Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000002
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00:21 Hello friends, and welcome to another
00:23 Wednesday Night here in Thompsonville, 00:25 more specifically at 3ABN Worship Center. 00:28 My name is, Pastor John Lomacang, 00:30 and welcome to another program of 00:32 "A Sharper Focus." 00:34 If you're tuning in it for the very first time, 00:35 let me explain the reason why we chose the title 00:38 A Sharper Focus and exactly what is it? 00:41 First of all, this is the year 00:43 of revival and reformation. 00:44 At least our, President Elder Wilson, 00:47 has mentioned how important it is to get back 00:50 to revival and also reformation. 00:53 For that reason, many churches don't have 00:55 Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting. 00:56 So we decided to do something 00:58 proactive here at 3ABN. 01:00 To fill a gap in some of the churches, 01:03 maybe many churches that may for whatever reason not 01:06 be able to cover Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting. 01:08 So we're gonna have prayer. 01:10 We're gonna pray, we're gonna study 01:12 and we're going to trust the word of God 01:14 to give us the information that we do need 01:16 to strengthen our spiritual life. 01:19 And that's why the topic is 01:20 "How to Live a Spiritual Life in a Natural Body." 01:24 Now we have a lesson we cover from week to week. 01:27 You can get a copy of that lesson if you go to our 01:28 church website tvsdac.org and download lesson 01:34 001Victorious Christian Living. 01:37 That's tvsdac.org and download the lesson, 01:42 so you can follow along fill your blanks in and know 01:46 what we're talking about the questions 01:47 and the answers will also appear on the screen. 01:50 You could also go to our facebook page, 01:52 that's A Sharper Focus 3ABN on facebook 01:55 to post your prerequisite, your questions 01:58 and your comments and also on our twitter page, 02:02 that's a sharperfocus@twitter.com. 02:05 And so we're gonna use the technology 02:07 for the glory of God and for the spread of His message. 02:09 Can you all say amen to that? Amen. 02:11 Lot of technology, lets use it for the right reason. 02:14 And we've a local audience here. 02:16 I like you to welcome our viewing audience 02:18 and our listening audience to simply say welcome. 02:20 Welcome, and we're here 02:23 in Thompsonville to study the word of God. 02:24 So get your friends together get your Bibles together. 02:27 If you're at church invite people to sit down right now 02:30 because we're gonna go into a lesson study 02:32 that is really important, because every one of us 02:35 wants to know how to live victoriously. 02:38 Not just when we get to heaven by and by, but how to 02:41 experience victory right here and right now. 02:44 Before we go any further, lets begin with 02:46 the word of prayer, let's pray. 02:49 Our heavenly Father, we thank you for Your word, 02:52 we thank You for guidance and direction 02:54 that every one of us is in need off. 02:57 Lord one of the greatest challenges of being 03:00 a Christian is living the Christian life. 03:02 So often we remember that we were born again 03:05 and we were washed and redeemed 03:08 by the blood of the Lamb. 03:09 We were saved by grace, but often times after that 03:13 we experience one defeat after the other, 03:16 one failure after the other, and so many times 03:20 we try in our own strength and yet we fail. 03:23 But Lord tonight, we'll discover once again 03:26 that all things are possible, if we put 03:28 our hands in the hands of Jesus. 03:31 We can do all things through Christ, 03:33 who strengthens us from the inside out. 03:36 So guide our minds and our hearts, 03:38 we pray this evening that Your name maybe 03:41 glorified in Jesus name I pray, amen. 03:45 Now just to let you know that people have been 03:48 following and going to our website to post 03:51 questions and also prerequisite. 03:54 I'd like to encourage those of you who listen 03:56 to these requests to remember the names 03:58 that have been mentioned here. 03:59 We want you not only to send your request, 04:01 but to make your home a place of prayer. 04:04 You maybe living faraway from a church 04:07 and you can't make it because of distance. 04:09 We're gonna mention some of these names 04:11 and even as you post your own prerequisite, 04:13 remember that its important to pray and to trust 04:16 the Lord for the answers that will come in His time 04:19 and according to His plan. 04:21 Now we'd a question here or a prerequisite at least, 04:24 a person by the name of Parnell seeks healing and 04:27 recovery from a cold that he has been suffering with. 04:31 This is cold season, isn't not? Yes. 04:33 Everybody is getting cold, but here 04:34 in Southern Illinois for some reason it's warm. 04:37 I would its like 65 degrees today. 04:40 And it's amazing to know that even though 04:43 its supposed to be very, very cold is been very, 04:45 very warm and we thank the Lord for that. 04:47 Suzie also seeks prayer for her daughter Elis 04:51 who has been straying farther from the Lord 04:54 and choices that she has been making. 04:56 She needs healing in her life and a complete 04:58 surrender to Christ, also Jasmine asks that 05:02 we pray for two specific problems that she is facing 05:06 with, that she is faced with and that God 05:09 will give her the victory over both. 05:11 We're talking about victory and God will give her 05:14 the victory that she's in need of. 05:15 And finally Elisha struggles with praying 05:18 consistently, anybody else in here. 05:21 You know, I read a quotation where Satan 05:23 has prayed four times a day. 05:25 Now if Satan has prayed four times a day, 05:27 how many times a day should we pray? 05:29 At least four to counteract the counterfeit 05:32 as 3ABN is dedicated to doing. 05:35 She prays, she's asking for a prayer 05:37 because she's struggling with praying consistently. 05:40 She knows how important prayer is, and once 05:43 got to draw her into a more consistent prayer life. 05:46 You know, what prayer is? Prayer is talking to God. 05:49 How many of us own cell phones? Everybody. 05:52 How many of us make phone calls? 05:54 We make phone calls, we send emails, 05:56 we want to communicate, its, yeah-- 05:58 it's as important to talk to God as it is 06:01 to wait for God to talk to us. 06:03 So when you pray also wait for the answers to come. 06:07 They may come that day, but they'll surely come 06:10 and God knows we're in need of them. 06:12 Now tonight just to recap some of the things 06:15 we've learned, we've learned lot of things 06:16 in our last study and we only covered 11 questions. 06:20 So tonight we're beginning with question number 12. 06:22 What number did I say? Twelve. 06:24 Question number 12, what we covered last week 06:27 and found out is that we were born to reflect, 06:31 we were created to reflect the What of God. 06:35 The image, or the glory of God and as a result of sin, 06:40 the Bible says for all they have sinned 06:42 and fall short of the What? Glory. 06:44 Of the glory of God, so everybody, 06:46 every one of us being born in this world, 06:49 every one of us falls short of reflecting 06:53 the glory of God, the next thing 06:55 we learned is that Satan is determined to keep 06:58 any of us from reflecting the glory of God. 07:01 He doesn't want us to and one of the things 07:03 that gives him advantage is we were created 07:06 with a nature that is in opposition to God. 07:09 We've the nature of our father and somebody 07:12 tell me your father's name, are you ready 07:14 one, two, three, what's His name. 07:18 Let's try that again. What's your father - 07:20 it's a four letter word it starts with the letter A. 07:22 What's his name together? Adam. Adam. 07:26 Somebody once said we've 07:28 the same father different mothers. 07:30 Everyone of us has our father's nature and the best 07:35 that he can pass down to us is a defect of nature, 07:38 a faulty character and so with our best efforts 07:42 we've also learned that our righteousness is as what. 07:47 Filthy rags. Filthy rags, none of us is righteous. 07:50 We also learned that when it comes to a check up 07:53 from the neck up and from the neck down, 07:56 let's discover some of the things that's wrong with us. 07:58 First of all, the Bible says, 08:00 the heart is deceitful above all things and how wicked. 08:03 Desperately. Desperately, we can't even trust our hearts. 08:07 Our hearts can guide us reliably. 08:09 Matter of fact I call that our decision making 08:13 and our reasoning center, not only that, 08:16 our heart transfers information to our tongues. 08:20 And the Bible says the tongue 08:22 how many of us could tame our tongue. 08:24 None. None of us, so what's in the heart Jesus said, 08:27 out of the abundance of the heart the mouth what. 08:30 Speaks. Speaks, so sometimes we say 08:31 praise the Lord and sometimes we're locked into 08:33 cursing and saying things that we should not say, 08:36 because the heart and the mouth are inseparable, 08:39 isn't that right, not only that 08:41 how many of us are able to do good? 08:43 None. How many of us, none. None. 08:46 So tonight we're gonna kind of begin on a down note 08:49 to build up to an up note to see 08:52 what God is able to do in us. 08:54 What gives me courage tonight is this, 08:56 that when we submit ourselves to the Lord, 09:00 He can do anything with anything. 09:05 Matter of fact I wanna begin with an illustration tonight 09:07 and our title tonight is 09:08 "How to Live a Spiritual Life in a Natural Body." 09:10 But I want to show you a couple of pictures. 09:12 Amazing pictures and I want you 09:13 to pay attention to the screen tonight. 09:15 These pictures show us our condition before 09:19 we find Christ, the first one is a picture of a house. 09:22 And notice this house very, very carefully. 09:24 This house is what I may refer to as dilapidated. 09:28 I hope you see that picture on your screen. 09:30 It's a very - is that house dilapidated. 09:33 That's an understatement, isn't not? 09:36 It's a messed up house. 09:38 Matter of fact if somebody tries to sell you 09:40 that house, unless you've vision, would you buy it. 09:43 No, you wouldn't buy it at all. 09:44 It's a dilapidated house, but what I'm gonna 09:47 show you is there are people. 09:49 Have you heard of the phrase "extreme makeover?" Yes. 09:51 My wife and I've watched that many times, you know, 09:54 there are some people are for whatever reason 09:56 cannot afford a home, or their home is in disrepair 09:58 and to see how the home was before and how 10:03 it became after whenever they say move that bus. 10:08 All the sudden the people that used to live there 10:10 are blown away by what they see in the same location 10:14 where that dilapidated broken down, mold infested, 10:19 wooden, rotten wooden infested house was. 10:23 Now that's the picture before, but look 10:25 at the picture after that, the very same house, 10:27 the very same location. 10:28 Look at that house isn't that amazing. 10:30 That's amazing that shows you what 10:34 the Christian life is like before and after. 10:37 This is us before Christ, you remember that text. 10:42 The text fits right here. 10:44 It does not yet appear what we shall be. 10:48 This thus how we're when Christ finds us, 10:52 we're broken down, we're dilapidated, 10:54 we're in disrepair, but we also continue the text. 10:57 It does not yet appear what we shall be but we do know 11:00 that when we see Him we'll be like Him for we'll 11:03 see Him as He is, perfect 11:06 and beautiful in all of His glory. 11:09 Can you say amen to that? Amen. 11:10 So I showed you those two pictures to know 11:12 that you maybe, if you've accepted Christ, 11:14 you're somewhere between the first picture 11:16 and the last picture, but look at the inside 11:19 of that same house, here's another picture 11:21 again of the stairway of that house. 11:23 If you walks in that house and somebody says 11:25 I'd like to sell you that 11:27 you'll say, you're out of your mind. 11:29 But you know it takes vision and God looks 11:32 at us messed up, broken down corrupt. 11:37 Completely separated from Him, filled with dust, 11:42 that is dust of anger, dust of rebellion, 11:46 dust of you name it, that's how 11:48 we are when Christ finds us. 11:50 But He looks at us and He says, if you let Me come in, 11:53 this is how you can look out on the same house. 11:56 Look at the picture on the inside now. 11:58 Isn't that amazing? Now if they showed you that, 12:02 would you wanna buy the house. Yes. 12:04 Of course but if they showed you that 12:05 you'll say honey let's go somewhere else. 12:07 See the good news is God looks at us like that 12:10 and realizes that in our lives, He can more than 12:14 reproduce beauty in the life as the Bible says, 12:18 He'll give us beauty for what. 12:20 Ashes. Ashes. So tonight we're gonna 12:23 praise the Lord that we're somewhere 12:25 between that and that. 12:27 Can you say amen to that? Amen. 12:28 So this is the encouraging thing. 12:30 I don't want you to feel discourage that you may. 12:32 Some days you may feel more like the former house. 12:34 Some days you may feel like there's a whole lot of dust 12:37 coming back in, whole lot of 12:38 broken down things showing up. 12:41 Somebody told me when they moved in the house, 12:43 they brought a big old dumpster and put it 12:46 outside their house, have you seen 12:47 those big dumpsters, those massive green cans 12:51 that people pull up in front of their houses 12:53 and the neighbor always wonders 12:54 how long its gonna be there. 12:55 Well, I want to, you'd get a picture here God 12:58 when He saw your life, He pulled up 13:00 the big old green can, and it began going 13:05 in your house one room at a time dumping stuff 13:09 that He was going to throw away. 13:11 As the Bible says He throws our sins into the depths 13:15 of the sea and He puts out a no fishing sign. 13:18 Bible doesn't say, there is no fishing sign. 13:21 But He throws our sins into depths of the sea 13:24 and does not remember them anymore, 13:26 what would we say. Amen. 13:27 But now what I want to remind you of is between 13:30 that first picture we saw and the last picture 13:33 that is really glorious and amazing. 13:34 There's a struggle that goes on because we're not houses, 13:38 we're not inanimate objects. 13:39 We've decisions that we can make, right. 13:42 We've choices we make on a day by day basis. 13:44 So in order for us to look like the last house 13:46 or this one on the screen now, the last staircase, 13:50 the beautiful hallway, the laminated floors, 13:52 the wonderful paint job, in order for us 13:55 to look like that we've to make a decision 13:57 to let the Lord work on the inside, amen. 14:01 How often did Paul say, he had to make the decision 14:04 for Christ to work on the inside, how often. 14:06 Daily. He said, I die daily. 14:09 Now I don't know if you know this, 14:10 but it's tough if the house could speak. 14:12 There are people in that house with hammers and saws 14:17 and sledgehammers, breaking stuff 14:19 and tearing things down. 14:21 The Lord goes into our lives with the sledgehammers 14:24 of the Holy Spirit, with the saws of divine work 14:28 and He sees what needs to be cutout, 14:30 what needs to be fixed, what needs to be refurbished. 14:32 But what I want to begin with tonight is number 12, 14:34 because a conflict starts when we realize 14:39 our condition, now let me make this statement. 14:41 Those who're in the world look like the house before 14:45 and they don't care, because the house as it is 14:52 all broken down fits into their lifestyle, 14:55 because the world is broken down. 14:57 Isaiah 24 says, "The world is defiled under 15:00 the inhabitants thereof, for they have transgressed 15:03 the laws, changed the ordinance, 15:06 and broken the everlasting covenant. 15:08 So the world is already in sin, 15:09 it doesn't really want to be fixed. 15:11 But for those of us who come to Christ 15:12 and realize, how we are when we find Him. 15:15 And how He can make us all of a sudden, we say 15:17 okay Lord, and He says, Jason this is gonna hurt. 15:21 But if you stick with me, boy, how you look 15:27 when I'm done with you will truly reflect 15:30 the glory of God, what do we say? Amen. 15:33 So we've to make a decision everyday to say Lord, 15:35 okay here I'm again, and sometimes we're, 15:38 you know, some of our rooms are refurbished 15:40 and fixed and new, but in other parts 15:42 of our lives that we protect. 15:44 There're certain things that we like. 15:46 You know, everybody has a certain room in their house 15:48 that they like more than others, am I right? 15:50 There're certain things in your human nature, 15:53 in your mortal flesh that you want to hold on to, 15:57 longer than you want to hold on 15:59 to the other things that bound you. 16:01 So sometimes people say, I used to be a drug addict, 16:04 I used to smoke, I used to be this and that and we, 16:07 and we rehearse all the things we used to do. 16:10 And we're saying God delivered from this massive 16:12 load of sin and everybody says what. 16:15 But then they go home in defeat, 16:18 because they're fighting in private 16:20 struggling with certain sins. 16:21 They just, they just seems to be so deeply 16:24 ingrained that you've to breakout the wall 16:28 and go to the wiring. 16:29 You got to go behind the walls like mold because 16:31 certain sins are not visible on the surface. 16:34 Those things we see on the surface, we always 16:37 give God the glory for removing them. 16:39 But what I'm gonna talk about tonight 16:40 is the mold and the wiring, all right. 16:43 The mold and the wiring is behind the wall, 16:46 every now and then people senses there 16:51 and sometimes the wire is shorten, 16:53 certain things come out of our mouth. 16:54 And people know we need a wiring job, am I right. 16:57 Yes. So here is the first question tonight, 17:00 question number 12, from what does 17:04 the conflict of righteousness come? 17:06 When we see Jesus, we know that He's righteous. 17:09 Am I not, am I telling the truth, He's righteous. 17:12 But when Paul found Christ, when the Lord 17:17 knocked Paul down, converted Him from 17:22 Saul to Paul, then the battle began. 17:25 The battle begins after we become aware 17:30 of the righteousness of Christ. 17:32 Look at Paul, here is the answer to the question. 17:35 Here is what Paul the apostle said. 17:37 And by the way the question from what does 17:39 the conflict of righteousness come? 17:40 Is what He says, "For what I do is not the good 17:44 I want to do, no, the evil I do not want to do - 17:50 this I keep on doing." He goes on. 17:54 "Now if I do what I do not want to do, 17:57 it is no longer I who do it, but what? 18:01 It is sin living in me that does it." 18:05 I don't often use the NIV, but it fits 18:07 so classically on this, it made it so clear. 18:10 He goes on further and tells why He's bound as He is. 18:14 "So I find this law at work. 18:18 When I want to do good, what is their with him. 18:21 Evil is right there with me." 18:25 Is their anybody here tonight that's willing 18:29 to confess, they know what Paul is like. 18:31 They know where Paul was. 18:33 Matter of fact they didn't know where Paul is. 18:35 Sometimes you're at the same place. 18:36 Sometimes the day shows up, where you say 18:39 I'd somebody wants to come to church and say, 18:40 I'm upset don't try to change my mind 18:42 I'm gonna enjoy being angry. 18:45 No really, I'm telling the truth. 18:46 I had people come to church and they announced to me 18:49 they ready to beat up another church member. 18:50 That nature comes to church sometimes, we know that. 18:53 So that battle is there, but He continues 18:56 because you notice we go down the verse 23. 18:58 Look what He says. "For in my inner being I delight" 19:03 in what? "In God's law" in other words 19:06 it's nothing wrong with God's law. 19:08 "But I see another law at work in the members 19:14 of my body waging war against the law of my mind 19:19 and making me a prisoner of the law of sin 19:24 at work within my members." 19:26 Paul says, and by the way when he talks 19:29 about this law this another law that he sees. 19:32 Sometimes people translate that and say, 19:34 well what kind of law is Paul talking about. 19:37 Paul is talking about a law that resides in all of us. 19:40 Let me mention some laws 19:41 that we can do nothing about. 19:43 We can't do a thing about the law of gravity. 19:45 The law of gravity works, does it not. 19:48 See it works, it works. 19:51 The law of gravity works very well. 19:53 People that jump off of a 50 storey building they 19:55 think the law of gravity is being suspended 19:57 for 49 stories, but the 50th storey reminds him 20:01 the law of gravity is still at work. 20:03 The question is what law is Paul talking about? 20:06 He is talking about a law that controls every action. 20:12 And by the way let me put this together. 20:14 When you accept Jesus, you're a partaker 20:17 of a divine nature, what kind of nature did I say? 20:20 A divine nature and all of a sudden the life 20:23 you once had is not the same life. 20:25 You're the same person maybe your DNA is the same, 20:27 but now you're seen at the presence 20:29 of God as the son or daughter of God. 20:31 So, now He covers you with His righteousness. 20:35 Similar to you may go to a job site and the whole 20:38 house is covered while they're fumigating it, 20:40 you can't tell what's going on. 20:41 Well one day, sometimes you go, 20:43 some job sites the fences are up, the walls are up, 20:46 you can't see what's going on behind that, 20:47 and one day they remove it and you say, amazing. 20:50 But what happens is, there is a battle 20:54 that takes place in our lives, because 20:56 there is a law that's at works here. 20:57 Go with me to Mathew Chapter 7. 20:59 What book did I say, Mathew Chapter 7. 21:02 I want to show you this, by the way 21:04 this is a Law of Reciprocation. 21:06 What's that word reciprocation simply means 21:09 a revolving door, simply means a revolving door. 21:13 Mathew Chapter 7, okay, 21:20 and we're going to look at verse 17 and verse 18. 21:24 We often times forget, there are laws at work. 21:28 We're going to have and one of the reasons why the title 21:30 is "How to Live a Spiritual Life in a Natural Body." 21:32 Is this law is going to be at work until 21:35 we're completely made, completely remade 21:38 in the image in the likeness of Christ. 21:40 Look what it says, Mathew 7 did I say and beginning 21:45 with verse 17, "Even so every good tree bears." 21:51 What? "Good fruit, but a bad tree bears." 21:55 What? "Bad fruit." Now this is the law. 21:58 right here verse 18, "A good tree." 22:02 What is the next word? "Cannot bear bad fruits 22:05 nor can a bad tree bear." What? "Good fruit." 22:09 And you know I'll go all the way down to verse 20, 22:11 "Therefore by their fruits you'll know them." 22:13 Okay, let me ask you the question? 22:15 Can a bad tree bear good fruit. Yes or no. 22:17 Can a good tree bear a bad fruit? No. 22:22 So then if bad fruit show up in the life of a person 22:26 declaring to be good, what do we conclude? 22:29 That is a different tree, am I right. 22:33 So to say that I'm in Christ and I'm living completely 22:38 contrary to the way that a Christian should live. 22:41 It's saying that wait a minute 22:42 the bad tree is producing bad fruit. 22:45 The good tree produces good fruit, but the bad tree 22:49 cannot produce good fruit and the good tree 22:51 cannot produce bad fruit. 22:54 So Paul says, the conflict comes when He realizes 22:57 that he has this spiritual inheritance, 23:02 the character and the righteousness of Christ, 23:04 but he has this mortal flesh that's holding him 23:07 bound day by day, look at the next question, 23:09 question number 13, so if you ask the question. 23:11 If you answer question number 12. 23:13 From what does the conflict of righteousness come? 23:16 It comes from that law that resides inside 23:20 of us, in other words the old nature. 23:23 That's the good way to respond to that answer. 23:26 Look at question number 13. 23:28 How did this conflict get started? 23:32 What's sad about this conflict is that 23:35 we'd nothing to do with it. 23:40 You've heard of the phrase, you look 23:41 just like your father, look just like your mother, 23:44 you are a spitting image of your dad. 23:47 Well, you know, you look at the word, 23:49 and Jesus when He looked at the Pharisees, 23:51 when He looked at those who claim to be religious. 23:53 He said, because their fruits did not match 23:56 their profession, He said to them you're 23:58 of your father the devil and his works you'll do. 24:04 Notice what the Bible says 24:06 is involved in this conflict. 24:09 Now I got started Romans 5 and verse 12, 24:15 "Therefore, just as through." How many men? 24:18 "One man sin entered the world and death through sin, 24:23 and thus death spread to." How many of us? 24:26 "All men because all." What? "Sinned." 24:30 Now may I ask you, a baby one day older, 24:32 that baby sinned? Yes or no. No. 24:40 The reason I asked you questions because some 24:41 of you don't know how to answer it. 24:43 Because you just read all have sinned and I ask you 24:46 the question has that baby sinned and what did you say. 24:48 No. Let me help you understand there's 24:50 a difference between sins, 24:52 "the actions and sin the nature." 24:55 What Paul is talking about he's talking about 24:58 the nature of sin, in other words, 25:01 when you're born you've the same nature as your father. 25:04 You come into the world with the very same nature. 25:06 In other words as one doctor once said, 25:09 it's good that babies are not born at a 150 pounds. 25:11 Can you imagine the baby pinning his mother 25:13 to the wall saying give me my milk. 25:16 Now, that's an amazing picture, 25:17 but one doctor said in a book written 25:20 by Dr. Haden W. Robertson he said, that's the reason 25:22 why God allows children to be born young, 25:25 because their natures are so unregenerated. 25:28 That is going to take time to mold that nature. 25:32 Had they come out at 150 pounds, 25:34 you've a murder in a house, I'm serious. 25:39 Because look what happened to the first 25:41 two children of Adam and Eve. 25:43 They weren't that faraway from perfection. 25:44 But Cain killed Abel, 25:47 right away because he had jealousy. 25:49 He was jealous about his brother and his 25:51 relationship with the Lord. 25:52 He didn't like the offering that his brother 25:54 brought to the Lord, all the reasons he coveted 25:58 was so much that was involved in him 26:00 carrying out the act of murder 26:02 from the very beginning. 26:04 So it shows you that this didn't just happened in 2000 26:08 or just as sin is getting worse this is exactly 26:10 what happened after Adam sinned. 26:12 What happened is one man through that one man 26:15 a door was opened and sin came in. 26:18 So even though Eve was deceived, 26:20 Adam made the decision with his eyes wide opened. 26:22 Look at this quotation from Desire of Ages, 26:25 one of my favorite books. 26:27 It says, in our own strength it is what? 26:31 Impossible for us to deny the clamors 26:37 of our fallen nature, you know that means, 26:39 you know the clamors mean. 26:40 It's like somebody knocking on door. 26:44 And you say would you stop that noise. 26:46 You know that means, sometimes your nature 26:47 saying to you, do it, do it, say it, 26:50 go ahead, you want to go, go. 26:52 You know, you want that, do it. 26:54 That's the clamors of the fallen nature. 26:56 Have you heard that before? Yes. 26:58 Tell of course and tell what you think. 26:59 Have you heard it before? Yes. 27:01 That's the clamors of the fallen nature. 27:03 Its there, it is impossible for us to deny the clamors 27:06 of the fallen nature of our fallen nature. 27:08 Though or through this channel Satan 27:11 will bring temptation upon us. 27:13 Through what channel? The fallen nature. 27:17 That's why for some of you the same temptation. 27:19 What tempts you may not tempt you. 27:22 Satan says ah, you have a problem with that 27:26 and so he brings that temptation to you. 27:28 If food is not a temptation, he is not going 27:30 to try to give you Hostess Twinkie. 27:32 If drugs is your temptation, he is not gonna 27:35 try to give you a cake. 27:37 Whatever your temptation is, he is going to design it. 27:39 And by the way let me tell you, let me tell you, 27:42 just in case you haven't discovered, 27:43 temptations are tempting, you know why, 27:47 because it's designed to fit your nature. 27:49 It's designed to fit everything 27:50 that is a true about you. 27:52 So he studies us and it's through this channel 27:56 of fallen nature that he brings temptations upon us. 28:00 But look at the quotation as it continues. 28:02 "Christ knew that the enemy would come 28:06 to how many human beings?" 28:07 "Every human being to take advantage 28:10 of hereditary weakness," that means 28:13 we inherited this from your father, 28:15 father of mother of father all the way down 28:17 you'll finally get to Adam, 28:19 regardless of your skin color. 28:21 "Hereditary weakness, and by his false insinuations 28:25 to ensnare all whose trust is not in God." 28:31 When you say I can handle this, you're in trouble. 28:35 Am I right? I can handle that. 28:38 You can't handle anything. 28:40 Because you're hereditary tendencies 28:42 are going to take advantage of you. 28:45 Because you know why, even though you've partaken 28:47 of the divine nature, you're still living 28:49 in a mortal body and in the very same Chapter Roman 7. 28:52 Paul says, don't let sin reign in your mortal body. 28:56 So you got a make a decision when that clamoring comes. 29:00 There's something that you must do 29:02 to be delivered from that clamoring. 29:04 Now the good news is the Lord saw that Satan 29:08 would take advantage of us. 29:09 And he saw what was happening in the earth 29:12 and the Lord didn't say, well you know, 29:14 that's just one planet, we've got 29:17 billions of galaxies, this is, this is kind of, 29:20 just kind of turn the lights off. 29:22 Aren't you glad that He loves us so much, 29:24 He came down to save us? Amen. 29:27 So when we talk about the mission of Christ. 29:28 The mission of Christ is beautiful. 29:30 How does the Bible describe the mission of Jesus? 29:33 The mission of Christ is beautiful, 29:34 I'm one that like astronomy. 29:36 I like to look at stars and planets and solar systems. 29:40 I mean that is pictures of it, don't have a telescope. 29:43 And I'm often enamored by these, you know, 29:45 when I look at a particular constellation, they say 29:48 from this tip to that tip is four light years. 29:51 At 186,200 miles a second and they say 29:55 that's nothing and then scientists or astronomers 29:57 say there are billions of galaxies. 29:58 And I think to myself -- this planet is so tiny 30:01 if I were God, I'd just simply say. 30:03 Let me get my divine eraser and just erase that. 30:07 But because if you remember in our last study, 30:10 because we're made in the image of God. 30:13 Getting rid of us would be removing 30:17 from the earth His image. 30:20 So instead of getting rid 30:22 of that dilapidated house that was made 30:25 so by the entrance of sin. 30:28 He said I'm gonna refurbished that house. 30:30 Look at the mission of Jesus, 30:32 and I love this text. 30:33 We always read this around Christmas. 30:35 This is a good text everyday. 30:37 "And she will bring forth a Son 30:39 and you shall call His name Jesus, 30:42 for He will save His people." 30:44 What's the next word? 30:45 "From their sins." We're gonna talk about 30:48 how often you need to be saved. 30:50 He will save us from, He will save us from our sins. 30:56 It goes on so if you put Mathew 1:21. 30:59 What does the Bible describe? 31:01 How does the Bible describe the mission of Jesus? 31:04 He is a Savior. He is a Savior. 31:10 He's a Savior, He saves. 31:13 This is a good place for seeing 340 Jesus says, 31:16 I just heard in my mind. 31:18 First look at John 1 verse 21. 31:19 John 1 verse 21, "The next day John saw 31:24 Jesus coming toward Him and said" 31:28 What did He say? "Behold! 31:31 The Lamb of God who takes away the." 31:34 What? "Sin of the world!" 31:37 Now I want you to notice, he didn't say s.i.n.s. 31:39 Sometimes we get mixed up 31:41 between the actions and the nature. 31:44 Jesus came to takeaway the nature. 31:47 If you takeaway-- if you had a dog 31:50 that like to bite every fourth person 31:52 that come to your house. 31:56 And your friends got used to that dog 31:57 and the dog sat there at the door and you'd counted 31:59 one two three hhrrrr. 32:04 And what would your friends say, 32:06 would you get rid of your dog. 32:07 Or they'll try to be the first second third or fifth person. 32:11 Here's my point. 32:12 When Jesus came to takeaway the sin of the world, 32:15 He came to remove the very thing that waits 32:18 at the door to bite us every morning. 32:20 He came to take away the nature, 32:22 the thing that binds you, the things that you struggle with. 32:25 And the reason why this is entitled 32:26 "How to Live a Spiritual Life in a Natural Body." 32:29 Is we're gonna break down what justification means, 32:32 what sanctification mean, and what glorification. 32:34 We're gonna spend a week at a time on each of those topics. 32:37 Because sometimes we join the church we become 32:40 members and that's it. 32:44 We become struggling members. 32:47 Trying our best to find victory. 32:50 But notice what the Bible says, here in John 1 verse 21. 32:54 We just read that didn't we. 32:55 Lets look Desire of Ages, page 38, 32:57 another wonderful quotation, wonderful quotation. 33:01 "Satan was exulting that he has succeeded 33:04 in debasing. " What? 33:05 "The image of God in humanity." 33:07 If you look at the world today 33:08 there're debasing things and one who is behind 33:10 that is Satan himself. 33:12 He succeeded in debasing. 33:14 So you wonder how bad is it going to get, 33:16 its going to get even worse. 33:18 Because Satan is as roaring lion 33:20 seeking whom he may devour. 33:21 But I like it next sentence. 33:23 "Then Jesus came to do." 33:25 What? "Restore in man the image of his Maker. 33:31 None but Christ can fashion anew the character 33:35 that has been ruined by sin. 33:37 He came to expel the demons 33:41 that had controlled the will." 33:43 Isn't that a powerful statement? 33:45 You know often times you say, well, 33:46 that person has two personalities, 33:47 when really in fact they've more than one demon. 33:51 That's the reality of it. 33:52 When you look at the Bible Jesus 33:54 didn't go to the demoniac and said, 33:55 you need psychiatric help. 33:58 Did he do that? 33:59 He didn't say you need the psychologist. 34:01 He didn't say you need counseling. 34:03 He cast the demons out of that man. 34:05 Now I'm not trying to do away 34:06 with the psychological impacts of some person's past. 34:10 But what Jesus talks about is the reason 34:12 why many of us are bound where we're is behind 34:15 that thing that cripples you is a spirit that is crippling. 34:20 Sin is always connected to some kind of demonic force. 34:23 So if a person's mind is unbalanced somewhere 34:26 along the way, the devil had worked in their past 34:28 to bring imbalance in. 34:31 And Jesus has come to fashion anew the character 34:35 that has been ruined by sin. 34:36 He came to expel the demons that had controlled the will. 34:41 By the way when you read Romans Chapter 6, 34:43 we talk about baptism. 34:45 The Bible talks about that old man. Go there with me. 34:47 Let me you see, show you this very quickly. 34:49 This is extra credit by the-- way, not in our lesson, 34:52 but very important at this particular juncture. 34:56 I want to show you Romans Chapter 6. 34:58 And by the way this is not a one week study. 35:00 And I want to just let you know, this is plug 35:02 and I will make this plug again, but-- 35:05 what we need to everyday is have a very active prayer life, 35:07 a very active what kind of life. 35:09 Prayer life. You got to talk to God 35:11 when you're being tempted. 35:12 You got to call on God in the middle of that temptation. 35:15 He sends angels that excel in strength. 35:17 Even if you have a Daniel experience, 35:20 as Daniel prayed in for 21 days, Satan resisted Him 35:24 but the Lord came who is more powerful 35:28 than the devil himself. 35:29 So God will send whatever angels you need, 35:32 whatever angels you need to extricate 35:36 you from your situation. 35:37 But look at this in Roman Chapter 6. 35:39 I want you to see something. 35:41 Romans 6. And I'm gonna look at verse 5 and verse 6, 35:48 because we're talking about that sin nature, 35:50 that thing that controlled our will, we wanna give it a name, 35:52 or give it a classification. 35:54 Verse 5 speaking about baptism. 35:57 "For if we've been united together in the likeness 36:00 of His death, certainly, we also shall be 36:05 in the likeness of His." What. 36:06 "Resurrection." In other words, if we go, 36:09 if we go to the grave with Christ. 36:12 We're gonna come out of that grave with Christ. 36:15 If we go in the grave like He went in. 36:17 we'll come up like He came out. 36:19 He came out victoriously. 36:21 But notice what happens? 36:23 What actually happens? 36:25 "Knowing this that our old man was crucified with Him, 36:31 that the body of sin might be done away with, 36:35 that we should no longer be" what? 36:38 "Slaves to sin. For He who has died 36:42 has been freed from sin." 36:45 You look at verse 9 it says, 36:47 "Death no longer has dominion over you." 36:49 And so I'm gonna go over this in greater detail, 36:51 but what happens when Christ comes in renews us. 36:53 You know what he does. He takes us of a death row. 36:56 He takes us of what row? 36:58 Death row. So you don't walk around 37:00 with the death sentence hanging over your head. 37:03 You've been set, set for you've been justified. 37:06 However when people often are set free from prison, 37:09 they say that what's the word that you use 37:12 the recidivism rate, spell that word, 37:16 the recidivism rate is high, because sometimes people 37:19 are set free, but they don't know how to stay free. 37:25 Because they've a mind as somebody once said, 37:28 man I was in there for so long, 37:30 I can't think of any other life. 37:32 Some people have been in sin for so long. 37:34 It's hard for them to think of any other life. 37:36 So they go into to the grave, the watery grave, 37:39 they come out rejoicing in the glory that Christ 37:41 has given to them. 37:43 But because they've not allowed 37:45 their minds to continually be renewed. 37:47 Go with me to Romans Chapter 12. 37:49 Couple of other extra verses you need. 37:51 These are basic things that we're gonna cover under 37:54 the topic of sanctification, but it fits right here. 37:57 Because I wanna give you before 37:58 we get to the complete topics. 37:59 I wanna give you some, some keys on how you could begin 38:02 to find the victory, right. 38:05 How you could begin to win. 38:07 It's a mind game. It really is, it really is. 38:11 Verse 2, "And do not be confirmed." 38:15 Romans 12 verse 2 "And do not be confirmed to. 38:18 "What world? "This world but be transformed." 38:22 By what? "The renewing of your mind 38:25 that you may prove what is that good and acceptable 38:30 and perfect will of God." 38:32 You know the word that prove means. 38:34 And another word for prove is display. 38:36 Somebody said, how you're able to do that. 38:39 You're on a call, are you able to that. 38:40 I used to know you way back when. 38:43 And you know what it says, you know what I'm renewing 38:45 my mind everyday. 38:46 You cannot live a Christian life without filling 38:49 your mind with the ammunition that Satan is afraid of. 38:53 What is the ammunition that Satan is afraid 38:55 that we can fill our minds with? 38:57 The word of God, Jesus used it. 39:00 It is written. If it works for Jesus it will work us, amen. 39:04 Amen. So that battle that happens 39:06 is not a battle that we can't find victory over. 39:09 But if we're not getting the ammunition 39:11 and I can guarantee you, 39:12 here's is the point I want to make. 39:14 The reason why it's hard to live a spiritual life 39:16 in the natural bodies, because we often times 39:18 don't make constant study of the word of God 39:21 a practice in our lives. 39:24 We fill our lives with good things and necessary things, 39:27 but we don't get the right ammunition. 39:29 The devil is not afraid of large bank accounts. 39:33 He's not afraid of nice homes. 39:35 He's not afraid of great education. 39:38 He's not afraid of anything outside of those things 39:42 that are resident with the power 39:45 that causes him to tremble. 39:47 The word of God, the reason why the word of God 39:49 is frightening to the devil, because the word of God 39:51 is like a two edge sword. 39:52 He comes and he cuts him up going and coming, right. 39:58 But we've this nature that we've to deal with. 40:00 Look at the next question, number 15. 40:02 We're going fast now. 40:04 Are you ready here we go? 40:05 How does the Bible describe the power of the sin nature? 40:10 How does it describe it? John 8 and verse 34. 40:17 How does the Bible, I like if your page is turned 40:19 even though it's going to be on the screen I appreciate that. 40:22 If you're listening on radio those page is turning. 40:25 Here we are, John 18 verse 34. 40:28 "Jesus answers them." 40:30 And by the way this conversation that Jesus 40:31 had was with Jews that had been many years 40:34 removed from the Exodus, from the land of Egypt. 40:38 And Jesus talked about slavery. 40:39 And they said our father is Abraham. 40:41 We've never been slaves. 40:43 But notice what Jesus said. 40:45 "Most assuredly I say to you, whoever commits." 40:49 What, sin is a what? "Slave to sin." 40:53 Now this is not talking about sin 40:55 in the sense of stumbling. 40:56 But this is talking about sin in the sense of practice. 40:59 Have you heard the phrase? 41:01 Practice makes what, that's not true. 41:04 Practice does not make perfect. 41:06 There's no perfection in this life outside of Christ. 41:08 But practice makes you stronger than you were before. 41:11 So here's the key. 41:12 If you practice doing wrong, 41:15 you're going to be stronger in the wrong 41:17 that you practice. 41:20 Remember Danny Shelton, told me the story 41:23 because he shoots with his left hand 41:24 and with the right hand. He writes left handed, 41:27 he shoots basketball right handed. 41:28 He shoots left and right and he say 41:29 when he was young. 41:31 I think one of his brothers was dead. 41:33 They tied his right hand. 41:35 They tied his left hand for whatever reason 41:37 he'd learn how to shoot baskets with his right hand. 41:40 And whenever we play basketball he shoots 41:42 with his right hand but he is left-handed. 41:46 It's seems, ah that you've one nature, 41:49 you've one ability but all of a sudden another 41:52 ability is in place. 41:54 My point is this, the more he used his right hand, 41:57 that easier it came for him to shoot a basket 42:01 with his righ, he's natural. 42:02 But when we play baseball he throws with his left hand, 42:06 I think. My point is He's ambidextrous 42:13 in some things, but he's stronger in one area 42:15 with other things than he is. 42:17 The point of the matter is whatever we practice the most, 42:20 is going to be the master over us. 42:23 You cannot feed the-- carnal nature and expect 42:28 the spiritual nature to be the strongest, 42:30 the slave to sin. 42:31 Look at Romans 6 and verse 16. 42:37 Romans 6 and verse 16 continuing 42:39 under question number 15. 42:42 How does the Bible describe the power 42:43 of the sin nature? 42:46 "Do you not know that whom you present 42:48 yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's salves 42:54 whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, 42:59 or of obedience leading to." What? 43:02 "Righteousness." There are two rows before 43:04 your Deuteronomy talks about that, 43:05 life and blessings death and cursing. 43:09 And Moses says, chose life. 43:13 Every morning you wake up, 43:14 you've to choose life or death, isn't that sad. 43:17 But now let me encourage you also, 43:18 because sometimes a person may say well today 43:20 I chose death, does that mean I'm lost today 43:23 and saved tomorrow and saved the next day 43:27 and lost the next day, that's not what it means. 43:30 As long as you're continuing to grow is the difference 43:33 between stumbling and iniquity. 43:36 Iniquity continues to lead you further -- farther 43:40 and farther away from Christ until the hold 43:42 is on you is broken. 43:44 I'm speaking about iniquity. 43:45 But I'm simply talking about as you yield yourself 43:48 on a day by day basis, you either find the path 43:51 of righteousness or the path of sin. 43:54 There's no third path. There's no neutral path. 43:57 There's no yellow line in the life of Christianity. 44:00 So here's the question? 44:02 What has Jesus come to accomplish in us? 44:05 What has Jesus come to accomplish in us? 44:08 This is a wonderful text continuing the very story 44:12 that we read in John 8 and verse 34. 44:14 What has Jesus come to accomplish in us? 44:18 And if you've ever been in the situation 44:21 that you couldn't wait to get out of, 44:23 you'll like this text. 44:26 If you've ever had food in front of you 44:28 that you just didn't like, you'll like this text. 44:32 If you've ever been in a home where the people 44:35 have driven you nuts, you like this text. 44:39 Here it is. Speaking to the Jews, 44:44 he says, "And a slave does not abide 44:47 in the house forever, but a-- son abides how long forever. 44:53 Therefore", lets read this together, 44:56 "If the Son makes you free, 44:59 you shall be." What? "Free indeed." 45:02 Often times we say if the son set you free. 45:05 Whenever we say set, we miss the process of make. 45:08 Do you set houses, or do you make houses? 45:11 You make houses. Do you set beds or make beds? 45:15 Do you set breakfast or make breakfast? 45:18 You make it, there's a process involved. 45:20 Salvation is in fact a process. 45:24 Salvation is what? 45:25 Its not once saved, always saves, you know that-- 45:28 even those who believe it, even those who espouse 45:31 to one saved always saved. No, 45:32 that there is no such thing as once saved, 45:34 always saved. 45:35 Salvation is not a conveyor belt that God staples 45:37 you to and said, you're going no matter what. 45:41 You are not up here salvation ski is sliding down 45:43 the mountain to heaven. 45:46 It's a process, it's a process 45:49 that you've to yield yourself to. 45:50 And I'm gonna try to cover them, 45:52 I'm gonna try to cover those three processes 45:53 briefly tonight. 45:55 But then cover them in detail beginning 45:57 in lesson that's upcoming. 45:59 So Jesus has come to set us free 46:01 and if we allow the Lord to set us free. 46:03 Daily we shall be what. Free indeed. 46:07 That's the making prayer, if he makes us free. 46:09 And by the way you know something, 46:11 there may be those of you who say, okay, 46:13 man I've prayed today and I got through eleven hours 46:17 before I gave into that cigarette. 46:19 Because I met somebody who just blew smoke 46:21 on my face and you know it wasn't too many weeks 46:27 before I joined the church and that smoke smelled 46:28 really good and they end up smoking the cigarette. 46:33 I remember praying for somebody right 46:35 in our church office, some of our elders 46:36 joined together praying for somebody 46:38 to be set free from smoking. 46:40 Right after we anointed that man, 46:42 and prayed for him to be set free I asked him the question. 46:44 Do you have any cigarettes? 46:46 He said I've one pack in my truck and I said go get it. 46:48 He said, but that's my last pack. 46:51 And I'm asking the question wait a minute 46:52 you want to be set free, but you want to hold 46:53 on to that last pack. 46:55 Here my point. 46:56 Some people want to be set free, 46:57 he said wait a minute not now. 46:59 Wait, I want to be set free 47:00 after my last pack and that's how sin is. 47:03 It's so deceptive, you know why, because the nature says 47:06 you be set free but not today. 47:09 Jesus will save you, but don't worry about it today, 47:11 you got more time. 47:13 Deceptive, the nature, the-- flesh, the clamor of the flesh 47:17 says don't worry about it, you got time. 47:20 You will eventually be a-- great Christian, but don't-- 47:22 right now as somebody once told me also I got 47:25 a letter from somebody who was once in the church. 47:28 After many years of going through Adventist schools, 47:30 going to college, getting wonderful career. 47:33 One day announced to his family, 47:36 I'm gone because he said I've lived 47:39 in the Adventist Christian world all my life. 47:41 I hadn't had a chance to experience the world. 47:44 And I spoke to the people just maybe earlier 47:47 last year and said. Has he comeback yet? 47:49 No he hasn't comeback. 47:51 Because what happened, 47:52 you could live in a Christian environment all your life 47:54 if the flesh is not crucified, its going to clamor 47:57 and you gonna one day without the strength of Christ, 47:59 you're gonna yield to the clamoring of the flesh. 48:02 You got to find out a way to kill that old man 48:04 and leave him outside the house. 48:06 No, you're not coming in, amen. 48:09 Amen. Because look at this, look at the next question. 48:11 How does the Bible describe the impact of the two natures? 48:16 How does the Bible describe the impact 48:20 of the-- two natures? 48:21 There are-- how many natures? 48:22 Two. In a very simple way bad and good. 48:27 In a very profound way, wicked and righteous. 48:32 How does the Bible describe the two natures? 48:34 Let's begin with Romans 18. 48:38 Let's begin with Romans 18. 48:41 Romans 5:18. Thank you very much, 48:44 you're Bible students. 48:46 Romans 5:18, there was a 18 in there somewhere - 48:53 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to." 49:00 How many? "All resulting." In what? 49:04 "In condemnation." 49:06 So in other words through Adam 49:08 what came through Adam. 49:10 Judgment and what else, condemnation. 49:12 So let me ask you the question before Christ 49:14 how many of us are condemned? 49:16 Everyone, everyone, the spirit of God, there's no need. 49:22 What's the phrase, how's the Bible say it here. 49:24 Let me continue to go on, not to break the talk right now. 49:26 But the condemnation of sin is in the world, its rampant. 49:32 But for those who've come into Christ 49:33 look at the second part of this verse. 49:36 "Even so through one man's." What? 49:39 "Righteous act the free gift came to." 49:43 How many men? 49:44 "All men resulting in." What? 49:47 "Justification of life." 49:48 Notice, through one man condemnation through 49:51 another man what, justification. 49:54 Condemnation, justification, so the question is what nation 49:58 do you want to be in? 50:00 Condemnation, no. 50:02 Condemn nation, no, you want to be in justification. 50:07 If I could change that call it just of a nation. 50:10 Because I asked what nation do you want to be in? 50:12 Just of a nation, which is justification. 50:15 So look at this, let's look at this again. 50:18 This is where the battle comes in because 50:20 I talked about the battle. 50:21 We're partakers of the divine nature 50:24 just to recap, are we not. 50:26 If you're Christian you're son and daughter of God, 50:28 are you not. But what do you still have from your father? 50:32 The flesh. How to Live a Spiritual Life 50:36 in a Natural Body, is the topic of the matter? 50:40 Because when you wake up in the morning 50:41 your Bible is right there, but you know, what's closer 50:43 to you and your Bible? Your flesh. 50:48 And the next thing you do determines 50:50 who's gonna have preeminence that day. 50:52 If you roll out of your bed. 50:55 This is an emergency move by the way. 50:57 If you rollout to your bed on to your knees before 51:00 you do anything else and say lord Jesus 51:02 I'm about to begin my day. 51:03 I'm in trouble without you. But you've seen what happens. 51:08 If you get up of your knees and you go to the kitchen 51:12 or you go someplace else you all said no just wait a minute. 51:14 I'll pray and all said in the phone rings and something 51:17 else happens before you know you got to get dress room 51:19 with one of the house. 51:20 You run out of the house and while 51:21 you're in traffic you realize. 51:24 And do you know what happens. 51:25 There's a bond there's something that's very 51:28 I call it scientific spirituality. 51:30 Don't get in and don't get caught up in that, 51:32 this is nothing and look upon the dictionary. 51:34 Go in the dictionary nothing on the in that you need 51:35 scientific spirituality. But here's what I said. 51:39 There's a science about living your house. 51:41 If you leave your house before you pray. 51:46 The way you left your house tends to follow you. 51:50 If you leave your house singing a song of the world. 51:53 Have you noticed you hmm that all day long. 51:55 But if you leave your singing to God be the glory. 51:59 You got to work in still in your mind am I right. 52:02 There's something about breaking 52:03 by walking out of the house I'm prepared for battle 52:06 and you can't find any battle army men outside to your house. 52:10 Even though still they're available. 52:12 But it's always better to put on 52:14 how much armor of the God. 52:16 The whole armor and when Paul talked about the whole armor. 52:18 Even after you put on the whole armor 52:20 what did you say you got to do. 52:21 Pray. You got to pray. 52:25 You have to pray. Lets look at the next part of it this. 52:28 How does the Bible describe the impact of the 2 natures? 52:30 Very short one, "For as in Adam how many die." 52:34 All die. "Even so Christ." How many? 52:39 "All shall be made alive." So if you put Romans 5, 18. 52:46 One is condemnation the other one is what justification. 52:51 1st Corinthians 5, 22, Adam equals death, 52:55 Christ equals life. It's like two cars waiting outside. 53:00 You ask yourself which one to get in. 53:02 Get in the car with Jesus. 53:04 Here's another one very familiar passage. 53:06 Very familiar passage here it is Roman 6 verse 23 53:10 we're showing the 2 natures and all of these 53:12 they where covering right now. 53:13 The 2 natures here's the other one. 53:15 "For the wages of sin is what, death." 53:20 But, "The gift of God is." What? 53:23 "Eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." 53:26 You cannot get eternal life in sin. 53:31 And when you're living in Christ there's no wages of sin. 53:35 Notice wages, gift one is free but every gift 53:41 that you receive freely somebody pay it for. 53:44 The other one is what you is what you deserve. 53:47 So if somebody says I need my check you ask the question 53:51 well have you worked for and the answer is what. 53:53 Yes. That is every one of us we've one to the desk 53:57 to get paid. What will our payment 53:59 be what would our payment be. 54:01 Come one tell me what will our check 54:03 what will be written on our check. 54:06 Death. Because that's what we deserve 54:10 the wages of sin is death. 54:12 But through Jesus Christ we go to the desk and we say -- 54:15 do you have a gift to me. 54:17 And they bring the gift out from the behind 54:18 the count and-- they say here it is. 54:20 Jesus left His gift for you. 54:21 The gift of God is what? 54:23 Eternal life in Christ Jesus our lord. 54:25 Now he's this is the very important point. 54:28 Don't ever think that the gift of God is free. 54:32 It's free to you. But it costs Jesus everything. 54:36 When you think about how much you cost him. 54:38 Peter says, we'll not redeem with corruptible 54:41 things like gold and silver now I can add wood and stone 54:44 and brick but what the precious blood of Christ 54:48 as of a spotless lamb. 54:51 So it cost him everything. 54:53 Now how many of you have thought before 54:56 we go to the next one. 54:57 How many of you living in a place like heaven? 55:02 Which will be given to before but just imagine -- 55:04 leave heaven and come down here 55:06 and knowing before you get here. 55:07 They gonna spit on you. 55:09 They gonna lie about you. 55:11 They gonna do all manner of evil against you. 55:14 Mail you to the cross. 55:16 For something you didn't you didn't do. 55:17 Have you ever felt nailed to the cross? 55:21 No, follow me yeah it sometimes people nail 55:24 you to the cross for something you didn't do it. 55:26 And see the-- Bible I didn't do it. 55:28 And you're fighting your case when Jesus 55:30 was taken to the cross he didn't plead his case. 55:33 Because it wasn't his case it was our case. 55:37 he took our case to the cross. 55:39 Here's the next one for tonight and next week 55:42 we're gonna began breaking down 55:43 the 3 stage process of salvation. 55:46 It is going to be powerful. 55:48 The 3 stage process of salvation you cannot miss 55:53 that one it's gonna be next week. 55:54 But tonight lets end with this one. 55:56 Ephesians 2 verse 89, and answer to the question. 56:00 How does the Bible describe the impact of 2 natures? 56:03 Here it is together, 56:04 "For by grace you have been saved through." 56:08 What? "Faith, and that not of yourselves; 56:12 it is the gift of God, not of works, 56:16 lest anyone any man should boast." 56:21 The gift of God not of works. 56:23 Lest any man should boast. 56:26 After pasturing 25 years now I go to my library 56:30 every now and then and I look at the dates of my old sermon. 56:33 Some of them are in typewriter ink 56:36 some of them are in computer ink. 56:39 Some of them are fully color coated some are coated 56:41 by different color monitors. 56:44 And I think lord I preach the whole lots of sermons. 56:47 And not a one of them can get me the heaven. 56:50 I think of all the evangelistic years 56:53 I've held all the baptisms I've held then I say Lord 56:56 my statistics are pretty good. 56:58 And hear the words and not of one them 56:59 could get to the heaven. 57:02 Not of works that anybody should boast. 57:04 For by grace be your safe through faith 57:06 am I telling the truth. 57:07 That's why on-- February 15th Shelly Quinn 57:11 is going to present 57:12 the topic called praying outside the box. 57:16 You don't to miss that one, 57:17 "Praying Outside the Box." 57:19 That could be outside your home. 57:21 That can be outside of the-- box of the your comfort zone. 57:23 You don't want to miss that if you miss 57:25 the lesson for tonight go to our website 57:28 tvsdac.org and download that lesson so you can follow long 57:34 and be ready for the next broadcast up load 57:36 your comments to our facebook page 57:39 sharpefocus3abn@ facebook.com 57:41 or sharperfocus @twitter.com. 57:44 Send your prerequisite and your comments 57:46 their also because what you one know 57:48 about and how you pray is vitally important 57:51 to us but I'll tell what friends keep your eyes fixed 57:53 on Jesus and then you'll shortly 57:55 have a shaper focus God bless you. |
Revised 2014-12-17