Hello and welcome back to
3ABN's spring camp meeting
00:01:01.32\00:01:04.92
2010 and our very first
pillars of our faith event,
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has this been an incredible
weekend so far or what. Amen.
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We have been praying so
hard that God would pour out the
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Holy Spirit not only on the
speakers for their anointing,
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but on all who are here and
all of you who are joining us
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by television from
around the world that you would.
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God would really do
a work in our hearts
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that he would give us ears
to hear what the Holy Spirit
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has to say and I
believe that we have,
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we have certainly not
being disappointed thus far
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and I think God is in midst
to doing something incredible.
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Well, it is my great privilege
today to just once again
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come out and see
all your pretty faces,
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you know this is,
this is a beautiful church
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not the building
you're the church you go in
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and out of the
building. The church goes in
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and out of this
building, but it's a wonderful
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beautiful church and
right now in the next hour
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we are going to have a
wonderful sermon away just
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a moment to introduce the
speaker, but first we have
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Pastor John
Lomacang, who is my pastor.
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Pastor come on out and
I have to tell you that
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I tell John all the
time that, where are you John
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are you back there. I
hope they are not gonna
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make me sing. Oh! There you are.
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Okay, they didn't
tell me that, but anyway
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I tell John is a
wonderful teacher of the word,
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but to me one of
the greatest anointing
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for ministry of music,
really rests on this man
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and he is going to sing
a beautiful song right now.
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Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
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O soul, are you
weary and troubled?
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No light in the
darkness you see?
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There's light for
a look at the Savior,
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And life more abundant and free!
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Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
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Look full in His wonderful face,
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And the things of earth
will grow strangely dim,
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In the light of
His glory and grace.
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His Word shall not
fail you, He promised;
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Believe Him, and
all will be well:
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Then go to a
world that is dying,
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With His perfect
salvation to tell!
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Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
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Look full in His wonderful face,
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And the things of earth
will grow strangely dim,
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In the light of
His glory and grace.
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In the light of His
glory and grace. And grace.
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Glory to God
thank you so much John.
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It is my honor today to
introduce the next speaker
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and you've heard him
already a couple of times,
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but this man I truly
appreciate the ministry
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that he has
because he is so focuses
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on the love and grace
of God and I know that
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this has been a growing
experience to my experience
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has been the more I
study about the love of God
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and you just can't
study it from the word,
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but the more I experience
the love of God in study
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from his word, the
more I realize how little
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I understand the love
of God. We never will to
00:07:04.21\00:07:07.19
we were actually there
right, but the pastor Ty Gibson
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is the co-director and speaker
for Light Bearers Ministry
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for 25 years they
have had this ministry
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and did you know they
have a ship to get this over
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500 hundred million
pieces of Literature.
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Five Hundred, half a
billion, glory to God they are
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shipping it
everywhere around the world
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and last year along they
shipped out 53 million pieces
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of Christian literature.
So, we are very, very honored
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to have him here and he
is going to bring to you
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today a wonderful message
called Matchless Attraction.
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Thank you Shelly, thank
you, good morning everybody.
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How are you today? Great.
Ah! Are you happy to be here?
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Yeah. Ready to dive
in the God's word. Yeah.
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John, wherever you are
in the hearing of my voice
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thank you I have, I
don't remember ever hearing
00:08:04.95\00:08:08.03
turn your eyes upon
Jesus that beautifully rendered
00:08:08.06\00:08:11.96
wasn't that just
incredible. Amen. I would pay
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monthly payments to
have a voice like that
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and to be able to sing. I
would, I would go into debt
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on my credit card in
exchange for that voice
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for that ministry.
I wanna speak with you
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this morning about
what we are going to refer
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to as the power
equation of the gospel.
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What is that we are going to
be looking for in God's word?
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We are going to be looking
for what the power equation
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of the gospel. We are
going to discover the God's love
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is a non-coercive love
that actually gets down deep
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into our hearts and draws
forth a voluntary unforced
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response to the Lord. God
is in the business of saving
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you and me to the
uttermost depths of our soul
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while keeping our free will
intact. And it's going to be
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an incredible journey as
we draw close to the Lord
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day by day realizing
with deeper and deeper
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understanding, how truly
great his love for us is?
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Now the power of
equation of the gospel
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in the simplest terms
that I can place it before you
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is simply this. To the
degree that I comprehend God's
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love for me will precisely
be the responding degree
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to which I will be made
able to love God in return.
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My love for God is
created by encounter
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with his love for
me. I love him because
00:10:04.35\00:10:08.04
he first loved me,
his love is original,
00:10:08.07\00:10:12.97
my love for him
is, it is residual,
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it is responsive to his
for me. Now the best way
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I know to take you into an
understanding of this vital
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topic is to take
you way back from me
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to the absolute
worst summer of my life.
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And it was a surprise
to me that it turned out
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to be the best
summer of my life.
00:10:37.17\00:10:39.03
It was the worst summer
of my life because I grew up
00:10:39.90\00:10:42.48
in Los Angeles,
California and my mother
00:10:42.51\00:10:45.27
rather abruptly and
without notice informed me
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and my younger brothers
and sister that we were going
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to be moving out of
Los Angeles up north to the
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small town of
Sacramento. Now, a teenager
00:10:57.63\00:11:02.96
doesn't like the idea
of moving can you relate?
00:11:04.18\00:11:06.78
Los Angeles is all I ever
knew, all my friends were there.
00:11:06.81\00:11:12.87
It was familiar, I
wanted to stay there,
00:11:12.90\00:11:16.28
I told my mother you can
go ahead move, I'm not going.
00:11:16.31\00:11:19.41
I said Mom, I have friends.
00:11:21.63\00:11:22.95
They will give
me a place to live,
00:11:24.56\00:11:25.89
I couldn't find one friend,
who would let me move in.
00:11:25.92\00:11:28.78
My Mom said we are
moving to Sacramento
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and you are going. And
so, we moved to Sacramento,
00:11:33.88\00:11:39.31
my whole world was
turned upside down.
00:11:39.34\00:11:43.35
I didn't know a
solitary person in Sacramento.
00:11:43.38\00:11:47.71
We moved there in the
summer. School was not in,
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I took my
skateboard and I went outside
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in the new neighborhood
and I began to just ride
00:11:55.21\00:11:57.14
around the neighborhood by
myself. And I finally saw one
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guy, who was also riding
the skateboard and I felt woh!
00:12:02.68\00:12:06.40
There is somebody I
can potentially skate with
00:12:06.43\00:12:08.59
maybe he knows, where
their some empty swimming pools
00:12:08.62\00:12:11.43
or some half pipes or something.
00:12:11.46\00:12:13.11
So, we struck up a conversation
and we began to ride
00:12:14.91\00:12:17.19
together and as
the summer moved on
00:12:17.22\00:12:19.54
and came to the conclusion
of the month of August,
00:12:19.57\00:12:24.62
right before the new
school year was to began,
00:12:24.65\00:12:27.11
he said hey there is
an end of the summer party
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at a friend of mine house
and why don't you just come
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to this party with me
it's going to be great,
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all my friends would
be, I said I don't want to.
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I don't know anybody
you are the only person
00:12:36.85\00:12:38.52
I know. He said no it
will be fine just, just come.
00:12:38.55\00:12:42.53
So, finally I yielded
and I very nervously walked
00:12:42.56\00:12:46.84
into this house and they
were I don't know probably 50,
00:12:46.87\00:12:51.73
60, 75 teenagers swarming around
00:12:51.76\00:12:55.24
in and out of this house.
Teenagers are intimidating.
00:12:55.27\00:12:59.75
I was so nervous I
didn't know what to do,
00:13:02.17\00:13:03.97
I walked in through the front
door and I just very quickly
00:13:04.00\00:13:08.35
moved across the room
and sat down on the sofa.
00:13:08.38\00:13:11.20
My one and only
friend, my new friend came
00:13:13.06\00:13:15.07
and sat beside me. He
said don't you want to mingle
00:13:15.10\00:13:17.50
with it come on, come
on, come on, let's do,
00:13:17.53\00:13:19.12
let's just, I will
introduce you to some people.
00:13:19.15\00:13:21.23
I said now I just
want to seat right here.
00:13:21.26\00:13:22.60
I love going into a
busy house and positioning
00:13:22.63\00:13:28.32
myself strategically,
where I can watch the people
00:13:28.35\00:13:34.20
come and go and
do whatever people do
00:13:34.23\00:13:37.89
when they don't know
they are being watched.
00:13:37.92\00:13:41.16
This is my absolute
favorite way by the way
00:13:43.42\00:13:45.64
to wake up my wife. I
always wakeup before her
00:13:45.67\00:13:49.19
and sometimes I just lean
and close and I just look at her
00:13:49.22\00:13:56.37
and somehow without even
touching her she knows that
00:13:56.40\00:14:00.81
I am staring at her.
And she just opens her eyes
00:14:00.84\00:14:06.21
and she is awake
finally, I love waking her up,
00:14:06.24\00:14:10.95
I hate the fact that she
doesn't wake up before me.
00:14:10.98\00:14:13.28
I love watching
people and I'm sitting there
00:14:14.80\00:14:17.79
on the sofa
watching the door open,
00:14:17.82\00:14:20.63
watching the door
close. Some teenagers coming,
00:14:20.66\00:14:23.69
some leaving, it's all
mundane nothing of interest.
00:14:23.72\00:14:29.64
I'm feeling little tired,
my friend is seating next to me
00:14:31.33\00:14:35.01
and all the sudden the
door opened and this time
00:14:35.04\00:14:39.93
when the door
opened, it opened me because
00:14:39.96\00:14:44.44
in through that door what?
The most beautiful creature
00:14:44.47\00:14:48.39
I have ever seen in my
life. I said to my new friend
00:14:48.42\00:14:55.30
do you know who she
is? And he said everybody
00:14:55.33\00:14:59.57
knows who she is
and then he said to me,
00:14:59.60\00:15:02.37
but dude she is
way out of your league
00:15:02.40\00:15:05.10
don't get any ideas. I
said that is for her to decide.
00:15:05.13\00:15:11.63
I said you know her,
he said yeah I know her.
00:15:16.14\00:15:17.78
I said will you make the
introduction? Will you just,
00:15:17.81\00:15:20.34
just take me to her? Tell
her my name, tell me her name.
00:15:20.37\00:15:27.37
I said by the way what is she?
00:15:27.40\00:15:29.35
He said what do you mean?
What is she? She is human.
00:15:29.38\00:15:32.13
I said no precisely
what is the genetic mix?
00:15:35.77\00:15:39.10
I mean what is this? He
said I don't know her dad
00:15:39.13\00:15:43.16
is like a tall
white guy and her mom
00:15:43.19\00:15:45.19
is like a short Mexican lady.
00:15:45.22\00:15:46.63
I said wow! That is, that's
the DNA I've been looking for,
00:15:48.27\00:15:52.27
right there. I
already loved her.
00:15:52.30\00:15:57.28
He said alright, he said
it's your punishment man.
00:16:00.53\00:16:02.95
We walked up he said
my name, he said her name,
00:16:04.97\00:16:08.57
our eyes oh! it couldn't
have been more than just,
00:16:08.60\00:16:12.24
just nanosecond she
looked and she looked away.
00:16:12.27\00:16:15.88
And so I did what
any self-respecting
00:16:15.91\00:16:21.91
young man would do, I
made myself omnipresent.
00:16:21.94\00:16:25.23
And this is
before I was converted
00:16:27.11\00:16:28.14
I didn't even about
omnipresence. I paid attention
00:16:28.17\00:16:31.84
I knew where she was in
the house and I just kept going
00:16:31.87\00:16:35.73
wherever she was
positioning myself
00:16:35.76\00:16:38.98
where she would be
at times. Hello, I'm Ty,
00:16:39.01\00:16:42.68
remember Ty I just met you
at the door when you came in.
00:16:42.71\00:16:45.51
What you weird, she went
on. Thirteen-year-old girls
00:16:46.31\00:16:51.23
are like that,
you're weird they say.
00:16:51.26\00:16:53.01
Well, she didn't even
give me the time of day
00:16:54.72\00:16:57.85
not even a passing
notice, but I tell you what
00:16:57.88\00:17:00.93
my motivation level
was so high. I was a kid,
00:17:00.96\00:17:06.44
who was a natural born
introvert and I was cured.
00:17:06.47\00:17:09.84
The school year began and
as providence would have it
00:17:14.10\00:17:19.12
and again this is
before my conversion I knew
00:17:19.15\00:17:21.00
nothing about providence
and yet God was leading
00:17:21.03\00:17:25.01
I guess you not.
She providentially
00:17:25.04\00:17:29.20
was in math class. The
teacher on the first day
00:17:29.23\00:17:35.21
of school announced
that this young lady
00:17:35.24\00:17:38.32
would get an automatic A
and B the one who would tutor
00:17:38.35\00:17:43.93
the other students in
need of mathematical tutoring.
00:17:43.96\00:17:47.46
What do you think I needed?
I needed some very serious
00:17:49.07\00:17:54.53
mathematical
tutoring. I raised my hand
00:17:54.56\00:17:58.79
immediately me, pick
me, pick me, I need help,
00:17:58.82\00:18:02.23
I don't even know
two plus two anymore.
00:18:02.26\00:18:05.37
And so she began tutoring
me in math and I continued
00:18:08.13\00:18:13.70
fanning ignorance about
math. Until finally I said
00:18:13.73\00:18:19.11
I think that you
probably need to come
00:18:19.14\00:18:21.07
to my house after school
for some intensive tutoring.
00:18:21.10\00:18:26.03
I don't get it? I
don't understand this?
00:18:26.06\00:18:29.07
I wanted you to meet
my mom. My mom, my mom
00:18:29.10\00:18:34.29
was to that point in my
life the most incredible
00:18:34.32\00:18:40.41
wonderful person
I had ever known.
00:18:40.44\00:18:42.06
I mean I loved this lady
like words can't describe.
00:18:42.09\00:18:46.12
She raised me and
two younger brothers
00:18:46.15\00:18:49.57
and younger sister
alone pretty much just moving
00:18:49.60\00:18:54.17
from one potential
man after another hoping
00:18:54.20\00:18:59.84
longing for love. I mean my mom
00:18:59.87\00:19:02.50
if I have ever known
anyone, who was hungry for love
00:19:02.53\00:19:05.23
it was my mom. Almost suicidal,
00:19:05.26\00:19:09.42
she didn't live past 42
and the memory of my mother
00:19:09.45\00:19:13.72
in my mind is a
beautiful memory and one of the
00:19:13.75\00:19:16.75
most beautiful things
about my mom is that the moment
00:19:16.78\00:19:21.16
I brought this young
lady home they became
00:19:21.19\00:19:24.48
immediate friends. My
mom began to teach her
00:19:24.51\00:19:28.01
how to cook and I was just
like yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
00:19:28.04\00:19:32.51
yes, yes, yes this
is it I know it's it.
00:19:32.54\00:19:35.20
I know she is the one,
but now back to the sofa.
00:19:35.23\00:19:43.53
There I was strategically
positioned in the room
00:19:46.58\00:19:50.34
and beauty itself
walked through the door.
00:19:50.37\00:19:54.30
My friends I want to introduce
to you in the word of God
00:19:55.97\00:20:01.48
what we're going to
call the power of attraction
00:20:03.29\00:20:06.94
that's what I was experiencing
kind of on a micro level
00:20:08.45\00:20:11.42
just on the human plane.
I was experiencing the power
00:20:11.45\00:20:15.95
of attraction, I was
forgetting about myself,
00:20:15.98\00:20:19.69
I was encountering
a beauty of personhood
00:20:19.72\00:20:24.35
that I would go on
to have the privilege
00:20:24.38\00:20:26.61
of discovering for
year after year, after year,
00:20:26.64\00:20:29.86
after year to this
very day. I was encountering
00:20:29.89\00:20:34.67
a beauty of personality
in character in personhood
00:20:34.70\00:20:38.38
that was just looking
me out of self concern.
00:20:38.41\00:20:42.78
Now, this is on the
micro level. I want to talk
00:20:42.81\00:20:45.99
to you about the power of
attraction on the macro level,
00:20:46.02\00:20:49.22
on the divine human level.
God has actually structured
00:20:50.46\00:20:55.51
the inner
workings of the human mind
00:20:55.54\00:20:57.67
and the human heart in
such way that we are wired
00:20:57.70\00:21:01.67
to fall in love.
We are literally made
00:21:01.70\00:21:07.35
as we learned in our
session yesterday afternoon,
00:21:07.38\00:21:10.95
we are literally
made engineered tailor
00:21:10.98\00:21:14.19
made for love.
And God just happens
00:21:14.22\00:21:18.11
to be the most beautiful
person in all the universe
00:21:18.14\00:21:21.64
and I'm convinced that
if we can just get a glimpse
00:21:21.67\00:21:25.68
of who he really is we
will find the attraction
00:21:25.71\00:21:32.37
to the Lord overwhelming.
Turn with me in your Bible
00:21:32.40\00:21:37.12
to the Old
Testament Book of Hosea.
00:21:37.15\00:21:40.66
When is the last
time you read the Hosea?
00:21:40.69\00:21:42.58
Listen, all the other
prophets of the Bible,
00:21:43.97\00:21:47.61
they received visions
and dreams and prophecies
00:21:47.64\00:21:52.19
and then they wrote down
those visions and prophecies
00:21:52.22\00:21:56.20
and dreams. Hosea
stands apart and distinct
00:21:56.23\00:21:59.83
from all the other
prophets in the sense.
00:21:59.86\00:22:02.25
Hosea didn't just
receive a vision from the Lord.
00:22:02.28\00:22:05.50
He didn't just receive
a prophecy from the Lord.
00:22:06.81\00:22:09.76
God made him a living
prophecy. He said Hosea
00:22:09.79\00:22:15.73
I want you to fall
in love with a woman,
00:22:15.76\00:22:21.42
who will be unfaithful to
you. I want you to fall in love
00:22:22.49\00:22:25.81
with a woman, who is
pursuing other lovers.
00:22:25.84\00:22:28.29
Look at verse 1 of
chapter 3, verse 1 of chapter 3,
00:22:28.32\00:22:33.15
than the Lord
said to me imagine that
00:22:33.18\00:22:36.08
the Lord said to me,
to Hosea, this is what
00:22:36.11\00:22:40.15
I want you to do go
again and love a woman
00:22:40.18\00:22:44.02
who is loved by a lover
and is committing adultery,
00:22:44.05\00:22:50.06
now notice very carefully
what are the next two words
00:22:50.09\00:22:54.64
after the comma. Just
like, just like, so, so,
00:22:54.67\00:22:59.12
God is building a
bridge of understanding
00:22:59.15\00:23:03.26
in Hosea's heart and mind,
so that he could be a living
00:23:03.29\00:23:08.11
testimony a living
prophecy to build a bridge
00:23:08.14\00:23:11.65
of understanding in our
minds. What's the bridge? Hosea,
00:23:11.68\00:23:15.20
I want you to fall
in love with a woman,
00:23:15.23\00:23:17.78
who is pursuing
other lovers and Hosea
00:23:17.81\00:23:21.34
this experience that you
are about to have will be
00:23:21.37\00:23:25.23
just like the love of the
Lord for the children of Israel.
00:23:25.26\00:23:30.62
Hosea when you fall
in love with this woman
00:23:31.78\00:23:35.32
and you feel in your
heart the terrible feelings
00:23:36.74\00:23:41.58
of a jilted lover, when
you feel what it feels like
00:23:42.52\00:23:47.14
to love
somebody with every fiber
00:23:47.17\00:23:49.21
of being only to
be rejected by them.
00:23:49.24\00:23:53.97
Hosea when you
feel those feelings
00:23:55.45\00:23:56.95
of rejected love
tell my people that that's
00:23:58.79\00:24:01.83
what is like to be God.
This is an Old Testament
00:24:02.72\00:24:08.73
insight to the sin
problem and how it impacts
00:24:09.65\00:24:15.16
the heart of God.
I mean we come to the
00:24:15.19\00:24:18.65
New Testament and we
see this powerful statement
00:24:18.68\00:24:22.52
so full of meaning,
the sin is transgression
00:24:22.55\00:24:26.31
of the law and if we
are not careful we will,
00:24:26.34\00:24:29.72
we will so sanitize
the idea of sin that
00:24:29.75\00:24:33.88
we will imagine it to
be merely breaking rules
00:24:33.91\00:24:38.31
recorded on tables of
stone, but we need to remember
00:24:38.34\00:24:41.98
that when the
Bible speaks of the law,
00:24:42.01\00:24:44.18
sin is transgression of
the law, we need to also put
00:24:45.55\00:24:48.96
in their Romans 13:10
love is the fulfilling
00:24:48.99\00:24:52.45
of the law, we need to
remember what the inspired pin
00:24:52.48\00:24:56.96
has told us that the law is
actually a transcript of God's
00:24:56.99\00:25:01.35
character. So break the
law is not merely to break
00:25:01.38\00:25:07.51
an external code of
ethics on tables of stone.
00:25:07.54\00:25:12.95
It is to break
the living, beating,
00:25:12.98\00:25:16.32
sensitive heart of God.
The law is an expression
00:25:16.35\00:25:22.22
of the content of the
heart of the almighty.
00:25:22.25\00:25:25.78
So, he says to
Hosea. Hosea I want you,
00:25:25.81\00:25:29.36
I want you to fall
in love with a woman,
00:25:29.39\00:25:33.56
who won't love you in
return and then tell my people
00:25:33.59\00:25:38.35
that that's would it
feels like to be God.
00:25:39.81\00:25:42.00
To love you and me my
friends with every fiber
00:25:44.12\00:25:50.28
of his divine being
only to not be loved by him
00:25:50.31\00:25:56.46
in return, so the question
becomes what will God do then?
00:25:56.49\00:26:01.94
How will he
respond to the sin problem,
00:26:01.97\00:26:05.06
to our
unfaithfulness, what will he do?
00:26:05.09\00:26:09.07
Well, go back to
chapter 2 of Hosea
00:26:09.86\00:26:12.35
and I want you to notice
that God has a very specific
00:26:12.38\00:26:16.30
plan of action. Notice
verse 14, this is in the context
00:26:16.33\00:26:23.12
of the sin problem in
the larger scope of things
00:26:23.87\00:26:27.77
and more immediately
in the historical context
00:26:27.80\00:26:30.87
the unfaithfulness of
Israel and so God says
00:26:30.90\00:26:34.72
the way I'm going to
respond to the sin problem,
00:26:34.75\00:26:38.12
the way I'm going to
respond to human unfaithfulness
00:26:38.15\00:26:42.84
is verse 14 therefore,
behold I will what's that word
00:26:44.65\00:26:50.04
in your Bible. I
will allure her to me,
00:26:50.07\00:26:54.79
I will bring her into a
quite place in the wilderness
00:26:54.82\00:27:00.11
one version says and I
will speak comfort to her
00:27:00.14\00:27:04.43
another version says I
will speak to her words of love.
00:27:04.46\00:27:07.25
Notice that you
and I, God's people,
00:27:07.28\00:27:11.39
human beings are
personified as a she,
00:27:11.42\00:27:14.91
as a woman in this text. God
says you're unfaithful to me,
00:27:14.94\00:27:20.28
so what I'm going to do
is I'm going to allure you
00:27:20.31\00:27:24.91
to myself what
would be some synonyms
00:27:24.94\00:27:27.38
for the word
allure. What do you think
00:27:27.41\00:27:29.19
of when you think
of the word allure?
00:27:29.22\00:27:31.05
Is that a positive
word or a negative word
00:27:31.08\00:27:33.06
in your thinking?
Positive. It can be positive,
00:27:33.09\00:27:36.06
it can be negative right.
But what would be the some
00:27:36.09\00:27:38.80
of the positive synonyms
to be allured is to be what?
00:27:38.83\00:27:42.63
To be invited someone
said. Drawn, attracted,
00:27:43.54\00:27:49.70
captivated someone
said oh! I like that. Would.
00:27:51.80\00:27:56.46
Do you like the word
would? Yes. How about this?
00:27:56.49\00:27:59.95
How about this?
This is in the context
00:27:59.98\00:28:01.83
of a love
relationship, so how about this
00:28:01.86\00:28:04.38
to be coded. Right. To be coded.
00:28:05.20\00:28:09.22
God says I'm going to
code your affections for me.
00:28:09.25\00:28:14.25
I am going to reestablish
a heart to heart connection
00:28:14.28\00:28:18.99
with you and the
way I am going to do it
00:28:19.02\00:28:21.74
is not by forcing
you, not by coercing you,
00:28:21.77\00:28:26.53
not by manipulating you,
but the way I am going to save
00:28:26.56\00:28:31.41
you from sin is I'm going to
allure you away from it to me.
00:28:31.44\00:28:36.81
Literally God says I am
going, I am going to love you
00:28:37.68\00:28:41.88
out of the sin
problem. I am going to cultivate
00:28:41.91\00:28:46.50
in your heart a
responsive love for me.
00:28:46.53\00:28:50.57
Now listen, the only
person in the universe,
00:28:50.60\00:28:55.92
who actually could
force us in the subjection
00:28:55.95\00:29:01.21
to his will and get away
with it and be answerable
00:29:01.24\00:29:04.56
to nobody up or beyond
himself. No one would say,
00:29:04.59\00:29:09.02
excuse me that's
not allowed. Would they?
00:29:09.05\00:29:13.42
No. The only person in the
universe, who could force us
00:29:14.79\00:29:19.07
in the subjection to his will
simply chooses not to. Amen.
00:29:19.10\00:29:23.91
God is working on the
principle of attraction,
00:29:24.66\00:29:28.96
the principle of
alluring us to himself.
00:29:28.99\00:29:32.94
Now, watch where this
goes because here in Hosea
00:29:32.97\00:29:36.64
we have a
prophecy unfolded to us,
00:29:36.67\00:29:40.28
of what we can expect to
take place in our individual
00:29:40.31\00:29:43.85
Christian experience as we
progress and develop and grow
00:29:43.88\00:29:46.79
in grace and what we
can expect to take place
00:29:46.82\00:29:49.63
eschatologically for the
corporate body of God's people.
00:29:50.73\00:29:54.71
Here is the prophecy of what's
coming go down to verse 18.
00:29:55.45\00:29:58.94
And in that day
context what day?
00:29:59.93\00:30:02.56
The day when I allure
you to me in that day says
00:30:03.58\00:30:09.65
the Lord you shall no longer,
you shall call me my husband
00:30:09.68\00:30:15.87
and no longer call me my
master. Is that fascinating?
00:30:15.90\00:30:21.18
I mean what is being said
here? What that, Let's just,
00:30:21.89\00:30:25.88
let's just flesh this
out a little bit? Okay.
00:30:25.91\00:30:28.58
What is the nature of a
master servant or master
00:30:29.52\00:30:33.86
slave relationship. What
are the, what are the kind of
00:30:33.89\00:30:36.50
emotions that are
involved? What are the kind of
00:30:37.85\00:30:39.74
motivations involved in a
slave master relationship.
00:30:39.77\00:30:42.84
Subjection okay, was
like the driving motivation?
00:30:44.44\00:30:47.69
Fear exactly. What's the
basic nature of the relationship
00:30:47.72\00:30:54.19
between a slave and a master?
You do what I say or else.
00:30:54.22\00:30:57.93
And if you ask why,
why do you want me to do?
00:30:59.94\00:31:02.79
That's in such, what
is answer of the master,
00:31:02.82\00:31:04.67
because I said so.
How dare you ask, right.
00:31:04.70\00:31:09.65
Basically fears
the driving motive.
00:31:10.85\00:31:12.81
God says I don't want
ultimately a relationship
00:31:13.50\00:31:17.89
with you that is like a
slave servant kind of thing.
00:31:17.92\00:31:22.18
I don't want that kind of
dynamic between you and me.
00:31:23.10\00:31:25.40
Now in the early stages
of our born again experience
00:31:26.57\00:31:30.18
just like raising children
there is a place for God
00:31:30.67\00:31:34.02
to say you know do it I
say because I said so because
00:31:34.05\00:31:37.58
you are beyond the
capacity for understanding
00:31:37.61\00:31:43.34
the rationale process here.
It is in your best interest
00:31:44.32\00:31:47.10
to do it I say
before you can understand
00:31:47.13\00:31:49.32
what I'm telling you because
I have your best interest
00:31:49.35\00:31:52.55
at heart. So, do
what I'm telling you.
00:31:52.58\00:31:54.72
But as we grow in
grace, does God want us
00:31:56.72\00:32:00.00
to actually grow up into a
self-motivated relationship
00:32:00.03\00:32:08.21
with him in which we
do what he says because
00:32:08.24\00:32:12.82
we actually love him? Yes.
Not merely to get to heaven
00:32:12.85\00:32:17.90
or escape hell, but
because a new motivation
00:32:17.93\00:32:21.40
has taken hold of our
heart to be at Desire of Ages,
00:32:21.43\00:32:24.05
page 480, it is not the
fear of punishment nor the hope
00:32:24.08\00:32:29.81
of everlasting reward that
leads the followers of Christ
00:32:29.84\00:32:34.24
to seek him. But
they behold his matchless
00:32:35.37\00:32:39.33
love revealed at Calvary
and I love this last line
00:32:39.36\00:32:43.77
and the site of him
attracts. Isn't that something,
00:32:43.80\00:32:48.86
is not the fear of
punishment that is the ultimate
00:32:48.89\00:32:52.12
motivation for
serving God. It's not the hope
00:32:52.15\00:32:54.48
of everlasting
reward, but the love of God
00:32:54.51\00:32:57.28
is an attraction
worthy of all the energies
00:32:57.31\00:33:02.45
of our lives.
God says in that day,
00:33:02.48\00:33:07.46
in the day of allurement, in
the day when you come to know
00:33:07.49\00:33:11.63
me as I am and you
began to love me in return.
00:33:11.66\00:33:17.00
You will no
longer call me my master,
00:33:17.03\00:33:20.78
but rather you will
call me my husband. Wow!
00:33:20.81\00:33:25.85
What are the emotions and
motivations in a good husband
00:33:27.28\00:33:31.31
and wife relationship?
Love is the motivational
00:33:31.34\00:33:35.04
factor isn't it? It's
like the language of Jesus
00:33:36.22\00:33:40.41
regarding his father. Jesus
said I do always those things
00:33:40.44\00:33:45.17
that do you know?
Do you know? Please God
00:33:45.20\00:33:48.22
when you are in love you
do what you do for the other
00:33:49.12\00:33:52.17
because you actually
want them to be please.
00:33:52.20\00:33:55.88
You want to make them
happy, you want to minister
00:33:55.91\00:34:00.01
to them in such a way
that you raise the quality
00:34:00.04\00:34:02.85
of their heart and
mind in relationship to you.
00:34:02.88\00:34:07.57
God says I am going to
allure you to me and my question
00:34:08.54\00:34:16.12
this morning is a very
simple one. Have you experienced
00:34:16.93\00:34:22.76
the alluring attractive
beauty of Gods love for you?
00:34:23.90\00:34:30.05
I mean seriously, I
know it's a simple question,
00:34:31.45\00:34:33.33
but have you actually
found yourself spontaneously
00:34:33.36\00:34:39.55
not in a public
gathering to be seen by anybody,
00:34:41.32\00:34:44.38
but just in the privacy
of your own heart and mind,
00:34:44.41\00:34:48.00
in the privacy of some
room. Just, just completely
00:34:48.03\00:34:51.82
no show for anybody just
you and God have you ever,
00:34:52.73\00:34:56.12
have you ever
actually spontaneously dropped
00:34:56.15\00:35:00.07
to your knees and sensed
God's love for you personally?
00:35:00.10\00:35:08.13
As if you were the only person
in all the Universe to love?
00:35:08.97\00:35:11.89
And have you in the
sense of his love for you,
00:35:14.02\00:35:16.61
have you given your
heart voluntarily back to him.
00:35:16.64\00:35:21.08
That's listen, that attitude,
that spirit of voluntary
00:35:22.91\00:35:27.42
attrition in worship
and in service to God
00:35:27.45\00:35:30.94
out of the heart of
unforced, uncursed, pure love
00:35:30.97\00:35:36.24
that is the spirit
of eternity future.
00:35:37.16\00:35:40.06
Everyone, who
inhabits that future kingdom
00:35:41.02\00:35:44.21
will be there not because
they were constrained to be,
00:35:44.24\00:35:48.47
they are forced to be
there, manipulated to be there,
00:35:48.50\00:35:51.20
scared not to be
there for fear of punishment
00:35:51.23\00:35:54.95
or hope of reward.
There won't be any mercenary
00:35:54.98\00:35:57.75
motives in that
kingdom. Do you find yourself
00:35:58.72\00:36:02.85
growing up in your
spirituality to the point
00:36:02.88\00:36:07.48
where the courtship
of the Lord has given way
00:36:07.51\00:36:13.15
to a marriage
between your heart and his.
00:36:14.01\00:36:16.76
It's a personal question I know.
00:36:17.79\00:36:19.01
Flip all the way back
to Ezekiel chapter 16,
00:36:20.46\00:36:23.41
this is a bovine one of
my top five favorite chapters
00:36:24.90\00:36:31.24
in all the Bible.
A story is told here,
00:36:31.27\00:36:36.03
a parable is told here
and God is telling the story
00:36:36.06\00:36:38.77
and he projects
himself into the story,
00:36:38.80\00:36:42.84
so that we can know what
life is like in this great
00:36:42.87\00:36:47.18
controversy between good
and evil from God's perspective.
00:36:47.21\00:36:50.26
I mean don't you,
don't you want to know
00:36:51.10\00:36:53.14
what's going on in
God's heart and mind.
00:36:53.17\00:36:55.19
I mean we think so often
of you know what's play in us
00:36:55.96\00:36:58.98
and we are suffering and
going through and calling up
00:36:59.01\00:37:02.20
the Lord that he
would sympathize with us.
00:37:02.23\00:37:04.81
I would like to ask you,
I would like to ask myself
00:37:04.84\00:37:07.67
this morning that we would
somehow by the grace of God
00:37:07.70\00:37:10.37
that we would reach out
and understand the heart
00:37:10.40\00:37:12.65
of God, and by his
grace sympathize with him.
00:37:12.68\00:37:16.80
God tells us a story
here and he is the central
00:37:19.30\00:37:22.64
figure in the story. He
says I was walking along
00:37:22.67\00:37:27.50
as it were a dusty path
on earth and as I was walking
00:37:27.53\00:37:32.69
along what did God see?
Has anybody already read
00:37:32.72\00:37:35.76
verses 12-8 what did
I see? I'm walking along
00:37:35.79\00:37:38.06
and God says I
saw an abandoned baby
00:37:38.09\00:37:41.79
in an open field. So,
get that picture clear
00:37:41.82\00:37:45.04
in your mind, God
says I am walking along
00:37:45.07\00:37:46.85
and I look of to the side
of the road and what do I see,
00:37:46.88\00:37:49.47
but an abandoned baby
squirming in its own blood.
00:37:49.50\00:37:54.25
That's the story.
The baby is lying there,
00:37:55.90\00:37:59.52
there is no
mother, there is no father,
00:37:59.55\00:38:01.47
the baby is just there
in the process of dying,
00:38:01.50\00:38:05.36
the blood of birth
still on it's flesh.
00:38:05.39\00:38:07.53
The scripture says
that the umbilical cord
00:38:07.56\00:38:09.96
was not even trimmed properly.
00:38:09.99\00:38:12.06
What are all the
physical indications?
00:38:12.89\00:38:15.90
This baby was as it
were yanked from the womb
00:38:17.51\00:38:21.20
and abandoned in this
field with no care whatsoever.
00:38:21.23\00:38:26.30
No one he says, no one
washed your body with water,
00:38:27.39\00:38:31.19
nobody covered you
with cloth to keep you warm,
00:38:31.22\00:38:35.88
nobody cut your
umbilical cord, you, you just,
00:38:35.91\00:38:39.92
you just cast from the
womb into an open field
00:38:39.95\00:38:43.61
and I want you to
notice the language that God
00:38:43.64\00:38:47.65
uses to describe the condition,
00:38:47.68\00:38:50.67
the situation
that this baby is in.
00:38:50.70\00:38:54.79
Notice the words when
I saw you there thrown
00:38:54.82\00:38:58.75
into the open field,
there was no one who took pity
00:38:58.78\00:39:03.71
on you to do any of
these things for you.
00:39:03.74\00:39:06.28
No pity, you know
what another version says?
00:39:07.09\00:39:09.12
The Today's English
version says no one loved you,
00:39:11.15\00:39:16.26
just that simple.
Now, there is a definition
00:39:17.39\00:39:20.34
of our predicament?
You see now somebody,
00:39:20.37\00:39:22.79
my mom she loves
me. Well, my loved me,
00:39:22.82\00:39:25.46
she loved me with a defective
damaged fall in human love
00:39:25.49\00:39:30.32
the best she could. I
have friends who love me
00:39:30.35\00:39:35.64
with a fallen,
defective, damaged human love.
00:39:37.37\00:39:41.81
There is a sense listen,
I know somebody loves you.
00:39:43.83\00:39:47.30
There are those who love
me, we all have relationships,
00:39:48.06\00:39:50.89
but listen to what
God is saying here.
00:39:50.92\00:39:53.13
There is a sense in
which nobody can love you like
00:39:54.11\00:40:00.20
God loves you. Amen.
Nobody can receive you
00:40:00.23\00:40:04.67
and give the
affirmation and the acceptance
00:40:04.70\00:40:07.28
and the forgiveness and
the sense of cleanliness
00:40:07.31\00:40:12.14
before him. Nobody
can love you like God.
00:40:12.17\00:40:15.93
He says nobody loved
you; that is your condition
00:40:15.96\00:40:17.97
as a fallen human being.
But notice as the story goes on.
00:40:18.00\00:40:21.26
God says nobody loved you,
your cast into an open field
00:40:22.43\00:40:25.42
you are abandoned.
Look at this verse 6,
00:40:25.45\00:40:29.30
and when I passed you
by I saw you struggling in
00:40:29.33\00:40:32.92
your own blood and I
said to you in your blood
00:40:32.95\00:40:37.22
I said live. Yes, I said
to you in your blood live,
00:40:37.25\00:40:42.45
what is God's mandate? What
is his, what is his aspiration
00:40:42.48\00:40:46.23
for you and me?
Live, he wants us to live
00:40:46.26\00:40:49.95
but he doesn't just want us
to live, he wants us to thrive
00:40:49.98\00:40:53.33
this is in Old
Testament rendering of the idea
00:40:53.36\00:40:57.09
of the gift of eternal
life. This is God saying
00:40:57.12\00:41:00.47
I want you to have life
and I want you to have it
00:41:00.50\00:41:03.42
more abundantly. I want
you to enter into a whole
00:41:03.45\00:41:07.80
different dimension
of existence in which you
00:41:07.83\00:41:11.58
in relationship with
me are completely restored
00:41:11.61\00:41:15.14
to what I made you
for in the beginning.
00:41:15.17\00:41:18.07
I want you to live he
says in verse 6. So, verse 7
00:41:18.10\00:41:24.03
he says I made you to
what? What's the word?
00:41:24.06\00:41:26.84
To thrive, I made you
thrive like a plant in the field
00:41:26.87\00:41:31.77
and you grew and you
are matured. And you became
00:41:31.80\00:41:36.81
very well, what does God
say? You became very beautiful.
00:41:36.84\00:41:41.19
God is in the process listen
of beautifying you and me.
00:41:43.83\00:41:50.48
He is in the process of
cultivating in our hearts
00:41:51.91\00:41:55.35
and lives and characters
the beauty of his own character
00:41:55.38\00:41:59.18
in a way that each of
us in our own personality
00:42:00.20\00:42:04.19
and character can reflect
back to him like nobody else.
00:42:04.22\00:42:07.47
God is in the
process of cultivating beauty
00:42:08.60\00:42:13.15
in you and me. He says I
made you thrive, you matured,
00:42:14.37\00:42:17.50
you began to
grow up spiritually,
00:42:18.25\00:42:20.87
you began to develop,
you began to feel what I feel
00:42:21.83\00:42:26.62
and to think like I think and
you began to love like I love.
00:42:26.65\00:42:31.13
That's what it means
to grow up spiritually.
00:42:33.25\00:42:35.19
Now, watch this you matured,
you became very beautiful,
00:42:36.58\00:42:39.84
please excuse this
part it's in the Bible.
00:42:39.87\00:42:43.25
I blessed to say your
breasts were well formed.
00:42:43.28\00:42:46.90
Question is this
a boy or girl now?
00:42:46.93\00:42:49.43
So far it's a just
abandoned baby in a field right.
00:42:50.88\00:42:53.07
There is no gender indicated
all the sudden you come
00:42:54.33\00:42:56.71
to this verse she grows
up, she passed through puberty
00:42:56.74\00:42:59.16
right and God says
you became very beautiful.
00:42:59.19\00:43:02.35
Obviously, she is a woman.
God is here portraying himself
00:43:02.38\00:43:08.61
as the ultimate
lover, pursuing and coding
00:43:08.64\00:43:12.04
the affections of his
bride, which is a metaphor
00:43:12.07\00:43:16.44
throughout scripture.
But I want you to notice
00:43:16.47\00:43:19.18
something she is
female, she has passed through
00:43:19.21\00:43:21.84
puberty and noticed
what God says in verse 8
00:43:21.87\00:43:24.78
this is absolutely stunning.
This is the Almighty creator
00:43:24.81\00:43:29.47
of the universe talking to
you and me this is an even God
00:43:29.50\00:43:32.72
giving Ezekiel a vision and
then Ezekiel writing it down.
00:43:32.75\00:43:38.16
There are places in
scripture you will find
00:43:39.03\00:43:40.30
quote marks like
the Ten Commandments,
00:43:40.33\00:43:41.81
where this is God dictating.
This is, this is Ezekiel
00:43:43.04\00:43:46.84
writing down, this is
what he said. Here is the God
00:43:46.87\00:43:52.34
the creator of the
universe speaking to you and me.
00:43:52.37\00:43:54.25
Verse 8, when I
passed you by again,
00:43:54.28\00:43:56.81
that is after you move through
this developmental process,
00:43:56.84\00:43:59.54
after you matured
and became beautiful
00:43:59.57\00:44:01.82
and I made you
thrive, I passed you by again
00:44:01.85\00:44:06.15
and I looked upon you and
behold, your time was the time
00:44:06.18\00:44:14.21
for love. So, I
spread my wings over you
00:44:14.24\00:44:19.54
and I covered your nakedness.
00:44:19.57\00:44:21.39
Yes. I swore and oath to
you and entered into a covenant
00:44:22.74\00:44:29.63
with you and
notice these tender words.
00:44:29.66\00:44:32.40
And you became
mine says the Lord God.
00:44:32.43\00:44:38.67
Again today's English
version renders the text,
00:44:40.42\00:44:43.43
when I passed you by again
I saw that it was time for you
00:44:43.46\00:44:47.23
to fall in love, so I married
you. Isn't that incredible?
00:44:47.26\00:44:52.80
Amen. Dear friends the
question this morning is this.
00:44:55.01\00:44:57.29
Have you come to the
place, where it's time for you
00:44:59.76\00:45:04.53
to fall in love with
the Lord. I mean seriously.
00:45:04.56\00:45:08.39
When I was a child Paul
says I spoke as a child,
00:45:10.42\00:45:12.56
I thought as a child,
but when I became a man,
00:45:13.86\00:45:17.66
when I grew up
spiritually I put away childish
00:45:17.69\00:45:21.25
things, right.
Listen, God is asking
00:45:21.28\00:45:27.91
you and me especially at
this junction in human history
00:45:27.94\00:45:31.19
to stop doing religion
and church as usual. Amen.
00:45:32.96\00:45:36.60
He is asking for us to
put the pedal to the medal
00:45:36.63\00:45:39.13
to rev up our
passion for God and to mature
00:45:39.16\00:45:45.77
to grow up in Christ.
To grow up as Paul says
00:45:45.80\00:45:50.47
into the full stature
of men and women in Christ.
00:45:50.50\00:45:55.31
We are like little
brothers and sisters and Jesus
00:45:55.34\00:45:57.83
is our elder brother and
Paul says we need to grow up
00:45:57.86\00:46:01.46
to become the full stature
of men and women in Christ.
00:46:03.19\00:46:06.87
And growing up involves coming
to the place psychologically
00:46:07.99\00:46:12.02
and emotionally. Listen,
where you make the pyridine
00:46:12.05\00:46:17.31
shifts from the motive of
fear to the motive of love,
00:46:17.34\00:46:25.12
where you make the transition,
where you seize to think
00:46:26.50\00:46:32.32
of your salvation and to
think of sin and to think
00:46:32.35\00:46:37.05
of your whole spiritual
experience in terms of doing
00:46:37.08\00:46:42.14
what I got to do
because I better do it because
00:46:42.17\00:46:44.16
if I don't I will be
lost. That's a five, six, seven,
00:46:44.19\00:46:49.68
ten-year-old spirituality.
The motivation of I do
00:46:49.71\00:46:56.21
what God tells me to
because I had better or else.
00:46:56.24\00:46:59.28
Now there is a place
for that and it preserves us
00:47:00.68\00:47:03.21
early on from
getting into all kinds
00:47:03.24\00:47:04.93
of trouble doesn't it.
But listen, listen, if, if,
00:47:04.96\00:47:09.50
if you have a child who is
three, four, five years old
00:47:10.48\00:47:13.26
and when it's time
for dinner the spaghetti
00:47:14.07\00:47:16.22
is over his ears and in his
hair and it's all over his face,
00:47:16.25\00:47:19.53
it's funny, is there it?
How cute. But if he is 21
00:47:19.56\00:47:26.75
and the spaghetti is
still just all over the place
00:47:26.78\00:47:33.91
is it funny
anymore. No. You are like ah!
00:47:33.94\00:47:38.80
could you get over it.
Cutlery, the fork, the spoon,
00:47:39.74\00:47:45.69
the knife eat like a
grown up, right. It's funny,
00:47:45.72\00:47:51.26
it's cute when a child is
young, it's not cute anymore
00:47:51.29\00:47:56.18
anymore when you grow up.
00:47:56.98\00:47:57.95
There is a place for
a very limited parameter
00:47:59.90\00:48:05.21
of understanding
and say you know.
00:48:06.02\00:48:07.63
I just, I just want to
make it, I hope I make it.
00:48:07.66\00:48:09.92
I just wanna get to heaven.
I don't want to be lost and,
00:48:09.95\00:48:14.94
and, and when you
navigate through life,
00:48:14.97\00:48:17.63
everything is in reference
to yourself and your salvation.
00:48:17.66\00:48:21.52
What about this? What
about this? What about making
00:48:21.55\00:48:24.10
the move in which a
higher and more powerful
00:48:24.13\00:48:29.05
motivation grips us
and we began to serve God
00:48:29.08\00:48:32.40
not so much because we have to,
00:48:32.43\00:48:34.00
but because we want to. Amen.
00:48:34.03\00:48:36.28
What about Ezekiel 16:8
what about God saying us
00:48:36.31\00:48:40.95
to us. I passed you, what
this. Can you hear delight
00:48:40.98\00:48:43.71
in his voice. God
says I passed you by again
00:48:43.74\00:48:46.76
and I saw that it was
time for you to fall in love,
00:48:46.79\00:48:48.95
so I married you.
God would be so happy
00:48:48.98\00:48:54.04
if we would
accelerate our spiritual growth.
00:48:54.07\00:48:58.81
And come to the
place, where we love him
00:49:00.58\00:49:04.68
because he first loved
us. Now, flip quickly to the
00:49:04.71\00:49:08.90
New Testament and
watch how Paul develops
00:49:08.93\00:49:11.93
this powerful idea
first in Ephesians chapter 3,
00:49:11.96\00:49:16.44
Ephesians chapter 3, this
is the just one of the high
00:49:16.47\00:49:21.14
points of scripture
here, where the apostle Paul
00:49:21.17\00:49:23.93
is praying for you
and me and all believers
00:49:23.96\00:49:27.25
after him. Notice
this very carefully watch
00:49:27.28\00:49:30.78
the language and
you have to put some,
00:49:30.81\00:49:32.51
some intellectual energy
into this. Paul kind a wordy
00:49:32.54\00:49:36.24
at times; notice this
verse 14, Ephesians 3:14,
00:49:36.27\00:49:41.08
for this reason I bow
my knees to the father
00:49:42.54\00:49:46.23
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, he is praying isn't he.
00:49:46.26\00:49:48.53
Verse 15, from whom
the whole family in heaven
00:49:51.14\00:49:53.87
and earth his named.
Notice this here is the prayer
00:49:53.90\00:49:58.29
that he would grant
you according to the riches
00:49:58.32\00:50:03.96
of his glory to be
what's that word strengthened
00:50:03.99\00:50:09.47
with there is another
power word might through
00:50:09.50\00:50:12.96
his spirit where in the
inner man in the interpret.
00:50:12.99\00:50:16.10
Where does this
strengthening need to occur
00:50:16.13\00:50:19.08
in the inner
person at the motive level
00:50:19.11\00:50:23.37
of our hearts and lives.
Verse 17, watch this that
00:50:23.40\00:50:29.24
Christ may dwell in
your hearts through faith;
00:50:29.27\00:50:33.53
that you being
rooted and grounded in love,
00:50:33.56\00:50:40.30
may be able to,
watch this word, comprehend
00:50:40.33\00:50:44.21
what are the
synonyms, what is it mean
00:50:44.24\00:50:45.49
to comprehend
something it means to,
00:50:45.52\00:50:47.38
to grasp it, to
someone said understand it,
00:50:47.41\00:50:51.04
to apprehend it,
to get it, to see it
00:50:51.07\00:50:54.69
for what it is. Right.
Paul says I pray that you
00:50:54.72\00:50:58.69
would comprehend
the love of Christ,
00:50:58.72\00:51:04.16
which passes
knowledge. The source beyond
00:51:04.19\00:51:08.90
mere intellectual understanding
just like a relationship
00:51:08.93\00:51:15.37
with the friend or
wife or husband it's not,
00:51:15.40\00:51:19.52
it's not pure
intellectual experience is it?
00:51:19.55\00:51:23.90
I mean I think of
your own relationships.
00:51:25.51\00:51:28.51
You don't contemplate
brothers my brother you don't
00:51:28.54\00:51:31.55
contemplate your
wife and your relationship
00:51:31.58\00:51:34.59
with her as a
scientific equation do you?
00:51:34.62\00:51:39.47
No it's
experiential, it's relational,
00:51:39.50\00:51:44.15
it's beyond knowledge,
it's beyond mere intellectual
00:51:44.18\00:51:49.25
facts and figures.
Paul says the love of Christ
00:51:49.28\00:51:53.21
is to be comprehended, but
it's beyond mere knowledge.
00:51:53.24\00:51:58.37
It's relational,
it's experiential,
00:51:59.05\00:52:01.82
you can only know the love
of God like you know a person
00:52:01.85\00:52:06.95
not like you know
math are you with me,
00:52:06.98\00:52:09.34
not like you know biology,
but like you know your son
00:52:09.95\00:52:12.33
or your daughter
or your grandmother.
00:52:12.36\00:52:14.19
It's a personal kind of
knowing, it has an intellectual
00:52:15.27\00:52:18.33
component yes,
but it's experiential.
00:52:18.36\00:52:22.84
Paul is praying here that
you and I would comprehend
00:52:24.42\00:52:27.60
with all sins what
is the width and length
00:52:27.63\00:52:30.86
and height and depth, and
to know the love of Christ,
00:52:31.85\00:52:35.65
which passes knowledge
watch this, so that you might be
00:52:35.68\00:52:39.81
filled with all the fullness
of God. Incredible fill to the
00:52:39.84\00:52:48.49
brim with the very presence
of God and what is the means
00:52:48.52\00:52:55.58
by which that in feeling occurs.
00:52:55.61\00:52:57.50
Paul very clearly says it
is through the comprehension
00:52:58.58\00:53:02.30
of God's love for you
for me. Comprehension is the
00:53:02.33\00:53:07.41
access point by which God
gets into our hearts and lives.
00:53:07.44\00:53:12.04
To the degree that we
comprehend the love of Christ
00:53:13.19\00:53:17.62
it will what Paul
say produce strength
00:53:18.55\00:53:22.12
and might and power
within us on a moral level.
00:53:22.15\00:53:25.86
Notice these words, it is
just, just, just incredible
00:53:26.67\00:53:30.84
language here. From
testimonies volume 2,
00:53:30.87\00:53:34.63
page 135, listen.
"Love is power intellectual
00:53:34.66\00:53:44.89
and moral strength are
involved in this principal
00:53:44.92\00:53:49.74
and cannot be separated from it.
00:53:49.77\00:53:52.29
Love cannot live
without action and every act
00:53:53.81\00:53:58.83
increases
strengthens and extends it.
00:53:59.93\00:54:03.86
Love will gain the victory."
Love is power what kind
00:54:03.89\00:54:08.58
of power
intellectual and moral power,
00:54:08.61\00:54:11.38
the love that is spoken of
in scripture the love of God
00:54:12.15\00:54:15.97
is not a silly
sentimental cotton candy sweet
00:54:17.18\00:54:20.56
Hollywood kind of
love, it is a powerful love
00:54:20.59\00:54:26.47
that actually gets into
the fiber of our characters
00:54:28.03\00:54:31.28
and molds and
shapes and transforms us.
00:54:31.31\00:54:34.53
The Pen of
Inspiration says love is power.
00:54:35.41\00:54:39.49
Intellectual and
moral strength or how about
00:54:40.55\00:54:42.05
this line, just one sentence
here from Desire of Ages,
00:54:42.08\00:54:45.94
page 493 listen.
Nothing reaches so fully
00:54:45.97\00:54:52.30
down to the
deepest motives of conduct
00:54:52.33\00:54:56.87
as a sense of the
pardoning love of Christ nothing
00:54:58.16\00:55:04.50
and what is this
love reaching down into.
00:55:05.95\00:55:07.77
Is this just to make
us feel warm and fussy
00:55:07.80\00:55:10.45
and sentimental.
What is this say?
00:55:10.48\00:55:12.49
It reaches down to
the level of the motives
00:55:12.52\00:55:18.99
for our conduct. What
drives you, what drives me?
00:55:19.02\00:55:23.57
You wake up in the
morning what are the driving
00:55:23.60\00:55:28.26
motivations? While
this statement says nothing,
00:55:28.29\00:55:31.76
nothing in all the
universe reaches so fully
00:55:31.79\00:55:35.32
down to the motives
of the conduct as a sense
00:55:35.35\00:55:38.41
of departing love of
Christ. All this words
00:55:38.44\00:55:40.47
from page 478 of the same
book Desire of Ages listen,
00:55:40.50\00:55:44.07
the contemplation of the love
of God manifested in his son
00:55:44.10\00:55:49.33
will stir the heart and
arouse the powers of the soul
00:55:49.36\00:55:57.17
like nothing else can.
Right. To the degree that you
00:55:57.20\00:56:05.17
and I take into our minds
and hearts in understanding
00:56:05.20\00:56:11.45
of God's love for us
will be precisely the degree
00:56:11.48\00:56:17.00
to which we are then made
able to love him in return.
00:56:17.03\00:56:20.74
We love God for only
one reason my friends
00:56:22.69\00:56:25.73
and that is
because he first loved us.
00:56:25.76\00:56:29.16
First John 419 and
so we are called upon
00:56:29.19\00:56:33.07
through scripture
to behold what manner
00:56:33.10\00:56:36.81
of love the father
has restored upon us
00:56:36.84\00:56:38.71
that we should be called
as sons and daughters of God.
00:56:38.74\00:56:41.39
That doesn't yet now
appear what we shall be,
00:56:44.74\00:56:45.71
but we know this
that when he appears
00:56:45.72\00:56:47.06
we will be like him for
we shall see him as he is
00:56:48.57\00:56:55.47
and it is that
beholding action that produces
00:56:55.50\00:57:00.39
the likeness to him
in our hearts and lives.
00:57:00.42\00:57:05.19
It is as if you and I are
strategically positioned on
00:57:05.22\00:57:10.53
a sofa in a room and
the most beautiful person
00:57:10.56\00:57:14.34
in the whole universe is
just walk through the door.
00:57:14.37\00:57:16.95