Anchors of Truth

Be Ye Transformed

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: John Dinzey

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Series Code: AOT

Program Code: AOT000057


00:12 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth from Puerto Rico.
00:17 Be Ye Transformed with John Dinzey.
00:21 Well we do welcome you to Puerto Rico.
00:23 And we're having a wonderful time here with so many
00:28 different people that we're getting acquainted with,
00:31 and just really blessed here in this beautiful country.
00:35 You know, 3ABN has a channel here.
00:39 There are two television stations that are actually
00:42 owned by Adventists here.
00:44 And one is by 3ABN.
00:47 That station we've had for quite a while.
00:50 Miraculous way that it came into existence.
00:55 Actually, May Chung committed $300,000 towards the purchase.
01:01 It is $325,000 the total price.
01:05 They came down to the last day when they had to finally have
01:11 it done by that night, they were $25,000 short.
01:16 And a retired pastor came to a meeting where they were praying
01:22 for that at the conference office.
01:24 And he said, "I will give $15,000."
01:28 And then some of the brethren got together.
01:30 They raised the other $10,000.
01:32 And that purchase was made that day for that television station.
01:37 Since then, it has proclaimed the gospel 24/7.
01:43 Right now, we are here and I was just talking to Dan Peek
01:47 and they're doing the conversion.
01:49 It will be done, I hope, by the weekend.
01:52 And there will be four channels that will be played.
01:56 Plus two of our radio channels.
01:58 There's 3ABN English, 3ABN Latino, the Proclaim channel,
02:03 and Dare To Dream channel.
02:05 They will all be, especially on the eastern part of Puerto Rico.
02:11 Now, Puerto Rico has over 35,000 Seventh-day Adventists.
02:17 It has its own union.
02:19 It has four conferences.
02:22 In this small area geographically, the Lord
02:28 has blessed it.
02:30 The beautiful Antillean University,
02:33 and also Bella Vista Hospital.
02:37 And so the work is strong in Puerto Rico.
02:40 And 3ABN is just happy to play a little part in that,
02:45 and to be able to be right along with the people
02:49 in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.
02:53 So it is something exciting for us to be here.
02:58 Right now before we go further, I am going to invite
03:02 Barbara McDonald to come.
03:05 And Barbara is a professor at the university,
03:11 Antillean University.
03:13 And Barbara has been here, she won't let me tell you
03:17 exactly how many years.
03:19 But she came right from Pacific Union College.
03:23 Come right on up, Barbara.
03:24 She came from Pacific Union College
03:27 to be here in the nursing department.
03:31 And she has been here all through the years.
03:34 She has a tremendous mission work that she's involved with,
03:38 the Saint John's.
03:39 She's been down to Brazil.
03:41 In fact, you went with May Chung down to Brazil.
03:44 She's been to Russia, and Ukraine with the Nelson's
03:50 from Weimar University.
03:53 Or Weimar College.
03:54 And she is a person that loves the Lord Jesus Christ.
04:00 And I'm going to invite you to bow your heads as
04:03 she leads us in prayer.
04:06 Our dear loving heavenly Father, we want to thank You so much
04:11 for Your love and Your blessings.
04:13 And we want to give glory to You for the way You have
04:17 blessed the work here, and each one.
04:20 And how Your Holy Spirit can work with people.
04:24 You know each one here that is listening to this program,
04:28 their special needs.
04:30 And You love each one.
04:31 And You want them to be able to know You and have
04:36 something to look forward to.
04:38 To be free from this world of sin and have life eternal.
04:42 We pray You to give a blessing to each one in the things
04:46 that they need most.
04:47 And we see how You have changed lives and how Your work has
04:53 spread, and the many ways You help each one
04:56 in little things daily and throughout the years.
04:59 And so we pray You that Your Holy Spirit may impress
05:03 each person here that is listening to this program
05:06 tonight, that they may get to know You through Your word.
05:10 We have Your word to give us guidance
05:16 to keep us from being in sin and give us eternal life.
05:20 And we want each one that is listening to be able
05:24 to come close to You and realize how much You love them,
05:29 and how You can help them, how You can change lives
05:32 and help them in whatever they need most.
05:35 And we just thank You so much and give honor to You
05:38 for Jesus' sake. Amen.
05:42 Thank you very much, Barbara.
05:44 We are so happy that you could be with us tonight.
05:48 And before our message, we're going to have some music.
05:53 But let me talk to you a little bit about the message first.
05:56 Our message will be brought to us tonight
05:59 by Pastor John Dinzey.
06:02 And Pastor Dinzey is the president, or he's the
06:06 General Manager rather, of 3ABN Latino.
06:11 And also of 3ABN Latino Radio.
06:16 Tonight, our whole broadcast will be heard around the world
06:22 by radio, 3ABN Radio, and also by 3ABN television.
06:28 And our international channel as well.
06:32 We have the Russian channel, the international channel,
06:35 the Sonbeam channel.
06:37 Our channels keep growing.
06:40 And trying to reach out to people in every different way.
06:44 Pastor Dinzey's subject tonight is, Be Ye Transformed.
06:52 We appreciate Pastor Dinzey, we appreciate his wife, Idalia.
06:56 We appreciate their commitment to this ministry, to the
07:00 Lord Jesus Christ.
07:03 Before he comes to bring us the message, we're going to invite
07:07 Pastor John Lomacang to come and to sing for us,
07:12 He Touched Me.
07:23 Shackled by a heavy burden,
07:30 are you beneath a load of guilt and shame?
07:41 Let the hand of Jesus touch you
07:49 and you'll no longer be the same.
07:57 For He touched me, oh He touched me.
08:06 And oh the joy that floods my soul.
08:16 Something happened and now I know,
08:24 He touched me and made me whole.
08:34 Since I met this blessed Savior
08:41 and since He cleansed and made me whole,
08:51 now I will never cease to praise Him;
08:59 I'll shout it while eternity rolls.
09:08 For He touched me, oh He touched me.
09:18 And oh the joy now floods my soul.
09:27 Well something happened and now I know,
09:36 something happened and now I know,
09:44 yes, something wonderful happened and now I know.
09:53 He touched me, oh Jesus touched me.
10:02 And oh the joys now flood my soul.
10:10 You know, something wonderful happened
10:14 and now I know,
10:25 Jesus touched me
10:29 and made me whole.
10:51 Amen, praise the Lord.
10:53 Praise the Lord.
10:54 We all need the touch of Jesus Christ, don't we.
10:57 Amen, amen.
10:59 Well, today we're going to study a very important topic.
11:01 It is called, Be Ye Transformed.
11:04 Be Ye Transformed.
11:07 And in this world that we live in there are many,
11:11 what you would call, self help books.
11:15 Ideas that men have come up with to help you improve
11:20 in different aspects of life.
11:22 However, there is nothing that men can come up with
11:28 that is better than what God has provided.
11:31 In fact, Jesus says in John chapter 15 verse 5,
11:35 "Without Me, you can do nothing."
11:38 And if that is true, all of the self help books
11:44 really can only give you information that if you
11:48 don't allow Christ to dwell in you, there will be no change,
11:52 no permanent change.
11:54 Because God is the only one that can make a
11:56 permanent change in us.
11:58 Amen to that?
11:59 Amen.
12:01 We invite you to turn your Bibles to the
12:02 key passage for this message.
12:04 It is found in Romans chapter 12 verse 2.
12:11 And thus it is written, "And be not conformed to this world,
12:17 but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
12:22 that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable
12:27 and perfect will of God."
12:30 Here is the invitation for all of us.
12:34 Be not conformed to this world.
12:37 What we have in this world is a society that is going,
12:42 as some people say, from bad to worse.
12:46 So if we're going to conform ourselves to the standards
12:50 of this world, we're going to find out that we are going to
12:54 go from bad to worse.
12:57 So the apostle Paul tells us, be not conformed to this world,
13:02 to the customs and the ways of life of this world,
13:05 but be ye transformed by the... What?
13:08 ...renewing of your mind.
13:12 Now it is interesting that the Bible mentions the mind.
13:16 Why the Mind?
13:17 Why does the mind have to be transformed?
13:20 You see, in this world, when we come into this world,
13:23 unfortunately when we come into this world
13:27 we inherit tendencies toward evil.
13:32 It's a natural way of life.
13:36 You also inherit good things from your parents.
13:38 I don't want you to blame completely your parents.
13:40 You inherit good things, but you also inherit bad things.
13:44 But it is up to you what you will choose to do
13:48 with those tendencies, those bad desires
13:53 that come from the flesh.
13:55 We're going to look a little bit into this.
13:57 Of course, as you go on through life, then habits come in.
14:03 You develop tendencies toward evil of your own choosing.
14:07 It could be through whatever influence is around you.
14:12 And I might add, that whatever you expose yourself to
14:17 has an influence upon you.
14:20 Whether it be for good or whether it be for evil.
14:24 And now it is not only that you physically
14:29 expose yourself to these things, you now have media coming into
14:34 your home; be it television, be it radio, be it internet.
14:39 Now magazines and books.
14:42 All of these things have an influence upon you.
14:45 Everything you see, everything you hear,
14:49 everything that has to do with the senses,
14:52 has an influence upon you.
14:53 So we, as Christians, have to make choices
14:57 that will lead us to transforming our minds
15:02 like the mind of Jesus Christ.
15:04 How many want to be transformed like the mind of Jesus Christ?
15:07 Would you raise your hands?
15:08 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.
15:11 Let us look at some scriptures that help us understand
15:15 our condition.
15:16 For this we turn to Isaiah chapter 64 verse 6.
15:20 And I appreciate Pastor Gilley's message last night
15:23 that told us about repentance, the importance of repentance.
15:28 And when God works in the heart and the mind
15:31 through the Holy Spirit and convicts us of our sins,
15:36 and we respond by repentance and confessing our sins,
15:44 something marvelous begins to happen.
15:46 Something marvelous begins to happen because that's the
15:49 beginning of transformation in our lives.
15:51 Isaiah chapter 64 and verse 6 gives us the following words.
15:59 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our
16:04 righteousness are as filthy rags;
16:08 and we all do fade as a leaf;
16:10 and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
16:14 Now when you look at this text and you say, "But we..."
16:21 In other words, "all our righteousness."
16:23 That's the very best that you can possibly do,
16:27 the very best that you can possible produce,
16:30 is as filthy rags.
16:33 And in the eyes of the Lord, they have one, not even an iota,
16:40 of anything that can count towards salvation.
16:48 The Bible says that "by grace are you saved,
16:53 through faith; it is not of ourselves.
16:56 It is a gift of God."
16:59 So you can do one sin...
17:03 How many sins did I say?
17:04 ...one sin.
17:05 You can commit one sin and you can live your whole lifetime
17:10 doing good things.
17:11 Does that, your whole lifetime of doing good,
17:15 cancel the one sin?
17:18 No, it does not.
17:21 One sin; the Bible says, "For the wages of sin is death,"
17:26 the Bible tells us in Romans chapter 6 verse 23.
17:29 But the last part of the verse tells us good news.
17:32 What does it say?
17:34 "But the gift of God is..." What?
17:37 "...eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
17:41 I was amazed, one time a program came to 3ABN
17:45 and they had taken some video of some people in prison.
17:49 And several of the prisoners were giving their
17:51 favorite Bible text.
17:53 And one of them said, "My favorite Bible text is,
17:55 'The wages of sin is death.'"
17:58 I was like shocked.
18:00 But it was the last part that he was rejoicing in.
18:03 "But the gift of God is eternal life
18:06 through His Son, Jesus Christ."
18:08 So that is a text with good news.
18:10 It lets us know our condition; what is the result of sin.
18:15 But it lets us know that if we come to God, what do we have?
18:19 Eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ.
18:23 So, if you live your whole lifetime doing only one sin,
18:29 will you be saved if you never turn your life over to Christ?
18:32 No.
18:34 Because the Bible says that "by grace are you saved
18:39 through faith; and that not of ourselves.
18:42 It is the gift of God.
18:43 Not of works, lest any man should boast."
18:47 Praise the Lord.
18:49 So, when we turn our Bibles to Romans chapter 3 verse 23.
18:55 And I know there are some people here that can quote this verse.
18:58 It is very simple.
18:59 The Bible says, "For all have sinned,
19:03 and come short of the glory of God."
19:07 The Bible very plainly says that all have sinned.
19:12 No one is excluded.
19:13 All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
19:17 So upon this world, every single person that has been born
19:24 is in need of a Savior, except for one.
19:27 Who is that?
19:29 Jesus Christ.
19:30 For He lived a perfect life, we find in the Bible.
19:33 And the Bible says that He was in all points tempted
19:36 like as we are, yet without sin.
19:39 Praise the Lord.
19:41 And He is our Savior.
19:43 And the Bible further tells us that no man can come to God
19:48 except through Jesus Christ.
19:50 And that there is no name under heaven whereby
19:54 men could be saved.
19:57 And that includes your name. Right?
19:59 So, of yourself, you cannot have salvation.
20:04 Except if you choose salvation through Jesus Christ.
20:07 Now let's consider 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21.
20:12 A wonderful passage in the Scriptures.
20:16 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21.
20:20 Consider this marvelous scripture.
20:23 The Bible tells us, "For He," that is God, "hath made Him,"
20:29 Jesus Christ, "to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
20:36 that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
20:40 Let's consider this text.
20:42 "For He," that is God, "has made Him," Jesus Christ,
20:46 "to be sin for us."
20:48 What does that mean?
20:50 That means that as you look at the life of Christ,
20:54 you see a point in time that Jesus Christ took upon Himself
20:59 your sins and my sins.
21:02 Amen?
21:04 John the Baptist said, "Behold the Lamb of God
21:08 that taketh away the sin of the world."
21:13 That is Jesus Christ.
21:14 He's the only one that can take away our sins.
21:17 "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away
21:19 the sin of the world."
21:21 So when it says that Christ, God has made Him to be sin for us,
21:26 when Jesus Christ took upon Himself our sins,
21:31 those sins were placed upon Him and He identified with sin,
21:37 received our guilt.
21:41 And through His blood we can receive
21:44 complete forgiveness for sins.
21:49 I'm grateful for that.
21:50 How many are grateful for that?
21:52 Amen, praise the Lord.
21:54 So God has made Him to be sin for us.
21:57 Now notice the last part of the text again.
21:59 The Scriptures tell us, "Him who knew no sin..."
22:03 In other words, He did not sin.
22:04 "...that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
22:10 What does that mean?
22:12 You see, when the Bible says that He, Jesus Christ,
22:16 can take away our sins, it's not just that
22:19 our sin is going to be removed from us.
22:25 God desires to make us the righteousness of God.
22:33 Make us righteous.
22:36 Spotless, clean.
22:39 But also transform us so that we don't want to do
22:44 those things anymore.
22:46 And this is the aspect of repentance as well.
22:48 As you very clearly heard, repentance includes sorrow
22:52 for sin and a turning away.
22:54 If you were walking in this direction, as Pastor Gilley
22:56 said, you are now turning and walking in the other direction.
23:01 And that's what God wants to do for us.
23:03 You see, God is not going to take people that have
23:06 just been forgiven to heaven.
23:09 He's going to take people that have been transformed
23:12 to heaven.
23:14 What happens if you take people that have just been
23:16 forgiven to heaven?
23:17 Everyone here has been forgiven.
23:21 Now you can go to heaven.
23:23 Without no personal commitment to follow the Lord.
23:27 The same thing that happens when you grab the dirtiest
23:31 pig you can find and you get the best cleaners you can find.
23:35 And you wash that pig.
23:36 You use a brush if you want to.
23:38 Use whatever cleansing powder you may have.
23:42 You can dump him in bleach if you want to.
23:45 Pull him out and put some perfume on the pig.
23:48 And what will he be?
23:50 Still a pig.
23:51 As soon as you let him go and he sees mud,
23:55 and that stuff that he likes, what's he going to do?
23:58 Go right in there again.
24:02 So God is not just going to take people
24:04 that have just been forgiven.
24:06 He's going to take people that have allowed God to
24:09 transform them and make them righteous.
24:15 These are people that have made a decision
24:17 to receive, to accept repentance.
24:20 Because repentance is a gift from God.
24:22 And have decided to turn around and follow God.
24:27 Now you may say to yourself, "Well, wait a minute.
24:30 Wasn't there a thief on the cross?
24:33 Didn't he ask Jesus, 'Remember me when You
24:37 come into Your kingdom.'"
24:38 Yes.
24:39 But you see, he made a decision, he made a commitment.
24:44 And because of that commitment, because of that determination
24:49 to turn around from going in that direction
24:51 to going in the other direction, Jesus could say to him,
24:56 "You will be with Me in paradise."
25:01 Marvelous.
25:03 Because God gives us the power. Amen?
25:06 Let us keep going here in our study.
25:09 If you look at a few verses before 2 Corinthians 5:21,
25:15 we have this beautiful passage, which you will hear
25:18 a little more in another message during this series.
25:21 "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.
25:30 Old things are passed away.
25:32 Behold all things are become new."
25:35 Amen. Praise the Lord.
25:37 I love that.
25:39 "If any man be in Christ..."
25:43 And that, "be in Christ," if you look into that
25:48 aspect of the Greek words into this, "be in Christ,"
25:53 it comes from a word that means; rest in Christ,
25:58 and remain in Christ, continuing to be with Christ.
26:02 "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.
26:05 Old things are..." What? "...passed away.
26:08 Behold all things have become new."
26:10 Praise the Lord.
26:12 I love God.
26:13 I mean, He can take the worst of sinners, forgive the person,
26:19 transform the individual into a new person.
26:25 That is the power of God.
26:27 We could tell you about a man in Columbia.
26:30 Wicked man. Loved to drink.
26:33 And as his daughter grew up to of age,
26:36 he started to take her to parties.
26:39 Left his wife at home, took his daughter.
26:42 And his daughter was being exposed to that way of life;
26:44 drinking and all of these things.
26:46 And was verbally abusing his wife.
26:51 Until he found Jesus Christ.
26:55 And he started to watch 3ABN Latino.
27:00 And he decided that he didn't want to keep doing
27:02 those things he was doing.
27:03 So he turned his life over to Christ.
27:06 And Christ transformed this man.
27:08 Idalia and I met this man and he showed us his notebook.
27:11 He kept copious notes, even drew the drawings on 3ABN,
27:16 so he could explain it to other people.
27:17 He was eager to learn.
27:20 We met his wife and children.
27:22 And his wife could tell you God has transformed him.
27:26 God has transformed him.
27:28 One day he was eager to find the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
27:32 One day, he was a taxi driver, he's driving and he heard
27:36 some people talk about the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
27:40 And he put the brakes on right away.
27:44 And they went, "What's going on?"
27:46 He said, "Are you people Seventh-day Adventists?"
27:48 "Yes we are."
27:50 "Well, I want to go to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
27:52 Because I've been watching 3ABN Latino
27:54 and that's the place I want to go.
27:56 I want to go to the church that teaches these things."
27:59 And his life was transformed through Jesus Christ.
28:02 A man that was verbally abusing his wife.
28:05 A man that was a drunkard, that was wasting money.
28:10 Now a child of Jesus Christ.
28:13 And that is only God who can do that.
28:16 He is a new creature in Jesus Christ.
28:18 Let's look at another passage that helps us understand this
28:21 also a little more.
28:23 Romans chapter 8 verse 1.
28:28 And thus it is written, "There is therefore now
28:38 no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk
28:44 not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
28:48 Praise the Lord.
28:49 Notice the passage.
28:51 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that
28:54 are in Christ Jesus."
28:57 This is the same word that we saw, the Greek word that we saw
29:00 in the other passage, 2 Corinthians 5:17.
29:03 "If any man be in Christ..."
29:06 "There is therefore now no condemnation
29:08 to them that are in Christ Jesus..."
29:10 Resting in Christ.
29:13 There is no condemnation to that person
29:16 that surrenders his or her life to Christ.
29:20 Walking with Christ.
29:21 That person is not only going to walk with Christ on this earth,
29:25 but he's going to walk with Christ in the new kingdom.
29:28 Praise the Lord.
29:30 So this passage helps us to understand that when we
29:35 decide to follow Christ, we must continue following Christ.
29:39 Because there is no condemnation to them
29:43 which are in Christ Jesus.
29:45 Let's look further down in this chapter.
29:48 Romans chapter 8 beginning in verse 5.
29:51 We're going to read until verse 8.
29:54 "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things
29:59 of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit
30:02 the things of the Spirit.
30:05 For to be carnally minded is death;
30:08 but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
30:13 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:
30:17 for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
30:22 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."
30:28 It is very simple.
30:30 If you are in Christ, you will please God.
30:35 But if you are in the flesh, you're not going to be
30:39 interested in the things of God.
30:41 And the Bible says they cannot please God.
30:45 Why? Because they are walking according to the dictates
30:48 of the flesh; those tendencies toward evil.
30:52 Whatever the things they want to do is, they just do it.
30:57 And this thing about, "if it feels good, do it,"
31:00 is not a good thing.
31:02 It has destroyed a lot of people.
31:07 It is better to say, "If it is good, do it."
31:11 If it is good, do it.
31:13 So let's look at it.
31:15 This passage tells us that the carnal mind...
31:19 It talks to us about the flesh, minding the flesh.
31:23 But it says that the carnal mind is at enmity against God.
31:27 Do you remember that word, enmity?
31:30 It is found in the book of Genesis
31:33 where God tells the serpent, "And I will put enmity
31:36 between you and the woman, between thy seed and her seed."
31:40 In other words, there's a distance, there's a separation.
31:45 They're not in harmony.
31:47 So in this passage that tells us that the carnal mind
31:51 is enmity, it's separated from God, it's at odds with God,
31:55 doesn't want to do God's will,
31:58 there needs to be a transformation.
32:02 And God, through the Holy Spirit, yearns or longs
32:06 that every person be saved.
32:08 What does the Bible tell us?
32:09 That God is not willing that any should perish.
32:15 We were talking to a man this week.
32:18 And he made a statement that was shocking.
32:23 He basically said, "God is going to save whom He wants to save.
32:30 And those that He doesn't, He won't.
32:33 If He doesn't want to save those people, He won't."
32:36 That eliminates people's choices, doesn't it.
32:39 Basically, "Oh, I don't want those people to be saved,
32:42 so they're not going to be saved.
32:43 It doesn't matter if they give their life to Christ,
32:46 they're not going to be saved."
32:48 It's contrary to John chapter 3 verse 16,
32:51 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
32:56 that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish,
33:00 but have everlasting life."
33:03 Praise the Lord.
33:05 And "God is not willing that any should perish, but that all..."
33:08 What? "...come to repentance."
33:12 What a wonderful God we serve.
33:14 That we all have the opportunity to become children of God.
33:20 And I'm glad this world, in its present condition,
33:24 is not our final home.
33:27 And if you like this world, there's a better one
33:32 made by God.
33:34 And this world is not going to get better.
33:37 It's going to get worse.
33:39 But the one that God has for His children,
33:44 the Bible says that not even the heart or the mind
33:47 can even think about those wonderful things
33:50 that God has prepared for us.
33:54 And Satan has somehow deceived the world
33:57 thinking that this is all there is,
34:01 this is the best that you could possible get.
34:05 And he knows that if he deceives people with these things,
34:11 the pleasures of this world, then they're going to be lost,
34:16 they're going to receive the wages of sin;
34:19 which is death.
34:21 We were talking about the flesh.
34:23 We're talking about the carnal mind
34:25 and walking according to the Spirit.
34:26 We're in Romans chapter 8.
34:28 Let us now move to verse 13 and 14.
34:31 It is written, "For if you live after the flesh, you shall die:
34:38 but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds
34:42 of the body, you shall live.
34:45 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
34:48 they are the sons of God."
34:52 Praise the Lord.
34:53 Now please notice this passage.
34:56 It doesn't say that, "if you live after the flesh,
34:59 you will live forever and ever burning in a lake of fire."
35:05 It doesn't say that.
35:07 It says, "For if you live after the flesh, you shall die."
35:14 In harmony with Romans chapter 6 verse 23,
35:17 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is
35:21 eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ."
35:24 Let's talk about these works of the flesh for a moment.
35:27 I invite you to go to Galatians chapter 5.
35:31 We're going to read quickly through some verses there
35:34 that will help us emphasize what the works of the flesh are.
35:38 Beginning in verse 16.
35:40 "This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not
35:47 fulfill the lust of the flesh."
35:50 It's clear that the flesh has lust.
35:53 Verse 17, "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,
35:56 and the Spirit against the flesh:
35:59 and these are contrary the one to the other,
36:02 so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
36:05 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
36:10 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
36:13 adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
36:18 idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath,
36:23 strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness,
36:28 revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before,
36:33 as I have also told you in time past, that they which do
36:36 such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
36:43 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
36:50 longsuffering," in other words, patience,
36:53 "gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:
36:58 against such there is no law.
37:01 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh
37:03 with the affections and lusts.
37:07 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
37:15 And so, walking according to the flesh basically says,
37:21 do whatever wicked thing comes to your mind.
37:26 But walking according to the Spirit leads you to
37:31 joy, peace, happiness, meekness.
37:36 The wonderful things that God wants His children to have.
37:40 God is so good.
37:41 He makes such wonderful promises to us.
37:45 And I know that you are here because somehow
37:50 you have seen that there is a better way.
37:55 That this world is not worth wasting your eternal life.
38:03 Jesus Christ died to rescue us from the deception of the devil.
38:10 And he is going around seeking whom he may devour.
38:17 He's not asleep.
38:21 The one's that are asleep, unfortunately, are the ones
38:24 that are the victims of the devil.
38:27 And Christ wants to give us eternal life.
38:31 He longs to give us eternal life.
38:38 We must choose eternal life and walk with Him.
38:42 Let us look at Jesus Christ.
38:44 Consider Jesus.
38:45 Philippians chapter 2 beginning in verse 5.
38:53 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
39:00 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery
39:03 to be equal with God.
39:05 But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him
39:10 the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.
39:14 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself,
39:21 and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
39:26 What a marvelous example we have in Jesus Christ.
39:29 A marvelous example.
39:32 He who was the glory of heaven.
39:36 Angels adored Him, praised His name, bowed before Him.
39:41 He came to this world, became a human being such as you and I.
39:46 Suffered insults, cruelty, was tormented,
39:51 suffered severe temptations.
39:54 I would dare say, a hundred fold stronger
39:57 than you and I have to face.
40:01 And He endured all these things and was victorious
40:05 because He wants to save us.
40:11 And some of us sometimes go through a few things
40:13 in this world and for some reason we forget
40:18 all that God has done for us.
40:21 And we get upset with God,
40:22 and sometimes shake our fist at God,
40:25 not knowing that He loves us with a love
40:28 that we cannot even imagine.
40:33 This world is a battlefield.
40:37 You and I are in this world.
40:42 And the best way out is through Jesus Christ.
40:48 Let's continue our study.
40:50 Considering Matthew chapter 11 verses 28 through 30.
40:55 Considering what we've said, that Jesus Christ has
40:57 humbled Himself, look at this passage.
40:59 Matthew 11 verses 28 through 30.
41:02 Jesus says, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor
41:07 and are heavy laden, and I will give you a hard time."
41:11 What? "I will give you..." What?
41:13 "...rest."
41:15 "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek
41:19 and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
41:25 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
41:31 "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
41:34 So if you need rest, you can find it in Jesus Christ.
41:41 If you're tired of the struggles or struggling on your own,
41:45 Jesus says, "Come unto Me and I will give you rest."
41:53 A life that is surrendered to Christ is a life
41:59 that has the protection of the Lord.
42:04 God, in His mercy, the Bible tells us in Psalm 34,
42:09 "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them
42:14 that fear Him, and delivereth them."
42:18 We were interviewing a man on 3ABN Latino.
42:23 And he revealed to us that he was having a very
42:29 difficult time in his life.
42:32 And he really was walking away from God.
42:36 And the troubles he was facing, he began to ask himself,
42:42 "Why isn't God helping me?"
42:45 Well, he was walking opposite God.
42:49 So when we do that, we are like placing a wall
42:54 and God cannot bless us as much as He wants to bless us.
43:00 And he was so upset with God in this situation,
43:04 in the condition that he was in, that he wished he could die.
43:11 He asked God, "Take me, take my life.
43:13 I'm tired of living this life."
43:17 And he continued in this for a long period of time.
43:21 And I'm telling you this story to tell you the danger
43:23 that there is dwelling in this area.
43:27 He continued with this to the point that he said,
43:33 "I could not feel God.
43:36 But suddenly, there were three individuals in the room.
43:41 I could not see them.
43:43 But they talked to me," he said.
43:47 And they said, "We are here."
43:50 And he said, "Who are you?"
43:52 "That's not important, but you called us.
43:55 And we are here to help you."
43:58 "Help me with what?"
44:00 "You have desired death.
44:03 And we are here to help you with that."
44:06 And now listen to this.
44:07 They said, "We cannot kill you.
44:12 We are here to torment you until you decide to kill yourself."
44:23 I praise the Lord that somehow God broke through.
44:30 And he was alive to tell us that God rescued him
44:34 and he is now walking with Jesus Christ.
44:38 But if you give your heart to Jesus, nothing can come to you
44:43 except that God gives it permission.
44:47 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them
44:49 that are in Christ Jesus."
44:51 I'm not saying you're not going to have
44:52 a hard time in this world.
44:55 I'm telling you that God will measure what comes to you.
44:58 The Bible says that He will not allow anything to come to you
45:02 that you cannot bear.
45:04 And I know, I've heard it before and I've come to that
45:07 point myself and said, "Wow, Lord, this is so hard.
45:09 I don't know if I can handle this."
45:11 And you know, if our ears were opened and we could be
45:16 in tune with God and we could hear Him, He would say to us,
45:20 "I know you cannot handle this.
45:23 But please understand that with Me, all things are possible."
45:30 So whatever you're going through, if you allow God
45:34 the opportunity, He will make the best out of the mess
45:38 that you have made.
45:40 Unfortunately, we in this world sometimes make decisions
45:44 that bring upon ourselves unnecessary suffering.
45:48 Sometimes we go through things that are unnecessary
45:51 for us to experience.
45:54 But we choose that way.
45:57 We choose those things.
46:00 And then we appeal to God for help.
46:04 And if we surrender to Him, He will make the best
46:07 out of that mess that we have made.
46:11 And God is so good that even if you don't know how to pray,
46:16 we have the example of Peter.
46:18 You may remember that Peter was walking on the water.
46:20 He was walking, and suddenly because of thoughts that
46:23 came into his mind, and fear, the Bible says,
46:26 he began to sink in the water.
46:30 And he said the quickest thing that came to his mind.
46:34 He knew he was helpless.
46:36 The water was boisterous, the Bible says.
46:38 He knew that he was going to die.
46:41 And he said, "Lord, save me."
46:45 And the Bible says that immediately Jesus took him
46:48 and saved him.
46:50 Praise be to Him name.
46:52 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
46:55 "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."
46:59 "Walk according to the Spirit."
47:01 In order to walk according to the Spirit, we must find out
47:04 what these things are.
47:05 The Scriptures are a lamp unto our feet.
47:10 These are the things that we need to study.
47:12 What's in the Scriptures, they are a lamp to our feet.
47:16 They help us understand what it is that God requires of us.
47:21 "Walk in the Spirit," the Bible says, "and you will not fulfill
47:25 the lust of the flesh."
47:27 This is a promise of God.
47:28 If you walk in the Spirit, if you walk according to
47:31 God's ways, you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
47:35 Why is that?
47:37 Let's look at the passage in the Scriptures
47:41 beginning in John chapter 15 verse 1.
47:46 Let us read quickly through this.
47:48 Jesus says, "I am the true vine, and My Father
47:52 is the husbandman.
47:53 Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away;
47:57 and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it,
48:00 that it may bring forth more fruit.
48:03 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken to you.
48:07 Abide in Me, and I in you.
48:10 As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide
48:14 in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.
48:20 I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth
48:24 in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit.
48:27 For without Me ye can do nothing.
48:32 If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch,
48:39 and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them
48:42 into the fire, and they are burned."
48:44 We see here in the natural world, a lesson that
48:47 Jesus Christ has tried to teach us.
48:49 If we are attached to Christ as a branch is attached to a vine,
48:54 we are going to bear fruit.
48:56 If we feed off Christ, if we read the Scriptures and pray,
49:00 if we stay connected to Him, even through singing hymns
49:04 throughout the day, if you stay connected to Him,
49:07 the Bible says, Jesus says, "Without Me you can do nothing."
49:10 But what happens with Him?
49:11 With Him, you can do all things.
49:16 If you choose to separate yourself from Christ,
49:19 just as if you detach a branch from a vine or from a tree,
49:24 you know that it dies.
49:28 And so it must be that the person that wants to
49:31 live with Christ must walk with Christ each and every moment.
49:35 In that way, you are being transformed by the renewing
49:40 of your mind.
49:42 I would like to quote to you from one of my favorite books,
49:45 Steps To Christ.
49:46 I appreciate the spirit of prophecy,
49:49 the Ellen G. White writings.
49:52 And this is one of my favorite books.
49:53 If you have not read it, I encourage you to do so.
49:56 Notice this from page 72 and 73.
49:59 "When the mind dwells upon self, it is turned away from Christ;
50:05 the source of strength and life.
50:08 Hence it is Satan's constant effort to keep the attention
50:12 diverted from the Savior and thus prevent the union
50:15 and communion of the soul with Christ.
50:18 The pleasures of the world, life's cares and perplexities
50:22 and sorrows, the faults of others, or your own faults
50:25 and imperfections; to any or all of these he will seek
50:30 to divert the mind.
50:32 Do not be misled by his devices.
50:35 Many who are really conscientious, and who desire
50:39 to live for God, he too often leads to dwell upon their
50:42 own faults and weaknesses, and thus by separating them
50:47 from Christ he hopes to gain the victory.
50:49 We should not make self the center and indulge anxiety
50:55 and fear as to whether we shall be saved.
50:57 All this turns the soul away from the Source of our strength.
51:01 Commit the keeping of your soul to God, and trust in Him.
51:07 Talk and think of Jesus. Let self be lost in Him.
51:11 Put away all doubt; dismiss your fears.
51:14 Say with the apostle Paul, 'I live; yet not I,
51:18 but Christ liveth in me.
51:20 And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
51:24 of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.'
51:29 Galatians 2:20.
51:30 Rest in God.
51:32 He is able to keep that which you have committed to Him.
51:36 If you will leave yourself in His hands, He will bring you
51:40 off more than conqueror through Him that has loved you."
51:45 Amen and amen.
51:47 I praise the Lord.
51:50 Satan tries to lead us away from Christ.
51:55 Satan tries to divert our attention with
51:57 thousands of things.
52:00 But if we turn our eyes toward Jesus and look full
52:05 in His wonderful face, what happens?
52:09 The things of earth will grow strangely dim.
52:13 The more we look to Jesus, the closer we get to Him,
52:16 the greater will be our peace.
52:18 The more we stay close to Jesus, the more time we spend with Him,
52:22 the greater will be our joy.
52:25 The more we spent time in the world, the more we
52:28 divert our attention from the things of the Lord,
52:32 the less happiness, the less peace we will have.
52:37 And easier for the stress of life to get us down.
52:42 And Christ wants to lift us up.
52:46 This is why I would like to bring you to some
52:51 passages that will help you.
52:52 I'm going to skip a few things here in my notes
52:54 and go to Isaiah chapter 26 verses 3 and 4.
52:58 Isaiah 26:3-4
53:00 The Bible tells us, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace
53:05 whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee.
53:10 Trust ye in the Lord forever; for in the Lord Jehovah
53:14 is everlasting strength."
53:18 Quickly, I read to you from Jeremiah 33 verse 3.
53:22 The Bible tells us, "Call unto Me and I will answer thee,"
53:28 God says, "and show thee great and mighty things,
53:32 which thou knowest not."
53:34 Isn't that wonderful?
53:36 God wants to have a close relationship with us.
53:41 Jesus tries to illustrate this in John 15:1-5
53:44 as the vine and the branches attached to the vine.
53:48 He wants to have a close relationship with us.
53:52 We talked about Romans chapter 8 and verse 1,
53:55 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them
53:58 that are in Christ Jesus."
54:00 This is talking about a relationship.
54:02 That is what God wants to have with each and every one of us.
54:09 And if we place ourselves in the Lord's hands,
54:12 there's nothing the devil can do to destroy our peace.
54:18 I leave you with the words of 1 John chapter 3 verses 1-3.
54:23 "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
54:30 that we should be called the sons of God.
54:34 Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.
54:38 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear
54:44 what we shall be; but we know that when He shall appear,
54:48 we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
54:54 And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself,
55:01 even as He is pure."
55:07 "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed
55:11 by the renewing of your mind."
55:15 It is a marvelous thing to consider,
55:18 to behold the love of God, that we could be called
55:22 children of God.
55:27 And I've seen in the natural world a hen protecting chicks.
55:32 It was marvelous.
55:34 There were about twelve other chickens around there
55:38 and they all wanted to come near the baby chicks.
55:41 And this mother hen took those wings and gathered those
55:46 little chicks under her wings.
55:49 And I'll tell you, not one chicken got near her chicks.
55:57 And if in the animal world we see this type of protection,
56:01 I tell you, God will take care of you.
56:08 God will protect you.
56:13 And Jesus is inviting us to come to Him that we can have rest.
56:20 I'd like to ask a question, perhaps there are some here
56:24 that would like to stand and say, "Lord, I want to be
56:28 transformed by the renewing of my mind.
56:31 I may not fully understand this, but this one thing I know;
56:36 that there is no better thing I desire upon this earth
56:39 than that which you offer, which is eternal life through
56:42 Your Son Jesus Christ."
56:45 Would anybody like to stand and say to the Lord,
56:47 "Lord, I want to be part of Your kingdom.
56:50 I want to have that peace. I want to have that joy.
56:54 And I want victory in my life through Jesus Christ."
56:58 I praise the Lord and I join with you.
57:02 And I praise the Lord that Satan is defeated,
57:06 and we have victory in Jesus Christ.
57:09 And it is through Him that we can have our minds transformed
57:15 so that we can be transformed into the likeness of Christ.
57:20 And we can have the privilege of being made
57:23 the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.
57:28 Amen.


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Revised 2014-12-17