Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000012
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00:21 Hello, friends and welcome to another
00:23 Wednesday night edition of "A Sharper Focus." 00:25 Thank you for taking the time to get your Bibles, 00:28 your pens, and I hope a willing heart 00:30 as the Spirit of God tonight is going to speak to you about 00:33 "How to Live a Spiritual Life in a Natural Body." 00:37 We're beginning a new topic tonight, 00:39 actually a new subject, same topic 00:42 "How to Live a Spiritual Life in a Natural Body." 00:44 But tonight's topic or subject, 00:46 matter is alive unto God. 00:48 What is it mean to be alive unto God? 00:52 If you'd like to get a copy of the lesson to follow along, 00:54 you can go to our website ASF.3abn.org 01:00 and download the syllabus, so you can follow along, 01:03 you can print that out, or if you one of those 01:04 techie guys, you can use your iPad 01:06 and you know make it very interesting. 01:08 But the least you need is a Bible and a willing heart 01:11 and the Spirit of God promises 01:13 that tonight is going to be a blessing. 01:15 We are all already here in Thompsonville, 01:17 can you all say, amen? Amen. 01:19 And if you want to join us, take your friends, 01:22 or call your friends, and tell your family members 01:24 that are walking around, sit down for the next hour 01:27 or so and we can walk through this topic together. 01:30 And we appreciate those of you've continued to tune in, 01:33 but if this is your first time the same web address 01:36 I gave you, you can go and catch all the lessons 01:39 that are prior to this broadcast tonight. 01:42 But try to remember this channel because every 01:45 Wednesday night we come to you live here from the Midwest. 01:49 We have some music tonight, some studies. 01:51 But before we do anything else, 01:53 we always like to go to God in prayer. 01:54 Let's bow our heads together? 01:56 Our gracious Father in heaven, 01:58 tonight there's an opportunity, Lord, 02:00 to see what the Spirit of God wants to do in our lives. 02:04 We pray that you'll open our hearts. 02:06 We pray that we will be receptive 02:08 to the leading of Your Holy Spirit. 02:11 We pray that You'll guide us and teach us. 02:14 And may the word of God 02:15 become the living word tonight. 02:18 We ask in Jesus' name, we pray, amen. Amen. 02:22 Now does everyone have a lesson? Yes. 02:24 If you need a lesson and you're in the local audience, 02:27 there's some in the back table there. 02:28 But if you just tuned in, I mean, you just may have 02:31 tuned in at the end of the prayer, 02:33 go to asf.3abn.org and download a copy 02:36 of the lesson to follow along with us. 02:39 Now we like to sing. Tonight our song 02:41 is little different than "Victory in Jesus," 02:42 although it has somewhat the same message 02:45 because we all find victory only in Christ. 02:48 But sing along with us if you know the song, 02:50 it's "Change My Heart Oh God Make It Ever True." 02:53 That's our prayer for you tonight 02:55 as the Lord works in our hearts. 02:56 Let's sing this song together. 03:05 And I like you to sing out tonight, are you ready? 03:07 Change my heart, let's make that our prayer. 03:11 Change my heart oh God Make it ever true 03:22 Change my heart oh God May I be like You 03:35 You are the potter I am the clay 03:46 Mold me and make me This is what I pray 03:57 Change my heart oh God Make it ever true 04:08 Change my heart oh God May I be like You 04:17 I keep change, are you ready? 04:20 Change my heart oh God Make it ever true 04:31 Change my heart oh God May I be like You 04:40 You are the potter. 04:43 You are the potter I am the clay 04:55 Mold me and make me This is what I pray 05:05 Change my heart oh God Make it ever true 05:17 Change my heart oh God May I be like You 05:26 That's our prayer. May I be like You. 05:38 Amen. Amen. Amen. 05:40 Isn't that a wonderful prayer? Amen. 05:42 May I be like who? Like God. 05:45 That's what our topic is tonight. 05:48 We all want to be like Jesus. 05:50 We all want to be like the Lord. 05:51 But the question often is how do we do that. 05:54 Now if you were living. 05:58 But let me tell you my story, I think this illustrates, 06:00 instead of just giving you something that's abstract. 06:03 When I was out in the world, I lived for the world. 06:06 I mean, I really did, I did that 100 percent. 06:11 When I'm playing basketball, 06:14 I played basketball, right, David? 100 percent. 06:20 When I'm studying the Bible, I study the Bible 100 percent. 06:26 If I'm running a race and I'm competing 06:28 against somebody else, we are running what? 06:31 100 percent, at least we should. 06:35 But thing that's really amazing to me is lot of times 06:37 when people become Christians. 06:39 Nobody would stop you 06:41 when you are a drug dealer from, or drug user from. 06:45 They won't say, you know, don't smoke marijuana 06:47 that's not, your friends will smoke with you. 06:50 If you're drinking alcohol, 06:51 your friends would drink with you. 06:54 But what really amazes me 06:55 is that when people become Christians, 06:58 other people get concerned 06:59 about their dedication to Christ. 07:01 And they say now, I know you're a Christian, 07:03 but man you're going too far. 07:07 Tonight's topic is how far we need to go in Jesus. 07:09 When we are in Christ, we need to go all the way. 07:12 What do you say? Amen. 07:13 We shouldn't be 80 percent Christians 07:16 and 20 percent world links 07:17 or Christians from Friday sunset 07:22 to Saturday sunset or those of you, 07:23 who go to church on Sunday, 07:26 we shouldn't be Christians on the weekend. 07:27 We should be Christians, how many days of the week? 07:29 Everyday. Amen. 07:31 And so a lot of times when people hear 07:34 that we have given our lives to Christ. 07:38 Often times people wave for us to go back 07:40 we have, have a relapse. 07:41 Because you say, now that, I know 07:42 you're going through a phase. 07:44 But I want to tell you tonight when your life is in Christ, 07:47 you're not going through a phase, 07:48 you are living in Jesus. 07:50 And there is a power that is available in Christ 07:52 that I'm gonna talk about tonight. 07:53 Because you see people that are out in the world 07:57 they say, man, I'm really living it up. 07:59 I mean, I'm living the high life, 08:01 I'm staying out late, I'm partying to the hilt, 08:04 I'm a party animal, I'm a sports fanatic, 08:07 I'm a movie buff. We ought to be stars for Jesus. 08:11 What do you say? Amen, amen. 08:13 Man, I need little bit more from you. 08:14 What do you say? Amen. 08:16 We ought to be excited about our walk with Christ. 08:19 But too often because of this struggle we have. 08:22 And let me tell you where the struggle comes in. 08:23 We're gonna talk about that tonight. 08:24 The struggle comes in because we have a new walk with Christ 08:28 a spiritual walk with Christ that we're trying to live in 08:31 what kind of a body? A natural body. 08:34 This body is our enemy 08:37 all the days of our Christian walk. Amen. 08:40 Because in our minds, I've confessed this sometimes 08:44 and we don't remember that until sometimes 08:46 we turn the radio to a song, we remember way back then 08:50 or we see a show we watch many years ago. 08:52 We don't remember until we have that encounter that 08:56 and we start tapping our feet or remembering 08:58 how it used to be and we call it good old days. 09:00 But what I want to point out tonight is 09:02 the best times in our lives will be in preparation 09:06 for eternal life and walking with Jesus down here. 09:10 And I believe the greatest testament 09:13 to whether or not the life you have 09:16 is the life somebody else wants, 09:17 is if they see the joy and your commitment 09:21 to the life you have, right. That's right. 09:23 But if you don't have commitment to it, 09:24 people will say, "Why would I want something 09:26 that has made no difference in your life?" 09:28 So that's why tonight's topic is vitally important. 09:31 Christ should make a difference 09:32 in the lives of Christians. Amen. 09:36 Because, you are children of God. 09:38 Now tonight you may remember, we've covered the last lesson 09:41 if you have the former lesson, 09:42 I don't want you to go to that lesson. 09:43 But there was one question 09:45 that I didn't answer in lesson number four. 09:48 And I want you to start tonight by going 09:49 to Romans 6 verse 22 with me. 09:52 I'm gonna ask that question. 09:54 It's not gonna be on the screen, 09:55 because tonight's topic as you look at the screen is 09:57 "How to be Alive to God." 09:59 That's our topic tonight, "How to be Alive to God." 10:03 But I want you to go to Romans Chapter 6 and verse 22 10:07 and I'll ask the question, Romans 6 and verse 22. 10:12 And then I will subsequently 10:15 answer that question, all right? 10:20 Here's the question that I want to address tonight 10:22 to catapult to ourselves into the next lesson. 10:25 Roman 6 verse 22. Here's the question? 10:27 After Jesus sets us free from sin, 10:32 what do we have to look forward to? 10:35 After Jesus sets us free from sin, 10:37 what do we have to look forward to? 10:39 You know, when you get something new, 10:40 you always have something look forward to, right? 10:43 When the birthday is coming up, 10:44 you have something to look forward to, right? 10:46 Christmas is coming up, you're gonna get a new gift, 10:47 you have something look forward to. 10:48 You go on vacation, 10:49 you have something to what? Look forward to. 10:52 After Jesus sets us free from sin, 10:54 what do we have to look forward to? Eternal life. 10:57 Okay, look at Roman 6 verse 22. 11:00 Roman 6 verse 22 and it read as follows, 11:04 "But now having been set free from," 11:09 what's the next word? Sin. 11:10 "Sin, and having become slaves to God, 11:15 you have your fruit to," what? "Holiness, 11:19 and the end is," what? "Everlasting life." 11:22 Can you say, amen to that? Amen. 11:23 You know what that saying, it says, 11:24 "Now the fruit that show up 11:26 in your life are holy fruit." Amen. 11:28 And when God is all done, you'll have everlasting life. 11:31 But the two words I want to begin with, 11:33 it says, but now but when, 11:36 "But now having been set free." 11:38 When you are a Christian, you are set free when? Now. 11:42 You are not going to be set free. 11:44 You are set free now. 11:45 And if you remember, I have three piece, three piece. 11:49 We are set free first from the penalty of sin. 11:53 Second, from the power of sin. 11:57 And finally, from the presence of sin. 12:00 Justification immediately set free 12:03 from the penalty of sin, taking off a death row, amen. 12:07 But everyday this is the lesson tonight, 12:09 but everyday we want to set, 12:10 we want to be set free from the power of sin. 12:14 "Sin shall not have dominion over you, 12:17 for you are not under the law, but under grace," 12:20 you know, what that means? It doesn't mean 12:21 that God has done away with commandments. 12:23 It means you are not under the condemnation of the law. 12:26 If you're set free from the penalty, 12:28 the law no longer condemns you. 12:31 If you're no longer on death row, 12:34 you know you are not going to die, right? 12:37 So when you become a Christian, 12:38 you are taking off of death row. 12:40 You are no longer under the nature of Adam, 12:43 because as an Adam, how many of us who die? All of us die. 12:46 "Even so in Christ shall all be made," how? "Alive," 12:50 that's what we're gonna talk about tonight. 12:51 "How to be alive unto God?" 12:54 So let's dive right in 12:55 because we have some great questions tonight. 12:57 You know what's so amazing about Christianity, 13:01 which is at the very same time 13:02 the greatest challenge of Christianity. 13:03 You know, what's amazing about it, 13:05 is we have to live a Christian life down here. 13:11 We're not waiting till we get to the gates of heaven 13:15 to start living a Christian life. 13:18 We have to live a Christian life 13:19 where? Down here. 13:22 Christians in enemy's territory. 13:25 We are Christians in enemy's territory. 13:27 So there is a battle that's gonna go on everyday. 13:29 But you'll find out tonight 13:31 that it is possible to live a Christian life. 13:34 It is possible to be a soldier 13:37 even if you're in a foreign field, 13:39 in enemy's territory. 13:40 Now when our soldiers go overseas 13:42 and fight whether it's wherever. 13:46 They are in enemy's territory, 13:47 but are they still soldiers? Yes. 13:49 Their citizenship is somewhere else 13:51 but they are in enemy's territory. 13:53 Tonight our citizenship is where? Say it with me. 13:56 In heaven, but where are we? In enemy's territory. 14:00 The prince of this world is still down here. 14:02 Temptation is still down here. 14:04 Corruption is still down here. Immorality is still down here. 14:07 Perversion is still down here. 14:09 Lying, stealing, cheating, everything else 14:11 you can name is still down here. 14:14 The wonder of the beautiful life 14:15 that Christ has given us is He wants us to say 14:19 to all of those who don't know Him 14:21 that Yannick has a life worth living. 14:27 There's a song years ago 14:29 that the Heritage Singers sang, it was called 14:33 "If heaven was never promised to me, 14:36 Neither God's promise to live eternally. 14:40 It's been worth just having the Lord in my life. 14:43 Because I was living in a world of darkness, 14:46 but He brought me the light. 14:47 So here's my point don't just live for heaven, 14:51 live for Jesus. Amen. 14:54 You heard that last week, right? 14:55 Don't just try to get in, we have to try to do what? 14:59 Fit in, if you're following last week. 15:02 So go with me to the first question 15:03 tonight on the screen. 15:05 Question number one, "What are we called 15:07 to do to prepare for eternity?" 15:10 What are we called to do to prepare for eternity? 15:13 You know, when my wife and I prepare for vacation, 15:16 we got something to do, right? 15:18 Don't you all prepare for vacation? 15:20 Prepare for school, everyday prepare for work, 15:23 we're all preparing. 15:24 What are we called to do to prepare for eternal life? 15:29 Titus 2 verse 11 and 12, Titus 2 verse 11 and 12. 15:34 And since this is our first scripture, 15:36 why don't we all read this one together, 15:37 this is gonna be on the screen. 15:38 Here it is, are we ready? 15:40 Here we go, "For the grace of God 15:43 that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 15:48 teaching us that, denying ungodliness 15:52 and worldly lusts, we should live," how? 15:55 "Soberly righteously, and godly in the present age." 16:02 When do we do all this? Right now. 16:06 Now. Say it again? Now. 16:08 We do it now in the present age. 16:11 Not in the sky, what, "pie in the sky, by and by," 16:17 have you heard that before? 16:18 So when we sing that song 16:20 which I've been able to memorize certain hymns, 16:22 hymn number 633, right Jill. 16:26 When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing 16:28 that will be when we all see Jesus. 16:30 We'll sing and shout the what? Victory! 16:32 We should be able to shout the victory 16:34 down here now. Amen. 16:36 Because if you're gonna wait till then to shout the victory 16:38 that says, you're gonna be, you're gonna be 16:41 stumbling and failing all the way down here. 16:44 But the greatest testament to the fact 16:45 that Jesus Christ in His righteousness 16:47 is efficient to not only deliver us from sin, 16:50 but deliver us from the power of sin 16:52 as effect that our lives would change. 16:55 And that is a nondenominational truth 16:58 what should, should I say? 16:59 That is an interdenominational truth. 17:01 A change life is the best testament 17:05 to the power that Jesus does save. Amen. 17:08 He shall save His people, 17:10 what's the rest? From their sins. 17:12 That's the mission of Jesus, call His name Jesus, 17:15 Matthew 1 and verse 21. 17:16 But this text says, we are called to live soberly, 17:21 righteously, and godly in this present age. 17:26 So you wanna write that down. 17:27 What are we called to do to prepare for eternal life? 17:30 Write that down. If you want to just summarize it, 17:34 live victoriously in this present age. 17:36 Because if you are sober, and you're righteous, 17:39 and you're godly, you're also what? Victorious. 17:44 Right now, I am New Yorker, 17:49 I live in Thompsonville, 17:52 I'm in a little city, sorry, I'm a little town, 17:56 I'm like a little community, no stop lights, 18:00 one stop sign, but I'm a New Yorker. 18:04 And therefore I'm a New Yorker, 18:07 I like basketball and I'm not a basketball fanatic, 18:10 but I'm just glad that my New York team 18:13 made it into the finals, 18:14 at least they made it into playoffs. 18:16 I'm hoping they make it into the finals. 18:18 But they have a whole lot of hurdles 18:19 before they get to the finals, 18:21 then after the finals then the championship. 18:24 I hope they get to the championship. 18:25 You see brethren in our lives we are someone like a team. 18:29 We are on the field everyday. We are on the road everyday. 18:32 We are against, there is something 18:33 competing against us everyday. 18:35 The daily competition is this flesh plus the devil, 18:39 plus temptation, plus people that tempt us 18:45 and try to seduce us to do wrong, 18:47 there's a lot of competition. 18:49 But I heard one quote say to one of the players, 18:51 "when you on the court get your head into the game, 18:56 stop thinking about the fans, ignore those," 18:58 have you ever seen that when the guys at the fault line 19:01 what are the fans of the other team 19:02 doing behind the backward? Trying to get him to miss. 19:06 What are they trying to do? Change their focus. 19:10 They're trying to distract them. 19:11 They're trying to get them to look at everything 19:13 but where their eye should be fixed. 19:15 And brethren if you think 19:17 that you're not gonna have distraction in this world, 19:19 you are really mistaken, that's the devil's job, amen. 19:22 He wants to distract us. 19:25 He wants us to take our eyes off the prize. 19:28 That's why Paul says, "Press toward the mark 19:30 for the prize of the upward call of God and Christ Jesus." 19:33 Forgetting those things behind you. 19:35 When the guy's running on the court, 19:36 he has a fast breaking in basketball, 19:39 he just glimpse it behind, 19:40 but he's not spending time looking behind 19:41 when he's got his mindset on the goal. 19:44 And tonight we're gonna set our minds on the goal, 19:45 is that all right? 19:47 First thing live soberly, righteously, 19:49 and godly in this present age. 19:51 Look at number two, question number two, 19:53 "What single choice can we make 19:56 as we prepare for eternity?" What single choice? 20:00 And I refer to you this is one of the best choices. 20:02 What single choice can we make as we prepare for eternity? 20:05 Romans 12:2, those of you who are scholars, 20:07 know what it says, Romans 12:2. Amen. 20:12 Okay, okay, here we are, it's gonna be on the screen. 20:16 Romans 12 verse 2 and it says, 20:20 what is the second and third word, and what? 20:23 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be what? 20:28 Transformed by the renewing of your mind, 20:32 that you may prove, what is that? 20:34 Good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 20:40 Not too long ago I did a series 20:42 called "Unclean Spirits" 20:44 and one of the overall themes of the man who is consider 20:49 the father of modern occultism, 20:51 Aleister Crowley as he said, 20:53 "Do what thou wilt," whatever you want to do, do it. 20:57 And that's the world's method, that's the world's, 20:59 that's the world's mantra if I could use the new age term. 21:02 I'm not new age but that's, 21:03 that's the repetitious statement. 21:05 Do whatever you want to do. 21:07 Whatever feels good do it, that's the world's push. 21:12 It makes you focus on the feeling of a thing 21:17 rather than the principle of a thing 21:20 or the right and the wrong of a thing. 21:22 And the devil appeals to the way it feels, 21:24 that's why music makes you feel the way it does, right. 21:27 Can you think of a song right now in your head? 21:30 Can you think of a song right now in your head? 21:32 If you, if I turned on a song, they had rhythm to it, 21:34 giving about a minute or so, 21:36 some of you start move into it. 21:39 And then, and the old terms 21:42 that use in the '60s was groovy. 21:45 Now I want you to know, I'm not a '60s child. 21:48 But they were in the groove, they felt the music 21:51 and that's why everything in world is design 21:52 to just appeal to the feeling. 21:54 Satan tries to use external things 21:57 to get an internal reaction. 21:58 But Jesus wants to plan His truth, His principles, 22:02 His word in us to control our external reactions. 22:06 If the word of God is in us, then we won't be confirmed 22:10 but we will be what? Transformed. 22:12 I was visiting with David today, and I said, 22:16 now I get excited about t-shirts. 22:18 And there is a, there is a phrase that I want to put 22:21 on the t-shirt, you've heard it before, it's G-I-G-O, 22:24 what is that? What is that? 22:27 Garbage in, garbage out, not GIGO, 22:29 but G-I-G-O, Garbage in, garbage out. 22:32 And then I want to put below that be transformed 22:36 by the renewing of your mind. 22:38 One of the reasons why it's so difficult is many of us 22:40 before we gave our lives to Jesus 22:42 spent many of our years in the world 22:44 and how much garbage is in our head. 22:46 Now if I would-- A lot. 22:49 If I were able to stick a divine firewire to your head, 22:56 get me a hard drive and download the stuff 22:59 that you did, how many hard drive would I need, 23:01 come on somebody tell me. 23:03 More than a gigabyte. Couple of terabytes, terabytes. 23:09 I mean really there is a lot of stuff in our heads, 23:13 can you confess to that? 23:14 Amen. There's a lot of stuff in there. 23:16 The movies you've seen, the things you've heard, 23:19 the places you've gone, the things you've done, 23:21 the people you hang out with. 23:23 The things you did in secret, the things you did in public 23:25 and we're unashamed of it. 23:27 You've got this file cabinet of filth in your head 23:31 that until the Lord gives us a whole new incorruptible mind, 23:35 we got to deal with this corrupted mind. 23:38 And start filling it with good stuff, 23:40 pushing out all the other stuff. 23:41 One thing I learned about a hard drive is this. 23:45 If you got a 10 megabyte hard drive 23:48 and it has 10 megabytes of bad files 23:51 and you want to put 10 megabytes of good files, 23:54 you can start deleting all the bad stuff 23:56 and putting good stuff, right? 23:57 Try to renew your mind. 23:59 Yeah. That's right. 24:00 You got to renew your mind 24:02 and by studying the word of God 24:04 that's where the transformation comes in. 24:06 It starts taking up, it starts overwriting the old stuff. 24:09 Have you ever saved the file before? 24:11 And it says, do you want to replace it. 24:14 Anybody know what I'm talking about? I did that lot today. 24:17 When I was putting the syllabus together I realize, 24:18 oh, I miss the word, oh, that was wrong text on. 24:21 And every time I saved it with the same title, 24:23 but do you want to replace it? 24:24 Yes. Everyday the Lord is gonna ask you, 24:27 do you want to replace the old thoughts with new ones. 24:30 And what's your answer gonna be? 24:31 Yes. You got to be transformed. 24:33 It's an act, it's an action. 24:36 If you don't make that action, you don't get the results. 24:38 Now let's put that in practicality. 24:40 If I create a new file and I, and it ask me the question. 24:44 You ever tried to close the program before you save it, 24:46 and ask, save, or don't save, or cancel. 24:52 And you're thinking, is this the right file, 24:57 right, am I right? And then you hit, 25:00 save and it overwrites whatever was there before. 25:03 Oh I made a mistake one day when I was working on a, 25:06 I was in one of my old churches 25:08 I was working on a program 25:09 we had social, a church social and all the church members 25:12 gave me pictures, baby pictures 25:14 and pictures when they were teenagers, 25:15 and pictures when they got married, 25:16 and pictures of their wedding. 25:18 I had hundreds of pictures. 25:20 And my computer had a glitch 25:22 and I couldn't get the program 25:24 so I went, that's when I had a PC. 25:27 And I went to the, back of the operating system 25:30 and I found a file, I said, 25:31 that file is not supposed to be here. 25:34 And I did start deleting that file 25:35 about a minute iinto the deletion 25:37 as I'm standing and watching the files being deleted. 25:40 I realize I'm deleting what I just work seven hours to do. 25:45 And you know what happened? 25:47 Oh, the feeling that comes over a person 25:50 when that happens. 25:51 I bang the desk and I did all that work for nothing. 25:56 And I came to the social, the night and said, 26:01 "I'll just talk about the pictures 26:03 because I deleted the whole thing." 26:04 You know, what happened to me two weeks later 26:06 and I've learned ever since then backup, 26:08 backup, backup, save, save, save. 26:11 Tonight the Lord wants us to be transformed 26:13 but here's question three, 26:14 because we're gonna walk through the basics of this. 26:16 We're gonna make it very elementary, 26:18 so that when you go home and you say, 26:19 "Okay, I'm a Christian, but what do I do to make sure 26:21 that my life everyday is victorious." 26:23 How do I know I'm gonna grow? 26:26 Here's question number three, 26:27 "How does the Bible describe 26:29 the inability of fallen man to please God?" 26:33 How does the Bible describe 26:35 the inability of fallen man to please God? 26:38 Romans 5 verse 12, all right, Romans 5:12. 26:43 Some of you are turning to it, 26:44 but some of you know it's on the screen. 26:45 If you don't have your Bibles 26:47 just follow on the screen and it will be there. 26:49 Here's the answer Romans 5 verse 12, it says, 26:52 "Therefore, just as through, how many men? 26:56 One man sin entered the world, and death through sin, 27:01 and thus death spread to how many men? 27:04 All men, because how many sinned? 27:05 All sinned. So if you answer the question, 27:09 how does the Bible describe 27:11 the inability of fallen man to please God? 27:13 What would, what answer would you give? 27:16 The last three, because all sinned. 27:20 Now we all inherit 27:23 the thing that our father passed on to us. 27:27 We inherited that very nature, that wayward nature. 27:30 And what evidences do you have in the Bible 27:32 of that wayward nature in the very beginning, it is amazing. 27:34 If you read the Bible in the very beginning of the Bible, 27:36 you have evidence of how wayward that nature is. 27:38 Remember when Adam and Eve fell. 27:41 What was the first, what was the first lie that Adam told? 27:45 Come on somebody tell. What was the first lie Adam told? 27:50 He said the woman you gave to me. 27:52 Yeah, yeah. Right, remember that. 27:54 He knew right away the reason why many of us 27:59 are like we are is because the first thing that Adam did, 28:02 Adam didn't take personal responsibility. 28:06 One of the things that you will learn 28:07 in your Christian life as you have to take what? 28:08 Personal responsibility. Personal responsibility. 28:11 Personal responsibility, personal accountability. 28:14 You know what? Adam wasn't accountable to Eve, 28:17 Adam was not accountable to the serpent. 28:19 Adam was accountable to who? To God. 28:21 So he came out to God, stood right before God and knew, 28:25 he knew that God knew what happened, 28:26 but he in his broken nature said, 28:31 you probably don't know what happened. Well, see, God. 28:37 She did. Well, he couldn't blame the neighbors 28:40 because there were no neighbors. 28:42 The woman you gave me. 28:45 The first thing we have to do 28:46 is take personal responsibility. 28:48 So if you answer the question, how does the Bible describe 28:50 the inability of fallen man to please God? 28:53 Put down, we are all sinners, we are all sinners, 28:58 that's the nature that we all have. 29:00 We're born into a corrupt world. 29:03 David said, born in sin and shaped in what? 29:05 Inequity. Everything about our process is corrupt. 29:09 And even though I remember somebody ask a question 29:13 we were doing a youth rally somewhere, 29:14 somebody ask a question, they said, 29:16 "Now what if the father and the mother become Christians 29:19 and they have a baby after that. 29:22 Does the baby still need to be born again? 29:25 What did I say? Yes. Because the parents 29:29 can't give the baby a blood transfusion. 29:31 We are saved by the blood of Jesus, amen? 29:34 Amen. Not by the blood of parents. 29:35 You don't inherit righteousness, 29:37 except if you inherited from Christ. 29:40 You don't have first and second 29:41 and third and fourth generation Christians, 29:43 every generation has to be converted. Amen. 29:46 Right? Yes. Let's look at the next one, 29:48 question number where? Four. Number four. 29:53 And this is the turning point, you got the beginning 29:55 what we're challenge to do, what we must, 29:58 how we must do it and how we can't do it. 30:01 You get it, what we are called to do, 30:05 how we can do it and how we can't do it, all right. 30:10 But now this is something that so vitally important, 30:12 because we just talk about Adam 30:13 how he gave us a defective life. 30:16 But now look at this. 30:18 In what way was the disobedience of Adam reversed? 30:24 The disobedience of Adam reversed. 30:26 Before we get to the question or the answer, 30:27 I want to make it very, very clear. 30:30 We don't have to say, like, many, many years ago 30:32 I share this with young person last week, 30:34 I made a mistake and I took a, I took a teenager back 30:37 to the '70s when I used the phrase, 30:40 "The devil made me do it." 30:42 Does anybody remember that guy? 30:43 Flip Wilson. Okay, there you go. Amen. 30:45 I said, do you have heard of Flip Wilson? 30:46 He says, "No." I said, 30:50 I apologize it took you further back 30:52 then you could even reminisce. 30:54 But he used to say that the devil made me do it. 30:56 The devil can't make you do anything. 30:58 As a matter of fact, you'll find, James, also says, 30:59 each one of us is tempted when we are drawn away 31:01 by our own lusts, our own desires and enticed, 31:06 that's why everybody falls to different things. 31:09 But now here the answer. 31:11 In what way was the disobedience of Adam reversed? 31:14 Romans 5 and verse 9, Romans 5 and verse 9. 31:17 Beautiful passage. It says, speaking about Jesus, 31:22 "And having been," what's the next word? 31:25 "Perfected, He became the author of salvation 31:33 to all who listen to Him. 31:38 To all who name is name. 31:40 No. Obey Him. To all who attend His church? 31:43 Obey Him. To all who like Christian music. 31:47 Obey Him. Come on, say it together, to all who do what? 31:50 Obey, that's--that word has been on the endangered species 31:55 thus for a long time. 31:57 Because even in Christian circles some people teach us, 31:59 it's not possible to be obedient. 32:04 It's not possible to keep the commandments of God, 32:06 that's another statement. It's not possible, 32:08 only Jesus can do that, it's not possible. 32:11 So why would Jesus, why would Jesus do something 32:14 as and this is just a hypothetical. 32:18 If it was not possible to be obedient, why would Jesus say, 32:21 "If you love me keep my commandments," 32:24 why would He say that? Is He trying to play a trick on us? 32:27 No. No, He's trying to reveal to us 32:29 the secret of how it's done. 32:32 Paul made it very clear, I couldn't do it 32:34 because in me that is in my flesh was nothing good. 32:37 We found out about that when we talked about 32:39 the fallen nature of the Adam. 32:41 So, Jesus, and I want you to get this, 32:46 "And having been," what is the very next word? 32:49 "Perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation 32:54 to all who obey Him." 32:55 Now I want you to get that the author, 32:58 but He's not just the author, He's also what? 33:00 Finisher. The finisher, you got to get this. 33:03 Because it begins, in other words, 33:05 what this is saying is He start 33:07 if you, if you turn to Him, 33:10 He'll start in your life, 33:12 He'll begin to rewrite your story, 33:14 He's an author. What does an author do? 33:17 He writes, he publishes. 33:19 Everybody story needs to be rewritten, right? 33:23 Oh, you should have said, amen to that. 33:24 You know why? Because you don't want, 33:27 you don't want your corrupt life 33:29 to be read in the judgment. 33:31 Amen. Thank you, somebody's awake tonight. 33:34 You don't want the junk you've done 33:37 to be read in the judgment, am I right? Amen. 33:40 I wrote my book, but you know what's amazing about it. 33:43 Whenever we write our own story, 33:44 we only tell the good things, right? 33:47 Isn't that true? Sure. 33:49 We'll never say, you know, I was a lie 33:51 when I was 15, we don't say that. 33:53 My book's very thin. Your book is very thin. 33:56 But here is the point when we give our lives to Christ, 33:59 He begins to rewrite our stories. Yes. 34:02 So when the time the judgment comes 34:03 that's why the Bible says, so that you may 34:05 have boldness in the Day of Judgment. 34:08 Boldness, because you know, 34:10 your story has been rewritten, right? 34:13 Right, if your story is not rewritten. 34:15 If he hasn't blotted out your sin, they're gonna say, okay, 34:20 I've been picking on Yannick so much, 34:22 but he has such a smile. 34:23 I say, okay, Yannick, he went to heaven. 34:26 Yannick you'll be save, I believe that, 34:28 you have to do the work and Jesus will help you. 34:30 But until then just say you're in heaven, 34:32 okay, the seats were up 34:34 they're reviewing all the records, 34:35 they say, "Yannick, Yannick, Yannick, Yannick, Yannick, 34:38 okay there it is, I need a help 34:40 Yannick's got a huge book. 34:42 I think that there's gonna be a DVD in heaven, 34:44 a divine video disk. 34:46 That the Lord's gonna say, 34:47 "Okay, here all the opportunities there," 34:50 I'm not gonna use Yannick. 34:51 Here all the opportunities 34:53 that he gave to that guy to be saved. 34:57 Here all the opportunities presented 34:59 to that young lady to be saved. 35:00 And look at her reaction, look at his reaction, 35:03 I could have written, rewritten their story, 35:06 but they didn't let me rewrite their story. 35:07 I could have come into their lives 35:09 and rewritten their story, so when they stand before me 35:12 somebody will punch him. 35:14 Angela Lomacang, her file is clean, 35:19 let's not read that one. 35:20 Oh, she's up here by the way, 35:21 you don't have to read her story, 35:22 she's here, amen, honey. 35:24 See that's what you want. 35:25 You don't want the past read, 35:28 you want the past to blotted out, right? 35:31 So Jesus can rewrite our stories. 35:33 He became the author of salvation to all who obey Him. 35:36 But the author of salvation, 35:37 you got to get this is the beginning of your walk. 35:40 He's not just the author, but He can carry you 35:41 all the way through that, 35:43 that's what we're talking about tonight. 35:44 Okay. He can carry you all the way through. 35:46 What's the next question, question number five? 35:48 "What assurance do we have 35:50 that we can be obedient like Jesus?" 35:53 Something that you don't hear a lot 35:55 in sermons, being obedient. 35:57 You know, we talk about trials 35:58 and getting over paying you're bills and Lord, 36:00 bailed you out, bailed you out 36:01 when you at the checkout counter, that's all good. 36:04 But you know, you're not gonna go to heaven 36:06 because the Lord, bailed you out of the checkout counter. 36:08 You're not, you're not gonna to heaven, 36:09 because the Lord made your car start this morning 36:12 or save you from an accident. 36:14 You're gonna go to heaven because the Lord 36:15 has transformed your life. Amen. 36:17 And that transformation is obedience to be like Jesus. 36:21 And by the way let me just caution you, 36:23 don't try to be like anybody else, 36:26 because people will fail. 36:30 That's what Paul said, 36:32 "Only imitate me as I imitate Christ." Amen. 36:38 Be very careful, don't make man your idol. 36:41 But here's the answer, here is the answer, 36:45 First Corinthians 15, verse 49. 36:48 What assurance is the question? 36:50 What assurance do we have that we can be obedient like Jesus? 36:52 And this is beautiful. First Corinthians Chapter 15 36:54 deals with the subject in great detail, 36:55 but here's the answer. 36:57 "And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, 37:02 we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man." 37:08 You are wicked like Adam, 37:09 but one day you're going to be righteous like Jesus. Yes. 37:12 You're a liar like Adam, but one day 37:14 you're gonna be truthful like Jesus. 37:15 You are a schema like Adam, but one day 37:17 you're gonna be an honest man like Jesus. 37:20 You walked in darkness with pleasure, 37:22 one day you're gonna walk in the light with pleasure. 37:24 You know, why this topic is so important to me 37:26 is because I enjoy my Christianity, 37:29 I enjoy my relationship with Christ. 37:32 And it always behooves me when I see people 37:33 that just come to church, they just barely get to church 37:38 and they're sitting in it, when he is going to finish. 37:44 Why we're in church so long. 37:46 They say, they drop a note of my, 37:49 put a note in my office, 37:51 "You need to preach shorter." 37:52 And I thought to myself, what are they gonna do 37:54 when they get to heaven. 37:56 Jesus is gonna preach longer than Paul did, 37:58 when Eutychus fell. 38:00 And they're not gonna be anybody fall in sleep 38:02 when Jesus preaches, amen. Amen. 38:04 But here's my point, not that I'm the best, 38:07 by no means am I claiming that title. 38:09 But here's my point, if you cannot find joy in the things 38:12 that are spiritual down here, you are not gonna have 38:16 some immediate Pop goes the weasel transformation 38:19 at the appearing of Jesus. 38:22 Because there's about, the pattern 38:23 that happens in your life. 38:25 If your mind does not become adaptable to those things 38:28 that are righteous, and good, and holy just like this, 38:31 the first time I went over to the Philippines, 38:32 I remember there was a fruit. 38:34 Oh, man, I tell you it smells awful but it tastes good. 38:37 Durian, it is the most awful smelling fruit, 38:42 if this room was filled with durian you will all run. Yeah. 38:45 It smells really bad. 38:47 To be very candid with you, you're not eating it. 38:49 It smells like if a baby throws up, 38:53 it has that stinky, stinky, smell. 38:56 And, you know, how long they tried to convince me 38:58 to take this, it smells bad but it tastes good. 39:02 And I tasted it and it was so, so sweet, 39:05 but it has an awfultie taste. 39:06 And so somebody said, to get pass this strong smell 39:09 you really enjoyed if you taste it. 39:12 Here's my point not everything that seems bad is bad. 39:17 Some people think that Christianity is bitter. 39:19 No, the Bible says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." 39:25 How sweet it is? Exactly. Sweet as the day go by. 39:28 My brother's testifying tonight, 39:30 praise the Lord for that. 39:31 Because when you have that walk with Christ, 39:33 you disconnect from the things behind you 39:34 and you're getting ready for the things 39:35 that are head of you brethren, this is a tiny planet. 39:38 I don't want to stay down here for the rest of my existence, 39:40 God's got so much more for us. 39:42 But He doesn't want us to just get off the planet. 39:44 He wants us to have a walk with Him in this life 39:47 while we are down here. 39:49 Look at this, question number six 39:51 is not a scripture you turned to. 39:53 Well, we're gonna fill some things in together, okay. 39:56 Here's question number six. 39:57 So to segue, we have borne the image of Adam. 40:01 We will also bear the image of the last Adam, 40:04 who is in fact, Christ. 40:07 As we were like the earthly Adam, 40:09 we will be like the heavenly Adam. 40:11 Okay, question number six, 40:13 "What are some of the attributes that separate 40:15 the first Adam from Christ?" 40:17 What are some of the attributes? 40:18 You're gonna fill this in together. 40:19 Are you ready for the first one? 40:20 We're gonna do a comparison between Adam and Jesus. 40:25 Follow the chart very carefully. 40:26 First thing, that is comparison 40:29 between Adam and Jesus. 40:30 First thing, in Adam we are dead where? 40:32 In sin. In Jesus we are dead what? 40:35 To sin, write that down, put that in there. 40:39 In Adam we are dead in sin, in Jesus we are dead to sin. 40:44 Very important. Sin loses its hold over us. 40:49 I was talking to somebody today and it's amazing 40:52 how people fight against the law of God so much, 40:55 it just really amazes me. 40:57 You know, that word grace is almost been made 40:59 a license to be ignorant of God's commandments. 41:03 I said, the only thing stronger than sin, 41:06 one of the things that are stronger than sin 41:08 is the grace of God. 41:09 That's why it says, "Where Sin abounds, 41:11 Grace much more abounds." 41:15 Praise God. In other words Jesus is saying, 41:17 "If you think the sin of Adam is bad, 41:19 if you think the sin of Adam is strong, 41:22 you ought to try out my grace. 41:23 It's a lot stronger than the sin of Adam." 41:25 Amen. That's why it says, 41:27 "For by grace are you saved through faith, 41:29 and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, 41:31 Not of works, lest any man should boast 41:33 has nothing to do with us." 41:34 But in Adam we are dead in sin, 41:36 in Christ Jesus we are dead what? 41:37 To sin. Look at the next one. 41:39 In Adam we are what? Earthly. 41:42 In Jesus we are what? Heavenly. 41:46 Brethren here's the key, if you start when you 41:49 filled this category and if you find that you identify 41:52 so much more with things in Adam's category, 41:54 you really need to be transform, right. 41:57 If you find that sin is really enjoyable and boy, 42:00 you really love earthly things, then you'll find, 42:02 you're in the wrong category. 42:04 I want to be in the right category, how about you? 42:06 Amen. I put Jesus on the right. 42:08 Yes. Adam on the left. 42:10 Third thing that's a comparison 42:13 opposite by the way. 42:15 Adam is natural. Jesus is what? 42:17 Spiritual, Jesus is spiritual. 42:21 He said, "The hour has come in which the true worshiper 42:25 must worship the Father in spirit and in truth, 42:27 for the Father seeks such to worship Him," 42:30 John 4 verse 23 and 24. 42:32 He's looking for those who want to worship Him 42:34 in spirit and in truth. 42:37 Lot of people say, "I'm fired up tonight, excuse me." 42:40 Lot of people say, "I'm in the spirit," 42:42 that maybe good but you need 42:43 to be in the truth also, right? Amen. 42:46 Spirit and in truth, not truth or spirit, 42:50 not spirit or truth, both. 42:53 Okay, the next thing, next comparison, 42:56 Adam corruptible, Jesus, say it? Incorruptible. 43:02 Right now, one of the challenges as we've got 43:05 a messed up body and who do we blame? Adam. 43:09 These minds can be easily influenced 43:12 and we can try to live an incorruptible life, 43:15 but you know this whole world is corrupt, am I right? 43:17 You heard about corrupt politicians, 43:19 corrupt business practices, corrupt neighbors, 43:22 corrupt news, corrupt music, corrupt videos. 43:27 Corruptible, the mind can be easily corrupted, 43:32 but one day we will put on incorruption. 43:34 And the final thing, these are the final stages. 43:39 Jesus is immortal, Adam is mortal. 43:45 Adam is mortal, mortal. 43:47 Paul says and by the way, you know, the dead in sin, 43:51 earthly, natural, corruptible, mortal, Jesus, 43:54 dead to sin, heavenly, spiritual, 43:56 and incorruptible, immortal. 43:57 Those last two, the reason why I left them 43:59 for last is because we are still, 44:03 we still are the corruptible body, 44:04 we still have a mortal body. 44:06 One day we're gonna have an incorruptible mind 44:09 and one day we're gonna have an immortal body. 44:11 First Corinthians 15 verse 51 to 55, 44:14 this corruptible shall put on what? Incorruption. 44:17 And this mortal shall put on what? Immortality. 44:20 Living the spiritual life in the natural body is simply, 44:25 living for Jesus with a mind that if we expose 44:29 it to the world, we'll get corrupt. 44:32 That's why what we do is so vitally important. 44:35 Number seven, we're moving at a good pace, 44:38 I don't think we're gonna get through all of this, 44:39 because number seven is a long one. 44:43 Now number seven is broken down in to do or not to do. 44:46 You're to be or not to be, this is to do or not to do, 44:49 all right, and these are principles, 44:51 look at question number seven, question number seven, 44:55 "How should those "In Christ" 44:58 be different from those "Not in Christ?" 45:03 There should be a difference, what do you think? 45:05 There should be a difference, right? Amen. 45:07 Okay. Let's go first to the first one 45:10 and this is a "to do," all right. 45:14 I don't want you to be Christians that just don't do. 45:16 You got to know what to do, not just not do. 45:22 This is a King James Version text, 45:23 I like it because it says it best, all right. 45:29 Colossians 3 verse 2, read it with me, are you ready? 45:32 "Set your affections on things," where? 45:36 "Above, not on things on the earth." Why? 45:40 Because the earth, everything on the earth 45:41 is gonna be burned up, is gonna be junked, 45:44 is gonna be piled up, is gonna be corruptible 45:47 as the Bible says, "Do not lay up for yourselves 45:52 treasures, where moth and rust doth corrupt, 45:55 and where thieves break into steal." 45:58 And so if your affections, I've resisted so far 46:03 to know how long I could do this, 46:05 it's not a sin but I only have an iPad too. 46:09 And it works just fine, same amount of storage 46:13 as the new iPad haven't found any major reason 46:17 except the fact that I'm resisting my gadgetarianism. 46:21 I'm a gadgetarian, I'm a gadget person. 46:24 But I'm saying well, what's a difference 46:25 between two and three? 46:27 Well, better camera, faster processor. 46:29 But I'm thinking I can still read my text. 46:31 I can still do my sermons. I get to listen to my music. 46:35 I've been resisting, because I've been 46:37 setting my affections on things 46:38 that stay out of my pocket, amen. 46:42 Now I want you to get now is you have to set your 46:45 affections on things where? 46:47 Above not on things on the earth. 46:50 One of the appreciations I've for the Midwest is this. 46:53 Last night the sky was beautifully radiant, 46:57 anybody looked up at the skies last night? 47:01 You can't see the sky in New York. 47:05 I do not dislike New York, you see skyscrapers, 47:11 you don't see skies. 47:13 You don't see the skies in San Francisco. 47:15 You hardly, barely see the skies in any major city, 47:18 because the lights are eclipsing the beauty of God. 47:21 When the Lord said, set your affections 47:23 on things above, we lived in the bay area, 47:25 number of years ago on the North Bay area. 47:27 And we, we got a notice that there was going to be, 47:31 tonight was gonna be a meteor shower. 47:33 It said, tonight is gonna be a meteor shower 47:34 and it's best visible between this hour and that, 47:36 between 2 and 3 o'clock. 47:38 And you can see a best are the East, 47:40 Northeast and we thought, man, there is so much light 47:43 where we live, how can we see it, 47:44 you know, Dick, we're Fairfield. 47:46 So we drove towards Suisun and went out into the vineyard 47:50 somewhere out in the fields with our car as far away 47:53 from the unnatural light as we can get. 47:57 And we looked up and it was glorious. 48:00 You can see all the beauty of God 48:02 when the unnatural light is no longer eclipsing your view. 48:05 When you're really setting your affections 48:07 on things above, one of the most radiant experiences 48:10 my wife and I had is when we lived in the mountains 48:12 of Northern California up in Weaverville. 48:14 We drove to the, it's called the Lookout. 48:18 The Lookout is one of the high points where you cross over 48:20 the mountain peak to get to the next town. 48:21 When we drove to the high point between 48:23 Hayfork and Weaverville, 48:24 hello Hayfork, hello Weaverville. 48:27 And we pulled our vehicle off of the side of the road 48:29 and we're talking about dark when you turned 48:32 your headlights off, you can go like this 48:33 and you're not gonna see your hand. 48:35 But you know what happens, they said, do that, 48:38 get on the hood of your car, we had a four, 48:40 lay on hood of your car let the windshield become 48:43 your back rest and sit there and just close your eyes 48:49 for a few minutes and then open them. 48:52 And it was just, it felt like the stars were coming at us. 48:57 It felt like heaven was about--you almost want to run 48:58 inside the vehicle, and say honey dark, they're coming. 49:02 You know, what that is? 49:03 Setting your affections on things above. 49:05 There is nothing more beautiful than looking away 49:08 from the world and setting your eyes 49:10 on the heavens of God. Very true. 49:12 In the very same way, 49:13 if all the things of the earth will be-- 49:16 What the song where it says, 49:19 the earth grow strangely dim in the what? 49:22 Light of His glory and His grace. 49:26 But you got to set your, you got to change. 49:28 So first thing you want to do, 49:29 first thing you want to write down. 49:30 I want you to get this, change your affections, 49:34 change your affections. 49:37 Stop liking the things that won't give Jesus 49:40 priority in your life, change your affections. 49:44 I'm affectionate towards my wife. 49:50 Now if I change my affections, 49:52 I won't be affectionate toward her. 49:55 The devil wants us to be affectionate toward 49:57 the wrong things and therefore 50:00 we fall in love with the wrong things. 50:03 That's the powerful statement, set your affections. 50:06 I forgot, how does the New King James Version say it, 50:09 "Set your mind," set mind, 50:11 the reason why I like affections 50:13 because mind hearted, it almost intimates intimacy, 50:17 it says, it's real, 50:18 if you're really affectionate, it's deep. 50:24 Exactly, right. We're setting our affections on things 50:27 above not on things-- that's the first thing, 50:28 so that's a to do, but here's a not to do, 50:31 this is the powerful one, here's a not to do. 50:33 Wow, here's a not to do, here's a not to do. 50:38 What's the first two words? 50:40 "Do not be deceived, 50:42 evil company corrupts good habits." 50:46 What's the not to do, come on somebody tell me? 50:50 Watch out the company you keep. 50:53 Amen. Am I right? Amen. 50:56 You can't hang around low lives and have a high life. 51:00 You can't hang around worldly people and think 51:03 godly thoughts, you got it. 51:06 You know what so practical about this, 51:08 this is practical Christianity. 51:10 This is how we live and think and move and breathe. 51:13 You got to make this decision. 51:14 This is what I can't do, this is what I can't do. 51:17 This is not salvation by works, but here's the, 51:19 here's the scripture that fits perfectly into this 51:21 whole context of a next five questions. 51:25 He that has this hope purifies himself even as he is pure. 51:30 You know, the Lord says, 51:31 I've cleaned your car, keep it clean. 51:33 I've given you a good robe, keep it spotless. 51:36 C.D Brooks said, his father said, 51:38 I don't have a lot of money, 51:39 but I'm giving you a good name, protect it. 51:43 So the Lord gives us His righteousness, 51:45 He says don't let My name be evil spoken of. Amen. 51:50 Don't use the name Christian and call 51:52 ashamed to be connected to Christian. 51:54 We've got to make choices, and by the way 51:56 every one of us makes choices how often? 51:58 All day long, everyday, just don't think 52:00 of your choices as things that you waste. 52:03 I know you don't believe in genie bottles, 52:05 but if you only had three wishes 52:07 you would think seriously about it. 52:09 If you only had three choices, you think seriously about it. 52:13 God gives us choices, set your affections, 52:16 do not be fooled, make sure that you choose company 52:19 that's gonna strengthen your good habits, 52:21 not corrupt your good habits, right? 52:24 My mother used to say, "Show me your company 52:27 and I will show your character. 52:30 Show me the people you hang around with 52:31 and I'll show you who you're becoming." 52:34 That's another one, you lie down with dogs, 52:36 you get up with fleas. 52:37 Here's another one, here's a good one, 52:38 here's a, to do, here's a, to do. 52:40 Philippians 2 verse 5, here you go. 52:44 What's the first word now? 52:46 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." 52:52 Amen. How do you let? How do you let something happen? 52:55 How do you let? How do you let something happen? 52:58 Surrender. Say it again? Surrender. 53:00 You surrender, you stop resisting. 53:03 Now this is powerful as a preacher 53:05 I need to develop this very quickly. 53:07 There are some people that are sitting in a sermon 53:09 and they're not letting, they're not letting 53:11 the message to get to them. 53:13 They're not letting what the preacher is saying, 53:14 what the Bible is saying, make a difference in their lives. 53:17 I could see that on their faces 53:18 sometimes during the sermon. 53:19 I could see people get uneasy and I don't like that. 53:23 And some people want to get up, because they want to 53:25 make sure that they get up before you get 53:26 to the next scripture that found the way where you live. 53:30 See, if you simply let the word of God, 53:32 let the word of God, its like, its like bread, 53:34 can you imagine making bread 53:36 and it's running away from all the ingredients? 53:40 You got to get that picture, you know, 53:41 I have a, I have a foresight mind. 53:45 If you, if you trying to make a loaf of bread 53:47 can you imagine the bread running all over the counter? 53:50 And Hannah saying, "Would you get back over, 53:51 I'm trying to put some yeast in you? 53:52 I don't want any yeast, I do not want any, 53:57 I don't like vanilla extract." 54:00 And you say, "But I'm trying to make you tasty. 54:05 I'm trying to make people like you, 54:07 I'll put everything in you that that you need." 54:10 See what happens is if you let the mind of Christ 54:13 be in you and by the way the best way to transfer 54:15 the mind of Christ in you is what, come on say it to me? 54:18 By the study of the word of God. 54:20 David said, "Thy word have I done," what? 54:22 "Hid in my heart." This is the most valuable 54:25 piece of armor that you'll have all week along. Amen. 54:28 You talk about the whole armor of God, 54:30 well, if you don't have this you can have 54:33 everything else faith, but your faith is gonna get weak. 54:36 Your breast plate of righteousness 54:38 is gonna get thin without feeding on the word of God. 54:41 The mind of Christ is not gonna transform your mind. 54:44 If you want to find out how God thinks about you, 54:46 His love letter to you, spend time in the word. 54:49 Let's try to get the rest of this 54:50 before we finalize for tonight. 54:52 The next one, this is a not to do, this is a not to do. 54:56 "Blessed is the man who walks not 54:59 in the counsel of the ungodly, 55:01 nor stands in the path of sinners, 55:03 nor sits in the seat of the scornful." 55:06 Make choices about the places you go. 55:08 Amen. Is this practical? Amen. 55:12 Why shall where you go? Don't sit where sinners sit. 55:15 Don't walk where sinners walk. 55:17 Don't stand where sinners stand. 55:20 If you're from a big city like me, I'll tell you, 55:22 you know, exactly what I'm talking about. 55:23 In my neighborhood, it could be 20 degrees in the winter. 55:26 All the wine, I was standing around 55:28 a big old garbage can with the firewood in it. 55:30 And I'm thinking, they're out there because 55:32 they are so filled with alcohol, 55:33 they're not even cold. 55:36 You know, what I'm talking about? 55:37 Yes, I know. Yeah. 55:39 The robbers, the thieves, they're standing 55:40 on the corner past midnight waiting to rob somebody. 55:43 Don't stand in this, don't stand in the path of sinners. 55:48 They're walking the same beaten path to the pool hall. 55:51 Don't stand in the path of sinners. 55:53 They walk in the same path of the club. 55:56 They're going to the same store to buy the same thing. 56:00 Don't stand, don't sit where they sit, 56:02 don't walk where they walk. 56:03 Don't take their counsel, because it's corrupt counsel. 56:07 Isn't that the practical scripture 56:08 and what's the first word? 56:10 Blessed. You know what that mean? 56:12 Happy. Happy. You want to be happy? 56:15 Don't do any of that. Don't hang out with sinners. 56:18 Except to give them Bible studies, 56:21 and then run to Jesus. 56:24 Okay, look at the next one, this is a, to do. 56:27 I think we can get it, I think we can get it. This is to do. 56:30 Second Timothy 2 verse 15, another King James Version 56:33 passage, very, very powerful one. 56:35 What's the first one, brethren say it together with me? 56:37 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, 56:39 a workman that needeth not to be ashamed," 56:41 what's the next word? 56:42 "Rightly dividing the word of truth." 56:45 Don't hesitate to study God's word only 56:47 as you study God's word, can you handle the truth? 56:50 Can you rightly impart the truth? 56:52 Can you slice the bread and give it without hindering it? 56:55 Rightly dividing the word of truth. 56:57 I'll come back to this on our next topic, 56:59 but I want to finish this one 57:00 in the last one for tonight, Okay? 57:02 Let me do it very quickly. Here is another one, 57:05 "Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. 57:08 He who does good is of God, 57:09 but he who does evil has not seen God." 57:12 Don't imitate evil things, that's what you want to put 57:14 on the sixth one "Do not imitate evil things" 57:17 and the last one, the last one for tonight, 57:21 the last one for tonight is a, to do, 57:23 always on the positive note. 57:24 What's the first word, "Abide in Me, and I in you. 57:27 As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, 57:30 unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, 57:33 unless you abide in Me." 57:34 Friends tonight the most practical topic that anybody 57:38 can ever think about is how to be alive into God. 57:42 We're gonna continue this topic 57:43 on our next broadcast, next Wednesday. 57:45 God willing we look forward to having you come here. 57:47 And remember take these practical steps to heart. 57:51 If you didn't get the lesson ASF.3abn.org 57:56 and download that and get a head of the study 57:58 as we look forward to next week. 58:00 God bless you until we see you again. |
Revised 2014-12-17