Participants:
Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021748A
|
00:35 Welcome to the Sabbath School Study Hour.
00:39 Whether you're watching from around the world 00:42 or you're here worshiping with us 00:44 here at the Granite Bay church, 00:46 we just want to welcome you for joining us today. 00:50 If you have not been able to download 00:54 or even get this lesson here 00:57 that we're been studying in the Book of Romans, 01:00 you can go to the Amazing Facts website, 01:03 and download it and follow along each week 01:06 as we do this study. 01:09 We're so excited 01:10 that you're able to study with us today. 01:13 And we also have a special gift that we want to give to you, 01:18 Your Case in Court 01:22 and you can get that if you call in 01:25 to 866-788-3966, 01:31 and ask for Book Number 192. 01:37 And that will be available to you 01:38 free for watching with us today. 01:41 And we're just so glad that you could join with us, 01:44 we just want to ask the song leaders 01:48 to come out and begin our study today with a song. 01:58 Thank you, Pastor John. 02:00 We are excited, ladies? 02:02 Yes? Yes. 02:03 Because we look forward to this time every year 02:06 where we get to start singing our favorite Christmas songs, 02:09 and I know that yours as well. 02:10 There's just only a few weeks 02:12 that we get to do it every year. 02:14 And so we're trying to get in our favorites. 02:17 And today, we're going to start with 02:18 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, 122. 02:22 And we're going to sing all three stanzas. 02:23 So join with us 02:24 if you're at home, pull out your hymnals, 02:26 we want to hear your voices. 02:27 122. 02:39 Hark! the herald angels sing 02:45 Glory to the newborn King 02:49 Peace on earth, and mercy mild 02:54 God and sinners reconciled 02:59 Joyful, all ye nations, rise 03:04 Join the triumph of the skies 03:09 With angelic host proclaim 03:13 Christ is born in Bethlehem 03:18 Hark! the herald angels sing 03:23 Glory to the newborn King 03:29 Christ by highest heaven adored 03:34 Christ, the everlasting Lord 03:38 In the manger born a king 03:43 While adoring angels sing 03:48 Peace on earth to men good will 03:53 Bid the trembling soul be still 03:57 Christ on earth has come to dwell 04:02 Jesus, our Immanuel 04:07 Hark! the herald angels sing 04:11 Glory to the newborn King 04:18 Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace 04:22 Hail, the Son of Righteousness 04:27 Light and life to all He brings 04:32 Risen with healing in His wings 04:37 Mild He lays His Glory by 04:41 Born that man no more may die 04:46 Born to raise the sons of earth 04:50 Born to give them second birth 04:55 Hark! the herald angels sing 05:00 Glory to the newborn King 05:10 Thank you so much for joining with us. 05:12 And we look forward to singing Silent Night 05:14 with you next week. 05:16 At this time 05:17 Pastor John is going to have our opening prayer. 05:29 Before we begin our Bible study, 05:32 we'll let bow our heads as we have a word of prayer. 05:37 Our kind Heavenly Father, as we are here 05:40 we are just asking your special blessing 05:42 as Pastor Shawn Brummund shares this study today. 05:47 Lord, we ask that you be here with us 05:50 and all those around the world as we study this lesson today 05:56 on no condemnation. 05:59 Thank you, dear Lord, for answering our prayers 06:01 and being with us today. 06:03 We pray in Jesus' name, amen. 06:06 At this time, I'd like to invite 06:09 Pastor Shawn Brummund 06:10 to share the message with us today. 06:14 Good morning everyone. 06:15 Good morning. 06:16 It's good to see you here. 06:17 And thank you so much for all your smiling faces. 06:19 You know, as we were singing our different hymns 06:23 and as we we're approaching that traditional season 06:25 where we remember the birth of Christ and such, 06:27 I have to confess that 06:30 I just had this 06:32 not overwhelming but this large feeling 06:34 of just thankfulness to be able to be a part. 06:36 What a privilege 06:38 to be a part of the Granite Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church. 06:41 And what a privilege it is 06:42 to be a part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as well 06:46 as well as the study hour. 06:48 You know, the Sabbath School of Study Hour, 06:49 this has been a longstanding program 06:51 in which God has brought God's Word 06:53 not only to us live here in Sacramento Central Church 06:56 and now here in Granite Bay, 06:58 but to thousands around the world. 06:59 And just want to welcome you as well, 07:02 we thank you so much for joining us 07:03 here this morning 07:05 as we continue to study this great and powerful book. 07:08 This gospel book, 07:10 many Christians have counted the Book of Romans 07:12 the most powerful gospel book that there really is 07:15 in all of the Bible. 07:16 And so this is no small book 07:18 amongst this Holy Bible that we're studying here today. 07:22 Well, I invite everybody to open their Bibles first off 07:24 to not the Book of Romans 07:25 but to the Book that's just a couple of chapters... 07:29 couple of books after the Book of Romans. 07:30 That's 2 Corinthians 5 chapter. 07:34 And as we go to 2 Corinthians chapter 5, 07:37 I like to read together here verse 17. 07:41 We're going to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 07:45 and we are going to be reading verse 17. 07:49 Now some of you know just by reference 07:51 what that verse is already, don't you? 07:53 I know that there's more than one 07:54 that not only knows where the references is 07:56 but knows this verse by memory. 07:59 And not only do you know 08:00 the reference and this verse by memory 08:02 but this is also a verse that describes your experience. 08:08 This is something that describes 08:10 your faith and life experience. 08:12 So let's read it together here 08:14 as we review it for some 08:15 and perhaps for some of us 08:16 that are watching or studying here today, 08:19 this is also new. 08:20 In verse 17 it says, 08:21 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ Jesus, 08:24 he is a new creation. 08:27 All things..." Sorry. 08:29 "Old things have passed away, 08:30 behold, all things have become new." 08:34 And, you know, 08:35 as I was thinking of that scripture 08:37 and as I was studying 08:38 for this particular study lesson 08:40 in poring over Romans chapter 8, 08:42 poring over Romans chapter 7 in such, 08:44 and looking at the context in that close relationship 08:47 that the two chapters have together. 08:49 And reflecting on really chapters 6, 7, and 8, 08:54 I really, my mind was brought to this particular verse 08:57 because this particular verse is one that 09:00 really summarizes these three powerful chapters 09:03 that when we are in Christ, 09:04 we are no longer the same, are we? 09:06 When we are in Christ, behold, old things have passed away, 09:09 all things have become new. 09:10 And so there is a very real, spiritual, practical, 09:15 moral character change that takes place 09:18 when we find ourselves in Christ. 09:23 Well, we're looking at lesson number 9 today, 09:25 and that starts on page 72. 09:28 And we have a couple of volunteers 09:30 that are going to be reading here for us. 09:33 And I'm not sure, is there... 09:35 Okay. Yes. We have a volunteer here today. 09:37 And she's going to read our memory text 09:40 which is Romans 8:1. 09:42 Of course, you can find it in your Bible 09:43 and you can also find it in your quarterly study 09:45 on page 72, on page 72. 09:50 Okay. 09:52 Romans 8:1 says, 09:55 "There is therefore now no condemnation to those 09:59 who are in Christ Jesus, 10:02 who do not walk according to the flesh, 10:04 but according to the Spirit." 10:07 Okay, thank you. 10:09 And so this is a very powerful verse. 10:11 And we're going to spend the next few minutes 10:13 looking at this particular verse 10:15 because this verse is something 10:17 that is worth stopping and parking at 10:20 for some time. 10:21 In fact, it's so important 10:22 and that the words in the verse 10:26 is found in the title of our quarterly study 10:28 which is No Condemnation. 10:31 I'm going to go ahead and read the first two small paragraphs 10:34 that begin page 72 10:35 because it is just so well done 10:37 as the different authors and editors 10:39 have contributed to this, 10:41 it says, "Romans 8 is Paul's answer to Romans 7. 10:44 And so if you studied last week whether in this study 10:47 or whether you studied it in your local church 10:49 or whenever it was, 10:51 I trust that you've already looked at Romans 7 10:53 because Romans 8 is really part 2 to Romans 7. 10:57 And that's why it says Romans 8 is Paul's answer to Romans 7. 11:01 In Romans 7, 11:03 Paul speaks of frustration, failure, and condemnation. 11:07 But in Romans 8, 11:09 the condemnation is gone and it's replaced with freedom 11:12 and victory through Jesus Christ. 11:15 Paul was saying in Romans 7 11:17 that if you refuse to accept Jesus Christ, 11:20 the wretched experience of Romans 7 will be yours. 11:24 You will be slaves to sin 11:25 unable to do what you choose to do. 11:28 In Romans 8, he says that, 11:29 "Christ Jesus offers you deliverance from sin." 11:33 What does He offer us? 11:34 He offers us deliverance from sin. 11:37 And the freedom to do good that you want to do 11:43 but your flesh won't allow. 11:46 And so thank you for the editors and the author 11:50 and contributors to this particular quarterly 11:52 because that is just such a accurate statement 11:55 and summary of the two chapters that we've been looking at 11:58 both in Romans 7 last week and now also 12:02 as we look at Romans in the 8th chapter. 12:06 Now when I say Romans 8, 12:08 if you studied and you read through, 12:09 you know that I'm talking about 12:11 just the first half of Romans 8, don't you? 12:12 Because the second half of Romans 8, 12:14 Paul is inspired to go in some different directions 12:17 on some different topics. 12:18 Now depending on our time here, 12:20 we'll see how many of those different topics 12:22 we can touch on. 12:23 But the first half of Romans 8 is really the punch line 12:27 for what God has been working up to 12:29 both in Romans 6, Romans 7, and Romans 8. 12:35 In fact, the first half of Romans 8 12:37 really is on the topic of what I call 12:39 the second half of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 12:42 Now what does gospel mean again? 12:45 Gospel means good news, doesn't it? 12:47 Okay, so if gospel means good news 12:50 and Jesus says, "Hey, listen we can find 12:52 a victory and they have no longer have sinned, 12:54 they have dominion over us, 12:55 but now righteousness will reign in our lives." 12:57 That's good news then, isn't it? 12:59 Okay, that's why I call it the second half of the gospel. 13:03 Now theologians have been throwing a word around it 13:05 for a long-time scholars, 13:07 Bible Students, Christians and such. 13:09 And it can be tempting to think 13:11 that theologians made up this work 13:13 as it's such a long fancy kind of sounding word, 13:16 but it's actually in the Bible several times 13:17 and it's called sanctification. 13:20 Sanctification. 13:22 Now sanctification is not a word 13:23 that we use that often, is it, 13:24 in our regular day to day lives and conversations? 13:27 But it's very real in the conversation 13:29 of the New Testament. 13:30 And so it's important for us to understand what that means. 13:34 Sanctification. 13:37 I want to ask everybody a question here today. 13:39 Does anybody agree with me that in order 13:42 that for us to be formed from the inside out 13:45 or maybe we can say reformed from the inside out 13:50 to experience a love for God's law 13:53 and to experience a love 13:54 for what is right in God's eyes, 13:56 to have a power, then to do what is right, 14:00 how many agree that that is really, really good news? 14:05 Okay, I see a few hands go up. 14:07 Okay, I have somebody in the back. 14:08 He's got both hands up. All right, okay. 14:11 So I join you in that, okay? 14:15 This is something that is important for us to understand. 14:20 In fact, I want to share here 14:21 just a little bit of a personal testimony if I may. 14:24 When I was 20 years of age, 14:26 I had been experiencing 20 years of a secular life. 14:29 My parents were very loving parents, 14:32 it was a very loving home. 14:34 But my parents had decided early on 14:36 one or two years after I was born 14:38 to leave the church of their heritage, 14:40 to leave the Christian faith altogether, 14:42 and to live a secular life. 14:44 And so my experience basically 14:47 from as far back as I can remember 14:49 up until 20 years of age 14:50 was 100% secular, and faith, and religious-free. 14:57 And so 20 years of age that summer, 15:00 God had spoken to me in a very real way, 15:02 no audible voice, but there was a very real voice 15:06 that I was tuned into that said, 15:09 "Shawn, I want you to check out this church thing." 15:11 And without sharing my whole personal testimony, 15:14 I was open to it at that time. 15:16 I was looking for hope in a very hopeless situation. 15:20 And so I started going to church. 15:22 And every Sunday morning, there was a local church 15:24 that I felt comfortable with, 15:26 I went every morning, 15:29 every week at 8:30 every morning 15:31 and I attended that church. 15:33 And while I was attending church, 15:34 fortunately, the pastor there was one 15:36 that was opening the Bible still 15:37 and he was sharing some different parts of the Bible 15:40 and the good news and Gospel of Christ. 15:42 And even though there wasn't a whole lot of knowledge 15:44 that was there, in fact, I started from ground zero. 15:47 And I didn't know a lot about almost nothing 15:50 about the Christian faith, 15:51 I didn't know the Ten Commandments, 15:52 I didn't know anything about Jesus, nothing. 15:55 But because my heart was opening 15:57 and because I'd open the door to my heart, Jesus says, 16:00 "Behold I stand at the door and I knock. 16:02 And if anyone opens the door, I will come in to him 16:05 and dine with him, and he with me." 16:07 And so because I did that, 16:09 Jesus honored that and He came in. 16:12 And I'm telling you friends, 16:13 my life was just turned upside down 16:14 in a wonderful way. 16:16 And all of a sudden, 16:17 I began to see the world in a different way. 16:19 My emotions were starting to be restored 16:21 because of the simple pleasures 16:22 that I was indulging and so deeply, 16:25 and my emotions have been numbed. 16:27 And all of a sudden, I started to enjoy and experience 16:30 the fruits of the spirit. 16:31 And I didn't even know what the Holy Spirit was, 16:33 never heard of it, 16:34 but I was experiencing it, wasn't I? 16:36 Okay, I was beginning to become born again. 16:40 I was starting to experience 16:41 the Spirit-filled sanctification experience. 16:44 That was the best news for me, 16:46 in fact, it wasn't until years later 16:47 that I even learned about justification, 16:49 the need for forgiveness and so on, 16:50 I didn't even know about that part. 16:52 So that was good news that I learned later. 16:54 For me, the second half of the gospel 16:57 was the first half for me 16:58 because that was the only experience and knowledge 17:00 that I had. 17:02 And so it hurts me and I know it hurts God 17:04 when some of us say to ourselves, 17:06 "Well, I like the first part, I like to be justified, 17:08 I like to know that I'm forgiven 17:09 and I'm going to go to heaven 17:10 and I'm going to have eternal life. 17:12 But I'm not so excited about changing my life. 17:14 I'm not so excited about opening my heart to Christ 17:16 and allowing His spirit to come in 17:18 and begin to take the throne in my heart." 17:21 And so, you know, that's part of the gospel. 17:26 That's part of the good news that Jesus gives to us, 17:29 that He gives us a new life in Him. 17:31 "Behold, old things have passed away, 17:33 behold, all things have become new." 17:38 As a former Pharisee, 17:40 the author of the Book of Romans, 17:41 the prophet Paul and Apostle Paul, 17:43 he was not only thrilled to find out 17:45 that justification came by faith alone 17:47 that he didn't have to deserve it, 17:49 there's nothing that we can do to deserve justification. 17:53 The only thing that we can do 17:54 is bring all their sin at the feet of Jesus 17:56 and say, "Lord, I accept you as my Lord and my savior, 17:58 I come to you. 17:59 Please, have mercy and forgive me." 18:02 And when we do that, 18:03 the Bible tells us that He counts us new, 18:05 He counts us justified, 18:07 He counts us acquitted 18:08 from all the charges that have been laid against us 18:11 from all our sins and our guilt. 18:12 And now we are a child of God from that point forward. 18:16 And so Paul was thrilled 18:17 to be able to discover 18:18 this very real spiritual gospel truth 18:21 that he had not experienced as a Pharisee 18:24 in the years previous in his experience. 18:26 But it's very important for us to really understand 18:28 that Paul was just as thrilled as I was 18:31 when he discovered that there is a power 18:33 outside of himself 18:35 that allows us to be able to experience a new life 18:37 and begin to overcome sin. 18:40 You see, Paul was a Pharisee, 18:42 and Pharisees were brought up to be very strict 18:44 and to look very closely at the law of God. 18:48 But the problem was 18:49 that they were also taught to look to themselves 18:51 in their own strength 18:53 to be able to overcome the sin that the law revealed. 18:57 And so Paul was just like Martin Luther, 18:59 he was in a lot of misery because of that. 19:01 And not only that, but he had a lot of very sinful attributes 19:04 that continue to have dominion over Paul. 19:09 Some of those attributes are arrogance. 19:11 Paul was a very arrogant man. 19:12 And we can find that in his own confessions 19:14 as well as in the historical Book of Acts. 19:16 We find there that Paul is describing himself. 19:20 And he says, "I was an arrogant man. 19:21 I was murderous." 19:23 Okay, so Paul was a very murderous man, 19:25 in fact, he had the blood of many innocent Christians 19:28 that he had led to the execution bar. 19:32 He was an angry man. We find that as well. 19:35 He was a man that was ruled by envy. 19:38 These are all sinful works of the flesh, are they not? 19:41 And so Paul was under the dominion of sin, 19:44 even as a very religious person, 19:46 as a Pharisee within the synagogue. 19:49 It wasn't until he discovered that there is a Spirit of God 19:53 that can fill his heart. 19:54 There is a higher power than he is 19:56 that can help him to have dominion over sin. 19:59 And so that was the good news that Paul experienced, 20:02 that was the good news that I first experienced, 20:04 and I know there's many in this room 20:05 and many are watching today 20:06 that you've also experienced that 20:08 as you have come to find that victory 20:10 in the spirit. 20:12 So let's return back to the Book of Romans. 20:15 Romans 1, chapter 8 I should say 20:18 and we're going to look back at verse 1, 20:19 our first key verse. 20:21 Let's read it together. 20:23 Again, it says, "There is therefore 20:24 now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, 20:29 who do not walk according to the spirit... 20:32 do not walk according to the flesh, 20:33 but according to the Spirit." 20:37 And so very clearly, 20:38 we have this very powerful answer 20:40 to the desperate cry that is cried out by the man 20:43 that Paul is describing in Romans 7:24. 20:47 "Oh, wretched man that I am, 20:49 who will deliver me from this body of death?" 20:54 And Romans 8 is being set up 20:57 by what Paul had already read or written 21:00 in Romans 7 21:01 ending with that desperate cry of the man of that chapter. 21:05 And so essentially, the last half of Romans 7 21:08 is setting us up for Romans 8 21:10 in a very dramatic and effective way. 21:13 And so I'm very thankful for our teacher last week, 21:16 as he was able to bring that forward for us 21:21 in such an effective way. 21:24 So to coming to the saving gospel 21:25 of Jesus Christ is to reject the works of the flesh, 21:28 as we've just read in verse 1, 21:30 and to daily ask for the Holy Spirit 21:32 in our lives, in our hearts. 21:34 That's the invitation, 21:37 that is the solution that God gives to us 21:40 in these very powerful verses. 21:43 Now some may ask, and we're looking at this 21:45 both in Romans 7 and Romans 8, 21:47 and if you weren't studying in the past 21:49 and we haven't stopped here at the word flesh, 21:52 I just want to explain that just briefly 21:54 because flesh is normally used, 21:56 you know, to describe our physical bodies, isn't it? 22:00 Okay, Paul is not talking about the physical body itself, 22:03 he's not looking at the physical body 22:05 in a derogatory way 22:06 or something that is just kind of disposable, 22:08 it doesn't matter. 22:09 In fact, there's all kinds of verses 22:11 that tell us that we need to respect our bodies, 22:14 and that our bodies are actually a temple 22:17 of the Holy Spirit in whom we're talking about here today. 22:20 And so it's very important for us to understand 22:22 that God is not trying to tell us 22:24 that our flesh is kind of bad in of itself physically. 22:28 No, in fact, we are to take great care of it 22:30 and respect it as a temple. 22:33 So what is God telling us 22:34 when Paul is using the word flesh 22:36 in these different verses? 22:38 Well, Monday's lesson study 22:39 gives us a very good brief definition of it. 22:42 In Monday's lesson study it says, 22:43 flesh means an unregenerate person. 22:46 An unregenerate person, okay? 22:49 Another word for flesh or unregenerate is carnal. 22:53 Really, what it's talking about 22:54 is that hardwired problem that we're all born with, 22:59 that we're all conceived with, and that is bent towards sin. 23:04 All of us are born with a sinful nature. 23:07 How many parents here had to teach their child 23:10 as they were growing up from that cute little age 23:12 up until here, and they first started to talk, 23:14 how many had to teach their child how to lie? 23:18 Anybody had to teach their child how to lie? 23:20 How many parents here had children that lie? 23:24 Come on, put your hands up. 23:27 All right, every parent should put their hand up here. 23:28 One of the most horrifying experience 23:30 that a parent has and I deserve it too 23:32 is when that cute little munchkin, 23:34 the innocent little angel 23:35 that came in that little beautiful bundle 23:38 from the hospital and so on, 23:39 barely is able to walk, 23:40 and just shortly after it's able to say mama and papa, 23:43 and it can put a sentence together, 23:45 it's pretty well about that stage, you know, 23:47 that they're taking a cookie that they shouldn't have taken. 23:49 And you say, "Did you eat that cookie?" 23:51 And they look up and they say, "No." 23:55 Okay. 23:57 It just comes instinctively, doesn't it? 23:59 Okay, all of us are hardwired towards sin. 24:02 And that's what it's talking about, 24:04 it's talking about that fleshly nature 24:07 in regards to our sinful nature. 24:09 It's not talking about the blood and the bones 24:12 and the muscles and such that we're to take care of. 24:16 Well, that been said, let's leave Romans just briefly again 24:18 and back up to the gospel of Luke. 24:21 And as we go to the gospel of Luke, 24:22 we're going to the 11th chapter. 24:27 And when we get there, 24:28 and we're gonna go to start with the... 24:30 Let me see now verse 9. 24:33 So we're going to the gospel of Luke 11, 24:37 and we're going to look by reading verses 9 through 10. 24:40 Now immediately, as soon as we start reading it, 24:42 many of us, if not all of us here today 24:44 and those who are watching, 24:45 many of you are very familiar with these verses, okay? 24:48 You'll see what I'm saying when we start to read it. 24:50 Verse 9, Jesus says, 24:51 "I say to you, ask and it will be given to you." 24:55 Some of you don't even have your Bibles open, you know it. 24:57 "Seek, and you will find. 24:59 Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 25:04 For everyone who asks, receives, 25:06 and he who seeks, finds, 25:08 and to him who knocks, it will be opened." 25:12 Now these verses have been used in a variety of ways. 25:16 When I want to trade in my old car 25:19 for a very desperately needed new one, 25:22 okay, ask and you shall receive we say, don't we? 25:26 Okay. 25:27 And then our Christian friends will rally around and say, 25:29 you know, seek and you shall find, 25:31 you know, knock on the door and it will be opened to you. 25:33 When you're looking for that first house 25:34 or maybe a new house or a bigger house 25:36 because your family is expanding. 25:37 Now look, you needed a new job or a higher paying job 25:41 or your finances need, 25:43 you know, rearranging and recovery and so on, 25:46 we come to these verses, don't we? 25:48 And so these are very well used verses. 25:52 And that's not a bad thing, 25:53 in fact, I believe that the principle here 25:55 that Jesus is bringing to us in the right context 25:57 and of course with the right motivations, 26:00 can be claimed. 26:01 And so I'm not saying that we're misusing those verses. 26:04 But what I am saying is what a crime it is, 26:08 if this is the only way that we use these verses 26:11 and we miss the original point that Jesus had in mind 26:17 in regards to why He even spoke these words in the first place. 26:21 In other words, so often we end at verse 10 26:24 and we miss the main point, 26:25 the original point that Jesus was trying to make. 26:33 And so with that being said, we have a volunteer here again, 26:35 Brianca is going to read the next of the verses, 26:39 and allow Jesus here to make His point 26:41 as she read verses 11 through to verse 13. 26:45 Thank you. 26:46 "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, 26:49 will he give him a stone? 26:51 Or if he asks for a fish, 26:52 will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 26:56 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 27:00 If you then, being evil, 27:02 know how to give good gifts to your children, 27:05 how much more will your Heavenly Father 27:07 give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him." 27:11 Okay, so today, by God's grace, 27:15 we're allowing Jesus to make His original point. 27:17 What is the original point that Jesus is trying to make? 27:24 To ask for the Holy Spirit, yes. 27:26 Okay, seek, and you shall find. 27:28 Seek what? 27:30 To seek the Holy Spirit? 27:32 Isn't that what Jesus is saying? 27:33 Knock and it shall be open to you, okay? 27:37 So all these things ask and you shall receive. 27:40 Receive what? 27:42 The Holy Spirit. 27:43 And not only that but then Jesus says, 27:44 he's making that point 27:46 is also speaking in some of the most exaggerated 27:48 kind of humorous language we can almost call it. 27:51 Where He says, hey, listen, 27:52 which parent here says when their little one says, 27:55 "You know, Mommy, I'm really hungry." 27:57 And instead of an egg, you give them a scorpion. 28:00 I mean, it's ridiculous, isn't it? 28:02 Okay, Jesus is trying to be ridiculous on purpose. 28:05 Why because he is trying to communicate to you and I, 28:08 how eager God is to give us his Holy Spirit. 28:14 He's using the most effective and exaggerated language He can 28:17 to make that point. 28:19 He's saying listen, too often, God is so disappointed with us 28:22 as we make our way through the day 28:24 and we don't ask for the Holy Spirit. 28:26 We don't knock on the door, 28:27 we don't seek out 28:29 the presence of God in our heart. 28:31 And so Jesus here is trying to make the main point. 28:34 And so again, these original verses 9 and 10 28:36 that we're so accustomed to and so familiar with, 28:39 may we not miss the original point 28:41 that Jesus had for you and me, 28:43 and that is to remember how much God wants us to ask 28:46 for the Holy Spirit in your lives. 28:51 And chapter 8 and verse 1 as we just read, 28:54 this also explains to us why this is so important. 28:57 Why was Jesus using this most exaggerated language 29:02 as He can to tell us 29:04 and encourage us and urge us to ask for the Holy Spirit? 29:09 Why? 29:10 Because in Romans 8 29:12 and the first verse as we've read, 29:13 it says, "Therefore, there is no condemnation." 29:16 Did Jesus come to condemn? 29:18 No, the Son of Man was not sent into the world 29:20 to condemn the world, 29:21 but the world might be saved through Him 29:22 as it says in John 3:17. 29:25 And so Jesus is wanting to save us from condemnation, 29:29 and so He paves the pathway 29:31 and summarizes it in this powerful verse 29:34 through Paul in Romans 8:1. 29:36 It says, "There is therefore now no condemnation 29:38 to those who are in Christ Jesus." 29:41 Well, how are we in Christ Jesus 29:43 who do not walk according to the flesh, 29:46 but according to the spirit. 29:50 And so Jesus is here, again, reminding us and urging us 29:54 how important it is to have the Holy Spirit in our hearts, 29:56 have the Holy Spirit ruling in our lives. 30:00 Now in the 6th verse of the same chapter in Romans 30:02 and it repeats basically the same thing 30:04 and so I'm just gonna jump ahead. 30:05 We don't have time to, of course, to look 30:06 at every verse in this very long chapter 30:09 even in the first half of Romans 8. 30:11 But let's look at verse 6 30:12 'cause essentially He's saying 30:14 the same thing in a different way. 30:15 He says, "For to be carnally minded," 30:17 that is minded of the flesh, "is death, 30:20 but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." 30:26 And so again He says, listen, 30:28 "If you're in the spirit and you're spiritually minded 30:31 you have life and peace." 30:34 Now, friends, I think it's very important for us 30:35 to understand that you can sit at the feet 30:37 of every self helpers, spiritual guru in the world. 30:42 You can go to every seminar, 30:43 you can go to all kinds of different versions 30:47 whether it's eastern religions and new age 30:49 and all these different, 30:51 you know, claims to supernatural victory 30:54 to your life or whatever it is, friends, 30:56 you can sit at the feet of all these, 30:57 you will never be spiritually minded. 30:59 You know, this word spiritual 31:01 has been, you know, just dragged through the mud 31:04 through our modern generation. 31:06 And really the Bible tells us that the only way 31:09 that you can truly be spiritually minded 31:11 is to have the Holy Spirit of God 31:12 in your heart. 31:14 It's the only way, 31:15 there is no other way to be spiritually minded. 31:19 And so that's why it tells us in verse 6 that, 31:21 "To be spiritually minded is life and peace." 31:23 And He tells us in the previous verses and the verses after, 31:26 and that is through a life in the spirit. 31:31 Well, that being said, let's turn to the Book of John, 31:34 we're going to leave Romans 8 just briefly, 31:35 again, we're going to back up to another gospel 31:37 and come to the teachings of Jesus 31:38 'cause Paul is reflecting of what Jesus, of course, 31:41 had already taught during his life on earth 31:43 previous to that 31:45 and I just cannot go through this subject 31:48 without going to one of my favorite chapters 31:50 because this chapter speaks on the same topic 31:53 that Paul speaking on in these verses 31:55 in Romans chapter 8. 31:56 Now John chapter 3, 31:57 many of you as we turn to it 31:58 already know what that's about. 32:00 But if you don't, we're going to discover very quickly 32:02 that this is what I call the born again chapter. 32:06 And the reason I call this chapter that 32:08 is because this is the only chapter, 32:10 the only chapter in all scriptures 32:12 that uses the term born again. 32:14 And yet it's very popular among many of our evangelical friends 32:18 and Protestant Christians and so on. 32:21 Let's read what Jesus had to say 32:23 in regards to that popular term. 32:26 So I'm going to go ahead and read John 3:3. 32:29 And then we have a volunteer here 32:31 who is going to read a little bit later 32:32 in the same chapter. 32:34 Verse 3 says, "Jesus answered and said to him, 32:36 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, 32:40 he cannot see the kingdom of God." 32:45 Unless we are born again, 32:46 we cannot have spiritual eye sight, 32:48 Jesus is saying. 32:50 You can't even recognize the kingdom 32:53 unless you are born again. 32:55 Is it important to be born again, friends? 32:57 Sure it is. 32:58 If you can't even see it, 33:00 how in the world do you going to enter it? 33:02 Okay, and so this is about 33:04 being spiritually minded again, isn't it? 33:06 Paul says to be spiritually minded 33:08 is life and peace. 33:10 And spiritual in its very essence, 33:13 in its original obligation, and again, you know, 33:15 as opposed to its misdefinition and misuse 33:18 which is so popular around many unbelievers 33:21 is that spiritual comes from the word spirit. 33:25 And the original spirit that the word is derived from 33:28 is the Holy Spirit of the Bible. 33:31 And yet so many of us who are trying to claim 33:33 that we're spiritual people 33:35 but we have nothing to do with the Holy Spirit. 33:38 The Bible says there's no such thing, 33:40 Jesus says, "Unless you're born again," 33:43 and He's speaking in the context of the spirit, 33:44 "You can't even recognize the kingdom of God." 33:49 All right, we have a volunteer, 33:51 Denise is going to be reading for us verses 5 through 8 33:53 in the same chapter here this morning. 33:57 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, 34:01 unless one is born of water and the Spirit, 34:04 he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 34:07 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, 34:10 and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 34:14 Do not marvel that I say to you, 34:16 'You must be born again.' 34:18 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, 34:23 but cannot tell where it comes from 34:26 or where it goes. 34:27 So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." 34:32 Okay, thank you. 34:34 And so now Jesus goes on and says, 34:35 "Now that you cannot see the kingdom of God," 34:37 but verse 5 says, "If you don't have the spirit, 34:39 if you are not born of the Spirit" 34:41 the Holy Spirit with capital S, 34:43 "He cannot enter the kingdom of God." 34:46 You cannot see it and you cannot enter it, 34:49 unless you have the Holy Spirit. 34:52 Very important for us to be able to understand. 34:53 Then we come to verse 6 as He says, 34:55 you know, we're all born of the flesh, 34:57 but hey, we're in trouble if we only stay in the flesh 34:59 because again our flesh is hardwired, 35:02 and the flesh is really talking about that part of our brain 35:04 that was hardwired towards sin. 35:08 And so Jesus says 35:10 listen, to be just in the flesh is big trouble, 35:13 but to be born of the spirit is spirit, 35:16 this is the key to life. 35:18 Then we come to verse 7 and this is no small verse, 35:21 Jesus really comes to the punch line, 35:22 in verse 7, He says, 35:23 "Do not marvel that I say you must be born again." 35:29 Is Jesus give it as an option 35:30 to have the Holy Spirit to be born again 35:33 and be part of His kingdom? 35:34 No. 35:35 And so we here have a very, very important chapter 35:38 that is telling us how essential it is, 35:41 in fact, He is telling us that our salvation 35:45 is bearing upon whether or not we have the Holy Spirit 35:48 in our lives or not, 35:50 whether we are born again or not. 35:55 This is why Paul was inspired to also write 35:57 in the Book of Galatians and the Book of Corinthians, 36:00 two very hard hitting passages on the very same subject. 36:03 Why? 36:04 Because God wants us to be able to understand 36:06 how important this is 36:07 and how much and how eager as we read in Luke chapter 11, 36:10 Jesus tells us, "God wants to give us the spirit." 36:13 We don't have time to look at both. 36:14 Well let's turn to the Book of Galatians 36:15 and we look at one of those examples. 36:18 Okay, we're going to the Book of Galatians. 36:22 And we're going to go to the 5th chapter 36:25 and we're going to start by reading verse 16 36:27 to get the context. 36:29 Verse 16 reveals to us that the passage 36:30 that we're about to read and look at, 36:32 again, is on the very same subject 36:35 that we've been looking at in Romans 8, 36:37 we'll continue to look at here today. 36:42 Verse 16 says, 36:43 "I say then walk in the spirit 36:46 and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." 36:50 Is this the same topic friends? 36:52 Sure it is, isn't it? 36:53 Okay, so this is the same topic talking about 36:55 either walking in the flesh or walking in the spirit. 36:59 Now let's skip down to verse 19, it says, 37:01 "For now the works of the flesh are evident." 37:03 And then he gives us an example list, 37:05 now this is not exhaustive. 37:06 In fact, if you go to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 37:09 again, we don't have time today, 37:10 you can find that he lists some others as well. 37:12 Verse 9:18 says now, 37:13 "The works of the flesh are evident 37:15 which are adultery, fornication," 37:19 which is our sexuality before marriage, 37:25 adultery of course is engaging in sexuality 37:27 outside of your marriage, 37:29 "Uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, 37:35 hatred, contentions, jealousies, 37:39 outbursts of wrath." 37:40 What is that, friends? 37:42 That's... our modern day, we call that 37:44 losing our temper, okay? 37:47 When we lose our temper, outbursts of wrath, 37:51 "Selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies." 37:56 Heresies. 37:58 Every time I come to this verse in this passage and list, 38:00 I say to myself, isn't that something that heresies is... 38:03 I would have never guessed that he would list it in there, 38:05 you know, 'cause the others are more character defaults, 38:08 different, you know, 38:09 sins and transgressions of God's law. 38:11 But God tells us one of the works of the flesh, 38:14 one of the fruits of the flesh is heresy. 38:17 Now what is heresy? 38:20 Heresy is false doctrine, isn't it? 38:22 Heresy is coming up with theology 38:24 and either coming up with it or adopting it 38:26 from some other source and then propagating that. 38:29 And so a heresy is something 38:31 that is not in harmony with the Bible's teaching, 38:34 something contrary to what God has revealed 38:36 in the Holy Scriptures. 38:38 And so if, you know... 38:41 how do I say this? 38:44 You know, over the years, 38:45 I've had a lot of different people that have, 38:48 not a lot, I shouldn't say that. 38:49 I've had a handful of members 38:52 that I've had to try to win back 38:55 into the Bible truth 38:56 as they have either adopted or have concocted 38:59 some kind of wild-eyed, you know, unbiblical theology 39:04 and just ran with it and promoted it 39:06 at my church and so on. 39:08 And yet they claim to be 39:11 one of the most spiritual people there are. 39:14 And yet God tells me that 39:16 it's not the Holy Spirit that's leading me into that, 39:17 that's the flesh. 39:20 Verse 21, "Envy, murders, drunkenness, 39:22 revelries and the like of which I tell you beforehand, 39:25 just as I also told you in time past 39:27 that those who practice such things 39:29 will not inherit the kingdom of God." 39:33 Now that's pretty strong, isn't it? 39:35 Jesus says, "You must be born again 39:37 and walk in the spirit 39:38 where there is no condemnation." 39:40 Because if you don't walk in the spirit, 39:42 you're walking in the flesh, 39:44 and if you walk in the flesh, 39:45 you will practice one or more of these things 39:46 and you'll find yourselves 39:48 not inheriting the kingdom of God. 39:50 But let's go on to the good news. 39:52 Verse 22, it says, 39:54 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 39:59 longsuffering, kindness, 40:02 goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control 40:07 and against such things, there is no law." 40:11 Beautiful, beautiful contrast in list there, isn't there? 40:14 Which one will you choose? 40:16 Which one will we choose as we continue on? 40:20 Well, let's back up to Romans chapter 8 40:22 before we run of all or our time. 40:23 And I'm just having so much... 40:27 I'm enjoying myself so much up here 40:30 just going through these important life-giving truths 40:33 that I can see that... 40:34 You know, when you're having fun, 40:35 time flies, 40:36 and it seems to be flying faster than ever here today. 40:39 So let's go to Romans 8:2. 40:41 And we have a volunteer, 40:43 Tadd is going to kindly read that for us. 40:46 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus 40:48 hath made me free from the law of sin and death." 40:53 Okay, thank you. 40:54 Now there's two laws that are being spoken of here, 40:56 isn't there? 40:57 Now this is no small verse 40:58 because this particular verse is boiling down 41:01 what Paul has already started to paint in Romans Chapter 7 41:04 is continuing to paint in Romans Chapter 8. 41:07 And that is that there are two laws of life 41:11 that all of us are living by, okay? 41:13 One or the other is what I mean. 41:15 So there are two laws of life 41:17 that we are either living by the law of the spirit 41:20 or we are living by the law of sin 41:22 or the law of fleshes it's also called. 41:25 So there's a law of the sin or flesh 41:27 and then there's the law of the Spirit. 41:29 Now we don't want to get this confused 41:30 with the law, capital L 41:33 which is God's Ten Commandments as moral law and so on, 41:36 that's not what Paul is speaking of here, 41:38 he's talking about two laws of life 41:40 when he's using the term law here. 41:43 The best way to put it that I can think of 41:44 is to think of the law of gravity, okay? 41:48 This is not part of God's Ten Commandments, isn't it? 41:50 But it's still a law, isn't it? 41:51 It's a law of life. 41:52 It doesn't matter what I pick up, 41:54 if I take this quarterly 41:55 and I was to release it out of my head, 41:56 what will happen? 41:57 It will fall down to the ground, okay? 42:00 And so all of us agree 42:02 that law of gravity is consistent, isn't it? 42:05 It doesn't matter what object I pick up, 42:07 if I drop it, it's going to fall down to the ground 42:10 because gravity the law of gravity tells me that 42:12 the law of thermodynamics tells me that 42:14 if I leave this book long enough 42:16 all matter left to itself will always move towards chaos, 42:20 will always move towards disorder. 42:23 That's the scientific law of thermodynamics 42:26 and it is consistent 42:28 and there is no exception 42:29 that any scientist has ever found. 42:31 And so that's why they're called laws of science. 42:36 There's spiritual laws. 42:37 Galatians 6:7, we don't have time to go there 42:40 but I'm going to read it from my notes. 42:42 In Galatians 6:7, it says, "Do not be deceived. 42:45 God is not mocked, 42:47 for whatever a man sows that he will also reap. 42:50 For he who sows to his flesh 42:52 will reap of the flesh corruption 42:53 but he who sows to the Spirit 42:56 will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." 42:59 And so there is a spiritual law there, 43:02 what you sow is always inevitably 43:05 what you will reap. 43:07 If you sow to righteousness into the spirit and to God, 43:09 you will reap good things. 43:10 If you don't and you reap to the flesh 43:11 and to sin and to wickedness, 43:13 you will reap bad things in your life, won't you? 43:17 Okay, there's a general law of life, 43:19 a very real spiritual love life. 43:22 And so what verse 2 really is bringing us down 43:24 to what it is boiling down to 43:26 is the big million dollar question, 43:28 and the million dollar question is this, 43:31 what law will you choose to live by? 43:35 The law of sin, that's leading to death 43:38 or the law of the spirit that is leading to life? 43:43 Those are the two choices that we have in life, isn't it? 43:45 And this is part of the gospel. 43:47 You see, the whole gospel 43:48 is not just confessing our sins and such, 43:50 but it's also repenting our sins, 43:52 surrendering to God, asking for the Holy Spirit, 43:56 and then to walk in the spirit from day to day. 43:59 That's the other part of our gospel experience 44:02 with Jesus Christ. 44:03 And that's the point that God is inspiring Paul 44:05 to go to so much effort into trying to communicate 44:09 to you and me. 44:14 Well, let's continue on as we read verses 3 and 4 44:17 in the same chapter, Romans 8:3, it says, 44:19 "For what the law could not do, 44:23 and that it was weak through the flesh." 44:25 We're going to come back to that. 44:26 "God did by sending His Son 44:29 in the likeness of sinful flesh, 44:30 on the account of sin, 44:32 He condemned sin in the flesh, 44:34 that the righteous requirements of the law 44:37 might be fulfilled in us 44:38 who do not walk according to the flesh 44:40 but according to the spirit." 44:43 Now it can be very tempting to come to verse 4 44:46 and say, well, there it is, there's justification again, 44:48 Christ life covers ours. 44:50 Well, Paul already spent multiple chapters 44:52 previous to this, already making that point. 44:55 Paul is not being redundant here. 44:56 Paul is telling us here 44:58 that when we are in Christ the Spirit comes into our life 45:02 and he gives us victory 45:03 and now we can experience more and more 45:05 as each day goes by, 45:06 the experience of having and reaching 45:10 and experience the righteous requirement of the law. 45:14 That's the second half of the good news is that, 45:16 "Behold, old things have passed away, 45:18 all things have become new." 45:20 As we started with our opening verse in 2 Corinthians 5:17. 45:25 And so again, friends, 45:26 there's one thing that I've been praying 45:27 that God has put upon my heart during this particular study 45:30 is to get across the fact that this is not bad news. 45:34 This is good news. 45:35 Our sinful nature says it's bad news, 45:37 the devil comes along and says it's bad news, 45:39 the demons come along and say this is terrible news, 45:43 you know, this is going to ruin your life 45:45 if you give yourself over to complete righteousness 45:47 and start to love God's law. 45:49 But, friends, I can tell with experience, 45:51 being on the other side, that is not true, 45:53 that is a lie that comes straight 45:54 from the flames of hell. 45:56 This comes straight from the devil himself. 45:59 I am telling you, friends. 46:01 God has given us a spirit, a presence in our heart 46:05 that can help us to be able to experience 46:07 a new life in Jesus and new life in him. 46:10 Now we need to do that daily, do we not? 46:13 Now I'm not trying to say, listen, 46:14 you invite the Holy Spirit and poof, 46:15 you just kind of get up in the morning, 46:16 you don't have to think about it anymore. 46:18 No, you have to work in cooperation with the spirit, 46:20 doesn't it? 46:21 Galatians chapter 5, we just read, 46:22 the later verses says, 46:24 "Therefore, if we live by the Spirit, 46:26 let's also walk by the Spirit." 46:28 There's a cooperation a partnership 46:29 that works in conjunction with that. 46:31 That's why it says in the same Book of Romans 46:33 later on in the chapters, where it says, 46:35 "Make no provision for the flesh." 46:38 Okay, so we still have to do our part 46:40 as we work in cooperation with the spirit 46:42 and be able to avoid temptation 46:46 and overcome it by God's help and strength. 46:50 We're quickly running out of time. 46:52 I just wanted to summarize as we read in verses 3 and 4. 46:55 And because Paul is really wrapping up the whole subject 46:58 of the place of God's holy law 47:00 in the life of a believer, in the life of a Christian, 47:03 I want to just take a couple of minutes 47:04 and look at what the law can and cannot do. 47:08 Now the first thing that the law can do 47:10 is essentially educate us. 47:13 In fact, that's the only thing that the law can do. 47:16 The only thing that the law can do for us 47:18 and it is essential is educate us 47:22 and educating means it gives us a knowledge. 47:25 A knowledge of what? 47:26 It gives us a knowledge of God's will 47:29 and it gives us a knowledge 47:30 of the principles of a heavenly government, 47:33 God's will and knowledge 47:35 of principles of heavenly government. 47:37 This knowledge, then an extension of that 47:39 reveals our sin, does it not? 47:41 Paul talks about that in the same Book of Romans. 47:43 So because of that education, now it's like, 47:45 "Hey, wait a minute. 47:46 The more I study God's law and His holiness, 47:48 the more I recognize how much I've broken it 47:50 and how much I fall short of it." 47:51 And so it reveals our guilt 47:53 and it reveals also that 47:54 the wages of that guilt is death. 47:57 And so now we need a Savior, don't we? 48:02 And so in an extension of that now, 48:03 extension of revealing our sin and guilt, 48:05 it drives us to the feet of Jesus. 48:07 We find our cleansing and forgiveness. 48:10 And we find the Holy Spirit there as well, don't we? 48:14 And this knowledge of the law then helps us to know 48:16 how to follow and obey. 48:18 You know, for the first six years 48:19 of my life as a Christian, 48:20 I was born again, I was saved, 48:21 I was walking with Jesus, I had the Holy Spirit, 48:23 but not once did I keep the Seventh-day Sabbath. 48:26 Why? 48:27 Because I hadn't been pointed out. 48:29 I hadn't been educated by the law yet 48:32 concerning that point of God's holy law. 48:35 But once the Lord pointed me to it 48:37 and once I discovered it, I began to keep it. Why? 48:40 Because it educated me on that is part of God's will, 48:44 something that was new to me 48:46 and so I began to keep the holy day, Sabbath, 48:48 from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. 48:51 And praise Jesus, I've been blessed ever since 48:53 for the last 25 years or so 48:56 and I don't regret it ever since. 49:00 Now the law... 49:01 This is what the law can do. 49:03 But just like a textbook knowledge, 49:05 if you're going to be a mechanic or a surgeon, 49:07 textbook knowledge is important, isn't it, 49:09 if you're learning to be a mechanic or a surgeon? 49:11 But is textbook knowledge enough? 49:15 Okay, somebody came into the surgery room 49:17 with his scalpel in his hand, he says, 49:19 "You know, I've been reading my textbook 49:20 for the last two years 49:21 and I can't wait to do my first surgery." 49:23 And you're the patient, are you going to be excited about that? 49:25 No. No. 49:27 Okay. 49:28 Textbook knowledge is important, 49:29 but it can't replace hands-on experience 49:31 with an accomplished surgeon 49:34 that is walking you through that first successful surgery. 49:39 Hands-on experience with a master surgeon. 49:43 And that's the relationship between the law 49:45 and what it can do and what it can't do, 49:47 the relationship with the law to God 49:49 as well as to us. 49:50 Now let's talk about what the law can't do. 49:53 The law cannot do I should say. 49:55 Three things the law cannot do. 49:57 Number one, it cannot cleanse us from our sin. 50:00 1 John 1:9 says that, it's God who cleanses us from our sin. 50:03 "If we confess our sins, 50:04 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 50:06 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 50:09 It cannot convert or change the heart, 50:11 Philippians 2:13 says, 50:13 "For it is God who works in you 50:15 both to will and to do His good pleasure." 50:19 And so it is God who changes the heart 50:21 and gives you that new motivation. 50:22 That's where the word will comes in that verse. 50:25 The law cannot strengthen us to obey and resist temptation. 50:29 Again, Philippians 2:13, 50:31 "For it is God who works in you 50:32 both to will and to do His good pleasure." 50:35 It's God who is working through you 50:37 through the Holy Spirit that's able to strengthen you 50:39 to obey and resist temptation. 50:44 And of course, the Holy Spirit is available 24/7 50:47 at all times, at all places. 50:49 There is no place on earth, no place in space, 50:52 no place on the ocean 50:53 or under the ocean or in the water 50:54 that you can escape the presence of God. 50:57 If you're asking the Holy Spirit to be with you, 50:59 He will be with you wherever you go. 51:01 That's the beautiful thing about that part of God. 51:03 He's omniscient, but he's also omnipresent, 51:06 and he's omnipotent 51:08 which means he has the power to help you to overcome sin 51:11 if you give yourselves over to it. 51:14 And so I hope that helps 51:16 as we continue to walk through the gospel of Jesus Christ, 51:20 and as we go into some new subjects 51:22 as we look at lesson 10 next week and study together. 51:26 I want to remind you that we do have a special offer 51:29 if you're watching online and you're North American, 51:31 you like that to be sent to you, 51:32 you can just call in I should say to 866-788-3966 51:38 and ask for offer 192. 51:40 That's 1866-788-3966, ask for offer 192, 51:44 Pending Your Case in Court, 51:47 and we'll send that to you for free. 51:49 You can also download it for free 51:51 on amazingfacts.org as a digital copy. 51:53 God bless you. 51:54 We look forward to studying with you next week. 52:08 Friends, have you ever heard of the bowhead whale? 52:10 This enormous leviathan 52:12 is the second largest creature in the world. 52:15 Dark and stocky, 52:16 it runs the fertile Arctic northern waters. 52:20 These massive creatures can be more than 65 feet long 52:23 and way more than 75 tons. 52:25 That's heavier than the space shuttle, 52:28 yet in spite of their titanic size, 52:30 they're able to leap entirely out of the water. 52:34 Can you say belly flop? 52:36 The bowhead whale gets its name from its bow shaped skull 52:40 and they've got one ginormous noggin. 52:43 Matter of fact, their heads are about 40% of their body size 52:46 which comes in handy 52:47 when you find out how they use their heads. 52:50 They've got very thick skulls. 52:51 Sometimes, they get trapped under the surface 52:54 and they use their heads to ram the ice. 52:56 They can break a breathing hole in the ice 52:59 that is a 1.5 feet thick. 53:02 Friends, you have to just imagine 53:03 what it would be like 53:04 to be walking around on the Arctic ice 53:06 and all of a sudden have the ground beneath you 53:08 crack and split and rise, 53:11 as one of these sea monsters pushes its head up to breathe 53:14 for the first time in 90 minutes 53:17 because bowheads make their home 53:19 in the coldest part of our world, 53:20 they have the thickest blubber of any whale. 53:23 But this, plus, their friendly and curious nature 53:26 made them prime targets 53:27 when the European whalers discovered the bowheads. 53:30 They hunted them nearly to extinction. 53:34 Fortunately, because of conservation efforts, 53:37 we've slowly seen their numbers begin to increase 53:39 since the '60s. 53:41 One of the most amazing facts about the bowhead whale 53:44 is its longevity. 53:45 Scientists have discovered by evaluating harpoon tips 53:48 found in their skull 53:50 and examining their eye tissue, 53:52 there are bowhead whales out there 53:53 that are probably over 200 years old. 53:57 You realize that means there are bowhead whales 54:00 swimming the oceans right now that were alive 54:03 before Abraham Lincoln was elected president. 54:06 Can you imagine that? 54:08 Among the other amazing mega facts 54:10 about the bowhead whale is its mega mouth. 54:13 They have the largest mouth of any in the animal kingdom. 54:16 And when they open their pie hole full extended, 54:19 it's large enough to park a medium-size SUV inside. 54:23 Yet in spite of the fact they've got such big mouths, 54:26 they survive by eating 54:27 the very smallest creatures in the ocean, 54:30 plankton, krill and other microscopic animals. 54:34 Friends, I'm always amazed by the creatures God has made. 54:37 This bowhead whale is able to dive to the deepest oceans. 54:40 They can break through the ice 54:41 and move mountains with their head 54:42 and completely leave the water and fly through the air. 54:46 And yet they do all that by gaining strength 54:48 from almost microscopic organisms. 54:52 Helps us remember that we survive 54:54 through the little promises in God's Word. 54:56 Jesus when tempted by the devil, 54:58 He quoted just a few little verses 55:00 and He sent the enemy running. 55:02 You can also have that same durability and long life 55:05 as the bowhead whale 55:06 by trusting in God's Word and His promises. 55:21 Amazing Facts changed lives. 55:30 We are going to church every other week. 55:32 About 19 years old, 55:34 things really start to make sense for me. 55:36 I started to go to church for myself 55:38 and the pastor wanted to study with me. 55:41 When we came to the study about baptism, 55:44 and I kind of just shrugged, put my head down, 55:47 I said, "I'm not ready." 55:48 He looked me in the eye and said, 55:50 "Jason, you'll never make yourself ready. 55:55 You know, this is something you have to do." 55:58 Put a lot of things behind me, 55:59 the drinking and smoking and all that stuff stopped. 56:01 All through at a time, 56:03 when I've been learning about God, 56:05 it was just me and God. 56:07 Comes around up to about August, 56:09 and I meet this girl. 56:12 And about two years into a relationship, 56:14 we're talking about marriage and everything. 56:15 We did pray, we did study together, 56:20 we were arguing a lot, but we were engaged. 56:24 I started drinking again. 56:26 And that was a slow downward spiral on the different things 56:29 and my devotional life started really weaseling away. 56:32 We broke up in 2008. 56:34 It was heavy for me 56:35 'cause again, being with somebody for that long, 56:38 it's almost like a divorce. 56:42 I started to fall back away even more, 56:45 I remember looking in the mirror 56:46 just looking at myself and say, "What are you doing? 56:49 How can you do this to God who has brought you so far?" 56:55 And, you know, God really heard my cry. 57:00 There was a Testimony Telling at my church, 57:03 and there was a call, and kids start getting up, 57:06 a bunch of high school kids are getting in 57:07 for calls of baptism. 57:09 I'm back doing the PA system at this time 57:11 and I feel just like this urge 57:13 as my heart just started ripping out of my chest. 57:16 As I've this feeling just to go up. 57:19 I get up to the front 57:20 and I just meet the pastor in open arms. 57:25 I realize that there's so much more to life 57:27 than just living life for myself. 57:29 And, you know, falling away, it's not a necessity. 57:34 But God can work through anything in the bad 57:37 to make it to good, that's a promise He makes. 57:51 Together, we have spread the gospel 57:53 much farther than ever before. 57:56 Thank you for your support. 58:03 For life changing Christian resources, 58:05 visit AFBOOKSTORE.COM or call 1-800-538-7275. |
Revised 2017-11-27