Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000042
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00:20 Hello, friends, and welcome to another A Sharper Focus,
00:23 Wednesday night Bible study here 00:25 in Thompsonville, Illinois. 00:26 Thank you for tuning in. 00:28 I hope you have your Bibles, 00:29 your pens, your family, and your friends 00:32 to join us for the next hour 00:34 when we get into the Word of God. 00:35 Our overall theme is continuing to be 00:37 how to live a spiritual life in a natural body. 00:42 That's what God has called us to do 00:44 until we get a new body, that's when the Lord comes. 00:48 And so tonight, we're going to talk about the secret, 00:50 the power from the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, 00:54 and the forces of heaven that makes a difference 00:57 in living that spiritual life in this mortal, natural body. 01:01 But we're going to continue on our topic tonight, 01:03 the transformed life. 01:04 And if we get far enough and finish that lesson, 01:08 we're going to talk about the empowered life. 01:10 To be transformed is not enough, 01:12 you got to have power for that transformer 01:15 to continue to go forward. 01:16 And so before we go any further 01:18 and have our opening song tonight, 01:19 if you like a copy of the lesson, 01:21 here is the website that you can go to. 01:23 Don't put www, go to ASF.3ABN.org, 01:28 and download lesson 13 01:31 which is the one we're finalizing tonight. 01:33 And if we get further enough, 01:34 you want to have lesson number 14 01:36 which is the empowered life. 01:38 Thirteen, the transformed life and 14, the empowered life. 01:43 And if you missed the former broadcast, 01:45 you can also get a chance at that same website 01:47 to view the prior broadcast and then catch up with us. 01:51 But let's pray tonight 01:52 and ask the Lord to continue with us. 01:54 Let's bow our heads. 01:55 Heavenly Father, we thank You 01:57 that tonight we can call on the name of the Lord, 02:01 we can invite the power 02:03 and presence of Your Holy Spirit 02:05 to be here, 02:06 and we can claim the promise that 02:08 He, the Spirit of truth, will lead us, 02:10 and guide us into all truth. 02:12 And so, Lord, tonight, come near to us, 02:15 open our hearts, and our minds, 02:17 and our understanding of Your Word. 02:20 Give us not only intellectual knowledge, 02:22 but give us the power to live 02:24 according to the power that is found in Your Word. 02:28 We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Amen. 02:31 Now, you know, we all sing our theme song, 02:33 it's on the screen here for those of us who are local. 02:36 If you know the story which is the Victory in Jesus, 02:39 you can sing along with us from wherever you are. 02:41 Let's sing the song tonight. 02:51 I heard an old, old story 02:55 How the Savior came from glory 02:59 How He gave His life on Calvary 03:02 To save a wretch like me 03:06 I heard about His groaning 03:10 Of His precious blood's atoning 03:14 Then I repented of my sins 03:18 And won the victory 03:21 O victory in Jesus 03:25 My Savior, forever 03:29 He sought me and bought me 03:33 With His redeeming blood 03:36 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:40 And all my love is due Him 03:44 He plunged me to victory 03:48 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:52 I heard about a mansion 03:55 He has built for me in glory 03:59 And I heard about the streets of gold 04:03 Beyond the crystal sea 04:07 About the angels singing 04:10 And the old redemption story 04:14 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 04:18 The song of victory 04:20 Key change. 04:22 O victory in Jesus 04:26 My Savior, forever 04:29 He sought me and bought me 04:33 With His redeeming blood 04:37 He loved me ere I knew Him 04:41 And all my love is due Him 04:44 He plunged me to victory 04:48 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:52 He plunged me to victory 04:56 Beneath the cleansing flood 05:02 Can you say amen to that? 05:04 Amen. Wow. 05:05 Well, tonight, we're talking about the transformed life. 05:09 Say that with me, the what? Transformed life. 05:13 And that transformed life can be encapsulated 05:16 in the scripture, in the Bible. 05:18 Go with me there to 2 Corinthians. 05:21 What book did I say? 2 Corinthians. 05:24 We have a couple of spaces here, 05:26 if you want to fill in. 05:27 2 Corinthians, this single scripture, 05:30 singular scripture encapsulates the transformed life. 05:35 2 Corinthians 5:17. 05:41 2 Corinthians 5:17. 05:44 Now if you think about the titles 05:45 transformed life and empowered life, 05:49 you have to keep in mind that... 05:50 I got my degree in electronics. 05:54 And transformers 05:56 and power supplies were very significant. 05:58 Now a transformer has absolutely no value 06:02 unless there's a power supply. 06:04 You follow me carefully? 06:06 So if there's no power, 06:07 then there could be no transformation. 06:09 The transformer does absolutely nothing 06:12 unless there's power that's present. 06:16 Now you have step-up transformers 06:18 and you have step-down transformers. 06:21 Now if you go 06:23 to some of the power lines in town, 06:24 we have phase one, phase two, phase three power. 06:27 I think that's my knowledge goes that far. 06:30 And if you try to plug a little shaver 06:35 into a three phase power 06:36 without a step down transformer, 06:38 what's going to happen? 06:40 You going to get fried, not just the razor, 06:43 but you're going to get fried. 06:44 Some don't, if you plug it into one side of the plug. 06:47 Well, yeah. 06:48 But, you know, 06:49 we're not getting technical like you are, Glen. 06:51 Glen is also, has got 06:52 a lot of background in that area too. 06:54 But the fact of the matter is, 06:56 there needs to be a stepping down of the power 06:58 in order for those things, 07:00 those devices that take 6 volts, 12 volts, 07:04 and whatever 07:05 the power recommendation may be. 07:08 And when you think about the almighty God, 07:13 thankfully there is a step down transformer 07:15 between Him and us 07:17 because the Bible says our God is a consuming fire. 07:20 So unless there is something to temper the power 07:23 that the almighty has, then each of us will fry. 07:28 That's why, 07:29 living this spiritual life in a natural body 07:33 or a mortal body is an amazing thing. 07:36 Because the spiritual life is from a power source 07:40 far beyond our ability to understand, 07:44 far beyond our ability to even connect to one to one. 07:48 That's why, when you find in the Bible, 07:49 we'll read the scripture in just a moment. 07:50 That's why, when you find in the Bible 07:52 when Moses asked for the Lord to give him a glimpse of Him, 07:56 He says, "Are you sure?" 07:57 And I'm paraphrasing. 07:59 He says now, 08:00 "Okay, if this is going to be done 08:01 with no detriment to you, 08:04 you go ahead and hide in the cleft of the rock, 08:06 and when I pass by, you just peek. 08:08 Don't look too long 08:11 because that power is so potent." 08:14 Even just that little glimpse when Moses came down 08:16 from the mountain, what had to happen? 08:19 They had to put Venetian blinds over their face. 08:21 Not really. 08:23 Just they had to put an apron over his face 08:24 because the power was so great. 08:26 The veil 08:28 that kept the glory of God from blinding 08:31 those who were not in the presence of God. 08:34 And so you find 08:36 that when we talk about the transformed life, 08:38 the reason why the next topic follows this one 08:40 in a perfect sequence is because in order for us 08:43 to have a transformed life, 08:45 we've got to connect to the power. 08:47 We've got to connect to the what? 08:48 To the power. 08:50 You just can't have a transformer, 08:52 you can't buy... 08:53 Matter of fact, 08:54 a whole house filled with transformers 08:56 is of no value 08:57 unless there is a power source present, all right? 09:01 But now let's read this text together, 09:03 the transformed text, the transformed life. 09:06 2 Corinthians 5:17. 09:09 And notice what it says. 09:10 It says, "Therefore, if anyone is," where? 09:15 "In Christ," he is a what? "New creation." 09:19 That means life is transformed. How transformed is it? 09:23 Together, "Old things," have what? 09:26 "Passed away. 09:27 Behold all things have become new." 09:30 Notice, old things are placed by all things. 09:35 All things replace old things. 09:37 All new things replace all old things. 09:41 The transformed life is a life of transformation. 09:44 So tonight, our title 09:46 "how to live a transformed life" 09:48 is so vitally important to our topic tonight. 09:50 So let's begin by going to question number 16 09:53 because there is a way that we can know 09:55 that we are connected to that transformed life. 09:58 And sometimes, 10:00 when we go from lesson to lesson, 10:01 sometimes a Bible verse may show up more than once. 10:05 And while the content of the Bible verse 10:07 is not going to change, I've used the same verse 10:10 for different application, right? 10:11 So if you see it more than once in our upcoming lesson, 10:14 I've used it to pull something extra out of that text 10:17 proving the power of inspiration. 10:19 Okay, question number 16, here it is. 10:22 How do we know 10:24 that we are following God's transformation plan? 10:28 How do we know that we are following 10:30 God's transformation plan? 10:33 Question number 16, go to John 15:7. 10:37 John 15:7 is where the answer is found, 10:41 the transformation plan. 10:44 I remember the school that I attended in New York 10:48 to learn about... 10:50 One kid came to the class and the professor asked, 10:54 he says, "Why are you here?" 10:55 And he said, "I want to learn how to work with electricity." 10:58 And being a novice just starting out, 11:01 he says, "I hope you don't play with electricity 11:04 because it will kill you." 11:05 So you cannot... 11:07 You have to understand 11:08 the properties of the transformed life. 11:10 We have to understand where our authority ends 11:14 and where God's authority begins, right? 11:18 And I say that because a lot of times, 11:21 we cannot think in the same way that a little small shaver 11:26 doesn't have the ability to harness the power 11:29 that's in the phase-three voltage 11:31 unless it stepped down. 11:32 You can't just connect them too directly 11:34 and expect them to be no damage to the smaller device. 11:38 In the very same way, 11:39 we have to acknowledge the power 11:40 that's resident in Christ in order for us 11:43 to have a respectable relationship with Him. 11:45 Never think that God is our equal, 11:47 He will always be our superior. 11:49 Amen? Amen. 11:51 Look at the answer, John 15:7. 11:54 How do we know that we are following 11:56 God's transformation plan? 11:58 Here it is on the screen, let's read this one together. 12:01 He says, "If you do," what? 12:03 "Abide in Me, and My words abide in you, 12:08 you will ask what you desire, and," what? 12:11 "It shall be done for you." 12:14 Sometimes people have taken that text and said, 12:15 "Okay, well, I'm abiding in God's word. 12:17 So I'm going to pray for a boat." 12:19 That's not what that is about. 12:20 God is not giving you boats unless you're on an island. 12:24 And I say that because God understands 12:26 each of our needs. 12:28 Case in point, when we live in Orlando, Florida 12:31 and my wife and I had an old Toyota Corona, 1976 JR, 12:36 and it was dying slowly, it got to the point 12:38 where it was just really falling apart. 12:41 And we were trying our best to do 12:42 all kinds of things to keep it together. 12:45 And we never knew 12:46 where we were going to be living 12:47 about a year and a half later or almost two years later, 12:50 and we bought a Toyota 4Runner 12:51 which is a four-wheel-drive vehicle. 12:53 And you don't need 12:54 a four-wheel drive vehicle in Orlando, Florida. 12:57 Why? Major reason, tell me somebody. 13:00 No snow, no hills. 13:01 The highest point in Florida is 400 feet 13:04 and I haven't found it yet. 13:06 I keep thinking, that's a control tower. 13:08 But the Lord knew, 13:11 He allowed us to get this Toyota 4Runner, 13:13 He allowed us to qualify for a loan 13:15 to get a Toyota 4Runner 13:16 when we couldn't qualify for a loan to get a bed. 13:21 Amen? 13:22 Lord, please get us the loan to get some furniture. 13:25 No. 13:27 Lord, please get us a loan to get a Toyota 4Runner. 13:30 Yes. You know why? 13:32 Because He knew, 13:33 two years down the road when we were asked 13:35 by the Northern California Conference, 13:36 after we moved there, 13:41 what kind of church would you like? 13:42 I said, "It really doesn't matter to me." 13:44 And so we went to interview at this church 13:45 and one of the first things the member said is, 13:47 "I hope you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle." 13:49 And God knew that two years earlier. 13:51 Can you say amen? Amen. 13:52 So God will supply your need, not always your want. 13:58 Every now and then, 13:59 a want would slide through there 14:01 and the Lord will bless that and honor that. 14:03 But for the most part, God wants to provide our need. 14:05 And the greatest need we have 14:07 according to this text is abiding not only in Christ, 14:11 but abiding in what? 14:13 Abiding in His Word where the power is resident. 14:16 You'll see this come up again in the next lesson. 14:18 So here's the answer. 14:20 How do we know that we are following 14:21 God's transformation plan? 14:22 Two things, we are abiding in who? 14:28 We are abiding in who? Christ. 14:32 Say it again, Jerry. Christ. 14:33 We're abiding in Christ first and foremost, 14:36 and then we are abiding in His Word. 14:40 And this is His Word 14:42 which means we're spending time in His Word. 14:44 When you abide, the word abide 14:46 is different than the word stop by, right? 14:50 Stop by, I'm going to stop by your house. 14:51 That's different. 14:53 But if somebody says, 14:54 "I'm coming to abide at your house," 14:56 they don't really mean live. 14:58 When we abide in Christ, we live in Christ. 15:01 That text we just read a moment ago, 15:03 2 Corinthians 5:17, 15:04 could adequately be read this way. 15:07 "If anyone abides in Christ, He is a new creation." 15:11 See? 15:12 So what I want you to get, 15:14 it's not just saying that we are in Christ 15:15 that makes us new creations, 15:17 but it's staying in Christ that makes us new creations. 15:21 Not just abiding, 15:23 not just stopping by as some people say, 15:24 "I want to give my life to the Lord, 15:26 but I don't want to be a member of a church." 15:30 You know, I want to play for the 49ers, 15:32 but not in the actual game. 15:34 I want the uniform, 15:36 but I don't want to get down on the field. 15:37 So the key is first abiding in Christ, 15:39 and secondly abiding in His Word. 15:41 So write that down for number 16, 15:43 how do we know we're following God's transformation plan? 15:47 We are abiding in Christ and we also are abiding, how? 15:51 In His Word. 15:54 When you wake up in the morning... 15:57 By the way, since we've gotten this new program, 16:00 it's available for PCs and Macs. 16:02 So I'm not pushing any particular platform. 16:04 But there's a program called Bible.is. 16:07 And every night my wife listens, 16:09 she puts it on. 16:10 And last night, she listened to like 11 chapters. 16:13 She listened to seven of them consciously 16:15 and four of them unconsciously. 16:18 Because there she was, 16:20 I heard the Bible reading, Leviticus 11. 16:28 She heard seven of them. 16:30 And I'm thinking... 16:31 You know, how it is, guys. 16:32 If you turn it off, she'll wake up. 16:34 So I just left it on, 16:35 and she's snoring while it's reading. 16:37 And I heard all 10 chapters 16:39 and she heard seven of them consciously. 16:42 But that's what it means. 16:43 What happens is... 16:44 Let me just make it real. 16:46 You've got to make your home, the place you dwell, 16:48 a place where God's Word is welcome. 16:52 Not periodically, but make it a frequent visit. 16:56 And if it's frequent, it's no longer a visit, 16:59 it's abiding in. 17:01 Morning, you wake up in the morning, 17:02 even if you are in a hurry, 17:04 open the Bible, "Lord, talk to me." 17:07 I said, "Lord," and I turn to a Bible text today, 17:10 "Lord, allow me today, use me today, 17:13 give me words to encourage someone today." 17:15 And I'll be amazed. 17:17 Day to day goes by 17:18 and the Lord brings to me 17:20 people that need to be encouraged. 17:22 And then He gives me the words. 17:23 And I prayed today a specific prayer 17:25 and that prayer was answered. 17:26 You don't even know it. 17:27 But I prayed, "Lord, send someone to me today 17:29 that I could talk to about Your Word." 17:31 And I got a phone call today 17:32 and I'll introduce you a couple in just a moment. 17:34 But I tell you, it's amazing how God works. 17:38 But the Word of God has to be a place 17:39 that we are so frequently there, 17:42 it's like a restaurant. 17:44 When people go to the same restaurant 17:45 over and over again, what happens? 17:47 The patrons know you by your name. 17:50 "Hey, have a seat. Go wherever you want to go. 17:53 Sit wherever you want. Yeah, you know the rules." 17:56 And then they get to the place where they shake your hand, 17:57 and they spent time and talk with you. 17:59 That's what we have to have. 18:00 When the Word of God is a regular part of our lives, 18:04 it shouldn't feel like you open your Bible 18:06 and it's a major event. 18:08 What is today? Just a regular day. 18:11 Well, why is your Bible open? You should never feel that way. 18:14 It should not be like a Christmas celebration, 18:16 or Easter, or some kind of, 18:18 "I'm only studying my Sabbath school lesson. 18:20 Oh, I'm just getting ready for a particular, 18:23 you know, test." 18:24 It should be so frequent that our Bible says, 18:27 "Hey, good to see you today. 18:29 Good to see you tonight. Have the Word of God." 18:31 And by the way, 18:33 I suggest for that to be a reality 18:34 in your experience, keep it close by your bed. 18:39 The reason I say that, we have a library of Bibles 18:41 that belong to people 18:42 that don't know their Bibles are here, 18:45 in our lost and found. 18:47 I don't know how they do it, but some people leave church, 18:51 and they forget their Bibles, 18:53 and they don't come back next week and ask, 18:55 "Did you find my Bible?" 18:57 So if you don't have a Bible, we could send you one. 19:01 Please don't call at the same time. 19:03 Number 17, make the study of God's Word 19:07 a regular exercise in your life. 19:09 Number 17, here it is. 19:12 What is the special sign connected to those 19:15 that abide in God's Word? 19:18 What is that special sign connected to those 19:22 that abide in God's Word? 19:24 We're going to go to John 8:31. John 8:31. 19:29 This is a particular sign. 19:31 Some people say, 19:34 "I used to buy a lot of computer magazines, 19:39 I don't anymore, 19:40 because when I was cleaning up the basement, 19:42 Brother Dick, I pulled out a pile 19:45 of Photoshop magazines and InDesign magazines. 19:50 You know what I did? 19:51 I added up the amounts on each of those magazines." 19:53 I said, "Man, I spent that much in one year on a magazine." 19:57 And so what I did now, 19:59 I took advantage of the Internet. 20:00 Go ahead and view them for free. 20:02 At least, get as much of the article 20:03 as you can 20:04 without having to throw off $5 every time 20:06 or sometimes $6.95. 20:08 And how long does it take us to go through a magazine? 20:11 Most of us who are connoisseurs of whatever magazine we like, 20:13 we go through it really quickly, 20:15 and lay it down, 20:16 and there is $6.95 down the drain. 20:18 So I decide to become more economical 20:20 and decided not to do that. 20:21 But the point is, 20:23 if you continuing to read computer magazines, 20:26 people could come to you and ask you a question 20:27 just like that and you pretty much 20:29 have an answer, right? 20:31 And so somebody 20:33 may even categorize you and they say, 20:35 "You are a computer... 20:38 Come on. Say it, Larry. Geek. 20:40 I like that other one better, computer whiz. 20:42 That's really nice, computer whiz. 20:44 That sounds nicer, but geek. 20:47 Ask him, he is the computer geek around here. 20:49 And a lot of guys at 3ABN have that label. 20:52 I'm going to say, I dodge it every now and then 20:53 because I just call myself a gadgetarion. 20:57 However, there is a title linked to those 21:00 that are connected to abiding in God's Word. 21:03 Here it is, in John 8:31. Okay. 21:07 "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him. 21:11 He said, 'If you abide in My Word, 21:16 you are My disciples indeed.'" 21:21 John Chapter 8 was a very amazing passage 21:24 because Jesus was confronted by Jews 21:28 who had been so far removed from Abraham 21:31 that they never considered themselves 21:32 to ever be descendants of slaves. 21:35 They said, "We've never been in slavery." 21:37 And Jesus made it very, very clear to them. 21:39 As a matter of fact, if you look at John 8:32, 21:43 look what at He says there in John 8:32. 21:45 This is not in the lesson, 21:47 but right along the train of thought. 21:49 He says, "And you shall know the," what? 21:51 "Truth. And the truth shall," what? 21:54 "Make..." 21:56 Does anybody have the word "set" in their Bible? 21:59 Set. 22:00 See, some translations say set, some say make. 22:03 I tell you the difference in the Greek word. 22:04 The Greek word actually is suggesting the word make. 22:07 Let me tell you why that's so significant. 22:09 When a prisoner is set free 22:16 unless he's made free in his head, 22:19 he's going to end up back there. 22:21 So the whole context of being set free 22:25 or being made or being free is being made free. 22:30 God doesn't want us to go back to where we were before. 22:33 And so that's why, 22:34 the key significant point of this verse is truth. 22:37 If you know the truth, the truth shall, what? 22:40 Make you free. 22:42 It's in the context of those who could be on trial, 22:46 those who were enslaved. 22:48 And Jesus made it clear, 22:49 "Well, if you really abide in My Word, 22:52 you will be made free." 22:53 And He repeats that again in verse 33. 22:56 And you know the conversation goes on and on and on, 22:58 because they're tallying back and forth with Christ. 23:01 So here's the answer to number 17. 23:03 What is the special sign connected to those 23:05 that abide in God's Word, they are, what? 23:08 They are His disciples. 23:11 Write that word, they are His disciples. 23:16 We. Yeah, we. 23:18 We. Thank you. That's right, make it personal. 23:23 I am His disciple. 23:29 The Disciples of Christ. 23:30 We have some that came in. 23:32 Could someone help out and get a couple of lessons 23:33 in the back for me, Larry? 23:35 Since you're a floor manager, 23:36 you can move around real quickly. 23:37 All right. 23:39 Let's go on to question number 18, 23:40 question number 18. 23:43 Okay. 23:48 Wow. 23:50 This one is important. And let me tell you why. 23:53 As I read the question... 23:55 Before I read the question, I want to just set the stage. 23:58 A lot of times, people say... 24:02 Let me narrow it down the people say. 24:05 Sometimes, you'll meet a Christian 24:07 and that person would say... 24:13 "I believe in the Word of God." 24:16 And then I would follow that up by saying, 24:19 "Would you like to study it together?" 24:21 And they say, "No." 24:24 As somebody once recently said, "I know, you and I, 24:31 we have a different philosophy." 24:33 I'm communicating someone's story. 24:36 "I know we both love the Lord, 24:37 but we have a different philosophy 24:39 about His Word. 24:40 So let's not talk Bible." 24:41 And I thought to myself, 24:43 since when did philosophy enter into the study of God's Word? 24:47 It's not about philosophy 24:48 because the Bible talks about philosophy 24:50 in vain deceit. 24:52 See? 24:53 So the Bible does not support philosophy 24:55 above the Word of God. 24:57 If we both read the same Word of God, 25:01 then we can both come to the same conclusion, 25:03 if we do what this text is going to suggest. 25:06 So how does the Bible describe 25:07 the mind of one being transformed? 25:10 Here is the answer. Acts 17:11, Acts 17:11. 25:17 And it reads as follows, "These were more," what? 25:21 "Fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, 25:25 in that they," did what? 25:28 "Received the word with," what? "All readiness." 25:32 You know what that means? 25:33 I'll read it and come back to it. 25:35 "And they," did what else? 25:36 "Searched the Scriptures," weekly? 25:39 Daily. Monthly? 25:40 Daily. Yearly? 25:42 Daily. Come on, together. 25:43 How did they do it, they did it what? 25:44 "Daily to find out whether these things were so." 25:49 Okay. So let's answer the question. 25:50 How does the Bible describe 25:52 the mind of one being transformed? 25:54 Two things they did. 25:57 They received the Word with all readiness. 26:01 According to the Word, 26:02 "They received the Word with all readiness." 26:05 They were ready to receive the Word. 26:08 You've got to be ready to receive the Word. 26:10 If you're not ready, it's like being a backup, 26:13 it's like being a catcher in a baseball game. 26:15 If the pitcher throws you the ball 26:16 and you're not ready, you'll know it. 26:20 Am I right? How would you know it? 26:24 You get hit, 90 miles an hour, 85 miles an hour. 26:29 Exactly. 26:31 That's why they wear those face masks 26:32 for all those catchers that are not ready 26:35 or for whatever. 26:36 I remember playing baseball, 26:37 and most of the guys in the neighborhood 26:40 didn't want to be the catcher. 26:41 And so when we finally bought a mask 26:45 because we want to be catchers without a mask, 26:46 and you know, that's what you call 26:48 in neighborhood. 26:49 And we had all the kind of hits and they're hitting everything. 26:50 But when we got the mask, 26:52 more people want to be the catcher. 26:54 But the key is here, 26:56 receiving the Word of God with, what? 26:57 All readiness. 26:59 And not only that, what else did they do? 27:01 They search the scriptures how often? 27:04 Daily. 27:05 You know what's happening in our society today? 27:07 And this is something 27:08 that didn't happen in Bible times. 27:11 You know what it is? 27:13 The Thessalonicans 27:14 didn't go to the local Christian bookstore and say, 27:16 "I need to buy this book that was recently written by... 27:20 I don't want to mention names. 27:21 I want to be respectful." 27:23 Because in every book, you can get something good. 27:24 These books are not all bad. 27:26 But what's happening in our world today is, 27:28 we're reading what people say 27:30 about the Bible rather than the Bible itself. 27:35 And so depending on the window from which they are peering out 27:39 because there are so many schools of thought 27:43 as to what a specific scripture says, 27:46 that that person will give this interpretation, 27:48 and that interpretation, and this interpretation. 27:50 They may be from this seminary, or that university, 27:53 or this college. 27:55 They may have that many degrees, 27:56 and this many years of experience, 27:58 and taught many classes that way. 28:00 But what happens is, 28:01 if you go right to the Bible itself, 28:06 then you get the Word of God full force, 28:10 not diluted but fully concentrated. 28:13 And so when you search the scriptures, 28:15 how frequently? 28:16 Daily, you are exposing yourself 28:18 to something that will transform you daily. 28:22 And then it makes your mind ready. 28:24 Sometimes people are depressed and they say "Well, ah man! 28:27 You know, I really am having a hard time." 28:28 Write the answers down 28:30 as I share this example with you. 28:31 How does the Bible 28:33 describe the mind of one being transformed? 28:36 How does it describe that? 28:38 They have a ready mind 28:40 and they searched the scriptures daily. 28:43 Their minds are ready. I'm ready. 28:45 They're kind of leaning forward in the Bible study. 28:49 They're leaning forward when the preacher is preaching. 28:51 They're leaning forward 28:53 when the Word of God is going forth. 28:55 They're not like... 29:01 That's not a ready mind. 29:03 When the Word of God is going forward 29:05 and somebody is there. 29:06 That's why the Bible says to us, 29:08 we should not for... 29:09 Go with me to Hebrews Chapter 7. 29:13 My wife knows exactly where I'm going. 29:15 Yes, I do. Right? 29:18 Hebrews Chapter 7. 29:34 And let me see right here. 29:45 Let me look it up here in just a moment. 29:46 I'll get back to you. 29:47 But the text I'm looking for, 29:49 maybe some of you could help me as I'm looking at this. 29:51 "Forsake not the assembling of ourselves together 29:56 as the manner of some is, as the manner of some is." 29:59 There are some 30:00 that when Bible study is going forward, 30:02 you know what happens? 30:05 I can't say that about any of you 30:07 that are here tonight by the way. 30:08 When Bible studies are going forward, 30:11 what happens? 30:12 Those whose minds are not ready for the study, what happens? 30:16 Somebody tell me what happens. What happens? 30:21 They forsake the assembling together. 30:24 And so therefore, 30:26 when the Word of God is going forward, 30:27 and their minds are not ready, 30:29 and they don't want to search the scriptures, 30:31 they absent themselves from the study of God's Word. 30:35 So in the Book of Hebrews, we'll find it in just a moment. 30:36 Verse 27. 30:38 Is it not Hebrews 10? 30:40 Ten. 30:42 Okay. 30:45 Somebody gave me the answer. 30:46 Where was it? 10:25. I know it was 25. 30:52 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves," how? 30:56 Together, Hebrews 10:25. 30:58 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together 31:01 as is the manner of some, 31:04 but exhorting one another," and what? 31:07 "So much the more as you see the," what? 31:10 "The day approaching." 31:11 In other words, 31:12 the closer the coming of Christ gets, 31:14 the more we should spend time together 31:16 in the study of God's Word. 31:18 Isn't that right? 31:19 So in other words, 31:21 if you know the exam is coming as a student, 31:23 let's put that in a contemporary setting. 31:25 If you know the exam is coming in a week, 31:27 do you spend less time in study or more time in study? 31:29 More time in study. Okay. 31:31 If it applies to the regular world, 31:32 it should apply also to the spiritual world. 31:34 Spend more time together. 31:36 And what we used to have in school was, 31:38 we had study groups. 31:39 So what some of the students would say, 31:41 "Okay, anybody has a final in literature next week?" 31:44 All the kids will say, 31:45 "Let's get together tonight after class, 31:47 and we'll all study literature." 31:49 And they all glean off of each other. 31:51 That's what the study of the Word of God is all about. 31:53 When you get together in a group setting, 31:56 you're able to glean from somebody else, 31:59 what they're learning about the same topic. 32:00 And oftentimes, 32:01 you'll learn something from their perspective 32:03 that you didn't see, 32:04 but on the very same topic, all right? 32:06 So the answer to number 18. 32:11 I think we already gave you the answer, right? 32:13 Let's go to the next one, question number 19. 32:18 We're moving at a good pace tonight. 32:20 I appreciate all of you. 32:22 See how important it is to have your own Bible. 32:25 There are certain verses in the Bible 32:27 that jump out at me. 32:28 I was thinking Hebrews 7:25, Daniel 7:25. 32:31 And that's where my mind went right away. 32:32 But that was Hebrews 10:25. 32:35 Okay, question number 19. 32:38 What role does searching 32:41 the Bible fulfill in our transformation? 32:45 What role does 32:47 searching the Bible fulfill in our transformation? 32:52 Matter of fact, if you think about it this way, 32:54 if you only had one book to leave your house with... 32:57 If somebody says, "You only have one book. 32:59 You can only leave your house with one book," 33:01 what book should it be? 33:02 It should be the Bible. That's right. 33:05 I once... 33:06 As you're turning to John 17:17 33:08 and all of you pretty much know the answer already. 33:10 But wait till I get there. 33:12 I remember being in the Heritage Singers 33:13 and we gave a concert, 33:16 Sunday afternoon concert at a church. 33:19 And we always had worship before the concert. 33:21 And sometimes, 33:22 another group member will do worship. 33:24 But that particular day, 33:25 I was the one doing the thought. 33:27 And as we were driving away, as we got on the bus, 33:30 Heather, and the church was all locked up. 33:33 As the bus was pulling away, I said, "Stop. 33:37 I left my Bible in the church." 33:40 And I went and tried all the doors. 33:43 And every door was locked. 33:46 And I was miserable. 33:48 I mean, the bus was driving away 33:49 and we were in a different state altogether. 33:52 And we had gone to so many churches. 33:54 I think, five to six concerts a week. 33:59 And I was miserable. 34:00 And we went all the way back to Placerville. 34:02 And people said... 34:05 This is in California, they said, 34:07 "John is really quiet." 34:09 Somebody said, "Because He lost his Bible." 34:11 I mean, I felt like I just... 34:13 All the energy had been taken out of me. 34:15 And when my Bible came by Federal Express, he said... 34:18 Everybody started clapping, "John's got his Bible back. 34:20 Now we can talk to him." I mean, I felt so disconnected. 34:23 I felt so discombobulated 34:25 because the book that you spent time with, 34:28 it was like losing a part of me. 34:31 And this is what happened 34:33 when I spent time in the Word of God. 34:36 So what role does searching the Bible 34:37 fulfill in our transformation? 34:39 This is a short one, let's read this together. 34:41 Together, "Sanctify them by Your truth. 34:45 Your word is," what? "Truth." You know what sanctify means? 34:48 Powerful word. 34:50 Because the focus has been to us truth, truth. 34:53 But let's see what this is actually saying. 34:56 The truth sanctifies you. 34:58 You know what the word sanctify mean? 34:59 It doesn't just mean made holy. Say it again, Kim. 35:03 It sets you apart from a person 35:04 who just wants to meander in the maze of mediocrity 35:08 and wants to have an anchor 35:09 and a foundation in the Word of God. 35:11 So when you are anchored, 35:14 all of a sudden, you're set apart. 35:16 That's like being chosen out of a great line up. 35:19 And basically, the knowledge you have, 35:22 the relationship you have, the connection you have 35:25 to the Word of God sanctifies you. 35:27 It sets you apart from the regular Christian, 35:29 from the regular person. 35:30 So just to say 35:32 you are a Christian is not enough. 35:35 But studying the Word of God, understanding the truth, 35:38 then something happens. 35:40 You become sanctified, you're set apart. 35:43 I remember many Bible studies I've had with people 35:45 and some people would say, like... 35:49 This has happened more than once. 35:51 I met a person that... 35:53 And I get excited about Bible studies. 35:55 Sometimes, I'm in a Bible study and I say things 35:57 that I wish I recorded 35:59 because the Holy Spirit comes on, 36:01 it just flows through the person's mind, 36:03 flows through my mind. 36:04 And I think, "Man, that was amazing, 36:05 I should have taped that." 36:07 But I didn't because it wasn't me, 36:08 it was the Spirit of God. 36:10 But the promise the Lord has made is, 36:12 if you study the Word of God when you need it, 36:15 He's going to bring it back to your remembrance. 36:18 So studying God's Word 36:20 is not just for the searching of truth, 36:21 but it's like filling up a hard drive 36:23 with information, it's there when you need it. 36:27 And have ever looked...? 36:28 How many of you have more than one computer, 36:30 let me see your hands. 36:31 Have you ever search one computer 36:32 only to find out that what you're looking for 36:34 is on the other computer? 36:36 That's why they have this new thing 36:37 nowadays called the Cloud. 36:39 Have you heard about that? 36:40 A lot of companies 36:41 have things now called the Cloud. 36:43 Apple came out with the word called the Cloud 36:46 which means whatever you put on your iPhone 36:48 shows up on your iPad, 36:50 and shows up on your iMac. 36:53 And they say, "Where is it?" "It's in the cloud." 36:58 And until I know where the cloud is, 36:59 I'm not connected 37:01 'cause the cloud really is a singular place 37:03 where they store all your information. 37:05 And I'm thinking, "You mean, all of my contacts, 37:11 all of my important documents?" 37:14 They said, "Yeah, it's stored. 37:15 Just in case your house catches on fire, 37:17 it's going to be in the cloud." 37:20 The only thing I'm looking for in the cloud 37:22 is seeing Jesus come in the cloud. 37:24 Because I'm a little leery 37:26 about all my information being out there and, 37:27 "Where's the cloud? 37:29 Can I call the cloud? Just call the cloud." 37:33 But the Word of God sanctifies you, 37:35 sets you apart. 37:37 David didn't say, 37:38 store the Word of God in the cloud. 37:40 He said store, where? In your mind. 37:42 "Thy Word have I hid in my heart 37:45 that I might not sin against Thee." 37:46 And I would suggest to you 37:48 that more people will be stronger 37:49 in their walk with Christ 37:51 if they had more of the Word of God hidden 37:53 in their minds and in their hearts. 37:55 The difference between just putting it in your mind 37:56 as you've remembered intellectually, 37:59 but when it becomes special to you, 38:00 it's in that heart. 38:02 When you read the Word of God 38:03 and it just thrills your soul, it's in your heart. 38:08 When you've read the same story over and over, and this time, 38:10 you see something new in it, it's in your heart. 38:14 It's like a very well made dessert 38:17 that you request. 38:20 Number 20, number 20. 38:24 Why is the Word of God 38:25 the safest measurement of transformation? 38:30 Why is the Word of God 38:32 the safest measurement of transformation? 38:36 And the reason this is significant here is 38:38 because we are living in the age of... 38:43 I don't even know, I think I've lost count. 38:45 I knew at one point, 38:46 how many different Bible translations there were. 38:49 But they're not just different Bible translations, 38:51 but then you have some Bibles 38:54 that are not necessarily in harmony 38:56 with the original Greek and Hebrew, 38:59 that are sometimes a paraphrase. 39:01 Then you also have Bibles that are not inspired. 39:05 I don't want to be too insensitive here. 39:07 But you have like a translation called 39:09 the New World translation 39:11 which is specific to a particular denomination. 39:14 Then you have the Book of Mormon 39:15 which is specific to a particular denomination. 39:18 But they all claim inspiration. 39:20 And see, what happens now, so you asked the question, 39:22 "Well, which inspired Bible should I read?" 39:25 And what happens is, 39:27 if you have too many points of measurement, 39:29 then something could occur that God never intended. 39:33 Stay with the canon. 39:34 Stay with the what? The canon. 39:36 When it's native to specifically 39:39 a total denomination and not open to others, 39:43 then the question should be, 39:45 "Does it measure up to the Word of God?" 39:47 Okay, here's the answer. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. 39:51 Be careful because we're living in this day and age, 39:54 we've got to make up our minds, 39:55 this is the day and age in which we're living. 39:57 "For such are," what? 39:59 "False apostles," what kind of workers? 40:02 "Deceitful workers, 40:03 transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 40:08 And no wonder!" 40:10 Or no marvelous as the King James Version says, 40:12 "For Satan himself does," what? 40:15 "Transforms himself into an angel of light. 40:21 Therefore it is no great thing if His," what? 40:25 "Ministers also 40:26 transform themselves into," what? 40:29 "Ministers of righteousness, 40:32 whose end will be according to their works." 40:36 Wow. 40:37 I mean, that's a heavy scripture 40:39 because it's accusatory to some degree. 40:40 Now good thing, I didn't write it 40:42 because somebody would have an issue with me. 40:44 "How could you say that, John?" 40:46 I'm glad it's inspired by God's Word. 40:47 Amen? What is being said? 40:50 There are angels that are not angels of light. 40:53 There are ministers 40:54 that are not ministers of righteousness. 40:57 And who is behind it? Satan. 41:01 And the Bible says that in Matthew 24, 41:02 the Bible talks about that very carefully. 41:05 "Many false christs 41:06 and many false prophets will arise 41:08 and will deceive many." 41:11 So be very careful. 41:12 So when somebody is in a Bible study with you, 41:16 instead of saying, "What do you think about?" 41:19 And they want a question answered from you. 41:21 Instead of giving them your opinion, 41:23 give them, what? 41:24 Tell me. 41:25 Give them a "thus saith the Lord." 41:28 I actually got a minister frustrated with me once. 41:32 He said to me, 41:33 "Why can't you just tell me what you think?" 41:37 I said, "Because what I think doesn't matter." 41:39 Right? 41:40 If our doctrinal base was based on what I think, 41:43 then we could 41:44 have Larry McLucas University of thinkers. 41:48 Right? Right. 41:51 You got to think according to what... 41:53 Let your thoughts be governed and guided by the Word of God. 41:58 That's the safest place. 41:59 When you're planting in your mind the Word of God, 42:02 it's like each of us following the same course 42:06 as each of us in a caravan. 42:08 I like to think of the Christian life 42:10 not in such a uniform way, but in this sense, 42:12 not that we're all identically alike. 42:14 But if you're following the Word of God, 42:15 if each of you is following the Word of God, 42:18 you are like a train that passes 42:20 through what's freckled with 200 cars. 42:25 He's connected to him, connected to her, 42:27 we're all connected. 42:29 The Word of God keeps us all, what? 42:31 Connected. 42:33 But if somebody else is connected 42:34 to a different book, 42:36 somebody else is connected to a different philosophy, 42:37 somebody else says, 42:39 "Well, that's not the way I see it." 42:40 And all of a sudden, you have a train that's coming 42:42 through with one car each. 42:44 Is that all the train? 42:46 "No, there is another one coming." 42:48 "How many cars?" "One." And you say, "What's going on?" 42:50 Disconnected trains 42:52 are like disconnected Christians, 42:55 all claiming to have 42:56 the same faith in the same book, 42:59 but not connected 43:00 because somehow people have been artfully 43:04 able to lead people away from the study of God's Word 43:08 because they're not following the principles 43:11 established in the study of God's Word, 43:13 right. 43:15 So be careful where you get your information from. 43:17 Because it's really well put together nowadays. 43:20 What's out there is very well put together. 43:22 But if it's not from the Word of God, 43:24 be very leery. 43:27 All right. Number 21. 43:30 We are actually going to get to the second one tonight. 43:32 So the answer for number 20, 43:34 why is the Word of God 43:35 the safest measurement of transformation? 43:38 Okay, you won't be deceived. 43:41 You can't be deceived. 43:46 You can't be deceived 43:48 if you demand a "thus saith the Lord." 43:57 I watched a program once. 43:59 Matter of fact, 44:01 Pastor Doug Batchelor was on this program, 44:02 they were interviewing different pastors 44:03 around the world about end time events. 44:07 It was on PBS. 44:09 And it was on another channel a few years ago. 44:14 And one of the subject matters that were being discussed, 44:17 about three or four pastors reading the Word of God, 44:21 and reading something 44:23 that the Apostle Paul says in Romans 1. 44:24 I'm not going to get specific about it right now. 44:27 But they said the reason why Paul wrote that 44:28 is because Paul had a problem with women. 44:32 And I thought, "He did?" 44:36 Not in the sense of promiscuity. 44:39 But they were saying that, 44:40 "Well, Paul didn't really like women 44:42 so that's why he wrote that. 44:43 So he had an issue with that gender. 44:45 So it was only conditional to the time, 44:47 but it does not apply today." 44:49 And I'm thinking, 44:50 "How much else of the Bible is that way." 44:54 And I was amazed. 44:55 And there was a survey that went out 44:56 that was done by a theological university, 44:59 I won't give the name of that. 45:01 I have to be really sensitive being on television now. 45:03 But they said, 45:04 "Out of the ministers that were interviewed, 45:06 12 percent of them believed 45:08 in the literal second coming of Christ. 45:12 But only seven percent of them 45:13 believe that heaven was a literal place." 45:16 Seven percent. 45:18 If you only had 100 people interviewed, 45:20 that 7 out of 100 45:21 believing that heaven is a literal place. 45:24 Out of the 12 that believe the second coming 45:26 was a literal event, 45:28 some of them believe that it was a spiritual event. 45:30 In other words, Christ can come into your heart 45:34 or and others believe 45:35 that Christ was already here, arrived in 1916. 45:40 So you have to be very, very careful 45:42 when you try to find the place that that thought was born, 45:45 you don't find it in God's Word. 45:48 All right. 45:49 Now let's go on before we transition 45:52 from the transformed to the empowered life. 45:55 Question number 21, here it is. 45:59 What is the end result of living a transformed life? 46:03 This fits right into our topic 46:04 about how to live a spiritual life 46:06 in a natural body. 46:08 What is the end result of living a transformed life? 46:11 Philippians 3:20 46:17 and 21. 46:20 Philippians 3:20 and 21. 46:27 All right, here is what it reads 46:29 or how it reads. 46:31 "For our," what? 46:33 "Citizenship is in heaven, 46:36 from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, 46:41 the Lord Jesus, who will," what is the next word? 46:45 "Transform our lowly body that it may be confirmed 46:52 to his glorious body, 46:54 according to the working 46:57 by which He is able even to subdue," 47:00 how many things? 47:02 "All things to Himself." 47:05 "By which He is able to subdue all things to Himself." 47:11 So this transformed life, 47:14 the last thing that's going to be transformed 47:16 by a person whose mind is transformed 47:20 and whose life is transformed. 47:22 What's going to be the last piece transformed? 47:25 Come on, say together. The what? The body. 47:29 So until then, we've got to live 47:31 a spiritual life in what kind of a body? 47:33 A natural body 47:35 because the transformation hasn't taken place yet. 47:38 This transformation, 47:39 the final transformation is going to be, 47:41 the Lord is going to change our vile bodies, 47:44 this mortal body that it may be fashioned 47:47 like unto His glorious body, 47:49 conformed to His glory of glorious body 47:52 according to the work in by which He is able 47:55 even to subdue all things to Himself. 47:58 God is the great gravitational pull of all humanity. 48:01 He pulls all of us to Himself. 48:04 All of those who are being transformed 48:06 by Christ will be gathered. 48:07 In another word here for the word 48:10 even able to subdue all things, 48:15 all evil things come to an end. 48:17 All good things are set for ever eternity, 48:23 existing without end, subduing all things, 48:26 subduing evil, 48:29 eradicating evil. 48:32 And then good begins to reign for ever more. 48:35 "Able to subdue all things to Himself." 48:39 So now let me ask the question, 48:41 how many of you are looking forward 48:42 to the transformed body? 48:46 Any particular reason why? 48:48 I guess we could take that for the rest of the night. 48:54 I know, you don't have to worry 48:56 about your knees anymore, right? 48:58 We don't have to worry about each of us 48:59 as being patched up as best we could down here 49:02 but when the Lord comes back, all that stuff we had, 49:04 all the, you know, the extra glass eye 49:06 that we had to put in, or the new knees, 49:09 or the hearing aid, or whatever we got, 49:12 the plate in our head, 49:13 all that stuff would be subdued. 49:19 And that's right. Jerry recently lost his wife. 49:22 And Dick lost your wife last year. 49:25 That's right. 49:26 What reunions are they going to be, right? 49:28 When the Lord transforms our lowly bodies 49:31 that maybe... 49:32 Hey, I want to tell you this, Jerry, 49:34 your wife is going to look a lot prettier 49:35 than when you married her. 49:37 So hold on. 49:40 He is too, he said. 49:41 You're going to look more handsome. 49:43 More handsome. Yeah, there you go. 49:45 But he's going look prettier you said? 49:49 He's going to look more handsome. 49:51 The beauty of it is, friends, here is the key. 49:52 And I want to wind this up 49:54 as we transition into the empowered life. 49:57 If we're not being transformed day by day 50:00 and empowered day by day, 50:03 if we're not being transformed day by day, 50:05 then there's really nothing that we're planning for 50:09 because we almost have arrived 50:10 to the place of being content. 50:12 A life that is not content with the way the world is, 50:16 is a life that is planning for that final transformation. 50:19 And the only thing that's going to remain... 50:21 This sounds really amazing. Go with me to Revelation 22. 50:25 There's something that's going to remain. 50:29 That's why this study is so vitally important 50:33 because you just can't wait to the very end. 50:35 I know some people that... 50:37 Well, this sounds really sad, 50:38 but I know some Christians that say, 50:40 "Well, it doesn't really matter what I do to my body 50:42 because I'm going to get a new one anyway." 50:45 It's not that simple. 50:46 You can't abuse this body 50:48 just because you're going to get another one. 50:50 Because we have to give an account 50:51 as to how we handle the body that the Lord has given to us. 50:55 But Revelation 22:11, 50:57 the reason why this is so important 50:58 to get ready for the transformed life 51:00 or that final transformation is, 51:02 there is something that is happening day by day. 51:05 Okay? Look at verse 11. "He who is unjust," what? 51:10 "Let him be unjust still, 51:13 he who is filthy let him be, " what? 51:15 "Filthy still, 51:16 he who is righteous let him be," what? 51:18 "Righteous still, 51:20 he who is holy let him be," what? 51:22 "Holy still." 51:24 And Jesus said to His disciples, 51:26 "Be ye therefore holy 51:29 as your Father in Heaven is holy." 51:31 The transformed life means, every day we are desiring, 51:36 and by the power of Christ living a holier life. 51:40 We're living a more righteous life. 51:44 Now am I saying, Robert, 51:46 that we becoming more righteous every day 51:48 because you can't be more righteous than Christ? 51:50 But what in essence is being said is, 51:52 we are becoming more like Christ day by day. 51:56 So right now, we're in the middle of painting 52:01 and putting in new floors. 52:02 I want to tell you, 52:04 it really is a transformation process. 52:06 You know, when you got to take out all the carpet, 52:09 take out this at our home, take the padding out, 52:12 all the prep work, Larry, plugging up all the holes, 52:17 making sure you have the right paint color, 52:21 taping around the window 52:22 so the paint doesn't get everywhere. 52:23 It's all in my head right now. 52:25 And somebody said, 52:27 "When you're done, I want to see it." 52:31 That's the transformed life. 52:33 When the Lord finally changes these lowly bodies 52:36 that is fashioned like unto His glorious perfect body. 52:41 When the transformation happens, 52:43 I want to see it. 52:45 Amen? Amen. 52:46 It's going to be far greater 52:48 than any of us can ever imagine, 52:50 far more lovely 52:52 than any of us can ever imagine. 52:55 But you don't have to wait 52:56 till then for the transformation 52:59 to take place. 53:00 You are being transformed by the renewing of your mind. 53:04 You are being transformed by the what? 53:06 Renewing of your mind. 53:08 So you don't go from a horrible, evil, 53:11 desperate person today to a perfectly righteous saint 53:15 when Jesus comes. 53:17 Those thoughts have to be cleaned out. 53:18 The reason I read this text 53:20 is because what's being talked about here 53:22 is the person that has been saved, 53:24 the person who is in 53:26 a saving relationship with Christ 53:27 has taken the time 53:29 to develop the mind of a person that's holy, 53:33 the life of a person that's holy. 53:35 They have pushed out the filth that was there. 53:38 They have pushed out all those things 53:40 that were unjust 53:42 and put the things that were righteous 53:44 and the things that were holy there. 53:47 That's the responsibility that the Lord has given to us. 53:51 Now let me ask you the question, 53:53 which category does that fit into, 53:55 justification, glorification, or sanctification? 54:01 Come on, don't be afraid. Sanctification 54:03 Sanctification. 54:05 Sanctification is the day by day, by day, 54:06 by day process of growing to be more like Christ. 54:10 But some churches teach, once saved always saved. 54:15 "I'm saved, I'm going to go to heaven 54:17 whether I want to go or not." 54:19 That's not the case. It's a life you live every day. 54:21 You've got to be transformed every day, 54:24 that transformation is happening, 54:26 God is making us more and more like Him. 54:29 And you see such in the scriptures, 54:30 those who work for Christ, 54:32 many of them had to be transformed. 54:35 You think about Peter. 54:38 Even up to the time of the crucifixion of Christ, 54:42 Peter still needed to be transformed. 54:45 Matter of fact, go with me to John 21. 54:47 I want to dive into the new lesson, 54:48 but I'm kind of guarding the time 54:49 because I don't want to break open a new can 54:51 and not be able to even feed you 54:52 any of it. 54:54 That's kind of what I'm going to do. 54:56 So I'm going to use the time here 54:57 to show you a couple of examples 54:58 in the scripture 55:00 that the Lord talked about very carefully. 55:01 John. 55:03 Here we are. 55:06 And by the way, 55:07 whenever the Lord is transforming us, 55:09 don't be concerned about those around us 55:11 that He's working at a different pace than us. 55:13 That's the reason I'm sharing this with you. 55:15 All right? Okay. 55:18 John Chapter 21. 55:21 So John 21:15. Look at this. 55:26 This is the dialogue between Christ, 55:30 and Peter, and John. 55:34 "So when they had eaten breakfast, 55:36 Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of Jonah, 55:40 do you love Me more than these? 55:42 He said to Him," what did he say? 55:45 "Yes, Lord, you know I love you. 55:48 You know I love you.'" He said to him," do what? 55:52 "Feed My lambs." 55:54 He said to Him again a second time. 55:56 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?' 56:00 He said to Him, 56:02 'Yes, Lord, you know that I," what? 56:05 "Love you." He said to him," what? 56:08 "Feed My sheep or tend to my sheep.'" 56:10 Then verse 17. 56:12 "He said to him the third time, 56:14 'Simon, son of Jonah, 56:17 do you love Me?' 56:19 Peter was grieved 56:21 because He asked him the third time, 56:24 'Do you love Me?' 56:25 And he said to Him, 'Lord, You know all things. 56:29 I mean You really do. You know that I love You.' 56:31 Jesus said to him," what? "Feed My sheep.'" 56:34 Now let me give you an understanding. 56:36 Some of you may know 56:37 what this dialogue is all about. 56:38 When Jesus ask him 56:40 the first time, "Do you love me?" 56:41 He said, in the Greek, "Do you agape?" 56:43 Say that word, agape. 56:44 "Do you love me without condition?" 56:46 Our love for Christ... 56:47 His love for us is unconditional. 56:49 But not everyone is at the place 56:51 where they love other people unconditionally. 56:54 And this story is evidence of that, he first said, 56:56 "Do you agape me" was the phrase first Greek word 56:59 that the Lord used. 57:00 And Peter said, "Lord, you know I love You. 57:02 I philia you. I love You like a brother." 57:05 Then He asked him again, "Do you agape me, Peter?" 57:08 And he said, "Lord, you know I philia you. 57:10 I love you like a brother. 57:12 I don't love you unconditionally yet." 57:14 And then he said, "Okay." 57:15 Third time, "Okay, Peter, if you philia Me, 57:18 if you love Me like a brother, let's start there, 57:20 then go ahead and feed my sheep." 57:23 And so the key is, not every one of us 57:25 is at the place where Christ wants us to be. 57:27 Not every one of us loves 57:28 the other person unconditionally. 57:31 The transformed life takes you 57:32 from the natural way of loving somebody 57:35 to the divine way of loving somebody. 57:37 And it can only be done by the study of God's Word. 57:41 The transformed life takes you 57:42 from the mundane human limitations 57:45 to the spiritual side 57:47 that really doesn't have any limitations. 57:49 And we know the story, what happened? 57:51 Peter eventually was converted 57:53 and he was able to strengthen the brethren. 57:55 So those of you are studying the Word of God, 57:57 keep this in mind, keep trusting God 58:00 and that transformed life will become 58:01 a life of your experience. 58:03 God bless you. |
Revised 2018-11-12