WEBVTT 00:00:09.449 --> 00:00:14.289 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.289 --> 00:00:16.589 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand 00:00:16.589 --> 00:00:19.789 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.109 --> 00:00:22.989 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:22.989 --> 00:00:27.190 you are through our website ecb .asia or our 00:00:27.190 --> 00:00:31.030 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.030 --> 00:00:35.409 by this week's sermon. Today we are continuing 00:00:35.409 --> 00:00:39.969 our study. That we began in March on above all. 00:00:40.409 --> 00:00:44.229 And this study seeks to understand what is that 00:00:44.229 --> 00:00:48.990 Jesus accomplished for us. So that we may walk 00:00:48.990 --> 00:00:54.030 in the freedom that he came to give us. So as 00:00:54.030 --> 00:00:56.350 we prepare to engage on this study, let's pray 00:00:56.350 --> 00:01:05.939 together. Lord, words can't describe. Describe 00:01:05.939 --> 00:01:11.200 the depth of what you have done. But we want 00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:14.000 to engage with that depth anyway. And we want 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:17.459 to look at your word and seek and understand. 00:01:19.340 --> 00:01:23.939 Will you reach our hearts in the deepest parts 00:01:23.939 --> 00:01:27.980 that no one else can reach but you? So that as 00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:31.439 we engage with your word, our eyes will be open 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:35.969 to you. Use me in your power and your grace and 00:01:35.969 --> 00:01:40.290 your strength. Thank you for the gift you give 00:01:40.290 --> 00:01:43.670 us today of your word. We pray in Jesus' name. 00:01:43.829 --> 00:01:49.469 Amen. At the beginning of this series, we discovered 00:01:49.469 --> 00:01:53.769 that what Jesus came to do was to destroy the 00:01:53.769 --> 00:01:57.510 power of Satan and the kingdom of darkness that 00:01:57.510 --> 00:02:03.010 we humans were enslaved to. That to become a 00:02:03.010 --> 00:02:05.709 follower of Jesus is to become free from darkness 00:02:05.709 --> 00:02:08.770 and now to become part of the kingdom of light. 00:02:09.389 --> 00:02:13.210 To follow Jesus is a transformation of walking 00:02:13.210 --> 00:02:16.909 from the spiritual slavery that we were in to 00:02:16.909 --> 00:02:20.830 the freedom that Jesus paid for. And each one 00:02:20.830 --> 00:02:23.949 of the studies focused on a different dimension 00:02:23.949 --> 00:02:28.129 of what Jesus did. And today I want to focus 00:02:28.129 --> 00:02:33.889 on this word, disappointment. And I want to ask 00:02:33.889 --> 00:02:38.729 you a very personal question. And the question 00:02:38.729 --> 00:02:45.250 is this. Do you feel like a disappointment? Have 00:02:45.250 --> 00:02:50.629 you felt like a disappointment? This nagging 00:02:50.629 --> 00:02:58.889 feeling that, you know, you look at your past, 00:02:59.169 --> 00:03:02.360 where you have been, And you feel completely 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:07.240 unworthy. You look at the present and it's like, 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:09.819 look at what you have become. And you feel so 00:03:09.819 --> 00:03:13.879 undeserving. And all of this drains you so much 00:03:13.879 --> 00:03:16.300 that to look at the future is just unbearable. 00:03:16.340 --> 00:03:18.240 You don't want to even engage in thinking about 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:22.199 that because you feel so drained. Drained emotionally, 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:24.659 drained spiritually, drained physically to the 00:03:24.659 --> 00:03:29.409 point that you just feel depressed. And this 00:03:29.409 --> 00:03:34.990 feeling of being a disappointment is just stuck 00:03:34.990 --> 00:03:38.210 to you. And it doesn't seem to want to go away. 00:03:40.650 --> 00:03:46.009 That feeling is not uncommon. And it may come 00:03:46.009 --> 00:03:48.830 and go and have different shapes. But what all 00:03:48.830 --> 00:03:51.250 of those experiences have in common is that none 00:03:51.250 --> 00:03:55.849 of us are from God. They are from the enemy. 00:03:56.650 --> 00:04:00.370 And what Jesus came to do was to break the power 00:04:00.370 --> 00:04:04.930 of the enemy to hold you captive to that. And 00:04:04.930 --> 00:04:08.469 Jesus is inviting you to follow him and walk 00:04:08.469 --> 00:04:11.990 in the freedom of what he accomplished for you. 00:04:12.590 --> 00:04:15.270 And to really understand what he came to do, 00:04:15.409 --> 00:04:20.329 we have to start today, not with the life of 00:04:20.329 --> 00:04:24.730 Jesus, but go a little bit back to the end of 00:04:24.730 --> 00:04:28.160 the Old Testament. The prophets that were written 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:33.879 before Jesus came. The last two books of the 00:04:33.879 --> 00:04:40.199 Old Testament are Zechariah and Malachi. And 00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:43.100 these two prophets prophesied different things. 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:45.800 But Zechariah specifically is where I want to 00:04:45.800 --> 00:04:49.839 turn to. Because there is a prophecy in Zechariah. 00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:54.339 That is describing the Messiah and what he is 00:04:54.339 --> 00:04:57.910 going to accomplish. But it's also describing 00:04:57.910 --> 00:05:01.089 a guy that is stuck in this place of feeling 00:05:01.089 --> 00:05:05.250 like a disappointment. He is one of the religious 00:05:05.250 --> 00:05:10.430 leaders. He's a priest. His name is Jeshua. And 00:05:10.430 --> 00:05:14.089 Jeshua, the priest, is depicted like wearing 00:05:14.089 --> 00:05:18.519 filthy clothes. And he is experiencing this spiritual 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:21.579 oppression where he's being accused of all the 00:05:21.579 --> 00:05:24.720 things, all his failures, everything that he 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:27.899 has done. And he's in that place of just feeling 00:05:27.899 --> 00:05:38.240 weighty and discouraged. And you can identify 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:41.980 with that feeling, with that moment of feeling 00:05:41.980 --> 00:05:47.319 like defeated, like bleh. So disgusted of myself. 00:05:50.180 --> 00:05:54.779 But what Zechariah describes is amazing. Let's 00:05:54.779 --> 00:05:57.920 take a look at it. This is what Zechariah says. 00:05:59.459 --> 00:06:03.100 As he turns to Joshua, he's going to come with 00:06:03.100 --> 00:06:07.040 word from God. And he says this. Then the angel 00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:10.839 showed me Joshua, the high priest, standing before 00:06:10.839 --> 00:06:13.959 the angel of the Lord. And there was somebody 00:06:13.959 --> 00:06:20.180 else there. Who was that? The accuser, Satan, 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:25.199 was there. At the angel's right hand, making 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:30.899 accusations against Joshua. And the Lord said 00:06:30.899 --> 00:06:35.199 to Satan, I, the Lord, reject your accusation, 00:06:35.220 --> 00:06:39.000 Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, 00:06:39.540 --> 00:06:50.040 rebukes you. This man, Joshua, whom you are accusing, 00:06:50.459 --> 00:06:55.420 is like a burning stick that has been snatched 00:06:55.420 --> 00:06:59.199 from the fire. He was being consumed by this 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:02.300 guilt and by this shame. And if I left it there, 00:07:02.459 --> 00:07:05.279 he will be completely consumed. But I took him 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:12.199 out of there. And now, Joshua's clothings are 00:07:12.199 --> 00:07:17.180 filthy. As he stood there before the angel. So 00:07:17.180 --> 00:07:20.500 the angel said to the other standing there. Guys 00:07:20.500 --> 00:07:25.600 come. Take off his filthy clothes. And turning 00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:31.199 to Jeshua he said. See Jeshua. I have taken away 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:38.139 your sin. And now I'm giving you these fine new 00:07:38.139 --> 00:07:43.389 clothes. Listen to me oh Jeshua. The high priest. 00:07:43.629 --> 00:07:47.670 And all of you are the priests. You are but symbols 00:07:47.670 --> 00:07:53.589 of things. To come. Soon. I'm going to bring 00:07:53.589 --> 00:08:00.730 my servant. Who? The branch. You might remember. 00:08:01.149 --> 00:08:06.129 The title the branch of Jesse. This was a title 00:08:06.129 --> 00:08:09.949 that was given. To the Messiah. The one to come. 00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:14.600 And Zacharias says, soon I'm going to bring my 00:08:14.600 --> 00:08:19.759 servant, the Messiah. And I will remove the sins 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:32.899 of this land in one single day. Wow. This feels 00:08:32.899 --> 00:08:36.029 very personal. First of all. Personal because 00:08:36.029 --> 00:08:39.309 you have a guy that is feeling the weight of 00:08:39.309 --> 00:08:42.490 his shame and he's stuck in that place of feeling 00:08:42.490 --> 00:08:46.590 like a disappointment to himself, to God, to 00:08:46.590 --> 00:08:51.470 the people. And that feeling is clearly coming 00:08:51.470 --> 00:08:54.509 from a place of spiritual oppression. There's 00:08:54.509 --> 00:08:57.210 an accuser that is accusing him, but there's 00:08:57.210 --> 00:09:01.029 a loving God that is coming to defend him and 00:09:01.029 --> 00:09:07.710 stand for him. And that experience of full forgiveness, 00:09:07.929 --> 00:09:14.610 of relief, is something that God says, this is 00:09:14.610 --> 00:09:17.850 a picture of what is about to come. You just 00:09:17.850 --> 00:09:20.750 wait until my servant shows up. And when he shows 00:09:20.750 --> 00:09:23.970 up here in Jerusalem, in one single day, I will 00:09:23.970 --> 00:09:28.750 remove the sin of this place. Just like that, 00:09:28.789 --> 00:09:35.080 in one day. One day, my servant will come. And 00:09:35.080 --> 00:09:40.500 Jesus did come. And when he is preparing to go 00:09:40.500 --> 00:09:44.080 to Jerusalem, in his last trip to Jerusalem, 00:09:44.379 --> 00:09:49.639 leading to his crucifixion, he arrives there 00:09:49.639 --> 00:09:53.039 to Jerusalem, the same city where Zechariah had 00:09:53.039 --> 00:09:57.740 just talked to Yeshua about this prophecy. And 00:09:57.740 --> 00:10:00.820 now Jesus, the Messiah, the servant prophesied 00:10:00.820 --> 00:10:04.250 by... Zechariah shows up right there in Jerusalem. 00:10:04.850 --> 00:10:08.210 And he's going to say a few things to his apostles. 00:10:09.590 --> 00:10:13.850 At one moment, he turns to them. And he says, 00:10:14.250 --> 00:10:19.850 guys, the time for judging this world has come. 00:10:20.269 --> 00:10:24.889 When Satan, the ruler of this world, will be 00:10:24.889 --> 00:10:30.289 cast out. I came with a mission and it's about 00:10:30.289 --> 00:10:35.639 to happen. Soon. Soon Satan the ruler of this 00:10:35.639 --> 00:10:38.519 world will be cast out. And when I am lifted 00:10:38.519 --> 00:10:41.980 up from the earth. I will draw everyone to myself. 00:10:45.179 --> 00:10:48.360 I have come for a mission. And I am going to 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:53.740 fulfill it. And then. They go to celebrate the 00:10:53.740 --> 00:10:56.279 Passover. He is with the apostles. The night 00:10:56.279 --> 00:11:00.019 that he is going to be betrayed. And Judas, the 00:11:00.019 --> 00:11:03.259 guy who is going to betray him, is partaking 00:11:03.259 --> 00:11:06.620 of this meal. And Jesus breaks the bread and 00:11:06.620 --> 00:11:10.980 then he gives this to Judas. And when Judas had 00:11:10.980 --> 00:11:20.659 eaten the bread, something changed. Satan entered 00:11:20.659 --> 00:11:29.240 into him. So now you have Judas, controlled by 00:11:29.240 --> 00:11:35.080 Satan himself. And now Jesus turns to him and 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:41.220 says, hurry, do what you're going to do. So Judas, 00:11:41.299 --> 00:11:49.120 with Satan in him, leave. They leave to entice 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:55.340 now the Roman soldiers to come to take Jesus 00:11:55.340 --> 00:12:00.490 away and torture him. But before that happens, 00:12:00.549 --> 00:12:05.309 Jesus goes to pray with his apostles to the garden. 00:12:06.610 --> 00:12:09.970 And as he is there, he knows the time is getting 00:12:09.970 --> 00:12:15.190 close. So he tells his friends, guys, I don't 00:12:15.190 --> 00:12:19.169 have much more time to talk to you because the 00:12:19.169 --> 00:12:24.549 ruler of this world approaches. Who is coming 00:12:24.549 --> 00:12:28.419 with the soldiers in a few moments? Judas, and 00:12:28.419 --> 00:12:31.639 who is in him? Satan. And who is the ruler of 00:12:31.639 --> 00:12:35.299 this world? Satan. And who is going to show up 00:12:35.299 --> 00:12:43.679 in a few minutes? The ruler of this world. He 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:47.700 has no power over me. Things are going to unfold 00:12:47.700 --> 00:12:52.179 in these days, but I'm here to tell you, Satan 00:12:52.179 --> 00:12:56.360 has no power over me. But I will do what the 00:12:56.360 --> 00:12:59.240 father requires of me. So that the world will 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:04.039 know. That I love the father. Come. Let's be 00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:10.559 going. And as they left. Then Jesus. Is confronted 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:14.019 by the soldiers. He's imprisoned. He becomes 00:13:14.019 --> 00:13:20.519 tortured. And then he's crucified. What you can 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:28.720 see so far. Is how. The spiritual battle. And 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:32.559 this war that is happening. Between Jesus. The 00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:35.779 servant that was about to come. The branch of 00:13:35.779 --> 00:13:39.379 Jesse that was to come. To destroy the power 00:13:39.379 --> 00:13:44.000 of Satan. And yet Satan is right there. He has 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:47.980 no idea what's about to come. But he is there 00:13:47.980 --> 00:13:52.279 engaging. Trying to oppose Jesus. And lead him 00:13:52.279 --> 00:13:55.610 to this place. Where he thinks he's going to 00:13:55.610 --> 00:14:01.889 destroy him. And now Jesus is on the cross. And 00:14:01.889 --> 00:14:06.250 as Jesus is on the cross. Something happens. 00:14:06.289 --> 00:14:11.029 A series of events that happen. That depict the 00:14:11.029 --> 00:14:20.250 epic nature and scale of what's happening. And 00:14:20.250 --> 00:14:22.950 you have to read specifically the book of Matthew 00:14:22.950 --> 00:14:29.570 to get just the depth of what's going on. And 00:14:29.570 --> 00:14:33.309 all of this is happening, remember, so that the 00:14:33.309 --> 00:14:38.230 sin of the land could be taken away in one day 00:14:38.230 --> 00:14:41.830 so that the accuser will not be able to accuse 00:14:41.830 --> 00:14:48.899 God's people anymore. So what happened? Let's 00:14:48.899 --> 00:14:56.580 read Matthew. At noon, darkness fell across the 00:14:56.580 --> 00:15:03.320 whole land until three o 'clock. At about three 00:15:03.320 --> 00:15:08.220 o 'clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, 00:15:08.980 --> 00:15:16.399 Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, which means, my God, 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:22.730 my God. Why have you abandoned me? Some of the 00:15:22.730 --> 00:15:27.309 bystanders misunderstood. And they thought he 00:15:27.309 --> 00:15:31.370 was calling from prophet Elijah. One of them 00:15:31.370 --> 00:15:35.570 ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. Holding 00:15:35.570 --> 00:15:39.110 it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. 00:15:40.070 --> 00:15:44.210 But the rest said, wait, wait. Let's see whether 00:15:44.210 --> 00:15:52.480 Elijah shows up and comes to save him. Then Jesus 00:15:52.480 --> 00:16:02.580 shouted again and he released his spirit. Do 00:16:02.580 --> 00:16:05.799 you realize that the very moment before Jesus 00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:16.019 dies, there's this shouting that happens? It 00:16:16.019 --> 00:16:20.019 doesn't tell you the details. It's just a moment. 00:16:21.129 --> 00:16:25.049 Jesus crucified. Everything that has been said 00:16:25.049 --> 00:16:29.350 and done. And about a second before he dies. 00:16:29.389 --> 00:16:45.029 He goes. And silence. And at that very moment 00:16:45.029 --> 00:16:53.340 his spirit. Enters the realm. Of the dead. Never 00:16:53.340 --> 00:17:00.019 before. In the history of humanity. Had anyone 00:17:00.019 --> 00:17:04.500 entered the realm of the dead. That did not deserve 00:17:04.500 --> 00:17:12.180 to be there. For the first time. There is a human. 00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:18.569 Who is not guilty of sin. Who gives his life 00:17:18.569 --> 00:17:24.069 willingly to be able to infiltrate in that space. 00:17:24.190 --> 00:17:29.089 Because he came with a mission. And the mission 00:17:29.089 --> 00:17:33.369 was to destroy the power of Satan to accuse. 00:17:35.569 --> 00:17:39.829 And at this moment that he accomplishes that 00:17:39.829 --> 00:17:43.150 and he gets into that place to overcome the power 00:17:43.150 --> 00:17:49.069 of Satan. a series of events unfolds. At that 00:17:49.069 --> 00:17:53.390 moment, the curtain in the sanctuary of the temple 00:17:53.390 --> 00:18:03.089 was turning to from top to bottom. In the temple 00:18:03.089 --> 00:18:06.250 in Jerusalem, there was this place that was known 00:18:06.250 --> 00:18:09.710 as the Holy of Holies. And once a year, the high 00:18:09.710 --> 00:18:14.309 priest could go in there to offer The atoning 00:18:14.309 --> 00:18:20.930 sacrifice for the sins of the people. And only 00:18:20.930 --> 00:18:25.410 he could enter that place. And now with his death. 00:18:26.670 --> 00:18:30.609 Jesus enters that place. And that curtain that 00:18:30.609 --> 00:18:35.329 separated humans from God. Completely destroyed. 00:18:36.650 --> 00:18:39.849 He is the high priest. And he is the sacrifice. 00:18:40.049 --> 00:18:46.259 Both at once. And in one sacrifice, now he removes 00:18:46.259 --> 00:18:54.720 the sin of the land in one day. And now the earth 00:18:54.720 --> 00:19:02.420 shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The 00:19:02.420 --> 00:19:05.680 bodies of many godly men and women who had died 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:10.130 were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery 00:19:10.130 --> 00:19:14.589 after Jesus' resurrection. They went into the 00:19:14.589 --> 00:19:17.950 holy city of Jerusalem and appeared to many people. 00:19:19.470 --> 00:19:30.210 What? Did I read that right? Yes. The Roman officer 00:19:30.210 --> 00:19:36.829 and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were 00:19:39.219 --> 00:19:44.140 The darkness. The earthquake. Hearing this Jesus 00:19:44.140 --> 00:19:47.619 scream like that. And all of it happening at 00:19:47.619 --> 00:19:50.599 once. And they are terrified by the earthquake. 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:56.200 And all that had happened. And they said. This 00:19:56.200 --> 00:20:12.660 man was. Truly was the son of God. What did just 00:20:12.660 --> 00:20:19.319 happen here? It's like, just to verify, I'm reading 00:20:19.319 --> 00:20:24.940 the Bible here. Many people that are familiar 00:20:24.940 --> 00:20:27.240 with the events of the death and resurrection 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:30.799 of Jesus have skipped Matthew altogether. And 00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:33.480 it's like, what? Did I just read that? That happened 00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:39.259 there? I never heard that before. Well, go and 00:20:39.259 --> 00:20:42.589 read your Bible. You have homework to do. I'm 00:20:42.589 --> 00:20:49.470 not making this up. There's a whole realm of 00:20:49.470 --> 00:20:53.789 stuff that is happening in the spiritual realm 00:20:53.789 --> 00:20:58.069 that we have no idea. But this is what Jesus, 00:20:58.210 --> 00:21:02.430 the promised servant of God, who was going to 00:21:02.430 --> 00:21:06.950 come, the branch, to remove the sins, in one 00:21:06.950 --> 00:21:14.279 day, came to do. I remember that when I was living 00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:19.180 in Dallas, I had to lead our ministry through 00:21:19.180 --> 00:21:23.039 a whole process of rebranding. And that meant 00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:26.799 to also do the whole rebranding of our website. 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:29.500 So we got to work with the designers and it was 00:21:29.500 --> 00:21:33.220 not cheap. Because it was before AI, now you 00:21:33.220 --> 00:21:35.779 can do it in 10 minutes. AI does everything for 00:21:35.779 --> 00:21:38.940 you. At that time, you have to work with the 00:21:38.940 --> 00:21:41.019 designers and the coders and all this stuff. 00:21:41.279 --> 00:21:44.660 And I remember driving to San Antonio and met 00:21:44.660 --> 00:21:47.240 with the company and had all these interviews 00:21:47.240 --> 00:21:49.160 to make sure everything was being done right. 00:21:49.240 --> 00:21:53.579 And that's when I became aware that a website 00:21:53.579 --> 00:21:55.940 is very complex. One thing is what you do when 00:21:55.940 --> 00:21:58.000 you click and the things that you see happen, 00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:02.440 but there's the back end. And the back end of 00:22:02.440 --> 00:22:05.700 the website is nothing compared to what you see 00:22:05.700 --> 00:22:08.680 on the front. The back end is a bunch of coding. 00:22:09.700 --> 00:22:12.240 Bunch of coding. Coding, coding, coding, coding. 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:15.740 And it's like, that's the website? Yeah, that's 00:22:15.740 --> 00:22:17.819 the website. That's what's happening behind the 00:22:17.819 --> 00:22:21.579 scenes. And when we talk about salvation, it's 00:22:21.579 --> 00:22:26.019 like that. You see the website. You see the front. 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:28.039 Jesus is on the cross. All these things that 00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:30.680 we read are happening. But what is the back end? 00:22:32.019 --> 00:22:37.099 What is happening in the back end? To really 00:22:37.099 --> 00:22:42.359 understand if I can, you have to turn to Colossians. 00:22:42.599 --> 00:22:46.420 The Apostle Paul. Because he's going to tell 00:22:46.420 --> 00:22:51.180 you exactly what happened at that moment. The 00:22:51.180 --> 00:22:55.900 earthquake. The torn veil. The shouting. All 00:22:55.900 --> 00:23:02.079 this stuff. What happened? And this is what happened. 00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:10.140 Jesus. canceled the record of the charges against 00:23:10.140 --> 00:23:16.319 us and took it away by nailing it on the cross. 00:23:17.599 --> 00:23:22.680 And in this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers 00:23:22.680 --> 00:23:28.740 and authorities and he shamed them publicly by 00:23:28.740 --> 00:23:35.349 his victory over them on the cross. On the front 00:23:35.349 --> 00:23:37.750 end, it looks like the one that is being defeated 00:23:37.750 --> 00:23:41.890 is Jesus. That the one that is being shamed is 00:23:41.890 --> 00:23:45.190 Jesus. But no, the back end tells a whole different 00:23:45.190 --> 00:23:50.470 story. Jesus is dying because he is breaking 00:23:50.470 --> 00:23:55.170 the power of Satan now to accuse. He is disarming 00:23:55.170 --> 00:23:57.150 him from all... All the weapons that he could 00:23:57.150 --> 00:24:01.069 use against you and against me. Because he is 00:24:01.069 --> 00:24:05.029 canceling everything that was against us. He 00:24:05.029 --> 00:24:10.009 took in one moment through his death on the cross. 00:24:11.069 --> 00:24:16.890 The sin of the land in one day. Just like Zechariah 00:24:16.890 --> 00:24:27.200 said. And the rulers of the kingdom of darkness. 00:24:27.319 --> 00:24:34.440 Including the ruler of this world. Satan. Is 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:42.740 being defeated. When I was reading this part 00:24:42.740 --> 00:24:45.920 of the story. I remember something that happened 00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:50.339 to me when I was in high school. As you may remember 00:24:50.339 --> 00:24:54.920 I was born in Santiago in Chile. I went to public 00:24:54.920 --> 00:24:58.299 school. And when I was in high school, I went 00:24:58.299 --> 00:25:01.940 to this all -man high school. No girls, just 00:25:01.940 --> 00:25:05.359 guys. We had to wear the uniform, the suit, the 00:25:05.359 --> 00:25:10.380 tie, the insignia, everything. Very formal. But 00:25:10.380 --> 00:25:13.779 the school I went to was known to be very political. 00:25:14.779 --> 00:25:20.940 I was born during the... Time of the dictatorship 00:25:20.940 --> 00:25:26.319 of President Augusto Pinochet. And this high 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:30.180 school was known for engaging in political protests 00:25:30.180 --> 00:25:32.940 and different things. Many of the guys graduating 00:25:32.940 --> 00:25:34.859 from the high school ended up being political 00:25:34.859 --> 00:25:38.880 leaders in the country later. I did not know 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:42.119 all of that before I got into it. I just knew 00:25:42.119 --> 00:25:46.200 I had good academic records. So I got there because 00:25:46.200 --> 00:25:52.740 of the academics. But one day, there was a protest 00:25:52.740 --> 00:25:57.079 happening. And they took over the whole school. 00:25:57.700 --> 00:26:01.759 So you cannot get into the school. And they would 00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:04.440 burn things and destroy things. It was a mess. 00:26:08.059 --> 00:26:11.259 Well, when I was in high school, I was, you know, 00:26:11.299 --> 00:26:15.759 overall a good student, except twice. And I got 00:26:15.759 --> 00:26:18.480 in trouble two times, and it went on record. 00:26:19.900 --> 00:26:23.700 They had this book in the principal's office, 00:26:23.759 --> 00:26:27.200 and there was one guy that we called, his role 00:26:27.200 --> 00:26:30.160 was an inspector. It's just the guy that was 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:32.259 in charge of making sure that everyone behaved. 00:26:32.599 --> 00:26:34.799 You know, all these guys, all these hormones, 00:26:35.079 --> 00:26:41.049 you know. He walked around, you know, and anytime 00:26:41.049 --> 00:26:43.589 there was somebody that got in trouble, oh, you 00:26:43.589 --> 00:26:46.529 go to the office, they open the book, and they 00:26:46.529 --> 00:26:49.309 write down what you did. The problem was that 00:26:49.309 --> 00:26:53.190 if you got so many, then you will be suspended, 00:26:53.269 --> 00:26:59.289 and I already got two. So I got one more suspended. 00:27:02.029 --> 00:27:04.670 That day I went to school. I couldn't get to 00:27:04.670 --> 00:27:08.289 class because big protests going on, big mess. 00:27:08.529 --> 00:27:11.869 So I went back home. And then when I was able 00:27:11.869 --> 00:27:17.089 to come back to class, I learned that these guys 00:27:17.089 --> 00:27:20.150 had made a big mess. They had burned some furniture 00:27:20.150 --> 00:27:23.450 and a couple of other things, including the book. 00:27:26.230 --> 00:27:30.950 And I was so happy. I didn't care about their 00:27:30.950 --> 00:27:33.430 political views. I just was happy that it was 00:27:33.430 --> 00:27:41.789 no longer a record. In one day, my record was 00:27:41.789 --> 00:27:48.549 canceled. And knowing that changes everything. 00:27:49.750 --> 00:27:54.829 Because next time that something happens, you 00:27:54.829 --> 00:27:57.170 know, and you're accused by the accuser, and 00:27:57.170 --> 00:27:59.930 the accuser comes and says, I have all these 00:27:59.930 --> 00:28:02.910 things against you. And wait until I tell everybody 00:28:02.910 --> 00:28:08.890 about all your things. I have the book. What 00:28:08.890 --> 00:28:10.730 would you say? It's like, please don't, please 00:28:10.730 --> 00:28:15.509 don't. Or would you say, what book? You're just 00:28:15.509 --> 00:28:17.950 bluffing. There's no book. Haven't you heard 00:28:17.950 --> 00:28:24.470 the news? Jesus nailed it on the cross. And he 00:28:24.470 --> 00:28:28.450 canceled all the accusations. Hundred times. 00:28:28.430 --> 00:28:34.569 All of them. Once and for all. That is what Jesus 00:28:34.569 --> 00:28:39.369 accomplished. And because he did that. He took 00:28:39.369 --> 00:28:42.289 away all the material. That the enemy could take 00:28:42.289 --> 00:28:48.390 against you. He has no meat. He has nothing to 00:28:48.390 --> 00:28:53.390 blackmail you with. But Satan is like a dog. 00:28:53.630 --> 00:29:00.869 He can bark. But cannot bite. And you fell for 00:29:00.869 --> 00:29:04.190 it. And you've been feeling like you are in a 00:29:04.190 --> 00:29:06.569 disappointment. And you're ashamed. And you're 00:29:06.569 --> 00:29:11.789 this and that. And that is not what Jesus came 00:29:11.789 --> 00:29:20.890 to save you for. There's no book. That's why, 00:29:21.049 --> 00:29:28.910 read with me what the following verse says. Don't 00:29:28.910 --> 00:29:36.349 let anyone condemn you. No one, especially Satan 00:29:36.349 --> 00:29:45.430 the accuser. Your past is your past. Jesus redeemed 00:29:45.430 --> 00:29:55.089 it. Would you let him rewrite your story? What 00:29:55.089 --> 00:30:01.740 Jesus accomplished for us, Was so amazing. That 00:30:01.740 --> 00:30:05.380 as you read all these things. It simply makes 00:30:05.380 --> 00:30:09.599 you wonder. How could someone like Jesus do this? 00:30:10.099 --> 00:30:14.619 What was so special about him? That he could 00:30:14.619 --> 00:30:19.940 do all of this stuff. I mean this is epic. This 00:30:19.940 --> 00:30:25.279 is major. He cancelled our debt. He disarmed. 00:30:25.960 --> 00:30:32.559 The powers of darkness. Who is this Jesus? Well 00:30:32.559 --> 00:30:35.059 you don't have to go far. Stay in Colossians. 00:30:36.319 --> 00:30:41.500 And it will tell you. And that's what you read. 00:30:42.720 --> 00:30:47.039 Word by word. The picture that unfolds. Is just. 00:30:48.279 --> 00:30:56.039 Amazing. Let's read it. Christ. meaning Jesus, 00:30:56.160 --> 00:31:02.279 is the visible image of the invisible God. You've 00:31:02.279 --> 00:31:05.420 seen Jesus, you've seen God. Like Jesus told 00:31:05.420 --> 00:31:08.480 the apostles, you've seen me, you've seen the 00:31:08.480 --> 00:31:12.740 Father. Christ is the visible image of the invisible 00:31:12.740 --> 00:31:18.480 God. He existed before anything was created, 00:31:18.579 --> 00:31:22.420 even Satan, because Satan was a created being. 00:31:25.130 --> 00:31:30.150 And he is supreme over all creation. For through 00:31:30.150 --> 00:31:38.750 him. God created. Everything. In the heavenly 00:31:38.750 --> 00:31:48.190 realms. And on earth. He made the things. We 00:31:48.190 --> 00:31:52.930 can see. And the things we can't see. Such as 00:31:52.930 --> 00:31:57.609 thrones. kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in 00:31:57.609 --> 00:32:01.829 the unseen world. Everything was created through 00:32:01.829 --> 00:32:09.049 him and for him. Wait. So if Satan was the ruler 00:32:09.049 --> 00:32:12.269 of this world, and he's an angel that rebelled 00:32:12.269 --> 00:32:18.390 against God, and Jesus created... All thrones, 00:32:18.390 --> 00:32:21.549 kingdoms, rulers and authorities. That means 00:32:21.549 --> 00:32:26.470 that Jesus is not an equal with Satan. Jesus 00:32:26.470 --> 00:32:35.549 is the creator of these beings. Wow. Everything 00:32:35.549 --> 00:32:40.890 was created through him and for him. He existed 00:32:40.890 --> 00:32:45.789 before anything else. And he holds all creation 00:32:45.789 --> 00:32:49.859 together. He is the glue that keeps the universe. 00:32:52.420 --> 00:32:55.039 Christ is also the head of the church, which 00:32:55.039 --> 00:32:59.539 is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over 00:32:59.539 --> 00:33:03.559 all who rise from the dead. So he is first in 00:33:03.559 --> 00:33:08.460 everything. For God, in all his fullness, was 00:33:08.460 --> 00:33:13.220 pleased to live in Christ. And through him, God 00:33:13.220 --> 00:33:18.970 reconciled everything. To himself. He made peace. 00:33:19.269 --> 00:33:24.470 With everything in heaven and on earth. Through 00:33:24.470 --> 00:33:29.730 what? By means of Christ's blood. On the cross. 00:33:36.150 --> 00:33:41.170 The creator. Of heaven and earth. Is hanging 00:33:41.170 --> 00:33:47.700 on that cross. The one who had created Satan 00:33:47.700 --> 00:33:52.259 and the angels that rebelled is hanging on that 00:33:52.259 --> 00:33:58.220 cross. And as he's on that cross and as he screams 00:33:58.220 --> 00:34:05.200 before he dies, it's a stream of not pain but 00:34:05.200 --> 00:34:13.440 victory. It's now the moment in which he is reconciling 00:34:13.440 --> 00:34:16.699 everything on heaven and on earth through his 00:34:16.699 --> 00:34:22.159 death on the cross. And the one that is being 00:34:22.159 --> 00:34:26.519 defeated is Satan. The one that is being shamed 00:34:26.519 --> 00:34:32.860 is Satan. And now, not only he had canceled everything 00:34:32.860 --> 00:34:35.920 that was against us, not only he has disarmed 00:34:35.920 --> 00:34:39.599 the powers of darkness, but now he has reconciled 00:34:39.599 --> 00:34:43.699 us. Completely. In one moment. In one day. He 00:34:43.699 --> 00:34:50.920 took away the sin. Completely. I like those moments 00:34:50.920 --> 00:34:54.400 in the superhero movies. When everything is going 00:34:54.400 --> 00:34:57.260 so bad. And the enemy is attacking everybody. 00:34:57.440 --> 00:34:59.780 And killing everybody. And then the superhero 00:34:59.780 --> 00:35:05.500 shows up. And he goes. And before you know it. 00:35:05.559 --> 00:35:07.760 All the enemies are dead on the floor. You know. 00:35:08.909 --> 00:35:12.650 Because he knows how to fight. And this was Jesus 00:35:12.650 --> 00:35:24.429 on the cross. He went. And Satan. Got it. Defeated. 00:35:25.030 --> 00:35:37.329 Boom. If this is what happened. Why do you keep 00:35:37.329 --> 00:35:50.420 thinking. That God is disgusted with you. Why 00:35:50.420 --> 00:35:54.920 do you keep thinking that somehow God is too 00:35:54.920 --> 00:36:00.739 busy to care for you? Look at the cross. He's 00:36:00.739 --> 00:36:04.760 not too busy. He came specifically for that mission 00:36:04.760 --> 00:36:11.019 and mission accomplished. He loves you so much. 00:36:13.159 --> 00:36:16.460 That because he has taken away and canceled the 00:36:16.460 --> 00:36:21.460 record against us. You are like that Jeshua that 00:36:21.460 --> 00:36:24.039 is standing there being accused by the enemy. 00:36:24.119 --> 00:36:27.139 And God is standing on your side and saying, 00:36:27.280 --> 00:36:32.400 I resist you, I rebuke you Satan. Because I have 00:36:32.400 --> 00:36:36.340 removed the filthy clothes and giving this person 00:36:36.340 --> 00:36:40.860 new clean clothes. The sin has been removed. 00:36:43.559 --> 00:36:47.920 And therefore time has come for us to walk as 00:36:47.920 --> 00:36:53.920 if that is true. The servant, the branch, the 00:36:53.920 --> 00:36:59.400 Messiah, the creator has come. And because he 00:36:59.400 --> 00:37:01.619 came and he accomplished what he accomplished 00:37:01.619 --> 00:37:07.239 on our behalf. He's inviting you and me to follow 00:37:07.239 --> 00:37:12.539 him. But to follow him not like you are a disappointment. 00:37:13.480 --> 00:37:18.699 Not like you have to live as if you are dying. 00:37:21.760 --> 00:37:24.960 That's why James wrote these words. And I want 00:37:24.960 --> 00:37:30.780 to conclude this study with this. Would you read 00:37:30.780 --> 00:37:36.639 it with me? So humble yourself before God. Resist 00:37:36.639 --> 00:37:40.599 the devil and he will flee from you. Come close 00:37:40.599 --> 00:37:44.989 to God. And God will come close to you. Wash 00:37:44.989 --> 00:37:48.489 your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, 00:37:48.489 --> 00:37:52.289 for your loyalty is divided between God and the 00:37:52.289 --> 00:37:57.650 world. And in this short paragraph, he addresses 00:37:57.650 --> 00:38:04.829 three of us. Just like that. First, if you are 00:38:04.829 --> 00:38:08.190 a follower of Jesus, And you have been going 00:38:08.190 --> 00:38:10.769 through this season in your life in which you 00:38:10.769 --> 00:38:13.389 feel like a disappointment. You're disappointed 00:38:13.389 --> 00:38:16.150 with yourself. You have been disappointed with 00:38:16.150 --> 00:38:18.409 what you have become. You're disappointed with 00:38:18.409 --> 00:38:21.710 your past. You are just a big disappointment. 00:38:22.230 --> 00:38:24.469 I'm here to tell you, you are under spiritual 00:38:24.469 --> 00:38:27.190 attack. That is not the voice of the Holy Spirit. 00:38:27.349 --> 00:38:30.489 That is the voice of the accuser. And the Word 00:38:30.489 --> 00:38:34.869 of God says you have to resist the accuser. And 00:38:34.869 --> 00:38:37.289 he will flee from you. But you have to do that 00:38:37.289 --> 00:38:43.030 by standing firm on the faith. Do that. Resist 00:38:43.030 --> 00:38:47.369 him. Come to the Lord when you are experiencing 00:38:47.369 --> 00:38:50.090 that. And say, God, the accuser is telling me 00:38:50.090 --> 00:38:52.789 this and this and this and this. But I refuse 00:38:52.789 --> 00:38:56.570 that. And I'm asking you, take that from me. 00:38:57.369 --> 00:39:00.190 Because I know who you are. And I know who I 00:39:00.190 --> 00:39:06.690 am. Resist. The accuser. Otherwise, he's going 00:39:06.690 --> 00:39:09.409 to bark at you and you're going to feel like 00:39:09.409 --> 00:39:12.329 he can bite, but he can't because there's no 00:39:12.329 --> 00:39:23.869 book. Good news. The second group that he addresses 00:39:23.869 --> 00:39:33.440 are the ones that are yet to follow Jesus. You 00:39:33.440 --> 00:39:36.360 are not a follower of Jesus. Jesus is not your 00:39:36.360 --> 00:39:39.659 savior. Therefore, you only have an accuser, 00:39:39.739 --> 00:39:43.860 but you have no one to defend you. Because the 00:39:43.860 --> 00:39:47.579 only one that took the book away is not your 00:39:47.579 --> 00:39:53.480 savior. And if Jesus is not your savior, James 00:39:53.480 --> 00:39:57.000 says this, look, there's only one thing that 00:39:57.000 --> 00:40:02.690 you need to do. Come close to God. And God will 00:40:02.690 --> 00:40:07.750 come close to you. He loves you. He's inviting 00:40:07.750 --> 00:40:10.889 you to experience the peace of his forgiveness. 00:40:12.409 --> 00:40:14.789 Don't keep wasting your time in all these other 00:40:14.789 --> 00:40:17.389 religions that are trying to tell you, if you 00:40:17.389 --> 00:40:19.690 do this, if you do this, maybe you will be good 00:40:19.690 --> 00:40:21.510 enough, but you do not know, so give us more 00:40:21.510 --> 00:40:25.010 money and we'll keep trying. They are deceiving 00:40:25.010 --> 00:40:29.849 you and duping you. Jesus is saying, come close 00:40:29.849 --> 00:40:34.650 to me. And I'll come close to you. Would you 00:40:34.650 --> 00:40:40.449 let me? If Jesus is not your savior. He's inviting 00:40:40.449 --> 00:40:45.690 you today. For that to change forever. And wherever 00:40:45.690 --> 00:40:47.889 you are today. You can tell the Lord. Lord Jesus. 00:40:49.449 --> 00:40:53.670 I want to follow you. From now on. I'm yours. 00:40:56.929 --> 00:41:00.929 But the third group. That he addresses. Are those 00:41:00.929 --> 00:41:03.389 of us who are following Jesus, we are already 00:41:03.389 --> 00:41:05.710 followers of Jesus. We're indwelled by the Spirit, 00:41:06.030 --> 00:41:13.329 but we are not walking with the Lord. And our 00:41:13.329 --> 00:41:19.289 hands are dirty. Yeah, there's no book, but I 00:41:19.289 --> 00:41:22.710 have dirty hands. Because I've been engaging 00:41:22.710 --> 00:41:27.190 in things that are contrary to who God called 00:41:27.190 --> 00:41:31.500 me to be. They do not honor God and I've been 00:41:31.500 --> 00:41:35.920 doing it anyway. And I feel so upset with myself 00:41:35.920 --> 00:41:41.639 because there I am again and again. And if that 00:41:41.639 --> 00:41:47.659 is you, James says, look, wash your hands. You 00:41:47.659 --> 00:41:49.639 can wash them. You don't have to live with those 00:41:49.639 --> 00:41:54.199 dirty hands. But you have to purify your heart. 00:41:56.429 --> 00:41:58.750 For the truth is that your loyalty is divided 00:41:58.750 --> 00:42:01.289 between God and the world and you have to make 00:42:01.289 --> 00:42:07.909 a decision. Are you going to follow God? Or are 00:42:07.909 --> 00:42:16.170 you going to continue playing religious? You 00:42:16.170 --> 00:42:20.170 don't need to continue living with a divided 00:42:20.170 --> 00:42:23.889 heart. You can come to the Lord today and say, 00:42:23.929 --> 00:42:26.750 God, My heart's been divided between the world 00:42:26.750 --> 00:42:29.369 and you. I'm struggling, but here I'm telling 00:42:29.369 --> 00:42:37.050 you, in my weakness, give me a heart that fully 00:42:37.050 --> 00:42:41.530 loves you. I don't want that anymore in my life. 00:42:42.389 --> 00:42:49.170 That's not who I am. Would you lead me to restoration? 00:42:53.130 --> 00:42:55.550 This is what God is inviting us to experience. 00:42:56.789 --> 00:43:01.550 He came for us to walk in freedom and experience 00:43:01.550 --> 00:43:05.429 life, not to be enslaved and experience death. 00:43:08.869 --> 00:43:12.409 So I would like to invite you today to seriously 00:43:12.409 --> 00:43:18.969 consider your walk with God and whether you are 00:43:18.969 --> 00:43:21.590 walking in the freedom that Jesus accomplished. 00:43:22.230 --> 00:43:28.449 For you. So I want to end. Just like I began. 00:43:28.730 --> 00:43:32.449 With a personal question. And that question is 00:43:32.449 --> 00:43:37.409 this. What is draining you? Because something 00:43:37.409 --> 00:43:39.869 is draining you. And the Holy Spirit doesn't 00:43:39.869 --> 00:43:42.869 drain you. The Holy Spirit fills you. If something 00:43:42.869 --> 00:43:48.309 is draining you. It's not from the Lord. And 00:43:48.309 --> 00:43:51.039 chances are. That you are being drained by the 00:43:51.039 --> 00:43:52.920 enemy. Through all of these different things. 00:43:54.099 --> 00:43:56.500 So that you will be compromised. And I'm here 00:43:56.500 --> 00:44:02.880 to tell you. Turn to Jesus. He already did everything. 00:44:04.559 --> 00:44:10.500 You just have to trust him. That's all. Let's 00:44:10.500 --> 00:44:20.119 pray. Lord. The ruler of this world. Satan. It's 00:44:20.119 --> 00:44:35.800 just so evil. So sneaky with his kingdom. Thank 00:44:35.800 --> 00:44:38.500 you for rescuing us, Lord. But today we know 00:44:38.500 --> 00:44:44.239 there's this feeling of disappointment that doesn't 00:44:44.239 --> 00:44:48.059 go away. And today, in Jesus' name, I break it. 00:44:50.480 --> 00:44:54.079 And I silence that voice from the enemy. In Jesus 00:44:54.079 --> 00:44:59.619 name. Let the truth of Christ. Be loud. That 00:44:59.619 --> 00:45:07.539 says. Canceled. Disarmed. Reconciled. Let the 00:45:07.539 --> 00:45:12.539 voice of truth. Give us a breakthrough. That 00:45:12.539 --> 00:45:18.579 from now on. We will walk in your freedom. In 00:45:18.579 --> 00:45:47.489 Jesus name. Amen. You will find giving options 00:45:47.489 --> 00:45:51.630 on our website. Remember to join us next week. 00:45:52.010 --> 00:45:53.050 God bless you.