Participants: Eric Garloff, Teresa Garloff
Series Code: WWJ
Program Code: WWJ000001
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00:01 Would you like to build and strengthen your relationship
00:03 with God? 00:04 Then stay tuned for this edition of Walking With Jesus. 00:22 Thank you for joining me for this, our first program 00:25 in this series. 00:26 You may be asking yourself, what am I going to get out of this 00:30 series of programs? 00:31 How are they going to benefit me? 00:33 Is there something here for me to learn; something that's 00:37 relevant for me in today's world? 00:39 Before I answer those questions I'd first like to ask 00:43 you something. 00:44 Have you noticed the increase in frequency and devastation 00:49 from wars, famine, starvation, earthquakes, hurricanes, 00:55 and tornados? 00:56 How about from forest fires and floods, disease, sickness, 01:01 and poverty? 01:02 And all of these things happening like never before 01:05 all around the world. 01:06 If you've noticed these things, you've probably already sensed 01:10 that something big is going to happen soon because this world 01:14 simply can't survive like this much longer. 01:16 Now I'd like to answer those questions you may have by simply 01:21 saying this: what you're going to get out of this series is a 01:24 deeper understanding and knowledge of Jesus, 01:28 and of knowing God's will for you in your life. 01:32 This knowledge, if accepted and applied to your life, 01:35 will bring you to the salvation of God, leading you to an 01:39 eternal life with Him; a life of peace, love, happiness, and joy. 01:44 If this sounds like something you want, or would like to have 01:48 more of in your life, then, yes, these programs are relevant 01:51 for you today. 01:52 Many people struggle to find a loving God in this world of 01:57 sickness and turmoil. 01:59 I've often said a person can see God's great love for mankind 02:03 in nature. 02:04 Just think about it for a minute. 02:06 God could have created all the grass, trees, shrubs, 02:10 and flowers all the same color. 02:12 They could have been created with the same texture and aroma. 02:16 Life on earth could have been a world of black and white, 02:20 or various shades of grey. 02:22 Not only that, but God could have made every person the same. 02:26 He could have made us all with the same hair, the same color 02:30 eyes, the same skin. 02:31 What do you think about that? 02:33 How would you like to live in a world where everyone looked 02:36 the same? 02:37 What a drab and boring planet this would be. 02:42 God's love for mankind can also be seen in the food we eat. 02:46 Look at the many different fruits there are; 02:48 each with it's own unique taste and aroma. 02:51 Just think about the pleasure you have when you bite into a 02:54 delicious apple, or a succulent pear, or a mango, or an orange, 02:59 or a grape, or a plum, or... 03:02 Well, you get the picture. 03:03 The point is this: God had mankind in mind when He created 03:07 our food. 03:09 God wants to bestow good things upon us because He loves us. 03:12 He has given us the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean, 03:16 the gorgeous red sunsets of the West, and the brilliant colors 03:20 of the New England Autumn leaves. 03:21 However, this world has been marred by sin, and even the most 03:26 pristine areas of this world, never touched by human hands, 03:30 can't compare to the beauties of heaven which God has in store 03:33 for those who love Him. 03:35 God has done everything He can to show us His love. 03:39 He placed our first parents, Adam and Eve, in the Garden 03:43 of Eden. 03:44 A garden full of such beauty that no one's description of it 03:48 could possibly do it justice. 03:50 This garden was also a holy place; a place where God would 03:54 meet Adam and Eve and communicate His love to them. 03:58 For Adam and Eve it was a place of splendor and joy, 04:01 one of variety and color, taste and sound. 04:05 Then one day everything changed in the garden. 04:08 You see my friend, an angel in heaven became jealous of God 04:12 and wanted to be like God himself. 04:14 He sought to paint a vastly different picture of God. 04:18 He wanted the universe to believe that God is unjust 04:21 and always looking to exact punishment from His people. 04:24 This angel's name was Lucifer, and we know him today as Satan. 04:29 Lucifer, or Satan, rebelled against God and spread lies 04:34 and suspicion among the other angels. 04:36 Lucifer wasn't satisfied with the high position that God 04:40 had given him. 04:41 Instead he wanted to be like God Himself. 04:44 The book of Ezekiel 28:14, 15 gives us the following 04:50 description of Lucifer. 04:51 It says: 05:08 Yes, an angel who was created and ordained by God, 05:12 one who experienced firsthand His endless love, is the very 05:16 one in whom wickedness and rebellion began. 05:19 So what's a loving God to do in a situation like this? 05:22 Well, He could have simply destroyed Lucifer and wiped out 05:27 this evil seed of rebellion that was growing in the ranks 05:29 of the angels. 05:30 But that would have only caused the remaining angels to serve 05:34 God out of fear for their very existence. 05:37 This kind of action goes against the loving nature of God 05:41 for He doesn't force Himself upon anyone. 05:44 He doesn't desire service or worship based on fear, 05:48 but rather that which is based on love. 05:53 In rebelling against God Lucifer was challenging the moral laws 05:58 which govern God's holy kingdom. 06:00 These very laws portray God's character and His justice 06:04 to the world. 06:05 So God did the only thing that He could do to demonstrate His 06:09 great love, His justice, and His mercy throughout 06:13 all of the universe, for all time to come, 06:15 and for all to see. 06:17 God was patient with Lucifer. 06:19 He had hoped that He would change his ways, but the day 06:22 came when Lucifer caused a war to break out in heaven. 06:24 At this time Jesus cast Lucifer, and the other angels 06:28 which Lucifer deceived, out of the heavenly kingdom. 06:31 It was now time for the whole world to vindicate the character 06:35 of God, to know that Lucifer himself is the tyrant 06:38 that he would have others believe God to be. 06:41 So how do we know for ourselves what God is like? 06:44 Well, one way we can know is to read God's book the Holy Bible. 06:49 In doing this we have the opportunity to examine the 06:52 testimony of those who have a close relationship with Him, 06:55 and the person who was closest to God the Father was His 07:00 Son Jesus. 07:01 When Jesus was asked to show His Father to His disciples He said 07:04 in John 14:8, 9 If you've seen me you've seen the Father. 07:10 In other words, if you've seen the way I treat others; 07:12 the way that I show sympathy and mercy to those in need; 07:16 the way that I've worked to relieve pain, and suffering, 07:19 and sickness; if you've seen My character in these deeds 07:23 then, Jesus says, you've seen the character of My Father. 07:28 The love of God towards us softens and subdues our hearts. 07:33 His love for mankind has caused millions of people throughout 07:36 all of time to return their love to Him, so much so that 07:41 they would rather die than to sin against Him. 07:43 These people cling onto their Bibles and they won't 07:47 give them up even though they might face ridicule, or torture, 07:51 or imprisonment, or even death itself. 07:54 So right about now you might be thinking, If God is so loving 07:58 then why do millions of people die every year? 08:00 Why doesn't God do something about it? you ask. 08:03 Well, that's a good question, and the answer has to do with 08:07 free will or free choice. 08:09 God will not force someone to love Him. 08:12 Likewise Satan cannot force someone to harm someone else. 08:16 Both situations require an individuals consent. 08:19 We either consent to follow a loving God, or we consent to 08:23 turn away from Him, and in so doing we follow Satan. 08:27 It really is as black and white as that. 08:30 In the end there's only two groups of people: those who 08:33 follow God, and those who do not. 08:35 This brings us to the heart of our message today. 08:38 Just how do we find the power to choose God and to follow Him 08:42 rather than reject God and follow Satan? 08:45 Where do we find the power to break the hold over doing 08:48 what feels good simply because that's what everyone 08:51 else is doing? 08:53 Friend, the good news is that God has already made a way 08:57 for us to do this, and He's done it out of His compassionate 09:01 heart towards us. 09:02 He's done it out of His great love for each and every 09:05 one of us. 09:07 Here's how God broke the power of Satan and has shown to the 09:10 entire world His great love for mankind. 09:13 1 Peter 1:18-21 says the following: 09:38 You see, friend, the reason Jesus came to this world 09:41 was to show us the way back to the Father, and this was no 09:45 after thought on God's part either. 09:46 The text that we just read said that the plan was for Jesus 09:51 to do this. 09:52 It was formulated from before the foundation of the world. 09:56 That is before God created the world and placed mankind in it. 10:00 In describing His earthly mission Jesus said in Luke 4:18 10:04 that He was anointed of God to preach the gospel to the poor; 10:08 that He was sent to heal the broken hearted; 10:10 to preach deliverance to the captives; 10:13 to recover the sight of the blind; 10:15 and to set at liberty those who were bruised. 10:18 You could say that the work of Jesus was to undo that which 10:22 Satan had done. 10:23 He went about doing good, healing those whom Satan 10:27 had oppressed. 10:29 In fact we're told that Jesus went through entire villages, 10:33 going from house to house, and healing all of their sick. 10:36 Now that's a loving God! 10:38 Let me ask you a question. 10:39 How many times have you seen your doctor, or any other doctor 10:43 that you know, that would go through the entire town 10:46 and heal everyone within it without pay? 10:48 The heart of Jesus went out to the children of men. 10:51 He took on man's nature that He might identify with the needs 10:55 and sorrows of mankind, that He might uplift man, 10:59 and restore him to an intimate relationship with God 11:02 the Father. 11:03 Within the book Steps to Christ page 3 we find this passage: 12:12 But a life of doing good was only part of what Jesus did 12:16 to show us God's love. 12:17 This He did to meet our immediate needs while He was 12:20 here on this earth. 12:21 What He did to meet our eternal needs was a far greater sign 12:26 of God's love than you and I can imagine. 12:29 You see the plan, which was laid before the foundation 12:32 of the world, was to bring salvation and eternal life 12:36 to God's people. 12:37 This plan to restore the sinner to God, to give lost man eternal 12:42 life, would require the life of God Himself. 12:45 None but the spotless Son of God could make atonement 12:49 for our sins. 12:50 If you break down that word, atonement, you will see 12:54 three words. 12:55 Those words are: 12:58 Or in this case, to be made at one with God. 13:00 That's the significance of Jesus' death on the cross 13:04 of Calvary. 13:05 His death provides the way for lost man to be at one with God. 13:09 Jesus died that we might live. 13:11 The Bible says, "Greater love has no man than to give his life 13:15 for his friend. " 13:16 This is what Jesus did for the entire world. 13:19 This is what Jesus did for you and for me. 13:22 Even if you were the only one on earth, Jesus would have died 13:26 just for you. 13:27 This can only be attributed to the fact that God is love, 13:31 and that God loves you no less than He loves anyone else. 13:35 Now there's a lot more to be said here, 13:38 but we're out of time. 13:39 So until we meet again we will be praying for you, and for your 13:43 loved ones, that you may be found walking with Jesus. 13:49 We grow in our walk with Jesus each time we read the Bible 13:54 and practice what we learn. 13:56 By doing this you will see it makes all the difference 14:00 in the world. 14:01 Join us again for our next program in this series called 14:06 Our Need Of Jesus. |
Revised 2014-12-17