Participants: C.A. & Irma Murray (Host), Jason Bradley, Xenia Capote, Jorge Jaque, Lynette Parrs-Jaque
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW017032A
|
00:01 I want to spend my life
00:04 Spend my life 00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:27 Let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broke people 01:07 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Family Worship. 01:11 We thank you for spending a little of the opening 01:15 of the Sabbath hours 01:17 and should you be watching this on a Saturday evening 01:19 then the beginning of a brand new week 01:21 but we thank you as we welcome you 01:23 into our "house". 01:25 And you join us for a very fine worship we spending. 01:28 Irma, we've got the guests with us today, do we not? 01:32 Yes, we do. 01:35 And we praise the Lord for that. 01:37 We want to go right into introducing 01:39 the Family Worship members who are here. 01:41 And we've actually been in the homes 01:43 of all of these people for Family Worship 01:46 at one time or another. 01:48 And we haven't been to Jason's apartment yet though. 01:50 No, we are waiting. 01:52 But you guys are welcome to come over 01:53 and bring some food. 01:56 Spoken like a true bachelor. 01:58 We will start with Lynette and Jorge Jaque. 02:01 Good to have you guys here. Good to be here as usual. 02:04 Indeed, good to see you as always. 02:06 And we were at your house just a few days ago. 02:07 Yes. 02:09 And he always has good food in his house. 02:10 Yes. Come on over. 02:12 Jorge has skills in the kitchen, he does. 02:14 Yeah, he does. 02:15 Some, some. Some. 02:16 Some skills. Yes, yes. 02:18 And what he lacks, Lynnette has. 02:19 And we've gone to some good rice, 02:20 we have guacamole, we have other things. 02:25 All kind of goodies. Yes, yes. 02:28 Smoothies. 02:29 And then of course, my wife is an internationally known cook, 02:33 known on at least two continents. 02:36 At least two. 02:38 And two countries, here and Panama at least. 02:40 Yeah, at least. 02:41 And Jason is a good cook. 02:43 Yeah, Jason likes to cook. He's a very good cook. 02:46 Yeah, I can to a very little something in the kitchen. 02:48 And we have Xenia Capote on the piano 02:51 and we've food at her house too. 02:54 And she has one of my favorite dishes 02:55 which I'm not going to mention and neither are you. 02:58 And she's a very good cook also. 03:01 So this is a good family worship 03:03 and we're gonna make ourselves hungry 03:04 if we keep talking about food. 03:06 So we should probably get to our song. 03:10 If you want to join us for the music, 03:11 it's 608 in the Adventist hymnal, 03:14 it's Faith is the Victory. 03:16 We're going to sing all three stanzas. 03:19 And then we're going to ask Xenia 03:21 to come and join us for our discussion. 03:23 And today we're going to look at developing good habits. 03:27 We're gonna talk about good habits. 03:29 And if time allows, 03:31 we're going to talk about the records of God 03:34 and the record keeping of the Lord. 03:36 So we'll see how our time goes. 03:38 We may have to save the record keeping 03:39 for another program. 03:41 But again, thank you for joining us for Family Worship. 03:43 It's always a good time 03:45 when we come together for worship. 03:47 So, Xenia, if you will. 03:56 Encamped along the hills of light 04:00 Ye Christian soldiers, rise 04:04 And press the battle ere the night 04:07 Shall veil the glowing skies 04:11 Against the foe in vales below 04:15 Let all our strength be hurled 04:19 Faith is the victory, we know 04:24 That overcomes the world 04:28 Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory! 04:36 O, glorious victory 04:39 That overcomes the world 04:42 Then stanza number two. 04:44 On every hand the foe we find 04:48 Drawn up in dread array 04:52 Let tents of ease be left behind 04:56 And onward to the fray 05:00 Salvation's helmet on each head 05:04 With truth all girt about 05:08 The earth shall tremble 'neath our tread 05:13 And echo with our shout 05:17 Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory! 05:25 O, glorious victory 05:29 That overcomes the world 05:34 To him that overcomes the foe 05:38 White raiment shall be giv'n 05:42 Before the angels he shall know 05:46 His name confessed in heaven 05:50 Then onward from the hills of light 05:54 Our hearts with love aflame 05:58 We'll vanquish all the hosts of night 06:03 In Jesus' conquering name 06:08 Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory! 06:16 O, glorious victory 06:19 That overcomes the world 06:25 Amen, faith is the victory that overcomes the world. 06:31 While Xenia is making her way back over, 06:34 Jason, would you lead us in prayer 06:35 and then we'll go right into our reading and our study. 06:38 Sure. 06:39 Dear heavenly Father, we thank You 06:41 for the opportunity to study Your Word to come together 06:44 and have devotion together. 06:47 We ask that You would please fill this place 06:50 with Your Holy Spirit that You would lead 06:51 and guide us into all truth. 06:53 And be with all those that are watching at home, 06:55 Lord, fill their homes with Your Spirit, 06:57 and lead and guide them into all truth as well. 07:00 Thank You for hearing this prayer. 07:01 In Jesus' name, we pray. 07:03 Amen. Amen. 07:05 Our study today comes from a reading 07:08 that was part of this year's morning watch booking. 07:12 And this is something that Irma and I read. 07:15 We try to get to it every day unless we get up 07:17 really, really late in afternoon 07:19 and then we have to do in the evening. 07:20 But we try to go into the morning watch everyday. 07:25 It is written and addressed particularly to youth, 07:29 but you'll find and we found that it has information 07:34 and encouragement for young and old alike. 07:39 The subject is developing good habits. 07:43 It's under the heading of the section 07:46 called consecration and Christian experience. 07:50 The Bible text is 07:53 Psalms 119:101, 07:59 "I've refrained my feet from every evil way 08:04 that I might keep Thy word." 08:07 I'm gonna read it and then we're gonna spend little time 08:09 responding to this because this has a lot of meat 08:12 in this particular section. 08:16 It says, "We are nearing the end of time," 08:18 and to that, we can all say amen, 08:21 "and we want now not to meet 08:23 the world's tastes and practices 08:26 but to meet the mind of God, 08:30 to see what sayeth the scriptures 08:32 and then to walk according to the light 08:35 which God has give us." 08:36 So to see and then walk in that light. 08:38 "The youth are forming habits 08:41 which will, in nine cases out of ten, 08:44 decide their future. 08:46 The influence of the company they keep, 08:49 the associations they form, the principles they adopt 08:54 will be carried with them through life. 08:58 We shall be individually, for a time and eternity, 09:03 what our habits make us. 09:06 The lives of those who form right habits 09:09 and are faithful in the performance of every duty 09:13 will be as shining lights, shredding bright beams 09:16 upon the pathway of others. 09:18 There is no need of being spiritual dwarfs 09:21 if the mind is continual exercised in spiritual things 09:27 but merely, praying for this and about this will not meet 09:32 the necessities of the case." 09:33 So a lot of people praying for stuff and about stuff 09:36 but not putting their heart in it. 09:39 "You must habituate the mind 09:43 to concentration upon spiritual things. 09:46 Exercise will bring strength. 09:49 Many professed Christians are in a fairway 09:53 to lose both worlds 09:55 to be half a Christian and half a worldly man 09:59 makes you about 100th of part Christian 10:03 and all the rest worldly." 10:05 That's interesting. That sort of caught my mind. 10:07 You think you're half and half but really you're way over 10:09 in the world's side and not near Christ at all. 10:12 "The mind must be educated and disciplined to love purity, 10:17 a love for spiritual things should be encouraged. 10:20 Ye must be encouraged if you would grow in grace 10:24 and in the knowledge of truth. 10:26 We, I'm sorry, the will must be exercised 10:29 in the right direction. 10:31 I will be a whole hearted Christian. 10:34 I will know the length and breadth, 10:37 the height and depth of perfect love. 10:39 Listen to the words of Jesus, 10:41 blessed are they which do hunger and thirst 10:44 after righteousness for they shall be filled, 10:49 Matthew 5:6. 10:52 Ample provision, I like this, 10:53 ample provisions are made by Christ 10:56 to satisfy the soul that hungers and thirsts 11:00 for righteousness." 11:05 I want to start off by just taking a couple of things 11:07 that sort of jump out at me. 11:09 Ellen White says, and I've done this study 11:11 many, many times about the correct use of the will. 11:16 There are those who say, "You just give yourself 11:18 over to Jesus." 11:20 But there must be, my understanding says, 11:24 a deciding to be like Christ, you know, 11:28 a decision of the will, I'm not... 11:31 I'm going to use what will I have 11:34 to surrender to Jesus. 11:35 Now here's the thing I was talking about churches. 11:38 To use the will to not do something 11:42 is a wrong use of the will. 11:44 It's negative. 11:47 Say, I'm saying, "I don't want to think about Irma." 11:50 So I'm gonna think about not thinking about Irma. 11:54 So I am in effect thinking about Irma 11:58 because that's the wrong use of the will. 12:00 If Irma tempts me, well, praise the Lord, but... 12:07 But my point is to use the will to not do something 12:11 is an incorrect use of the will. 12:14 What I've got to use my will power is 12:16 to keep Jesus in my heart, and Jesus in my mind. 12:20 So I've got to replace this with something else. 12:23 You follow what I'm saying? 12:24 So if I'm thinking about not thinking about Irma, 12:26 I'm thinking about Irma. 12:27 What I need to do is concentrate on Christ. 12:30 And Christ gives me the will not to think about Irma. 12:33 I think it's like, 12:36 when you identify with something, 12:37 with a belief, with a person, right, 12:40 or with an organization, you are... 12:45 That's I think applies to what you're saying. 12:48 So my identification is with Christ. 12:52 I would even then identify with Him. 12:54 I want people who sees me, 12:57 they see my identification right away. 13:01 And so if I think more and more about my wife in this case, 13:05 or Christ or any belief, 13:09 that's what I'm going to be, I become. 13:12 And that's super important in our Christian life 13:16 because otherwise we'll become nothing. 13:19 Identity is everything. 13:21 Someone said to me the other day, 13:23 and I don't want to dominate conversation 13:24 but this occurred to me, he said, 13:26 "I know that you can stop," I don't remember, 13:30 he was drinking or smoking because I did. 13:34 I was a drinker, I was a smoker. 13:35 And I need to stop. 13:36 I just said, "I'm not doing it anymore." 13:38 And Ellen White tells us in the history of Joseph Bates. 13:41 Joseph Bates was like that. 13:43 He was a drinker, a smoker, a rough sea captain. 13:45 He decided one day, "You know what, 13:47 I'm done with cigarettes." 13:50 Then he said, "Okay, I'm not going to smoke pipes 13:51 anymore and so he stopped. 13:53 I'm not going to do alcohol anymore, so he stopped. 13:56 He just on force of will, he stopped. 13:58 Most people aren't that good. Don't have that. 14:01 You know, who can just say, "I'm done with that." 14:03 And they're just done. 14:05 So most people have to say, 14:09 "I'm going to have to concentrate on Jesus, 14:12 and let Jesus help me stop smoking. 14:14 Let Jesus help me stop drinking because if you're sitting there 14:17 thinking about that that glass of wine, look up 14:20 "Today, I'm not going to think about that wine." 14:22 Right. You keep looking at it. Right, yeah. 14:25 What you have to say is, 14:27 "Today, I'm going to concentrate on Jesus 14:29 and let Jesus help me stop." 14:31 The will has to come in. 14:33 But to use the will to do negative stuff is not, 14:35 is the wrong use of the will, I feel. 14:37 The more you try to avoid it, the more you think about it. 14:40 Yeah, that's right. 14:41 When somebody tells you not to do something, 14:43 you're thinking about, "Oh, I want to do it now." 14:45 Right. 14:48 Something very interesting. 14:49 This morning, my daughter sent me a devotional 14:52 that she was reading, and I forgot to bring it. 14:55 But the gist was of that, he says... 15:00 And he has a lot to do with this condition as to, 15:03 "I want to do something and I don't do it." 15:07 Because it says, "We grow in Christ 15:10 when we take the time to meditate on Him 15:13 an hour at least, a minimum an hour a day. 15:17 Just the fact that we are hanging around 15:19 with other Christian people doesn't give us the strength 15:22 to do these things. 15:24 So we could be in church trying to quit smoking 15:27 and just because we're there, it's not going to happen. 15:30 We need to have that relationship 15:32 that prayer season, you know, the season of prayer, 15:36 I'm sorry, that that will lead you 15:39 to have the strength to do these things, you know, 15:42 the will that give you the will because without the will, 15:45 you're not going to do it. 15:47 Willpower comes from God. 15:49 It's not just yours. 15:51 So it's not just hanging around with the right people 15:55 or looking at the right movies or listening to right music, 16:00 that's not enough. 16:01 You need that connection with God, 16:03 that devotion time alone with God. 16:07 I'm sorry. 16:08 I think what your daughter was referring probably is, 16:14 there is a quote from Ellen White 16:18 from Desire of Ages, it says, 16:20 "Will do us well to meditate about Jesus one hour a day, 16:26 and especially in the final events of this life, 16:32 if we do that, our life will completely change. 16:34 There's some people says that if you dedicate 16:39 one hour a day to study any discipline, 16:43 any career, 16:47 let's say you wanna become a lawyer, in five years, 16:50 you can be the best lawyer, the best in any field 16:55 if you dedicate just one hour a day. 16:57 So that's going back to what you're saying. 17:00 So if you want to be a strong Christian, 17:02 give Him at least one hour a day in order to build 17:04 some spiritual muscles. 17:05 I'm glad... I'm sorry, go ahead. 17:08 And you're glad. I'm glad you're glad. 17:12 Totally dented. 17:16 I wanted to say that this past week, 17:19 something about habits 17:21 how you know it talks about not just the youth 17:24 but the adults also. 17:27 You know, sometimes we would want 17:29 to change things in our lives and any storm, you know, 17:33 even experts have said that 17:35 if you take certain amount of days, 17:39 you will actually forget that habit 17:42 and you'll get a new habit then you're something 17:45 more positive in your life. 17:47 But last week, I was... 17:50 That is some music that I like to listen sometimes 17:55 but that is I found that I cannot do it all the time, 18:01 I rather not listen too much to the music 18:05 because it stays in my mind. 18:07 And last week, I had... 18:11 I listened to this one song and it's an old song, 18:13 it was nothing that has really bad things 18:16 but it was such a thing that it just kept on my mind 18:20 and yes, whatever I was, even when I was praying, 18:26 this song was coming into my mind. 18:29 And so I said, "Oh, Lord, take this away from me, 18:33 you know, this is..." 18:34 But I found that every time it came into my mind, 18:39 I start singing a Christian song. 18:42 And in about five, six days, 18:45 then I realized that it was gone. 18:47 So instead of, like you say, concentrating on not to not... 18:52 I'm not gonna listen to that, I'm not going to... 18:55 Every time it came to my mind, I will sing a song 18:59 that, you know, praises to God about it. 19:02 And it finally went away but habits are so... 19:06 Are very easy to, especially bad habits. 19:09 Are very easy to creep in our lives... 19:13 That falls under something that I've been hearing 19:15 over and over lately which is, you cannot serve two masters. 19:20 You'll hate the one and love the other. 19:22 And it's just popping up all over my life. 19:26 And it's like, "See, see. 19:28 You can't serve two masters, 19:29 you really need to change these things." 19:31 And it's uncomfortable but I'm praising the Lord 19:34 that He is loving me enough to say, 19:36 "Hey, take care of this now." 19:39 You know, the Bible says, 19:41 "By beholding, we become change." 19:42 So it becomes a slippery slope 19:44 if you're just listening to bad music, 19:46 if you're watching bad movies, 19:48 if you're hanging around friends that have bad habits 19:51 and do, you know, things that they shouldn't be doing, 19:54 then you're going to change one way or the other, you know. 19:58 Everybody has an influence, everybody exerts an influence 20:02 whether it be positive or negative. 20:05 So if you're around negativity all day, 20:08 you're gonna put out negativity. 20:10 If you're taking in negative things constantly, 20:13 that's what's gonna come out. 20:15 It's just like your body, like if you're consuming 20:17 junk food all the time, junk is gonna come out. 20:21 It's gonna wear you down. 20:22 So unless you're filling your mind with the Word of God, 20:26 unless you're spending time developing a relationship 20:30 with Christ, unless you're spending time in church, 20:32 unless you're spending time with people 20:34 who are heavenly minded, then things are gonna 20:39 most likely move in that wrong direction. 20:43 You know, they also say that if you want to be successful, 20:46 if you wanna be a successful individual, 20:50 you spend time with people 20:52 who are more successful than you are. 20:55 You know, you don't spend time with people 20:56 who are five steps behind you 20:59 to get ten steps ahead, you know. 21:02 I mean, you spend time with people 21:05 who are doing something that in an area 21:07 where you want to go. 21:09 If you want to make it to heaven, 21:10 you got to spend time learning about Christ, 21:13 you have to spend time you know with the Pastor Murray 21:16 or something too that can you know 21:20 who's spiritual individual 21:25 and is gonna point you in that direction too. 21:27 You know, he's not gonna lead you to the bar 21:31 or anything like that. 21:33 You know, at this idea and Xenia mentioned it before, 21:35 she said it's not just the company you keep. 21:39 And it's not just the company you keep 21:40 but that's part of equation, you know. 21:43 It says, amid influence of the company they keep, 21:46 the association they form, I'm talking about young people, 21:49 the principles they adopt will be carried 21:51 with them through life. 21:53 The selection of friends and people that you just... 21:57 I mean, your close buddies, you know, 22:00 we all have a tight sphere of influence 22:02 then there is a lot, a wider circle 22:04 but those who, you spend a lot of time with 22:06 ought to be people who can lift you up. 22:09 And no more important decision 22:13 than the person that you're gonna spend your life with, 22:16 you know, that is... 22:17 All of us, well, we got one married, two married, 22:19 three married and then we got Jason, 22:21 looking to get married. 22:23 That's right. That's right. 22:25 I think we all agree. 22:28 There's no more important decision 22:30 than who you marry. 22:31 That can make you or break you, you know. 22:35 And you want someone who... 22:36 And they don't have to be a clone of you. 22:38 In fact, Ellen White kind of works against that 22:40 that you don't want the person 22:42 to totally lose their character in yours. 22:44 You want the person to be an individual 22:45 but you ought to be pulling the same way, you know, 22:47 pulling on the same team... 22:49 And equally yoked. 22:50 Working together, sure, and moving towards the Lord. 22:53 And of course there's no substitute 22:56 for individual time with the Lord. 23:00 I can't draft on Irma's spirituality, 23:02 she cannot draft on mine. 23:03 Jorge, you can't draft... 23:05 You want to create 23:07 a spiritual atmosphere around you 23:09 but there's no substitute for one on one with God 23:12 'cause you can't get away from that. 23:13 Character is not transferable. No. 23:15 You can't transfer a character. 23:18 It says here that we are our habits, 23:22 our habits make us who we are. 23:25 So we have to think about all that because 23:28 if we want to be in heaven, we need to be acting like 23:31 you were there. 23:33 Otherwise, we're not going to fit in. 23:35 Another... 23:36 Oh, go ahead. No, go. 23:38 Another interesting saying that I've heard before is, 23:40 you show me five of your closest friends 23:42 and I can show you who you are. 23:44 You know, if you're hanging around drug dealers all day, 23:49 more than likely you're probably using drugs 23:52 or you're selling it, you know what I mean, 23:55 either one so. 23:57 Or if you hang around spiritual people all day, 24:02 more than likely, you probably love the Lord too, 24:05 you know, it's one of those things. 24:07 And the Word of God give us so many counselings 24:12 on how to live and... 24:16 Also that we have to fight the good faith. 24:22 I like what's... 24:24 Reading recently in the letters of Paul to Timothy, 24:30 and Timothy was this young man. 24:32 And obviously was a Christian. 24:36 But Paul was giving him a lot of counsel 24:40 and a lot of encouragement. 24:44 And he was telling to him, "You got the keep in this line. 24:48 You got to keep on how do you, a young man keeps in following 24:55 What God wants, where God wants him to go. 25:00 It has to exercise the will. 25:03 You want to will, you cannot help anybody 25:07 that doesn't want to be helped 25:11 because you have to want to, and that's their will, 25:15 the will that God wants to put in us if we don't have it. 25:20 He wants to put us the will to do His will. 25:24 And that's why, you know, Sister White has encouraged us 25:29 to ask God to give us His will to replace it with His will. 25:35 It's interesting the Book of Psalms, 25:39 the first Psalm says something that's very interesting. 25:42 This is exactly what we're talking about. 25:44 And Psalm 1:1 and 2 says, 25:50 "Blessed is the one who does not walk," 25:54 some version says blessed is the man but, 25:57 "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step 26:00 with the wicked 26:01 or stand in the way that sinners take 26:05 or sit in the company of mockers, 26:08 but who's delight is in the law of the Lord 26:13 and who meditates on his law day and night." 26:18 So it's a habit for that person to walk the walk 26:25 and not just talk the talk because that's very easy too. 26:30 We sometimes are, we're very good Christians 26:33 that do the talk 26:38 and well become sometimes professional stuff there, 26:41 the theory, but when it comes into putting into practice, 26:44 it's a different story. 26:46 Very, very true. 26:47 It says here, "Merely praying for this does not meet 26:52 the necessities of the case. 26:54 You must habituate the mind to concentration 26:59 upon spiritual things." 27:01 Yeah, I just put little dot there. 27:03 But merely praying, well, I'm praying, I'm praying, 27:05 I'm praying about it, I'm praying about it, 27:07 but I think that the question is 27:09 what happens after you finish praying? 27:11 Once you say amen, then what do you do 27:13 to sort of buttress you prayer? 27:15 Yeah. Yeah, you can't just... 27:18 That's like you saying, I want some money in my bank account, 27:22 I really want some money in my bank account, 27:25 but I'm not going to work for that, you know, 27:27 I'm not gonna go get a job. 27:29 I want some money, I want some money 27:31 but you got to get up and do. 27:32 We're to be co-labors with God not just... 27:34 God's not a genie. 27:37 I think, we are too used to, 27:40 and Christians are used to separate the action 27:47 from the desire to obtain something through actions. 27:51 It's like the action, like the act of getting things done 27:55 is not godly. 27:58 Many people will say, it's like a faith. 28:00 You have to win. 28:02 If you want something, let God do it for you. 28:04 That is not like that. It's just what you're saying. 28:07 If you want something, you got to work for it. 28:09 It's nothing wrong. 28:11 And Ellen White says in the prayer book 28:14 and I'm definitely paraphrasing this. 28:16 It's something along the lines that like, when you pray, 28:20 pray as though it were, 28:22 like if you're praying for deliverance, 28:26 believe that you've been delivered. 28:28 When you say amen, believe that you've been delivered. 28:31 You know without faith, it's impossible to please God. 28:33 You have to have faith. 28:34 If you are asking for something that is within God's will, 28:37 He's gonna grant that. 28:39 You know, if you're asking for something 28:41 that is in accordance to His will, 28:43 He's not gonna withhold any good thing 28:47 from those that serve Him 28:49 as long as it's in accordance to His will. 28:51 Yes. For His victory. 28:53 Amen. 28:54 There's story that this man wanted to quit drinking 28:58 so he would go and they will pray over him 29:00 at church to help him quit drinking, 29:03 then he would go home but he wouldn't throw 29:06 the liquor out, you know. 29:08 So why are you not... 29:10 Well, I might need it someday. 29:13 Where was his faith, you know, he really hadn't given it up. 29:17 Somehow he expected God to... 29:21 We do it, we do that all the time. 29:22 Exactly. Yes. 29:24 And that example is so... 29:30 repeated in our lives constantly. 29:33 We want to do something 29:35 then we go back to the same thing 29:37 because back in our minds... 29:40 I have it we had from before. 29:42 I wanna keep it there because I may go back sometime. 29:48 Yeah, that's what the Bible says, 29:49 make no provision for the flesh, 29:51 you know, I'm gonna keep that cigarette there 29:52 just in case, you know, 29:54 and if it's there, you're gonna smoke it 29:56 you know as long as it's there, you're gonna smoke it. 30:00 I was looking in Romans 14:23, 30:03 "But he who doubts is condemned 30:05 if he eats because he does not eat from faith." 30:07 This is eating and this is all whole thing 30:10 within the Book of Romans. 30:12 But the part that I really want is the last part. 30:14 For whatever is not from faith is sin. 30:17 So you got to start out with faith. 30:20 And even if you by with force of will 30:24 stop doing something, you get no credit for 30:28 because that action is as filthy rags. 30:31 It has to be done through Christ 30:33 and surrendered to Christ. 30:36 You know, if anybody who could do say, 30:38 if you could just become sinless without Christ 30:41 and Christ death is unnecessary. 30:43 So your victories must be gained through Christ. 30:47 And every victory that is not gained through Christ 30:50 is not really a victory 30:52 because it's not surrendered to Christ, 30:53 you know, it's not under the blood of Christ. 30:55 It's just... 30:56 it's like, it's... 30:58 What's it? 30:59 It's not change of heart, it's cosmetology, 31:03 you know, putting powder on your face 31:04 and make himself look nice but it's not inside. 31:06 The Bible says you're full of dead with bones. 31:08 So it's cosmetology. 31:10 It's covering it up that real face. 31:11 Yeah, it's covering up the real face. 31:13 Precisely, yeah. 31:14 It's basically a behavior or modification 31:15 instead of a genuine transformation. 31:18 Yes, very good. 31:19 It's interesting about the cosmetology 31:22 that you're talking about. 31:24 I was working in real estate for... 31:28 many times, 31:30 when this person is trying to sell a house 31:34 and they brush it here, brush it up. 31:38 And when the appraisal come and says, 31:39 "No, your house is valued this much." 31:42 Well, but I did all this. 31:44 And they will tell you, that's a cosmetic, addition. 31:50 It's cosmetic, you need cosmetic. 31:52 Exact, it's just cosmetic. 31:54 It doesn't add to the value. 31:59 They had a new bathroom. 32:01 Indeed, all houses has bathrooms, 32:04 he didn't do anything. 32:06 Now when somebody says, 32:08 "I build a new driveway with a nice fencer on, 32:12 that's different 32:13 because now I made and doing... 32:16 Make it an addition to safer the house, 32:19 convenience etcetera. 32:21 But it's an every day thing 32:25 like just painting here and there, 32:27 it doesn't make any difference like you just said. 32:31 I mean, the change has to be substantial, 32:33 something that you really. 32:35 Like Rustolene, you're painting over rust 32:37 but there's still rust under there. 32:40 Have structural damage foundation issues. 32:45 You said something, Jason, that touched me. 32:47 You said God is not a genie. 32:50 And I used to say that when I usually talk 32:52 that prayer's not a talisman. 32:56 When you say God is not a genie, 32:58 some people will just expect, let me just pray 32:59 and God will just pull it out of the hat. 33:02 I don't have to do anything for Him, 33:04 but He's got to do stuff for me. 33:08 And talisman is something that people wear some kind of amulet 33:11 that's supposed to ward off evil. 33:13 So we think, if I just pray, 33:14 it's a talisman it'll be just... 33:16 Everything will be fine. 33:17 Well, it's not that simple 33:19 and it's not that trite, you know. 33:22 The Lord demands 33:23 a certain amount of dedication to Him. 33:25 It is interesting that when we need God, 33:28 we want His full undivided attention. 33:32 But she's saying here that some of us had develop habits 33:35 where we give God so much 33:37 and we give the world so much and we think, 33:41 well, God's getting half. 33:42 Well, really He's not. 33:43 He's getting one percent 33:45 and you're giving the world 99.9 kind of thing. 33:48 So if we're going to grow in Him, 33:52 then we got to give Him the time. 33:53 There's no shortcut to faith 33:56 and nobody gets a scholarship on faith. 33:58 Everybody will have to exercise faith. 33:59 Nobody gets a pass. 34:00 Everybody's gonna have to do that, exercise faith. 34:02 Well, that's a miserable life. 34:04 I mean, you live in one foot in and one foot out, 34:07 you're not enjoying the best of either one. 34:08 You're not sinning 34:10 to the negative potential of sin 34:14 and you're not living up to all the blessings 34:17 that God wants to bestow upon you 34:19 but you're blocking them 34:21 because you got one foot in the world and foot in it. 34:24 That reminds where as certain time in my life 34:27 that I was living in a certain way in 34:32 but I couldn't enjoy it. 34:34 And it seems like every morning, 34:35 I was like, you know, why did I do that? 34:39 And one time I remembered, I just got so upset, 34:44 and I said, Lord, 34:45 why can't You just let me have fun for one time? 34:50 Like I said, and the Lord will never. 34:53 And thank God for that 34:56 because we don't know ourselves. 34:58 We don't know that 35:01 when we get in to do certain things, 35:04 we might get just really stuck in there 35:08 and then it's so much difficult for God 35:11 to get to side of there 35:12 because then our will is very weak to follow Christ. 35:18 And so, it's just what you said. 35:22 You cannot live one foot there and one foot here. 35:26 And Bible says... 35:27 Oh, I'm sorry. 35:28 God has one way, one all the way to Christ. 35:34 And a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. 35:38 Yes. 35:40 The line here, 35:41 this piece that you're talking about, Irma, 35:43 many professed Christians 35:45 are on a fairway to lose both worlds. 35:49 So you can be miserable here and then miss heaven too. 35:52 That's kind of sad. 35:55 You know, didn't have any fun here 35:56 because you're trying to carry passports 35:58 in two worlds. 36:00 And then you don't make it to heaven either 36:03 because you're half step in. 36:04 You got to give Him all and develop those habits 36:07 that will mitigate in favor of that. 36:09 On that same note, you know, 36:11 there are some people 36:12 that are your holier-than-thou Christians or Pharisees 36:18 if you will that will say, 36:21 point out everything that they think 36:24 that you're doing wrong 36:25 and that you should be convicted on 36:27 because they're convicted on you know this, that 36:30 and the third that may not even be a salvational issue. 36:34 And then they do it in a manner that's not even loving, 36:38 you know, and wonder why people don't, 36:40 so you have somebody who doesn't know the Lord 36:43 who's trying to get to know the Lord 36:45 and they're trying to take the place of a Holy Spirit 36:48 with that conviction thing like, 36:50 well, why is he wearing this to church, 36:52 why is he dressed like that. 36:55 And you're not even introducing them 36:57 to Christ at all. 36:58 You're just worried about the outward appearance 37:00 at the moment. 37:03 You know, that same person, 37:04 how this is saying one foot in one foot out, 37:07 you're running the risk of missing out 37:10 or losing both worlds 37:13 by not having the love of Christ, 37:15 if you just have the law or you just have, 37:17 you know, all these guidelines or whatever, 37:21 you run the risk of missing out as well you know. 37:25 It's sad to see people lack one of them, 37:30 one of the most important things 37:32 which is Christ's love too. 37:36 People don't respond very well 37:38 when you push the issues on them 37:41 because it has to come 37:43 from the Holy Spirit has to convey 37:45 and convict the person 37:47 to make a change in their lives. 37:49 And so you can point it out 37:51 or you can encourage it or whatever 37:54 but until the person makes a decision 37:57 that and they're convicted of that 37:59 that's something they want to follow, 38:00 they're not going to do it, 38:02 just like somebody that has a habit. 38:04 They're not going to ask for help in any way 38:08 until they realize they need to change. 38:10 Yeah. 38:12 I mean... 38:13 Like God has a standard. 38:15 We know that, you know, God definitely has a standard. 38:17 And He will help us meet His standard 38:22 like He doesn't just leave and say, okay, 38:24 this is my standard and that's that. 38:27 You know, if we go back to creation 38:28 and we look at creation 38:30 how He created man on the sixth day, 38:33 He had everything that we needed. 38:36 We just had to manage what He provided like where... 38:40 He creates and sustains. 38:43 You know, so He's not going to leave us in a position 38:48 where we can't meet what He has set forth. 38:51 Yeah, sometimes we struggle with things 38:53 and we don't think we would be used. 38:57 Can't imagine that the Lord can help us to change 39:01 but He does. 39:03 And if we look in our life in the past, 39:07 we can point to many things 39:10 that we thought we could not give up, 39:13 or we could not achieve. 39:16 And yet we did, but we didn't do it 39:21 until we surrender that to the Lord and trusted Him. 39:26 So that He could change it. 39:28 Another thing, I'm sorry, 39:29 another thing that I, in this discussion, 39:33 I think is important to address 39:35 is that we're not... 39:40 I hope this is not heresy, 39:42 but we're not looking for perfection 39:48 in the human sense of the word. 39:51 Because perfections and perfectionist 39:54 sometimes are more in the wrong 39:59 that a person who's trying to do the right thing. 40:02 I think the perfection 40:05 before the eyes of God is different. 40:08 God see us the way that we have, 40:11 the point that we have reached in our Christian experience 40:15 is perfect for Him 40:17 if we're sincere and sincerely looking for to meet 40:22 whatever He wants us to meet, that's perfection. 40:27 For me, perfection for instance, 40:29 I always have this little example in my mind 40:31 that help me sometimes. 40:34 When I was born, my brother was 10 years old. 40:37 So my brother was 100 percent my age, right. 40:43 Yes, I was zero. 40:44 I was just out of my mother's womb 40:46 and he was 100 percent my age but then when he was 20, 40:51 I was 10, if you think, 50 percent of what... 40:57 Okay. It's not theology, I told you. 41:01 But it helps me do understand how God look at me. 41:07 At zero, I was prefect 41:11 and my brother at 10 was perfect. 41:14 Obviously going back now to that discussion 41:18 to the spiritual battle on this, 41:20 it's a spiritual life, 41:24 we get to the point that we reach 41:27 certain degree of perfection 41:30 but it's not the perfection that the world sees, 41:33 you have to be perfect in every way, 41:37 then you are good. 41:38 No, God look at perfection from a different perspective 41:42 and that's what I think we need the focus on. 41:45 Sometimes we're too harsh on people 41:48 and says, oh, like you were saying, 41:50 "If you don't dress like this or do this 41:52 and that and keep this and that," 41:54 that people haven't reached to that point yet 41:57 but they're still perfect. 42:00 I don't know what. That's great. 42:01 And I mean... 42:03 And imagine if God just put everything on us at once, 42:07 okay, go be the perfect Christian. 42:09 You know, just everything... 42:11 You know how overwhelming that would be? 42:12 Pastor Murray, when you met Miss Irma here, 42:16 did you just automatically do everything that she liked? 42:20 Was that habit to do everything that she liked? 42:23 Yes. 42:27 Don't worry, I got an exhibitor in my house that's on. 42:32 Well, I gave it a try. 42:34 I surely did. I surely did. 42:37 He did. Still trying. 42:38 But you had to know what she liked first. 42:40 Precisely, right. 42:41 So you have to be introduced. 42:43 The same way, people have to be introduced to Christ 42:48 to know what things He likes, 42:50 to know, you know, what things He's looking for. 42:54 You know, you have to develop 42:55 and cultivate that relationship. 42:58 But, you know, you don't just automatically come. 43:03 And as humans, I think sometimes 43:06 we can be so harsh on people 43:07 coming into the church 43:10 expecting them to do everything perfectly 43:13 as they're coming in. 43:14 And we're not showing the love of Christ to them 43:19 and bringing them in and introducing them to Jesus. 43:24 Well, David is the perfect example 43:25 when he was going to face the Goliath. 43:30 The King Saul put it all his armor 43:33 because that would make him a perfect soldier. 43:36 He had everything he needed, right? 43:39 What David did? 43:43 He said, sir, I don't... 43:44 Please. 43:46 I rather just go the way I'm in. 43:48 Put my little sling and round and round and round 43:55 and you know the rest of the story. 43:57 But you know, I think that it give us an example 44:01 how God look at us an imperfect person 44:08 and make him perfect because of His grace. 44:11 You know, I think and we sort of slipped into this little bit 44:13 but that's the whole justification, 44:15 sanctification process. 44:17 Christ calls us to be perfect. 44:20 He gives us through the power of the Holy Spirit 44:23 and ministry of angels 44:24 the ability to move into perfection, 44:27 to be perfecting. 44:29 Meanwhile, through the justification process, 44:31 He sees us as perfect 44:33 which is a really great thing 44:34 so that if I come to the Lord today 44:38 in sincerity and die tomorrow, I've been justified and saved. 44:45 And there may be another person 44:47 who's been in the church 40 years, 44:51 he's had longer time with Jesus 44:53 but Christ sees me in my baby perfect state 44:57 as He does that longtime person in their perfect state 45:02 because of the justification process. 45:04 Now obviously that person has been in the church longer, 45:08 has fought more battles and is further along than I am 45:13 but through justification 45:15 I get the same heaven as that person does, 45:17 I get the same reward as that person does. 45:20 You know the story of Matthew. 45:21 If one comes in the morning at 6 o'clock, 45:25 one comes at 11 o'clock, 45:26 one comes at 11 o'clock just before, 45:27 everybody get the same penny, 45:29 you know, everybody gets the same, 45:30 and that's through justification. 45:31 Yeah. That's right. 45:33 Because Christ says, "When you come to Me, 45:34 I accept you and view you as a completed work 45:38 while I'm making you a completed work. 45:39 Whether it's three hours on the cross 45:41 next to Jesus or a lifetime, you still get the same penny. 45:46 And that's the goodness of the God 45:49 that we serve that He allows that to happen in our lives. 45:52 Right. 45:53 In the same parable, 45:55 you see the other side, the man side. 45:59 When they complain, he says, "Hey, but I worked for you." 46:03 Right, witnessing all day, right, yeah. 46:05 So that's the human perspective. 46:07 "I did everything right, hey, I deserve." 46:10 Deserve more. 46:12 Yeah, I deserve more. 46:13 That was like the prodigal son's brother. 46:16 You know, I was here, I didn't go anywhere. 46:20 Yeah, I never got a party. 46:24 You know, it occurs to me that people who say themselves, 46:26 say they are perfectionist, 46:28 I don't know if I've ever met a happy perfectionist. 46:31 They're always mad, you know, 46:33 like nobody can meet my standards. 46:36 And I say this to Irma, 46:38 I think a person who says I'm a perfectionist 46:40 is just egotistical enough to think 46:42 that they know what perfection is, you know. 46:45 To say that you know 46:46 what perfection is a very egotistical statement. 46:50 Most people who are perfectionists 46:51 are saying really, I wanted the way I want it. 46:55 And when it meets my standards, then it is perfection. 46:59 Well, how do you know, that's just way you like, 47:00 that don't mean it's perfect. 47:02 That's what you like. You know, I may like it over here. 47:04 Well, no, I like him, this is perfect right there. 47:08 That's perfect. Well, for you! 47:11 For me, over here is perfect, you know. 47:13 So we can get in and say, no, my idea of perfection, 47:16 your idea of perfection, 47:18 yet Christ defines what perfection is 47:20 and it's perfect love, 47:21 perfect love for Jesus that result in a changed life. 47:24 Yeah, because it says that you can do all of these things 47:27 very well done but if you don't have love, 47:32 you have done nothing. 47:33 You're making noise. Making noise. 47:37 You are making noise. 47:39 Yeah, God's Word is truly the standard. 47:44 The mind must be educated and disciplined 47:47 to love purity, you know. 47:51 And that includes a lot of things we watch on TV 47:53 and a lot of things that we do. 47:55 A love for spiritual things should be encouraged. 47:59 Ye must be encouraged if we had grown in grace 48:04 and in the knowledge of the truth, 48:07 you've got to, at homes, Sebastian is... 48:12 He's nine. 48:13 He's nine and Novella is... 48:15 Is 12. Is 12. 48:18 Lovely children, not angels because they are no angels. 48:22 But pretty good, pretty close to angels. 48:24 Really, really good. Pretty simple children. 48:28 You have to encourage them in the right way, 48:30 you got to direct them, you got to educate them. 48:33 Sure. Yeah. Train them, absolutely. 48:37 Yours is grown now and teaching. 48:39 Yes. 48:42 But I'm sure there were times when you had to try to... 48:44 They have wills and you got to try to correct that little, 48:47 you know, you got to kind of bend it 48:49 so that it's following Jesus. 48:51 That comes with parenting. 48:53 I tell you not to contradict what you said, 48:56 we have four at home. 48:58 But to continue with the comparison, 49:01 two needs probably a lot more, you know... 49:06 They need fulltime hands on. 49:08 And the other two are grown up so... 49:10 You have to pray for now. 49:12 We pray for them, that's all what we can do. 49:14 They will sometimes stress us more than the little ones. 49:19 Because now you can't be that net, 49:21 you know, trying to educate them. 49:23 They make their own decisions. 49:26 We just pray that the Lord would guide them. 49:28 You know, when I was in California this last time 49:30 that I was visiting and Asher got baptized. 49:34 They got visiting grands. 49:37 The grands. Yeah, the visiting grands. 49:39 And then the kids too. And the kids too, yeah. 49:41 And their spouses. 49:43 But he got baptized 49:46 and so afterwards he says to me, 49:48 he says, "That made me cry." 49:52 He says that when he was doing. 49:54 But Jill had been there to do a seminar... 49:59 Morikone. 50:00 Yes, Jill Morikone. 50:02 And so she ask everybody if they would write something 50:06 that they want God to change in their lives. 50:10 So Asher, he wrote. He was sitting next to me. 50:14 And he wrote and he just kind of giggled 50:16 and he looked at me. 50:18 He giggles and he wrote 50:19 and I said, "Why are you giggling?" 50:22 He says, "I have to ask God," 50:25 he says, "to help my," 50:30 how did you say to... 50:33 kind of my reactions. 50:35 Impulses. 50:36 Impulses. Yes. Self control. 50:39 So I said, "Really?" 50:41 "Yeah," he says, "I know," 50:42 he says, "that I react very fast." 50:46 And he is the calmest and the more 50:49 you know easy going of all of them 50:53 but the other ones especially the little one, 50:56 Niani is so strong and so will. 51:00 And so Asher sometimes he just, it's overwhelm, 51:05 so he just you know, he's trying to go against that. 51:11 But he recognized that... 51:14 Now, why would children recognize? 51:17 Because the parents are guiding them 51:18 and trying to educate them how they need to be. 51:23 So if you don't do that, children would not learn, 51:26 you know, they'll just grow like little animals. 51:30 And he opened his heart to the Lord. 51:32 And the Holy Spirit corrected him 51:35 that he needed to change there. 51:38 And it's what we do when he hear that voice 51:42 that makes the difference because if we don't learn to, 51:45 if we always shut it down and you know it's like, 51:47 "Oh, yeah. 51:49 But maybe it wasn't anything." 51:51 So you keep going. 51:52 Pretty soon you learn to shut it out altogether. 51:55 You don't hear anymore. 51:57 So you need to learn to hear that voice 52:00 when you're convicted or something is 52:02 because God's trying to point out 52:04 where you need to change to create a new habit. 52:08 Isn't it interesting that she says 52:10 the mind must be educated and disciplined to love purity. 52:15 One would almost hope and pray 52:16 that that would be the natural inclination of the man 52:18 but it is not. 52:20 You know, it is not. 52:21 You have to discipline yourself... 52:22 You know, the Bible says to continually towards evil. 52:26 Towards evil, yes. 52:28 Yeah. You got to be work at loving purity. 52:32 And even the young people, 52:33 you got to teach them to work at, 52:37 and encourage them to love purity. 52:39 I don't know not having 52:44 had natural children 52:48 where the balance is. 52:50 I have such great respect, one for teachers, educators 52:54 because I've taught and I've taught high school, 52:58 I've taught college. 52:59 I can do that. 53:00 I can do first grade, second grade, set them. 53:03 Okay. I can do that. 53:04 That's a special gift. 53:08 First you've got to get their attention 53:09 before you can impart knowledge. 53:11 And that whole warden thing, I can't, I don't do that work 53:15 so I have great respect for parents 53:16 who have the respect of their children 53:18 as well as their love because it's a balance. 53:21 You can't be their buddy, 53:22 you know, you got to be their parent. 53:24 But at the same time, you can't be their jailer, 53:28 you know, you got to be their parent. 53:30 So that balance is a marvelous thing 53:33 and some people... 53:34 We were saying it before, 53:35 some people are excellent parents. 53:37 Some parents don't have that skill set, 53:40 you know, but they have children. 53:41 So it's a great thing they will educate your children 53:45 to love purity without holding it over them like a whip, 53:48 you know, it's a tough thing. 53:50 And it's hard because you want to protect your children 53:54 but the Bible says we need to learn to live in the world. 53:59 So we need to teach them to live in the world 54:02 that we live, you know, like our neighbors, 54:04 our friends, the people around us. 54:07 The things that are happening in the world, 54:09 we need to learn to teach them how to live there. 54:12 To be in it but not of it. 54:13 Exactly, exactly. 54:15 And if we isolate them ourselves, 54:17 or we create this little cocoon, 54:20 sooner or later they're gonna come out. 54:22 And they won't know what to do with it. 54:23 They will be totally unprepared. 54:25 And the things that you don't teach them at home, 54:28 they're gonna learn in the streets. 54:30 So do you want them to learn the way from the Bible 54:34 or do you want them to learn what the world has? 54:36 Yeah, 'cause they're gonna learn. 54:38 I'll tell you a quick story. 54:40 Years ago, 54:41 Pastor Wintley Phipps and I were doing a wedding. 54:43 And we were at the wedding rehearsal 54:44 which is at a big marina on Saturday night 54:47 where it's gonna be Sunday. 54:49 And this is gorgeous marina boats 54:50 bobbing in the water. 54:52 And I have another pastor friend 54:55 who had a son who was, and Irma knows, 54:57 who was the most out of control, 54:59 unctuous in your face, rude little boy. 55:02 And he's turned out to be a pretty good adult 55:04 but he was just beyond belief, just beyond belief. 55:09 And so the wedding planner said 55:11 she had a little bell, she'd go ding, ding, ding. 55:13 Everybody, your attention. Please stop talking. 55:15 We're ready to start the rehearsal. 55:17 And this little boy said to his mother, 55:22 "Mommy, shut up. 55:23 Didn't you hear the woman say it's time to be quiet. 55:26 Shut up, mommy." 55:28 Now, Wintley Phipps' wife was there 55:31 and her little boy was sitting at attention. 55:34 And she saw her son watching this boy. 55:37 And immediately, she grabbed her son by the head 55:40 and she said, 55:42 "Now you would never say that to your mommy, would you?" 55:44 He said, "No, mommy." 55:46 So she cut that off before it ever enter into your brain, 55:52 we will cut that off now. 55:53 That was the preemptive strike, you know. 55:57 So he says, no mommy. 55:59 She saw her boy watching that child 56:02 and so she got him right away. 56:04 "You would never." 56:05 "No, mommy, I would never kind of thing." 56:08 And I told Wintley about that 56:09 and his wife just the other day asked. 56:11 And that was almost 20, 25 years ago. 56:14 But I saw you cut something off before it ever began to bloom, 56:18 you know, kind of thing. 56:20 And that's parenting, you know, 56:22 teaching your children to love right 56:23 and to live purity and to respect you. 56:26 I think that's a great thing. 56:29 Yes. 56:30 We're coming down to the end. 56:31 I want to look at this last line. 56:35 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst 56:37 after righteousness for they shall be filled. 56:40 Ellen White says here, 56:42 "Ample provisions are made by Christ 56:45 to satisfy the soul 56:48 that hungers and thirsts for righteousness. 56:52 So if you want righteousness, 56:54 you can indeed have and will have righteousness. 56:59 You can be like Christ if you dedicate our mind, 57:03 your heart, your talent, and your life to Jesus, 57:06 and if you want to make heaven your goal, 57:09 then heaven you shall have. 57:11 If you hunger and thirst for it, 57:13 for Christ has made ample provision 57:16 for you to have what you want, 57:18 for you to have all eternity with Jesus Christ. 57:20 I want to thank my guests. 57:22 Our guest, Boo for being with us, 57:24 Lynnette, and Jorge, and Jason, and Xenia, 57:29 I always thought that was a beautiful name, Xenia. 57:31 Yeah, when you say Xenia, 57:32 you only get one person saying here. 57:35 God bless you. We'll be back. We will see you again. 57:37 Have a wonderful Sabbath and a wonderful week in Jesus. |
Revised 2018-01-18