Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW018014A
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00:01 I want to 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 00:29 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 broken people 01:10 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Family Worship. 01:13 We're so glad 01:15 that you are joining us this Sabbath for worship 01:17 because you're part of the family. 01:19 And we also have the family 01:22 with whom we work sitting at the table with us. 01:25 JD, you want to introduce? I most certainly will. 01:29 Do I start with Mr. Formal over here. 01:31 We got Tim. 01:34 We have Tim, and we just love Tim. 01:36 Next to him, we got our precious Jill. 01:38 Jill, then we got our precious Dee, 01:41 and then we have our precious CA. 01:42 Yes. 01:43 And, of course, this is my precious Shelley, 01:46 and I'm her little precious boy. 01:47 That's true. 01:49 Anyway, this is Sabbath, 01:51 and we just love each and every one of you, 01:52 and just welcome 01:54 that we can be in your homes today. 01:56 And I recently got a letter from a little lady saying, 02:00 "We are waving back at you when you say hello." 02:03 So everybody, let's wave. 02:04 Wave. All right. 02:07 Big wave. We're so glad. 02:08 Tonight, we will be talking about a child of God. 02:13 That's what we are. 02:14 I don't know that we all can appreciate 02:16 what that really means. 02:17 But before we get into the program, 02:21 let's have a prayer and do a song. 02:23 Jill, you want to have our prayer? 02:24 Sure. Absolutely. 02:26 Holy Father, we come before You 02:27 in the name of Jesus, 02:28 and we thank You for the privilege of coming 02:31 into Your presence. 02:32 We thank You 02:33 that we can call you Abba, Daddy. 02:36 We thank You that You love us 02:37 with an everlasting love and for the gift of salvation. 02:42 And right now, 02:43 we enter Your courts with thanksgiving 02:45 and Your gates with praise. 02:47 We thank You for who You are, for what You have done, 02:52 for the gift of the Holy Spirit that we ask for just now 02:55 as we open up Your Word as we read and study together, 02:59 that You would illuminate our minds 03:01 to what You have in Your Word You would speak to us. 03:04 And we thank You in the precious 03:06 and holy name of Jesus. 03:08 Amen Amen. 03:09 Amen. Thank you. 03:11 This song that we are going to sing is 03:14 "God will take care of you". 03:15 This is number 99 in your hymnal. 03:18 But if you don't have a hymnal with you, 03:20 the words will be on the screen. 03:21 Please sing with us. 03:29 Be not dismayed whate'er betide 03:34 God will take care of you 03:40 Beneath His wings of love abide 03:45 God will take care of you 03:51 God will take care of you 03:56 Through every day, o'er all the way 04:02 He will take care of you 04:08 God will take care 04:11 Of you 04:15 All you may need, He will provide 04:20 God will take care of you 04:26 Nothing you ask will be denied 04:31 God will take care of you 04:36 God will take care of you 04:42 Through every day, o'er all the way 04:47 He will take care of you 04:54 God will take care of you 05:01 No matter what may be the test 05:07 God will take care of you 05:12 Lean, weary one, upon His breast 05:17 God will take care of you 05:23 God will take care of you 05:28 Through every day, o'er all the way 05:34 He will take care 05:37 Of you 05:41 God will take care 05:45 Of you 05:50 Amen and amen. Amen. 05:51 I love that song. Amen. 05:53 Amen. Amen. 05:54 And we would just want to thank our Brother Tim 05:57 for accompanying us on the piano. 06:01 So a child of God, 06:03 do you think any of us understand 06:04 what it really means to be a child of God? 06:07 Let me do this. 06:09 I will read an affirmation 06:11 that has been built from a number of scriptures 06:14 that we will discuss tonight. 06:16 And aren't you glad it's Sabbath? 06:17 Amen. Amen. 06:19 When the Sabbath rolls in. Amen. 06:22 So this is an affirmation called 06:25 "A child of God." 06:27 "Through my faith and Jesus Christ as my Savior, 06:30 I became a child of God. 06:33 What manner of love this is that God has bestowed on me. 06:36 I know I am His child 06:40 because I practice righteousness, 06:42 His right way of thinking and walking. 06:45 I walk in His light separating myself from evil. 06:49 With open arms, God receives me. 06:51 He causes me to be blameless 06:54 and to shine as a bright star in this dark world. 06:58 I know I am His child 07:01 because I am led by the Holy Spirit. 07:03 The Spirit Himself bears witness 07:06 that I am God's child, 07:07 I have received the Spirit of adoption 07:11 by whom I cry out to God, Abba, Father." 07:16 And this, we will see 07:19 as we go through our scriptures 07:23 where this affirmation came from. 07:25 And an affirmation is just simply taking 07:28 the promises of God. 07:29 And did you know that even all of His commandments 07:31 are promises? 07:33 Amen. Amen. 07:34 His promises of what He will cause us to be. 07:38 And you just take that scripture 07:40 and pray it back to God or speak it over your life, 07:42 and isn't there a lot of power in doing that? 07:46 It's life transforming, at least, in my own experience, 07:48 it has been. 07:50 To realize that I can take the Word of God, 07:51 that you can claim the Word of God 07:53 and stand on those promises, 07:55 and then pray it over your life 07:57 and that God causes that to come to fruition. 07:59 It's just incredible. And you know what it does? 08:01 It renews your mind. 08:02 Our minds are programmed, honestly, 08:05 in such a negative way most of the time, 08:08 but when you start speaking the Word of God, 08:11 faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. 08:15 And there is nothing more faith-building 08:17 than to speak the Word of God and hear it with your voice. 08:22 Jill, do you want to kick us off here? 08:24 I think you have John 1:12. 08:27 I do, and this is probably one of my favorite scriptures. 08:30 Shelley, when she sends the email out, she always says, 08:32 "Pick the scripture you want." 08:34 And I picked this one. 08:35 I said, "If nobody else has that, 08:37 I'll take this." 08:38 I love the scripture. 08:39 John 1, so open up your Bibles at home. 08:41 We're going to John 1:12. 08:45 And I love this topic, Shelley, 08:47 "Child of God" because in my own experience, 08:52 I think it was years before I understood 08:55 that I was actually God's daughter, 08:57 that I could be God's child. 08:59 I spent my entire childhood and adolescence 09:03 trying to be good enough to merit God's favor, 09:09 trying to think if I worked hard enough, 09:12 if I obeyed the commandments better, 09:14 if I didn't sin 09:16 or didn't do whatever that somehow 09:19 God would accept me as His daughter. 09:23 And that's why this topic, I'm thrilled with. 09:26 Because there's nothing 09:27 that we do or don't do, of course, 09:31 that means God loves us any less, 09:33 but this is pivotal in my own walk 09:35 and experience with God, this John 1:12. 09:38 We'll read it first, 09:40 and then I want to look at four words 09:42 that are in this passage. 09:44 Now Shelley has it from the New American Standard. 09:47 This is from the book. 09:49 We'll read it from there, 09:50 and then I want to read it from New King James as well. 09:52 It says, "But as many as received Him to them 09:55 he gave the right to become children of God." 10:00 Now in the New King James, which is the Bible I have here, 10:04 it says, "But as many as received Him, to them, 10:06 He gave the right 10:08 to become children of God 10:10 to those who believe in His name." 10:15 So there's four words 10:16 that I want to look at here for my portion. 10:18 And the words are received, 10:21 right, children, and believe. 10:24 So the first word, 10:25 "As many as received Him, to them, 10:28 He gave the right to become the children of God." 10:30 So if I'm to understand 10:32 what it means to become a daughter of the King, 10:35 what it means to become a child, 10:36 I have to know how to receive Him, right? 10:39 I have to receive Him first before I become the child. 10:42 So the word "receive" in Greek 10:44 actually means to actively lay hold of, 10:49 to accept with initiative. 10:52 In Greek, there's a couple words 10:53 for receiving. 10:55 One is more passive, 10:56 like you sit back and it's bestowed on you. 10:59 This one involves us. 11:01 We have to do a little bit of action 11:04 in order to receive. 11:06 In other words, God says, "I want you as My child. 11:09 I want you to become My child, but you have to receive, 11:13 reach out by faith." 11:15 We have to accept Him. So that's the first word. 11:18 The second one is to them He gave the right, 11:22 the word is "right", 11:23 the right to become children of God. 11:25 Now in King James, it says He gave the power, 11:28 but I think right is a much better translation, 11:30 'cause if you look in Greek, 11:31 there's different words for power. 11:33 One is "dunamis", right? 11:34 Meaning that miracle-working power, 11:36 that inherent power, but this word is exousia. 11:40 I don't know how to pronounce that exactly. 11:42 Exousia. Exousia. 11:44 Thank you, Pastor. 11:45 So that would mean the right or authority. 11:48 So if we receive Him, 11:50 we reach out by faith and accept Him, 11:52 what happens? 11:53 He gives us the authority to become a child of God. 11:57 So that means we can walk around and say, 12:00 "I am a daughter of the King, I am a Son of God. 12:05 I am a child of God." 12:07 We have that right as it were to say that. 12:11 I love that. 12:14 When I went away to college, I remember my daddy saying, 12:17 I was a Penny before I became a Morikone and married Greg, 12:20 and I remember him saying, "Remember who you are." 12:24 In other words, remember your last name, 12:27 remember that you're a daughter of the Penny's. 12:30 Remember that when you go, who you represent as it were. 12:35 So we have the right, the privilege to say, 12:39 "I am a child of God." 12:41 So it says, "As many as received Him, 12:43 we actively reach out by faith and receive Him. 12:46 To them, He gave the right," the authority, 12:49 "to become children of God." 12:51 The children of God means we are His children. 12:56 Now there's a word in Greek for sons or daughters, 12:58 this one is for both, right? 12:59 Sons and daughters, 13:00 we can become the children of God, 13:02 and then the last word I want to look at is "believe", 13:05 to those who believe in His name. 13:09 Now the received is past, right? 13:12 It occurred in the past. 13:13 "As many as received Him..." 13:15 Now believe is actually present tense as well, meaning, 13:19 in other words, yes, we believe on Jesus, 13:23 but we need to continue to believe. 13:24 It's not a once believe, way in the past, 13:27 and then we kind of throw that off, 13:28 but we continue to believe. 13:30 And as we actively continue to believe what happens, 13:33 we are the children of God. 13:36 And the other verse, 13:37 just quickly, is Galatians 3:26, 13:40 it says "You are all sons of God 13:42 through faith in Christ Jesus." 13:45 So we claim this by faith, we become sons of God. 13:49 But, you know, sometimes I think, 13:51 even though we read this, 13:52 and that's the beauty of praying it and speaking it 13:57 and going over it in your mind, 13:59 because don't you feel 14:00 that we so take for granted the idea in... 14:05 I don't want to say... 14:07 We take it as truth, 14:09 but I don't think we recognize the privilege. 14:12 Yes. 14:13 Dee, I think that you've went through that, didn't you? 14:16 Oh, yes, many times. 14:19 See, for instance, 1 John 3:1, where it says, 14:24 "Behold, what manner of love, 14:27 the Father has bestowed on us 14:29 that we should be called children of God." 14:33 Wow! 14:34 I didn't... 14:36 I didn't understand that love. 14:37 See, to me, that's so important, 14:39 "Behold, what manner of love," what is God's love? 14:43 That we can accept what Jill just said 14:45 and receive it 14:48 and also feel like we have the authority to do that. 14:52 Because I came out of the world, 14:53 love was very polluted as a word. 14:58 Its meaning was very secular. 15:01 So God loves you, 15:02 "Well, lots of people have loved me, 15:05 you know, and just..." 15:06 "So what?" 15:08 And I believed other things. 15:09 I didn't have total truth, 15:11 so what I knew about God was not true. 15:13 So I knew, yes, He loves everybody else, 15:16 but does He love me? 15:18 And can I ask you a quick question? 15:19 Mm-hmm. 15:21 You grew up in some dysfunction as did I. 15:23 My father was killed when I was sick. 15:25 Was it difficult for you to accept God 15:28 as being a perfect Father? 15:30 No. No? 15:31 It was... 15:32 I've heard other people talk about that 15:34 because of this dysfunction or the viewpoint 15:37 they had in their father. 15:38 They didn't want God. 15:40 I wanted a father so bad 15:42 that I turned to God very easily 15:45 to accept Him, 15:47 and especially as I got further down my walk, 15:51 I could call Him Abba. 15:53 Once I understood the love, 15:55 the manner, what manner of love, 15:57 once I learned about agape love. 16:01 The definition of agape love 16:04 is putting every other needs before your own. 16:09 It's a sacrificial, unselfish love. 16:13 It has nothing to do with the world. 16:15 So once I understood that manner of love, 16:20 then I could see that God saw me 16:23 through different eyes, 16:25 not the way anybody else saw me. 16:28 So then, "Okay, now I understand. 16:31 He loves me in an agape way, 16:33 and that's why I could be a child." 16:36 But before I could accept all of that... 16:40 There is another verse that really speaks to me. 16:46 And that happens to be 16:48 in Philippians 2... 16:53 What was that again? 15. 16:55 2:15, okay. 16:57 Now I'm going to start in verse 14 where it says, 17:00 "Do all things 17:01 without complaining and disputing, 17:03 that you may become..." 17:06 Yes, you would. It's good. 17:08 "Blameless and harmless children of God 17:11 without the fault in the midst of a crooked 17:14 and perverse generation, 17:16 among whom you shine as lights in the world." 17:20 I came out of that world. 17:23 I looked at that, and I went, "Wow! 17:26 What a miracle God has done," 17:28 because when I was in the world, 17:30 it's easy to complain, blame other people, 17:33 this isn't fair, that's not right, 17:35 this is not fair, that was very easy to say. 17:40 But when you put them together and you start learning. 17:44 God can change you to such an amazing degree, 17:50 and you understand 17:51 that agape love flowing through you, 17:53 and you desperately want to give it back out again, 17:57 but it's through God and through the Holy Spirit 18:00 that you can become blameless and harmless. 18:02 There is no way, 18:03 when I first became a Christian, that I understood 18:05 that I could become blameless or harmless, 18:11 it just wasn't in my... 18:13 I didn't understand that, 18:14 so it was hard for me to accept that I could be a Christian. 18:18 Other people could, but I was too deep. 18:23 Love lifted me, 18:24 and it was the agape love that lifted me. 18:28 So that now I also don't fear of meeting other people 18:32 that might have known me back then, 18:34 because it's like, 18:36 "I know you, you know, 18:37 you don't tell me you're a Christian." 18:39 "Oh, no. That man is dead." 18:42 So that proves my very point that God exists. 18:46 If God could change me, 18:47 if He could take the blackness of me 18:51 and make me blameless and harmless, 18:55 He can save anybody. 18:57 I don't care what you've done. And it is His work, right? 19:00 Yes, He saved me, His love, 19:03 He fills me with the Holy Spirit, 19:05 He buries all the sin and the blackness. 19:10 It's not so much... 19:11 He doesn't cover the blackness, He lets it... 19:13 He fills me with light so the darkness flows out. 19:16 Amen. That's good. 19:18 He fills you with light so that it goes away. 19:19 It doesn't exist. 19:21 It can't exist in the lightness. 19:22 And that's why we examine ourselves to see 19:26 or where the blackness is left, 19:27 but the most important thing is taking it in steps. 19:32 I couldn't accept that I had the authority 19:35 to be a child of God 19:37 until I understood the love of God, 19:39 and that He does change you, He comes in, 19:42 and then you can be a light to the world. 19:44 You don't have to... 19:45 You can hold your head up and say, 19:47 "Yes, I'm a daughter of God. 19:50 Abba, Father, I cry out to You." 19:53 And He is my Father, my perfect Father, 19:56 which allows me to love the earthly people 20:01 that my parents and others that may have hurt me, 20:06 it allows me to love them and see them in God's eyes 20:09 and not my own. 20:11 You know, this scripture, 20:13 has always been 20:15 one of my favorites to speak out. 20:18 It is an affirmation. 20:19 And I remember, 20:20 when we were living on the farm in Coleman, Texas, 20:23 I had to walk Cupie and Teesie were our little yorkies, 20:26 I had to walk them on a leash because Cupie would... 20:31 She'd bolt out after any rabbit. 20:33 I mean, she would just run away all the time. 20:35 So I'm probably the only person in the world 20:37 that lived on a farm 20:39 and walked their dogs on a leash. 20:41 But I went out one night, 20:43 and the sky was just like black velvet, 20:47 and you know when you're out... 20:48 How far out is it? Seven miles out of town? 20:50 Five. 20:52 Five miles out of town, so there's no lights around, 20:55 there were so many millions of stars, 20:57 and I looked up, and I said, 21:00 "Lord, is that what You see 21:01 when You look down at the world?" 21:03 "Do You see a world of darkness?" 21:05 And every one of Your children is like, 21:09 you know, it says here that, 21:10 "You're like star, You shine as stars." 21:14 Shine as lights. 21:16 "As lights in the universe," and I thought, 21:19 "Oh, so here's a big star, 21:21 this is somebody that's out evangelizing, 21:23 but here's this other little star over there." 21:25 I feel like, "Oh, that's me." 21:27 And, you know, it is interesting 21:29 because the world 21:31 would be very dark 21:33 without God's light in it, would it not? 21:34 That's right. Very much true, very true. 21:38 I was listening the other day, 21:39 and someone was saying that when you see a tree, 21:43 no matter how tall it grows, you have to realize 21:45 that there is that much superstructure 21:47 under the ground, that's undergirding that. 21:50 What is interesting 21:51 is that the biggest of the trees 21:53 we have in North America, that's big red wood trees. 21:54 They have actually very shallow root system. 21:57 And they exist by holding onto each other underground. 21:59 So they grow in clusters. 22:01 They don't have deep root systems. 22:02 It's the interconnectivity that keeps them standing. 22:06 So when you see them, you see them in clumps. 22:08 You see several together 22:09 because if they are not in clumps... 22:11 Yeah that's a sermon in itself. 22:12 If they're not in clumps, they'll be on the ground 22:14 because the tree is so large. 22:16 It occurs to me that the foundation, 22:19 the superstructure of John is 1 John 4:8, 22:23 "He that loveth not, 22:24 knoweth not God for God is love." 22:26 That's what's under the ground, that's the foundation. 22:30 And everything that's above ground 22:33 that we see is based on that foundation 22:35 that God is love 22:36 because John is the most relational 22:39 of all the New Testament apostles. 22:43 He is very... 22:45 I would almost say, a social gospel, 22:47 but it is more a gospel of society. 22:49 He is very much into love, 22:51 as being the foundation for everything that happens 22:55 in the Christian life. 22:56 It's a preexisting condition. 22:59 Now in medicine, a preexisting condition 23:01 will get you kicked out of your plan. 23:03 But in the spiritual room, 23:06 a preexisting condition is necessary 23:08 for the plan to even kick into gear. 23:10 So the preexisting condition is the fact 23:13 that we love Him because He first loved us. 23:16 And everything else in John is built on that. 23:19 He uses love or loved or loveth 55 times. 23:23 Now 1, 2, and 3 John are not long books. 23:25 You got 2 John, one book, 3 John, one book, 23:28 and five chapters in 1. 23:32 So in that little bit of space, 55 times, 23:35 he uses those words 23:36 because it's so central to everything 23:39 that he is about. 23:41 The first time he uses it is 1 John 2:5. 23:45 So he gets started early 23:47 and then he used that word often. 23:48 It's there, it's there, 23:49 it's there, it's there, it's there. 23:51 And it's so crucial. 23:52 So now, the word love 23:54 in its verbal sense is used 40 times. 23:57 So now we come to 1 John 3:10, 24:00 which is just a great little passage of scripture, 24:02 it really is. 24:03 "By this, the children of God 24:06 and the children of the devil are obvious," 24:09 or known, "anyone who does not practice 24:12 righteousness is not of God 24:15 nor the one who does not love his brother." 24:18 Isn't it interesting 24:20 that he equates righteousness and love for your brother 24:24 there in the same pot. 24:25 They're part of the same stew. 24:28 You cannot really have one without the other. 24:30 So he's saying, 24:32 "One of the things that reveals your love for God, 24:36 the righteousness in your life, 24:38 is how you treat those for whom Christ died." 24:42 They are intimately interconnected, 24:46 this idea of the family of God. 24:49 One of my favorite texts 24:51 is 1 John 1:7, 24:56 "If we walk in the light as He is in the light," 25:00 what's the first thing, he gives you? 25:01 Fellowship. Fellowships. 25:02 So he is right back there again, 25:04 you get fellowship. 25:05 So if you're walking in the light, 25:07 one of the things you get to do is what we are doing right now. 25:09 We are fellowshipping, you know. 25:11 And, the ice cream, 25:13 the cherry on the top of the sundae, 25:15 "The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sins." 25:17 But he starts out. 25:19 One of the things you get is people 25:20 who walk with you, who walk alongside you, 25:23 who share your burdens, you get to have that, 25:25 you get to sit down at the table 25:27 and encourage one another in the Lord. 25:29 So that if you're ever feeling lonely, 25:31 there's somebody you could get on a phone and say, 25:32 "Hey, Tim, man, give me your word." 25:34 You know. And you got the word. 25:36 "Shelley, give me your word," and you got the word, 25:38 because we're walking the same way. 25:40 So even though you feel alone, you're never really alone. 25:44 Going back to Jill's wonderful text, 25:46 Hebrews 13:5 and 6, 25:50 I put them both together because they run together. 25:53 We can boldly say God is our helper. 25:56 You know, you don't have to be squeamish about that, 25:57 I can boldly say, 25:59 He's got my back because I'm with Him, 26:02 you know, so I'm not alone, 26:03 even though sometimes life throws you things, 26:05 and you feel like you're the only one, 26:08 you know, only one still struggling with Lord, 26:10 Lord says "Now I've got seven backs. 26:12 You're not by yourself, 26:14 there's a whole bunch of people going through 26:15 what you are going through, and you're not alone." 26:19 So I can boldly say, "God helps me." 26:21 I'm not bragging, I'm not showing off, 26:23 I'm just telling the truth. 26:24 When I'm down, He lifts me up. 26:26 When I'm broke, 26:27 He finds a way to put some money 26:29 into my pocket. 26:30 When I'm lonely, I get the understanding 26:32 that I'm not really alone for God is by my side. 26:37 So the word for practice 26:42 is poieo. 26:45 It's a strong word. It's a really strong word. 26:49 Greek is the language of the New Testament, 26:51 but it's coinage Greek, it's street Greek, you know. 26:54 So it's got a lot of jargon in it. 26:56 It has texture, you know, it has nuance. 27:01 Some words are kind of light, 27:02 other words got a little punch to them, 27:05 and this one has one. 27:06 This one has a little punch to it. 27:08 This is not just 27:09 "occasionally feel like doing good," 27:11 this is someone who practiced, who habitually serves the Lord, 27:14 who chooses invariably when trouble comes, 27:18 "I'm going on God's way." 27:21 It's a strong word. 27:23 So it's righteousness as a way of life, 27:25 not just occasionally doing right, 27:27 but consistently deciding to do 27:30 what's right as you know what is right to do 27:32 and choosing to do right. 27:34 So when you practice that, when you practice doing right, 27:39 then it becomes obvious 27:41 that you are a child of the light. 27:43 That's what he's saying, when I look at Tim, 27:45 when I look at Jill, when I look at Shelley, 27:47 when I look at JD, when I look at Dee, 27:49 I see in them something that is attractive to me, 27:54 and that's doing right. 27:57 Righteousness is right doing. 27:59 It's more than right planning, more than right thinking, 28:01 more than right intentions, it's doing right. 28:05 And when you do right, people can see it in you. 28:08 Shelley, she does right. She's doing right. 28:10 Jill, she's doing right. 28:11 "Hey, I want that, 28:13 you know, I want that in my life." 28:16 So the children of God are manifest 28:19 by the righteousness in their life. 28:22 When a person is living for the Lord, 28:25 even your dog and cat will know. 28:27 You know, everybody's going to know. 28:29 You know, when you're doing right, 28:30 people can say, "I see that in them. 28:33 I see it." And it's attractive. 28:35 It is one of those things 28:37 that provokes people to jealousy, Shelley. 28:39 It provokes... 28:41 "Why is their life..." 28:42 And it's not that your life is trouble-free. 28:45 It's that your life is dedicated to God 28:48 so that things work together for the Lord. 28:51 In one of the other Family Worships, 28:53 I was looking 28:54 at 2 Corinthians 2:15. 28:59 "Now thanks be to God 29:00 who always causes us to triumph in Jesus Christ." 29:04 Consistently causes us to triumph, why? 29:07 Because we are in Christ Jesus, 29:09 and when you are in Christ Jesus, 29:11 the default setting is victory. 29:14 Victory is going to come if you are in Christ Jesus. 29:16 So in this, the children of God 29:19 and the children of devil are obvious, 29:21 they are made manifest, you can see it. 29:24 Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God. 29:28 So John's not dancing with this. 29:30 He's telling you, "If you don't do right, 29:32 you can't say you're right. 29:34 If you're not doing right, you're not right." 29:36 You know, if you don't do right, 29:37 you ain't right. 29:39 If you do right, you are right. It's what you do. 29:40 And, you know, this reminds me of a thought 29:45 is that so many people say, 29:46 "Oh, well, we're all children of God," 29:49 we're not. 29:50 You read the scripture in 1 John... 29:52 I mean in John 1:12, 29:54 "As many as believe on Him, receive Him, 29:57 He gives us the authority to become His children." 30:01 We could say that at creation and by the power of creation, 30:05 Yes, He created us, but we... 30:08 Jesus said you have your father the devil, 30:10 who was always lying, 30:12 father of lies, never tells the truth." 30:14 And this clearly tells us, 30:16 if you don't receive Christ as your Brother, 30:21 as your Savior, you're not a child of God, 30:24 and when you have received, 30:27 then you are going to walk in God's ways. 30:31 Amen. Amen. 30:33 And I'll be done in one second, 1 John 3:18, 30:36 "My little children, 30:38 let us not love in word or in tongue 30:41 but in deed and in truth." 30:44 So not just saying what's right, 30:46 you know, Christianity is not a spectator sport, 30:49 you got to get off the couch and get in the game. 30:52 You know, you can't sit and comment on those 30:53 who are playing the game, you need to be in the game. 30:56 So it's not just something you talk about, 30:58 it's something you do, 31:00 something you live out in your life. 31:02 And now let me jump in here real quick 31:03 because this is a perfect segue of where I'm going. 31:07 And that's Ephesians 5:6-8, 31:10 I'm going to read through it then 31:11 I'm going to come back with some comments. 31:13 "Let no one deceive you with empty words 31:16 for because of these things, 31:17 the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 31:21 Therefore, do not be partakers with them. 31:24 For you were once darkness, 31:26 but now you are now light in the Lord, 31:28 so walk as children of light." 31:32 Boy, that was great, CA, 31:34 and that Christianity is not a spectator sport. 31:37 Okay, we're involved, 31:39 and so this is what Paul was saying 31:41 to his good friends at Ephesus. 31:42 He says, "I've got a warning for you, 31:44 my dear brothers." 31:47 And because of the love the Christ has in you, 31:51 please listen, 31:53 "Be not deceived with empty words." 31:55 A lot of misconceptions out there, 31:57 a lot of junk out there that are untruths, 32:01 and so don't fall for that 32:03 because these things being the displeasure 32:07 that I have for sin, 32:09 the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience. 32:12 The sons of disobedience here 32:14 are those who choose to love sin, 32:17 and this was going on right and left 32:19 during those particular days. 32:20 And so he's saying, "Listen, my dear brothers, 32:24 so therefore do not be partakers with them." 32:29 Don't share with those sins, be set apart. 32:36 Remember that just yesterday, you were in darkness. 32:41 And you know how miserable that was. 32:43 Every time you're turning around, 32:45 you bump into yourself with something 32:46 that you didn't like. 32:48 Yes. Yes. 32:49 But now because of the gift of Christ, 32:54 you were in the light. 32:55 Amen. And so then it ends. 32:58 So walk his children of light, 33:01 be proud of how you conduct your life. 33:03 Be proud. 33:05 Boy, you said something, boy, this... 33:07 If I heard this once, I heard this 10,000 times. 33:10 You are a Quinn growing up. 33:13 Don't forget who you are, don't misrepresent who you are. 33:19 Your grandparents worked so hard 33:22 so that you can receive what you have today. 33:26 We've all heard this. 33:28 You are a part and don't forget that. 33:31 I mean, so... 33:32 And so this is what Paul is telling 33:35 to the people at Ephesus. 33:38 Don't forget who you are, conduct your life, 33:41 you are an ambassador for the kingdom of God, 33:44 so act accordingly. 33:47 We are children of God. 33:50 And thank You, Jesus, that I can claim that. 33:53 Amen. Amen. 33:54 I don't want to be a spectator, I like to be involved. 33:57 So thank You, Jesus. Amen. 34:01 But how do you walk as a child of light? 34:04 How do we walk as children of life? 34:07 First scripture that comes to my mind is that, 34:10 "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path." 34:13 So if we're walking as children of light, 34:16 we're walking in accordance 34:19 with God's instructions, aren't we? 34:21 Yeah. Sure. 34:22 And we have to remember that life itself, 34:24 there's a lot of slippery slopes. 34:26 Yes. 34:27 I mean, you go to right, you fall into that. 34:29 Boy, I remember, boy, in Central Texas, 34:32 there is a lot of caliche. 34:33 There is a lot of red clay and, boy, 34:35 you know, I've been in that ditch, 34:37 I've had a car in the ditch. 34:40 And, oh, I get out of here, man, 34:42 you get so close, 34:43 and all of a sudden, those tires start spinning, 34:47 back in the ditch, back in the ditch. 34:51 I've been in the ditch before. 34:52 I don't like being in the ditch, 34:54 you know, I want to be on solid ground. 34:56 That's why I hold on to that scripture. 34:59 I will complete what I started in here. 35:03 Because when I read what, you know, your affirmation, 35:07 I have a hard time sometimes when it says, 35:09 "I walk in the right separating myself from evil. 35:12 I practice righteousness." 35:15 I end up in the ditch sometimes. 35:17 So it's too easy to beat yourself up 35:18 when you do that. 35:20 So you have to, again, take the authority and claim 35:23 I am a child of God, and know that He is... 35:26 "Lord, I am Yours. 35:27 You've got to complete in me what You started." 35:30 And I'm going to get up and try. 35:31 You know, but the beauty of this 35:32 when you're claiming it, I agree with you. 35:34 You know, sometimes you say these things 35:36 and it's kind of like... 35:37 I always remember Romans 4:17 that, 35:39 "God is the God who gives a life 35:41 to the dead and calls things 35:43 that are not as though they already were." 35:47 So He sees us as completed, 35:51 and as you return His Word to Him, 35:54 Isaiah 55:11 says, 35:56 "It does not return void" 35:58 'cause God is watching over His Word 36:01 to work it, to perform it. 36:04 So, JD, share your comment that you have 36:07 because I think that's powerful. 36:08 Go ahead. Go ahead. 36:09 Jill was... 36:11 No, I was just going to say 36:12 when you talked about how do we walk, 36:14 and I agree with the Word of God. 36:15 And I think when you walk with Jesus, 36:17 it's a relationship. 36:19 You know, I remember, Greg and I, 36:20 when we first started going together. 36:22 And I remember the first time, 36:24 he put his hand around my waist. 36:25 We were walking some... 36:27 I don't know, it was in like a gardens, 36:28 it was really pretty. 36:30 And I remember 36:31 that we did not walk well together. 36:33 And I don't mean that in any... 36:34 Because we had never walked together 36:36 that closely before. 36:39 You weren't in rhythm yet. We weren't. 36:41 So he put his arm around my waist, 36:43 and we kept bumping. 36:44 Do you know what I am saying? 36:45 Like we tried to walk, 36:47 and we'd hit, and we'd be like... 36:48 And I remember thinking, "Wow!" 36:50 But then you know what happens? 36:51 You do that a time or two, 36:52 and you walk in perfect rhythm together. 36:55 And so, to me, 36:57 when I read this verse, and it says, 36:58 "Walk His children of light", to me, 36:59 it's walking in perfect rhythm with God 37:03 because He is my Father. 37:05 You know, it's a learning... 37:06 When Isaiah starts, he comes right out of the gate. 37:09 Let's reason together, 37:11 "Cease to do evil, learn to do good." 37:15 You know, because you got to learn 37:17 because it's not natural. 37:18 You know, you got to learn how to walk together. 37:20 You got to learn how to walk side-by-side. 37:24 In 1 John, 2 and 3, he kind of repeats himself. 37:27 He goes over the same material 37:29 again saying in slightly different ways, little nuance. 37:32 But he is saying basically, you... 37:35 I'm in 1 John 2:29, 37:38 "If you know that He is righteous, 37:39 you know that everyone 37:40 who practices righteousness is born of Him." 37:42 So he is restating and restating 37:44 and restating his case that you've got to practice it, 37:47 you've got to learn to do this. 37:48 You may stumble, you may fall, you get up, 37:50 and you try it again. 37:51 And each time you do it, you get a little better at it. 37:55 But it's not something to give up on. 37:58 Stay with it 38:00 because He is right there with you. 38:01 And if He's asked you to become righteous, 38:02 that means He has provided the ability 38:05 and the means for you to be righteous. 38:06 Absolutely. So it's there. 38:07 So even if you fall 38:09 and skinned your knees, that's okay, 38:10 get up and try it again. 38:11 "Working in us to will and to do His good pleasure." 38:13 And I just want to share this, the thought that... 38:14 The scripture that just popped into my mind is Psalms 143:10. 38:20 And there, David is praying and he says, 38:23 "Oh, Lord, teach me to do Your will for You are my God. 38:28 Your Spirit is good. 38:31 Lead me in the land of brightness." 38:34 I can't be good on my own, you can't be good on your own. 38:38 But God doesn't intend for us to. 38:40 He wants us just to yield to ask to be filled 38:45 with the Holy Spirit. 38:47 And then He will work in us to will 38:49 and to do His good pleasure. 38:51 So, you know, part of walking as children of the light, 38:55 to me, that's that first step every morning is saying, 38:58 "Empty me, fill me with Your Holy Spirit. 39:01 Get into the Word, pray," 39:04 because that's how you get into that relationship. 39:07 And there is... 39:08 Every relationship has a rhythm, 39:11 and if you feel like your relationship 39:14 with the Lord is a little off-kilter right now, 39:18 that it's out of rhythm, 39:20 just pray Psalm 143:10, and just say, 39:24 "Oh, Lord, teach me Your will. 39:26 Lead me by Your great Spirit." 39:29 Because God's plan of salvation, 39:32 His plan as our Father, I mean, you know, 39:34 when we become the children of God, 39:36 we begin to develop a family 39:37 resemblance of our Father, don't we? 39:38 That's right. Amen. 39:40 But His whole plan is total dependence upon Him. 39:44 Okay, Tim. 39:45 Don't give up claiming "I am a child of God." 39:48 Amen. Amen. Right. 39:49 Where you at, JD? 39:51 You were going to say something? 39:52 Well, that's okay. 39:53 We'll catch it later, go ahead, Tim. 39:55 It has come my turn, and we're talking of... 39:58 This is going to right along with everything 39:59 you were saying about it being a growth process. 40:01 You know, that it's like adolescence and teenage 40:04 and then adulthood. 40:05 And being a child of God is like that, 40:09 except I don't ever feel like 40:10 I get out of childhood, you know. 40:12 I'd love to be a teenager one of these days. 40:14 But the 2 Corinthians 6:17 40:19 and 18 says, 40:22 "Therefore, come out from among them 40:24 and be separate' says the Lord. 40:27 'Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. 40:30 I will be a Father to you, 40:32 and you shall be My sons and daughters,' 40:34 says the Lord Almighty.'" 40:36 We're talking about doing righteousness. 40:39 We're talking about walking the ways we walk 40:42 and how do we show that we are a Christian 40:44 and how do we learn to grow as Christians. 40:48 This verse, especially when I grew up, it was very... 40:57 When you have to follow very rigid 41:00 and regimented and very, the... 41:04 Be separate, you know, this is what you do do, 41:07 this is what you don't do. 41:08 It's not do-do. 41:09 And so but, 41:14 you know, and it's about what you wear, 41:17 and it's about, you know, you hair, 41:19 it's about what you eat. 41:22 And, you know, I can... 41:25 I know people who wear things that are right, 41:30 but they don't even know about Jesus, 41:36 much less claim to live for Him. 41:38 Right. 41:39 And so, you know, I can wear what's right, 41:42 I can look what's right, 41:44 I can have my hair above my ears. 41:45 Believe me if I could grow my hair out, 41:47 I would wear it longer. 41:48 But I can't, I can't even... 41:50 It won't grow where it's supposed to now. 41:52 So, you know, it's like... 41:55 Dealing with your pain. 41:58 It's like the mamma who tells the son to, 42:00 you know, sit still, stop your running around. 42:04 So he sits still, and he says, 42:05 "Well, I'm sitting still on the outside, 42:08 but I'm running around in the inside." 42:10 Just because you look the part, 42:13 it doesn't mean you are the part. 42:16 That's right. 42:18 And so we have to really be careful, 42:20 I think, and I know, every time, 42:23 I gather here and those of who are watching, 42:27 you may wonder, 42:28 "Such wisdom, and I wish I could pontificate 42:31 like CA, and Shelley, and Jill, and Dee, and JD," 42:35 and I just want to exfoliate over here. 42:38 I don't... 42:39 They're not pontificating. 42:44 So I love what you all just teach me, 42:48 and so maybe I'm the one who needs to learn, 42:52 you know, most about this. 42:54 It's about what you do, 42:57 and you do out of what is inside of you. 43:01 Amen. Yes, it's very important. 43:04 My goal on all of this is to fall in love with Jesus. 43:10 And the rest of it, you'll be who He wants you to be 43:14 because you are so in love with Him 43:16 that you just want to follow in step 43:18 with Him and do... 43:20 And that's just like any of us, 43:21 you know, that have been in relationships, 43:23 in good relationships, loving relationships. 43:26 You just want to... 43:27 When you fall in love with that person, 43:29 you just want to be whatever you want to serve them 43:33 and love on them and take care of them 43:36 and just pick up the Kleenex on the floor for them if... 43:39 You know, whatever, I don't know what... 43:42 Just love Jesus, and then, I think, 43:46 everything will fall in place. 43:47 And I know that kind of sound general but... 43:48 No, it isn't. No, no, it's very profound. 43:50 Yes, absolutely. Preexisting condition. 43:52 Yeah, you got to love Him first 43:54 and all that sort of stuff comes out of that. 43:56 But, you know what, I want to point out 43:58 because you were not reared Adventist. 44:00 Right. 44:02 I was not reared an Adventist, 44:04 but we were absolutely 44:10 in this "boat" of legalism if you will, 44:14 we're falling out the side, 44:16 you know, we're falling out that side of the boat 44:18 because I too was taught 44:21 you had to be perfect for God to love you. 44:24 You were reared Adventist... 44:25 I was, and I was taught that too. 44:27 And somehow that got in your mind that you... 44:28 You know, and to me, 44:30 that was when I discovered the Sabbath, 44:33 that's the first time I really understood grace 44:35 because Exodus... 44:36 I remember reading Exodus 31:13 44:39 that the Sabbath was a sign 44:42 that God was going to sanctify me, 44:45 set me apart from the bad stuff that He was going... 44:50 And it was like, 44:52 "Oh, wow, Lord, all these years, 44:54 I've tried to be good enough. 44:57 All these years, it's kind of like 44:58 "Oh, if only I'd read the Bible more, 45:00 if only I'd pray more, if only I, I, I." 45:04 And see, I think that's man's pride 45:08 that we think we can help, save our self, we can't. 45:12 Well, I think it's also the way so much of the world works, 45:15 you know, that that you have a set of rules to go by. 45:18 And so that you can work your to make it happen, 45:21 and you can strive, 45:23 and you can workout, and eat right, 45:24 and, you know, you can't do it. 45:27 Some of us never even try 45:29 because we were told we were bad. 45:30 Well. 45:32 I knew I would never... 45:33 God could never possibly love me. 45:36 So I didn't even try because I knew it was hopeless 45:39 until I found out about agape love. 45:42 Yeah, but, you know, to your point, 45:44 I remember when I was in college, 45:46 actually saying to the Lord 45:48 because so much had been pounded 45:50 in my head that if you are not perfect, 45:52 He is not going to love you. 45:53 The only scripture I ever heard from Revelation is 45:56 if you're lukewarm, 45:58 He's going to spew you out of His mouth. 46:00 And finally, I remember looking up 46:02 at the skies and just saying, 46:04 "I can't please You, I give up trying. 46:06 I can't be perfect. 46:08 So if You don't love me, all right." 46:11 And it was just... 46:14 People who had twisted the scriptures to make you... 46:18 I mean, God is so misrepresented 46:20 on the earth, isn't He? 46:21 Oh, yes. 46:22 Okay, let me get to my scripture. 46:24 And, you know, it's interesting, 46:27 when I send out assignments, 46:28 I wait till everyone else has chosen, 46:30 and I take what's leftover. 46:32 And I promise you if I had been choosing, 46:36 I'd have probably chosen this very one. 46:38 So I'm actually... 46:40 I want to start with Romans. 46:41 We're going to read Romans 8:14-17. 46:46 Romans 8... 46:48 And if you are home, turn here. 46:50 Romans 8:14-17, 46:53 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, 46:58 these are sons of God." 47:00 That's why I pray, "Oh, Lord, teach me Your will. 47:04 Lead me by Your good Spirit." 47:07 And then he says, this is Paul writing, 47:10 "For you did not receive 47:11 the spirit of bondage again to fear. 47:16 But we received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 47:22 'Abba, Father.'" 47:23 So, you know, he's referring here 47:27 that the spirit of bondage, that to fear, 47:32 this would have been a slave to his master. 47:36 He was under bondage, he was fearful of his master. 47:41 But he is saying, "No, no, no, no, 47:43 you've received the Spirit of adoption." 47:46 And, boy, that meant a whole lot in that day 47:49 because under Roman law, 47:53 often a slave would be adopted. 47:56 And once they were adopted, 47:58 they had all the legal rights of a biological child. 48:03 That's right. 48:04 They had to be treated equally in the inheritance, 48:06 in every other way. 48:08 So this really meant something. 48:10 But this is wonderful, and, Dee, 48:13 you've mentioned this several times 48:15 that the Spirit of adoption, 48:19 it is by the Holy Spirit of God living in us. 48:23 When He is in us, 48:25 then that's how we develop that relationship 48:29 and learn to walk in rhythm as children of the light 48:32 because when He is in us, 48:36 now we look to God as the perfect Father, 48:40 and we cry out, "Abba." 48:43 And Abba was an Aramaic word, very intimate. 48:47 It meant Papa. 48:48 We'd say "Daddy" maybe. 48:51 Did you know the Jews never use the word "Abba" 48:55 when they were speaking of God or praying to God? 48:59 I found that interesting. 49:01 So this is something new, 49:04 it's looking at this relationship 49:07 that God wants 49:09 such an intimate relationship with you 49:12 that when you pray to Him, 49:14 when you're in trouble, you'll cry out 49:16 "Oh, Papa, God. 49:18 Oh, Papa, Abba." 49:21 And then He goes on and says, 49:23 "The Spirit Himself bears witness with us 49:29 that with our spirit 49:30 that we are the children of God, 49:33 and if children, then heirs, 49:36 heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. 49:39 If indeed we suffer with Him 49:42 that we also may be glorified together." 49:46 So He is the... 49:48 He is leading us as His children. 49:52 And, you know, I always say this. 49:55 I believe, and I have come to understand 49:58 God is a perfect Father. 49:59 I'm not going to say 50:01 that I understand the love of God. 50:02 I don't know that I still understand truly. 50:05 I mean, I have it here, but I don't know here 50:08 that I totally understand 50:10 the privilege of being His child. 50:13 You know, it's kind of like mentally 50:14 I can say that, but I think if we truly understood, 50:18 we wouldn't box in God with such little bitty prayers. 50:22 But I know enough about God's love 50:26 that I can totally trust Him 50:28 that He has my eternal benefit in mind. 50:30 And so I actually pray and will say, 50:35 "Father, please discipline me, give me an ear to hear." 50:39 And this is the reason why... 50:42 He's going to anyway, isn't He? As He's our Father. 50:46 But if you've got the ear to hear, 50:49 what does a loving Father do at first? 50:53 "Child, no, no." 50:55 Or maybe just the looking, guides us with his eye, right? 50:59 So even though you're not tuned into that, 51:04 then He has to maybe say it 51:06 a little louder, a little louder. 51:08 And if you are not... 51:09 You know, the punishment, the more we ignore it, 51:12 the more the punishment 51:13 or the discipline, I should say, comes. 51:16 But let's... 51:17 Now since we've read these scriptures, 51:19 let me jump back to one of my very favorite... 51:22 'Cause it started with this, I just left it before He said, 51:26 "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, 51:28 these are the sons of God." 51:30 He actually in verse 13 says this, 51:33 "If you live according to the flesh," 51:35 what's going to happen? 51:37 You will die. "You die. 51:38 But if by the power of the Holy Spirit, 51:44 you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." 51:49 So what that tells me is 51:52 when I have the Holy Spirit in me, 51:56 He is not... 51:58 Just because I've said, 51:59 "I yield, I want to give You control, 52:01 I want to surrender to You." 52:03 The Holy Spirit... 52:04 God never forces us to do anything. 52:07 But now, here you see in verse 13. 52:10 "If by the Spirit you put to death 52:13 the misdeeds of the flesh." 52:15 So it's the Spirit and you. 52:17 So He's not going to force you, 52:19 but you can't do it without Him. 52:21 See that's very, very crucial 52:22 because sin shall not have dominion over you. 52:25 That's right. 52:27 If you stop doing an act... 52:29 There are some things you can do by force of will, 52:31 but you haven't gotten victory over that, 52:33 you just stopped doing it 52:34 because unless that sin is repented of, 52:37 then it's still there. 52:38 It's on your record, it's still against you. 52:40 So if I womanize, and one day, 52:43 "Okay, I'm not doing it anymore." 52:44 But I need to repent of those past acts, 52:47 and the only real victory that I get is the victory 52:50 that I get through 52:52 the Holy Spirit's working in my life, 52:54 not through stopping something of my own will. 52:56 You get no credit for that kind of righteousness 52:57 'cause that's kind of self-righteousness. 52:59 "I do it, so I did it." Well, that's not enough. 53:02 God's got to do that through you, that's sufficient. 53:05 Absolutely right. 53:06 You know, in following along with this, 53:08 it's so easy to get ourselves caught 53:10 over here in a situation 53:13 that we don't want to be caught in. 53:14 So here we are, 53:15 we're continually fighting this battle, 53:17 and so I was doing the study, 53:18 this really caught my attention. 53:20 And this is just black and white, 53:23 but, to me, it was a profound statement. 53:26 And it was talking about excessive indulgence. 53:32 And the definition was the appetite, 53:36 well, let's just say, the hunger, 53:38 but the appetite increases in proportion 53:40 to its indulgence. 53:42 Wow! 53:44 It's kind of like you'd never get fed 53:48 because you continually want more. 53:51 And so, you know, you got the meter up here, 53:55 where is the needle? 53:58 I mean, is it going to be on evil side 54:01 or is it flesh side 54:03 or is it going to be on the Spirit side? 54:06 But, you know, but the... 54:08 This is a principle. 54:11 The appetite increases 54:13 in proportion to its indulgence. 54:15 It goes back, Shelley, to the story about the dog. 54:18 Whoever is fed 54:21 is the one that's going to have the strength. 54:24 And we didn't tell that story, so kind of... 54:26 It was just... 54:27 So if you are watching at home, it's just that... 54:31 It's talking about two dogs in a fighting ring. 54:34 And one would win one week, one would win the other. 54:37 And the idea was people were trying to figure out 54:41 how this guy could bring these, in one time, 54:44 the shepherd would beat 54:45 the daylights out of the pit bull, 54:47 and the other day, the pit bull 54:49 would beat the daylights out of the shepherd. 54:52 And somebody asked him, "How do you do this?" 54:55 And he said it's simple, "The one who gets fed wins." 54:59 So if we sow to the Spirit, the Spirit's going to win. 55:03 If we sow to the flesh, the flesh is going to win. 55:06 Mollie says it quite often, "What you feed, grows, 55:09 what you starve, dies." 55:11 And I remember, 55:12 when I quit eating all sugar, I was fine. 55:17 But then I thought 55:18 that I could have a little bit of sugar. 55:21 And the minute you start eating a little bit, 55:24 you keep wanting more 55:26 and more till again you're addicted. 55:28 So now I'm back into no-sugar to get over the addiction. 55:33 You know, it's been... 55:35 And that was... 55:36 The cigarettes, I did not quit my own smoking, 55:39 God delivered me from that. 55:40 Absolutely. 55:42 And so I am not an ex-smoker, I am a non-smoker. 55:45 Amen. Amen, amen. 55:46 But the reason I'm giving you a high-five is 55:48 'cause I have been without sugar 55:51 for several months. 55:53 And the interesting thing is zero temptation. 55:58 And for those of you who used to write and say, 56:01 "Shame on Shelley Quinn 56:02 for talking about loving M&M's peanuts." 56:04 Guess what? 56:05 God has delivered me from my M&M's peanuts. 56:09 And I know that for a fact 56:11 because when we've got bags 56:14 of M&M's at home right now, 56:18 and I'm not the least bit tempted. 56:21 That's a fighter. 56:22 I'm delivered from M&M's peanuts. 56:24 I'm not delivered from butterfingers yet, so... 56:28 But the point is... 56:29 Jesus wants you to share those M&M's 56:30 with me by the way. 56:33 The point is Romans 13:14 is that where it says that, 56:37 Paul says, "Make no provision for the flesh." 56:41 So, you know, we've got to do that. 56:44 And, you know, our time is nearly up. 56:46 I cannot believe this, it has just begun. 56:50 And, yeah, I just... 56:53 We're so thankful that you joined us. 56:55 We hope that you have gleaned something special 56:58 that God has spoken to you 57:00 through one of these scriptures, 57:01 and that you can understand the beauty of being His child. 57:06 CA, thank you for joining us, Dee, 57:08 always a pleasure to have you, of course, honey, 57:12 and then my precious Sister and boss now, Jill, and Tim, 57:17 thank you again, thank you for playing. 57:19 Our prayer for you 57:21 is that the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, 57:25 the love of the Father, 57:27 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit 57:29 will be yours today and always. |
Revised 2018-05-23