Chapter 2 The
Sinner's Need of Christ.
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Hello and welcome.
Today, we are gonna be
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looking at The
Sinner's Need of Christ.
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Sometimes it's hard for
us to mean that we actually
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have a need, I've
even heard people say,
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why would I need a
savior. I mean I'm not a bad
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person, I'm pretty good,
I haven't murdered anyone,
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but the Bible wants us
that unless we are born again,
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unless our hearts are
changed that we won't even know
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that we want to go to
heaven, but before we get
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too deep into that
topic we need to pause for
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word of prayer. And so
I'm gonna ask Jeremy to lead
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us in the word of
prayer. Let's pray,
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Father in Heaven you
know our faults and weaknesses
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and you know that we
are trapped in a pit of sin
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and we cannot get out
with our own strength.
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You are our only hope
for escaping from this pit.
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Please be with us
as we learn more about
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our need for you in
Jesus' name, amen. Amen.
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When men sinned, selfishness
took the place of love.
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The human race had
fallen so far that heaven itself
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would be a place of
torture and unhappiness to a
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person with a
selfish heart. You know,
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we can change our
outward behavior, but we can't
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change our heart which
is, it's where the sin problem
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really lies, we need a
complete makeover before we
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can be fit for heaven.
In the Book of Ezekiel,
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God made this promise to
his people, "I will sprinkle
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clean water on you
and you will be clean,
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your filth will be washed
away and I will give you a
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new heart, and I will
put a new spirit in you.
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I will take out your
stony, stubborn heart and give
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you a tender, responsive
heart." Let's be like David
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when he cried in
Psalm 51:10, "create in me
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a clean heart O God and
renew a right spirit in me."
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There is a
fountain filled with blood
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Drawn from Immanuel's veins
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And sinners
plunged beneath that flood
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Lose all their guilty stains
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Lose all their guilty stains
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Lose all their guilty stains
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And sinners
plunged beneath that flood
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Lose all their guilty stains
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The dying thief rejoiced to see
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That fountain in his day
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And there may I,
though vile as he
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Wash all my sins away
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Wash all my sins away
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Wash all my sins away
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And there may I,
though vile as he
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Wash all my sins away
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E'er since by
faith I saw the stream
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I saw the stream
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Thy flowing wounds supply
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wounds supply
Redeeming love has been my theme
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has been my theme
And shall be till I die
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And shall be till I
die And shall be till I die
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Redeeming love has been my theme
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And shall be till I die
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You know, that fountain
represents Jesus consume
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bud and in Romans 323, it
says, "All have sinned and
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fall short of the glory
of God," So, the blood of
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our savior Jesus
is the only way that
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all our sins can be washed away.
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You are right Rebecca. In
Job 14:4, it tells us that,
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"All of us are unclean
and that we can't change
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ourselves. So, we need
help and we try through
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things like education
or culture or will power or
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human effort and all
of these are good things,
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but they make us
change on the outward,
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but we actually need
an inward change and so we
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are powerless to change
our hearts. And if we are
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gonna be changed
from sin to holiness,
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we need to come to
Christ for that power.
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It's hard for us
though to admit that we have a
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need or to ask
someone for help. Have you,
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any of you experience
that difficulty asking
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someone to help
you. Actually I have,
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one day I was mowing
the lawn and I came across
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a hose lying on the
lawn and I knew I should have
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moved it, but I felt
like I can just mow over
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it and it will be fine
I'll just move the grass on top,
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but when I mowed
over the hose it got stuck
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in the blades, so I
stopped the lawn mower and
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I thought to myself
I should call my dad,
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so he can come help
me then I thought to
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myself I can do this,
I don't need any help.
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So, I tried to untangle
the hose from the blades,
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but I can't get it out,
so then I had the brilliant
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idea maybe if I back
the lawn mower up it will
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untangle the hose from
the blades. Unfortunately
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though the hose was
connected to a faucet,
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which was in the
wall and when I backed up,
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it yanked the faucet out
of the wall and water was
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spewing everywhere. So,
then I realized I really
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need a help, so I called
my dad and he came down and
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he help me and in a
while it was done. And he asked
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me why didn't you call me
in the beginning and I said,
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well I thought I could do
it by myself I didn't really
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want help. Yeah, so
asking your dad for help,
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I mean that's hard, you
know, it's like I have a
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need, but what about
on the spiritual level.
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Has anyone ever had a
need on the spiritual level
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as you said yourself? I
could ask God, but maybe
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I shouldn't. Yes, a few
months ago, we were getting
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ready for this recording
project and I had a bunch
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of music, I needed to
practice. I need to record it
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the next day. Right,
you got his big harp,
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you want to play,
yeah. And so I was practicing
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and I just was having
really hard time focusing
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because I had lots of
English homework to do.
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And the thought came to
my mind when I first started
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why don't you pray and
you know, like, like it
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almost like God was
talking like why don't you
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pray and I'll help you.
Yes. And I was like, you know,
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I can do this by
myself, I have done this before,
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I can just you know, do
it. Yeah. And so, I started
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practicing and just
really was not going well.
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And I was getting
stressed out and, so I decided
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to quit that and try
something else you know,
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tired already. Yeah.
So, I sat down to write and
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my writing was not
flowing, it was not coming the
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way I wanted too, and
I was just getting really
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frustrated and I
was like okay, focus.
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I'm gonna have a
good attitude about this,
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I'm just gonna do it
you know. You are gonna
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figure it out by yourself.
I'm just gonna do this,
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yeah. Yeah. And so I
tried so hard and I was like
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Oh! So I was just like
stopped and I was just like
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ok I'm just not going to do
anything. And the thought came
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to my mind again
why don't you pray?
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And I was so discouraged
in everything I was just
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like Oh! Okay, I'll just
pray, I don't have anything to
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lose. So, I prayed and
as soon as I finish praying
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just I felt peace and
I got so much happier and
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I went back and practiced
the harp and played all
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the pieces I needed
too. And then went and wrote
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those essays for English
and everything worked out
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well. And I just, I
thought about that after I was
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like you know, I really
tried at the beginning to do
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it on my own. So, I knew
I could do it by myself and
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I really tried so hard
like controlling my mind,
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trying to think you know
positively and everything,
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but it didn't work
until I prayed. Yeah,
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so you tried human
effort and God changed your
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heart, that's excellent
thank you. God has provided
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a way of escape from
this sin filled world.
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The Bible pictures Jesus
as a ladder between earth
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and heaven. This is how
God links himself with man.
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In Acts 4:12 Paul says
that, "There is no other name
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under heaven given
among men by which we must
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be saved." And in John
14:6 Jesus says to himself,
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"I am the way, the
truth, and the life.
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No one can come to the
father accept through me."
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Christ has become a
lifeline and if you put our
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confidence in him, he
will lead us out of this
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crazy world and into
his glorious kingdom.
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There's a line that
been drawn thru the ages
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on that line
stands an old rugged cross
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on that cross a battle is raging
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for the gain of
mans soul or it's loss
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on one side march
the forces of evil
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all the demons
all the devils of hell
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on the other the angels of glory
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and they meet on Golgotha's hill
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the earth shakes with
the force of the conflict
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and the sun refuses to shine
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for there hangs
God's son in the balance
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and then thru
the darkness He cries
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It is finished,
the battle is over
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It is finished
there'll be no more war
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It is finished the
end of the conflict
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It is finished and Jesus is Lord
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I have heard that
the king of the ages
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Had fought all
the battles for me
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And victory is
mine for the claiming
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And now praise
His name I am free
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It is finished,
the battle is over
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It is finished
there'll be no more war
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It is finished the
end of the conflict
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It is finished and Jesus is Lord
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It is finished and Jesus is Lord
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You know that song reminds
me that the battle for our
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salvation was
fought on Golgotha's Hill
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when Jesus was on the
cross He stretched out His arms
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and as He was dying,
He said "It is finished",
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and that right there was
our guarantee of salvation.
00:15:51.91\00:15:55.23
You are exactly right David.
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When Jesus died on
the cross, he took away
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our sorrows, our pain,
and our suffering and that's
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encouraging our
sorrows and pain and suffering
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aren't you encouraged
by that Rebecca that Jesus
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took away our sorrows and
our pain and our suffering.
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Yes I am, actually
just a couple of weeks ago,
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I was getting ready to
go on tour and all of a
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sudden my body just
started to become itchy.
00:16:17.66\00:16:20.52
And then from there
it turned severe muscle
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and joint pain, it
was hard for me to walk,
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to lift my arms just
to do everyday things.
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And I was praying and
asking God you know please
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heal me and so I was
at school, so I could stay
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on tour, but as things
started to get progressively
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worse. My parents
decided that I should come
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home, so I could get
proper care. And so I was
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went home and I went to
some doctors appointments
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and I went got my
blood tested too because they
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were afraid that I had
some lupus like symptoms and
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that you know, if that
could lead to that and so
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once they took them
though they come out negative,
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which was a really big
blessing, but it showed that
00:16:57.31\00:17:00.30
I had had a very severe
reaction to a medication that
00:17:00.33\00:17:03.29
I was on and so it
would just take time to
00:17:03.32\00:17:06.08
get all out of my
system. And the doctor
00:17:06.11\00:17:08.83
said that it can
be up to 6 months.
00:17:08.87\00:17:10.83
Wow! That's a long
time. Yeah. And so I was
00:17:10.87\00:17:13.92
starting to get little
bit down depressed because
00:17:13.96\00:17:16.11
I could be on tour
and here I was at home
00:17:16.14\00:17:18.51
almost bedridden, I
couldn't really do anything
00:17:18.54\00:17:21.71
and hobble around the
house and that was really
00:17:21.75\00:17:23.81
hard for me because I'm
a very independent person
00:17:23.84\00:17:26.55
and I like to do
things and, and my mom had to
00:17:26.58\00:17:30.54
do things for me like
shower and get dressed,
00:17:30.57\00:17:33.28
the simple everyday
things you know. And so during
00:17:33.31\00:17:37.47
that time though at
night, my dad would be reading
00:17:37.51\00:17:40.08
Bible promises to me.
And I started to really take
00:17:40.12\00:17:43.39
them and make them my
own. And as I did that
00:17:43.43\00:17:45.67
it just seemed like the
groom just started to lift.
00:17:45.70\00:17:47.73
And I told God you
know God even if it takes up
00:17:47.76\00:17:52.14
to 6 months for me to
get better. I'm gonna trust
00:17:52.18\00:17:55.01
your will and just
understand and just trust
00:17:55.05\00:17:59.79
you. And when I made
that decision that's when
00:17:59.90\00:18:02.70
I started to get better.
And the real significance
00:18:02.74\00:18:06.25
of the verse Second
Corinthians 12:9 really spoke
00:18:06.28\00:18:10.01
to me and it really saw
my need it says, "My grace is
00:18:10.05\00:18:12.93
sufficient for you, for
my strength is made perfect
00:18:12.96\00:18:15.10
in weakness.
Therefore I rather glory in mine
00:18:15.13\00:18:18.41
infirmities; the power
of Christ may rest upon
00:18:18.45\00:18:20.90
me." When I realize
that not only was I weak
00:18:20.94\00:18:23.55
physically, but spiritually
too. That's when I could
00:18:23.59\00:18:27.35
go to God and ask for
his help because I realize
00:18:27.39\00:18:29.56
on myself I can't do
anything. Right! And so
00:18:29.59\00:18:32.60
during this time I had
extra time to read my Bible
00:18:32.64\00:18:35.74
and to pray and really
develop a friendship with
00:18:35.77\00:18:38.36
God one-on-one, and so
when I had frustrations or
00:18:38.40\00:18:41.00
when things aren't
going in the way, I thought
00:18:41.04\00:18:43.42
they should I could go
and talk to them with God
00:18:43.45\00:18:45.70
and tell them how I was
feeling. And it was just really
00:18:45.73\00:18:49.37
amazing how, when I
just surrendered my life to
00:18:49.40\00:18:52.15
him and just said God
it's in your hands and
00:18:52.18\00:18:54.29
I'm gonna just trust
that you know, what's best
00:18:54.32\00:18:56.59
for me. That things got
so much better and I'm here
00:18:56.62\00:19:00.73
today and so living
proof that God does answer
00:19:00.76\00:19:03.95
prayers. Amen. And we
live our lives in his hands
00:19:03.98\00:19:07.44
totally, completely,
he can do amazing things.
00:19:07.47\00:19:10.49
Amen, amen. Hi, I'm
David. And being out here
00:19:10.53\00:19:16.19
has got me thinking
that while this place is
00:19:16.23\00:19:17.75
beautiful and all,
it doesn't reflect the
00:19:17.78\00:19:19.71
environment that most
people live in. You see
00:19:19.74\00:19:22.18
our world has another side
and there is lot of pain and
00:19:22.21\00:19:24.47
suffering, but I don't
blame God for it because
00:19:24.51\00:19:26.98
the Bible says, the
wages of sin is death and that
00:19:27.01\00:19:30.39
sin is a transgression
of God's law. God's law is
00:19:30.43\00:19:33.93
love and when we
transgress that law there
00:19:33.96\00:19:36.37
are inevitable
consequences, but even amid
00:19:36.41\00:19:39.36
the confusion that exists;
God can still bring about
00:19:39.39\00:19:42.10
good. In nature,
there are flowers on every
00:19:42.13\00:19:45.10
thistle and thrones
are covered with roses.
00:19:45.13\00:19:47.28
God still cares', he
showers his love and blessings
00:19:47.31\00:19:51.24
on us even when
we don't deserve it.
00:19:51.28\00:19:52.88
And if we turn from him, all he
00:19:52.92\00:19:55.32
wants is for us
to comeback to him.
00:19:55.36\00:19:56.98
Why me Lord?
what have I ever done,
00:20:09.28\00:20:17.77
to deserve even one, of
the pleasures I've known,
00:20:17.80\00:20:29.55
tell me Lord,
what did I ever do,
00:20:29.58\00:20:39.17
that was worth lovin' you,
00:20:39.20\00:20:44.53
for the kindness you've shown,
00:20:44.56\00:20:52.74
Lord help me Jesus,
00:20:52.78\00:20:57.36
I've wasted it so help me Jesus,
00:20:57.40\00:21:05.22
I know what I
am, now that I know,
00:21:05.25\00:21:16.61
that I needed
you so help me Jesus,
00:21:16.65\00:21:24.75
my souls in your hand,
00:21:24.79\00:21:31.78
Try me Lord, if you
think there's a way,
00:21:37.10\00:21:43.76
I could ever repay,
what I've takin' from you,
00:21:43.79\00:21:55.67
maybe Lord, I can
show someone else,
00:21:55.70\00:22:03.21
what I've been through myself,
00:22:03.25\00:22:07.89
on my way back to you,
00:22:07.92\00:22:15.15
Lord help me Jesus,
00:22:15.18\00:22:20.53
I've wasted it so help me Jesus,
00:22:20.56\00:22:27.67
I know what I
am, now that I know,
00:22:27.71\00:22:38.70
that I needed
you so help me Jesus,
00:22:38.73\00:22:47.28
my souls in your
hand, Oh now that I know,
00:22:47.31\00:22:58.46
that I needed
you so help me Jesus,
00:22:58.50\00:23:07.05
my souls in your hand.
00:23:07.09\00:23:27.61
You know, David
when I listen to that
00:23:29.48\00:23:30.52
song "Why Me Lord."
Sometimes we think of
00:23:30.56\00:23:34.14
those words Why Me,
as though this guy is
00:23:34.17\00:23:37.07
complaining like the
song is about some guy
00:23:37.10\00:23:38.65
complaining why did
these bad things happen to
00:23:38.69\00:23:40.31
me, but actually the
song is about someone saying,
00:23:40.34\00:23:44.03
why are so good to me
Lord. And you are singing
00:23:44.06\00:23:48.25
the song, so I'm thinking
has God been good to David
00:23:48.60\00:23:51.86
you know, have you
seen that God has been,
00:23:51.89\00:23:55.09
has blessed you in a
great way. Yeah, actually a
00:23:55.12\00:23:57.87
couple of years ago,
my brother and I decided
00:23:57.91\00:24:00.00
that we want to go to, we
want to go to this Christian
00:24:00.04\00:24:02.94
Youth Conference that
was happening in Minnesota.
00:24:02.97\00:24:04.74
So, we decided since we
couldn't fly out, we decided
00:24:04.78\00:24:09.15
to drive out. So, to
split the cost of gas,
00:24:09.18\00:24:11.60
we got another friend
to come and we all chipped
00:24:11.63\00:24:14.34
in for gas and we
headed out. And you know,
00:24:14.38\00:24:18.06
before this trip
and everything I had you
00:24:18.09\00:24:20.10
know been doing things I
shouldn't have been doing
00:24:20.14\00:24:22.22
it and I was feeling
really convicted about this and
00:24:22.25\00:24:24.53
you know every time it
was so hard to give up,
00:24:24.56\00:24:28.00
I just kept pushing
the voice away, and,
00:24:28.03\00:24:29.67
I thought I can handle
my life. So, you are looking
00:24:29.70\00:24:32.74
at things, you shouldn't
look at. Yeah, music and
00:24:32.78\00:24:34.78
movies. Distractions,
all these things that were
00:24:35.06\00:24:36.78
distracting me from
my relationship with God.
00:24:36.81\00:24:38.50
And so I thought I was
handling my life pretty good,
00:24:38.53\00:24:40.85
but when we went to
this conference I was really
00:24:40.88\00:24:45.95
convicted that I
should give these things up,
00:24:45.99\00:24:48.29
but you know, it was so
hard for me because I was
00:24:48.32\00:24:50.86
so used to doing these
things. And on the way home
00:24:50.90\00:24:54.71
there was this guy
that came along with us
00:24:54.75\00:24:56.70
because he lives in
West Virginia, which is where
00:24:56.73\00:24:58.36
we were coming from and
so he just wanted to ride
00:24:58.40\00:25:01.11
home. So, we given him
the lift, and on the way
00:25:01.14\00:25:03.64
home we are driving
through Wisconsin and there
00:25:03.68\00:25:05.57
was snow
everywhere and you know they
00:25:05.60\00:25:07.70
plowed the freeway,
but it was all piled up
00:25:07.74\00:25:09.60
from the sides. And
we came along a tow truck
00:25:09.64\00:25:12.08
that was, there was a car
that had gone off the road
00:25:12.11\00:25:15.01
into the ditch or
something and it was pulling it
00:25:15.05\00:25:16.80
out. And we came along my
brother saw that it was parked
00:25:16.83\00:25:19.92
in a lane, so he went to
switch lanes, but when he
00:25:19.95\00:25:24.52
looked over to switch
there was already another car
00:25:24.56\00:25:26.48
there. Yeah. So, he
tried to go in between the two
00:25:26.52\00:25:29.42
and right as he
turned the wheel, we hit a
00:25:29.46\00:25:32.03
patch of ice or
something like that and the back
00:25:32.06\00:25:35.50
just slid and we
collided with the tow truck and
00:25:35.54\00:25:38.96
went spinning down
the freeway and I don't
00:25:39.00\00:25:42.01
remember the next
thing I remember, we come to
00:25:42.05\00:25:44.90
a stop and you know,
the first thing we could
00:25:44.94\00:25:48.23
smell was the gasoline,
it had ripped from the gas
00:25:48.27\00:25:50.89
tank off and that in and of
itself was a miracle because
00:25:50.92\00:25:53.78
you know, car should
have exploded or rolled
00:25:53.82\00:25:56.44
or something you
know, so already I
00:25:56.47\00:25:58.88
could see that God was
working and the thing that
00:25:58.91\00:26:02.88
impacted me the most
was afterwards I realized
00:26:02.92\00:26:06.38
you know, my brother
and my one friend we are
00:26:06.42\00:26:10.40
all scraped up from
the glass and you know,
00:26:10.43\00:26:12.32
they had seat belt rash
everything, my other friend
00:26:12.36\00:26:14.60
had been killed
sitting in the back. And I was
00:26:14.63\00:26:18.58
completely unscaved,
you know, I didn't have a
00:26:18.61\00:26:21.34
mark on me. And you
know, we went back to
00:26:21.38\00:26:24.34
the car later and this
glass everywhere all over my
00:26:24.37\00:26:26.18
seat, and floor, and
dashboard and I had none on me
00:26:26.22\00:26:29.99
and my brother you
know, they we are picking the
00:26:30.02\00:26:33.29
glass out of the ears
the next day and everything
00:26:33.32\00:26:35.35
and it just was
overwhelming to me see how God
00:26:35.39\00:26:39.75
had spared my life,
even though I didn't deserve
00:26:39.79\00:26:42.40
it because, yeah, you
know I was doing so many
00:26:42.43\00:26:44.53
things and just
turning my back on him
00:26:44.56\00:26:45.94
every time, but
yet he spared me.
00:26:45.98\00:26:48.42
Yeah, he was so kind
to you, yeah, and spared
00:26:48.46\00:26:50.43
your life, praise
Lord. You know often we find
00:26:50.46\00:26:54.06
ourselves running
away from God, but he is
00:26:54.10\00:26:56.65
actually faster then
we are and he catches up
00:26:56.68\00:26:59.25
with us. His desire is
to save us from ourselves.
00:26:59.28\00:27:03.44
And sometimes he
speaks to us and we put
00:27:03.47\00:27:05.94
our fingers in our
ears and we can't hear him,
00:27:05.98\00:27:07.58
but he even speaks
louder. There is a story in
00:27:07.61\00:27:10.97
the Old Testament
about Jacob who was running
00:27:11.00\00:27:13.14
away, he was a
fugitive and outcast and he was
00:27:13.17\00:27:16.07
lonely, sitting there
in the dessert and the only
00:27:16.11\00:27:18.98
thing he could find
was a rock for a pillow.
00:27:19.01\00:27:20.86
He had lied to his
father to try and get the
00:27:20.89\00:27:22.71
birthright away from
his brother Esau and now
00:27:22.77\00:27:26.62
he felt like he was
abandoned from his own
00:27:26.65\00:27:28.83
family, from God, and
he was alone, but God met
00:27:28.87\00:27:32.65
him in his need, in
his darkest need, he sent a
00:27:32.68\00:27:36.92
dream of a ladder.
And that ladder represents
00:27:36.96\00:27:39.66
Jesus, and when we
are in our darkest need
00:27:39.70\00:27:42.52
he sends Jesus to
communicate with us and to
00:27:42.55\00:27:46.35
lead us to Heaven. So,
let's pray right now that God
00:27:46.38\00:27:50.17
will do the same thing
for us. Heavenly father,
00:27:50.21\00:27:53.49
it is a fatal deception
for us to think that we can
00:27:53.52\00:27:56.79
just cultivate the
good that lies within us in
00:27:56.82\00:27:59.88
our natural heart, but
our natural heart does not
00:27:59.92\00:28:03.92
seek the things of the
spirit and so we ask you to
00:28:03.95\00:28:07.45
transform our hearts
and make us born again.
00:28:07.48\00:28:10.93
We pray this in
Jesus name Amen, Amen.
00:28:10.97\00:28:15.01
Steps to Christ in
Song is a 13 part series
00:28:15.04\00:28:23.25
from Fountainview Productions
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00:28:27.67\00:28:30.97
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Order your copies now by calling
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