Music...
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The message this morning is
entitled: The Exchange Rate.
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I'd like to invite you
to bow your heads with me
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before we go to our Scripture
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because I want to
include that in our message.
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"Father in heaven, this
morning as we open your word
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we pray that
you'll open our hearts.
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As the song was
sung this morning,
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'Lord change us'
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we don't just want to be members
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and workers in your kingdom,
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we don't want to
just be good at what we do
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for your kingdom
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not even our gifts
do we want to boast
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and put before our
relationship with you
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and so this morning,
Lord, help us to understand
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the great need for
change in our hearts
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and in our walk with
you, in Jesus' name, amen. "
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Audience: Amen.
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Acts chapter 3 verse 19
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is where our Scripture
is taken from this morning,
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Acts chapter 3 verse 19
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and I'm reading from the
New King James Version...
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very short but
potent text in the Bible.
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As many of you might know,
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a lot of my sermons come out
of my own personal study life,
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and I think it's important that
everyone of us has a study life.
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That means on a day-by-day basis
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if you're not getting
into the Word of God...
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the Word of God is
not getting into you.
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Pause.
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If you're not
getting into the Word of God,
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the Word of God is
not getting into you.
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The Word of God is
the best prepared meal
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but you have to digest it,
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you've got to eat it
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you've got to chew it,
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ingest it... masticate it
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in order for it to
be of benefit to you.
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It's this short but very
potent scripture in the Bible
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is the pivotal
point between where we are
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and where God wants us to be.
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Acts 3 verse 19
communicates as follows,
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"Repent
therefore and be converted,
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that your sins
may be blotted out,
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so that times of
refreshing may come
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from the presence of the Lord. "
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In 2017, Angie and I celebrated
our 34th anniversary...
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wedding anniversary...
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praise the Lord we
don't look like it...
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but we went to
the Cayman Islands.
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Pause.
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We hadn't really
been there before
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except in a few hours in
a cruise that we had gone on
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a number of years before,
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but the beach was so
nice and so pleasant,
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we thought, "Where could we
spend our 34th anniversary?"
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So we decided to go
to the Cayman Islands.
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We enjoyed our time there
but there was one small detail
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that proved not to be so
small when we look back on it
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because had we realized
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that the exchange
rate was not in our favor,
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we would not have gone there.
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When we went to get
our money exchanged,
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we discovered that their money
was more powerful than ours
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and that the US dollar
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lost its strength to
this little small country
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called the Grand Caymans.
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Hindsight... we would have
done things quite differently
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had we understood
the exchange rate.
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The issues was
not that we didn't...
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the issue is not that we
did not enjoy our time there,
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the issue was... we did
not understand our impact...
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the impact of our decision
to go to the Cayman Islands.
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We did not understand the impact
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until our money was converted.
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In the very same way,
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until we are
converted as Christians,
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we don't understand the
impact of our decisions.
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Pause.
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Decisions seem often small...
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and as I looked
at this very idea,
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the Lord was
impressing it upon me,
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you know, one of the
ways that you could know
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that God is speaking to you
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is when He brings to your mind
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topics that you
don't want to talk about.
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Pause.
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The proof that
God's Word is inspired
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is it doesn't consider
what you want to hear...
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it just tells you
what you need to hear.
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Audience: Amen.
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And as I'm
studying the Word of God,
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pause
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He begins to speak to
me in ways that I know
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that the Bible was
not designed to fit me
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but the Bible was
designed to file me...
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to get me to fit
to be like Jesus.
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In modern Christendom,
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conversion is not
emphasized as it ought to be
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and on the other hand
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conversion is not
understood as it should be.
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When Angie and I went to
Australia the very first time,
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Angie took her curling iron
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and I took my little
electric mustache trimmer...
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I like to keep
my mustache trimmed,
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small detail...
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and we looked on the internet
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to find out what kind of
plugs they used in Australia
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so that our plugs
could fit into the wall,
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we got the right plug...
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it fit on the end
of our American plug,
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so that it could fit into the
different shape in Australia...
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we plugged it in
and in about 10 seconds
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my little trimmer began to smoke
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and Angie's
curling iron got so hot,
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it melted the plastic.
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Audience: Laughing.
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Pause.
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And I learned a valuable
lesson out of that, Luis,
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our devices were connected
but they were not converted.
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Audience: Agreeing.
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Pause.
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In the same way,
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we may have a
connection with Christ,
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but if we're not converted,
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the results can be
just as disastrous.
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A consumed Christian experience
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pause...
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now if the Lord
kept digging me deeper
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into this hole of conversion
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and I say "hole"
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because when the
Lord gets you in a "hole"
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He leaves you there
so He can talk to you
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and when you get out of the
hole that God encased you in,
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you know that you
are different afterward
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than you were before.
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Pause.
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We often associate
deliverance with conversion
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but deliverance and conversion
are not the same thing.
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Deliverance from
where we used to be...
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deliverance from
what we used to do
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and conversion are
not the same thing.
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Go with me to the book of
Exodus for a brief moment.
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Consider the
Israelites in the example.
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Exodus chapter 3 verse 7 and 8.
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Exodus chapter
3 verse 7 and 8...
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When we face trials and
difficulties in our lives,
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and we call out to God...
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you know that we
are told by the Apostle
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that whosoever calls upon
the name of the Lord shall be...
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what?
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Shall be saved...
that's a standard...
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God promises to
deliver us when we call him,
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I want you to pay
attention this morning
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but deliverance
from what hell does
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and conversion are
not the same thing.
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Look at Exodus
chapter 3 verse 7 and 8...
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follow carefully... the Lord
wants you to be converted too.
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"And the Lord said:
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'I have surely seen
the oppression of My people
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who are in Egypt... '"
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whenever we are not
where God wants us to be,
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we will be oppressed
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"... and I've heard their cry
because of their taskmasters"
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their slave masters...
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"and I know their sorrows.
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So I have come
down to deliver them
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out of the hand
of the Egyptians,
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and to bring
them up from that land
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to a good and large land,
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to a land flowing
with milk and honey.
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To the place of the
Canaanites and the Hittites
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and the Amorites
and the Perizzites
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and the Hivites
and the Jebusites. "
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Whenever God leads us,
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He always takes us to a
better place than He finds us
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pause
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but taking us to a
better place in location
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and taking us to a
different place spiritually
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is not always the same thing.
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The fact of the matter is,
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God saw Israel's
slavery under Pharaoh
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and in mercy He
delivered them from Egypt
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and Deuteronomy 6:21 says,
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"We were slaves
of Pharaoh in Egypt
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and the Lord brought us out
of Egypt with a mighty hand,
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did God bring you
out with a mighty hand?
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Pause.
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Any time we call
on God to deliver us,
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He will deliver us.
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The Psalmist, David, in Psalm
34 verse 17 says it this way,
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the righteous cry
out and the Lord hears
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and delivers them out
of all their troubles.
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How much of their troubles?
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All their troubles...
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and when you look at your life
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to where you were
and where you are today,
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praise God that
His promises are true.
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Pause.
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Whenever we call, He delivers
us out of all of our troubles
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pause
00:10:00.03\00:10:02.73
but going back to the
example of the Israelites
00:10:02.76\00:10:04.63
and even to us sometimes,
00:10:04.67\00:10:06.00
God delivered them from
the "where" of their slavery
00:10:06.03\00:10:10.01
but they still
needed to be delivered
00:10:10.04\00:10:12.44
from the "what"
of their slavery.
00:10:12.47\00:10:14.81
He delivered them from
the location of their bondage
00:10:14.84\00:10:18.08
but there was another bondage
00:10:18.11\00:10:21.52
that they yet needed
to be delivered from...
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God delivers us from
the "where" of our slavery
00:10:24.75\00:10:27.86
but until we are delivered
from the "what" of our slavery,
00:10:27.89\00:10:32.09
hear me carefully... we
will eventually go back.
00:10:32.13\00:10:35.00
Until we are delivered
from what binds us internally,
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pause
00:10:40.60\00:10:42.07
where we were bound
00:10:42.10\00:10:44.64
will eventually appear to
be a delightful place to be.
00:10:44.67\00:10:48.38
God did not just want to deliver
the Israelites from Egypt
00:10:48.41\00:10:53.21
physically...
00:10:53.25\00:10:54.58
He wanted to deliver
them from Egypt spiritually.
00:10:54.62\00:10:58.49
Look at Numbers 14 verse 34.
00:10:58.52\00:11:02.12
Numbers 14 verse 34,
00:11:02.16\00:11:05.66
when you look at the
journey of the Israelites
00:11:05.69\00:11:08.56
in Exodus,
Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Numbers
00:11:08.60\00:11:11.43
they all cover the story of
the journey of the Israelites
00:11:11.47\00:11:15.10
but there was something about
00:11:15.14\00:11:17.61
the internal
condition in their lives
00:11:17.64\00:11:21.68
that was far more important
00:11:21.71\00:11:24.75
than the physical
location of their lives
00:11:24.81\00:11:27.25
making the point...
00:11:27.28\00:11:28.62
there are some
people that are serving time
00:11:28.65\00:11:30.89
in prisons around
us... in jails around us
00:11:30.92\00:11:33.32
and some of them
are freer than you.
00:11:33.36\00:11:35.49
Pause.
00:11:35.52\00:11:39.46
I've met inmates that said,
00:11:39.49\00:11:41.20
"If I wasn't in here,
I would never know Jesus"
00:11:41.23\00:11:43.87
and they come to the Services...
00:11:43.90\00:11:46.03
Luis and all of those of you who
are involved in Prison Ministry
00:11:46.07\00:11:48.44
and then... in
going to these places,
00:11:48.47\00:11:51.44
they don't really
have to go to the Services.
00:11:51.47\00:11:54.04
They're not getting
paid to go, but they go
00:11:54.08\00:11:57.45
and they stay awake
and they say, "Hallelujah"
00:11:57.48\00:12:00.82
and they say, "Thank you Jesus"
00:12:00.85\00:12:02.98
and they love the
Lord and they are...
00:12:03.02\00:12:06.35
they are in the
place of their bondage
00:12:06.39\00:12:09.66
but they're not bond...
00:12:09.69\00:12:11.03
but they're not in bondage
in the place that they are.
00:12:11.06\00:12:13.76
Audience: Amen.
00:12:13.80\00:12:15.13
They are free in Jesus.
00:12:15.16\00:12:16.50
The Israelites were
delivered from Egypt
00:12:16.53\00:12:19.17
and they
acknowledged God's deliverance
00:12:19.20\00:12:21.77
but look at
Numbers 14 verse 3 and 4.
00:12:21.80\00:12:24.37
Pause.
00:12:24.41\00:12:25.94
They began to complain,
00:12:25.97\00:12:27.71
God brought them from where
00:12:27.74\00:12:29.34
they asked Him to
deliver them from,
00:12:29.38\00:12:31.51
but they had not had
an internal change yet
00:12:31.55\00:12:35.28
and they began to complain.
00:12:35.32\00:12:37.49
You know, sometimes you have
to give God time to change you.
00:12:37.52\00:12:42.82
Look at what they said
in verse 3 of Numbers 14.
00:12:42.89\00:12:46.53
They complained,
"Why has the Lord...
00:12:46.59\00:12:49.53
Why has the Lord
brought us to this land
00:12:49.56\00:12:52.47
to fall by the sword,
00:12:52.50\00:12:53.84
that our wives and
children should become victims?"
00:12:53.87\00:12:57.67
Look at the mentality.
00:12:57.71\00:13:00.78
"Would it not be
better for us... "
00:13:00.81\00:13:04.15
to do what?
00:13:04.18\00:13:05.51
"return to Egypt.
00:13:05.55\00:13:07.08
So they said to one another,
00:13:07.12\00:13:08.95
'Let us select a
leader and return to Egypt. '"
00:13:08.98\00:13:14.06
Four hundred years of
generational slavery...
00:13:14.09\00:13:19.13
begging to be delivered...
00:13:19.19\00:13:21.93
pause...
00:13:21.96\00:13:25.53
but when God's deliverance
did not match their preference,
00:13:25.57\00:13:30.77
they decided it was better
that we go back to where we were
00:13:30.81\00:13:35.98
than where we are now.
00:13:36.01\00:13:37.65
That's why until we
turn from how we live,
00:13:37.68\00:13:42.98
we will return
to where we lived.
00:13:43.02\00:13:46.52
Pause.
00:13:46.55\00:13:48.46
Until we turn from how we lived,
00:13:48.49\00:13:51.49
pause
00:13:51.53\00:13:53.90
we will eventually
return to where we live.
00:13:53.93\00:13:56.83
God took them out of Egypt
00:13:56.87\00:13:58.73
but they didn't give God
time to take Egypt out of them.
00:13:58.77\00:14:04.74
Pause.
00:14:04.77\00:14:07.24
And many of us
are in the same place.
00:14:07.28\00:14:08.84
This is where the
Christian journey comes in.
00:14:08.88\00:14:12.35
You know, if you
remember the story,
00:14:12.38\00:14:15.95
it was not a long distance,
00:14:15.98\00:14:18.39
it was maybe less than a month,
00:14:18.42\00:14:20.76
they could have
been from Egypt to Canaan
00:14:20.79\00:14:22.79
in a short period of time.
00:14:22.82\00:14:24.86
But the duration of their
journey from Egypt to Canaan
00:14:24.89\00:14:28.60
was lengthened because God knew
00:14:28.63\00:14:31.07
that for most of them it
would take time to work out
00:14:31.10\00:14:35.54
what Egypt worked in.
00:14:35.57\00:14:37.34
Pause.
00:14:37.37\00:14:40.18
More pause.
00:14:40.21\00:14:44.75
I remember... I want to
make a reference to this,
00:14:44.78\00:14:47.28
I remember when 'Coming
Out' Ministries was here
00:14:47.32\00:14:49.78
and Wayne...
00:14:49.82\00:14:53.39
come on, give me
Wayne's last name...
00:14:53.42\00:14:55.22
Wayne Blakely... we
did an afternoon seminar
00:14:55.26\00:14:58.36
just to give you
an evidence of this.
00:14:58.39\00:15:00.83
Sometimes it
takes time to work out
00:15:00.86\00:15:03.23
what Egypt worked in.
00:15:03.26\00:15:04.73
Pause.
00:15:04.77\00:15:06.10
When I first gave
my life to the Lord,
00:15:06.13\00:15:08.10
I still wanted to party...
00:15:08.14\00:15:10.74
I'm not going to be there...
I still went to parties...
00:15:10.81\00:15:14.11
I even went to
church to figure out
00:15:14.14\00:15:16.28
if I could still go to
church and still party,
00:15:16.31\00:15:18.11
and I couldn't do that.
00:15:18.18\00:15:20.38
So, I had to eventually
give up the partying life
00:15:20.42\00:15:22.98
and the gambling life
and the pool hustling life...
00:15:23.02\00:15:25.52
had to give it up...
00:15:25.55\00:15:27.02
because I couldn't find a
church where I could do that
00:15:27.06\00:15:28.99
and still serve God.
00:15:29.02\00:15:30.56
Sometimes it
takes time to work out
00:15:30.63\00:15:34.66
what the world has worked in.
00:15:34.70\00:15:36.16
We had an afternoon seminar here
with 'Coming Out' Ministries
00:15:36.23\00:15:39.53
and they did a
wonderful job and people...
00:15:39.57\00:15:41.70
we got to the
question-and-answer period,
00:15:41.74\00:15:44.54
and I'll never forget it,
00:15:44.57\00:15:45.91
if you were here
you'll remember exactly
00:15:45.94\00:15:47.28
as I make reference to it.
00:15:47.31\00:15:48.78
Somebody asked a
question, they said to Wayne,
00:15:48.81\00:15:51.68
because he came
out of the Gay Life,
00:15:51.71\00:15:53.52
pause
00:15:53.55\00:15:54.88
and they said,
"Are you ever tempted?"
00:15:54.92\00:15:58.99
And he responded, "Are you?"
00:15:59.05\00:16:03.22
Temptation is not
sin, come on say, "amen. "
00:16:03.26\00:16:08.23
Audience: Amen.
00:16:08.26\00:16:09.60
It is your response to it,
00:16:09.63\00:16:10.97
but when God is
bringing you out,
00:16:11.00\00:16:13.94
he knows how much time is needed
00:16:13.97\00:16:16.81
to get you from
where He found you
00:16:16.84\00:16:19.64
to be in the condition
to where He's leading you.
00:16:19.67\00:16:23.04
Audience: Amen.
00:16:23.08\00:16:24.41
It takes time to work
out what Egypt worked in.
00:16:24.45\00:16:27.18
That is why the
Apostle Paul refers to
00:16:27.22\00:16:30.62
the Christian life as "work out"
00:16:30.65\00:16:32.19
go to
Philippians 2 and verse 12,
00:16:32.22\00:16:33.69
look at this, it's
very... very powerful Scripture.
00:16:33.72\00:16:36.36
Philippians 2 and verse 12.
00:16:36.39\00:16:38.96
I'm not going to read verse
13 because we always default
00:16:38.99\00:16:41.70
"For it is God who works in us
00:16:41.73\00:16:43.30
both to will and to do
of His good pleasure. "
00:16:43.33\00:16:45.30
Yes, God works in us
00:16:45.33\00:16:47.10
but there's
something that we've got to do
00:16:47.14\00:16:49.00
pause
00:16:49.04\00:16:51.37
to be able to have a different
kind of Christian walk.
00:16:51.44\00:16:54.21
For example, your Bible
is not going to read you,
00:16:54.24\00:16:56.91
oh, sorry, your
Bible will read you...
00:16:56.95\00:16:59.28
if you don't read your
Bible, it will read you,
00:16:59.31\00:17:02.38
it's the only book that
will tell you about yourself
00:17:02.42\00:17:04.95
when you don't read it.
00:17:04.99\00:17:06.82
But notice this passage.
00:17:06.86\00:17:08.46
Philippians 2 and verse 12,
00:17:08.49\00:17:10.03
"Therefore, my beloved,
as you have always obeyed,
00:17:10.06\00:17:14.63
not as in my presence only,
00:17:14.66\00:17:16.87
but now much more
in my absence... "
00:17:16.90\00:17:20.24
look at what he said,
00:17:20.27\00:17:21.64
"work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling... "
00:17:21.67\00:17:27.48
what did he say?
00:17:27.51\00:17:29.48
"work it out... "
00:17:29.51\00:17:31.41
In other words, God put it
in but you got to work it out.
00:17:31.45\00:17:34.85
My mother made
bread really well...
00:17:34.88\00:17:38.15
the West-Indian mother...
not my natural mother...
00:17:38.19\00:17:40.62
the lady who raised me...
she knew how to make bread.
00:17:40.66\00:17:43.63
She would say, "Put the...
put the... put the flour in...
00:17:43.66\00:17:46.56
okay... put the
stick of butter...
00:17:46.59\00:17:48.43
put the yeast...
put the vanilla... "
00:17:48.46\00:17:50.27
and I would... I would put
it in and she'd work it out
00:17:50.30\00:17:54.14
pause...
00:17:54.17\00:17:56.14
see, God puts
ingredients into our lives
00:17:56.17\00:17:58.77
that we've got
to knead in there,
00:17:58.81\00:18:00.64
anybody know
what I'm taking about?
00:18:00.68\00:18:02.14
Audience: Amen.
00:18:02.18\00:18:03.51
You've got to knead it in there
00:18:03.55\00:18:04.88
because you can't just
put all the right ingredients
00:18:04.91\00:18:06.55
together without...
without blending them
00:18:06.58\00:18:09.58
with the effort
of your daily life,
00:18:09.62\00:18:11.45
we often make the mistake
00:18:11.49\00:18:13.72
to say that Christianity
is an effortless life
00:18:13.76\00:18:16.79
but if you are a Christian,
00:18:16.83\00:18:18.36
you know that it's a
life that requires effort.
00:18:18.39\00:18:20.60
Audience: Amen.
00:18:20.66\00:18:22.00
You... all you to do
to be lost is nothing.
00:18:22.03\00:18:24.70
Pause...
00:18:24.73\00:18:26.33
Just do nothing
and you'll be lost.
00:18:26.37\00:18:29.14
Pause.
00:18:29.17\00:18:31.77
As Elder Brooks once said,
00:18:31.81\00:18:33.71
"Some people are just
too lazy to be saved. "
00:18:33.74\00:18:35.98
Pause.
00:18:36.01\00:18:37.48
All the opportunities
granted to them to grow...
00:18:37.51\00:18:39.48
they don't even show up.
00:18:39.51\00:18:40.85
Pause.
00:18:40.88\00:18:42.22
But this whole "workout thing"
I decided to take it further
00:18:42.25\00:18:44.69
because when the word
"workout" jumped out at me,
00:18:44.72\00:18:47.19
I thought, "workout... "
00:18:47.22\00:18:48.59
15-minute workout...
00:18:48.62\00:18:49.99
10-minute working...
00:18:50.03\00:18:51.43
5- minute workout...
00:18:51.46\00:18:52.79
and so, I thought, "Well,
what about an exercise workout
00:18:52.83\00:18:58.07
can be associated with
our spiritual workout...
00:18:58.10\00:19:01.74
and I went to Quora. com
00:19:01.77\00:19:05.07
May 18th 2014
00:19:05.11\00:19:07.08
and I found a very
interesting statistic
00:19:07.11\00:19:09.21
that fits into the workout.
00:19:09.24\00:19:10.75
"Americans spend between
40 and 50 billion dollars
00:19:10.78\00:19:15.48
annually on weight loss.
00:19:15.52\00:19:17.19
Pause.
00:19:17.22\00:19:18.89
Many studies suggest that
00:19:18.92\00:19:20.26
between 60
percent and 90 of that...
00:19:20.29\00:19:23.12
90 percent of that...
00:19:23.16\00:19:24.79
is wasted on ineffective dieting
00:19:24.83\00:19:28.06
where the weight comes
back within one to two years.
00:19:28.10\00:19:30.37
The average cost of a Gym
membership in the United States
00:19:30.40\00:19:34.17
is 55 dollars a month.
00:19:34.20\00:19:36.00
Pause.
00:19:36.04\00:19:38.44
The part that
gets appalling is that
00:19:38.47\00:19:41.38
60 percent or
more of Gym memberships
00:19:41.41\00:19:44.28
of Gym members never
use their membership. "
00:19:44.31\00:19:49.95
They become members and
they never use their membership.
00:19:49.98\00:19:55.16
How many of you become members
00:19:55.19\00:19:57.96
and never use your membership?
00:19:57.99\00:20:00.73
Pause.
00:20:00.76\00:20:02.83
"Gym membership sales
peak in January every year
00:20:02.86\00:20:06.90
and within 90 days
00:20:06.94\00:20:09.00
a majority of the
people who signed up in January
00:20:09.04\00:20:13.17
have stopped
attending the Gym altogether. "
00:20:13.21\00:20:16.14
How many people
have become members?
00:20:16.18\00:20:19.01
In just a matter of time,
their membership is inactive
00:20:19.05\00:20:24.15
for various reasons.
00:20:24.19\00:20:26.49
The reason is, many
quit the workout phase
00:20:26.52\00:20:33.43
of their commitment to Christ.
00:20:33.46\00:20:34.80
Many quit the workout phase
of their commitment to Christ.
00:20:34.83\00:20:40.30
I want to tell you,
00:20:40.34\00:20:41.67
it is when you're not working
out through a prayer life
00:20:41.70\00:20:46.04
and a study life
00:20:46.07\00:20:48.01
and a life that says,
"Lord, show me... me... "
00:20:48.04\00:20:52.05
when you're not doing that,
00:20:52.11\00:20:54.52
when you're not
waiting before God,
00:20:54.55\00:20:56.65
when you... when
you read your Bible,
00:20:56.69\00:20:58.72
when you... when you
slither to your knees
00:20:58.75\00:21:01.59
on the side of your bed
00:21:01.62\00:21:02.96
and you wait there for
God to show you... you...
00:21:02.99\00:21:06.46
I want to tell you, it's
going to do something to you.
00:21:06.49\00:21:08.73
It's going to bring you
to a place that you know
00:21:08.76\00:21:12.17
is not a place you want
to be but when you get there
00:21:12.20\00:21:15.40
and God works on you
00:21:15.44\00:21:17.37
you begin to desire more
and more to be at that place.
00:21:17.41\00:21:20.78
Pause.
00:21:20.81\00:21:22.98
So many Christians
quit the workout phase
00:21:23.01\00:21:27.68
of their commitment to Christ.
00:21:27.72\00:21:29.05
Far too many
Christians have the same habits
00:21:29.08\00:21:31.52
as those of health clubs...
00:21:31.69\00:21:33.02
they go no further in
signing up for a membership.
00:21:33.05\00:21:36.46
Pause.
00:21:36.49\00:21:41.86
Well, I didn't stop
there in the end of the year...
00:21:41.90\00:21:43.87
I decided to go further
and click on some other links
00:21:43.93\00:21:45.83
and down at the
bottom of the question...
00:21:45.90\00:21:47.50
at the bottom
there were some questions
00:21:47.54\00:21:49.80
and one of the
questions that was asked
00:21:49.84\00:21:52.07
pause
00:21:52.11\00:21:53.98
I appreciated the answer
00:21:54.01\00:21:55.54
because the answer to
the question that was asked
00:21:55.58\00:21:57.05
to the health club Manager
all applies to Christians.
00:21:57.08\00:21:59.68
The question was,
00:21:59.71\00:22:01.12
"What is the
best way to stay fit?"
00:22:01.15\00:22:02.98
And the answer was
one word, "Discipline. "
00:22:03.02\00:22:07.42
What's that word? Discipline
00:22:07.46\00:22:10.13
from which we get
the word Disciple.
00:22:10.19\00:22:13.06
Disciples... if you
are a disciple of Christ,
00:22:13.09\00:22:18.13
you've got to have
a disciplined life.
00:22:18.20\00:22:20.70
I mean, doesn't that fit
when it comes to production?
00:22:20.74\00:22:23.91
Doesn't it fit
in everything else?
00:22:23.94\00:22:25.67
Don't you have a discipline
00:22:25.71\00:22:27.04
when you are scheduled to
pick somebody at the airport?
00:22:27.08\00:22:28.58
Don't we all have
disciplines in the work we do?
00:22:28.61\00:22:30.55
Amen.
00:22:30.61\00:22:32.35
But if you don't apply
discipline to your life,
00:22:32.38\00:22:34.82
you can never be
a disciple of Christ
00:22:34.85\00:22:36.72
because there's no
discipline in your life.
00:22:36.75\00:22:38.75
Look at Matthew 16 verse 24,
00:22:38.79\00:22:41.19
in the very same way,
00:22:41.22\00:22:43.53
a fit Christian has to adhere
to the same spiritual standard
00:22:43.56\00:22:47.26
discipline.
00:22:47.30\00:22:48.63
Look at this...
00:22:48.66\00:22:50.00
Matthew 16:24, the Bible says,
00:22:50.03\00:22:52.13
"Then Jesus said
to His disciples,
00:22:52.17\00:22:55.74
'If anyone
desires to come after Me,
00:22:55.77\00:22:59.31
let him deny himself... "
00:22:59.34\00:23:01.68
let him do what?
Audience: Deny himself.
00:23:01.71\00:23:03.98
"... deny himself,
and take up his cross,
00:23:04.01\00:23:06.28
and follow Me. "
00:23:06.31\00:23:07.65
Luke says, "Daily"
and I want to tell you...
00:23:07.68\00:23:11.12
I want to tell you that
journey has to be daily,
00:23:11.15\00:23:14.82
that commitment of
discipline has to be what?
00:23:14.86\00:23:18.49
Daily.
00:23:18.53\00:23:19.86
The day that you... the day
that you omit that discipline,
00:23:19.89\00:23:23.70
you remembered at
the end of the day
00:23:23.73\00:23:26.50
that you omitted the very
thing that you should have done
00:23:26.53\00:23:29.64
and you see the result
00:23:29.67\00:23:31.07
of a lack of discipline
in your spiritual life
00:23:31.14\00:23:33.74
and I'm going to tell you this,
00:23:33.78\00:23:35.11
the world is designed to
break our discipline from Christ
00:23:35.14\00:23:38.08
and give us a
discipline for the world
00:23:38.11\00:23:40.72
and by-the-way, you know what?
00:23:40.75\00:23:42.08
So many of us have a
discipline for the world...
00:23:42.12\00:23:44.62
we remember the time our
favorite programs come on
00:23:44.65\00:23:47.06
and we're there.
00:23:47.09\00:23:48.69
I remember once when...
00:23:48.72\00:23:50.69
I forgot what the
ridiculous Soap Opera was,
00:23:50.73\00:23:54.83
pause...
00:23:54.86\00:23:56.50
yeah... it was...
"Dallas" years ago
00:23:56.53\00:23:58.70
remember that
ridiculous movie...
00:23:58.73\00:24:00.44
you young people relax...
00:24:00.47\00:24:01.80
but it was that movie, "Dallas"
00:24:01.84\00:24:04.11
and... and the
whole Series was ended,
00:24:04.14\00:24:06.27
they were setting you
up for the fall series
00:24:06.31\00:24:08.44
and the big
question at the end of the...
00:24:08.48\00:24:10.55
at the end of the spring
series was, "Who shot JR?
00:24:10.58\00:24:14.08
It will be revealed
on the Season ender"
00:24:14.12\00:24:17.05
and it happened
on a Wednesday night
00:24:17.09\00:24:19.82
pause
00:24:19.85\00:24:22.32
and I noticed a
dip in Wednesday night
00:24:22.36\00:24:24.33
and I said, "What happened?"
00:24:24.36\00:24:25.69
They said, "It was
the last episode of JR"
00:24:25.73\00:24:27.60
I said, "Of who?"
00:24:27.63\00:24:29.60
They said, "JR."
00:24:29.63\00:24:32.13
"Jr... who is Jr?"
00:24:32.17\00:24:34.60
"Well, who shot JR?
We want to find out. "
00:24:34.64\00:24:37.11
While we are
wondering about who shot JR,
00:24:37.14\00:24:39.94
the devil is shooting us.
00:24:39.97\00:24:41.51
Audience: Yes.
00:24:41.54\00:24:43.45
But my point is,
00:24:43.48\00:24:45.31
we have established
a worldly discipline
00:24:45.35\00:24:48.75
that far too many of us are
true to the disciplines of earth
00:24:48.78\00:24:53.82
more than we are true to
the disciplines of heaven.
00:24:53.86\00:24:57.06
We have no discipline... and
that's why we've become lukewarm
00:24:57.09\00:25:00.73
one moment we're hot...
one moment we're cold...
00:25:00.76\00:25:05.03
and the Lord doesn't know
00:25:05.10\00:25:07.00
which tea cup we're
going to bring to Him
00:25:07.04\00:25:08.80
so He says, "You
know, this is lukewarm,
00:25:08.84\00:25:10.57
I'm not even going to drink this
stuff... I'm spitting it out"
00:25:10.61\00:25:13.31
and unfortunately
He's not spitting it out
00:25:13.34\00:25:15.98
but He's spitting us out.
00:25:16.01\00:25:17.35
Pause.
00:25:17.38\00:25:20.12
This quotation that I read
00:25:20.15\00:25:22.95
pause
00:25:22.98\00:25:26.92
in the book "Evangelism. "
00:25:26.96\00:25:29.79
Listen to the quote.
00:25:29.82\00:25:31.89
"Desire for goodness
and true holiness is right
00:25:31.93\00:25:36.33
as far as it goes... "
00:25:36.36\00:25:37.70
pause
00:25:37.73\00:25:39.60
I'll tell you in a moment...
00:25:39.63\00:25:40.97
but to stop here
will avail nothing.
00:25:41.00\00:25:43.74
Good purposes are right
00:25:43.77\00:25:46.74
but will prove to no avail
00:25:46.78\00:25:49.71
unless determinedly carried out.
00:25:49.74\00:25:53.01
Many will be lost while hoping
and desiring to be Christians
00:25:53.08\00:25:59.45
pause
00:25:59.49\00:26:00.82
but they carry
their efforts no further,
00:26:00.86\00:26:04.26
therefore, we'll be weighed
in the balance and found wanting
00:26:04.29\00:26:10.47
the will must be exercised... "
00:26:10.50\00:26:14.17
must be what?
00:26:14.20\00:26:15.84
"exercised in the
right direction. "
00:26:15.87\00:26:18.94
Pause.
00:26:18.97\00:26:20.31
"The strength of
the Christian life
00:26:20.34\00:26:22.48
has everything to do
with the direction. "
00:26:22.51\00:26:24.88
Pause.
00:26:24.91\00:26:27.52
The journey of the Israelites
00:26:27.55\00:26:29.35
had to do with
the right direction.
00:26:29.38\00:26:31.19
The journey of the Christian
00:26:31.22\00:26:32.92
has to do with
the right direction.
00:26:32.95\00:26:35.36
Audience: Amen.
00:26:35.39\00:26:36.73
Everything about our life
00:26:36.76\00:26:38.09
has to do with
the right direction
00:26:38.13\00:26:39.49
but the thing that I
want to point out here is
00:26:39.53\00:26:42.86
desire is the
precursor to direction.
00:26:42.90\00:26:46.50
Desire... what are you thinking?
00:26:46.53\00:26:48.77
what... what... what
is your mind focused on
00:26:48.80\00:26:52.11
that's determining
which way you lean...
00:26:52.14\00:26:54.64
because it
doesn't take a great lean
00:26:54.71\00:26:57.18
to go in the wrong direction.
00:26:57.21\00:26:58.65
I remember when pilots...
00:26:58.68\00:27:00.05
you know, we go
to the airport...
00:27:00.08\00:27:01.95
we fly a lot...
00:27:01.98\00:27:03.32
when a plane takes off
00:27:03.35\00:27:05.59
it may take off from the
same airport in St. Louis
00:27:05.65\00:27:07.72
but after takeoff...
00:27:07.79\00:27:09.12
it may just take
off and go four degrees
00:27:09.16\00:27:10.93
in a different
direction than the other plane
00:27:10.96\00:27:13.19
and when they leave the airport,
you can see the other plane
00:27:13.26\00:27:15.63
but give them 15
minutes, you won't see it
00:27:15.66\00:27:17.73
because you start out in
just a few degrees different,
00:27:17.77\00:27:21.84
the longer you journey,
the farther apart you get
00:27:21.87\00:27:24.57
and sometimes all you
see is this smoke trail.
00:27:24.61\00:27:27.24
In the very same way,
00:27:27.28\00:27:28.94
in your life on
a day-by-day basis
00:27:28.98\00:27:30.55
if your desire to go
in the wrong direction
00:27:30.58\00:27:33.15
makes you lean in
the wrong direction,
00:27:33.21\00:27:35.68
like the Israelites and
like many of the disciples
00:27:35.72\00:27:38.09
that went back and
walked with Jesus no more
00:27:38.12\00:27:40.82
desire was the precursor to
the direction of their lives.
00:27:40.86\00:27:46.43
However, desire...
00:27:46.46\00:27:49.43
without an action
in the right direction,
00:27:49.46\00:27:53.20
will produce the same results
00:27:53.23\00:27:55.80
as no desire to go in
the right direction at all.
00:27:55.84\00:27:59.47
You might have the
desire but with no actions...
00:27:59.51\00:28:03.14
you might as well
give it to the desire,
00:28:03.18\00:28:04.58
in other words,
00:28:04.61\00:28:05.95
where there is no desire
to go in the right direction,
00:28:05.98\00:28:08.58
until we acknowledge...
00:28:08.62\00:28:10.42
until we acknowledge
that we're lacking the desire,
00:28:10.49\00:28:14.99
we will never have
the desire awakened in us
00:28:15.02\00:28:18.19
to go in the right direction.
00:28:18.23\00:28:20.30
That's why I
appreciate people when they say,
00:28:20.33\00:28:22.60
"Pastor, I'm having
a hard time in my...
00:28:22.63\00:28:24.17
I'm having a hard time
in my walk with Christ. "
00:28:24.20\00:28:26.10
I appreciate that...
00:28:26.33\00:28:27.94
because they
know they have a need.
00:28:27.97\00:28:30.11
It's those people that you...
00:28:30.14\00:28:32.14
that don't ever
express their challenges
00:28:32.17\00:28:34.24
that all of a
sudden disappear...
00:28:34.28\00:28:36.31
When they say, "Whatever
happened to so and so?"
00:28:36.34\00:28:37.88
"They were
quiet... they just left"
00:28:37.91\00:28:39.91
they didn't say anything...
00:28:39.95\00:28:41.42
but it's when somebody
says, "I'm having a hard time,
00:28:41.45\00:28:44.79
I'm challenged by something"
00:28:44.82\00:28:46.15
they know that
the challenge is there
00:28:46.19\00:28:48.02
because they recognize...
00:28:48.06\00:28:50.23
they recognize that
whatever the challenge is...
00:28:50.29\00:28:53.33
is adverse to
where they want to be...
00:28:53.36\00:28:56.60
that's why it is a challenge.
00:28:56.63\00:28:58.17
Pause.
00:28:58.20\00:29:00.00
Whenever you are uncomfortable
in your Christian experience,
00:29:00.04\00:29:02.60
it makes a difference
00:29:02.64\00:29:03.97
and direction
has everything to do
00:29:04.01\00:29:07.44
that's why it's not enough
to be in the Christian race,
00:29:07.48\00:29:11.61
you got to run in
the right direction.
00:29:11.65\00:29:13.98
Amen.
00:29:14.02\00:29:15.38
I read a story entitled,
"The Wrong Direction. "
00:29:15.45\00:29:18.72
On September 4th, 2011, at
the Louisiana Downs Racetrack
00:29:18.75\00:29:24.76
at the sounding of the
bell, a horse named "Secret Fly"
00:29:24.79\00:29:30.77
shook off the Jockey
00:29:30.80\00:29:32.63
and started running
in the wrong direction
00:29:32.67\00:29:34.24
pause
00:29:34.27\00:29:36.14
the horse ran the entire
race in the wrong direction
00:29:36.17\00:29:40.04
because it
severed its connection
00:29:40.08\00:29:43.95
with the only one
that would have guided it
00:29:43.98\00:29:46.21
in the right direction.
00:29:46.25\00:29:47.58
As Christians,
sometimes we shake off Jesus
00:29:47.62\00:29:51.49
and we may run
the entire race...
00:29:51.52\00:29:54.26
that horse ran
the entire race...
00:29:54.29\00:29:56.93
later on I'll give
you the link on YouTube...
00:29:56.96\00:29:59.16
it's an amazing thing to see
00:29:59.19\00:30:00.53
because they showed
it from different angles
00:30:00.56\00:30:01.90
and they said... they
avoided a near head-on collision
00:30:01.93\00:30:04.80
that horse... when
it shook off its jockey.
00:30:04.83\00:30:07.04
it turned around...
00:30:07.07\00:30:08.40
and the other seven
horses were going that...
00:30:08.44\00:30:10.61
the other nine horses
were going that way...
00:30:10.64\00:30:12.81
that other horse
took off at full speed
00:30:12.84\00:30:14.81
going in the other direction
00:30:14.84\00:30:16.18
and 2 minutes and 40
seconds into the race,
00:30:16.21\00:30:18.18
they almost had a
near head-on collision.
00:30:18.21\00:30:21.82
It got back to
where it started to run
00:30:21.88\00:30:24.75
thinking that it
had finished its race
00:30:24.79\00:30:27.62
when it ran the entire
race in the wrong direction.
00:30:27.66\00:30:30.89
Some of us are in
the Christian race
00:30:30.93\00:30:33.60
and today I want to say,
00:30:33.63\00:30:34.96
"Some of us are running
in the wrong direction. "
00:30:35.00\00:30:37.40
Pause.
00:30:37.43\00:30:39.30
But you'll never know that
00:30:39.33\00:30:40.70
unless you ask God
to convert your mind...
00:30:40.74\00:30:44.27
to convert your life...
00:30:44.31\00:30:46.91
you won't even know that
your direction is incorrect
00:30:46.94\00:30:51.18
unless you ask the
Lord to convert you.
00:30:51.21\00:30:52.75
Pause.
00:30:52.78\00:30:54.78
More pause.
00:30:54.82\00:30:58.09
That's why Acts 3:19
is so vitally important.
00:30:58.12\00:31:00.56
I'll read it again.
00:31:00.59\00:31:02.99
"Repent
therefore, and be converted,
00:31:03.02\00:31:06.29
that your sins
may be blotted out,
00:31:06.33\00:31:08.96
so the time of
refreshing may come
00:31:09.00\00:31:11.37
from the presence of the Lord. "
00:31:11.40\00:31:13.70
Repentance is a turn
from something wrong...
00:31:13.74\00:31:18.41
conversion is a
turn to something right.
00:31:18.44\00:31:22.81
Pause.
00:31:22.84\00:31:24.98
You know, God forgives.
00:31:25.01\00:31:26.61
"If you confess your sins,
He is faithful and just to... "
00:31:26.65\00:31:29.42
do what?
00:31:29.48\00:31:30.82
"forgive you and cleanse
you from all unrighteousness. "
00:31:30.85\00:31:33.52
Being sorrowful...
00:31:33.56\00:31:35.16
being sorrowful for the
wrong thing you've done,
00:31:35.19\00:31:37.43
saying Lord, "I've sinned"
00:31:37.46\00:31:39.56
and asking for forgiveness
is just the beginning
00:31:39.59\00:31:41.66
but if you have
not been converted...
00:31:41.73\00:31:44.03
repentance is saying,
00:31:44.07\00:31:46.33
"I'm going in
the wrong direction"
00:31:46.37\00:31:47.70
but conversion says,
00:31:47.74\00:31:49.07
"Now I'm going in
the right direction"
00:31:49.10\00:31:51.11
pause
00:31:51.14\00:31:52.47
conversion means a total change
in the direction of your life
00:31:52.51\00:31:57.08
both morally and spiritually.
00:31:57.11\00:31:59.51
Pause.
00:31:59.55\00:32:04.32
It means a change from a life
00:32:04.35\00:32:06.52
that didn't
take God into account
00:32:06.55\00:32:08.29
to a life that takes God
into account in everything.
00:32:08.32\00:32:12.36
I want you to think about that.
00:32:12.39\00:32:14.30
It takes God into
account in the shows you watch
00:32:14.33\00:32:17.67
pause
00:32:17.70\00:32:19.47
and the places you go
00:32:19.50\00:32:21.20
and what you listen to...
00:32:21.24\00:32:22.87
pause
00:32:22.90\00:32:26.98
and how you eat...
00:32:27.01\00:32:28.48
how you dress...
00:32:28.51\00:32:29.91
You don't do those things to
put the cart before the horse
00:32:29.94\00:32:35.62
but when you are converted,
00:32:35.65\00:32:37.49
the things that seem to be
little in the lives of some
00:32:37.52\00:32:40.39
become magnanimous in your life
00:32:40.42\00:32:43.32
because you know that you
cannot go in the wrong direction
00:32:43.36\00:32:46.80
not even by a single degree.
00:32:46.83\00:32:49.06
Isn't that right?
00:32:49.13\00:32:50.73
Conversion makes
all the difference...
00:32:50.77\00:32:53.13
going in the right direction...
00:32:53.17\00:32:54.87
look at Deuteronomy
chapter 4 verse 29 to 31.
00:32:54.90\00:32:58.37
I'll move right along here...
00:32:58.41\00:33:01.18
Deuteronomy 4 verse 29 to 31.
00:33:01.24\00:33:03.98
Pause.
00:33:04.01\00:33:07.18
This commitment to
Christ is so vitally important.
00:33:07.22\00:33:09.75
Pause.
00:33:09.78\00:33:12.52
The promise of God
is a wonderful thing,
00:33:12.55\00:33:17.16
notice verse 29
of Deuteronomy 4.
00:33:17.19\00:33:19.16
"But from there you
will seek the Lord your God,
00:33:19.19\00:33:24.43
and you will find
Him if you seek Him... "
00:33:24.50\00:33:27.04
with how much of your heart?
00:33:27.07\00:33:28.40
"... with all your heart
and with all your soul. "
00:33:28.44\00:33:30.37
When you are in distress,
and all these things come up...
00:33:30.41\00:33:35.21
come upon you in
the latter days... "
00:33:35.24\00:33:39.28
look at this...
00:33:39.31\00:33:41.25
"when you... "
what's the next word?
00:33:41.28\00:33:43.95
"turn" that's conversion...
00:33:43.99\00:33:45.55
that's the word
"conversion" in the Hebrew,
00:33:45.59\00:33:49.09
"when you turn to the Lord... "
00:33:49.12\00:33:52.13
remember
"conversion" is to turn to...
00:33:52.16\00:33:54.93
"when you turn to the Lord
your God and obey His voice.
00:33:54.96\00:34:01.10
...for the Lord your
God is a merciful God,
00:34:01.14\00:34:04.54
He will not forsake
you nor destroy you,
00:34:04.57\00:34:07.84
nor forget the
covenant of your fathers
00:34:07.88\00:34:11.11
which He swore to them. "
00:34:11.15\00:34:13.72
Pause.
00:34:13.75\00:34:16.95
Conversion is not
just a realization
00:34:16.99\00:34:19.75
that you are a Christian,
00:34:19.79\00:34:21.12
but a total change in the life
00:34:21.16\00:34:23.43
that accompanies
your Christianity.
00:34:23.46\00:34:25.26
What kind of life do you have?
00:34:25.29\00:34:27.26
I can guarantee
you that if your life
00:34:27.30\00:34:30.03
doesn't have a
daily regiment in it,
00:34:30.07\00:34:32.70
you know, we say, "we
are not saved by works"
00:34:32.73\00:34:35.04
oh yes, we are...
00:34:35.07\00:34:36.40
not by your
works to save yourself
00:34:36.44\00:34:38.87
but the things you do
on a day-by-day basis...
00:34:38.91\00:34:41.38
the works you
include in your life...
00:34:41.41\00:34:42.84
will either demolish
00:34:42.91\00:34:44.58
or strengthen your
Christian relationship.
00:34:44.61\00:34:46.92
Pause.
00:34:46.98\00:34:48.32
So if you don't
think that they're works...
00:34:48.35\00:34:49.68
that's why the Apostle
Paul when they argue about
00:34:49.72\00:34:51.42
"faith without works"
00:34:51.45\00:34:52.79
faith without works is dead...
00:34:52.82\00:34:54.42
show me your
faith without your works
00:34:54.46\00:34:56.73
and I'll show you
my faith by my works.
00:34:56.76\00:34:58.93
You can't have faith
and have it devoid of works
00:34:58.96\00:35:01.66
because the baseball
player that sits on...
00:35:01.70\00:35:04.03
that sits around in the uniform
and a baseball bat and a glove
00:35:04.07\00:35:06.67
that never gets on the
field is not a baseball player.
00:35:06.70\00:35:08.77
He's just got a nice uniform.
00:35:08.80\00:35:10.91
You can even buy the uniform...
00:35:10.94\00:35:12.87
I could look like
a baseball player.
00:35:12.91\00:35:14.78
I was on the plane once
during the time of the Olympics
00:35:14.81\00:35:17.85
about 15 years or 16 years
ago, maybe more than that...
00:35:17.91\00:35:20.82
I think I was living
in California at the time
00:35:20.85\00:35:23.69
and the American Olympics was...
00:35:23.72\00:35:25.72
you know the World
Olympics was going on
00:35:25.75\00:35:27.22
and I was so excited...
00:35:27.26\00:35:28.59
I bought an Olympics jacket...
00:35:28.62\00:35:30.43
I had an Olympic cap...
00:35:30.46\00:35:32.86
I had an Olympic gym bag...
00:35:32.89\00:35:35.16
and I got on United Airlines
00:35:35.23\00:35:37.43
and the Flight
Attendants treated me so nicely.
00:35:37.47\00:35:40.17
Audience: Smiling.
00:35:40.24\00:35:41.97
"Come Sir...
00:35:42.00\00:35:43.34
is there anything that you
would like to drink before... "
00:35:43.37\00:35:44.84
and I wasn't in First Class
00:35:44.87\00:35:47.18
and the Flight Attendants
looked at me and they smiled
00:35:47.24\00:35:51.31
not the... hmmm... different...
00:35:51.35\00:35:52.91
never happened before...
00:35:52.95\00:35:55.18
way before status...
00:35:55.25\00:35:57.42
so, I saw them looking
and they were talking together
00:35:57.45\00:36:00.89
and one of the Flight Attendants
came and got on her knees
00:36:00.92\00:36:03.43
and she said, "Sir now,
00:36:03.46\00:36:04.79
we had a question that we want
to settle the answer to... "
00:36:04.83\00:36:07.80
now I had
figured... but I don't know...
00:36:07.83\00:36:11.13
"Are you by any
chance on the Olympic team?"
00:36:11.17\00:36:14.40
Audience: Laughter.
00:36:14.44\00:36:15.77
That is one of those
moments when you think,
00:36:15.80\00:36:17.24
"Maybe I can lie
and get away with it...
00:36:17.27\00:36:18.87
maybe I get a meal out of it...
00:36:18.91\00:36:20.88
I couldn't do that... "
00:36:20.91\00:36:23.18
I said, "Huh...
no actually I'm not
00:36:23.21\00:36:28.45
pause
00:36:28.48\00:36:30.59
do I have to get off now?"
00:36:30.62\00:36:31.95
Audience: Laughter...
00:36:31.99\00:36:33.32
they were nice to me
00:36:33.36\00:36:35.22
but I looked the part...
00:36:35.26\00:36:37.36
I just wasn't the part
00:36:37.39\00:36:39.43
and it's not... it's not...
00:36:39.46\00:36:41.60
it's not enough to look
the part of a Christian.
00:36:41.63\00:36:44.10
Some of us look at other
people that don't look like us
00:36:44.13\00:36:46.97
and we say, "They
don't look like Christians"
00:36:47.04\00:36:49.50
but they may be Christians,
00:36:49.54\00:36:51.71
you're judging the
book by its cover...
00:36:51.74\00:36:54.38
you can't read its
pages, amen, somebody.
00:36:54.41\00:36:56.54
Audience: Amen.
00:36:56.58\00:36:57.91
Conversion is not
just a realization
00:36:57.95\00:36:59.88
that you are a Christian
00:36:59.91\00:37:01.25
but a total change in the life
00:37:01.28\00:37:02.88
that accompanies
your Christianity.
00:37:02.92\00:37:05.82
You see,
repentance is active change...
00:37:05.85\00:37:08.76
conversion is: change in action.
00:37:08.79\00:37:11.79
I read a story about
John D. Rockefeller Sr.
00:37:11.83\00:37:16.97
his life is an
example of change.
00:37:17.00\00:37:19.33
John D.
Rockefeller was a young man
00:37:19.37\00:37:21.87
that early on decided that
he was going to be wealthy.
00:37:21.90\00:37:24.44
Pause.
00:37:24.47\00:37:26.37
At 33 years old, he had
his first million dollars
00:37:26.41\00:37:29.94
it was way back...
00:37:29.98\00:37:31.81
at 43 years old,
00:37:31.85\00:37:33.65
he was the owner of the
biggest company in the world.
00:37:33.68\00:37:39.35
At 53 years old, he was the
only billionaire in the world.
00:37:39.39\00:37:46.80
Now we have a whole lot of them,
00:37:46.86\00:37:48.63
it was a long time ago, a
billion dollars was a lot.
00:37:48.66\00:37:50.93
When John D. Rockefeller
Sr. was a little boy,
00:37:50.97\00:37:53.47
was 53 years old...
00:37:53.50\00:37:55.24
but all of a sudden...
with all of his amassed wealth,
00:37:55.30\00:37:58.84
he developed a severe case
of something called "Alopecia"
00:37:58.87\00:38:02.38
a severe case...
00:38:02.44\00:38:03.78
he not only lost his hair
00:38:03.81\00:38:05.58
but his body began
go shrink to the point
00:38:05.61\00:38:08.78
where he started looking
like a "mummy" the doctors said.
00:38:08.82\00:38:10.92
Pause.
00:38:10.95\00:38:13.09
This man made a million
dollars a week at least,
00:38:13.12\00:38:16.02
but he got to the place
where he could not sleep...
00:38:16.06\00:38:18.89
he stopped smiling...
he could not enjoy life
00:38:18.93\00:38:21.36
pause
00:38:21.40\00:38:24.70
and he was so hated
by people in Pennsylvania
00:38:24.73\00:38:28.50
that he had to
hire a security guard
00:38:28.54\00:38:31.81
to guard him day and night.
00:38:31.84\00:38:33.17
With all that money
all he could to eat was
00:38:33.21\00:38:36.28
crackers and drink milk...
00:38:36.31\00:38:38.11
couldn't even sleep...
00:38:38.18\00:38:39.95
one night...
00:38:39.98\00:38:44.09
the Lord spoke to
Rockefeller and he said,
00:38:44.15\00:38:49.66
"When I came to the realization
that I could not take one dime
00:38:49.72\00:38:54.30
of this money
into the next world,
00:38:54.33\00:38:56.60
I had a change of attitude. "
00:38:56.63\00:38:58.87
The next morning,
John D. Rockefeller woke up
00:38:58.90\00:39:01.87
with a different attitude...
a different mindset...
00:39:01.90\00:39:03.71
he began helping churches...
00:39:03.74\00:39:05.54
he no longer overlooked
the poor and the needy,
00:39:05.57\00:39:09.74
he established the
Rockefeller Foundation
00:39:09.78\00:39:12.21
whose funding led to
the discovery of Penicillin
00:39:12.25\00:39:15.38
and other wonder drugs
00:39:15.42\00:39:16.95
pause
00:39:16.99\00:39:19.05
and he finally was able
to sleep and smile again
00:39:19.09\00:39:22.26
and his body stopped shrinking.
00:39:22.29\00:39:26.39
Pause.
00:39:26.43\00:39:28.60
The doctors predicted that
when he got Alopecia at 53,
00:39:28.63\00:39:33.10
he would die at 54...
00:39:33.13\00:39:34.47
he died at 98...
00:39:34.50\00:39:35.84
Audience is amazed...
00:39:35.87\00:39:37.74
Audience: Praise God.
00:39:37.77\00:39:39.61
Before he was
converted, he was overly wicked.
00:39:39.67\00:39:43.75
The wise man says
in Ecclesiastes 7:14,
00:39:43.78\00:39:47.28
"Do not be overly
wicked nor foolish,
00:39:47.32\00:39:49.98
why should you
die before your time?"
00:39:50.02\00:39:52.69
He was overly wicked
00:39:52.72\00:39:55.09
but he had a
conversion experience
00:39:55.12\00:39:57.66
and instead of
dying a year later,
00:39:57.69\00:40:00.20
pause
00:40:00.23\00:40:01.73
he has a conversion experience
about money and other people
00:40:01.76\00:40:05.70
and what really mattered
00:40:05.73\00:40:07.07
and way back
then... to live till 98...
00:40:07.10\00:40:10.61
pause
00:40:10.67\00:40:12.84
and today when
you read his memoires,
00:40:12.87\00:40:14.41
people have a different attitude
about John D. Rockefeller.
00:40:14.44\00:40:16.78
Rockefeller Plaza stands
erect in mid-town Manhattan.
00:40:16.81\00:40:23.55
You see, until he was
changed, he was of no use,
00:40:23.59\00:40:28.02
he could not be
used for good things.
00:40:28.06\00:40:30.96
That's why the
Lord said in Luke 22:32
00:40:30.99\00:40:33.26
in the King
James Version to Peter,
00:40:33.29\00:40:35.56
"When you are converted...
00:40:35.60\00:40:37.47
when you are converted,
strengthen the brethren. "
00:40:37.50\00:40:40.24
We need conversion, come
one somebody say, "Amen. "
00:40:40.27\00:40:42.50
Audience: Amen.
00:40:42.54\00:40:43.87
Like so many of
us, Rockefeller...
00:40:43.91\00:40:45.27
and the same way we produce...
00:40:45.31\00:40:47.38
and we pursue a
life of self-indulgence,
00:40:47.41\00:40:49.68
we never die to the old ways,
00:40:49.74\00:40:51.85
we never choose to
submit to the changed life,
00:40:51.88\00:40:54.85
we never experience
fulfillment that Jesus offers,
00:40:54.88\00:40:57.79
we never know what it's like
00:40:57.82\00:40:59.15
to be a positive
impact on the lives of others,
00:40:59.19\00:41:01.62
we become self-absorbed
00:41:01.66\00:41:03.89
and conversion is
the farthest thing away
00:41:03.93\00:41:06.26
because you know, as I
read... as I read further,
00:41:06.29\00:41:08.50
conversion is not an easy thing.
00:41:08.53\00:41:12.83
It requires you to
every day say to you... "no...
00:41:12.87\00:41:18.34
no, you can't have that...
00:41:18.37\00:41:20.18
no, you're not watching that...
00:41:20.21\00:41:21.78
no, that's not Godly...
00:41:21.84\00:41:23.58
no, don't think that...
00:41:23.61\00:41:25.21
no, that is not
what a Christian does"
00:41:25.25\00:41:28.62
that's the convicting work of
the presence of the Holy Spirit
00:41:28.65\00:41:32.49
but when you don't...
when you're not converted,
00:41:32.52\00:41:34.19
you don't hear those voices.
00:41:34.22\00:41:35.56
Pause.
00:41:35.59\00:41:37.23
John 16 says, "He
will convict you of sin
00:41:37.26\00:41:39.56
and of
righteousness and of judgment"
00:41:39.59\00:41:41.60
the reason why
conviction is missing...
00:41:41.63\00:41:43.63
without conviction,
there's no conversion.
00:41:43.67\00:41:46.03
If you turn off the
voice of the only One
00:41:46.07\00:41:47.84
that could lead you
in the right direction,
00:41:47.87\00:41:49.60
it's like, stopping your ears...
00:41:49.64\00:41:51.47
expecting to hear
somebody, it won't happen.
00:41:51.51\00:41:53.94
But what I like
about conversion is...
00:41:53.98\00:41:57.05
I begin to wind up the messages,
00:41:57.08\00:41:58.41
conversion comes
with temporal benefits
00:41:58.45\00:42:00.82
like as in the case
of John D. Rockefeller
00:42:00.88\00:42:03.45
but its best benefit is eternal.
00:42:03.49\00:42:06.15
Look at Matthew 18 and verse 3.
00:42:06.19\00:42:08.79
This shows how widely
important conversion is.
00:42:08.82\00:42:12.63
Conversion is
powerfully necessary
00:42:12.66\00:42:16.16
if we ought to be Christians
with heaven in front of us.
00:42:16.20\00:42:24.54
Matthew 18 verse 3,
00:42:24.57\00:42:26.88
Jesus said,
"Assuredly, I say to you,
00:42:26.91\00:42:29.41
unless you are converted
and become as... " what?
00:42:29.44\00:42:34.88
"little children,
00:42:34.92\00:42:36.95
you will be no means
enter the kingdom of heaven. "
00:42:36.99\00:42:41.86
"If you're not converted and
become like little children... "
00:42:41.89\00:42:44.79
and I wondered, "Okay, I
accept the conversion part,
00:42:44.86\00:42:47.43
but what's with this
'little children' stuff, Jesus?"
00:42:47.46\00:42:50.00
And I discovered
in the Word of God,
00:42:50.03\00:42:52.63
because He's
sovereign and always has been,
00:42:52.67\00:42:55.27
He refers to us as
"My little children"
00:42:55.30\00:42:57.87
but it's even deeper than that,
00:42:57.91\00:43:00.04
you see, little children
are always dependent on somebody
00:43:00.08\00:43:04.81
bigger than them.
00:43:04.85\00:43:06.78
Pause.
00:43:06.82\00:43:08.75
How many of us
are dependent on God
00:43:08.78\00:43:10.19
or are we trying
to do it ourselves?
00:43:10.22\00:43:11.59
Little children are teachable...
00:43:11.62\00:43:14.59
how many of us are teachable?
00:43:14.62\00:43:17.49
Little children also
keep no records of wrongs,
00:43:17.53\00:43:21.03
when two little
children have a spat,
00:43:21.06\00:43:23.57
you say, "What happened?"
00:43:23.60\00:43:25.13
"He stole my popsicle... "
00:43:25.17\00:43:26.70
"He broke my car... "
00:43:26.74\00:43:28.30
"Just say you're sorry... "
00:43:28.34\00:43:29.67
"I'm sorry... "
00:43:29.70\00:43:31.04
"Okay, let's go play... "
00:43:31.07\00:43:32.41
that's how kids are.
00:43:32.44\00:43:33.78
But adults... that's
why when you read the Bible,
00:43:33.81\00:43:35.78
the Bible didn't say,
00:43:35.81\00:43:37.15
"All we like lambs
have gone astray... "
00:43:37.18\00:43:39.81
lambs are a symbol of Christ,
00:43:39.85\00:43:41.72
teachable... subtle...
00:43:41.75\00:43:43.75
"All we like sheep... "
00:43:43.79\00:43:45.69
sheep are grown
up and hard-headed.
00:43:45.75\00:43:47.92
Do you know a sheep...
00:43:47.96\00:43:49.29
this is not...
this is not normal...
00:43:49.32\00:43:51.79
this is not often...
but a sheep will bite you...
00:43:51.86\00:43:55.53
yeah, you get a sheep mad
at you... it will bite you.
00:43:55.56\00:43:58.63
Have you ever been bitten
by another sheep in church?
00:43:58.70\00:44:01.74
Laughter...
00:44:01.77\00:44:06.17
"All we like
sheep have gone astray"
00:44:06.21\00:44:08.98
that's why we have to
become like little children...
00:44:09.01\00:44:11.41
we have to be like
the lamb... Christ Jesus,
00:44:11.45\00:44:14.48
can you say, "Amen. "
00:44:14.52\00:44:15.85
Audience: Amen.
00:44:15.88\00:44:17.22
Little children...
"Testimonies for the Church"
00:44:17.25\00:44:19.19
volume 4 page 534 and 535...
00:44:19.25\00:44:22.79
"Communion with
God imparts to the soul
00:44:22.82\00:44:26.46
an intimate
knowledge of His will
00:44:26.49\00:44:29.03
but many who profess the faith
00:44:29.06\00:44:32.40
know not what
true conversion is.
00:44:32.43\00:44:35.70
They have no experience
in communion with the Father
00:44:35.74\00:44:39.27
through Jesus Christ
00:44:39.34\00:44:40.68
and they have never felt
the power of divine grace
00:44:40.71\00:44:44.25
to sanctify the heart.
00:44:44.28\00:44:45.81
Praying and sinning...
sinning and praying...
00:44:45.85\00:44:49.62
their lives are full of malice,
00:44:49.65\00:44:51.69
deceit, envy,
jealousy and self-love. "
00:44:51.72\00:44:54.29
Pause.
00:44:54.32\00:44:55.89
Praying and sinning...
sinning and praying...
00:44:55.92\00:44:58.19
and that's the sum total
of so many people's lives.
00:44:58.23\00:45:02.40
But what does conversion do?
00:45:02.43\00:45:04.83
Conversion is turning
away from sin to righteousness.
00:45:04.87\00:45:09.24
Pause.
00:45:09.30\00:45:11.31
Conversion is
turning away from idolatry...
00:45:11.37\00:45:14.94
putting nothing before
your relationship with God.
00:45:14.98\00:45:18.18
Audience: Amen.
00:45:18.21\00:45:19.55
Conversion is turning
away from unbelief to faith.
00:45:19.58\00:45:22.82
Conversion is turning
your life over to Jesus...
00:45:22.85\00:45:26.15
putting Him
in-charge of your daily day.
00:45:26.19\00:45:30.46
Putting your phone
farther away from your bed
00:45:30.49\00:45:33.96
and your Bible closer.
00:45:34.00\00:45:35.50
Audience: Amen.
00:45:35.53\00:45:37.60
Shutting off the television
and turning on Christ.
00:45:37.63\00:45:41.74
Closing your day and
beginning your day with Jesus.
00:45:41.77\00:45:44.54
On your knees... asking God
to reveal to you who you are.
00:45:44.57\00:45:48.81
Pause.
00:45:48.84\00:45:51.25
My wife and I... I
think it was this week
00:45:51.28\00:45:53.52
earlier this week or
maybe later last week,
00:45:53.58\00:45:55.78
she said, "I'm
going to heaven. "
00:45:55.82\00:45:58.45
I said, "I'm going with you. "
00:45:58.49\00:46:01.06
Amen... anybody
want to go to heaven?
00:46:01.09\00:46:03.02
Audience: Amen.
00:46:03.06\00:46:04.39
You can't go
unless you're converted...
00:46:04.43\00:46:07.56
conversion
produces a transformed life
00:46:07.60\00:46:10.37
and what I love
about conversion...
00:46:10.40\00:46:13.13
the one thing that the
Lord revealed to me last night,
00:46:13.17\00:46:17.21
"Conversion is the realization
that you are no longer
00:46:17.24\00:46:21.24
who you used to be. "
00:46:21.28\00:46:23.04
Pause.
00:46:23.08\00:46:25.75
1st Peter 2 verse 9
and 10 says it this way,
00:46:25.78\00:46:29.08
"To the person
that's converted... "
00:46:29.12\00:46:30.65
this text is not
referred to church membership,
00:46:30.69\00:46:33.99
this text refers to conversion.
00:46:34.02\00:46:37.19
"But you are a
chosen generation,
00:46:37.23\00:46:41.10
a royal
priesthood, a holy nation,
00:46:41.13\00:46:44.97
His own special people,
00:46:45.00\00:46:47.50
that you may
proclaim the praises of Him
00:46:47.54\00:46:52.07
who called you out of... " what?
00:46:52.11\00:46:54.41
"... darkness into
His marvelous light... "
00:46:54.44\00:46:57.78
and look at the
conversion part...
00:46:57.81\00:47:00.02
"who once were not a people
00:47:00.05\00:47:03.89
but are now the people of God"
00:47:03.92\00:47:06.22
what turned in their lives...
00:47:06.25\00:47:08.56
"who had not obtained mercy
but now have obtained mercy. "
00:47:08.59\00:47:13.93
Amen... somebody...
00:47:13.96\00:47:15.30
Audience: Amen.
00:47:15.33\00:47:16.67
We find a quotation...
it's a beautiful one...
00:47:16.70\00:47:19.07
Manuscript 75...
00:47:19.10\00:47:20.47
in the year 1897,
00:47:20.50\00:47:21.84
the servant of the Lord wrote
these words in paragraph 5.
00:47:21.87\00:47:25.74
"The converting power of
God must come into the church
00:47:25.77\00:47:29.98
to bless the members before
they can be made a blessing...
00:47:30.01\00:47:33.92
The converting power of
God must come into the church
00:47:33.95\00:47:37.72
to bless the members before
they can be made a blessing.
00:47:37.75\00:47:41.49
Individual...
daily conversion...
00:47:41.52\00:47:45.09
accomplishes everything for
the members of Christ's body
00:47:45.13\00:47:51.40
for it brings us daily into
divine relationship with Himself
00:47:51.43\00:47:57.67
and the methods and
plans, tact and ability
00:47:57.71\00:48:02.24
and the very
highest qualifications
00:48:02.28\00:48:04.71
are brought into
the Kingdom of God. "
00:48:04.75\00:48:07.15
The point is this,
until you are converted,
00:48:07.18\00:48:09.45
you are not bringing
the best to the Master.
00:48:09.48\00:48:11.72
You're bringing
something to the table
00:48:11.75\00:48:14.29
but it's of low grade.
00:48:14.32\00:48:16.52
When conversion comes in,
00:48:16.56\00:48:18.69
in that daily
relationship with Christ,
00:48:18.73\00:48:21.10
your methods and plans...
your tact and your ability...
00:48:21.16\00:48:25.13
are of the
highest qualifications
00:48:25.17\00:48:28.50
and it gets you ready
for the Kingdom of God.
00:48:28.54\00:48:34.78
Pause.
00:48:34.81\00:48:37.45
True conversion
increases your value
00:48:37.48\00:48:41.12
because the exchange rate
00:48:41.15\00:48:44.22
from the person
who you used to be
00:48:44.25\00:48:45.99
to the person who we are...
00:48:46.02\00:48:47.96
the exchange rate is the blood
and the righteousness of Jesus.
00:48:47.99\00:48:53.83
Audience:
Amen... praise the Lord.
00:48:53.86\00:48:56.13
So I'm not longer afraid that
my value is going to go down,
00:48:56.16\00:48:59.43
if I'm letting the Lord convert
me on a day-by-day basis,
00:48:59.47\00:49:02.70
my value is going
up, come on somebody...
00:49:02.77\00:49:04.47
Audience: Amen.
00:49:04.54\00:49:05.87
You want your value to
increase, don't be fearful...
00:49:05.91\00:49:08.64
just simply say,
"Lord, come into my life,
00:49:08.68\00:49:13.21
come into my heart,
00:49:13.28\00:49:15.25
come into my thoughts,
00:49:15.28\00:49:17.19
break me down from
this recalcitrant stubborn
00:49:17.22\00:49:21.76
self-centered... egotistical...
maniacal... self-absorbed... "
00:49:21.82\00:49:26.49
tell me went to stop...
00:49:26.53\00:49:28.60
person that I want to be
00:49:28.63\00:49:30.47
to the child... the
little child who says,
00:49:30.53\00:49:33.87
"Father, feed me this morning,
00:49:33.90\00:49:36.00
Father, clothe me with
your righteousness today,
00:49:36.04\00:49:39.84
Father, show me what it
means to be loving and kind
00:49:39.87\00:49:43.65
and compassionate,
and forgiving and patient
00:49:43.71\00:49:46.25
and dedicated... and
honest... and forthright...
00:49:46.28\00:49:50.05
awaken within me a
desire to absorb your Word...
00:49:50.09\00:49:53.82
not just to skim through it.
00:49:53.86\00:49:55.79
Bring me to that
place with my experience...
00:49:55.82\00:49:59.06
that will turn me into
a light in my Community...
00:49:59.09\00:50:02.10
into a candle that
will always burn...
00:50:02.13\00:50:04.73
into a life that
somebody might say,
00:50:04.77\00:50:07.34
'I need to have what she has.'"
00:50:07.37\00:50:09.74
"I need to have what
you have, what is it?"
00:50:09.80\00:50:13.04
Pause.
00:50:13.07\00:50:15.44
The Lord is waiting
for you to submit yourself
00:50:15.48\00:50:19.91
to the exchange rate
of the kingdom of heaven.
00:50:19.95\00:50:24.35
My question today
is simple as I close,
00:50:24.39\00:50:27.22
"How many of you
want to be converted?"
00:50:27.26\00:50:30.06
Pause.
00:50:30.09\00:50:33.93
If you want Jesus to
come in and convert your life,
00:50:33.96\00:50:36.40
could you stand with me today
00:50:36.43\00:50:38.83
as we may pray this
prayer of conversion
00:50:38.87\00:50:41.97
that we may ask
for Jesus to come in
00:50:42.00\00:50:46.11
and transform
our hearts and lives
00:50:46.17\00:50:50.25
pause
00:50:50.28\00:50:53.52
that we will be like Jesus.
00:50:53.55\00:50:54.88
I want us to sing that
song before we have our prayer.
00:50:54.92\00:50:58.55
"All that
thrills my soul is Jesus"
00:50:58.62\00:51:00.16
bring that up, my Brother,
00:51:00.19\00:51:01.62
I want us to sing
that song together,
00:51:01.66\00:51:04.26
"All that thrills
my soul is Jesus. "
00:51:04.29\00:51:06.86
What thrills your soul?
00:51:06.90\00:51:08.23
Pause.
00:51:08.26\00:51:09.90
I pray that it is Christ.
00:51:09.96\00:51:12.07
All that thrills
my soul is Jesus...
00:51:12.10\00:51:15.97
let's sing that song together.
00:51:16.00\00:51:17.34
Piano...
00:51:17.37\00:51:23.61
Who can cheer
the heart like Jesus
00:51:23.65\00:51:30.82
By His presence all divine
00:51:30.85\00:51:36.32
listen...
00:51:36.36\00:51:37.76
True and tender,
pure and precious
00:51:37.79\00:51:44.07
O, how blest to call Him mine.
00:51:44.10\00:51:49.04
Say it...
00:51:49.10\00:51:51.04
All that
thrills my soul is Jesus
00:51:51.07\00:51:58.25
He is more than life to me
00:51:58.28\00:52:03.85
And the fairest of ten thousand
00:52:03.89\00:52:11.99
In my blessed Lord I see
00:52:12.03\00:52:18.17
Love of Christ so freely given
00:52:18.20\00:52:25.27
Grace of God beyond degree
00:52:25.31\00:52:32.85
Mercy higher than the heavens
00:52:32.88\00:52:39.69
Deeper than the deepest sea.
00:52:39.72\00:52:46.49
Is that your testimony?
00:52:46.53\00:52:47.86
All that
thrills my soul is Jesus
00:52:47.90\00:52:54.87
He is more than life to me
00:52:54.90\00:53:01.28
And the fairest of ten thousand
00:53:01.31\00:53:09.95
In my blessed Lord I see.
00:53:09.98\00:53:17.23
Loving Father in
heaven, what thrills our soul?
00:53:17.26\00:53:21.40
Is it spending
time in your presence?
00:53:21.43\00:53:24.53
Lord, what thrills our
imagination... our desire...
00:53:24.57\00:53:29.94
what drives us...
what motivates us...
00:53:29.97\00:53:33.44
is it the study of
your Word to live a life
00:53:33.48\00:53:37.51
that produces fruit
worthy of repentance...
00:53:37.55\00:53:41.52
Father, what thrills my
soul when Monday morning comes,
00:53:41.55\00:53:45.19
just spending
time in your presence
00:53:45.22\00:53:48.72
that I might go forth
to show forth your praises,
00:53:48.76\00:53:52.06
what thrills my soul?
00:53:52.09\00:53:55.30
Lord, may we
answer the question today
00:53:55.33\00:53:58.60
that all that
thrills my soul is Jesus
00:53:58.63\00:54:01.97
and we are marching
step-by-step to Zion
00:54:02.00\00:54:05.27
and I pray that as we leave
here today in our fellowship,
00:54:05.31\00:54:07.61
may this Sabbath blessing
00:54:07.64\00:54:10.28
continue to
permeate us like seasoning
00:54:10.31\00:54:13.52
pause
00:54:13.55\00:54:15.92
may the Spirit of God come
into the pores of our lives
00:54:15.98\00:54:19.49
into the places of our thoughts,
00:54:19.52\00:54:22.26
into the muscles
of our actions...
00:54:22.29\00:54:24.99
into the steps of our journey
00:54:25.03\00:54:27.40
may everything not only
deliver us from the wrong
00:54:27.43\00:54:32.33
but start
leading us to the right,
00:54:32.37\00:54:35.10
and when this
church is converted, Lord,
00:54:35.14\00:54:37.84
when we are
converted individually,
00:54:37.87\00:54:39.27
help us not to pray for
somebody else to be converted...
00:54:39.31\00:54:41.64
but may it be our own
independent individual prayer
00:54:41.68\00:54:44.88
and may through it all,
00:54:44.91\00:54:47.02
you'll be praised,
honored and glorified,
00:54:47.05\00:54:50.99
in Jesus' name...
00:54:51.02\00:54:53.09
and all of God's
people said, amen and amen. "
00:54:53.12\00:54:58.09