WEBVTT 00:00:01.419 --> 00:00:04.440 Sharing good news of great joy to all people. 00:00:04.860 --> 00:00:10.980 Elation Church. Today is week number three. Everybody 00:00:10.980 --> 00:00:14.179 say week number three. Week number three in our 00:00:14.179 --> 00:00:18.679 series that we've entitled, Hello, My Name is 00:00:18.679 --> 00:00:25.719 God. Hello, My Name is God. What are names all 00:00:25.719 --> 00:00:31.300 about? What's in a name? Each week I've been 00:00:31.300 --> 00:00:35.560 giving you examples about what's in a name. So 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:38.359 names signify identity. Everybody say identity. 00:00:39.500 --> 00:00:43.899 Names signify identity. And something curious 00:00:43.899 --> 00:00:47.740 about me is when I was growing up and I wanted 00:00:47.740 --> 00:00:51.380 to play junior high school football in the state 00:00:51.380 --> 00:00:55.380 of South Carolina, I had to produce a state birth 00:00:55.380 --> 00:00:58.960 certificate. I had a county birth certificate, 00:00:59.159 --> 00:01:01.380 but I didn't have a state birth certificate. 00:01:01.439 --> 00:01:06.459 So when it came in, it didn't help me much. Because 00:01:06.459 --> 00:01:11.040 on my state birth certificate, it said that my 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:16.079 name was No Name Forrest. My parents didn't name 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:19.480 me before we left the hospital. So actually on 00:01:19.480 --> 00:01:21.900 my county birth certificate, it says Unnamed 00:01:21.900 --> 00:01:25.159 Forrest. On my state birth certificate, it said 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:27.500 No Name Forrest. We had to get that changed, 00:01:27.680 --> 00:01:31.480 and to this day, my state birth certificate has 00:01:31.480 --> 00:01:35.140 an asterisk on it. And the asterisk lets people 00:01:35.140 --> 00:01:37.819 know that my name has been changed from my birth 00:01:37.819 --> 00:01:43.340 name. So technically, I'm no name Forrest, even 00:01:43.340 --> 00:01:48.000 though I've always gone by Jeffrey Dean Forrest. 00:01:48.420 --> 00:01:54.379 Most people just call me Dean. And there's a 00:01:54.379 --> 00:01:58.989 name that... has been mine since I was nine years 00:01:58.989 --> 00:02:02.349 old, Friday morning when I was nine. I got a 00:02:02.349 --> 00:02:06.370 new identity, and that name is that I'm a Christian. 00:02:07.170 --> 00:02:11.129 I'm a Christ follower. That's not just something 00:02:11.129 --> 00:02:14.069 added on. I mean, that's who I am. That's my 00:02:14.069 --> 00:02:17.849 identity now. I am in Christ, and I am following 00:02:17.849 --> 00:02:23.469 him. So names signify identity, but names also 00:02:23.469 --> 00:02:28.919 signify relationship. I've got a lot of relationship 00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:35.500 names. Now, my mom always called me baby. Even 00:02:35.500 --> 00:02:37.860 when I was 50 years old and she was introducing 00:02:37.860 --> 00:02:41.139 me to people, she would say, this is my baby, 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:45.340 Dean. That's because I was the youngest of four. 00:02:46.039 --> 00:02:49.460 I was always the baby. Didn't matter how old 00:02:49.460 --> 00:02:53.219 I was. She called me baby. She rarely said my 00:02:53.219 --> 00:02:55.669 name. All I heard. was baby most of the time. 00:02:55.710 --> 00:02:58.789 That's what mom called me. Now, my dad didn't 00:02:58.789 --> 00:03:01.930 call me baby. My dad just called me son. Come 00:03:01.930 --> 00:03:07.430 here, son. So, that's a relationship name. In 00:03:07.430 --> 00:03:15.150 October of 84, I became a husband. Why did I 00:03:15.150 --> 00:03:19.310 say October? I don't know. There I am trying 00:03:19.310 --> 00:03:22.150 to be good, and I wasn't good. It's definitely 00:03:22.150 --> 00:03:29.020 August. It's August 5th, to be exact. That's 00:03:29.020 --> 00:03:33.300 a different testimony. I was called in the ministry 00:03:33.300 --> 00:03:35.860 in October of 92, and sometimes October just 00:03:35.860 --> 00:03:42.659 comes out. August 5th of 1984, I became a husband. 00:03:43.500 --> 00:03:47.599 But Ganna does not call me husband. She does 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:51.699 not say, husband, can we go shopping today? That's 00:03:51.699 --> 00:03:55.039 not what she says. Now, here's what she calls 00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:59.520 me. Most of the time, when I'm doing good, she 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:02.939 calls me honey. But maybe after me saying October 00:04:02.939 --> 00:04:05.300 today, I might not get honey the rest of the 00:04:05.300 --> 00:04:12.819 day. I'm not sure. But she calls me honey. In 00:04:12.819 --> 00:04:19.860 January 31st of 1992, not October, I became a 00:04:19.860 --> 00:04:23.100 father. But Jeffrey, I don't believe, has ever 00:04:23.100 --> 00:04:25.579 called me father because we don't live in Great 00:04:25.579 --> 00:04:31.740 Britain. Oh, father, can I have $20? No, he doesn't 00:04:31.740 --> 00:04:35.740 call me father. He calls me dad. And that kind 00:04:35.740 --> 00:04:38.040 of changed. It used to be daddy when he was young, 00:04:38.060 --> 00:04:41.199 but then we dropped the D -Y as he got older. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:44.680 He calls me dad. These are all relationship names. 00:04:46.019 --> 00:04:48.839 If I just tell you these names are my names, 00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:53.189 you automatically know. that I'm married, that 00:04:53.189 --> 00:04:59.930 I've got a child. You learn things about me by 00:04:59.930 --> 00:05:06.050 hearing my names. Right? I'm also a brother, 00:05:06.189 --> 00:05:13.110 an uncle, a nephew. All those names. Now, names 00:05:13.110 --> 00:05:19.329 also signify activity. Activity. Everybody say 00:05:19.329 --> 00:05:25.290 identity. Everybody say identity, relationship, 00:05:25.889 --> 00:05:33.889 activity. I've got a lot of names that identify 00:05:33.889 --> 00:05:37.410 my activities, the things that I've done, what 00:05:37.410 --> 00:05:40.910 a person does. I was a student for a lot of years. 00:05:41.769 --> 00:05:45.250 I was a cook. My junior year of high school, 00:05:45.310 --> 00:05:49.250 I became a cook at Quincy's Steakhouse. They're 00:05:49.250 --> 00:05:54.000 not around anymore, but it's not my fault. It 00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:57.220 was good food. Does anybody remember the big 00:05:57.220 --> 00:05:59.240 fat yeast roll? Anybody ever been to Quincy's? 00:05:59.300 --> 00:06:03.819 Big fat yeast roll. I've actually been paid to 00:06:03.819 --> 00:06:09.899 run sound at events. I was a custodian at Disney 00:06:09.899 --> 00:06:11.839 for a while when we first came down part time. 00:06:12.699 --> 00:06:15.600 Been a janitor. My wife and I had a contract 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:19.459 where we would go clean offices. I was a screen 00:06:19.459 --> 00:06:23.079 printer. Bought my own equipment and did my own 00:06:23.079 --> 00:06:25.100 artwork, made my own screens, screen printed 00:06:25.100 --> 00:06:31.480 t -shirts. I was an A &R director. That was before 00:06:31.480 --> 00:06:34.720 screen printing t -shirts because that put me 00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:37.199 in the face of a lot of singing groups that needed 00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:39.779 t -shirts to sell when they went out to sing. 00:06:39.860 --> 00:06:43.300 So I was an A &R director at Mark 5 Records. 00:06:44.199 --> 00:06:46.850 I still don't know what that means. I know it 00:06:46.850 --> 00:06:49.050 means artists and repertoire, but I don't know 00:06:49.050 --> 00:06:50.709 what that had to do with my job. I don't know. 00:06:52.350 --> 00:06:56.209 I was the vice president of Heartlook Records, 00:06:56.269 --> 00:06:59.870 one of our record companies. One day the boss 00:06:59.870 --> 00:07:01.850 came in with some business cards that said I 00:07:01.850 --> 00:07:04.850 was the vice president of Heartlook. The only 00:07:04.850 --> 00:07:07.910 thing was I didn't get a raise. I just got business 00:07:07.910 --> 00:07:11.589 cards and a title. I've been the music director 00:07:11.589 --> 00:07:16.019 of state and national... organizations. I've 00:07:16.019 --> 00:07:21.079 been an event planner. I've rented space and 00:07:21.079 --> 00:07:26.720 planned events all over the place. Nashville, 00:07:26.980 --> 00:07:33.160 Indiana, Arizona, here in Florida, in South Carolina, 00:07:33.259 --> 00:07:37.939 North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, I've planned 00:07:37.939 --> 00:07:42.360 events. I was a crusade director several times. 00:07:44.219 --> 00:07:48.199 I've been the president of state and national 00:07:48.199 --> 00:07:51.319 organizations and a non -profit corporation. 00:07:52.699 --> 00:07:56.740 I've been the worship leader at events. I guess 00:07:56.740 --> 00:07:59.139 the closest thing to a claim to fame is I led 00:07:59.139 --> 00:08:03.839 worship in the Ryman Auditorium. Nobody even 00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:09.860 said, ooh, ooh. That and about $12 will get you 00:08:09.860 --> 00:08:14.180 a cup of coffee at Starbucks. All right. i've 00:08:14.180 --> 00:08:17.800 been a conference director we started a conference 00:08:17.800 --> 00:08:23.639 that ran for 21 years for students in myrtle 00:08:23.639 --> 00:08:29.600 beach over new year's i was an evangelist for 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:32.799 over 20 years i was a chaplain for nine years 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:40.990 i've been a preacher since 1992. Some people 00:08:40.990 --> 00:08:42.789 call me preacher. Some people call me preacher 00:08:42.789 --> 00:08:44.929 dean. Some people call me pastor. Some people 00:08:44.929 --> 00:08:48.110 call me pastor dean. Look to the person beside 00:08:48.110 --> 00:08:50.529 you and say, that's a lot of names. That's a 00:08:50.529 --> 00:08:55.509 lot of names. That's more than 29 names because 00:08:55.509 --> 00:09:01.149 I added a few. 29 names. Now, if you've never 00:09:01.149 --> 00:09:03.429 met me before, you just found out a lot about 00:09:03.429 --> 00:09:09.090 me and my past by just hearing my activity names. 00:09:10.700 --> 00:09:12.720 I found out a lot about me, but I'm just one 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:16.100 person. And in this series, we're looking at, 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:19.960 hello, my name is God, but in the Word of God, 00:09:20.019 --> 00:09:25.340 God has given us names to let us know more about 00:09:25.340 --> 00:09:30.980 who He is, who He wants to be in relationship 00:09:30.980 --> 00:09:35.259 with you and me, what He wants to do, the things 00:09:35.259 --> 00:09:40.639 He wants to do for you and for me. We find out 00:09:40.639 --> 00:09:44.139 a lot of those things by looking at the names 00:09:44.139 --> 00:09:49.240 that He gave us. So we see identity, we see relationship, 00:09:49.419 --> 00:09:55.919 we see activity in a name. Psalm 910, this is 00:09:55.919 --> 00:10:00.620 our foundational verse for this series. It says 00:10:00.620 --> 00:10:04.419 this, And those who know your name will put their 00:10:04.419 --> 00:10:08.720 trust in you. For you, Lord, have not forsaken. 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:13.620 Those who seek you. I want you to think about 00:10:13.620 --> 00:10:17.500 that. Those who know your name. When we know 00:10:17.500 --> 00:10:24.500 who God is, when we know him by name, then we 00:10:24.500 --> 00:10:28.759 can put our trust in him. That word trust can 00:10:28.759 --> 00:10:33.159 also be translated confidence in English. When 00:10:33.159 --> 00:10:36.559 we know who God is, when we know his name, Then 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:39.460 we can have confidence in Him that that's who 00:10:39.460 --> 00:10:44.860 He is. That's what kind of relationship He wants 00:10:44.860 --> 00:10:47.159 to be in with us. That's what He wants to do 00:10:47.159 --> 00:10:51.279 in our lives. We find that out when we know His 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:54.820 name. And we can have confidence because of the 00:10:54.820 --> 00:10:57.279 second half of this verse. We can have complete 00:10:57.279 --> 00:11:02.100 confidence because God has not forsaken. He has 00:11:02.100 --> 00:11:07.320 not turned His back. On anyone. He doesn't do 00:11:07.320 --> 00:11:10.720 that. He will never leave you. He will never 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:14.379 forsake you. I'm sure in your life you might 00:11:14.379 --> 00:11:16.720 have experienced sometimes when you thought that 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:18.659 God was not there when you were going through 00:11:18.659 --> 00:11:21.600 some difficult times. We all go through difficult 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:27.559 times. I've been in that place before. I was 00:11:27.559 --> 00:11:31.419 like, God, where are you at? I'm hurting. I'm 00:11:31.419 --> 00:11:36.389 in trouble. Where are you at? But God did not 00:11:36.389 --> 00:11:40.970 forsake me during those times. And I can tell 00:11:40.970 --> 00:11:45.070 you that He didn't forsake you. Because God does 00:11:45.070 --> 00:11:54.389 not forsake those who seek Him. Sometimes when 00:11:54.389 --> 00:11:56.210 I felt abandoned and all alone, it's because 00:11:56.210 --> 00:12:00.190 I wasn't seeking God. I was so overwhelmed by 00:12:00.190 --> 00:12:02.850 what I was facing that I wasn't even thinking 00:12:02.850 --> 00:12:07.100 about God. I see about three heads shaking. Does 00:12:07.100 --> 00:12:12.700 anybody else know what I'm talking about? Listen. 00:12:14.419 --> 00:12:18.179 When you know who He is, you can put your trust, 00:12:18.259 --> 00:12:22.360 you can put your confidence in Him. And you can 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:25.279 be so confident knowing that He will not turn 00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:28.360 His back on you. He will not forsake you when 00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:31.779 you are seeking Him based on who He says He is. 00:12:34.090 --> 00:12:40.169 That's good preaching. That's my amen button 00:12:40.169 --> 00:12:43.169 that the church gave me for my birthday. I just 00:12:43.169 --> 00:12:45.429 hit it every once in a while. Hello, my name 00:12:45.429 --> 00:12:47.690 is God. Let's look at the name that we're looking 00:12:47.690 --> 00:12:50.029 at today. We started out with Elohim. Everybody 00:12:50.029 --> 00:12:53.590 say Elohim. And Yahweh. Everybody say Yahweh. 00:12:54.129 --> 00:12:56.669 And last week we looked at Yahweh Shalom. Everybody 00:12:56.669 --> 00:13:03.500 say Yahweh Shalom. He is our peace. Today we're 00:13:03.500 --> 00:13:07.000 looking at Jeremiah 23, verses 5 and 6. For the 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:09.980 time is coming, says the Lord, when I will raise 00:13:09.980 --> 00:13:13.539 up a righteous descendant from King David's line. 00:13:14.220 --> 00:13:20.299 He will be a king who rules with wisdom. He will 00:13:20.299 --> 00:13:23.820 do what is just and right throughout the land. 00:13:24.700 --> 00:13:32.110 And this will be his name. You ready? The Lord 00:13:32.110 --> 00:13:40.009 is our righteousness. Notice that this doesn't 00:13:40.009 --> 00:13:44.090 say, the Lord is righteous. We would all agree 00:13:44.090 --> 00:13:52.409 with that, right? He is righteous. But, when 00:13:52.409 --> 00:13:54.690 Jesus came, this is a prophetic verse talking 00:13:54.690 --> 00:13:59.330 about Jesus. It said, His name is... The Lord 00:13:59.330 --> 00:14:05.110 is our righteousness. And this is Yahweh in the 00:14:05.110 --> 00:14:10.649 Hebrew. Yahweh Sidkenu. Go ahead and try your 00:14:10.649 --> 00:14:17.809 Hebrew. Yahweh Sidkenu. He did great. Did great. 00:14:19.409 --> 00:14:21.629 That's his name. That's who he is. That's what 00:14:21.629 --> 00:14:29.080 he wants to do for you and for me. Yahweh is 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:38.120 his name. Sid Canoe is what he gives. I am is 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:45.799 our right. That's a direct translation from the 00:14:45.799 --> 00:14:51.460 Old Testament. I am is our right. So I can say 00:14:51.460 --> 00:14:56.879 it personally. I am is my right. I am is my right. 00:15:00.330 --> 00:15:06.230 God's name, Yahweh's Sidkenu, takes us somewhere. 00:15:06.289 --> 00:15:11.850 It takes us from works -based righteousness to 00:15:11.850 --> 00:15:17.830 gift -based righteousness. That's so good, I'm 00:15:17.830 --> 00:15:21.870 going to say it again. God's name takes us from 00:15:21.870 --> 00:15:26.970 works -based righteousness to gift -based righteousness. 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:34.580 This changed my life when I found this out. I've 00:15:34.580 --> 00:15:38.480 never been the same since I found this out. Works 00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:41.779 righteousness is I'm achieving righteousness 00:15:41.779 --> 00:15:46.059 through my actions. I'm just struggling to be 00:15:46.059 --> 00:15:49.179 right with God. You know, have you ever said 00:15:49.179 --> 00:15:51.299 about somebody, they're just not right with God? 00:15:54.100 --> 00:15:56.539 Have you ever thought that about yourself? I'm 00:15:56.539 --> 00:16:02.039 just not right with God. Well, if you're depending 00:16:02.039 --> 00:16:05.080 on your ability to perform, you will never be 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:08.779 right with God. You can look through the Bible. 00:16:08.820 --> 00:16:11.659 No one has ever been right with God based on 00:16:11.659 --> 00:16:15.340 their ability to perform. No one except one, 00:16:15.539 --> 00:16:21.340 and his name's Jesus. He's the only one. The 00:16:21.340 --> 00:16:24.720 only one. Now, this might be hard for some of 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:27.500 us to swallow, but go ahead and say this. In 00:16:27.500 --> 00:16:33.759 Christ. I am righteous. See, there was a time 00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:37.000 when I probably couldn't say that, I couldn't 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:44.440 stand and say, I'm righteous. See, no one but 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:51.480 Jesus has been righteous based on His ability 00:16:51.480 --> 00:17:00.519 to perform. So God's name. I am is my right that 00:17:00.519 --> 00:17:08.420 moves me from looking at my ability to be right 00:17:08.420 --> 00:17:12.839 with God to me receiving God's righteousness 00:17:12.839 --> 00:17:19.420 as a gift. When we're in Christ, here's what 00:17:19.420 --> 00:17:21.519 it means. It means that we've been declared innocent. 00:17:22.180 --> 00:17:24.440 Not that we've just been declared not guilty. 00:17:24.539 --> 00:17:29.589 We've been declared innocent. Like it was never 00:17:29.589 --> 00:17:37.849 there. Like your sin never took place. Now when 00:17:37.849 --> 00:17:39.390 I look in the mirror, I say, well, I've sinned 00:17:39.390 --> 00:17:44.789 a lot. But when God looks at me, He says, innocent. 00:17:49.210 --> 00:17:54.589 It's like I've never even sinned. And we're declared 00:17:54.589 --> 00:17:58.500 innocent when we're in Christ. In Old Testament 00:17:58.500 --> 00:18:01.960 and New Testament, we could say this. Righteousness 00:18:01.960 --> 00:18:06.640 is a gift for everyone who is in faith and everyone 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:14.099 who is in Jesus. Now I'm going to prove it. 2 00:18:14.099 --> 00:18:17.700 Corinthians 5 .21 For God made Christ, who never 00:18:17.700 --> 00:18:22.019 sinned, to be the offering for our sin, for your 00:18:22.019 --> 00:18:31.420 sin, for my sin, Right with God. We could be 00:18:31.420 --> 00:18:35.619 made right with God through Christ. I remembered 00:18:35.619 --> 00:18:38.579 this. I memorized it. I am the righteousness 00:18:38.579 --> 00:18:42.460 of God in Christ Jesus. If you've memorized that, 00:18:42.599 --> 00:18:48.039 and we memorize different versions, listen to 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:54.480 that good news. Jesus, who never sinned, became 00:18:54.480 --> 00:18:58.359 the offering for your sin. So that you could 00:18:58.359 --> 00:19:06.160 be made right with God in Him, through Him. That's 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:10.359 just almost too good to be true news, isn't it? 00:19:14.019 --> 00:19:21.259 Romans 4, 7 and 8. Oh, what joy for those whose 00:19:21.259 --> 00:19:25.640 disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:30.940 out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record 00:19:30.940 --> 00:19:35.799 the Lord has cleared of sin. There's no book 00:19:35.799 --> 00:19:37.920 in heaven with your sins written down in it. 00:19:42.059 --> 00:19:44.799 Some of you are like a calf looking at a new 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:53.859 gate. Somebody smile. Because if you're in Christ, 00:19:55.339 --> 00:20:01.799 There is no record of my sin in heaven. Because 00:20:01.799 --> 00:20:06.579 my sin was put on Jesus on the cross. I used 00:20:06.579 --> 00:20:09.759 to be afraid that I was going to get to heaven 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:11.420 and there was going to be a big book come out 00:20:11.420 --> 00:20:15.660 and every sin that I ever committed is going 00:20:15.660 --> 00:20:17.779 to be in this book and I'm going to have to deal 00:20:17.779 --> 00:20:22.420 with that before I enjoy heaven. Has anybody 00:20:22.420 --> 00:20:25.009 ever thought there's going to be a video? and 00:20:25.009 --> 00:20:27.150 it's just going to show everything you've met, 00:20:27.269 --> 00:20:35.490 everything. And not only are you going to see 00:20:35.490 --> 00:20:41.150 it, everybody else is going to see it too. I 00:20:41.150 --> 00:20:42.910 don't know where in the world preachers come 00:20:42.910 --> 00:20:52.519 up with such nonsense. Oh, what joy! For those 00:20:52.519 --> 00:20:54.599 whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are 00:20:54.599 --> 00:20:57.740 put out of sight. Guess what? Joy for those whose 00:20:57.740 --> 00:21:06.700 record the Lord has cleared of sin. God saved 00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:13.220 you by His grace when you believed. And you can't 00:21:13.220 --> 00:21:19.750 take credit for this. It's a gift from God. Salvation 00:21:19.750 --> 00:21:23.130 is not a reward for the good things we have done. 00:21:24.250 --> 00:21:29.970 So none of us can boast about it. None of us 00:21:29.970 --> 00:21:35.650 can boast about it. We're saved by grace through 00:21:35.650 --> 00:21:42.430 faith. God's grace, most of the time we just 00:21:42.430 --> 00:21:46.069 say unmerited favor. But I'm not sure that we 00:21:46.069 --> 00:21:55.299 grasp How big that is. Grace is God's unmerited. 00:21:55.319 --> 00:21:57.339 That means we don't earn it, work for it, or 00:21:57.339 --> 00:22:01.460 deserve it. It's His acts. It's His actions of 00:22:01.460 --> 00:22:05.440 kindness and favor towards you and towards me. 00:22:06.519 --> 00:22:13.660 Just like sin never happened. I don't know what 00:22:13.660 --> 00:22:18.289 it'd take for some of you to smile. If you're 00:22:18.289 --> 00:22:21.130 not smiling now, I don't know how to make you 00:22:21.130 --> 00:22:28.029 smile. Because this is good. Romans 4, 4 and 00:22:28.029 --> 00:22:31.849 5. When people work, their wages are not a gift. 00:22:37.089 --> 00:22:40.630 I used to have jobs, and when payday came, I 00:22:40.630 --> 00:22:44.170 was looking for my paycheck. Because I've worked, 00:22:44.230 --> 00:22:52.230 and now I want my paycheck. I'm thankful that 00:22:52.230 --> 00:22:59.289 that doesn't work that way with God. Because 00:22:59.289 --> 00:23:02.230 I've done a lot of work that deserves a bad paycheck. 00:23:07.069 --> 00:23:15.490 But God, through His mercy, says, no. You're 00:23:15.490 --> 00:23:20.940 not going to get that paycheck. Because I don't 00:23:20.940 --> 00:23:25.099 see that. I've dismissed that. I've cleared that. 00:23:25.160 --> 00:23:29.299 I've declared that you are innocent. And here's 00:23:29.299 --> 00:23:31.720 why. Because when I look at you, I see the blood 00:23:31.720 --> 00:23:36.019 of Christ. I see Jesus dying for your sin on 00:23:36.019 --> 00:23:38.700 the cross. I don't see your sin anymore. I see 00:23:38.700 --> 00:23:43.920 the sacrifice that was given for your sin. When 00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:45.900 people work, their wages are not a gift, but 00:23:45.900 --> 00:23:48.220 something they have earned. But people are counted 00:23:48.220 --> 00:23:54.480 righteous not because of their work, but because 00:23:54.480 --> 00:23:58.019 of their faith. Everybody say faith. Because 00:23:58.019 --> 00:24:05.279 of their faith in God who forgives sinners. Genesis 00:24:05.279 --> 00:24:10.680 15, 6. Abraham believed the Lord. Everybody say 00:24:10.680 --> 00:24:14.420 faith. Abraham believed the Lord and the Lord 00:24:14.420 --> 00:24:20.059 counted him. as righteous because he was a really 00:24:20.059 --> 00:24:24.619 good person. Is that what it says? Not what it 00:24:24.619 --> 00:24:29.779 says. The Lord counted Abram, who we know as 00:24:29.779 --> 00:24:33.119 Abraham, counted him as righteous because of 00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:40.680 his faith. How simple does it need to be for 00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:44.299 us to take hold of it? Righteousness is received 00:24:44.299 --> 00:24:47.599 by faith. Like all of God's grace gifts, like 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:50.839 all of God's promises in His Word, they're received 00:24:50.839 --> 00:24:54.140 by faith. Just like salvation is received by 00:24:54.140 --> 00:25:01.319 faith, righteousness is received by faith. What 00:25:01.319 --> 00:25:04.900 are the steps of faith? We've done whole series 00:25:04.900 --> 00:25:08.579 on this. I'm just reminding you. First of all, 00:25:08.579 --> 00:25:17.190 you have to hear it. You have to hear it. I can't 00:25:17.190 --> 00:25:19.470 tell you how long I was a follower of Christ 00:25:19.470 --> 00:25:24.170 before I heard what I'm telling you today. I 00:25:24.170 --> 00:25:30.990 had to hear it. So you hear it. You hear God's 00:25:30.990 --> 00:25:37.650 Word. Then you wholeheartedly believe it. Now 00:25:37.650 --> 00:25:40.430 even the first time I heard it, I probably didn't 00:25:40.430 --> 00:25:45.089 wholeheartedly believe it. Because I had so much... 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:48.839 religious baggage that it was hard for me to 00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:51.960 believe it. Does anybody know what I'm talking 00:25:51.960 --> 00:25:55.859 about? I praise God for those people who have 00:25:55.859 --> 00:25:59.119 no idea what I'm talking about. Because you never 00:25:59.119 --> 00:26:03.039 just had all that religious bondage, baggage 00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:08.180 to take care of. You don't have things to unlearn. 00:26:09.259 --> 00:26:11.660 You can just hear the truth and believe the truth. 00:26:14.829 --> 00:26:18.990 But we hear, we believe. Then we begin to put 00:26:18.990 --> 00:26:21.349 our words in agreement with what we wholeheartedly 00:26:21.349 --> 00:26:27.849 believe. So we look in the mirror and look at 00:26:27.849 --> 00:26:31.609 ourselves and say, I'm the righteousness of God 00:26:31.609 --> 00:26:35.710 in Christ Jesus. I am right with God. God's not 00:26:35.710 --> 00:26:39.349 ashamed of me. God's not mad at me. God doesn't 00:26:39.349 --> 00:26:41.369 have a big list of everything I've ever done 00:26:41.369 --> 00:26:45.119 wrong in heaven to bring up to me. No, He separated 00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:50.579 that as far as the east is to the west. That's 00:26:50.579 --> 00:26:56.319 what the Bible says. So every time I start feeling 00:26:56.319 --> 00:27:00.079 condemned or feeling shame or feeling guilt and 00:27:00.079 --> 00:27:06.039 feeling condemnation, I need to go to what I've 00:27:06.039 --> 00:27:08.220 heard and what I've believed and I need to speak 00:27:08.220 --> 00:27:13.920 that. Are you with me? And then I need to receive 00:27:13.920 --> 00:27:16.960 it. I need to hold on to it. I need to act like 00:27:16.960 --> 00:27:30.779 it's so. Act like it's real. Isaiah 61 .10 I 00:27:30.779 --> 00:27:38.480 am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God. You 00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:40.710 know why we're... Overwhelmed with joy. You know 00:27:40.710 --> 00:27:43.650 why you can be overwhelmed with joy in the Lord 00:27:43.650 --> 00:27:50.690 your God? Because He has dressed me with the 00:27:50.690 --> 00:27:58.230 clothing of salvation. And draped me in a robe 00:27:58.230 --> 00:28:06.190 of righteousness. It's a great exchange of salvation. 00:28:09.130 --> 00:28:12.630 Because my righteousness was like filthy rags 00:28:12.630 --> 00:28:15.529 before I came to Christ. No matter how good I 00:28:15.529 --> 00:28:20.990 tried to be, it was like filthy rags. But when 00:28:20.990 --> 00:28:26.289 I came to Christ, I took off my righteousness 00:28:26.289 --> 00:28:34.430 and received His righteousness. He gave me the 00:28:34.430 --> 00:28:38.029 clothing of salvation. He draped me in a robe 00:28:38.380 --> 00:28:45.339 of righteousness. I'll take it too. So give for 00:28:45.339 --> 00:28:51.700 righteousness is not doing right or trying to 00:28:51.700 --> 00:28:56.339 be right in our flesh. Give for righteousness 00:28:56.339 --> 00:28:59.900 is just being right because God has declared 00:28:59.900 --> 00:29:04.619 us right. It's putting on right clothing. Right 00:29:04.619 --> 00:29:13.920 clothing. John 16, 8. When He, the Holy Spirit, 00:29:13.940 --> 00:29:17.980 comes, this is before Pentecost. When He, the 00:29:17.980 --> 00:29:20.279 Holy Spirit, comes, He will convict the world 00:29:20.279 --> 00:29:27.259 of its sin. Does anybody remember that day that 00:29:27.259 --> 00:29:30.960 you were convicted of your sin? You're convicted. 00:29:33.619 --> 00:29:37.779 He will convict the world of its sin. And of 00:29:37.779 --> 00:29:41.960 God's righteousness. And of the coming judgment. 00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:48.759 The world's sin is that it refuses to believe 00:29:48.759 --> 00:29:53.960 in me. And listen. Righteousness is available 00:29:53.960 --> 00:29:57.640 because I go to the Father and you will see me 00:29:57.640 --> 00:30:05.279 no more. This is what the Holy Spirit does. He 00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:08.819 convicts us of our sin, but he doesn't just condemn 00:30:08.819 --> 00:30:11.960 us in our sin. He convicts us, and then he says, 00:30:12.079 --> 00:30:15.299 hey, you're a sinner, and your sin separates 00:30:15.299 --> 00:30:17.319 you from a holy God. All have sinned and fallen 00:30:17.319 --> 00:30:19.500 short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is 00:30:19.500 --> 00:30:22.960 death. But I've got some good news for you. Righteousness 00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:34.720 is available. That's the work of the Holy Spirit 00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:39.200 in this earth. He does a lot more things for 00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:46.099 us too, but this is the beginning. Righteousness 00:30:46.099 --> 00:30:51.200 is available. Righteousness is available through 00:30:51.200 --> 00:30:56.000 Christ's finished work on the cross. To become 00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:59.440 right with God, that's the first step of receiving 00:30:59.440 --> 00:31:02.519 God's righteousness. And the second step is to 00:31:02.519 --> 00:31:06.559 be right with God. To be free from the guilt 00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:11.940 and the shame and the condemnation of sin. You 00:31:11.940 --> 00:31:19.980 can be free. You can be free. According to God's 00:31:19.980 --> 00:31:22.759 Word, when I'm in Christ, I'm clothed in Christ's 00:31:22.759 --> 00:31:26.140 righteousness. My record has been cleared. And 00:31:26.140 --> 00:31:29.160 then I can reject shame, guilt, and condemnation. 00:31:29.720 --> 00:31:32.400 And I can receive righteousness by faith, just 00:31:32.400 --> 00:31:35.420 like Abraham, just like every Christ follower. 00:31:36.079 --> 00:31:43.200 Righteousness is available. I was hoping I had 00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:47.960 another slide, but if it comes up later, it's 00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:54.839 okay, because I just need to say it now. My whole 00:31:54.839 --> 00:32:02.240 experience with God changed. When I found out 00:32:02.240 --> 00:32:11.339 who he was. It changed. The two. That's why we 00:32:11.339 --> 00:32:15.279 started with him. The two compound names of God. 00:32:16.279 --> 00:32:22.839 Yahweh Shalom. And Yahweh Sidkenu. Completely 00:32:22.839 --> 00:32:30.099 changed my life. I accepted Christ when I was 00:32:30.099 --> 00:32:33.759 nine years old. My dad's a preacher. So I was 00:32:33.759 --> 00:32:36.400 at the church every time the doors were open. 00:32:37.460 --> 00:32:39.680 And we didn't just have a Sunday morning service. 00:32:41.119 --> 00:32:44.160 We had Sunday morning. Well, first we had Sunday 00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:46.960 school. Then we had Sunday morning preaching. 00:32:47.220 --> 00:32:50.579 And then we had a discipleship training. And 00:32:50.579 --> 00:32:53.740 then we had an evening service. And then we had 00:32:53.740 --> 00:32:58.359 a Wednesday night service. And then at least 00:32:58.359 --> 00:33:03.140 twice a year, we had revival, which was Sunday 00:33:03.140 --> 00:33:05.299 night, our Sunday morning, Sunday night, Monday 00:33:05.299 --> 00:33:07.299 night, Tuesday night, Wednesday night, Thursday 00:33:07.299 --> 00:33:11.740 night, Friday night. And I was at every one of 00:33:11.740 --> 00:33:14.220 them. And then we would have special events. 00:33:16.019 --> 00:33:18.259 You know, Vacation Bible School was Monday, Tuesday, 00:33:18.420 --> 00:33:23.680 Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. I was there. I never 00:33:23.680 --> 00:33:33.740 missed. But I missed Yahweh's Shalom and Yahweh's 00:33:33.740 --> 00:33:42.640 Sidkenu. Because I spent years with my religious 00:33:42.640 --> 00:33:47.099 experience. I was just focused on my ability 00:33:47.099 --> 00:33:51.420 to perform. And that's what my whole experience 00:33:51.420 --> 00:33:58.140 was. Every Sunday, I just... thought about every 00:33:58.140 --> 00:34:01.140 Sunday night, Sunday school, discipleship training, 00:34:01.319 --> 00:34:03.740 Wednesday night, every time I was at church, 00:34:03.819 --> 00:34:10.519 I was just like, boy, I really messed up. I've 00:34:10.519 --> 00:34:14.219 messed up. You know, my attitude, the things 00:34:14.219 --> 00:34:19.780 that I say, what I've done. God is so disappointed 00:34:19.780 --> 00:34:25.539 in me. And I would just think, I constantly thought, 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:30.239 about how sorry I was. I'm just a sorry Christian. 00:34:31.960 --> 00:34:38.000 Because I keep messing up. I'm serious. Always 00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:46.099 under guilt. Always under shame. Always under 00:34:46.099 --> 00:34:52.889 condemnation. That may be why some people get 00:34:52.889 --> 00:34:54.530 to the point where they don't even want anything 00:34:54.530 --> 00:34:58.269 to do with church anymore. Because all it does 00:34:58.269 --> 00:35:08.590 is make them feel bad. I mean, it's not that 00:35:08.590 --> 00:35:12.289 my dad preached condemnation. It's just, that's 00:35:12.289 --> 00:35:15.670 just all I ever thought about. I've been into 00:35:15.670 --> 00:35:17.789 some churches that actually preach condemnation 00:35:17.789 --> 00:35:21.269 and shame and guilt. My dad wasn't that kind 00:35:21.269 --> 00:35:24.849 of preacher, but that's just what my experience 00:35:24.849 --> 00:35:31.429 with God was just always about. But then I found 00:35:31.429 --> 00:35:37.269 out that I can have peace. I found out in Romans 00:35:37.269 --> 00:35:41.630 8 .1 that now there's therefore no condemnation 00:35:41.630 --> 00:35:47.530 for those who are in Christ. I found out those 00:35:47.530 --> 00:35:53.780 things. And it took me a little while to, I like 00:35:53.780 --> 00:35:56.719 to call it, kicking over the sacred cows. You 00:35:56.719 --> 00:35:59.199 know what I mean? I mean, it's like all these 00:35:59.199 --> 00:36:03.320 religious entrapments that I was in. I mean, 00:36:03.340 --> 00:36:09.840 it took me a while to shake it off. But I'm here 00:36:09.840 --> 00:36:16.719 today to tell you that I'm free. I'm free. Now, 00:36:16.739 --> 00:36:19.260 some people listen to messages like this and 00:36:19.260 --> 00:36:24.440 they think, well, preacher, you know, you're 00:36:24.440 --> 00:36:27.360 just giving people a license to sin by what you're 00:36:27.360 --> 00:36:29.480 saying. Has anybody ever heard that phrase before? 00:36:29.679 --> 00:36:31.639 Or is it just preachers that hear that phrase? 00:36:32.099 --> 00:36:34.500 You're just giving everybody a license to sin 00:36:34.500 --> 00:36:36.400 if you tell them that God is their righteousness 00:36:36.400 --> 00:36:39.199 and it doesn't have to do with their ability 00:36:39.199 --> 00:36:41.519 to keep the rules. You're just telling people 00:36:41.519 --> 00:36:43.780 to just go be as wild as they can possibly be. 00:36:48.909 --> 00:36:53.989 That's not what I'm saying. If you taste and 00:36:53.989 --> 00:36:58.730 see that the Lord is good, if you get a hold 00:36:58.730 --> 00:37:02.789 of what He did for you, what Jesus did for you 00:37:02.789 --> 00:37:08.130 on the cross to become your righteousness, you 00:37:08.130 --> 00:37:11.250 don't want to go live a wild and loose life. 00:37:14.769 --> 00:37:18.920 I mean, Paul even said, Should we go on sinning 00:37:18.920 --> 00:37:23.599 that grace would abound? Some of the strongest 00:37:23.599 --> 00:37:28.260 language in the Bible is no way. We'd never do 00:37:28.260 --> 00:37:31.900 that. If that's what you take this message to 00:37:31.900 --> 00:37:35.960 mean, you don't even know the grace of God. You've 00:37:35.960 --> 00:37:41.639 never got a hold of that. But I became free. 00:37:43.239 --> 00:37:48.050 And my... My religious experience moved from 00:37:48.050 --> 00:37:54.190 looking at me all the time to looking at God 00:37:54.190 --> 00:38:00.289 and looking at other people. Because when I was 00:38:00.289 --> 00:38:03.849 focused on my inability to perform, I was pretty 00:38:03.849 --> 00:38:07.670 useless for the kingdom of God. Because I was 00:38:07.670 --> 00:38:12.150 just self -focused all the time. I mean, it was 00:38:12.150 --> 00:38:14.130 a bad way, but I was just looking at me all the 00:38:14.130 --> 00:38:23.329 time. God doesn't want us that way. He doesn't 00:38:23.329 --> 00:38:26.670 want you that way. To just be focused on yourself 00:38:26.670 --> 00:38:29.530 and your inability to perform all the time. That's 00:38:29.530 --> 00:38:31.610 not what God wants. That doesn't please God. 00:38:33.949 --> 00:38:36.269 Because if that's the way you're living, you 00:38:36.269 --> 00:38:39.090 know what? You haven't got a hold of who he is 00:38:39.090 --> 00:38:44.989 yet. And I'm telling you today that he is the 00:38:44.989 --> 00:38:50.030 I am. who is your right, and you need to hear 00:38:50.030 --> 00:38:53.210 it, you need to wholeheartedly believe it, you 00:38:53.210 --> 00:38:54.969 need to put your words in agreement with it, 00:38:55.070 --> 00:38:59.869 and you need to act like it's true. Romans 14, 00:39:00.130 --> 00:39:03.849 17. I quote this one a lot. I rarely have it 00:39:03.849 --> 00:39:07.989 on the screen. Kingdom of God, the eternal rule 00:39:07.989 --> 00:39:11.170 and reign of God, is not eating and drinking 00:39:11.170 --> 00:39:14.170 because they have a lot of rules. Everybody say 00:39:14.170 --> 00:39:20.260 rules. Rules. What they could eat, what they 00:39:20.260 --> 00:39:22.260 couldn't eat, what they could drink, what they 00:39:22.260 --> 00:39:26.619 couldn't drink. Judaism. They had a lot of rules. 00:39:30.099 --> 00:39:32.579 But the Holy Spirit tells us through Paul that 00:39:32.579 --> 00:39:34.800 the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking. 00:39:35.199 --> 00:39:40.300 It's not about just being so concerned about 00:39:40.300 --> 00:39:46.099 the rules. It's not what it's about. Here's what 00:39:46.099 --> 00:39:50.960 it's about. It's about righteousness. It's about 00:39:50.960 --> 00:39:59.300 peace. It's about joy in the Holy Spirit. And 00:39:59.300 --> 00:40:03.199 if your religious experience is not focused on 00:40:03.199 --> 00:40:05.800 gift righteousness and the peace of God that 00:40:05.800 --> 00:40:08.300 surpasses all understanding and the joy that 00:40:08.300 --> 00:40:10.659 we can have in the Holy Spirit, well then, you're 00:40:10.659 --> 00:40:16.099 focusing on the wrong things. Because that's 00:40:16.099 --> 00:40:20.840 what the kingdom of God is about. So here's the 00:40:20.840 --> 00:40:25.840 DFV of the verse I just read. You don't know 00:40:25.840 --> 00:40:27.800 what DFV means. That means Dean Forrest Version. 00:40:30.960 --> 00:40:34.679 Just expanding that verse. Commentary on the 00:40:34.679 --> 00:40:38.800 verse that I just read. When we have confidence 00:40:38.800 --> 00:40:43.239 in Yahweh Shalom and take hold of His peace, 00:40:44.329 --> 00:40:50.550 That is beyond understanding. He is your peace. 00:40:52.269 --> 00:40:55.329 If the only peace you have is dependent on what's 00:40:55.329 --> 00:40:58.530 going on around you, all you have is the world's 00:40:58.530 --> 00:41:03.369 peace. You don't have the peace of God. There's 00:41:03.369 --> 00:41:06.309 a peace that's greater than that. There's a peace 00:41:06.309 --> 00:41:10.769 that is beyond my understanding, beyond the understanding 00:41:10.769 --> 00:41:16.309 of humanity. that you can have even when nothing's 00:41:16.309 --> 00:41:20.949 going right. There's a peace that you can have. 00:41:21.030 --> 00:41:24.090 I mean, this past Tuesday, I preached my sister's 00:41:24.090 --> 00:41:32.349 funeral. There's a peace that you can have. There's 00:41:32.349 --> 00:41:39.389 a peace. It's who God is. Jesus has given you 00:41:39.389 --> 00:41:43.570 His peace. And it's who He is. You can have it. 00:41:45.610 --> 00:41:48.150 But you have to receive it by faith just like 00:41:48.150 --> 00:41:51.809 you receive salvation by faith. You have to receive 00:41:51.809 --> 00:41:55.110 Yahweh's shalom by faith. That that's who He 00:41:55.110 --> 00:41:57.269 is. That's what He wants to do for you. That's 00:41:57.269 --> 00:42:00.309 what He has given you. And then now you hear 00:42:00.309 --> 00:42:03.949 it. You believe it. You put your words in agreement 00:42:03.949 --> 00:42:09.960 with it. And you receive it. When we have confidence 00:42:09.960 --> 00:42:13.340 in Yahweh Shalom and take hold of His peace, 00:42:13.380 --> 00:42:17.719 it is beyond understanding. And have confidence 00:42:17.719 --> 00:42:23.559 in Yahweh Tzidkenu to embrace this freedom that 00:42:23.559 --> 00:42:28.719 I'm talking about. The freedom of God's gift 00:42:28.719 --> 00:42:34.400 righteousness. When you take hold of both of 00:42:34.400 --> 00:42:37.239 those things by faith, Listen, you will overflow 00:42:37.239 --> 00:42:45.559 with joy in the Holy Spirit. Just letting you 00:42:45.559 --> 00:42:47.360 think about it a second. I know you're ready 00:42:47.360 --> 00:42:48.960 to go home thinking about what you're going to 00:42:48.960 --> 00:42:53.780 eat and all that kind of stuff. This is bigger 00:42:53.780 --> 00:42:57.940 than that. This is spiritual food that will carry 00:42:57.940 --> 00:43:02.420 you a long time. When you have confidence in 00:43:02.420 --> 00:43:04.889 Yahweh Shalom, take hold of His peace. that is 00:43:04.889 --> 00:43:07.449 beyond understanding, to have confidence in Yahweh's 00:43:07.449 --> 00:43:11.110 sick canoe, to embrace the freedom of God's gift 00:43:11.110 --> 00:43:13.750 righteousness, you're going to overflow with 00:43:13.750 --> 00:43:23.829 joy in the Holy Spirit. And you're still not 00:43:23.829 --> 00:43:38.250 smiling. Joy is not deep and hidden. That's not 00:43:38.250 --> 00:43:39.829 what the word in the Bible means. It doesn't 00:43:39.829 --> 00:43:43.849 mean that it's deep and hidden. It means that 00:43:43.849 --> 00:43:50.469 it's expressed. Those who know your name, those 00:43:50.469 --> 00:43:58.889 who know that God is Yahweh Sidkenu, those who 00:43:58.889 --> 00:44:02.889 know that God is their righteousness, will put 00:44:02.889 --> 00:44:08.380 their trust and put their confidence in it. knowing 00:44:08.380 --> 00:44:11.019 that He will not forsake them, He will not turn 00:44:11.019 --> 00:44:18.119 His back on them. You can hold on as the righteousness 00:44:18.119 --> 00:44:21.800 of God in Christ Jesus. When we trust and have 00:44:21.800 --> 00:44:25.159 complete confidence in Yahweh's sick canoe, here's 00:44:25.159 --> 00:44:30.000 that slide I was looking for. When we trust and 00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:32.159 have complete confidence in Yahweh's sick canoe, 00:44:32.260 --> 00:44:37.420 our focus moves. From our ability to perform, 00:44:37.739 --> 00:44:42.139 which is works righteousness, to our place in 00:44:42.139 --> 00:44:45.460 the kingdom of God, which is gift righteousness. 00:44:46.699 --> 00:44:49.519 This online worship experience was brought to 00:44:49.519 --> 00:44:52.260 you by the friends and partners of Eulation Church.