Participants: Pr.Dwight Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP161001A
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00:45 God of our fathers
00:49 Whose almighty hand 00:54 Leads forth in beauty 00:58 All the starry band 01:02 Of shining worlds 01:06 In splendor through the skies 01:11 Our grateful songs 01:15 Before Thy throne arise 01:24 Thy love divine 01:28 Hath led us in the past 01:33 In this free land 01:37 By Thee our lot is cast 01:42 Be Thou our ruler 01:46 Guardian, guide, and stay 01:50 Thy word our law 01:55 Thy paths our chosen way 02:04 Refresh Thy people 02:09 On their toilsome way 02:13 Leads us from night 02:17 To neverending day 02:22 Fill all our lives 02:26 With love and grace divine 02:31 And glory, laud 02:35 And praise be ever Thine 03:00 O Lord our Lord. 03:02 O Lord, our Lord how majestic is 03:06 Your name in all the earth 03:10 O Lord, our Lord how majestic is 03:14 Your name in all the earth 03:17 The heavens declare Your greatness 03:21 The oceans cry out to You 03:25 The mountains they bow down before You 03:29 So I'll join with the earth 03:31 And I'll give my praise to You 03:40 O Lord our Lord. 03:42 O Lord, our Lord how majestic is 03:46 Your name in all the earth 03:50 O Lord, our Lord how majestic is 03:54 Your name in all the earth 03:57 The heavens declare Your greatness 04:01 The oceans cry out to You 04:05 The mountains they bow down before You 04:09 So I'll join with the earth and I'll sing 04:13 The heavens declare Your greatness 04:17 The oceans cry out to You 04:21 The mountains they bow down before You 04:25 So I'll join with the earth and I'll give my praise to You 04:36 I will worship. 04:38 I will worship You 04:46 I will worship You 04:51 Sing it together, we worship. 04:54 We will worship You 05:02 We will worship You 05:09 The heavens declare Your greatness 05:13 The oceans cry out to You 05:17 The mountains they bow down before You 05:21 So I'll join with the earth and I'll give my praise to You 05:58 Sing together Majesty. 06:02 Majesty worship His majesty 06:08 Unto Jesus 06:11 Be all glory honor and praise 06:17 Majesty kingdom authority 06:24 Flow from His throne 06:26 Unto His own His anthem raise 06:32 So exalt lift up on high 06:36 The name of Jesus 06:40 Magnify come glorify 06:44 Christ Jesus the King 06:49 Majesty worship His majesty 06:56 Jesus who died now glorified 07:00 King of all kings 07:05 Majesty 07:08 Worship His majesty 07:13 Unto Jesus 07:15 Be all glory honor and praise 07:22 Majesty kingdom authority 07:29 Flow from His throne 07:31 Unto His own His anthem raise 07:37 So exalt lift up on high 07:41 The name of Jesus 07:45 Magnify come glorify 07:49 Christ Jesus the King 07:55 Majesty worship His majesty 08:02 Jesus who died now glorified 08:06 King of all kings 08:10 Jesus who died now glorified 08:16 King of all kings 08:23 Amen, amen, you know, the past couple of weeks, 08:27 if you've been here at PMC or watching online, 08:30 Pastor Dwight's been covering an amazing, amazing series 08:33 talking about the Word of God speaking truth into our heart. 08:39 And that's what this next time is 08:41 as we come to the Lord in prayer, 08:43 we lift up His petitions, we claim His promises, 08:47 and we come to God asking Him to speak His truth 08:51 and His love and His grace into our hearts. 08:55 And so today, as we sing this song, 08:58 as we come into prayer, 09:00 I invite you to ruminate on the words, 09:03 let those words resonate with you, 09:05 sometimes we just sing words, 09:07 but today, hear these words, sing these words 09:11 as we asked God to speak to us today. 09:21 Speak, O Lord, as we come to You 09:27 To receive the food 09:31 Of Your Holy Word 09:35 Take Your truth plant in deep in us 09:42 Shape and fashion us 09:46 In Your likeness 09:51 That the light of Christ 09:55 Might be seen today 09:59 In our acts of love 10:03 And our deeds of faith 10:07 Speak, O Lord and fulfill in us 10:14 All Your purposes 10:18 For Your glory 10:27 Teach us, Lord. 10:29 Teach us, Lord, full obedience 10:35 Holy reverence 10:39 True humility 10:44 Test our thoughts and our attitudes 10:51 In the radiance 10:54 Of Your purity 11:00 And by grace 11:02 We'll stand on Your promises, 11:08 And by faith we'll walk 11:12 As You walk with us 11:17 Speak, O Lord till Your church is built 11:23 And the earth is filled 11:27 With Your Glory 16:02 Amen! 16:05 That's beautiful, thank you very much. 16:08 Just what we needed in this Sabbath. 16:13 So without any further ado, I want to plunge into, 16:16 I'm really excited about our teaching today. 16:20 I hope it impacts you the way it has impacted me 16:23 in going through this study. 16:26 I want to pray with you, then roll the video trailer, 16:28 we are off. 16:29 Dear Father, homecoming Sabbath, 16:32 kind of reminds us of a homecoming some day 16:36 for the entire human race. 16:40 So we're glad to be a part of this homecoming 16:44 and the nation is rather... 16:48 In a crazy sort of way right now, 16:50 we can't quite figure out what's happening in America. 16:55 May hope be your response 16:59 to our national collective heart, 17:03 maybe Your response to our hearts. 17:05 Bless this moment of teaching make it clear please 17:08 in Jesus name. 17:09 Amen. 17:11 Let's roll that trailer. 17:45 It was a cool Autumn evening 17:47 about this time of year actually 17:48 in the nation's capital Washington DC, 17:51 friend of mine and I decided to go 17:53 down to the National Cathedral, 17:55 majestic Gothic architecture there in DC that evening. 18:00 We were at church headquarters for meetings during the day. 18:04 Let's just go, come on, friend of mine Rob Lloyd. 18:07 Let's just go, check it out. 18:09 We slipped into the Cathedral to find out 18:12 there's a prayer service going on. 18:14 They gathered and as we sat in the back pew and listened, 18:18 we discovered it's a prayer service 18:20 for those suffering from AIDS. 18:24 We sat there quietly and watched, 18:27 as one after another came forward to the officiants 18:30 who are standing at the front, 18:33 some alone, some with family, some with family and friends, 18:37 as the officiants prayed, prayed for healing. 18:41 I'm sure every heart was there for a physical healing 18:46 but there are so many times when your heart also longs 18:49 for emotional healing, it longs for spiritual healing. 18:55 That day, what it was... 18:59 it was an awesome moment 19:01 just to sit there and watch and pray with these strangers. 19:05 Not unlike by the way the moment 19:09 when he is hanging there in mid-air 19:13 suspended from the ceiling that has been ripped open 19:19 with the whole large enough to lower a man's through 19:21 there he is. 19:24 We are told he is suffering from the physical effects 19:30 of a lifestyle he pursued once upon a time, 19:34 spindly, immobile legs, 19:39 skin taut, 19:43 fallow, yellow, decaying. 19:50 And as he hangs there in mid-air, 19:53 his friends eagerly watching from the hole. 19:59 The one over whose head 20:00 the hole had been rapidly dug looks down. 20:06 This one has a man face, strong features 20:11 but a tenderness and a kindness unusual, 20:16 dark eyes of compassion. 20:20 He looks down into the twitching face. 20:27 If we've ever seen the face of guilt 20:29 and in my kind of work, 20:31 I see the face now and then. 20:37 The eyes darting desperate, a twitch, 20:43 the one who looks down, reads the entire story, 20:49 as man doesn't want healing for his legs, 20:51 his heart is about to die. 20:56 And in desperation, he's come through the roof. 21:00 And Jesus speaks. 21:03 And when Jesus speaks, He activates a law 21:07 that has been operative in the universe 21:09 as long as there has been a Creator God. 21:13 We've learned about that law in this series #RXF4NOW, 21:19 the law goes like this. 21:22 Whenever the Creator speaks a word, 21:26 no matter what word it is He speaks, 21:30 the spoken omnipotent word instantly creates the reality 21:36 that the word describes. 21:39 So when He stood in this dark spot of the Milky Way 21:43 and He said, "Let there be light," 21:46 in half a nanosecond, there is light. 21:51 Whenever God speaks a word 21:54 that word whether here or here, 21:58 immediately creates the reality He speaks. 22:02 So the same Creator now incarnated in human flesh, 22:06 looks down at this shriveled, 22:10 desperate dying heart. 22:15 And He speaks the words, 22:18 the man has come to hear, "Son... 22:24 your sins are forgiven." 22:29 And in that instant, 22:32 the omnipotence unleashed with the word 22:34 let there be forgiveness... 22:40 all over the face you see it. 22:43 Desire of Ages captures this moment, 22:45 like this moment in your heart, 22:47 "Could he really do this for me too, 22:49 the burden, the paralytic?" 22:50 "The burden of despair rolls from the sick man's soul, 22:56 the peace of forgiveness rests upon his spirit 22:59 shines out upon his countenance. 23:02 In simple faith, he accepted the words of Jesus 23:05 as the boon of new life. 23:06 He urged no further requests." 23:08 He didn't come for the legs, He came for the heart. 23:13 He urges no further request 23:15 but He lay in blissful silence too happy for words, 23:20 staring into the face that smiles down on him. 23:26 "The light of heaven," I love this, 23:28 "The light of heaven irradiated his countenance 23:32 and the people looked with awe." 23:35 "Wow, did you see that?" 23:41 Romans 8:1, our text, 23:44 would you find it in your Bible, 23:46 whatever bible you brought, didn't bring a Bible, 23:48 grab the pew Bible in front of you. 23:49 You've got your device there, let's go, Romans 8, 23:54 what has just happened before our eyes, 23:59 Romans 8:1, "Therefore..." 24:01 And I'm in the NIV. 24:05 "Therefore, 24:08 there is now no condemnation 24:12 for those who are in Christ Jesus." 24:16 Isn't that amazing? 24:17 There is therefore now no condemnation 24:20 for those who are what? 24:21 Come on, finish the sentence for me, for those who are what? 24:24 In Christ Jesus. 24:28 In Christ, that's Paul favorite. 24:31 That has become Paul's life mission thing. 24:35 He's a champion of in Christ over 200 times, 24:37 over 200 times in his scribbled apostles, 24:40 he will use that phrase or one of its cognates 24:43 in Christ, in him, in Christ, in him, in Christ, in him, why? 24:47 Because when you're in Christ, something happens to you 24:51 and you'll never be the same again. 24:53 There is therefore now no condemnation to those 24:56 who are in Christ Jesus, hallelujah. 25:00 And by the way, that is precisely what the paralytic 25:03 desperately needed to know and he learned it like that. 25:08 Because you see, just go backwards into 7:24, 25:13 the cry, the anguished cry of the paralytic is captured 25:16 here in verse Roman 7:27. 25:19 Verse 24 rather, Roman 7:24, 25:22 "What a wretched man I am! 25:26 Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?" 25:30 There isn't an Andrews on 25:35 that does not know the truth about that line. 25:39 You may have dodged it, you may have ducked it, 25:41 you may have tried to forget it, 25:42 you may have even self medicated yourself 25:44 so that you will never think of it again 25:46 but that truth is born in and berthed in every heart 25:50 that longs for something more. 25:54 A wretched man that I am 25:56 who will deliver me from this body of death 25:58 or wretched woman that I am 26:00 who will deliver me from this body of death. 26:02 You can be a student at Andrews University, 26:03 that's your cry. 26:04 You can be faculty member, 26:06 you can be a preacher at Andrews University, 26:07 that's your cry, 26:09 wretched man that I am who will deliver me 26:10 from this body of death. 26:13 We are all paralytics, and the bad news is terrible 26:17 which is why you need to get the good news, 26:20 which is the very next verse wretched man that I am 26:22 who will deliver me from this body of death, 26:24 look at verse 25, 26:25 "But thanks be to God who delivers me 26:28 through Jesus Christ our Lord." 26:29 Now 8:1, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those 26:35 who are in Christ Jesus." 26:38 No condemnation, wow, in Christ. 26:43 No condemnation. 26:45 Yes, I don't know that's true, oh, come on, think about it. 26:49 Why would God condemn someone who's in Christ? 26:52 He'd be condemning himself. 26:54 That would be the craziest thing in the universe to do. 26:56 Why would I condemn myself? 26:58 If you're in Christ, no condemnation, 27:01 it's illogical for condemnation to arise, it's impossible. 27:04 If you're in Christ, no condemnation. 27:07 Why would I condemn myself? 27:10 There is therefore now no condemnation 27:12 to those who are in Christ Jesus. 27:14 It turns out Paul is trying to set us, 27:16 he's trying to get our attention with this in Christ 27:18 over 200 times you use this phrase, 27:20 come on, get it, get it, get it, get it. 27:22 In fact, I'll tell you this. 27:24 He has already set us up for Romans 8:1 27:29 and what he did in Romans 5? 27:30 So just turn the page, just go back to Romans 5, 27:33 everybody knows Romans 5, at least the first half of it, 27:35 it's the second half we ignore. 27:37 The first half is, it's just replete 27:39 with this glorious description of God's love, 27:41 the Father's love, the son's love for us. 27:43 You remember this Romans 5, let's pick it up in verse six, 27:46 "You see," just at the right time, 27:49 "just at the right time when we were still powerless, 27:51 Christ died for the ungodly." 27:53 Oh, look Paul goes on. 27:55 "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, 27:59 though for a good person, 28:01 someone might possibly dare to die." 28:03 But 5:8, God the Father, 28:07 "God demonstrates His own love for us in this 28:11 while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 28:16 You cannot be love today any more by the God, 28:20 the supreme being of this universe 28:23 then you already loved. 28:24 Nothing that you can do to diminish that love, 28:26 nothing you can do to increase that love, nothing. 28:33 So Paul as Father, Son, Father, Son, 28:35 come on, come on, come on, come on, come on 28:37 and then all of a sudden, Paul says, 28:38 "Hey, you, I want to talk about Adam." 28:40 "Adam, Paul? 28:42 Why would you bring up Adam now, 28:43 we're having a great time with a Father and the Son?" 28:44 I'll show you what he says drop down to verse 12, 28:47 now here we go into territory nobody ventures in Romans 5, 28:50 come on, there's something stunning here. 28:53 Watch this, verse 12, "Therefore, 28:56 just as sin entered the world to the one man..." 28:58 Who is the father of the human race? 28:59 Help me out, who is the father of the human race? 29:01 The Adam. 29:04 "Therefore, just the sin entered the world 29:06 through one man," that would be Adam 29:08 and death through sin, 29:10 "and in this way death came to all people because all sinned." 29:15 And Paul stops, all your new translations have a big dash 29:18 and then whitespace after it, you know why? 29:20 Because he didn't, he never finished the sentence, 29:22 he never finished the sentence. 29:25 When we see him in eternity, "Yo, Paul, 29:26 that sentence in Romans 5, what was up with that? 29:28 Why didn't you finish it?" 29:30 Hey, haven't you ever had it come on alarms, 29:32 didn't you have a brilliant professor? 29:33 What are your classes, come on students today, 29:35 the brilliant professor, the man, 29:37 the woman is waxing eloquent and all of a sudden, 29:39 she's gone. 29:40 Where did she go? 29:42 We were just talking about this, 29:43 no, we're here, brilliant mind. 29:49 "I thought of something else," and he's gone the other way. 29:52 I read John Brown's commentary two summers ago, 29:55 the Bible application commentary 29:56 in the book of Romans read it through, 29:58 and I learned from John that in fact there, 30:00 the language have a technical word 30:01 for unfinished sentences, it's called anacoluthon. 30:04 It means a sentence that never ends the way it should. 30:08 So that's one of those which is one of those, 30:11 there's no ending to it. 30:13 But the boy, oh, boy, the passion, 30:15 Paul went on to take a look at this path 30:17 because you see Paul with his brilliant Hebrew mind. 30:21 Even he's a Jewish scholar, Paul knows that in Judaism, 30:26 that in Hebrew thought, 30:28 you don't have like we have it in the West, 30:30 you and me individual, individual, 30:32 individual, individual, individual, individual, 30:34 we're just a nation of individuals, 30:35 we've lost connectivity, 30:37 we've lost collective and corporate, 30:39 we're just individuals now. 30:41 In the Hebrew mind, the many are one person. 30:46 The many are one and the many have a representative head 30:51 that is the head of the one. 30:54 Thousands are in that one, 30:57 and that's what Paul is now going to show us. 31:01 We once had a head, we now have a new head, 31:08 and he set us up for the in Christ thing, 31:10 watch this, drop down to a verse 15. 31:13 "But the gift," because it's not about 31:15 the Father, Son the gift Calvary, Calvary, 31:17 "the gift is not like the trespass," the sin of Adam, 31:19 "for if the many died, if the many died 31:22 by the trespass of the one man 31:24 how much more to God's grace in the gift 31:26 that came by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ 31:29 overflow to the many." 31:31 How much more? 31:34 He said this up, now he is going to run them biased, 31:37 three parallels, what if we had a chart? 31:40 The study guide by the way is in your all the quotations 31:43 that you have them in your worship book, 31:44 I mean, there's nothing to filling that, 31:45 but if we had a chart for here we would go. 31:47 Three parallels, here they come, 31:48 let's pick it up in verse 17, "For if..." 31:51 put that on the screen please, there we go. 31:53 "For if, by the trespass of the one man," 31:55 that would be Adam, 31:57 "death reigned through that one man 31:59 how much more will those who receive 32:00 God's abundant provision of grace 32:02 and the gift of righteousness reign in life 32:05 through the one man, Christ Jesus." 32:06 All right, let's create other graph, 32:08 we'll have three lines to this chart, 32:10 I call that chart instead, Adam equals what? 32:15 Death reigns, yeah, Adam equals death reign 32:17 and the over here beside would be Christ 32:20 and what happens with Christ, life reigns. 32:23 Okay, let's go, this is verse 18 now, 32:26 "Consequently," 32:27 three of these parallels, he's in a fire bias, 32:29 "Consequently, just as one trespass resulted 32:32 in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act 32:37 resulted in justification and life," 32:40 for how many people, for how many people? 32:41 For all, all. 32:43 Okay, second line, come on, put the chart up real quick, 32:45 second line. 32:46 Adam equals condemnation for how many? 32:48 All. 32:50 Christ equals justification or pardon in life for how many? 32:54 For all. 32:56 Paul says, "Do you get this?" 32:57 "How about one more, Paul?" 32:58 He says, "I'll give you another one." 33:00 Verse 19, 33:01 "For just as through the disobedience 33:02 of the one man," that would be Adam, 33:04 "the many," and by the way, 33:05 when Paul uses many and all, it's the same thing, 33:09 you're not trying to deal with numbers, no, many means all. 33:14 Verse 19, "For just as through the disobedience 33:15 of the one man," Adam, "the many were made sinners, 33:18 so also through the obedience of the one man 33:21 the many will be made righteous." 33:23 Oh, come on, put that third line up. 33:25 Adam, many made sinners. 33:27 Christ, many made righteous. 33:31 What's going on here? 33:32 Paul is actually, Paul is borrowing language 33:35 from the greatest messianic prophecy 33:37 in the Old Testament, the Isaiah 53. 33:39 He's grabbing the language and he's weaving it in here. 33:42 Let's put Isaiah 53 on this on the screen 33:45 because Isaiah 53 is about the Messiah, 33:46 the servant of Israel. 33:48 See Israel as one person, the servant is the head, 33:51 the servant is going to go through what Israel 33:53 will not have to go through 33:54 because the servant goes through, 33:55 that's what's happening in Isaiah 53. 33:57 Take a look at verses 11 and 12, 33:59 "By his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, 34:04 he will bear their iniquities." 34:06 Verse 12, "For he bore the sin of many, 34:08 and he made intercession for the transgressors." 34:10 Somebody stepping in, I will represent all of them. 34:14 What are you going to do, 34:16 what are you going to do by stepping in? 34:17 Go back to verses 5 and 6, "But he," the servant, 34:21 "was pierced for our transgressions, 34:24 he was crushed for our iniquities, 34:27 the punishment that brought us peace was on him, 34:30 and by his wounds we are healed." 34:32 Keep reading verse six, "All we like sheep, have gone astray, 34:36 each of us has turned to our own way 34:38 and the Lord is laid on him." 34:40 The representative of the entire human race, 34:43 "the Lord is laid on him the iniquity of us all." 34:49 You were under Adam, 34:51 and what do you get for being under Adam? 34:52 Death. 34:54 You now can be under Christ 34:56 and what do you get for being under Christ? 34:57 Life. 35:01 In Adam, condemnation. 35:03 In Christ, pardon and life, for all by the way, for all. 35:08 I need to ask you this question, 35:10 how much of all is all? 35:13 How much of all is all? 35:16 It's pretty much all, isn't? 35:18 It's pretty much all, 35:20 all pardoned, all have life. 35:26 Well, look at verse 18, it says do I just making this up, 35:28 come on, verse 18, "Consequently, 35:30 just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, 35:34 so also one righteous act resulted in justification 35:36 and life for all people." 35:38 As many people that are under Adam and in sin and death, 35:43 that same number of people now in Christ pardoned, 35:48 life. 35:51 A century ago short little lady named Ellen White 35:55 wrote three stunning sentences, 35:56 these are all in your study guide, you can take them home, 35:58 let me run these three sentences 35:59 by sentence number one, she's commenting on the prayer. 36:02 Father forgive them as he's been nailed to the cross, 36:04 Father forgive them they don't know what they're doing. 36:07 That prayers are put on screen now from Desire of Ages, 36:09 "That prayer of Christ for His enemies embraced the world. 36:13 It took in every sinner that had lived or should live 36:15 from the beginning of the world to the end of time." 36:17 Upon how many? 36:19 "Upon all rests the guilt of crucifying the Son of God." 36:22 To how many? 36:23 "To all, forgiveness is freely offered. 36:26 'Whosoever will' may have peace with God 36:28 and inherit eternal life." 36:30 The entire human race was pardoned, forgiven, 36:33 justified in Christ. 36:35 And here comes stunning sentence number two 36:37 on the screen. 36:38 "Christ took in His grasp the world 36:40 over which Satan claimed to preside 36:42 as his lawful territory, 36:44 and by his wonderful work in giving his life, 36:47 Christ resort whole race of man and women 36:52 to favor with God." 36:56 The whole race, 37:00 stunning sentence number three, I love this one, watch this. 37:04 "Jesus heart of divine love and sympathy 37:07 is drawn out most of all for the one 37:11 who is the most hopelessly entangled 37:12 in the snares of the enemy." 37:14 Hit the pause button right there, 37:16 there are some of you here, 37:17 that sentences describing right now. 37:19 You know, you come to home, you come to a time 37:21 and then reconnecting with your class and old friends 37:24 and, you know, we have this little sentence 37:28 on our hard disk that we just keep repeating, 37:31 "Yo, how are you?" "Fine, thank you, and you?" 37:33 "Yo, how are you?" "Fine, thank you, and you?" 37:35 "Yo, fine, thank you, and you?" 37:37 they don't even have to ask we know, we have the answer. 37:39 Fine, thank you, and you. 37:41 And yet behind that well manicured alum face 37:45 or that well manicured and handsome student face, 37:49 something's going on, your life is in tangled, 37:53 your stomach is in knots. 37:56 You are in such a bind 38:00 that nobody can slice this knot. 38:06 Did you just notice what we read? 38:08 Jesus is drawn most to people like that. 38:13 Entangled as you are in the back row of the balcony, 38:18 strong to you, more than others, 38:22 He's drawn to you more than drawn to them. 38:26 Wow, "Jesus heart of divine sympathy, 38:29 divine love and sympathy is drawn out most of all 38:31 for the one who is most hopelessly entangled 38:33 in the snares of the enemy." 38:34 Here comes, "With his own blood he has signed 38:38 the emancipation papers of the race." 38:41 Ladies and gentlemen, here's the point please, 38:43 God is not trying to play hard to get with the human race. 38:47 The door to his heart, 38:48 the door to his home is wide open today. 38:51 You can come home now. 38:54 No questions asked, no questions asked. 38:57 Come to me, and I'll give you rest, just come to me. 39:02 And I'll save you. 39:07 So call the Gospel, all the charges are dropped. 39:13 In fact, listen to this, the only way, 39:16 the only way a human being can possibly be lost is 39:20 if the human chooses to be lost. 39:24 You have to choose to be lost 39:27 because God's default position is 39:32 a wide-open heart to you. 39:35 A love that will never stop loving you ever, ever, ever, 39:38 that's His default. 39:40 If you wanted, if you want to be lost, 39:43 you have to say no to Him. 39:47 Otherwise, 39:50 He says "Come, come on, 39:53 let's go, you and me." 39:58 Wow. 40:00 And by the way this is not universalism, 40:03 you can say no. 40:05 He's justified and pardoned 40:07 and forgiven the entire human race, 40:08 you come home right now, 40:10 no questions asked. 40:11 It's not universalism, 40:13 you have the right to say, "No, I don't want to go home." 40:14 But why anybody would not want 40:17 to come is beyond me? 40:21 He says, "Oh, Dwight, you have no idea 40:23 how horrible a sinner I am, 40:26 my family does not know, 40:29 my spouse does not know, 40:33 my friends do not know, 40:36 I've been living with this. 40:39 You have no concept." 40:41 You are absolutely right my friend. 40:43 I do not know 40:45 how horrible it is in your heart. 40:48 All I know is the darkness 40:52 it dwells too often deep in my own soul. 40:58 Oh, wretched man, there I am, 41:02 who will deliver me 41:04 from this body of death. 41:09 And this much else I do know 41:11 from the studying and the reading 41:14 and the praying that I have done 41:16 over this #RXF4NOW. 41:21 This much I do know. 41:24 For every horrible sinner, 41:29 there is one wonderful Savior, 41:36 that much I know. 41:40 No matter how much sin is in your life and in my life, 41:44 verse 20 in the Old King James 41:47 is absolutely true. 41:48 Put it on the screen please, 41:50 "Where sin abounded, 41:53 grace did much more abound." 41:57 The more sins you have, the more grace He pours in. 42:01 The more sins you have, 42:03 the more grace He pours in. 42:05 She who does not confess much 42:08 does not receive much. 42:12 Symonds, Symonds, 42:14 the woman is wept over my feet and washed them, 42:17 and you didn't kiss me, 42:18 you gave me no oil for my head, you didn't wash my feet. 42:23 She has been forgiven much 42:26 loves deeply. 42:28 Amen. 42:29 Where sin abounds grace, there's much more abound. 42:34 Wow, and by the way, 42:37 the news is even better, hold on your pew now 42:40 'cause we're going to get to the best news, 42:42 it's coming right now. 42:43 So hold on, come on, hold on, grab that cold wooden pew. 42:49 Because in Christ, it gets, 42:50 come on, come on, Paul is not through, 42:53 go to chapter 6, watch this, 42:54 you are not going to believe this. 42:56 Some of you can say, "Oh, boy typical homiletical hyperbola." 42:58 That's what we get form it, typical homiletical hyperbola. 43:00 Okay, check it out for yourself, 43:02 Romans 6, come on, check it out, Romans 6:3, 43:06 Paul says, "Or don't you know that 43:08 all of us who were baptized into Christ 43:09 were baptized into His death?" 43:10 Scholars believe that that baptized into Christ, 43:13 that notion from the very beginning 43:14 of the Christian faith 43:15 was the seed for Paul to champion this phrase 43:19 over 200 times in Christ, 43:20 he got it from the baptismal formula. 43:22 You're baptized into Christ, 43:23 in Christ, in Christ, in Christ. 43:25 Hey, Paul says, "Don't you know that all of us 43:27 who were baptized into Christ were baptized into His," what? 43:31 His death was yours, you were so into Him, 43:34 His death became yours. 43:35 Keep reading verse 4, 43:36 "And we were therefore buried with him." 43:38 His burial became yours, keep reading. 43:40 "Buried with him through baptism 43:42 into death in order that, 43:43 just as Christ was raised from the dead 43:45 to the glory of the Father..." 43:47 Guess what? 43:48 We too came up with him, 43:51 we came up with him resurrection Sunday, verse 5, 43:54 "For if we have been united with him 43:56 in a death like his, 43:57 we will certainly also be united with him 43:59 in a resurrection like his." 44:02 Baam, 44:04 you're really in when you're in. 44:07 You die with Him, you're buried with Him, 44:08 You rise with Him and guess what? 44:10 You didn't know this, you ascended with Him. 44:12 Did you know that you ascended with Christ? 44:14 Come on, you ascended with Christ. 44:17 You say, "Now this is where you're pulling my leg, right?" 44:18 No, no, no, no, no, come on, 44:20 Paul Ephesians 2, 44:23 you got a Bible turn to Ephesians 2, 44:25 look at this, look at this, 44:26 can you believe this is in your Bible? 44:28 Ephesians 2, pick it up in verse 4, 44:31 Ephesians 2:4, 44:33 "But because a poll is just so enamored 44:35 with the love of God," everywhere you are turning, 44:36 you are running into God's love with Paul, 44:38 "But because of His great love for us, 44:41 God who is rich in mercy," verse five, 44:44 "made us alive together with Christ 44:45 even when we were dead in transgressions." 44:48 Remember that phrase you read us 44:50 all tangled up in sin, you don't know what to do, 44:52 remember that phrase? 44:53 Guess what? 44:55 When you're in the all tangled up 44:56 and dead in sin phase of your life, 44:59 God has already moved begun 45:02 moving you into in Christ. 45:05 He didn't wait for changed life to do it. 45:09 He already, he started while you were still dead 45:11 in transgressions, mercy. 45:15 And oh, boy in verse 6, 45:18 "And God raised us up with Christ 45:22 and seated us with him in the heavenly realms 45:25 in Christ Jesus." 45:27 Guess where you are right now if you're in Christ? 45:28 You're already in heaven, you are already in heaven, 45:31 do you believe that? 45:32 Because when the Creator says 45:34 you're already in heaven, if you say amen, it is. 45:38 I just said amen, right, 45:39 but I'm still having to listen to you, 45:42 why I'm not in heaven? 45:45 You're there in Christ, 45:49 keep reading one more verse. 45:52 Verse 7, 45:54 "In order that in the coming ages 45:55 God might show the incomparable riches 45:57 of His grace, 45:58 expressed in his kindness to us," 45:59 there it is again over 200 times, 46:02 "In Christ Jesus." 46:05 That is absolutely unbelievable. 46:10 We guided Him, We're buried with Him, 46:11 we rose with Him, we ascended with Him, 46:13 we're sitting on a throne of the universe 46:15 in Christ Jesus, with Him. 46:18 Now think, think 46:20 when you're sitting on the throne with Christ, 46:24 how could God ever lose you? 46:27 How could you be lost? 46:29 You're already there, 46:31 you're there, you're secure, 46:36 He can't lose you unless you say, 46:39 "Get me out of here, 46:40 get me out here, send me back, send me back." 46:49 We do not understand 46:50 how this in Christ theme is absolutely huge 46:54 in God's economy of salvation. 46:56 This in Christ phrase, this in Christ Truth, 47:00 there is no huger truth which is invented word. 47:06 No huger truth than this one, 47:10 so like Paul devoted his life now to preach in Christ, 47:13 in Christ. 47:16 And that little old lady, 47:17 we were talking about a moment ago, 47:20 God bless her, got it right again. 47:23 When she wrote these stunning words 47:25 in a letter to someone who needed to read them 47:27 and that someone maybe you today. 47:31 I'll put them on the screen for you, 47:32 you'll take them home in study guide, 47:33 you didn't get a study guide? 47:35 Ask one of these friendly ushers 47:36 who will be sitting up here and you can get it from them. 47:38 "The message from God to me for you," 47:42 here's your message from God. 47:45 "A message from God to me for you is," 47:47 and she's quoting a red letter words 47:48 in John 6:37, the words of Jesus, 47:50 "Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out." 47:53 By the way, in the Greek this is very interesting, 47:55 in the Greek look at that line. 47:57 I will in no wise that's a double negative 47:59 in The Greek. 48:00 I will no, not ever cast out. 48:03 You coming to me? 48:05 In Christ, forever. 48:08 Now she goes on, watch this, watch this, 48:10 "If you have nothing else to plead before God 48:13 But this one promise from your Lord and Savior, 48:15 you have the assurance that you will never, 48:19 never be turned away." 48:22 I want to tell you something, I promise you this, 48:24 that little lady had no clue 48:27 that there was a double negative in John 6:37 48:30 but when she reacts to the promise, 48:33 what does she put? 48:34 A double negative in the English, 48:36 you will never, never, 48:38 in case you missed the first one. 48:40 You will never, never be turned away. 48:43 Amen! 48:46 Okay, read it as it gets even better. 48:47 "It may seem to you that you are hanging upon 48:49 a single promise, 48:50 but appropriate that one promise, 48:51 and it will open to you 48:53 the whole treasure house 48:54 of the riches of the grace of Christ. 48:56 Cling to that promise and you are safe." 49:00 Quote the line again for us please, 49:02 "'She that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.' 49:05 Present this assurance to Jesus, 49:07 and you are as safe as though," already I'm adding, 49:11 "inside the City of God." 49:14 I rest my case. 49:16 When you're in Christ, you're on the throne, 49:18 now you're inside the city. 49:21 Do you understand that? 49:22 You can't get lost 49:24 unless you say, "Let me out of here, 49:26 let me out, I don't like this place." 49:29 You're free to go by the way. 49:32 But why would anybody say, "Let me out here"? 49:39 Wow. 49:43 Christ promise, Christ grace is so strong, 49:46 so sure that is if you're already there, 49:50 "Oh, do I? 49:51 Come on then, tell me, tell me, tell me, 49:52 how can I be in Christ?" 49:54 Okay, here's how. 49:56 I become and tell me something, no, I am, 49:58 would you know want is this? 50:00 This is what you do, you want to be in Christ, 50:03 this is what you do. 50:04 This frail little hand is upturned, 50:09 and you know what the hand is saying for the heart? 50:12 Amen, amen. 50:15 I'll take it. 50:17 I'll take it please. 50:20 That's all you have to do, 50:24 take it. 50:27 Put your hand down ask Him, 50:31 it's yours, don't walk away, 50:35 put two hands down, that helps. 50:40 Some of you are saying to yourself, 50:42 I know, I know, this is what you're saying, 50:43 "Oh, this is so elementary, 50:46 I am so far there are in my life in this." 50:51 Well, goody for you. 50:56 Sounds to me like a vagrancy, as praying to God, 50:58 "Oh, God I think I'm not like that rich 51:00 on the back row with balcony. 51:02 I got my life together, thank you Jesus." 51:07 Same little lady, 51:09 these words on the screen, 51:11 "All of us need to humble our own individual hearts 51:14 and be converted," how often, 51:16 what's that last word, how often? 51:18 "Daily," daily, daily. 51:24 May been a long time since you ever told Jesus 51:26 I'm in you and you're in me. 51:29 I know you're member of some church somewhere. 51:33 It's fine, don't get you anywhere. 51:37 And maybe a long time since you've told Jesus, 51:42 you can start today, 51:44 tomorrow morning, the next and the next. 51:47 What do I pray? 51:49 Do I, what did Jesus say in John 15:5, 51:52 "Abide in me and I in you." 51:55 It's life, you abide in me, I in you. 51:57 You are in Christ, I am in you. 51:59 So your prayer everyday could be, "Oh, God, 52:01 today right now as the day begins, 52:03 I want to be in Christ and please Jesus in me, 52:08 that's all I am asking." 52:09 Let me be in Him, may He be in me. 52:14 Every day be converted daily, 52:16 every day in Christ. 52:18 He said, "But why, 52:20 what in the world this is have to do 52:21 with the regrets of Oscar Wilde?" 52:23 Oscar Wilde, put his picture on the screen for you. 52:26 Irish playwright, novelist, 52:29 poet essayist, 52:31 one of the great luminaries in the world of the arts 52:33 in the 19th centuries, 52:34 his single novel, 52:36 The Picture of Dorian Gray 52:38 widely acclaimed brilliant mind, 52:40 academic honors, 52:42 one author described him as a scintillating writer. 52:46 Oscar Wilde at the height of his fame and success 52:51 almost by accident ended up in court not once but twice 52:55 and it was the second time that the secrets of his life 52:59 were exposed to the public 53:01 and he was shamed before the world. 53:04 They gave him a two-year sentence 53:06 of hard labor. 53:08 And while in prison, 53:12 he reflected on his tragic fall 53:15 and described a spiritual journey 53:17 in a very long letter 53:18 that has since been titled 53:21 "De Profundis" 53:27 Latin, 53:30 Wilde was released from prison 53:32 after his two-year sentence, 53:34 he died a year later in Paris destitutes, 53:40 he was 46. 53:43 But from that De Profundis, 53:46 these words of his confession, on the screen please, 53:49 "The Gods had given me almost everything. 53:53 But I let myself be lured into long spells a senseless 53:57 and sensual ease 53:58 tired of being on the heights 54:00 I deliberately went to the depths 54:01 in search of for new sensation. 54:04 What the paradox was to me in the sphere of thought, 54:07 perversity became to me in the sphere of passion... 54:10 I grew careless of the lives of others. 54:13 I took pleasure where it pleased me, 54:15 and passed on. 54:16 I forgot that every little action 54:17 of the common day makes or unmakes character, 54:21 and that therefore what one has done 54:23 in the secret chamber, 54:25 one has some day to cry aloud from the house-top. 54:31 I ceased to be lord over myself. 54:33 I was no longer captain of my soul, 54:35 and did not know it. 54:37 I allowed pleasure to dominate me 54:39 and I ended in a horrible disgrace." 54:45 The regrets of Oscar Wilde. 54:50 What a tragic story, 54:54 what a sad ending to so much promise 55:01 because nobody's story, 55:03 nobody's story has to end this way. 55:06 There is therefore now 55:08 no condemnation 55:11 to those who are in Christ Jesus. 55:15 In fact, Jesus spoke the very words 55:17 when they threw that woman taken in adultery 55:20 and heap at His feet, 55:22 Jesus said to her, 55:24 "Woman, 55:27 neither do I condemn you, 55:30 now go in peace, 55:32 leave your life of sin behind." 55:36 No condemnation, 55:38 no regrets 55:42 when you are in Christ 55:45 which you can be right now, right now. 55:51 You say amen, 55:54 you say amen inside, 55:59 you haven't, believe, 56:05 believe. 56:08 Apparently, you can even say to get a miracle, 56:11 "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief." 56:13 You get the miracle anyway, 56:15 just the size seed of a mustard plant, 56:21 it's all I need, just believe me. 56:24 He says and you're in Christ, 56:28 amen. 56:30 Oh, God, could the truth be this simple? 56:35 Could it be this clear? 56:37 Could the news be this glorious? 56:43 Please, my Lord, 56:46 look into our hearts, 56:48 wretched man 56:51 or wretched woman I am. 56:53 Look into our hearts 56:57 and hear the quiet amen 57:03 that we speak to you now. 57:13 Amen. 57:17 I want to take an extra moment with you to tell you about 57:19 something we're really excited about, 57:21 it's called "Hope Trending, 57:22 A Crash Course on How to Live Without Fear". 57:25 It's a 9-night series of 60-minute programs 57:27 that will be live streamed to the world, 57:29 October 14 through 22. 57:32 And we want to connect with your friends, 57:34 friends who have yet to meet God, 57:35 friends who have yet to discover 57:36 how vital end time truths are for this very generation. 57:40 That's why I hope you'll pass on to them an invitation. 57:44 All the information you need for that invitation 57:45 is at our website. 57:47 Let me give that website to you. 57:48 Check it out for yourself, hopetrending.org, 57:51 one word hopetrending.org. 57:54 And would you please join me in praying 57:55 that this new innovative strategy 57:57 will open up fresh doors for Jesus 58:00 across this nation and literally around the world. 58:04 In the meantime, my prayer is that God 58:05 will continue to bless you with His hope, with His grace, 58:08 with His peace, 58:10 until we meet again right here next time. |
Revised 2017-02-05