WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.419 Faith is more than a feeling or a theory. It's 00:00:03.419 --> 00:00:06.059 a decision that moves your feet, opens your hands, 00:00:06.219 --> 00:00:09.019 and activates God's promises. In our brand new 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:11.820 book, Faith Act, Jeffrey and I take you on a 00:00:11.820 --> 00:00:13.839 powerful journey through some of Scripture's 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:16.800 most transforming moments, where ordinary people 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:20.699 dared to obey and saw heaven move on their behalf. 00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:24.140 Order your copy of Faith Act today on Amazon. 00:00:26.539 --> 00:00:29.140 Week number four in a series that we've entitled, 00:00:29.660 --> 00:00:35.399 I Have the Receipt. Everybody say that. I have 00:00:35.399 --> 00:00:39.740 the receipt. If this is your first time in this 00:00:39.740 --> 00:00:41.420 series, you're probably like, what are you talking 00:00:41.420 --> 00:00:45.020 about? Don't worry, I'll explain it to you. Does 00:00:45.020 --> 00:00:48.679 anyone have a membership at one of the shopping 00:00:48.679 --> 00:00:57.369 clubs? Like BJ's or Costco? Well, if you do, 00:00:57.450 --> 00:00:58.829 you're going to understand what I'm talking about, 00:00:58.990 --> 00:01:01.329 but I go to BJ's every week. This week, I went 00:01:01.329 --> 00:01:04.709 to Costco. They did the same thing that they 00:01:04.709 --> 00:01:09.069 do at BJ's. After you check out, you have to 00:01:09.069 --> 00:01:12.409 hold on to your receipt. Now, this week at Costco, 00:01:12.629 --> 00:01:14.849 there was a husband and wife that were struggling 00:01:14.849 --> 00:01:18.269 before they got to the exit because he thought 00:01:18.269 --> 00:01:21.709 she had the receipt, and he thought she had the 00:01:21.709 --> 00:01:26.040 receipt, so it was taking them a while. But at 00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:28.780 these wholesale clubs, you have to have the receipt 00:01:28.780 --> 00:01:33.359 as a proof of purchase for the things that are 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:37.939 in your shopping cart. You have to have it. If 00:01:37.939 --> 00:01:42.280 you don't have that receipt, you can leave, but 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:45.280 the shopping cart's not going to leave. And they're 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:49.680 very specific at this BJ's down at Postner Park. 00:01:49.799 --> 00:01:53.219 I mean, I've never been there when they haven't. 00:01:53.420 --> 00:01:57.980 counted every single item in my cart. Now at 00:01:57.980 --> 00:02:03.000 Costco, that lady, what day was that? Thursday? 00:02:03.780 --> 00:02:07.299 Friday? The lady at the door counted at least 00:02:07.299 --> 00:02:10.840 three -fourths of what was in the cart, but then 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:17.159 she gave up. But at this BJ's in Davenport, I 00:02:17.159 --> 00:02:20.460 mean, you better have it because a couple of 00:02:20.460 --> 00:02:23.800 weeks ago, They were dealing with a man who hadn't 00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:28.060 paid for one item in his cart. And it's easy 00:02:28.060 --> 00:02:29.639 when you're doing self -checkout to possibly 00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:32.699 miss something you're trying. You know, it's 00:02:32.699 --> 00:02:35.259 easy to miss, but they were not going to let 00:02:35.259 --> 00:02:37.259 him leave until they figured out how he was going 00:02:37.259 --> 00:02:39.159 to pay for that item or he was going to leave 00:02:39.159 --> 00:02:42.759 that item at the door. So you have to have a 00:02:42.759 --> 00:02:46.900 receipt, and the receipt is a proof of purchase. 00:02:48.139 --> 00:02:52.590 A proof of purchase. Maybe you haven't gone to 00:02:52.590 --> 00:02:54.250 one of these shopping clubs, but maybe you've 00:02:54.250 --> 00:02:56.990 gone somewhere where they have alarms at the 00:02:56.990 --> 00:02:59.449 door. Has anyone ever tried to walk out of a 00:02:59.449 --> 00:03:00.870 store and all of a sudden the alarm went off? 00:03:02.969 --> 00:03:05.389 It's embarrassing because everybody around you 00:03:05.389 --> 00:03:08.689 thinks you just tried to steal something. Every 00:03:08.689 --> 00:03:10.969 time it's gone off for me, it's because the cashier 00:03:10.969 --> 00:03:16.189 forgot to deactivate the RFID or they forgot 00:03:16.189 --> 00:03:20.139 to take off a little tag that sets it off. But 00:03:20.139 --> 00:03:23.740 when that happened, I was glad that I had a receipt. 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:28.180 Because without the receipt, I couldn't prove 00:03:28.180 --> 00:03:32.800 that I had purchased it. So that's why we've 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:36.680 entitled this series, I Have the Receipt. See, 00:03:36.759 --> 00:03:39.199 this series is helping each one of us be more 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:42.379 established in one of the most central truths 00:03:42.379 --> 00:03:46.379 of the Christian faith. And that is this, what 00:03:46.379 --> 00:03:50.889 was purchased. and what is provided through the 00:03:50.889 --> 00:03:56.969 blood of Jesus. Because there are a lot of things 00:03:56.969 --> 00:04:01.889 purchased by the blood of Jesus. There are a 00:04:01.889 --> 00:04:05.569 lot of things provided for us, provided for you. 00:04:06.370 --> 00:04:08.569 Now, that doesn't mean that we've all taken advantage 00:04:08.569 --> 00:04:12.990 of it, but it's available. A lot of things that 00:04:12.990 --> 00:04:15.909 were provided through the blood of Jesus. And 00:04:15.909 --> 00:04:18.420 the Word of God, everybody say the Bible. The 00:04:18.420 --> 00:04:22.920 Word of God contains a detailed receipt of what 00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:28.459 Jesus purchased with His blood. So, we have the 00:04:28.459 --> 00:04:33.500 receipt to prove it, that it's been purchased. 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:38.120 The price has been paid. The blood of Jesus paid 00:04:38.120 --> 00:04:41.060 for it. That's my proof of purchase is in His 00:04:41.060 --> 00:04:48.279 Word. So, I can be confident. in the things that 00:04:48.279 --> 00:04:52.240 he has purchased for me. And here's the deal. 00:04:52.259 --> 00:04:55.160 You can be confident in the things that he has 00:04:55.160 --> 00:05:01.680 purchased for you. Now, we talk about a lot of 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:03.839 illustrations and we give illustrations like 00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:07.699 me holding up a BJ's receipt and Jesus shared 00:05:07.699 --> 00:05:10.839 parables, which were illustrations. And we find 00:05:10.839 --> 00:05:13.939 illustrations in the Bible, but the blood of 00:05:13.939 --> 00:05:17.379 Jesus, the blood, is not just an illustration. 00:05:18.439 --> 00:05:22.319 It's not just a picture, a mental picture. It's 00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:29.480 not just symbolic religious talk. The blood is 00:05:29.480 --> 00:05:34.000 covenant reality. The blood of Jesus is full 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:38.600 of spiritual power, even today. Sometimes we 00:05:38.600 --> 00:05:41.079 think, oh, this power, that's 2 ,000 years ago, 00:05:41.180 --> 00:05:47.250 and he did shed his blood 2 ,000 years ago. But 00:05:47.250 --> 00:05:51.790 his blood still contains the same spiritual power 00:05:51.790 --> 00:05:55.629 as it did the day he shed his blood on the cross. 00:05:59.230 --> 00:06:02.389 Now the first verse that I probably ever taught 00:06:02.389 --> 00:06:05.689 or preached about or even knew about the blood 00:06:05.689 --> 00:06:10.470 of Jesus was Hebrews 9 .22. And it says this, 00:06:10.509 --> 00:06:13.870 without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. 00:06:15.790 --> 00:06:19.569 Without the shedding of blood, we would be hopelessly 00:06:19.569 --> 00:06:23.610 and helplessly lost if Jesus would not have shed 00:06:23.610 --> 00:06:27.730 his blood for you and for me. Because there is 00:06:27.730 --> 00:06:32.009 no forgiveness. None. Without the shedding of 00:06:32.009 --> 00:06:40.029 blood. The price of sin was death. It was death. 00:06:42.350 --> 00:06:48.279 That's the price. But thank you, Jesus, that 00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:50.620 I don't have to die for my own sin because you 00:06:50.620 --> 00:06:54.220 died for my sin. He died for my sin. He shed 00:06:54.220 --> 00:07:00.060 his blood for my sin. So we didn't actually preach. 00:07:00.120 --> 00:07:01.620 Probably should have preached a week on this, 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:04.040 but we didn't preach a week on this because this 00:07:04.040 --> 00:07:06.860 is very basic information, and I believe everyone 00:07:06.860 --> 00:07:10.160 who spent any time in church should know that 00:07:10.160 --> 00:07:12.920 without the shedding of Jesus' blood, there would 00:07:12.920 --> 00:07:18.199 be no forgiveness. So we took that as a foundation. 00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:23.600 See, the blood of Jesus makes forgiveness possible. 00:07:23.939 --> 00:07:27.439 It doesn't mean that everyone's forgiven, but 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:31.860 it makes forgiveness possible. And in week one, 00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:35.480 we looked at Colossians 1, 13 through 14, among 00:07:35.480 --> 00:07:41.500 many other verses, to find something else. For 00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:44.600 he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness. 00:07:47.629 --> 00:07:51.709 Somebody say thank you. He has rescued us from 00:07:51.709 --> 00:07:54.089 the kingdom of darkness. The kingdom of darkness 00:07:54.089 --> 00:08:00.069 has no power over us anymore. None. Because we've 00:08:00.069 --> 00:08:03.189 been rescued from the kingdom of darkness. And 00:08:03.189 --> 00:08:07.350 we've been transferred into the kingdom of his 00:08:07.350 --> 00:08:11.790 dear son. Been rescued out of the kingdom of 00:08:11.790 --> 00:08:13.750 darkness. That's where we all started. Every 00:08:13.750 --> 00:08:17.540 single one of us started being... captive and 00:08:17.540 --> 00:08:22.360 owned by the kingdom of darkness, but Jesus transferred 00:08:22.360 --> 00:08:26.639 us, He bought us, He purchased us, He redeemed 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:31.079 us, bought us out of the kingdom of darkness 00:08:31.079 --> 00:08:36.559 and transferred us into the kingdom of God. So 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:38.919 we've been transferred into the kingdom of His 00:08:38.919 --> 00:08:45.509 dear Son. How did the transfer take place? By 00:08:45.509 --> 00:08:52.570 a purchase. He purchased our freedom and forgave 00:08:52.570 --> 00:08:57.029 our sins. So in week number one, we found out 00:08:57.029 --> 00:09:00.509 that we have been purchased. That's what redemption 00:09:00.509 --> 00:09:08.009 is. We've been bought out. Redeemed. The blood 00:09:08.009 --> 00:09:12.610 of Jesus. In Corinthians it says, You know, don't 00:09:12.610 --> 00:09:14.649 you know that you're not your own? You've been 00:09:14.649 --> 00:09:19.529 bought at a price. So the blood of Jesus paid 00:09:19.529 --> 00:09:23.269 the price for our redemption. He bought us. He 00:09:23.269 --> 00:09:28.889 owns us if we're in Christ. He purchased us and 00:09:28.889 --> 00:09:33.669 brought us out of the kingdom of darkness. We 00:09:33.669 --> 00:09:40.389 have the receipt. We have the receipt. Let's 00:09:40.389 --> 00:09:43.190 look at Hebrews 9, 13 and 14. Under the old system, 00:09:43.250 --> 00:09:45.950 the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of 00:09:45.950 --> 00:09:50.710 a heifer could cleanse people's bodies from ceremonial 00:09:50.710 --> 00:10:00.110 impurity. Just think, how much more? Everybody 00:10:00.110 --> 00:10:03.049 say, how much more? Just think, how much more 00:10:03.049 --> 00:10:08.830 the blood of Christ will purify our consciences? 00:10:17.230 --> 00:10:19.730 Maybe you didn't know the blood of Jesus would 00:10:19.730 --> 00:10:27.750 cure or purify your conscience. That's something 00:10:27.750 --> 00:10:30.169 that he has done for you. That's something that 00:10:30.169 --> 00:10:36.769 Jesus purchased for you with his blood. A cleansed 00:10:36.769 --> 00:10:45.210 conscience. Does anybody ever have issues with 00:10:45.210 --> 00:10:51.639 their conscience? Beating them down. Well, the 00:10:51.639 --> 00:10:55.159 blood of Jesus will cleanse, will purify your 00:10:55.159 --> 00:11:00.120 conscience from sinful deeds so that we can worship 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:04.580 the living God. We have to have our consciences 00:11:04.580 --> 00:11:10.799 cleansed so that we can worship God freely. Because 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:13.580 if we have condemned consciences, you know what? 00:11:13.639 --> 00:11:16.070 We're not going to... Be confident to come to 00:11:16.070 --> 00:11:22.470 God in worship. Y 'all are thinking way too hard. 00:11:27.029 --> 00:11:30.169 Christ's blood not only deals with the forgiveness 00:11:30.169 --> 00:11:32.830 of sin, Christ's blood deals with the effects 00:11:32.830 --> 00:11:38.350 and internal damage of sin in the believer. Christ's 00:11:38.350 --> 00:11:41.309 blood can cleanse the conscious of all guilt 00:11:41.309 --> 00:11:46.909 and condemnation. From past actions and from 00:11:46.909 --> 00:11:51.230 past experiences. Because sometimes our conscience 00:11:51.230 --> 00:11:54.629 needs to be cleansed over what someone else did 00:11:54.629 --> 00:11:59.090 to us. Over some other sinful act that maybe 00:11:59.090 --> 00:12:01.909 we didn't specifically commit, but it was committed 00:12:01.909 --> 00:12:05.570 and it affected us. The blood of Jesus can cleanse 00:12:05.570 --> 00:12:13.879 your conscience. Somebody say thank you. Hebrews 00:12:13.879 --> 00:12:19.799 10, 19. We talked about this last week. And so, 00:12:19.860 --> 00:12:24.539 dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter 00:12:24.539 --> 00:12:29.279 heaven's most holy place. Everybody say, boldly 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:36.820 enter. Why? What does the Word say? Because of 00:12:36.820 --> 00:12:43.549 the blood of Jesus. Not confidence in ourself, 00:12:43.669 --> 00:12:49.210 but confidence in the blood and what he did for 00:12:49.210 --> 00:12:53.309 us so we can boldly enter. We don't come as beggars. 00:12:55.210 --> 00:13:01.690 We come as children. Think about it. Who can 00:13:01.690 --> 00:13:06.850 boldly enter? Let's just think about the president. 00:13:07.049 --> 00:13:13.000 Who can boldly enter? Well, there are people 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:16.379 who are invited who can boldly enter. But then 00:13:16.379 --> 00:13:21.059 I imagine the wife can boldly enter. The child 00:13:21.059 --> 00:13:26.379 can boldly enter. Right? Some of you are looking 00:13:26.379 --> 00:13:29.320 at me funny. But I just want you to think of 00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:32.039 that. Picture that. Get that illustration in 00:13:32.039 --> 00:13:35.279 your mind that you can boldly enter heaven's 00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:40.299 most holy place. Why? Because of the blood of 00:13:40.299 --> 00:13:45.789 Jesus. That's why. The blood of Jesus grants 00:13:45.789 --> 00:13:51.549 us bold access to God. Now, the blood of Jesus 00:13:51.549 --> 00:13:55.990 not only makes forgiveness possible, it not only 00:13:55.990 --> 00:13:58.830 purchases us out of the kingdom of darkness, 00:13:58.909 --> 00:14:01.850 it not only cleanses our conscience from the 00:14:01.850 --> 00:14:05.470 effects of sin, it not only grants us bold access 00:14:05.470 --> 00:14:12.960 to God, the bold... The blood of Jesus speaks 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:22.539 over your life. The blood of Jesus speaks good 00:14:22.539 --> 00:14:26.600 things, better things. We're going to find out 00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:32.299 in the Word. It speaks. Everybody just go ahead 00:14:32.299 --> 00:14:36.080 and say it. The blood of Jesus speaks good things 00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:42.460 over my life. Did you know that blood speaks? 00:14:45.259 --> 00:14:49.700 Blood speaks. Blood speaks in the spirit realm. 00:14:50.980 --> 00:14:53.440 You can't hear it with your ears in this natural 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:58.059 realm, but blood speaks in the spirit realm. 00:15:00.299 --> 00:15:03.620 Let's see the first instance of this. Not only 00:15:03.620 --> 00:15:07.600 the blood of God, but blood. Spilled blood has 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:13.070 a voice. See, Adam and Eve had two sons. Their 00:15:13.070 --> 00:15:17.230 names were Abel and Cain. Abel became a shepherd 00:15:17.230 --> 00:15:20.230 while Cain cultivated the ground. Genesis 4, 00:15:20.309 --> 00:15:23.009 starting in verse 2. When it was time for the 00:15:23.009 --> 00:15:28.470 harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as 00:15:28.470 --> 00:15:32.970 a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift. 00:15:34.289 --> 00:15:38.220 The best. Everybody say the best. the best portions 00:15:38.220 --> 00:15:43.019 of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord 00:15:43.019 --> 00:15:48.220 accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept 00:15:48.220 --> 00:15:52.259 Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry 00:15:52.259 --> 00:15:56.840 and he looked dejected. Why are you so angry? 00:15:56.960 --> 00:16:00.720 The Lord asked Cain. Why do you look so dejected? 00:16:01.740 --> 00:16:05.480 You will be accepted if you do what is right. 00:16:06.759 --> 00:16:10.740 But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch 00:16:10.740 --> 00:16:16.799 out. Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control 00:16:16.799 --> 00:16:22.419 you. But you must subdue it and be its master. 00:16:25.240 --> 00:16:29.100 Next verse. One day, Cain suggested to his brother, 00:16:29.259 --> 00:16:33.320 let's go out into the fields. And while they 00:16:33.320 --> 00:16:37.750 were in the field, Cain attacked his brother 00:16:37.750 --> 00:16:48.090 Abel and killed him. Wow. God told him, be careful. 00:16:49.750 --> 00:16:51.490 Just do what's right and everything's going to 00:16:51.490 --> 00:16:55.990 be good. But no, jealousy tore him up. The first 00:16:55.990 --> 00:16:58.409 murder in the Bible had to do with an offering. 00:17:00.649 --> 00:17:02.230 I don't know if you've ever realized that or 00:17:02.230 --> 00:17:09.140 not. Afterward, the Lord asked Cain, where's 00:17:09.140 --> 00:17:13.619 your brother? Do you think God knew where his 00:17:13.619 --> 00:17:18.480 brother was? He just wanted him to come clean, 00:17:18.539 --> 00:17:23.200 right? Afterward, the Lord asked Cain, where's 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:27.559 your brother? Where's Abel? How did Cain answer 00:17:27.559 --> 00:17:34.339 God? I don't know. Cain responded. Am I my brother's 00:17:34.339 --> 00:17:40.900 keeper? Am I my brother's guardian? But the Lord 00:17:40.900 --> 00:17:51.180 said, what have you done? Listen, your brother's 00:17:51.180 --> 00:17:54.480 blood, everybody say blood. Your brother's blood 00:17:54.480 --> 00:18:01.759 cries out to me from the ground. Everybody say, 00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:05.680 blood speaks. In the spirit realm, blood speaks. 00:18:06.519 --> 00:18:08.420 You can't hear it with your natural ear, but 00:18:08.420 --> 00:18:17.180 blood speaks. God was hearing the blood of Abel, 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:20.559 crying out to him from the ground. Abel's blood 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:22.920 was crying out for justice. Everybody say justice. 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:27.259 For judgment. For vengeance. Everybody say vengeance. 00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:32.640 Abel's blood was crying out. Now let's go to 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:37.940 Hebrews 12, 24. To Jesus, the mediator of the 00:18:37.940 --> 00:18:45.740 new covenant. Jesus ratified this new covenant 00:18:45.740 --> 00:18:50.779 that we live under with his blood. When we receive 00:18:50.779 --> 00:18:55.079 communion, when we read those verses, Jesus said, 00:18:55.180 --> 00:18:59.380 this blood represents the new covenant. Everybody 00:18:59.380 --> 00:19:02.619 say new covenant. between God and his people. 00:19:04.039 --> 00:19:07.980 To Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. Listen, 00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:14.500 and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better 00:19:14.500 --> 00:19:18.259 things than that of Abel. Everybody say better 00:19:18.259 --> 00:19:23.759 things. Abel's blood was crying out for vengeance, 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:28.700 for justice, for judgment. But the blood of Jesus 00:19:28.700 --> 00:19:33.559 on the cross is not. Speak what Abel's blood 00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:38.880 spoke. Thank you. The blood of Jesus speaks better 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:41.819 things. Everybody say better things. Everybody 00:19:41.819 --> 00:19:46.019 say good things. This is the NLT version of Hebrews 00:19:46.019 --> 00:19:50.660 12, 24. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates 00:19:50.660 --> 00:19:54.279 the new covenant between God and people, and 00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:59.240 to the sprinkled blood which speaks of forgiveness. 00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:03.519 Everybody say forgiveness. Instead of crying 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:08.339 out for vengeance, like the blood of Abel. Jesus' 00:20:08.500 --> 00:20:10.799 blood speaks better things, better than vengeance, 00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:13.859 better than condemnation, better than penalty. 00:20:14.779 --> 00:20:17.420 His blood speaks better things because the blood 00:20:17.420 --> 00:20:19.819 of Jesus, here's what the blood of Jesus speaks 00:20:19.819 --> 00:20:22.880 and declares. The blood of Jesus speaks mercy. 00:20:23.240 --> 00:20:26.220 The blood of Jesus speaks pardon. The blood of 00:20:26.220 --> 00:20:29.059 Jesus speaks acceptance. The blood of Jesus speaks 00:20:29.059 --> 00:20:31.720 peace. The blood of Jesus speaks reconciliation. 00:20:32.440 --> 00:20:35.619 The blood of Jesus speaks covenant favor between 00:20:35.619 --> 00:20:40.920 God and his people. If you ever said amen in 00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:42.759 church, that would have been a good spot to say 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:48.140 it right there. The blood of Jesus also speaks 00:20:48.140 --> 00:20:52.599 against accusations. One of the enemy's primary 00:20:52.599 --> 00:20:59.109 strategies is accusation, being accused. Sometimes 00:20:59.109 --> 00:21:02.190 we think those accusations are just coming from 00:21:02.190 --> 00:21:05.990 our own intellect and our own thought, but we 00:21:05.990 --> 00:21:09.849 can also hear accusations from the enemy whispering 00:21:09.849 --> 00:21:16.269 in our ear. He wants to accuse you. That's one 00:21:16.269 --> 00:21:19.130 of his primary strategies. Another one of his 00:21:19.130 --> 00:21:22.950 primary strategies is to tell you lies that are 00:21:22.950 --> 00:21:27.309 in opposition to God's truth. That's a big one 00:21:27.309 --> 00:21:32.259 too. But one of his strategies is accusation, 00:21:32.299 --> 00:21:36.400 to accuse you before God, to accuse you in your 00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:40.759 own mind, to accuse you through shame, to accuse 00:21:40.759 --> 00:21:46.900 you through past failures. His tactic, strategy, 00:21:47.299 --> 00:21:52.180 is to accuse you. Romans 8, 33 says this, Who 00:21:52.180 --> 00:21:58.579 dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? 00:22:03.940 --> 00:22:06.980 Hello? That needs to be where we are. When accusations 00:22:06.980 --> 00:22:12.319 arise, we need to say, who dares to accuse me? 00:22:13.539 --> 00:22:16.720 Because God has chosen me as his own. Who dares 00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:21.519 bring an accusation to me? Instead of us receiving 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:24.859 it and being crushed under it and beat down under 00:22:24.859 --> 00:22:27.400 it, we need to stand up boldly and say, who dares 00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:35.599 accuse me? No one. For God himself, listen, has 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:42.519 given us right standing with himself. How did 00:22:42.519 --> 00:22:45.720 that take place? How did we receive the righteousness 00:22:45.720 --> 00:22:48.619 of Christ? By him shedding his blood for us. 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:53.859 So we take off our unrighteousness and we are 00:22:53.859 --> 00:22:58.609 clothed in the righteousness of God. What an 00:22:58.609 --> 00:23:06.150 amazing place to be. Who dares accuse us? No 00:23:06.150 --> 00:23:08.930 one can accuse us for God himself has given us 00:23:08.930 --> 00:23:11.990 right standing with himself. Who dares accuse 00:23:11.990 --> 00:23:17.470 you? No one can accuse you because God has given 00:23:17.470 --> 00:23:24.589 you right standing with himself. Verse 34. Who 00:23:24.589 --> 00:23:28.599 then will condemn us? No one. Everybody say no 00:23:28.599 --> 00:23:35.079 one. I have a feeling a lot of us deal with condemnation 00:23:35.079 --> 00:23:45.539 a lot. Because I've lived a few years. Hello? 00:23:48.119 --> 00:23:50.819 Has anyone in the room ever dealt with condemnation? 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:56.279 Five of us are telling the truth. Everybody else 00:23:56.279 --> 00:23:58.339 needs to be feeling condemnation for lying in 00:23:58.339 --> 00:24:06.279 church right now. Who then will condemn us? No 00:24:06.279 --> 00:24:09.680 one. God's not even condemning us. For Christ 00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:14.339 died for us and was raised to life for us and 00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:17.539 He is sitting in the place of honor at God's 00:24:17.539 --> 00:24:23.359 right hand pleading for us. Speaking for us on 00:24:23.359 --> 00:24:28.740 our behalf. Not only is He speaking, He carried 00:24:28.740 --> 00:24:32.319 His blood into the Holy of Holies, the real Holy 00:24:32.319 --> 00:24:34.980 of Holies in heaven, and put His blood on the 00:24:34.980 --> 00:24:38.339 mercy seat, and His blood is speaking good things 00:24:38.339 --> 00:24:44.940 over us. It continues to do that. I'm about to 00:24:44.940 --> 00:24:48.039 get happy in a minute. Charges exist, right? 00:24:51.369 --> 00:24:55.410 Who could have some legitimate charges against 00:24:55.410 --> 00:25:01.970 them? Only four of us again. I don't know. Charges 00:25:01.970 --> 00:25:08.230 exist. Accusations come. But when you're in Christ, 00:25:08.329 --> 00:25:10.710 the blood of Jesus answers those accusations. 00:25:13.789 --> 00:25:17.730 Accusation speaks guilty, but the blood speaks 00:25:17.730 --> 00:25:22.390 justified. Accusation speaks disqualified. You're 00:25:22.390 --> 00:25:24.650 now disqualified because of this that's happened 00:25:24.650 --> 00:25:26.930 in your life. But the blood speaks accepted. 00:25:28.230 --> 00:25:32.569 Accusation speaks that you're still bound. But 00:25:32.569 --> 00:25:37.809 the blood speaks redeemed and free. That's what 00:25:37.809 --> 00:25:42.250 the blood of Jesus speaks. By faith, we must 00:25:42.250 --> 00:25:45.230 agree with the blood's testimony. If we are to 00:25:45.230 --> 00:25:53.309 live, and experience everything that Jesus shed 00:25:53.309 --> 00:25:57.230 His blood to purchase for us, then we've got 00:25:57.230 --> 00:26:02.190 to know by faith that we have the receipt. And 00:26:02.190 --> 00:26:05.190 we've got to agree with the blood. We've got 00:26:05.190 --> 00:26:08.329 to quit agreeing with the enemy and agreeing 00:26:08.329 --> 00:26:12.450 with guilt and shame and condemnation. We've 00:26:12.450 --> 00:26:16.670 got to agree with God if we want to be free. 00:26:19.079 --> 00:26:24.359 Now, you don't have to be free. But free is a 00:26:24.359 --> 00:26:32.920 whole lot better than bound. And in Christ, Jesus 00:26:32.920 --> 00:26:36.240 has presented to you what he has done for you, 00:26:36.299 --> 00:26:41.119 but it's up to us to take hold of it. It doesn't 00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:48.420 just automatically happen. It's available. Listen, 00:26:48.519 --> 00:26:51.839 salvation is available, but we have to respond 00:26:51.839 --> 00:26:55.980 to God's grace by faith. That's what the Bible 00:26:55.980 --> 00:27:00.400 says. So it works the same way. Always works 00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:05.799 the same way. What the blood has provided, we 00:27:05.799 --> 00:27:09.940 have to receive it by faith. Believers must refuse 00:27:09.940 --> 00:27:13.599 accusation, and we've got to start speaking covenant 00:27:13.599 --> 00:27:18.039 truth. Because we combat thoughts with words, 00:27:18.099 --> 00:27:20.880 not with more thoughts. We combat thoughts with 00:27:20.880 --> 00:27:25.440 words. So when the accusation comes, we speak 00:27:25.440 --> 00:27:31.900 the truth. The blood is not only something to 00:27:31.900 --> 00:27:36.900 believe silently. The things that Jesus' blood 00:27:36.900 --> 00:27:39.279 has purchased for us, it's not just a mental 00:27:39.279 --> 00:27:42.640 agreement that we just believe silently. No. 00:27:43.119 --> 00:27:51.640 It's something for us to confess boldly. Colossians 00:27:51.640 --> 00:27:56.779 2, 13 and 14. You were dead because of your sins. 00:27:57.259 --> 00:27:58.940 Spiritually dead. That's where we all started. 00:27:59.779 --> 00:28:02.200 You were dead because of your sins and because 00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:08.859 your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then... 00:28:11.339 --> 00:28:17.240 God made you alive with Christ for he forgave 00:28:17.240 --> 00:28:21.039 all of your sins. How did that forgiveness come? 00:28:21.940 --> 00:28:25.799 Without the shedding of blood, there's no forgiveness. 00:28:26.980 --> 00:28:33.759 And get this. He canceled the record of the charges 00:28:33.759 --> 00:28:38.160 against us and took it away by nailing it to 00:28:38.160 --> 00:28:43.599 the cross. See, I'm a preacher's kid, but I grew 00:28:43.599 --> 00:28:46.759 up thinking that one day, when I finally made 00:28:46.759 --> 00:28:48.240 it to heaven, I was pretty sure I was going to 00:28:48.240 --> 00:28:50.579 make it to heaven, but I always thought that 00:28:50.579 --> 00:28:52.660 when I got to heaven, there was just going to 00:28:52.660 --> 00:28:55.900 be this film projector. This is before digital. 00:28:56.579 --> 00:29:01.299 There's going to be this film projector, and 00:29:01.299 --> 00:29:05.319 I was going to have to stand there in front of 00:29:05.319 --> 00:29:12.579 everybody and watch. Every bad thing I ever did. 00:29:14.539 --> 00:29:17.099 And let everybody hear every bad thing I ever 00:29:17.099 --> 00:29:21.180 said. I don't know where I got that from, but 00:29:21.180 --> 00:29:28.660 that's. I didn't get it from the Bible. Didn't 00:29:28.660 --> 00:29:32.839 get it from the Bible. The Bible says that God 00:29:32.839 --> 00:29:35.079 has canceled the record of the charges against 00:29:35.079 --> 00:29:40.119 me. And he took it away. By nailing it to the 00:29:40.119 --> 00:29:50.259 cross. There is no document in heaven keeping 00:29:50.259 --> 00:29:54.680 record of sins of people who have believed in 00:29:54.680 --> 00:29:57.640 Jesus and who have been forgiven by Jesus, who've 00:29:57.640 --> 00:30:02.279 been washed in the blood of Jesus. There's no 00:30:02.279 --> 00:30:08.650 record. We talked about at our... We talked about 00:30:08.650 --> 00:30:11.430 the judgment seat of Christ this week. And the 00:30:11.430 --> 00:30:15.910 judgment seat of Christ is not to pour guilt 00:30:15.910 --> 00:30:18.809 and shame and condemnation on you in heaven. 00:30:24.490 --> 00:30:30.549 It's a judgment seat that the result of it is 00:30:30.549 --> 00:30:33.970 going to be the rewards that are given to us. 00:30:37.069 --> 00:30:38.910 Because we're going to see rewards in heaven 00:30:38.910 --> 00:30:43.630 for the things that we've done that God led us 00:30:43.630 --> 00:30:46.750 to do and God empowered us to do. There's going 00:30:46.750 --> 00:30:48.750 to be rewards for those things. Notice there's 00:30:48.750 --> 00:30:51.769 no rewards for things that are just done out 00:30:51.769 --> 00:30:56.589 of our imagination. Because what was done for 00:30:56.589 --> 00:31:00.269 Christ, in Christ, led by Christ, empowered by 00:31:00.269 --> 00:31:05.190 Christ, those things are going to last. How else 00:31:05.190 --> 00:31:08.099 do you think? That we're going to have something 00:31:08.099 --> 00:31:10.519 in our hands that represents the way that we 00:31:10.519 --> 00:31:14.299 lived for Christ to lay at the feet of Jesus. 00:31:15.220 --> 00:31:19.200 Where's it going to come from? Judgment seat 00:31:19.200 --> 00:31:24.759 of Christ. Contrary to what some people believe, 00:31:24.980 --> 00:31:29.500 there's not going to be a big stack of bad things 00:31:29.500 --> 00:31:30.960 that we've done and then all of a sudden we've 00:31:30.960 --> 00:31:34.720 got to go to purgatory or something and, you 00:31:34.720 --> 00:31:37.960 know, get punished for... A thousand years before 00:31:37.960 --> 00:31:40.700 we finally get to heaven. That's not in the Bible 00:31:40.700 --> 00:31:44.420 either. But it's a good way to raise money, I 00:31:44.420 --> 00:31:48.279 guess. Because after somebody dies, they tell 00:31:48.279 --> 00:31:49.859 your family, they say, well, you know, if you 00:31:49.859 --> 00:31:52.880 give, if you make a generous gift from the life 00:31:52.880 --> 00:31:56.960 insurance policy, we will pray them out of purgatory 00:31:56.960 --> 00:32:00.500 and they won't have to spend as long in purgatory. 00:32:04.900 --> 00:32:13.650 I'm sorry. I normally don't bash things. But 00:32:13.650 --> 00:32:20.130 some things are just too ridiculous. My record's 00:32:20.130 --> 00:32:24.549 been canceled of every charge that will ever 00:32:24.549 --> 00:32:27.589 be. Not just my past, my past, my present, and 00:32:27.589 --> 00:32:31.250 future. My record is being canceled. Has anybody 00:32:31.250 --> 00:32:34.349 ever heard of a record being expunged? Do you 00:32:34.349 --> 00:32:38.059 know what that is? Who knows what that is? Some 00:32:38.059 --> 00:32:44.140 of us. Well, if you are found guilty or if you're 00:32:44.140 --> 00:32:48.240 charged with things in the legal system, those 00:32:48.240 --> 00:32:52.019 things will stay on your record forever. I had 00:32:52.019 --> 00:32:57.519 a friend go hunting in Canada. And when he was 00:32:57.519 --> 00:33:02.400 there, the officer asked him, well, do you have 00:33:02.400 --> 00:33:07.640 any convictions or anything like that? This was 00:33:07.640 --> 00:33:13.880 a preacher friend. He said, no. And the guy said, 00:33:13.960 --> 00:33:19.740 are you sure? He said, well, back when I was 00:33:19.740 --> 00:33:25.059 17 years old, I found myself in a car with some 00:33:25.059 --> 00:33:33.099 guys who, they didn't steal anything, but they 00:33:33.099 --> 00:33:36.869 were at the beach. and they had spent the day 00:33:36.869 --> 00:33:39.509 on the beach, and then they were all sandy and 00:33:39.509 --> 00:33:40.890 dirty. It was going to take them hours to get 00:33:40.890 --> 00:33:44.650 back home. So one of them had the idea to break 00:33:44.650 --> 00:33:47.069 into some rental house, just go in there and 00:33:47.069 --> 00:33:55.430 take showers and stuff. So he was charged with 00:33:55.430 --> 00:33:58.410 that at 17 years old. He actually went to jail, 00:33:58.470 --> 00:34:00.529 and his dad, the preacher, and one of the deacons 00:34:00.529 --> 00:34:04.650 had to come get him out of jail. But they didn't 00:34:04.650 --> 00:34:06.509 come until after church because it happened on 00:34:06.509 --> 00:34:10.929 Wednesday night. They let him sit there. Let 00:34:10.929 --> 00:34:12.750 him sit there and think about it until after 00:34:12.750 --> 00:34:16.929 church. And then they drove a few hours. So he 00:34:16.929 --> 00:34:20.010 had some time to think about who he was hanging 00:34:20.010 --> 00:34:23.690 out with and what he participated in. Well, anyway, 00:34:23.769 --> 00:34:27.429 now he's a grown man. And he's trying to go into 00:34:27.429 --> 00:34:32.969 Canada. Are you sure? Well. I did get arrested 00:34:32.969 --> 00:34:35.769 and spend several hours in jail when I was 17. 00:34:39.030 --> 00:34:42.349 And the Canadian official said, I'm glad you 00:34:42.349 --> 00:34:44.289 told me because it's on your record. He said, 00:34:44.309 --> 00:34:53.269 what? It was still on his record. But there's 00:34:53.269 --> 00:34:56.670 something about getting your record sponged. 00:35:00.329 --> 00:35:04.369 If you got money and a lawyer. Even though he 00:35:04.369 --> 00:35:08.070 was guilty and there was a record. I guess because 00:35:08.070 --> 00:35:12.130 he was a minor or whatever. He got it expunged. 00:35:12.130 --> 00:35:17.170 So now there is nothing on his record. It's clear. 00:35:19.010 --> 00:35:25.530 Like it never happened. Listen. Jesus shed his 00:35:25.530 --> 00:35:29.050 blood. And your record is expunged in heaven. 00:35:29.840 --> 00:35:32.539 It's like it didn't even exist. It's like it 00:35:32.539 --> 00:35:40.460 never existed. That's why if you start talking 00:35:40.460 --> 00:35:44.820 about your past and sin, things that happen and 00:35:44.820 --> 00:35:47.380 all that kind of stuff, it's like if you listen 00:35:47.380 --> 00:35:49.559 close to the Spirit of God, He'll say, what are 00:35:49.559 --> 00:35:54.300 you talking about? You need to quit condemning 00:35:54.300 --> 00:35:57.400 yourself because your record is clear in heaven. 00:36:00.110 --> 00:36:03.230 Somebody say thank you. He canceled the record 00:36:03.230 --> 00:36:06.170 of the charges against us and took it away by 00:36:06.170 --> 00:36:09.849 nailing it to the cross. Listen, the blood of 00:36:09.849 --> 00:36:12.969 Jesus speaks some things. It speaks paid in full 00:36:12.969 --> 00:36:17.670 to all legal debt. And it also speaks delete 00:36:17.670 --> 00:36:26.349 to the record. If we really got a hold of that, 00:36:26.449 --> 00:36:28.469 we sure would be a lot happier than we are right 00:36:28.469 --> 00:36:35.329 now. 2 Corinthians 1 .20 For all of God's promises 00:36:35.329 --> 00:36:40.590 have been fulfilled in Christ. We could add in 00:36:40.590 --> 00:36:46.789 here, purchased by His blood. All the promises 00:36:46.789 --> 00:36:49.730 have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding 00:36:49.730 --> 00:36:52.969 yes. Everybody say yes. And through Christ, our 00:36:52.969 --> 00:36:56.929 amen, which means yes, and I agree, ascends to 00:36:56.929 --> 00:37:06.750 God for His glory. Blood of Jesus turns God's 00:37:06.750 --> 00:37:18.570 promises from maybe to yes. This may be hard 00:37:18.570 --> 00:37:22.409 for you to believe, but every promise that God 00:37:22.409 --> 00:37:26.829 has made available to you in His Word is yes 00:37:26.829 --> 00:37:32.050 to you, not maybe to you. It's yes to you. Promises 00:37:32.050 --> 00:37:38.489 of God are yes and amen. Because the blood, because 00:37:38.489 --> 00:37:41.630 we're in a blood covenant, a new covenant purchased 00:37:41.630 --> 00:37:45.349 with Christ's blood, the blood guarantees the 00:37:45.349 --> 00:37:54.309 covenant's reliability. The blood of Jesus speaks 00:37:54.309 --> 00:38:02.329 yes to all of God's promises for you. Zechariah 00:38:02.329 --> 00:38:07.670 9 -11. Because of the covenant I made with you, 00:38:07.789 --> 00:38:13.030 and all covenants are ratified with blood, just 00:38:13.030 --> 00:38:17.309 so you know. All biblical covenants are ratified 00:38:17.309 --> 00:38:20.869 with blood. Because of the covenant, covenants 00:38:20.869 --> 00:38:23.550 between us and God, ratified with blood. Because 00:38:23.550 --> 00:38:26.949 of the covenant I made with you, sealed with 00:38:26.949 --> 00:38:35.199 blood, I will free... You're prisoners. Everybody 00:38:35.199 --> 00:38:39.840 say freedom. Covenant blood is associated with 00:38:39.840 --> 00:38:45.599 release, with deliverance, with freedom. This 00:38:45.599 --> 00:38:48.820 truth applies spiritually and practically to 00:38:48.820 --> 00:38:52.480 each one of us. We've been freed from the bondage. 00:38:54.400 --> 00:39:02.349 Freed from fear. Freed from oppression. Freed 00:39:02.349 --> 00:39:08.369 from shame. That's what the blood is speaking 00:39:08.369 --> 00:39:10.949 over you and over us. The good things. That's 00:39:10.949 --> 00:39:13.869 part of the good things. The blood is speaking. 00:39:16.349 --> 00:39:21.409 Blood speaking freedom from bondage, fear, oppression, 00:39:21.750 --> 00:39:27.519 and shame. And the blood of Jesus speaks freedom 00:39:27.519 --> 00:39:32.039 to all who are bound, not just to the super Christians. 00:39:36.079 --> 00:39:40.079 Speaks freedom. Freedom is available through 00:39:40.079 --> 00:39:42.260 the blood of Jesus. So how do we apply this truth? 00:39:43.500 --> 00:39:46.860 We need to learn to answer accusations with the 00:39:46.860 --> 00:39:51.260 blood. We've got to stop responding to accusations 00:39:51.260 --> 00:39:57.039 with emotion. Because so many times we try to 00:39:57.039 --> 00:40:04.820 battle spiritual things with our emotion. So 00:40:04.820 --> 00:40:08.440 we've got to stop responding to accusations with 00:40:08.440 --> 00:40:12.039 emotion and start responding with covenant truth. 00:40:14.139 --> 00:40:16.440 Has anybody ever heard the word plead the blood? 00:40:16.659 --> 00:40:19.539 Has anybody ever heard that? You don't hear that 00:40:19.539 --> 00:40:22.039 much in church anymore. Who's actually heard 00:40:22.039 --> 00:40:24.530 that? I plead the blood or plead the blood. Raise 00:40:24.530 --> 00:40:26.690 your hand if you've ever heard that before. Okay, 00:40:26.829 --> 00:40:34.530 that's most of the older folks in the room. So 00:40:34.530 --> 00:40:38.530 you can't find that actually in a verse where 00:40:38.530 --> 00:40:42.309 we're instructed to plead the blood of Jesus. 00:40:42.389 --> 00:40:48.309 But I want you to think of a courtroom. And the 00:40:48.309 --> 00:40:51.550 judge answers. The judge questions. He doesn't 00:40:51.550 --> 00:40:55.420 answer. He questions. To every person who comes 00:40:55.420 --> 00:40:58.800 in the courtroom, he questions. How do you plead? 00:41:02.780 --> 00:41:06.860 Everybody say that. How do you plead? You have 00:41:06.860 --> 00:41:11.400 to make a declaration. You're either going to 00:41:11.400 --> 00:41:14.679 plead guilty or you're going to plead innocent. 00:41:17.039 --> 00:41:21.599 But in Christ, We don't plead either one. We 00:41:21.599 --> 00:41:25.559 just plead the blood. We rest our case, as a 00:41:25.559 --> 00:41:31.340 matter of fact, we rest our case by the blood. 00:41:32.380 --> 00:41:38.920 That's it. That's our only hope. It's our only 00:41:38.920 --> 00:41:46.460 case. And Jesus backs up His blood. The Father 00:41:46.460 --> 00:41:50.969 backs up. The blood that Jesus shed on the cross 00:41:50.969 --> 00:41:58.869 always backs it up. So everybody stand up. We're 00:41:58.869 --> 00:42:05.489 going to say some things. If you want to take 00:42:05.489 --> 00:42:07.690 pictures of them, you need to say this more than 00:42:07.690 --> 00:42:11.349 once in your life. We're going to go to third 00:42:11.349 --> 00:42:15.610 grade again. And we're going to declare these 00:42:15.610 --> 00:42:19.539 things together. But I don't want you to just 00:42:19.539 --> 00:42:24.480 read them like we did in the third grade. I want 00:42:24.480 --> 00:42:31.059 you to speak these things with authority. You 00:42:31.059 --> 00:42:34.739 ready? One, two, three. The blood of Jesus speaks 00:42:34.739 --> 00:42:41.199 good things over my life. All accusations against 00:42:41.199 --> 00:42:45.019 me have been dismissed by the blood of Jesus. 00:42:46.059 --> 00:42:50.989 I plead the blood. I rest my case on the blood. 00:42:51.949 --> 00:42:56.909 Amen? I plead the blood. All of the promises, 00:42:57.170 --> 00:43:00.809 all of God's promises, maybe I'll read it right. 00:43:01.570 --> 00:43:07.150 All of God's promises are yes and amen to me. 00:43:08.690 --> 00:43:10.550 So when we see a promise of God, we don't have 00:43:10.550 --> 00:43:12.590 to wonder, well, is that for me or not? Is that 00:43:12.590 --> 00:43:15.309 not for me? No. By the blood of Jesus, it's yes 00:43:15.309 --> 00:43:19.840 and amen for you. And say it with me. The blood 00:43:19.840 --> 00:43:27.239 of Jesus has set me free. I am free. I'm free. 00:43:27.880 --> 00:43:36.099 Are you free? I'm free. You may be seated. See, 00:43:36.159 --> 00:43:41.260 the enemy may accuse. The past may remember. 00:43:43.079 --> 00:43:45.519 But the blood is still speaking. Everybody say 00:43:45.519 --> 00:43:50.199 the blood speaks. And the blood speaks a better 00:43:50.199 --> 00:43:56.360 word, a good word, over you and over me. Somebody 00:43:56.360 --> 00:43:59.179 say, I have the receipt. This online worship 00:43:59.179 --> 00:44:01.679 experience was brought to you by the friends 00:44:01.679 --> 00:44:03.280 and partners of Elation Church.