WEBVTT 00:00:04.620 --> 00:00:07.500 And if you need a healing in your body or in 00:00:07.500 --> 00:00:09.740 your mind, just say I surrender to the healing 00:00:09.740 --> 00:00:14.000 power of God. If you need maybe some sort of 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:17.339 miracle in your home or in your family, just 00:00:17.339 --> 00:00:20.500 say I surrender to the miracle power of God. 00:00:20.620 --> 00:00:24.620 Just apply your life to what you know about Jesus 00:00:24.620 --> 00:00:27.780 and just raise your hands and say I surrender 00:00:27.780 --> 00:00:32.799 to whatever you have for me, Jesus. I surrender. 00:00:33.710 --> 00:00:37.250 to whatever you want to do in me, Jesus. I'm 00:00:37.250 --> 00:00:40.509 about to take the bread that reminds me of your 00:00:40.509 --> 00:00:44.030 body. I'm about to drink from the cup that reminds 00:00:44.030 --> 00:00:47.969 me of your blood. And I believe, Jesus, you're 00:00:47.969 --> 00:00:52.329 about to do something supernatural in my life. 00:00:52.689 --> 00:00:54.990 And if you believe that, I wonder if you would 00:00:54.990 --> 00:00:57.909 just now take your hands and maybe put them together 00:00:57.909 --> 00:01:01.409 in applause or lift your arms or lift your voice. 00:01:10.989 --> 00:01:15.230 The Lord bless you. You may be seated. It's been 00:01:15.230 --> 00:01:17.510 a long time probably since some of you had a 00:01:17.510 --> 00:01:20.349 coin in your pocket. We don't really do a lot 00:01:20.349 --> 00:01:22.969 of that. We have become a cashless society, but 00:01:22.969 --> 00:01:25.989 that's a subject for Wednesday nights. If you 00:01:25.989 --> 00:01:27.629 could get into that a little bit, it would help 00:01:27.629 --> 00:01:31.530 us. I've never seen so much information out of 00:01:31.530 --> 00:01:34.310 the book of Revelation in just three. I think 00:01:34.310 --> 00:01:37.290 he's done a phenomenal job, and I think he needs 00:01:37.290 --> 00:01:41.060 to come back in 2026. And we'll just double it 00:01:41.060 --> 00:01:44.299 up. But it's been great. I've enjoyed it. Thank 00:01:44.299 --> 00:01:46.799 you so much. But if you took a coin, if you remember 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:51.159 what that is, if I was to talk about the gospel 00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:54.780 today, I would say the gospel is like that two 00:01:54.780 --> 00:01:59.379 -sided coin. And one side certainly is the grace 00:01:59.379 --> 00:02:02.239 of God. And I know we're all thankful for the 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:05.599 grace of God. But the other side of the coin 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:09.810 is certainly the need of humanity. And not just 00:02:09.810 --> 00:02:13.050 humanity as a whole, but each one of us need 00:02:13.050 --> 00:02:17.629 the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each one of us need 00:02:17.629 --> 00:02:21.449 the cross of Jesus Christ. So one side of the 00:02:21.449 --> 00:02:25.389 coin is the grace of God, the mercy of God, the 00:02:25.389 --> 00:02:29.969 love of God. He died for us. But the other side 00:02:29.969 --> 00:02:34.009 of the coin is, my goodness, I needed Jesus to 00:02:34.009 --> 00:02:38.719 die for me. Because without him, my sins, they 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:42.560 will destroy me. My flesh, or my human nature, 00:02:42.599 --> 00:02:46.379 if you will, it will absolutely undermine me. 00:02:46.460 --> 00:02:49.960 And so, when we read about the wrath of God, 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:53.439 and these last few verses of Romans 1 zeroes 00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:57.479 in on the wrath of God, I want you to know that 00:02:57.479 --> 00:03:01.919 the wrath of God is a testimony to the righteousness 00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:05.509 of God. Don't overthink this today. It's like, 00:03:05.550 --> 00:03:07.750 oh my goodness, the preacher is coming after 00:03:07.750 --> 00:03:11.969 us today. No, I just want you to see that Calvary 00:03:11.969 --> 00:03:16.780 reminds us that we need a Savior. That we needed 00:03:16.780 --> 00:03:21.120 what Jesus did on the cross. We needed the death, 00:03:21.159 --> 00:03:24.860 the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ 00:03:24.860 --> 00:03:29.840 because Calvary reminds us that there is judgment 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:34.879 for sin and judgment for sinners. And the penalty 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:39.479 of sin is that the soul that sinneth, it shall 00:03:39.479 --> 00:03:43.729 die. I tried to figure out how to make this a 00:03:43.729 --> 00:03:46.930 little bit simpler and really, in all transparency, 00:03:47.330 --> 00:03:50.090 a little bit more palpable for people today. 00:03:50.409 --> 00:03:54.949 He's talking about the wrath of God. And we want 00:03:54.949 --> 00:03:57.330 to receive communion. We like to go on with Thanksgiving 00:03:57.330 --> 00:03:59.449 and live happily ever after. So how are you going 00:03:59.449 --> 00:04:01.349 to do that? So here's something to think about. 00:04:01.969 --> 00:04:05.590 How many of you are old enough? You don't have 00:04:05.590 --> 00:04:07.509 to raise your hand, but I will say I'm one of 00:04:07.509 --> 00:04:11.389 you. That you have already seen evidence that 00:04:11.389 --> 00:04:16.290 your body, your human body, is starting to fail 00:04:16.290 --> 00:04:21.069 you a little bit. I want to use a stronger word 00:04:21.069 --> 00:04:24.149 now, and I hope you can say amen. How many of 00:04:24.149 --> 00:04:28.529 you have discovered that your human body is literally 00:04:28.529 --> 00:04:34.110 betraying you? Right before your very eyes. If 00:04:34.110 --> 00:04:36.689 you would like proof of this. A lot of times 00:04:36.689 --> 00:04:39.410 during the week, the young people get together 00:04:39.410 --> 00:04:43.310 and they'll play softball or basketball. And 00:04:43.310 --> 00:04:46.410 I have had occasion to get out with young people, 00:04:46.470 --> 00:04:48.250 and it's been a long time because I learned the 00:04:48.250 --> 00:04:52.410 hard way that I'm not a young person. But I have 00:04:52.410 --> 00:04:55.310 had occasion to go out there on the field or 00:04:55.310 --> 00:04:58.490 get out there on the court, and I thought that 00:04:58.490 --> 00:05:04.120 I was still a young, strapling superhero. But 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:07.439 then my body betrayed me. There was a young man 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:10.600 here one day years ago that was talking trash, 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:12.560 and I said, well, let's play some basketball. 00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:16.579 I remember being pretty good at that. And within 00:05:16.579 --> 00:05:21.819 about 20 minutes, the score was 10 to 0. I was 00:05:21.819 --> 00:05:25.629 the zero, in case you're curious. And he was 00:05:25.629 --> 00:05:28.470 the hero. And from that moment on, I've always 00:05:28.470 --> 00:05:31.610 said I'm not worthy to be in the same room as 00:05:31.610 --> 00:05:35.589 you. But here's the point. Our body betrays us. 00:05:35.870 --> 00:05:38.790 So I want you to take that simple understanding. 00:05:38.970 --> 00:05:40.949 Now, young people don't even know what we're 00:05:40.949 --> 00:05:43.529 talking about. But some of you that are older 00:05:43.529 --> 00:05:47.269 will know just like your body betrays you in 00:05:47.269 --> 00:05:51.250 the natural, your body betrays you in the spiritual. 00:05:51.430 --> 00:05:55.079 No matter how much you want to. do what's healthy, 00:05:55.220 --> 00:05:58.740 what's right, what honors God, what aligns you 00:05:58.740 --> 00:06:02.439 with the word of God, this human nature, this 00:06:02.439 --> 00:06:07.399 old flesh will let us down every time. That's 00:06:07.399 --> 00:06:11.379 why we need a savior. And that's why that savior 00:06:11.379 --> 00:06:15.420 had to die on the cross because all of us are 00:06:15.420 --> 00:06:19.259 trapped in a corruptible body. All of us are 00:06:19.259 --> 00:06:23.199 trapped in a mortal body. And I know sometimes 00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:27.600 we focus on the sadness and the loss of those 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:30.980 we love when they head off to heaven before us. 00:06:31.139 --> 00:06:34.879 But my goodness, the moment they are in the presence 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:38.939 of the Lord, they are no longer limited by this 00:06:38.939 --> 00:06:42.459 corruptible body. They are no longer limited 00:06:42.459 --> 00:06:45.860 by everything that is mortal about this flesh. 00:06:46.040 --> 00:06:50.779 They are free in the presence of God. And not 00:06:50.779 --> 00:06:53.569 just free from the fear physical limitations, 00:06:53.709 --> 00:07:01.230 but we are free from sin once and for all. And 00:07:01.230 --> 00:07:08.029 so the gospel reveals God's righteousness to 00:07:08.029 --> 00:07:12.110 every believer. I know I'm a sinner without him. 00:07:12.490 --> 00:07:15.110 I know I'll never get there without him. I know 00:07:15.110 --> 00:07:18.629 I'll never please God. I know my destiny is hell 00:07:18.629 --> 00:07:22.389 without him. But I see a crimson stream of blood. 00:07:22.670 --> 00:07:27.149 I see a Savior that came to earth as a man specifically 00:07:27.149 --> 00:07:31.610 to die for my sins because as God, he cannot 00:07:31.610 --> 00:07:35.430 die. But as a man, he can allow them to put those 00:07:35.430 --> 00:07:39.310 nails in his hands and in his feet and that spear 00:07:39.310 --> 00:07:42.529 in his side and that crown of thorns. of thorns 00:07:42.529 --> 00:07:46.410 upon him. Remember, Calvary was gruesome. Calvary 00:07:46.410 --> 00:07:50.029 was horrible. And in Calvary, we see when they 00:07:50.029 --> 00:07:53.029 spit upon him and when they railed against him 00:07:53.029 --> 00:07:56.470 and when they literally tortured him, we see 00:07:56.470 --> 00:08:04.310 the wrath of God. That's the penalty that every 00:08:04.310 --> 00:08:08.670 sinner should receive and not just the physical 00:08:08.670 --> 00:08:12.470 death. The eternal, and this is a tough word 00:08:12.470 --> 00:08:15.550 to use, we've got young people in the room, but 00:08:15.550 --> 00:08:22.589 the eternal damnation that is the destiny of 00:08:22.589 --> 00:08:28.069 every person that does not believe in Jesus. 00:08:28.850 --> 00:08:31.610 Now, my brothers and sisters, as much as the 00:08:31.610 --> 00:08:36.169 gospel reveals God's righteousness to every believer, 00:08:36.940 --> 00:08:44.240 it also reveals God's wrath to every unbeliever. 00:08:45.070 --> 00:08:47.690 And that's why this is in this letter to the 00:08:47.690 --> 00:08:50.289 church in Rome, the believers in Rome. And that's 00:08:50.289 --> 00:08:52.950 why it extends to us today. And we don't talk 00:08:52.950 --> 00:08:55.409 about it much in Christian circles in our day. 00:08:55.570 --> 00:08:58.929 We know we've got to kind of look past the reality 00:08:58.929 --> 00:09:02.029 of some of the dark side of Christianity. And 00:09:02.029 --> 00:09:04.509 we've got to focus on what makes people feel 00:09:04.509 --> 00:09:07.470 happy. I get all that. But the reality is this. 00:09:07.549 --> 00:09:13.149 If we ignore the cross, our destiny is to die 00:09:13.149 --> 00:09:17.149 because of ourselves. we will pay the full price. 00:09:17.549 --> 00:09:21.509 penalty for being sinners. Romans 6 says the 00:09:21.509 --> 00:09:25.809 wages of sin is death. Thank God it doesn't stop 00:09:25.809 --> 00:09:30.269 there. But the gift of God is eternal life through 00:09:30.269 --> 00:09:35.330 Jesus Christ our Lord. We see today the grace 00:09:35.330 --> 00:09:39.350 of God because we are believers. We see the love 00:09:39.350 --> 00:09:42.870 of God because we are believers. But if there's 00:09:42.870 --> 00:09:46.429 anybody in the world that refuses to believe, 00:09:46.830 --> 00:09:51.450 that Jesus is God, the cross reveals the wrath 00:09:51.450 --> 00:09:55.690 of God, the penalty of sin, the wages of sin. 00:09:55.870 --> 00:09:58.649 Is there anybody that could get ready for communion 00:09:58.649 --> 00:10:02.149 by just raising their hand or lifting your voice 00:10:02.149 --> 00:10:06.090 and saying, thank you, Jesus, for dying for me 00:10:06.090 --> 00:10:11.409 so I don't have to die for myself. I don't have 00:10:11.409 --> 00:10:17.129 to pay the penalty, experience the agony. The 00:10:17.129 --> 00:10:24.230 torture of my sin. Can you say amen? So how do 00:10:24.230 --> 00:10:28.950 we respond to the death, the burial, the resurrection 00:10:28.950 --> 00:10:33.509 of Jesus Christ? We put our faith in Jesus. Sure 00:10:33.509 --> 00:10:37.750 we do. We repent. And repentance sometimes makes 00:10:37.750 --> 00:10:40.629 people feel like, what, are you judging me? No, 00:10:40.629 --> 00:10:44.070 no, no, we're all sinners. So we all come to 00:10:44.070 --> 00:10:47.580 Jesus. with honesty that says, forgive me for 00:10:47.580 --> 00:10:51.720 anything that keeps me from the grace and the 00:10:51.720 --> 00:10:56.019 mercy of the cross. I'm clinging to the cross 00:10:56.019 --> 00:11:00.090 when I repent of my sins. And, of course, if 00:11:00.090 --> 00:11:02.970 you've never been baptized by immersion in Jesus' 00:11:03.169 --> 00:11:06.269 name, oh, where's the water? We've got the robes 00:11:06.269 --> 00:11:09.309 ready. We've got the water ready even today. 00:11:09.409 --> 00:11:11.970 You don't have to be a member of this church 00:11:11.970 --> 00:11:15.509 to be baptized in Jesus' name. You've just got 00:11:15.509 --> 00:11:20.190 to confess, I am clinging to the cross by putting 00:11:20.190 --> 00:11:24.309 my faith in Jesus, by being baptized in Jesus' 00:11:24.529 --> 00:11:28.029 name, and then I want to be filled with his. 00:11:28.169 --> 00:11:33.269 Holy Spirit so that I can overcome sin in this 00:11:33.269 --> 00:11:37.289 life and by the way as I continue to walk with 00:11:37.289 --> 00:11:41.110 the Lord as a believer I know I will fall down 00:11:41.110 --> 00:11:44.870 but I will get right back up because I'm clinging 00:11:44.870 --> 00:11:49.789 to the cross of Jesus Christ no wonder believers 00:11:49.789 --> 00:11:54.169 celebrate the cross no wonder believers celebrate 00:11:54.169 --> 00:11:58.870 the mercy of God because as long As we cling 00:11:58.870 --> 00:12:03.090 to the cross, we may sin. In fact, if we say 00:12:03.090 --> 00:12:06.809 we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. But if 00:12:06.809 --> 00:12:10.889 we confess our sins, he is faithful and just 00:12:10.889 --> 00:12:17.129 every time to forgive us, to cleanse us. Hallelujah. 00:12:18.029 --> 00:12:23.929 You say amen. Amen. A little bit fired up. That's 00:12:23.929 --> 00:12:27.850 it. I am because there's nothing. like the grace 00:12:27.850 --> 00:12:31.570 of God. And as long as you put your faith in 00:12:31.570 --> 00:12:37.330 Jesus, the cross will always be a reminder of 00:12:37.330 --> 00:12:40.889 the righteousness of God. But if you ever start 00:12:40.889 --> 00:12:45.870 living a life that is not propelled by faith 00:12:45.870 --> 00:12:51.389 in Jesus, then the cross for you is a symbol 00:12:51.389 --> 00:12:55.710 of the wrath of God. And that's why, and we're 00:12:55.710 --> 00:12:57.169 going to read it now. I'm just going to read 00:12:57.169 --> 00:12:59.929 it. I'm not going to comment much about it. That's 00:12:59.929 --> 00:13:05.129 why Romans ends with some pretty painful realizations 00:13:05.129 --> 00:13:09.169 as the Apostle Paul tries to explain to these 00:13:09.169 --> 00:13:12.370 believers in Rome, it's a big deal to put your 00:13:12.370 --> 00:13:15.870 faith in Jesus Christ. Look at verse 18. The 00:13:15.870 --> 00:13:19.230 New Living Translation says, but God shows his 00:13:19.230 --> 00:13:24.019 anger from heaven against all sinful. Wicked 00:13:24.019 --> 00:13:28.299 people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:31.539 They know the truth about God because he has 00:13:31.539 --> 00:13:35.059 made it obvious to them. For ever since the world 00:13:35.059 --> 00:13:38.419 was created, people have seen the earth and sky 00:13:38.419 --> 00:13:41.480 through everything God made. They can clearly 00:13:41.480 --> 00:13:46.659 see his invisible qualities, his eternal power 00:13:46.659 --> 00:13:52.889 and divine nature. so that they have no excuse 00:13:52.889 --> 00:14:00.929 for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but 00:14:00.929 --> 00:14:04.610 they wouldn't worship him as God or even give 00:14:04.610 --> 00:14:08.570 him thanks, and they began to think up foolish 00:14:08.570 --> 00:14:14.250 ideas of what God was like, and as a result, 00:14:14.250 --> 00:14:21.000 their minds became dark and confused. So I want 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:22.740 you to think about this for just a moment. That's 00:14:22.740 --> 00:14:26.679 heavy duty, but I want you to understand that 00:14:26.679 --> 00:14:30.279 in the way that God has established his relationship 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:35.299 with humanity, remember last week I kind of ended 00:14:35.299 --> 00:14:38.700 one of the messages by reminding you the just 00:14:38.700 --> 00:14:43.700 shall live by faith. There is something about 00:14:43.700 --> 00:14:47.340 putting your faith in Jesus. No matter where 00:14:47.340 --> 00:14:50.679 you are in your journey of trying to know God, 00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:53.500 that if you will just keep taking another step 00:14:53.500 --> 00:14:57.080 of faith and another step of faith and another 00:14:57.080 --> 00:15:00.299 step of faith. Don't look around and compare 00:15:00.299 --> 00:15:03.360 yourself to where other people are on their journey. 00:15:03.460 --> 00:15:06.500 You just take the next step that God puts in 00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:10.019 front of you that shows your faith in Jesus. 00:15:10.159 --> 00:15:13.100 You may be seated here today and you're like, 00:15:13.139 --> 00:15:15.940 my goodness, I could never go to church. As many 00:15:15.940 --> 00:15:18.940 Sundays in the month as these people go to church, 00:15:19.080 --> 00:15:21.480 you know what? The more you go to church, the 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:24.200 easier it is to live for God. But let me tell 00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:26.519 you something. If you're looking around at somebody 00:15:26.519 --> 00:15:29.899 and saying, I can't live like him, I can't be 00:15:29.899 --> 00:15:33.019 like her, then you're no longer walking by faith. 00:15:33.220 --> 00:15:37.120 But if you can keep your eyes on Jesus and you 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:40.519 can cling to the cross and say, I don't understand 00:15:40.519 --> 00:15:43.500 a lot about religion and I don't know a lot about 00:15:43.500 --> 00:15:46.909 God, but I know. There is a Savior. His name 00:15:46.909 --> 00:15:49.549 is Jesus. And I'm going to take the next step. 00:15:49.789 --> 00:15:51.690 I'm going to read my Bible just a little bit 00:15:51.690 --> 00:15:53.909 more. I'm going to start the day with a little 00:15:53.909 --> 00:15:56.649 bit of prayer. I'm going to get inside of his 00:15:56.649 --> 00:15:59.870 relationship and even inside of his church and 00:15:59.870 --> 00:16:02.870 say, Jesus, I don't want to just be a church 00:16:02.870 --> 00:16:07.529 member. I want to walk by faith. Praise God. 00:16:09.049 --> 00:16:15.100 Because if you'll keep living from faith, To 00:16:15.100 --> 00:16:21.039 faith, to faith, you're going to know God. And 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:24.200 the more you know him, the more you're going 00:16:24.200 --> 00:16:28.340 to know how much he loves you. And the more you're 00:16:28.340 --> 00:16:32.139 going to learn how to please him. But he says 00:16:32.139 --> 00:16:35.639 there are people who will call them unbelievers. 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:41.500 And we know that they look around at every evidence. 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:46.179 That is supposed to point them towards knowing 00:16:46.179 --> 00:16:50.919 God, worshiping God, and they just refuse to 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:56.039 believe. And they are subject to the wrath of 00:16:56.039 --> 00:16:59.639 God. In fact, because their minds become dark 00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:03.600 and confused, they start to create all kinds 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:10.329 of ideas about what life is, what God is. And 00:17:10.329 --> 00:17:14.730 look what happens, verse 24. So God abandoned 00:17:14.730 --> 00:17:20.390 them to do whatever shameful things their hearts 00:17:20.390 --> 00:17:26.269 desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading 00:17:26.269 --> 00:17:31.069 things with each other's bodies. They traded 00:17:31.069 --> 00:17:35.569 the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped 00:17:35.569 --> 00:17:39.559 and served the things God created. instead of 00:17:39.559 --> 00:17:43.279 the creator himself, who is worthy of eternal 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:50.460 praise. Amen. There is no serious scholar or 00:17:50.460 --> 00:17:54.440 even student of history that would deny the fact 00:17:54.440 --> 00:17:58.259 that as you study the cultures of the world, 00:17:58.339 --> 00:18:02.779 there is something in humanity that longs to 00:18:02.779 --> 00:18:09.049 worship God. It's across the board. Even in some 00:18:09.049 --> 00:18:14.609 of the most primitive areas, primitive ways of 00:18:14.609 --> 00:18:18.609 doing life, there is an inner desire in people 00:18:18.609 --> 00:18:24.309 that wants to worship something. And so it is 00:18:24.309 --> 00:18:28.130 hoped that every believer will put their life 00:18:28.130 --> 00:18:32.990 into worshiping Jesus Christ. But the reality 00:18:32.990 --> 00:18:36.990 is we're going to worship something. And a lot 00:18:36.990 --> 00:18:40.569 of people end up worshiping themselves. And then 00:18:40.569 --> 00:18:44.130 others create systems that allow them to worship 00:18:44.130 --> 00:18:49.099 creation. Any number of things. And then you 00:18:49.099 --> 00:18:53.420 see that God allows people to continue down a 00:18:53.420 --> 00:18:57.680 road of darkness and even all kinds of evil. 00:18:57.700 --> 00:19:00.240 Look at verse 26. We're just going to take this 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:03.960 a little bit further. That is why God abandoned 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:07.859 them to their shameful desires. Even the women 00:19:07.859 --> 00:19:12.039 turned against the natural way to have sex and 00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:15.640 instead indulge. in sex with each other. And 00:19:15.640 --> 00:19:19.480 the men, instead of having normal sexual relations 00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:22.779 with women, burned with lust for each other. 00:19:22.819 --> 00:19:26.779 Men did shameful things with other men. And as 00:19:26.779 --> 00:19:30.559 a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves 00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:36.059 the penalty they deserved. Sin will take any 00:19:36.059 --> 00:19:40.279 one of us further away from God than we could 00:19:40.279 --> 00:19:43.920 ever imagine that we could go. It would be an 00:19:43.920 --> 00:19:47.539 incorrect thing for you and I to read this passage 00:19:47.539 --> 00:19:50.720 and then just start judging people that maybe 00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:54.279 we think have fallen into that particular sin 00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:57.380 or they've headed down that pathway. Remember, 00:19:57.660 --> 00:20:00.859 all of us that are old enough know this human 00:20:00.859 --> 00:20:05.559 body will betray you. And so it is when it comes 00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:08.839 to spiritual life and the sins of the flesh. 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:13.099 You may not fall into the same darkness. of somebody 00:20:13.099 --> 00:20:16.539 else, but every single one of us has to look 00:20:16.539 --> 00:20:20.220 to the cross as a revelation without the grace 00:20:20.220 --> 00:20:24.619 of God. There go I. I may not take the same path 00:20:24.619 --> 00:20:28.859 away from God, but I will end up away from God. 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:33.019 And so I need a Savior. I need the blood that 00:20:33.019 --> 00:20:36.660 was spilt on Calvary's tree. I need the Word 00:20:36.660 --> 00:20:39.680 of God, and I need the righteousness of God. 00:20:39.839 --> 00:20:44.170 I need the death of Jesus. on that cross to protect 00:20:44.170 --> 00:20:48.250 me from the wages of my own sin. Dare I say, 00:20:48.309 --> 00:20:52.089 I need the death and the burial and the resurrection 00:20:52.089 --> 00:20:56.750 of Jesus as much as anybody, anywhere, at any 00:20:56.750 --> 00:21:01.089 time. I need faith in Jesus and repentance and 00:21:01.089 --> 00:21:04.890 baptism in Jesus' name and the infilling of his 00:21:04.890 --> 00:21:08.569 spirit, not just to be religious, but to walk 00:21:08.569 --> 00:21:14.559 with God. I need him. The old timers would say 00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:20.579 I need him every hour. Since they thought it 00:21:20.579 --> 00:21:24.339 foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them 00:21:24.339 --> 00:21:29.240 to their foolish thinking and let them do things 00:21:29.240 --> 00:21:33.380 that should never be done. They lived their lives. 00:21:34.380 --> 00:21:36.640 Full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:39.119 hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious 00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:44.420 behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers. 00:21:45.460 --> 00:21:48.019 Haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. 00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:52.140 They invent new ways of sinning. And they disobey 00:21:52.140 --> 00:21:56.440 their parents. Look at that. They refuse to understand. 00:21:57.400 --> 00:22:01.740 Break their promises. Heartless. They have no 00:22:01.740 --> 00:22:05.730 mercy. They know God's justice requires that 00:22:05.730 --> 00:22:10.730 those who do these things deserve to die. Yet 00:22:10.730 --> 00:22:17.150 they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage 00:22:17.150 --> 00:22:22.690 others to do them too. Now, I want to say this. 00:22:22.769 --> 00:22:25.589 In fact, you can come to the instruments. But 00:22:25.589 --> 00:22:28.990 I think this is so important. We read about God 00:22:28.990 --> 00:22:32.309 giving them up. And we almost think like, whoa, 00:22:32.410 --> 00:22:36.789 God, you've got to stop this. I mean, look at 00:22:36.789 --> 00:22:39.329 the world we're living in now. People are going 00:22:39.329 --> 00:22:42.809 crazy. Come on, God. You've got to stop this. 00:22:43.990 --> 00:22:47.730 And it's as if the Lord would say, I went to 00:22:47.730 --> 00:22:52.309 the cross to stop this. But I won't force anybody 00:22:52.309 --> 00:22:57.869 to live for me. I won't force anybody to believe 00:22:57.869 --> 00:23:04.380 in me. I won't force anybody to serve me. So 00:23:04.380 --> 00:23:07.599 when we see such strong language as though God 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:11.299 is giving people up to plunge into darkness, 00:23:11.460 --> 00:23:16.299 you need to understand that the Lord has designed 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:22.099 you and I to make our own decision as to whether 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:29.109 or not we will believe that Jesus is. our Savior. 00:23:29.690 --> 00:23:35.789 And the cross is the only hope that we have for 00:23:35.789 --> 00:23:40.150 redemption and restoration to the righteousness 00:23:40.150 --> 00:23:44.910 of God, which is by faith. And I want to ask 00:23:44.910 --> 00:23:47.289 you this question as we prepare for communion. 00:23:48.529 --> 00:23:54.250 Can you see the cross and at the same time see 00:23:54.250 --> 00:23:59.690 your sin and your flesh? and the betrayal of 00:23:59.690 --> 00:24:05.369 your human nature? And can you see your soul's 00:24:05.369 --> 00:24:12.309 need for him? Can you see it? Can you see the 00:24:12.309 --> 00:24:18.809 cross and know that the soul that sinneth, it 00:24:18.809 --> 00:24:25.829 shall die? Sin left unchecked. Sin. managed by 00:24:25.829 --> 00:24:29.569 my own good intentions, sin, even when I put 00:24:29.569 --> 00:24:32.410 my life through an elaborate religious system, 00:24:32.529 --> 00:24:36.670 that sin is going to eventually catch up to me, 00:24:36.809 --> 00:24:44.109 and I will be lost forever except for the cross 00:24:44.109 --> 00:24:51.150 of Jesus Christ. Can you see the cross and accept 00:24:51.150 --> 00:24:56.539 that we have to teach and preach, And know about 00:24:56.539 --> 00:25:01.160 the wrath of God so that we can understand the 00:25:01.160 --> 00:25:06.059 righteousness of God. So that we can accept that 00:25:06.059 --> 00:25:12.660 we need a Savior. And Jesus had to die so that 00:25:12.660 --> 00:25:17.500 I didn't have to die. And oh, the agony. Oh, 00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:23.359 the tragedy of Calvary. But if I will believe. 00:25:24.619 --> 00:25:29.859 If I will cling to the cross. I take that bread 00:25:29.859 --> 00:25:34.140 today. I drink that cup today because I'm clinging. 00:25:35.259 --> 00:25:40.700 I'm holding on to the cross. Can you say amen? 00:25:41.680 --> 00:25:43.319 We're going to take a moment and we're going 00:25:43.319 --> 00:25:47.119 to examine ourselves. Those of you that are familiar 00:25:47.119 --> 00:25:48.960 with what the scripture says about communion, 00:25:49.299 --> 00:25:52.720 we're all invited just to pray a prayer of repentance. 00:25:53.690 --> 00:25:58.789 To say, Jesus, in my flesh, I'm not worthy to 00:25:58.789 --> 00:26:01.450 take that bread. I'm not worthy to drink that 00:26:01.450 --> 00:26:05.670 cup. In my own attempt to be religious, I'm still 00:26:05.670 --> 00:26:10.069 a sinner saved by grace. But oh, I cling to the 00:26:10.069 --> 00:26:13.769 cross today. So I want to encourage you just 00:26:13.769 --> 00:26:15.569 to close your eyes right where you're seated 00:26:15.569 --> 00:26:22.700 and apply the cross to your life. While you're 00:26:22.700 --> 00:26:25.880 doing that, I wonder if you remember those famous 00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:31.180 words. On a hill far away stood an old rugged 00:26:31.180 --> 00:26:37.019 cross, the emblem of suffering and shame. And 00:26:37.019 --> 00:26:41.440 I love that old cross where the dearest and best 00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:49.519 for a world of lost sinners was slain. I was 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:53.859 one of those. I am one of those, but I cling 00:26:53.859 --> 00:27:42.440 to the cross. Again, in just a moment, but right 00:27:42.440 --> 00:27:45.059 where you are, would you raise your hands and 00:27:45.059 --> 00:27:47.440 would you take a hold of the cross right now 00:27:47.440 --> 00:27:49.880 in your prayer? Jesus, here's my weaknesses. 00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:55.359 I reach for the cross. Here's my sins. I reach 00:27:55.359 --> 00:28:00.319 for the cross. Here's my failures. I reach for 00:28:00.319 --> 00:28:04.220 the cross. Here's those parts of me that compare 00:28:04.220 --> 00:28:07.930 myself to others. and think that I'm justified 00:28:07.930 --> 00:28:12.190 in my own religious activity. I cling to the 00:28:12.190 --> 00:28:16.410 cross, oh God. Here's that part of me that can 00:28:16.410 --> 00:28:20.490 be in church long enough to check the box and 00:28:20.490 --> 00:28:24.430 log in hours served and forget that without the 00:28:24.430 --> 00:28:28.029 cross, I'm lost. Without the cross, I'm lost. 00:28:28.349 --> 00:28:32.470 I reach for the cross today, Lord. Because this 00:28:32.470 --> 00:28:35.150 is not about what you've done for anybody else. 00:28:35.170 --> 00:28:38.470 This is about what you've done for me. And I 00:28:38.470 --> 00:28:43.029 needed you, Jesus. And I need you now. I needed 00:28:43.029 --> 00:28:46.329 that blood that was shed. And I need it now. 00:28:46.589 --> 00:28:50.529 I needed your program, your plan for humanity. 00:28:51.150 --> 00:29:01.910 And I need it. in the name of the Lord Jesus. 00:29:02.750 --> 00:29:05.630 Those of you that Brother Mark's assigned to 00:29:05.630 --> 00:29:07.809 help us with communion, if you'd come and get 00:29:07.809 --> 00:29:11.950 ready right now. All across this sanctuary, I 00:29:11.950 --> 00:29:14.970 want to invite everybody to stand and raise your 00:29:14.970 --> 00:29:18.990 hands and thank the Lord for his mercy. Thank 00:29:18.990 --> 00:29:22.410 the Lord for his grace. We've seen the wrath 00:29:22.410 --> 00:29:25.910 of God a little bit today through the word of 00:29:25.910 --> 00:29:29.750 God. And it just fills our hearts. with a greater 00:29:29.750 --> 00:29:33.910 appreciation, a greater revelation, a greater 00:29:33.910 --> 00:29:34.569 understanding.