Hello, I am Shelley Quinn.
00:00:01.36\00:00:02.76
Please join us now
on "The Grace Pipeline"
00:00:02.76\00:00:05.00
as we see how the
lives of two robbers
00:00:05.00\00:00:08.60
provide an incredible
snapshot of salvation by grace.
00:00:08.60\00:00:12.71
Welcome to "The Grace Pipeline."
00:00:36.30\00:00:38.30
On our last program
00:00:38.30\00:00:39.70
we considered the yoke up
relationship with Jesus Christ
00:00:39.70\00:00:43.64
which is to be
partnered with His power.
00:00:43.64\00:00:46.51
And today, what we're going
to look at is an incredible
00:00:46.51\00:00:50.51
snapshot of salvation found
in the story of two robbers,
00:00:50.51\00:00:54.12
one who turns to Christ
and one who rejected Him.
00:00:54.12\00:00:58.09
But what we will learn is
how our God who is impartial,
00:00:58.09\00:01:02.89
honorable, righteous,
00:01:02.89\00:01:04.66
and truthful can be
both just in His judgments.
00:01:04.66\00:01:09.06
And at the same time
the one who justifies us.
00:01:09.06\00:01:13.67
This series is following
00:01:13.67\00:01:15.24
the Bible study in the
book I was privileged to write
00:01:15.24\00:01:18.34
by the same title
"The Grace Pipeline."
00:01:18.34\00:01:20.78
And if you're following along
in the series companion book,
00:01:20.78\00:01:24.08
we'll begin
today with chapter 4.
00:01:24.08\00:01:26.88
The gospels record how our
Lord Jesus Christ was crucified
00:01:26.88\00:01:30.39
between two criminals.
00:01:30.39\00:01:31.92
They were members of a
violent band of robbers
00:01:31.92\00:01:34.36
that plundered Palestine
during this time of history.
00:01:34.36\00:01:37.79
And these two are most
likely Jews by nationality.
00:01:37.79\00:01:41.60
They are presumed to have
been followers of Barabbas,
00:01:41.60\00:01:44.43
the notorious
robber who committed murder
00:01:44.43\00:01:47.30
during an
insurrection and was imprisoned
00:01:47.30\00:01:49.87
at the same
time of Christ trial.
00:01:49.87\00:01:52.64
Now the robbers
faced crucifixion.
00:01:52.64\00:01:55.98
The most hideous and degrading
death of the ancient world
00:01:55.98\00:02:00.25
reserved for only
the worst of criminals.
00:02:00.25\00:02:03.72
Standing in the judgment
hall they heard the commotion
00:02:03.72\00:02:07.32
of the confusing
case against Christ.
00:02:07.32\00:02:10.49
And as they were
led away with him
00:02:10.49\00:02:12.79
carrying their
cross beams to Calvary,
00:02:12.79\00:02:15.56
the raging
thoughts of his persecutors
00:02:15.56\00:02:18.47
and the tearful veils of His
followers fell on their ears.
00:02:18.47\00:02:22.77
Excruciating
suffering awaited them.
00:02:22.77\00:02:25.81
Every movement,
every breath on their cross
00:02:25.81\00:02:29.04
will cause painful throbbing.
00:02:29.04\00:02:31.15
Stripped naked to
increase humiliation,
00:02:31.15\00:02:34.32
the crucified typically suffered
several days of the lonesome
00:02:34.32\00:02:38.82
and lingering labor of dying.
00:02:38.82\00:02:41.56
These two
criminals were fortunate.
00:02:41.56\00:02:43.93
There Friday, of
their crucifixion
00:02:43.93\00:02:46.16
was the preparation
day for high Sabbath.
00:02:46.16\00:02:49.23
That was a feast day
00:02:49.23\00:02:50.63
which synchronized with
the seventh-day Sabbath.
00:02:50.63\00:02:53.34
It was labeled a
higher great day.
00:02:53.34\00:02:56.14
So for religious respectability
00:02:56.14\00:02:58.64
their moment of
death would be hastened.
00:02:58.64\00:03:01.38
The Jews requested of
Pilate to have their legs broken
00:03:01.38\00:03:04.98
so that the death
would come more rapidly
00:03:04.98\00:03:07.25
and their
bodies could be removed
00:03:07.25\00:03:09.12
from this--the cross
before the special Sabbath.
00:03:09.12\00:03:12.79
A heavy mallet would be used
to break their legs destroying
00:03:12.79\00:03:16.73
any potential of being
able to push up on their feet
00:03:16.73\00:03:20.90
to relieve the
body weight pressure
00:03:20.90\00:03:22.86
from their lungs to breathe.
00:03:22.86\00:03:25.23
So suffocation and heart
failure would eventually follow.
00:03:25.23\00:03:30.41
Three crosses awaited
on the Hill of Calvary.
00:03:30.41\00:03:34.18
Guilty before man and God,
00:03:34.18\00:03:36.04
the two
criminals were crucified.
00:03:36.04\00:03:38.68
And the Lamb of
God, the Lord of glory
00:03:38.68\00:03:41.85
hung nailed to the center cross.
00:03:41.85\00:03:45.85
According to tradition,
00:03:45.85\00:03:47.79
Demas was the name
of the penitent thief
00:03:47.79\00:03:50.99
hanging to the right of Christ.
00:03:50.99\00:03:53.50
He knew of
Christ's fame and he noticed
00:03:53.50\00:03:56.46
that he had
been sentenced to die
00:03:56.46\00:03:58.60
only for His claims
of being the Son of God.
00:03:58.60\00:04:02.64
But in his misery Demas
had it first mocked Jesus
00:04:02.64\00:04:06.91
joining his
companion and the others
00:04:06.91\00:04:08.94
who hurled insults at the Lord.
00:04:08.94\00:04:12.05
But the operation of
God's grace began to soften him.
00:04:12.05\00:04:15.82
And as he looked at the
one on the cross beside him,
00:04:15.82\00:04:19.69
he identified a heart
of infinite compassion.
00:04:19.69\00:04:23.79
Christ conduct convinced Demas
that the man on the center cross
00:04:23.79\00:04:28.93
was the Messiah
and suffering wrongly.
00:04:28.93\00:04:32.53
In horror of his own
actions, he changed his language
00:04:32.53\00:04:37.11
and chastised his companion
for criticizing the Savior.
00:04:37.11\00:04:41.24
Saying in Luke 23:40 and 41.
00:04:41.24\00:04:46.05
"Do you not even fear God,
00:04:46.05\00:04:49.18
seeing you are under the
same sentence of condemnation?
00:04:49.18\00:04:52.42
And we indeed justly,
00:04:52.42\00:04:54.42
for we receive the
due reward of our deeds,
00:04:54.42\00:04:58.56
but this Man has
done nothing wrong."
00:04:58.56\00:05:03.40
Demas humbled
himself confessing his sin
00:05:03.40\00:05:06.74
and this was
proof of God's grace
00:05:06.74\00:05:09.14
being extended to
his miserable soul.
00:05:09.14\00:05:12.74
It might surprise you to learn
00:05:12.74\00:05:14.68
that even
repentance is a gift from God.
00:05:14.68\00:05:18.41
This is too
important to skip over.
00:05:18.41\00:05:20.55
So let's read a
couple of scriptures
00:05:20.55\00:05:22.35
from the sheer word of God
00:05:22.35\00:05:23.75
to settle this
matter in your heart.
00:05:23.75\00:05:26.35
In Acts 5:31 the Bible says,
00:05:26.35\00:05:29.82
"Him God has
exalted to His right hand"
00:05:29.82\00:05:33.33
speaking of Christ
"To be Prince and Savior,
00:05:33.33\00:05:36.63
to give repentance to Israel
and the forgiveness of sins."
00:05:36.63\00:05:41.44
So God gives us repentance.
00:05:41.44\00:05:44.11
In 2 Timothy 2:24, proves
"Repentance is a gift from God."
00:05:44.11\00:05:49.78
And it reads, I'll
read 2 Timothy 2:24 and 25.
00:05:49.78\00:05:53.95
And it says, "A
servant of the Lord
00:05:53.95\00:05:56.18
must not quarrel
but be gentle to all.
00:05:56.18\00:05:58.85
Able to teach patiently
in humility correcting those
00:05:58.85\00:06:03.43
who are in opposition if perhaps
God will grant them repentance
00:06:03.43\00:06:10.60
so that they
may know the truth."
00:06:10.60\00:06:13.00
The Holy Spirit is
constantly at work to convince
00:06:13.00\00:06:17.27
and convict people of their sins
00:06:17.27\00:06:19.54
and to bring
them to godly sorrow.
00:06:19.54\00:06:22.24
When God sees someone
who is sorry for their sins
00:06:22.24\00:06:25.71
and they're seeking forgiveness,
00:06:25.71\00:06:27.92
He grants them the
gift of repentance,
00:06:27.92\00:06:31.29
just as God granted to Demas
00:06:31.29\00:06:33.72
who turned away
from his sins to Christ.
00:06:33.72\00:06:36.66
And said in Luke
23:42, "Oh, Lord, remember me
00:06:36.66\00:06:40.96
when You come
into Your kingdom."
00:06:40.96\00:06:43.33
Demas certainly had to recognize
that Christ was not coming down
00:06:43.33\00:06:47.27
from His cross to establish
a temporal kingdom on earth.
00:06:47.27\00:06:51.87
He realized as
Jesus taught in John 18:36
00:06:51.87\00:06:56.68
that Christ kingdom
was not of this world.
00:06:56.68\00:07:00.22
It was a kingdom on the
other side of the grave.
00:07:00.22\00:07:03.82
The spirit of grace
helped him to see beyond
00:07:03.82\00:07:07.36
the shame of Christ
to His coming glory.
00:07:07.36\00:07:10.29
And recognizing
Christ divine authority,
00:07:10.29\00:07:13.13
he confessed Him his Lord.
00:07:13.13\00:07:15.23
In the midst of Christ
agony at His darkest moment
00:07:15.23\00:07:19.43
this prayer of
faith gratified the heart.
00:07:19.43\00:07:22.50
The Lord would not
ignore the penitent cry.
00:07:22.50\00:07:25.51
Christ accepted him
promising Demas eternal life
00:07:25.51\00:07:29.78
proving it is faith,
not works that saves.
00:07:29.78\00:07:35.08
As long as a person
can make the choice,
00:07:35.08\00:07:38.05
it is never too
late to turn to Christ.
00:07:38.05\00:07:41.16
While there is life remaining
in the bodies there is hope.
00:07:41.16\00:07:45.63
And the loving
heart of our Savior
00:07:45.63\00:07:48.13
responded to this
criminal in Luke 23:43.
00:07:48.13\00:07:54.44
And he said,
"Assuredly, I say to you today,
00:07:54.44\00:07:59.61
you will be
with Me in Paradise."
00:07:59.61\00:08:03.35
On that day
Christ promised Demas
00:08:03.35\00:08:06.61
that he had granted his request.
00:08:06.61\00:08:09.08
Demas had tapped into God's
grace pipeline through faith
00:08:09.08\00:08:13.15
and received the gift of
eternal life and an inheritance
00:08:13.15\00:08:16.93
among those whom Christ
makes righteous by faith.
00:08:16.93\00:08:20.93
He will eat
from the tree of life
00:08:20.93\00:08:22.96
which Revelation 2:7 says,
00:08:22.96\00:08:25.43
"Is in the midst of the Garden
of God located in heaven."
00:08:25.43\00:08:29.87
Now I must in to be
perfectly transparent notice
00:08:29.87\00:08:34.34
or make a note that I
place the comment on that verse
00:08:34.34\00:08:39.38
after on verse 43 after today.
00:08:39.38\00:08:43.89
You know, authors of
the New Testament books
00:08:43.89\00:08:46.55
recorded the original Greek
text without punctuation marks
00:08:46.55\00:08:51.33
and the balance of
scripture convinces me
00:08:51.33\00:08:54.73
that translators had
mistakenly placed the comma
00:08:54.73\00:08:57.87
before today in that verse
00:08:57.87\00:09:00.47
which alters
the idea completely.
00:09:00.47\00:09:03.97
Jesus either meant Demas,
00:09:03.97\00:09:06.71
I tell you today at
this very moment in time.
00:09:06.71\00:09:09.64
I promise you Demas,
00:09:09.64\00:09:11.48
you can be
certain in the future,
00:09:11.48\00:09:13.85
you'll be with Me in paradise
or if you put the comma before,
00:09:13.85\00:09:18.62
he was saying to Jesus--
Jesus was saying to Demas
00:09:18.62\00:09:23.16
"This very day you'll
join Me in the paradise of God"
00:09:23.16\00:09:27.00
which option the
scripture support.
00:09:27.00\00:09:30.20
The Apostle John
confirms in Revelation 2:7
00:09:30.20\00:09:34.60
that the location
of the paradise of God
00:09:34.60\00:09:37.17
is in heaven.
00:09:37.17\00:09:38.57
And let me tell you something.
00:09:38.57\00:09:40.21
Demas could not
possibly have entered paradise
00:09:40.21\00:09:43.58
on the Friday of his crucifixion
00:09:43.58\00:09:45.65
because the
promise keeping Christ
00:09:45.65\00:09:48.28
did not return
to heaven that day.
00:09:48.28\00:09:50.72
The account of his Sunday
morning resurrection is recorded
00:09:50.72\00:09:54.46
in John 20:11-18.
00:09:54.46\00:09:58.96
After Christ had resurrected,
00:09:58.96\00:10:01.26
He instructed Mary
not to cling to Him. Why?
00:10:01.26\00:10:04.67
He said, it was because
00:10:04.67\00:10:06.07
He had not yet
ascended to the Father.
00:10:06.07\00:10:08.90
And in John 14:1-4,
00:10:08.90\00:10:12.91
Jesus had previously
explained to His disciples
00:10:12.91\00:10:16.88
that He would go to
prepare a place for them
00:10:16.88\00:10:19.65
and when everything was ready,
He would come again to receive
00:10:19.65\00:10:23.75
His faithful
followers to Himself.
00:10:23.75\00:10:26.45
This is a definite
promise of His second coming.
00:10:26.45\00:10:30.03
So there's only one light
to go conclusion that remains
00:10:30.03\00:10:33.50
that is consistent
with the rest of scripture.
00:10:33.50\00:10:36.50
On the day of His crucifixion,
00:10:36.50\00:10:39.07
Christ promised that
at His second coming,
00:10:39.07\00:10:42.64
Demas will rise
in the resurrection
00:10:42.64\00:10:45.21
of the righteous
and put on immortality
00:10:45.21\00:10:48.34
with the rest of
the righteous ones.
00:10:48.34\00:10:51.05
In his misery the
penitent thief met mercy.
00:10:51.05\00:10:54.92
Divine grace was magnified
00:10:54.92\00:10:57.22
and Demas'
disgrace was abolished.
00:10:57.22\00:11:02.06
The conversion
of the naked thief
00:11:02.06\00:11:04.09
on a cross is an incredible
snapshot of salvation by grace.
00:11:04.09\00:11:08.70
He recognized Jesus as Lord,
00:11:08.70\00:11:11.03
became convicted of
his sinful condition,
00:11:11.03\00:11:14.00
experienced remorse, confessed
his sin and cried out for mercy.
00:11:14.00\00:11:20.31
The grace of our Lord granted
him the gifts of forgiveness,
00:11:20.31\00:11:24.55
repentance,
justification and salvation.
00:11:24.55\00:11:28.38
That is the
message of the cross.
00:11:28.38\00:11:31.75
Look at the Apostle Paul's
words in 1 Corinthians 1:18.
00:11:31.75\00:11:37.19
He says, "For the message
of the cross is foolishness
00:11:37.19\00:11:41.33
to those who are perishing,
00:11:41.33\00:11:43.37
but to us who are being
saved it is the power of God."
00:11:43.37\00:11:50.07
Now in the backs--background
of that snapshot of salvation
00:11:50.07\00:11:55.61
is the darker side of the story.
00:11:55.61\00:11:58.18
The other robber hanging
naked to the left of Jesus
00:11:58.18\00:12:02.35
did not understand
the message of the cross.
00:12:02.35\00:12:05.39
And so to him it was
just absolutely meaningless.
00:12:05.39\00:12:10.19
He snubbed the Savior,
00:12:10.19\00:12:11.79
he spurned salvation
by grace and unforgiven,
00:12:11.79\00:12:15.66
the companion of
Demas perished in his sins.
00:12:15.66\00:12:20.40
When it comes to judgment,
00:12:20.40\00:12:22.50
all men and women
stand naked before the Lord.
00:12:22.50\00:12:26.14
We cannot cover our sins.
00:12:26.14\00:12:28.61
If we accept the
gospel of Christ,
00:12:28.61\00:12:31.28
we will like
Demas stand in grace
00:12:31.28\00:12:35.28
and receive everlasting life.
00:12:35.28\00:12:37.92
However if we
reject the good news,
00:12:37.92\00:12:41.19
we will like
his robber companion
00:12:41.19\00:12:44.33
fall in disgrace and perish.
00:12:44.33\00:12:47.60
Perhaps, one of the
most beautiful and grandiose
00:12:47.60\00:12:51.47
known promises of God is
the one found in John 3:16
00:12:51.47\00:12:57.07
which says, "For
God so loved the world
00:12:57.07\00:13:01.31
that He gave His
only begotten Son,
00:13:01.31\00:13:04.58
that whoever believes
in him should not perish
00:13:04.58\00:13:08.12
but have everlasting life.
00:13:08.12\00:13:10.25
For God did not send
His Son into the world
00:13:10.25\00:13:13.25
to condemn the world,
00:13:13.25\00:13:15.16
but that the world
through Him might be saved."
00:13:15.16\00:13:20.63
God is just, that
means He is absolutely good,
00:13:20.63\00:13:24.50
virtuous,
impartial, fair minded, honest,
00:13:24.50\00:13:28.24
incorruptible,
trustworthy and righteous.
00:13:28.24\00:13:32.14
And in performing His justice,
00:13:32.14\00:13:34.68
He consistently does
all things in accordance
00:13:34.68\00:13:38.91
with what is perfectly right.
00:13:38.91\00:13:41.05
He judges fairly.
00:13:41.05\00:13:42.82
His wrath against
sin is justly deserved.
00:13:42.82\00:13:46.82
But Jesus death satisfied
God's righteous wreath.
00:13:46.82\00:13:51.93
God's pardon to
unholy sinners is only
00:13:51.93\00:13:55.63
because He secures
our acquittal from guilt
00:13:55.63\00:13:59.40
based on Christ
death by His divine grace
00:13:59.40\00:14:03.37
through the gifts of repentance
forgiveness in salvation.
00:14:03.37\00:14:07.74
Where it not for grace,
00:14:07.74\00:14:09.78
you and I would be
helpless and hopeless.
00:14:09.78\00:14:13.21
For the Bible
tells us in Roman 3:23,
00:14:13.21\00:14:16.22
that "All have sinned and
fallen short of His glory"
00:14:16.22\00:14:20.12
which is His
righteous character.
00:14:20.12\00:14:22.46
Just think
about it for a moment.
00:14:22.46\00:14:24.73
Can you recall even
one day in your life
00:14:24.73\00:14:27.73
that you did not fall short
00:14:27.73\00:14:29.13
of the mark of
God's righteous character,
00:14:29.13\00:14:32.30
not only in
thought but in action.
00:14:32.30\00:14:35.17
Have you ever spent
even one 24 hour period
00:14:35.17\00:14:39.07
that could measure
up to His righteousness
00:14:39.07\00:14:41.51
without a single lapse?
00:14:41.51\00:14:43.68
Even the most righteous saint is
indeed a sinner saved by grace.
00:14:43.68\00:14:49.18
In the brilliant presence
of our Lord, our righteousness,
00:14:49.18\00:14:53.49
our very best can be
compared only to filthy rags.
00:14:53.49\00:14:58.26
Thank God for His grace.
00:14:58.26\00:15:00.96
From time to time
someone will ask me,
00:15:00.96\00:15:04.00
well, if God is such a
wonderful God and God of grace,
00:15:04.00\00:15:07.54
why would a loving God
create the devil to tempt us?
00:15:07.54\00:15:12.07
I want to tell you
something, He did not.
00:15:12.07\00:15:14.78
Ezekiel 28:12-15 informs us
00:15:14.78\00:15:18.38
that God created
Lucifer with perfection
00:15:18.38\00:15:21.75
but also with free will.
00:15:21.75\00:15:24.49
God assigned him to be a
covering cherub at His throne,
00:15:24.49\00:15:28.19
making Him the highest
ranked of all created beings.
00:15:28.19\00:15:32.76
Lucifer lived in
the presence of God
00:15:32.76\00:15:35.33
and was
blameless at all his ways
00:15:35.33\00:15:37.73
until inequity
entered his heart.
00:15:37.73\00:15:41.37
Pride was his
iniquity, the origin of sin.
00:15:41.37\00:15:45.81
And Lucifer lifted
his heart in vanity
00:15:45.81\00:15:50.18
and as is
described in Isaiah 14:12-14.
00:15:50.18\00:15:55.92
Here's what the
Lord says about him.
00:15:55.92\00:15:58.69
"How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
00:15:58.69\00:16:03.16
How you are cut
down to the ground,
00:16:03.16\00:16:05.76
You who weakened the nations!
00:16:05.76\00:16:08.36
For you have said in your heart,
00:16:08.36\00:16:10.23
'I will ascend into heaven,
00:16:10.23\00:16:12.33
I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God,
00:16:12.33\00:16:16.24
I will also sit on the
mount of the congregation
00:16:16.24\00:16:19.37
on the farthest
sides of the north,
00:16:19.37\00:16:21.71
I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds,
00:16:21.71\00:16:25.68
I will be like the Most High.'"
00:16:25.68\00:16:29.65
Lucifer's vain
imagination caused him to think
00:16:29.65\00:16:33.49
that he was worthy
to receive worship,
00:16:33.49\00:16:36.36
the worship
only deserved by God.
00:16:36.36\00:16:38.89
And in his competitive
attitude of self glorification,
00:16:38.89\00:16:44.27
submission to the
Almighty's authority
00:16:44.27\00:16:46.77
was intolerable to him.
00:16:46.77\00:16:49.04
Jesus said in John 8:44,
00:16:49.04\00:16:51.64
that Lucifer became a murderer,
00:16:51.64\00:16:54.28
a liar and the
father of all falsehood.
00:16:54.28\00:16:59.28
To gratify his lust for power,
00:16:59.28\00:17:02.05
Lucifer fabricated
accusations against the Lord
00:17:02.05\00:17:05.75
desiring God's
position and authority.
00:17:05.75\00:17:08.52
He masterminded a rebellion
00:17:08.52\00:17:11.19
and he marshaled an unholy
alliance against the Almighty,
00:17:11.19\00:17:15.50
accusing God of being unjust.
00:17:15.50\00:17:18.60
The Lord could have instantly,
instantly ended the anarchy
00:17:18.60\00:17:24.17
by annihilating
Lucifer and his gang.
00:17:24.17\00:17:27.38
But such an act
would raise suspicion
00:17:27.38\00:17:30.18
that the complaint
lodged against Him was true.
00:17:30.18\00:17:33.55
And what about
the on looking angels,
00:17:33.55\00:17:36.45
those created
beings who remained loyal.
00:17:36.45\00:17:39.52
They would then serve God
out of fear rather than love.
00:17:39.52\00:17:43.12
So until God's just character
can be proven beyond doubt.
00:17:43.12\00:17:48.40
God limited His response as
described in Revelation 12:7-9
00:17:48.40\00:17:55.10
to merely casting
Lucifer and his followers
00:17:55.10\00:17:58.24
which was the
third of the angels.
00:17:58.24\00:18:00.11
He just cast them out of heaven.
00:18:00.11\00:18:02.41
These fallen angels
we are told in Jude 1:6,
00:18:02.41\00:18:06.82
God has reserved as He says it
00:18:06.82\00:18:10.09
"in everlasting
chains under darkness
00:18:10.09\00:18:13.82
for the judgment
of the great day."
00:18:13.82\00:18:17.89
Lucifer the chief of
the fallen demonic troop
00:18:17.89\00:18:22.06
became known as Satan,
00:18:22.06\00:18:24.20
which means adversary and
he's also known as the devil
00:18:24.20\00:18:27.94
which that word means accuser.
00:18:27.94\00:18:30.34
When Adam and Eve
succumbed to Satan's temptation,
00:18:30.34\00:18:33.98
they relinquished to him,
00:18:33.98\00:18:35.78
their God given
authority over the earth.
00:18:35.78\00:18:38.48
Until God restores all things,
00:18:38.48\00:18:41.05
the devil has temporarily gained
a grip over our fallen world.
00:18:41.05\00:18:45.79
And the devil's
merciless mission is to thwart
00:18:45.79\00:18:49.72
the Lord's plan of salvation
00:18:49.72\00:18:51.96
by continuing to
create doubt on his character.
00:18:51.96\00:18:56.63
And don't be fooled, worship
remains his chief desire.
00:18:56.63\00:19:00.40
I'm talking about Satan.
00:19:00.40\00:19:02.24
In his concealed delusion,
00:19:02.24\00:19:04.57
he even vainly
attempted to receive worship
00:19:04.57\00:19:07.91
from the Son of God as the
Bible records in Matthew 4:9-10
00:19:07.91\00:19:14.42
which says and
this is Lucifer talking.
00:19:14.42\00:19:17.59
He said to Him, to Christ,
00:19:17.59\00:19:19.92
"All these
things I will give You,
00:19:19.92\00:19:22.46
if You will fall
down and worship me."
00:19:22.46\00:19:26.03
Then Jesus said to
him, "Away with you, Satan!
00:19:26.03\00:19:29.53
For it is written, 'You
shall worship the Lord your God,
00:19:29.53\00:19:33.90
and Him only shall you serve."
00:19:33.90\00:19:38.61
Satan's greatest mistake was
his scheme to kill the Savior.
00:19:38.61\00:19:44.88
Satan entered the
heart of Judas Iscariot
00:19:44.88\00:19:48.85
and convinced
him to betray Christ.
00:19:48.85\00:19:51.52
Judas had declared that
he was one of the disciples
00:19:51.52\00:19:54.59
but he was
unwilling to surrender
00:19:54.59\00:19:56.49
to the influence of Christ
divine love and holy character
00:19:56.49\00:20:00.26
and to live under submission
to the Lord's authority.
00:20:00.26\00:20:03.47
So expecting that
Christ would start
00:20:03.47\00:20:06.30
a political
rebellion and overthrow Rome,
00:20:06.30\00:20:09.17
Judas became His
follower with mixed motives.
00:20:09.17\00:20:13.58
Personal ambition
stirred his anticipation
00:20:13.58\00:20:17.41
of a coveted
promotion with greater authority
00:20:17.41\00:20:21.18
in a newly
established earthly kingdom.
00:20:21.18\00:20:24.25
So through his
attitude and his actions,
00:20:24.25\00:20:28.26
Judas gave the devil
a foothold in his life.
00:20:28.26\00:20:32.16
As the treasurer of the
apostles the Bible records
00:20:32.16\00:20:35.53
that he secretly stole from
the Lord's ministry finances.
00:20:35.53\00:20:39.83
Then Judas became
angry and he took offence
00:20:39.83\00:20:43.57
when Christ rebuked him publicly
for his miserly attitude.
00:20:43.57\00:20:49.28
So he opened his
heart to the devil
00:20:49.28\00:20:52.15
to allow the devil
to work through him.
00:20:52.15\00:20:54.65
And this
hypocrite became an apostate
00:20:54.65\00:20:57.85
and betrayed his
master for 30 pieces of silver
00:20:57.85\00:21:02.42
which was a
traditional price of a slave.
00:21:02.42\00:21:05.63
Judas became the devil's agent
00:21:05.63\00:21:08.40
and he found disaster
and death to be his reward.
00:21:08.40\00:21:12.40
He died remorseful
but without repentance.
00:21:12.40\00:21:15.97
If he had turned back to God,
00:21:15.97\00:21:18.01
he would have been
restored through God's grace,
00:21:18.01\00:21:20.78
the gift of eternal life.
00:21:20.78\00:21:23.14
The Bible tells us in Roman 6:23
00:21:23.14\00:21:25.35
"For the wages of sin is death,
00:21:25.35\00:21:28.02
but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
00:21:28.02\00:21:33.82
You see Satan presumed to
destroy God's plan of salvation,
00:21:33.82\00:21:38.09
but the cross proved
to be his greatest defeat.
00:21:38.09\00:21:42.36
The crucifixion of Christ
was the central event of--
00:21:42.36\00:21:47.37
in the controversy
between good and evil.
00:21:47.37\00:21:50.14
And it rendered the
devil a conquered vow.
00:21:50.14\00:21:54.18
We were, we are
reconciled to God
00:21:54.18\00:21:57.65
through the gift of Jesus Christ
00:21:57.65\00:21:59.88
as 2 Corinthians
5:19, assures us.
00:21:59.88\00:22:04.49
"God was in Christ reconciling
the world to Himself,
00:22:04.49\00:22:09.86
not imputing their
trespasses to them."
00:22:09.86\00:22:14.30
You see fallen humanity
have become an enemy of God
00:22:14.30\00:22:18.10
and we had a sinned death
that could never be repaid.
00:22:18.10\00:22:22.74
Divine justice demanded payment
00:22:22.74\00:22:25.81
but God tempers
His justice with mercy.
00:22:25.81\00:22:28.84
In divine mercy
He made provision
00:22:28.84\00:22:31.45
to reconcile the world
to Himself through Christ.
00:22:31.45\00:22:35.12
And in an act
of mercy and grace,
00:22:35.12\00:22:37.79
God sent Christ to win back
humanity's love and loyalty.
00:22:37.79\00:22:42.49
Christ shed His blood on
the cruel cross of Calvary
00:22:42.49\00:22:46.70
that you and I
might be justified.
00:22:46.70\00:22:49.13
Put in right
standing before God.
00:22:49.13\00:22:52.10
Hallelujah and amen.
00:22:52.10\00:22:54.50
Well, we'll
continue on this study
00:22:54.50\00:22:57.14
on our next program as we
begin to probe into the idea
00:22:57.14\00:23:01.88
of how Christ
righteousness justifies us.
00:23:01.88\00:23:05.05
And we hope that you
will be able to join us.
00:23:05.05\00:23:08.55
Well, our time is
almost gone today,
00:23:08.55\00:23:10.59
but I want to take just
a brief moment to review
00:23:10.59\00:23:15.12
how God's system of grace works.
00:23:15.12\00:23:18.36
Not everybody
was able to tune in
00:23:18.36\00:23:20.30
for the first program or two,
00:23:20.30\00:23:22.56
but when I asked the
Lord how to--how it worked,
00:23:22.56\00:23:26.33
this is what He showed me.
00:23:26.33\00:23:28.07
It's an illustration that's
really kind of changed my life.
00:23:28.07\00:23:32.34
You have to
understand that God's heart
00:23:32.34\00:23:34.58
vales with love for us.
00:23:34.58\00:23:36.91
And His love is the compelling
force behind His grace.
00:23:36.91\00:23:43.79
He loves us.
00:23:43.79\00:23:45.19
The Bible says,
within an everlasting love
00:23:45.19\00:23:47.79
and He draws us to
Himself with love and kindness.
00:23:47.79\00:23:51.63
So from that well of love,
flow all of God's blessings.
00:23:51.63\00:23:56.40
Grace is the pipeline
00:23:56.40\00:23:59.10
through which these blessings
flow from heaven to earth.
00:23:59.10\00:24:02.97
Everything,
absolutely every good thing
00:24:02.97\00:24:06.91
comes to us through His
great pipeline of grace.
00:24:06.91\00:24:10.95
So we-- if we think about God
00:24:10.95\00:24:13.25
being the giver of
every good and perfect gift,
00:24:13.25\00:24:16.89
He makes them all available
to mankind through faith.
00:24:16.89\00:24:22.06
Faith is the faucet.
00:24:22.06\00:24:23.76
It's how we tap into
God's grace pipeline.
00:24:23.76\00:24:27.66
And our faith regulates
the release of blessings
00:24:27.66\00:24:31.87
from His great, great reservoir.
00:24:31.87\00:24:35.07
Through Christ, Romans 5:2 says,
00:24:35.07\00:24:38.01
we have access by faith into
this marvelous grace of God.
00:24:38.01\00:24:44.71
Prayer is the handle
that opens the faith faucet.
00:24:44.71\00:24:49.18
Trust is the foundation
for the prayer of faith.
00:24:49.18\00:24:53.46
Relationship is the
foundation for trust.
00:24:53.46\00:24:57.76
And what is the foundation
for relationship? Love.
00:24:57.76\00:25:01.80
So the greater our understanding
of God's love for us,
00:25:01.80\00:25:07.40
the greater our
love will be for Him.
00:25:07.40\00:25:10.67
John tells us, we only love
Him because He first loved us.
00:25:10.67\00:25:15.04
And the greater our love,
00:25:15.04\00:25:17.38
the more intimate our
relationship will become
00:25:17.38\00:25:20.78
with our heavenly Father.
00:25:20.78\00:25:22.42
And the more
intimate our relationship,
00:25:22.42\00:25:24.95
the greater our
trust will become.
00:25:24.95\00:25:27.86
So as we learn to
trust in the Lord,
00:25:27.86\00:25:30.49
leaning not on our understanding
but on what His word says,
00:25:30.49\00:25:35.56
then we develop
the prayer of faith
00:25:35.56\00:25:39.37
and we become more persistent
in our prayer of faith
00:25:39.37\00:25:43.34
and that develops
greater actions of faith.
00:25:43.34\00:25:47.28
So the greater our faith,
00:25:47.28\00:25:49.14
the more we tap into the
various areas of God's grace.
00:25:49.14\00:25:54.18
And then when we
access His grace pipeline,
00:25:54.18\00:25:58.35
the blessings flow
and God's stream of love
00:25:58.35\00:26:03.89
and His gifts flow
through this heavenly pipeline
00:26:03.89\00:26:08.26
and there is no
shortage of supply.
00:26:08.26\00:26:11.53
You know, if you have
been following this series
00:26:11.53\00:26:14.70
would probably realize
00:26:14.70\00:26:16.37
that the greatest three gifts
of God's grace are Jesus Christ,
00:26:16.37\00:26:24.18
our Savior and the Holy
Spirit and the word of God.
00:26:24.18\00:26:31.05
If we recognize these
are the three greatest gifts
00:26:31.05\00:26:35.26
and we understand that,
understanding the gifts of grace
00:26:35.26\00:26:40.50
begin to help us understand
00:26:40.50\00:26:44.03
the effects of
grace upon the human soul.
00:26:44.03\00:26:48.50
God wants you to know
00:26:48.50\00:26:52.27
that grace is more
than just a pardon.
00:26:52.27\00:26:57.81
Grace is being
partnered with His power.
00:26:57.81\00:27:01.58
Grace is
surrendering to His control
00:27:01.58\00:27:05.99
allowing Christ to live
in your heart through faith.
00:27:05.99\00:27:10.59
Allowing the Holy
Spirit to work in you
00:27:10.59\00:27:13.93
to do the will of God
and allowing the word of God
00:27:13.93\00:27:18.07
to be implanted in your heart
00:27:18.07\00:27:21.30
and help you
develop the divine actions,
00:27:21.30\00:27:25.77
the divine nature of God.
00:27:25.77\00:27:29.41
I hope that like Demas
00:27:29.41\00:27:32.38
if you have never looked to
the Lord for salvation before,
00:27:32.38\00:27:36.69
if you've
mocked Him in the past,
00:27:36.69\00:27:38.65
I hope and pray that
you return to Him now
00:27:38.65\00:27:41.76
and ask God to forgive
you, to grant you repentance.
00:27:41.76\00:27:45.59
To ask God to please Lord,
00:27:45.59\00:27:49.00
let me be saved and God will.
00:27:49.00\00:27:53.74
He loves you, my brother.
He loves you, my sister.
00:27:53.74\00:27:57.74
Grow in grace in the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:27:57.74\00:28:01.58