Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000017
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00:20 Hello, friends.
00:21 Welcome to another Wednesday night 00:22 Bible study here, 00:24 A Sharper Focus coming to you from the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:27 If you are with us last week, it was camp meeting, 00:29 but now we are back to, if I could call it normal, 00:32 and we're back in our Bibles 00:33 and the people of God are gathered here 00:35 waiting for the blessing of the Lord. 00:37 Can we all say amen to that? Amen. 00:39 And we hope you have your Bibles. 00:40 We hope you have your pens and also, 00:44 for this lesson you'll always get an opportunity 00:46 to follow up long, 00:47 if you'd like a copy of the new lesson 00:49 for tonight that we hope to get to, 00:51 and I think there's a great chance we will 00:52 because we're covering just the last five questions 00:56 on lesson number six. 00:57 So go to this website, ASF.3abn.org. 01:03 Don't put www. You won't find it. 01:05 And download lesson 006 and also 007 01:10 because we're gonna start a new lesson tonight 01:12 entitled "In Christ." 01:14 But we thank you for tuning in tonight. 01:16 And we know that God is going to bless us 01:17 as we turn our hearts to Him. 01:19 So let's bow our heads together and invite the presence of God 01:23 to continue with us. 01:25 Our heavenly Father, we thank You, Lord, 01:26 in a wonderful and special way 01:28 that tonight Your Holy Spirit really is here. 01:32 He's gonna guide us and strengthen us 01:34 and the study of Your word, Father, 01:35 He is going to lead us through this book 01:38 that has been inspired by His power and His strength. 01:42 Also, give us hearts that will absorb the message 01:45 and give us also minds 01:47 that will be willing to serve You 01:49 and to follow You. 01:50 In Jesus' name we pray. 01:52 Amen. Amen. 01:54 And as I reiterate, once again, we are on lesson number six, 01:58 006 and we're finishing the lesson entitled, 02:02 How to be willing and obedient. 02:03 What's the title? 02:05 How to be willing and obedient. How to be willing and obedient. 02:08 Now we've talked about something 02:10 that I'd like to revisit. 02:12 We've talked about a man by the name of James Cameron. 02:14 Remember those pictures I've showed you? 02:16 He had an opportunity 02:18 just to be the second individual in history 02:20 to travel to the deepest part, the deepest place on earth, 02:24 or the lowest place on earth, the Mariana's Trench, 02:29 very dark, very deep underground. 02:32 He had the opportunity to be there. 02:34 And what was amazing about that journey is 02:37 he was able to be in an environment 02:39 that's hostile to his existence. 02:43 So for him to go down there 02:45 and come back up 36,000 plus feet down, 02:48 for him to go down and come back up, 02:49 he had to be in a capsule that was designed to sustain life. 02:53 And that's why tonight's lesson is gonna be a wonderful segue 02:56 because we're gonna talk about 02:58 what it means to be in the person of Christ 03:00 that he is designed to sustain life. 03:05 But the other thing about his journey, 03:06 he had to be willing to risk his life 03:09 because chances were, he said, 50/50 that he could down there 03:13 and lose connection, lose communication 03:15 and then lose his life. 03:17 But we know the story has a successful ending. 03:19 He went down and came back up successfully. 03:21 So when we walk in this Christian life, 03:23 this journey that we have walking with Christ, 03:25 it's a journey that requires of us 03:27 that we'd be willing and obedient 03:29 and then that we abide and continue in Christ. 03:32 In a hostile environment, we need to be in the one 03:35 who can successfully keep us 03:39 as we journey in this Christian journey. 03:41 So tonight we're gonna continue with some of the benefits. 03:44 Some of the what? Benefits. 03:46 Benefits of the will of God. 03:49 Now last week we began with question number 21. 03:53 But before we do anything, that's right, we have a song. 03:55 We're gonna sing a song, Victory In Jesus. 04:00 What's the song title? 04:01 Victory In Jesus. Victory In Jesus. 04:03 So let's not rush ahead of ourselves, 04:04 but join us as we sing this song 04:06 because this has become the theme song 04:09 of our Wednesday night, Victory In Jesus. 04:10 Follow us. 04:19 I heard an old, old story 04:23 How the Savior came from glory 04:27 How He gave His life on Calvary 04:30 To save a wretch like me 04:34 I heard about His groaning 04:38 Of His precious blood's atoning 04:42 Then I repented of my sins 04:45 And won the victory. 04:48 The chorus. 04:49 O victory in Jesus 04:53 My Savior, forever 04:57 He sought me and bought me 05:00 With His redeeming blood 05:04 He loved me ere I knew Him 05:08 And all my love is due Him 05:12 He plunged me to victory 05:16 Beneath the cleansing flood 05:19 I heard about a mansion 05:23 He has built for me in glory 05:27 And I heard about the streets of gold 05:31 Beyond the crystal sea 05:34 About the angels singing 05:38 And the old redemption story 05:42 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 05:46 The song of victory 05:50 O victory in Jesus 05:53 My Savior, forever 05:57 He sought me and bought me 06:01 With His redeeming blood 06:05 He loved me ere I knew Him 06:09 And all my love is due Him 06:12 He plunged me to victory 06:16 Beneath the cleansing flood 06:20 He plunged me to victory 06:24 Beneath the cleansing flood. 06:30 Amen. Amen. 06:32 Well, let's look at our title tonight. 06:34 We're gonna continue on question number 21. 06:36 How to be what? Willing and obedient. 06:39 How to be willing and obedient? 06:44 Now this section, these next five questions, 06:47 one two, three, four and five come under the category 06:51 of the benefits of the will of God. 06:54 Now a lot of people say, 06:55 "Well, if I follow the will of God, 06:56 well, what benefit is there for me. 06:59 Well, the will of God has a lots of benefits. 07:01 Well, the ultimate benefit is eternal life. 07:04 The ultimate benefit is 07:06 being completely reformed in the image of Christ. 07:08 That's the ultimate benefit. 07:10 But there are other benefits 07:11 that are wonderful as we continue. 07:13 So let's look at question number 21. 07:16 And it begins with this question. 07:17 How does accepting God's will 07:20 impact our attitude towards His work? 07:25 How does accepting God's will 07:27 impact our attitude towards His work? 07:30 Let's turn to 1 John 4:34. Oh, sorry, John. 07:37 I looked at the Roman numeral. 07:39 John 4:34 because there're two parts there. 07:43 Thankfully you all have your own lessons. 07:45 It really does make a difference, doesn't it? 07:47 Okay. 07:49 That's why I have my glasses. 07:50 I'm trying my best to do without them. 07:52 So if I come up with scriptures that don't exist in the Bible, 07:54 you know I need my glasses. 07:56 All right. John 4:34. 07:59 And we'll find it on the screen. 08:00 Here it is. 08:02 "Jesus said to them, 08:03 'My food is to do the will of Him 08:08 who,'" did what? 08:09 "Sent me and to finish His work." 08:12 When we are abiding in Christ, 08:15 when we are following the will of God, 08:17 you'll discover that "Jesus says, 08:19 His food is to do the will of Him 08:22 who sent him and to finish His work." 08:24 Let me tell you what that actually means. 08:26 Those who are living in Christ, 08:27 those who are walking in Christ, 08:29 they want to be involved in the work of Christ, 08:31 not just hearing the message of Christ. 08:34 You know, you could be involved, 08:36 there are some people that are baseball fans all their lives 08:39 and they've never played baseball. 08:40 I don't understand that. 08:42 I can't really cheer for sport 08:44 that I don't know anything about 08:45 or have never participated in. 08:47 Now I play baseball, but I'm not a baseball fan. 08:49 I watch it every now and then. I play basketball. 08:52 I'm a basketball fan, not a fanatic. 08:54 Just want to make sure that I'm separating the two. 08:57 I like the sport, but I'm not crazy about it. 09:00 And but the reason that is enjoyable to me 09:02 because I know something about it. 09:04 Now I'm the kind of person 09:06 that can't sit on the stands all the time. 09:08 I got to get involved on the field somehow. 09:11 When you become a Christian, 09:12 you can't sit on the stands all the time. 09:14 You got to get involved in God's work, right? 09:16 Amen. Now the simple reason is this. 09:18 He says, "He that is not with me is" what? 09:21 "Against me." "Against me." 09:22 "He who is not gathering with me is" what? 09:24 "Scattering abroad." 09:27 Down in Atlanta, I think in 2010, 09:30 we were on our way to lunch. 09:32 And everybody got together, 09:33 we were all excited about going to lunch. 09:35 And you know how it is 09:36 when everybody, "Hey, get in that car." 09:38 "You get in that car." "I get in that car." 09:39 "I'll follow him." "You follow me." 09:41 "Okay." "We'll meet you at." 09:42 "You got the restaurant?" "Yeah." 09:43 And we were all excited. 09:45 I've discovered that whenever you break your pattern, 09:46 something strange is gonna happen. 09:47 Have you ever noticed that? Yes. 09:49 When you're rushing, 09:50 that's when you forget the thing you need the most. 09:51 We got on the car. 09:53 In the city of Atlanta, 09:54 I want to make it very, very clear, 09:56 in the city of Atlanta, 09:57 we're driving through the streets of Atlanta 09:58 on our way to a Chinese restaurant. 10:01 We got to a highway over past and for whatever reason, 10:04 I look at my rear view mirror 10:06 and I saw things flying all over the place. 10:09 And it just dawned on me, instantly the Lord said to me, 10:13 "John, that's your wallet." 10:17 "That's your wallet with your per diem money 10:19 flying all over Atlanta. 10:24 I got my 3ABN per diem, had the cash in my, 10:29 in my wallet, put my wallet on the roof 10:32 and did not zip it up. 10:33 Now I'm glad I didn't zip it up because had I zipped it up, 10:35 you know, what would have happened? 10:37 My wallet would have rolled off, 10:38 there would be no evidence, no indicator. 10:40 So what did I do? I slammed on those breaks. 10:44 We had two other cars following us, 10:46 they slammed on their breaks 10:48 and I instantly just ran out without even waiting to see 10:51 whether or not traffic cleared. 10:52 And I said, Lord, my wallet, my credit cards, 10:56 my driver's license, phone numbers, cash 11:00 and was like the Lord instantly stopped the wind from blowing. 11:05 And you know what, not a single dollar, 11:07 not a single card, 11:09 not a single credit card flew away. 11:10 Can you all say amen to that? Amen. 11:12 And what was the purpose of my story again? 11:14 Scatters abroad. 11:16 Right. Scatters abroad. 11:18 People ran out their cars 11:19 and just started helping me pick these things up. 11:21 It wasn't a even a time that I could give instructions. 11:24 I almost just said, "Just follow, whatever I do, 11:26 just do the same thing." 11:28 And so some people in the other cars 11:30 just got down, everybody ran in different directions 11:32 gathering together. 11:34 Now it would have been terrible 11:35 if they all just sat in their car 11:37 and here I am out there all by myself. 11:38 But you know what they did? 11:40 They recognized instantly there was something 11:42 that need to be done right then and there 11:43 and they started gathering with me. 11:46 In the very same way, Jesus, if we follow His actions, 11:49 we end up gathering with Him rather than just standing by 11:53 and watch things get scattered abroad. 11:55 And so what's being said here is 11:56 when we live in the will of God, 11:57 we want to gather with Him. 11:59 There's no joy in just watching the gathering. 12:02 The joy comes in being involved in the gathering. 12:04 Amen. Look at the other part. 12:05 John 5:30, John 5:30. 12:08 The other benefit of how the will of God 12:11 impacts our lives toward His work. 12:13 John 5:30. Here it is on the screen. 12:17 "I can of Myself do" how much? "Do nothing. 12:21 As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is righteous, 12:26 because I do not seek My own will 12:29 but the will of the Father who," did what? 12:32 "Sent Me." So what is that saying? 12:35 Whose will are we seeking? 12:37 We're seeking the will of the Father. 12:39 So what happens is now, was Jesus able to do things? 12:44 Huh, yes or no? Yes. 12:45 But as it relates to a divine work 12:49 in the form of humanity, 12:50 he had to rely on the Father to accomplish anything divine. 12:54 So what we have to keep in mind is 12:55 if we're gonna be involved in the work of God, 12:57 we have to rely on divine assistance, 13:00 divine power, divine energy outside of ourselves 13:04 to be able to accomplish the will of God 13:06 and we must say together, "I cannot myself do" how much? 13:10 "Nothing." 13:11 Because what happens, you go out there 13:13 and the efforts we put forth, 13:14 we may be able to scrape up a spark here and there. 13:16 But without the power of God, 13:18 the accomplishment is very, very minimal. 13:21 Let's look at number 22. 13:23 Number 22, now the second part. Okay. 13:26 What message does God's will convey 13:29 through those who know God? 13:31 This is a wonderful text. 13:33 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, 13:38 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5. 13:41 Look at that very carefully. 13:43 And Paul the Apostle talks about this 13:46 in a wonderful setting. 13:47 All right. 13:48 For those of you who are quick, I think you're already there 13:50 but those of you who want to follow along, 13:52 it's gonna be on the screen. 13:53 Here is the answer. All right. 13:56 "For this is the will of God." What is it? 14:00 "Your sanctification: that you should abstain from" what? 14:05 "Sexual immorality that each of you should know 14:08 how to" do what? 14:10 "Possess his own vessel in sanctification 14:13 and" what else? 14:14 "And honor, not in passion of lust, 14:17 like the Gentiles who do not know God." 14:21 Now what message does God's will convey 14:23 to those who know God? 14:25 You know what it says, 14:26 God, those who serve God are people that control, 14:30 people that possess their souls. 14:32 Do you know what it means to possess your soul? 14:33 It doesn't mean to be spirit possessed. 14:35 It means to allow the Spirit of God 14:38 to live within you to control your thoughts, 14:41 your actions, your patterns, your lusts, your desires. 14:45 The word there lust simply means your desires. 14:48 And what Paul was doing here, 14:49 he was comparing the way the Gentiles live 14:53 to the way that those who follow Christ lived. 14:55 He said there must be a marked difference 14:56 between those who are following Christ 14:59 and those who are following the world. 15:00 Do you believe that? 15:01 There should be a difference, should be a marked difference. 15:03 The Gentiles, quite a different pattern. 15:05 Here is another one, 15:06 the second part of question number 22. 15:09 1 Peter 4:1-3. 1 Peter 4:1-3. All right. 15:16 Once again, what message does God's will convey 15:19 to those who know God? 15:21 I was doing a Bible program earlier today 15:23 and I was talking with the person 15:26 who is on the set with me, 15:27 James Rafferty and we were talking 15:29 about how different it is, 15:30 how the Christians' life should be markedly different 15:34 because in a world that's just completely designed 15:36 for our destruction, 15:38 the Christian although tempted should know 15:41 that that temptation is not optional. 15:43 In other words, well, as somebody once said, 15:45 it's better to ask for forgiveness 15:47 than ask for permission, no. 15:48 The Christian has to understand 15:50 where the line that God has drawn, where that line is. 15:52 And it is not safe to walk across that line 15:55 that God has established. 15:56 It's not safe to do that in a sanctified manner. 15:59 So Peter and Paul the Apostle and other Bible writers 16:03 talk about how important it is for the Christian 16:05 to exemplify his life in the world. 16:08 And let me give some application 16:09 to the passage we just read 16:10 and the one we're gonna read right now. 16:12 There are those of you, 16:14 now most of us work in a sanctified environment. 16:16 We work at 3ABN, right? 16:18 But for those of you that work in the real world, 16:23 now I'm not saying that there are not challenges here. 16:27 But for those who work in the everyday secular word 16:30 where the jokes are quite different at the soda machine 16:33 or at the, you know, when they have breakfast 16:36 or in the office or at the photocopy machine. 16:39 We've got to, we've got to make sure 16:40 that our minds don't go down the very same path 16:43 that those around us try to lead our minds down. 16:47 Or sometimes the conversations get hot and bothered 16:50 and going in a different direction. 16:52 We have to make sure that we don't go down that path 16:55 because sometimes Satan is like a, 16:57 he's like a person fishing. 16:58 He 's looking for somebody to hook and to reel in. 17:02 So Paul is establishing a principle 17:04 that must be important for Christians to follow 17:06 and Peter does the very same thing. 17:08 Look at the verse, 1 Peter 4:1-3. 17:10 The Bible says, "Therefore, since Christ suffered for us 17:14 in the flesh." 17:15 What's the next two words? 17:16 "Arm yourselves." "Arm yourselves." 17:18 That's battle there. 17:20 "Arm yourselves also with the" what? 17:22 "Same mind." 17:24 We have to have a warrior's mind 17:25 understanding we are in a war. 17:27 "For he who has suffered in the flesh 17:30 has ceased from" what? 17:32 "Sin that he no longer should live in the rest of his time 17:39 in the flesh for the lusts of men, 17:42 but for the will of God. 17:45 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime 17:48 in doing the will of the Gentiles." 17:50 Let's not run past that. 17:52 But now here's how it finishes. 17:54 "When we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, 17:57 revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries." 18:01 What Peter in essence is saying is, 18:03 before you gave your life to Christ, 18:04 you live that way, right? 18:07 How many of you remember that? 18:10 Okay. You see, some of us admit it. 18:13 But you remember the way the world, 18:15 coming from New York City, I've got to admit, 18:17 the remember the way of the world, 18:19 the way of the city. 18:21 One song I heard it many years ago, 18:22 I think the guy that wrote that song 18:24 Stevie Wonder, Living For the City. 18:25 I was living for the city, not living for the Lord. 18:28 So you remember that life. 18:29 You don't completely forget it but what happens is 18:32 when you disconnect yourself from it, 18:34 the strength of it begins to be weakened, 18:36 weakened until it's lessened. 18:38 It's like, it's like, think of it this way, 18:40 it's like taking a very, very strong magnet 18:42 and moving it further and further 18:43 and further and further away from the metal object. 18:46 After a while it has absolutely no impact. 18:49 That's why Bible mean when it says 18:50 "Resist the devil." 18:52 You got to move further and further and further 18:53 and further from those things that will pull you in. 18:56 A magnet up close, sin up close, same effect 19:01 so when you move away, 19:02 when you decide that this is where Christ, 19:04 I'm gonna be there when it says, 19:06 "Draw nigh to God and God will draw near to you." 19:09 "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." 19:11 So you have to make sure 19:12 your life is moving in the right direction. 19:14 And you move in a right direction 19:16 by remembering where you are 19:18 when you have gone in the wrong direction. 19:21 You say, "Wow, can't live that life." 19:24 And expect to live in the presence of Christ. 19:26 All right. Let's look at number 23. 19:30 Number 23. 19:31 So if you look at those two, 19:32 what message does the will of God convey 19:34 through those who know God? 19:36 We move in a different direction. 19:39 That's the summary of both of those texts. 19:40 We move in a different direction. 19:43 We forget those things which are behind us. 19:45 Thank you, honey. 19:46 Forgetting those things which are behind us, 19:47 we press toward the goal 19:49 for the prize of the upper call of God in Christ Jesus. 19:52 Notice he didn't say the lower call 19:54 but the, what kind of call? 19:55 Upward call. You always move higher. 19:57 You never give up anything 20:01 and get something less from the Lord. 20:04 Everything you give up, 20:05 you're gonna get something a lot better. 20:06 Remember Jesus says, 20:08 Jesus said about the rich young ruler, 20:09 if he had given up his possessions, 20:11 he would have had 100 times more in this life 20:14 and then he would have had eternal life. 20:16 But he didn't know that 20:17 because he held on to what he had, right? 20:19 Number 23, the next question. 20:23 How does the will of God affect our attitude in all situations? 20:28 Okay, in all situations 20:30 how does it affect our attitudes in all situations? 20:33 We're gonna go now to 1 Thessalonians 5:18. 20:38 I must spend a little time explaining this 20:39 because you know sometimes people may say, 20:41 "Well, I may not want to do that." 20:43 All right. Let's look at this together. 20:45 1 Thessalonians 5:18. All right. Here it is. 20:53 I'd like us to read this one together. 20:54 It's on the screen. Are we ready? Here we go. 20:56 "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God 21:02 in Christ Jesus for you." 21:04 King James Version says, "Concerning you." 21:07 You see, at it pertains to us. 21:11 This is a hard scripture. 21:13 I want you to know that this is not an easy one 21:15 because what is in essence it's saying is, 21:19 in how many things? 21:20 In everything. 21:23 You got to couple this with Romans 8:28 21:25 "For we know that all things." 21:27 Everything, all things. 21:29 "For we know that all things work together for good." 21:33 It may not look like it right away. 21:35 But if you know that what God allows 21:38 is gonna have a more beautiful ending 21:40 than it had in beginning, then you begin to say, 21:42 "Okay, Lord, I don't know what this is all about. 21:44 But I thank you for keeping me sane through it 21:48 or keeping me strong through it." 21:51 Or to be very real, sometimes we go through the challenges 21:55 that come our way with tears, don't we? 21:59 Or with interpretation, or fear or deep concern 22:04 but what happens is we go through it because we say, 22:08 "Lord, I don't understand the end of this thing 22:11 but I'm still alive. 22:12 I thank you for that. 22:14 I'm awake everyday. I thank you for that. 22:17 Don't know the end of it, 22:20 but I'm thanking you for the blessings 22:21 that will come in spite of it." 22:23 So it says, "In everything give thanks, 22:26 for this is the will of God." 22:27 You know when you often give thanks, 22:28 when do you often give thanks? 22:31 Huh? After, right. 22:33 Well, Thanksgiving, yes. But we often give thanks after. 22:38 What do we say after? Thank God. It's over. 22:41 You see, that's when the thanks really coming, 22:44 "Thank God. It's over." 22:47 But we don't now how long it's going to last. 22:49 And it's good that we don't 22:50 because sometimes you say, "Six months?" 22:53 "Really, Lord?" I mean, really, six months? 22:57 Do you think I could handle six months?" 22:58 And He says, "With me, you can handle anything." 23:03 But so we have to learn 23:04 and let me just spend a minute more on this. 23:07 One of the reasons why this is so vitally important 23:09 is because this is in contrast 23:12 to what is often recorded in the Bible 23:14 where the children of Israel complained and murmured. 23:18 They couldn't see the blessings of God. 23:20 Over and over and over again 23:22 God delivered them in so many different ways 23:24 but whenever our new trial came, 23:26 what were they ready to do? 23:28 Throw their hands up and give up on God. 23:30 So this is not just a good scripture, 23:31 this is saying to us, 23:33 if God delivered you in the past situation, 23:35 God is able to deliver you in the present situation. 23:38 And He is able to deliver in the what? 23:40 Future situation. 23:41 But if you complain every time the cloud show up, 23:44 you know, like here in Thompsonville, 23:46 whenever the siren goes off, we're getting complacent now 23:49 so we have to be very careful because we say, 23:51 "Uh, you know, the tornado always goes around us." 23:54 Ain't that right? 23:56 Somebody said "I've been living here 23:57 for X amount of years, 20 years." 23:59 And John, he's 21 maybe. 24:00 I've been living here 21 years 24:02 and they always split and go around us. 24:04 I know they're coming right toward Thompsonville, 24:05 but it splits and goes one left and one go right 24:07 and it joins back, it goes, or it goes up over city, 24:09 it slows down. 24:10 You know, we get complacent sometime but I want to say, 24:12 "Thank you, Lord that you've been keeping it 24:14 from hitting us for 21 years, more specifically 28 years." 24:18 God is good. 24:20 So whenever those clouds start to gather again, 24:22 you say, "Lord, I don't know." 24:24 I was in a, we were in Dallas, Texas. 24:27 Keene, Texas or wherever it was and my phone went off. 24:32 And I have my phone programmed 24:34 so that whenever severe weather comes to 62869, 24:39 my phone starts going... 24:43 You know like the, what's that sound? 24:44 Siren. The tornado siren, right? 24:46 And it just kept going off every 30 seconds. 24:49 And my wife says, "What's wrong with your phone? 24:51 Oh, that sound would drive me nuts." 24:54 Well, I said, "Honey, it's driving us nuts 24:55 because we are in a quiet hotel 24:57 or walk in lobby or in the elevator. 24:59 But let me see what my phone is saying? 25:01 "Warning, warning, seek low lying area. 25:04 Go to a lower floor, get away from window." 25:07 You know storm, eminent, you know tornado, eminent. 25:10 I called Gray. 25:12 I said, "Gray, my phone is going crazy. 25:13 How is that out there?" 25:15 "Well, Pastor, it's really bad. It's hailing. 25:17 I could see clouds in the east. 25:18 They are coming toward Thompsonville. 25:20 It's really, really windy." 25:21 And I stayed on the phone and talked with them 25:22 until the winds just started dying down. 25:24 So why it just seems like it's dying down? 25:26 Just before called him, I called Danny. 25:28 I said, "Danny, how does it look?" 25:29 "Oh, man, there's a tornado. 25:31 I heard West Frankfurt is on his way here 25:33 50 miles an hour and you know what, 25:36 the Lord sustained us through it, amen. 25:37 Amen. 25:39 So what I'm saying by all those anecdotal stories 25:41 is simply this. 25:43 Things may look worse as they approach us 25:46 than they are when they reach us. 25:49 So let's not shutter. 25:51 Let's remember, we got to put more trust in God. 25:53 Give thanks for this is the will of God. 25:56 God says I've got it handled. 25:58 Your fiery furnace, your lion's den, 26:00 whatever the situation maybe, learn how to give thanks. 26:03 Now let's look at the next one. Number 24, number 24. 26:09 How does the will of God affect our actions and choices? 26:14 How does the will of God affect our actions and choices? 26:17 Okay. 26:22 And it says here in 1 Peter 2:15 is the text 26:25 where we're gonna be. 26:27 1 Peter 2:15. Here it is. 26:30 You all turned it. I heard you turn it really fast. 26:32 By the way, you guys can meet me there 26:34 because you know where I'm heading. 26:35 You got a syllabus. 26:36 Hopefully, you could race me there, 26:38 but here it is in the screen. 26:39 1 Peter 2:15, together. 26:42 "For this is the will of God, that by" what? 26:46 "Doing good you may put to silence 26:50 the ignorance of" what? 26:52 "Foolish men." You know what that means? 26:55 I tell you, I tell you, brethren, 26:57 there are those in the world 26:59 that are always looking for ammunition to throw at God. 27:04 "So I thought you are Christian." 27:08 "Where's your God now?" 27:10 Then in situations in the city where people have said, 27:13 "Well, how did your life get turned up. 27:15 I thought you were praying." 27:17 You know and they give you that look. 27:19 So your car broke down on the way to church. 27:25 Have you, I mean, I've been in situations like that. 27:28 I could tell you the story. This is really funny. 27:29 And I know, well, this had nothing to do with God 27:32 but we had a Toyota. 27:34 It was my wife's car, her brother gave it to her. 27:36 Actually she bought it at very, 27:38 next to nothing and you'll understand why. 27:40 It only went forward. 27:42 It didn't have a reverse gear and the gas needle didn't work. 27:46 So to find out how much fuel was in the tank, 27:49 we had a hanger in our car. 27:51 So we'd always put the hanger in the car 27:52 and like a dipstick. 27:54 Now you got to see this. Here we are in the city. 27:56 I have my suit on and I'm on my way to church. 27:57 I'm putting a dipstick in the gas tank, 27:59 "Wait a minute, honey. 28:01 Yeah, we have about few gallons in there." 28:05 I didn't know how much we had in there. 28:07 Anyway one Sabbath on our way from church 28:10 and the other thing about this car, 28:12 the seat had springs 28:14 that had torn all the way through the seat 28:16 so I put cardboard in the seat. 28:18 I have three suits 28:20 that I've had to re-sew the left side of the suite 28:23 because three suits got torn by the spring. 28:26 It always reminds us of that car. 28:28 And I've since out on a little bit more weight 28:31 and I don't fit in those suits. 28:32 However, I've kept them just for reminder 28:35 of where we used to live. 28:37 But this one particular Sabbath on our way from church, 28:41 crossing an intersection in New York City, 28:44 as we got to the end of the intersection, 28:46 the car coasted the rest of the way... 28:53 Took that hanger out, put in the gas tin 28:56 and it sounded like an empty fruit can, 28:58 nothing there. 29:00 I said, "Honey, guess what happened? 29:01 We ran out of fuel on our way from church." 29:05 Now here I am, Sabbath, got on my suit, 29:08 didn't even have a gas can. 29:10 Walking to the gas station with no gas can. 29:13 I had to get a gas can. 29:14 And when I got to the gas station, 29:16 "Well, what you are dressed up for?" 29:21 "Coming from church." "So how can I help you?" 29:23 "Do you have a gas can?" "What you need a gas can for?" 29:28 "My car broke down. It needs fuel." 29:31 "You let your car breakdown coming from church." 29:34 It's New Yorker saying that. 29:35 And I'm thinking, I'm thinking to myself, 29:37 just give me the gas can. 29:40 That had nothing to do with God 29:42 but the way that it was coming from the attendant, 29:44 it was like, "Your car broke down 29:46 coming from the church?" 29:48 And I'm thinking, it's just, sometimes 29:50 and the reason I'm telling the story, 29:52 sometimes God has nothing to do with things like that. 29:55 Sometimes it's just the issues of life. 29:57 Remember, Jesus talks about that, 29:58 "The cares of this life." 30:00 Sometimes the cares of this life 30:01 can challenge you. 30:03 It has nothing to do with God. 30:04 It has nothing to do with the devil. 30:06 Sometimes you blame the devil for stuff 30:07 that we just complacent about. 30:09 Didn't check the fuel the day before. 30:11 But it's moments like that where you can either be patient 30:14 under the load of the challenge 30:16 and just simply get your fuel, go back to where you were. 30:20 Eventually that car broke down on us again, 30:22 crossing the George Washington Bridge. 30:25 They also had a bad transmission 30:26 that's why it only forward. 30:28 It broke down in the middle 30:29 of the George Washington Bridge. 30:31 And as I paid the toll and pressed the gas pedal, 30:35 I heard crunching metal. 30:37 And thankfully we were at the pinnacle of the bridge 30:39 where, you know, guys, God has brought us through a whole lot. 30:43 I just want you to know that. 30:45 God has brought us through a whole lot. 30:46 Here we are on the George Washington Bridge 30:49 toward the evening, paid our toll, 30:53 pressed the gas pedal 30:54 and the attendant is waiting for us to move. 30:56 "Go ahead." 31:01 And it gripped just enough to get the car rolling, 31:05 five, six, seven, ten, fifteen. 31:09 God is good. 31:11 Thankfully, we were not going up the bridge. 31:13 We were going down and it eventually got to 35 31:16 and the grading, we got to 60. 31:18 And we were able to coast all the way off the bridge, 31:21 all the way to a side tree 31:23 without ever needing the gas pedal. 31:24 Wow. 31:26 And we sat there until our family member came and got us. 31:30 But those are the issues of life 31:31 that sometimes you'll say, "Where is God now? 31:33 I mean, why does He let these things happen to us?" 31:37 So in those moments you have to understand 31:39 that when you have the chance to do evil 31:41 or say things that are not correct, 31:43 you'll put a silence the ignorance of foolish men. 31:46 And the reason I say the ignorance of foolish men 31:48 is because sometimes men don't understand 31:49 your connection to God. 31:51 And you can use that moment as a chance 31:52 to give God the glory. 31:54 You can say it was my bad. 31:56 It was not God that did this but it was-- 31:58 Our car just broke, things break down. 32:00 Things sometimes go bad. 32:01 Sometimes the check doesn't get to the bank 32:02 as quickly as you like that to get there. 32:04 But in those moments, give God the glory anyway. 32:06 Amen. Amen. 32:08 Look at the last one here. 32:09 So how does the will of God 32:10 affect our actions and our choices? 32:12 Simply, choose. Simply choose to do good. 32:15 That's the answer for number 24. 32:17 Choose to do good. God will be praised by it. 32:19 Question number 25. 32:22 What does the will of God 32:23 teach us in times of difficulty? 32:27 What does the will of God teach us 32:28 in times of difficulty? 32:31 Okay. 1 Peter 4:19, 1 Peter 4:19. 32:39 This is one that Peter knows 32:42 as a result of his own experience. 32:44 He knows this to be something that is true in his own life 32:48 because the apostles went through suffering. 32:50 But notice what he says. 32:53 "Therefore let those who suffer according to the" what? 32:58 "Will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, 33:02 as to a what? 33:04 "Faithful Creator." 33:05 Now I don't know if you've caught that. 33:07 Let those who suffer according to the will of God. 33:09 The Bible says also, Paul says, 33:11 "If we suffer with Him, we will also" what? 33:14 "Reign with Him." 33:15 And sometimes we have this attitude 33:16 that the Christian life is devoid of suffering, 33:19 like you know, once we give our lives to Christ, 33:20 we're locked in a peanut shell and nothing could get in. 33:23 No. 33:24 When you give your life to Christ, 33:26 the world is now already against you 33:27 and suffering will come. 33:29 But remember this, brethren. 33:31 Suffering is the beginning of it, 33:32 joy is the end of it. 33:34 Amen. 33:35 So when, if God says okay, 33:36 this suffering will come your way. 33:38 Did Job suffer according to the will of God? 33:40 Yes or no? Yes or no? Did God allow it? 33:45 Yes. Of course, He did. 33:46 God didn't bring the suffering, but God allowed it 33:48 so that Job's life could be a testament 33:50 in the moment of suffering. 33:52 And so there are many of us, 33:53 if you haven't had suffering, Pastor C. A. said, 33:55 "If haven't gone through it, it's coming." You see. 33:59 So never get to the place where you think 34:00 that suffering is something that's gonna allude you. 34:03 One person once said, Paul says this 34:06 "But all that who live godly in Christ Jesus 34:08 shall suffer" what? 34:10 Persecution. And it's gonna come. 34:12 But there are some individuals. 34:13 I met somebody who said, "I don't know. 34:16 Am I a good Christian because I'm not suffering? 34:20 And I said, "how old are you?" "I'm 22." 34:23 "Just wait." Right? 34:28 They figure that by 22, if I'm not suffering, 34:30 I'll never ever suffer. 34:32 Well, we all know that it may come at 22 34:35 but it's gonna come. 34:36 And not that we welcome that or not that we look forward it 34:39 but simply in this world you will have tribulation. 34:43 John 16:33. 34:44 "But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." 34:47 So now that's the end of lesson number six. 34:49 We're gonna transition now and the new title 34:53 that is going to be powerful here. 34:55 I doubt if we finish it tonight but we are ready for it. 34:57 The new title is How to be, what? 35:01 In Christ. 35:03 I really enjoyed putting this one together. 35:06 This lesson really thrilled my soul 35:09 and I believe it's gonna do the same for you. 35:11 By the way, if you're just tuning in 35:13 and you only have question number 35:14 or lesson number six in your possession, 35:16 simple go to ASF.3abn.org 35:19 and you can download the syllabus 35:21 for lesson number seven. 35:22 How to be in Christ? 35:24 What does that mean to be in Christ? 35:26 You know, there are those who I remember years ago, 35:29 there are those who would try to extend their lives 35:31 in various ways. 35:33 Some people have heard about the Science of the Cryonics. 35:37 That's so to speak, 35:38 a scientific way of freezing the body correctly 35:41 and thawing it out later. 35:45 Now brethren, what happens 35:47 if that thawing out process goes bad? 35:50 You just be a soak. I don't know what you'll be. 35:56 That's not the way that I want to seek 35:57 to extend my life, right? 35:59 Then there are those who live in pure oxygen chambers 36:04 you know, breathe up your oxygen. 36:06 But I heard there's something else now. 36:07 Don't go out and but it because some of you, 36:10 if you want to prevent the aging process. 36:11 I was listening to the doctor last week 36:13 and he said, HGH, Human Growth Hormones, HGH. 36:17 It slows down the aging process. 36:19 Many actors and actresses use it. 36:21 It makes the lines stay away longer. 36:23 It makes the face feel tighter 36:26 and the body, more vibrant and vigor. 36:28 Don't leave yet, okay. 36:30 And they do that to and they said, 36:33 in Hollywood, the constant journey is 36:36 how to find the fountain of the youth. 36:39 How to look younger longer. 36:41 And they always, just like Elizabeth Taylor, 36:43 she had enough face lifts to raise the Titanic. 36:47 Just over and over and over and over again. 36:50 But that's not what we're talking about. 36:52 We're not talking about sustaining the physical man, 36:54 we're talking about planning for eternal life. 36:57 So we begin with this question. 36:59 We begin with the most important question, 37:01 question number one. 37:03 What does it mean to be in Christ? 37:05 What does it mean to be in Christ? 37:07 This is beautiful. All right. 37:08 We're gonna go to 2 Corinthians 5:17. 37:11 Those of you who know your Bible well 37:12 know exactly what this text says. 37:14 What does it mean to be in Christ? 37:17 Okay. 2 Corinthians 5:17. 37:23 It's gonna be on the screen here. 37:24 It's a wonderful passage. 37:25 You've heard this before 37:27 but I want to take a little time with it 37:28 because sometimes we could just run through things 37:30 that we've heard all over and over and over again 37:32 and fail to get the wonderful benefit from it. 37:34 All right. 2 Corinthians 5:17. 37:37 I want us to read this together. 37:39 You all ready? 37:40 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 37:44 he is a new creation, old things have" what? 37:49 "Passed away, behold, all things have become new." 37:56 "New." 37:57 Now you may not look new. Yeah. 38:03 Go with me to 1 John. All right. 38:06 We're gonna turn to the book. 38:07 So what does it mean to be in Christ? 38:10 The answer is twofold. "Old things passed away." 38:13 How many things are new? Say it together. 38:15 "All things are new." 38:16 And you don't see all those new things yet. 38:18 But if you stay around long enough, 38:19 you begin to see those things. 38:21 What book did I say we're going to? 38:22 1 John, right? Okay. 38:25 Wait. 38:27 I have so much stuff in my Bible, 38:29 my Bible is like a file cabinet. 38:33 Okay here, great. Put on glasses. 38:36 I heard a small voice behind me say that. 38:40 Okay, here we are. 38:43 1 John Chapter 3 38:46 and we're gonna look at verse 2. 38:50 Verse 2. Speaking about all things that become new. 38:53 1 John 3:2. Let's look at that together. All right. 38:57 It begins with the word "Beloved." 39:00 "Now we are" what? 39:02 "Children" when are we children of God? 39:04 Now. Say now. 39:06 Right now, right now, Hannah, you are a child of God. 39:09 Remember, Hannah told me that. 39:11 I remember when she got baptized. 39:12 We had Bible studies 39:13 and we reviewed those on the Friday 39:15 just before her baptism and she came to me. 39:17 I think it was Monday or Tuesday 39:18 or maybe a prayer meeting on Wednesday. 39:20 She said, "You know what, Pastor." 39:21 She said, "Things have changed now." 39:22 I said, she said, "Remember last week, 39:27 I was a child of Adam, but now," wasn't that? 39:31 That was Kayli. That was Kayli said that. 39:33 She said, "Pastor, last week I was a child of Adam. 39:36 Now I'm a child of God." Ain't that wonderful? 39:39 Amen. Ten years old. 39:43 Last week I was a child of Adam. 39:45 But, Pastor, guess what? Now I'm a child of God. 39:48 That's wonderful. She understood this text here. 39:51 It says "Now we are the children of God. 39:54 But let's go and look at the new things now. 39:56 It says, 39:58 "And it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, 40:03 but we know that when He is revealed, 40:06 we shall be" what? 40:08 "Like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 40:14 For many, many years before I met my dad, 40:17 and some of you know the story, 40:18 I always wondered what my dad looked like. 40:21 I didn't know my dad until I was 13 years old. 40:23 Didn't meet my mom till I was almost 26, 40:25 my biological parents. 40:27 And when I found out that 40:29 I was not living with the people 40:31 that were natural parents, I was wondering, 40:33 what does my dad look like, what does my mom look like. 40:35 Do I have traits? 40:36 Am I walking past them during the day of my, 40:39 on the train, is he sitting across from me, 40:41 has my mom, have I seen her? 40:42 I always wonder what the features were. 40:44 This text though, kind of spells my story. 40:47 When I saw my dad, I thought, 40:49 Okay, 40:53 my nose is kind of like his, 40:55 well, oh, my ears are not. 40:57 His ears are smaller than mine 40:59 so I wonder where I got my ears from. 41:00 I met my mom and I found out the other half of the puzzle. 41:04 On the French Filipino side. 41:06 We've got those rich people's ears 41:08 but we don't have the money. 41:10 Everybody in our family, so you look at the traits 41:12 and for me, it was a discovery. 41:14 I didn't know but when my father was revealed 41:18 I began to look at the physical. 41:19 Okay, I kind of stand up little like him at times. 41:22 Okay, I see my grandmother. 41:23 Well, I'm lanky like my grandmother. 41:26 When he was revealed, 41:27 when my family pictures were revealed, 41:29 all of a sudden I realized 41:31 in so many ways I was like them. 41:33 What is in essence saying is before we reach, 41:35 before we meet our heavenly Father, 41:37 what we have to come to grips with is, 41:39 even though we don't see him, we are His children. 41:42 When? Now. 41:43 And when we see Him, in His glory, 41:46 we will see Him in His righteousness 41:48 and the beauty is we're gonna be like him. 41:50 Now Moses couldn't see His face but one of the blessings 41:53 and the benefits of the children of God is 41:56 we will not only be with Him but we will see His face. 42:00 And as the Heritage Singers always used to sing 42:02 "And we will be like Him." 42:04 Praise the Lord for that. 42:06 Okay. Question number two. 42:07 So the answer to question number one is, 42:09 what does it mean to be in Christ? 42:11 Old things are behind us, everything new has come. 42:15 And the word passed away means died. 42:18 Okay. Number two. 42:20 How dependent on Christ are we 42:24 for our spiritual survival? 42:29 You ever had a bad spiritual week? 42:31 Anybody want to admit that in here. 42:33 Anybody have had a bad spiritual week? 42:36 Not 15 hours, but a bad spiritual week. 42:40 And you wondered like after it passes by, 42:43 you'll ask yourself a question, why didn't I do this sooner. 42:46 The thing that delivered you from that bad spiritual week 42:49 is the thing that you should've done earlier. 42:52 Look at this passage. 42:53 How dependent on Christ are we for our spiritual survival? 42:57 Acts, we are in Acts 17:28. Okay. 43:01 This is a wonderful passage. I've heard it so many times. 43:04 It says, "For in Him" let's go together. 43:07 "For in Him we" what? 43:08 "Live and move and" what else? 43:11 "Have our being." 43:13 That's a whole lot. 43:15 In Him we live, in Him we move and in Him we what? 43:19 Have our being. 43:20 "As also some of your own poets have said, 43:23 'For we are also His offspring.'" 43:28 So when you think about offspring, 43:30 where did I get my life from? 43:31 I'm my dad's offspring. I'm my mom's offspring. 43:34 So in a physical sense, in a paternal sense, 43:37 in a maternal sense I'm able to move 43:40 because of what my mom and dad did. 43:43 I'm able to have physical emotion 43:45 because my mom and dad joined together 43:48 and in the process of birth, I'm able to have life. 43:51 So in the process of rebirth, we are the offspring of Christ. 43:55 So we have to remember, when we wake up in the morning, 43:58 in whom are we gonna live today, 44:00 in whom are we gonna move today, 44:02 in whom are we gonna have our being today. 44:05 When you submit yourself to Christ 44:07 and remember you are His child, 44:08 in Him, today, in Him I live, in Him I move. 44:13 And when you move and live in Christ, 44:15 your walk is a sure footed walk. 44:17 Isn't it right? Yes. 44:20 Because those steps that he takes 44:24 are the very same steps that you take. 44:26 Now it's really important to remember that 44:28 because there's a narrow path. 44:29 What kind of path did I say? Narrow. 44:32 The Bible speaks about this path. 44:33 It's a narrow path. 44:34 It leads to eternal life 44:36 and the Bible says very few find that path. 44:39 Now somebody tell me why very few find that path. 44:43 Somebody tell me. Why do very few find that path. 44:48 We choose to ignore it. Okay. 44:49 What else? On along the same lines. 44:52 Why do very few find that path? That's a key word. 44:56 They don't look. Okay, they don't look. 45:00 Jeremiah, the prophet says, 45:01 "You will seek me and you will find me 45:03 when you" do what? 45:04 "Search for me with all your heart." 45:07 Can you imagine if you drove to work without looking? 45:11 I'm just gonna drive. I'll get to work eventually. 45:17 Huh? 45:18 Would you want to be in a cab? 45:20 I was in a cab once 45:21 and I had to stop talking to the cab driver 45:23 because every time I say something, 45:24 he'll look back at me, "Hey, dude." 45:26 And I'm like, "Look ahead of you." 45:29 You'll see people like that. 45:30 They always want to talk to you. 45:31 Sometimes when I'm gonna call with people 45:33 that I'd like to talk to me when I speak to them 45:36 and they are driving, I choose not, 45:37 "Don't-- We'll talk when you're done." 45:40 "That's okay, I could do this." 45:41 You know I had a, we were in Bermuda 45:44 and a couple of years ago, 45:46 well, three, four, five years ago, 45:49 and we got picked up at the airport. 45:51 I hope he is not watching. 45:53 But if he is, it's a funny story. 45:56 And the guy that picked us up, I'll be very vague. 45:59 I won't tell everything about him. 46:00 He was also a driving instructor. 46:06 But he was one of those guys I'd like to look at you 46:07 and he drives. 46:09 When you're talking to him, every time he looked at me, 46:12 he would way over the lane. 46:15 He would way over the yellow line, 46:17 he would. 46:19 I said, stop looking at me and drive. 46:23 "I could, I teach people how to drive." 46:25 I said, "Well, if you teach people how to drive, 46:27 you should know that if you're gonna use one hand, 46:30 don't hold the heaviest hand 46:31 at the top of the steering wheel 46:33 because the heavy hand... 46:34 He said, "Okay. I see. 46:35 What do you suggest?" 46:37 I said, "Do the 10 o'clock, 2 o'clock thing." 46:38 I'm telling to the driving instructor. 46:40 Do the 10 o'clock, 2 o'clock thing and you won't drift." 46:43 All right, I'll try that. 46:44 It does work." 46:46 I'm telling a driving instructor. 46:48 He's got a big old driving instructor sticker 46:50 on both sides of the car. 46:52 And I'm thinking, I am alive. 46:54 So we have to keep in mind, 46:55 we got to keep our eyes fixed on Christ 46:57 because Christ, his journey is a sure journey. 46:59 Am I right? 47:01 In Him we live, we move and have our being everyday 47:03 because we are His offspring. 47:04 He's in charge. That's simply what that means. 47:06 If Christ is in charge, your journey and your feet 47:09 are gonna be in a sure footed journey. 47:12 Number three, number three. 47:15 How does Paul the Apostle describe 47:17 Christian righteousness? 47:21 Not just righteousness because, 47:23 you know, our righteousness is as filthy rags. 47:26 I used the word there Christian righteousness. 47:29 How does Paul the Apostle describe 47:31 Christian righteousness? 47:32 We're looking together at 2 Corinthians 5:21. 47:42 This is beautiful. This is beautiful. 47:44 This is one of those righteousness by faith texts. 47:50 "For He" that is the father, "made Him," that is the Son, 47:57 "who knew no sin to be what? 48:00 "Sin for us." 48:02 But here is the trade off 48:04 "That we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 48:10 In Jesus. 48:11 Is that, now, don't run past that transaction. 48:14 Jesus knew no sin. 48:17 He know no sin. 48:19 The Father and the Son 48:23 put together a transaction to save us. 48:26 He says I could imagine, 48:28 "But, Father, I don't know sin." 48:30 I mean, I know what it does 48:32 but I've never had an experience with sin. 48:34 I mean, I don't sin. I've never sinned. 48:37 And they decided together, okay. 48:39 In order for us to save our children... 48:47 you got to become just like them. 48:51 Now I don't know 48:52 how many of would jump in a fire to save somebody 48:57 that you are connected with. 49:03 So Jesus decides to become familiar with sin 49:10 that we might become familiar with righteousness. 49:14 But even deeper than that, Jesus became sin. 49:18 Now I want to see if you're gonna catch that. 49:21 He didn't just become familiar with it, He what? 49:24 Became sin. 49:26 He didn't say, "Well, I'm familiar with it. 49:28 I'll go back now." He became it. 49:31 He became what we are that we might become what He is. 49:35 So when we look at that text and we ask the question, 49:39 how does Paul the apostle describe 49:41 Christian righteousness? 49:43 Trading places. 49:44 Doing what? Trading places. 49:46 Now one day we're gonna get a chance 49:48 to see the end result of this transaction, 49:51 the Father and the Son deciding 49:53 that you have to become like them 49:55 that they could become like you. 49:57 Now what I like about this 49:58 is Jesus took upon Himself the sin of the world. 50:02 He didn't become a sinner by action. 50:05 He took upon Himself the sin of the world, 50:07 took that sin to the cross, 50:09 paid the penalty for our redemption 50:11 so that one day we can access the kingdom of glory 50:16 as a free gift. 50:18 It's a powerful text. 50:21 And I guess I could illustrate the story. 50:26 One way I heard the story about a young lady 50:29 who was on a college campus 50:30 and she was walking in the college campus 50:32 and she had her arm through another guy's arm 50:35 and his face was disfigured. 50:37 He had experienced terrible burns. 50:41 And when she'd walk past other girlfriends, 50:46 they would give her like, 50:49 who's that guy. 50:51 He is, "can't you find a better looking guy than that? 50:54 I mean, all these guys in the campus, 50:57 I mean, look at yourself, look at him." 50:59 And she broke down one day and she said, okay, all right. 51:02 Here is the deal. 51:04 The reason I'm with that guy, that's my brother. 51:06 He went in a fire 51:08 when I was a baby and saved my life. 51:14 So we never know what the Lord, 51:16 we never know the value of the suffering 51:19 that was required to save us 51:21 until we understand that Jesus was willing to go into the fire 51:25 to make sure that we can come out of the fire 51:26 and survive that. 51:28 I try not to look a text like this in one passage 51:29 because I've heard this text so many times before, 51:31 haven't you? 51:33 Man, it's a very deep text 51:34 and I think throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity, 51:36 he's gonna break down in minutest ways 51:38 what that actually entailed. 51:40 So, Jesus, what actually did you give up? 51:42 Well, let me tell you what I used to do on a daily basis 51:45 before I broke my schedule down 51:47 and decided to come to the earth 51:48 and go through what I went through. 51:50 You'll be amazed and you'll think, 51:51 I don't know if I, 51:53 I don't know if I would ever have done that. 51:54 But here we are in eternity 51:56 because He decided to trade places with us 51:58 and become our propitiation for sin. 52:00 Amen. 52:02 Number, number four, all right. 52:06 So if you answer the question, 52:07 how does Paul the Apostle describe 52:09 Christian righteousness? 52:10 Christian righteousness is the righteousness of Christ. 52:15 That's the answer for number three. 52:17 Number four. Here it is. 52:19 What is the source of our redemption and how? 52:23 Okay. 52:25 What is the source of our redemption and how? 52:28 Question number five. 52:32 And we are turning to what text? 52:34 Ephesians... 52:37 Did I say question number five, I mean, question number four. 52:40 That's right. 52:42 Question number four. 52:43 Ephesians 1:7. 52:44 What is the source of our redemption and how? 52:49 Ephesians 1:7. 52:52 Okay, here it is. 52:55 What are the first two words? 52:56 In Him. 52:58 That are those words again? In Him. 52:59 Now what I didn't stop. 53:01 I don't know if you guys have been following along 53:03 but every text we've had so far has had the phrase, "In Him." 53:09 In Him. 53:10 "Wherefore if anyone is in Christ." 53:12 For in Him we live and move." 53:14 For He made Him who knew no sin to become 53:16 so that we might become 53:18 the righteousness of God in Him." 53:20 I want to get this theme locked in, "In Him." 53:22 It is not in us, it's in Him. 53:25 If anyone be in Christ, all these benefits come. 53:30 So look at this text again. 53:31 Now we zero in on how important it is. 53:33 It starts together. Here it is. 53:35 "In Him we have" what? 53:37 "Redemption through His blood," 53:40 what else? 53:41 "The forgiveness of sins, 53:43 according to the riches of His grace." 53:47 I was so tempted and this is a good temptation. 53:50 I was tempted when I wrote this text down here 53:53 to begin to explain to you the riches of God's grace. 53:57 And I thought to myself, 53:59 with all the Bible verses in the Bible, 54:00 I still don't know how rich He is. 54:05 You follow me? 54:06 He is only told me about some of His riches. 54:09 He's told me about his riches as it pertains to the earth. 54:12 For example, "He owns a cattle on a thousand hills." 54:15 "The silver is His and the gold is His." 54:18 "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, 54:20 the world and they that dwell therein." 54:21 He has given me His financial portfolio 54:25 as it relates to the earth. 54:28 But I really don't know how rich He is. 54:30 So I resisted the temptation 54:32 because if I try to explain how rich God is, 54:35 I would fall for short. 54:38 So when we look at Bible, when we look at this text, 54:40 we don't know until we see Him face to face, 54:43 we would not understand the riches of His grace. 54:46 Let's not get that mixed up to the riches of His wallet 54:50 or the riches of His bank account. 54:52 The riches of His grace, 54:54 the riches of His grace is as follows. 54:56 "For by grace are you saved through faith." 54:59 Now let me ask you the question, 55:00 is there enough grace for everyone to be saved? 55:02 Yes. That's a lot of grace. 55:05 Okay. 55:10 "His grace is sufficient for us. 55:15 For in our weakness His strength is made" what? 55:17 "Perfect." 55:19 Is there enough of God's grace for those of us who are weak? 55:22 Yes. 55:23 So where does this grace end? It doesn't end. 55:28 If the world has the 10 million more years, 55:31 it will still be true, 55:32 "For by grace are you saved through faith." 55:35 So we don't know the extent of the riches of His grace. 55:39 It's a whole lot of grace. 55:42 We wouldn't, I mean, 55:44 anyway, let's not try to hurt ourselves 55:47 into putting that together. 55:49 That's a lot of grace. 55:50 So the answer. 55:51 What is the source of our redemption and how? 55:54 The source of our redemption is in Him. 55:58 And how? 55:59 Through His blood and what? 56:01 Through His forgiveness and what else? 56:03 Through His grace. 56:04 Through His blood, through His forgiveness 56:06 and through His grace. 56:08 He is the one that brings this to our table. 56:11 Praise God for that. Now number five. 56:14 And we have 18 questions. 56:18 I don't think there is anyway we're gonna get to 18 questions 56:21 in a minute and 45 seconds. 56:22 So let's go ahead and go to question number five. 56:25 Let's see what we can do, all right. 56:28 This one starts with, 56:29 this starts to unfold the riches of His grace. 56:33 When we have Christ, 56:35 how much more do we need? 56:38 When we Christ, how much more do we need? 56:41 You know, sometimes people say, "I need more, I need more." 56:43 "Give me some more, give me some more." 56:45 And when we have Christ, how much more do we need? 56:47 I'm moving up pace now. Here we are. 56:49 Colossians 2:9, 10. 56:51 Here it is. 56:52 "For in Him dwells" what's the next word? 56:56 "All the fullness of the Godhead" how? 56:59 "Bodily." "Bodily." 57:01 That is, in the body of Christ. 57:02 When Jesus came to the earth, 57:04 in Him dwell all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. 57:07 That's heavy. Yes. 57:11 So when the Bible says "God with us," there He is, 57:13 all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and completing it 57:16 "And you are complete in Him 57:18 who is the head of all principality 57:21 and" what else? 57:23 "Power." That's power. 57:25 You are complete in Him. Who is He? 57:28 He is the head 57:30 of all principality and all power. 57:32 Is that deep? 57:33 So tonight as we begin to unfold this passage, 57:36 I want you to take this home 57:37 and look at those passages again 57:38 because in Him is a very magnificent motive. 57:42 It's something that is far beyond 57:44 the comprehension of those of us 57:45 who just want to skim through these passages. 57:48 Sometimes you open a commentary and find out 57:50 what more you can find out 57:51 about the wonderful blessing and the grace of Christ 57:54 and you'll discover, friends, the gifts of Christ, 57:57 being in Christ is all about 57:59 going from a dull life to a sharper focus in Christ. 58:03 God bless you. |
Revised 2016-03-28