WEBVTT 00:00:01.260 --> 00:00:06.719 Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:09.720 designed to uplift and strengthen you in your 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:14.019 walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until 00:00:14.019 --> 00:00:17.960 the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive 00:00:17.960 --> 00:00:24.179 right in. So today we're going to be looking 00:00:24.179 --> 00:00:32.289 at the word together. disciples or being a disciple. 00:00:32.850 --> 00:00:38.670 So Matthew chapter 28 Matthew chapter 28 verse 00:00:38.670 --> 00:00:48.009 18 verse 18 to 20 It says, And Jesus came and 00:00:48.009 --> 00:00:51.450 spoke to them, saying, All authority has been 00:00:51.450 --> 00:00:54.770 given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, 00:00:54.869 --> 00:00:57.920 and make disciples of all nations. baptizing 00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:02.280 them in the name of the Father, the Son, and 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:08.560 the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:11.260 the things that I have commanded you, and lo, 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:16.019 I am with you, even to the end of the age. Praise 00:01:16.019 --> 00:01:22.219 the Lord. Even to the end of the age. So Jesus 00:01:22.219 --> 00:01:25.219 spoke to his disciples to go and make disciples, 00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:31.150 to go and teach. to go and share concerning him 00:01:31.150 --> 00:01:35.250 baptizing people in the name of the Lord right 00:01:35.250 --> 00:01:39.209 and there are many people who even in our time 00:01:39.209 --> 00:01:44.150 or a generation that are believers or have received 00:01:44.150 --> 00:01:49.170 the word of God or yet are acting in a way that 00:01:49.170 --> 00:01:52.430 suggests to us that they are not actually believers 00:01:54.599 --> 00:01:57.200 They have received the word. It could be as a 00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:00.579 result of coming from a local church back at 00:02:00.579 --> 00:02:05.760 home. But their life currently is not showing 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:09.860 that these people are children of God, that they 00:02:09.860 --> 00:02:15.280 have a relationship with the Lord. And sometimes 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:18.819 you wonder why that is. Why is it that people 00:02:18.819 --> 00:02:22.319 who have believed, people who know God, yet... 00:02:22.680 --> 00:02:26.780 They show you that, or they live a life that 00:02:26.780 --> 00:02:30.840 shows that they probably do not know God or they 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:34.039 have a lack of understanding of what has happened 00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:37.699 to them. So, and part of the reason why that 00:02:37.699 --> 00:02:42.919 is, why there is those type of abnormality is 00:02:42.919 --> 00:02:47.639 because of the place of lack of teaching. They 00:02:47.639 --> 00:02:50.599 are not properly taught concerning the things 00:02:50.599 --> 00:02:52.349 that have happened to them. Praise the Lord. 00:02:52.689 --> 00:02:55.710 They have belief, but then there is no place 00:02:55.710 --> 00:02:59.490 where there is teaching, where there is tutoring, 00:02:59.889 --> 00:03:03.370 where people come to learn about the life that 00:03:03.370 --> 00:03:06.129 they have currently, or the life that they live, 00:03:06.349 --> 00:03:09.069 or the life that they have in Christ currently. 00:03:09.449 --> 00:03:12.129 So lack of teaching is a contributing factor 00:03:12.129 --> 00:03:15.030 to these things, why people live in a certain 00:03:15.030 --> 00:03:17.969 way that suggests to us that they are not children 00:03:17.969 --> 00:03:20.310 of God, but they are children of God. They have 00:03:20.310 --> 00:03:23.759 believed God. They are saved, but their life 00:03:23.759 --> 00:03:26.840 does not show it or they don't know what to do. 00:03:26.979 --> 00:03:32.699 So Jesus tells his disciples to go. He has given 00:03:32.699 --> 00:03:36.000 them authority. They should go, therefore, make 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:39.979 disciples of all nations. So everyone who has 00:03:39.979 --> 00:03:43.360 believed in the gospel, everyone who has believed 00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:45.740 the gospel, everyone who has come to the knowledge 00:03:45.740 --> 00:03:48.599 of God, everyone who has believed that which 00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:50.729 Christ has done for them. who has the life of 00:03:50.729 --> 00:03:54.750 Christ, should start being discipled or should 00:03:54.750 --> 00:03:57.569 start learning or should start getting taught, 00:03:57.770 --> 00:04:01.150 consigning the life that they have now. That 00:04:01.150 --> 00:04:03.509 is the thing or that is the response that a believer 00:04:03.509 --> 00:04:07.289 or somebody who is just coming to Christ should 00:04:07.289 --> 00:04:10.509 know. That is also a lifestyle that a person 00:04:10.509 --> 00:04:13.550 who is in Christ should continue to have, a place 00:04:13.550 --> 00:04:16.170 where they are constantly learning, a place where 00:04:16.170 --> 00:04:18.589 they are constantly being taught. A place where 00:04:18.589 --> 00:04:21.670 they are constantly being rich and they defy. 00:04:21.790 --> 00:04:23.850 Praise the Lord. So everybody who has believed 00:04:23.850 --> 00:04:27.129 in Christ needs to start learning. Praise the 00:04:27.129 --> 00:04:29.209 Lord. We see from verse 19, he tells them they 00:04:29.209 --> 00:04:31.930 should go and make disciples of one nation, baptizing 00:04:31.930 --> 00:04:35.069 them in the name, baptizing in the name of the 00:04:35.069 --> 00:04:37.470 Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And then 00:04:37.470 --> 00:04:40.949 he says you teach them to observe. So teaching 00:04:40.949 --> 00:04:44.649 them, giving them instructions to observe. Right? 00:04:44.730 --> 00:04:47.720 So when he says to teach them, It is an instruction 00:04:47.720 --> 00:04:52.079 to teach. It is an instruction to teach. So to 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:58.060 teach means to instruct. To teach means to instruct. 00:04:58.279 --> 00:05:03.920 To instruct them. It means to instruct a student. 00:05:04.199 --> 00:05:08.360 It implies to instruct a student. To make somebody 00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:12.000 to learn. Praise the Lord. To make someone to 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:15.899 learn. To make someone to learn. A student does 00:05:15.899 --> 00:05:20.680 not necessarily know why they need some knowledge, 00:05:20.879 --> 00:05:24.519 why these teachings are coming to them. But at 00:05:24.519 --> 00:05:26.240 the end of the teaching or at the end of the 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:28.240 semester, they will come to the knowledge why 00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:30.959 this is important. Praise the Lord. So it's important 00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:33.439 for the teacher to continue to teach, to continue 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:36.759 to give instructions, to continue to show them 00:05:36.759 --> 00:05:39.639 the way or teach them. Praise the Lord. So they 00:05:39.639 --> 00:05:42.480 don't know or understand it, but they need learning. 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:45.980 They need to start learning. So that they don't 00:05:45.980 --> 00:05:51.519 have. They don't come to that. Place where. They 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:53.839 have something. But yet they don't understand 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:58.560 it. Praise the Lord. So we also see in. So like 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:00.560 I said. The word teach means to instruct. To 00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:03.639 make someone to learn. To make somebody come 00:06:03.639 --> 00:06:06.600 to understand it. So we also have in Matthew. 00:06:06.879 --> 00:06:14.180 Chapter 9. Verse 14. Where we also see. a word 00:06:14.180 --> 00:06:19.079 again that tells us about disciples. Matthew 00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:23.160 chapter 9 verse 14. Matthew chapter 9 verse 14, 00:06:23.379 --> 00:06:28.579 it says, then the disciples of John came to him 00:06:28.579 --> 00:06:35.319 saying, why do we and the Pharisee fast? Then 00:06:35.319 --> 00:06:37.560 the disciples of John came to him saying, why 00:06:37.560 --> 00:06:41.930 do we and the Pharisee fast often? But your disciples 00:06:41.930 --> 00:06:47.110 do not fast. Praise the Lord. Why do we? So the 00:06:47.110 --> 00:06:49.410 word disciple here as well refers to somebody 00:06:49.410 --> 00:06:51.629 that learns from another school. These people 00:06:51.629 --> 00:06:55.129 that were disciples of John, they were people 00:06:55.129 --> 00:06:56.949 who were learning from John. They were people 00:06:56.949 --> 00:06:59.810 who had been instructed by John. Praise the Lord. 00:07:00.009 --> 00:07:02.029 They were people who had been instructed by John. 00:07:02.149 --> 00:07:05.250 So the disciple there means that someone who 00:07:05.250 --> 00:07:08.990 learns from another. These people are the learner 00:07:08.990 --> 00:07:11.370 of John. They're the ones learning from John. 00:07:11.870 --> 00:07:14.209 Praise the Lord. They are learning from John. 00:07:14.329 --> 00:07:21.769 So John there refers to, John has a people that 00:07:21.769 --> 00:07:23.629 they are being referred to him as disciples. 00:07:23.970 --> 00:07:25.649 These are people that are learning from him. 00:07:25.829 --> 00:07:28.509 These are the people that John is informing them. 00:07:28.810 --> 00:07:30.790 Praise the Lord. The knowledge they have, the 00:07:30.790 --> 00:07:33.850 understanding they have are things that they 00:07:33.850 --> 00:07:37.060 got from John. Praise the Lord. So that's why 00:07:37.060 --> 00:07:39.439 they came to Jesus and they say, we have a practice. 00:07:39.779 --> 00:07:42.180 Why is it that your disciples do not have this 00:07:42.180 --> 00:07:44.980 practice that we have? Praise the Lord. Because 00:07:44.980 --> 00:07:47.699 the healer has instructed them, has told them 00:07:47.699 --> 00:07:51.579 that they need to fast. So they have gotten information 00:07:51.579 --> 00:07:57.060 from John that they have heeded to. Praise the 00:07:57.060 --> 00:07:59.439 Lord. So there are people who are learning from 00:07:59.439 --> 00:08:06.579 John. So we also see Where also a learner is, 00:08:06.779 --> 00:08:09.939 or to learn is being referenced in Matthew chapter 00:08:09.939 --> 00:08:14.879 11. Matthew chapter 11, verse 29, where Jesus 00:08:14.879 --> 00:08:19.519 says that you should take my yoke and learn from 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:23.959 me. Matthew chapter 11, verse 29. He says, take 00:08:23.959 --> 00:08:27.160 my yoke and learn from me, for I'm gentle and 00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:30.019 lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your 00:08:30.019 --> 00:08:33.740 soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden... He's 00:08:33.740 --> 00:08:36.120 light, praise the Lord. So he says to them, they 00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:39.740 should take upon, they should take my yoke, they 00:08:39.740 --> 00:08:41.559 should take his yoke upon him and learn from 00:08:41.559 --> 00:08:45.860 him. So the word learn there means, is the word 00:08:45.860 --> 00:08:50.480 to increase one's information, right? It is the 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:55.840 word matona, which means to increase, to increase 00:08:55.840 --> 00:08:59.480 one information or to hear or to be informed 00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:03.820 by somebody, right? To learn by the... Use by 00:09:03.820 --> 00:09:08.639 use and by practice. Praise the Lord. To learn 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:13.840 by use or by practice. So it means a learner, 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:16.919 to learn or to be a learner. Praise the Lord. 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:19.820 So we see that these people that are called disciples 00:09:19.820 --> 00:09:23.360 are people that learn from another person. So 00:09:23.360 --> 00:09:26.299 we see that they learn from John. We see also 00:09:26.299 --> 00:09:30.340 that they have taken instruction from him. So 00:09:30.340 --> 00:09:34.240 John has influence on these people. John has 00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:38.000 people who are informed by him. So these are 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:41.440 the disciples of John, people who receive information 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:46.179 from him, who are informed by John, praise the 00:09:46.179 --> 00:09:50.019 Lord. So there are people that receive information 00:09:50.019 --> 00:09:54.860 from John. So the question that we have is, how 00:09:54.860 --> 00:10:00.789 are you informed or who informs you? Who gives 00:10:00.789 --> 00:10:04.129 you the information of your living? Praise the 00:10:04.129 --> 00:10:07.330 Lord. Who gives you the information of your living? 00:10:08.110 --> 00:10:11.470 What informs your life? What makes you do the 00:10:11.470 --> 00:10:14.090 things that you do? Something made John's disciples 00:10:14.090 --> 00:10:18.269 to be fasting. Something made them to go on and 00:10:18.269 --> 00:10:23.070 fast. But the disciples of Jesus were not fasting. 00:10:23.450 --> 00:10:27.409 And so they asked Jesus, why do we fast often 00:10:27.409 --> 00:10:30.230 and your disciples don't? So who gives you the 00:10:30.230 --> 00:10:33.809 information or who has informed your life? And 00:10:33.809 --> 00:10:40.250 that has affected the way that you live. Who 00:10:40.250 --> 00:10:43.049 has informed the principles of your life? Who 00:10:43.049 --> 00:10:46.690 has given you these principles? And then Matthew 00:10:46.690 --> 00:10:51.149 chapter 10, we see also Jesus' disciples. Jesus 00:10:51.149 --> 00:10:55.450 called his 12 to him and gave them authority 00:10:55.450 --> 00:11:02.320 to drive out. In pure spirit, there's a new international 00:11:02.320 --> 00:11:07.860 version. Matthew 10, verse 1. It says, when he 00:11:07.860 --> 00:11:11.200 has called his 12 disciples to him, he gave them 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:15.820 power over unclean spirits to cast them out and 00:11:15.820 --> 00:11:19.000 to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:22.440 diseases. Praise the Lord. So Jesus has his own 00:11:22.440 --> 00:11:26.059 disciples. So Jesus called the 12, right? So 00:11:26.059 --> 00:11:28.360 these are Jesus' disciples. They are men who 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:31.019 have been learning from him. So these are men 00:11:31.019 --> 00:11:33.840 who have been learning from Jesus. These are 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:36.799 men who have been instructed by him, who he has 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:40.059 gained influence over. So he tells them to go 00:11:40.059 --> 00:11:43.879 and do some things. Praise the Lord. So he instructs 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:47.139 them in the way they should go. So they were 00:11:47.139 --> 00:11:51.539 not just people who were just learning from him 00:11:51.539 --> 00:11:54.250 or receiving instruction from him. But also there 00:11:54.250 --> 00:11:58.610 were people who were also learning how he interpreted 00:11:58.610 --> 00:12:03.149 or how he discussed the scriptures. Praise the 00:12:03.149 --> 00:12:05.110 Lord. There were people also who learned the 00:12:05.110 --> 00:12:08.049 pattern of how to interpret the scriptures, how 00:12:08.049 --> 00:12:13.230 to properly read the scriptures, how to give 00:12:13.230 --> 00:12:16.309 an explanation that is more greater than that 00:12:16.309 --> 00:12:18.889 which the Pharisees are able to get. So there 00:12:18.889 --> 00:12:20.549 were many things they were learning from him. 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:24.580 Giving them instructions on the things to do. 00:12:24.779 --> 00:12:27.000 But they also observed him. They saw the things 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:30.580 that he did. And he has influence over their 00:12:30.580 --> 00:12:34.200 lives. Such that they are able to learn how he 00:12:34.200 --> 00:12:38.600 explained the scriptures. So we see how Jesus 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:43.700 shows. So we see Jesus explaining the scriptures 00:12:43.700 --> 00:12:48.980 as well. In Matthew chapter 7, verse 12. Matthew 00:12:48.980 --> 00:12:56.090 chapter 7, verse 12. Verse 12 says that, therefore, 00:12:56.190 --> 00:13:00.649 whatever you want men to do to you, do also to 00:13:00.649 --> 00:13:05.190 them, for this is the law and the prophet. So 00:13:05.190 --> 00:13:08.450 he tells them that whatever you want men to do 00:13:08.450 --> 00:13:11.929 to you, do also to them, for this is the law 00:13:11.929 --> 00:13:14.750 and the prophet. So when he says this is the 00:13:14.750 --> 00:13:17.350 law and the prophet, what he's saying is that, 00:13:17.350 --> 00:13:21.629 he's saying that this is the... He's referring 00:13:21.629 --> 00:13:26.389 to the Old Testament of the Bible. He's referring 00:13:26.389 --> 00:13:29.429 to the Old Testament of the Bible. And then in 00:13:29.429 --> 00:13:37.210 verse 28, sorry, 28 to 29 now, it says, so that 00:13:37.210 --> 00:13:39.549 is, Jesus was teaching, so there was people who 00:13:39.549 --> 00:13:41.429 were observing what he was doing. And so verse 00:13:41.429 --> 00:13:44.649 28 now said, so it was when Jesus has ended his 00:13:44.649 --> 00:13:46.889 saying that his people were astonished at his 00:13:46.889 --> 00:13:49.789 teaching, for he taught them as one having authority. 00:13:50.570 --> 00:13:54.029 not as described. Praise the Lord. He taught 00:13:54.029 --> 00:13:58.149 them as one, having authority, not as described. 00:13:58.570 --> 00:14:00.730 Some other versions will put this teaching as 00:14:00.730 --> 00:14:03.149 doctrine, which we know he's talking about the 00:14:03.149 --> 00:14:05.970 same thing. So the word here, teaching or doctrines, 00:14:05.970 --> 00:14:09.009 implies an explanation. So he explained the scriptures 00:14:09.009 --> 00:14:12.110 to them properly. They were astonished by his 00:14:12.110 --> 00:14:15.750 explanation. Praise the Lord. They were astonished 00:14:15.750 --> 00:14:18.129 by his explanation. So when he says the people 00:14:18.129 --> 00:14:20.389 were astonished, he was referring to the people 00:14:20.389 --> 00:14:23.929 who were astonished by his explanation of the 00:14:23.929 --> 00:14:27.450 Old Testament scriptures. Praise the Lord. The 00:14:27.450 --> 00:14:30.029 people were astonished concerning his explanation 00:14:30.029 --> 00:14:33.909 of the Old Testament scriptures. So it therefore 00:14:33.909 --> 00:14:37.590 means that Jesus has a mode of explanation of 00:14:37.590 --> 00:14:40.690 the Old Testament. And the disciples also were 00:14:40.690 --> 00:14:43.809 influenced by this. Praise the Lord. So he has 00:14:43.809 --> 00:14:46.750 a way in which he explains the Old Testament. 00:14:47.100 --> 00:14:49.639 He didn't explain it as a scribe. He didn't explain 00:14:49.639 --> 00:14:52.620 it as somebody who was without knowledge, but 00:14:52.620 --> 00:14:55.480 he explained it in a way that was more powerful 00:14:55.480 --> 00:14:58.419 than the way the scribes or the Pharisees would 00:14:58.419 --> 00:15:03.259 explain it. Praise the Lord. Jesus taught the 00:15:03.259 --> 00:15:06.480 scriptures, giving examples on how the scriptures 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:08.919 should be properly explained. So the disciples 00:15:08.919 --> 00:15:11.840 were there, and they saw these things, and this 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:14.100 has an influence in their life concerning how 00:15:14.100 --> 00:15:16.730 the scriptures should be explained. So his disciples 00:15:16.730 --> 00:15:20.029 were with him also, or they stayed in this particular 00:15:20.029 --> 00:15:23.110 pattern of explanation. They stay in this particular 00:15:23.110 --> 00:15:26.269 pattern of learning. So the mode of interpreting 00:15:26.269 --> 00:15:28.409 the scriptures or the mode of explanation of 00:15:28.409 --> 00:15:30.850 the scriptures, the disciples were acquainted 00:15:30.850 --> 00:15:33.289 with it because they were with Jesus. They were 00:15:33.289 --> 00:15:35.710 together with him and they learned from him. 00:15:35.830 --> 00:15:40.990 And they got all this experience from him. Praise 00:15:40.990 --> 00:15:43.049 the Lord. So when he says the law and the prophet, 00:15:43.230 --> 00:15:46.409 he's referring... to the Old Testament of the 00:15:46.409 --> 00:15:51.389 Bible. And then Luke, we also see in Luke chapter 00:15:51.389 --> 00:15:57.169 24, Luke chapter 24, verse 25. Luke chapter 24, 00:15:57.590 --> 00:16:03.450 verse 25. So he said to them, and he said to 00:16:03.450 --> 00:16:08.129 them, all foolish ones shall have had to believe 00:16:08.129 --> 00:16:11.090 all that the prophet has spoken, all that the 00:16:11.090 --> 00:16:15.049 prophet has spoken. Praise the Lord. And then 00:16:15.049 --> 00:16:24.409 from verse 44 now to 45. So Luke 24, 25, verse 00:16:24.409 --> 00:16:44.929 26. And then verse 44 to 45 now. He says, These 00:16:44.929 --> 00:16:46.909 are the words which I speak to you while I was 00:16:46.909 --> 00:16:49.330 still with you, that all these things will be 00:16:49.330 --> 00:16:52.169 fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, 00:16:52.389 --> 00:16:55.990 and in the prophet, and in the Psalms, and in 00:16:55.990 --> 00:17:01.330 the Psalms consigning me. And he opened the understanding 00:17:01.330 --> 00:17:05.829 that they might comprehend. So we also see another 00:17:05.829 --> 00:17:08.029 pattern here that he shows. He says to them, 00:17:08.049 --> 00:17:11.029 beginning from Moses, in verse 27, beginning 00:17:11.029 --> 00:17:13.210 from Moses and all the prophet, he expounded 00:17:13.210 --> 00:17:16.380 to them the things. He responded to them in all 00:17:16.380 --> 00:17:18.200 the scriptures, the things concerning himself. 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:23.779 So his mode of explaining the scriptures is that 00:17:23.779 --> 00:17:25.940 he goes from the beginning. So when he says beginning, 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:29.160 beginning from Moses, he's talking about the 00:17:29.160 --> 00:17:31.039 beginning of the writing. He's talking about 00:17:31.039 --> 00:17:36.359 the first book that was written by Moses. He's 00:17:36.359 --> 00:17:38.500 talking about the first set of books that were 00:17:38.500 --> 00:17:40.960 written in the Old Testament, which were written 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:44.630 by Moses. So he expounded to them the things 00:17:44.630 --> 00:17:47.650 consigning himself. Like I said, the disciples 00:17:47.650 --> 00:17:50.609 were there to learn some of these things that 00:17:50.609 --> 00:17:55.670 he is giving or he is expounding to them. So 00:17:55.670 --> 00:18:01.410 in verse 44, then he said to them, these are 00:18:01.410 --> 00:18:03.170 the words which I speak to you while I'm still 00:18:03.170 --> 00:18:04.829 with you, that all things must be fulfilled, 00:18:04.990 --> 00:18:07.329 which are written in the law of Moses and the 00:18:07.329 --> 00:18:09.809 prophet and the Psalms consigning me. Then you 00:18:09.809 --> 00:18:11.569 open the understanding that they may comprehend 00:18:11.569 --> 00:18:15.819 me. So he also is telling them that it's not 00:18:15.819 --> 00:18:18.759 just beginning from Moses. He also goes to the 00:18:18.759 --> 00:18:21.900 prophets. He also goes to the Psalms. He also 00:18:21.900 --> 00:18:24.900 goes to the things. He's also telling them the 00:18:24.900 --> 00:18:30.299 things which were written or which were... He 00:18:30.299 --> 00:18:32.099 also was telling them the things that were written 00:18:32.099 --> 00:18:34.640 concerning him which were found in the Psalms 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:37.799 and the prophets concerning him. Praise the Lord. 00:18:38.220 --> 00:18:41.940 And the disciples, like I said, were... In tune, 00:18:41.980 --> 00:18:44.039 or they were learning this pattern from him. 00:18:44.140 --> 00:18:46.839 They learned this mode of explanation. Not like 00:18:46.839 --> 00:18:50.059 the scribes and the Pharisees. They learned what 00:18:50.059 --> 00:18:52.859 it means to properly interpret the scriptures. 00:18:54.019 --> 00:18:57.779 And then we also see this word, disciples, in 00:18:57.779 --> 00:19:00.660 Acts of the Apostles. So if we open to Acts of 00:19:00.660 --> 00:19:04.220 the Apostles, Acts chapter 6, Acts chapter 6, 00:19:04.579 --> 00:19:09.559 Acts chapter 6, verse 1. It says, Now in those 00:19:09.559 --> 00:19:11.339 days, when the numbers of the disciples were 00:19:11.339 --> 00:19:13.680 multiplied, there was a complaint against the 00:19:13.680 --> 00:19:17.039 Hebrew by the Hittites because the widows were 00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:20.700 neglected in the daily distribution. He said 00:19:20.700 --> 00:19:23.000 the number of the disciples were multiplied. 00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:25.880 And then we also see the same thing in Acts chapter 00:19:25.880 --> 00:19:30.980 11. Acts chapter 11 verse 26. Acts chapter 11 00:19:30.980 --> 00:19:37.220 verse 26. Then when he found him, he brought 00:19:37.220 --> 00:19:41.720 him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:44.519 they assembled in the church and taught a great 00:19:44.519 --> 00:19:48.420 many people. And the disciples were called Christians 00:19:48.420 --> 00:19:52.880 in Antioch. The first called Christians in Antioch. 00:19:53.059 --> 00:20:02.759 Acts chapter 14 verse 22. Acts chapter 14 verse 00:20:02.759 --> 00:20:06.339 22. Strengthening the souls of the disciples, 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:10.000 exalting them. to continue in faith and saying, 00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:14.160 we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom 00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:23.220 of God. And then Acts chapter 2, verse 41 and 00:20:23.220 --> 00:20:29.420 42. Verse 41 says, And those who gladly received 00:20:29.420 --> 00:20:33.420 his word were baptized, and that day about 3 00:20:33.420 --> 00:20:36.329 ,000 souls were added to them. And they continue 00:20:36.329 --> 00:20:38.829 steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and in 00:20:38.829 --> 00:20:42.309 fellowship and in the breaking of bread and in 00:20:42.309 --> 00:20:45.950 prayers. They continue steadfastly in the apostles' 00:20:46.269 --> 00:20:50.150 doctrine and in the breaking of bread and in 00:20:50.150 --> 00:20:53.809 prayers. Praise the Lord. So the word continue 00:20:53.809 --> 00:20:57.589 here implies that they stayed in the apostles' 00:20:57.990 --> 00:21:00.369 doctrine. They stayed in something that has been 00:21:00.369 --> 00:21:03.490 said or done. The apostles' doctrine is what 00:21:03.490 --> 00:21:06.589 has been said. or what has been done, right? 00:21:07.170 --> 00:21:10.670 So it's something that is there. That is, the 00:21:10.670 --> 00:21:13.990 apostles taught from the scriptures, right? So 00:21:13.990 --> 00:21:16.609 they continued in the pattern of the apostles, 00:21:16.769 --> 00:21:20.509 that the apostles taught the scriptures, taught 00:21:20.509 --> 00:21:23.130 from the scriptures in a manner that Jesus has 00:21:23.130 --> 00:21:25.750 done to them, right? And instructed them to do 00:21:25.750 --> 00:21:28.250 so. So the apostles have learned from Jesus, 00:21:28.430 --> 00:21:30.849 right? And they are teaching these people and 00:21:30.849 --> 00:21:33.269 these people are continuing in the same pattern. 00:21:33.799 --> 00:21:36.039 of teaching the scriptures in a manner that Jesus 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:39.480 has taught to them, even as he has instructed 00:21:39.480 --> 00:21:46.539 them to. So back to Matthew chapter 28, where 00:21:46.539 --> 00:21:50.000 he gives them the instructions to preach the 00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:53.859 word. So we also know that, you also should know 00:21:53.859 --> 00:21:56.740 that the disciples were the people that Jesus 00:21:56.740 --> 00:21:59.299 was speaking to here. So they are people that 00:21:59.299 --> 00:22:02.440 they already have taught. They were people that... 00:22:02.730 --> 00:22:05.130 He had taught, right? There were people that 00:22:05.130 --> 00:22:07.710 have learned from him. There are people that 00:22:07.710 --> 00:22:11.410 have received a pattern from him on how they 00:22:11.410 --> 00:22:13.809 should teach or how they should give instruction 00:22:13.809 --> 00:22:16.349 or how they should go, right? There are people 00:22:16.349 --> 00:22:18.849 that were already taught by him. They have received 00:22:18.849 --> 00:22:21.490 this instruction. They have understood how Jesus 00:22:21.490 --> 00:22:25.329 taught. They have understood Jesus' mode of teaching 00:22:25.329 --> 00:22:28.049 or explaining the scriptures. They have also 00:22:28.049 --> 00:22:31.190 understood Jesus' way of living. Praise the Lord. 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:33.539 So there are people that have learned from him. 00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:35.619 There are people that have received from him. 00:22:35.740 --> 00:22:40.299 There are people that are well -equipped because 00:22:40.299 --> 00:22:44.500 he was with them for that long. Praise the Lord. 00:22:44.619 --> 00:22:46.400 So these were the audience, or these are the 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:48.900 people that he was speaking to. When he tells 00:22:48.900 --> 00:22:51.980 them that they should go and teach, he tells 00:22:51.980 --> 00:22:55.700 them to go and teach all the nation. Praise the 00:22:55.700 --> 00:22:58.339 Lord. So they were to teach, they were to make 00:22:58.339 --> 00:23:02.259 disciples of all the nation. Praise the Lord. 00:23:02.420 --> 00:23:04.839 And making disciples is an important fact. That 00:23:04.839 --> 00:23:07.619 was what we saw from the book of Acts. It's an 00:23:07.619 --> 00:23:09.960 important theme of the church. There were people 00:23:09.960 --> 00:23:12.140 who were making disciples. They were going out 00:23:12.140 --> 00:23:15.220 there to make disciples. Praise the Lord. So 00:23:15.220 --> 00:23:18.000 these people have been influenced by God, by 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:20.640 Jesus. These disciples have been influenced by 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:24.019 him. So they can go out and make disciples. Praise 00:23:24.019 --> 00:23:26.619 the Lord. They know how to interpret the scriptures. 00:23:26.740 --> 00:23:30.230 They know how to, from the beginning. From the 00:23:30.230 --> 00:23:33.390 book of Moses or from the beginning. And in the 00:23:33.390 --> 00:23:37.430 prophet, explain the things concerning Christ. 00:23:38.230 --> 00:23:40.750 So they have this pattern already. They have 00:23:40.750 --> 00:23:42.930 this understanding already. And they also have 00:23:42.930 --> 00:23:45.049 a lifestyle. They have also seen the way Jesus 00:23:45.049 --> 00:23:47.690 has lived his life. And they also are living 00:23:47.690 --> 00:23:50.730 in a certain way. There are people who have been 00:23:50.730 --> 00:23:53.630 informed by God. Praise the Lord. They themselves 00:23:53.630 --> 00:23:56.549 have received information. So the pattern of 00:23:56.549 --> 00:24:01.069 their lives is... like those who have been informed 00:24:01.069 --> 00:24:04.369 by God. So Jesus is the influence of their life. 00:24:04.750 --> 00:24:07.769 Praise the Lord. He has influenced how they understand 00:24:07.769 --> 00:24:10.710 the scriptures. He has influenced how they study 00:24:10.710 --> 00:24:13.430 the scriptures. He has influenced how they interpret 00:24:13.430 --> 00:24:15.529 the scriptures or how they explain the scriptures. 00:24:15.910 --> 00:24:19.210 He has influenced their life that they no longer 00:24:19.210 --> 00:24:22.569 are fishermen or they are no longer people who 00:24:22.569 --> 00:24:26.849 were doing so many other things before. But now 00:24:26.849 --> 00:24:29.549 their concentration now is to teach the world, 00:24:29.609 --> 00:24:32.210 to make disciples of one nation. Praise the Lord. 00:24:32.289 --> 00:24:37.069 To make disciples of one nation. So people who 00:24:37.069 --> 00:24:39.170 have believed, like I said from the beginning, 00:24:39.329 --> 00:24:45.990 people who have believed should start learning. 00:24:46.609 --> 00:24:49.250 Praise the Lord. People who have believed should 00:24:49.250 --> 00:24:51.349 start learning. And what it is that they should 00:24:51.349 --> 00:24:53.950 start learning? They should start learning the 00:24:53.950 --> 00:24:56.440 way... They should start learning the way of 00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:58.119 the scriptures. They should start learning how 00:24:58.119 --> 00:25:00.319 to understand the scriptures. They should start 00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:03.640 learning their new realities in Christ. Praise 00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:06.440 the Lord. So that just like the way Jesus had 00:25:06.440 --> 00:25:09.259 influence on his disciples, just like the way 00:25:09.259 --> 00:25:12.940 he had influence upon them, they also will be 00:25:12.940 --> 00:25:15.980 influenced by him. Praise the Lord. So that they 00:25:15.980 --> 00:25:18.180 also will be influenced by him. So that their 00:25:18.180 --> 00:25:20.380 lifestyle will no longer be in contradiction 00:25:20.380 --> 00:25:23.619 to the things that they have believed. So that 00:25:23.619 --> 00:25:29.940 they are able to also from beginning from Moses 00:25:29.940 --> 00:25:32.740 and all the prophets, they will also know the 00:25:32.740 --> 00:25:34.700 things, they will also understand the things 00:25:34.700 --> 00:25:37.720 consigned into Christ. Praise the Lord. They 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:39.700 will also know the things consigned into Christ. 00:25:39.980 --> 00:25:42.539 They will understand their new reality in Christ. 00:25:42.660 --> 00:25:46.960 They will know that their lifestyle is ought 00:25:46.960 --> 00:25:50.140 to be in a particular way because they have stayed 00:25:50.140 --> 00:25:53.339 in the place of learning. So without this place 00:25:53.339 --> 00:25:57.880 where people are disciples or stay being disciples 00:25:57.880 --> 00:26:01.480 through the world and through the men of God 00:26:01.480 --> 00:26:06.680 that are around, they are not able to live the 00:26:06.680 --> 00:26:08.339 life they are supposed to live. They are not 00:26:08.339 --> 00:26:11.380 able to properly understand the things of God. 00:26:11.640 --> 00:26:15.059 Praise the Lord. They are not able to know their 00:26:15.059 --> 00:26:18.740 new realities or the reality that they live in 00:26:18.740 --> 00:26:22.119 right now. And they will continue to live. in 00:26:22.119 --> 00:26:26.839 contradiction of the things that they have been 00:26:26.839 --> 00:26:30.160 saved from. Praise the Lord. So everybody that 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:33.819 has belief needs to start learning the scriptures 00:26:33.819 --> 00:26:37.079 and their new realities and also be informed 00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:41.700 by God or be informed by Christ. Praise the Lord. 00:26:41.880 --> 00:26:45.920 So we see our new realities, right? The newness 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:49.539 of life or the reality that a believer has. Romans 00:26:49.539 --> 00:26:54.839 chapter 6. Romans chapter 6 Romans chapter 6 00:26:54.839 --> 00:27:03.119 verse 4 to 7 he says that therefore we are buried 00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:07.220 with him through baptism into death that just 00:27:07.220 --> 00:27:09.500 as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory 00:27:09.500 --> 00:27:12.019 of the father even so we also shall walk in unity 00:27:12.019 --> 00:27:15.779 of life if we have been united together in the 00:27:15.779 --> 00:27:18.779 likeness of his death certainly we are also We 00:27:18.779 --> 00:27:20.700 shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection, 00:27:21.160 --> 00:27:24.579 knowing this, that our old man was crucified 00:27:24.579 --> 00:27:27.299 with him, that the body of sin might be done 00:27:27.299 --> 00:27:29.920 away with, that we should no longer be slaves 00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:34.720 to sin. For he who died is free from sin. Praise 00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:39.460 the Lord. So we also see, like I said, that the 00:27:39.460 --> 00:27:43.339 disciples have been informed by God, right? They 00:27:43.339 --> 00:27:47.269 have been informed by Christ in their path. of 00:27:47.269 --> 00:27:49.349 living in the way that they have lived their 00:27:49.349 --> 00:27:54.250 life so we also as as people need to also continue 00:27:54.250 --> 00:27:56.750 to get to continue to be acquainted with the 00:27:56.750 --> 00:28:00.089 life that we have right and part of the new life 00:28:00.089 --> 00:28:01.910 that we or part of the new things that we have 00:28:01.910 --> 00:28:05.549 is our realities in christ that we are new creation 00:28:05.549 --> 00:28:08.269 that we are people who have been free from the 00:28:08.269 --> 00:28:11.089 power of sin and the power of death we have been 00:28:11.089 --> 00:28:14.829 free from we have been we have been people who 00:28:14.829 --> 00:28:18.660 are set to live In the newness of life. Or to 00:28:18.660 --> 00:28:21.279 walk in the newness of life. Praise the Lord. 00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:27.480 Galatians chapter 2. Verse 20. Galatians. Galatians 00:28:27.480 --> 00:28:31.259 chapter 2. Verse 20. If I have been crucified 00:28:31.259 --> 00:28:34.259 with Christ. It is no longer I who live. But 00:28:34.259 --> 00:28:37.619 Christ who lives in me. And the life I live now. 00:28:37.819 --> 00:28:41.339 In the flesh. I live by faith in the son of God. 00:28:41.400 --> 00:28:46.109 Who loved me. And gave himself for me. He said, 00:28:46.130 --> 00:28:48.210 I've been crucified with Christ. It is no longer 00:28:48.210 --> 00:28:51.390 I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life 00:28:51.390 --> 00:28:56.289 which I live now, I live in him. Sorry, the life 00:28:56.289 --> 00:29:00.509 that I live, I no longer live. Sorry, I've been 00:29:00.509 --> 00:29:03.210 crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who 00:29:03.210 --> 00:29:06.049 live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which 00:29:06.049 --> 00:29:08.450 I live now in the flesh, I live by the faith 00:29:08.450 --> 00:29:11.890 in the Son of God who loved me and died for me. 00:29:11.990 --> 00:29:15.799 Praise the Lord. I live in the life that Christ 00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:19.500 has in me. He's been saying that you are in Christ, 00:29:19.660 --> 00:29:24.119 right? I live in what he has done for me. I live 00:29:24.119 --> 00:29:27.259 in the reality of that which God has done for 00:29:27.259 --> 00:29:31.000 me. I live in a way or in a person that shows 00:29:31.000 --> 00:29:35.480 what Christ has done for me. And then chapter 00:29:35.480 --> 00:29:44.119 3, chapter 3 from verse 27 to 29. He said, for 00:29:44.119 --> 00:29:47.119 as many as were baptized unto Christ have put 00:29:47.119 --> 00:29:53.200 on Christ. Therefore, there is neither Jews nor 00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:56.359 Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There 00:29:56.359 --> 00:29:59.380 is neither male or female. For you are all one 00:29:59.380 --> 00:30:03.240 in Christ Jesus. Praise the Lord. You are all 00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:08.019 one in Christ Jesus. It means that we have put 00:30:08.019 --> 00:30:13.029 on a new man. We have put on Christ. The reality 00:30:13.029 --> 00:30:16.130 that we have now is that we have put on Christ. 00:30:16.690 --> 00:30:23.809 Praise the Lord. It's a depiction of being in 00:30:23.809 --> 00:30:27.549 sync together with him. It's a depiction of being 00:30:27.549 --> 00:30:31.529 together with him, to be in Christ, to be closer 00:30:31.529 --> 00:30:41.279 in oneness with him. Praise the Lord. Some illustration 00:30:41.279 --> 00:30:47.259 we say to be to be. Clothed together with him. 00:30:47.680 --> 00:30:52.940 Right. To be one with him. So that is the reality 00:30:52.940 --> 00:30:58.140 of the man that is in Christ. Romans. That is 00:30:58.140 --> 00:31:04.140 the reality of a man that is in Christ. So in 00:31:04.140 --> 00:31:06.539 doing all of these things, in knowing our realities, 00:31:06.859 --> 00:31:10.640 in understanding our realities. Then we are informed 00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:16.380 by him. We are informed by him. And we continue 00:31:16.380 --> 00:31:23.660 to stay informed by him. Romans chapter 12. Romans 00:31:23.660 --> 00:31:31.640 chapter 12. Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter 00:31:31.640 --> 00:31:40.660 12. your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable 00:31:40.660 --> 00:31:44.539 to God, which is your reasonable service. He 00:31:44.539 --> 00:31:47.960 said, do not be conformed to this world, but 00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:50.420 be transformed by the renewal of your mind that 00:31:50.420 --> 00:31:55.240 you may prove what is that good and acceptable 00:31:55.240 --> 00:32:00.359 and perfect will of God. So he tells us that 00:32:00.359 --> 00:32:09.640 we should present It tells us that you should 00:32:09.640 --> 00:32:16.619 present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy 00:32:16.619 --> 00:32:21.519 and acceptable unto God. So the presentation 00:32:21.519 --> 00:32:25.259 of our bodies, right, holy and acceptable to 00:32:25.259 --> 00:32:29.140 God is only impossible because we are in Christ. 00:32:29.240 --> 00:32:32.019 Praise the Lord. It's only impossible because 00:32:32.019 --> 00:32:34.730 we are in Christ. There's a man in Christ that 00:32:34.730 --> 00:32:38.450 can present his body a living sacrifice. Praise 00:32:38.450 --> 00:32:42.789 the Lord. It's being in Christ that gives us 00:32:42.789 --> 00:32:45.529 the ability or the enablement to present ourselves. 00:32:46.410 --> 00:32:51.529 So it is only impossible because we're in Christ 00:32:51.529 --> 00:32:54.950 that we're able to present our members to him 00:32:54.950 --> 00:32:58.329 a living sacrifice. It is only because of the 00:32:58.329 --> 00:33:01.009 realities of what Christ has done. that we're 00:33:01.009 --> 00:33:04.089 able to present our members a living sacrifice 00:33:04.089 --> 00:33:06.690 to him. Praise the Lord. And he tells us that 00:33:06.690 --> 00:33:10.529 do not be conformed. So even the enablement not 00:33:10.529 --> 00:33:14.109 to be conformed is also as a result of the realities 00:33:14.109 --> 00:33:17.589 that we have in Christ. The strength or the ability 00:33:17.589 --> 00:33:20.650 to not be conformed is only impossible because 00:33:20.650 --> 00:33:24.589 of what we have in Christ or the reality that 00:33:24.589 --> 00:33:27.410 we have in Christ. Praise the Lord. That we are 00:33:27.410 --> 00:33:29.829 together with him and that we are in Christ is 00:33:29.829 --> 00:33:32.549 the only advantage or the ability that is given 00:33:32.549 --> 00:33:35.869 to us to be able to give us the strength not 00:33:35.869 --> 00:33:38.569 to be conformed. Praise the Lord. So the devil 00:33:38.569 --> 00:33:41.430 knows that there is nothing he can do about our 00:33:41.430 --> 00:33:43.670 salvation. There is nothing that he can do about 00:33:43.670 --> 00:33:48.630 what has happened to us. But one of the things 00:33:48.630 --> 00:33:52.329 he will do is not to want to us, he wants to 00:33:52.329 --> 00:33:55.549 influence us. So he tells us not to be conformed. 00:33:56.170 --> 00:34:00.730 So he knows that he would like us to think of 00:34:00.730 --> 00:34:04.109 something else. He would want us to be conformed 00:34:04.109 --> 00:34:07.029 to a particular image. He would want us not to 00:34:07.029 --> 00:34:11.409 live that life that God intends for us. He would 00:34:11.409 --> 00:34:13.769 want to inflect that place where he wants us 00:34:13.769 --> 00:34:16.769 to live a life that is not what God intends for 00:34:16.769 --> 00:34:20.090 us to live. Praise the Lord. He knows there is 00:34:20.090 --> 00:34:22.909 nothing he can do about our salvation. He wants 00:34:22.909 --> 00:34:26.059 us to conform to something else. He wants us 00:34:26.059 --> 00:34:28.500 to conform to something else. Praise the Lord. 00:34:29.860 --> 00:34:42.039 So to conform, that is, it means that one's mind 00:34:42.039 --> 00:34:46.019 or character, it changes to another, right? Or 00:34:46.019 --> 00:34:49.940 to fashion oneself according to something else 00:34:49.940 --> 00:34:52.800 or according to something or to a particular 00:34:52.800 --> 00:34:57.719 thing. Praise the Lord. To fashion oneself according 00:34:57.719 --> 00:35:00.039 to something else, according to a particular 00:35:00.039 --> 00:35:03.139 pattern, according to that which is not in accordance 00:35:03.139 --> 00:35:06.840 to the reality of the person. Praise the Lord. 00:35:06.920 --> 00:35:12.260 To be conformed is for one's mind or character 00:35:12.260 --> 00:35:16.380 to go a different pattern, to be fashioned to 00:35:16.380 --> 00:35:19.139 be different than that which you ought to be. 00:35:19.340 --> 00:35:22.619 Praise the Lord. To that which you ought to be. 00:35:24.079 --> 00:35:28.860 So he wants believers to want something else 00:35:28.860 --> 00:35:32.400 or to want something more, if you like. He's 00:35:32.400 --> 00:35:34.679 saying, okay, maybe this thing that you have 00:35:34.679 --> 00:35:37.860 is not sufficient enough. Maybe you should do 00:35:37.860 --> 00:35:42.000 something else. Praise the Lord. You should conform 00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:46.820 to something else. You should conform to something 00:35:46.820 --> 00:35:51.340 else. Or you need more things. You need more 00:35:51.340 --> 00:35:54.409 things to your salvation. You need something 00:35:54.409 --> 00:35:57.630 else to your salvation. You need to explore some 00:35:57.630 --> 00:36:00.730 other ways. Those are some of the suggestions 00:36:00.730 --> 00:36:04.789 that he will give to us. Praise the Lord. He 00:36:04.789 --> 00:36:06.469 wants you to believe that you need something 00:36:06.469 --> 00:36:10.050 else than that which Christ has given you, that 00:36:10.050 --> 00:36:14.010 you need something more. But our reality in Christ 00:36:14.010 --> 00:36:17.489 is enough. That which we have in Christ is enough. 00:36:18.090 --> 00:36:20.269 There's nothing more that you're looking for. 00:36:20.570 --> 00:36:23.340 Praise the Lord. Somebody once said that you 00:36:23.340 --> 00:36:28.480 know people that that god has given some people 00:36:28.480 --> 00:36:32.260 good families and maybe good husband or wife 00:36:32.260 --> 00:36:34.760 but they will decide that they want something 00:36:34.760 --> 00:36:38.079 they want to do something more right and at the 00:36:38.079 --> 00:36:39.940 end of the day they are going to lose that which 00:36:39.940 --> 00:36:42.300 they already have that was good or they're going 00:36:42.300 --> 00:36:45.199 to lose that which was valuable to them praise 00:36:45.199 --> 00:36:48.599 the lord so he wants to suggest to us that we 00:36:48.599 --> 00:36:52.760 need something more We need something more. So 00:36:52.760 --> 00:36:56.980 the writer of Romans tells us that we should 00:36:56.980 --> 00:36:59.519 not be conformed to these things, right? The 00:36:59.519 --> 00:37:02.079 reason why he tells, he said, do not be conformed, 00:37:02.079 --> 00:37:04.719 right? You do not be conformed because he knows 00:37:04.719 --> 00:37:07.940 that we are people who can be influenced. Praise 00:37:07.940 --> 00:37:10.320 the Lord. We are people who can be influenced. 00:37:11.079 --> 00:37:14.480 We are people who can be informed. We are people 00:37:14.480 --> 00:37:18.579 who can be, who can learn something, right? We 00:37:18.579 --> 00:37:21.920 are people that can learn. We can be conformed 00:37:21.920 --> 00:37:25.820 to something. But he wants God to influence us. 00:37:25.880 --> 00:37:28.539 That is why he says that you should be transformed 00:37:28.539 --> 00:37:33.920 by the renewal of your mind. So he wants the 00:37:33.920 --> 00:37:37.320 influence of God upon our lives, upon our daily 00:37:37.320 --> 00:37:40.260 lives. That's why he says that you should be 00:37:40.260 --> 00:37:43.940 transformed by the renewal of your mind. I was 00:37:43.940 --> 00:37:48.559 sharing with somebody and said that if you see 00:37:48.559 --> 00:37:51.389 somebody who is struggling, let's say a good 00:37:51.389 --> 00:37:56.150 example is that they have like the temptations 00:37:56.150 --> 00:37:58.389 and they are struggling with either a sexual 00:37:58.389 --> 00:38:02.110 scene or addiction online pornography and stuff 00:38:02.110 --> 00:38:06.789 it doesn't say on their face right it doesn't 00:38:06.789 --> 00:38:09.670 it doesn't say you don't you don't dictate it 00:38:09.670 --> 00:38:12.309 by looking at them praise the lord but it is 00:38:12.309 --> 00:38:13.769 something that they are going through except 00:38:13.769 --> 00:38:16.170 they open their mouth or you see it that's when 00:38:16.170 --> 00:38:18.469 you will know that something is going on here 00:38:19.000 --> 00:38:24.480 Praise the Lord. And the strength that we have 00:38:24.480 --> 00:38:27.860 is not by either the physical strength that you 00:38:27.860 --> 00:38:30.679 have, but by the information that you have gathered 00:38:30.679 --> 00:38:33.059 or what you are conformed to or what you have 00:38:33.059 --> 00:38:35.820 allowed to influence your life. What you have 00:38:35.820 --> 00:38:38.860 allowed to take hold of your life or to inform 00:38:38.860 --> 00:38:41.639 you or to give you the information that you need. 00:38:42.199 --> 00:38:45.000 Praise the Lord. To give you the information 00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:47.980 that you need. He tells us that we should renew. 00:38:48.679 --> 00:38:52.139 our mind, that we may prove that which is good 00:38:52.139 --> 00:38:55.780 and perfect, that we may prove that which is 00:38:55.780 --> 00:38:58.760 good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 00:38:58.920 --> 00:39:02.480 He won the influence of God upon our lives to 00:39:02.480 --> 00:39:06.400 stay in the reality of what we have, to stay 00:39:06.400 --> 00:39:12.179 in the reality of what God has given us, what 00:39:12.179 --> 00:39:17.260 we have in Christ. And then Psalm 1 tells us, 00:39:18.000 --> 00:39:21.559 Someone tells us that it's a blessed man who 00:39:21.559 --> 00:39:24.639 walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor 00:39:24.639 --> 00:39:27.000 stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat 00:39:27.000 --> 00:39:29.980 of discomfort. He said, but his delight is in 00:39:29.980 --> 00:39:33.900 the law of the Lord, and he meditates day and 00:39:33.900 --> 00:39:37.760 night. He said, he shall be like a tree planted 00:39:37.760 --> 00:39:40.780 by rivers of water that brings forth its fruit 00:39:40.780 --> 00:39:44.840 in season, whose leaves shall not wither. Whatever 00:39:44.840 --> 00:39:48.199 he does shall prosper. He said, but the ungodly 00:39:48.199 --> 00:39:50.679 are not so. They are like shafts that the wind 00:39:50.679 --> 00:39:54.719 blows away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not 00:39:54.719 --> 00:39:57.380 stand in judgment, nor sinners in the congregation 00:39:57.380 --> 00:40:00.260 of the righteous. But the Lord knows the ways 00:40:00.260 --> 00:40:02.099 of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly 00:40:02.099 --> 00:40:05.239 shall perish. Praise the Lord. It tells us that 00:40:05.239 --> 00:40:08.780 blessed is that man, right, who does not walk 00:40:08.780 --> 00:40:11.860 in the counsel of the ungodly, who is not influenced 00:40:11.860 --> 00:40:16.869 by evil, who is not influenced by... evil things. 00:40:17.010 --> 00:40:19.269 But he said, but his delight is in the law of 00:40:19.269 --> 00:40:23.250 the Lord. That is, to a man who has decided that 00:40:23.250 --> 00:40:28.489 his life, his joy and his delight is to do the 00:40:28.489 --> 00:40:33.190 things of God. To walk in the reality that he 00:40:33.190 --> 00:40:36.949 has in God. He says, to delight in the law of 00:40:36.949 --> 00:40:39.269 the Lord and to meditate on it day and night. 00:40:39.929 --> 00:40:43.289 So in doing so, he says, he is like a tree planted 00:40:43.289 --> 00:40:47.480 by He's like a tree planted by rivers of water. 00:40:47.699 --> 00:40:53.300 Because of the influence of the world, because 00:40:53.300 --> 00:40:56.099 of the influence of the delights that he has 00:40:56.099 --> 00:41:01.019 in the world, because of the influence of thinking 00:41:01.019 --> 00:41:05.280 about the things of God, there is growth, there 00:41:05.280 --> 00:41:09.059 is nourishment, there is fruitfulness in the 00:41:09.059 --> 00:41:12.920 life of such an individual because he has allowed 00:41:12.920 --> 00:41:16.789 the influence. He has allowed himself to find 00:41:16.789 --> 00:41:19.389 the light in the law of the Lord, to meditate 00:41:19.389 --> 00:41:22.530 on it day and night, right? He says it's like 00:41:22.530 --> 00:41:25.969 three planted by rivers of water. Because of 00:41:25.969 --> 00:41:31.210 that which he has chosen to do, right, there's 00:41:31.210 --> 00:41:34.969 prosperity around him. There's growth, right? 00:41:35.190 --> 00:41:37.289 Because of that which he's taking in, which he 00:41:37.289 --> 00:41:40.309 allows himself to take in, something comes out, 00:41:40.309 --> 00:41:44.550 and that is fruitfulness. That is fruitfulness. 00:41:44.809 --> 00:41:47.869 That is that there is fruit that is seen. He 00:41:47.869 --> 00:41:52.550 shall not wither. Praise the Lord. When the storms 00:41:52.550 --> 00:41:55.869 of life or when challenges come, he's able to 00:41:55.869 --> 00:41:58.409 stand. He's able to find encouragement because 00:41:58.409 --> 00:42:02.230 he has allowed the Lord to be his refuge. He's 00:42:02.230 --> 00:42:05.550 allowed the Lord to be his dwelling place, his 00:42:05.550 --> 00:42:08.869 sacred place, or his place where he finds delight. 00:42:09.309 --> 00:42:13.059 Praise the Lord. So he tells us not to be transformed 00:42:13.059 --> 00:42:16.039 by the renewal of our mind, to be influenced 00:42:16.039 --> 00:42:19.780 by God, to allow our minds to be transformed 00:42:19.780 --> 00:42:25.239 and be renewed by God. Praise the Lord. So the 00:42:25.239 --> 00:42:29.059 same way that Jesus has influence, the same way 00:42:29.059 --> 00:42:32.340 as he had influence in his disciples, in the 00:42:32.340 --> 00:42:34.300 things, in the way that they have lived their 00:42:34.300 --> 00:42:37.760 life. In the way that we are able to understand 00:42:37.760 --> 00:42:39.539 the scriptures. In the same way that he wants 00:42:39.539 --> 00:42:42.739 us to be able to learn. To be able to continue 00:42:42.739 --> 00:42:48.719 to grow. To be able to continue to learn from 00:42:48.719 --> 00:42:52.840 him. Paul will tell us to imitate him even as 00:42:52.840 --> 00:42:56.960 he imitates Christ. Telling us to imitate Christ 00:42:56.960 --> 00:43:03.139 in essence. So to live our lives like him. Praise 00:43:03.139 --> 00:43:05.769 the Lord. So, like I said, the reason why we 00:43:05.769 --> 00:43:14.170 have the abnormality of someone being a believer 00:43:14.170 --> 00:43:18.070 and yet they are not able to, they are not living 00:43:18.070 --> 00:43:23.110 as such is because there is a place where learning 00:43:23.110 --> 00:43:28.630 was not effective or learning was not initiated 00:43:28.630 --> 00:43:34.420 or continual learning was not... was not going 00:43:34.420 --> 00:43:37.800 on. Praise the Lord. So as a result of learning, 00:43:38.079 --> 00:43:41.199 we're able to be influenced by him and continue 00:43:41.199 --> 00:43:45.920 to be influenced by him. Praise the Lord. Amen. 00:43:46.900 --> 00:43:50.360 So thank you so much for today. We appreciate 00:43:50.360 --> 00:43:53.039 you being here today. We hope you carry this 00:43:53.039 --> 00:43:56.099 word with you throughout your week. Don't forget 00:43:56.099 --> 00:43:58.119 to check the show notes for additional insights. 00:43:58.619 --> 00:44:01.570 Stay connected with us through our website. or 00:44:01.570 --> 00:44:04.909 follow us on social media. If you are encouraged, 00:44:05.170 --> 00:44:07.349 share this message with someone you care about. 00:44:08.070 --> 00:44:10.190 Until next time, stay blessed.