Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000057
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00:20 Hello, friends.
00:21 Welcome to another Wednesday Night Bible Study, 00:23 here in Thompsonville, Illinois. 00:26 You know, we say Thompsonville, we say West Frankfort. 00:28 Well, if you've ever visited 3ABN, 00:30 they're just one thin line apart 00:32 in two different little towns. 00:34 But this is the 3ABN Worship Center 00:35 and we thank you for tuning in tonight 00:37 to continue with us in our study, 00:39 how to live a spiritual life in a natural body, 00:41 and we're going to be transitioning into a new series 00:46 and it is entitled, 00:47 "How to know the truth about the truth." 00:51 And you probably tilted your head to the side like a puppy 00:53 huh. 00:55 What does he mean by that? 00:56 Well, you'll find out when we get there, 00:57 but tonight if you'd like to follow along 00:59 with our lesson, 01:00 go to this website 01:02 asf.3abn.org 01:05 and download lesson number 17 01:08 as well as lesson number 18. 01:11 Now our attempt will be to finish lesson 17 01:14 and transition to lesson 18. 01:16 But in the event that we don't, you'll be ahead of us. 01:19 And that is, you'll be able to study out lesson number 18 01:21 and be prepared for the next broadcast. 01:24 But invite your friends and family members 01:26 to sit down with us 01:28 for a thoughtful hour 01:29 as we walk through our Bibles together. 01:31 Can we say amen to that? Amen. 01:33 It's no better thing to do than to spend time 01:34 in the Word of God. 01:36 And we'd like to thank you for tuning in from around the world 01:39 to make this broadcast as special as we believe it is, 01:42 from the Word of God, led by His Holy Spirit. 01:45 So tonight, 01:46 let's bow our heads and invite God's presence to be with us. 01:49 Our Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your goodness, 01:51 for Your mercy and always for Your grace, 01:55 for we discover that Your grace 01:58 truly is sufficient for us 02:01 and we also know Lord that in our weakness, 02:03 your strength is truly made perfect. 02:07 Tonight, Father, as we open Your Word, 02:08 we pray that You'll open our hearts 02:10 and our minds and unite us around the world 02:13 together in the study of Your Word, 02:15 and may Your Holy Spirit 02:17 who promises to lead us and guide us into all truth, 02:21 prepare us for the reception of truth. 02:23 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 02:27 Well, you know we'd like to sing our theme song 02:29 and you'd like to join us if you can. 02:31 Now you know our theme song is victory in Jesus, 02:34 the words is on our... 02:35 The words will be on our screen, won't be on yours, 02:38 but I know that many of you have joined us 02:39 as we sing the song. 02:41 So let's sing our song tonight, 02:42 "Victory in Jesus." 02:52 I heard an old, 02:54 old story 02:56 How the Savior came from glory 03:00 How He gave His life on Calvary 03:03 To save a wretch like me 03:07 I heard about His groaning 03:11 Of His precious blood's atoning 03:15 Then I repented of my sins 03:19 And won the victory Together 03:22 O victory in Jesus My Savior, 03:28 forever 03:30 He sought me and bought me 03:34 With His redeeming blood 03:37 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:41 And all my love is due Him 03:45 He plunged me to victory 03:49 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:53 I heard about a mansion 03:56 He has built for me in glory 04:00 And I heard about the streets of gold 04:04 Beyond the crystal sea 04:08 About the angels singing 04:11 And the old redemption story 04:15 And some sweet day 04:17 I'll sing up there 04:19 The song of victory 04:21 Key change. Are you ready? 04:23 O victory in Jesus My Savior, 04:28 forever He sought me and bought me 04:34 With His redeeming blood 04:38 He loved me ere 04:40 I knew Him And all my love is due Him 04:45 He plunged me to victory 04:49 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:53 He plunged me to victory 04:57 Beneath the cleansing flood 05:03 Amen. 05:05 Amen. 05:06 We are about to get a flood here in Southern Illinois, 05:08 we've been getting a lot of rain. 05:10 And I don't know 05:12 if it was like this in the days of Noah, 05:14 because they had never had rain before. 05:16 But at the sight of clouds, 05:18 those who live in places like Oklahoma, in Texas, in Kentucky 05:23 and Tennessee and Illinois, 05:26 we kind of hunker down 05:27 because we know that it could bring with it 05:30 a lot of other things, and even forecasted possibility of hail, 05:33 strong winds, 05:35 but the only wind that we're waiting for tonight 05:37 is the wind of God's Holy Spirit. 05:38 Amen? Amen. 05:40 And we are here, though not many in number, 05:42 we are glad that you are making up the difference 05:44 as we joined together around the world. 05:47 We have been studying the topic how to become a Christian. 05:50 And that may seem strange 05:52 because those of us who are studying 05:54 are 'Christians', at least in our labels we are, 05:59 but there's a lot more that pertains to being a Christian 06:03 than just having the label 06:05 whether the denomination is a small one, 06:09 or a large one, the most confused place 06:11 in the world today is among Christians. 06:15 That's why I'm beginning a new series on the heels, 06:18 heels of this one call, 06:20 how to know the truth about the truth. 06:22 Because when I study, you know, different religions, 06:26 I don't spend a ton of time on that. 06:28 But sometimes you think of, and I'm going to be kind, 06:31 but I talk, I think about the 1.2 billion Catholics. 06:35 And I think for the most part, 06:36 they all believe the same thing, 06:39 that is, you know, you have charismatic Catholics 06:41 and you have other branches, but for the most part, 06:44 the 1.2 billion members of the Catholic Church 06:48 whether infants or adults, 06:50 tend to be under one creed, 06:52 one banner, 06:53 and one set of beliefs found in 06:56 The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrines. 06:59 But then, when you mention the word Christian, 07:01 people say what flavor? 07:04 What brand? 07:05 Or what denomination? 07:07 Because the word Christian doesn't mean 07:09 what it did in the Bible. 07:11 The word Christian in the Bible meant there was one Lord, 07:13 one faith, one baptism, one God, one Father of all, 07:16 one set of beliefs that were unifying 07:18 all Christians together. 07:20 They were just Jews and Gentiles. 07:21 There was just truth. 07:24 There was just error and truth. 07:27 There was falsehood, and there was light, 07:29 there was no massive diversity. 07:31 And in the context of Christianity nowadays, 07:34 people say, "Well, I'm Christian 07:36 and to me that really doesn't mean anything." 07:39 Because Christianity is a lot larger than just having a label 07:43 and that's why the next series is going to really 07:45 put a great highlight on 07:47 the importance of knowing the truth about the truth. 07:52 Now people may say, okay, 07:54 sounds like a redundant statement 07:56 to know the truth about the truth. 07:58 But let me just go ahead and give you a preview 08:00 so that you can prepare yourself. 08:02 And tonight we'll see it also fit into this topic 08:04 on how to become a Christian 08:06 or what it means to be a Christian. 08:09 I mentioned to you the word Christian. 08:11 What is a Christian, somebody tell me? 08:12 Let's say this together, what is a Christian? 08:14 A follower of Christ. 08:16 That's the easy definition, 08:17 the most appropriate definition, 08:19 the true definition, 08:21 a Christian is a follower of Christ. 08:24 And Jesus mentioned in Matthew 08:26 Chapter 7, 08:27 that the way that leads to eternal life 08:28 is a narrow path, and few there be that find it. 08:33 But He also in that very same context, 08:35 I thought it was not unusual, but how appropriate, 08:39 in the passage where he mentions, 08:40 you will know them by their fruits. 08:42 He mentioned the road to eternal life is narrow. 08:45 Then He also said, not everyone that says to me, 08:47 Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. 08:49 Only those who do the will of My Father which is in heaven. 08:53 So what He in essence is saying is, 08:55 there's a lot more to being a Christian 08:56 than just saying you're a Christian, 08:58 but He wants those who are willing to do the will 09:01 of His Father in heaven. 09:04 And then when Jesus came, He says, I came into My own, 09:07 and My own did not receive me. 09:12 And we'll find out, I don't want to jump ahead. 09:14 I'm just kind of holding the brakes, 09:16 because it's just flowing over. 09:18 I don't want to go to the books 09:19 that I've put in the new lesson. 09:21 But you'll discover that, 09:23 how to become a Christian 09:24 brings with a tremendous benefit. 09:26 So our topic tonight, 09:28 although it's our theme is how to live a spiritual life 09:31 in a natural body. 09:33 Our topic is how to become a Christian. 09:36 And we left off on question number 12. 09:39 So that means tonight, 09:40 we're going to go ahead 09:42 and begin with question number 13, 09:44 setting this stage and this question is as follows. 09:48 It's on our screen, 09:49 and you will see it also on your screen. 09:52 The question is, 09:53 what major change will there be after I become a Christian? 09:59 What major change will there be after I become a Christian? 10:04 And we're going to go to the Book of John, 10:06 what book did I say? 10:07 John. 10:09 My book. 10:10 John 17 and we're going to look together at verse 3. 10:14 You know, John is a powerful book. 10:17 In that, there's John, 10:20 there is first, second, third John, then there's Revelation. 10:24 And a lot of people look at the Book of John 10:27 as the book from the one that was most beloved by Christ. 10:31 He was the youngest of the disciples, 10:33 yet he was one of the sons of Thunder. 10:36 Meaning He was loud. 10:38 But He learned how to tone it down and allow Jesus to... 10:42 I'll not refer to anybody in my presence here, we have brother. 10:47 It's okay to be loud for Jesus, isn't that right? 10:50 As long as you're thundering the gospel, 10:52 but in essence, he learned to love Jesus. 10:55 He learned to communicate with tones of love. 10:58 He was the one that was the last disciple to die, 11:01 and he died of natural causes, 11:03 because God as Pastor Doug Batchelor says, 11:06 until God is finished, finished with you there, 11:08 you are immortal. 11:10 That is, 11:11 nobody could do anything to take your life 11:14 until God has done with you. 11:15 That's the immortal sense, not that you have immortality. 11:18 But then if anything happens to you, 11:20 you have the gift of immortality, 11:22 which we'll all put on when Jesus comes. 11:24 But let's look at what the major change will be 11:27 after we become Christians? 11:29 John 17:13. 11:31 And the answer is, verse 3, John 17:3. 11:36 Thankfully, you all have your lessons in your Bibles. 11:38 And let's read the first one together. 11:40 And it reads as follows: "And this is" what? 11:43 "Eternal life, that they may know You, 11:47 the only true God and Jesus Christ 11:51 whom You have sent." 11:53 Now this verse brings into view two persons of the Godhead, 11:59 the Father and the Son. 12:01 So when the Bible says, and this is life eternal, 12:03 that they may know You, 12:06 the only true God and Jesus Christ 12:09 whom You have sent, 12:12 it's hard for anybody to think of Jesus 12:15 in or God in three manifestations. 12:18 You know, there is this belief 12:19 that God manifests Himself in different ways, 12:22 or God metamorphosized from God, the Father, 12:25 then he metamorphosized like a butterfly into God, 12:27 the Son, 12:28 and then He left His shell like an aphid 12:31 and left behind the Holy Spirit. 12:33 There are those who believe in three manifestations of God, 12:36 rather than the persons of the Godhead, the Father, 12:39 the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 12:41 So what this text is, in essence, is saying to us 12:43 and I'll go ahead and show you 12:44 the answer, you could write it down. 12:46 The answer is, 12:48 you have a personal relationship with God. 12:51 And you have that personal relationship 12:53 with God through whom? 12:55 Somebody tell me, through whom? 12:57 Through Jesus, 12:58 because you're no longer, 13:00 you're no longer coming straight to God. 13:02 But as Jesus says, 13:04 "No one comes to the Father except through Me." 13:07 Go with me to the Book of John Chapter 10. 13:09 You're putting the answer down, 13:11 you have a personal relationship 13:14 with God. 13:16 In other words, the door is open now, 13:18 for us to have access to the Father. 13:21 There's only one way to the Father, 13:23 and that's through the Son Christ Jesus. 13:26 That's not a very popular statement nowadays 13:29 because people think there are many different ways, 13:33 but there's only one way to the Father. 13:36 Okay, John Chapter 10. 13:38 And 13:41 I want to look at verse 1, 13:46 verse 1, I'm not going to read too many of them, 13:48 but I'll select the verses that are most appropriate 13:51 to the point I'm trying to make. 13:53 Because Jesus is the way, 13:54 Jesus is the one that connects us to the Father. 13:56 John Chapter 10, 13:57 and I'm reading from the New King James Version, 13:59 but the translation is really not that important. 14:02 It says, "Most assuredly, I say to you, 14:04 he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, 14:09 but climbs up some other way, the same is a" what? 14:13 "Thief and a robber. 14:16 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 14:22 To him, the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice. 14:27 And he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out." 14:32 You should rejoice when you read that text 14:33 because Revelation 18 talks about another call coming out, 14:36 "Come out of her My people." 14:38 And the only way that He's going to lead them out 14:40 is by them hearing His voice, 14:41 that's so instrumental in the topic that's coming up. 14:44 And he goes and says in verse, 14:48 verse 4, 14:51 "And when he brings out his own sheep, 14:54 he goes before them and the sheep follow him, 14:56 for they know his voice." 14:58 They not only know him, but they even know his voice. 15:02 And those of you who get phone calls, 15:03 sometimes you get a phone call 15:05 and maybe somebody you haven't heard from in a long time, 15:08 but the moment you hear their voice, you say, "No. 15:13 Tell me this is not Jeffrey." 15:16 "Yup, this is Jeffrey." 15:17 You say, "You sound a little older, 15:18 but I could never forget that voice." 15:20 Have you ever had that experience before? 15:21 Sometimes you talk to people that you haven't heard 15:22 from in a long time. 15:24 And you say, 15:26 I can't believe this is who I think it is. 15:28 Is this and you mentioned their name? 15:30 And how do you know them? 15:32 How do you know them over the phone, by their? 15:33 Voice. 15:35 By their voice unless you have one of those new phones 15:36 that have video, but for the most part, 15:38 and the very same thing happened 15:40 with Mary when she waited in the garden 15:42 for the resurrection morning. 15:43 She thought that Jesus was the gardener 15:45 until He said her name. 15:47 And then she thought, "Wait a minute, 15:49 is this who I think it is?" 15:52 She identified Jesus by His voice. 15:54 Very important point I'm making here. 15:56 You see, a lot of people think 15:57 that the voice of God is audible, 15:59 but the voice is God is also written. 16:01 Amen? 16:03 God spoke these words, 16:07 holy men of God 16:10 spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 16:14 These words was spoken. 16:17 These words were written, 16:18 but they came forth from the Father, 16:20 they came forth from the Christ, 16:22 they came forth through the work of the Holy Spirit. 16:25 These words were not born in the minds and lives of men. 16:28 It was communicated through their experiences, 16:32 but these are the words of God. 16:34 And we'll find out that in just a moment, 16:36 but let me go and finish this, I wanna end the point here. 16:40 Let's go down to verse 7 of John Chapter 10. 16:44 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you," 16:48 what's those four words? 16:50 I am the door. 16:53 "I am the door of the sheep. 16:58 And whoever came before me, are thieves and robbers, 17:03 but the sheep did not hear them. 17:06 I am the door. 17:07 If anyone enters by Me, he will be," what? 17:10 "Saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." 17:17 So we see right away this personal relationship 17:19 that we have with the Lord is very important. 17:21 Because if you have this personal relationship, 17:23 you're not just in a relationship 17:25 with Him by name. 17:26 There's some people, you heard of people 17:27 that are called name callers, you ever know people like that? 17:31 When you mention it, yeah I know him. 17:34 So what's his nickname. 17:36 I do that. 17:37 And somebody did that once. 17:39 And I show you about a personal relationship. 17:41 Not that we want to minimize Jesus in any way. 17:44 But usually if you say to somebody, 17:46 oh, I know. I know. 17:49 And you mentioned the person's name. 17:50 I want to be vague so I don't really bring out. 17:52 Okay, let me use myself as an example. 17:57 I know this is going to, this is going to happen 17:59 when I go all over the world, people start calling me this. 18:02 If anybody ever calls me, Junior, 18:06 they have to know me from way back 18:08 when I was a little boy. 18:10 They had to know me from Madison Street in Brooklyn. 18:14 Now, let me even go further. 18:15 If anyone calls me Junjun, they had to know me 18:17 when I was a little boy, a tiny tyke, 18:21 because that was what my sister called me 18:23 before she was able to say John. 18:25 She would say Junjun. 18:27 And I discovered that was not an accident, 18:31 but it's traditional in some Filipino families. 18:33 The name Junjun is very common. 18:35 But, so Junjun, 18:37 when a little boy Junior, growing up, 18:40 but John as an adult. 18:42 I remember somebody, one day, 18:43 my sister was with us and somebody said, 18:47 as they saw me as a pastor, and they said, Junior, 18:50 she said, he's a pastor now, you need to call him John. 18:54 He's not Junior anymore. He's grown up. 18:56 He's a pastor now, you need to call him John. 18:58 There's some connection to that. 19:02 Jesus had such a personal relationship with His disciples 19:06 that He said, 19:08 let's kind of get off of this master thing, disciple. 19:11 Let's call each other friends. 19:13 See, He referred to, 19:15 they referred to Him as friends. 19:17 And they're those, my good friend, 19:20 Pastor Dwight Nelson 19:21 always speaks about the forever friend, 19:24 Jesus our forever friend, a friendship with Jesus. 19:27 So that's where that personal relationship comes in. 19:29 You know, why is this important? 19:31 If you have a personal relationship with Christ, 19:33 you are never in the dark, 19:36 because friends stay in touch. 19:38 The best way to stay in touch with Jesus is through prayer, 19:43 through the reading of His Word, 19:44 and through the listening to hear Him speak to us. 19:47 When I read the Bible, I study the Bible. 19:50 You'll find many references to after people had prayed, 19:54 they waited to hear from the Lord. 19:56 They waited for the Spirit of God to guide them 19:59 and lead them and impress them strongly 20:01 on what they had studied in the Word of God. 20:03 So having a personal relationship with God 20:05 is extremely important. 20:06 That's number 13. 20:08 Now, number 14, let's go to that one. 20:10 Number 14. 20:11 Why is it important to have more than the Christian label? 20:15 Why it is important? 20:17 Why is it important to have more than the Christian label? 20:20 Let's go to Titus 1:16. 20:23 Titus 1:16. 20:25 Okay. 20:27 This Christian label. 20:29 I mean, I've met people that nowadays actually, sometimes, 20:33 we talked about flavor, hey, what flavor are you? 20:38 Christianity nowadays has been reduced down 20:40 to a brand of cereal, 20:42 and then but the challenge that's going to come out 20:45 in the next topic we talked about. 20:47 The problem with that is, 20:50 people minimize their beliefs 20:54 and they maximize the word Jesus. 20:58 Now, let me take a minute on that. 21:01 They minimize what they believe, 21:04 but they maximize 21:06 the fact that we all have the same God. 21:08 You've heard them say that, you've heard people say that, 21:11 but Jesus taps them on the shoulder and say, 21:13 wait a minute, are you talking about Jesus? 21:16 You all have Jesus in common? 21:18 Yeah, yeah, we have Jesus in common. 21:20 Well, aren't we all called by his name? 21:23 Are you seeing where I'm headed? 21:24 And as therefore one says, wait a minute. 21:27 But you have your own, Jesus would say, 21:29 but you have your own bread. 21:31 You have your own, you have your own doctrines 21:32 that are not connected. 21:34 You have your own apparel, 21:35 your own method of righteousness. 21:37 But all you really want from me is my name, 21:40 and that's not enough. 21:41 That's why when we do the series on 21:43 how to know the truth about the truth, 21:45 it's going to open your mind to see, 21:47 it's not just important to emphasize the fact that, 21:51 oh, we all didn't really matter what we believe, 21:53 you know we all love Jesus. 21:57 James, James completely obliterated that ideology 22:02 that all you have to do is believe. 22:04 Because he said, even the devil's believe, 22:06 and what did they do? 22:08 They are more convinced that there is a God 22:09 than many of us are. 22:11 They're so convinced that 22:13 He exists that they're warring against Him every day. 22:16 And some of us are so convinced that He exists, 22:19 we don't even call on Him every day. 22:21 So let's see. 22:23 Why is it important to have more than a Christian label? 22:26 Titus 1:16. Look at what it says. 22:29 It says, "They profess to," what? 22:31 "Know God, but in works they," what? 22:34 "Deny Him, being abominable, 22:38 disobedient and disqualified for every good work." 22:43 Isn't that amazing? 22:44 That's a powerful passage. 22:46 They profess to know God. 22:47 Somebody once was on the radio 22:49 on I forgot what channel it was, 22:50 but I was driving in the car, 22:52 and whatever the talk show host was. 22:56 Whoever the talk show host was, 22:57 they were talking about people 22:59 that say they know Michael Jordan. 23:01 And he said, well, what does that really mean? 23:06 He said, okay, if you first meet him, 23:07 you don't call him Mike, 23:09 because you're not on that basis with him. 23:11 You say, Mr. Jordan, or Mr. Michael Jordan, 23:15 you address him at the point of respect. 23:18 And then if you go further, 23:19 you can say if he lets you in the circle, 23:21 you could say, Mike, and then if you go any further, 23:24 he said, you can call him Boo. 23:27 Whatever nickname he has, people are like that. 23:30 Each of us are known in our family circles 23:32 with different names. 23:34 So if somebody professes to know somebody, 23:36 you say, okay, if you know him that well, 23:38 okay, could you get us into this event? 23:41 Could you get us into this gala event? 23:42 Could you get us into this party? 23:44 Well, I don't know him on that level. 23:46 See, so the Lord is saying in this verse, 23:48 people profess to know God, 23:51 but if you look at their actions, 23:53 their actions don't connect to somebody 23:56 that claims to have that kind of connection with God. 23:59 So here is why it's important to have more than a label. 24:02 The answer, our works must what? 24:06 Match our profession. 24:09 Our works must match our profession, 24:13 the answer to number 14. 24:16 So the works, which is how we live our lives 24:19 must be in harmony with what we profess 24:21 to believe or who we profess to be. 24:23 Ain't that right? 24:25 Okay, let's go on. 24:27 Let's try to get as much as we can in tonight, 24:29 and hopefully transition to the next one. 24:31 I'm just so excited about it. 24:33 I don't want to be next year before I get to that one. 24:35 You know, how that goes. 24:38 Okay. 24:39 Number 15. 24:41 What must we include in our lives 24:43 after becoming Christians? 24:45 What must we include in our lives 24:47 after becoming Christians? 24:50 Lot of people are Christians, but not really. 24:54 Okay, now let me get down to the nitty-gritty. 24:56 We're taken our shoes off. 24:58 We're taken our socks off. 24:59 We're walking on ground, 25:01 you can't tell if the ground is hot or cold 25:02 if you have on shoes and socks, 25:05 but if you take your socks off and your shoes off, 25:07 you are where the foot meets the road. 25:11 This text or this question 25:14 brings the foot in touch with the road. 25:17 In other words, it brings the label Christian 25:20 in touch with whether or not you're really walking 25:22 that Christian life. 25:24 Question again. 25:25 What must we include in our lives 25:26 after becoming Christians? 25:28 John 9:4, turn there with me, 25:30 John 9:4, 25:34 John 9:4. 25:37 There's something that must be in our lives 25:39 after we become Christians. 25:41 I remember when I joined the baseball team 25:43 in high school, 25:44 it'd years ago. 25:45 I was so skinny in high school, 25:47 they gave me a baseball uniform. 25:48 I was trying to find a small one, 25:50 but they gave me a baseball uniform 25:51 that was so oversized 25:53 that I had to sew up the end seams 25:55 just so I didn't look like I had on pajamas, 25:59 but follow what I'm saying. 26:00 Once you join the team, you got the equipment, 26:04 you got the uniform, you got the emblem, 26:07 you got your number, 26:08 you were assigned to a particular position 26:10 to fill. 26:13 And then you were included in the game. 26:16 You follow me? 26:18 So if you are on the baseball team, 26:20 what a lot of our guys in schools say, 26:22 hey, let me see your cleats, 26:24 what kind of cleats did you get? 26:25 Let me see your uniform. 26:27 Let me see your glove. What kind of glove do you have? 26:29 They look for evidences that you are connected to the team. 26:33 So if I said, "I'm on the team." they'd say, 26:34 "Where's your uniform?" "Well, I don't have a uniform." 26:36 "Well, then you're not on the team. 26:38 What position are you playing?" 26:39 "Well, I haven't gotten a position yet." 26:40 "Then you're not on the team." 26:42 Anybody on any team has been assigned a position. 26:46 If they don't have a position, they're not on the team. 26:50 Right? 26:51 Then you also have practices. 26:53 When is your basketball practice? 26:55 I don't even know. Aren't you on the team? 26:56 Yeah, but everybody else has a schedule. 26:58 How come you didn't get a schedule? 27:00 Well, I am on the team, but I didn't get a schedule. 27:03 Now everybody got their schedule, 27:05 so you're not on the team. 27:07 We used to say in the city, you're fronting, 27:09 that means you're not telling the truth. 27:11 Well, let me say something here 27:13 and this is a very powerful point. 27:16 To say that we are Christians, 27:18 there's something we must include in our lives 27:20 after becoming Christians, 27:22 or else by not including this we are saying, 27:25 we are not on the team. 27:29 It's not, you've got to play if you're on the team. 27:34 And if you're on the team, you can get on the field. 27:38 And those who are not on the field 27:40 are not getting any championship trophies. 27:42 They're not getting any paycheck 27:44 when the championship happens. 27:45 They're not getting any remuneration of any kind, 27:47 because they're just sitting in the stands. 27:50 I think I laid enough foundation. 27:51 Here's the answer to John, in John 9:4. 27:55 Here's the answer. 27:56 John 9:4. 27:58 Let's read this together. 28:00 "I must work the works of Him who," did what? 28:05 "Sent Me while it is day," why? 28:08 "The night is coming when no one can work." 28:15 Okay, perfect timing for this one 28:18 because the basketball season just ended. 28:21 So if anybody says to me, 28:23 they're going to an NBA basketball game, 28:25 I'm going to say, 28:26 you need to go back to bed and wake up again 28:28 because there are no NBA basketball games. 28:31 There are none till way down in the later part of September. 28:36 If anybody says, "I got tickets to a basketball game, 28:38 do you want to go with me?" 28:39 I'd say, "Which basketball game?" 28:42 There are no games happening until later on in the year. 28:45 Here's my point. 28:47 There is a work that God has chosen every one of us 28:50 to be involved in if we are Christians. 28:53 Notice the word. 28:55 Notice the second word in this statement. 28:56 What's the second word? Somebody tell me. 28:59 Does it say you should? 29:01 Does it say you should think about it? 29:03 What does this say? 29:05 Say it with some gusto, what does it say? 29:07 Must, 29:08 you must work the works of Him 29:11 who sent me while it is day. 29:15 Anybody that say they are Christians 29:17 and not involved in working for God is not a Christian. 29:22 Can I say that with authority? 29:24 You cannot be a Christian 29:26 and not be working for the person that has hired you. 29:30 He didn't hire you to listen to sermons. 29:34 He didn't hire you to be parts of socials, 29:37 or just to be involved in sitting down. 29:40 You know, we call it, 29:41 one writer said if there's a fog 29:42 and if there's a mist in the pulpit, 29:44 there's a fog in the pews. 29:48 You know, you know, the frozen chosen, 29:52 the inactive, active. 29:53 I mean, there's no such thing. 29:55 The Christian world is the only place 29:56 where you can do nothing and expect to go to heaven. 30:00 Ain't that terrible? 30:02 Go with me to Revelation Chapter 22. 30:04 I don't want to start preaching, 30:05 but I just might. 30:08 Look at Revelation Chapter 22. 30:09 Very powerful verse. 30:11 We gotta realize God hasn't chosen us 30:13 how to become a Christian. 30:14 I'm a Christian, but what are you doing 30:16 for the Kingdom of God? 30:17 Nothing. 30:18 I'm just waiting for Him to come, I'm at the bus stop. 30:20 I'm waiting for the train to come. 30:21 I'm waiting for the cloud support. 30:23 That's why people that are inactive. 30:25 This is an amazing thing. 30:26 People that are often inactive doing nothing, 30:28 they get tired of waiting. 30:30 So those are the people that say, 30:31 I can't wait till Jesus comes. 30:34 Well, that's all you've been doing is waiting. 30:37 Haven't been doing anything. 30:39 And then you ask people who do stuff, 30:41 ah, I don't know. 30:45 You do that same thing at work? 30:46 Your boss asked you to do something. 30:48 I don't know. 30:50 You don't know? 30:52 I've hired you. 30:53 I'm paying you. 30:54 You're going to tell me you don't know? 30:58 Well, look at the word, 30:59 Revelation 22 31:01 and we're going to look at verse 12. 31:04 We're going to look at verse 12, 31:06 verse 12, verse 12, completely. 31:08 I've adopted this word tonight 31:10 completely obliterates the idea 31:12 that Christians should be inactive. 31:15 Look at what Jesus says. 31:18 And behold, I am coming quickly. 31:21 And my reward is what? 31:24 With me to give to everyone according to His? 31:27 Work. 31:28 According as his work shall be in the King James Version. 31:31 You're going to get a reward according to your work. 31:34 In other words, no work. 31:38 Say it again, no work, no reward. 31:41 It's like you don't go to work and on Friday, 31:43 you show up and stand in line. 31:45 I used to remember those pictures 31:47 at construction sites. 31:48 You know construction site is a strange thing. 31:49 There's no really established office. 31:52 But on Friday, all the guys take their hard hats off 31:54 and they're all standing in line 31:55 in front of the foreman's shelter. 31:57 You know how that is, they are standing in line 31:59 and somebody turns up and says, 32:00 hey, Mike I haven't seen you all week. 32:02 Been sick. 32:04 So, do you know what line this is? 32:05 It's the paycheck line, yeah. 32:07 So why are you standing in this line? 32:09 Oh that's what this... 32:10 And you get to the front of the line 32:11 and the foreman says, 32:13 Hey, Mike, good to see you. 32:15 Why are you here? 32:17 Well, everybody else got a check. 32:18 Mike, we pay people for the work they do. 32:24 This may sound like a revolutionary idea. 32:27 But God calls Christians to work, amen, somebody? 32:30 Amen. 32:31 I'm just tired of this whole idea. 32:34 I'm tired of this whole idea of Christians 32:37 that just don't want to do anything. 32:38 And they're, well I'm a Christian, 32:40 and they mention their denomination. 32:43 Anyway, John 14:12, 32:46 my good buddy, he was on the battlefield for the Lord 32:50 told me look at John 14:12. 32:51 Look up John 14:12. 32:54 Okay, that's right. 32:56 What good one, see you could, he just been, 32:59 anyway I'm gonna put that up little higher, 33:01 but he has been in the church little more than a year 33:03 and out there on the field working for the Lord. 33:05 That's why these texts are popping out at him. 33:07 John 14:12. 33:09 Notice what it says, 33:10 Jesus speaking to His disciples. 33:12 He's comforting them and telling them, 33:14 I'm leaving now, 33:15 but there's something you must do. 33:16 Verse 12, "Most assuredly, I say to you, 33:19 He who believes in me, 33:23 the works that I do, 33:25 he will do also and greater works 33:29 than these he will do." 33:30 Why? "Because I go to My Father." 33:32 In other words, the Lord is saying, 33:34 I'm getting out of the way. 33:35 But you know what you are gonna do 33:36 while I'm gone? 33:38 You're gonna do what I've done and even more. 33:40 In other words, I'm just one man. 33:43 But there are 12 of you. 33:45 And after the day of Pentecost, 33:46 there's gonna be a whole lot more and you know, 33:48 the rest of the story, 3000, 5000 33:51 and the church clerk lost it 33:52 and couldn't even keep up with the numbers 33:54 and just wrote down the word multitudes, 33:57 that's how God does it, right? 33:59 Just multitudes, but why did the gospel 34:01 get to the world then in only 34 years? 34:03 You know why? 34:05 Because they believe so much in the coming of the Lord. 34:07 They got together and worked 34:09 in preparation for the coming of the Lord. 34:12 They said, even John, 34:13 as he was on the Isle of Patmos, 34:15 he was so diligent to finish his work. 34:16 He wrote, even so come Lord Jesus. 34:20 'Cause he know he was busy working for the Lord. 34:22 You got me in prison, but you can't stop me 34:24 from writing the Book of Revelation. 34:27 They worked in prison, 34:28 Paul and Silas in prison singing. 34:30 They had a choir rehearsal at midnight. 34:33 They broke, God broke them out of jail, 34:35 and they baptized the jailer. 34:38 I mean, they were so... 34:39 They didn't even stop them. 34:41 And then somebody said, Paul, if you do this again, 34:43 we're gonna whip you. 34:44 That's okay. I've been whipped already. 34:46 So he says, he says, 34:49 I must press toward the mark 34:51 for the prize of the high calling 34:53 of God which is in Christ Jesus. 34:55 He pressed, he didn't sit, he pressed, he had a goal, 34:58 and so many people could become Christians 35:01 and the evidence of a Christian, 35:02 here's the point I want to bring up. 35:04 We must involve ourselves in working for the Lord. 35:08 This ideology that we could be Christians, 35:09 just wait for Jesus to come. 35:11 It's insipid. 35:12 It's like warm milk. 35:15 Can you imagine drinking milk in a container 35:17 that's been left outside on 100 degree day? 35:21 We don't drink milk as it is. 35:22 Even if it's rice milk, it tastes bad. 35:25 Oh, you know, warm, where's the milk? 35:27 In the back of your car? 35:29 My wife whenever we go to the airport, 35:30 we put extra bottles of water in the car, 35:32 because we know we're gonna, 35:33 you know how it is when you leave home, 35:34 you get thirsty like halfway to the airport. 35:37 So we put like four bottles, drink two on the way going. 35:40 We'll have two in the car coming back at least. 35:42 So she said, 35:43 but while the cars at the airport 35:45 it's gonna get warm. 35:46 I said honey, we're coming back at night. 35:48 So it might be cooler, at least it will be room temperature. 35:53 Lord have mercy if you come back during the day 35:55 in the summer, 35:56 because no one wants warm water when you're thirsty. 36:00 You see, Jesus has the very same position about Christians 36:04 that just don't do anything. 36:06 He says, I'm gonna, I can't drink you. 36:07 I can't even digest your profession. 36:10 The only thing I can do is spit you out of my mouth 36:12 because you're not hot. 36:13 You're not doing anything for Me. 36:15 You're not cold. 36:16 You're not even against Me. 36:18 You just taking up space. 36:20 And we got all these Christians taking up space. 36:24 And I'm just looking pretty, waiting for Jesus to come. 36:29 This is the Bible study, not a sermon. 36:32 But I'm making the points here. 36:33 That's what it's all about. 36:35 Those of you, who are watching, 36:36 get involved in your church's mission. 36:38 Do not get uninvolved 36:40 thinking that somehow when God comes back, 36:41 he's going to say, you know what, 36:43 I'm gonna let you pass. 36:45 I'm going to give you eternal life 36:46 even though you did nothing. 36:48 Oh, that's not why He calls us. 36:51 Ephesians 2:10, 36:53 "For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus 36:56 for good works, 36:57 which God prepared beforehand 37:01 that we should walk through therein." 37:02 He's got all these positions, 37:04 but He's looking for people to hire. 37:05 What did he say to Isaiah? 37:07 He was talking about, man, there's so many people, 37:09 I need, we got so much to do, who shall I send? 37:12 And Isaiah said, what did he said? 37:14 Here I am, Lord, send me. 37:17 And then Jesus, Old Testament and New Testament, 37:19 He said to His disciples, 37:21 I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 37:24 He doesn't call us to sit down, He calls us to send us, 37:27 calls us, trains us sends us, right? 37:30 Number 16. 37:32 I'm having a sneaky feeling 37:33 we might not get to the next lesson tonight. 37:35 'Cause somehow this has transitioned 37:37 into an exciting study. 37:39 Question number 16. Here it is. 37:40 How do we declare to the church 37:44 that we are connected to Christ? 37:47 How do we declare to the church 37:49 that we are connected to Christ? 37:51 How do we declare that? 37:53 This is another one. 37:54 I'm just really swinging tonight. 37:58 Not from a lamp, 38:00 but I'm swinging in the Holy Spirit. 38:01 Just you know though, you know that winnowing tool 38:03 that God had in His hand, 38:05 swept away all the tares, gathering the wheat. 38:08 How do we know? 38:10 Malachi 3:10 is where we're all turning. 38:12 Malachi 3:10, how do we declare 38:14 to the church that we are connected to Christ? 38:17 This one has always baffled me and my brother. 38:20 You know where I'm headed, right? 38:21 So I'm not going to get there yet. 38:22 We're going to wait till we read the text 38:24 and we're going to make reference. 38:25 But here it is, Malachi 3:10. 38:27 This is called minimal Christianity. 38:29 What's the word that I used? 38:31 Minimal. 38:32 This is the minimal requirement 38:34 of a person who says they're connected to Christ. 38:36 This is the bare minimum. 38:38 This is not the maximum, this is what you got to do. 38:41 This is what you must do as you connect with Christ. 38:44 Here it is, together, Malachi 3:10, 38:47 "Bring all the tithes into the," what? 38:51 "Storehouse, 38:52 that there may be food or meat in my house 38:55 and prove me now or try me now in this, 38:57 says the Lord of hosts, 38:59 if I will not open for you the windows of heaven 39:02 and pour you out such a blessing 39:04 that there shall not be room enough" 39:05 to do what? 39:07 "To receive it." 39:08 I know that in the King James Version by heart, 39:09 that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 39:11 A lot of people think of as tithing as well, 39:13 okay? 39:15 I'm going to pay my tithes. 39:16 No, no, no, cut, 39:19 you don't pay tithe, you return it, right? 39:25 Because God owns everything. 39:27 Somebody once said, Lord, if you then I will. 39:29 How could you bargain with somebody 39:30 when you don't own anything to bargain it with Him with? 39:34 God, if you do this for me, I'll do that for you. 39:37 It's like an ant saying to a big, 39:39 a big 18 wheeler, 39:40 If you do this for me, I'll clean your tires. 39:44 I mean, think about that. 39:46 An ant, an ant compared to an 18 wheeler 39:49 is not even a good comparison 39:50 because we're smaller than that 39:52 when it comes to compared to God. 39:55 It's like an ant trying to take an 18 wheeler on his back 39:58 and say, well, we need some more ants to do this. 40:00 No matter how many ants you get, 40:02 you are not going to move an 18 wheeler, 40:04 no matter how many of us joined together, 40:05 we cannot move God. 40:07 But the point of the matter 40:09 is a lot of Christians nowadays, 40:10 what they have what's called, 40:12 and let me just put the answer on the board 40:13 while I'm emphasizing the important point. 40:17 We must support the work financially. 40:20 We must support the work financially. 40:22 You notice how this is different 40:23 from all the other topics. 40:25 We talked about sanctification, 40:26 justification, glorification, 40:28 we talked about pressing toward the goal. 40:29 We talked about studying our Bibles, 40:31 all the facets of Christianity 40:33 and the important aspects to it. 40:35 But this is now saying, okay, 40:36 let's get down to the brass tacks of it. 40:38 You are a Christian, 40:39 do you support the church financially? 40:42 Well, whenever I have money to, well, 40:46 you know, the reason why you may not have money to, 40:48 is because that's not a part of your heart. 40:50 The Bible says where your treasure is, 40:51 there will your what? 40:53 Heart be also. 40:54 You know, God has a habit of multiplying 40:56 what we give to Him. 40:58 So if you give a little, 41:00 He'll take it and multiply it 41:04 and you will have much. 41:06 Now, let's go ahead and qualify that. 41:10 God is not going to say I am an investment project. 41:13 But God promises as David the Psalmist says, 41:18 I was young, 41:21 now I am old, 41:23 and I have never seen the righteous forsaken, 41:27 nor their seed begging for bread. 41:30 Paul, Philippians 2, 41:33 I believe it's verse 12. 41:35 He says, "And my God shall supply all my needs, 41:38 according to his riches," where? 41:41 In glory through Christ Jesus, 41:43 this God's got a bank. 41:44 We always worry about the economy, 41:46 I'm not worried about the economy. 41:48 Not at all. 41:49 You know, my retirement may go up and down but then, 41:53 the government hasn't been making a difference 41:54 in my life to this point. 41:56 God has been supplying all my need. 41:58 When Elijah was out there running from Ahab and Jezebel, 42:01 God sent him air mail. 42:02 God sent him Federal Express food, a raven, 42:06 brought him his lunch 42:07 all the time he was out there. 42:09 He had, air mail coming in every day. 42:13 He never starved. 42:15 Ain't that right? So we gotta. 42:17 We gotta show people, 42:18 we got to show the church and the Lord, 42:20 by our actions. 42:22 Let's go to the next one, number 17. 42:23 Gotta support your church financially. 42:26 I was amazed and I point to my brother Richard here. 42:30 How, as treasurer in Fairfield, 42:34 and he's been my head elder for many years. 42:36 And also now he's over here in Thompsonville, 42:40 the percentage of members 42:42 that literally support the church 42:45 hovers around 25% to 30%. 42:49 That's in tithing. 42:50 And then some of them tithe, 42:52 this is the other thing that really blows me away, 42:54 some members tithe 42:56 because they know in the Adventist Church, 42:58 that all that money goes directly to the conference, 43:00 but they won't give offering because they don't like 43:03 what the church does. 43:05 So they, I'm only gonna give offering 43:08 if I like the sermons or if I like the members. 43:14 Well, let me tell you something, 43:15 you don't do that, you could do it 43:16 because you love the Lord. 43:18 Amen, somebody? Amen. 43:19 Will a man rob God? 43:25 And they had the audacity to ask God, 43:28 how, in what way have we robbed Thee? 43:30 He said in tithes and in offerings. 43:35 The curse comes to you not at the church, 43:37 God will sustain His church, ain't that right? 43:40 So for those of you who think that, you know, okay, 43:42 if I must do it, I'll do it. 43:44 But let's look at this next question. 43:45 How would our Christian walk become acceptable to the Lord? 43:48 How will our Christian walk become acceptable to the Lord? 43:51 2 Corinthians 9:7, it is a good lesson, 43:55 there's a sermon right here. 43:57 2 Corinthians 9:7. 44:00 I said 11, I think but I mean verse 7, 44:03 2 Corinthians 9:7. 44:06 How does your Christian walk become acceptable to the Lord? 44:09 Because God doesn't need anything. 44:14 But He is established a system whereby the church on earth 44:17 will have all of its needs provided, that is, 44:21 through the people that are members of it. 44:23 But He always relies on the heart. 44:26 God doesn't say, Okay, now that you're a member, 44:28 give me your 1040, give me your 1099, 44:30 give me, give me a W2. 44:32 So I'll figure out how much you make 44:34 and I have direct deposit. 44:35 No, God doesn't do that. 44:36 If you want to do that you can. 44:38 But God says, "Wait a minute, 44:39 I'm gonna see where your heart is." 44:42 I wanna see where your heart is, 44:43 like a mother who give us some 10 oranges, 44:45 and he goes to school, 44:47 and one of the kids asked for one, he said, 44:48 "No, these are my oranges." 44:52 You think you're gonna lose vitamin C 44:54 by giving away one orange, really? 44:57 We think somehow that, 44:59 and you know what? 45:00 God is better than all the stores. 45:03 God is better than the restaurants, 45:04 they want 15% gratuity, ain't that right? 45:08 But look what kind of heart God looks for. 45:10 2 Corinthians 9:7, 45:12 here it is on the screen, 45:14 2 Corinthians 9:7. 45:17 "So let each one give as he," what? 45:21 "Purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity 45:28 for God" together, "loves a cheerful giver." 45:33 That word cheerful 45:34 is a powerful word in the Greek. 45:35 In other words, people are happy to give. 45:38 What else can I do, Lord? 45:39 What can I give Thee, 45:41 for all Thy benefits towards me? 45:43 Anything else I can do, Lord? Sure. 45:45 You know what I love as a pastor, 45:46 I like people that have a good attitude 45:48 when he asked them to do something. 45:51 And I'm thinking even the people 45:52 that have bad attitudes, 45:53 like other people to have good attitudes 45:55 when they ask them to do something. 45:56 Did you get that? 45:58 Some people have a bad attitude, 45:59 but they want people to have a good attitude 46:01 when they ask for something. 46:05 You know, I gotta go home. 46:07 What do you need? 46:09 Never mind, go home. 46:11 I got it. 46:12 I sometimes, remember once a night here, 46:14 I'm a once walking 46:15 and I was just like so loaded down, 46:18 trying to get the church door open, 46:20 and I got an umbrella, I got my briefcase, 46:23 I got my backpack, my Bible and it is raining 46:26 and the rain is pulling sideways 46:27 and on my clothes I'm trying to keep from getting wet. 46:30 And I'm standing at the door of this particular entrance 46:33 and I'm trying to find a way to get in 46:34 and there are people standing on the other side of the door 46:36 looking at me, is he gonna do it? 46:38 Is he gonna do it? 46:40 But, I got, I got five dollars he's not gonna do it. 46:43 It looked like they were betting on 46:44 to see weather and I walked through, 46:46 almost slipped on, the floor's totally wet. 46:48 And I'm thinking, what were you thinking? 46:52 And that's what Jesus meant when He says, 46:53 he that is not with me is what? 46:55 Against me. 46:56 He who was not gathering with me is what? 46:59 Scattering abroad. 47:00 God doesn't need anything, if you don't like to do it, 47:02 God says forget it. 47:04 I get somebody else to do it. 47:06 God didn't need Judas, Judas needed God. 47:10 You see, he thought, well, Lord, 47:12 I'm the treasurer of the group. 47:14 That's why you're in trouble, 47:17 because you don't see your need of me. 47:19 And that's an amazing thing. 47:20 God wants cheerful givers. 47:22 So here's the answer. It's kind of a long one. 47:24 We will have a positive attitude 47:26 about giving to the Lord 47:28 and notice I didn't just say giving money to the Lord, 47:30 but giving our time, giving our talent, 47:34 giving our testimony, and also giving our treasure. 47:37 That's the fourth T, 47:38 time, talent, testimony and treasure. 47:43 Why say testimony? 47:44 Some people, if it's up to some Christians, 47:46 the world will never know 47:48 that anybody has done anything for us. 47:50 Because some people never test 47:51 about testify about God's goodness. 47:53 Some people never say that God has done anything for them. 47:57 And the Bible says 47:58 let the redeemed of the Lord say so. 48:01 So somebody said, what has God done for you? 48:07 And it's like, 48:09 has he done anything for you in the last three weeks? 48:11 They go back to 17 years ago. 48:15 Is that the last thing he did for you? 48:18 What has God done for you yesterday? 48:21 If all you can say is He woke me up, 48:25 He gave me a mouth to eat, 48:28 and a tongue to taste it when I swallow my food. 48:31 My legs are working. 48:33 He woke me up and I'm functioning. 48:35 Although I don't have as much as I'd like to, 48:37 everything that I have I'm thankful for it 48:39 because of somebody else, see. 48:41 That's right. 48:43 That's right and my honey say, 48:44 any day above the ground is a good day, 48:45 ain't that right? 48:47 People gotta learn. 48:48 Yeah, my wife says we must educate our lips to praise God. 48:54 But some people, you wait for testimony. 48:57 And while people are listening, hey, that's the point. 49:00 They want to hear what the Lord has done for you. 49:03 There may be somebody across the room 49:04 or in the other side of the church 49:05 that needs to hear, 49:07 Oh, boy, I know that brother was struggling. 49:08 God. 49:10 If God did that for him, I'm going to trust God 49:13 to do what He needs to do for me. 49:15 But when you don't talk about it, 49:17 God does not need silent majority. 49:19 You know in the world, you walk into the mall, 49:20 you don't even ask for it, you walk in the mall, 49:22 and the music is piped into your ears. 49:24 You don't even ask for it. 49:25 You hit the stoplight 49:27 and there's profanity coming from the car 49:28 or the vehicle next to you, you don't ask for it. 49:30 That's why I like what my good friend 49:32 Doug Batchelor, and I've taken this up 49:33 ever since he told me that years ago. 49:35 If you're next to somebody 49:37 and they're blasting their music, 49:39 turn up yours. 49:40 But make sure it's Christian. 49:42 Amen. 49:43 One day Doug Batchelor was at the light 49:44 and he heard this car next to him 49:46 and he opened his window and C.D. Brooks 49:47 is preaching it away. 49:49 And C.D. Brooks says, repent! 49:51 He said, perfect timing. 49:53 We've got to educate ourselves to, 49:55 you know we got to educate our lips to praise the Lord, 49:57 am I telling you the truth? 49:59 The world is not afraid, 50:00 the world is not afraid of the garbage that's there. 50:04 Yet Christians are so quiet. 50:06 Are there Christians in your community? 50:08 I have no idea. 50:10 They never knocked on my door. 50:12 I don't know, I see somebody going in other houses, 50:14 that a Christian? 50:15 I guess so. 50:18 We must have a love for the people even around us, 50:20 right? 50:21 We will have a positive attitude 50:23 about giving to the Lord. 50:25 You want to write this down, 50:26 time is the hardest thing to give, 50:29 people could give money, 50:30 that's the last thing on the list. 50:32 Your time, valuable. 50:34 The most important commodity God gives us is time, 50:36 ain't that right? 50:38 Give your time, your talent. 50:40 Don't ever think that your talent, 50:42 you could put your talent on hold for the next year 50:44 because you're tired of working for God. 50:46 You know what to say to people when they say that? 50:48 Quit your job? 50:49 Say to your boss, I'm tired. 50:52 I'm tired every day 7:30 to 5:30, 50:55 I'm tired. 50:56 I'm quitting for the next two years. 50:58 You just keep paying me, I'll figure out, 51:02 I'll figure out when I need to come back. 51:04 But I ain't working for the next year 51:06 because I've been doing this for 17 years. 51:07 There's some people that have that attitude about God's work. 51:10 Pastor, do I have to do this again? 51:13 And I'm thinking, who do you work for? 51:15 It's not me, 51:17 because I don't have a dime to give you 51:18 at the end of this road. 51:20 But when I think about the Lord, 51:21 He's going to be standing there with a crown and say, 51:23 this is what I want to hear. 51:24 I want to hear well done thou good 51:25 and faithful servant. 51:27 Don't you want to hear that? 51:28 That's what I want to hear. But well done. 51:29 What did you have? What have you done? 51:31 Nothing. 51:33 But I want to be in heaven. 51:34 What have you done? Nothing. 51:36 Although we're not saved by works, 51:39 we deny Him by our works. 51:42 And where there is no works, there is tremendous denial. 51:46 I'm glad I'm on your team, 51:47 but don't ask me to do anything. 51:50 Well have a positive attitude about giving to the Lord. 51:53 Look at the next one. 51:54 The next one, number 18. 51:59 Okay, 52:03 what is the difference about the Christian 52:05 when compared to the world? 52:06 I was typing so fast. 52:07 The word the was too short for me to wait. 52:10 What is the difference about the Christian 52:12 when compared to the world? 52:15 Okay? 52:18 What's the difference? What's the difference? 52:20 Colossians 3:2, 52:22 Colossians 3:2. 52:27 Okay, look at that one, 52:29 Colossians 3:2. 52:32 I'm ahead of the curve. 52:34 I don't think I'm gonna get to the next lesson tonight. 52:35 But that's okay. 52:37 You can still do it in preparation 52:38 for the next broadcast. 52:39 Colossians 3:2. Here we are. 52:42 Even though I have it right in front of me, 52:44 I like to turn to because there's some extra stuff 52:45 in there that you don't want to miss. 52:47 But okay, Colossians 3:2, reads as follows. 52:51 Let's read this short one together. 52:52 Are you ready? 52:54 "Set your mind on things above, 52:58 not on things on the earth." 53:04 Some people say, you're so heavenly minded 53:06 that you're no earthly good. 53:08 That's not my concern sometimes. 53:09 Sometimes people are so earthly minded 53:11 that they are no heavenly good. 53:13 You see the Lord is saying the challenge in the church 53:15 in the last days, 53:16 is it going to be so earthly minded 53:18 that they're no heavenly good. 53:20 I have not met very many people that are so heavenly minded, 53:24 that they're no earthly good. 53:25 I've met people that are so earthly minded 53:27 that they're no heavenly good. 53:31 And they're so concerned about the world 53:33 so concerned and so enamored by the world 53:35 that God even if you try to use them, 53:37 they're like, you know, like a cog out of tune. 53:40 They're like a piston that's chamber has been blown. 53:43 They just have no connection. 53:44 It's like they've missed their connection with God. 53:47 But when we said, I like the way the King James says it, 53:50 it sets your affections. 53:53 What does affection mean? 53:54 When you say somebody is an affectionate person, 53:56 what do you mean? 53:57 Huh? 53:59 Loving. 54:00 That means it's not just in their head. 54:02 It's not them, it's not them saying I like John Dinzey, 54:04 you say, you know, I really like John Dinzey,... 54:06 man I Boy, I appreciate John. 54:08 That's affection. 54:10 You know when you say to your wife, I like you. 54:13 Any guy could say that. 54:14 But you say, Honey I, oh, 54:16 my affections are wrapped up in you. 54:19 When the Lord says set your affections 54:21 on things above, you know what he's saying, 54:22 Get your mind set for the place you're headed. 54:26 When we go on vacation, you know what we do? 54:28 Man, when we finally figure out where we're staying, 54:30 we look at that brochure. 54:32 And when we get there and we come back to, 54:34 you should have seen where we were. 54:38 When people get excited about vacation, 54:40 don't they tell other people? 54:42 Don't they have a smile on their face? 54:44 Ah, I'm gonna miss you guys, 54:46 but I'm not gonna be thinking about you 54:47 'cause I'm gonna be gone. 54:49 I'm gonna relax. 54:50 I'm not going to do my hair. 54:52 I don't use hairspray when I go on vacation. 54:54 I have no sandals on, I mean the sandals. 54:57 You know, I go to the, 54:59 I don't go to Alaska for vacation neither. 55:00 I go where it's warm. 55:02 But the point of the matter is my affections are altered 55:04 when it's on the place I'm headed. 55:07 That's what's happening here in this text. 55:09 If your mind is on heaven, 55:11 it ought to alter the way you think. 55:14 You ought to say now, Jesus is coming. 55:16 You know what? I think I should get to work. 55:20 Amen. 55:21 I think I should do something, He's coming. 55:23 Didn't the Lord say? 55:26 Blessed is a servant, who when the master comes, 55:30 he finds doing. 55:32 Right? 55:33 Then He'll say blessed is the... 55:35 Hold, Lord, 55:37 I'm almost done this Bible study, 55:38 wait a few seconds. 55:40 We should be so excited about the coming of the Lord 55:42 that we're working up to the very moment. 55:44 Come on, sir accept Jesus 55:46 I mean, I can tell by the rumblings of the world 55:48 they're not going to be long. 55:51 Get excited about the coming of Lord, 55:52 set your affections on things above 55:54 and here's the answer to that one, 18, 55:56 our focus is on things that please, that do what? 56:01 Please the Lord. 56:03 So many people are into pleasing themselves. 56:06 We've got to be more connected to pleasing the Lord, 56:08 ain't that right? 56:10 Man, I don't know what happened to me, 56:12 I must have, the Lord guided me, 56:14 I prayed, and the Holy Spirit jumped in. 56:17 And that's why I'm so fired up about this. 56:20 Number 19, 56:21 number 19. Here it is. 56:22 Let's try to get this one in. 56:24 Number 19. 56:25 How do fellow Christians experience 56:27 the change in our lives? 56:29 How do fellow Christians 56:31 experience the change in our lives? 56:33 You know, your life ought to mean something 56:35 to somebody else. 56:36 Ain't that right? You shouldn't be. 56:38 There's no such thing as disconnected Christians. 56:40 When you read the Book of Acts, the Book of Acts is a powerful, 56:44 is a powerful blueprint for how Christians ought to be, 56:48 you know, they all have possessions, 56:49 but nobody considered his possessions his own. 56:52 If somebody else had a need, they said, you got it. 56:55 If somebody, if they didn't have a need, 56:57 if they had a need, somebody else gave up, 56:58 somebody else had a need they gave. 57:00 They considered everybody had, 57:02 they were disconnected from all those things. 57:04 Let's get the last text for tonight. 57:06 How do fellow Christians 57:07 experience a change in our lives? 57:08 Here's the answer, 57:10 read that together, 57:11 bear one another's burdens and so, what? 57:14 Fulfill the law of Christ. 57:17 Oh man, I'd tell you this. 57:19 This is an inspired lesson here. 57:20 I'm gonna use this for a sermon 57:22 but I'm not gonna tell you when. 57:23 But I tell you this is gonna be a Bible study sermon, 57:26 we should understand that the presence of Christ 57:29 in our lives should alter our affections, 57:32 should alter our love for the Lord, 57:34 should also activate our desire to do something 57:36 for the advancement of His Kingdom, 57:38 for the saving of souls, 57:39 for the lifting of one another's burdens. 57:42 But the one thing you don't want to do, 57:44 you don't want to be a Christian, 57:46 and just sit down and have no use to heaven 57:49 and no use to earth. 57:52 That's not what Jesus is coming back for. 57:53 So, friends, keep on trusting God, 57:56 focus on what He's called you to do. 57:58 And one day whatever is not clear 57:59 will come into a sharper focus. 58:02 God bless you. |
Revised 2020-03-02