I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Removing pain
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Lord, let my words
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Heal a heart that hurts
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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Hello and welcome
to 3ABN Family Worship.
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We're so glad
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that you are joining us
this Sabbath for worship
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because you're
part of the family.
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And we also have the family
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with whom we work
sitting at the table with us.
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JD, you want to introduce?
I most certainly will.
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Do I start with
Mr. Formal over here.
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We got Tim.
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We have Tim, and
we just love Tim.
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Next to him, we
got our precious Jill.
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Jill, then we
got our precious Dee,
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and then we
have our precious CA.
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Yes.
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And, of course, this
is my precious Shelley,
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and I'm her little precious boy.
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That's true.
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Anyway, this is Sabbath,
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and we just love
each and every one of you,
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and just welcome
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that we can be
in your homes today.
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And I recently got a letter
from a little lady saying,
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"We are waving back at
you when you say hello."
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So everybody, let's wave.
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Wave. All right.
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Big wave. We're so glad.
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Tonight, we will be
talking about a child of God.
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That's what we are.
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I don't know that
we all can appreciate
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what that really means.
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But before we
get into the program,
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let's have a
prayer and do a song.
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Jill, you want
to have our prayer?
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Sure. Absolutely.
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Holy Father, we come before You
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in the name of Jesus,
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and we thank You for
the privilege of coming
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into Your presence.
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We thank You
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that we can
call you Abba, Daddy.
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We thank You that You love us
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with an everlasting love
and for the gift of salvation.
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And right now,
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we enter Your
courts with thanksgiving
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and Your gates with praise.
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We thank You for who You
are, for what You have done,
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for the gift of the Holy
Spirit that we ask for just now
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as we open up Your Word as
we read and study together,
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that You would
illuminate our minds
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to what You have in Your
Word You would speak to us.
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And we thank You in the precious
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and holy name of Jesus.
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Amen Amen.
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Amen. Thank you.
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This song that we
are going to sing is
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"God will take care of you".
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This is number
99 in your hymnal.
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But if you don't
have a hymnal with you,
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the words will be on the screen.
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Please sing with us.
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Be not dismayed whate'er betide
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God will take care of you
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Beneath His wings of love abide
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God will take care of you
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God will take care of you
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Through every
day, o'er all the way
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He will take care of you
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God will take care
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Of you
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All you may
need, He will provide
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God will take care of you
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Nothing you ask will be denied
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God will take care of you
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God will take care of you
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Through every
day, o'er all the way
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He will take care of you
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God will take care of you
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No matter what may be the test
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God will take care of you
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Lean, weary one, upon His breast
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God will take care of you
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God will take care of you
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Through every
day, o'er all the way
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He will take care
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Of you
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God will take care
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Of you
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Amen and amen. Amen.
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I love that song. Amen.
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Amen. Amen.
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And we would just want
to thank our Brother Tim
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for
accompanying us on the piano.
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So a child of God,
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do you think
any of us understand
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what it really means
to be a child of God?
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Let me do this.
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I will read an affirmation
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that has been built
from a number of scriptures
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that we will discuss tonight.
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And aren't you
glad it's Sabbath?
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Amen. Amen.
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When the Sabbath rolls in. Amen.
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So this is an affirmation called
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"A child of God."
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"Through my faith and
Jesus Christ as my Savior,
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I became a child of God.
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What manner of love this is
that God has bestowed on me.
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I know I am His child
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because I
practice righteousness,
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His right way of
thinking and walking.
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I walk in His light
separating myself from evil.
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With open arms, God receives me.
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He causes me to be blameless
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and to shine as a
bright star in this dark world.
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I know I am His child
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because I am led
by the Holy Spirit.
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The Spirit Himself bears witness
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that I am God's child,
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I have received
the Spirit of adoption
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by whom I cry out
to God, Abba, Father."
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And this, we will see
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as we go through our scriptures
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where this
affirmation came from.
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And an affirmation
is just simply taking
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the promises of God.
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And did you know that
even all of His commandments
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are promises?
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Amen. Amen.
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His promises of what
He will cause us to be.
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And you just take that scripture
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and pray it back to God
or speak it over your life,
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and isn't there a lot
of power in doing that?
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It's life transforming, at
least, in my own experience,
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it has been.
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To realize that I
can take the Word of God,
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that you can
claim the Word of God
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and stand on those promises,
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and then pray it over your life
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and that God causes
that to come to fruition.
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It's just incredible.
And you know what it does?
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It renews your mind.
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Our minds are
programmed, honestly,
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in such a negative
way most of the time,
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but when you start
speaking the Word of God,
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faith comes by hearing and
hearing by the Word of God.
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And there is
nothing more faith-building
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than to speak the Word of
God and hear it with your voice.
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Jill, do you want
to kick us off here?
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I think you have John 1:12.
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I do, and this is probably
one of my favorite scriptures.
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Shelley, when she sends
the email out, she always says,
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"Pick the scripture you want."
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And I picked this one.
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I said, "If
nobody else has that,
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I'll take this."
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I love the scripture.
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John 1, so open up
your Bibles at home.
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We're going to John 1:12.
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And I love this topic, Shelley,
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"Child of God"
because in my own experience,
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I think it was
years before I understood
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that I was
actually God's daughter,
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that I could be God's child.
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I spent my entire
childhood and adolescence
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trying to be good
enough to merit God's favor,
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trying to think if
I worked hard enough,
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if I obeyed the
commandments better,
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if I didn't sin
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or didn't do
whatever that somehow
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God would accept
me as His daughter.
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And that's why this
topic, I'm thrilled with.
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Because there's nothing
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that we do or
don't do, of course,
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that means God
loves us any less,
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but this is
pivotal in my own walk
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and experience with
God, this John 1:12.
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We'll read it first,
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and then I want
to look at four words
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that are in this passage.
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Now Shelley has it from
the New American Standard.
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This is from the book.
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We'll read it from there,
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and then I want to read it
from New King James as well.
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It says, "But as many
as received Him to them
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he gave the right to
become children of God."
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Now in the New King James,
which is the Bible I have here,
00:10:00.90\00:10:04.47
it says, "But as many
as received Him, to them,
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He gave the right
00:10:06.90\00:10:08.24
to become children of God
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to those who
believe in His name."
00:10:10.47\00:10:15.08
So there's four words
00:10:15.11\00:10:16.44
that I want to look
at here for my portion.
00:10:16.48\00:10:18.25
And the words are received,
00:10:18.28\00:10:21.02
right, children, and believe.
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So the first word,
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"As many as
received Him, to them,
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He gave the right to
become the children of God."
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So if I'm to understand
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what it means to
become a daughter of the King,
00:10:32.49\00:10:35.00
what it means to become a child,
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I have to know how
to receive Him, right?
00:10:36.56\00:10:39.37
I have to receive Him
first before I become the child.
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So the word "receive" in Greek
00:10:42.50\00:10:44.91
actually means to
actively lay hold of,
00:10:44.94\00:10:49.84
to accept with initiative.
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In Greek, there's a couple words
00:10:52.48\00:10:53.82
for receiving.
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One is more passive,
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like you sit back
and it's bestowed on you.
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This one involves us.
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We have to do a
little bit of action
00:11:01.36\00:11:04.09
in order to receive.
00:11:04.13\00:11:05.99
In other words, God
says, "I want you as My child.
00:11:06.03\00:11:09.60
I want you to become My
child, but you have to receive,
00:11:09.63\00:11:13.64
reach out by faith."
00:11:13.67\00:11:15.57
We have to accept Him.
So that's the first word.
00:11:15.60\00:11:18.44
The second one is to
them He gave the right,
00:11:18.47\00:11:22.04
the word is "right",
00:11:22.08\00:11:23.41
the right to
become children of God.
00:11:23.45\00:11:25.31
Now in King James, it
says He gave the power,
00:11:25.35\00:11:28.08
but I think right is a
much better translation,
00:11:28.12\00:11:30.32
'cause if you look in Greek,
00:11:30.35\00:11:31.69
there's
different words for power.
00:11:31.72\00:11:33.56
One is "dunamis", right?
00:11:33.59\00:11:34.92
Meaning that
miracle-working power,
00:11:34.96\00:11:36.32
that inherent power,
but this word is exousia.
00:11:36.36\00:11:40.20
I don't know how to
pronounce that exactly.
00:11:40.23\00:11:42.70
Exousia. Exousia.
00:11:42.73\00:11:44.13
Thank you, Pastor.
00:11:44.17\00:11:45.50
So that would mean
the right or authority.
00:11:45.53\00:11:48.80
So if we receive Him,
00:11:48.84\00:11:50.37
we reach out by
faith and accept Him,
00:11:50.41\00:11:52.07
what happens?
00:11:52.11\00:11:53.44
He gives us the authority
to become a child of God.
00:11:53.48\00:11:57.28
So that means we
can walk around and say,
00:11:57.31\00:12:00.38
"I am a daughter of the
King, I am a Son of God.
00:12:00.42\00:12:05.19
I am a child of God."
00:12:05.22\00:12:07.92
We have that right
as it were to say that.
00:12:07.96\00:12:11.69
I love that.
00:12:11.73\00:12:14.36
When I went away to college,
I remember my daddy saying,
00:12:14.40\00:12:17.60
I was a Penny before I became
a Morikone and married Greg,
00:12:17.63\00:12:20.94
and I remember him
saying, "Remember who you are."
00:12:20.97\00:12:24.94
In other words,
remember your last name,
00:12:24.97\00:12:27.54
remember that you're a
daughter of the Penny's.
00:12:27.58\00:12:30.65
Remember that when you go,
who you represent as it were.
00:12:30.68\00:12:35.32
So we have the
right, the privilege to say,
00:12:35.35\00:12:39.39
"I am a child of God."
00:12:39.42\00:12:41.62
So it says, "As
many as received Him,
00:12:41.66\00:12:43.26
we actively reach out
by faith and receive Him.
00:12:43.29\00:12:46.36
To them, He gave the
right," the authority,
00:12:46.39\00:12:49.03
"to become children of God."
00:12:49.06\00:12:51.63
The children of God
means we are His children.
00:12:51.67\00:12:56.10
Now there's a word in
Greek for sons or daughters,
00:12:56.14\00:12:58.04
this one is for both, right?
00:12:58.07\00:12:59.57
Sons and daughters,
00:12:59.61\00:13:00.94
we can become
the children of God,
00:13:00.98\00:13:02.84
and then the last word I
want to look at is "believe",
00:13:02.88\00:13:05.21
to those who
believe in His name.
00:13:05.25\00:13:09.68
Now the received is past, right?
00:13:09.72\00:13:12.49
It occurred in the past.
00:13:12.52\00:13:13.86
"As many as received Him..."
00:13:13.89\00:13:15.22
Now believe is actually
present tense as well, meaning,
00:13:15.26\00:13:19.76
in other words,
yes, we believe on Jesus,
00:13:19.79\00:13:22.96
but we need to
continue to believe.
00:13:23.00\00:13:24.93
It's not a once
believe, way in the past,
00:13:24.97\00:13:27.24
and then we kind
of throw that off,
00:13:27.27\00:13:28.90
but we continue to believe.
00:13:28.94\00:13:30.51
And as we actively continue
to believe what happens,
00:13:30.54\00:13:33.94
we are the children of God.
00:13:33.98\00:13:36.48
And the other verse,
00:13:36.51\00:13:37.85
just quickly, is Galatians 3:26,
00:13:37.88\00:13:40.12
it says "You are all sons of God
00:13:40.15\00:13:42.68
through faith in Christ Jesus."
00:13:42.72\00:13:45.85
So we claim this by
faith, we become sons of God.
00:13:45.89\00:13:49.46
But, you know,
sometimes I think,
00:13:49.49\00:13:51.19
even though we read this,
00:13:51.23\00:13:52.96
and that's the beauty of
praying it and speaking it
00:13:52.99\00:13:57.00
and going over it in your mind,
00:13:57.03\00:13:59.07
because don't you feel
00:13:59.10\00:14:00.44
that we so take for
granted the idea in...
00:14:00.47\00:14:05.27
I don't want to say...
00:14:05.31\00:14:07.84
We take it as truth,
00:14:07.88\00:14:09.68
but I don't think we
recognize the privilege.
00:14:09.71\00:14:12.25
Yes.
00:14:12.28\00:14:13.62
Dee, I think that you've
went through that, didn't you?
00:14:13.65\00:14:16.75
Oh, yes, many times.
00:14:16.79\00:14:19.25
See, for instance, 1
John 3:1, where it says,
00:14:19.29\00:14:24.56
"Behold, what manner of love,
00:14:24.59\00:14:27.13
the Father has bestowed on us
00:14:27.16\00:14:29.16
that we should be
called children of God."
00:14:29.20\00:14:33.23
Wow!
00:14:33.27\00:14:34.60
I didn't...
00:14:34.64\00:14:36.40
I didn't understand that love.
00:14:36.44\00:14:37.84
See, to me, that's so important,
00:14:37.87\00:14:39.51
"Behold, what manner of
love," what is God's love?
00:14:39.54\00:14:43.61
That we can accept
what Jill just said
00:14:43.65\00:14:45.51
and receive it
00:14:45.55\00:14:48.35
and also feel like we
have the authority to do that.
00:14:48.38\00:14:52.12
Because I came out of the world,
00:14:52.15\00:14:53.92
love was very
polluted as a word.
00:14:53.96\00:14:58.03
Its meaning was very secular.
00:14:58.06\00:15:01.26
So God loves you,
00:15:01.30\00:15:02.80
"Well, lots of
people have loved me,
00:15:02.83\00:15:05.10
you know, and just..."
00:15:05.13\00:15:06.47
"So what?"
00:15:06.50\00:15:08.10
And I believed other things.
00:15:08.14\00:15:09.60
I didn't have total truth,
00:15:09.64\00:15:11.01
so what I knew
about God was not true.
00:15:11.04\00:15:13.71
So I knew, yes, He
loves everybody else,
00:15:13.74\00:15:16.95
but does He love me?
00:15:16.98\00:15:18.31
And can I ask
you a quick question?
00:15:18.35\00:15:19.68
Mm-hmm.
00:15:19.71\00:15:21.05
You grew up in some
dysfunction as did I.
00:15:21.08\00:15:23.15
My father was
killed when I was sick.
00:15:23.18\00:15:25.39
Was it difficult
for you to accept God
00:15:25.42\00:15:28.46
as being a perfect Father?
00:15:28.49\00:15:30.16
No. No?
00:15:30.19\00:15:31.53
It was...
00:15:31.56\00:15:32.89
I've heard other
people talk about that
00:15:32.93\00:15:34.26
because of this
dysfunction or the viewpoint
00:15:34.30\00:15:37.23
they had in their father.
00:15:37.27\00:15:38.60
They didn't want God.
00:15:38.63\00:15:39.97
I wanted a father so bad
00:15:40.00\00:15:42.34
that I turned to God very easily
00:15:42.37\00:15:45.21
to accept Him,
00:15:45.24\00:15:47.14
and especially as I
got further down my walk,
00:15:47.18\00:15:51.18
I could call Him Abba.
00:15:51.21\00:15:53.21
Once I understood the love,
00:15:53.25\00:15:54.98
the manner, what manner of love,
00:15:55.02\00:15:57.79
once I learned about agape love.
00:15:57.82\00:16:01.52
The definition of agape love
00:16:01.56\00:16:04.36
is putting every
other needs before your own.
00:16:04.39\00:16:09.10
It's a
sacrificial, unselfish love.
00:16:09.13\00:16:13.54
It has nothing to
do with the world.
00:16:13.57\00:16:15.74
So once I
understood that manner of love,
00:16:15.77\00:16:20.61
then I could see that God saw me
00:16:20.64\00:16:23.65
through different eyes,
00:16:23.68\00:16:25.48
not the way anybody else saw me.
00:16:25.51\00:16:28.22
So then, "Okay,
now I understand.
00:16:28.25\00:16:31.75
He loves me in an agape way,
00:16:31.79\00:16:33.66
and that's why I
could be a child."
00:16:33.69\00:16:36.39
But before I could
accept all of that...
00:16:36.42\00:16:40.86
There is another verse
that really speaks to me.
00:16:40.90\00:16:46.90
And that happens to be
00:16:46.94\00:16:48.90
in Philippians 2...
00:16:48.94\00:16:53.68
What was that again? 15.
00:16:53.71\00:16:55.04
2:15, okay.
00:16:55.08\00:16:57.38
Now I'm going to start
in verse 14 where it says,
00:16:57.41\00:17:00.22
"Do all things
00:17:00.25\00:17:01.58
without
complaining and disputing,
00:17:01.62\00:17:03.82
that you may become..."
00:17:03.85\00:17:06.49
Yes, you would. It's good.
00:17:06.52\00:17:08.52
"Blameless and
harmless children of God
00:17:08.56\00:17:11.29
without the fault in
the midst of a crooked
00:17:11.33\00:17:14.23
and perverse generation,
00:17:14.26\00:17:16.30
among whom you shine
as lights in the world."
00:17:16.33\00:17:20.64
I came out of that world.
00:17:20.67\00:17:22.97
I looked at
that, and I went, "Wow!
00:17:23.00\00:17:26.31
What a miracle God has done,"
00:17:26.34\00:17:27.98
because when I was in the world,
00:17:28.01\00:17:30.45
it's easy to
complain, blame other people,
00:17:30.48\00:17:33.08
this isn't fair,
that's not right,
00:17:33.11\00:17:35.92
this is not fair,
that was very easy to say.
00:17:35.95\00:17:40.96
But when you put them
together and you start learning.
00:17:40.99\00:17:44.83
God can change you to
such an amazing degree,
00:17:44.86\00:17:50.07
and you understand
00:17:50.10\00:17:51.43
that agape love
flowing through you,
00:17:51.47\00:17:53.47
and you desperately want
to give it back out again,
00:17:53.50\00:17:57.14
but it's through God
and through the Holy Spirit
00:17:57.17\00:17:59.97
that you can become
blameless and harmless.
00:18:00.01\00:18:02.38
There is no way,
00:18:02.41\00:18:03.75
when I first became a
Christian, that I understood
00:18:03.78\00:18:05.78
that I could become
blameless or harmless,
00:18:05.81\00:18:11.12
it just wasn't in my...
00:18:11.15\00:18:13.02
I didn't understand that,
00:18:13.05\00:18:14.39
so it was hard for me to accept
that I could be a Christian.
00:18:14.42\00:18:18.09
Other people
could, but I was too deep.
00:18:18.13\00:18:22.96
Love lifted me,
00:18:23.00\00:18:24.50
and it was the
agape love that lifted me.
00:18:24.53\00:18:28.07
So that now I also don't
fear of meeting other people
00:18:28.10\00:18:32.27
that might have
known me back then,
00:18:32.31\00:18:34.38
because it's like,
00:18:34.41\00:18:36.54
"I know you, you know,
00:18:36.58\00:18:37.91
you don't tell me
you're a Christian."
00:18:37.95\00:18:39.55
"Oh, no. That man is dead."
00:18:39.58\00:18:42.82
So that proves my
very point that God exists.
00:18:42.85\00:18:45.99
If God could change me,
00:18:46.02\00:18:47.96
if He could take
the blackness of me
00:18:47.99\00:18:51.89
and make me
blameless and harmless,
00:18:51.93\00:18:55.73
He can save anybody.
00:18:55.76\00:18:57.40
I don't care what you've
done. And it is His work, right?
00:18:57.43\00:19:00.74
Yes, He saved me, His love,
00:19:00.77\00:19:03.87
He fills me
with the Holy Spirit,
00:19:03.91\00:19:05.91
He buries all the
sin and the blackness.
00:19:05.94\00:19:10.18
It's not so much...
00:19:10.21\00:19:11.55
He doesn't cover the
blackness, He lets it...
00:19:11.58\00:19:13.65
He fills me with light
so the darkness flows out.
00:19:13.68\00:19:16.62
Amen. That's good.
00:19:16.65\00:19:17.99
He fills you with
light so that it goes away.
00:19:18.02\00:19:19.82
It doesn't exist.
00:19:19.85\00:19:21.19
It can't exist in the lightness.
00:19:21.22\00:19:22.66
And that's why we
examine ourselves to see
00:19:22.69\00:19:26.13
or where the blackness is left,
00:19:26.16\00:19:27.76
but the most important
thing is taking it in steps.
00:19:27.80\00:19:32.43
I couldn't accept
that I had the authority
00:19:32.47\00:19:35.70
to be a child of God
00:19:35.74\00:19:37.07
until I
understood the love of God,
00:19:37.11\00:19:39.54
and that He does
change you, He comes in,
00:19:39.57\00:19:41.98
and then you can be
a light to the world.
00:19:42.01\00:19:44.41
You don't have to...
00:19:44.45\00:19:45.78
You can hold
your head up and say,
00:19:45.81\00:19:47.15
"Yes, I'm a daughter of God.
00:19:47.18\00:19:50.62
Abba, Father, I cry out to You."
00:19:50.65\00:19:53.82
And He is my
Father, my perfect Father,
00:19:53.86\00:19:56.76
which allows me to
love the earthly people
00:19:56.79\00:20:01.40
that my parents and
others that may have hurt me,
00:20:01.43\00:20:06.17
it allows me to love them
and see them in God's eyes
00:20:06.20\00:20:09.40
and not my own.
00:20:09.44\00:20:11.27
You know, this scripture,
00:20:11.31\00:20:13.11
has always been
00:20:13.14\00:20:15.18
one of my
favorites to speak out.
00:20:15.21\00:20:17.98
It is an affirmation.
00:20:18.01\00:20:19.35
And I remember,
00:20:19.38\00:20:20.72
when we were living on
the farm in Coleman, Texas,
00:20:20.75\00:20:23.79
I had to walk Cupie and
Teesie were our little yorkies,
00:20:23.82\00:20:26.69
I had to walk them on a
leash because Cupie would...
00:20:26.72\00:20:31.09
She'd bolt out after any rabbit.
00:20:31.13\00:20:32.99
I mean, she would
just run away all the time.
00:20:33.03\00:20:35.56
So I'm probably the
only person in the world
00:20:35.60\00:20:37.77
that lived on a farm
00:20:37.80\00:20:39.33
and walked
their dogs on a leash.
00:20:39.37\00:20:41.20
But I went out one night,
00:20:41.24\00:20:43.27
and the sky was
just like black velvet,
00:20:43.30\00:20:47.14
and you know when you're out...
00:20:47.18\00:20:48.84
How far out is it?
Seven miles out of town?
00:20:48.88\00:20:50.85
Five.
00:20:50.88\00:20:52.21
Five miles out of town,
so there's no lights around,
00:20:52.25\00:20:54.98
there were so
many millions of stars,
00:20:55.02\00:20:57.55
and I looked up, and I said,
00:20:57.59\00:21:00.12
"Lord, is that what You see
00:21:00.16\00:21:01.69
when You look
down at the world?"
00:21:01.72\00:21:03.53
"Do You see a
world of darkness?"
00:21:03.56\00:21:05.73
And every one of
Your children is like,
00:21:05.76\00:21:09.33
you know, it says here that,
00:21:09.36\00:21:10.93
"You're like star,
You shine as stars."
00:21:10.97\00:21:14.77
Shine as lights.
00:21:14.80\00:21:16.14
"As lights in the
universe," and I thought,
00:21:16.17\00:21:19.61
"Oh, so here's a big star,
00:21:19.64\00:21:21.08
this is somebody
that's out evangelizing,
00:21:21.11\00:21:23.65
but here's this other
little star over there."
00:21:23.68\00:21:25.58
I feel like, "Oh, that's me."
00:21:25.61\00:21:27.32
And, you know, it is interesting
00:21:27.35\00:21:29.52
because the world
00:21:29.55\00:21:31.15
would be very dark
00:21:31.19\00:21:33.19
without God's light
in it, would it not?
00:21:33.22\00:21:34.66
That's right. Very
much true, very true.
00:21:34.69\00:21:38.46
I was listening the other day,
00:21:38.49\00:21:39.83
and someone was saying
that when you see a tree,
00:21:39.86\00:21:43.06
no matter how tall it
grows, you have to realize
00:21:43.10\00:21:45.67
that there is that
much superstructure
00:21:45.70\00:21:47.84
under the ground,
that's undergirding that.
00:21:47.87\00:21:50.47
What is interesting
00:21:50.51\00:21:51.84
is that the biggest of the trees
00:21:51.87\00:21:53.21
we have in North America,
that's big red wood trees.
00:21:53.24\00:21:54.91
They have actually
very shallow root system.
00:21:54.94\00:21:57.45
And they exist by holding
onto each other underground.
00:21:57.48\00:21:59.78
So they grow in clusters.
00:21:59.81\00:22:01.18
They don't have
deep root systems.
00:22:01.22\00:22:02.55
It's the interconnectivity
that keeps them standing.
00:22:02.58\00:22:06.62
So when you see them,
you see them in clumps.
00:22:06.65\00:22:08.59
You see several together
00:22:08.62\00:22:09.96
because if they
are not in clumps...
00:22:09.99\00:22:11.33
Yeah that's a sermon in itself.
00:22:11.36\00:22:12.79
If they're not in
clumps, they'll be on the ground
00:22:12.83\00:22:14.53
because the tree is so large.
00:22:14.56\00:22:16.93
It occurs to me
that the foundation,
00:22:16.97\00:22:19.07
the superstructure
of John is 1 John 4:8,
00:22:19.10\00:22:23.10
"He that loveth not,
00:22:23.14\00:22:24.47
knoweth not God
for God is love."
00:22:24.51\00:22:25.97
That's what's under the
ground, that's the foundation.
00:22:26.01\00:22:30.71
And everything
that's above ground
00:22:30.75\00:22:33.08
that we see is
based on that foundation
00:22:33.11\00:22:35.22
that God is love
00:22:35.25\00:22:36.58
because John is
the most relational
00:22:36.62\00:22:39.95
of all the New
Testament apostles.
00:22:39.99\00:22:43.76
He is very...
00:22:43.79\00:22:45.13
I would almost
say, a social gospel,
00:22:45.16\00:22:47.33
but it is more a
gospel of society.
00:22:47.36\00:22:49.76
He is very much into love,
00:22:49.80\00:22:51.70
as being the foundation
for everything that happens
00:22:51.73\00:22:54.97
in the Christian life.
00:22:55.00\00:22:56.81
It's a preexisting condition.
00:22:56.84\00:22:59.67
Now in medicine, a
preexisting condition
00:22:59.71\00:23:01.78
will get you
kicked out of your plan.
00:23:01.81\00:23:03.91
But in the spiritual room,
00:23:03.95\00:23:06.41
a preexisting
condition is necessary
00:23:06.45\00:23:08.58
for the plan to
even kick into gear.
00:23:08.62\00:23:10.95
So the preexisting
condition is the fact
00:23:10.99\00:23:13.22
that we love Him
because He first loved us.
00:23:13.25\00:23:16.26
And everything else
in John is built on that.
00:23:16.29\00:23:18.99
He uses love or
loved or loveth 55 times.
00:23:19.03\00:23:23.57
Now 1, 2, and 3
John are not long books.
00:23:23.60\00:23:25.70
You got 2 John, one
book, 3 John, one book,
00:23:25.73\00:23:28.70
and five chapters in 1.
00:23:28.74\00:23:32.04
So in that little
bit of space, 55 times,
00:23:32.07\00:23:35.04
he uses those words
00:23:35.08\00:23:36.41
because it's so
central to everything
00:23:36.44\00:23:39.25
that he is about.
00:23:39.28\00:23:41.55
The first time he
uses it is 1 John 2:5.
00:23:41.58\00:23:45.82
So he gets started early
00:23:45.85\00:23:47.19
and then he
used that word often.
00:23:47.22\00:23:48.56
It's there, it's there,
00:23:48.59\00:23:49.92
it's there, it's
there, it's there.
00:23:49.96\00:23:51.29
And it's so crucial.
00:23:51.33\00:23:52.66
So now, the word love
00:23:52.69\00:23:54.93
in its verbal
sense is used 40 times.
00:23:54.96\00:23:57.13
So now we come to 1 John 3:10,
00:23:57.17\00:24:00.10
which is just a great
little passage of scripture,
00:24:00.14\00:24:02.54
it really is.
00:24:02.57\00:24:03.91
"By this, the children of God
00:24:03.94\00:24:06.27
and the children of
the devil are obvious,"
00:24:06.31\00:24:09.41
or known, "anyone
who does not practice
00:24:09.44\00:24:12.68
righteousness is not of God
00:24:12.71\00:24:15.65
nor the one who does
not love his brother."
00:24:15.68\00:24:18.39
Isn't it interesting
00:24:18.42\00:24:20.29
that he equates righteousness
and love for your brother
00:24:20.32\00:24:23.99
there in the same pot.
00:24:24.03\00:24:25.76
They're part of the same stew.
00:24:25.79\00:24:28.36
You cannot really
have one without the other.
00:24:28.40\00:24:30.67
So he's saying,
00:24:30.70\00:24:32.03
"One of the things that
reveals your love for God,
00:24:32.07\00:24:36.77
the righteousness in your life,
00:24:36.81\00:24:38.81
is how you treat
those for whom Christ died."
00:24:38.84\00:24:42.94
They are
intimately interconnected,
00:24:42.98\00:24:46.35
this idea of the family of God.
00:24:46.38\00:24:49.48
One of my favorite texts
00:24:49.52\00:24:51.39
is 1 John 1:7,
00:24:51.42\00:24:56.49
"If we walk in the
light as He is in the light,"
00:24:56.52\00:25:00.03
what's the first
thing, he gives you?
00:25:00.06\00:25:01.50
Fellowship. Fellowships.
00:25:01.53\00:25:02.86
So he is right back there again,
00:25:02.90\00:25:04.23
you get fellowship.
00:25:04.27\00:25:05.63
So if you're
walking in the light,
00:25:05.67\00:25:07.00
one of the things you get to do
is what we are doing right now.
00:25:07.04\00:25:09.44
We are fellowshipping, you know.
00:25:09.47\00:25:11.87
And, the ice cream,
00:25:11.91\00:25:13.24
the cherry on the
top of the sundae,
00:25:13.27\00:25:15.28
"The blood of Christ
cleanses us from all sins."
00:25:15.31\00:25:17.65
But he starts out.
00:25:17.68\00:25:19.01
One of the
things you get is people
00:25:19.05\00:25:20.38
who walk with you,
who walk alongside you,
00:25:20.42\00:25:23.28
who share your
burdens, you get to have that,
00:25:23.32\00:25:25.85
you get to sit down at the table
00:25:25.89\00:25:27.22
and encourage one
another in the Lord.
00:25:27.26\00:25:29.19
So that if you're
ever feeling lonely,
00:25:29.22\00:25:31.29
there's somebody you
could get on a phone and say,
00:25:31.33\00:25:32.86
"Hey, Tim, man,
give me your word."
00:25:32.89\00:25:34.63
You know. And you got the word.
00:25:34.66\00:25:36.50
"Shelley, give me your
word," and you got the word,
00:25:36.53\00:25:38.40
because we're
walking the same way.
00:25:38.43\00:25:40.37
So even though you feel alone,
you're never really alone.
00:25:40.40\00:25:44.47
Going back to
Jill's wonderful text,
00:25:44.51\00:25:46.84
Hebrews 13:5 and 6,
00:25:46.88\00:25:50.55
I put them both together
because they run together.
00:25:50.58\00:25:53.01
We can boldly say
God is our helper.
00:25:53.05\00:25:56.12
You know, you don't have
to be squeamish about that,
00:25:56.15\00:25:57.95
I can boldly say,
00:25:57.99\00:25:59.55
He's got my back
because I'm with Him,
00:25:59.59\00:26:02.46
you know, so I'm not alone,
00:26:02.49\00:26:03.83
even though sometimes
life throws you things,
00:26:03.86\00:26:05.83
and you feel like
you're the only one,
00:26:05.86\00:26:08.10
you know, only one
still struggling with Lord,
00:26:08.13\00:26:10.47
Lord says "Now
I've got seven backs.
00:26:10.50\00:26:12.63
You're not by yourself,
00:26:12.67\00:26:14.00
there's a whole bunch
of people going through
00:26:14.04\00:26:15.44
what you are going
through, and you're not alone."
00:26:15.47\00:26:19.01
So I can boldly
say, "God helps me."
00:26:19.04\00:26:21.74
I'm not bragging,
I'm not showing off,
00:26:21.78\00:26:23.55
I'm just telling the truth.
00:26:23.58\00:26:24.91
When I'm down, He lifts me up.
00:26:24.95\00:26:26.55
When I'm broke,
00:26:26.58\00:26:27.92
He finds a way to put some money
00:26:27.95\00:26:29.28
into my pocket.
00:26:29.32\00:26:30.65
When I'm lonely, I
get the understanding
00:26:30.69\00:26:32.45
that I'm not really
alone for God is by my side.
00:26:32.49\00:26:37.46
So the word for practice
00:26:37.49\00:26:41.96
is poieo.
00:26:42.00\00:26:45.57
It's a strong word.
It's a really strong word.
00:26:45.60\00:26:49.04
Greek is the
language of the New Testament,
00:26:49.07\00:26:51.91
but it's coinage Greek,
it's street Greek, you know.
00:26:51.94\00:26:54.91
So it's got a
lot of jargon in it.
00:26:54.94\00:26:56.64
It has texture, you
know, it has nuance.
00:26:56.68\00:27:01.15
Some words are kind of light,
00:27:01.18\00:27:02.72
other words got a
little punch to them,
00:27:02.75\00:27:05.15
and this one has one.
00:27:05.19\00:27:06.52
This one has a
little punch to it.
00:27:06.55\00:27:08.12
This is not just
00:27:08.16\00:27:09.56
"occasionally
feel like doing good,"
00:27:09.59\00:27:11.49
this is someone who practiced,
who habitually serves the Lord,
00:27:11.53\00:27:14.86
who chooses
invariably when trouble comes,
00:27:14.90\00:27:18.67
"I'm going on God's way."
00:27:18.70\00:27:21.20
It's a strong word.
00:27:21.24\00:27:22.97
So it's
righteousness as a way of life,
00:27:23.00\00:27:25.91
not just
occasionally doing right,
00:27:25.94\00:27:27.78
but consistently deciding to do
00:27:27.81\00:27:30.28
what's right as you
know what is right to do
00:27:30.31\00:27:32.68
and choosing to do right.
00:27:32.71\00:27:34.52
So when you practice that,
when you practice doing right,
00:27:34.55\00:27:39.72
then it becomes obvious
00:27:39.75\00:27:41.72
that you are a
child of the light.
00:27:41.76\00:27:43.32
That's what he's
saying, when I look at Tim,
00:27:43.36\00:27:45.16
when I look at Jill,
when I look at Shelley,
00:27:45.19\00:27:47.46
when I look at JD,
when I look at Dee,
00:27:47.50\00:27:49.60
I see in them something
that is attractive to me,
00:27:49.63\00:27:54.60
and that's doing right.
00:27:54.64\00:27:57.71
Righteousness is right doing.
00:27:57.74\00:27:59.57
It's more than right planning,
more than right thinking,
00:27:59.61\00:28:01.94
more than right
intentions, it's doing right.
00:28:01.98\00:28:05.01
And when you do right,
people can see it in you.
00:28:05.05\00:28:08.35
Shelley, she does
right. She's doing right.
00:28:08.38\00:28:09.98
Jill, she's doing right.
00:28:10.02\00:28:11.39
"Hey, I want that,
00:28:11.42\00:28:13.69
you know, I want
that in my life."
00:28:13.72\00:28:16.06
So the children
of God are manifest
00:28:16.09\00:28:19.29
by the
righteousness in their life.
00:28:19.33\00:28:22.53
When a person is
living for the Lord,
00:28:22.56\00:28:25.27
even your dog and cat will know.
00:28:25.30\00:28:27.90
You know,
everybody's going to know.
00:28:27.94\00:28:29.27
You know, when
you're doing right,
00:28:29.30\00:28:30.64
people can say,
"I see that in them.
00:28:30.67\00:28:33.17
I see it." And it's attractive.
00:28:33.21\00:28:35.71
It is one of those things
00:28:35.74\00:28:37.28
that provokes people
to jealousy, Shelley.
00:28:37.31\00:28:39.28
It provokes...
00:28:39.31\00:28:41.45
"Why is their life..."
00:28:41.48\00:28:42.82
And it's not that
your life is trouble-free.
00:28:42.85\00:28:45.32
It's that your
life is dedicated to God
00:28:45.35\00:28:48.46
so that things work
together for the Lord.
00:28:48.49\00:28:51.09
In one of the
other Family Worships,
00:28:51.13\00:28:53.06
I was looking
00:28:53.09\00:28:54.43
at 2 Corinthians 2:15.
00:28:54.46\00:28:59.37
"Now thanks be to God
00:28:59.40\00:29:00.74
who always causes us to
triumph in Jesus Christ."
00:29:00.77\00:29:04.24
Consistently
causes us to triumph, why?
00:29:04.27\00:29:07.14
Because we are in Christ Jesus,
00:29:07.18\00:29:09.41
and when you
are in Christ Jesus,
00:29:09.44\00:29:11.15
the default setting is victory.
00:29:11.18\00:29:14.35
Victory is going to come
if you are in Christ Jesus.
00:29:14.38\00:29:16.82
So in this, the children of God
00:29:16.85\00:29:19.45
and the children
of devil are obvious,
00:29:19.49\00:29:21.72
they are made
manifest, you can see it.
00:29:21.76\00:29:24.33
Anyone who does not practice
righteousness is not of God.
00:29:24.36\00:29:28.80
So John's not dancing with this.
00:29:28.83\00:29:30.73
He's telling you,
"If you don't do right,
00:29:30.77\00:29:32.67
you can't say you're right.
00:29:32.70\00:29:34.04
If you're not doing
right, you're not right."
00:29:34.07\00:29:36.57
You know, if you don't do right,
00:29:36.60\00:29:37.94
you ain't right.
00:29:37.97\00:29:39.31
If you do right, you
are right. It's what you do.
00:29:39.34\00:29:40.68
And, you know, this
reminds me of a thought
00:29:40.71\00:29:45.01
is that so many people say,
00:29:45.05\00:29:46.92
"Oh, well, we're
all children of God,"
00:29:46.95\00:29:49.48
we're not.
00:29:49.52\00:29:50.85
You read the
scripture in 1 John...
00:29:50.89\00:29:52.85
I mean in John 1:12,
00:29:52.89\00:29:54.46
"As many as believe
on Him, receive Him,
00:29:54.49\00:29:57.39
He gives us the authority
to become His children."
00:29:57.43\00:30:01.26
We could say that at creation
and by the power of creation,
00:30:01.30\00:30:05.10
Yes, He created us, but we...
00:30:05.13\00:30:08.37
Jesus said you have
your father the devil,
00:30:08.40\00:30:10.44
who was always lying,
00:30:10.47\00:30:12.17
father of lies,
never tells the truth."
00:30:12.21\00:30:14.71
And this clearly tells us,
00:30:14.74\00:30:16.61
if you don't receive
Christ as your Brother,
00:30:16.64\00:30:21.38
as your Savior,
you're not a child of God,
00:30:21.42\00:30:24.59
and when you have received,
00:30:24.62\00:30:27.46
then you are going
to walk in God's ways.
00:30:27.49\00:30:31.66
Amen. Amen.
00:30:31.69\00:30:33.33
And I'll be done in
one second, 1 John 3:18,
00:30:33.36\00:30:36.80
"My little children,
00:30:36.83\00:30:38.23
let us not love
in word or in tongue
00:30:38.27\00:30:41.67
but in deed and in truth."
00:30:41.70\00:30:44.31
So not just saying what's right,
00:30:44.34\00:30:46.37
you know, Christianity
is not a spectator sport,
00:30:46.41\00:30:49.88
you got to get off the
couch and get in the game.
00:30:49.91\00:30:52.41
You know, you can't
sit and comment on those
00:30:52.45\00:30:53.88
who are playing the game,
you need to be in the game.
00:30:53.92\00:30:56.89
So it's not just
something you talk about,
00:30:56.92\00:30:58.82
it's something you do,
00:30:58.85\00:31:00.19
something you
live out in your life.
00:31:00.22\00:31:02.02
And now let me
jump in here real quick
00:31:02.06\00:31:03.96
because this is a perfect
segue of where I'm going.
00:31:03.99\00:31:07.16
And that's Ephesians 5:6-8,
00:31:07.20\00:31:10.40
I'm going to
read through it then
00:31:10.43\00:31:11.77
I'm going to come
back with some comments.
00:31:11.80\00:31:13.84
"Let no one deceive
you with empty words
00:31:13.87\00:31:16.17
for because of these things,
00:31:16.20\00:31:17.81
the wrath of God comes
upon the sons of disobedience.
00:31:17.84\00:31:21.71
Therefore, do not
be partakers with them.
00:31:21.74\00:31:24.51
For you were once darkness,
00:31:24.55\00:31:26.58
but now you are
now light in the Lord,
00:31:26.61\00:31:28.92
so walk as children of light."
00:31:28.95\00:31:32.55
Boy, that was great, CA,
00:31:32.59\00:31:34.26
and that Christianity
is not a spectator sport.
00:31:34.29\00:31:37.93
Okay, we're involved,
00:31:37.96\00:31:39.29
and so this is
what Paul was saying
00:31:39.33\00:31:41.10
to his good friends at Ephesus.
00:31:41.13\00:31:42.66
He says, "I've
got a warning for you,
00:31:42.70\00:31:44.83
my dear brothers."
00:31:44.87\00:31:47.64
And because of the
love the Christ has in you,
00:31:47.67\00:31:51.21
please listen,
00:31:51.24\00:31:53.01
"Be not deceived
with empty words."
00:31:53.04\00:31:55.78
A lot of
misconceptions out there,
00:31:55.81\00:31:57.55
a lot of junk out
there that are untruths,
00:31:57.58\00:32:01.08
and so don't fall for that
00:32:01.12\00:32:03.39
because these things
being the displeasure
00:32:03.42\00:32:07.62
that I have for sin,
00:32:07.66\00:32:09.66
the wrath of God will come
upon the sons of disobedience.
00:32:09.69\00:32:12.73
The sons of disobedience here
00:32:12.76\00:32:14.70
are those who
choose to love sin,
00:32:14.73\00:32:17.13
and this was
going on right and left
00:32:17.17\00:32:19.07
during those particular days.
00:32:19.10\00:32:20.50
And so he's saying,
"Listen, my dear brothers,
00:32:20.54\00:32:24.67
so therefore do not
be partakers with them."
00:32:24.71\00:32:29.34
Don't share with
those sins, be set apart.
00:32:29.38\00:32:36.32
Remember that just
yesterday, you were in darkness.
00:32:36.35\00:32:41.12
And you know how
miserable that was.
00:32:41.16\00:32:43.63
Every time
you're turning around,
00:32:43.66\00:32:44.99
you bump into
yourself with something
00:32:45.03\00:32:46.73
that you didn't like.
00:32:46.76\00:32:48.10
Yes. Yes.
00:32:48.13\00:32:49.46
But now because of
the gift of Christ,
00:32:49.50\00:32:54.07
you were in the light.
00:32:54.10\00:32:55.80
Amen. And so then it ends.
00:32:55.84\00:32:58.21
So walk his children of light,
00:32:58.24\00:33:01.24
be proud of how
you conduct your life.
00:33:01.28\00:33:03.95
Be proud.
00:33:03.98\00:33:05.31
Boy, you said
something, boy, this...
00:33:05.35\00:33:07.35
If I heard this once, I
heard this 10,000 times.
00:33:07.38\00:33:10.95
You are a Quinn growing up.
00:33:10.99\00:33:13.89
Don't forget who you are,
don't misrepresent who you are.
00:33:13.92\00:33:19.69
Your grandparents worked so hard
00:33:19.73\00:33:22.66
so that you can
receive what you have today.
00:33:22.70\00:33:26.94
We've all heard this.
00:33:26.97\00:33:28.94
You are a part
and don't forget that.
00:33:28.97\00:33:31.54
I mean, so...
00:33:31.57\00:33:32.91
And so this is
what Paul is telling
00:33:32.94\00:33:35.08
to the people at Ephesus.
00:33:35.11\00:33:38.38
Don't forget who you
are, conduct your life,
00:33:38.41\00:33:41.72
you are an ambassador
for the kingdom of God,
00:33:41.75\00:33:44.85
so act accordingly.
00:33:44.89\00:33:47.06
We are children of God.
00:33:47.09\00:33:50.83
And thank You, Jesus,
that I can claim that.
00:33:50.86\00:33:53.23
Amen. Amen.
00:33:53.26\00:33:54.60
I don't want to be a spectator,
I like to be involved.
00:33:54.63\00:33:57.63
So thank You, Jesus. Amen.
00:33:57.67\00:34:01.00
But how do you walk
as a child of light?
00:34:01.04\00:34:04.04
How do we walk
as children of life?
00:34:04.07\00:34:07.58
First scripture that
comes to my mind is that,
00:34:07.61\00:34:10.51
"Your Word is a lamp to my
feet and light to my path."
00:34:10.55\00:34:13.68
So if we're walking
as children of light,
00:34:13.72\00:34:16.85
we're walking in accordance
00:34:16.89\00:34:19.52
with God's
instructions, aren't we?
00:34:19.55\00:34:21.56
Yeah. Sure.
00:34:21.59\00:34:22.92
And we have to
remember that life itself,
00:34:22.96\00:34:24.83
there's a lot
of slippery slopes.
00:34:24.86\00:34:26.29
Yes.
00:34:26.33\00:34:27.66
I mean, you go to
right, you fall into that.
00:34:27.70\00:34:29.33
Boy, I remember,
boy, in Central Texas,
00:34:29.36\00:34:32.17
there is a lot of caliche.
00:34:32.20\00:34:33.57
There is a lot of
red clay and, boy,
00:34:33.60\00:34:35.84
you know, I've
been in that ditch,
00:34:35.87\00:34:37.77
I've had a car in the ditch.
00:34:37.81\00:34:40.38
And, oh, I get out of here, man,
00:34:40.41\00:34:42.41
you get so close,
00:34:42.44\00:34:43.78
and all of a sudden,
those tires start spinning,
00:34:43.81\00:34:47.68
back in the
ditch, back in the ditch.
00:34:47.72\00:34:51.05
I've been in the ditch before.
00:34:51.09\00:34:52.59
I don't like being in the ditch,
00:34:52.62\00:34:54.19
you know, I want
to be on solid ground.
00:34:54.22\00:34:56.76
That's why I hold
on to that scripture.
00:34:56.79\00:34:59.59
I will complete
what I started in here.
00:34:59.63\00:35:03.30
Because when I read what,
you know, your affirmation,
00:35:03.33\00:35:07.17
I have a hard time
sometimes when it says,
00:35:07.20\00:35:09.64
"I walk in the right
separating myself from evil.
00:35:09.67\00:35:12.94
I practice righteousness."
00:35:12.97\00:35:15.04
I end up in the ditch sometimes.
00:35:15.08\00:35:17.15
So it's too easy
to beat yourself up
00:35:17.18\00:35:18.95
when you do that.
00:35:18.98\00:35:20.32
So you have to, again,
take the authority and claim
00:35:20.35\00:35:23.89
I am a child of God,
and know that He is...
00:35:23.92\00:35:26.59
"Lord, I am Yours.
00:35:26.62\00:35:27.96
You've got to complete
in me what You started."
00:35:27.99\00:35:30.19
And I'm going to get up and try.
00:35:30.23\00:35:31.56
You know, but the beauty of this
00:35:31.59\00:35:32.93
when you're claiming
it, I agree with you.
00:35:32.96\00:35:34.93
You know, sometimes
you say these things
00:35:34.96\00:35:36.46
and it's kind of like...
00:35:36.50\00:35:37.83
I always
remember Romans 4:17 that,
00:35:37.87\00:35:39.90
"God is the God who gives a life
00:35:39.93\00:35:41.44
to the dead and calls things
00:35:41.47\00:35:43.71
that are not as
though they already were."
00:35:43.74\00:35:47.48
So He sees us as completed,
00:35:47.51\00:35:51.68
and as you
return His Word to Him,
00:35:51.71\00:35:54.35
Isaiah 55:11 says,
00:35:54.38\00:35:56.18
"It does not return void"
00:35:56.22\00:35:58.29
'cause God is
watching over His Word
00:35:58.32\00:36:01.32
to work it, to perform it.
00:36:01.36\00:36:04.16
So, JD, share your
comment that you have
00:36:04.19\00:36:07.13
because I think that's powerful.
00:36:07.16\00:36:08.50
Go ahead. Go ahead.
00:36:08.53\00:36:09.86
Jill was...
00:36:09.90\00:36:11.23
No, I was just going to say
00:36:11.27\00:36:12.60
when you talked
about how do we walk,
00:36:12.63\00:36:13.97
and I agree
with the Word of God.
00:36:14.00\00:36:15.34
And I think when
you walk with Jesus,
00:36:15.37\00:36:17.07
it's a relationship.
00:36:17.11\00:36:19.04
You know, I
remember, Greg and I,
00:36:19.07\00:36:20.41
when we first
started going together.
00:36:20.44\00:36:22.64
And I remember the first time,
00:36:22.68\00:36:24.25
he put his hand around my waist.
00:36:24.28\00:36:25.61
We were walking some...
00:36:25.65\00:36:27.08
I don't know, it
was in like a gardens,
00:36:27.12\00:36:28.88
it was really pretty.
00:36:28.92\00:36:30.25
And I remember
00:36:30.29\00:36:31.62
that we did not
walk well together.
00:36:31.65\00:36:33.42
And I don't mean that in any...
00:36:33.46\00:36:34.79
Because we had
never walked together
00:36:34.82\00:36:36.93
that closely before.
00:36:36.96\00:36:39.36
You weren't in
rhythm yet. We weren't.
00:36:39.39\00:36:41.10
So he put his
arm around my waist,
00:36:41.13\00:36:43.03
and we kept bumping.
00:36:43.06\00:36:44.40
Do you know what I am saying?
00:36:44.43\00:36:45.77
Like we tried to walk,
00:36:45.80\00:36:47.14
and we'd hit,
and we'd be like...
00:36:47.17\00:36:48.50
And I remember thinking, "Wow!"
00:36:48.54\00:36:50.21
But then you know what happens?
00:36:50.24\00:36:51.57
You do that a time or two,
00:36:51.61\00:36:52.94
and you walk in
perfect rhythm together.
00:36:52.97\00:36:55.68
And so, to me,
00:36:55.71\00:36:57.05
when I read this
verse, and it says,
00:36:57.08\00:36:58.41
"Walk His
children of light", to me,
00:36:58.45\00:36:59.88
it's walking in
perfect rhythm with God
00:36:59.91\00:37:03.32
because He is my Father.
00:37:03.35\00:37:05.22
You know, it's a learning...
00:37:05.25\00:37:06.59
When Isaiah starts, he
comes right out of the gate.
00:37:06.62\00:37:09.86
Let's reason together,
00:37:09.89\00:37:11.36
"Cease to do
evil, learn to do good."
00:37:11.39\00:37:15.63
You know,
because you got to learn
00:37:15.66\00:37:17.43
because it's not natural.
00:37:17.47\00:37:18.93
You know, you got to
learn how to walk together.
00:37:18.97\00:37:20.60
You got to learn how
to walk side-by-side.
00:37:20.64\00:37:24.54
In 1 John, 2 and 3, he
kind of repeats himself.
00:37:24.57\00:37:27.71
He goes over the same material
00:37:27.74\00:37:29.71
again saying in slightly
different ways, little nuance.
00:37:29.74\00:37:32.21
But he is saying
basically, you...
00:37:32.25\00:37:34.98
I'm in 1 John 2:29,
00:37:35.02\00:37:38.02
"If you know
that He is righteous,
00:37:38.05\00:37:39.52
you know that everyone
00:37:39.55\00:37:40.89
who practices
righteousness is born of Him."
00:37:40.92\00:37:42.72
So he is restating and restating
00:37:42.76\00:37:44.73
and restating his case
that you've got to practice it,
00:37:44.76\00:37:47.40
you've got to learn to do this.
00:37:47.43\00:37:48.80
You may stumble, you
may fall, you get up,
00:37:48.83\00:37:50.37
and you try it again.
00:37:50.40\00:37:51.73
And each time you do it,
you get a little better at it.
00:37:51.77\00:37:55.14
But it's not
something to give up on.
00:37:55.17\00:37:58.61
Stay with it
00:37:58.64\00:37:59.97
because He is
right there with you.
00:38:00.01\00:38:01.34
And if He's asked
you to become righteous,
00:38:01.38\00:38:02.81
that means He has
provided the ability
00:38:02.84\00:38:04.98
and the means for
you to be righteous.
00:38:05.01\00:38:06.35
Absolutely. So it's there.
00:38:06.38\00:38:07.72
So even if you fall
00:38:07.75\00:38:09.08
and skinned your
knees, that's okay,
00:38:09.12\00:38:10.45
get up and try it again.
00:38:10.49\00:38:11.82
"Working in us to will
and to do His good pleasure."
00:38:11.85\00:38:13.19
And I just want to share
this, the thought that...
00:38:13.22\00:38:14.59
The scripture that just popped
into my mind is Psalms 143:10.
00:38:14.62\00:38:20.16
And there, David is
praying and he says,
00:38:20.20\00:38:23.83
"Oh, Lord, teach me to do
Your will for You are my God.
00:38:23.87\00:38:28.74
Your Spirit is good.
00:38:28.77\00:38:31.04
Lead me in the
land of brightness."
00:38:31.07\00:38:34.91
I can't be good on my own,
you can't be good on your own.
00:38:34.94\00:38:38.41
But God doesn't
intend for us to.
00:38:38.45\00:38:40.95
He wants us just to
yield to ask to be filled
00:38:40.98\00:38:45.75
with the Holy Spirit.
00:38:45.79\00:38:47.26
And then He will
work in us to will
00:38:47.29\00:38:49.19
and to do His good pleasure.
00:38:49.22\00:38:51.39
So, you know, part of walking
as children of the light,
00:38:51.43\00:38:55.20
to me, that's that first
step every morning is saying,
00:38:55.23\00:38:58.83
"Empty me, fill me
with Your Holy Spirit.
00:38:58.87\00:39:01.84
Get into the Word, pray,"
00:39:01.87\00:39:04.21
because that's how you
get into that relationship.
00:39:04.24\00:39:07.11
And there is...
00:39:07.14\00:39:08.74
Every relationship has a rhythm,
00:39:08.78\00:39:11.85
and if you feel
like your relationship
00:39:11.88\00:39:14.82
with the Lord is a
little off-kilter right now,
00:39:14.85\00:39:18.55
that it's out of rhythm,
00:39:18.59\00:39:20.62
just pray Psalm
143:10, and just say,
00:39:20.66\00:39:24.29
"Oh, Lord, teach me Your will.
00:39:24.33\00:39:26.66
Lead me by Your great Spirit."
00:39:26.70\00:39:29.03
Because God's plan of salvation,
00:39:29.06\00:39:32.00
His plan as our
Father, I mean, you know,
00:39:32.03\00:39:34.40
when we become
the children of God,
00:39:34.44\00:39:36.00
we begin to develop a family
00:39:36.04\00:39:37.47
resemblance of
our Father, don't we?
00:39:37.51\00:39:38.84
That's right. Amen.
00:39:38.87\00:39:40.21
But His whole plan is
total dependence upon Him.
00:39:40.24\00:39:44.58
Okay, Tim.
00:39:44.61\00:39:45.95
Don't give up
claiming "I am a child of God."
00:39:45.98\00:39:48.45
Amen. Amen. Right.
00:39:48.48\00:39:49.85
Where you at, JD?
00:39:49.88\00:39:51.22
You were going to say something?
00:39:51.25\00:39:52.59
Well, that's okay.
00:39:52.62\00:39:53.96
We'll catch it
later, go ahead, Tim.
00:39:53.99\00:39:55.72
It has come my turn,
and we're talking of...
00:39:55.76\00:39:58.13
This is going to
right along with everything
00:39:58.16\00:39:59.59
you were saying about
it being a growth process.
00:39:59.63\00:40:01.90
You know, that it's
like adolescence and teenage
00:40:01.93\00:40:04.37
and then adulthood.
00:40:04.40\00:40:05.90
And being a child
of God is like that,
00:40:05.93\00:40:08.97
except I don't ever feel like
00:40:09.00\00:40:10.34
I get out of
childhood, you know.
00:40:10.37\00:40:12.37
I'd love to be a
teenager one of these days.
00:40:12.41\00:40:14.94
But the 2 Corinthians 6:17
00:40:14.98\00:40:19.81
and 18 says,
00:40:19.85\00:40:22.88
"Therefore, come
out from among them
00:40:22.92\00:40:24.65
and be separate' says the Lord.
00:40:24.69\00:40:27.22
'Do not touch what is
unclean, and I will receive you.
00:40:27.26\00:40:30.83
I will be a Father to you,
00:40:30.86\00:40:32.19
and you shall be My
sons and daughters,'
00:40:32.23\00:40:34.40
says the Lord Almighty.'"
00:40:34.43\00:40:36.26
We're talking about
doing righteousness.
00:40:36.30\00:40:39.30
We're talking about
walking the ways we walk
00:40:39.33\00:40:42.24
and how do we show
that we are a Christian
00:40:42.27\00:40:44.44
and how do we learn
to grow as Christians.
00:40:44.47\00:40:48.08
This verse, especially
when I grew up, it was very...
00:40:48.11\00:40:53.15
When you have to
follow very rigid
00:40:57.19\00:41:00.76
and regimented and very, the...
00:41:00.79\00:41:04.96
Be separate, you know,
this is what you do do,
00:41:04.99\00:41:07.00
this is what you don't do.
00:41:07.03\00:41:08.36
It's not do-do.
00:41:08.40\00:41:09.73
And so but,
00:41:09.76\00:41:14.14
you know, and it's
about what you wear,
00:41:14.17\00:41:17.41
and it's about,
you know, you hair,
00:41:17.44\00:41:19.57
it's about what you eat.
00:41:19.61\00:41:22.58
And, you know, I can...
00:41:22.61\00:41:25.91
I know people who
wear things that are right,
00:41:25.95\00:41:30.49
but they don't
even know about Jesus,
00:41:30.52\00:41:36.22
much less claim to live for Him.
00:41:36.26\00:41:38.13
Right.
00:41:38.16\00:41:39.49
And so, you know, I
can wear what's right,
00:41:39.53\00:41:42.70
I can look what's right,
00:41:42.73\00:41:44.07
I can have my
hair above my ears.
00:41:44.10\00:41:45.83
Believe me if I
could grow my hair out,
00:41:45.87\00:41:47.24
I would wear it longer.
00:41:47.27\00:41:48.60
But I can't, I can't even...
00:41:48.64\00:41:49.97
It won't grow where
it's supposed to now.
00:41:50.01\00:41:52.21
So, you know, it's like...
00:41:52.24\00:41:55.44
Dealing with your pain.
00:41:55.48\00:41:58.01
It's like the mamma
who tells the son to,
00:41:58.05\00:42:00.15
you know, sit still,
stop your running around.
00:42:00.18\00:42:04.09
So he sits still, and he says,
00:42:04.12\00:42:05.85
"Well, I'm sitting
still on the outside,
00:42:05.89\00:42:08.42
but I'm running
around in the inside."
00:42:08.46\00:42:10.03
Just because you look the part,
00:42:10.06\00:42:13.56
it doesn't mean
you are the part.
00:42:13.60\00:42:16.50
That's right.
00:42:16.53\00:42:17.97
And so we have to
really be careful,
00:42:18.00\00:42:19.97
I think, and I know, every time,
00:42:20.00\00:42:22.97
I gather here and
those of who are watching,
00:42:23.00\00:42:27.18
you may wonder,
00:42:27.21\00:42:28.54
"Such wisdom, and I
wish I could pontificate
00:42:28.58\00:42:31.11
like CA, and Shelley,
and Jill, and Dee, and JD,"
00:42:31.15\00:42:35.22
and I just want to
exfoliate over here.
00:42:35.25\00:42:38.49
I don't...
00:42:38.52\00:42:39.85
They're not pontificating.
00:42:39.89\00:42:41.22
So I love what
you all just teach me,
00:42:44.76\00:42:48.13
and so maybe I'm the
one who needs to learn,
00:42:48.16\00:42:52.27
you know, most about this.
00:42:52.30\00:42:54.40
It's about what you do,
00:42:54.44\00:42:57.34
and you do out of
what is inside of you.
00:42:57.37\00:43:01.81
Amen. Yes, it's very important.
00:43:01.84\00:43:04.01
My goal on all of this is
to fall in love with Jesus.
00:43:04.05\00:43:10.19
And the rest of it,
you'll be who He wants you to be
00:43:10.22\00:43:14.86
because you are
so in love with Him
00:43:14.89\00:43:16.56
that you just
want to follow in step
00:43:16.59\00:43:18.19
with Him and do...
00:43:18.23\00:43:20.40
And that's just like any of us,
00:43:20.43\00:43:21.80
you know, that have
been in relationships,
00:43:21.83\00:43:23.77
in good relationships,
loving relationships.
00:43:23.80\00:43:26.47
You just want to...
00:43:26.50\00:43:27.90
When you fall in
love with that person,
00:43:27.94\00:43:29.64
you just want to be
whatever you want to serve them
00:43:29.67\00:43:32.97
and love on them
and take care of them
00:43:33.01\00:43:36.01
and just pick up the Kleenex
on the floor for them if...
00:43:36.04\00:43:39.81
You know, whatever,
I don't know what...
00:43:39.85\00:43:41.98
Just love Jesus,
and then, I think,
00:43:42.02\00:43:46.12
everything will fall in place.
00:43:46.15\00:43:47.49
And I know that kind
of sound general but...
00:43:47.52\00:43:48.86
No, it isn't. No,
no, it's very profound.
00:43:48.89\00:43:50.63
Yes, absolutely.
Preexisting condition.
00:43:50.66\00:43:52.93
Yeah, you got to love Him first
00:43:52.96\00:43:54.30
and all that sort of
stuff comes out of that.
00:43:54.33\00:43:56.23
But, you know
what, I want to point out
00:43:56.26\00:43:58.60
because you were
not reared Adventist.
00:43:58.63\00:44:00.80
Right.
00:44:00.84\00:44:02.17
I was not reared an Adventist,
00:44:02.20\00:44:04.41
but we were absolutely
00:44:04.44\00:44:10.71
in this "boat" of
legalism if you will,
00:44:10.75\00:44:14.62
we're falling out the side,
00:44:14.65\00:44:16.58
you know, we're falling
out that side of the boat
00:44:16.62\00:44:18.52
because I too was taught
00:44:18.55\00:44:21.46
you had to be
perfect for God to love you.
00:44:21.49\00:44:24.09
You were reared Adventist...
00:44:24.13\00:44:25.56
I was, and I
was taught that too.
00:44:25.59\00:44:27.00
And somehow that got
in your mind that you...
00:44:27.03\00:44:28.36
You know, and to me,
00:44:28.40\00:44:30.13
that was when I
discovered the Sabbath,
00:44:30.17\00:44:33.30
that's the first time
I really understood grace
00:44:33.34\00:44:35.57
because Exodus...
00:44:35.60\00:44:36.94
I remember reading Exodus 31:13
00:44:36.97\00:44:39.61
that the Sabbath was a sign
00:44:39.64\00:44:42.38
that God was
going to sanctify me,
00:44:42.41\00:44:45.55
set me apart from the bad
stuff that He was going...
00:44:45.58\00:44:50.49
And it was like,
00:44:50.52\00:44:52.12
"Oh, wow, Lord, all these years,
00:44:52.15\00:44:54.79
I've tried to be good enough.
00:44:54.82\00:44:57.09
All these years,
it's kind of like
00:44:57.13\00:44:58.93
"Oh, if only I'd
read the Bible more,
00:44:58.96\00:45:00.93
if only I'd pray
more, if only I, I, I."
00:45:00.96\00:45:04.80
And see, I think
that's man's pride
00:45:04.83\00:45:08.27
that we think we can
help, save our self, we can't.
00:45:08.30\00:45:12.41
Well, I think it's also the
way so much of the world works,
00:45:12.44\00:45:15.18
you know, that that you
have a set of rules to go by.
00:45:15.21\00:45:18.58
And so that you can
work your to make it happen,
00:45:18.61\00:45:21.78
and you can strive,
00:45:21.82\00:45:23.15
and you can
workout, and eat right,
00:45:23.18\00:45:24.69
and, you know, you can't do it.
00:45:24.72\00:45:27.06
Some of us never even try
00:45:27.09\00:45:29.29
because we were
told we were bad.
00:45:29.32\00:45:30.86
Well.
00:45:30.89\00:45:32.23
I knew I would never...
00:45:32.26\00:45:33.93
God could never
possibly love me.
00:45:33.96\00:45:36.16
So I didn't even try
because I knew it was hopeless
00:45:36.20\00:45:39.87
until I found
out about agape love.
00:45:39.90\00:45:42.07
Yeah, but, you
know, to your point,
00:45:42.10\00:45:44.41
I remember when
I was in college,
00:45:44.44\00:45:46.47
actually saying to the Lord
00:45:46.51\00:45:48.48
because so much had been pounded
00:45:48.51\00:45:50.48
in my head that if
you are not perfect,
00:45:50.51\00:45:52.01
He is not going to love you.
00:45:52.05\00:45:53.38
The only scripture I
ever heard from Revelation is
00:45:53.42\00:45:56.95
if you're lukewarm,
00:45:56.99\00:45:58.32
He's going to spew
you out of His mouth.
00:45:58.35\00:46:00.79
And finally, I
remember looking up
00:46:00.82\00:46:02.36
at the skies and just saying,
00:46:02.39\00:46:04.16
"I can't please
You, I give up trying.
00:46:04.19\00:46:06.83
I can't be perfect.
00:46:06.86\00:46:08.66
So if You don't
love me, all right."
00:46:08.70\00:46:11.60
And it was just...
00:46:11.63\00:46:14.04
People who had twisted
the scriptures to make you...
00:46:14.07\00:46:18.17
I mean, God is so misrepresented
00:46:18.21\00:46:20.08
on the earth, isn't He?
00:46:20.11\00:46:21.44
Oh, yes.
00:46:21.48\00:46:22.81
Okay, let me
get to my scripture.
00:46:22.84\00:46:24.31
And, you know, it's interesting,
00:46:24.35\00:46:27.12
when I send out assignments,
00:46:27.15\00:46:28.52
I wait till
everyone else has chosen,
00:46:28.55\00:46:30.65
and I take what's leftover.
00:46:30.69\00:46:32.49
And I promise you
if I had been choosing,
00:46:32.52\00:46:36.12
I'd have probably
chosen this very one.
00:46:36.16\00:46:38.63
So I'm actually...
00:46:38.66\00:46:40.00
I want to start with Romans.
00:46:40.03\00:46:41.86
We're going to
read Romans 8:14-17.
00:46:41.90\00:46:46.74
Romans 8...
00:46:46.77\00:46:48.80
And if you are home, turn here.
00:46:48.84\00:46:50.87
Romans 8:14-17,
00:46:50.91\00:46:53.78
"For as many as are
led by the Spirit of God,
00:46:53.81\00:46:58.48
these are sons of God."
00:46:58.51\00:47:00.88
That's why I pray, "Oh,
Lord, teach me Your will.
00:47:00.92\00:47:04.59
Lead me by Your good Spirit."
00:47:04.62\00:47:07.32
And then he says,
this is Paul writing,
00:47:07.36\00:47:10.19
"For you did not receive
00:47:10.23\00:47:11.96
the spirit of
bondage again to fear.
00:47:11.99\00:47:16.23
But we received the Spirit
of adoption by whom we cry out,
00:47:16.26\00:47:22.04
'Abba, Father.'"
00:47:22.07\00:47:23.64
So, you know,
he's referring here
00:47:23.67\00:47:27.01
that the spirit of
bondage, that to fear,
00:47:27.04\00:47:32.68
this would have been
a slave to his master.
00:47:32.71\00:47:36.28
He was under bondage, he
was fearful of his master.
00:47:36.32\00:47:41.29
But he is
saying, "No, no, no, no,
00:47:41.32\00:47:43.86
you've received the
Spirit of adoption."
00:47:43.89\00:47:46.73
And, boy, that meant
a whole lot in that day
00:47:46.76\00:47:49.56
because under Roman law,
00:47:49.60\00:47:53.84
often a slave would be adopted.
00:47:53.87\00:47:56.84
And once they were adopted,
00:47:56.87\00:47:58.61
they had all the legal
rights of a biological child.
00:47:58.64\00:48:03.14
That's right.
00:48:03.18\00:48:04.51
They had to be treated
equally in the inheritance,
00:48:04.55\00:48:06.82
in every other way.
00:48:06.85\00:48:08.85
So this really meant something.
00:48:08.88\00:48:10.89
But this is wonderful, and, Dee,
00:48:10.92\00:48:13.46
you've mentioned
this several times
00:48:13.49\00:48:15.72
that the Spirit of adoption,
00:48:15.76\00:48:19.73
it is by the Holy
Spirit of God living in us.
00:48:19.76\00:48:23.06
When He is in us,
00:48:23.10\00:48:25.30
then that's how we
develop that relationship
00:48:25.33\00:48:29.94
and learn to walk in
rhythm as children of the light
00:48:29.97\00:48:32.94
because when He is in us,
00:48:32.97\00:48:36.58
now we look to God
as the perfect Father,
00:48:36.61\00:48:40.62
and we cry out, "Abba."
00:48:40.65\00:48:43.35
And Abba was an
Aramaic word, very intimate.
00:48:43.39\00:48:47.12
It meant Papa.
00:48:47.16\00:48:48.92
We'd say "Daddy" maybe.
00:48:48.96\00:48:51.19
Did you know the Jews
never use the word "Abba"
00:48:51.23\00:48:55.86
when they were speaking
of God or praying to God?
00:48:55.90\00:48:59.10
I found that interesting.
00:48:59.13\00:49:01.10
So this is something new,
00:49:01.14\00:49:04.31
it's looking at
this relationship
00:49:04.34\00:49:07.68
that God wants
00:49:07.71\00:49:09.04
such an intimate
relationship with you
00:49:09.08\00:49:12.51
that when you pray to Him,
00:49:12.55\00:49:14.02
when you're in
trouble, you'll cry out
00:49:14.05\00:49:16.28
"Oh, Papa, God.
00:49:16.32\00:49:18.25
Oh, Papa, Abba."
00:49:18.29\00:49:21.22
And then He goes on and says,
00:49:21.26\00:49:23.76
"The Spirit Himself
bears witness with us
00:49:23.79\00:49:29.40
that with our spirit
00:49:29.43\00:49:30.77
that we are the children of God,
00:49:30.80\00:49:33.87
and if children, then heirs,
00:49:33.90\00:49:36.30
heirs of God and
joint heirs with Christ.
00:49:36.34\00:49:39.91
If indeed we suffer with Him
00:49:39.94\00:49:42.74
that we also may be
glorified together."
00:49:42.78\00:49:46.01
So He is the...
00:49:46.05\00:49:48.32
He is leading
us as His children.
00:49:48.35\00:49:52.75
And, you know,
I always say this.
00:49:52.79\00:49:55.19
I believe, and I
have come to understand
00:49:55.22\00:49:58.26
God is a perfect Father.
00:49:58.29\00:49:59.63
I'm not going to say
00:49:59.66\00:50:01.00
that I
understand the love of God.
00:50:01.03\00:50:02.36
I don't know that I
still understand truly.
00:50:02.40\00:50:05.27
I mean, I have it
here, but I don't know here
00:50:05.30\00:50:08.27
that I totally understand
00:50:08.30\00:50:10.74
the privilege
of being His child.
00:50:10.77\00:50:13.07
You know, it's
kind of like mentally
00:50:13.11\00:50:14.64
I can say that, but I
think if we truly understood,
00:50:14.68\00:50:18.68
we wouldn't box in God
with such little bitty prayers.
00:50:18.71\00:50:22.38
But I know
enough about God's love
00:50:22.42\00:50:26.49
that I can totally trust Him
00:50:26.52\00:50:27.99
that He has my
eternal benefit in mind.
00:50:28.02\00:50:30.69
And so I actually
pray and will say,
00:50:30.73\00:50:35.30
"Father, please discipline
me, give me an ear to hear."
00:50:35.33\00:50:39.90
And this is the reason why...
00:50:39.93\00:50:42.20
He's going to anyway,
isn't He? As He's our Father.
00:50:42.24\00:50:46.64
But if you've
got the ear to hear,
00:50:46.68\00:50:49.38
what does a loving
Father do at first?
00:50:49.41\00:50:53.21
"Child, no, no."
00:50:53.25\00:50:55.48
Or maybe just the looking,
guides us with his eye, right?
00:50:55.52\00:50:59.89
So even though
you're not tuned into that,
00:50:59.92\00:51:04.89
then He has to maybe say it
00:51:04.93\00:51:06.73
a little
louder, a little louder.
00:51:06.76\00:51:08.33
And if you are not...
00:51:08.36\00:51:09.76
You know, the punishment,
the more we ignore it,
00:51:09.80\00:51:11.97
the more the punishment
00:51:12.00\00:51:13.90
or the discipline,
I should say, comes.
00:51:13.94\00:51:16.40
But let's...
00:51:16.44\00:51:17.77
Now since we've
read these scriptures,
00:51:17.81\00:51:19.54
let me jump back to
one of my very favorite...
00:51:19.57\00:51:22.54
'Cause it started with this,
I just left it before He said,
00:51:22.58\00:51:26.21
"As many as are led
by the Spirit of God,
00:51:26.25\00:51:28.75
these are the sons of God."
00:51:28.78\00:51:30.25
He actually in
verse 13 says this,
00:51:30.29\00:51:33.56
"If you live
according to the flesh,"
00:51:33.59\00:51:35.86
what's going to happen?
00:51:35.89\00:51:37.23
You will die. "You die.
00:51:37.26\00:51:38.59
But if by the
power of the Holy Spirit,
00:51:38.63\00:51:44.83
you put to death the deeds
of the body, you will live."
00:51:44.87\00:51:49.40
So what that tells me is
00:51:49.44\00:51:52.64
when I have the
Holy Spirit in me,
00:51:52.67\00:51:56.81
He is not...
00:51:56.85\00:51:58.18
Just because I've said,
00:51:58.21\00:51:59.55
"I yield, I want
to give You control,
00:51:59.58\00:52:01.45
I want to surrender to You."
00:52:01.48\00:52:03.25
The Holy Spirit...
00:52:03.28\00:52:04.69
God never forces
us to do anything.
00:52:04.72\00:52:07.56
But now, here
you see in verse 13.
00:52:07.59\00:52:10.76
"If by the
Spirit you put to death
00:52:10.79\00:52:13.36
the misdeeds of the flesh."
00:52:13.40\00:52:15.10
So it's the Spirit and you.
00:52:15.13\00:52:17.50
So He's not going to force you,
00:52:17.53\00:52:19.53
but you can't do it without Him.
00:52:19.57\00:52:21.47
See that's very, very crucial
00:52:21.50\00:52:22.84
because sin shall not
have dominion over you.
00:52:22.87\00:52:25.67
That's right.
00:52:25.71\00:52:27.04
If you stop doing an act...
00:52:27.08\00:52:29.24
There are some things
you can do by force of will,
00:52:29.28\00:52:31.91
but you haven't
gotten victory over that,
00:52:31.95\00:52:33.58
you just stopped doing it
00:52:33.62\00:52:34.95
because unless
that sin is repented of,
00:52:34.98\00:52:37.42
then it's still there.
00:52:37.45\00:52:38.79
It's on your record,
it's still against you.
00:52:38.82\00:52:40.66
So if I womanize, and one day,
00:52:40.69\00:52:43.09
"Okay, I'm not
doing it anymore."
00:52:43.12\00:52:44.46
But I need to
repent of those past acts,
00:52:44.49\00:52:47.33
and the only real victory
that I get is the victory
00:52:47.36\00:52:50.77
that I get through
00:52:50.80\00:52:52.13
the Holy Spirit's
working in my life,
00:52:52.17\00:52:53.97
not through stopping
something of my own will.
00:52:54.00\00:52:56.14
You get no credit for
that kind of righteousness
00:52:56.17\00:52:57.81
'cause that's kind
of self-righteousness.
00:52:57.84\00:52:59.51
"I do it, so I did it."
Well, that's not enough.
00:52:59.54\00:53:02.54
God's got to do that
through you, that's sufficient.
00:53:02.58\00:53:05.38
Absolutely right.
00:53:05.41\00:53:06.75
You know, in
following along with this,
00:53:06.78\00:53:08.82
it's so easy to
get ourselves caught
00:53:08.85\00:53:10.62
over here in a situation
00:53:10.65\00:53:13.02
that we don't
want to be caught in.
00:53:13.05\00:53:14.46
So here we are,
00:53:14.49\00:53:15.82
we're continually
fighting this battle,
00:53:15.86\00:53:17.19
and so I was doing the study,
00:53:17.23\00:53:18.63
this really caught my attention.
00:53:18.66\00:53:20.10
And this is
just black and white,
00:53:20.13\00:53:23.03
but, to me, it was
a profound statement.
00:53:23.06\00:53:26.60
And it was talking
about excessive indulgence.
00:53:26.63\00:53:32.34
And the
definition was the appetite,
00:53:32.37\00:53:36.61
well, let's
just say, the hunger,
00:53:36.64\00:53:37.98
but the appetite
increases in proportion
00:53:38.01\00:53:40.35
to its indulgence.
00:53:40.38\00:53:42.45
Wow!
00:53:42.48\00:53:44.35
It's kind of like
you'd never get fed
00:53:44.39\00:53:48.12
because you
continually want more.
00:53:48.16\00:53:51.29
And so, you know, you
got the meter up here,
00:53:51.33\00:53:55.93
where is the needle?
00:53:55.96\00:53:58.17
I mean, is it
going to be on evil side
00:53:58.20\00:54:01.57
or is it flesh side
00:54:01.60\00:54:03.24
or is it going to
be on the Spirit side?
00:54:03.27\00:54:06.44
But, you know, but the...
00:54:06.47\00:54:08.68
This is a principle.
00:54:08.71\00:54:11.35
The appetite increases
00:54:11.38\00:54:13.15
in proportion to its indulgence.
00:54:13.18\00:54:15.28
It goes back, Shelley,
to the story about the dog.
00:54:15.32\00:54:18.79
Whoever is fed
00:54:18.82\00:54:21.16
is the one that's
going to have the strength.
00:54:21.19\00:54:24.26
And we didn't tell
that story, so kind of...
00:54:24.29\00:54:26.49
It was just...
00:54:26.53\00:54:27.86
So if you are watching
at home, it's just that...
00:54:27.90\00:54:31.30
It's talking about two
dogs in a fighting ring.
00:54:31.33\00:54:34.30
And one would win one
week, one would win the other.
00:54:34.34\00:54:37.61
And the idea was people
were trying to figure out
00:54:37.64\00:54:41.38
how this guy could
bring these, in one time,
00:54:41.41\00:54:44.48
the shepherd would beat
00:54:44.51\00:54:45.85
the daylights
out of the pit bull,
00:54:45.88\00:54:47.82
and the other day, the pit bull
00:54:47.85\00:54:49.48
would beat the
daylights out of the shepherd.
00:54:49.52\00:54:52.19
And somebody asked
him, "How do you do this?"
00:54:52.22\00:54:55.69
And he said it's simple,
"The one who gets fed wins."
00:54:55.72\00:54:59.09
So if we sow to the Spirit,
the Spirit's going to win.
00:54:59.13\00:55:03.13
If we sow to the flesh,
the flesh is going to win.
00:55:03.16\00:55:06.33
Mollie says it quite
often, "What you feed, grows,
00:55:06.37\00:55:09.04
what you starve, dies."
00:55:09.07\00:55:11.14
And I remember,
00:55:11.17\00:55:12.61
when I quit eating
all sugar, I was fine.
00:55:12.64\00:55:17.21
But then I thought
00:55:17.25\00:55:18.58
that I could have a
little bit of sugar.
00:55:18.61\00:55:21.95
And the minute you
start eating a little bit,
00:55:21.98\00:55:24.65
you keep wanting more
00:55:24.69\00:55:26.15
and more till
again you're addicted.
00:55:26.19\00:55:28.22
So now I'm back into no-sugar
to get over the addiction.
00:55:28.26\00:55:33.60
You know, it's been...
00:55:33.63\00:55:34.96
And that was...
00:55:35.00\00:55:36.33
The cigarettes, I did
not quit my own smoking,
00:55:36.36\00:55:39.37
God delivered me from that.
00:55:39.40\00:55:40.74
Absolutely.
00:55:40.77\00:55:42.10
And so I am not an
ex-smoker, I am a non-smoker.
00:55:42.14\00:55:45.27
Amen. Amen, amen.
00:55:45.31\00:55:46.68
But the reason I'm
giving you a high-five is
00:55:46.71\00:55:48.71
'cause I have been without sugar
00:55:48.74\00:55:51.45
for several months.
00:55:51.48\00:55:53.18
And the interesting
thing is zero temptation.
00:55:53.21\00:55:58.12
And for those of you
who used to write and say,
00:55:58.15\00:56:01.02
"Shame on Shelley Quinn
00:56:01.06\00:56:02.39
for talking about
loving M&M's peanuts."
00:56:02.42\00:56:04.59
Guess what?
00:56:04.63\00:56:05.96
God has delivered me
from my M&M's peanuts.
00:56:05.99\00:56:09.56
And I know that for a fact
00:56:09.60\00:56:11.10
because when we've got bags
00:56:11.13\00:56:14.24
of M&M's at home right now,
00:56:14.27\00:56:18.17
and I'm not the
least bit tempted.
00:56:18.21\00:56:21.08
That's a fighter.
00:56:21.11\00:56:22.44
I'm delivered
from M&M's peanuts.
00:56:22.48\00:56:24.51
I'm not delivered from
butterfingers yet, so...
00:56:24.55\00:56:27.98
But the point is...
00:56:28.02\00:56:29.35
Jesus wants you
to share those M&M's
00:56:29.38\00:56:30.72
with me by the way.
00:56:30.75\00:56:33.46
The point is Romans 13:14
is that where it says that,
00:56:33.49\00:56:37.53
Paul says, "Make no
provision for the flesh."
00:56:37.56\00:56:41.70
So, you know,
we've got to do that.
00:56:41.73\00:56:44.10
And, you know,
our time is nearly up.
00:56:44.13\00:56:46.87
I cannot believe
this, it has just begun.
00:56:46.90\00:56:50.84
And, yeah, I just...
00:56:50.87\00:56:53.24
We're so thankful
that you joined us.
00:56:53.27\00:56:55.04
We hope that you have
gleaned something special
00:56:55.08\00:56:58.41
that God has spoken to you
00:56:58.45\00:57:00.32
through one of these scriptures,
00:57:00.35\00:57:01.88
and that you can understand
the beauty of being His child.
00:57:01.92\00:57:06.45
CA, thank you
for joining us, Dee,
00:57:06.49\00:57:08.62
always a pleasure to
have you, of course, honey,
00:57:08.66\00:57:11.99
and then my precious Sister
and boss now, Jill, and Tim,
00:57:12.03\00:57:17.70
thank you again,
thank you for playing.
00:57:17.73\00:57:19.87
Our prayer for you
00:57:19.90\00:57:21.60
is that the grace of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
00:57:21.64\00:57:25.87
the love of the Father,
00:57:25.91\00:57:27.24
and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit
00:57:27.28\00:57:29.74
will be yours today and always.
00:57:29.78\00:57:32.31