:47.480 Oh, yeah. There's a lot of stuff out there. We 00:31:47.480 --> 00:31:49.279 still have to be careful, but we as Christians, 00:31:49.339 --> 00:31:55.480 we can still have some fun, right? Like I said, 00:31:55.599 --> 00:32:02.250 we can talk about that. The change doesn't start. 00:32:02.329 --> 00:32:04.430 You're not born again until you fully surrender. 00:32:04.529 --> 00:32:07.750 As long as you're clinging to that past, as long 00:32:07.750 --> 00:32:10.069 as you have even a foothold, a toe holding that 00:32:10.069 --> 00:32:12.670 door open, it's not going to happen. Some things 00:32:12.670 --> 00:32:16.190 might start to change, right? You're cold. You 00:32:16.190 --> 00:32:17.869 go to a door. You crack it open. A little bit 00:32:17.869 --> 00:32:20.390 of heat comes through. You get a little bit, 00:32:20.509 --> 00:32:23.670 right? But do you get the full warmth? No, because 00:32:23.670 --> 00:32:25.089 what happens? That door can close again, right? 00:32:25.410 --> 00:32:30.579 You're shut out. Shut out. And it's no different. 00:32:31.559 --> 00:32:33.519 We have to fully surrender ourselves to Jesus. 00:32:33.579 --> 00:32:35.920 We have to fully acknowledge him as the Lord 00:32:35.920 --> 00:32:38.859 of our lives. Now, it doesn't mean you're not 00:32:38.859 --> 00:32:40.400 going to mess up. It doesn't mean you're not 00:32:40.400 --> 00:32:42.400 going to mess up. We all mess up. We're human, 00:32:42.559 --> 00:32:48.579 right? Anybody in here perfect? I didn't think 00:32:48.579 --> 00:33:00.470 so. You. We got jokes today. I love it. But we 00:33:00.470 --> 00:33:02.730 have to acknowledge him. You know, he's a leader, 00:33:02.829 --> 00:33:08.369 not just who we are, but what we do. What we're 00:33:08.369 --> 00:33:12.390 going to do. Life's messy. You're going to mess 00:33:12.390 --> 00:33:15.210 up. Ministry's messy. We mess up all the time. 00:33:15.250 --> 00:33:19.609 It happens, right? You are going to fall down. 00:33:21.069 --> 00:33:24.089 We all fall down. It's not about falling down. 00:33:24.670 --> 00:33:28.119 It's about getting back up. You're going to get 00:33:28.119 --> 00:33:30.880 knocked down. Proverbs 24 tells us exactly that. 00:33:31.440 --> 00:33:34.799 Proverbs 24, verse 16, the word says, for a righteous 00:33:34.799 --> 00:33:38.140 man may fall seven times and rise again, but 00:33:38.140 --> 00:33:41.900 the wicked shall fall by calamity. Get knocked 00:33:41.900 --> 00:33:43.619 down seven times, get back up eight. Get knocked 00:33:43.619 --> 00:33:45.599 down eight times, get up nine times. Get up, 00:33:45.759 --> 00:33:54.079 right? You get knocked down, you tell the world, 00:33:54.140 --> 00:33:56.539 keep trying, do your best. You're not going to 00:33:56.539 --> 00:33:58.319 keep me down. You can't keep a good dog down. 00:33:58.460 --> 00:34:00.940 My Lord's going to keep picking me up. My Lord 00:34:00.940 --> 00:34:03.660 has a much heavier hand than you do. You're going 00:34:03.660 --> 00:34:05.960 to find that one day. Right now, he's reaching 00:34:05.960 --> 00:34:07.619 down, he's extending it to me, and he's helping 00:34:07.619 --> 00:34:13.539 me back up. Plain and simple. Jesus has a much 00:34:13.539 --> 00:34:15.760 heavier hand than the world is ever going to 00:34:15.760 --> 00:34:21.599 have. So take the hits. Don't shrug them off. 00:34:22.360 --> 00:34:26.219 Don't shrug them off. Don't laugh. Don't laugh 00:34:26.219 --> 00:34:28.699 at the world. It's also the other part of this. 00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:33.440 The wicked shall fall by calamity. You're gonna 00:34:33.440 --> 00:34:35.139 get knocked down. You're gonna get back up. When 00:34:35.139 --> 00:34:39.559 the world gets knocked down, don't laugh. Don't 00:34:39.559 --> 00:34:42.840 laugh. Because you know what? There's always 00:34:42.840 --> 00:34:45.400 an opportunity for us to introduce Jesus Christ 00:34:45.400 --> 00:34:49.880 to one more person. That time that they get knocked 00:34:49.880 --> 00:34:53.199 down might be the moment. that changes their 00:34:53.199 --> 00:34:56.840 life and they come to know Jesus Christ. It's 00:34:56.840 --> 00:35:02.480 all in how you respond. When you have these incidents 00:35:02.480 --> 00:35:05.659 in your life, it's about what you learn from 00:35:05.659 --> 00:35:10.739 them. And then you listen to Jesus, you adapt, 00:35:11.000 --> 00:35:14.539 and you overcome. And the key is listening to 00:35:14.539 --> 00:35:17.380 Jesus. Psalm 119, verse 105, this is our last 00:35:17.380 --> 00:35:20.929 verse for the day. Psalm 119, verse 105. A lot 00:35:20.929 --> 00:35:22.570 of Bibles actually have this very beginning at 00:35:22.570 --> 00:35:26.670 the front of it. Your word is a lamp to my feet 00:35:26.670 --> 00:35:30.210 and a light to my path. Jesus will take care 00:35:30.210 --> 00:35:36.190 of you. Don't let the world have the last say. 00:35:36.550 --> 00:35:40.110 The world doesn't get the last say. Jesus Christ 00:35:40.110 --> 00:35:43.449 does. Jesus Christ knows what's best for you. 00:35:44.289 --> 00:35:46.550 He's told you what you need to do and how you 00:35:46.550 --> 00:35:48.329 need to live. He's telling you where you need 00:35:48.329 --> 00:35:53.329 to go for good reason. The world is going to 00:35:53.329 --> 00:35:54.530 come after you. It's going to come after you 00:35:54.530 --> 00:36:00.130 with everything it has. It doesn't want you to 00:36:00.130 --> 00:36:04.010 have a relationship with Jesus. Period. It doesn't 00:36:04.010 --> 00:36:06.349 care that you pick up your Bible and you know 00:36:06.349 --> 00:36:09.429 it forward and backward. The devil knows the 00:36:09.429 --> 00:36:11.550 Bible forward and backward. He was there when 00:36:11.550 --> 00:36:17.210 it was written. Right? He was in heaven. He got 00:36:17.210 --> 00:36:21.030 to look face to face with God. He knows what 00:36:21.030 --> 00:36:23.969 the word says. So he doesn't care if you know 00:36:23.969 --> 00:36:26.230 what the word is. He cares if you apply it to 00:36:26.230 --> 00:36:28.949 your life and that you decide to follow Jesus, 00:36:29.030 --> 00:36:33.769 that you believe in Jesus. So he and his ministers 00:36:33.769 --> 00:36:34.949 are going to come at you with everything that 00:36:34.949 --> 00:36:36.809 they got to get you to change your mind and to 00:36:36.809 --> 00:36:46.300 turn away. But no matter how hard that hit, just 00:36:46.300 --> 00:36:51.179 remember, Jesus is going to come back. And they're 00:36:51.179 --> 00:36:52.980 not going to get back up when Jesus comes and 00:36:52.980 --> 00:36:56.059 lays down that heavy hand. He knows what he's 00:36:56.059 --> 00:37:01.260 doing. He's not going to let harm in the sense 00:37:01.260 --> 00:37:05.059 of eternity befall you. He will look to his sheep. 00:37:07.000 --> 00:37:08.739 That's why we make the introduction to him one 00:37:08.739 --> 00:37:11.940 by one, right? the one that strayed from the 00:37:11.940 --> 00:37:14.940 99. The church comes together, we're safe, but 00:37:14.940 --> 00:37:17.420 there's still those who are lost. Jesus is going 00:37:17.420 --> 00:37:19.300 after them. You want to do some, hey, this is 00:37:19.300 --> 00:37:23.219 Jesus. And then they make the decision if they're 00:37:23.219 --> 00:37:24.719 going to follow him or not. He brings them back 00:37:24.719 --> 00:37:26.940 into the herd, right? Brings them to the flock. 00:37:28.800 --> 00:37:31.980 Plain and simple. And on that note, let us pray. 00:37:33.840 --> 00:37:35.920 Heavenly Father, we thank you for spending time 00:37:35.920 --> 00:37:40.019 with us. We thank you for taking your word. into 00:37:40.019 --> 00:37:41.599 our hearts. We thank you for bringing your word 00:37:41.599 --> 00:37:46.980 into our lives. We ask that you, in addition 00:37:46.980 --> 00:37:49.320 to spending time with us, though, show us not 00:37:49.320 --> 00:37:50.840 only how to apply this stuff to our lives, but 00:37:50.840 --> 00:37:53.460 how we can apply it when we talk to those who 00:37:53.460 --> 00:37:57.480 are lost. How we can take it to the world and 00:37:57.480 --> 00:37:59.980 share that hope and that love that you have for 00:37:59.980 --> 00:38:02.800 everybody. Forgive us for those times that we 00:38:02.800 --> 00:38:08.179 failed to surrender. Forgive us for those times 00:38:08.179 --> 00:38:11.820 when we've misstepped. And help us to overcome 00:38:11.820 --> 00:38:15.579 all these hindrances. Let go of those chains 00:38:15.579 --> 00:38:18.219 that you've already broken so that you have full 00:38:18.219 --> 00:38:20.940 charge and full control over us and our lives. 00:38:20.980 --> 00:38:25.260 Mold us and mold our character into that which 00:38:25.260 --> 00:38:30.059 is Christ -like and not world -like. Help us 00:38:30.059 --> 00:38:32.500 to forgive those places we still need to forgive, 00:38:32.739 --> 00:38:36.900 whether it's others or ourselves. and help us 00:38:36.900 --> 00:38:40.940 to refocus that lens so we see things in the 00:38:40.940 --> 00:38:43.340 world the way you'd have us look at it, and not 00:38:43.340 --> 00:38:47.900 with hate, discontent. In Jesus' name, amen. 00:38:48.440 --> 00:38:49.940 Remember, when you leave here today, you are 00:38:49.940 --> 00:38:52.079 loved and you are blessed, so go and be the church. 00:38:57.019 --> 00:38:59.920 Thank you for joining us at Healing Scars with 00:38:59.920 --> 00:39:20.809 Pastor Burton. Until next time, take care and 00:39:20.809 --> 00:39:21.429 God bless.