Participants: Bill Liversidge
Series Code: VIJ
Program Code: VIJ000009A
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00:22 Welcome back.
00:24 Thank you. 00:25 It's been too long. 00:29 Good to see your smiling faces again. 00:33 And Brother Rudy has agreed to lead us in prayer today. 00:36 Thank you. 00:39 Dear Father in heaven Lord, 00:41 we are so joyful to be here in Your presence. 00:45 You have done everything possible for us to be saved. 00:49 You've reached down and You've chosen us sinners 00:54 to represent You and represent Jesus to the world, 00:56 what a privilege it is. 00:58 We have no way of refusing Lord, 01:01 because You reach down 01:03 with such a strength, such power. 01:05 Christ has done everything possible for us 01:08 to be free from sin and to be saved right now 01:11 to have eternal life right here on earth. 01:14 We don't have to wait. 01:16 And we praise Your name, we praise Jesus' name 01:18 and praise the Holy Spirit, 01:20 and we praise for the indwelling presence 01:22 of the spirit in our lives, 01:24 so that Jesus can manifest His motives, 01:26 and His actions, and His purposes in our lives. 01:30 I pray in Jesus' name, amen. 01:31 Amen. Amen. 01:32 Thank you very much. 01:36 So if I remember correctly 01:38 I was in the middle of the story? 01:40 Yes. 01:42 And I'm going to review to make sure 01:44 we are all on the same page. 01:46 But I've been preaching vigorously in this church 01:49 for an hour on the righteousness of Jesus, 01:52 and I'm standing at the doors shaking hands 01:54 with the congregation and I see this couple 01:57 that I've known for at least 15 years, 02:00 that couple probably in their late 40s, 02:03 and I'm always happy to see them 02:05 and he came out and he was his usual self, 02:08 and his wife followed and she shook hands with me 02:10 and she had a face like thunder, 02:14 and without smiling at me 02:16 or anything she says, I hate him. 02:19 I said, well, thank you so much for sharing that with me. 02:23 It just made my day complete, 02:26 especially after I've just preached 02:27 on the righteousness of Jesus. 02:30 By the way I hope your hatred is not directed at God. 02:34 Oh, no she said and she turned 02:36 and pointed to her husband, him the snake. 02:42 And he's starting to wither on the vine, 02:45 and she said, changing time 02:48 would you have lunch with us today? 02:52 I said, you have no idea 02:53 what a joy that would be for me, 02:57 to have lunch with someone 02:58 who hates her husband as much as you do. 03:02 I can hardly wait to get there. 03:04 Oh, good she says, 03:06 she took it seriously failing to miss my humor. 03:10 She said, we'll keep a seat for you, 03:11 and tables were set up and a couch out, 03:13 it was a beautiful California day. 03:17 So I went through the line, got my plate of food, 03:19 they were already out there waiting for me. 03:22 He sat on one side of the table 03:23 and she sat on the other, 03:26 so I said to myself, wisdom would suggest 03:28 that I sit on her side, 03:29 unless she thinks the men are ganging up against her. 03:33 So I sat down on her side of the table 03:35 and she started in again. 03:37 I can't tell you how much I hate this man? 03:40 I said, I want to tell you something. 03:43 Listen very carefully because I'm the kind of person 03:46 who has to enjoy his meal. 03:49 If you say that one more time and I'm leaving this table, 03:53 I have many friends in this church, 03:55 I'm just gonna go to another table. 03:57 So my advice to you is and I went like this. 04:03 She sat there glaring at me. 04:05 I said by the way, 04:08 would you like to change your attitude 04:10 towards your husband in the next 60 seconds? 04:14 Oh, she said, we all know that's not possible. 04:17 Oh, I said, apparently you have the hearing 04:19 as well as the speaking problem, 04:22 I didn't ask you if would were possible, 04:25 I asked you if you would like to change your attitude 04:30 towards your husband in the next 60 seconds. 04:33 She said, it takes 60 repetitions, 04:35 you got to repeat in action 60 times 04:38 before you can make a change. 04:40 I said, you do have a hearing problem. 04:43 I'm gonna try one last time and I'm picking up my plate 04:47 and I'm getting ready to flee this table. 04:52 My advice to you is that you give me 04:53 either a yes or no answer this time. 04:57 Would like to change your attitude 05:00 towards your husband in the next 60 seconds? 05:05 She hesitated and she went-- 05:09 I said good. 05:11 Put your hand here, she put her hand on the table, 05:15 I said to him put your hand on top of this, 05:17 and I put my hand on top of his, 05:21 I said I'm gonna ask a very unusual request of God, 05:27 I'm gonna ask God's permission to accept the prayer 05:31 that I'm about to pray and you will repeat after me, 05:35 I'm going to ask God to accept this prayer 05:37 as coming from you. 05:41 So I went ahead and asked God to receive this prayer 05:44 as coming from her, and I said to her, 05:47 I want you to repeat only what I say, 05:49 don't add anything or subtract anything, 05:51 do you agree? 05:52 She said mm-mmm. 05:56 so I began to pray and I said, God forgive me, 06:01 I just sat in a sermon where Jesus Christ 06:06 has been lifted up before me, 06:07 His life, death and resurrection, 06:12 and I've been unable to hear it 06:15 because of the bitterness and hatred that's in my heart. 06:20 Please forgive me 06:22 for missing out on the message of Jesus 06:25 and the love of God, she prayed the prayer. 06:29 I said, I'm trying to move back into faith at the moment, 06:32 I'm coming to the cross, 06:35 and even now I feel so dirty and unclean, 06:38 I'm looking at Jesus hanging there 06:41 and I realize it's me... 06:46 please declare me to be righteous. 06:49 I don't feel righteous, 06:52 I know, I'm not but by faith I'm claming the privilege, 06:58 I believe that I'm dead to sin 07:01 because Jesus Christ died substituting Himself for me. 07:06 Amen. 07:07 She prayed the prayer, 07:09 and I said at this very moment as I move into faith, 07:13 I claim the privilege of having the mind 07:16 of Jesus coming to me. 07:17 Amen. 07:18 So that the next words I speak to my husband 07:22 will be the words of Jesus. 07:24 Amen. 07:25 The next thoughts I have towards my husband 07:28 will be the thoughts of Jesus. 07:30 Amen. 07:31 I give you permission to do this. 07:33 Amen. Amen. 07:36 We finished praying, she prayed the whole prayer. 07:39 The hands were taken back 07:41 and we just sat there grinning at each other. 07:44 Well, as a good friends, 07:48 and I will never forget this as long as I live, 07:50 she reached her hand across the table 07:55 and she took hold of her husband's hand. 07:58 This is 60 seconds is going by, 08:02 and she looked at her husband 08:03 and she said, honey, I forgive you. 08:09 This was the words of Jesus. 08:12 She said not only-- 08:13 and I have no idea what happened between them, 08:15 I never asked, she said, not only do I forgive you 08:18 she said with the grin on her face she said, 08:21 you know, I still love you very much. 08:24 And he was an appropriate male 08:26 and he melted and he grinned at me 08:30 and he said, would you excuse us 08:31 we need to go for a walk together. 08:33 And they walked off hand in hand 08:35 and came back an hour later 08:36 and finished the weekend seminar with us. 08:40 And I look at this and I say, well. 08:42 Amen. 08:43 Sixty seconds. 08:45 Yes. 08:46 With the mind of Jesus in you 08:49 and you've gone from bitterness 08:52 and hatred to forgiveness and love. 08:56 Amen. 08:57 I want to tell you that is a miracle. 09:01 Amen. Amen. 09:02 That is a miracle of God's grace 09:05 when that happens. 09:06 And I began to realize that I have missed 09:09 so many opportunities in life 09:11 because I have failed to take the time to ask 09:16 for the mind of Jesus 09:18 to replace my crazy thoughts with His thoughts. 09:23 You know, what I'm learning about Jesus. 09:24 He's not selfish. 09:27 He's not even self centered. 09:31 He is willing to sacrifice so that others may feel good. 09:36 And that others may be restored. 09:38 Amen. And be made whole again. 09:41 I'm getting a whole new appreciation 09:44 of what it means to have Christ in you. 09:46 It means that you're giving Him access to your mind. 09:51 You can even start thinking His thoughts 09:54 and the good news is, 09:56 you can start feeling His feelings, 09:58 is that good news or what? 09:59 Yes. Yes. 10:01 You may have bad feeling towards somebody, 10:03 but He doesn't. 10:05 He may be seeing them 10:06 from a whole new perspective to you. 10:10 Amen. He is a gracious God. 10:11 Amen. 10:13 So open your Bibles to Romans 12, 10:18 Romans 12. 10:43 Romans 12:2. 10:51 It's a well known verse by the way. 10:55 "Do not be conformed to this world." 11:00 I'm not-- I love Phillips' translation, 11:03 I know it's not a regular translation, 11:04 it's a paraphrased but it reads so beautifully here. 11:09 "Do not let the world around you 11:11 squeeze you into its mould." 11:15 I love that, I love that. 11:17 And the regular version say, 11:19 "Don't be conformed to this world." 11:21 it doesn't quite have the same vitality, does it? 11:24 As "Don't let the world around you 11:26 squeeze you into its own mould." 11:29 "Don't be conformed to this world, but be..." 11:33 Transformed. 11:35 Here is the human mind. 11:39 And Paul's urging is be transformed by what? 11:45 "By the renewing." 11:46 "By the renewing of..." 11:48 "Your mind." 11:49 "Renewing of your mind." 12:00 Wow. 12:05 Lot of interest in health and exercise today, 12:07 you can actually have a beautiful body, 12:09 you can develop it to the ultimate, 12:11 but if the mind is not renewed along with it, 12:16 you've become like the ancient Greeks, 12:18 who've treasured a perfect body 12:22 in a highly developed mind but not necessarily a mind 12:26 that was Christ centered or God filled. 12:30 By the way the word transformed, 12:34 great word, it's the same word in English, 12:36 we borrowed it from the Greek. 12:39 Who knows what word it is? 12:42 It's the word-- 12:43 thank you, Mike, it's the word metamorphosis, 12:47 the same word that's used from the caterpillar, 12:52 is in the cocoon and emerges sometime 12:56 later as a beautiful butterfly stretches 12:58 his wings and flies away. 13:00 That's the word metamorphosis, 13:03 same in English as it is in Greek. 13:12 So Paul is actually saying be metamorphosed, 13:18 be so transformed that you won't even be recognized 13:22 as the original creature. 13:24 Amen. Praise the Lord. 13:26 You will be transformed from a grub into a moth. 13:30 May be one with beautiful color in its wings 13:34 and you will fly away. 13:36 Now, you know Paul is an interesting writer. 13:40 Whenever he writes, 13:43 he always links his thoughts together 13:46 and he has a favorite conjunction in Greek, 13:50 it actually reads in order that, 13:54 in order that. 14:00 In English unfortunately we lose a lot of the emphases, 14:04 we shorten it. 14:06 And my version says simply just that. 14:13 Some versions say so that, 14:17 if we're being strictly biblical to the original text, 14:22 our Bibles would read in order that much more emphatic, 14:28 so let's make sure we're hearing at this morning, 14:32 be transformed, be metamorphosed 14:35 by the renewing of your mind. 14:36 And we already know that is the work 14:39 of the Holy Spirit bringing the mind of Jesus into us. 14:45 By the way this is an incarnation divinity 14:51 is fusing with humanity. 14:54 And I got very good news for you this morning, 14:58 when the divine mind fuses 15:01 with the sinful human mind, 15:04 guess which one prevails? 15:08 You know the answer to that, don't you? 15:11 Not even the most carnal mind 15:13 can withstand the presence of divinity within it. 15:17 Your mind will be so transformed, 15:19 you'll be amazed that's your own thoughts 15:22 and your own feelings. 15:24 This is God's grace now. 15:27 This is how God breaks the power of sin in our lives 15:30 through our thinking. 15:31 Amen. 15:33 And I've discovered that the mind of Jesus 15:35 is so radically different from my mind, it's a delight 15:38 to put it on and see how He's thinking again today. 15:43 And every time I look at someone or something I realize 15:46 that Jesus is seeing it differently from me. 15:50 And that of course to act upon that becomes quite exciting. 15:55 So be transformed by the renewing 15:57 of your mind in order that-- 16:02 still in the same verse, 16:03 you may what word kicks in now? 16:07 For some versions say prove, 16:10 mine says know, anyone have a different word? 16:16 There are other words 16:17 but may be we don't have a variety 16:19 of translations here today. 16:23 You may prove, you may know, what? 16:30 Read it to me, now who has got it? 16:32 Go ahead, read it up. 16:36 "That you may prove what the will of God is, 16:41 that which is good and acceptable and perfect." 16:49 Thank you very much, Anne. 16:50 What the will of God is? 16:58 I'm very fascinated by the means 17:00 that people use to find the will of God. 17:05 I have a friend who gets his messages from God 17:08 by reading the number plate on the car 17:10 in front of him on the highway. 17:16 I think it's the craziest thing I've ever heard. 17:19 He called me up recently, 17:21 he's in the middle of Washington DC. 17:24 Hello, here, he says you got to help me, 17:26 I said what's up? 17:28 I was at the car in front of me it has this number plate, 17:32 I'm wondering what message 17:34 God is sending me through that symbol, 17:35 keep, read me the number plate 17:37 I'm very good at interpreting these metals, 17:39 I'm trying to keep a straight faith, 17:41 this is a highly educated man, 17:43 I can't believe he is doing this, 17:45 and a professed believer. 17:48 He says, well... 17:51 it's the last part of the number plate 17:53 that it ends in 666. 17:57 He said, what do you think of that? 18:01 I said what it's saying to me 18:02 is that you are about to have a really beastly day. 18:10 Because he took it seriously, 18:12 why do you think that's what it-- 18:13 what it means? 18:14 I said absolutely, absolutely. 18:17 And I just hang up the phone, I can't-- couldn't believe 18:20 I'm having this conversation 18:22 with such an educated mind as his 18:25 and yet he's going to get his messages 18:27 about God's will for the day. 18:29 Okay, I have another friend who reads street signs 18:33 and gets the messages from street signs. 18:36 I have other friends believe it or not 18:38 who read their horoscopes. 18:40 Oh, wow. 18:41 And they try and get the will of God 18:44 from a horoscope, and then you can write things 18:46 that will fit nearly everybody, 18:48 if you're broad enough and general enough, 18:51 anyone can write a column like that 18:52 and it's gonna hit you some way and I get all excited 18:56 because a part of it matches them perfectly. 18:59 God's revealing his will through a horoscope. 19:04 How many of you walked down Venice Beach? 19:08 Whenever I get friends from Australia, 19:10 they always want to go and walk down Venice Beach, 19:13 so we are strolling down, 19:14 I got some Australian relatives with me, 19:16 we're strolling starling down Venice Beach, 19:19 and there's about a dozen umbrellas 19:22 and these umbrellas have all the fortunetellers 19:24 sitting underneath them, they're reading tarot cards 19:27 and they have crystal balls and I'm just strolling along 19:31 and this woman who has been sitting 19:32 under the umbrella and she got no customers 19:35 so she jumps up and rushes out 19:38 and grabs hold of my hand like this, 19:40 in front my friends and she goes... 19:47 She said, I know what gonna happen to you, 19:49 this week, oh, it's so terrible, 19:53 I'm enjoying this moment immensely, 19:57 so I let her go on, 19:59 I said you know, I have the same gift. 20:05 I actually know what's going to happen to me 20:07 in the next 60 seconds, she said what? 20:12 I said, I'm gonna flee from you. 20:20 And I pulled my hand away and walked away, 20:24 I'll never forget that. 20:28 I can see what's coming into your life this week. 20:33 I hope you not having to do those kinds of things. 20:36 Well, that's lot of conviction coming through this morning. 20:42 The word of God is crystal clear. 20:47 Be transformed through the renewing of your mind. 20:53 In order that you may prove 20:56 or know the will of God, 21:00 that which is good and pure and perfect. 21:05 You got two minutes to turn to your partner 21:08 and identify exactly where you will look for 21:14 and find your understanding of the will of God. 21:18 Two minutes do not write, put your pens down and turn 21:21 and actually communicate 21:23 with the person sitting next to you. 21:26 Where will you seek for and find the will of God? 21:29 And I want you to listen carefully. 21:31 Shh! 21:33 I want you to pull the answer out of this too. 21:37 Stay in the verse and pull the answer out of there. 21:40 If your partner is absolutely refusing to talk with you, 21:43 quickly jump up and change tables, 21:46 so you can have a good experience. 21:53 Where will you seek for and find the will of God? 21:57 That's the question. |
Revised 2015-03-19