WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:06.639 Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:09.660 designed to uplift and strengthen you in your 00:00:09.660 --> 00:00:13.939 walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until 00:00:13.939 --> 00:00:17.879 the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive 00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:27.500 right in. Amen. So I want us to start from 2 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:31.600 Thessalonians 3. And the title is Understanding 00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:35.420 the Father's Love in Christ. Understanding the 00:00:35.420 --> 00:00:38.859 Father's Love in Christ. I want us to start from 00:00:38.859 --> 00:00:46.380 2 Thessalonians 3. I'll read from the NLT. 2 00:00:46.380 --> 00:00:51.100 Thessalonians 3. It says, Finally, dear brothers 00:00:51.100 --> 00:00:57.500 and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray 00:00:57.500 --> 00:01:02.200 that the Lord's message will spread rapidly and 00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:07.540 be honored wherever it goes, just as it is when 00:01:07.540 --> 00:01:14.659 it came to you. 2. Pray too that you will be 00:01:14.659 --> 00:01:17.900 rescued from wicked and evil people, for not 00:01:17.900 --> 00:01:23.760 everyone is a believer. 3. And the Lord is faithful. 00:01:23.900 --> 00:01:27.560 I want you to say, the Lord is faithful. Say, 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:31.120 but the Lord is faithful. He says, regardless 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:36.340 of what the wicked and evil men are doing, the 00:01:36.340 --> 00:01:38.939 Lord still remains faithful. He says, the Lord 00:01:38.939 --> 00:01:42.140 is faithful. He will strengthen you. Say, I'm 00:01:42.140 --> 00:01:46.560 strengthened of the Lord. I am strengthened of 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:52.359 the Lord to do his will. I am strengthened of 00:01:52.359 --> 00:01:57.120 the Lord to do his will. And through me, the 00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:02.780 Lord's message will spread rapidly and be honored. 00:02:03.959 --> 00:02:07.299 The scriptures here says, he will strengthen 00:02:07.299 --> 00:02:11.139 you and guide you from the evil one. He will 00:02:11.139 --> 00:02:13.379 strengthen and guide you from the evil one. Four, 00:02:13.580 --> 00:02:17.900 we'll stop at five. It says, and we are confident 00:02:17.900 --> 00:02:21.840 in the Lord that you are doing and will continue 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:26.379 to do the things we command you. Five, it says, 00:02:26.500 --> 00:02:30.060 may the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding 00:02:30.060 --> 00:02:35.219 and expression of the love of God and the patient 00:02:35.219 --> 00:02:38.719 endurance that comes from Christ. I want us to 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:43.080 go back to four again. It says, we are confident 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:46.479 in the Lord that you are doing and will continue 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:49.719 to do the things we command you. And this is 00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:52.500 Apostle Paul speaking and he is writing to the 00:02:52.500 --> 00:02:56.639 church in Thessalonica and he, He makes a prayer. 00:02:56.780 --> 00:03:01.479 He requests for prayer and then also prays. If 00:03:01.479 --> 00:03:05.800 you see, he was like, in verse 3, he says that 00:03:05.800 --> 00:03:07.740 we will be rescued from wickedness. And then 00:03:07.740 --> 00:03:09.680 he says, but the Lord is faithful. He said he 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:12.460 will strengthen you and guide you. And then he 00:03:12.460 --> 00:03:14.879 says, we are confident in the Lord that you are 00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:17.219 doing and you will continue to do the things 00:03:17.219 --> 00:03:21.120 we commanded you. Then in 5 now, which is where 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:23.159 we're going to be laying our emphasis, he says, 00:03:23.500 --> 00:03:27.180 May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding 00:03:27.180 --> 00:03:32.099 and expression of the love of God and the patient 00:03:32.099 --> 00:03:37.460 endurance that comes from Christ. Praise God. 00:03:38.360 --> 00:03:42.819 What we're going to be discussing today is very 00:03:42.819 --> 00:03:44.639 much anchored, and I'm looking at some of us, 00:03:44.699 --> 00:03:50.560 and I want us to not downplay what exactly it 00:03:50.560 --> 00:03:52.349 is we're going to be doing here. And it's very 00:03:52.349 --> 00:03:54.610 important that if you come to church, I'll just 00:03:54.610 --> 00:03:57.509 give us this very quickly, that you want to ensure 00:03:57.509 --> 00:04:00.330 that you are engaged and focused. And one thing 00:04:00.330 --> 00:04:02.810 that helps you stay engaged and focused as the 00:04:02.810 --> 00:04:05.789 teaching is going on is if you are writing, right? 00:04:05.889 --> 00:04:08.490 If you're writing, it helps you to stay engaged 00:04:08.490 --> 00:04:11.229 and focused. And one other thing that writing 00:04:11.229 --> 00:04:14.169 does is that it helps you to remember. Because 00:04:14.169 --> 00:04:16.689 many of us will not be able to remember the things 00:04:16.689 --> 00:04:20.649 I said after now. So it ensures that you have 00:04:20.649 --> 00:04:22.550 some form of documentation that you can be able 00:04:22.550 --> 00:04:26.410 to go to. And one thing I've noticed is that 00:04:26.410 --> 00:04:28.550 you are in church and then you get instructions. 00:04:29.230 --> 00:04:31.089 You don't know the problem or the challenges 00:04:31.089 --> 00:04:33.529 that lies ahead that these instructions that 00:04:33.529 --> 00:04:36.310 you get now will be solving. And once you don't 00:04:36.310 --> 00:04:38.569 have a documentation to go back to, you will 00:04:38.569 --> 00:04:41.350 be missing out on the blessing that you have 00:04:41.350 --> 00:04:44.089 received that you didn't hold on to. Praise God. 00:04:44.350 --> 00:04:46.629 And one other thing I want to also emphasize 00:04:46.629 --> 00:04:50.899 is the fact that Your taking down notes is your 00:04:50.899 --> 00:04:54.079 first line of action. It means that you are already 00:04:54.079 --> 00:04:59.680 acting on what is being said. I say something 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:01.379 to you and you're taking down notes. That is 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:04.000 the first action that will capitalize on whether 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:06.459 other actions follows. So it means that if you're 00:05:06.459 --> 00:05:08.949 not... Taking notes, you are not going to be 00:05:08.949 --> 00:05:11.170 very, it's very unlikely that you're going to 00:05:11.170 --> 00:05:12.990 act on what exactly it is you've received. Praise 00:05:12.990 --> 00:05:15.230 God. So you are taking down notes and then you 00:05:15.230 --> 00:05:17.389 are ensuring that you're noting down important 00:05:17.389 --> 00:05:21.029 points and then you are avoiding mistakes that 00:05:21.029 --> 00:05:23.550 have already been, you're able to avoid mistakes. 00:05:23.930 --> 00:05:25.610 Praise God. I'm saying that because there's some 00:05:25.610 --> 00:05:28.670 people here that when I speak to them or give 00:05:28.670 --> 00:05:31.370 them instructions, because I cannot guarantee 00:05:31.370 --> 00:05:33.490 that they understood instruction, before the 00:05:33.490 --> 00:05:36.680 call ends, I said, Can you write back to me what 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:38.240 exactly it is I instructed you? And that way 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:41.819 we understand ourselves. Praise God. We understand 00:05:41.819 --> 00:05:43.839 ourselves. So if we don't take down notes, you're 00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:46.740 more likely to miss out on what exactly. And 00:05:46.740 --> 00:05:48.699 then the other thing, last but not the least, 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:53.740 having a Bible and a writing material, we're 00:05:53.740 --> 00:05:55.819 not warring against technology. All of those 00:05:55.819 --> 00:05:58.959 things are very important. Having a physical 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:02.560 copy Bible and then a pen and a paper that you're 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:05.379 able to note down things. ensures that you're 00:06:05.379 --> 00:06:08.560 not distracted or easily distracted because you 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:11.779 will not get a notification from your pen. You're 00:06:11.779 --> 00:06:13.560 not going to get a notification from your book. 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:15.399 You're not going to get a notification from your 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:18.519 Bible except it's the Bible app. And you are 00:06:18.519 --> 00:06:20.759 less likely to have a notification from all the 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:24.560 social media platforms that we have online. Praise 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:27.060 God. So this is a plea for us to make the most 00:06:27.060 --> 00:06:29.600 of the service. I have to put that in there so 00:06:29.600 --> 00:06:32.439 that you don't come. And if you are new to NECF, 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:35.759 this is how, It happens in church. If you're 00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:40.000 old and you're still stuck, you're like new, 00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:44.019 you're old but you're like new, we love you and 00:06:44.019 --> 00:06:48.120 we believe the best of you. Praise God. So, understanding 00:06:48.120 --> 00:06:52.720 the Father's love in Christ, understanding the 00:06:52.720 --> 00:06:57.199 Father's love in Christ. Know that this church 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:02.610 is writing to have suffered persecution. and 00:07:02.610 --> 00:07:06.089 are suffering persecution, right? And he's writing 00:07:06.089 --> 00:07:09.029 to encourage them, writing to strengthen them, 00:07:09.089 --> 00:07:12.629 and then also praying. In the course of 3, we 00:07:12.629 --> 00:07:15.449 see that he's praying for them. He's praying 00:07:15.449 --> 00:07:19.569 that they will be strengthened and guided from 00:07:19.569 --> 00:07:22.470 the evil one, right? And to confirm that this 00:07:22.470 --> 00:07:24.790 church has been going through all of that, we'll 00:07:24.790 --> 00:07:32.819 see in 1. Let's go to chapter 1. I want to read 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:38.500 from 3 to 5. I want us to read from 3 to 5. Brothers 00:07:38.500 --> 00:07:45.959 and sisters, we can't help but thank God for 00:07:45.959 --> 00:07:47.720 you. Meaning that he's thanking God for them 00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:49.339 because they are doing well in spite of what 00:07:49.339 --> 00:07:51.860 they are going through. Praise God. They are 00:07:51.860 --> 00:07:53.399 doing well in spite of what they are going through. 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:57.860 Because your faith is flourishing. It says, because 00:07:57.860 --> 00:08:00.319 your faith is flourishing. I want you to tell 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:03.699 yourself that my faith is flourishing. My faith 00:08:03.699 --> 00:08:09.240 is flourishing. It says, and your love for one 00:08:09.240 --> 00:08:12.279 another is growing. Say, the love that we have 00:08:12.279 --> 00:08:15.819 for one another is growing. Say, the love I have 00:08:15.819 --> 00:08:18.699 for my brother is growing. The love I have for 00:08:18.699 --> 00:08:23.399 my sister is growing. 4 now says, it says, we 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:28.860 proudly tell... God's other churches about your 00:08:28.860 --> 00:08:32.259 endurance and faithfulness in the persecution 00:08:32.259 --> 00:08:35.360 and hardship that you are suffering, since we 00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:39.490 gladly tell. We gladly tell other churches about 00:08:39.490 --> 00:08:41.850 what they're going through because of their endurance 00:08:41.850 --> 00:08:44.590 and faithfulness in spite of the persecutions 00:08:44.590 --> 00:08:46.429 and hardships that they're going through. Five 00:08:46.429 --> 00:08:49.909 now says, and God will use this persecution to 00:08:49.909 --> 00:08:53.690 show his justice and make you worthy of the kingdom 00:08:53.690 --> 00:08:57.409 for which you are suffering. And you know, when 00:08:57.409 --> 00:08:59.389 you see make you worthy, you can be thinking 00:08:59.389 --> 00:09:01.950 that, oh, you are going to be made worthy by 00:09:01.950 --> 00:09:03.549 the sufferings and the persecutions you're going 00:09:03.549 --> 00:09:07.000 through. No, not that. The privilege that they 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:09.919 have of being people that are going through those 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:12.480 sufferings. I want us to see something similar 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:19.860 in Acts 5. In Acts 5. Acts 5 .41. And the same, 00:09:19.860 --> 00:09:22.659 that counted worthy or the make you worthy is 00:09:22.659 --> 00:09:25.279 the same Greek word. And it's what is used in 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:28.200 the 41. And know that at this point, the disciples 00:09:28.200 --> 00:09:31.779 were being persecuted. It says 41 says the apostles 00:09:31.779 --> 00:09:37.220 left the high. cancel, rejoicing that God had 00:09:37.220 --> 00:09:40.840 counted them worthy to suffer this grace for 00:09:40.840 --> 00:09:45.960 the name of Jesus, for the name of Jesus, for 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:48.419 the name of Jesus. So they are excited that they 00:09:48.419 --> 00:09:51.100 are counted worthy. Know that the suffering was 00:09:51.100 --> 00:09:53.779 not what they brought up. The suffering was not 00:09:53.779 --> 00:09:56.120 brought upon on themselves, but it was on the 00:09:56.120 --> 00:09:58.919 course of doing what the will of God that that 00:09:58.919 --> 00:10:01.460 happened. Praise God. So it means that as believers, 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:05.509 regardless of what is happening, around us. And 00:10:05.509 --> 00:10:07.070 for some of us, we're not even doing the will 00:10:07.070 --> 00:10:12.250 of God and the sufferings are coming or the hardships 00:10:12.250 --> 00:10:15.509 are coming. What should be important to us is 00:10:15.509 --> 00:10:18.629 that we are paying attention to what God's will 00:10:18.629 --> 00:10:20.570 or what God's instruction is. We're ensuring 00:10:20.570 --> 00:10:23.610 that, look at what we read in verse 3, in chapters 00:10:23.610 --> 00:10:27.690 3, sorry, verse 1. He says that he prays that 00:10:27.690 --> 00:10:31.049 the message will spread rapidly. He's speaking 00:10:31.049 --> 00:10:34.600 to people that are going out and preaching and 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:37.679 teaching, that this word will spread rapidly. 00:10:37.960 --> 00:10:40.120 And note that he's praying all of this and praying 00:10:40.120 --> 00:10:42.960 and encouraging them. And he says in the verse 00:10:42.960 --> 00:10:47.299 five that we read that their hearts will be led 00:10:47.299 --> 00:10:49.960 into a full understanding and expression of God's 00:10:49.960 --> 00:10:52.539 love. I want you to know that regardless of what 00:10:52.539 --> 00:10:54.299 you're going through, what keeps you anchored 00:10:54.299 --> 00:10:58.039 and what keeps you grounded is the love of God 00:10:58.039 --> 00:11:00.409 that you understand and you know. Praise God. 00:11:00.590 --> 00:11:02.750 The love of God that you understand and you know. 00:11:02.809 --> 00:11:06.990 And it's not just a feeling. Praise God. It is 00:11:06.990 --> 00:11:11.450 not just a feeling. Apostle Paul here is praying 00:11:11.450 --> 00:11:16.370 for them not to feel loved. Praise God. Not to 00:11:16.370 --> 00:11:20.350 feel love. He's praying for them to have an understanding 00:11:20.350 --> 00:11:25.029 of the spiritual resources that they need to 00:11:25.029 --> 00:11:27.870 survive and thrive in the difficult circumstances 00:11:27.870 --> 00:11:32.509 they are finding themselves. He's praying that 00:11:32.509 --> 00:11:35.350 they have the resource, in fact, they know the 00:11:35.350 --> 00:11:38.190 resource that they have to survive the difficult 00:11:38.190 --> 00:11:40.129 situations that they're finding themselves or 00:11:40.129 --> 00:11:44.070 they found themselves in. And the ability that 00:11:44.070 --> 00:11:46.929 we have to grasp this understanding is what ensures 00:11:46.929 --> 00:11:51.629 that we are enduring with the strength that God 00:11:51.629 --> 00:11:54.220 supplies. Because it's the strength that God 00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:56.120 supplies that keeps us through. It's not what 00:11:56.120 --> 00:11:57.940 we feel. It's not our feelings. It's not our 00:11:57.940 --> 00:11:59.779 emotions that keeps us through this time. We're 00:11:59.779 --> 00:12:01.820 able to go through difficult situations because 00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:04.220 of that. And these truths we're going to be looking 00:12:04.220 --> 00:12:07.740 at are foundational truths. Praise God. They 00:12:07.740 --> 00:12:10.080 are foundational truths. The way this building 00:12:10.080 --> 00:12:12.899 is. One of the most important part of the building 00:12:12.899 --> 00:12:15.039 or the most important part of a building, the 00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:17.080 structure of the building is the foundation. 00:12:17.259 --> 00:12:20.159 You will not necessarily see the foundation of 00:12:20.159 --> 00:12:22.419 a building and it's what ensures that regardless 00:12:22.419 --> 00:12:25.600 of whatever, on Wednesday, when there was a shaking 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:27.720 or a quake, the building will still stand regardless 00:12:27.720 --> 00:12:32.059 of what hits it. From underneath or from above. 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:36.620 Praise God. So these things are very key and 00:12:36.620 --> 00:12:40.539 they ensure that our identities They show that 00:12:40.539 --> 00:12:43.019 we stay true to our identity, that which we have 00:12:43.019 --> 00:12:46.019 received. Our identity and our relationship is 00:12:46.019 --> 00:12:48.379 rock solid regardless of what hits us left, right, 00:12:48.419 --> 00:12:50.840 and center. That we're not tossed through and 00:12:50.840 --> 00:12:53.200 through. That we're standing solid and we're 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:55.899 anchored in it. And that's why I want us to understand 00:12:55.899 --> 00:12:59.960 what is this love of God? That's the first question 00:12:59.960 --> 00:13:03.120 we're going to be answering. What is the love 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:06.799 of God? What is the love of God? Please, regardless 00:13:06.799 --> 00:13:09.840 of what you know about love, When you come to 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:12.179 the word of God, you want to pack that at the 00:13:12.179 --> 00:13:15.600 side and listen and take notes and pay attention 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:19.379 to what really the love of God is. And to do 00:13:19.379 --> 00:13:23.220 this, I want us to open our Bibles to John 3. 00:13:25.460 --> 00:13:27.279 We're going to go over a couple of scriptures, 00:13:27.399 --> 00:13:38.279 but I want us to start from there. John 3, I 00:13:38.279 --> 00:13:40.539 want us to look at 16. I know we're very familiar 00:13:40.539 --> 00:13:42.519 with this, but I want you to look at it and look 00:13:42.519 --> 00:13:45.179 at it very careful because sometimes we quote 00:13:45.179 --> 00:13:48.940 it or say some things. I want you to do it in 00:13:48.940 --> 00:13:59.360 New King James. John 3, 16. And it reads, it 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:04.580 says, For God so loved the world that he gave. 00:14:06.350 --> 00:14:08.470 You know, sometimes we can read this and we'll 00:14:08.470 --> 00:14:11.830 just say he gave us, right? We can just go and 00:14:11.830 --> 00:14:14.669 just say he gave us. But I want us to see something. 00:14:14.750 --> 00:14:17.970 It says, God so loved the word that he gave his 00:14:17.970 --> 00:14:22.769 only begotten son, that whoever believes in him 00:14:22.769 --> 00:14:27.190 should not perish, but have everlasting life. 00:14:28.149 --> 00:14:31.049 17, we'll add 17 to it. It says, for God did 00:14:31.049 --> 00:14:33.990 not send his son into the world to condemn the 00:14:33.990 --> 00:14:39.100 world, that the world through him might be saved. 00:14:39.659 --> 00:14:42.679 Let's go back again to 16. It says, for God so 00:14:42.679 --> 00:14:47.620 loved the world that he gave. When we quote this 00:14:47.620 --> 00:14:51.220 and add that us, we do something very subtle 00:14:51.220 --> 00:14:54.940 to this passage. In fact, there are songs that 00:14:54.940 --> 00:14:56.759 we sing that says, God so loved the world that 00:14:56.759 --> 00:15:00.019 he gave us. In fact, for some of us, that's what 00:15:00.019 --> 00:15:01.840 basically is running through our head. God so 00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:04.159 loved the world that he gave us. When you add 00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:08.600 us to this, it changes something. And I want 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:10.940 us to understand, we'll just look at what it 00:15:10.940 --> 00:15:14.620 means by he gave. What it means by he gave. And 00:15:14.620 --> 00:15:17.139 we'll see something that is... And we know that 00:15:17.139 --> 00:15:19.720 this whole action is God demonstrating his love, 00:15:19.820 --> 00:15:22.460 right? Yes, he's demonstrating his love to us. 00:15:22.679 --> 00:15:25.299 But note that he gave his son for a particular 00:15:25.299 --> 00:15:29.620 reason. Right? He gave his son for a particular 00:15:29.620 --> 00:15:32.480 reason. I want us to see from the same passage 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:34.960 what that reason is. I want us to go up to verse 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:39.320 14. Please pay attention. Don't lose the train 00:15:39.320 --> 00:15:43.000 of where we're going to. In verse 14, it says, 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:49.279 And as Moses lifted up, right? And as Moses lifted 00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:55.000 up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must 00:15:55.000 --> 00:15:58.299 the Son of Man be lifted up. And the word lifted 00:15:58.299 --> 00:16:04.379 up is Hoopsao is a Greek word. I had to practice 00:16:04.379 --> 00:16:06.879 it a couple of times to be able to get it. It's 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:15.980 spelled H -Y -P -S -O -O. It doesn't read the 00:16:15.980 --> 00:16:18.779 way I pronounce it because I had to. I'm not 00:16:18.779 --> 00:16:25.799 Greek. H -Y -P -S -O -O. So it's pronounced Hoopsao. 00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:31.470 It's pronounced Hoopsao. And the word in this 00:16:31.470 --> 00:16:34.450 passage, not that the word in this passage, you 00:16:34.450 --> 00:16:36.889 know, when you see a word, the word can be literal 00:16:36.889 --> 00:16:39.950 or it can be figurative. And that's why we advise 00:16:39.950 --> 00:16:42.149 that when you come to scripture, you don't want 00:16:42.149 --> 00:16:44.509 to come to scripture and then be reading like 00:16:44.509 --> 00:16:45.889 English language because you're going to miss 00:16:45.889 --> 00:16:50.289 out on certain things. And not that this passage, 00:16:50.350 --> 00:16:54.049 it will read to you as though he's lifted up, 00:16:54.090 --> 00:16:57.309 right? But understand that in this lifted up 00:16:57.309 --> 00:17:00.500 lies what? he gave means. In this lifted up, 00:17:00.500 --> 00:17:02.899 it lies what he gives means. And I want us to 00:17:02.899 --> 00:17:07.019 just understand that that lifted up there, let's 00:17:07.019 --> 00:17:12.539 look at it in Amplified. Amplified, not Amplified 00:17:12.539 --> 00:17:17.359 Classic, Amplified. So we see that, it says, 00:17:17.400 --> 00:17:21.359 just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent, the 00:17:21.359 --> 00:17:25.720 bronze serpent in the desert on a pole, so must 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:30.839 the son of man be lifted up. On the cross. Praise 00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:33.640 God. When he says lifted up on the cross, what 00:17:33.640 --> 00:17:37.779 would that imply? Crucified, right? Crucified. 00:17:37.799 --> 00:17:39.500 Some people are following me. So it means that 00:17:39.500 --> 00:17:42.420 he'll be crucified. So will that mean a literal 00:17:42.420 --> 00:17:46.079 lifting up or will mean death? Praise God. It 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:48.660 will mean death. So it means that when we read 00:17:48.660 --> 00:17:51.940 he gave, that he gave there. will be pointing 00:17:51.940 --> 00:17:54.180 to death. And please, I'm saying this so that 00:17:54.180 --> 00:17:56.720 you understand it. Anytime you see lifted up, 00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:59.200 you want to read the context of the passage to 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:02.339 understand what exactly it is that is being said. 00:18:02.980 --> 00:18:05.200 What exactly it is that is being said because 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:07.500 the context will help you understand what lifted 00:18:07.500 --> 00:18:11.740 up will mean. Let me show something. Some of 00:18:11.740 --> 00:18:14.460 us can just go and then let's just try to apply 00:18:14.460 --> 00:18:16.980 it and then we apply. lifted up on some other 00:18:16.980 --> 00:18:19.180 passage. I was, when I was going through, you 00:18:19.180 --> 00:18:21.519 know, those of us following the canonical, I 00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:23.420 think we're now in Acts. I think if you did your 00:18:23.420 --> 00:18:26.180 canonical today, I think it's Acts 10 or something 00:18:26.180 --> 00:18:29.220 like that, 9, 10. So when we were doing John, 00:18:29.400 --> 00:18:32.279 as we're just going down from John to 11, I think 00:18:32.279 --> 00:18:34.579 I saw something that will also make, so John 00:18:34.579 --> 00:18:36.940 11, let's go to John 11, not Amplified now, New 00:18:36.940 --> 00:18:41.119 King James, John 11, 41. I just put that in there 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:43.079 so that we understand that anywhere you see something, 00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:46.140 don't just conclude, right? It says, Yeah, New 00:18:46.140 --> 00:18:49.480 King James. So let's see another lifted up here 00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:55.480 and tell us what it means. Then they took away 00:18:55.480 --> 00:19:00.299 the stone from the place where the dead man was 00:19:00.299 --> 00:19:04.579 lying. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, 00:19:05.160 --> 00:19:09.019 Father, I thank you that you have heard me. Now 00:19:09.019 --> 00:19:10.960 that that lifted up there, will he be speaking 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:14.619 about the same thing as before? No, because it's 00:19:14.619 --> 00:19:16.279 not speaking of the same thing as before. But 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:18.420 if you come and then say, okay, that lifted up 00:19:18.420 --> 00:19:21.220 is the same lifted up as before, but the lifted 00:19:21.220 --> 00:19:23.640 up has a context to it. See, lifted up his eyes, 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:26.200 right? Lifted up his eyes. And in this passage, 00:19:26.380 --> 00:19:28.579 I don't know, this doesn't show it very clearly. 00:19:29.339 --> 00:19:31.599 What you will see is that, another thing I want 00:19:31.599 --> 00:19:34.019 to add while I'm explaining is that what you 00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:36.099 see is that in this passage, I don't know whether 00:19:36.099 --> 00:19:39.859 this shows it, you will see that there is The 00:19:39.859 --> 00:19:42.599 place, right? And then there's his. Those two 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:47.279 words are italized. Because I think Pastor Victor 00:19:47.279 --> 00:19:48.859 has helped us to explain this and understand 00:19:48.859 --> 00:19:51.299 in the Bible. That once you see words italized, 00:19:51.299 --> 00:19:54.420 if you see it in some brackets, know that those, 00:19:54.579 --> 00:19:58.019 that from his place, from the place, I think 00:19:58.019 --> 00:20:00.740 is from the place, that those words from the 00:20:00.740 --> 00:20:03.319 place and his. If you have your Bible with you, 00:20:03.380 --> 00:20:07.119 you will see that that word is italized. From 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:10.339 the place. And here's, I want to do this while 00:20:10.339 --> 00:20:12.279 we're at it so that something, certain things 00:20:12.279 --> 00:20:14.319 will do. I think we have understood. I would 00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:16.539 explain this so that certain things I'll do ahead. 00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:19.920 I don't have to re -explain myself. So from the 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:24.039 place and here's, those words are italized. When 00:20:24.039 --> 00:20:26.440 you see any word italized in your Bible, and 00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:28.160 that's the benefit of having a physical Bible. 00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:30.420 In the online Bible, you still have it. Sometimes 00:20:30.420 --> 00:20:32.819 it's very difficult for you to notice. But if 00:20:32.819 --> 00:20:36.099 you have a physical Bible, you'll see it's somewhat 00:20:36.099 --> 00:20:39.769 done. I said that. from his place and the word 00:20:39.769 --> 00:20:43.410 his, it's a lie because in the original Hebrew 00:20:43.410 --> 00:20:47.130 or Greek text, in this case, it's the Greek text. 00:20:47.369 --> 00:20:51.009 In the original Greek text, that is not there. 00:20:52.049 --> 00:20:54.589 It's not there in the original. Why it is not 00:20:54.589 --> 00:20:57.069 there in the original Greek text is because while 00:20:57.069 --> 00:20:59.970 translating or while translators or the interpreters, 00:20:59.970 --> 00:21:01.549 because it's not just translating or interpreting, 00:21:01.769 --> 00:21:05.210 while the interpreters, while the translators, 00:21:06.440 --> 00:21:09.579 interpreted that particular passage, for us to 00:21:09.579 --> 00:21:11.559 understand it better in English, just read that 00:21:11.559 --> 00:21:14.880 word, just read it without from the place. If 00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:17.359 you read, just, I think, just, let's read together 00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:21.339 and eliminate from the place. And then eliminate 00:21:21.339 --> 00:21:23.940 his. And see whether we'll make sense of what 00:21:23.940 --> 00:21:28.799 is read. Say, from, then they took, let's read 00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:33.039 together. Then they took away the stone where 00:21:33.039 --> 00:21:38.160 the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up eyes 00:21:38.160 --> 00:21:43.960 and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard 00:21:43.960 --> 00:21:46.960 me. Notice that it doesn't sound grammatically 00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:49.920 correct. When you read it without, even though 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:53.380 the part of took away, if you're trying to imagine 00:21:53.380 --> 00:21:56.859 what is going on, if you say took away the stone 00:21:56.859 --> 00:21:59.680 and then say where the dead man, you'll be wondering 00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:06.079 where did they take away the stone? Interpreters 00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:07.920 have to put that in there so that when we're 00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:09.759 reading it in English language, it will just 00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:14.019 flow and then you are able to understand what 00:22:14.019 --> 00:22:16.200 exactly it is being said. So please, anytime 00:22:16.200 --> 00:22:19.019 you're reading your Bible and you see that, don't 00:22:19.019 --> 00:22:21.380 be scared. Sometimes in some particular translations, 00:22:21.500 --> 00:22:25.700 a whole verse is taken out. My whole verse, I 00:22:25.700 --> 00:22:27.180 think one time I was reading my Bible. That was 00:22:27.180 --> 00:22:29.000 when I, I think when after, I think I've been 00:22:29.000 --> 00:22:30.779 doing that for a while. And then I discovered 00:22:30.779 --> 00:22:32.880 that there's a particular chunk of it. So when 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:34.400 Pastor Victor was teaching us to understand the 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:37.099 Bible, it now made sense. Because if you're paying 00:22:37.099 --> 00:22:39.160 attention to the footnote, you will see it there. 00:22:39.480 --> 00:22:41.720 But if we just read and then we say, it's my 00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:43.759 Bible. What did he do to my Bible? You will just 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:46.240 be wondering. So this itself explains something. 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:49.500 And now, note that it says, and the word there 00:22:49.500 --> 00:22:53.220 lifted and up is the word there I wrote. Lifted. 00:22:54.600 --> 00:22:58.160 is airo, A -R, and it's not the same word as 00:22:58.160 --> 00:23:02.099 the hypsao. It's not the same as the hypsao. 00:23:02.200 --> 00:23:05.160 So that's why we go to the Greek and the Hebrew 00:23:05.160 --> 00:23:08.579 to be able to understand when words are the same, 00:23:08.700 --> 00:23:10.519 where it applies and where it doesn't apply, 00:23:10.599 --> 00:23:12.900 where certain things are literal or where they 00:23:12.900 --> 00:23:14.460 are figurative. So we do all of that so that 00:23:14.460 --> 00:23:17.190 we can better understand. And please... One very 00:23:17.190 --> 00:23:18.970 good thing, I think my wife was talking about 00:23:18.970 --> 00:23:22.430 how the blessing of having that series on Understand 00:23:22.430 --> 00:23:26.450 the Bible is many believers don't know a lot 00:23:26.450 --> 00:23:29.049 of things that were discussed by Pastor Victor 00:23:29.049 --> 00:23:32.609 in that series. Yes, it's a long series, but 00:23:32.609 --> 00:23:35.210 it's good for us to be able to understand because 00:23:35.210 --> 00:23:38.190 you're a believer, you have instances where you 00:23:38.190 --> 00:23:40.349 have to preach or speak to people and you want 00:23:40.349 --> 00:23:42.339 to understand why certain things. Because when 00:23:42.339 --> 00:23:43.880 people are arguing with you, oh, the Bible has 00:23:43.880 --> 00:23:46.359 been changed, you will be able to give proofs 00:23:46.359 --> 00:23:49.880 and evidences why it is not so. Praise God. So, 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:52.319 note that this one, in this particular passage, 00:23:52.380 --> 00:23:53.920 the only person that was dead in the passage 00:23:53.920 --> 00:23:57.420 is Lazarus. It's not Jesus Christ. Right? And 00:23:57.420 --> 00:23:59.380 note that even the dead was temporary because 00:23:59.380 --> 00:24:01.279 he was raised from the dead, because he was praying 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:03.400 for him to be raised from the dead. So, note 00:24:03.400 --> 00:24:06.039 that there's nothing around that. But now, when 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:08.680 we move to the next passage, the next chapter, 00:24:08.839 --> 00:24:13.720 that is chapter 12. Chapter 12. Please be patient. 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:17.579 Just some of us, just be patient and let's build 00:24:17.579 --> 00:24:22.799 on something. Chapters 12 in 32, 33. We're going 00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:28.220 to just read 32, 33. It says, and I, if I'm lifted 00:24:28.220 --> 00:24:35.880 up from the earth, will draw peoples, right? 00:24:36.119 --> 00:24:40.579 To myself. That peoples too is in Italis. I will 00:24:40.579 --> 00:24:44.480 draw. peoples to myself. Now, the lifted up, 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:48.220 just go back a bit. Yeah. Now, if you see this 00:24:48.220 --> 00:24:51.240 lifted up, because we understand that it is him 00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:54.319 speaking, right? He says, if I'm lifted up from 00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:56.980 the earth, lifted up from the earth will mean, 00:24:57.279 --> 00:25:00.319 will mean what? From what we have discussed? 00:25:01.779 --> 00:25:03.700 Crucifixion. Just put, just change to amplify, 00:25:03.819 --> 00:25:09.039 just to confirm, amplify it. So, now that he 00:25:09.039 --> 00:25:12.900 says, if when I am lifted up from the earth, 00:25:13.019 --> 00:25:15.880 I will draw up. And then he said, when he sees 00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:17.380 the people now, because that's why that word 00:25:17.380 --> 00:25:19.799 will explain why they put peoples, because both 00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:22.319 Gentiles and Jews as well are the people that 00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:23.900 he's going to draw to himself. Go back to the 00:25:23.900 --> 00:25:29.119 New King James. Praise God. So now we see that 00:25:29.119 --> 00:25:32.059 all of this, he doesn't just leave us hanging. 00:25:32.180 --> 00:25:35.599 In the next verse, you see what he means. In 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:38.660 case if you missed it. He says, this he said 00:25:38.660 --> 00:25:43.200 signifying what death he will die. Praise God. 00:25:43.960 --> 00:25:47.240 This he said signifying what death he will die. 00:25:47.299 --> 00:25:48.660 I'm looking at some people talking to themselves. 00:25:48.720 --> 00:25:51.140 We'll discuss after the service. Praise God. 00:25:51.859 --> 00:25:55.619 He said, this he said signifying what way he 00:25:55.619 --> 00:25:58.279 was going to die. So it means that the son of 00:25:58.279 --> 00:26:02.279 God or what is going to happen to him is going 00:26:02.279 --> 00:26:04.660 back to what we said. For God so loved the world 00:26:04.660 --> 00:26:10.480 that he gave. That giving is to death. Praise 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:13.920 God. That giving there is to death. He's not 00:26:13.920 --> 00:26:19.299 giving to us. He's giving to die for us. Do you 00:26:19.299 --> 00:26:22.480 understand? He's not giving to death, but he's 00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:27.400 giving to us, but he's giving to death to die 00:26:27.400 --> 00:26:31.799 for us. Praise God. Is that clear? I'm saying 00:26:31.799 --> 00:26:34.549 these things because... Some of us will go out 00:26:34.549 --> 00:26:36.769 and we're evangelizing to people and we'll say 00:26:36.769 --> 00:26:39.470 certain things that will leave the person not, 00:26:39.549 --> 00:26:41.470 in fact, some of us cannot even explain why it 00:26:41.470 --> 00:26:43.990 is. Like if you meet somebody and the person 00:26:43.990 --> 00:26:45.309 say, I'm a Christian, you say, why are you a 00:26:45.309 --> 00:26:47.130 Christian? The person starts telling you how 00:26:47.130 --> 00:26:50.190 God delivered him from one thing or delivered 00:26:50.190 --> 00:26:51.970 him for the other thing. And then the person 00:26:51.970 --> 00:26:53.529 is, you're wondering to yourself, when are you 00:26:53.529 --> 00:26:55.769 going to hit the nail on the head? And the person 00:26:55.769 --> 00:26:57.990 goes around and around and around until when 00:26:57.990 --> 00:26:59.970 you now say, okay, let me explain to you what 00:26:59.970 --> 00:27:02.680 you have been trying to explain. And then you 00:27:02.680 --> 00:27:05.240 explain it. So there are many Christians that 00:27:05.240 --> 00:27:06.940 don't understand this foundation. That's why 00:27:06.940 --> 00:27:08.640 we're looking at it and we're talking about it. 00:27:08.680 --> 00:27:11.579 We're still building on it. Praise God. So understand 00:27:11.579 --> 00:27:15.680 that this popular passage that has always been 00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:18.819 quoted or is what is shared, you want to know 00:27:18.819 --> 00:27:22.900 that in the first line, there lies what he gave 00:27:22.900 --> 00:27:32.910 means. Right? Let's move down. Just to confirm 00:27:32.910 --> 00:27:36.490 that this he gave, anywhere you see he gave, 00:27:36.750 --> 00:27:39.650 you will see that or you see like lay down. We 00:27:39.650 --> 00:27:41.730 also see that word lay down because lay down 00:27:41.730 --> 00:27:44.990 and John uses that word a lot. Lay down, you 00:27:44.990 --> 00:27:47.289 see lay down his life or lay down, lay down. 00:27:47.369 --> 00:27:50.289 That word is used a lot. And when somebody, when 00:27:50.289 --> 00:27:53.549 they say lay down, it's not laying down to sleep. 00:27:53.950 --> 00:27:57.289 Praise God. When they say laying down, if you 00:27:57.289 --> 00:27:58.990 take that literally, you'll be like, yes, he 00:27:58.990 --> 00:28:01.900 laid down, let him get up. Yeah, most times we 00:28:01.900 --> 00:28:03.400 lay down and get up, except the laying down is 00:28:03.400 --> 00:28:05.200 different. And even Jesus Christ speaking to 00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:07.680 Lazarus, he's sleeping, right? When he was talking 00:28:07.680 --> 00:28:09.720 about Lazarus, he's sleeping. If he's sleeping, 00:28:09.759 --> 00:28:12.440 why are we doing ceremony to go and see him? 00:28:12.519 --> 00:28:15.160 He will wake up. But know that he meant that, 00:28:15.240 --> 00:28:18.019 he was saying that to say that because he had 00:28:18.019 --> 00:28:21.559 the power to raise him up. Because he says, here's 00:28:21.559 --> 00:28:23.430 the way, here's the truth, here's the life. And 00:28:23.430 --> 00:28:25.250 if you're reading Economical, you discover that 00:28:25.250 --> 00:28:27.410 the Pharisees was a threat to them. I think we're 00:28:27.410 --> 00:28:29.190 discussing the cell. It was a big threat to them 00:28:29.190 --> 00:28:31.089 because the Sadducees are dead. They don't believe 00:28:31.089 --> 00:28:32.529 in the resurrection of the dead. And this man 00:28:32.529 --> 00:28:34.329 now has destroyed their whole belief system because 00:28:34.329 --> 00:28:35.490 if you don't believe in the resurrection of the 00:28:35.490 --> 00:28:36.990 dead and then somebody has resurrected from the 00:28:36.990 --> 00:28:38.769 dead, how do you now explain to your people that 00:28:38.769 --> 00:28:43.670 our whole movement is valid? Because these guys, 00:28:43.710 --> 00:28:45.250 that's why they were seeking ways to kill them. 00:28:45.329 --> 00:28:48.190 So two people that are not necessarily working 00:28:48.190 --> 00:28:51.150 together decide to come together because they 00:28:51.150 --> 00:28:53.849 have a common enemy. Because they have a common 00:28:53.849 --> 00:28:55.670 enemy. They had to come together to see how they're 00:28:55.670 --> 00:28:58.710 going to take these individuals down. And they 00:28:58.710 --> 00:29:02.190 did so because Lazarus will still die, will eventually 00:29:02.190 --> 00:29:05.250 die, and then Jesus Christ lay down his life. 00:29:05.390 --> 00:29:08.029 Praise God. So I want us to see something. I 00:29:08.029 --> 00:29:10.329 want you to pay attention to the use of the word 00:29:10.329 --> 00:29:12.869 for in this passage, just to verify the fact 00:29:12.869 --> 00:29:15.589 that there's a reason why he laid down his life. 00:29:16.529 --> 00:29:21.849 So he gave his life, right? He gave his son to 00:29:21.849 --> 00:29:26.690 die. He did not give us his son to kill or his 00:29:26.690 --> 00:29:29.250 son to... So it's very important that we see 00:29:29.250 --> 00:29:37.569 this. So in John 15, verse 3. John 15, verse 00:29:37.569 --> 00:29:40.289 13, sorry, not 3, verse 13. It says, greater 00:29:40.289 --> 00:29:47.650 love has no one than this, than to lay down one's 00:29:47.650 --> 00:29:51.190 life for his friends. The grace idea is mega. 00:29:51.329 --> 00:29:53.930 It's almost like telling like this, this is much, 00:29:54.009 --> 00:29:57.150 there's no greater love than this. And to lay 00:29:57.150 --> 00:30:00.109 down is a note that it says, lay down one's life 00:30:00.109 --> 00:30:04.029 for his friends. So when you're laying down your 00:30:04.029 --> 00:30:06.049 life for, there's a reason for the laying down 00:30:06.049 --> 00:30:08.410 of the life. And there is a person or there is 00:30:08.410 --> 00:30:09.930 a group of people that you're laying down your 00:30:09.930 --> 00:30:15.609 life for. Then let's go to Romans 8 .32. Romans 00:30:15.609 --> 00:30:20.299 8 .32. Let's do that in New King James, please. 00:30:21.640 --> 00:30:24.720 New King James, he says, he did not spare his 00:30:24.720 --> 00:30:28.319 own son. Now, speaking of God now, he did not 00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:33.180 spare his own son, but delivered him for us all. 00:30:33.779 --> 00:30:40.180 For us all. How should he not with him so freely 00:30:40.180 --> 00:30:44.619 give us all things? Praise God. He says he delivered 00:30:44.619 --> 00:30:51.599 up for us. All. For us. All. So God delivered 00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:57.500 him, that is Jesus Christ, for death. For us. 00:30:57.779 --> 00:31:02.619 To death. For us. And now that we're going to 00:31:02.619 --> 00:31:05.920 take time, we're going to go back and we'll shortly 00:31:05.920 --> 00:31:09.299 explain why that was done. I want us to read 00:31:09.299 --> 00:31:13.440 John. Still John 10. We're going to be doing 00:31:13.440 --> 00:31:19.940 a lot of John. John 10. I'll read 11 to 17 so 00:31:19.940 --> 00:31:22.619 that we'll see it again and we'll see a lot of... 00:31:22.619 --> 00:31:26.279 Because John actually does a lot of lay down, 00:31:26.440 --> 00:31:29.339 lay down, lay down, and we'll see, and he explains 00:31:29.339 --> 00:31:32.339 what he says. So he says, I'm the good shepherd. 00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:35.779 I'm the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives 00:31:35.779 --> 00:31:39.000 his life for the sheep. Know that all of this 00:31:39.000 --> 00:31:42.079 is paying a picture. He says he's a shepherd. 00:31:42.670 --> 00:31:45.089 and he lays down his life for the sheep. He says, 00:31:45.210 --> 00:31:49.529 but a hireling, a hireling there is a hired man, 00:31:49.730 --> 00:31:54.230 a hired man. And then we see in the same, it's 00:31:54.230 --> 00:31:58.829 a lies, he who is. You're saying a hired man 00:31:58.829 --> 00:32:01.509 who is not the shepherd. It's putting that there 00:32:01.509 --> 00:32:04.750 so that you better understand who the hired man 00:32:04.750 --> 00:32:08.529 is. So the hired man, he who is not the shepherd, 00:32:08.710 --> 00:32:13.720 one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf 00:32:13.720 --> 00:32:19.640 coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And this 00:32:19.640 --> 00:32:22.819 passage will come in handy in the next passage 00:32:22.819 --> 00:32:24.559 we're going to be reading. It says, sees the 00:32:24.559 --> 00:32:27.460 sheep and flees. The wolf catches the sheep and 00:32:27.460 --> 00:32:31.039 scatters them. 13 now says, the hireling, which 00:32:31.039 --> 00:32:35.000 I said is the hired man, flees because he is 00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:37.519 a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 00:32:38.410 --> 00:32:40.269 Praise God. He doesn't care about the sheep. 00:32:40.430 --> 00:32:44.970 He says, I am the good shepherd and I know my 00:32:44.970 --> 00:32:52.809 sheep and I'm known by my own. 15, as the father 00:32:52.809 --> 00:32:57.009 knows me, even so I know the father and I lay 00:32:57.009 --> 00:33:02.450 down my life for the sheep. Are we saying it? 00:33:02.549 --> 00:33:06.069 I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 now says, 00:33:06.210 --> 00:33:10.039 and the other, and the other sheep I have, which 00:33:10.039 --> 00:33:15.339 are not of this fold. Them also I must bring, 00:33:15.559 --> 00:33:20.079 and they will hear my voice, and there will be 00:33:20.079 --> 00:33:25.460 one flock and one shepherd. Therefore, my father 00:33:25.460 --> 00:33:29.819 loves me, because I lay down my life, that I 00:33:29.819 --> 00:33:33.299 may take it again. Praise God. Lay down his life 00:33:33.299 --> 00:33:34.920 that he may take it again, so he doesn't just 00:33:34.920 --> 00:33:38.690 lay down his life. He doesn't stay dead. He comes 00:33:38.690 --> 00:33:42.130 back again. And I will say this. There's no religion 00:33:42.130 --> 00:33:49.269 in the world that goes, that the author of that 00:33:49.269 --> 00:33:51.349 religion or the person who, we're going to say 00:33:51.349 --> 00:33:53.309 religion, we want to understand that it's beyond 00:33:53.309 --> 00:33:58.470 that. Many of this, the people are dead and gone. 00:33:58.809 --> 00:34:01.829 And in fact, even most of them, people are the 00:34:01.829 --> 00:34:05.650 followers that lead on their lives for the movement. 00:34:06.319 --> 00:34:08.280 They are the ones on the front line. They're 00:34:08.280 --> 00:34:09.519 the ones laying down their life for the movement. 00:34:09.780 --> 00:34:15.119 But we are in a relationship where the one who 00:34:15.119 --> 00:34:19.119 instructs us has led by example. He's instructing 00:34:19.119 --> 00:34:22.340 us to do what he has done, not what he has not 00:34:22.340 --> 00:34:24.380 done. Praise God. I just had to put that in there. 00:34:24.860 --> 00:34:28.039 Now we understand. Then now we go to 13. John 00:34:28.039 --> 00:34:33.000 13. In John 13, Peter is the one now speaking. 00:34:33.119 --> 00:34:38.440 And this is going to show us that Christ has 00:34:38.440 --> 00:34:43.139 to do what he had to do. Even if we try, we cannot 00:34:43.139 --> 00:34:46.139 do the work he has done. And we should not even 00:34:46.139 --> 00:34:48.139 try to do the work he has done because sometimes 00:34:48.139 --> 00:34:50.480 we put ourselves in the position of wanting to 00:34:50.480 --> 00:34:53.940 save ourselves, redeem ourselves, do all of those 00:34:53.940 --> 00:34:55.940 things, but that is not possible. Praise God. 00:34:56.880 --> 00:35:00.039 Peter said to him, that's verse 37, John 13, 00:35:00.219 --> 00:35:06.780 37. Peter said to him, Lord, why can't, Why can 00:35:06.780 --> 00:35:10.300 I not follow you now? Why can I not follow you 00:35:10.300 --> 00:35:15.260 now? I will lay down my life for your sake. Jesus 00:35:15.260 --> 00:35:18.960 answered him, Will you lay down your life for 00:35:18.960 --> 00:35:22.599 my sake? Assuredly, I say to you, the rooster 00:35:22.599 --> 00:35:25.940 shall not crow until you have denied me three 00:35:25.940 --> 00:35:30.119 times. Praise God. What was Peter trying to do? 00:35:31.320 --> 00:35:34.460 What was he trying to do? He was trying to lay 00:35:34.460 --> 00:35:38.769 down his life. For Jesus Christ that came down 00:35:38.769 --> 00:35:43.469 to that, that, that is going to. So sometimes 00:35:43.469 --> 00:35:46.070 we can be overzealous or sometimes we cannot, 00:35:46.250 --> 00:35:48.469 we might not understand what exactly. So, but 00:35:48.469 --> 00:35:50.349 that's why we are anchored on the instruction 00:35:50.349 --> 00:35:52.570 of God's word. And sometimes we even know it 00:35:52.570 --> 00:35:57.010 mentally, but we, we, by our spirit, we know 00:35:57.010 --> 00:35:59.489 these things, but we sometimes want to just take 00:35:59.489 --> 00:36:01.610 things into our, you know, we want to be in control 00:36:01.610 --> 00:36:04.139 of our lives. We want to be able to. navigate 00:36:04.139 --> 00:36:06.900 and mix and put all the things together. And 00:36:06.900 --> 00:36:10.139 I will get to somewhere. Know that this laying 00:36:10.139 --> 00:36:14.260 down of his life for us was solely his responsibility. 00:36:15.420 --> 00:36:18.659 Laying down his life for us is solely the responsibility 00:36:18.659 --> 00:36:22.219 of Christ Jesus. And he has done it. Praise God. 00:36:22.500 --> 00:36:25.500 Don't your neighbor and say he has done it. You 00:36:25.500 --> 00:36:28.820 don't have to do it the way he did it to because 00:36:28.820 --> 00:36:32.059 there's no that he said he has instructed us 00:36:32.059 --> 00:36:34.150 to lay down our lives for. our brothers and our 00:36:34.150 --> 00:36:35.989 sisters. And we'll get to that passage in the 00:36:35.989 --> 00:36:37.449 next. We'll get to that passage in the next. 00:36:37.510 --> 00:36:42.110 Let's even go there now. 1 John 3, verse 16 to 00:36:42.110 --> 00:36:48.650 18. 1 John 3, 16 to 18. So we're doing 16 first. 00:36:48.750 --> 00:36:52.769 It says, by this, are we there? Please, let's 00:36:52.769 --> 00:36:55.329 get there so we can do it together. You see, 00:36:55.449 --> 00:36:59.659 by this we know. That word no there is ginosko. 00:36:59.800 --> 00:37:04.360 And ginosko is that we are aware of a fact. We 00:37:04.360 --> 00:37:07.360 are aware of a fact. Ginosko is like Gino, the 00:37:07.360 --> 00:37:13.599 popular brand. G -I -N -O -S -K -O. I don't know 00:37:13.599 --> 00:37:15.780 what that brand is. It's still there. Brand of 00:37:15.780 --> 00:37:22.619 tomato paste. G -I -N -O -S -K -O. There's a 00:37:22.619 --> 00:37:26.809 verb form of it. It says we... It means to be 00:37:26.809 --> 00:37:30.349 aware of a fact, to be aware of a fact. It says, 00:37:30.469 --> 00:37:35.530 by this we know love. Because he laid down his 00:37:35.530 --> 00:37:39.989 life for us, and we also ought to lay down our 00:37:39.989 --> 00:37:42.769 lives for the brethren. And you might be thinking 00:37:42.769 --> 00:37:44.550 that you're laying down your life in the same 00:37:44.550 --> 00:37:47.469 manner. No, it says, as he has, you do so. And 00:37:47.469 --> 00:37:50.989 17 confirms what exactly it is. It says, but 00:37:50.989 --> 00:37:55.760 whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother 00:37:55.760 --> 00:38:02.179 in need and shuts his heart from them, how does 00:38:02.179 --> 00:38:06.119 the love of God abide in him? My little children, 00:38:06.280 --> 00:38:12.139 let us not love in word or in tongue, but in 00:38:12.139 --> 00:38:15.900 deed and in truth. But in deed and in truth. 00:38:15.940 --> 00:38:18.360 What it means there in short, or you'll see in 00:38:18.360 --> 00:38:21.599 the New Testament, is that it's not just in words. 00:38:22.440 --> 00:38:26.000 Your love has to be seen or demonstrated as his 00:38:26.000 --> 00:38:30.099 in action. Praise God. Demonstrated in action. 00:38:30.300 --> 00:38:33.760 And many of us, we say we love God with our mouth, 00:38:33.900 --> 00:38:39.239 but our actions betray us. The same way Peter 00:38:39.239 --> 00:38:42.280 said, I will lay down my life for your sake. 00:38:42.840 --> 00:38:46.579 And then say, ah, will you lay down your life? 00:38:47.840 --> 00:38:50.309 And then he tells him something. I know that 00:38:50.309 --> 00:38:53.170 it didn't stop there because the man in question 00:38:53.170 --> 00:38:56.650 now came to a point where he understood and then 00:38:56.650 --> 00:39:00.510 he did. Praise God. So the only way we can do 00:39:00.510 --> 00:39:02.989 the things that we're instructed to do is by 00:39:02.989 --> 00:39:06.849 the help of God. Don't ever get yourself to the 00:39:06.849 --> 00:39:09.630 point where you feel that by your own strength, 00:39:09.809 --> 00:39:12.829 you are able to do the instruction. And it doesn't 00:39:12.829 --> 00:39:15.269 mean now that you're relegated to, I've not received 00:39:15.269 --> 00:39:18.239 the strength, I cannot do. We have sang. Some 00:39:18.239 --> 00:39:19.880 of us don't know that when we sing some certain 00:39:19.880 --> 00:39:22.760 songs in this church, you are implicating yourself. 00:39:24.139 --> 00:39:29.559 I will repeat myself again. You sang power, flow. 00:39:29.980 --> 00:39:34.539 You sang favor abundant. If you leave this place 00:39:34.539 --> 00:39:37.860 and then you are now acting like the favor will 00:39:37.860 --> 00:39:41.360 come from outer space to inner space, you are 00:39:41.360 --> 00:39:44.199 lying to yourself. Praise God. Know that when 00:39:44.199 --> 00:39:46.260 you sing certain things and say, that's why we 00:39:46.260 --> 00:39:48.800 are careful what we say, what we sing, because 00:39:48.800 --> 00:39:51.280 you are communicating something to your subconscious. 00:39:51.500 --> 00:39:53.420 And when it's time to act, you will act that. 00:39:54.860 --> 00:39:57.019 Because that's what you've heard. That's why 00:39:57.019 --> 00:39:59.400 Apostle Paul was saying, I know that what the 00:39:59.400 --> 00:40:02.380 things have commanded you, you will do it. Because 00:40:02.380 --> 00:40:04.719 there's an instruction that goes for you to act. 00:40:04.860 --> 00:40:07.179 But some of us, as I started, you want to be 00:40:07.179 --> 00:40:08.800 able to note down these things so that you are 00:40:08.800 --> 00:40:12.690 reminded of it when it's time to act. And an 00:40:12.690 --> 00:40:14.670 abundance of it in you will ensure that you act 00:40:14.670 --> 00:40:17.309 accordingly. So he says that we're not just doing, 00:40:17.389 --> 00:40:19.730 you don't want to leave it in words alone because 00:40:19.730 --> 00:40:22.989 words is cheap. Like you, anybody can see anything, 00:40:23.110 --> 00:40:26.230 but you're working is what confirms or proves 00:40:26.230 --> 00:40:29.769 to everyone around that this thing is genuine. 00:40:30.030 --> 00:40:32.269 This person actually is working in the truth. 00:40:32.409 --> 00:40:34.409 This person is working in love. This person is 00:40:34.409 --> 00:40:37.010 working in the light. Praise God. All of that 00:40:37.010 --> 00:40:39.690 is saying the same thing. So now we ask ourselves 00:40:39.690 --> 00:40:44.219 another question. The love of God, see, how is 00:40:44.219 --> 00:40:50.179 this love now demonstrated? How is this love 00:40:50.179 --> 00:40:54.559 demonstrated? Yes, there's a debt. So, we will 00:40:54.559 --> 00:40:56.820 see that the love of the Father is demonstrated 00:40:56.820 --> 00:41:01.119 in the forgiveness of sin. The love of the Father 00:41:01.119 --> 00:41:06.039 is demonstrated in the forgiveness of sin. And 00:41:06.039 --> 00:41:09.300 I want you to note that this is a foundational 00:41:09.300 --> 00:41:12.059 layer in our understanding of God's love. If 00:41:12.059 --> 00:41:15.139 you don't understand that your sins are forgiven, 00:41:15.300 --> 00:41:16.639 that's why when we started to say, I am forgiven. 00:41:17.099 --> 00:41:19.000 If you don't understand that your sins are forgiven, 00:41:19.239 --> 00:41:21.519 you will continue to move around with guilt. 00:41:22.480 --> 00:41:24.019 In fact, you will not be able to effectively 00:41:24.019 --> 00:41:26.119 do the work because you're struggling with guilt. 00:41:26.639 --> 00:41:28.719 Every other thing will go wrong if you don't 00:41:28.719 --> 00:41:31.500 understand a single thing. Because you'll be 00:41:31.500 --> 00:41:33.739 living your life unstable. You'll be like a wind, 00:41:33.900 --> 00:41:35.840 like you'll be like a child. You will be tossed 00:41:35.840 --> 00:41:39.199 to and fro. because you're not grounded on the 00:41:39.199 --> 00:41:42.099 spiritual truths that forms the foundation of 00:41:42.099 --> 00:41:45.480 your walk and your life with God. So our effective 00:41:45.480 --> 00:41:48.119 spiritual growth is anchored on our understanding 00:41:48.119 --> 00:41:51.820 of this particular reality that we have in Christ 00:41:51.820 --> 00:41:56.099 Jesus. Praise God. So many of us are holding 00:41:56.099 --> 00:42:00.760 on to gifts that has already been paid for. You 00:42:00.760 --> 00:42:02.760 know, they have paid your debt and then you are 00:42:02.760 --> 00:42:04.559 still acting like somebody that still owes somebody. 00:42:05.610 --> 00:42:09.449 It doesn't help in any way. So I want us to see 00:42:09.449 --> 00:42:13.150 that same, I think we're still in the same John 00:42:13.150 --> 00:42:16.010 3 .20. I want us to see something and we'll see 00:42:16.010 --> 00:42:19.869 it from the NLT. That 3 .20, NLT now, 3 .20. 00:42:21.489 --> 00:42:26.489 It says, even if we feel guilty, not the word 00:42:26.489 --> 00:42:30.110 used, feel guilty doesn't mean that you are guilty. 00:42:31.030 --> 00:42:34.469 I will explain it. Again, you can feel something 00:42:34.469 --> 00:42:37.469 that is wrong. You can feel something that is 00:42:37.469 --> 00:42:42.889 wrong. I was telling, you know, when certain 00:42:42.889 --> 00:42:45.769 things stimulate certain response, sometimes 00:42:45.769 --> 00:42:47.570 just the presence of that thing will stimulate 00:42:47.570 --> 00:42:49.710 a response that is not necessarily genuine. A 00:42:49.710 --> 00:42:51.429 very practical example, when you're cutting onions 00:42:51.429 --> 00:42:54.070 and then you're crying, do you really, were you 00:42:54.070 --> 00:42:58.170 really sad? Were you really sad? No, it was because... 00:42:58.570 --> 00:43:00.809 Something stimulated the action and then you 00:43:00.809 --> 00:43:02.789 quickly clean your eyes and continue because 00:43:02.789 --> 00:43:05.090 you know the cause of the problem, right? Same 00:43:05.090 --> 00:43:07.690 way if laughing gas is here, everybody will be 00:43:07.690 --> 00:43:09.869 laughing. It's not necessarily that anything 00:43:09.869 --> 00:43:12.489 funny is happening. They do that in comedy. I 00:43:12.489 --> 00:43:15.530 was told that they do that. In fact, I read a 00:43:15.530 --> 00:43:17.630 documentary that they do that in clubs. They 00:43:17.630 --> 00:43:19.829 put laughing gas in the club so that people think 00:43:19.829 --> 00:43:21.309 they're having a good time. Just imagine, you're 00:43:21.309 --> 00:43:24.530 in a place where here is natural. It comes from 00:43:24.530 --> 00:43:26.469 within. And then some people are going to where 00:43:26.469 --> 00:43:28.630 they are stimulating them because when people 00:43:28.630 --> 00:43:30.050 feel that they are laughing and they're happy, 00:43:30.110 --> 00:43:31.349 they feel they had a good time, but they don't 00:43:31.349 --> 00:43:32.769 know that they were externally stimulated to 00:43:32.769 --> 00:43:35.530 do those things. Praise God. But know that what 00:43:35.530 --> 00:43:39.829 we have in God is from within. Everything is 00:43:39.829 --> 00:43:42.670 not, if things, if your life is bent on externals, 00:43:42.690 --> 00:43:44.309 externals, you'll be suffering, you'll be in 00:43:44.309 --> 00:43:48.289 trouble. So even if you feel guilty, it says 00:43:48.289 --> 00:43:51.690 God is greater than our feelings and he knows 00:43:51.690 --> 00:43:54.349 everything. So I want you to tell yourself and 00:43:54.349 --> 00:43:56.090 tell your neighbor that God is greater than your 00:43:56.090 --> 00:44:01.829 feelings. So what you feel is not as important 00:44:01.829 --> 00:44:07.030 as what God has said and what God says of you. 00:44:08.309 --> 00:44:11.250 Praise God. So what you feel is not important. 00:44:11.309 --> 00:44:15.650 Sometimes you feel like you are unforgiven. You 00:44:15.650 --> 00:44:18.170 feel like there's still things that you need 00:44:18.170 --> 00:44:20.670 to pay. There's still debts you owe God that 00:44:20.670 --> 00:44:23.619 you need to pay God. But you can't pay God. He 00:44:23.619 --> 00:44:27.460 has already paid for you already. Praise God. 00:44:27.860 --> 00:44:31.300 So what is forgiveness? What is forgiveness? 00:44:32.380 --> 00:44:36.159 What is forgiveness? Let's look at Ephesians 00:44:36.159 --> 00:44:40.699 1 verse 7. I would have loved us to start from 00:44:40.699 --> 00:44:45.320 3, but let's just do 1 verse 7. But subsequently, 00:44:45.500 --> 00:44:48.539 I think we might go back to it again. Ephesians 00:44:48.539 --> 00:44:51.460 1 verse 7, it says, In him we have redemption. 00:44:51.639 --> 00:44:54.940 That's New King James, not NLT. In him we have 00:44:54.940 --> 00:44:59.039 redemption through his blood. The forgiveness 00:44:59.039 --> 00:45:04.980 of sins according to the riches of his grace. 00:45:06.320 --> 00:45:09.099 In him we have redemption through his blood. 00:45:09.239 --> 00:45:11.360 His blood there will be what? Speaking of what? 00:45:12.559 --> 00:45:15.639 We'll be speaking of death, right? Speaking of 00:45:15.639 --> 00:45:18.150 death through his blood. This is the forgiveness 00:45:18.150 --> 00:45:21.469 of sins according to the riches of his grace. 00:45:21.610 --> 00:45:25.349 So the forgiveness there is a Greek word called 00:45:25.349 --> 00:45:35.250 aphesis. A -P -H -E -S -I -S. A -P -H -E -S -I 00:45:35.250 --> 00:45:42.010 -S. A -P -H -E -S -I -S. That's the word forgiveness. 00:45:42.090 --> 00:45:45.070 And this forgiveness is not a reluctant pardon. 00:45:45.369 --> 00:45:47.679 You know where? You know, some people will just 00:45:47.679 --> 00:45:50.460 say, I forgive you, I forgive you. They say they 00:45:50.460 --> 00:45:52.940 forgive you, but they come back tomorrow, it's 00:45:52.940 --> 00:45:58.699 like you still owe them. Right? So this forgiveness 00:45:58.699 --> 00:46:01.780 is not a lockdown pardon, right? It is granted, 00:46:01.840 --> 00:46:04.599 it is done. And I want to explain to us what 00:46:04.599 --> 00:46:07.780 the word is. The word affesses, the word affesses 00:46:07.780 --> 00:46:14.400 is, it means sending away, a removal, a dismissal. 00:46:15.530 --> 00:46:20.050 It means a dismissal. A removal, a dismissal. 00:46:20.269 --> 00:46:24.170 And this word carries the idea of a debt being 00:46:24.170 --> 00:46:27.269 cancelled and the record of it being removed. 00:46:30.409 --> 00:46:33.369 A debt being cancelled and the record of it being 00:46:33.369 --> 00:46:37.329 removed. You know, when somebody cancels your 00:46:37.329 --> 00:46:41.750 debt and he still has the paper with him. You 00:46:41.750 --> 00:46:42.989 know, when somebody cancels your debt and he 00:46:42.989 --> 00:46:44.530 still has the paper with him and he'll be like, 00:46:45.449 --> 00:46:48.230 If I do something wrong now, the person will 00:46:48.230 --> 00:46:50.510 just use, and then if he even comes to you with 00:46:50.510 --> 00:46:54.809 pencil, you're most, you're not sure if the debt, 00:46:54.909 --> 00:46:58.829 and I don't know, how many of you have had, some 00:46:58.829 --> 00:47:00.769 of us are still in it, and I'm not making any 00:47:00.769 --> 00:47:03.389 light of it, but I want you to just immerse yourself 00:47:03.389 --> 00:47:06.590 in this. How many of you have had debt? And we're 00:47:06.590 --> 00:47:09.349 students here. Some of us, we know you had debt, 00:47:09.489 --> 00:47:13.190 and like the debt sometimes overwhelms you. That 00:47:13.190 --> 00:47:15.849 even in your working day, you're still, you just, 00:47:15.969 --> 00:47:17.750 when you even try to take a breather, you just 00:47:17.750 --> 00:47:21.070 remember, the morning just flashes. It just flashes. 00:47:21.130 --> 00:47:23.250 You're like, when you try to say, the joy of 00:47:23.250 --> 00:47:25.050 the Lord is my strength. I rejoice always. You 00:47:25.050 --> 00:47:26.510 just, all of a sudden you're saying, the debt, 00:47:26.769 --> 00:47:30.170 the debt. And then you are like, what, how exactly? 00:47:30.250 --> 00:47:31.949 It's almost like everywhere you turn. Know that 00:47:31.949 --> 00:47:33.869 at that point in time now, it's not about how 00:47:33.869 --> 00:47:36.449 you feel. Because if you want to carry the debt 00:47:36.449 --> 00:47:39.789 on your forehead, You'll be feeling guilty. Even 00:47:39.789 --> 00:47:41.409 when the person is greeting you, the person that 00:47:41.409 --> 00:47:43.289 you owe, you know, some of us, the whole institution 00:47:43.289 --> 00:47:46.530 we owe, so there's nobody. So you don't, you 00:47:46.530 --> 00:47:48.750 can't even move around. In fact, some of us, 00:47:48.809 --> 00:47:50.429 even the way we move around the school, we are 00:47:50.429 --> 00:47:53.230 scared. Or when you are owing the government, 00:47:53.489 --> 00:47:56.949 you don't even leave your house. But look at 00:47:56.949 --> 00:48:00.929 what happens. When that debt is cleared, there's 00:48:00.929 --> 00:48:02.869 a way you move around like someone that now can 00:48:02.869 --> 00:48:06.980 breathe properly. Like you, the air now, formerly 00:48:06.980 --> 00:48:09.739 the air felt like it was heavy, but now there's 00:48:09.739 --> 00:48:12.000 something about, because you have an understanding. 00:48:12.059 --> 00:48:14.539 And not that for some of us, the debt has been 00:48:14.539 --> 00:48:16.780 cleared already. I was sharing this money. I 00:48:16.780 --> 00:48:18.840 was remembering when I was pregnant. It was a 00:48:18.840 --> 00:48:20.820 time when there was this debt. But one thing 00:48:20.820 --> 00:48:22.519 I told myself, I said, the debt came, the debt 00:48:22.519 --> 00:48:25.119 will go. Right? The debt came, the debt will 00:48:25.119 --> 00:48:27.260 go. And I said, if I'm going to be moody all 00:48:27.260 --> 00:48:29.199 through the time or anybody that sees me will 00:48:29.199 --> 00:48:31.619 say, ah, this guy is owing somebody. Know that 00:48:31.619 --> 00:48:34.010 it's going to... I would just miss out on opportunities 00:48:34.010 --> 00:48:36.050 to share the gospel. You know, you can't share 00:48:36.050 --> 00:48:38.329 the gospel if you're not rejoicing. You can't 00:48:38.329 --> 00:48:40.570 share the gospel if your face is looking like 00:48:40.570 --> 00:48:42.130 you're owing. You know, what even makes your 00:48:42.130 --> 00:48:43.969 gospel even stronger is when you're owing in 00:48:43.969 --> 00:48:45.429 depth and the guy will say, how are you doing 00:48:45.429 --> 00:48:47.250 it? You are still sharing this gospel like you 00:48:47.250 --> 00:48:51.230 don't owe anybody. The gospel is more powerful 00:48:51.230 --> 00:48:53.909 in that particular situation than when you come 00:48:53.909 --> 00:48:55.329 and everything is okay and the person will say, 00:48:55.349 --> 00:48:56.389 why are you sharing the gospel? You say, you 00:48:56.389 --> 00:48:59.170 know, the Lord has been good to me. You know, 00:48:59.190 --> 00:49:00.510 it's easy for us to say the Lord has been good 00:49:00.510 --> 00:49:02.429 to me. And then some of us will now use that 00:49:02.429 --> 00:49:04.769 as the basis. His goodness now is the basis for 00:49:04.769 --> 00:49:06.929 us to now share the gospel. Note that that in 00:49:06.929 --> 00:49:08.789 itself is just, you don't even understand what 00:49:08.789 --> 00:49:10.750 the goodness of God is. And that's basically 00:49:10.750 --> 00:49:13.110 what we're going to be seeing here, right? So 00:49:13.110 --> 00:49:16.190 when a debt is removed, it's not like a parent 00:49:16.190 --> 00:49:18.269 merely saying, okay, I forgive you and then remembers 00:49:18.269 --> 00:49:21.590 the offense later. Or a judge now can't say you 00:49:21.590 --> 00:49:24.110 are guilty. But what it is, the picture here 00:49:24.110 --> 00:49:26.510 that is painting of you is that you are guilty. 00:49:27.070 --> 00:49:28.969 you know that you're guilty. You know that you're 00:49:28.969 --> 00:49:31.550 owing that debt. And then somebody comes and 00:49:31.550 --> 00:49:34.409 cancels it entirely and deletes every record 00:49:34.409 --> 00:49:36.829 of it. You know that, you know when the person 00:49:36.829 --> 00:49:39.789 presses delete, you know there's no way the thing 00:49:39.789 --> 00:49:41.329 will come back and you ensure that they remove 00:49:41.329 --> 00:49:43.090 it from the recycle bin if there's some recycle 00:49:43.090 --> 00:49:45.849 bin. So you know that there's no way they can 00:49:45.849 --> 00:49:47.989 even put the mask together and account for something. 00:49:48.679 --> 00:49:51.219 And please, this doesn't pale in anything in 00:49:51.219 --> 00:49:53.820 comparison to what Christ has done. Because it's 00:49:53.820 --> 00:49:58.019 not just 1 ,000, 10 ,000. The price he paid is 00:49:58.019 --> 00:50:02.280 so high. Praise God. The price he paid is so 00:50:02.280 --> 00:50:07.280 high. And it means that sin is no longer a problem 00:50:07.280 --> 00:50:10.780 in our relationship with God. I don't know whether 00:50:10.780 --> 00:50:14.559 you heard me. Sin is no longer a problem in our 00:50:14.559 --> 00:50:17.139 relationship with God because the price has been 00:50:17.139 --> 00:50:21.300 paid. So it means that if you're going about, 00:50:21.440 --> 00:50:24.619 because whether you like it or not, but it doesn't 00:50:24.619 --> 00:50:27.400 carry the same, because the record of it, you 00:50:27.400 --> 00:50:29.059 know, some of us, you think that now there's 00:50:29.059 --> 00:50:33.980 a new record after the old record. After the 00:50:33.980 --> 00:50:35.360 old record is gone, you think there's a new record. 00:50:35.420 --> 00:50:37.760 Like when he has paid that one, then there's 00:50:37.760 --> 00:50:41.800 a fresh new, no, that's not it. You know, if 00:50:41.800 --> 00:50:44.139 you are always somebody, and then you don't want 00:50:44.139 --> 00:50:46.139 to even take from the person again, because that 00:50:46.139 --> 00:50:49.820 one has a miracle happened. Praise God. But now 00:50:49.820 --> 00:50:52.699 our relationship with you, we have that. There's 00:50:52.699 --> 00:50:55.639 no record of it. It's gone. And even when you 00:50:55.639 --> 00:50:59.460 make any missteps, he doesn't look at it because 00:50:59.460 --> 00:51:03.260 someone has stand in the place for you. That's 00:51:03.260 --> 00:51:05.360 when we are telling someone about what Christ 00:51:05.360 --> 00:51:07.420 has done. You want to ensure that you make it 00:51:07.420 --> 00:51:10.500 clear, right? You make it clear that this is 00:51:10.500 --> 00:51:12.820 what Christ has done. Now we can come boldly. 00:51:12.820 --> 00:51:14.760 Now we're bold. We don't move around like people 00:51:14.760 --> 00:51:18.349 that owe somebody because that's been paid. Praise 00:51:18.349 --> 00:51:26.610 God. Colossians 1, 13. 13 to 14. We'll see more 00:51:26.610 --> 00:51:28.869 of the passages. It says, He has delivered us 00:51:28.869 --> 00:51:32.429 from the power of darkness and conveyed us into 00:51:32.429 --> 00:51:38.250 the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom... 00:51:38.809 --> 00:51:41.349 We have redemption through his blood. Notice 00:51:41.349 --> 00:51:43.969 that he says through his blood. I said anytime 00:51:43.969 --> 00:51:46.750 you see through his blood is the death that resulted 00:51:46.750 --> 00:51:49.230 in that. The forgiveness. That forgiveness there 00:51:49.230 --> 00:51:53.769 is the face of sins. Right? We're getting into 00:51:53.769 --> 00:52:01.130 sins. I want us to go to John 1 .29. John 1 .29 00:52:01.130 --> 00:52:04.050 says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away. 00:52:05.239 --> 00:52:07.340 The word there, I think we've seen it before, 00:52:07.519 --> 00:52:11.639 that eye roll. The same, that takes away, that 00:52:11.639 --> 00:52:13.860 takes away, take away, that lifted up, you know, 00:52:13.860 --> 00:52:16.559 that other word when Jesus Christ lifted, that 00:52:16.559 --> 00:52:19.019 eye roll is the word. You see, take away and 00:52:19.019 --> 00:52:25.539 carry away the sin of the world. The sin of the 00:52:25.539 --> 00:52:29.000 world. So Jesus didn't just cover it, right? 00:52:29.300 --> 00:52:33.360 He took it away. So the walk, It's complete. 00:52:33.460 --> 00:52:36.139 It's comprehensive. It's done. It's not rendering. 00:52:36.420 --> 00:52:38.400 It's not what the debt is gone and then it's 00:52:38.400 --> 00:52:41.440 still counting. It is done and it's done. Praise 00:52:41.440 --> 00:52:44.800 God. I want us to see another word that confirms 00:52:44.800 --> 00:52:48.380 to us that, you know, that takeaway is present. 00:52:48.599 --> 00:52:51.059 You know, this one now is done. Let's see another 00:52:51.059 --> 00:52:54.960 word that's in Ephesians 4 verse 32. Ephesians 00:52:54.960 --> 00:53:00.280 4 verse 32. Ephesians 4 verse 32. It says, And 00:53:00.280 --> 00:53:03.760 be kind to one another. Tenderhearted, forgiving 00:53:03.760 --> 00:53:10.460 one another. Even as God in Christ forgave you. 00:53:11.559 --> 00:53:14.460 Forgave you. Forgave you. I don't know whether 00:53:14.460 --> 00:53:18.219 you understand. Forgive. It is past. Somebody 00:53:18.219 --> 00:53:21.139 forgave you and you are still saying, I'm not 00:53:21.139 --> 00:53:26.139 forgiving. That can be an insult. Right? That 00:53:26.139 --> 00:53:29.619 can be an insult. And the word there is kaisomia. 00:53:30.000 --> 00:53:31.780 I don't know whether I even pronounced it correctly. 00:53:31.820 --> 00:53:33.760 I don't think I practiced this one as much. So 00:53:33.760 --> 00:53:42.599 C -H -A -R -I -Z -O -M -A -I. I'll repeat it 00:53:42.599 --> 00:53:51.139 again. C -H -A -R -I -Z -O -M -A -I. So the reason 00:53:51.139 --> 00:53:53.179 why I'm giving us this word is first to understand 00:53:53.179 --> 00:53:57.260 that the word there means to give generously 00:53:57.260 --> 00:54:00.769 and freely. Give generously and freely. It means 00:54:00.769 --> 00:54:03.650 that you're not giving it and then hoping or 00:54:03.650 --> 00:54:07.510 going to change it. You're doing it freely. You're 00:54:07.510 --> 00:54:10.489 not doing it and holding back. It says to pardon 00:54:10.489 --> 00:54:15.449 or rescue as an act of grace. And what this emphasizes 00:54:15.449 --> 00:54:17.929 is that what is being given or what is being 00:54:17.929 --> 00:54:23.050 let away is permanent. It's permanent. It's permanent. 00:54:23.130 --> 00:54:25.670 So it means that God's forgiveness towards us 00:54:25.670 --> 00:54:29.260 is not a temporary overlook. It doesn't just 00:54:29.260 --> 00:54:32.360 overlook it and then, but it's a gracious gift 00:54:32.360 --> 00:54:37.420 and it's permanently given in Christ. So it's 00:54:37.420 --> 00:54:41.960 ours. It's not that it will be ours. It's ours. 00:54:42.019 --> 00:54:43.840 It's not that it will be. It's not like it's 00:54:43.840 --> 00:54:46.920 something that will be. It's what is ours and 00:54:46.920 --> 00:54:50.119 it's what is ours. Know that in this economy, 00:54:50.260 --> 00:54:52.639 what it says, it says, which we're given is what 00:54:52.639 --> 00:54:55.119 we have and it's what we, and I want you to see 00:54:55.119 --> 00:54:57.099 something, we'll close from here. In the Old 00:54:57.099 --> 00:55:07.239 Testament, in Psalms 103, Psalms 103, Psalms 00:55:07.239 --> 00:55:15.559 103 verse 10 to 12. 10 to 12, it says, He has 00:55:15.559 --> 00:55:18.719 not dealt with us according to our sins, nor 00:55:18.719 --> 00:55:22.880 punished us according to our iniquities. For 00:55:22.880 --> 00:55:32.179 as the heavens are high above the earth, so great 00:55:32.179 --> 00:55:36.650 is His mercy towards us who fear Him. 12 now 00:55:36.650 --> 00:55:40.550 says, as far as the east is from the west, so 00:55:40.550 --> 00:55:45.309 far as he removed our transgressions from us. 00:55:45.489 --> 00:55:49.070 As he removed our transgressions from us. That 00:55:49.070 --> 00:55:54.989 he removed. That removed there is rehach. And 00:55:54.989 --> 00:55:58.130 the removed there is, you know when it speaks 00:55:58.130 --> 00:56:01.670 of the east. so far away that you can't even 00:56:01.670 --> 00:56:04.010 find it. It's like when somebody throws something 00:56:04.010 --> 00:56:06.650 far away, you can't, the person, you know when 00:56:06.650 --> 00:56:08.409 you carry something and just throw it away, you 00:56:08.409 --> 00:56:10.389 can't even find it, even when you think that 00:56:10.389 --> 00:56:11.869 you're going to go back to it, but that is not 00:56:11.869 --> 00:56:14.050 it. He says he has not dealt with us according 00:56:14.050 --> 00:56:16.369 to our sins. Some of us, we move around feeling 00:56:16.369 --> 00:56:22.090 guilty and I will close with this. I said myself 00:56:22.090 --> 00:56:25.230 before, I said this before, but I'll repeat myself 00:56:25.230 --> 00:56:30.409 again. Don't move around carrying a debt, you 00:56:30.409 --> 00:56:32.710 no longer owe. Because you're carrying the debt 00:56:32.710 --> 00:56:36.510 in your mind. You're feeling that you're owing 00:56:36.510 --> 00:56:38.789 in your mind. You're carrying that sense of guilt. 00:56:38.969 --> 00:56:41.030 You're carrying that sense of I'm unforgiving 00:56:41.030 --> 00:56:44.710 or I'm not forgiven or I'm unforgiving. You're 00:56:44.710 --> 00:56:46.889 carrying that sense when he has done it and he 00:56:46.889 --> 00:56:49.989 has perfected it and it's permanent. And this 00:56:49.989 --> 00:56:53.030 is David. David understood this and David had 00:56:53.030 --> 00:56:56.269 prophesied of it. He understood it. He understood 00:56:56.269 --> 00:57:00.829 it. David, It's prophesying what God will do, 00:57:00.889 --> 00:57:05.349 what God has done now, where we are now. And 00:57:05.349 --> 00:57:09.090 this is the posture we have when we come to God. 00:57:09.190 --> 00:57:13.429 The posture we have is that it is done. And it's 00:57:13.429 --> 00:57:16.050 infinite, it's absolute. It says, as far as the 00:57:16.050 --> 00:57:18.710 east is from the west. The way east is far from 00:57:18.710 --> 00:57:21.809 the west, that is how far he has taken our transgressions 00:57:21.809 --> 00:57:24.829 from us. So what it means is that... In our relationship 00:57:24.829 --> 00:57:26.610 with God, I repeat myself, I repeat myself again. 00:57:26.769 --> 00:57:28.869 In our relationship with God, sin is not a problem 00:57:28.869 --> 00:57:32.269 because we are one with his son. We are united 00:57:32.269 --> 00:57:35.510 with him. We are united with him. So sin is not 00:57:35.510 --> 00:57:39.610 a problem. So close with this, with what we started 00:57:39.610 --> 00:57:43.789 with. I want you to see that I'm forgiven. And 00:57:43.789 --> 00:57:46.449 if you're here and you don't know that forgiveness, 00:57:46.869 --> 00:57:52.289 I will advise that you don't leave without interacting. 00:57:52.329 --> 00:57:54.559 You can meet with any of the pastors. You can 00:57:54.559 --> 00:57:57.159 meet with any of the leaders in the church and 00:57:57.159 --> 00:57:58.940 have a conversation. I was excited when I saw 00:57:58.940 --> 00:58:02.719 this young man. Welcome to church. So I remember 00:58:02.719 --> 00:58:04.760 you and I will see you after the service. So 00:58:04.760 --> 00:58:09.500 it's amazing when you come to this understanding 00:58:09.500 --> 00:58:11.699 because it changes everything. Remember we said 00:58:11.699 --> 00:58:13.679 it's foundation. If you don't understand the 00:58:13.679 --> 00:58:15.320 foundation of something, it's difficult for you 00:58:15.320 --> 00:58:17.860 to move forward. You'll be unstable. You'll be 00:58:17.860 --> 00:58:20.539 shaky. And that's why we want to remind ourselves 00:58:20.539 --> 00:58:23.239 that every time, remind yourself that I'm forgiven. 00:58:24.349 --> 00:58:29.130 Say it, I am forgiven. My sins are removed and 00:58:29.130 --> 00:58:32.789 they are not held against me. So I do not face 00:58:32.789 --> 00:58:37.130 judgment for it. Say I am loved. My identity 00:58:37.130 --> 00:58:42.650 and what is anchored on the same perfect love 00:58:42.650 --> 00:58:47.409 the father has for his son. Say I am enlightened 00:58:47.409 --> 00:58:53.079 because he loves me. God reveals his heart. and 00:58:53.079 --> 00:58:57.480 his mind to me. See, I am a child of light. I 00:58:57.480 --> 00:59:00.920 am a child of light. His word is open to me. 00:59:02.039 --> 00:59:06.820 I am not condemned. I am not in the dark. I am 00:59:06.820 --> 00:59:11.719 not an outsider. I am not an outsider. See, I 00:59:11.719 --> 00:59:16.559 am a child of God, full of insight. I want you 00:59:16.559 --> 00:59:18.400 to turn that into prayer. Just turn that into 00:59:18.400 --> 00:59:22.900 prayer. Just open your mouth. We appreciate you 00:59:22.900 --> 00:59:25.500 being here today. We hope you carry this word 00:59:25.500 --> 00:59:28.519 with you throughout your week. Don't forget to 00:59:28.519 --> 00:59:30.300 check the show notes for additional insights. 00:59:30.820 --> 00:59:33.659 Stay connected with us through our website or 00:59:33.659 --> 00:59:37.139 follow us on social media. If you are encouraged, 00:59:37.340 --> 00:59:39.539 share this message with someone you care about. 00:59:40.239 --> 00:59:42.400 Until next time, stay blessed.