I'm so glad you could join us for today's program. 00:00:29.59\00:00:33.28 My name is Dale Lemon and I Pastor the Adventist church 00:00:33.31\00:00:38.46 in Battle Creek Michigan. 00:00:38.50\00:00:39.56 Today we are going to be looking 00:00:39.59\00:00:43.14 more at the ten promises that God has given us. 00:00:43.17\00:00:47.65 Ten fantastic promises. 00:00:47.69\00:00:50.53 I think you will really be surprised as you 00:00:50.57\00:00:53.68 understand where these promises are found. 00:00:53.71\00:00:56.75 But first let us have a word of prayer, Father in heaven 00:00:56.79\00:00:59.85 Thank you that we can be together now to understand 00:00:59.88\00:01:04.63 your word better. 00:01:04.67\00:01:05.64 Please send Your Spirit to bless this time. 00:01:05.65\00:01:09.15 In the homes where many are viewing and right 00:01:09.19\00:01:12.79 here as I share. 00:01:12.83\00:01:14.55 Use me that Your own words will come through and 00:01:14.59\00:01:18.57 hearts will be changed. In Jesus name, Amen! 00:01:18.60\00:01:22.52 Well the ten promises that we have in mind are usually called 00:01:22.55\00:01:28.91 the Ten Commandments and many people think of them more 00:01:28.95\00:01:32.29 as a source of guilt than they do as something to rejoice in. 00:01:32.32\00:01:36.39 But that only because they haven't understood God's reason 00:01:36.62\00:01:39.50 for giving those Ten Commandments or ten promises. 00:01:39.53\00:01:42.65 Because, in fact, as we look at them and realize that they are 00:01:42.68\00:01:46.99 far beyond our moral ability. 00:01:47.02\00:01:49.15 Then we look to Jesus and we see that He has already 00:01:49.18\00:01:53.37 full filled all ten of those wonderful promises 00:01:53.40\00:01:56.04 for us and is ready to write them in our hearts. 00:01:56.07\00:01:58.29 That is such a blessing. 00:01:58.32\00:02:00.54 To come to that understanding changes our whole attitude. 00:02:00.57\00:02:05.05 So the gospel is actually promised in the Ten Commandments 00:02:05.08\00:02:11.10 Why did God give His laws? 00:02:11.13\00:02:13.79 Was it just because He wanted to show who was boss? 00:02:13.82\00:02:16.64 He wanted to say I Am the boss and everybody needs to know it? 00:02:16.67\00:02:21.30 So these are the rules and you better obey them! No Not at all. 00:02:21.33\00:02:26.00 If you have looked carefully at the Ten Commandments, you 00:02:26.03\00:02:28.25 notice that they are all written for our happiness. 00:02:28.29\00:02:32.99 They all are intimately connected with our own 00:02:33.02\00:02:39.11 being as humans. 00:02:39.14\00:02:40.80 In other words, those who don't receive the grace of 00:02:40.84\00:02:44.89 God to obey those commandments, to live that kind of life, 00:02:44.93\00:02:48.73 cannot possibly be happy. 00:02:48.76\00:02:50.64 But those who do receive God's grace 00:02:50.67\00:02:52.90 to live in harmony with those commandments will be happy 00:02:52.93\00:02:56.83 because our very natures are created in such a way 00:02:56.86\00:03:02.98 that we cannot possibly have a good life if we separate 00:03:03.01\00:03:07.43 ourselves from God's will and the commandments. 00:03:07.46\00:03:10.29 So it was not God's desire to be boss, but it was 00:03:10.33\00:03:13.13 because He loved us that He made rules for our happiness. 00:03:13.16\00:03:17.01 Now folks, you and I have all had experiences, 00:03:17.04\00:03:19.59 especially if you are a parent. 00:03:19.62\00:03:21.89 You may remember taking your two year old the grocery store. 00:03:21.92\00:03:27.75 Two year old, of course, like to get into everything. 00:03:27.78\00:03:31.75 They know what they want and what they like. 00:03:31.78\00:03:35.01 If you go by a long counter with lots of candy, bags of candy 00:03:35.04\00:03:43.89 candy bars and so forth. 00:03:43.92\00:03:45.54 Your two year old may begin to pick these things up. 00:03:45.57\00:03:49.22 May begin to say in his/her childish way 00:03:49.25\00:03:54.87 I want this. This is what I want. 00:03:54.90\00:03:57.40 Now you are the parent, you have wisdom. 00:03:57.43\00:04:00.82 And so you realize that a two year old can't handle very 00:04:00.85\00:04:05.97 much sweets and if you let them have too many they will get sick 00:04:06.00\00:04:09.24 So in your parental wisdom you say 00:04:09.27\00:04:11.73 No, not this time. 00:04:11.77\00:04:13.75 We won't be able to buy that this time! 00:04:13.79\00:04:16.59 Of course the two year old looks at the parental rule as a 00:04:16.63\00:04:21.80 negative thing. 00:04:21.83\00:04:25.20 My mom or my dad just doesn't want me to have fun. 00:04:25.23\00:04:26.23 My mom or dad doesn't want me to have what I want. 00:04:26.26\00:04:29.59 Their restricting my desires. 00:04:29.62\00:04:31.77 He doesn't understand that you are making 00:04:31.80\00:04:36.24 your ruling out of love in fact your only motivation is that 00:04:36.27\00:04:40.99 your concerned about his well-being. 00:04:41.02\00:04:42.42 And so that is what God has to face. 00:04:42.45\00:04:47.44 It has to be really hard being God because He has to constantly 00:04:47.47\00:04:54.42 try to keep us out of trouble, which means He's making rules. 00:04:54.45\00:04:57.13 At the same time convincing us that He loves us 00:04:57.16\00:04:59.79 and is interested in our happiness. 00:04:59.82\00:05:01.26 But we think our happiness requires us to do something 00:05:01.29\00:05:03.57 that He knows would only hurt us, 00:05:03.60\00:05:04.76 that puts Him in a hard position. 00:05:04.79\00:05:06.79 But as we get more mature and grow and trust Him more, 00:05:06.82\00:05:10.69 experience more of life, we more understand that everything God 00:05:10.72\00:05:14.21 has commanded is really love. 00:05:14.24\00:05:17.20 It is an expression of His protective, parental love for us 00:05:17.23\00:05:21.72 We have the same experiences with teenagers. 00:05:21.75\00:05:23.86 Of course they are quiet a little more advanced than 00:05:23.89\00:05:26.52 the two year old in knowing what is good for them. 00:05:26.55\00:05:29.39 Although they try hard to forget it. 00:05:29.42\00:05:31.41 They often will not appreciate our rules. 00:05:31.44\00:05:36.18 The teenager will wonder why I have to be in by 10 PM. 00:05:36.21\00:05:40.60 Why do you have to know where I am all the time? 00:05:40.63\00:05:43.46 Why do you have to know whom I am with all the time? 00:05:43.49\00:05:46.16 But good parents must make such rules in order to 00:05:46.19\00:05:51.61 be responsible for their young people. 00:05:51.64\00:05:54.26 And so God is responsible with us. 00:05:54.29\00:05:56.16 He is not arbitrary, He's not bossy, He's not dogmatic. 00:05:56.19\00:05:59.56 The rules He makes are simply inherent in our very being 00:05:59.59\00:06:05.63 as the necessities for our happiness and well-being. 00:06:05.66\00:06:08.89 He is, of course, the perfect parent 00:06:08.92\00:06:11.30 He loves to be called our Father. 00:06:11.33\00:06:15.58 It's really His favorite name because it implies 00:06:15.61\00:06:18.93 that He's caring for us even though He has to be the boss. 00:06:18.96\00:06:23.55 Of course He is the only one who could be the boss. 00:06:23.58\00:06:25.67 He is the only One that has the wisdom. 00:06:25.70\00:06:26.92 He made us. He knows exactly what we need. 00:06:26.95\00:06:29.48 Only He could know what is possibly in our best interest. 00:06:29.51\00:06:32.32 Well as we have discussed the Commandments we 00:06:32.35\00:06:36.76 have seen them as promises. 00:06:36.79\00:06:38.23 Good parents of course even in their rules are 00:06:38.26\00:06:42.72 really making promises, are they not to their children? 00:06:42.75\00:06:45.28 They are saying follow this rule for your health. 00:06:45.31\00:06:50.35 You'll have good health all of your life. 00:06:50.38\00:06:52.37 Follow this rule you'll have a long life. 00:06:52.40\00:06:53.99 Follow this rule you will have good relationships. 00:06:54.02\00:06:56.48 You'll have a happy marriage. 00:06:56.51\00:06:58.01 Follow this rule and you will develop spiritually. 00:06:58.04\00:07:01.79 You will have peace in your heart. 00:07:01.82\00:07:03.63 So every good rule in a way is a promise of a happy future. 00:07:03.66\00:07:08.80 So it is easy to see that God's Ten Commandments 00:07:08.83\00:07:12.47 are ten promises for a happy future. 00:07:12.50\00:07:15.95 The neat thing is though, they are promises in and of 00:07:15.98\00:07:19.28 themselves, that is they are not something we promised to do 00:07:19.31\00:07:23.13 for God, but each rule is something God 00:07:23.16\00:07:26.00 has promised to do for us. 00:07:26.03\00:07:27.64 It's not just that if we keep them we have hope for happy 00:07:27.67\00:07:31.51 ever after. 00:07:31.54\00:07:32.88 Its more that if we allow Jesus to give us these principles in 00:07:32.91\00:07:38.70 our heart, then of course we have eternal joy. 00:07:38.73\00:07:42.82 Each of them is a promise of God's work of grace in our lives 00:07:42.85\00:07:48.12 Looking at them one by one we find ourselves now at Ex. 20:13 00:07:48.15\00:07:54.18 The sixth commandment. It's a very brief one isn't it? 00:07:54.21\00:08:00.22 Let's read it. You shall not murder. 00:08:00.25\00:08:04.54 I think probably most people regard this as the 00:08:04.57\00:08:09.57 easiest commandment to keep. 00:08:09.60\00:08:10.57 Most people hate violence, I was never inclined to 00:08:10.60\00:08:16.82 to murder anyone. 00:08:16.85\00:08:18.65 I may have broken all the other commandments 00:08:18.68\00:08:21.81 but I am sure I never broken that commandment. 00:08:21.84\00:08:24.46 because I have never killed anybody. 00:08:24.49\00:08:26.23 And yet in our wicked, wicked world 00:08:26.26\00:08:30.34 killing people, unfortunately, is not that rare is it? 00:08:30.37\00:08:35.32 Many people that seem to be law-abiding citizens 00:08:35.35\00:08:40.76 suddenly, in a fit of anger will kill or in, 00:08:40.79\00:08:45.46 or in depression. 00:08:45.49\00:08:47.10 Millions, or course, are being killed before they are born 00:08:47.13\00:08:51.94 for the convenience of the parents. 00:08:51.97\00:08:55.26 There are dictators who are murdering thousands their 00:08:55.29\00:09:00.34 own countrymen. Millions even. 00:09:00.37\00:09:03.53 Every few years that happens. 00:09:03.56\00:09:05.95 We have wars of genocide in which neighbors just rise up 00:09:05.98\00:09:10.08 slaughter their neighbors and steal all their possessions. 00:09:10.11\00:09:15.38 These things have happened and we wonder 00:09:15.41\00:09:19.03 is it true ordinary people have a killing 00:09:19.06\00:09:22.45 instinct within themselves? 00:09:22.48\00:09:24.89 Recently we were horrified by stories in all the papers 00:09:24.92\00:09:30.87 of the mother, this just seems so unthinkable, mother of five 00:09:30.90\00:09:37.35 children, who apparently grew very depressed and felt 00:09:37.38\00:09:43.30 that she could not take care of her children. 00:09:43.33\00:09:45.97 Somehow, we assume she had some kind of psychosis going 00:09:46.00\00:09:50.49 on there because she apparently felt the best thing she could 00:09:50.52\00:09:53.64 do was to put her children to death, five little children. 00:09:53.67\00:09:57.73 According to the story, her after her husband went 00:09:57.76\00:10:01.10 away to work, she took the children, one by one into the 00:10:01.13\00:10:04.41 bathroom where she held them under the water in the bathtub 00:10:04.44\00:10:08.86 until they were drowned. 00:10:08.89\00:10:12.22 Imagine a mother watching her own children struggle 00:10:12.25\00:10:15.25 fight for breath until they died. 00:10:15.28\00:10:18.04 Unthinkable. Where this does horrible evil, 00:10:18.07\00:10:22.22 come from? 00:10:22.25\00:10:23.22 Obviously the human heart is capable of things we would 00:10:23.23\00:10:27.60 hardly imagine. 00:10:27.63\00:10:29.21 The father, when he found out, was horrified and shocked 00:10:29.24\00:10:32.10 because there had been no indication that 00:10:32.13\00:10:34.91 this might take place. 00:10:34.94\00:10:36.23 She had been a faithful mother. 00:10:36.26\00:10:38.46 We all need to look in our own hearts and see what 00:10:38.49\00:10:41.81 might really be there. 00:10:41.84\00:10:43.69 Sometimes we brag about the fact I may have told a few lies 00:10:43.72\00:10:51.81 but I have never killed anyone. 00:10:51.84\00:10:53.95 Sometimes we think of five or six of the commandments 00:10:53.98\00:10:56.07 that we think we have kept. 00:10:56.10\00:10:57.26 Well I don't steal. 00:10:57.29\00:10:59.15 I've been pretty good to my parents you know. 00:10:59.18\00:11:02.06 So forth. Oh Folks 00:11:02.09\00:11:04.51 When we really look carefully at God's law we discover 00:11:04.54\00:11:08.08 that these have to be promises. 00:11:08.11\00:11:11.27 Because none of them are capable of obedience by us 00:11:11.30\00:11:14.76 in our normal condition. 00:11:14.79\00:11:16.61 In fact we find that we have violated all of them. 00:11:16.64\00:11:21.26 According to Jesus' teaching even on this commandment 00:11:21.29\00:11:25.06 about murder, we are all murders 00:11:25.09\00:11:29.42 That's hard to imagine isn't it? 00:11:29.45\00:11:31.55 Lets see how that can be. Matthew 5 where we have Jesus 00:11:31.58\00:11:38.23 great long sermon on the mount. 00:11:38.26\00:11:41.96 It gives us an explanation of spiritual character of God's law 00:11:41.99\00:11:47.74 It helps us to see why we can't achieve even one 00:11:47.77\00:11:52.38 principle of it in our own strength. 00:11:52.41\00:11:54.58 Let's look at the verses together from Matthew 5:21-22. 00:11:54.61\00:12:01.36 So here we see Jesus re-interpreting this commandment 00:12:33.68\00:12:39.18 Thou salt not murder and showing that even anger 00:12:39.21\00:12:42.47 now He says anger without a cause, I want you to remember 00:12:42.50\00:12:46.54 the Bible, the apostle Paul, Ephesians tells us that we are 00:12:46.57\00:12:51.68 not to be angry past the sunset, if we are then we have sinned. 00:12:51.71\00:12:56.79 So we know what it means to be angry without a cause is to 00:12:56.82\00:13:00.36 it means to hold on to our anger until it becomes 00:13:00.39\00:13:02.08 resentment and hatred. 00:13:02.11\00:13:04.06 It is okay to have a little flare of anger when we see a 00:13:04.09\00:13:09.21 wrong thing happen. 00:13:09.24\00:13:10.37 There are things in this world that are worth getting angry 00:13:10.40\00:13:12.70 about, but to hold on to that and to be hateful and to be 00:13:12.73\00:13:15.74 resentful and desire vengeance against the other person 00:13:15.77\00:13:19.38 that is wrong isn't it? 00:13:19.41\00:13:21.26 And when we do that, Jesus says that we are 00:13:21.29\00:13:24.13 in violation of the sixth commandment. 00:13:24.17\00:13:26.97 How can that be? 00:13:27.00\00:13:28.50 I think it is because it is natural to wish that person dead 00:13:28.53\00:13:33.90 Whom we really hate, we wish they would just disappear 00:13:33.93\00:13:41.32 Sometimes don't we? Have you ever been there? 00:13:41.35\00:13:43.12 Well I hope you haven't. 00:13:43.16\00:13:44.14 But this is certainly an important thing to 00:13:44.17\00:13:47.54 ponder in our hearts. 00:13:47.58\00:13:48.56 I want you to understand our own liability to this 00:13:48.59\00:13:54.23 commandment so that you can appreciate Christ's promise 00:13:54.26\00:13:57.94 in full filling it in our hearts. 00:13:57.98\00:14:01.50 We often have excessive anger. 00:14:01.54\00:14:04.99 And excessive anger, of course, is the first cause of murder. 00:14:05.02\00:14:10.68 Also we sometimes lose respect for people. 00:14:10.71\00:14:13.92 We say we don't hate them. 00:14:13.95\00:14:16.43 But we just don't have any respect for them. 00:14:16.46\00:14:19.65 I want to point out to you friends, that is the same as 00:14:19.68\00:14:22.11 calling someone a fool according to the scripture here. 00:14:22.15\00:14:24.76 And Jesus says that those people who call people fools 00:14:24.79\00:14:27.37 are also in danger of hell fire. 00:14:27.41\00:14:29.23 Remember that when we lose respect for people we are not 00:14:29.26\00:14:32.49 being Christ-like because Christ respects everyone. 00:14:32.52\00:14:35.78 You say wait a minute the Bible says He doesn't respect anybody. 00:14:35.81\00:14:38.51 Yeah but that is Old English, it just means He doesn't favor 00:14:38.54\00:14:41.27 anyone over anybody else. 00:14:41.30\00:14:42.34 But He respects everyone, He respects doesn't He? 00:14:42.37\00:14:45.52 He gives you free choice, He listens to your 00:14:45.55\00:14:47.66 prayers, He does not seek to distance Himself from you, 00:14:47.69\00:14:50.39 He listens to your thinking even though your thinking is 00:14:50.43\00:14:53.09 so immature and unwise. 00:14:53.13\00:14:54.88 And He reasons with you, He says come let us reason together 00:14:54.91\00:14:59.06 Jesus and the Father respect you. 00:14:59.09\00:15:01.95 Even though you have done a lot of things which would 00:15:01.98\00:15:05.52 deserve to be disrespected. 00:15:05.55\00:15:06.78 He respects you. 00:15:06.81\00:15:09.04 And He asks us to respect each other also. 00:15:09.07\00:15:12.28 And if we don't do that we are in violation 00:15:12.31\00:15:15.68 again of the sixth commandment. 00:15:15.72\00:15:19.19 Well I found myself in violation of that 00:15:19.22\00:15:23.49 commandment one time. 00:15:23.53\00:15:25.82 In fact, of course, several times. 00:15:25.85\00:15:27.31 But one really serious occasion, in my life. 00:15:27.35\00:15:30.78 It came home to me. 00:15:30.81\00:15:32.28 I know the Lord allowed this to happen to me because He 00:15:32.32\00:15:33.90 wanted me to learn something and to grow. 00:15:33.94\00:15:36.55 I had a colleague that I worked with. 00:15:36.58\00:15:39.12 And you know when in ministry and when you have someone 00:15:39.16\00:15:43.15 you work closely with, in ministry it is a special bond. 00:15:43.19\00:15:47.14 You feel that person is a real ally, and a real 00:15:47.18\00:15:51.35 brother or sister in Christ. 00:15:51.39\00:15:52.94 In this instance I certainly felt that way. 00:15:52.97\00:15:55.29 The work we did together came out so well. 00:15:55.32\00:15:57.63 We often prayed together. 00:15:57.67\00:15:58.92 We often did various programs together and I felt really 00:15:58.96\00:16:04.20 bonded to this person. 00:16:04.24\00:16:06.12 Then one day I discovered. 00:16:06.16\00:16:09.40 To my complete amazement. 00:16:09.43\00:16:12.34 That this person was really my enemy. 00:16:12.37\00:16:14.36 That this person was jealous of me. 00:16:14.39\00:16:16.74 And had been undermining me, with my friends and with others 00:16:16.77\00:16:20.48 I was trying to minister to. 00:16:20.51\00:16:21.91 That this person had been like Absalom at the gates. 00:16:21.95\00:16:24.51 Turning people away from me and trying to gather 00:16:24.54\00:16:27.07 other people to himself. 00:16:27.10\00:16:29.00 I found that this person had tried to damage 00:16:29.04\00:16:33.03 my relationship at home, and to hurt my marriage. 00:16:33.07\00:16:37.75 I found that this person had also tried to damage my career, 00:16:37.78\00:16:41.15 by spreading tales about me to my superiors. 00:16:41.18\00:16:45.81 I was shocked. 00:16:45.84\00:16:48.38 I was horrified. 00:16:48.41\00:16:49.68 I was devastated. 00:16:49.71\00:16:50.98 I felt betrayed. 00:16:51.01\00:16:51.98 I felt absolutely abused because this had been a person 00:16:51.99\00:16:56.45 that I thought was a real brother In Christ. 00:16:56.48\00:17:00.11 Well, of course, I supposed I had some right to a little 00:17:00.14\00:17:04.23 bit of anger, but then the sun went down and I was 00:17:04.26\00:17:06.64 suppose to forgive, Jesus says forgive or your Father 00:17:06.67\00:17:09.01 can't forgive you. 00:17:09.05\00:17:10.02 He says for us to pray forgive our debts as we 00:17:10.03\00:17:14.82 forgive our debtors. 00:17:14.86\00:17:16.39 But I would not forgive. 00:17:16.43\00:17:17.93 I was angry, I went to bed angry. 00:17:17.96\00:17:19.86 I woke up the next day angry. 00:17:19.89\00:17:21.46 In fact my anger was increasing and my 00:17:21.50\00:17:23.48 resentment kept increasing. 00:17:23.52\00:17:24.79 And I became so angry and it went on week after week. 00:17:24.82\00:17:28.48 This thought of anger would plague my thoughts whenever 00:17:28.51\00:17:32.14 wasn't really busy doing something else. 00:17:32.17\00:17:33.82 When I was just driving in my car, or wake up in the 00:17:33.85\00:17:36.29 middle of the night. 00:17:36.32\00:17:37.44 I would think about this person and how angry I was. 00:17:37.47\00:17:40.56 In fact I became aware of my anger had become totally hateful 00:17:40.59\00:17:44.87 I truly became aware that I was violating the sixth 00:17:44.90\00:17:48.10 commandment because I really began to desire 00:17:48.14\00:17:51.78 this person's death. 00:17:51.82\00:17:53.18 I thought they desired the worse possible vengeance. 00:17:53.21\00:17:57.27 I had even worked up a scenario in my mind where this person 00:17:57.30\00:18:00.35 would be on the road and run into a huge tanker truck. 00:18:00.38\00:18:04.04 All the fuel would spill out and it would be a terrible 00:18:04.07\00:18:06.47 confrontation in which this person would be 00:18:06.50\00:18:09.07 completely vaporized. 00:18:09.10\00:18:10.17 Boy was I angry. 00:18:10.20\00:18:11.80 Sounds really embarrassing now as I remember that. 00:18:11.83\00:18:15.82 Not at all Christian. 00:18:15.85\00:18:17.22 The Lord reminded me that He had forgiven me 00:18:17.26\00:18:21.00 of so many abuses. 00:18:21.03\00:18:22.52 He had forgiven me so wonderfully. 00:18:22.55\00:18:24.16 He told me you have to forgive this person. 00:18:24.19\00:18:27.29 He reminded me to of all His forgiveness of me 00:18:27.32\00:18:30.60 wouldn't do me any good unless I would turn 00:18:30.64\00:18:33.88 around and forgive also. 00:18:33.92\00:18:35.95 There are many scriptures that teach that. 00:18:35.99\00:18:38.35 Don't forget that precious beatitude from the sermon on 00:18:38.38\00:18:42.89 the mount, blessed are the merciful for they 00:18:42.92\00:18:46.25 shall obtain mercy. 00:18:46.29\00:18:50.62 So I was driving in my car one day and I had lost my 00:18:50.65\00:18:51.96 appetite and was beginning to get an ulcer, I was so upset. 00:18:52.00\00:18:52.97 I was going down the road and thinking 00:18:52.99\00:18:55.65 these terrible, terrible thoughts 00:18:55.68\00:18:56.73 The Spirit of God convicted me right there on the road. 00:18:56.76\00:19:00.58 You must forgive and I said Okay Lord I agree. 00:19:00.61\00:19:06.24 I want to, I am ready to, but I do know how. 00:19:06.27\00:19:10.98 I can't seem to, I've already tried but I can't seem to let go 00:19:11.02\00:19:14.07 of my anger. 00:19:14.11\00:19:15.08 That is where the Lord reminded me that He had kept this 00:19:15.09\00:19:19.41 commandment for me. 00:19:19.45\00:19:21.46 He had certainly faced the anger himself. 00:19:21.49\00:19:28.95 He had, as they nailed Him to the cross, He had said 00:19:28.99\00:19:36.25 Father, forgive them, as they nailed Him to the cross. 00:19:36.29\00:19:43.52 But then He was there to forgive, wasn't He? 00:19:43.55\00:19:46.59 that was the whole point of the cross, He was there to forgive. 00:19:46.62\00:19:49.63 Sins passed, sins present, and even sins future. 00:19:49.67\00:19:53.15 It was all covered there. 00:19:53.19\00:19:56.38 He knows how to forgive. 00:19:56.41\00:19:59.53 As I remembered that, I thought okay. 00:19:59.56\00:20:02.81 Certainly if you could forgive everyone, everyone. 00:20:02.85\00:20:06.69 Hitler, Paul Pot, surely you can help me 00:20:06.72\00:20:15.26 forgive my enemy. 00:20:15.29\00:20:17.82 So right there in my car, driving west bound, in 00:20:17.85\00:20:25.94 Los Angels California, I said Okay Lord help me 00:20:25.98\00:20:34.05 and help me now. 00:20:34.09\00:20:35.91 I choose to give up my hatred. 00:20:35.94\00:20:38.73 I choose to give up my feelings of vengeance. 00:20:38.76\00:20:42.07 I choose to stop condemning this person and leave the 00:20:42.10\00:20:45.33 judgment with You. 00:20:45.36\00:20:46.42 I choose to forgive. 00:20:46.45\00:20:49.86 Please give me that grace. 00:20:49.90\00:20:52.99 And you know what? 00:20:53.02\00:20:54.21 instantly I had peace in my heart and all my anger was gone. 00:20:54.25\00:20:59.42 I love to tell this story because so realistic. 00:20:59.45\00:21:03.96 Your going to say, What's realistic about that, I prayed 00:21:03.99\00:21:05.61 lots of times and nothing happened. 00:21:05.64\00:21:07.14 Oh yes, every time you pray for God's blessings 00:21:07.17\00:21:09.02 some thing happens. 00:21:09.05\00:21:10.15 The problem is, what happened to me 00:21:10.18\00:21:13.40 My peace, and my freedom from that anger, resentment 00:21:13.43\00:21:17.30 lasted for five minutes. 00:21:17.33\00:21:19.43 Then all my anger came back again. 00:21:19.46\00:21:21.65 But I was so glad that happened, because that is realistic. 00:21:21.68\00:21:24.82 God does answer your prayer. 00:21:24.85\00:21:26.56 When you pray for victory, He gives you victory right now. 00:21:26.59\00:21:28.34 But that victory doesn't always last. 00:21:28.37\00:21:31.30 In fact it almost never does. 00:21:31.33\00:21:32.38 Because God wants you to pray again. 00:21:32.41\00:21:34.82 Well I realized that. 00:21:34.85\00:21:37.44 And I said, You know that was the best five minutes 00:21:37.47\00:21:40.74 I've had in three months. 00:21:40.78\00:21:42.02 I said, Lord if You could give me five minutes that good 00:21:42.05\00:21:44.52 You did once You can do it for me again. 00:21:44.55\00:21:46.65 And so I asked Him again, I said, Lord would you please 00:21:46.68\00:21:49.83 give me the power to forgive my enemy again. 00:21:49.86\00:21:53.80 I choose to let go, and once again perfect 00:21:53.84\00:21:57.77 peace came upon me. 00:21:57.81\00:21:59.06 And this time it lasted for ten minutes. 00:21:59.09\00:22:01.09 But you know I was so grateful because 00:22:01.12\00:22:03.68 ten minutes was an improvement. 00:22:03.71\00:22:06.24 And instead of being discouraged, I said Lord 00:22:06.40\00:22:08.69 You did it twice, You can do it again. 00:22:08.72\00:22:10.24 And I prayed again. 00:22:10.27\00:22:11.77 I believe that we gain almost every victory, 00:22:11.80\00:22:14.03 in the Christian life, in that very way. 00:22:14.06\00:22:15.60 Sometimes people pray once and instantly they are 00:22:15.63\00:22:18.35 instantly they are transformed and never 00:22:18.38\00:22:20.08 have that temptation again. 00:22:20.11\00:22:21.08 But most cases we pray repeatedly. 00:22:21.09\00:22:24.59 And repeatedly the Lord give us the victory. 00:22:24.62\00:22:27.07 And as we continue to pray, it becomes a strength 00:22:27.10\00:22:29.68 of character to us to depend upon God. 00:22:29.71\00:22:31.47 in that area of our lives. 00:22:31.50\00:22:32.73 I want you to know that it took two weeks of praying 00:22:32.77\00:22:34.78 repeatedly for the victory in that area. 00:22:34.81\00:22:36.89 Before it became permanent. 00:22:36.92\00:22:38.05 I was never angry or resentful towards that person again. 00:22:38.08\00:22:40.85 But folks, it was only because Jesus had kept 00:22:40.88\00:22:47.08 the promise already in the commandments. 00:22:47.12\00:22:49.91 He had kept the promise in His human life. 00:22:49.94\00:22:52.70 He was born under the law. 00:22:52.74\00:22:55.01 That is what it says in Galatians. 00:22:55.04\00:22:56.21 He was born truly under the condemnation of the law. 00:22:56.24\00:22:59.71 He was truly born to carry the weight of all our sins 00:22:59.74\00:23:02.82 upon His back, and because He was born under 00:23:02.85\00:23:06.55 the law and kept the law so perfectly for us. 00:23:06.59\00:23:10.28 We may look at the law as a promise. 00:23:10.31\00:23:12.38 Instead of as a terrible condemnation. 00:23:12.41\00:23:15.47 When they nailed Him to the cross. 00:23:15.50\00:23:16.85 He said Father forgive them. 00:23:16.88\00:23:20.65 He could of said you fools. 00:23:20.68\00:23:22.89 You're killing your Messiah. 00:23:22.92\00:23:25.31 He could of said, Don't you realize you are killing the 00:23:25.34\00:23:28.47 only person who really loves you? 00:23:28.50\00:23:29.82 But He had no condemnation for them. 00:23:29.85\00:23:32.97 He simply said, Father they don't know what they are doing. 00:23:33.00\00:23:35.74 He could of said, you should crucify Satan not me. 00:23:35.77\00:23:40.61 He's the enemy. 00:23:40.64\00:23:41.72 But no He didn't. 00:23:41.75\00:23:43.50 He bore it all. 00:23:43.53\00:23:45.14 He didn't complain. 00:23:45.17\00:23:46.41 He had no self pity. 00:23:46.44\00:23:47.87 He didn't say, What are you doing to me. 00:23:47.90\00:23:50.32 He refused to condemn even those where crucifying Him. 00:23:50.35\00:23:55.26 He won the victory over hate. 00:23:55.29\00:23:59.01 Therefore He won the victory over killing, over murder. 00:23:59.04\00:24:05.12 The Bible says, you shall not murder. 00:24:05.16\00:24:10.21 And yet many of us have thought 00:24:10.24\00:24:14.58 Thoughts of bloody murder. 00:24:14.61\00:24:17.29 The Lord wants to deliver us from those. 00:24:17.32\00:24:21.31 In fact, we have a scripture right here that 00:24:21.34\00:24:25.34 I want to share with you from Matthew 5:44 00:24:25.37\00:24:29.34 Love your enemies, that is not possible. 00:24:40.99\00:24:45.30 Unless we have Jesus doing it for us, in us. 00:24:45.33\00:24:48.19 But that what we're call to isn't it? 00:24:48.22\00:24:51.56 Not only then is this a commandment not to do 00:24:51.59\00:24:55.31 something bad to others, 00:24:55.35\00:24:56.88 but it's a commandment to promote life, 00:24:56.92\00:24:59.16 to encourage others, 00:24:59.19\00:25:00.54 to strengthen them, to give them more energy. 00:25:00.57\00:25:05.06 Not to take it away. 00:25:05.09\00:25:07.14 Do good to your enemies. 00:25:07.18\00:25:09.16 I don't know about you, but I'm not capable of keeping 00:25:09.19\00:25:12.90 that commandment, as a commandment. 00:25:12.93\00:25:15.46 Only if it is a promise is there any hope for me. 00:25:15.50\00:25:18.75 Thank God it is a promise. 00:25:18.78\00:25:22.12 His covenant has been kept in Christ Jesus 00:25:22.15\00:25:28.45 So the natural attitude of all those who have this 00:25:28.48\00:25:33.23 commandment written in their heart. 00:25:33.27\00:25:35.35 Will be to forgive those who do them wrong. 00:25:35.38\00:25:39.23 To forgive fathers who have abused. 00:25:39.26\00:25:43.00 To forgive mothers who have neglected. 00:25:43.04\00:25:46.71 To forgive siblings who have been selfish. 00:25:46.75\00:25:50.39 Who have taken more than their share. 00:25:50.42\00:25:52.67 To forgive even God, well He hasn't done anything wrong. 00:25:52.70\00:25:58.79 but sometimes think He has. 00:25:58.82\00:25:59.82 And to forgive even God for allowing the trials 00:25:59.85\00:26:04.97 to come into our lives, to do so. 00:26:05.00\00:26:08.21 To let God take away all resentment 00:26:08.24\00:26:11.42 from our lives. 00:26:11.45\00:26:13.39 Oh folks we have to let Him do it. 00:26:13.42\00:26:14.62 Don't you know that when we really want to 00:26:14.65\00:26:17.54 kill somebody else, it ends up killing us. 00:26:17.57\00:26:20.19 The anger and resentment that we carry 00:26:20.23\00:26:22.64 ends up stealing the life from us. 00:26:22.68\00:26:25.02 Weakening our immune systems and making vulnerable 00:26:25.06\00:26:28.52 to every sort of illness. 00:26:28.55\00:26:29.89 Jesus not only doesn't want us to kill anybody else, 00:26:29.92\00:26:32.82 He doesn't want us to kill ourselves. 00:26:32.85\00:26:34.39 And by hanging on to anger and resentment we are dying 00:26:34.42\00:26:39.03 we are dying emotionally. 00:26:39.06\00:26:40.46 In our inability to really trust people. 00:26:40.49\00:26:44.38 And we are dying physically 00:26:44.41\00:26:47.07 as this inner turmoil eats away at our inner vitality. 00:26:47.10\00:26:52.69 It makes us vulnerable. 00:26:52.72\00:26:55.47 So Jesus has delivered us 00:26:55.50\00:26:57.61 From the violation of the sixth commandment. 00:26:57.64\00:27:01.15 By His perfect obedience. 00:27:01.18\00:27:04.18 He has done that. 00:27:04.21\00:27:05.54 And since Jesus has kept the commandment for you 00:27:05.57\00:27:09.12 you can now turn to Him and say now Lord I believe 00:27:09.15\00:27:12.95 That all the anger, resentment, malice in my heart 00:27:12.98\00:27:19.47 has already been nailed to Your cross. 00:27:19.50\00:27:22.80 I believe that when You said, Father forgive them 00:27:22.83\00:27:28.66 You were saying that for me. 00:27:28.69\00:27:31.45 I believe that those words are the very words that You 00:27:31.48\00:27:36.18 will put into my mouth, as I claim your grace 00:27:36.21\00:27:40.26 in relationship of those who have wronged me. 00:27:40.29\00:27:44.34 Thank you so much Lord for forgiving 00:27:44.37\00:27:50.06 and for planting your commandment of forgiveness 00:27:50.10\00:27:53.34 in my heart today. 00:27:53.37\00:27:56.96