Hello, we just
want to welcome you
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to A Sharper Focus.
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My name is Jill
Morikone, and we are so glad
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that you have tuned in tonight
and that you are joining us.
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We want to
welcome our Thompsonville
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Seventh-day Adventist
Church, our family who is here,
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and you are part
of the 3ABN family,
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so we just welcome you as well.
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Our pastor, Pastor John Lomacang
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is not here, so I am
just stepping in tonight
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to fill in for him,
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and we want to encourage you
to check out the website www...
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I got that wrong, ASF.3ABN.org.
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Thank you, the crew in
there just put it up for me,
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so that helps me a good deal.
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ASF.3ABN.org.
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You can download the
videos, you can watch them
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from previous A Sharper Focus's.
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You can also download
study guides to follow along.
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So we want to
encourage you to check that out.
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Let's open up the Word of God,
and we will go to a scripture,
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and then we'll go
to the Lord in prayer.
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The scripture that we are
going to be reading is John 15.
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This is one of
my favorite chapters
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in the Bible.
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John 15, we are gonna
read the first few verses.
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The true vine.
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"I am the true vine,
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and My Father
is the vinedresser.
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Every branch in Me
that does not bear fruit
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He takes away,
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and every branch that
bears fruit He prunes,
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that it may bear more fruit.
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You are already
clean because of the word
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which I have spoken to you.
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Abide in Me, and I in you.
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As the branch cannot
bear fruit of itself,
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unless it abides in
the vine, neither can you,
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unless you abide in Me.
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I am the vine,
you are the branches."
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We are in verse 5,
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"He who abides
in Me, and I in him,
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bears much fruit,
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for without Me
you can do nothing.
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If anyone does not abide in Me,
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he is cast out as a
branch and is withered,
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and they gather
them and throw them
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into the fire,
and they are burned.
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If you abide in Me,
and My words abide in you,
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you will ask what you desire,
and it shall be done for you."
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Verse 8, "By this
My Father is glorified,
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that you bear much fruit,
so you will be My disciples."
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Let's pray.
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Father, we come before
You in the name of Jesus,
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and I pray right now
that You would hide me
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that Jesus could be lifted up.
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You said, "If I am lifted up,
I would draw all men unto me."
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And I just pray right
now that You would speak,
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that You would give us open ears
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and hearts to receive
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what You have
for us in Your Word.
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And I thank You in the precious
and holy name of Jesus, amen.
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My sister has four boys.
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Now you know Greg
and I don't have any kids
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but she has four boys
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and right now they
are 10, 8, 6, and 4,
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and their house
is extremely busy.
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Every time Greg and I
go there, I come and I say,
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"Oh, I am a little tired.
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I need to take a nap."
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One of the
people here tonight said
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they got a nap
today, that's a good thing.
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So I need to take
a nap, I am tired.
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It's exhausting with four boys.
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So one time, and I
don't remember exactly
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which boy it was and
it's probably a good thing,
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but one time I remember
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one of them was
having a hard day,
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you've ever have a hard day,
and they were having a hard day
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and they threw a
little temper tantrum.
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So you know what boys do
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when they throw
a temper tantrum?
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They might kick their feet.
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I remember the little legs going
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on the floor, kicking.
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I remember squalling,
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just the tears
coming down the face
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'cause they are so mad.
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You know the face red?
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But what I will never forget
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is the words, just a little guy,
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two, three years
old, kicking on the floor,
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tears pouring
down his face saying,
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"Help me Jesus.
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I want to be
good. Help me Jesus.
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I want to be good."
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It reminds me of the
tug of war experience
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that we all experience
in the Christian walk.
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I have here a rubber band.
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So you imagine I
wake up in the morning
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and then I am going to work
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and all of a sudden
someone gets mad at me,
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phew, and then I
am pulled this way,
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the flesh side, right, phew,
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and I am
saying, "Help me Jesus,"
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and I am starting to pull
back the spirit side, right?
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The rubber band is
starting to get stretched,
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you are feeling that tension.
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The Word of God
talks about that.
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Turn with me to Galatians
5. We are going to Galatians 5.
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Our opening
scripture was John 15 talking
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about fruit and
abiding in the vine.
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The last time I
did A Sharper Focus,
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we talked about the first
four fruits of the Spirit,
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in Galatians 5 so this
one, hopefully, if we have time,
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we'll get all the way
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through the rest of
the fruit of the Spirit.
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But before we discuss that,
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I just want to lay
a brief foundation.
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We are in Galatians 5:16,
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Galatians 5:16.
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"I say then, walk in the spirit,
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and you shall not
fulfill the lust of the flesh.
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For the flesh,"
remember on this side,
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"lusts against the spirit,
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and the spirit
against the flesh,
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and they are
contrary to one another,
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so that you do not do
the things that you wish.
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But if you are
led by the spirit,
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you are not under the law."
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And then Paul lists
the works of the flesh.
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It's not a comprehensive
list, just an illustrative list.
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But there's a lot of
works of the flesh here.
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"Adultery, fornication,
lewdness, idolatry, sorcery,
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hatred, contentions,
jealousies, outbursts of wrath,
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selfish ambitions, dissensions,
heresies, envy, murders,
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drunkenness," the like.
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A whole list of
works of the flesh.
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And then he
contrasts that in verse 22.
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"But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace,
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longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness,
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gentleness, self-control.
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Against such there is no law."
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We see the contrast
between the work of the flesh
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and the work of the spirit.
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We could say self-centered
living is on this side
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or we could have
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Christ-centered
living on this side.
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On the self-centered side,
we are controlled by passion.
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Christ-centered side,
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I am controlled
by the Holy Spirit.
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On the self-centered
side, I am a slave to sin.
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On the Christ-centered side,
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I die to self and to sin.
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On the
self-centered side, it shows,
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reveals the fruit of
sin, we just read that list.
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On the Christ-centered side,
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it shows the
fruit of the Spirit.
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The self-centered
side walks in lust.
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The Christ-centered
side walks in love.
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Jesus from the manger to
the cross gave the picture
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of self-sacrificing love.
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On the self-centered
side, I live for self,
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you could say I am an adulator
because I live for myself.
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On the Christ-centered
side, I live for other people.
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What a contrast
between the work of the flesh
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and the work of the spirit.
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Now, if I were to stop there,
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I think we would be
discouraged 'cause I'd say,
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"I know I have
some of those works
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of the flesh in my life.
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But God, I don't
want it. How can I change?
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How can I get rid of
the work of the flesh
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and live or walk in
the fruit of the Spirit?"
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We know Jeremiah 13:23 says,
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"Can an Ethiopian
change the color of his skin?
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Or the leopard change
the spots on his back?"
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Of course, we can't.
Then what does it say?
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"Then may we also do good,
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who are
accustomed to doing evil."
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So God knows we
can't do that ourselves.
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We can't change
from the flesh side
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and jump over here
to the spirit side.
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That can't happen.
Turn with me to Ezekiel.
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We'll have just a
couple of scriptures
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for foundation here,
for walking in the spirit,
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and then we'll talk
about the fruit of the Spirit.
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Turn with me to Ezekiel.
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Ezekiel 36.
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Ezekiel, Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Ezekiel 36,
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we'll start with verse 25.
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"Then I will
sprinkle clean water on you,
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and you shall be
clean," I love that verse,
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"I will cleanse you
from all your filthiness
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and from all your idols."
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Verse 26, "I will
give you a new heart
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and put a new spirit within you,
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I will take the heart
of stone out of your flesh
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and I'll give
you a heart of flesh.
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I will put My Spirit within you
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and cause you to
walk in My statutes,
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and you will keep My
judgments and do them.
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Then you would dwell in the land
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I gave to your fathers,
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you shall be My people,
and I will be your God."
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What is God saying here?
He will give us a new heart.
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He will exchange my stony heart,
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my heart that desires
the work of the flesh,
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He's gonna take it out.
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And He is going to
give me a heart of flesh.
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A soft heart, a heart
that's open to the work
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of the Holy Spirit.
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"In my heart and in my life."
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Caleb is one of my nephews,
and when he was five years old,
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he gave me a call on the phone.
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Now this is not unusual
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because every Friday I
get to talk to the nephews.
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And so I talk to them
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and it's one's turn
and then the next one
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and then the next and
they all get their turn.
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Now Caleb usually goes last.
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And not 'cause
he is the youngest,
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he just usually
goes last, and he said,
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"Aunty Jill, I have
something to tell you."
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And I said, "Oh,
Caleb, that's great."
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And I am kind of, you
know, I got my Bluetooth in,
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I am working around the
house, cleaning, it's Friday,
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and just doing my thing,
00:10:54.62\00:10:55.95
and just, "Oh,
that's great, Caleb."
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He said, "I asked
Jesus into my heart."
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A five years old.
00:11:03.29\00:11:05.53
And for a minute I
couldn't even talk,
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you know, just and then he says,
00:11:07.46\00:11:10.03
"Aunty Jill, are you there?"
00:11:10.07\00:11:11.93
And I said, "Yes,
sweetie. I am so proud of you.
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That's the best
decision you could ever make."
00:11:15.70\00:11:19.57
And he said, "I can't read yet
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'cause I'm little,
and I can't read yet.
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But when I want to
be mean to my brothers,
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I ask Jesus to
help me and He does."
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That is, we could say
in a child's viewpoint,
00:11:34.36\00:11:38.09
but it's kind of what
we just read in Ezekiel 36,
00:11:38.13\00:11:40.96
that is God taking by the power
00:11:41.00\00:11:43.16
of His Spirit out
of that stony heart,
00:11:43.20\00:11:46.47
the hard heart that wants
to be mean to your brothers,
00:11:46.50\00:11:49.07
the heart that wants to
do the work of the flesh,
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and giving us a heart of flesh,
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working within us
the fruit of the Spirit.
00:11:56.28\00:12:00.92
There's another verse
I want to look at before
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we jump into the
fruit of the Spirit.
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This is found in Galatians 2:20.
00:12:04.75\00:12:08.12
Back to
Galatians, Galatians 2:20,
00:12:08.16\00:12:11.33
and you can quote
it at home, I am sure.
00:12:11.36\00:12:14.43
"I have been
crucified with Christ,
00:12:14.46\00:12:17.57
it is no longer I who
live, but Christ lives in me,
00:12:17.60\00:12:22.37
and the life which I
now live in the flesh
00:12:22.40\00:12:24.94
I live by faith
in the Son of God,
00:12:24.97\00:12:28.28
who loved me and
gave Himself for me."
00:12:28.31\00:12:33.28
I think as we want
to walk in the spirit,
00:12:33.31\00:12:37.62
as opposed to walking
in the works of the flesh,
00:12:37.65\00:12:42.56
not only do we need to
ask God for a new heart
00:12:42.59\00:12:44.66
and to give us
the heart of flesh,
00:12:44.69\00:12:46.70
He also wants us
to die to our self,
00:12:46.73\00:12:51.13
to crucify our own self.
00:12:51.17\00:12:54.34
Have you ever been to a funeral?
00:12:57.41\00:13:01.31
I guess everybody in this
room has been to a funeral.
00:13:01.34\00:13:04.05
Now this is no disrespect
to someone who has passed.
00:13:04.08\00:13:08.48
But if you go to
the funeral, and say,
00:13:08.52\00:13:11.32
the person is
there in the coffin,
00:13:11.35\00:13:15.49
can you tempt
them with anything?
00:13:15.52\00:13:19.39
So if you were to go up and say,
00:13:19.43\00:13:20.76
"Hey, you want to smoke?"
00:13:20.80\00:13:22.13
Will they all of a
sudden jump up and say, yes,
00:13:22.16\00:13:24.63
I want to smoke?
00:13:24.67\00:13:26.00
No, right. Why?
00:13:26.03\00:13:28.54
They are dead,
that's right, Linda.
00:13:28.57\00:13:30.24
So you could not tempt them
00:13:30.27\00:13:31.61
with cigarettes or
alcohol or pornography.
00:13:31.64\00:13:34.94
You could not tempt them
to get mad or bitter or angry.
00:13:34.98\00:13:39.15
You could not
tempt them with lust
00:13:39.18\00:13:41.25
or any of those works of
the flesh and why is that?
00:13:41.28\00:13:45.55
Because they are dead.
00:13:45.59\00:13:48.16
I think that's
the same principle,
00:13:48.19\00:13:51.79
the same place that God
wants to bring you and I to.
00:13:51.83\00:13:56.50
I am crucified with Christ.
00:13:56.53\00:13:58.83
It's not me who is
living, but Christ lives in me.
00:13:58.87\00:14:03.77
Remember Jesus in John 14.
00:14:03.81\00:14:06.78
Turn with me to John 14:30.
00:14:06.81\00:14:12.98
This is right before
00:14:13.01\00:14:14.35
our opening
scripture in John 15.
00:14:14.38\00:14:15.72
John 14:30.
00:14:15.75\00:14:18.19
Jesus is speaking,
00:14:18.22\00:14:19.55
"I will no longer
talk much with you,
00:14:19.59\00:14:22.56
for the ruler of this
world is coming," meaning Satan,
00:14:22.59\00:14:25.56
"the ruler of
this world is coming
00:14:25.59\00:14:27.33
and he has nothing,"
00:14:27.36\00:14:30.33
that's right, Cynthia,
"he has nothing in Me."
00:14:30.37\00:14:33.80
What is that saying?
00:14:33.84\00:14:35.47
He is entirely, 100% dead
00:14:35.50\00:14:40.01
or crucified,
two, there's no nature,
00:14:40.04\00:14:43.91
there's no
sinful nature rising up,
00:14:43.95\00:14:47.45
none of that is in
him, none of that response.
00:14:47.48\00:14:51.15
When we are
connected to the vine,
00:14:51.19\00:14:53.96
as John 15 talks
about abiding in Him,
00:14:53.99\00:14:57.03
connected to the
life giving sap of Jesus,
00:14:57.06\00:15:00.10
the Holy Spirit flows into us
00:15:00.13\00:15:02.66
and empowers us to
live for Christian walk.
00:15:02.70\00:15:07.14
Let's look at,
we talked last time
00:15:07.17\00:15:11.81
on the first four
fruits of the Spirit.
00:15:11.84\00:15:13.68
Fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
00:15:13.71\00:15:18.05
or patience.
00:15:18.08\00:15:19.41
Now we won't discuss those,
00:15:19.45\00:15:20.78
you can watch
it on ASF.3ABN.org.
00:15:20.82\00:15:25.59
But let's go back to Galatians 6
00:15:25.62\00:15:27.49
and let's see
what the next fruit
00:15:27.52\00:15:28.92
of the Spirit is.
00:15:28.96\00:15:30.29
So we are starting
tonight with fruit number five.
00:15:30.33\00:15:34.43
Galatians 5:22,
00:15:34.46\00:15:37.20
we have love, joy,
peace, longsuffering,
00:15:37.23\00:15:39.33
fruit number five is kindness.
00:15:39.37\00:15:42.40
They did a study in 2003
00:15:42.44\00:15:46.27
from people from 37
different countries,
00:15:46.31\00:15:49.11
now that's a fairly
comprehensive study,
00:15:49.14\00:15:50.95
you might say a
study is comprehensive
00:15:50.98\00:15:52.51
if you just did
some people in America
00:15:52.55\00:15:54.68
or just a couple of countries,
00:15:54.72\00:15:56.05
but they did 37
different countries.
00:15:56.08\00:15:59.15
They had 16,000
people involved in the study.
00:15:59.19\00:16:02.72
And they asked them
00:16:02.76\00:16:04.09
what was their most
desired trait in a mate.
00:16:04.13\00:16:08.76
So can you imagine
what the most desired trait
00:16:08.80\00:16:10.80
would be in a mate?
00:16:10.83\00:16:12.17
Now you might say,
00:16:12.20\00:16:13.64
"Oh, I want him to be handsome."
00:16:13.67\00:16:15.70
Okay, especially
if you are young,
00:16:15.74\00:16:17.07
you might think that, right?
00:16:17.11\00:16:18.51
Or, "I want him
to provide for me.
00:16:18.54\00:16:21.98
I want a good communicator.
00:16:22.01\00:16:24.58
I want someone
who will love me."
00:16:24.61\00:16:26.15
Okay, now this is from
the woman's perspective.
00:16:26.18\00:16:29.02
But the number one
trait of the 16, 000 people
00:16:29.05\00:16:32.89
in 37 different
countries, you know what it was?
00:16:32.92\00:16:36.06
Kindness. Kindness.
00:16:36.09\00:16:39.36
The Greek word
00:16:39.39\00:16:40.73
in Galatians 5:22 is chrestotes,
00:16:40.76\00:16:46.20
and it means
sympathetic kindliness
00:16:46.23\00:16:49.10
or sweetness of temper
00:16:49.14\00:16:51.41
which puts others at ease
and shrinks from giving pain.
00:16:51.44\00:16:58.25
A synonym would be
tenderness or compassion.
00:16:58.28\00:17:01.72
Sweetness.
00:17:01.75\00:17:03.08
Now you notice in
the fruit of the Spirit,
00:17:03.12\00:17:04.45
many of them are
similar, like they are related.
00:17:04.49\00:17:08.06
So this fruit of
kindness is closely related
00:17:08.09\00:17:11.13
to the fruit of goodness.
00:17:11.16\00:17:13.66
Kindness is an attitude
of the heart, and really,
00:17:13.70\00:17:16.63
kindness and goodness overlap,
00:17:16.67\00:17:18.30
but kindness is an
attitude of the heart.
00:17:18.33\00:17:21.80
And if we think what
are steps to kindness?
00:17:21.84\00:17:24.67
How do I
incorporate kindness in my life?
00:17:24.71\00:17:27.78
How do I become
a more kind person?
00:17:27.81\00:17:30.58
Now we could start
with, put on kindness,
00:17:30.61\00:17:33.55
and the Bible says
that, and we'll get to that,
00:17:33.58\00:17:35.02
but I think
that's step number two.
00:17:35.05\00:17:36.75
I think step number
one is to put off the old
00:17:36.79\00:17:40.82
before the new is put on.
00:17:40.86\00:17:43.86
Turn with me to
Ephesians, Ephesians 4.
00:17:43.89\00:17:49.43
So number one for kindness
is simply to take off hurt.
00:17:49.46\00:17:55.77
Some people want to be kind,
00:17:55.80\00:17:58.37
but there's too
much pain in their heart.
00:17:58.41\00:18:01.24
Have you noticed
that pain makes us
00:18:01.28\00:18:04.05
self-centered?
00:18:04.08\00:18:05.75
I remember when I
was freshmen in college,
00:18:05.78\00:18:10.99
and we ate in the dorm often
00:18:11.02\00:18:13.92
because we didn't
like the cafeteria food.
00:18:13.96\00:18:18.53
I think that would be common
of anyone who lives in a dorm.
00:18:18.56\00:18:21.13
You think I don't
like the café food.
00:18:21.16\00:18:22.66
So we ate in the dorm a lot.
00:18:22.70\00:18:24.43
And I remember
once I had an apple
00:18:24.47\00:18:26.67
and I had my knife there,
and I was gonna cut my apple
00:18:26.70\00:18:29.27
and I was holding
the apple in this hand,
00:18:29.30\00:18:32.07
I am left-handed,
00:18:32.11\00:18:33.44
and I had the
knife in my left hand,
00:18:33.48\00:18:35.68
and I was just gonna
slice it through the middle,
00:18:35.71\00:18:39.71
so I went and I started
and I got about to the middle
00:18:39.75\00:18:42.55
of the apple and
it was a little hard,
00:18:42.58\00:18:44.52
and I am holding
the apple like this
00:18:44.55\00:18:47.09
and I gave it an extra oomph,
and you know what happened?
00:18:47.12\00:18:51.86
This tendon right here,
00:18:51.89\00:18:53.36
the tendon here
cut right through it.
00:18:53.40\00:18:56.80
So when you are in pain,
00:18:56.83\00:19:00.27
I wasn't thinking about
any upcoming assignment.
00:19:00.30\00:19:02.84
I wasn't thinking about anybody
00:19:02.87\00:19:04.97
that I liked or
that I didn't like.
00:19:05.01\00:19:07.41
I was not
thinking about any trouble
00:19:07.44\00:19:09.18
I was having with my roommate.
00:19:09.21\00:19:10.98
I wasn't thinking
anything but my own pain.
00:19:11.01\00:19:14.82
So in order for us to
reach out and be kind,
00:19:14.85\00:19:19.52
we have to put off the
hurt that's in our heart.
00:19:19.55\00:19:22.56
Now we are talking
physical pain there.
00:19:22.59\00:19:25.23
I remember that same
year my grandmother died
00:19:25.26\00:19:28.73
and I was in a class
and they called me out
00:19:28.76\00:19:34.27
and I was 500 miles from home.
00:19:34.30\00:19:36.71
And they said,
"Your grandma died."
00:19:36.74\00:19:40.01
And I remember going
outside and you know,
00:19:40.04\00:19:42.31
it's nice and pretty and
all your friends going by
00:19:42.34\00:19:47.72
and I didn't care
about any of that,
00:19:47.75\00:19:49.55
like my whole
world was sucked into,
00:19:49.58\00:19:53.79
I just lost my grandma,
00:19:53.82\00:19:55.56
like your whole
world is around that
00:19:55.59\00:19:57.33
and you can't get outside
that to see anything else.
00:19:57.36\00:20:00.16
So the first step to
being kind is to put off hurt.
00:20:00.20\00:20:04.97
Turn with me, we
are in Ephesians 4,
00:20:05.00\00:20:08.10
Ephesians 4, and I
am in 1 Corinthians,
00:20:08.14\00:20:10.47
so it will help if
I got to Ephesians.
00:20:10.51\00:20:13.04
Ephesians 4:31, 32.
00:20:13.07\00:20:17.28
"Let all bitterness,"
00:20:17.31\00:20:18.78
this is the hurt
we are talking about
00:20:18.81\00:20:20.22
that we are to put off.
00:20:20.25\00:20:21.82
"Let all bitterness,
wrath, anger, clamor,
00:20:21.85\00:20:26.69
and evil speaking be put
away from you, with all malice."
00:20:26.72\00:20:32.83
The next verse,
00:20:32.86\00:20:34.20
"And be ye kind one to
another, tenderhearted,
00:20:34.23\00:20:39.13
forgiving one another,
00:20:39.17\00:20:41.07
even as God in
Christ forgave you."
00:20:41.10\00:20:43.97
Did you see that?
00:20:44.01\00:20:45.34
What has to come off
before we can put on kindness
00:20:45.37\00:20:48.58
and those other
fruit of the Spirit?
00:20:48.61\00:20:50.45
We have to take off bitterness,
00:20:50.48\00:20:53.42
wrath, anger,
clamor, evil speaking.
00:20:53.45\00:20:56.55
Now we already talked about,
00:20:56.58\00:20:58.15
we can't be the ones to
pull it out of our heart.
00:20:58.19\00:21:00.69
I can't say,
"Okay, I know, right now
00:21:00.72\00:21:03.19
I am holding
bitterness against Iris,"
00:21:03.22\00:21:05.09
which I'm not,
she is my good sister,
00:21:05.13\00:21:07.20
"and I am
holding bitterness here
00:21:07.23\00:21:09.00
and I've got to pull it out."
00:21:09.03\00:21:10.50
No, we can't, we just go to God.
00:21:10.53\00:21:12.70
God, you've seen my heart.
00:21:12.73\00:21:14.70
Will you take out
the heart of stone
00:21:14.74\00:21:16.57
and will You give
me a heart of flesh?
00:21:16.60\00:21:19.37
So we take off the
hurt, then we put on kindness.
00:21:19.41\00:21:22.44
Let's look at Colossians.
00:21:22.48\00:21:24.41
Galatians, Ephesians,
Philippians, Colossians,
00:21:24.45\00:21:26.21
a couple of books over.
00:21:26.25\00:21:27.72
Colossians 3,
the same principle,
00:21:27.75\00:21:32.79
we won't read this
verse, but in verse 9,
00:21:32.82\00:21:37.99
it talks about
putting off the old man,
00:21:38.03\00:21:39.93
it's this same
principle of putting off.
00:21:39.96\00:21:42.23
Then verse 12,
00:21:42.26\00:21:43.83
"Therefore, as the elect of God,
00:21:43.87\00:21:45.63
holy and beloved,
00:21:45.67\00:21:47.14
put on tender
mercies, kindness, humility,
00:21:47.17\00:21:52.67
meekness, longsuffering,"
00:21:52.71\00:21:54.41
you could almost think
00:21:54.44\00:21:55.78
we are reading the list
of the fruit of the Spirit,
00:21:55.81\00:21:57.75
you notice a lot
of them are similar,
00:21:57.78\00:22:00.08
"bearing with one
another, forgiving one another,
00:22:00.12\00:22:03.08
if anyone has a
complaint against another,
00:22:03.12\00:22:04.89
even as Christ forgave
you, so you also must do."
00:22:04.92\00:22:08.92
We are to put on kindness.
00:22:08.96\00:22:11.59
To be good and kind is a choice,
00:22:11.63\00:22:13.43
I think, not necessarily
a reaction, it's a choice.
00:22:13.46\00:22:18.20
Nothing discredits
our Christian testimony
00:22:18.23\00:22:21.00
and ministry more
frequently than unkindness.
00:22:21.04\00:22:26.31
Have you ever noticed that?
00:22:26.34\00:22:27.81
Someone that you look
up to, that you respect,
00:22:27.84\00:22:30.21
that seems very
godly and all of a sudden,
00:22:30.25\00:22:32.95
they react in an
unkind manner, a sharp manner,
00:22:32.98\00:22:36.99
a difficult manner,
and all of a sudden,
00:22:37.02\00:22:40.56
it discredits the
Christian testimony,
00:22:40.59\00:22:44.09
who we are in Jesus.
00:22:44.13\00:22:46.23
Now that doesn't mean
we don't fall, we all fall.
00:22:46.26\00:22:48.76
But when that happens,
00:22:48.80\00:22:50.13
1 John 1:9, if
we confess our sins,
00:22:50.17\00:22:52.13
He is faithful
and just to forgive us
00:22:52.17\00:22:54.74
and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
00:22:54.77\00:22:57.07
And in addition,
"Now unto Him," Jude 24,
00:22:57.11\00:23:01.14
"who is able to
keep you from falling.
00:23:01.18\00:23:04.68
He can enable us to stand up
00:23:04.71\00:23:06.41
and to walk in kindness
toward our brothers and sisters.
00:23:06.45\00:23:09.82
So we take off the
hurt, we put on the kindness,
00:23:09.85\00:23:12.25
then we actively
look to reach out
00:23:12.29\00:23:14.16
in kindness to other people.
00:23:14.19\00:23:15.86
If you are in the grocery store,
00:23:15.89\00:23:18.63
let someone ahead of
you in line and I have too.
00:23:18.66\00:23:21.43
They say confession is what?
00:23:21.46\00:23:22.93
Good for the soul, but
hard on the reputation.
00:23:22.96\00:23:26.60
This happened to
me just in Walmart.
00:23:26.63\00:23:27.97
I was in line and I had
a huge cart full of stuff,
00:23:28.00\00:23:31.97
and the person
came just behind me
00:23:32.01\00:23:35.28
with three items.
00:23:35.31\00:23:37.21
And you know what
the Holy Spirit said?
00:23:37.25\00:23:39.28
Jill, let them go
first. And you know what I did?
00:23:39.31\00:23:44.19
Anyone want to hazard a guess?
I did not let them go first.
00:23:44.22\00:23:49.62
You were in a hurry? I
was, Linda, I was in a hurry.
00:23:49.66\00:23:52.49
But does that make it right?
00:23:52.53\00:23:53.86
I was standing there thinking,
"Oh, I got to get going,
00:23:53.90\00:23:55.46
and I got this appointment
and I don't have time."
00:23:55.50\00:23:58.43
Kindness, try letting
someone else go first in line,
00:23:58.47\00:24:03.27
pray for someone,
that's kindness, reaching out,
00:24:03.30\00:24:07.01
offer to babysit at
your friend's house,
00:24:07.04\00:24:09.41
say I am sorry more often,
00:24:09.44\00:24:12.55
look for ways to
reach out in kindness.
00:24:12.58\00:24:16.45
Similar to kindness, remember,
00:24:16.48\00:24:18.22
kindness is an
attribute of the heart
00:24:18.25\00:24:21.02
that's reached out, is goodness,
00:24:21.06\00:24:22.89
the next fruit of
the Spirit is goodness.
00:24:22.92\00:24:25.09
Similar to it is goodness,
00:24:25.13\00:24:26.96
and goodness is
actually the actions
00:24:27.00\00:24:29.93
or the reaching out
00:24:29.96\00:24:31.30
of what is
actually in the heart.
00:24:31.33\00:24:32.67
Now I have, I don't know
if we can get a shot of this,
00:24:32.70\00:24:34.70
I have an orange here.
00:24:34.74\00:24:36.64
So I don't know if
you can see this orange,
00:24:36.67\00:24:39.21
would you want
to eat this orange?
00:24:39.24\00:24:41.74
It looks kind of
nasty, doesn't it?
00:24:41.78\00:24:43.11
Can you see that?
00:24:43.14\00:24:44.48
It's got some green
spots, and it's kind of dimpled,
00:24:44.51\00:24:48.78
it's not a good looking orange.
00:24:48.82\00:24:50.15
Now if I were to show
you this orange, you'd say,
00:24:50.19\00:24:52.22
"Okay, Jill, I don't
want to eat this orange,
00:24:52.25\00:24:53.62
it does not look very good."
00:24:53.66\00:24:54.99
Now what if I were
to show you this orange.
00:24:55.02\00:24:57.53
Does this orange
look okay to you?
00:24:57.56\00:24:59.86
Now the thing is,
you compare the two,
00:24:59.89\00:25:01.60
this one looks pretty
bad, this one looks better.
00:25:01.63\00:25:04.70
The thing is, what if,
I wish I had had an apple,
00:25:04.73\00:25:08.27
I would have used
that illustration,
00:25:08.30\00:25:10.07
but I did not have an apple,
00:25:10.11\00:25:11.44
that's why we
brought the oranges.
00:25:11.47\00:25:12.81
Now we can look at the
outward fruit, outside,
00:25:12.84\00:25:15.48
and see this does
not look very good.
00:25:15.51\00:25:17.75
Now there is a
possibility though
00:25:17.78\00:25:20.42
that this orange might
be dry, is that accurate?
00:25:20.45\00:25:24.85
This orange might
not be very sweet,
00:25:24.89\00:25:27.12
or we are kind of
late in the season,
00:25:27.16\00:25:29.69
it might also be sour,
00:25:29.72\00:25:31.89
you know how
they start to go off
00:25:31.93\00:25:33.33
you get toward
the end of the season,
00:25:33.36\00:25:35.03
kind of like
biting into an apple.
00:25:35.06\00:25:37.60
You don't know if
there's a worm in it,
00:25:37.63\00:25:38.97
especially if
you grow it yourself,
00:25:39.00\00:25:40.34
until you bite in,
"Ooh, I just bit into a worm."
00:25:40.37\00:25:44.34
You don't know, you don't
see the worm from the outside
00:25:44.37\00:25:49.14
until you get inside.
00:25:49.18\00:25:51.11
So I look at goodness that way.
00:25:51.15\00:25:53.01
We might look
okay on the outside
00:25:53.05\00:25:54.92
but what if someone
takes a bite out of us, Tracey?
00:25:54.95\00:25:57.85
And they bite in,
what are they gonna get?
00:25:57.89\00:26:01.22
What's gonna
come out from inside?
00:26:01.26\00:26:04.26
The word in Greek for goodness,
00:26:04.29\00:26:06.83
this is back to our
fruit of the Spirit, agatha...
00:26:06.86\00:26:11.33
If I can pronounce
it properly, agathosune,
00:26:11.37\00:26:16.07
I did not do a
good job with that
00:26:16.10\00:26:17.74
but it means active
goodness, benevolence,
00:26:17.77\00:26:23.14
the practice or
expression of kindness.
00:26:23.18\00:26:26.61
Goodness is love in action.
00:26:26.65\00:26:30.62
It's being good to other people,
00:26:30.65\00:26:32.32
it's reaching out in love,
00:26:32.35\00:26:34.62
or reaching out the
attributes of kindness
00:26:34.66\00:26:37.26
that is
exemplified in our heart,
00:26:37.29\00:26:38.96
it's reaching that
out to other people.
00:26:38.99\00:26:42.43
I've heard, it said,
00:26:42.46\00:26:43.80
"If you want happiness
for an hour, take a nap.
00:26:43.83\00:26:46.33
If you want happiness
for a day, go fishing."
00:26:46.37\00:26:50.91
Now that might be my husband
but to be honest with you,
00:26:50.94\00:26:53.71
if I wanted happiness for a day,
00:26:53.74\00:26:55.68
I wouldn't go fishing.
00:26:55.71\00:26:57.85
It depends on
what you enjoy, right?
00:26:57.88\00:26:59.88
I would spend half hour fishing,
00:26:59.91\00:27:01.55
or if I brought a book,
00:27:01.58\00:27:03.18
now I'd enjoy going
fishing with my husband.
00:27:03.22\00:27:06.12
"If you want happiness
for a month, buy a new car.
00:27:06.15\00:27:09.62
If you want happiness
for a year, win the lottery."
00:27:09.66\00:27:12.79
Now we do not
advocate that here.
00:27:12.83\00:27:14.86
But people could say,
"If you want it for a year,"
00:27:14.90\00:27:17.03
the point is it is not
lasting, it's fleeting.
00:27:17.07\00:27:21.77
If you want
happiness for a lifetime,
00:27:21.80\00:27:25.11
be good to people.
00:27:25.14\00:27:27.71
Why?
00:27:27.74\00:27:29.08
Because there's this saying,
00:27:29.11\00:27:30.95
"What goes
around, comes around."
00:27:30.98\00:27:34.65
What you give is gonna
in turn come back to you.
00:27:34.68\00:27:40.79
It's gonna come back to you.
00:27:40.82\00:27:42.42
Turn with me to Matthew 5,
00:27:42.46\00:27:46.46
Matthew 5 because
what happens when...
00:27:46.49\00:27:50.73
It's easy to be good to
those people who are loving.
00:27:50.77\00:27:55.64
It's painless to reach out
if you don't have prickles.
00:27:55.67\00:28:00.74
But the real cost,
00:28:00.78\00:28:02.38
the real test for the fruit
00:28:02.41\00:28:05.18
of the Spirit of
goodness in our live comes
00:28:05.21\00:28:07.42
when the loving
costs me something.
00:28:07.45\00:28:10.52
When it's
painful, when it hurts.
00:28:10.55\00:28:13.15
We are in Matthew...
00:28:13.19\00:28:17.59
I think it's chapter 5,
00:28:17.63\00:28:18.96
let me look what
I am looking for,
00:28:18.99\00:28:20.33
Matthew 5, yes, Matthew 5,
00:28:20.36\00:28:22.23
part of the Sermon on the Mount.
00:28:22.26\00:28:23.60
Verse 43, "You have
heard that it was said,
00:28:23.63\00:28:26.57
'You shall love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.'
00:28:26.60\00:28:30.91
But I say to you,
love your enemies,
00:28:30.94\00:28:34.58
bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you,
00:28:34.61\00:28:40.52
and pray for those
who spitefully use you
00:28:40.55\00:28:44.75
and persecute you,
00:28:44.79\00:28:46.76
that you may be sons
of your Father in heaven."
00:28:46.79\00:28:49.59
So you notice closely connected,
00:28:49.62\00:28:51.83
he mentioned good,
00:28:51.86\00:28:53.23
it was loving
them, these are enemies,
00:28:53.26\00:28:55.26
these are people who hurt
us, loving them, blessing them,
00:28:55.30\00:28:59.63
instead of cursing,
00:28:59.67\00:29:01.24
praying for them,
doing good to them.
00:29:01.27\00:29:05.27
I remember I got a letter once
00:29:05.31\00:29:07.71
and sometimes you
might get a letter
00:29:07.74\00:29:11.05
that's a little
critical that says,
00:29:11.08\00:29:14.38
"Jill, why did you
wear the pink top tonight?"
00:29:14.42\00:29:18.35
Well, I wore pink
'cause I like pink.
00:29:18.39\00:29:19.95
Okay, whatever.
00:29:19.99\00:29:21.79
But sometimes you get something
00:29:21.82\00:29:23.73
that's a little
deeper than that.
00:29:23.76\00:29:26.53
And I got a letter once
that was eight pages long.
00:29:26.56\00:29:32.10
And every page had something
00:29:32.13\00:29:35.70
that I was doing wrong,
00:29:35.74\00:29:39.54
or that the
person who wrote it felt
00:29:39.57\00:29:42.58
that I needed to grow
in, I needed to improve in.
00:29:42.61\00:29:49.55
And I remember,
I read the letter
00:29:49.58\00:29:51.05
and then I cried
00:29:51.09\00:29:52.89
and then I read
the letter again.
00:29:52.92\00:29:54.26
Why do we do that to ourselves?
And then I cried again.
00:29:54.29\00:29:58.86
And Greg said, "Jill,
stop reading that letter."
00:29:58.89\00:30:02.56
And so...
00:30:02.60\00:30:03.93
I still have the letter.
00:30:03.97\00:30:05.30
I put the letter away
00:30:05.33\00:30:07.10
and I felt some sort
of simmering discontent,
00:30:07.14\00:30:13.88
hurt, pain, against the woman
who had sent me the letter.
00:30:13.91\00:30:19.21
And one day, this is
how God works, I was just...
00:30:19.25\00:30:22.42
I was not trying to
purposely go to this verse.
00:30:22.45\00:30:25.39
I was just there in
my morning's devotions.
00:30:25.42\00:30:28.59
I was in Romans,
00:30:28.62\00:30:29.96
if you want to
turn there with me.
00:30:29.99\00:30:31.96
Romans 15...
00:30:31.99\00:30:34.36
Romans 15:5.
00:30:38.00\00:30:43.71
"Now may the God of
patience and comfort grant you
00:30:43.74\00:30:46.24
to be like-minded
toward one another,
00:30:46.27\00:30:49.04
according to Christ Jesus,
that you may with one mind
00:30:49.08\00:30:54.02
and one mouth glorify the God
00:30:54.05\00:30:57.75
and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ."
00:30:57.79\00:31:00.82
And as I read that, the
Holy Spirit spoke to me,
00:31:00.86\00:31:03.12
I don't mean
like in audible voice,
00:31:03.16\00:31:05.39
but he said, "Jill, I
want you to glorify me
00:31:05.43\00:31:10.77
with one mind and one mouth.
00:31:10.80\00:31:12.53
Are you in one
accord with your sister?"
00:31:12.57\00:31:14.70
And I thought,
00:31:14.74\00:31:16.07
"I don't want to
hear that right now.
00:31:16.10\00:31:17.44
I just don't want
to think about it.
00:31:17.47\00:31:18.81
God, just don't
go there with me.
00:31:18.84\00:31:20.94
So I am gonna keep reading.
00:31:20.98\00:31:22.74
I am not gonna listen
to what the Holy Spirit
00:31:22.78\00:31:24.41
is trying to give me.
00:31:24.45\00:31:25.78
I am gonna keep going."
00:31:25.81\00:31:27.15
So I went to the
next verse, verse 7,
00:31:27.18\00:31:30.22
"Therefore receive one another,
00:31:30.25\00:31:33.82
just as Christ also received us,
00:31:33.86\00:31:37.93
to the glory of God."
00:31:37.96\00:31:39.29
And as soon as
I read that verse,
00:31:39.33\00:31:41.10
the Holy Spirit said,
00:31:41.13\00:31:42.86
"I have received the
woman who wrote you the letter,
00:31:42.90\00:31:45.67
I've received
her as my daughter.
00:31:45.70\00:31:47.90
Do you not think
you can receive her
00:31:47.94\00:31:50.97
as your sister?
00:31:51.01\00:31:53.17
You are my
daughter. She is my daughter.
00:31:53.21\00:31:56.41
That makes you sisters.
00:31:56.44\00:31:57.78
Don't you think
00:31:57.81\00:31:59.15
you can receive
her as your sister?"
00:31:59.18\00:32:01.85
And I said, "Father,
will You do that work?
00:32:01.88\00:32:04.35
'Cause I can't
change my heart. It hurts.
00:32:04.39\00:32:08.16
I can't take
that out but You can."
00:32:08.19\00:32:10.96
Remember, we
started with Ezekiel 36,
00:32:10.99\00:32:13.29
God taking up
the heart of stone,
00:32:13.33\00:32:15.53
giving us a heart of flesh,
and so I went to God and said,
00:32:15.56\00:32:19.00
"Will You take this out?"
00:32:19.03\00:32:20.64
And you know what
the beautiful thing is?
00:32:20.67\00:32:22.47
He did.
00:32:22.50\00:32:25.54
And I wrote her a letter back.
00:32:25.57\00:32:28.24
God said, "Look at
that letter of eight pages
00:32:28.28\00:32:30.45
and see what's true in it."
00:32:30.48\00:32:32.15
And you know what?
There was a lot of truth.
00:32:32.18\00:32:35.22
"This is what I
want you to learn.
00:32:35.25\00:32:36.82
This is how I
can help you grow."
00:32:36.85\00:32:39.45
And so I read that
00:32:39.49\00:32:41.16
and I prayed over it and I said,
00:32:41.19\00:32:42.89
"God, grow me in these
areas where she pointed out."
00:32:42.92\00:32:46.59
And then I wrote my
sister back and I said,
00:32:46.63\00:32:49.56
"Thank you for sharing
with me 'cause I needed that."
00:32:49.60\00:32:53.50
And you know what?
00:32:53.54\00:32:54.87
She wrote me back the
most beautiful letter,
00:32:54.90\00:32:57.37
and we talk now.
00:32:57.41\00:33:00.44
And you could say friends,
I mean, she is not here,
00:33:00.48\00:33:03.88
so it's not like we are,
00:33:03.91\00:33:05.25
you know, we don't see
each other all the time
00:33:05.28\00:33:06.72
but what a blessing,
God wants to do that,
00:33:06.75\00:33:10.35
God wants to work in
us the fruit of goodness
00:33:10.39\00:33:13.89
even when people hurt us,
00:33:13.92\00:33:16.79
when they are, what
we would call enemies.
00:33:16.83\00:33:19.29
The fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace,
00:33:19.33\00:33:22.00
longsuffering, we
did kindness, goodness.
00:33:22.03\00:33:24.33
Now let's look at faithfulness.
00:33:24.37\00:33:27.70
Faithfulness,
00:33:27.74\00:33:29.37
the Greek word is
pistos, and in the Greek,
00:33:29.40\00:33:33.84
this word is translated
either faith or faithfulness.
00:33:33.88\00:33:38.85
And if you read
different verses of the Bible,
00:33:38.88\00:33:40.85
some versions of
the Bible in Galatians 5
00:33:40.88\00:33:42.92
were translated faith,
00:33:42.95\00:33:44.92
some were
translated faithfulness.
00:33:44.95\00:33:47.19
So you could
really take either one.
00:33:47.22\00:33:49.66
Faith is always a gift from God
and it's never produced by us.
00:33:49.69\00:33:54.33
It only comes from
the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:33:54.36\00:33:56.26
But I want to look at it
from the faithfulness aspect.
00:33:56.30\00:34:00.20
The character of
someone who can be relied on.
00:34:00.24\00:34:04.57
J.D. Quinn often
says, and I've taken this,
00:34:04.61\00:34:08.61
he's told me this some time ago
00:34:08.64\00:34:10.85
and I just remember
it and take it to heart.
00:34:10.88\00:34:13.72
He said, "It's the
right thing to do."
00:34:13.75\00:34:17.09
I don't know if any of you
here have heard him say that,
00:34:17.12\00:34:19.79
it was just the
right thing to do.
00:34:19.82\00:34:22.52
I was tired and
I didn't want to go
00:34:22.56\00:34:24.23
but someone needed prayer,
00:34:24.26\00:34:25.59
it was the right thing
to do to call him in prayer.
00:34:25.63\00:34:28.06
I didn't want to
go see so and so,
00:34:28.10\00:34:29.83
but it was the right thing
to do to go and visit them.
00:34:29.86\00:34:32.83
I didn't want to make
my bed, if you were a kid,
00:34:32.87\00:34:35.77
or wash the
dishes or do my chores,
00:34:35.80\00:34:38.77
but it's the right thing to do.
00:34:38.81\00:34:41.91
When I get to my
desk in the morning,
00:34:41.94\00:34:43.65
"Oh, I don't
want to do that email,
00:34:43.68\00:34:45.08
I'd rather do this over here."
00:34:45.11\00:34:46.65
And that email is
the right thing to do.
00:34:46.68\00:34:51.05
Faithfulness in
those little things.
00:34:51.09\00:34:53.69
J. Hudson Taylor,
00:34:53.72\00:34:55.06
founder of the
China Inland Mission,
00:34:55.09\00:34:58.89
one stormy night in
Birmingham, England,
00:34:58.93\00:35:02.36
he was supposed to go
out and speak at a church,
00:35:02.40\00:35:04.97
and the person
said, "No, don't go.
00:35:05.00\00:35:08.57
It's so stormy.
Nobody is gonna show up.
00:35:08.60\00:35:12.67
It doesn't matter. Don't go."
00:35:12.71\00:35:15.74
And he said, "I must go.
00:35:15.78\00:35:17.81
Even if no one is there,
but the doorkeeper, I must go."
00:35:17.85\00:35:23.49
Well, he showed up
and it was a stormy night
00:35:23.52\00:35:25.65
and not a lot of
people had come out,
00:35:25.69\00:35:28.96
less than a dozen people.
00:35:28.99\00:35:31.23
So I don't know
the exact number,
00:35:31.26\00:35:32.69
they just said
less than a dozen,
00:35:32.73\00:35:34.06
so let's suppose
there's ten people there.
00:35:34.10\00:35:36.80
You could think, why did
they even come out, ten people?
00:35:36.83\00:35:42.94
Of those ten, half of them,
00:35:42.97\00:35:46.98
either went as
missionaries themselves,
00:35:47.01\00:35:50.25
or their children
00:35:50.28\00:35:52.51
when they grew up
went as missionaries.
00:35:52.55\00:35:55.75
And the other half liberally,
00:35:55.78\00:35:58.72
each one, supported the work,
00:35:58.75\00:36:02.12
the mission work, the work
of the China Inland Mission.
00:36:02.16\00:36:06.59
It's an example of faithfulness.
00:36:06.63\00:36:08.50
Faithfulness is serving
God regardless of the names,
00:36:08.53\00:36:11.60
or in his case, who showed up.
00:36:11.63\00:36:13.77
Faithfulness is serving
God regardless of the numbers,
00:36:13.80\00:36:17.61
or in his case, how
many people showed up.
00:36:17.64\00:36:20.34
Faithfulness is serving God
regardless of the situation.
00:36:20.38\00:36:25.41
It's just serving
God. Deuteronomy 7.
00:36:25.45\00:36:31.05
Deuteronomy 7 talks
about the faithfulness
00:36:31.09\00:36:34.69
of our covenant keeping God.
00:36:34.72\00:36:37.56
Deuteronomy 7,
00:36:37.59\00:36:40.76
we are going to look at verse 9.
00:36:40.80\00:36:44.70
"Therefore know
that the Lord your God,
00:36:44.73\00:36:46.97
He is God, the faithful God
00:36:47.00\00:36:51.01
who keeps covenant and
mercy for a thousand generations
00:36:51.04\00:36:56.01
with those who love Him
and keep His commandments."
00:36:56.04\00:37:00.12
You notice, it talks
about God being a faithful God,
00:37:00.15\00:37:05.35
and how does he
show his faith for this?
00:37:05.39\00:37:06.92
Keeping covenant, showing
mercy with each one of us.
00:37:06.96\00:37:12.26
His faithfulness
toward us is linked with him
00:37:12.29\00:37:15.63
being a covenant keeping God.
00:37:15.66\00:37:17.93
We see that in the
Book of Lamentations.
00:37:17.97\00:37:20.74
Lamentations 3,
now Jeremiah wrote
00:37:20.77\00:37:24.24
the Book of Lamentations.
00:37:24.27\00:37:25.94
And the children of
Israel were at their,
00:37:25.97\00:37:29.34
you could say one of
their bleakest moments
00:37:29.38\00:37:31.31
in their history.
00:37:31.35\00:37:32.68
They were getting ready to
be taken captive, they had,
00:37:32.71\00:37:36.75
you could call it
the book of regrets,
00:37:36.79\00:37:38.45
they had a lot of
difficulties going on,
00:37:38.49\00:37:42.09
and Lamentations, 3,
00:37:42.12\00:37:45.49
and in the whole
Book of Lamentations,
00:37:45.53\00:37:48.06
we see God's
faithfulness toward us
00:37:48.10\00:37:50.47
because the hardships
that the people experienced
00:37:50.50\00:37:52.63
during that time was a result
of their unfaithfulness to God.
00:37:52.67\00:37:57.67
So because of
their unfaithfulness,
00:37:57.71\00:38:00.41
they were
experiencing hardships.
00:38:00.44\00:38:02.51
But even in spite of
their unfaithfulness,
00:38:02.54\00:38:04.55
God was still faithful.
00:38:04.58\00:38:07.38
And he showed his
faithfulness by judgment.
00:38:07.42\00:38:12.62
That was one of the
conditions of the covenant.
00:38:12.65\00:38:14.69
The faithfulness was showed
by judgment on the disobedient,
00:38:14.72\00:38:18.59
but it was also
shown by restoration
00:38:18.63\00:38:22.40
of the repentant.
00:38:22.43\00:38:24.27
Lamentations 3:22,
00:38:24.30\00:38:30.64
"Through the Lord's
mercies we are not consumed,
00:38:30.67\00:38:33.94
because His
compassions fail not.
00:38:33.98\00:38:36.61
They are new every morning,
great is Your faithfulness."
00:38:36.64\00:38:42.28
Our covenant
keeping God is faithful.
00:38:42.32\00:38:45.22
"The Lord is my
portion,' says my soul,
00:38:45.25\00:38:47.92
'Therefore I hope in Him!'"
00:38:47.96\00:38:52.43
You know, when I
got married to Greg,
00:38:52.46\00:38:55.10
we've been married
15 years this fall,
00:38:55.13\00:38:57.83
it's hard to believe
it's been 15 years this fall.
00:38:57.87\00:39:01.17
When I got married to Greg,
00:39:01.20\00:39:02.87
I thought I
understood commitment.
00:39:02.90\00:39:07.14
We could say covenant,
00:39:07.18\00:39:08.51
we are talking about
God's covenant keeping
00:39:08.54\00:39:10.85
toward us as His people.
00:39:10.88\00:39:12.61
I thought I understood
covenant and I loved him
00:39:12.65\00:39:15.78
as much as I
knew how to love him
00:39:15.82\00:39:17.65
at that time and it's amazing,
00:39:17.69\00:39:19.25
in marriage, the
love deepens and grows.
00:39:19.29\00:39:21.79
But when we got
married, I thought, "Surely,
00:39:21.82\00:39:23.83
I can't love him
any more than I do now."
00:39:23.86\00:39:26.76
And I am committed
and I really thought
00:39:26.80\00:39:30.00
and believed I was.
00:39:30.03\00:39:32.30
But as we entered our marriage,
you know what I discovered?
00:39:32.33\00:39:36.77
The depth, the
length, the breadth
00:39:36.81\00:39:42.18
of my husband's
commitment to me,
00:39:42.21\00:39:46.75
it's deeper than
anything I could ever imagine.
00:39:46.78\00:39:52.65
I thought I was
committed to him,
00:39:52.69\00:39:56.06
but his commitment to
me is deeper than anything
00:39:56.09\00:40:00.60
I could ever think.
00:40:00.63\00:40:03.00
I remember him telling me,
00:40:03.03\00:40:04.37
and this is fairly
early in our marriage,
00:40:04.40\00:40:07.00
"No matter what you do Jilly,
00:40:07.04\00:40:09.17
no matter where life plays out,
00:40:09.20\00:40:14.58
no matter if you
walk away from God,
00:40:14.61\00:40:18.48
if you walk away from
me, no matter what you do,
00:40:18.51\00:40:23.02
I will always be here.
00:40:23.05\00:40:25.75
I will always love you.
00:40:25.79\00:40:28.66
I will always be
committed to our marriage."
00:40:28.69\00:40:33.86
The depth of that
gives us a glimpse
00:40:33.90\00:40:39.67
of the depth of the love
00:40:39.70\00:40:42.34
of our Father in heaven.
00:40:42.37\00:40:43.94
The depth of his covenant
keeping ability, the depth...
00:40:43.97\00:40:49.94
He says, "No matter what you do,
00:40:49.98\00:40:51.58
no matter where you go,
00:40:51.61\00:40:53.15
no matter what
you've done in the past,
00:40:53.18\00:40:55.15
no matter what you
could do in the future,
00:40:55.18\00:40:57.89
I will always love you.
00:40:57.92\00:41:00.46
I will always be here
and committed to you."
00:41:00.49\00:41:04.49
That's what God wants to do.
00:41:04.53\00:41:06.49
It's amazing to me the
faithfulness of our God.
00:41:06.53\00:41:10.77
And God calls us
to be faithful to Him,
00:41:10.80\00:41:15.20
faithful to each other,
00:41:15.24\00:41:17.51
and faithful in
the little things
00:41:17.54\00:41:20.18
or the big things of
life in the same fashion.
00:41:20.21\00:41:24.68
Because He is a faithful God
00:41:24.71\00:41:26.05
and He calls us as His
people to be a faithful people.
00:41:26.08\00:41:32.05
"Where there is faithfulness
to discharge one's duties
00:41:32.09\00:41:36.42
regardless of the results
00:41:36.46\00:41:38.89
there is success in God's sight.
00:41:38.93\00:41:41.46
We are to be faithful to
the gifts, the abilities,
00:41:41.50\00:41:44.17
the
opportunities that God gives us
00:41:44.20\00:41:47.34
and just leave
the results with Him."
00:41:47.37\00:41:51.01
You know Elisabeth Elliot?
00:41:51.04\00:41:52.47
I don't know how many of
you are familiar with her.
00:41:52.51\00:41:54.54
She and her husband
Jim Elliott, remember,
00:41:54.58\00:41:56.34
they went as missionaries,
00:41:56.38\00:41:57.71
and she was
young, and committed,
00:41:57.75\00:41:59.61
and wanted to
serve, and follow God,
00:41:59.65\00:42:01.92
and remember what happened?
00:42:01.95\00:42:03.79
Her husband was murdered,
00:42:03.82\00:42:05.59
killed by the very people
00:42:05.62\00:42:08.62
they had gone to
save, the very people
00:42:08.66\00:42:10.96
that they had gone to minister
to and to lead to Jesus.
00:42:10.99\00:42:14.66
And if you are
familiar with her writings,
00:42:14.70\00:42:16.90
she says this a
lot, "Do the next thing."
00:42:16.93\00:42:21.54
So she said,
after her husband died,
00:42:21.57\00:42:23.30
"What would you want to do?"
00:42:23.34\00:42:26.07
"I don't know. I
haven't experienced that."
00:42:26.11\00:42:28.41
Tracy says, go home, right?
You would want to go home.
00:42:28.44\00:42:30.71
You'd want to give up,
00:42:30.75\00:42:33.58
you'd want to walk in
self-pity, and she said,
00:42:33.62\00:42:37.72
"I told myself,
do the next thing."
00:42:37.75\00:42:41.19
What's the next thing? The
floor needs to be scrubbed.
00:42:41.22\00:42:45.06
I'll get down
and scrub the floor.
00:42:45.09\00:42:47.00
And she said, "I
found, as I began to scrub,
00:42:47.03\00:42:51.63
God began to bring healing
and comfort to my heart."
00:42:51.67\00:42:57.14
Do the next thing.
Sometimes we are afraid.
00:42:57.17\00:43:03.78
God might call us
to a task and we'd say,
00:43:03.81\00:43:07.48
"I can't fulfill it.
00:43:07.52\00:43:09.38
God, I can't do it.
00:43:09.42\00:43:11.45
I am not able. It's too big.
It's too high. It's too hard."
00:43:11.49\00:43:17.06
And he says,
"Do the next thing."
00:43:17.09\00:43:21.06
Sometimes it's the little thing
we are called to and I say,
00:43:21.10\00:43:24.10
"This is too little.
00:43:24.13\00:43:25.53
God, I should be over here.
00:43:25.57\00:43:27.64
Why am I scrubbing
floors or doing the..."
00:43:27.67\00:43:30.31
Do the next thing.
00:43:30.34\00:43:33.48
Sometimes we are overwhelmed.
00:43:33.51\00:43:34.98
I have too many
things on my plate
00:43:35.01\00:43:36.38
and I just can't handle
this, what am I going to do?
00:43:36.41\00:43:39.25
Do the next thing.
00:43:39.28\00:43:42.38
That is,
walking in faithfulness.
00:43:42.42\00:43:46.19
We have two fruit
of the Spirit left.
00:43:46.22\00:43:48.39
I hope we'll get
through them all.
00:43:48.42\00:43:49.92
The next one, gentleness.
00:43:49.96\00:43:53.80
In the Greek,
it means gentleness
00:43:53.83\00:43:57.33
by implication,
humility, meekness.
00:43:57.37\00:44:02.54
Gentleness then is
that virtuous quality
00:44:02.57\00:44:05.91
by which we treat all
men with perfect courtesy.
00:44:05.94\00:44:10.35
We can rebuke without rancor.
00:44:10.38\00:44:13.01
We can argue
without intolerance.
00:44:13.05\00:44:15.78
We can face the
truth without resentment.
00:44:15.82\00:44:19.05
We can be gentle and not weak.
00:44:19.09\00:44:24.33
Gentleness is not without power.
00:44:24.36\00:44:26.80
It just chooses
to defer to others.
00:44:26.83\00:44:29.73
It chooses to forgive others,
to correct with kindness,
00:44:29.76\00:44:34.04
and live in humility, and
tranquility toward others.
00:44:34.07\00:44:39.57
You know, in today's culture,
we don't honor gentleness.
00:44:39.61\00:44:45.05
Would you say that's accurate?
We don't honor humility.
00:44:45.08\00:44:48.58
We are in a culture
00:44:48.62\00:44:49.95
where world class athletes smash
00:44:49.98\00:44:52.85
into each other
and we say, "Yes.
00:44:52.89\00:44:56.22
They did a good thing."
00:44:56.26\00:44:57.59
We are in a
culture where entertainment
00:44:57.63\00:45:01.53
can even become insults.
00:45:01.56\00:45:04.60
People trade
insults with each other,
00:45:04.63\00:45:06.27
like on some reality show,
00:45:06.30\00:45:08.04
and we consider
that entertainment,
00:45:08.07\00:45:11.01
and we want to listen to
that, we want to watch that.
00:45:11.04\00:45:13.91
We are in a world where pride,
00:45:13.94\00:45:17.08
and me first becomes common,
00:45:17.11\00:45:20.75
not only common, it's
accepted and it's applauded.
00:45:20.78\00:45:24.49
We are not in a world where,
remember, Matthew 11:28-29,
00:45:24.52\00:45:28.62
Jesus says, "Come to
Me, all you who labor
00:45:28.66\00:45:31.16
and are heavy laden,
I will give you rest.
00:45:31.19\00:45:33.76
Take My yoke upon
you and learn of Me,
00:45:33.80\00:45:36.87
for I am meek
and lowly in heart,"
00:45:36.90\00:45:40.74
the same Greek word,
00:45:40.77\00:45:42.50
"and you shall
find rest to your souls.
00:45:42.54\00:45:46.04
For My yoke is easy
and My burden is light."
00:45:46.07\00:45:48.18
And often, we think meekness
is equated with weakness.
00:45:48.21\00:45:53.01
But meekness
takes great strength.
00:45:53.05\00:45:57.85
Meekness takes great strength.
00:45:57.89\00:46:01.89
I remember, this
was some time ago,
00:46:01.92\00:46:04.69
I met a gentleman.
00:46:04.73\00:46:06.39
And the first words out
of his mouth, he looked nice,
00:46:06.43\00:46:10.07
he looked, he was in his
suit, he had a nice clean cut,
00:46:10.10\00:46:14.20
a pleasant looking person.
00:46:14.24\00:46:15.90
And the first
words out of his mouth
00:46:15.94\00:46:18.71
shattered any presuppositions
00:46:18.74\00:46:20.41
I had in my heart
about his likeableness.
00:46:20.44\00:46:23.65
He held his
hand out and he said,
00:46:23.68\00:46:25.01
"My name is John Smith."
00:46:25.05\00:46:26.38
That is not his name.
"My name is John Smith.
00:46:26.41\00:46:29.72
I am a fabulous pianist."
00:46:29.75\00:46:33.15
And I looked at
him, and then he said,
00:46:33.19\00:46:36.96
"You have no idea
how well I can play."
00:46:36.99\00:46:39.29
And he proceeded to regale
me with stories of how good
00:46:39.33\00:46:43.20
he was and how he
did such a good job.
00:46:43.23\00:46:46.07
And I found, I
wasn't even listening
00:46:46.10\00:46:47.77
as he talked, I
thought in my mind
00:46:47.80\00:46:50.34
of the gifted
musicians I do know,
00:46:50.37\00:46:53.68
men and women who
make the piano laugh
00:46:53.71\00:46:55.54
and cry and sing
and their fingers love
00:46:55.58\00:46:58.08
all over the piano and yet,
00:46:58.11\00:46:59.45
they never talk about
their gifts and ability.
00:46:59.48\00:47:01.95
They never build
themselves up like,
00:47:01.98\00:47:03.55
"I'm so good."
00:47:03.59\00:47:05.02
They walk in humility,
or our word, gentleness.
00:47:05.05\00:47:09.69
So how do we walk in humility?
00:47:09.72\00:47:11.79
It's a hard thing to
see yourselves, isn't it?
00:47:11.83\00:47:14.33
The Bible says, "The heart
is deceitful above all things
00:47:14.36\00:47:17.30
and desperately wicked."
00:47:17.33\00:47:18.70
Who can know it?
00:47:18.73\00:47:20.07
So I can think, "I am walking
in humility," and I am not.
00:47:20.10\00:47:24.31
I could be walking
in pride, or arrogance,
00:47:24.34\00:47:28.51
or full of myself and
not even be aware of that.
00:47:28.54\00:47:32.11
I think the first
step is just to ask God
00:47:32.15\00:47:34.15
to show us our heart.
00:47:34.18\00:47:35.52
Psalm 139:23, 24,
00:47:35.55\00:47:37.75
"Search me, O God,
and know my heart, try me,
00:47:37.79\00:47:40.46
and know my thoughts,
00:47:40.49\00:47:42.32
and see if there is
any wickedness in me,
00:47:42.36\00:47:44.79
and lead me in
the way everlasting."
00:47:44.83\00:47:47.93
I remember I was
praying that one morning
00:47:47.96\00:47:49.93
and God showed me a
picture of my heart,
00:47:49.96\00:47:51.87
not like a
vision, I don't mean that.
00:47:51.90\00:47:54.54
But I saw there, in my lap,
00:47:54.57\00:47:56.27
and it was all
clean in the middle,
00:47:56.30\00:47:58.47
and all the way around the edges
00:47:58.51\00:48:01.71
were pockets of diseased tissue.
00:48:01.74\00:48:04.81
And I began to cry 'cause I knew
00:48:04.85\00:48:07.48
that that
represented junk in my life,
00:48:07.52\00:48:09.95
I knew that
represented something
00:48:09.98\00:48:11.59
that was not pleasing to God.
00:48:11.62\00:48:14.72
But I didn't
even know what it was.
00:48:14.76\00:48:16.59
And so I said, "Oh,
Father, please show me
00:48:16.62\00:48:20.53
those areas in my life
that are not pleasing to you."
00:48:20.56\00:48:23.77
Well, we went
throughout the day,
00:48:23.80\00:48:25.33
and that very day
00:48:25.37\00:48:26.70
something
happened and instantly,
00:48:26.74\00:48:29.00
my heart responded
00:48:29.04\00:48:30.47
with a critical
judgmental spirit.
00:48:30.51\00:48:33.78
And I felt God
speak to me and say,
00:48:33.81\00:48:36.08
"That's one of those pockets
that I showed you this morning.
00:48:36.11\00:48:41.15
That's one of those pockets
I want you to give to me."
00:48:41.18\00:48:44.39
And so what do we do?
00:48:44.42\00:48:45.75
We started with Ezekiel 36, God,
00:48:45.79\00:48:47.69
take out the heart of
stone, give me a heart of flesh.
00:48:47.72\00:48:51.46
God, take out that pocket
00:48:51.49\00:48:53.56
of a critical
spirit of being prideful,
00:48:53.60\00:48:56.13
give me the
spirit of gentleness,
00:48:56.16\00:48:58.47
the spirit of humility.
00:48:58.50\00:49:00.47
We ask God to show us
our heart, we behold Jesus.
00:49:00.50\00:49:03.94
Remember Isaiah?
00:49:03.97\00:49:05.37
We won't turn
there 'cause of the time
00:49:05.41\00:49:06.74
but remember Isaiah, when
he was called to ministry,
00:49:06.78\00:49:10.78
he had already been
called as a prophet,
00:49:10.81\00:49:12.21
but remember Isaiah 6,
00:49:12.25\00:49:14.08
when he saw the
Lord high and lifted up
00:49:14.12\00:49:16.15
and his train filled the temple,
00:49:16.18\00:49:17.52
remember that vision,
and he saw the glory of God,
00:49:17.55\00:49:21.79
and what did he say?
00:49:21.82\00:49:23.29
"Woe is me, for I am undone!
00:49:23.32\00:49:26.39
I am unclean, I
dwell in the midst
00:49:26.43\00:49:28.36
of an unclean people,
00:49:28.40\00:49:30.03
for mine eyes
have seen the King,
00:49:30.07\00:49:32.67
the Lord of hosts,
the Lord of glory."
00:49:32.70\00:49:35.84
And so when we look
to Jesus automatically,
00:49:35.87\00:49:40.01
boy, that works in us
the spirit of humility,
00:49:40.04\00:49:42.64
that works in us
that spirit of gentleness
00:49:42.68\00:49:45.08
because comparing
myself with someone else,
00:49:45.11\00:49:48.28
maybe in something
I'd be better than them,
00:49:48.32\00:49:50.69
and then a lot of
things I'd be worse than them.
00:49:50.72\00:49:52.62
But if I look at Jesus, always,
00:49:52.65\00:49:55.76
it shows it in
the proper perspective
00:49:55.79\00:49:57.83
and I see who he
is as opposed to me.
00:49:57.86\00:50:01.33
Ask God to show us
our heart, behold him,
00:50:01.36\00:50:03.80
spend time in
others, focus on others,
00:50:03.83\00:50:06.43
sorry, spend time in
His Word, focus on others.
00:50:06.47\00:50:11.21
Pray for humility.
00:50:11.24\00:50:13.41
And then the last fruit
of the Spirit, self-control.
00:50:13.44\00:50:18.85
I wonder why this
one is listed last.
00:50:18.88\00:50:21.05
Ooph. Self-control.
00:50:21.08\00:50:25.69
It comes from the
word crotos, originally,
00:50:25.72\00:50:29.39
which means
holding one's self in.
00:50:29.42\00:50:34.80
This particular Greek
word occurs only four times
00:50:34.83\00:50:38.27
in the New Testament.
00:50:38.30\00:50:40.04
Self-control.
00:50:40.07\00:50:42.84
It proceeds out
from within one self,
00:50:42.87\00:50:45.81
not by one self.
00:50:45.84\00:50:47.18
So in other words,
00:50:47.21\00:50:48.54
it doesn't come
because of my own power,
00:50:48.58\00:50:51.28
it comes from the
Lord Jesus Christ.
00:50:51.31\00:50:53.62
It can be accomplished
only by the power of the Lord.
00:50:53.65\00:50:56.69
You know, they did a study
00:50:56.72\00:50:59.95
and I'm sure
you've all heard it,
00:50:59.99\00:51:02.02
the marshmallow test.
00:51:02.06\00:51:03.59
They did, yes, years ago.
00:51:03.63\00:51:05.89
Walter Mischel,
00:51:05.93\00:51:07.26
he was a professor
at Stanford University,
00:51:07.30\00:51:09.70
and he developed this test.
00:51:09.73\00:51:12.13
They took three
to five year olds.
00:51:12.17\00:51:15.47
And they gave them this test.
00:51:15.50\00:51:16.84
Now I have a Twix bar
here, chocolate covered,
00:51:16.87\00:51:21.28
smells pretty good.
00:51:21.31\00:51:23.38
So they put,
sometimes it was an Oreo cookie,
00:51:23.41\00:51:26.95
or a marshmallow,
or a pretzel stick,
00:51:26.98\00:51:28.85
it depended on what
the kids really liked.
00:51:28.88\00:51:32.19
And they told them, I'm
gonna put this right here
00:51:32.22\00:51:34.86
in front of you, right there.
00:51:34.89\00:51:37.39
Now I'll leave the
room for 15 minutes.
00:51:37.43\00:51:42.76
If you don't eat that,
Lorrie, for 15 minutes,
00:51:42.80\00:51:47.24
you'll get another
one, when you come back,
00:51:47.27\00:51:48.84
you can have two.
00:51:48.87\00:51:50.77
So they tracked this
and studied these kids.
00:51:50.81\00:51:55.08
Some of them
would cover their eyes
00:51:55.11\00:51:56.51
with their hands like this
00:51:56.54\00:51:57.88
so they didn't have to
look at the Oreo cookie
00:51:57.91\00:51:59.98
or the marshmallow
sitting there in front of them.
00:52:00.02\00:52:02.35
Some of them would turn around.
00:52:02.38\00:52:04.72
That way, I am not looking
at the temptation behind me.
00:52:04.75\00:52:07.82
Some of them would
00:52:07.86\00:52:09.19
actually kick
the desk, or I guess,
00:52:09.22\00:52:12.93
this had to be
a girl, they said,
00:52:12.96\00:52:14.30
they pulled down their pigtails,
00:52:14.33\00:52:15.66
so you know
that's got to be a girl,
00:52:15.70\00:52:18.00
or some of them would pick up
the marshmallow and stroke it,
00:52:18.03\00:52:22.34
maybe thinking, "Ah,
I am gonna eat you soon,
00:52:22.37\00:52:25.77
I am gonna eat you soon,"
00:52:25.81\00:52:27.14
I don't know what they thought.
00:52:27.18\00:52:28.74
So they tracked them.
00:52:28.78\00:52:30.18
And then years later,
00:52:30.21\00:52:31.55
now this study
was done years ago,
00:52:31.58\00:52:33.31
they tracked those
kids, and they found
00:52:33.35\00:52:37.85
that as they
grew into adulthood,
00:52:37.89\00:52:39.85
and now the kids
that they did are,
00:52:39.89\00:52:41.39
what did they say, 40s 50s,
I think, they are middle-aged.
00:52:41.42\00:52:45.46
They found that
00:52:45.49\00:52:46.83
they had higher SAT
scores in high school.
00:52:46.86\00:52:49.23
They did better in college.
00:52:49.26\00:52:52.10
Later in life, they had
earned more advanced degrees,
00:52:52.13\00:52:55.97
they did less drugs,
they coped better with stress.
00:52:56.00\00:53:02.18
Self-control, now
when I look at that,
00:53:02.21\00:53:07.38
I think of all the
fruit of the Spirit,
00:53:07.42\00:53:08.75
this one is the
hardest one for me,
00:53:08.78\00:53:10.12
I am just being
very frank with you.
00:53:10.15\00:53:11.95
Self-control could be, boy,
00:53:11.99\00:53:14.16
I really want a
piece of chocolate today,
00:53:14.19\00:53:15.99
or it could be, I
really want to go over
00:53:16.02\00:53:18.89
and give so and
so a piece of my mind
00:53:18.93\00:53:21.13
because I am mad
at them, self-control,
00:53:21.16\00:53:24.23
to hold yourself
from saying that, right?
00:53:24.27\00:53:27.67
Or it could be, "I am married...
00:53:27.70\00:53:30.07
but I like the way
he treats me over here,
00:53:33.14\00:53:36.14
and I think he is kind of cute,"
00:53:36.18\00:53:38.38
allowing my mind to
step outside of the bounds
00:53:38.41\00:53:41.78
of marriage, or being single,
00:53:41.82\00:53:44.62
and walking,
instead of in purity,
00:53:44.65\00:53:47.16
starting to walk in
lust towards someone else.
00:53:47.19\00:53:49.66
So self-control takes
many different facets.
00:53:49.69\00:53:53.23
How do we develop self-control?
00:53:53.26\00:53:56.33
True self-control is
not about brining my self
00:53:56.36\00:54:00.27
under my own control.
00:54:00.30\00:54:02.40
Any time we do
that, guess what happens?
00:54:02.44\00:54:04.84
We fail miserably.
00:54:04.87\00:54:07.94
It is about brining my self
00:54:07.98\00:54:10.65
under the power
of the Holy Spirit.
00:54:10.68\00:54:14.52
It's about surrender.
00:54:14.55\00:54:17.89
It's not saying no
in my own strength,
00:54:17.92\00:54:21.19
it's saying it through the power
00:54:21.22\00:54:22.56
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:54:22.59\00:54:23.93
Remember when we,
toward the beginning,
00:54:23.96\00:54:26.43
one of the foundational
scriptures was Galatians 2:20,
00:54:26.46\00:54:29.30
I am crucified with
Christ, nevertheless,
00:54:29.33\00:54:31.83
not I live but
Christ lives in me.
00:54:31.87\00:54:35.40
Let's turn to Luke 9:23,
00:54:35.44\00:54:37.31
we use this as
our last scripture.
00:54:37.34\00:54:39.11
Luke 9:23..
00:54:39.14\00:54:41.48
Matthew, Mark, Luke, Luke 9:23.
00:54:45.78\00:54:49.92
Now remember, the Jews thought
00:54:57.26\00:55:00.00
that Jesus was coming to
set up an earthly kingdom.
00:55:00.03\00:55:03.03
They thought that He would break
00:55:03.06\00:55:04.60
the Roman yoke.
00:55:04.63\00:55:06.13
They thought that He would
do all this stuff, and instead,
00:55:06.17\00:55:10.17
He came gently,
with humility, meekly,
00:55:10.21\00:55:15.58
and His kingdom
was not of this world,
00:55:15.61\00:55:19.48
but they didn't
understand it at that time,
00:55:19.51\00:55:21.18
so the principles
that Jesus taught,
00:55:21.22\00:55:23.89
you think about
the Sermon on the Mount
00:55:23.92\00:55:25.49
were vastly opposed
to what they believed,
00:55:25.52\00:55:30.26
to what they had been
taught in the synagogue.
00:55:30.29\00:55:32.89
We are in Luke
9:23, and I could say,
00:55:32.93\00:55:36.53
not only for the Jews,
but for you and I today,
00:55:36.56\00:55:39.03
this goes counter
against to our own heart
00:55:39.07\00:55:41.27
and our own life,
00:55:41.30\00:55:42.64
what we want,
our cardinal nature,
00:55:42.67\00:55:44.81
"Then He said to them all,
00:55:44.84\00:55:46.34
'If anyone
desires to come after Me,
00:55:46.37\00:55:49.48
let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily,
00:55:49.51\00:55:54.92
and follow Me.
00:55:54.95\00:55:56.89
For whoever desires to
save his life will lose it,
00:55:56.92\00:55:59.89
but whoever loses his
life for My sake will save it.
00:55:59.92\00:56:05.16
For what profit is it to a
man if he gains the whole world,
00:56:05.19\00:56:07.86
and is himself
destroyed or lost?'"
00:56:07.90\00:56:11.03
"If anyone desires to
come after Me," verse 23,
00:56:11.07\00:56:13.40
"let him deny himself,
take up his cross daily,
00:56:13.44\00:56:18.21
and follow Me."
00:56:18.24\00:56:20.84
Self-control is entirely Jesus',
00:56:20.88\00:56:24.61
bringing myself
under His control
00:56:24.65\00:56:26.11
but it takes a death to myself,
00:56:26.15\00:56:28.98
it takes choosing His
way as opposed to my way.
00:56:29.02\00:56:33.76
So I don't know
how you feel tonight.
00:56:33.79\00:56:36.26
You might feel
like the rubber band,
00:56:36.29\00:56:38.46
being stretched, ah, the
flesh, the fruit of the flesh,
00:56:38.49\00:56:42.80
the work of that is
pulling me this way.
00:56:42.83\00:56:46.20
But I know that
00:56:46.23\00:56:47.57
the Holy Spirit's
pulling in on this side.
00:56:47.60\00:56:49.94
I know the Holy
Spirit's wooing my heart.
00:56:49.97\00:56:54.54
God wants to give us a victory.
00:56:54.58\00:56:57.21
God wants to enable you
00:56:57.25\00:56:58.91
and I to walk in
the fruit of the Spirit
00:56:58.95\00:57:02.52
as opposed to the
work of the flesh.
00:57:02.55\00:57:05.32
It's not
anything that we could do.
00:57:05.35\00:57:08.32
It comes from
saying yes to Jesus,
00:57:08.36\00:57:11.13
being connected to the vine,
00:57:11.16\00:57:13.70
dying to self and
letting Him live inside.
00:57:13.73\00:57:16.67
So I just want to encourage you
00:57:16.70\00:57:18.70
that God is a
covenant keeping God,
00:57:18.73\00:57:21.24
and what He has promised,
00:57:21.27\00:57:23.91
He is able to
fulfill in your life
00:57:23.94\00:57:26.81
and in mine, so
give Him a chance.
00:57:26.84\00:57:29.61
Ask Him to come
into your life and say,
00:57:29.64\00:57:32.35
"My heart is a heart
of stone but, oh, Father,
00:57:32.38\00:57:36.65
by the power of Your Spirit,
00:57:36.69\00:57:38.02
will You take out
the heart of stone?
00:57:38.05\00:57:40.56
Will You work in
me the heart of flesh?
00:57:40.59\00:57:43.93
Will You change me
into the image of Jesus?"
00:57:43.96\00:57:46.93
And He wants to work
in your heart and in mine,
00:57:46.96\00:57:49.26
the fruit of love, joy, peace,
00:57:49.30\00:57:52.83
patience, kindness, goodness,
00:57:52.87\00:57:56.47
gentleness, and self-control.
00:57:56.50\00:57:58.84
Let Him do the
work and give Him glory
00:57:58.87\00:58:02.18
for what He has
done in your life.
00:58:02.21\00:58:03.55
Let's pray.
00:58:03.58\00:58:04.91
Father, we come before
You in the name of Jesus,
00:58:04.95\00:58:06.72
and we thank You
for what You want to do
00:58:06.75\00:58:08.98
in our lives.
00:58:09.02\00:58:10.35
We thank You that it's
never us who does the work.
00:58:10.39\00:58:14.12
You are the one who works in
us and through us both to will
00:58:14.16\00:58:17.06
and to do of your good pleasure.
00:58:17.09\00:58:19.06
So we give You
permission right now
00:58:19.09\00:58:21.53
to change us into Your image,
00:58:21.56\00:58:24.17
and we thank You in the precious
00:58:24.20\00:58:26.30
and holy name of Jesus.
00:58:26.33\00:58:28.24
Amen.
00:58:28.27\00:58:29.60