Participants: John Lomacang (Host), Pr. Dwayne Lemon
Series Code: FDOF
Program Code: FDOF000030A
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00:19 Hello and welcome to Foundation of Our Faith,
00:21 a production of Dare to Dream, here at the 3ABN network, 00:26 we know that as you've tuned in, 00:28 the Lord has a message for you today. 00:31 Our speaker will be Elder Dwayne Lemon 00:33 and the title of his message is, 00:34 ''Our Need for Victory over Sin'', 00:38 before that was his personal experience. 00:41 The Lord delivered him out of the darkness of the R&B 00:44 and hip-hop world, 00:46 he was a choreographer and a dancer, 00:48 but now he is a servant of the Lord, 00:50 sharing the light of the glory and the gospel of Jesus Christ 00:54 all over the world. 00:56 His passion is to lead people to know 00:58 that they can live a life of complete surrender to the Lord 01:02 and included in his ministry repertoire 01:04 is the medical missionary ministry 01:07 along with the three angels' message, 01:09 which in fact is very important, 01:11 preparing people for the coming of our Lord and savior. 01:14 But our minister of music today is Esther Alonso-Neal, 01:19 the recording artist known internationally. 01:22 She has sung in Kenya, Brazil, France, the Philippines, 01:25 and one of her desires is to be a person 01:28 who sings in multiple languages 01:30 as she uses those gifts to lead people to Christ. 01:34 The song that she is going to bless us with is entitled, 01:36 ''My Place is With You''. 01:38 So after this song preparing our hearts 01:42 to receive the message, 01:43 the next person that you will hear 01:45 is that of Elder Dwayne Lemon. 01:49 I've walked along a hundred highways 01:56 Some I wish I could forget 02:05 And I've burned a lot of bridges 02:12 But there's not one that I regret 02:20 'Cause every path I've taken 02:27 They all have led me to 02:32 Knowing my place 02:38 My place is with you 02:49 I've had my promises forsaken 02:56 Into many 02:59 Empty words 03:04 And I'm amazed 03:05 And so astounded 03:11 That I won't get 03:13 What I deserve 03:19 Whatever lies 03:22 I've lived for 03:27 I have finally found the truth 03:32 I know my place, 03:38 My place is with you 03:47 You are my treasure forever 03:54 The one dream 03:57 I've searched for 04:22 I've not been given 04:25 My tomorrow 04:30 I'm only certain of today 04:37 And If I don't see 04:40 Another sunrise 04:45 I will not have 04:47 To be afraid 04:52 'Cause I know 04:54 We will be together 05:01 When all my days are through 05:06 I know my place, 05:12 My place is with you 05:19 My place is with you, 05:27 My place is with you 05:35 My place is with you, 05:48 Amen, amen, amen. 05:52 Wonderful. 05:54 Welcome, welcome, welcome 05:56 to another wonderful privilege 06:00 and study time together at Foundation of Our Faith. 06:04 You know, if the foundation is destroyed 06:06 what can the righteous do. 06:07 Is that right? 06:09 And so it is that it's imperative for us 06:10 to understand 06:12 not simply elements of our faith 06:13 but especially foundations 06:15 and this is why it is so important for us 06:17 to study the Bible like we've never studied it before, 06:21 that God can help us to establish right foundations 06:25 so that way we can properly build 06:26 all the elements above and so, 06:28 I'm grateful for this opportunity for us 06:31 to look at a subject 06:32 that I know is dear to the heart of God 06:36 and that is our need for victory over sin. 06:40 It is a subject that I am very, very thankful 06:43 and quite honestly I'm a bit excited 06:45 about sharing this with you 06:46 because there was a time 06:48 I never thought that this was possible. 06:49 And so now that I know 06:51 that it is possible through the merits 06:53 and the righteousness of Jesus Christ, 06:55 it is my privilege and my pleasure 06:58 to share this with all of God's people. 07:01 And as we prepare our hearts to receive the word, 07:04 I believe the best way to do that is beginning with prayer. 07:07 So I'm going to go ahead and once again 07:09 I'm going to kneel for a word of prayer 07:11 and if you would, you can either kneel, 07:13 you can bow your heads, 07:14 but let's all pray together 07:15 and lets let the Lord speak to our hearts 07:17 as we prepare to receive the word. 07:20 Our loving Father, 07:22 we are grateful always 07:24 for the privilege to hear heaven speak. 07:26 And it's so important that when heaven speaks 07:28 that all the earth remain silent before thee. 07:32 Lord, I am praying 07:33 that You would please do something special 07:35 that You'll pour out Your spirit 07:37 and truly minister to our hearts 07:39 and open our eyes 07:41 and help us behold 07:42 wondrous things out of your word. 07:44 And Lord, this is our prayer that we do ask in Jesus' name. 07:48 Amen, 07:50 amen. 07:52 All right, well, you know, 07:55 I thought about this title 07:57 ''Our Need for Victory over Sin'' 07:59 and the reason I thought about it, 08:01 is because in previous studies, 08:02 you know, I dwell upon the subject of righteousness 08:07 which we receive by faith 08:09 that is the absolute theme of the Bible. 08:12 It's the theme, 08:13 God doing something in us and through us 08:16 for His glory where we are light bearers. 08:19 We get to bear the light of God's righteousness 08:22 before a dying world. 08:24 And this is important because 08:26 I was reading a little quotation 08:28 and it's from the book Education 08:30 and it's in the book Education, page 125 08:32 and here's what it says, 08:34 it says, "The central theme of the Bible, 08:36 the theme about which every other 08:39 in the whole book clusters, 08:40 is the redemption plan, 08:43 the restoration in the human soul 08:45 of the image of God, 08:47 " and then it says, "the burden of every book 08:49 and every passage of the Bible 08:50 is the unfolding of this wondrous theme." 08:53 And so when we study the Bible, we must understand 08:56 that the theme of Christ our righteousness. 08:59 God not only redeeming us 09:01 but also restoring His image in us 09:03 is the great theme 09:05 from Genesis all the way down 09:07 to that last apocalyptic book Revelation. 09:09 And so it is that this should be the theme of all preaching 09:12 and teaching of the gospel, all proclamation, 09:14 and churches that come together to give to the world 09:16 what they need. 09:17 I believe with all of my heart 09:19 that we are living in a time 09:20 where the issue of sin needs to be dealt with. 09:23 And the reason why is because we're living in a society 09:26 where there's a lot of distractions. 09:28 You know, right now we have distractions 09:29 that are taking place by sea and by land. 09:31 We have things that are happening 09:33 amongst the black race and the white race. 09:35 We have things happening amongst male and female. 09:37 We have things happening amongst those 09:39 who are part of one religious group called Christians 09:41 and another religious group called Muslims. 09:44 And the list goes on. 09:45 And when we bottom line 09:47 all of the various challenges 09:49 that are happening in our world today, 09:51 whenever we see crisis 09:53 and crime and terrorism and racism 09:55 and all the other isms, 09:57 we can connect that thing back to that thing called sin. 10:01 And I believe this is why 10:02 we have to talk about our need for victory over sin. 10:08 And so it is that the first question 10:10 we're going to talk about is, "Is it even possible?" 10:12 You know, can people get to a place that they can actually, 10:15 you know, love God so much 10:17 that they would not do anything to break His heart? 10:19 Well, let's consider it this way. 10:20 How does the Bible define sin? Think about it. 10:23 It's one thing for us to call sin 10:25 by various titles and terms, 10:26 but it's important 10:28 that we let the word of God give us the answer. 10:29 Is that right? 10:30 And so let's consider 1 John 3. 10:33 It's perhaps a very popular text 10:35 of scripture to some groups 10:36 but to others it's absolutely brand new. 10:38 So for edification, 10:39 we're going to go to the Book of 1 John 3 10:42 and I want you to see what the Bible says 10:43 as we think about the biblical definition of sin. 10:47 The Bible says in the Book of John 1 10:49 and we're considering chapter 3 10:51 and I want you to notice 10:52 what it says as we look at verse 4. 10:55 The Bible says in 1 John 3:4, 10:57 it says, "Whosoever committed sin 11:01 transgressive also the law. 11:03 For sin is the transgression of the law." 11:07 So notice that the Bible makes it clear 11:08 that sin is the transgression or breaking of God's law. 11:14 And when somebody says, "What law?" 11:16 Then we can go ahead and just go over 11:17 to the Book of Romans. 11:19 We go to the Book of Romans 7 11:20 and we will look at another fundamental scripture 11:23 Romans the 7th chapter 11:24 and we'll consider the 7th verse. 11:27 In Romans 7:7 the Bible also says, 11:30 "What shall we say, then? Is the law sin?" 11:33 The answer, "God forbid. 11:35 Nay, I had not known sin, 11:37 but by the law: 11:38 for I had not known lust, 11:40 except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." 11:44 So whatever law that says, thou shalt not covet, 11:48 is the law that if we break it, the Bible calls it sin. 11:51 And so now when we think about what law is it that says, 11:55 thou shalt not covet, 11:56 again another very fundamental text 11:58 to Christianity, Exodus 20. 12:01 It is in Exodus 20 that this is where 12:04 we see the very Ten Commandments 12:05 that God reminded Israel of, 12:08 as a result of forgetting it 12:09 having been in bondage for so long. 12:11 And it was right there in Exodus 20, 12:13 when God gets to the tenth commandment 12:16 in verse 17 12:17 that He says, "Thou shalt not covet 12:20 thy neighbor's house, 12:21 thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, 12:23 nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, 12:24 nor his ox, nor his ass, 12:26 nor any thing that is thy neighbor's." 12:27 So there's no question about it 12:29 that the Bible makes it clear 12:30 that sin is the breaking of God's Ten Commandments. 12:36 So now back to the question, 12:38 "Victory over sin, is it possible?" 12:40 Oh, I believe it is. 12:41 You see the same way that the Bible makes it clear 12:43 that it is the breaking of God's commandments 12:47 that constitutes sin 12:48 then the question is what is victory over sin 12:51 and I'm going to put it in the very words of Jesus. 12:53 Go to the Book of John 14. 12:55 It is in the John 14 12:57 that when we've considered 12:58 what then is victory over sin and is it possible? 13:02 The Bible says in John 14, 13:05 notice what Jesus said Himself in verse 15, 13:08 Jesus says, "If you love me," do what? 13:11 He says, "keep my," what? 13:14 "commandments." 13:15 So notice that, 13:16 "If you love me, keep my commandments." 13:19 And therefore that means that victory over sin is possible 13:22 and the power source that makes it possible 13:25 is the love of God. 13:27 The more that I have the love of God within my heart, 13:30 the more that I have the love for Jesus in my heart, 13:33 it will cause something to take place in my heart 13:36 and through my actions 13:37 that I will not do anything to break His commandments. 13:40 And you know why I know it's possible, 13:42 because notice what John the Revelator said himself 13:46 in Revelation 14. 13:48 It was in Revelation 14 under the blessed herald 13:50 of the third angel's message 13:53 that John the Revelator made a powerful statement 13:55 about the patience of saints, 13:56 and here's what He said in Revelation 14 13:59 and we're considering verse 12. 14:01 The Bible says in Revelation 14:12, 14:03 it's the summary if you will of the third angel's message 14:06 and those who are walking in the light of its experience. 14:09 Always remember, 14:11 the third angel's message 14:12 constitutes both a warning and an experience. 14:16 It is not enough for us to pay attention 14:18 or take heed to a warning but it is imperative 14:21 that we enter into the right experience. 14:23 Somebody can warn you and say, "Watch out," and you could say, 14:26 "Whoa," and you can hear the warning 14:28 but if you don't know what to do 14:30 or don't know the right experience 14:31 to enter into even though you know something's coming, 14:34 you're going to get hit. 14:36 And God so wants us not to just heed the warning, 14:39 He wants us to enter the experience. 14:41 What is the experience? 14:43 It's in verse 12 of the third angel's message. 14:45 It say's, "Here is the patience of the saints: 14:47 here are they that are trying 14:49 to keep the commandments of God." 14:50 Is that what the verse says? 14:52 That's not what the verse says, does it? 14:53 The Bible makes it clear, 14:55 "Here is the patience of the saints: 14:56 here are they that keep the commandments of God, 15:00 and the faith of Jesus Christ." 15:01 John the Revelator has made it clear 15:03 there will be a people 15:06 in the very last moment of earth's history 15:08 that loves Jesus so much 15:10 that they would prefer to die 15:14 than commit one sin against Him. 15:16 And somebody might say, impossible 15:18 but that's why the Bible says, 15:19 "That which is impossible with man is possible with God." 15:24 How much the more Christ our righteousness. 15:28 You see when Jesus is within our hearts, 15:30 my brothers and sisters. 15:32 We now come in contact with a power source 15:35 that is above humanity and the cause of human nature. 15:39 And this is what God wants to give right now 15:42 to each and everyone of us 15:43 because we live in a very real world 15:45 and I'm telling you right now, 15:47 human ability has its limitations. 15:50 Sooner or later we all are going to realize 15:52 that in order for me to be a great husband 15:55 oh, no, better yet a godly husband 15:58 it's going to require God. 15:59 In order to be a godly wife, it's going to require God. 16:03 In order to be a godly man, it's going to require God. 16:06 In order to be a godly woman, it's going to require God. 16:09 We're going to need Him in our hearts. 16:11 There are people who are trying to be good 16:13 but the problem is the Bible says, 16:15 "There is none good but one." 16:17 And that is God. 16:18 My brothers and sisters, we are limited 16:20 when we look to self, 16:22 this was the great mistake of Adam and Eve, 16:23 they thought, "Oh, we're naked, let's cover ourselves." 16:26 And they ended up putting an apron on 16:27 and they didn't realize 16:29 that all their back parts were showing. 16:31 That's what happens with a lot of us. 16:32 We can think we're covered when we're absolutely exposed. 16:36 But that's the blinding nature of sin, isn't it? 16:38 And so this is what God wants to free us from. 16:41 He says, "I want to make you free not from most, 16:43 but I want to make you free from all." 16:45 Why, because, 16:46 "To break one is to break all," James says. 16:49 James makes it very clear that if we break one, 16:53 we are guilty of breaking all. 16:54 James 2:10-12, 16:56 and so the Bible lets us know 16:59 that there is a need for victory over sin 17:01 and thank God it's possible. 17:04 But the question is, why is it necessary? 17:07 In other words, 17:08 victory over sin sounds fantastic. 17:11 You know, sounds very good, sounds, 17:12 you know, smart, wise, cool, you know, 17:14 you can use whatever term you want. 17:16 But why is it necessary, 17:17 that's a different type of thing, 17:19 our need for victory over sin. 17:20 Why is that? Well, it's very simple. 17:22 Go to the Book of Isaiah 59 17:25 and I want you to watch what the Bible says. 17:26 In Isaiah 59, 17:29 God makes something very clear to us. 17:30 Isaiah, we're looking at chapter 59 17:33 and I just want you to watch what the Bible says, 17:35 Isaiah 59 and we're going to look at verses 1 and 2. 17:40 But let's consider the verse, 17:41 don't just read it, let's consider it. 17:43 In Isaiah 59 the Bible says, 17:46 " Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, 17:50 that it cannot save, 17:51 neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. 17:54 But your iniquities have separated 17:58 between you and your God, 17:59 and your sins have hid his face from you, 18:03 that He will not hear." 18:05 You see, my brothers and sisters, 18:06 we need to understand that when we commit sin, 18:11 it separates us from God. 18:13 So when we sing a song, 18:15 when we all get to heaven, 18:16 what a day of rejoicing that would be. 18:19 Or when we sing a song like, 18:20 face to face shall I behold him. 18:22 When we sing this type of songs, 18:24 we must understand the thing that caused God 18:27 to turn His face from us that we couldn't behold Him. 18:29 What does the Bible say it was? 18:31 It was sin. 18:32 And therefore if we're going to get victory over sin, 18:35 that's the only way 18:37 that we can have the face to face reunion, 18:40 that's the only way that we'll be able to behold Him. 18:44 And so God makes it clear 18:45 that if we want any opportunity to see Him face to face, 18:50 then it becomes a need for us to have victory over sin. 18:55 But it doesn't stop there. 18:56 You see a lot of times when we think of sin, 18:58 we just think about what it does to us. 19:00 We think about the pain that it brings to us, 19:02 and so we say, "Oh, I want to be reunited with God." 19:05 And if we want to be reunited with God, 19:07 then the Bible makes it clear 19:08 that we need to have victory over sin, 19:10 because it was sin that broke up the relationship 19:13 between man and God 19:14 and its only victory over sin 19:16 that will bring about the reunion. 19:18 But, now the question is this, 19:20 is mankind the only one that suffers? 19:24 In other words, when we think about sin, 19:25 we think about everything that happened to us, 19:27 we think about death, we think about pain, 19:29 we think about sickness and disease and suffering. 19:31 We think about those things 19:33 when we talk about the subject of sin. 19:35 And we think about our pain. 19:37 But the question is, did it put God through pain? 19:40 Does God even feel pain? 19:42 You know, people wonder this type of questions 19:43 but, my brothers and sisters, 19:44 we don't have to wonder 19:46 when the word of God gives us the answer. 19:47 If you're still in Isaiah 59 just skip over a few verses, 19:50 go to Isaiah 63. 19:51 In few chapters, 19:53 in Isaiah 63 look at verses 8 and 9. 19:56 And in Isaiah 63:8 and 9 20:00 you're going to see that victory over sin 20:03 is necessary not just to stop our pain 20:07 but also to stop God's pain. 20:09 The Bible says in Isaiah 63 starting at verse 8, it says, 20:12 "For He said, surely they are my people, 20:15 children that will not lie: so He was their Savior." 20:18 Then in verse 9, it says, "In all their affliction." 20:22 Whose the their? 20:24 Well, that's God's people. 20:25 That's the people that He came to be a savior to, 20:27 in all their affliction, but wait a minute, 20:30 well, how does the verse go on? 20:32 "In all their affliction," it says, "He was afflicted, 20:37 and the angel of His presence saved them: 20:40 in His love and in His pity He redeemed them, 20:42 and He bare them, 20:43 and carried them all the days of old. 20:45 Did you know 20:46 that when we choose to sin against God, 20:49 when we choose to violate His law, 20:51 when we choose to let the power of the devil 20:54 dominate the power of God in the gospel, 20:56 when we choose to let that happen in our lives, 20:59 it does not just hurt us, it hurts Him. 21:03 It causes Him pain, it breaks His heart. 21:06 You know, so often people wondered 21:08 what was it that killed Jesus. 21:10 People wondered what was it that killed Jesus, you know, 21:13 was it the spear in the side, oh, it had to be the spear. 21:16 When that blade just pierced His heart, 21:18 it caused His heart to go into cardiac arrest. 21:19 You know, we have all these scientific rationales 21:21 depending on what program you watch on cable TV 21:24 where people try to make it, you know, 21:26 rational what killed Jesus. 21:28 But do you know the Bible tells us what killed Him? 21:30 Did you know what the Bible actually shows us? 21:32 Go to Psalms 69, let me show you, Psalms 69, 21:35 "It is not just us that goes through pain, 21:38 it is God as well." 21:39 Notice what the Bible says, 21:41 we're looking at Psalms the 69th division. 21:43 This is what we call a messianic psalm, okay? 21:47 A Psalm that is pointing to the Messiah 21:49 and the experiences of the Messiah. 21:51 The Bible says in Psalms the 69th division, 21:53 we're now going to go ahead and consider verse 20 21:55 and notice what the Bible says in Psalms 69:20. 21:59 This is a messianic psalm, and this is what it says, 22:01 it says, " Reproach hath broken my heart, 22:06 and I am full of heaviness 22:09 and I looked for some to take pity, 22:12 but there was none, and for comforters, 22:14 but I found none. 22:16 And was this not the experience of Jesus? 22:18 You remember His disciple friends scattered abroad, 22:20 left Him all by Himself. 22:22 He wasn't really by Himself, the angelic host was with Him. 22:25 But nevertheless His friends abandoned Him. 22:27 He looked for pity but He could not find none. 22:30 But what was it that broke the heart of Christ? 22:32 The Bible says it right there, 22:33 it says, "It was something called reproach." 22:36 Now what does the Bible in symbolism, 22:38 what does the Bible call reproach? 22:40 Well, let's go to Proverbs 14 and let's notice. 22:42 In Proverbs 14, 22:45 what does the Bible refer to as reproach? 22:47 Look at what it says in Proverbs 14, 22:50 consider verse 34 22:52 and look at what the text says, 22:53 it says in Proverbs 14:34 it says, 22:56 "Righteousness exalteth a nation," 22:59 watch this, 23:00 "but sin is a reproach to any people." 23:06 Did you know that it was sin that broke the heart of Jesus? 23:09 Do you know there was sin that caused Him pain 23:13 and it's deep because 23:15 if we really want to look at the verses, 23:16 we would understand it wasn't His? 23:19 The Bible makes it very clear in Hebrews 4, 23:21 He was tempted in all points but He did no sin. 23:25 Christ's heart was broken 23:28 because of your choices and my choices. 23:32 This is what caused Him pain. 23:33 So when we talk about our need for victory over sin, 23:37 it is a serious subject not just to relieve our pain 23:42 but God's pain. 23:44 And I'm so glad 23:45 that I have an opportunity to cooperate with Christ. 23:49 I mean it's incredible to think about this, 23:51 that I have an opportunity to cooperate with Jesus 23:55 that by His grace 23:56 I cannot only stop my pain 23:59 but I can stop His every time. 24:02 There's a little book called Desire of Ages, 24:04 and it's right there in Desire of Ages 24:05 that blessed documentary of the life of Jesus, 24:07 and it was right there in Desire of Ages, 24:09 page 300 that it says, "Every time we sin, 24:14 we renew the pain in the heart of Christ." 24:16 It's in combination with Hebrews 6:6 that talks about, 24:20 you know, we renew repentance unto ourselves 24:22 every time we sin against Him 24:23 and we bring Him to an open shame. 24:26 Every time we sin, 24:28 we break His heart and we cause pain. 24:30 And so it is that God is saying our need for victory over sin 24:33 is a very serious one 24:34 because it doesn't just stop my pain 24:37 and your pain and our parents and our children's pain, 24:40 it stops pain even in the heart of God. 24:43 That should make all of us look a little bit different 24:46 the next time we want to take that puff of that cigarette, 24:48 the next time we want to go ahead 24:49 and indulge in that alcohol, 24:51 the next time we want to go ahead 24:52 and demonstrate violence towards those 24:53 that we profess to love and cherish, 24:55 and to have and to hold, till death do we apart. 24:57 That should make us think a little bit more 25:00 when we think about the bed of fornication, 25:01 and think about lying and cheating and stealing, 25:03 the next time that we're tempted 25:05 to do those wrongs, 25:06 just remember, it's not just going to cause you pain, 25:09 it's going to renew the pain in the very heart of the one 25:11 that we said we love, 25:13 the one that we said we care for, 25:14 the one that we said we want to honor and respect Him. 25:17 And so God wants us to understand 25:19 that there's a tremendous need for victory over sin. 25:23 And we don't have a whole lot of time left. 25:26 This is something that we have to cooperate with God 25:28 with right now. 25:30 We don't have a whole lot of time 25:32 because the Bible makes it very clear. 25:35 And when Jesus ascended into heaven, 25:37 He did not just simply ascend into any place 25:41 but He ascended into the sanctuary above 25:43 and when He went there, there was two apartments. 25:44 One was the holy place 25:46 and another is a most holy place. 25:48 Jesus is there at the most holy place right now 25:51 and one of the things He's doing 25:52 in the work of judgment 25:53 is He is getting ready to do something 25:55 called the blotting out work. 25:57 And did you know in the Bible there's only one or two things 25:59 that get blotted out? 26:01 In scripted there is only one or two things 26:02 that's going to ultimately get blotted out of existence. 26:06 You want to know what it is? 26:07 The Bible tells us what it is. Go to the Book of Acts 3. 26:09 What is it that's going to be blotted out? 26:11 We're talking about 26:12 why is it we need to have victory over sin now? 26:14 By the grace of God we need it now. 26:16 We can't say we're going to get it when Jesus comes. 26:18 If we wait till Jesus come, it will be too late. 26:21 The Bible says in Revelation 22 before Christ comes, 26:23 He's already going to establish 26:25 who is holy still and who is filthy still. 26:27 So you don't want to wait until when Christ comes 26:29 and then say, I'll let go, 26:30 you are going to be a part of the filthy still group, 26:32 and we don't want that. 26:33 So we need to experience that as fast as it's available. 26:37 And I believe Jesus wants to give it 26:38 to each and everyone of us right now. 26:40 And so it is that when we start to think about 26:42 what the Bible tells us here, we need to consider, 26:45 "Lord what is it that You want to have us experienced." 26:48 And He wants us to have victory over sin, 26:50 victory over lawlessness, 26:51 a life that is in harmony with His holy commandments 26:54 through the merits and righteousness 26:56 of Jesus Christ. 26:57 Now in Acts 3 26:59 we see one of the things 27:01 that God is ultimately going to blot out 27:02 when He finishes His work in the sanctuary above. 27:05 The Bible says in Acts 3, 27:07 we're going to go ahead and consider verse 19. 27:09 In Acts 3:19, the Bible says, 27:13 " Repent ye therefore and be converted, 27:15 that your," what? 27:17 "your sins may be blotted out 27:21 when the times of refreshing shall come 27:23 from the presence of the Lord 27:24 and he shall send Jesus Christ." 27:25 So notice that one thing the Bible makes very clear 27:28 that would be blotted out is our sins. 27:31 But the Bible also lets us know 27:32 something else will be blotted out, 27:34 and I want you to see that in the Book of Exodus 32. 27:37 It was in Exodus 32 that the children of Israel 27:40 did not know what God was doing nor his servant. 27:44 And as a result of that they got caught up 27:46 into the sing swing celebrate religion. 27:48 I don't know if you've ever been exposed to that. 27:50 I know I have in my previous life 27:52 and, you know, a lot of churches today 27:54 love to sing, swing, celebrate, 27:55 and get all hooting and hollering 27:57 and making a lot of noise and all these other things 27:59 to the point that they forget God and godliness, 28:02 and this is exactly what happened with Israel. 28:04 God was in the mount 28:05 and He was communing with Moses, and Joshua, 28:07 and lo and behold, here it is 28:09 that they got to a point where they said, 28:11 "Look, we don't know what happened to those guys. 28:13 So let's just go back to good old Egyptian worship. 28:16 And they started to do their Egyptian worship thing 28:18 but eventually Joshua and Moses come down, 28:21 they see the sinful behavior and idolatry 28:24 that the people of God have fallen into, 28:26 and notice what the Bible says 28:28 as Moses is now playing the role of Jesus 28:31 as an intercessor. 28:32 And I notice what he says in Exodus 32 28:35 and we're going to consider verse 30. 28:38 The Bible says, "And it came to pass on the morrow 28:40 that Moses said unto the people, 28:42 "Ye have sinned a great sin. 28:44 And now I will go up unto the Lord, 28:46 per adventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. 28:49 And Moses returned unto the Lord and said, 28:52 "Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, 28:55 and have made them gods of gold. 28:57 Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin and if not, 29:01 blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book 29:04 which Thou hast written!" 29:05 And lo and behold, God answers in verse 33 and says, 29:08 "And the Lord said unto Moses, "Whosoever hath," what? 29:11 "sinned against Me, 29:13 him will I blot out of My book." 29:17 You see, my brothers and sisters, 29:19 it's very simple. 29:20 There's one or two things right now 29:21 that's been weighed in the judgment. 29:23 Either our sins are going to be blotted out 29:26 or our names are going to be blotted out. 29:29 Now if I would ask you an intelligent question, 29:31 if I were to say to you, 29:32 how many of you want your names blotted out? 29:35 Let me see, raise your hand. 29:37 Well, that tells me that you're a group of smart people 29:38 'cause nobody is raising their hand. 29:40 But what about this? 29:41 If I were to say, 29:43 "How many of you want your sins blotted out?" 29:44 Now raise your hands. 29:46 Uh-huh, okay. So you understand. 29:47 We want our sins blotted out, 29:50 but we don't want our names to be blotted out. 29:52 But here's the problem. 29:54 Want is a good start. 29:56 It's just a bad finish. 29:59 Listen carefully to what I'm telling you. 30:01 You just told me, 30:02 "I want my sins blotted out and I want my name to remain." 30:06 Well, that's fine and dandy. 30:08 But, my brothers and sisters, 30:09 if you want your sins blotted out 30:11 and you want your names to remain, 30:13 then you must understand 30:15 that there is something more than desire. 30:18 It's in a wonderful little book called Steps to Christ. 30:20 A book that has been passed out in several languages 30:22 all over the world. 30:24 Millions upon millions showing people 30:25 how to come to Jesus, 30:27 the author and finisher of their faith. 30:29 And it's in that book Steps to Christ 30:30 under the chapter Consecration, 30:32 page 48 that it tells us that many will be lost. 30:36 Now that should already wake us up. 30:38 Anytime I hear somebody is gonna get lost, 30:40 I need to pay attention to that and you do too. 30:42 It says, "Many will be lost 30:45 while hoping and desiring to be Christians." 30:51 You know what the next sentence says? 30:53 "They do not choose to be Christians." 30:57 You see Christianity is a choice, 30:59 that's why Joshua says, 31:00 "Choose this day whom you will serve." 31:02 In Joshua 24:14 and 15. 31:04 That's why Elijah says, 31:06 "How long halt ye between two opinions? 31:08 If the Lord be God, follow Him, in 1 Kings 18:21. 31:13 And so it is that Moses himself said in Deuteronomy 30:19, 31:17 he says, "I present before you life and death, 31:20 blessings and cursings, choose life." 31:23 My brothers and sisters, Christianity is choosing life. 31:27 You can't want to be a Christian, 31:29 you got to choose to be a Christian. 31:30 When Jesus offers Himself to you and I, 31:32 we must understand that we have an opportunity 31:34 to accept the offering. 31:36 Always remember, the Cross of Calvary 31:39 is like a check written. 31:41 Question, if somebody wrote you a check for a million dollars, 31:45 how many of you would be happy? 31:46 Somebody writes you a check for million dollars, 31:48 how many of you would be happy? 31:49 Gave you a check 31:50 and it gave you a million dollars right there. 31:52 How many of you would be happy with that? 31:53 You see, look at that. 31:55 Now some of you would be happy but you know what, 31:56 I wouldn't be happy. 31:57 I would be curious, but I wouldn't be happy. 31:59 You know why? It's very simple. 32:01 I would not be happy 32:03 because a check means nothing 32:06 until it is deposited and cashed in the bank. 32:10 You understand that? 32:12 You get that point now. It's very simple. 32:13 We cannot be thrilled over a check that's written. 32:16 We get thrilled over a check that's cashed. 32:19 When Jesus died on the Cross of Calvary 32:22 and provide and secure salvation 32:24 for humanity. 32:26 My brothers and sisters, 32:27 that was a check that was written. 32:29 But the problem is that there are not enough people 32:31 want to cash the check, 32:33 they're just happy walking around, 32:34 "I got a check, I got a check, 32:36 look at that, look at that check." 32:37 But the problem is we don't understand, 32:38 you got to cash the check to get the benefit. 32:40 And you got to choose to do that 32:43 and so it is that we must choose, 32:45 my brothers and sisters, 32:46 so it's very easy to say, 32:47 "Oh, I want my name to remain 32:50 and I want my sins to be blotted out." 32:52 But that's not enough. 32:54 You got to choose this day, whom you're going to serve. 32:57 You got to chose to cooperate with God 33:00 with whatever He has prescribed 33:03 on how we can have victory over sin. 33:05 And so what does John the Revelator tell us 33:08 is the absolute prerequisite 33:11 to having sins blotted out and names remain. 33:14 Revelation 3 notice what the Bible says. 33:17 In Revelation 3, 33:19 John the Revelator is giving council to all the churches. 33:21 And by the time you get to Revelation 3, 33:24 he's almost done 33:26 and now as John is talking with the church's artist, 33:29 notice what He says in Revelation 3 33:31 and now let's notice what He says in verse 5. 33:35 Again how can we make sure 33:38 that names remain and sins are blotted out? 33:40 Well, notice what the Bible says, 33:41 it says, " He that, " what? 33:44 "He that overcometh," that's key, 33:47 "He that overcometh the same shall be clothed 33:50 in white raiment, 33:52 and I will not blot out his name 33:56 out of the Book of Life, 33:57 but I will confess his name 33:58 before My Father and before His angels." 34:00 You see the Bible's clear. 34:01 God makes it clear to each and every one of us. 34:03 There is no way that our names remain 34:06 in the Book of Life 34:07 if we don't overcome that wicked thing called sin. 34:10 And that's why I've entitled the message, 34:13 "our need for victory over sin". 34:16 Because there is no heaven, there is no heavenly place, 34:19 there's no paradise, there's none of that for us 34:21 if we are going to live in deliberate rebellion 34:25 against God and His law, 34:26 and so the Bible makes it clear that this is our need. 34:31 Now, my brothers and sisters, 34:32 I now see the need to do something very important. 34:36 Sometimes when we talk about these types of subjects, 34:39 our need for victory over sin, 34:40 and I think we've established that. 34:42 I'm sure there's always more verses 34:43 but you know sermon can take in but so much at one time. 34:46 Jesus, the Bible says came to make us free from sin. 34:50 Matthew 1:21. 34:51 Free from, from sin, not in sin but from sin. 34:54 He can save us, He has enough power to do it. 34:56 There's plenty of power in the blood of Jesus Christ. 34:59 And He can get us free. 35:01 And the reality is just that, 35:03 if God can deliver you from smoking, 35:05 there's no reason He can't deliver you 35:07 from premarital sex. 35:08 If God can deliver somebody from premarital sex, 35:11 He can deliver them from cursing and swearing. 35:13 If God can deliver a person from cursing and swearing, 35:16 God can deliver them from lying. 35:18 Why is it that we would think 35:19 that God has enough power to deliver us 35:21 from one sin but not all sin? 35:25 It makes no sense. 35:27 God makes it very clear, 35:28 "I have enough power 35:30 to deliver my people from it 35:32 but it's going to require something 35:34 that is ever so important." 35:35 What is it going to require? 35:37 It says we must overcome. 35:39 It must, we must overcome. 35:41 Now we have to understand some dynamics with that. 35:43 So let's talk about that a little bit. 35:46 This idea of overcoming, 35:47 what are some things that are required 35:50 that I can actually be recognized 35:52 by heaven as an overcomer. 35:55 Well, in the beginning of our message 35:56 we talked about righteousness. 35:58 Righteousness is what the Bible calls 36:03 the keeping of God's commandments. 36:04 That was in Psalms 119:172. 36:09 So when we think about righteousness by faith, 36:13 we're exercising faith in someone 36:17 who has kept God's commandments, 36:19 His name is Jesus. 36:20 John 15:10, He says, 36:21 "I have kept my Father's commandments." 36:23 You see, you and I can't do it. 36:26 It's a call from God 36:28 but we have to understand how to get there. 36:30 God tells us to overcome but we can't just say, okay, 36:34 and demonstrate our own natural willpower 36:35 and just get it done. 36:37 Doesn't work like that. 36:38 I wish it did sometimes but it doesn't. 36:40 God needs to teach us more. 36:42 And so when we think about it, 36:43 "Lord, you want me to overcome sin, 36:46 you want me to overcome a lawless lifestyle." 36:49 But the question is how? 36:52 Because Jeremiah 13, notice what it says. 36:54 In Jeremiah 13, 36:56 this is the reality of our experience. 36:58 It's like God is calling us to do something 37:00 but he's not really showing us how to get it done. 37:03 I don't know about you 37:05 but I'm a father of four children, 37:06 two boys and two girls, 37:08 and if there's one thing 37:09 that can definitely annoy or challenge a child 37:13 is when you and I tell them 37:15 to be something without showing them how. 37:17 You and I can't tell my boys, 37:19 "You got to learn how to be a man." 37:21 And I don't show them what it is to be a man. 37:23 That is unfair to them. 37:25 My bride cannot go to my daughters 37:27 and say to them, 37:28 "You must learn how to be a godly woman." 37:30 And here it is, she refuses my wife to be a godly woman. 37:32 She must lead by precept and example as I must as well. 37:37 So there needs to always be a model 37:39 that is set before us 37:41 of how to accomplish the goal 37:43 so that way by the grace of God 37:45 we can see that, 37:48 "oh, well, as the model did it, so I can do it." 37:51 Amen. 37:52 All right, so when we think about this, 37:54 God makes it clear because look at Jeremiah 13. 37:56 In Jeremiah 13:23, 37:58 here's the reality of humanity and human nature. 38:01 the question is asked, 38:05 "Can the Ethiopian change his skin?" 38:07 What do you think the answer is? 38:08 No. 38:09 "Can the leopard his spots?" 38:11 What do you think the answer is? 38:12 No, then it says, "Then may ye also do good, 38:15 that are accustomed or taught to do evil." 38:19 What do you think the answer is? 38:20 No. 38:22 You and I have no power naturally 38:25 to just live a commandment keeping life. 38:28 We have no power in and of ourselves 38:30 to truly love our neighbors and love God supremely. 38:34 We don't have that possibility. 38:35 We can fake it. 38:37 We, I would imagine we can, you know, we can trick people. 38:39 We can look like a bunch of loving people 38:41 but deep down in our hearts, 38:43 remember how God looks at people, 1 Samuel 16. 38:45 In 1 Samuel 16 always remember how God looks at people. 38:48 In 1 Samuel 16, look at what the Bible says in verse 7. 38:52 In 1 Samuel 16:7, you know, 38:56 Samuel's coming to look for the next man 38:58 that's going to be anointed, 38:59 which was none other than David. 39:00 But Jesse began to bring other of his children before Samuel, 39:04 and Samuel would see them and at a certain point, 39:06 you know, Samuel is like us, he's caught in externals. 39:10 So he's looking at, you know, broad shoulders, strong, 39:13 you know, a countenance, 39:15 and perhaps there's some accomplishments that they made 39:18 and Samuel's caught up in all that stuff. 39:20 And here goes God correcting Samuel in 1 Samuel 16 39:23 because this is how God judges. 39:24 The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16:7, 39:27 "But the Lord said unto Samuel, 39:29 "Look not on his countenance 39:32 or on the height of his stature, 39:36 because I have refused him, 39:38 for the Lord seeth not as man seeth. 39:42 For man looketh on the outward appearance, 39:45 but the Lord looketh on the heart." 39:49 You see, I cannot touch a woman as a married man, 39:53 and therefore nobody will be able to say, 39:55 "Dwayne Lemon is an adulterer." 39:57 But if I'm constantly looking at women, 39:59 lusting after women, and thinking in my mind, 40:02 "Oh, I could if I just could find a way to do it 40:06 and not get caught." 40:08 In the mind of God, we just did it. 40:11 And therefore God says, "Adulterer." 40:13 And this is why Jesus would say, 40:15 "It's not so much that you touch a woman, 40:17 but when you look upon her, to lust after her, 40:19 you've already committed adultery. 40:23 This is why Jesus would make these statements 40:25 because there's an external way 40:26 that we can approach the commandments of God, 40:29 that we can think we're doing good 40:30 but God says, 40:32 "My son and my daughter, remember, I know your heart." 40:35 God says, "I'm paying attention 40:37 to where no one else is paying attention to." 40:39 God is not going to allow anybody in the kingdom 40:43 that are automations and robots 40:45 and know how to do 40:46 a bunch of mechanical external obedience 40:48 while they're corrupt in their hearts. 40:50 Always go back to Ezekiel 28. 40:52 Remember corruption came in Lucifer's heart 40:55 before it showed in his actions. 40:58 God wants to deal with the condition of the heart. 41:01 And we need heart reform 41:04 before we need any of the other external reforms. 41:07 God has to change the way we think. 41:10 This is why David would pray 41:11 and if you carefully look at David, 41:13 when he prayed 41:14 he didn't just pray for God to cure his external behavior. 41:18 You don't read that in Psalms 51. 41:20 In Psalms 51 after David fell into sin with Bathsheba, 41:24 what did David say? 41:25 David came to God and he said, 41:27 "Lord, create in me a clean heart," 41:31 Psalms 51:10, 41:32 "and renew a right spirit within me." 41:36 We're told in the book volume 1 41:38 of the Testimonies to the Church, page 469, 41:41 we are told that the work of reformation 41:45 must begin with the imagination. 41:49 There's no sense in saying 41:50 revival and reform and reformation 41:52 and we're changing a lot of external behaviors 41:54 but in our hearts we're still desiring Babylonian garments, 41:57 in our hearts we're still desiring the Babylonian diet, 42:00 in our hearts we're still desiring the Babylonian music. 42:03 God says, "I need to cure the heart." 42:07 Because you know what happens when you don't cure the heart? 42:09 The Bible has a promise. 42:11 Know what the promise says? 42:12 Out of the abundance of the heart, 42:15 the mouth will speak. 42:18 Whatever is going on in our hearts, 42:19 my brothers and sisters, 42:20 sooner or later 42:23 it's going to come out in our words, 42:25 it's going to come out in our actions 42:27 and that's why God says, 42:29 "I need to change them from within." 42:30 This is where moral goodness is not enough. 42:34 God has not just called us 42:36 to be a bunch of morally good people. 42:38 You know what God called us to be? 42:41 Holy. 42:43 1 Peter 1:15 and 16, the Bible says, 42:46 "Be ye there for holy, as I am holy." 42:50 It is possible to be an atheist 42:52 and still do a lot of good things 42:54 but we can have a corrupt heart. 42:56 It is possible to be a part 42:57 of all sorts of groups and religions 42:59 that are antichrist to the fullest, 43:01 but yet they do a lot of good things. 43:05 But the corruption point is in the heart. 43:07 That's what the plague stop is. 43:08 And so when we think about our need for victory over sin, 43:11 we have to understand, yes, God wants us to have it, 43:14 but we can't manufacture it 43:16 because, you know, what the Bible says? 43:18 I studied this, go to Isaiah 64, I mean, 43:21 it's kind of deep when God uses these words here 43:24 but we need to accept it. 43:26 It is what it is, it's the truth. 43:28 In Isaiah 64, notice what the Bible says, 43:30 we're in Isaiah 64 43:33 and I want you to see what the Bible says, 43:34 Isaiah, we're looking at chapter 64 43:37 and notice what the Bible says as we consider verse 6. 43:40 In Isaiah 64:6, it says, 43:42 "But we are all as an unclean thing, 43:48 and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." 43:54 The Bible makes it clear that this filthy rag in the Hebrew, 43:58 in the original is actually 44:01 a used sanitary napkin of a woman 44:04 during her monthly cycle. 44:05 God literally says, 44:07 that's what our own manufactured righteousness 44:09 looks like before Him, 44:10 when we try to keep His commandments externally 44:12 but in our hearts we still battle with corruption, 44:14 God says that, 44:16 "That thing is offensive to me like you would not imagine." 44:19 Because, my brothers, I'll be honest with you, 44:20 I've never seen that before, I have never seen, 44:23 I've deliberately refrained all my life 44:25 to make sure that I never see a woman's used sanitary napkin 44:28 because I'm already filled with disgust 44:30 just by the thought. 44:31 But God Himself says, "No, I saw it." 44:33 God says, "I know what it looks like 44:34 'cause I see everything." 44:36 And God says, "When a man and when a woman 44:37 try to manufacture their own righteousness 44:41 based on their own merits, 44:42 this is why the tower of Babel was so disgusting with God." 44:46 They have the nerve to try to make a name for themselves 44:51 and avoid punishment without repentance. 44:55 That's literally what they were doing. 44:56 Satan, same thing, he goes to Eve and says, 44:58 "Listen, you can become like Elohim." 45:02 That's what it is. 45:03 The supreme God, 45:04 you can become like the supreme God by sinning. 45:07 That's what he told Eve. 45:08 That's the lie that's been perpetuated 45:10 all throughout our world today. 45:11 You can violate God and His law 45:13 and you can still ascend to the highest heights 45:15 and you can be like God Himself. 45:17 My brothers and sisters, that is a deception 45:19 and that is an abomination in the eyes of God. 45:23 There is no righteousness 45:24 that you and I can manufacture in and of ourselves. 45:26 And this is why when we think about our need 45:29 for victory over sin we have to understand, 45:31 well, how Lord, are you gonna do this. 45:34 Because even when I try to give my best works, 45:38 it's offensive to you. 45:40 What do I do in a circumstance like that? 45:42 What do you do? 45:43 How do we fix something like this? 45:45 The first thing you need to understand is you can't. 45:48 And I can't either. We cannot fix ourselves. 45:51 We cannot wake up tomorrow morning 45:52 and just say because of human determination and willpower, 45:55 I'm going to be the best blank that I am, you know, 45:59 you put your name in that blank. 46:00 We can't do that, doesn't work like that. 46:04 Jesus says something very important to us 46:06 in 1 Corinthians 1. 46:08 The Apostle Paul failed himself in Athens when he was trying 46:12 to preach the gospel battling science with science, 46:15 and logic for logic, and philosophy for philosophy, 46:18 Paul realized the limitation of all that stuff. 46:20 And so in 1 Corinthians 1, 46:21 this is what he had to say about it. 46:23 In 1 Corinthians, notice what the Bible says 46:25 as we consider 1 Corinthians 1, 46:27 the Apostle Paul, he snapped out of it, 46:29 he woke up, thank God, the Spirit of God woke him up. 46:32 Helped him realized 46:33 the gospel is not won by arguments, 46:36 it's won by demonstrations, 46:38 it's won by the proclamation mingled with demonstration. 46:41 When a man lives his message, 46:42 boy, you got yourself a powerful man. 46:44 When a woman lives her message, 46:45 you have met yourself a powerful woman. 46:48 And so the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:17, 46:52 the Apostle Paul says, 46:53 "For Christ sent me not to baptize, 46:55 but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom for words, 46:58 lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 47:01 For the preaching of the cross 47:03 is to them that perish foolishness, 47:05 but unto us which are saved, 47:07 it is the power of God." 47:09 The preaching of the cross, the power of God, 47:12 you know, that's what the Bible calls the gospel. 47:14 When you study Romans 1:16, Romans 1:16 says, 47:18 "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, 47:20 for it is the power of God 47:23 unto salvation to every one that believes, 47:25 to the Jew first and also to the Greek." 47:27 Well, here it is, Paul is telling us 47:29 within the gospel which has the power of God. 47:31 The gospel must have the cross 47:34 because it's evident right here. 47:35 It says, "For the preaching of the cross is to them 47:37 that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved, 47:40 it is the power of God." 47:41 Now it's not just the cross as far as the T shape emblem 47:44 because notice what it says in verse 24. 47:46 Verse 24 the same book in same chapter, 47:49 1 Corinthians 1, it says in verse 24, 47:52 "But unto them which are called, 47:55 both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God 47:59 and the wisdom of God." 48:00 I always say this to my friends who often like to wear crosses 48:03 in their homes and on their necks. 48:05 I would say, "If your nephew got gun down one day 48:07 trying to save your life, 48:08 would you go ahead and wrap a gun around your neck 48:11 in memory, in commemoration of your nephew? 48:13 You wouldn't do that because that's the instrument 48:14 that killed him." 48:16 You see it's not the cross simply, 48:18 it was the one that died on the cross, 48:20 it's the sacrifice demonstrated on the cross. 48:22 That's what we commemorate, 48:24 not the actual instrument itself. 48:26 And so it is that it's not simply the cross 48:28 that's the power of God, it's Christ on the cross 48:31 that is the power of God. 48:33 And that's why Paul in 1 Corinthians 2, 48:35 what does he say? 48:37 He says in 1 Corinthians 2:1 and 2, 48:39 "And I, brethren, when I came to you 48:41 came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, 48:44 declaring unto you the testimony of God, 48:46 for I determined not to know anything among you, 48:49 save Jesus Christ and Him crucified." 48:55 That's where the power is, Christ crucified. 48:59 And Christ crucified, there's something about that 49:02 that gives us power and ability that by the grace of God 49:07 the things that we once loved, we can hate. 49:11 The things we once hated, we can love. 49:13 Why? 49:15 Because of the power that was demonstrated 49:17 from the cross of Calvary. 49:19 You see this is why going back up 49:21 in 1 Corinthians 1, 49:23 look what it says right there in verses 30 and 31. 49:26 In 1 Corinthians 1:30 and 31, 49:27 it says, "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, 49:31 who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, 49:36 and sanctification and redemption, 49:38 that according as it is written: 49:40 "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." 49:44 ' This is the great benefit that comes to you and I. 49:47 I don't have to look to myself to establish righteousness 49:49 because I can't and you can't either. 49:52 But what I can do 49:53 is I can look to Jesus, I can look at the fact 49:55 that He lived a completely holy, righteous, 49:59 commandment keeping lifestyle. 50:01 And now I can look to His example 50:05 and I can by faith accept the power He offers to me. 50:10 Somebody says, "How does that work?" 50:12 Well, it's very simple. 50:14 You remember in John 5, there's a story of a man 50:18 who was sick for 38 years, right? 50:22 He was sick for 38 years, he's messed up, you know, 50:25 he can't move his legs. 50:27 So, you know, he has to try to drag his body 50:28 with his upper body strength, 50:30 and I could only imagine how tough that was. 50:33 And they believed that, you know, 50:34 obviously when the water would trickle by this pool 50:37 in Bethesda that, you know, 50:38 that was an angel that did it 50:40 and hence if they go in that water, oh, man, 50:42 you know, they're going to get all these blessings, 50:43 they're going to experience healing 50:45 and when they would see the trickle 50:47 that brother would try to maneuver himself, 50:48 but he couldn't make it. 50:50 And somebody would always get in before him. 50:52 Well here it is that, you know, 50:55 one day Jesus comes by this area 50:56 and He sees all these souls just hurting, 51:00 but Jesus sees that man 51:01 who probably was in the most deplorable state, 51:03 I mean after 38 years of a disease, you know, 51:05 that disease is wearing on your body, 51:07 so I would imagine he looked really bad. 51:10 As Jesus goes to him and He asked him a question 51:12 that I would have imagined, you know, 51:14 seem not to make sense at least to the man, 51:17 he says, "You want to get well?" 51:19 And the man says, "Well, sir, you know, 51:20 I really do want to get well. 51:22 But every time I tried to get well, 51:23 somebody else jumps in before me 51:25 and he starts going into all these mountains, 51:27 these obstacles." 51:29 Jesus bypasses all of his complaining 51:32 and simply makes a call for him to exercise faith. 51:38 Jesus says to him, "Get up, take up your mat and walk." 51:43 Now, here's the deal. 51:45 When Jesus told him that he could have responded 51:50 one of two ways, 51:51 the first way he could have responded, 51:53 thank God it's not recorded in sacred history, 51:55 he could have responded saying, 51:57 "Lord, as soon as I feel energy in my legs, I will get up." 52:03 If he would have said that, if he would have said Lord, 52:05 as soon as I feel some energy in my legs, 52:06 I'm gonna move and get up. 52:08 We would not have the story of John 5. 52:11 But do you know what that man did? 52:13 The Bible tells us exactly what he did. 52:14 Look at John 5. 52:16 Once Jesus told him, "Get up, take up your mat 52:19 and start walking." 52:20 We're talking about real examples 52:22 of receiving the righteousness of Christ 52:25 that He gives us power to live a life above sin. 52:28 The Bible says in John 5:9, it says, 52:32 "And immediately the man was made whole, 52:36 and took up his bed and walked: 52:38 and on the same day was the Sabbath." 52:39 Now, this is it. 52:41 Immediately the man was made whole. 52:43 So as soon as Jesus said to that brother, 52:45 get up and take up your mat and walk, 52:46 every provision of heaven was present, every provision. 52:52 He had to believe, he had to accept 52:55 that every provision has absolutely been made 52:58 right there. 53:00 So all he had to do 53:01 was what the next part of the verse says. 53:02 It says, immediately he was made whole 53:04 and he took up his bed. 53:06 So he had to act on the word. 53:11 Are you following? 53:12 He had to act on the word. 53:16 Whenever I think about how the principles 53:18 of righteousness by faith is to be realized in humanity, 53:22 it is hearing what God has said. 53:25 Demonstrating a full complete ample, 53:27 entire trust in what God had said. 53:30 And then acting on what God has said 53:34 with a complete dependence 53:35 that he will get it done through me. 53:40 This is Philippians 2:13, 53:43 "For it is God that worketh in you, 53:47 to will and to do of His good pleasure." 53:53 God is the one that gets it done. 53:55 But what He says is faith is ours to exercise. 54:01 And joyful feeling and the blessings is 54:03 God's to give to us, that's the key. 54:06 Living the life of faith does not mean 54:09 that we just sit down abstractly and just say, 54:12 well, praise God for His grace 54:13 while we just keep practicing sin. 54:16 That is the greatest perversion that has ever hit Christianity 54:19 that people can think 54:20 that justification and sanctification by faith 54:23 is some type of forensic deal 54:25 that God just somehow covers our sins. 54:27 I don't know if you ever saw this before 54:29 but there's even booklets 54:31 where sometimes they show a picture of a man 54:33 and his face looks down sulken, you know, 54:35 his face looks very sad like this, you know, 54:36 he just looks very sad and there's a hand, 54:40 there's two hands with a white robe 54:42 and the white robe is covering the individual, 54:46 so he has on a filthy dirty robe. 54:48 But then he has the white robe 54:50 that's going over the dirty robe. 54:52 And some people, you know, have seen those pictures. 54:53 You've seen those pictures before? 54:55 And, you know, yeah, see, 54:56 there's lots of people who have seen those pictures, 54:58 they've been around in many books 54:59 and things and different types of books. 55:01 And when we see that picture, we think that's the gospel. 55:04 Did you know that picture, 55:06 that image is a perversion of the gospel. 55:08 Did you know that? Probably didn't even know that. 55:11 You see, if you go to Zechariah 3, 55:13 let me show you 'cause what they're doing 55:15 is they're trying to show you a picture of Zechariah 3 55:18 that it's trying to do reenactment. 55:20 So when you see this guy 55:22 who's just looking all down sulken 55:24 and he has on his filthy dirty robe, 55:26 what happens is that suppose to be Joshua. 55:29 And then there is the angel of the Lord 55:30 that's taking the robe 55:31 and they're putting it over Joshua and, you know, 55:34 covering him, covering his sins. 55:36 But it's not a good representation 55:38 because notice what the Bible says, 55:39 if you go to the Book of Zechariah 55:42 and you go to chapter 3, then watch what the text says. 55:45 Zechariah and we're looking at chapter 3 55:48 starting at verse 1. 55:49 And here's what the Bible says, Zechariah 3:1, 55:52 "And he showed me Joshua 55:54 the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, 55:58 and Satan standing at his right hand 56:00 to resist him. 56:02 And the Lord said unto Satan, "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, 56:05 even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee! 56:09 Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" 56:11 ' Verse 3, "Now Joshua was clothed with, 56:14 " what kind of garments? 56:16 "Filthy garments, and stood before the angel." 56:19 Now watch this, verse 4, "And He answered 56:23 and spake unto those that stood before Him, saying, 56:27 "Take away the filthy garments from him." 56:32 And unto him He said, 56:33 "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, 56:38 and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." 56:42 ' That is the biblical story. 56:44 He did not maintain his dirty robe 56:47 while Jesus comes 56:49 and takes His beautiful white robe 56:51 and just covers his dirty robe. 56:53 That's not what the Bible teaches. 56:55 The Bible says take away the filthy garments 56:59 and then put on the change of raiment. 57:01 You see, when we come to Jesus, we must understand 57:04 that God wants to take away our filthy garments. 57:07 God wants to cover us with His righteousness, 57:09 but we must be willing to yield and say, 57:12 "Lord, from this day forward 57:14 all that I know to be sin by your grace, 57:16 I will turn away." 57:18 And the question is, will you let Jesus do that 57:19 in your heart today. 57:21 My hope and my prayer is 57:22 that we answer in the affirmative. 57:24 Loving Father, please take away our filthy garments 57:28 and give us Christ our righteousness, 57:30 in Jesus' name, amen. |
Revised 2017-03-02