Join us now for the
3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
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Our study today is
The Gospel of Galatians.
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Hello and welcome to
3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
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My name is John Dinzey,
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and I'm glad to be with
you during this Bible study.
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And we have a panel
that is here with us,
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and I'm gonna present
them to you in a moment.
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First, I want to talk to you
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about the
Sabbath School Quarterly
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that we are using to study.
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We're on lesson number 12.
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Normally, there are 13 lessons,
but this one has 14 lessons.
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And this is a study
that you will want to follow
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along with because
it's the Book of Galatians
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which has presented a
challenge for some people
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to understand this book.
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And we have been
studying this book in prayer,
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asking for the Lord to use us.
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And we have seen the Lord bless
throughout these 11 studies.
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Now this is number 12,
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and we are counting on the Lord
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to once again bless
us with His Holy Spirit
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that we may speak the
things that are of truth
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and that will draw
people to Jesus Christ.
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And so how can you
get a lesson like this?
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You can visit your local
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
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and tell them I would like
the Sabbath School Quarterly
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that they're using on 3ABN.
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And they will be able
to give you one for free.
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But also you can
download one of these
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by going to the Adult
Bible Study Guide website
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that's ABSG.Adventist.org.
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I will say that again.
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ABSG.Adventist.org,
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and there you can
download a PDF version
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of this study so
that you can follow along.
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I would like to
now present our panel
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that is here with us,
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Sister Jill Morikone is with us,
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and we thank you for coming.
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It's a privilege
and joy to be here,
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open up the Word
of God and share.
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Next to her is our
beloved Pastor CA Murray.
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Pastor, welcome.
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Good to be here,
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and good to
study the Word of God.
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And we have had
some exciting studies
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in the Book of Galatians.
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Amen. Praise the Lord.
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Next to him is Shelley
Quinn who, on previous times,
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only slept two hours,
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but still the Lord
carried her through.
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Amen. Welcome.
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If I ever yawned, it
wasn't out of boredom.
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Yeah, this is...
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I think this program is
probably my favorite one
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in which to participate
and we're so glad that
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those of you at
home are joining us.
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And we hope that as we are also,
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we learn from one another,
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and we hope
you're learning as well.
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Amen.
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And next to her is a face
that may be new to some of you.
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It's Pastor Tom
Ferguson that is here with us.
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A pastor that is near 3ABN
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and has a district of
four or five churches...
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Pastor, help us a little.
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It's a total of
six in the district,
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but Marion and Du
Quoin are the two largest.
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And the farthest
one, which one is it?
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Cairo. Cairo. Very good.
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Thank you for coming
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and we're glad that you're here.
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And we are praying for the Lord
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to bless you as
you follow along.
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And to begin with prayer,
I'd like to ask, Sister Jill,
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please if you lead us in prayer.
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Holy Father, we come
before You in the name of Jesus
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and we just thank You
for the gift of Your Word.
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We ask right now
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that You would
give us clean hands
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and a pure heart,
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You would give us an open ear,
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and an open mind and
heart to receive the truth
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contained in Your Word.
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And we thank You
for Your presence,
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we thank You for Your anointing
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in the precious
and holy name of Jesus.
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Amen. Amen.
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Amen.
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And so to begin this lesson,
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this is entitled
"Living by the Spirit."
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This is the title
of lesson number 12,
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Living by the Spirit.
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And you are going
to see a development
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of what we know to be
a fact in every person
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that is awakened to the reality
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that there is a
great controversy
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between good and evil.
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Every person
faces this controversy
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whether to go to the
right to do the bad things
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or to go to the left
to do the right things,
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whether you say left or
right, but either good or evil.
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And so this is a
struggle in each person's life
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and the Bible has
much to say about that.
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And so we hope
that you are blessed
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as we continue this study.
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Let's go right into it.
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And the Bible
uses certain terms.
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It uses the flesh
and it uses the spirit
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to describe this struggle.
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And so our memory text
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which we're going to
ask our illustrious panel
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to read with me is
found in Galatians 5:16.
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Galatians 5:16.
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If you're ready, let's do it.
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"But I say, walk by the Spirit,
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and you will not gratify
the desires of the flesh."
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Wonderful.
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A wonderful text was chosen
because it gives us a promise.
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Praise the Lord.
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So let's
continue our study here.
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In this study,
one of the scriptures
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that we're
going to be looking at
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is found in Galatians 5:16.
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And Galatians 5:16,
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Sister Jill, if
you'll help me with that one,
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I will appreciate it.
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Absolutely. Galatians 5:16.
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"I say then, walk in the Spirit,
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and you shall not
fulfill the lust of the flesh."
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Very good. Thank you so much.
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So this concept of
walking in the Spirit
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has to do with a walk of faith.
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And this is not
something new in the Bible
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when you read the New Testament.
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It's something that is presented
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also in the Old Testament.
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And one that is very familiar
to people is a scripture
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that mentions a man that...
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It's not
mentioned much in the Bible,
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but when it mentions him,
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you say, "Who is this
guy? I wanna know this guy."
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And his name is Enoch.
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And so we're
going to go to the Bible
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and read a
little bit about Enoch.
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And this person is a
person that walked with Jesus.
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So in the book of Genesis,
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5:23 and 24,
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I would like to ask
Pastor CA this time,
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if you'll help me
reading Genesis 5:23 and 24.
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I'm reading Genesis 5:23,
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"So all the days of
Enoch were 365 years.
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And Enoch walked with God,
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and he was not,
for God took him."
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Thank you very much.
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So we have here that
Enoch walked with God,
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and then eventually says,
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"And he was not,
for God took him."
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Now this is a blessing
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that he was able
to walk with the Lord,
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his walk or his life, his
relationship with the Lord
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was so close that
the Lord basically said,
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"Enoch, you have
walked with me so close.
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Now it's time for you
to know me face to face."
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And the Lord blessed
him to able to go to heaven,
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and he's been there ever since
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rejoicing in the
blessings of the Lord.
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The very first one
to have that privilege.
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So we praise the Lord for Enoch.
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Now this term "walked" we
need to look at a little bit
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because it will be
mentioned throughout this study.
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And so what
does it mean to walk?
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We also read it
in Galatians 5:16,
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being exhorted by Paul
to "walk in the Spirit,"
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and then the promise is,
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"You will not fulfill
the lust of the flesh."
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And we're gonna look
at this lust of the flesh
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as well as you continue with us.
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And so we want to
encourage you to stay with us.
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And also you may
want to take notes.
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Now walking is a metaphor
drawn from the Old Testament
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as we had just mentioned.
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Paul used this
often in his messages,
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and over here, of
course, in Galatians
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where the
Galatians were departing
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from the ways of the Lord,
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Paul was calling them to
walk in the ways of the Lord.
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And so let's go to some examples
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where the word walked is
used in the Old Testament.
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I am going to read to
you from Deuteronomy 13.
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Deuteronomy 13.
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And I'm going to read two
verses that bring this out.
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Deuteronomy 13:4 and 5,
this is what we have there.
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"You shall walk
after the Lord your God,
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and fear Him, and
keep His commandments,
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and obey His voice.
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You shall serve Him
and hold fast to Him.
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But prophet, or
that dreamer of dreams,
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shall be put to
death because he has spoken
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in order to turn you
away from the Lord your God
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who brought you out
of the land of Egypt
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and redeemed you
from the house of bondage
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to entice you from the way
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in which the Lord your
God commanded you to walk.
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So shall put away the
evil from your midst."
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Now this is an
interesting verse.
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These two verses
are very interesting
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because it is a little similar
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to what happened
to the Galatians.
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People came in and enticed them.
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And Paul uses the
word "bewitched them,"
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the same thing is
being described here
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that false prophets were
coming to the people of Israel
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and leading them
astray from walking
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in the ways of the Lord.
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I'd like to point
out two other scriptures
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from the Old
Testament that bring this out.
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And now we're going to
go to the Book of Psalms 86.
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Sister Shelley, if you
will kindly read Psalms 86.
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And it is only
one verse Psalm 86:11.
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Psalms 86:11. All right.
00:10:05.37\00:10:07.40
Has something good to say to us.
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If you're ready...
00:10:09.44\00:10:10.77
Psalms 86:11 is
one of my favorites,
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"Teach me Your way, O Lord.
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I will walk in your truth.
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Unite my heart
to fear Your name."
00:10:19.15\00:10:22.02
Amen. Thank you so much.
00:10:22.05\00:10:23.85
So as you see these
verses, you begin to see
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that they are
talking about a walk
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which means a way of life, a
way to live, a way to behave,
00:10:30.79\00:10:34.36
a way to really
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have a
relationship with the Lord,
00:10:37.83\00:10:39.60
to walk in the ways of the Lord.
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Now we are gonna go to another,
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Psalms 89, Psalms 89:15.
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And, Pastor Tom,
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if you'll read that
for us, Psalms 89:15.
00:10:53.08\00:10:56.12
"Blessed are the people
who know the joyful sound,
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they walk, O Lord, in the
light of your countenance."
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Praise the Lord.
Thank you very much.
00:11:02.42\00:11:04.19
So the people
00:11:04.23\00:11:05.89
that walk in the ways
of the Lord are blessed.
00:11:05.93\00:11:11.00
And this is
something we want you to have,
00:11:11.03\00:11:12.97
the blessing of the Lord.
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When you walk in
the ways of the Lord,
00:11:14.40\00:11:15.74
you're walking in the
way that will be blessed.
00:11:15.77\00:11:18.24
And so we want to
encourage you to do that.
00:11:18.27\00:11:20.81
Now let's move over to
some interesting things
00:11:20.84\00:11:22.84
in the New Testament.
00:11:22.88\00:11:24.48
In the New Testament,
00:11:24.58\00:11:27.55
you have seen this
already in different places.
00:11:27.65\00:11:31.02
And, of course,
we already mentioned
00:11:31.05\00:11:32.39
Galatians 5:16.
00:11:32.42\00:11:36.69
Interestingly enough,
00:11:36.73\00:11:39.16
when you're
talking about walking
00:11:39.19\00:11:40.63
in the Old Testament,
00:11:40.73\00:11:42.03
it uses the word
"halak", halak is walk.
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But then there was a
term used walking in the Lord,
00:11:45.80\00:11:48.87
which is halaka,
00:11:48.90\00:11:51.11
this means walking
in the way of the Lord,
00:11:51.14\00:11:53.34
in the way of going.
00:11:53.38\00:11:55.44
Paul's comments
about walking in the Spirit
00:11:55.48\00:11:57.35
are not
contrary to the obedience
00:11:57.38\00:11:59.58
of the law however.
00:11:59.61\00:12:01.45
It is really...
00:12:01.48\00:12:03.32
And it's
interesting that you see this
00:12:03.35\00:12:06.62
in the Bible
because God does not ask us
00:12:06.65\00:12:09.59
to blindly obey
His commandments.
00:12:09.62\00:12:11.96
You know, when
you're driving down the road
00:12:11.99\00:12:14.60
and you see those speed limits,
00:12:14.63\00:12:16.43
they're not very
friendly, are they?
00:12:16.46\00:12:19.30
They just say speed
limit, whatever it is, 70.
00:12:19.33\00:12:21.74
That's it.
00:12:21.77\00:12:23.10
No kind words to
it, just speed limit.
00:12:23.14\00:12:26.14
But when you look
at God's commandments,
00:12:26.17\00:12:28.18
they are promises to us.
00:12:28.28\00:12:29.81
Amen.
00:12:29.84\00:12:31.25
And God doesn't want you
to just as a robot do, do, do,
00:12:31.28\00:12:35.78
He wants you to do
this because you love Him.
00:12:35.82\00:12:39.15
So this walking with
the Lord is a relationship.
00:12:39.19\00:12:41.36
And it's interesting, I
remember hearing a person
00:12:41.46\00:12:45.59
during one of the
Sabbath School studies
00:12:45.63\00:12:47.66
that we were having.
00:12:47.73\00:12:49.03
And this was Doctor...
00:12:49.06\00:12:52.37
I'm forgetting his name,
00:12:52.40\00:12:53.74
he mentioned he was from India,
00:12:53.77\00:12:55.10
he's from India.
00:12:55.14\00:12:56.47
And he mentioned that in
India, they have many gods,
00:12:56.50\00:13:02.51
there are
literally millions of gods
00:13:02.54\00:13:06.05
that are plants
and other things.
00:13:06.08\00:13:08.62
And the concept of
having a relationship
00:13:08.65\00:13:11.69
with God is absent.
00:13:11.72\00:13:14.26
But when you talk
about Christianity,
00:13:14.29\00:13:16.42
when you talk about
serving the living God,
00:13:16.46\00:13:18.56
He wants you to have
a relationship with Him.
00:13:18.59\00:13:20.33
And this is really
walking with the Lord.
00:13:20.36\00:13:23.57
So our obedience comes
out of a grateful heart
00:13:23.60\00:13:27.80
that loves the Lord
00:13:27.90\00:13:29.77
and wants to walk with the Lord,
00:13:29.80\00:13:32.64
wants to be
faithful with the Lord.
00:13:32.67\00:13:35.08
And it's out of a
desire to please the Lord
00:13:35.11\00:13:38.45
because you're
grateful to the Lord.
00:13:38.48\00:13:40.15
You're grateful for His mercy
00:13:40.18\00:13:41.58
because we really have
much to be thankful for.
00:13:41.62\00:13:44.55
And I remember one
man that called 3ABN,
00:13:44.59\00:13:49.59
and he said, "What do I
have to be thankful for?"
00:13:49.62\00:13:52.03
He caught me a
little by surprise.
00:13:52.06\00:13:54.00
And I said, "Well, are
you in jail right now?"
00:13:54.00\00:13:57.90
He said, "No."
00:13:57.93\00:13:59.90
"Then you should
be thankful for that.
00:13:59.93\00:14:01.94
Are you in a
straitjacket by the way?
00:14:01.97\00:14:03.54
Straitjacket, you
know?" And he said, "No."
00:14:03.57\00:14:05.94
"Well, you should be
thankful to the Lord for that."
00:14:05.97\00:14:08.84
And so we went
through different things
00:14:08.88\00:14:10.91
and he realized
he did have things
00:14:10.95\00:14:12.65
to be thankful for.
00:14:12.68\00:14:14.15
Every person in this world
has been blessed by the Lord
00:14:14.18\00:14:17.32
and it is because
of this gratefulness,
00:14:17.35\00:14:20.22
this desire to know this
God that so much loves you
00:14:20.26\00:14:23.93
that He's so willing to bless.
00:14:23.96\00:14:25.33
He wants to rescue you
00:14:25.36\00:14:27.56
from the bondage
and slavery of sin
00:14:27.66\00:14:30.70
and the destructive
00:14:30.73\00:14:34.04
and of those that walk in sin,
that walk in the ways of evil.
00:14:34.07\00:14:39.44
God loves you and
wants the best for you.
00:14:39.47\00:14:41.31
I encourage you to
walk with the Lord.
00:14:41.41\00:14:43.75
And now I'll hand the
baton over to Sister Jill.
00:14:43.78\00:14:46.31
Thank you so much, Brother John,
00:14:46.35\00:14:47.75
and that was powerful,
walk in the ways of the Lord.
00:14:47.78\00:14:50.55
As we continue on to Monday,
00:14:50.59\00:14:52.89
I'm looking at the
Christian's conflict.
00:14:52.92\00:14:55.82
And let's look at
the very next verse.
00:14:55.86\00:14:57.76
You are in Galatians 5:16,
00:14:57.79\00:14:59.93
we're going to look
at the very next verse,
00:14:59.96\00:15:02.06
Galatians 5:17.
00:15:02.10\00:15:03.67
We look at the conflict
that we have as Christians.
00:15:03.70\00:15:08.17
"For the flesh
lust against the Spirit
00:15:08.20\00:15:11.64
and the Spirit
against the flesh,
00:15:11.67\00:15:14.14
and these are
contrary to one and other
00:15:14.18\00:15:17.98
so that you do not do
the things that you wish."
00:15:18.08\00:15:21.55
I have in front
of me here a rope
00:15:21.65\00:15:23.65
that one of the production guys
00:15:23.69\00:15:25.52
Will Warf gave
to me this morning.
00:15:25.55\00:15:28.09
When I was a teacher,
00:15:28.19\00:15:30.46
this was before
Greg and I got married,
00:15:30.49\00:15:32.33
just out of college,
00:15:32.36\00:15:33.70
20-something, you know, young,
00:15:33.73\00:15:35.20
we had a tug of war
and Pastor CA is saying,
00:15:35.23\00:15:38.27
"She's still young."
00:15:38.30\00:15:40.67
Amen, amen.
00:15:40.70\00:15:42.50
So we had a tug
of war with the kids,
00:15:42.54\00:15:45.21
and these are academy kids,
00:15:45.24\00:15:47.21
we had some of
the teachers join in.
00:15:47.24\00:15:48.64
And, you know,
how you do tug of war,
00:15:48.68\00:15:50.01
you're on one side and the other
00:15:50.05\00:15:51.75
and you tug
across the line this way
00:15:51.78\00:15:53.68
and then you tug across
the line over here, right?
00:15:53.72\00:15:56.55
Well, all of a sudden,
00:15:56.58\00:15:57.99
one of the teachers came
out and he was a big guy.
00:15:58.02\00:16:02.36
We would say here maybe
like a Dave Everett tall, broad,
00:16:02.39\00:16:06.23
just a big guy.
00:16:06.26\00:16:07.83
And he got at the end
of the opposite side of me.
00:16:07.86\00:16:12.10
So he wrapped the
rope around his waist
00:16:12.13\00:16:15.24
and, you know, how it hangs out,
00:16:15.27\00:16:16.60
you know, from his waist.
00:16:16.64\00:16:18.31
And then all the kids here,
00:16:18.34\00:16:19.74
and I'm over here
with some other teachers.
00:16:19.77\00:16:21.78
Now you can guess what happened,
00:16:21.88\00:16:24.25
all he did was lean,
and began to walk backward,
00:16:24.35\00:16:28.02
and we went like this.
00:16:28.12\00:16:30.05
I remember my feet just
being dragged in the dirt,
00:16:30.09\00:16:33.15
there was nothing I could do.
00:16:33.19\00:16:35.42
We were pulling as
hard as we could this way,
00:16:35.46\00:16:38.33
and there was
nothing I could do.
00:16:38.43\00:16:39.76
All of a sudden, we were
pulled and yanked that way.
00:16:39.79\00:16:42.30
It reminds me of the battle,
00:16:42.33\00:16:44.17
the war we have
between the Spirit
00:16:44.20\00:16:47.20
and the flesh.
00:16:47.24\00:16:48.60
Now you could say he succeeded
00:16:48.64\00:16:50.37
because he had been
well-fed and he had grown up
00:16:50.41\00:16:54.44
to be a good-sized gentleman.
00:16:54.48\00:16:58.31
We're not talking here
about the work of the Spirit
00:16:58.41\00:17:00.38
or the work of the flesh,
that's Pastor CA and Shelley.
00:17:00.42\00:17:03.85
But I believe
that whatever we feed
00:17:03.89\00:17:07.16
that that nature grows
and will eventually win.
00:17:07.19\00:17:10.86
We're talking
about that conflict.
00:17:10.89\00:17:12.49
My sister has four boys,
00:17:12.53\00:17:14.20
and I remember when one of
them was about two years old,
00:17:14.23\00:17:17.53
he threw a temper tantrum,
00:17:17.57\00:17:19.23
one of those
knock-down temper tantrums,
00:17:19.27\00:17:21.50
on the floor, heels kicking,
00:17:21.54\00:17:23.94
arms flailing, crying, face red,
00:17:23.97\00:17:27.44
screaming at the
top of his lungs.
00:17:27.48\00:17:29.28
He was mad
00:17:29.31\00:17:30.65
because his mom had
said no to something
00:17:30.68\00:17:32.01
he had wanted.
00:17:32.05\00:17:33.38
So I went over to him,
00:17:33.42\00:17:34.78
he's having this
glorious temper tantrum,
00:17:34.82\00:17:36.62
and then I'd
listened to what he's saying,
00:17:36.65\00:17:38.15
and, you know, what
he said, "Jesus, help me.
00:17:38.25\00:17:41.82
Jesus, I want to be good."
00:17:41.92\00:17:44.26
He's crying in the
midst of his tantrum,
00:17:44.29\00:17:47.66
"Jesus, help me."
00:17:47.76\00:17:49.76
And sometimes as Christians,
we may not throw down
00:17:49.80\00:17:52.43
and have a
kick-down temper tantrum,
00:17:52.47\00:17:54.67
but we feel that same battle,
that same conflict, "Help me!"
00:17:54.70\00:18:00.61
The war between the
flesh and the Spirit.
00:18:00.64\00:18:03.58
"The flesh lusts
against the Spirit."
00:18:03.61\00:18:06.31
The Greek word
for flesh can refer
00:18:06.35\00:18:09.48
to the sinless
human body of Jesus.
00:18:09.52\00:18:11.45
It refers to different
words, but usually in this case,
00:18:11.49\00:18:14.82
and usually, it's
referred in the negative sense.
00:18:14.86\00:18:18.09
It would be the carnal nature
00:18:18.13\00:18:20.33
that which proceeds
out of the untouched,
00:18:20.36\00:18:23.30
unchanged part of us,
00:18:23.33\00:18:25.00
that which is not
transformed by God.
00:18:25.03\00:18:28.27
If you think about
the work of the flesh
00:18:28.37\00:18:30.11
or the work of the Spirit,
00:18:30.14\00:18:31.64
the self-centered
or flesh-filled living
00:18:31.74\00:18:35.11
is controlled by passion.
00:18:35.14\00:18:36.75
The Spirit-filled
living is controlled
00:18:36.78\00:18:39.51
by the Holy Spirit.
00:18:39.55\00:18:41.02
The flesh-centered
living is a slave to sin.
00:18:41.05\00:18:45.32
The Spirit-filled
living dies to self and to sin.
00:18:45.35\00:18:49.76
The flesh-centered
shows the fruit of sin.
00:18:49.79\00:18:53.56
The Spirit-centered
shows the fruit of the Spirit.
00:18:53.60\00:18:57.40
The
flesh-centered walks in lust.
00:18:57.43\00:19:00.64
The Spirit-centered
walks in self-sacrificing love.
00:19:00.67\00:19:05.77
The
flesh-centered is an idolater
00:19:05.81\00:19:08.41
or lives for myself.
00:19:08.44\00:19:10.31
The Spirit-centered
lives for other people.
00:19:10.35\00:19:13.85
Let's look at Romans 8,
00:19:13.88\00:19:17.32
Romans 8:7.
00:19:17.35\00:19:22.66
And, Brother
Johnny, do you have that?
00:19:22.69\00:19:24.06
Do you wanna read
that? I have that.
00:19:24.09\00:19:26.53
"Because the carnal
mind is enmity against God,
00:19:26.56\00:19:30.23
for it is not
subject to the law of God,
00:19:30.27\00:19:32.67
nor indeed can be."
00:19:32.70\00:19:35.44
We are all born, you could say,
00:19:35.47\00:19:37.11
carnal, right,
with a sinful nature,
00:19:37.14\00:19:39.37
sold under sin?
00:19:39.41\00:19:40.74
And I think we're all
born really in harmony
00:19:40.78\00:19:44.08
with the works of the flesh.
00:19:44.11\00:19:45.95
And the battle begins as
soon as we're born again,
00:19:45.98\00:19:51.12
as soon as we make Jesus
Christ the Lord of our life.
00:19:51.15\00:19:54.09
Greg and I were
traveling on the Current River
00:19:54.12\00:19:56.16
which is in
Missouri taking a canoe trip,
00:19:56.19\00:19:58.83
and, you know, we
went downstream first,
00:19:58.86\00:20:01.36
and it was wonderful.
00:20:01.46\00:20:03.30
Paddling, going
fast, and it was glorious.
00:20:03.33\00:20:07.74
We turned
around and started back
00:20:07.77\00:20:09.50
and you know what happened?
00:20:09.54\00:20:11.27
It was a long
way, and I thought,
00:20:11.31\00:20:14.18
"We should be back by now."
00:20:14.21\00:20:17.08
But it seemed much farther
00:20:17.11\00:20:18.51
because we were traveling
now against the current.
00:20:18.55\00:20:21.98
It reminds me of Nicodemus
when he went to see Jesus.
00:20:22.02\00:20:25.05
John 3, remember he
went at night to see Jesus.
00:20:25.09\00:20:29.06
And Jesus said,
"You must be born again."
00:20:29.09\00:20:31.59
In John 3:6, Jesus said,
00:20:31.63\00:20:34.56
"That which is born
of the flesh is flesh.
00:20:34.56\00:20:37.70
And that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit."
00:20:37.80\00:20:40.87
So as soon as we are
born again of the Spirit,
00:20:40.90\00:20:44.27
there arises this conflict
00:20:44.31\00:20:46.47
between the work of the flesh
and the work of the Spirit.
00:20:46.51\00:20:51.58
Let's look at John 14,
00:20:51.68\00:20:54.75
jump back to John 14.
00:20:54.78\00:20:57.62
This is very fascinating to me,
00:20:57.65\00:20:59.49
and we don't really have
time to get into this aspect.
00:20:59.52\00:21:02.62
But John 14 talks about Jesus,
00:21:02.66\00:21:05.99
and we know that He
was truly born again,
00:21:06.03\00:21:08.96
He was sinless,
00:21:09.00\00:21:10.33
He lived the life of the Father,
00:21:10.37\00:21:13.10
He honored the commandments,
He lived a perfect life,
00:21:13.13\00:21:16.27
and died that perfect
sacrificial death for us.
00:21:16.30\00:21:20.78
But in John 14, we
see an interesting thing.
00:21:20.81\00:21:23.68
John 14:30.
00:21:23.71\00:21:25.48
Do you have that,
Pastor? I surely do.
00:21:25.51\00:21:27.68
John 14:30, the Bible says,
00:21:27.72\00:21:30.92
"I will no longer
talk much with you
00:21:30.95\00:21:33.12
for the ruler of
this world is coming,
00:21:33.15\00:21:34.99
and He has nothing in me."
00:21:35.09\00:21:38.36
That's interesting, isn't it?
00:21:38.39\00:21:39.76
Because when he says
00:21:39.79\00:21:41.60
when the ruler of
this world meaning Satan,
00:21:41.63\00:21:43.37
the prince of this
world at that time is coming,
00:21:43.40\00:21:45.27
He has nothing in me.
00:21:45.37\00:21:47.44
So there was nothing
in his fleshly nature
00:21:47.47\00:21:50.74
that would arise in conflict
00:21:50.77\00:21:53.51
to what the
Spirit wanted him to do.
00:21:53.54\00:21:55.64
I think He was completely
00:21:55.68\00:21:57.95
and totally crucified his flesh,
00:21:57.98\00:22:00.82
His spirit had been crucified.
00:22:00.85\00:22:03.08
Galatians 2:20,
what does that say,
00:22:03.12\00:22:05.02
"I am crucified with Christ,
nevertheless not I live."
00:22:05.05\00:22:09.66
It is not I who live,
but Christ who lives in me.
00:22:09.69\00:22:12.39
And the life that I now live,
00:22:12.43\00:22:13.96
I live by faith
in the Son of God
00:22:14.00\00:22:16.30
who loved me and
gave Himself for me.
00:22:16.33\00:22:19.93
Luke 9, let's
turn over to Luke 9:23.
00:22:19.97\00:22:24.71
And, Shelley, we'll see
if you wanna read that one.
00:22:24.74\00:22:27.04
Certainly. Luke 9:23.
00:22:27.08\00:22:29.18
Luke 9:23, Jesus says,
00:22:29.21\00:22:32.98
"If any one
desires to come after me,
00:22:33.01\00:22:36.02
let him deny himself
00:22:36.05\00:22:38.69
and take up his
cross daily and follow me."
00:22:38.72\00:22:42.69
Amen.
00:22:42.72\00:22:44.06
The same principle as
we saw in Galatians 2:20,
00:22:44.09\00:22:47.03
being completely dead to
self and to my sinful nature.
00:22:47.03\00:22:51.73
You know, and I don't mean this
in any disrespectful fashion,
00:22:51.77\00:22:55.30
but if a person has died,
00:22:55.40\00:22:58.37
you could not go up
to say to the coffin,
00:22:58.41\00:23:00.64
and I don't mean
this disrespectfully,
00:23:00.68\00:23:02.21
but you could not
tempt them, Brother Johnny,
00:23:02.24\00:23:03.88
with cigarettes, could you?
00:23:03.91\00:23:05.25
Absolutely not.
No way to respond.
00:23:05.35\00:23:07.18
Yes, there is no way to respond.
00:23:07.22\00:23:09.48
You could not tempt
them with any addiction
00:23:09.52\00:23:11.99
or anything that's in their life
00:23:12.02\00:23:13.99
because they
are completely dead.
00:23:14.02\00:23:16.22
And I think that is the place
00:23:16.26\00:23:18.33
that God wants to
bring you and I to
00:23:18.43\00:23:21.10
so that that work to the
flesh is completely dead.
00:23:21.13\00:23:26.47
I also think of the work
00:23:26.50\00:23:28.10
when we are
dead to self and sin,
00:23:28.14\00:23:30.01
the Holy Spirit
can work in our lives.
00:23:30.04\00:23:33.14
Let's look at
one more scripture,
00:23:33.17\00:23:36.54
Romans 8:2. Romans 8:2.
00:23:36.58\00:23:40.48
And you talk, Brother Johnny,
about walking in the Spirit.
00:23:43.55\00:23:46.52
So let's read verse one
because it talks about walking.
00:23:46.55\00:23:49.32
"There is therefore now
no condemnation to those
00:23:49.36\00:23:53.13
who are in Christ Jesus
00:23:53.16\00:23:54.83
who do not walk
according to the flesh
00:23:54.93\00:23:57.77
but according to the Spirit
00:23:57.80\00:23:59.83
for the law of
the Spirit of life
00:23:59.87\00:24:01.64
in Christ Jesus
has made me free,
00:24:01.67\00:24:04.61
set me free from the
law of sin and death."
00:24:04.64\00:24:08.44
If we walk in the Spirit,
00:24:08.54\00:24:10.11
we will not fulfill
the lust of the flesh.
00:24:10.15\00:24:12.55
Amen.
00:24:12.58\00:24:13.92
So as we look Monday,
00:24:13.95\00:24:15.28
we look at the
Christian's conflict,
00:24:15.38\00:24:17.65
and it's a real battle.
00:24:17.69\00:24:19.05
As soon as we make that choice
for the Lord Jesus Christ,
00:24:19.09\00:24:21.62
there arises this tug of war
00:24:21.66\00:24:24.16
between the Spirit and
the works of the flesh.
00:24:24.19\00:24:26.76
But praise God,
He won the victory,
00:24:26.80\00:24:29.20
and He can give us
the victory as well.
00:24:29.23\00:24:30.97
Amen. Amen.
00:24:31.00\00:24:33.10
Pastor CA. Amen.
00:24:33.13\00:24:34.60
Thank you so very much.
00:24:34.64\00:24:36.87
My portion, the
Tuesday part of the lesson is
00:24:36.91\00:24:39.81
"The works of the flesh."
00:24:39.84\00:24:42.51
And the scripture lesson
is from Galatians 5:19-24.
00:24:42.54\00:24:48.02
I want to read them all,
00:24:48.05\00:24:50.29
and I'm gonna read it
from the amplified version,
00:24:50.32\00:24:52.89
sometimes when you
read in the amplified,
00:24:52.92\00:24:54.26
you get little more culture.
00:24:54.29\00:24:55.69
Yes. Amen.
00:24:55.72\00:24:57.56
You know, I think I
have maybe 30, 35 Bibles,
00:24:57.59\00:25:00.76
you know, you're a
pastor and people think,
00:25:00.80\00:25:02.16
"Oh, what do we give
him for his birthday?"
00:25:02.20\00:25:03.60
"Let's buy him a Bible."
00:25:03.63\00:25:04.97
"What to get him for
his one year anniversary?"
00:25:05.00\00:25:06.33
"Let's buy him a Bible."
00:25:06.37\00:25:07.70
"What do we get him
for his anniversary?"
00:25:07.74\00:25:09.07
"Let's buy him a Bible."
00:25:09.10\00:25:10.44
So you collect these Bibles
00:25:10.47\00:25:11.81
most of which
I've not bought myself,
00:25:11.84\00:25:13.17
you can tell the ones that I buy
00:25:13.21\00:25:14.54
because they have the big print.
00:25:14.58\00:25:15.91
The gifts have the small print.
00:25:15.94\00:25:17.28
But my amplified
is a big print Bible.
00:25:17.31\00:25:19.48
And I like what this has to say,
00:25:19.51\00:25:21.85
I'm in Galatians 5
beginning at verse 19.
00:25:21.88\00:25:26.05
The amplified says,
"Now the doings, practices,"
00:25:26.09\00:25:29.32
that's added, "of
the flesh are clear."
00:25:29.36\00:25:32.16
The amplified adds obvious.
00:25:32.19\00:25:34.00
"They are immorality, impurity,
00:25:34.03\00:25:36.60
indecency, idolatry, enmity,
00:25:36.63\00:25:41.64
strife, jealousy, anger."
00:25:41.74\00:25:44.91
Then it adds ill-tempered.
00:25:44.94\00:25:46.64
"Selfishness,
selfish divisions."
00:25:46.68\00:25:49.08
The amplified adds
dissensions, a party spirit,
00:25:49.11\00:25:53.38
the third part is
interesting, a party spirit,
00:25:53.42\00:25:56.45
then it adds factions, sects,
00:25:56.48\00:25:58.89
S- E-C-T-S, not
S- E-X, S-E-C-T-S.
00:25:58.92\00:26:02.49
"With peculiar
opinions and heresies,
00:26:02.52\00:26:05.86
envy, drunkenness,
carousing, and the like.
00:26:05.89\00:26:10.27
I warn you beforehand,
just as I did previously,
00:26:10.30\00:26:14.00
that those who do such
things shall not inherit
00:26:14.04\00:26:17.84
the kingdom of God."
00:26:17.87\00:26:20.31
Continuing, "But the fruit
of the Holy Spirit that is,"
00:26:20.34\00:26:23.68
this is added,
00:26:23.71\00:26:25.05
"the work which His presence
within us accomplishes."
00:26:25.15\00:26:28.42
And I really like that,
00:26:28.45\00:26:30.25
"is love, joy,"
gladness is added,
00:26:30.29\00:26:33.66
"peace, patience,
00:26:33.69\00:26:35.66
that is an even
temper and forbearance,
00:26:35.69\00:26:38.06
kindness, goodness,"
00:26:38.09\00:26:39.46
and added is
the word benevolence
00:26:39.49\00:26:41.10
which I think is a
really good insert there,
00:26:41.13\00:26:43.90
"faithfulness, gentleness."
00:26:43.93\00:26:46.30
After gentleness
00:26:46.33\00:26:47.67
the amplified adds
meekness and humility,
00:26:47.70\00:26:50.11
which I think is a
good addition there.
00:26:50.14\00:26:51.47
"Self-control"
00:26:51.57\00:26:52.91
and the amplified adds
restraint and continence.
00:26:52.94\00:26:56.71
"Against such
things there is no law
00:26:56.75\00:27:00.18
that can bring a charge."
00:27:00.22\00:27:02.25
I think that is
really, really, really good.
00:27:02.28\00:27:07.86
This idea of making lists,
when I was in New York City,
00:27:07.89\00:27:10.96
I had a lot of Jewish friends.
00:27:10.99\00:27:12.69
And even now I'm reading
00:27:12.73\00:27:14.10
the Mishnah for the second time,
00:27:14.10\00:27:15.96
this idea of making lists
is a Jewish kind of thing.
00:27:16.00\00:27:19.63
It's something that they do.
00:27:19.67\00:27:21.30
There was at one
time my eye doctor,
00:27:21.34\00:27:23.61
Marcus Delevin was Jewish,
00:27:23.64\00:27:25.27
my primary care
physician was Jewish,
00:27:25.37\00:27:27.28
my eye surgeon was Jewish,
00:27:27.31\00:27:28.74
I had a podiatrist for
a while who was Jewish,
00:27:28.78\00:27:31.21
and I had a good
friend Rabbi Ron Goldstein,
00:27:31.25\00:27:35.28
of course Jewish.
00:27:35.32\00:27:36.65
This idea of making
lists is a very Jewish thing.
00:27:36.69\00:27:40.59
My eye doctor, we used to have
00:27:40.62\00:27:42.02
some great
theological discussions.
00:27:42.06\00:27:43.49
He talked in terms of lists,
00:27:43.53\00:27:45.09
everything was
lists, lists, lists.
00:27:45.13\00:27:47.30
And when you read the Mishnah,
00:27:47.36\00:27:49.46
the one I have has the
Gemara, has the Targum,
00:27:49.50\00:27:52.00
has all of the extra material,
00:27:52.03\00:27:53.37
there are these lists
00:27:53.40\00:27:55.17
which was particular
to the Old Testament.
00:27:55.20\00:27:57.71
Paul being an Old
Testament scholar,
00:27:57.74\00:28:00.18
certainly a rabbi of the rabbis,
00:28:00.21\00:28:02.74
Hebrew of the
Hebrews who was aware
00:28:02.78\00:28:04.21
of this making of
lists, we are sure.
00:28:04.25\00:28:06.95
So he adds to his apologetic
00:28:06.98\00:28:10.99
to the Galatians
a list of his own
00:28:11.02\00:28:13.25
because that's
culturally acceptable,
00:28:13.29\00:28:15.12
something that he certainly
would be familiar with.
00:28:15.22\00:28:20.40
One of the things
I want to touch on
00:28:20.43\00:28:22.43
before I go to some of
the Old Testament lists
00:28:22.46\00:28:24.93
is that the flesh, in
dealing with the flesh,
00:28:24.97\00:28:29.27
the flesh forces things upon us.
00:28:29.37\00:28:32.97
Satan is a cruel master. Amen.
00:28:33.01\00:28:35.31
He takes you
further than you want to go
00:28:35.41\00:28:37.95
and he keeps you longer
than you intend to stay.
00:28:37.98\00:28:42.68
A story in the last book
00:28:42.72\00:28:44.69
I wrote some years
ago of a young lady
00:28:44.72\00:28:46.76
who was a good Christian.
00:28:46.79\00:28:49.29
And she experimented
with crack one time,
00:28:49.32\00:28:52.16
just one time,
and she was hooked.
00:28:52.26\00:28:56.06
And, you know, the
heart of the story...
00:28:56.10\00:28:57.87
It happens so often.
00:28:57.90\00:28:59.27
It happens so often and so fast,
00:28:59.30\00:29:00.70
and you don't...
00:29:00.74\00:29:02.10
"I'll just dip my
toe in the water."
00:29:02.14\00:29:03.54
And you don't know you are...
00:29:03.57\00:29:04.91
She talks about a story
of being out on Friday night
00:29:04.94\00:29:07.88
trying to score crack from a guy
00:29:07.91\00:29:11.15
and she had no money.
00:29:11.18\00:29:13.05
And she says in her reflection,
00:29:13.08\00:29:15.25
"You know, it's Friday night,
its 3 o'clock in the morning,
00:29:15.28\00:29:17.79
I'm gonna be
church in a few hours.
00:29:17.82\00:29:19.49
And here I'm in an
alley with this guy
00:29:19.52\00:29:21.39
that I only know his name,
selling myself to get crack."
00:29:21.42\00:29:26.16
Satan is a cruel master.
00:29:26.19\00:29:27.96
When I was in
college, there were guys
00:29:28.00\00:29:31.97
who had to be
out on Friday night.
00:29:32.00\00:29:33.37
"It's Friday,
we have to go out."
00:29:33.40\00:29:34.94
It didn't occur to me
that you have to do anything
00:29:34.97\00:29:36.67
but you have to go out.
00:29:36.71\00:29:38.51
The flesh puts demands on you.
00:29:38.54\00:29:40.44
Why do you have to drink?
00:29:40.48\00:29:41.88
Why do you have
to be on the street?
00:29:41.91\00:29:43.24
Why do you have to go out?
00:29:43.28\00:29:44.61
But the flesh puts these
unreasonable demands on you,
00:29:44.65\00:29:48.62
it forces you
whereas the Spirit produces.
00:29:48.65\00:29:53.46
Produces means
that we work together
00:29:53.49\00:29:55.16
and out of our
working together something
00:29:55.26\00:29:56.79
just automatically
blossoms and comes,
00:29:56.83\00:29:59.03
whereas the flesh forces.
00:29:59.13\00:30:00.46
And Paul alludes to that
in this series of statements
00:30:00.50\00:30:06.03
that bespeak what
happens in the flesh.
00:30:06.07\00:30:10.24
Let's see Jeremiah 7:9,
00:30:10.27\00:30:13.11
while I'm talking, Pastor,
if you could find that for me.
00:30:13.14\00:30:15.44
And, Shelley, may
I give you Hosea 4:2.
00:30:15.54\00:30:19.45
And, my lady, Jill, if
you would take Mark 7:21.
00:30:19.48\00:30:23.99
Absolutely. Yeah.
00:30:24.02\00:30:25.55
These, again, these are lists.
00:30:25.65\00:30:26.99
And, Johnny, on the
converse, 1 Timothy 3:2 and 3.
00:30:27.02\00:30:31.19
1 Timothy 2:2 and 3?
00:30:31.23\00:30:33.43
1 Timothy 3:2 and 3.
00:30:33.46\00:30:37.67
Jeremiah 7:9. Yes, sir.
00:30:37.70\00:30:39.67
"Will you steal, murder,
commit adultery, swear falsely,
00:30:39.70\00:30:42.87
burn incense to Baal,
00:30:42.90\00:30:44.54
and walk after other
gods whom you do not know?"
00:30:44.57\00:30:49.01
See this is Jeremiah.
00:30:49.04\00:30:50.38
And, of course, when you look
00:30:50.41\00:30:51.98
at what sent
Israel into captivity,
00:30:52.01\00:30:54.58
if you boil it
down the digest really
00:30:54.62\00:30:56.52
was
Sabbath-breaking and adultery.
00:30:56.55\00:30:58.72
You know, there were a
lot of other little things,
00:30:58.75\00:31:00.62
but especially
Sabbath breaking and adultery.
00:31:00.66\00:31:02.66
And again, you've
got this list steal,
00:31:02.69\00:31:05.03
murder, commit adultery,
00:31:05.06\00:31:06.39
swear falsely,
burn incense to Baal,
00:31:06.43\00:31:08.20
that's adultery,
walk after strange gods,
00:31:08.23\00:31:11.07
and then stand before me.
00:31:11.10\00:31:13.84
That's God's
complaint and He lists them.
00:31:13.87\00:31:16.97
So the Jewish
man, from my talking,
00:31:17.01\00:31:20.84
particularly with my eye
doctor who saw those rabbi,
00:31:20.88\00:31:23.55
we had great discussions.
00:31:23.58\00:31:24.91
You are what you do, I
don't care what you say,
00:31:24.95\00:31:27.22
I don't care what you
think, you are what you do.
00:31:27.25\00:31:30.02
Ellen White says,
"Righteousness is right doing."
00:31:30.05\00:31:33.25
Yes. Is right doing.
00:31:33.29\00:31:34.62
That's right.
00:31:34.66\00:31:35.99
So the mindset is
true, you are what you do.
00:31:36.09\00:31:38.06
You may say one
thing and do another.
00:31:38.09\00:31:39.83
I'm going to what you
do more than what you say.
00:31:39.86\00:31:42.60
So you get these
lists of dos and don't dos,
00:31:42.70\00:31:46.13
because these dos or don't dos
really determine what you do.
00:31:46.17\00:31:49.80
You may say one thing,
00:31:49.84\00:31:51.17
but if you steal, murder,
commit adultery, swear falsely,
00:31:51.21\00:31:53.78
burn incense to Baal,
00:31:53.81\00:31:55.18
you're not what you say you are,
00:31:55.21\00:31:56.85
you are what you do,
and so you get this list.
00:31:56.88\00:31:59.88
Shelley, Hosea?
00:31:59.91\00:32:01.42
Hosea 4:2,
00:32:01.45\00:32:03.99
"By swearing and
lying, killing and stealing,
00:32:04.02\00:32:07.66
and committing adultery,
00:32:07.69\00:32:09.09
they break all restraint
with bloodshed upon bloodshed."
00:32:09.12\00:32:14.30
When I was younger,
I could not understand
00:32:14.30\00:32:18.67
what the big
deal was with lying.
00:32:18.70\00:32:21.07
You know, killing,
yeah, adultery, yeah,
00:32:21.10\00:32:25.07
even dishonoring you parents.
00:32:25.11\00:32:26.44
But it didn't seem like
lying was such a big deal
00:32:26.47\00:32:28.08
because everybody lies.
00:32:28.11\00:32:29.84
But veracity, truthfulness
is a big deal with God.
00:32:29.88\00:32:34.02
A huge deal. Yeah.
00:32:34.05\00:32:36.22
God cannot lie.
00:32:36.25\00:32:37.62
And those of us
00:32:37.65\00:32:38.99
who are in
Christ should not lie.
00:32:39.09\00:32:41.56
Your yea ought to be
yea, your no ought to be no.
00:32:41.59\00:32:43.02
That's right.
00:32:43.06\00:32:44.39
There ought to be this lining up
00:32:44.43\00:32:47.30
with Jesus in your living.
00:32:47.30\00:32:48.66
Yes.
00:32:48.70\00:32:50.03
So that if you
tell me so and so,
00:32:50.07\00:32:53.23
I ought to be able to
take that to the bank.
00:32:53.27\00:32:54.60
Amen.
00:32:54.64\00:32:56.00
You know, I ought to be
able to trust you and say,
00:32:56.04\00:32:58.37
"Well, Jill said so.
00:32:58.41\00:33:00.58
Well, that's got to be
because that came out of Jill.
00:33:00.61\00:33:02.61
Jill doesn't lie.
Shelley doesn't lie."
00:33:02.64\00:33:04.98
You know, when
we were growing up,
00:33:05.01\00:33:07.52
there was the lie of commission
but the lie of omission.
00:33:07.55\00:33:11.32
If we didn't tell our mother...
00:33:11.35\00:33:12.69
Yes, yes. Yes.
00:33:12.79\00:33:14.12
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes.
00:33:14.16\00:33:15.49
You can lie about what you say,
00:33:15.52\00:33:16.86
and you can lie
about what you don't say.
00:33:16.89\00:33:18.23
Absolutely.
00:33:18.26\00:33:19.59
What does Ellen White say,
00:33:19.63\00:33:20.96
"No deviation
from strict integrity
00:33:20.96\00:33:22.66
will meet God's approval,"
in the Desire of Ages.
00:33:22.70\00:33:24.03
Absolutely.
00:33:24.07\00:33:25.43
Either way, you
can't add a little
00:33:25.53\00:33:27.24
and you can't
take a little away.
00:33:27.27\00:33:28.70
You can't hold back some,
you've got to tell the truth,
00:33:28.74\00:33:31.07
the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth.
00:33:31.11\00:33:33.14
Mark 7:21.
00:33:33.17\00:33:35.11
Mark 7:21, "For from within,
00:33:35.14\00:33:38.01
out of the heart of
men, proceed evil thoughts,
00:33:38.05\00:33:40.72
adulteries,
fornications, murders."
00:33:40.75\00:33:44.09
You want me keep going? Mm-hm.
00:33:44.12\00:33:45.45
"Thefts, covetousness,
wickedness, deceit, lewdness,
00:33:45.55\00:33:48.49
an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness."
00:33:48.52\00:33:52.09
Have mercy.
00:33:52.13\00:33:55.53
There is an interesting
thing on this evil eye that,
00:33:55.56\00:33:57.50
I'm looking at my time, I
don't have time to go into,
00:33:57.53\00:33:59.60
but even wickedness
where it talks about depravity
00:33:59.63\00:34:03.14
and defiant perversion
00:34:03.17\00:34:05.21
is the
understanding in the Greek.
00:34:05.24\00:34:07.18
And there's of much
of that going on today,
00:34:07.21\00:34:08.94
defiant perversion.
00:34:08.98\00:34:10.55
Just perversion that
almost shakes it fists
00:34:10.58\00:34:13.08
in the face of God.
00:34:13.11\00:34:14.88
Johnny, we got
to go to 1 Timothy 3
00:34:14.92\00:34:17.02
to get a little balance here.
00:34:17.05\00:34:18.39
All right, 1 Timothy 3:2 and 3,
00:34:18.42\00:34:20.62
"A bishop then
must be blameless,
00:34:20.66\00:34:22.82
the husband of one wife,
"Una" temperate, sober-minded,
00:34:22.86\00:34:28.83
of good behavior, hospitable,
00:34:28.86\00:34:30.73
able to teach,
not given to wine,
00:34:30.77\00:34:33.03
not violent, not
greedy for money,
00:34:33.07\00:34:35.10
but gentle, not
quarrelsome, not covetous."
00:34:35.14\00:34:38.07
Yes, what I like
about these lists
00:34:38.11\00:34:40.04
is that they leave
no doubt in your mind
00:34:40.08\00:34:43.01
what the Lord is
requiring of you.
00:34:43.04\00:34:45.58
You know, the
Ephesians 2:10 says,
00:34:45.68\00:34:48.25
God made us for good works.
00:34:48.28\00:34:50.42
Well, you may
say, "What is good?
00:34:50.45\00:34:51.95
What does God mean my good?"
00:34:51.99\00:34:53.32
Well, if you go to Micah 6:8,
00:34:53.36\00:34:54.82
"He has shown
thee O man what is good
00:34:54.86\00:34:56.86
and what that the Lord require.
00:34:56.89\00:34:58.23
Do justly, love mercy,
walk humbly with thy God."
00:34:58.26\00:35:01.56
So the Bible makes it plain,
00:35:01.60\00:35:04.60
and I think Paul in
dealing with a baby group,
00:35:04.63\00:35:08.74
let's spill it out for you,
00:35:08.77\00:35:10.11
you know, let's
put it out there,
00:35:10.14\00:35:11.47
so there's no doubt in your mind
00:35:11.51\00:35:12.84
what I'm talking about.
00:35:12.94\00:35:14.28
This is what you need to avoid,
00:35:14.31\00:35:15.64
and this is what
you need to pursue,
00:35:15.68\00:35:17.28
and in doing so, you
will be right with God.
00:35:17.31\00:35:18.98
So he's coming down to the point
00:35:19.08\00:35:21.35
where he's saying, you know,
00:35:21.38\00:35:22.75
let's kind of
blow away the smoke,
00:35:22.78\00:35:24.15
let's be very, very pragmatic
00:35:24.19\00:35:26.32
about what God wants from you,
00:35:26.42\00:35:28.66
and what will put you
in right standing with God
00:35:28.69\00:35:31.76
because, yeah,
you are what you say,
00:35:31.79\00:35:33.43
but you really are what you do.
00:35:33.46\00:35:35.10
That's right. Shelley.
00:35:35.13\00:35:36.46
And I just...
00:35:36.50\00:35:37.83
To tag on to what you
just ended with there,
00:35:37.87\00:35:40.27
the Bible says in 1 John 3:7,
00:35:40.30\00:35:44.21
He says, "Little children..."
00:35:44.24\00:35:45.61
This is the
Apostle John writing.
00:35:45.64\00:35:47.61
"Little children,
let no one deceive you,
00:35:47.64\00:35:51.05
he who practices
righteousness is righteous
00:35:51.08\00:35:54.98
just as Christ is righteous."
00:35:55.02\00:35:57.42
So, you know, we are
saved by grace through faith.
00:35:57.45\00:36:02.42
There's nothing we
can add for our salvation.
00:36:02.46\00:36:04.36
Amen.
00:36:04.39\00:36:05.76
But it doesn't mean that,
00:36:05.79\00:36:07.96
I mean, it is His
righteousness imputed,
00:36:07.96\00:36:11.07
credited to our
account, imparted to our heart,
00:36:11.10\00:36:14.64
but as He imparts
00:36:14.67\00:36:16.24
His righteousness into our heart
00:36:16.27\00:36:17.81
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
00:36:17.84\00:36:19.81
He guides us and empowers us
00:36:19.84\00:36:21.91
to put that
righteousness into practice.
00:36:21.94\00:36:23.98
And if we're not doing it,
00:36:24.01\00:36:25.35
then we're not belonging to Him.
00:36:25.38\00:36:27.82
Which is why the idea
of that the flesh demands,
00:36:27.85\00:36:31.72
the Spirit produces.
00:36:31.75\00:36:33.09
Right.
00:36:33.19\00:36:34.52
So we're gonna continue on
with Galatians 5:22 and 23.
00:36:34.56\00:36:39.13
And this is following the...
00:36:39.16\00:36:41.60
As he's talked about
the works of the flesh,
00:36:41.63\00:36:44.17
now he's going to talk
about the fruit of the Spirit.
00:36:44.20\00:36:47.00
There is only one fruit,
00:36:47.04\00:36:49.80
but there are
nine manifestations.
00:36:49.84\00:36:51.67
It's reflecting
the glory of God,
00:36:51.71\00:36:53.91
I guess you could say,
00:36:53.94\00:36:55.54
and it's just kind of
like a multifaceted diamond.
00:36:55.58\00:36:59.21
If you look at this fruit,
there's nine manifestations.
00:36:59.31\00:37:02.82
And it says,
00:37:02.85\00:37:04.19
"The fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, and peace,
00:37:04.22\00:37:08.42
patience, kindness,
and goodness, faithfulness,
00:37:08.46\00:37:12.63
gentleness, and self-control
against such things,"
00:37:12.66\00:37:17.23
Paul tells these
Galatians, "there is no law."
00:37:17.27\00:37:20.97
This reminds me of John
15:1-5 where Jesus is saying,
00:37:21.00\00:37:26.57
"I am the vine,
you are the branches."
00:37:26.61\00:37:29.24
And He says,
00:37:29.28\00:37:30.61
"If you abide
in me and I in you,
00:37:30.65\00:37:32.71
you'll bearing much fruit."
00:37:32.75\00:37:35.05
See the whole thing
00:37:35.08\00:37:36.85
about the fruit of the
Spirit is it comes only
00:37:36.89\00:37:39.75
when we're connected to Christ.
00:37:39.79\00:37:41.12
Amen.
00:37:41.16\00:37:42.52
We have to be
connected to Christ.
00:37:42.56\00:37:43.89
And what these
00:37:43.93\00:37:45.79
nine
manifestations of the fruit are
00:37:45.83\00:37:48.56
is this is the
character of Christ
00:37:48.60\00:37:50.40
being worked out in us, really.
00:37:50.43\00:37:51.83
It's His things that
reflect His character.
00:37:51.87\00:37:57.37
Now I divide this
into three groups of three.
00:37:57.41\00:38:03.24
And I'm not saying that
00:38:03.28\00:38:04.61
this is the
absolute correct way.
00:38:04.65\00:38:06.82
Here's how I see it
and others may disagree.
00:38:06.85\00:38:10.82
But I see those first
three the love, joy, and peace
00:38:10.85\00:38:14.99
as being the inward
transformational experience
00:38:15.02\00:38:20.83
that we have
when we come to God.
00:38:20.86\00:38:23.23
Love is the foundation of
all the rest of the fruits.
00:38:23.26\00:38:26.60
And in the Romans
5:5, when we come to God,
00:38:26.63\00:38:29.37
when we've accepted
Christ as our Savior,
00:38:29.40\00:38:31.97
Romans 5:5 says,
00:38:32.01\00:38:33.34
He pours His love into us
00:38:33.38\00:38:36.21
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
00:38:36.31\00:38:37.75
So this is...
00:38:37.78\00:38:39.38
We get that divine
self-sacrificing love
00:38:39.48\00:38:42.95
of the Father, the
Son, and the Spirit.
00:38:42.98\00:38:45.35
And this is what
empowers us to love Him
00:38:45.39\00:38:48.62
with all of our heart,
soul, and mind, and strength,
00:38:48.66\00:38:51.53
and to love you and
others as ourselves.
00:38:51.56\00:38:54.96
Now the joy,
00:38:55.00\00:38:56.87
this is that inner
gladness of just knowing God.
00:38:56.90\00:39:01.00
Nehemiah 8:10,
00:39:01.04\00:39:02.40
"The joy of the
Lord is your strength."
00:39:02.44\00:39:05.01
This is a
rejoicing that is inspired
00:39:05.04\00:39:08.78
by the Holy Spirit's
presence in our lives.
00:39:08.81\00:39:13.48
Then when you
think of the peace,
00:39:13.52\00:39:15.48
what a beautiful
thing the peace of God is.
00:39:15.52\00:39:17.95
And I know people
00:39:17.99\00:39:19.32
who have been looking
for peace all of their life,
00:39:19.42\00:39:21.39
but when you come to God,
00:39:21.42\00:39:23.59
Philippians 4:7 says,
00:39:23.63\00:39:25.16
"He will give you a peace
00:39:25.19\00:39:26.76
that transcends
all understanding."
00:39:26.80\00:39:28.83
Amen. There's no way.
00:39:28.86\00:39:30.20
Jesus said,
00:39:30.23\00:39:31.57
"Not as the world
gives, give I to you,
00:39:31.60\00:39:33.90
but I'm going to
give you my peace."
00:39:33.94\00:39:37.11
This is something that
the world cannot steal.
00:39:37.14\00:39:42.31
Now I look at the
second group, the patience,
00:39:42.34\00:39:46.65
which is our long
suffering, the kindness,
00:39:46.68\00:39:49.62
and the goodness as the fruit,
00:39:49.72\00:39:52.22
this is our
expression toward others.
00:39:52.25\00:39:55.42
I am patient, even tempered
with you as the Holy Spirit
00:39:55.46\00:39:59.33
is working in my life.
00:39:59.43\00:40:00.90
I endure others' behavior.
00:40:00.93\00:40:03.57
In other words, you bear
up when you're being reproved,
00:40:03.60\00:40:07.44
you don't worry about
00:40:07.47\00:40:08.84
or even think about retaliating.
00:40:08.87\00:40:11.37
One of the
sayings that I dislike
00:40:11.41\00:40:14.14
the most is when somebody says,
"I don't get mad, I get even."
00:40:14.18\00:40:18.55
That is such a
horrible attitude,
00:40:18.58\00:40:22.18
and it is so un-Christ like,
00:40:22.22\00:40:24.42
I mean, it is
an ungodly attitude
00:40:24.45\00:40:26.65
because we
shouldn't be considering,
00:40:26.69\00:40:28.99
you know, "I got you.
00:40:29.02\00:40:31.56
I'm gonna retaliate."
00:40:31.59\00:40:33.29
Kindness means
that you're gracious
00:40:33.33\00:40:35.63
and helpful to others,
00:40:35.73\00:40:37.63
and goodness,
this is love in action.
00:40:37.67\00:40:41.60
Goodness is when
you are benevolent
00:40:41.64\00:40:44.01
toward others.
00:40:44.04\00:40:45.37
Now I think of the final three
as our attitude toward God.
00:40:45.41\00:40:49.41
This is the consequent
behavior of these other fruits.
00:40:49.44\00:40:56.05
When God is working in our life,
00:40:56.15\00:40:57.89
the faithfulness,
we're true to God,
00:40:57.92\00:41:01.49
we're true to His
principles of righteousness,
00:41:01.52\00:41:06.39
the gentleness,
00:41:06.43\00:41:07.76
which as the
amplified explained the Greek,
00:41:07.76\00:41:10.50
I like to think
of the gentleness
00:41:10.53\00:41:12.03
as the humility
00:41:12.07\00:41:13.64
because this is
where our relationship
00:41:13.67\00:41:16.94
begins with God.
00:41:16.97\00:41:19.24
I think of the
definition of humility being,
00:41:19.27\00:41:21.98
you know, when Paul
said in Philippians 2:5-7,
00:41:22.01\00:41:27.02
let this mind be in you,
00:41:27.05\00:41:28.62
which was in Christ
Jesus, who humbled Himself,
00:41:28.65\00:41:32.52
even to the point
of death on the cross."
00:41:32.62\00:41:34.96
I mean, He was God and
He didn't think robbery
00:41:34.99\00:41:39.26
to be considered equal with God.
00:41:39.29\00:41:41.46
Yet He came to the earth
00:41:41.50\00:41:43.00
and He was totally
dependent upon the Father.
00:41:43.03\00:41:46.27
He was totally
dependent upon the Spirit
00:41:46.30\00:41:48.80
just like you and I need to be.
00:41:48.84\00:41:50.64
So in humility, He said,
00:41:50.67\00:41:52.81
"I only do what the
Father tells me to do,
00:41:52.84\00:41:55.41
I only speak
00:41:55.44\00:41:56.78
what the Father
tells me to speak."
00:41:56.81\00:41:58.51
And I just want
to encourage you,
00:41:58.55\00:42:00.12
that's the beginning of
our relationship is when...
00:42:00.15\00:42:03.69
And really when you think about
00:42:03.72\00:42:05.32
the new covenant
and salvation by grace,
00:42:05.35\00:42:08.62
that's the crux of it.
00:42:08.66\00:42:10.66
All God asks of us
00:42:10.69\00:42:12.66
is that we come before
Him in humility and say,
00:42:12.69\00:42:16.70
"Lord, You know better than I.
00:42:16.73\00:42:18.70
I want to surrender
control of my life to You.
00:42:18.73\00:42:22.04
Work in me to willing
to do Your good pleasure.
00:42:22.07\00:42:25.11
Produce this fruit in
me. Let it grow in me.
00:42:25.14\00:42:27.88
I want to be
connected to the vine."
00:42:27.91\00:42:30.48
And then self-control,
00:42:30.51\00:42:34.25
I think that self-control
00:42:34.28\00:42:38.79
is listed by
Paul last on purpose.
00:42:38.82\00:42:43.66
You know why?
00:42:43.69\00:42:45.06
Love he lists first
because it's foundational
00:42:45.09\00:42:47.73
to all the rest of these.
00:42:47.76\00:42:49.66
Self-control he lists last
00:42:49.70\00:42:52.40
because all the
works of the flesh
00:42:52.43\00:42:55.90
show a lack of self-control,
wouldn't you agree?
00:42:55.94\00:42:59.67
Agreed. Okay.
00:42:59.71\00:43:01.24
So self-control,
00:43:01.28\00:43:03.41
this is just self-restraint
through surrender.
00:43:03.45\00:43:08.08
I mean, I cannot...
00:43:08.12\00:43:10.52
They come
together. Control myself.
00:43:10.55\00:43:12.42
Right.
00:43:12.45\00:43:13.79
When I've tried to
exercise self-control.
00:43:13.82\00:43:15.36
But it's like I have
to be totally surrendered,
00:43:15.39\00:43:18.63
and any time I'm not exercising
self-control, I realize, "Oops!
00:43:18.66\00:43:22.96
Okay, Lord, I need to
be surrendered to you."
00:43:23.06\00:43:26.03
Because God works that out in me
00:43:26.07\00:43:28.37
where myself
has to be submitted,
00:43:28.40\00:43:32.77
as Danny always says,
committed and submitted.
00:43:32.87\00:43:34.88
I have to be in
submission to the Lord.
00:43:34.91\00:43:37.75
So, you know, if you think
about this, I think that...
00:43:37.78\00:43:41.78
Let's quickly, we've
just got a couple of minutes,
00:43:41.82\00:43:43.82
let's read Matthew 5:21 and 22.
00:43:43.85\00:43:47.62
Jill, if you
could read that for us.
00:43:47.66\00:43:49.92
And, Johnny, would you like
to read Matthew 5:27 and 28?
00:43:49.96\00:43:55.73
We'll need to do this
quickly. Matthew 5:21 and 22.
00:43:55.76\00:43:59.80
"You have heard that it was said
00:43:59.90\00:44:01.30
to those of old,
you shall not murder,
00:44:01.34\00:44:03.87
and whoever murders
00:44:03.91\00:44:05.24
will be in
danger of the judgment.
00:44:05.27\00:44:07.58
But I say to you
that whoever is angry
00:44:07.61\00:44:10.05
with his brother without a cause
00:44:10.08\00:44:12.25
shall be in
danger of the judgment.
00:44:12.28\00:44:14.32
And whoever says
to his brother, Raca,
00:44:14.35\00:44:16.89
shall be in danger of council.
00:44:16.92\00:44:19.45
But whoever says,
00:44:19.49\00:44:20.82
you fool, shall be
in danger of hell fire."
00:44:20.86\00:44:23.43
Right.
00:44:23.46\00:44:24.79
So, you know, Isaiah 42:21 said
00:44:24.83\00:44:27.10
that the Lord was well pleased
for his righteousness' sake
00:44:27.13\00:44:29.93
and He was sending
Christ to exalt the law,
00:44:29.96\00:44:33.60
to magnify the law
and make it honorable.
00:44:33.64\00:44:36.77
And what we see here,
00:44:36.81\00:44:38.54
there was the letter of the law,
00:44:38.57\00:44:40.14
but now Jesus is
showing the spirit of the law,
00:44:40.18\00:44:43.68
and you see the
fruit of the Spirit.
00:44:43.71\00:44:45.15
You've got to have love,
and patience, and kindness,
00:44:45.18\00:44:47.55
and goodness, and self-control.
00:44:47.58\00:44:49.35
Even to Jesus,
00:44:49.45\00:44:51.35
the hatred was the sin,
00:44:51.39\00:44:56.29
murder was the fruit of the sin.
00:44:56.39\00:44:57.73
And we won't have time.
00:44:57.76\00:44:59.09
Johnny, I'll just mention it.
00:44:59.13\00:45:00.90
He goes on in
Matthew 5:27 saying adultery
00:45:00.93\00:45:06.00
is not just adultery, guys.
00:45:06.10\00:45:07.84
It's that heart lust, you know,
00:45:07.87\00:45:12.01
the attitude I would if I could.
00:45:12.04\00:45:14.48
You know, the mental
adultery, that was the sin.
00:45:14.51\00:45:18.18
The other, the physical adultery
00:45:18.21\00:45:20.62
was the outworking of that.
00:45:20.65\00:45:23.69
So when we have a
Spirit-filled life,
00:45:23.72\00:45:26.32
we're gonna live harmoniously,
00:45:26.35\00:45:28.69
we're gonna live in
harmony with the law of God.
00:45:28.72\00:45:32.86
We're gonna
fulfill the law of God
00:45:32.96\00:45:35.96
because the Spirit will control
our thoughts and actions.
00:45:36.00\00:45:39.87
It's not about doing,
it's not about behaving,
00:45:39.90\00:45:44.41
and controlling ourselves,
00:45:44.44\00:45:46.11
it's about
surrendering to the Lord
00:45:46.14\00:45:48.44
and knowing that He then can...
00:45:48.48\00:45:51.65
If we've got the
fruit of the Spirit
00:45:51.68\00:45:53.55
being produced in us,
00:45:53.58\00:45:54.92
we're naturally gonna
keep the Ten Commandments.
00:45:54.95\00:45:56.72
Amen. Amen.
00:45:56.75\00:45:58.09
Amen.
00:45:58.12\00:45:59.45
Well, on Thursday, I
want us to read together.
00:45:59.49\00:46:03.43
We have the first
paragraph it says,
00:46:03.46\00:46:06.26
"Although an inward conflict
00:46:06.36\00:46:07.96
between the
flesh and the Spirit...
00:46:07.96\00:46:10.20
This is in Thursday's
lesson, "The way to victory,"
00:46:10.23\00:46:13.57
the top paragraph.
00:46:13.67\00:46:15.07
"Although an inward conflict
00:46:15.10\00:46:16.64
between the flesh and the Spirit
00:46:16.67\00:46:18.27
always will rage in the
heart of every believer,
00:46:18.31\00:46:21.31
the Christian life does not have
00:46:21.34\00:46:22.98
to be dominated by
defeat, failure, and sin."
00:46:23.08\00:46:26.75
Amen.
00:46:26.78\00:46:28.12
Too often, we feel
defeated that way, don't we?
00:46:28.15\00:46:30.62
And dominated.
00:46:30.65\00:46:32.62
And the solution is
found in Proverbs 23:26.
00:46:32.65\00:46:37.06
That's where God
says, "Give me your heart."
00:46:37.09\00:46:43.26
What an interesting
book to find that verse in,
00:46:43.30\00:46:46.33
but really that sums it up.
00:46:46.37\00:46:47.74
That's the crux of it.
00:46:47.77\00:46:49.20
I wanna give you a
little personal example
00:46:49.24\00:46:52.41
of how it's harder to
disobey than it is to obey
00:46:52.44\00:46:57.31
when you do that very thing.
00:46:57.35\00:46:59.91
There was a young lady that
I was very madly in love with
00:46:59.95\00:47:03.92
and actually we were engaged,
00:47:03.95\00:47:06.79
and we ended up
having a fight, a feud.
00:47:06.82\00:47:11.49
I'm sure no one else
engaged ever went through that.
00:47:11.53\00:47:14.46
And as a matter fact, I
went home, I was speeding,
00:47:14.46\00:47:19.10
I ended up in a car accident,
somebody turned in front of me,
00:47:19.13\00:47:21.97
and totaled my car.
00:47:22.00\00:47:26.17
My wife, excuse me, my
girlfriend at the time,
00:47:26.27\00:47:28.88
father's mother was dying.
00:47:28.91\00:47:31.95
And his way of
resolving the issue,
00:47:31.98\00:47:35.12
he just wanted
me to not be around
00:47:35.15\00:47:38.65
for three months.
00:47:38.69\00:47:41.49
And it was a serious
situation in his mind.
00:47:41.52\00:47:45.03
And as I looked
at that, I thought,
00:47:45.06\00:47:46.90
"Well, what would we do?"
00:47:46.93\00:47:48.23
Well, he was allowing
phone calls on Sundays,
00:47:48.26\00:47:51.67
and that was it,
00:47:51.70\00:47:53.80
and it was gonna
be month by month
00:47:53.84\00:47:55.54
as his mother
was dying of cancer.
00:47:55.57\00:47:58.47
And so we honored his wishes,
and so what I would do is
00:47:58.51\00:48:02.28
I would drive to their town
because I didn't have the money
00:48:02.31\00:48:05.15
to pay for the long
distance for the calls,
00:48:05.18\00:48:06.92
so I would drive to their
town, go to a phone booth.
00:48:06.95\00:48:08.95
This is back in
the '70s, late '70s.
00:48:08.98\00:48:11.65
And I would, on
a Sunday morning,
00:48:11.69\00:48:13.25
go the convenience store
phone booth, stand there.
00:48:13.29\00:48:15.92
Sometimes the staff would go in,
00:48:15.96\00:48:17.83
do their eight hours
and come out later on,
00:48:17.86\00:48:20.60
and I was still
standing in that phone booth
00:48:20.63\00:48:22.00
talking to my girlfriend.
00:48:22.03\00:48:24.70
Eight to twelve
hours, as a matter of fact,
00:48:24.73\00:48:26.20
I started doing this in March,
early March in New England.
00:48:26.30\00:48:29.47
Anybody knows
Massachusetts in early March,
00:48:29.50\00:48:31.94
it was actually
30s and 40s for a high.
00:48:31.97\00:48:35.18
Well, after a few
weeks of doing this,
00:48:35.21\00:48:37.01
I was feeling a little foolish
00:48:37.11\00:48:38.45
because everybody watched me
standing in this phone booth.
00:48:38.48\00:48:41.52
So I went to the
local airport in town
00:48:41.55\00:48:44.25
and they had a phone booth,
00:48:44.29\00:48:45.62
and I stood in that phone booth.
00:48:45.65\00:48:47.12
After three months of
doing this on Sundays,
00:48:47.16\00:48:49.42
on top of that, I
had a week's vacation,
00:48:49.46\00:48:52.46
so what I would
is every Thursday
00:48:52.49\00:48:54.10
while she was between
classes, I would drive
00:48:54.10\00:48:56.30
to Framingham State College
00:48:56.40\00:48:57.73
and we'd spend two
hours together every Thursday.
00:48:57.77\00:49:00.04
That's how I spend my vacation.
00:49:00.07\00:49:01.67
It was harder for me to disobey
or abandon that relationship
00:49:01.70\00:49:06.74
than it was to be in it
00:49:06.78\00:49:08.38
because she was
the passion of my life.
00:49:08.41\00:49:10.51
Well, the long and the
short of it is she is my wife.
00:49:10.61\00:49:13.08
We've been married more
than 37 years as a result.
00:49:13.18\00:49:15.28
Praise the Lord.
00:49:15.32\00:49:17.25
And I know it was
driving me, it was harder for me
00:49:17.29\00:49:21.72
to not be engaged this
way than it was to be engaged.
00:49:21.76\00:49:24.99
So I'm gonna make a
pretty radical claim here
00:49:25.03\00:49:27.46
that obedience is a gift.
00:49:27.50\00:49:31.70
Amen. It's by grace.
00:49:31.73\00:49:33.07
Amen. Amen.
00:49:33.17\00:49:34.50
It is a gift
because faith is a gift.
00:49:34.54\00:49:36.17
Galatians 5:22,
obedience is a gift
00:49:36.20\00:49:38.37
because the nature of mankind.
00:49:38.41\00:49:41.01
Romans 5:12,
our hearts are evil,
00:49:41.04\00:49:43.08
we cannot change them.
00:49:43.11\00:49:44.45
Steps to Christ, page
18, obedience is a gift
00:49:44.48\00:49:47.05
because surrender is a gift.
00:49:47.08\00:49:49.15
Romans 9:31 and 32 and
Galatians 2:20 and onward.
00:49:49.18\00:49:53.19
Obedience is a gift
because God is in control.
00:49:53.29\00:49:56.22
Philippians 2:13,
And obedience is a gift
00:49:56.26\00:50:00.33
because repentance is a gift.
00:50:00.36\00:50:02.96
Amen.
00:50:03.00\00:50:04.33
and 2 Corinthians 7:10.
00:50:04.37\00:50:07.74
Obedience is a gift
because fruit is a gift.
00:50:07.77\00:50:11.61
John 15.
00:50:11.64\00:50:13.58
And Desire of
Ages page 677 says,
00:50:13.61\00:50:16.64
"Yet the Savior does not
bid the disciples to bear fruit.
00:50:16.75\00:50:19.91
He tells them to abide in Him."
00:50:19.95\00:50:23.08
That is the solution.
00:50:23.18\00:50:25.55
"Obedience is
the fruit of faith,"
00:50:25.59\00:50:28.09
Steps to Christ, page 61,
00:50:28.12\00:50:29.92
"since fruit is
gift, obedience is a gift."
00:50:29.96\00:50:31.89
Amen. Yes.
00:50:31.93\00:50:33.29
"Obedience is a gift
00:50:33.33\00:50:34.63
because of the
example of Jesus."
00:50:34.66\00:50:37.50
John 5:30.
00:50:37.53\00:50:39.70
And Desire of Ages
page 208 says this,
00:50:39.80\00:50:43.07
"So utterly was
Christ emptied of self
00:50:43.10\00:50:45.27
that He made no
plans for Himself.
00:50:45.31\00:50:48.11
He accepted God's plans for Him,
00:50:48.14\00:50:50.91
and day by day, the
Father unfolded His plans.
00:50:50.95\00:50:55.55
So should we depend on
God that our lives may be
00:50:55.58\00:51:00.76
the simple
outworking of His will."
00:51:00.79\00:51:04.03
Amen. That's right.
00:51:04.06\00:51:05.83
You know, it's interesting,
John 5:30 is a powerful verse,
00:51:05.86\00:51:10.03
but when you read the
Desire of Ages with it,
00:51:10.07\00:51:11.93
it just puts into
context and is beautiful.
00:51:11.97\00:51:14.20
Let's go to John 5:30.
00:51:14.24\00:51:16.37
I do have a minute to do that.
00:51:16.40\00:51:18.61
John 5.
00:51:18.64\00:51:20.04
And I think the idea
that obedience being a gift
00:51:24.01\00:51:26.28
is probably a challenge
for some that are listening.
00:51:26.38\00:51:30.55
Jill, would you be
so kind as to read that?
00:51:30.59\00:51:33.22
"I can of myself do nothing.
00:51:33.25\00:51:35.72
As I hear, I judge, and
my judgment is righteous
00:51:35.76\00:51:39.36
because I do
not seek my own will
00:51:39.39\00:51:42.10
but the will of the
Father who sent me."
00:51:42.13\00:51:44.93
"And so should we depend
on God that our lives may be
00:51:44.97\00:51:47.94
a simple
outworking of His will."
00:51:47.97\00:51:50.04
If you the Remnant Study Bible,
00:51:50.07\00:51:51.41
you actually have that
quote underneath that verse.
00:51:51.44\00:51:55.41
And I wanted to
share one other quote
00:51:55.44\00:51:57.98
from one of my favorite authors
that I believe is very inspired
00:51:58.01\00:52:04.92
in the ministry that God
has given to this church.
00:52:04.95\00:52:07.42
It's found on
Desire of Ages page 68.
00:52:07.46\00:52:10.99
And this kind of sums up
00:52:11.03\00:52:12.49
what happens when
we give God our heart.
00:52:12.53\00:52:15.03
Last week I had
mentioned I'm passing that
00:52:15.06\00:52:20.37
we're struggling trying
to figure out as sinners
00:52:20.40\00:52:23.64
what God is calling us to,
00:52:23.67\00:52:25.37
what He's
really expecting of us,
00:52:25.41\00:52:27.51
what He wants to see in
us, where He is taking us.
00:52:27.54\00:52:31.61
But before there was
sin, what I'm about to share,
00:52:31.65\00:52:34.28
was the
existence of every being,
00:52:34.32\00:52:36.12
after there is sin, this will be
00:52:36.15\00:52:37.75
the experience of every being.
00:52:37.79\00:52:39.52
It's driven by a
love that is as powerful
00:52:39.55\00:52:42.79
if not more powerful
than the love that drove me
00:52:42.82\00:52:45.83
to stand in a phone
booth for 8 to 12 hours
00:52:45.86\00:52:47.86
every Sunday in the cold.
00:52:47.86\00:52:50.07
And that was an
interesting journey
00:52:50.10\00:52:51.43
I'll never forget.
00:52:51.47\00:52:53.00
Some of the
people that saw me there
00:52:53.03\00:52:54.37
probably won't forget either.
00:52:54.40\00:52:57.21
I'm gonna read
this, Desire of Ages 668.
00:52:57.24\00:52:59.21
"All true obedience
comes from the heart.
00:52:59.24\00:53:03.88
It was heart work with Christ.
00:53:03.91\00:53:06.35
And if we consent,
He will identify Himself
00:53:06.38\00:53:09.72
with our thoughts and aims,
00:53:09.75\00:53:12.79
so blend our hearts and minds
into conformity to His will,
00:53:12.82\00:53:16.86
that when
obeying Him we shall be
00:53:16.96\00:53:19.23
but carrying out
our own impulses."
00:53:19.26\00:53:22.00
Amen. Isn't that something?
00:53:22.03\00:53:24.50
Our own impulses
when we're obeying God.
00:53:24.53\00:53:27.70
That's why when Jesus
says, "If you love me..."
00:53:27.74\00:53:30.01
"Keep my command."
00:53:30.11\00:53:31.44
And he actually in
some of other versions says
00:53:31.47\00:53:32.81
you will keep my
commandments because obeying Him
00:53:32.84\00:53:35.78
is the outworking
of our own impulses.
00:53:35.81\00:53:38.08
"The will,
refined and sanctified
00:53:38.11\00:53:40.82
will find its highest
delight in doing His service."
00:53:40.85\00:53:44.15
Amen. Be harder not to.
00:53:44.19\00:53:47.49
"When we know God as it is
our privilege to know Him,"
00:53:47.52\00:53:50.73
this is the
powerful line for me,
00:53:50.76\00:53:52.93
"our life will be a
life of continual obedience."
00:53:52.96\00:53:57.13
Amen. Amen.
00:53:57.17\00:53:58.50
And this is something
that He is producing in us
00:53:58.53\00:54:01.07
as a result of a
surrendered heart.
00:54:01.10\00:54:03.44
We've given Him our heart,
00:54:03.47\00:54:05.11
we're being
refined and sanctified.
00:54:05.14\00:54:06.98
This is where
God is calling us to.
00:54:07.01\00:54:09.28
"Through communion with God,
sin will become hateful to us."
00:54:09.31\00:54:12.95
That's the
reason for the others.
00:54:12.98\00:54:15.32
So when you look at
this, what is our job?
00:54:15.35\00:54:17.99
Surrender. I mean, that was it.
00:54:18.02\00:54:20.56
I wanted you to
underscore, you said it came
00:54:20.59\00:54:23.16
even though obedience is a gift,
00:54:23.19\00:54:24.99
it begins with a choice.
00:54:25.03\00:54:28.10
You said it is a
result of our surrender,
00:54:28.13\00:54:30.43
so it has to be that
point where we're saying,
00:54:30.47\00:54:33.60
"Lord, not my will
but Yours be done."
00:54:33.70\00:54:35.54
And then that
obedience comes by grace
00:54:35.57\00:54:38.17
as He works in us willing to do.
00:54:38.21\00:54:40.34
Now how do we
maintain that though?
00:54:40.44\00:54:43.41
My job is to behold Him.
00:54:43.45\00:54:46.38
That's the work. Yes.
00:54:46.41\00:54:48.08
That's the work
00:54:48.12\00:54:49.55
because He
knows what I'm needing
00:54:49.58\00:54:51.59
and He's gonna take
me where I need to be.
00:54:51.62\00:54:53.82
And when He has completed
His work, this is the result.
00:54:53.86\00:54:58.99
But He has to have full control.
00:54:59.03\00:55:01.56
My struggle, and the struggle
for every other Christian,
00:55:01.60\00:55:04.63
is allowing that control.
00:55:04.67\00:55:07.40
Yes.
00:55:07.44\00:55:08.77
So that, you know,
when you think about it,
00:55:08.80\00:55:11.47
what you bind in earth
will be bound in heaven,
00:55:11.51\00:55:13.74
what you loose on earth
will be loosed in heaven.
00:55:13.78\00:55:15.11
It's this experience
that will produce that.
00:55:15.14\00:55:18.81
And we try to
manufacture anything else,
00:55:18.85\00:55:21.38
we try to come up
with another way to do it,
00:55:21.42\00:55:23.05
we try to...
00:55:23.08\00:55:24.42
A lot of times
what we're doing is
00:55:24.45\00:55:26.32
maybe we were a religious person
00:55:26.35\00:55:28.32
and we tried to add
Jesus to what we already have,
00:55:28.36\00:55:30.99
and we're trying
to make it that way,
00:55:31.03\00:55:33.26
and the other thing
is maybe we have Christ,
00:55:33.36\00:55:35.93
but we're trying to
add other things to hold us
00:55:35.96\00:55:38.17
where we need to be.
00:55:38.20\00:55:39.53
But the call is
to fully seek Him
00:55:39.57\00:55:44.04
and that's why, that's
why devotion is so important.
00:55:44.14\00:55:46.44
That's why the
things that maybe you heard
00:55:46.47\00:55:49.08
over and over again in
church are so important
00:55:49.11\00:55:51.85
because that is your
lifeline in order to experience
00:55:51.88\00:55:55.55
what we see in
Desire of Ages page 668.
00:55:55.58\00:55:57.72
Johnny, just very quickly,
when you go to the supermarket,
00:55:57.75\00:56:00.06
the vegetables and the
fruits are called produce,
00:56:00.09\00:56:02.82
and we've all used the same term
00:56:02.86\00:56:04.43
that if you stick a plant
in the ground, and you water,
00:56:04.46\00:56:07.86
and you feed it,
and it's connected,
00:56:07.86\00:56:09.20
it's going to produce something.
00:56:09.23\00:56:11.20
So it's not a demand
to produce the fruit,
00:56:11.23\00:56:14.47
if you abide in
Christ, you will produce.
00:56:14.50\00:56:17.64
Amen. He will produce.
00:56:17.67\00:56:19.14
He will produce. That's right.
00:56:19.17\00:56:20.91
Amen. Praise the Lord.
00:56:20.94\00:56:23.14
And, you know, I think
I'm gonna take the rope.
00:56:23.18\00:56:25.71
Perhaps, this will
be an interesting...
00:56:25.75\00:56:28.65
You know, before
we come to Christ,
00:56:28.68\00:56:33.02
there is this pull
00:56:33.05\00:56:34.39
and we can't do
anything about it,
00:56:34.42\00:56:35.76
we're going in that direction,
00:56:35.79\00:56:37.16
and we can't do
anything about it.
00:56:37.19\00:56:38.69
But once you give
yourself to Christ
00:56:38.73\00:56:41.33
and you put your
will on His side,
00:56:41.36\00:56:44.67
God takes control
and you're not pulled.
00:56:44.70\00:56:46.03
Greater is He
who is in you. Amen.
00:56:46.07\00:56:48.24
You can still have a choice.
00:56:48.27\00:56:49.84
You still have a
choice and the choice
00:56:49.87\00:56:51.61
should be
always to follow Jesus.
00:56:51.64\00:56:53.27
Amen.
00:56:53.38\00:56:54.71
The next lesson will be
Lesson number 12, actually...
00:56:54.74\00:56:59.51
Thirteen. Thirteen.
00:56:59.55\00:57:01.28
That's right.
Sowing and Reaping.
00:57:01.32\00:57:03.22
Once again, you can
get the Bible Study Guide
00:57:03.25\00:57:06.09
by visiting ABSG.Adventist.org.
00:57:06.12\00:57:10.03
ABSG.Adventist.org.
00:57:10.06\00:57:12.83
It has been our
pleasure to be with you.
00:57:12.86\00:57:14.66
Once again, we want to
thank Pastor Tom Ferguson
00:57:14.73\00:57:17.17
for being with
us, Shelley Quinn,
00:57:17.20\00:57:20.04
Pastor CA Murray,
and Sister Jill Morikone.
00:57:20.14\00:57:23.51
And we all thank
you for being with us.
00:57:23.54\00:57:25.57
And we encourage you to
continue following Jesus,
00:57:25.61\00:57:28.84
walking in the Spirit
00:57:28.88\00:57:30.35
because when you
walk in the Spirit,
00:57:30.38\00:57:32.41
you will not fulfill
the lust of the flesh.
00:57:32.45\00:57:34.42
Thank you for being with us.
00:57:34.45\00:57:35.78
God bless you. Amen.
00:57:35.82\00:57:37.19