Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000016
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00:19 Hello, friends.
00:20 And welcome to another Wednesday night 00:22 "A Sharper Focus" broadcast live here 00:25 from Thompsonville, Illinois, the 3ABN Worship Center 00:28 also the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:30 Thank you for taking the time again 00:32 to join us as you know 00:33 we've been walking through the very important topic, 00:36 "How to Live a Spiritual Life in a Natural Body?" 00:38 What kind of body did I say? 00:40 Natural body. A natural body. 00:41 That's what God has called us to do. 00:43 We are in a natural world, we are living with mortal flesh 00:46 and the environment in which we live 00:48 is designed for us to fail. 00:50 But we believe the Christ that resides in us 00:52 is designed for us to succeed. 00:54 And so tonight get your Bibles, 00:56 invite your family members to join you if you are at work. 00:59 If you could do that, just take the next hour 01:01 and relax with us and walk with us 01:03 through the study of the Word of God 01:05 as we continue our topic 01:06 "How to be Willing and Obedient." 01:09 Now if you like to follow us in the lesson, 01:11 just go to our website ASF.3abn.org 01:15 and download the syllabus for tonight's lesson 01:18 and we are gonna begin with question number 15. 01:20 We're finishing that syllabus up. 01:22 But remember next Wednesday 01:24 there is not gonna be a live broadcast 01:25 because we begin our Spring 3ABN Camp Meeting. 01:29 But remember to tune in because it goes from 01:31 Wednesday to Thursday to Friday, the Sabbath 01:34 and what a camp meeting we have this year 01:36 as we talk about some very important topics. 01:39 But tonight before we do anything else 01:41 we always invite the presence of God to be with us 01:44 and we invite the power of the Holy Spirit. 01:45 So bow your heads with me as we pray. 01:49 Gracious Father in heaven, we thank You, Lord. 01:52 We know that when we ask for divine strength 01:55 we received divine strength. 01:58 We know when we ask for Your Holy Spirit 01:59 to teach us Your Holy Spirit empowers us, 02:03 opens our hearts and minds and ears, 02:05 so that the spirit can communicate 02:08 where we are in our walk with You. 02:10 We also pray for those who are viewing, 02:11 those who are listening. 02:13 May the subject be clear 02:15 and may we also receive the strength 02:16 to live for Your glory and for Your honor, 02:20 in Jesus' name I pray. 02:21 Amen. Amen. 02:23 Now tonight you won't hear the song 02:25 but you can sing along 02:27 because it's one I believe you do know. 02:28 It's one of our-- 02:29 I think it's becoming our theme song. 02:31 Don't you think? 02:32 Because we are talking about "Victory in Jesus." 02:34 And so sing along with us as the words appear on the screen, 02:36 we will sing locally here together. 02:44 We could all sing out together. 02:47 I heard an old, old story 02:51 How the Savior came from glory 02:55 How He gave His life on Calvary 02:59 To save a wretch like me 03:02 I heard about His groaning 03:06 Of His precious blood's atoning 03:10 Then I repented of my sins 03:14 And won the victory 03:17 The chorus. 03:18 O victory in Jesus 03:22 My Savior, forever 03:25 He sought me and bought me 03:29 With His redeeming blood 03:33 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:37 And all my love is due Him 03:40 He plunged me to victory 03:45 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:48 I heard about a mansion 03:52 He has built for me in glory 03:56 And I heard about the streets of gold 03:59 Beyond the crystal sea 04:03 About the angels singing 04:07 And the old redemption story 04:11 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 04:14 The song of victory 04:16 Key change. 04:18 O victory in Jesus 04:22 My Savior, forever 04:26 He sought me and bought me 04:29 With His redeeming blood 04:33 He loved me ere I knew Him 04:37 And all my love is due Him 04:41 He plunged me to victory 04:45 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:48 He plunged me to victory 04:52 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:58 Can you say amen? Amen. 05:01 That's the theme of our topic, from week to week our study, 05:05 victory in whom? 05:06 Jesus. In Jesus. 05:08 That's the only place you can find victory. 05:10 As a matter of fact tonight I'm gonna begin with the story 05:12 and just to remind you our topic is a continuation of 05:15 "How to be Willing and Obedient." 05:18 Say that with me, how to be what? 05:20 Willing and Obedient. Willing and Obedient. 05:22 As we talked about last week, the word obedient 05:25 has become a word 05:27 that's been added to the endangered species list. 05:30 There is a lot of Christianity nowadays. 05:32 There's lot of religion, there's lot of Christology 05:34 and theology but not many people talk 05:37 about being obedient. 05:39 I recall that I do a lot of weddings 05:41 and sometimes wives even say to me, 05:42 "Take that part out, you know, to love and to obey." 05:45 Take that part out. Say cherish instead. 05:48 And it's traditional that the word obey 05:51 and we look at our society nowadays 05:53 and children don't really obey their parents. 05:56 That's the word that seems to have 05:58 kind of died along the way 06:00 in this journey called Christianity. 06:01 But the Bible talks about a blessing 06:03 when we are wiling and obedient. 06:05 Isaiah 1:18 says, we will eat of the good of the land. 06:08 So we want to be willing and obedient 06:11 because one day we will eat of the good of the land 06:14 and we've also discovered 06:15 that it's Christ in us who allows us to be willing 06:19 and also gives us the power to be obedient. 06:22 But tonight let me introduce somebody to do that, 06:24 you may know and his picture 06:27 appears on our screen here 06:29 and those of you are at home will get a chance to glimpse. 06:31 A picture of this gentleman, his name is James Cameron 06:35 and just recently I was looking at the news 06:38 and they were talking about a story of a man who 06:42 attempted to do something that had not been done 06:44 in the last 50 years. 06:46 That is to journey to the deepest depths 06:48 on the planet in the Marianas Trench 06:52 somewhere way out there in the Pacific Ocean. 06:55 Now what's amazing I began to read the story 06:57 and, you know, when we talk about deepest depths 07:00 for those of us who just like 07:02 to water-ski that's not a whole lot. 07:04 For those of us who live in-- here in the Midwest 07:06 we live by lake so there is nothing 07:08 in the Midwest that's deep. 07:11 I mean, just, maybe if you go far north by Chicago 07:14 the Great Lakes may kind of give us some challenge. 07:18 But we have a lake in our backyard that's 20 feet 07:20 so it's nowhere near the Marianas Trench. 07:23 And on the east coast and in Alaska 07:26 and in the Caribbean this one particular location 07:29 was discovered more than 50 years ago 07:32 as oceanographers scan the ocean very gradually, 07:36 very patiently and they pinged sonar 07:39 and the time it takes for that sonar 07:41 to go down and come back up they calculate that 07:44 and determine the depth of the ocean. 07:45 So they found the Marianas Trench. 07:47 And this next slide will illustrate 07:49 exactly how deep deep is. 07:52 But look at this picture very quickly with me now. 07:54 To begin to the far left of the picture 07:58 the small little structure 07:59 represents the tallest building in the world. 08:02 It's very small on this picture. 08:04 That's 2,723 feet and that's somewhere in Asia. 08:08 I don't know if that one they build in Dubai 08:10 is little taller but that kind of 08:12 calculates about 2,723 feet. 08:14 That's more than half a mile. 08:16 That's about a half a mile high. 08:18 That's a long way up. 08:19 But now next to that represents Denver, Colorado. 08:23 It's called the-- 08:25 what kind of city is it called, what? 08:27 The Mile-High City, 5,280 feet. 08:31 Now the next one represents the Matterhorn Mountain range 08:34 which stems out at 14,690 feet. 08:39 Now that's high. 08:40 We have no mountains in the Midwest 08:42 so that's a blessing if you could be 08:43 near something like that. 08:45 But then right next to that 08:46 represents Mount Everest, 29,035 feet. 08:51 Now that's a long way up and not very many people 08:53 have made it to the top of Mount Everest. 08:55 At least some of them haven't come back to tell the story. 08:58 But then finally to the very right of that 09:00 you will notice this white 09:02 that it angles down like an upside down triangle, 09:05 gets darker as it goes further down 09:07 that represents the Marianas Trench, 09:11 3,070 feet. 09:15 Now just to put that in perspective 09:17 if you take the time to climb for the top of Mount Everest 09:21 when you get to the top of Mount Everest 09:23 you still have 7,000 more feet to go 09:26 before you get to the depth of the Marianas Trench. 09:29 That simply means if you turn Mount Everest upside down 09:32 and dropped it into the Marianas Trench 09:35 it will still be more than a mile 09:37 before the tip of Mount Everest can touch 09:39 the depth of the ocean floor. 09:41 Now that should impress you. I mean, that's deep. 09:45 But just to put some more of my own statistics in there let me, 09:48 follow me very carefully before I tell you 09:49 why this is so significant to our lesson tonight. 09:52 Fish life, you know, when they go fishing 09:54 in the ocean commercial fishermen 09:56 the deepest depth for most fish is at 660 feet. 10:02 That's and you think of how deep the ocean is 10:04 but most of the fish 10:05 that we commercially catches at 660 feet. 10:09 Then a manned military submarine, 10:13 the deepest one 10:14 that is safely have gone to 880 feet, the deepest. 10:18 Now when you go beyond that there was on that fell off 10:20 of the continental shelf and went below 1,000 feet 10:23 it was never recovered. 10:25 The pressure was so great that that submarine was crushed 10:28 like an empty plastic soda bottle. 10:31 But then we go to the deepest dive 10:35 by a person in a scuba gear suit, 10:38 that was 1,044 feet. 10:41 We're still really plummeting, we're going further down. 10:43 Now we sort to-- 10:44 now then the tallest building you saw that, 10:46 then when you are in the ocean sunlight disappears. 10:49 It begins to fade away at 3,300 feet. 10:52 That's a sunny day. That's a full bright day. 10:56 When you go past 3,300 feet 10:58 it's gonna be dark all the way down. 10:59 Now stop for a brief moment and think about that. 11:01 From 3,300 feet 11:05 you go 33,000 more feet in complete blackness. 11:10 That's the journey he had to take 11:11 to get to the bottom of the Marianas Trench. 11:13 But I'm not finished impressing you. 11:15 Here let's keep going. 11:17 Whales, the largest whales known 11:20 have gone no deeper than 8,200 feet. 11:24 That's a long way down. 11:25 That's about the depth that is off of Saint Croix 11:27 in the Virgin Islands. 11:29 Go out about 80 to 100 feet off the shore in Saint Croix 11:31 it plummets to 8,000 feet. 11:33 So if you are in the Caribbean you want to swim 11:35 don't go 80 feet off of Saint Croix 11:37 and think that you can handle it. 11:39 Get yourself a lifejacket. 11:41 Then something that we all know about the Titanic. 11:44 The Titanic had sunk in the Atlantic to 12,467 feet. 11:50 The Marianas Trench is three times that distance 11:55 and James Cameron went down there 11:57 all by his lonesome. 11:59 Just to add the cap on that 12:01 when a commercial airline is flying 12:03 from east west as so big old 747s, A380s, Jumbo Jets, 12:08 they are flying at 35,000 feet. 12:11 The Marianas Trench is till 1,070 feet higher 12:15 than a 747 is flying from one continent to the-- 12:18 that's deep. 12:19 See that's deep. That's deep. 12:21 I mean, that's deep. 12:22 But this man James Cameron decided, 12:25 let me show you the vessel that he traveled with. 12:27 This next picture is very impressive. 12:29 This represents a portion of the vessel. 12:31 He is inside a submarine that was designed 12:33 but that's the compartment that he is in 12:36 and that very thick wall around him represents steel. 12:39 It looks like an eyeball. 12:40 If you think of him as the retina inside the eyeball 12:43 that window in front of him is all he is looking out of. 12:46 And that's an encasement of two and half inch steel. 12:49 That was so tight 12:50 that he could not fully extend his arms 12:53 and he could not extend his legs. 12:56 And it took him 90 feet to get to the-- 90 minutes, 12:59 almost two hours to get to the bottom of the ocean floor 13:02 and he was down there for more than three hours. 13:04 Just imagine sitting, they said, 13:06 it was such a challenge he had to take yoga 13:09 to prepare himself for this journey 13:10 because he could not unfold his knees. 13:13 And just think that's going down 13:15 but he had to also what? 13:17 What goes down should come up. 13:19 Yes. 13:20 Now we know what goes up what? 13:22 Must come down. 13:23 But what goes down, we hope it goes up 13:24 and there were no cables connected, 13:26 there was no wiring connected. 13:27 He went down there 13:29 and the only thing that connected him 13:30 to the surface was radio waves 13:32 that they said at best becomes staticky 13:34 when you get to that dept because of all 13:36 the magnetic fields in the earth. 13:38 But this was impressive to me. 13:43 The vessel that he was in, can you picture a square inch. 13:50 Okay, just about the second knuckle 13:51 on your finger is an inch 13:53 depending if you have fingers like mine. 13:55 If you can make a square inch the pressure on that submarine 14:00 was eight tons per square inch. 14:04 Now that's too much for us to even imagine. 14:06 Am I telling you the truth? 14:08 You can't fathom that. 14:09 Let me just give you some statistics. 14:11 If I would put 13 cars on 14:14 just one of your shoulders, Jill, 14:16 that represents about eight tons. 14:19 They said it represented 13 cars 14:22 on each square inch of your body. 14:25 Okay, you're getting that? 14:27 Now why am I telling you the story? 14:30 Well, I wouldn't tell you the story 14:31 if it wasn't significant. 14:33 Here's a picture of him when he got to the bottom. 14:34 Obviously that, obviously nobody went down there 14:37 and sprayed painted that sign. 14:40 It was added digitally to the picture and even the, 14:43 even the there was nobody out there 14:44 taking a picture of him arriving. 14:47 But that just shows you 3,000 and go home on the internet 14:49 and just fascinate yourself on the National Geography website 14:52 they have videos and all this information. 14:55 Now the reason I tell you this story is because of this. 14:57 He went down and he came back up successfully. 15:02 What he did represents the daily Christian lives. 15:07 We are called as Christians taking out of the world 15:11 to live in an environment that's designed 15:14 to crush the life out of us. 15:18 The world is designed to annihilate the Christian. 15:25 So in order for us to exist in a hostile environment 15:30 and to successfully live there and to successfully thrive 15:35 to every day successfully live a Christian life 15:37 we've got to have some kind of protection 15:39 and I would suggest you that Christ can protect us 15:42 better than James Cameron submarine. 15:44 What do you say? That's right. 15:46 Now I'd like you to open your Bibles. 15:47 Go with me to John Chapter 15. 15:49 This is not the first question, not the first question 15:51 but I want you to see this text 15:53 that illustrates what James Cameron was able to do. 15:57 It illustrates exactly 15:58 what the Christian life is all about. 15:59 You see, when you come out of the world, 16:02 you begin to realize that the world does not like you. 16:05 As a matter of fact 16:07 the closer you get to Christ, you realize 16:09 there are certain places a Christian can't go. 16:11 There is certain music 16:13 Christians can't allow themselves to listen to. 16:15 There is certain entertainment music 16:16 Christians cannot allow themselves to see or hear. 16:20 There are certain places that as you get close to 16:22 you begin to feel uncomfortable. 16:25 It begins to show you when you are a Christian 16:26 you are in a hostile environment 16:29 and without the power of Christ, 16:31 the world will crush the life out of you. 16:35 This text illustrates what Jesus said 16:38 when He talked about the Christian 16:40 and the adversity that we face 16:42 after we give our lives to Christ. 16:43 John 15:19 reads as follows 16:46 and if you want to read that with me 16:47 I'll just read it but I'm in the New King James Version. 16:50 He said, Jesus says, "If you were of the world, 16:53 the world would" what? 16:55 "Love its own. 16:57 Yet because you are not of the world, 17:00 but I chose you out of the world, 17:02 therefore the world" what? 17:03 "Hates you." 17:05 Now, let's go back to James Cameron. 17:07 That environment was not designed for James Cameron 17:09 to go down there and just, 17:12 you know, take a nice swim and just come on back up. 17:14 As a matter of fact without the protection that he had 17:17 he would disintegrate 17:19 before he got below the depth where the deepest whale-- 17:22 he couldn't even go to where the deepest whale was. 17:24 Matter of fact, he couldn't even go beyond 17:26 the deepest scuba dive 17:27 without some kind of sustaining apparatus. 17:30 So here's the key. 17:32 If when the Christian dies to self, 17:37 when the Christian dies to self, 17:40 the only way that we can live after we die to self 17:45 is if our life is sustained 17:47 from a different source all together. 17:50 Go with me to Galatians 2:20 17:52 and then we're gonna go to question number one. 17:54 See the world hates us. 17:55 The world is designed to crush the life out of us. 17:57 James Cameron made it back 17:58 because it took seven to eight years 18:01 to build that vessel. 18:02 To make sure that everything that needed to be in place 18:05 was in place for him to go down there and come back up. 18:08 As a matter of fact, I didn't mention this statistic 18:12 but they say there is a fish called the snailfish 18:15 and so that the deepest fish ever photographed 18:19 was a fish called the snailfish and that fish was able to exist 18:25 in an environment 25,000 plus feet down. 18:28 Not 36,000, about 25,200 feet that's where that fish existed. 18:34 And some oceanographers and many of you-- 18:37 well, I'm a little older than some of you but 18:40 anybody remember Jacques Cousteau? 18:43 Okay, well, I mean, I just like stuff about the ocean. 18:46 Even I think there is a DVD called earth 18:49 and there is a portion of it about the ocean 18:51 and I just love that. 18:52 I mean, I always liked about oceanography 18:55 and I like about astronomy. 18:57 Don't get that mixed astrology, 18:58 that's not what I'm talking about. 19:00 But there's such beautiful life in the ocean 19:03 yet there is so much of the ocean 19:04 where that life cannot exist. 19:07 I want to-- now let me application. 19:09 There is such beautiful life as a Christian 19:11 but there are certain places 19:13 that Christian life cannot exist, all right. 19:17 Shocks can go down there as trenches are as they are. 19:20 Most fish cannot go down there and survive. 19:23 The Christian has to also come to the conclusion 19:25 that there are certain places we just can't go and survive. 19:30 So to live a spiritual life in a natural body, 19:32 we got to identify where we can exist 19:35 and where we cannot exist. 19:37 And James Cameron wouldn't say, 19:40 you know, I think I could do it. 19:41 I think I could be the first man to go down there 19:44 and come back with just maybe a scuba mask 19:46 a couple of tanks of oxygen. 19:48 He wouldn't make it. 19:50 So never let us as Christians fool ourselves 19:52 into thinking that there is an environment 19:54 that we can safely exist 19:56 or have our Christian life safely sustain. 19:59 Jesus says, He took us out of the world 20:01 but we are still in it. 20:03 So spiritually we are out of it 20:04 but physically we are still in it. 20:06 Thus the topic 20:07 "How to Live a Spiritual Life in a" what kind of body? 20:10 "Natural Body." "Natural Body." 20:12 That's what this is. 20:14 Even, let me add it further before I read the text. 20:18 Even our mortal bodies 20:21 are designed for our Christianity to fail. 20:27 Now let me break that down before I go to question 15. 20:31 How many of you are Christians? 20:34 I shouldn't even ask how many of you are not Christians? 20:35 But that no wonder. We all are Christians, right. 20:37 Those of you are viewing if you're a Christian 20:40 carefully follow this. 20:42 We are Christians because we made a spiritual commitment. 20:46 But we include our bodies and our minds in that. 20:48 Be confirmed, be not confirmed but be transformed 20:51 by the renewing of your mind 20:53 that you may prove what is that good 20:55 and acceptable and perfect will of God. 20:57 So the transformation comes not just spiritually 20:59 but now we make a dedication. 21:01 We say, "Lord, not just our mind. 21:02 Not just my intellect am I dedicated to you 21:04 but I'm dedicating to you everything about me." 21:08 And then we dedicate everything about us to Christ 21:10 and then we leave our houses 21:11 and we go into the Marianas Trench in a world 21:15 that can crush the life out of us if we are not careful. 21:20 So thus in order for us to sustain 21:22 that spiritual walk we have to realize, 21:23 wait a minute. 21:25 It wasn't really James Cameron that sustained James Cameron, 21:28 it was his complete environment. 21:31 Everything around him was designed to sustain his life. 21:35 So as the Christian we have to keep in mind, 21:37 if we go down there 21:38 when we walk into the spiritual life 21:40 we die, so how do we continue to live? 21:42 Galatians 2:20, what does the Bible say. 21:46 "I have been" what? Crucified. 21:48 "Crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, 21:55 but" what? 21:56 "Christ lives in me, and the life 21:59 which I now live in the flesh I live by" what? 22:02 Faith in the Son of God, who" did what? 22:05 "Loved me and" did what? "Gave Himself for me." 22:09 I have been crucified with Christ, I like that phrase. 22:11 Nevertheless I live. 22:13 Now the King James Version, nevertheless. 22:15 I like that. 22:17 It kind of, you know, 22:18 you can't take the sting out of that one, 22:19 "I've been crucified with Christ, 22:21 it is no longer nevertheless I live." 22:24 I'm down 36,070 nevertheless I live. 22:31 I can do down there and come up. 22:33 Here's my point. 22:34 We as Christians can exist in a hostile world 22:38 if only we are in Christ. 22:40 Thus 2 Corinthians 5:17 "If anyone is in Christ, 22:44 he is a new creation." 22:46 He is not only a new creation he is a safe creation. 22:49 We are not just new but if we stay in Christ we are what? 22:52 Safe. 22:53 So there is something that we have to adopt from Jesus. 22:57 If it was important for Jesus, I think it's important for us 23:02 to be able to sustain our relationship 23:04 between us and the father. 23:05 Let's look at question number 15 tonight. 23:07 Lot of, lot of foundation but question number 15 23:11 now takes us to the next level. 23:12 Here it is. 23:14 "What practice did Jesus exercise 23:16 that we should emulate?" 23:18 What practice did He exercise that we should emulate? 23:23 By the way this question is a two parter. 23:25 We're gonna begin first with John 5:30. 23:29 John 5:30 and when you read this question 23:32 think about James Cameron 23:33 as you read this question, all right. 23:36 Think about all of us in our spiritual life, 23:37 specifically in the illustration of James Cameron. 23:39 Here it is what the Bible says, 23:42 John 5:30, let's read the yellow together. 23:44 "I can of Myself" what? "Do nothing." 23:47 He couldn't do it. 23:49 He is an explorer 23:50 but he does not have the natural ability 23:52 to exist in a hostile environment. 23:54 So what He says, Jesus says, "As I hear, I judge, 23:59 and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek" what? 24:03 "My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me." 24:08 Couple of things I want to illustrate 24:09 that's why it's in yellow. 24:11 First of all I can do of my own self do how much? 24:13 Nothing. 24:14 So if you put the question down, 24:16 what practice did Jesus exercise 24:17 that we should emulate, 24:19 we should seek the will of the father 24:22 and not our own will. 24:24 No matter how long you are Christian, 24:26 you know what happens? 24:28 Your will is kind of like, 24:32 your will is like a mosquito that you can't see. 24:37 You just see the results of that mosquito being around. 24:40 Am I right? 24:42 My wife and I have a fly zapper, a bug zapper. 24:45 I think it's one of the best inventions ever. 24:48 It's not needed for winter, 24:50 at least not here in the Midwest. 24:53 But... when you know you are in an environment 24:57 where there are flies 24:59 all you got to just hold that thing up 25:00 press the button the electric button 25:02 and just swing it and it will find all the things 25:06 that would have stung you. 25:08 See the Lord has given us something that's similar 25:11 to a fly zapper. 25:13 When we apply the Word of God, it begins to, 25:17 it begins to activate the armor that God intends for us to have 25:21 so that any thing that can injure us 25:23 and harm us, it will take care of. 25:27 It will surround us with a field of protection 25:31 that will not naturally be constructed 25:34 if we leave that part of our armor out. 25:37 So when we think of Christians 25:38 we have to put on how much of God's armor? 25:40 The whole armor of God. 25:41 So when you look at Christ what He did, He says, 25:43 well, I do not seek My own will, 25:45 he knew his will as a human 25:48 as one who laid aside His divinity 25:50 or at least closed His divinity in humanity. 25:53 He couldn't use His will 25:55 and still be the one that came to rescue us. 25:58 He couldn't. 25:59 James Cameron said, He says now, He said, 26:02 why you are going down there, James? 26:03 He said, for that fact that 26:05 we can't get down there naturally 26:07 we've got to go down there to find out what's there. 26:10 See, now here's-- I love this. 26:11 I'm taking this to the Nth degree. 26:16 Why are you Christians? 26:17 Well, for the fact that we can't go to heaven natural, 26:19 we got to go there to see what's there. 26:22 Okay. Yeah. 26:23 Yeah. Yeah. 26:25 Yeah. 26:26 For the fact that we can't go there naturally we got, 26:29 we need somebody else's help to get there 26:31 because we've got to see what's there. 26:32 Amen. Amen. 26:34 That's why Paul said, 26:35 I haven't been to Marianas Trench either. 26:37 I have not seen, nor yet heard, neither has it entered 26:41 into the heart of man the things 26:42 that God prepared for those that love Him. 26:45 So he said for the fact that it's there 26:47 we got to find out what's down there. 26:51 He even talked about how fish, 26:53 they could not have the natural skeletal structure 26:55 because he said, their bones will disintegrate 26:58 with eight tons of pressure per square inch. 27:01 So the fish life or the life that exist down there 27:05 they said it's kind of applicable 27:06 like a jelly kind of life and it's amazing. 27:09 They are gonna continue. 27:10 I'm sure that they are gonna put together 27:12 some high definition DVD soon 27:13 on that entire expedition and I'm gonna buy that. 27:16 I have to see that. 27:18 Got to see what's down there. Yes. 27:20 The ocean they said is one of the most unexplored places 27:24 in the solar system that is for humanity. 27:27 There is so much in there we don't know about it. 27:29 Such is the Word of God. It's deep. 27:32 Its depths are often unexplored but if we look in there, 27:35 we will discover that the Lord has placed in that word 27:39 the beauty of His righteousness 27:41 and all that we need to know in order to sustain our lives. 27:45 This is second part of this question. 27:47 Let's look at the next one. Luke 22:42. 27:52 Luke 22:42, what did Jesus do 27:56 that we should do here's the answer. 27:59 "Father, if it is Your will, 28:03 take this cup away from Me, 28:07 nevertheless" together "not My will, but Yours, be done." 28:13 Now this is not asking for response 28:16 but some mornings we get up 28:18 and depending on how we went to sleep, some mornings 28:20 we get up either the challenges of life, the stresses of life, 28:24 the difficulties of life, the temptations of life. 28:27 Maybe experiences we had the day before. 28:29 Sometimes we get up 28:30 and we don't feel like Christians. 28:33 Because we have unsettled issues 28:34 that are still floating around in our minds. 28:37 Unsettled issues that are there that we just don't feel like 28:40 that Jesus that was in us the day before. 28:43 So sometimes you want to tackle those issues 28:44 or sometimes somebody may have touched a chord in our lives 28:48 and that chord that they touched wants to lead us 28:50 down the path that we want to dabble with 28:52 and then come back and be Christian all over again 28:54 But one of the most important things 28:56 for us to remember is that older life 28:58 that was put to death as Romans 6 talks about 29:01 that old man that was put to death. 29:03 He was put to death but here's something 29:05 that I didn't tell you but I saved it for tonight. 29:09 The old man although he was buried in baptism, 29:14 the thing about him that survived baptism 29:16 was the mortal flesh. 29:20 Now what did not survive was the nature. 29:23 Was the what? 29:25 The nature. The nature. 29:26 That nature that alienated us from Christ 29:28 that Adam's nature was put to death. 29:31 What survived that was the body that housed that nature. 29:36 Now what could be more difficult 29:37 than trying to live a spiritual life? 29:39 The new Christ in the old Adam's body. 29:45 That's exactly what this life is all about. 29:47 We've got the new nature of Christ, 29:50 the spiritual life but we got this old Adam's body. 29:53 One day we're gonna have the new Adam's body. 29:55 Amen. Amen. 29:56 That's gonna happen soon. We will put on immortality. 29:58 We will put on incorruptibility but not yet. 30:00 So right now in order for us to be able to succeed 30:03 on the day by day basis, we've got to understand 30:06 that it's not our will that prevails 30:07 but the will of God. 30:09 And I tell you for those who live in cities-- 30:12 we were in Indiana recently 30:15 and we forgot what traffic is like. 30:17 I mean, here in Thompsonville 30:18 we get angry when somebody slows down to turn. 30:21 Don't get angry but we say, hurry up, hurry up. 30:24 Because people in the Midwest they drive molasses slow. 30:27 I mean, Southern Illinois I must say, not Chicago. 30:31 Chicago is kind of like metropolitan New York City 30:33 and any other major city for that matter. 30:35 But we were stuck in traffic and I looked at, 30:39 see for us to go to Wal-Mart here in Southern Illinois 30:44 it's a 12 miles journey. 30:45 We do that like no big thing. 30:48 But my wife and I, I think last year or more 30:50 we were in New York City, 30:52 midtown Manhattan around time Times Square 30:55 and we had our GPS with us at the time 30:57 and I said, good, I punched my sister's address 31:00 and for those of you who are from New York 31:02 you will appreciate this. 31:03 I'm in midtown Manhattan 31:04 my sister lives at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. 31:06 Why didn't-- well, all you know a good ways into Brooklyn. 31:09 I punched that in, it was about 5.1 miles 31:12 I'm thinking that seems like so far 31:14 when you are in New York City. 31:16 But 5.1 miles is not even half the distance 31:19 from here to Wal-Mart which we do almost every day. 31:23 I need some bread, 31:24 12 miles that way, 12 miles this way. 31:27 We do that every day. 31:29 Now but for those of us who live in this environment 31:31 as we are traveling 31:32 we've got trees on one side, trees on the other. 31:35 We rolled down our windows 31:36 and hear the beautiful sounds of the country. 31:38 Well, we keep our eyes open 31:39 so we don't meet Bambi by accident, right. 31:43 But for the most part 31:44 it's not a hostile environment for us. 31:46 You don't open your window and hear that bumping music 31:48 that you often hear at the light, 31:50 you know what I'm saying. 31:52 You don't hear profanity 31:53 and you don't drive past the store 31:54 where somebody's music 31:56 is just blaring into your window. 31:57 But I feel badly for Christians 31:58 who live in cities, major cities 32:00 they are sitting at the light and this hostile environment 32:03 is assaulting them from every angle. 32:05 You almost got, you almost got to escape to home 32:10 to be able to get back into the mindset of Christ. 32:13 This quotation is vitally important. 32:15 Look at question number 16 32:17 and I think I left the quotation. 32:19 It's on your sheet but I'm gonna show it to you. 32:21 I wanted you to have that so I put that there. 32:22 But here's the question, "What battle is there 32:26 that is greater than the battle with sin?" 32:32 Okay, but, see, 32:33 he is a new baptized he understands. 32:35 Here we go, look at the quotation. 32:37 "What battle is there 32:38 that is greater than our battle with sin?" 32:39 That's the question. Here's is the answer now. 32:42 The Mount of Blessings page 203 to 204. 32:45 "The Christian life is a battle and a" what? 32:48 "A march. 32:50 But the victory to be gained is not won by human power. 32:55 The field of conflict is the domain of the" what? 33:00 "Heart." "Heart." 33:01 Not the streets of New York, 33:02 or the streets of Indiana or the streets of Chicago. 33:05 The streets of the heart. 33:07 It says, "The battle which we have to fight-- 33:10 the greatest battle that was ever fought by man-- 33:14 is the surrender of self to the will of God, 33:18 the yielding of the heart to the sovereignty of love. 33:24 The old nature, born of blood and of the will of the flesh, 33:28 cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 33:31 The hereditary tendencies, the former habits," 33:35 follow this very carefully. 33:36 "The hereditary tendencies, and the former" what? 33:38 "Habits," what's the next word? "Must be given up. 33:42 The victory is not won without much earnest prayer, 33:47 without the humbling of self at every step. 33:52 Our will is not to be forced into co-operation 33:56 with divine agencies, but it must be" 34:01 together "voluntarily submitted. 34:04 The will must be placed on the side of God's will." 34:08 Amen. Amen. 34:10 Now, you know, when you think about that 34:12 I showed you that picture few weeks ago 34:13 and maybe even last week 34:15 of a baby trying to lift about 150-200 pounds. 34:18 Little baby, about maybe six months old. 34:19 You know, that couldn't possibly happen. 34:21 But the baby's father could probably do it. 34:24 I wouldn't put that burden on the baby's mother 34:27 but she maybe inordinately strong. 34:29 But my point is this, when our will 34:31 and I want you to catch this, God does not take our will. 34:36 God does not break our will. 34:38 He could have easily said to Jesus, 34:40 don't worry about it, I got it. 34:42 But Jesus had to say, He had to surrender that 34:44 not my will but thine be done. 34:47 He had to surrender that will. 34:48 He had to put His will 34:50 on the side of His Father's will. 34:53 And the humanity that He had, 34:55 that flesh of sin that He took on 34:57 He became sin for us. 34:59 The very thing that He was gonna take to the cross 35:01 was battling Him all the way to the cross. 35:05 And so day by day 35:06 if we are gonna be successful and victorious 35:08 that very nature that battles us every day 35:10 is the very nature that we have to submit to Christ. 35:12 We have to say, okay, Lord, today-- 35:15 let me give you a story. 35:16 There is a person that became 35:18 a Seventh-day Adventist Christian 35:19 and gave up all the stuff 35:21 that you shouldn't eat and shouldn't drink 35:23 and gave up all the smoking and all the other stuff 35:26 and but it wasn't too long 35:28 before they had given all that up 35:29 and they walk past a barbecue on Labor Day. 35:33 And they said, oh, 35:35 and they just took a good old deep inhale 35:39 and they say, what is that? 35:40 They say, oh, that smells 35:42 like a good old eight ounce T-Bone Steak. 35:46 No, not that it's anything wrong with stake. 35:49 It's a clean meat 35:53 depends on who you ask. 35:57 But they were trying to strengthen their diet. 36:00 They were trying to become more healthy 36:02 and they realized that they are very, 36:04 they are in the very environment aromas, 36:06 sometimes people smell smoke that they gave up cigarettes. 36:09 Sometime somebody walks pass a bar 36:12 and the devil opens the door just as they go by 36:14 and all the alcohol just wasp its way out. 36:17 In a number of other ways 36:18 that we find the battle confronting us every day. 36:21 But in that battle that we all face 36:24 there is a formula for victory 36:26 and it is once again the will must be placed 36:28 on the side of whose will? 36:30 On the side of God's will. 36:33 Question number 17, okay. 36:36 Question 17, turn the page. Here it is. 36:42 "Why is it important for us 36:44 to place our will on the side of God?" 36:49 This is a two parter here. 36:51 "Why is it important for us 36:52 to place our will on the side of God?" 36:55 First part, Romans 7:18. 36:58 Romans 7:18 37:01 and it will appear on the screen, 37:03 all right, why is it important. 37:06 Okay, now this comes back to recognizing 37:09 that the natural part of it that still is in existence. 37:13 The mortal part of us that's still there. 37:16 Okay, here's the answer. 37:18 Romans 7:18, 37:19 "Why is it important for us 37:20 to place our will on God' side?" 37:22 It says, Paul says, "For I know that in me 37:24 (that is, in my" what? "Flesh) 37:26 nothing good dwells," say that together. 37:30 Nothing good dwells. 37:32 So if you took a light and looked on the inside, 37:33 let me read this first. 37:35 He says, here's how. 37:36 "For to will is present with me," 37:38 in other words I think I could do that. 37:41 "But how to perform what is good" 37:43 what do you say? "I do not find." 37:45 Have you ever been there? Yes. 37:49 And no greater test comes to us 37:51 than sometimes when we confront it 37:53 with another human in church. 37:56 We look at that person 37:58 and the Lord before we leave, 37:59 so Lord says, now forgive them when they go to church 38:00 and you see, you often you see the mocking in church 38:03 and you say, I don't know 38:07 that was horrible what they did to me 38:10 and that whole nature. 38:11 Paul is saying, that whole bad will become, 38:14 becomes real to will is present 38:15 about the how do I forgive them of what they did. 38:20 It becomes real 38:21 in whatever other area of your life 38:23 that challenge comes up. 38:25 Sometimes there is a song. 38:26 Sometimes its-- 38:27 temptations come in all different categories, 38:29 all different sizes. 38:30 As a matter of fact, you know, 38:32 they say the devil has an equal opportunity. 38:35 He is an equal opportunity lender. 38:36 Deceiver. 38:37 An equal opportunity deceiver. Good one, Bob. 38:39 He will deceive you no matter what the category is. 38:42 He will try to find day by day how to get in. 38:45 And some of us is successful minimizing our challenges 38:48 by living out here in the country 38:52 but I just want you to know that country living 38:54 is not the answer to victorious living. 38:56 Christ is the answer, amen. Amen. 38:57 Because somebody is got to be in the city 38:59 to proclaim the gospel. 39:00 There are those who have 39:02 a strong connection with Christ, 39:03 praise the Lord for that. 39:04 But here's another one. Here's why it's important. 39:06 So if you put the answer 39:08 "Why is it important for us 39:09 to place our will on the side of God?" 39:12 Who would, somebody tell me the answer. 39:17 Because we can't, we can't accomplish. 39:22 We can't do it ourselves. We can't. 39:25 If you just put we can't, 39:28 or if you put we fail, if we try it ourselves 39:31 but here's another one Matthew 7:21, Matthew 7:21. 39:37 "Not everyone who says to Me," what? 39:40 "'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, 39:45 but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." 39:50 You hear that word will 39:51 and there are so many people through the years as a pastor 39:53 some people say, "Pastor, I want to find out 39:55 what's the Lord's will is for my life?" 39:57 Have you ever had that question before? 39:59 And they want to find out what that will is 40:00 and do that will. 40:01 Well, we're gonna discover some tonight, 40:03 some of the benefits of the will of God. 40:06 But it's not necessarily important for you 40:08 to find that what the will is, 40:13 but you have to remember for it is God who works in you 40:16 both to will and to do of His good pleasure. 40:22 It's like saying to a builder or a person 40:24 that refurbishes homes. 40:27 What's my home gonna look like when you are done? 40:30 He say, well, if you just let me do it 40:32 you will be really, really pleased. 40:34 He says, matter of fact I'll sign an agreement. 40:36 If you don't like it I'll give you 40:38 all your money back. 40:39 And you know what, when you think about 40:41 that the way that Christ is molding our lives 40:43 sometimes we don't like the molding process. 40:45 Isn't that true? It's painful. 40:48 I mean, sometimes molding us is like 40:50 trying to bend a steel bar. 40:51 God can do that 40:53 but sometimes we don't naturally submit 40:54 to the molding influence of the Holy Spirit. 40:56 Sometimes we know what the Spirit is saying to us 40:58 at the moment that we need to hear it the most 41:01 and we say, okay, you know, 41:05 I heard one announcer on KGO Radio in California 41:09 once said this and never agreed with it 41:12 but it came to my mind just now. 41:13 He said, it's better to ask for forgiveness 41:16 than to ask for permission. 41:19 Now we don't believe it, all right. 41:21 He said, it's better to ask for forgiveness 41:23 than to ask for permission. 41:24 I think it was, 41:25 I forgot his name but it was KGO Radio host. 41:27 I won't mention his name because he maybe listening. 41:30 But if God doesn't give you permission 41:34 don't do it just saying I'll ask for forgiveness. 41:38 Because a lot of times you say, oh, I'll ask for forgiveness. 41:41 Oh, I'll ask for, I know I'm gonna stumble 41:43 I'll ask for forgiveness. 41:44 Let's not live in cheap grace. 41:46 Let's live in continuous victory. 41:48 Amen. Amen. 41:49 Because it's easy to stumble and get up 41:50 and stumble and get up 41:52 but then what Olympic team will pick you 41:53 if you are known as a runner 41:54 who is always falling on the track. 41:57 How many times have you fallen over the last 15 years? 42:00 Oh, I've fallen every race. 42:03 Well, you are not gonna represent 42:04 the United States Olympic team. There is no way. 42:07 Well, I mean, what's wrong with falling. 42:09 I got back up and ran. 42:11 By the time you got back up the race was over. 42:14 And there are some Christians they pride themselves 42:16 and that's why I know what the songwriter meant 42:18 but he said, "We fall down and we get up." 42:24 I mean, I like, I said, I need to write a song 42:27 unto Him that is able to keep us from falling. 42:29 Am I right? 42:30 Because I don't want that to be my pattern, 42:32 we fall down and we get up. 42:34 We fall down and we get up. 42:37 For a saint is just a sinner who fell down. 42:39 Oh, the saint is the sinner 42:41 who was kept up by the grace of Christ. 42:44 He said, unto Him who is able to keep you from falling. 42:49 And almost and I know that songwriter 42:51 has a different intention for the song. 42:54 I think the encouragement was if you fall just get up 42:57 and the Lord understands that. 42:58 But I don't want to get that idea 43:01 that I'm just a saint 43:02 that's gonna keep on falling and keep on getting up 43:04 and, if Jesus comes tomorrow am I gonna be down or up? 43:08 He is not the Christian. 43:09 "I believe in the One who can keep us from falling" 43:11 Jude verse 24. 43:12 That's what says to Him be glory 43:15 and majesty and dominion. 43:16 So here's the answer to number 17 part two. 43:20 The key, why is it important for us 43:22 to do the will of the Father? 43:23 Because by living, by the will of the father 43:26 we become candidates for heaven. 43:29 The will of the Father 43:31 increases our candidacy for heaven. 43:34 Now notice this, 43:36 Lord, Lord, is not the means by which we enter. 43:38 Singing is not the means by which, 43:40 preaching is not the means, 43:41 evangelism is not the means by which we enter. 43:43 Nothing we do but simply 43:45 "He who does the will of the Father." 43:47 You asked the question what is the will? 43:49 The will is simply to allow the Lord 43:51 to come in to do His will. 43:53 To allow Him to come in and not say, 43:55 well, Lord, well, let me see that first. 43:57 What are you gonna do when you come in? 44:00 We don't need a list from God. 44:02 He says, just let Me come in 44:05 and I guarantee you, Yonnick, that when He comes in 44:09 He is gonna do better than you can do. 44:12 Am I right? Yes. 44:15 Hundred plus better. Question number 18. 44:19 Question number 18 44:20 and then we're gonna to the benefits. 44:22 I think one more before we get to the benefits. 44:23 "What have we been given 44:25 that enables us to choose the will of God?" 44:29 What have we been given 44:30 that enables us to choose the will of God? 44:33 John 1:12, 13. 44:40 John 1:12, 13. 44:47 Depending on the translation you read 44:48 you find the word power, you find the word right. 44:50 But I, you know, I like them both, okay. 44:54 So I'm gonna modify little bit just in my own application 44:56 but I'm not gonna modify the scripture. 44:58 Look at the answer. 44:59 "What have we been given 45:00 that enables us to choose the will of God?" 45:02 This is beautiful. Here it is. 45:04 John 1:12, 45:06 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave" what? 45:11 "The right" and also the power. Isn't that right? 45:15 When you have power, you have the right. 45:17 When you have the right you got power. 45:19 To them He gave the right" or the power 45:21 "to become" what? 45:23 "Children of God, 45:26 to those who believe in His name" 45:29 and this is important 45:30 "who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, 45:35 nor of the will of man, but of God." 45:39 What we got to get is, 45:40 you know, we talk about the royal family. 45:42 Right now I think I forgot the name of this-- 45:46 sometimes I get my royal weddings all crossed. 45:49 What was the name of the most recent 45:51 royal lady added to the-- 45:53 Prince William and Kate Middleton. 45:55 Kate, okay. 45:57 Well, her sister came to New York 45:58 and it's like the news media just infatuated over. 46:02 Everywhere she goes, everywhere she goes 46:04 and the one news commentator said, 46:06 "Royalty is in New York City." 46:09 Well, actually, you know, she is the sister of royalty. 46:11 But, you know, they already, 46:13 you just that one step away from royalty 46:15 they already given her royalty. 46:16 He said, "Royalty has come to New York City" 46:19 because she is the sister of the one 46:22 who has now become royalty. 46:24 The one who has royalty has the right and has power. 46:28 Sometimes we forget that we are a holy nation, 46:33 a royal priesthood, God's own special people. 46:38 He has called us out of darkness 46:39 into this what kind of life? 46:41 Marvelous life. 46:42 I mean, when you think of the, 46:44 when you think of the rights and privileges 46:46 that come with being a child of God. 46:49 This text just jumps out at us. 46:52 "We were not born of blood, or of the will of the flesh, 46:55 nor of the will of man, but of God." 46:56 In other words, our new birth 46:58 was a plan that God could not wait 47:01 to bring it to effect. 47:02 He says, in order for you to get into a divine place 47:05 you got to be the child of a divine one. 47:09 So we are not just born again, we are not just forgiven, 47:12 we are not just in Christ 47:14 but we are partakers of what kind of a nature? 47:16 A divine nature. 47:18 Now when you think of yourself 47:20 you don't think of yourself as divine 47:21 don't do that. 47:22 Don't say I'm divine 47:24 but I've partaken of a divine nature. 47:25 In other words, we are children of God when? 47:27 Now. 47:28 Go with me 1 John, I think I'll find it. 47:30 Okay. 47:33 Okay, here we are. Beautiful text. 47:37 Okay, here we are, 1 John 3:2, verse 1 and 2. 47:43 1 John 3:1, 2. 47:46 This is a beautiful passage. 47:51 Are you all there? Amen. 47:53 "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, 47:59 that we should be called" what? 48:01 "Children" or sons "of God! 48:03 Therefore the world does not know us, 48:06 because it did not know Him." 48:08 But I like verse 2. 48:09 "Beloved," what's the next word? 48:11 "Now we are children of God." 48:14 When are we children of God? Now. 48:16 Here and now. 48:18 When? In this world now. 48:20 Right this minute, Jill, child of God. 48:23 Hannah, child of God. Anthony, child of God. 48:25 We are children of God when? Now. 48:28 And I like the rest of it though 48:29 because it's encouraging. 48:31 "And it has not yet been revealed 48:33 what we shall be," in other words 48:35 don't get discouraged by what you see. 48:37 Even though you are a child of God. 48:38 That's not, that's not it I'm still working. 48:40 In other words, Lord, I'm still working. 48:42 So don't get discouraged by what you see. 48:46 Wow. 48:49 "It has not yet been revealed what we shall be 48:51 but we know that when He is revealed, 48:56 we shall be" what? 48:57 "Like Him, for we shall see Him" what? 49:01 "As He is." Isn't that wonderful? 49:03 Now, you know, one of the things 49:05 that Bible writers didn't get the opportunity to do. 49:07 They didn't get the opportunity to see God. 49:09 Moses said, can I see you, Lord? 49:12 He said, Now, you got two options. 49:15 You want to live or you want to die? 49:18 Because you can't see me and live. 49:21 I'll tell you what 49:23 Why don't you just hide in the cliff of the rock 49:26 and when I pass by you just peek up real quick 49:28 but don't get back in there real quick 49:30 because God is a consuming fire. 49:32 He gave him a glimpse of divinity 49:34 and just that glimpse oh, when you read the story. 49:37 He came down from the mountain so lit up, 49:40 he came down from the mountain so lit 49:42 that they had to put a, they had to put some drapes. 49:46 Hold those drapes down the glory of God 49:48 shown from His countenance just a glimpse. 49:51 Brethren, can you imagine what it's gonna be like 49:53 to see the face of God? 49:57 Let's not spend a whole lot of time in that 49:58 because your mind can't even connect 50:01 because the beauty is beyond. 50:02 I believe Elder Brooks last week he said 50:07 and we heard him preach in Indiana he said, 50:08 you know, just one foot on, just when you get one foot 50:12 on the inside of the New Jerusalem 50:13 you are gonna forget everything 50:15 on the outside of New Jerusalem. 50:16 When you get a one foot on there 50:18 everything on the outside, 50:20 that's why I think Isaiah says, 50:21 "The former things will not be remembered, 50:24 nor come to mind." 50:25 What was that I thought about that, 50:26 what was that, Maserati? 50:28 No, I don't need a Maserati up here. 50:30 I mean, these things are gonna just, 50:33 these things are gonna be incinerated 50:35 and so often we put all the energies 50:37 and try to be everything that, 50:39 you know, compete with wanting to be down here. 50:41 Be famous, be well-known. 50:45 I don't care about all that 50:46 as long as my name is called when Jesus comes. 50:50 So when are we children of God? When? 50:52 Say it with me. Now. 50:54 You are son and daughter of God, 50:57 that's the good news. 50:58 Question number 19, let's move along. 51:01 Number 19, I want to try to get this, 51:03 we have seven minutes I think we can do it 51:06 but I'm not gonna rush. 51:08 "How does living in harmony with the will of God 51:10 impact our prayers?" 51:13 You know, sometimes we say, pray. 51:14 Sometimes it's hard to pray but this is encouraging. 51:17 "How does living" 51:22 "How does living in harmony with the will of God 51:24 impact our prayers?" 51:26 Okay, Romans 8:27, we all know Romans 8:28, right. 51:30 Romans 8:27 now, here it is. 51:33 "Now He who searches the hearts 51:35 knows what the mind of the Spirit is, 51:41 because He makes" what? 51:43 "Intercession for the saints according to" what? 51:48 "The will of God." 51:49 You know, when you pray, when you pray 51:51 it's like sending out an email sometimes 51:54 and it's like putting an advertisement 51:56 on the internet. 51:58 You wonder who is gonna even see that? 51:59 Who is gonna even buy into that? 52:01 Who is gonna-- am I gonna get-- 52:03 you know, when people start business, 52:04 "Well, I'm waiting for my first customer." 52:06 You know, when you pray you don't have to wonder 52:09 whether or not your prayers gonna get through 52:11 because God who knows 52:13 what the mind of the Spirit is Christ 52:15 who knows what the mind of the Spirit is 52:18 he makes intercession. 52:20 He is our mediator between us and God. 52:23 He makes intercession and he says, 52:27 I know what Greg is trying to pray about. 52:28 Don't worry about it, Greg, I will fix it. 52:30 And it says in verse 26, "He makes intercession 52:34 with groans which cannot be uttered." 52:37 So sometimes we pray and we wonder 52:40 have you ever prayed and felt like 52:41 it just didn't go anywhere? 52:43 You know, like a heavy prayer? 52:44 Like a brick prayer, no wings on it? 52:47 You just get off your feet and, "Lord, I hope You heard me." 52:51 And all of a sudden God moves in a way 52:53 that you never thought was possible 52:55 because the will of God, God searches your life 52:57 and so He says, "I know what Greg is praying for 52:59 but I really know what Greg really needs." 53:02 Like Billy Graham's wife said 53:03 and you may have heard what she said. 53:05 She is so glad that God doesn't answer prayer all the time 53:08 because if He does she would be married five times 53:11 before she married Billy Graham. 53:13 So God searches. 53:15 He knows when that prayer need to be answered 53:17 and how that prayer needs to be answered, right. 53:20 And let me tell you when a prayer, 53:21 when a prayer is answered, it's always answered 53:25 in harmony with the will of God. 53:28 He never send you any blessing 53:29 that's gonna pull you outside of the will of God. 53:31 That's why I always question when people say, I was praying 53:34 and God gave me a job on Sabbath. 53:37 What will you gonna be doing? 53:38 Well, you know, I will be driving the bus on Sabbath. 53:41 Well, God didn't give you that job, 53:43 you got to also, you got also measure the answer 53:47 with the God that you serve 53:49 to say that God gave you that job, 53:50 you can't be very familiar with God. 53:53 But those who are familiar with God 53:54 and not just saying, Lord, Lord will understand 53:57 who could have answered it like that but God. 53:59 That's the connection. 54:01 So the Spirit of God, we get the benefits. 54:02 Now let's look at the benefits very quickly. 54:04 We may not get through all of them 54:06 but look at the benefits. 54:07 Now the benefits of the will of God. 54:09 Question number 20, 54:12 the benefits of the will of God, all right. 54:14 So how does living in harmony with the will of God 54:16 impact our prayers? 54:18 Christ intercedes and answers according to God's will. 54:24 The answer is always in harmony with God's will, all right. 54:27 Question number 20, 54:29 "What lasting value does the will of God 54:31 make available to us?" 54:32 "What lasting value 54:34 does the will of God make available to us?" 54:36 This is beautiful. 54:37 I was gonna leave this as a last 54:39 but I said, if I don't get to this one 54:40 I want to get this before the question ends. 54:43 "What lasting value 54:44 does the will of God make available to us?" 54:46 Okay, 1 John, 1 John 2:17. 54:51 I think those of you who are Bible students 54:53 know this one. 54:54 Are you ready? Yes. 54:56 "And the world is" what? 54:58 "Passing away, and the lust of it, 55:00 but he who does the will of God abides forever." 55:04 When you ask the question what's the lasting value? 55:07 What could be more valuable than abiding forever? 55:11 Now it didn't just say living forever. 55:13 I want you to catch that 55:14 because John talks about abiding. 55:16 John 17 he talks about abiding in Christ. 55:19 Abiding in Christ. 55:20 Unless you abide in Me 55:23 as the vine abides in the branch 55:25 and the branch abides in the vine 55:26 you can't do anything. 55:28 Abiding is more than living. 55:30 There are those people that are living 55:31 but they are not thriving. 55:33 When you abide, you are thriving. 55:35 When you abide, you are growing. 55:38 You are being sustained. You are becoming victorious. 55:41 So it's more than being a church member 55:43 but as abiding in Christ. 55:45 And the reason why it's so important 55:46 to abide in Christ, 55:48 when you are abiding in Christ all week long, 55:49 when you come to church on Sabbath morning 55:51 or if you go to church on the first day of the week 55:52 whenever you go, when you go, you go to be a vessel 55:56 out of which Christ is worshiped 55:58 not just a vessel. 56:00 Now what does the pastor have for me today? 56:02 You are not going to Wal-Mart, you're going to worship God. 56:05 You're not going to Macy's to find out 56:06 what's the new cologne. 56:08 You're going, if you've been abiding in Christ all week long 56:11 then you are looking forward to abiding forever. 56:13 Now you wouldn't desire to abide forever 56:16 unless you abide in Christ all week long. 56:19 For why would you desire to have something eternally 56:21 that you don't have daily? 56:26 Abide forever. 56:28 What he's in essence saying is 56:30 if you ever spent time in the presence of God 56:33 you want to stay there forever, that's what he is saying. 56:38 And when the world passes away because I spent time 56:40 in the presence of God every day 56:42 I want to be in the presence of God forever 56:45 but you will never know, you will never know. 56:47 The next one, I'm just gonna give one part of it. 56:49 "How does accepting God's will 56:51 impact our attitude towards His work?" 56:55 "How does accepting God's will 56:56 impact His attitude towards our work?" 57:00 Here it is, John 4:34 in the interest of time 57:04 I'm gonna give it to you right now. 57:06 "How does abiding in Christ 57:07 impact our attitude towards His work?" 57:11 He says, "Jesus said to them, 57:13 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, 57:15 and to" do what? 57:17 "Finish the work." 57:19 You know, when you are abiding in Christ 57:20 you've got one goal in mind. 57:22 You know, there are projects, 57:23 some person's once said, I'm really busy. 57:26 You know, I heard a business person say, 57:28 it's not how busy you are 57:29 but it's how much are you getting accomplished. 57:32 There are lots of busy Christians. 57:33 Busy singing for Christ, busy living for Christ, 57:35 busy ministering for Christ 57:37 but how much you're getting accomplished? 57:38 Are you accomplishing, 57:39 are you going from one victory to the other, 57:41 from one fight that you face to another victory in Christ? 57:45 Well, friends, here at Sharper Focus 57:48 we believe that the most important thing 57:49 is not just to know about Christ 57:52 but to abide in Him. 57:53 So spend time in His word, spend time in prayer 57:57 and one day you will see that walking with Christ 57:59 always brings you into His sharper focus. 58:02 God bless you. |
Revised 2016-03-10