Participants:
Series Code: AFNB
Program Code: AFNB002242S
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00:02 - [Announcer] This presentation is brought to you
00:03 by the friends of the Amazing Facts ministry. 00:10 - Each branch of the US Armed Services 00:12 has one or more elite teams of commandos. 00:16 They fight using sophisticated guerilla warfare tactics. 00:20 To serve in one of these select units, 00:22 a soldier must be highly disciplined 00:25 and they pass through incredibly difficult 00:27 physical and mental training. 00:30 Even a small team of these commandos, 00:32 because of their intense training, 00:34 can achieve great victories in a short time. 00:37 During the Gulf War, a team of US Navy Seals 00:41 created a convincing diversion by storming 00:44 the beaches of Kuwait, and they created such havoc 00:47 that the Iraqi generals were completely fooled 00:50 into thinking the US-led attack was coming from the sea. 00:55 Within a couple of days, the whole war was over, 00:57 and it all started with less than 20 soldiers. 01:01 The Book of Revelation tells about 01:03 another special forces unit, 01:05 an army of 144,000 that have the greatest mission 01:09 in the last days: to prepare the world for Jesus' return. 01:14 Let's explore together what the Bible facts are 01:16 about the 144,000, and learn how you can receive 01:20 the seal of the living God. 01:23 (bright inspiring music) 01:26 Our study tonight is going to deal a lot with the subject 01:29 of not being manipulated, 01:33 not being controlled by the crowd. 01:34 If you're going to be saved, 01:36 you need to have a one-on-one relationship with Jesus 01:39 where you're not following the mob, 01:42 because it's often true that the mob 01:43 is going the wrong direction. 01:46 Even Jesus, when He walked the earth, 01:47 was it the majority or the minority that believed Him? 01:52 And that's often the way you're going to see it happening. 01:54 In the days of Noah, was it the majority or the minority 01:57 that got on the ark? 01:59 So you need to think for yourself, 02:02 how do you know what's right? 02:03 It must be rooted and grounded in the Word of God. 02:07 And our presentation tonight is dealing with 02:10 the subject of the goal of the godly. 02:14 Now, one of my heroes in the Bible is the Apostle Peter, 02:19 and you'll find one story in particular here 02:22 in Matthew 26:31-75. 02:25 And I suppose I identify with Peter because 02:29 Peter was very gregarious and sometimes bombastic 02:33 and outspoken, and he would have his, 02:37 his mouth was going, but his brain was engaged, I might say. 02:40 And Peter always had something to say 02:42 on almost every occasion. 02:44 He was very willing to share his opinion. 02:47 And he was concerned often with what others 02:50 thought about him. 02:51 Some of you remember the story where the disciples 02:54 were out rowing by themselves in the middle 02:56 of the Sea of Galilee one night 02:58 and they couldn't make any progress 03:00 and they were afraid and the wind was swamping the boat. 03:03 And then they saw this apparition 03:05 out on the water, walking. 03:07 And they cried out in fear. 03:08 They thought it was a spirit. 03:10 And Jesus said, don't be afraid. It's me. 03:13 And Peter of the other 12 apostles was the one 03:16 who actually had the idea of saying, Lord, 03:19 if it's you, let me walk to you on the water. 03:23 No one else had the gumption to think of 03:25 something like that. 03:26 And Jesus was pleased. He said, well then come. 03:30 So Peter gets out of the boat and he starts walking 03:32 towards Jesus on the water, and he's feeling pretty good. 03:34 He's got his eyes on Christ 03:36 and he feels something firm under his feet, 03:38 and this has never happened before. 03:39 He's worked around the sea his whole life. 03:43 And then he got it in his head 03:45 there's probably nobody in the world 03:46 that has ever walked on water before besides Jesus and I. 03:50 I wonder if the guys are getting this on their iPhones. 03:52 And he turned around to see if, 03:54 he's wanting to go, hey guys, you getting this? 03:56 Are you getting this? 03:58 And when he took his eyes off Jesus, 04:01 then he put his eyes on the storm 04:03 and he saw all the wind and the waves 04:05 and his faith began to sink and he began to sink. 04:08 And just before he went down, 04:09 he uttered the shortest prayer in the Bible. 04:13 "Lord save me." 04:15 And Jesus immediately took him up and said, 04:18 why did you doubt? 04:19 By the way, in the Christian life, 04:21 it's impossible to live a godly life without a miracle. 04:28 But that miracle is keeping your eyes on Jesus. 04:30 You can walk in a different way in this world 04:34 if you have your eyes on Christ. 04:35 If you take your eyes off Christ, you can't do it. 04:37 Hebrews tells us in chapter 12, 04:39 let us therefore lay aside every sin 04:41 and the weight that does so easily beset us 04:43 and let us run with endurance the race that is before us, 04:47 fixing our eyes, setting our eyes upon Jesus, 04:50 the author and finisher of our faith. 04:52 This is the way that we run the race. 04:54 We must fix our eyes on Christ, 04:56 and you can do the impossible. 04:58 But Peter was always concerned what the others 05:00 were thinking and what the others were watching. 05:02 You know, they're at the Last Supper, 05:04 when Jesus said this night you're going to forsake me, 05:07 Peter jumps up and pounds on his chest and says, 05:10 though all of these might forsake you, 05:12 I will never forsake you. 05:14 And Jesus needed to help Peter learn a lesson in humility. 05:17 He said, now Peter, before the rooster crows twice, 05:19 you're going to deny me three times. 05:22 Oh no, I'd never do that. 05:23 And the others said the same thing. 05:26 Well, you know the story. 05:27 Jesus was betrayed. He's being tried. 05:30 And during the trial, Peter followed from a distance, 05:34 and they're taking Jesus to the judgment hall, 05:36 Peter followed from a distance. 05:39 Why was he following from a distance? 05:41 He was worried about what the crowd might think. 05:44 So he kept his distance. 05:46 There's a lot of Christians in the world out there. 05:48 They follow Jesus from a distance. 05:51 They don't want to get too close. 05:52 And when Jesus went into the judgment hall, 05:55 the Bible says John the Apostle went in with him, 05:58 but Peter stayed out and he kind of, 06:00 he tried to hang around and act like 06:03 the other servants of the high priest 06:05 and the court officials in there, 06:07 but he didn't want it to be known that he was an apostle. 06:11 But in the flickering of the fire that was keeping him warm, 06:14 someone recognized him and they said, 06:16 aren't you one of his followers? 06:18 The one in there that's been arrested, 06:20 that this false prophet that they're mocking inside? 06:23 Now Peter has a different audience 06:25 and he changes his behavior pretty quickly. 06:28 It's amazing, 'cause you go back, you know, 06:31 half an hour earlier when they came to arrest Jesus, 06:34 and he was surrounded by his buddies, 06:36 he pulls out a sword to fight for Christ. 06:38 Now all of them are gone. He's by himself. 06:40 He starts to morph back into the crowd. 06:43 He says, I don't know who Jesus is. 06:46 And they asked him again, He denied it again. 06:48 And then they asked it and with swearing and cursing 06:51 he said again, he denied it, and with an oath he said, 06:53 "I do not know the man!" 06:56 And right at that moment the rooster crowed, 06:58 he looked inside the judgment hall, 07:00 Jesus turned and looked at him and it broke his heart. 07:04 It just came back to his mind that God had said 07:08 night will not be over until you deny me three times. 07:11 And it says he went out and he wept bitterly. 07:14 Peter was a broken man after that. 07:17 He was dramatically converted. 07:18 You know it's interesting to note that Peter, 07:23 when Jesus rose from the dead, he told Mary, 07:24 go tell the disciples and Peter. 07:28 Why did he say that? 07:30 'Cause Peter was thinking that maybe he had gone too far. 07:32 And Jesus said, no I haven't. 07:33 I know that you're sorry. 07:35 Go tell the disciples and Peter. 07:38 But you know, after that experience, 07:40 Peter was thoroughly converted, 07:42 and the Bible tells us that when he was 07:44 being tried for his faith, 07:45 he boldly stood up and he said, 07:48 "We ought to obey God rather than men." 07:51 From then on, Peter was not going to be intimidated. 07:55 So we need to have that kind of courage, 07:56 'cause in the last days everybody's going to feel 08:00 incredible pressure from every corner, 08:02 sometimes even within the family, 08:04 to compromise your faith and not to follow the Bible. 08:08 So I want to encourage everybody, 08:09 follow Christ, not the crowd. Amen? 08:12 So it's with that kind of background, 08:14 let's go into our question for tonight. 08:16 Number one, how does God determine 08:18 whether or not we are on His side? 08:21 "Not everyone who says my to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' 08:25 shall enter the kingdom of heaven," but he who what? 08:28 Doeth. 08:30 "Who does the will of My Father in heaven." 08:33 It's not just hearing the will of God, 08:35 it's doing the will of God. 08:37 Jesus said the wise man is the one who builds 08:39 his house on the rock. 08:40 The fool builds his house on the sand. 08:43 And Jesus goes on to describe 08:46 He that hears these words of mine and does them. 08:49 It's so simple. 08:50 James says, be not a hearer of the word only 08:53 and not a doer of the word. 08:55 There's a lot of people out there, 08:56 they'll come to church once a week and they hear the Word, 08:58 but that doesn't save you. 08:59 Are you willing to then do what you hear? 09:03 I heard a preacher that came to a new church assignment, 09:05 and three weeks in a row he preached the same sermon. 09:08 And he was a little past middle age and someone had 09:10 to pull him aside and said, you need to visit a doctor. 09:13 He says, you probably don't know, 09:15 but you've preached the same sermon three weeks in a row. 09:18 He said, yeah, I'm doing it again next week 09:20 until you start listening to it. 09:22 (congregation laughing) 09:24 He wants us to be doers of the Word. 09:27 Jesus tells a parable, the man had two sons, 09:30 and he said to his sons, go work in my field. 09:33 And one said, I'm not going, Dad. 09:38 But he later repented and he went. 09:39 The other son said, I'm on my way, but he didn't go. 09:42 And Jesus said, which of the two did the will of the father? 09:47 And they said, well, the one that said 09:49 I'm not going, but he repented. 09:52 And Jesus said, you know, the scribes and Pharisees, 09:53 they're all going Lord, Lord, but they're not doing my will. 09:56 But the the tax collectors and the harlots, 09:58 they're repenting of their sins and they're willing to 10:00 follow and make these practical changes in their lives. 10:03 So God is very clear. 10:04 It's not everyone that says to me, Lord, Lord, 10:07 but he that does the will of my Father in heaven. 10:10 If you really love him, if you really believe, 10:12 He wants us to be doers of the Word. 10:15 Another verse on that, Romans 6:16. 10:17 "Do you not know that whom you present yourselves 10:20 slaves to obey, you are the servants of the one you obey. 10:25 Whether of sin leading to death 10:27 or obedience leading to righteousness." 10:29 In other words, if you say I'm a Christian 10:32 and you're saying, Lord, Lord, 10:33 but every day you're really living for the devil, 10:35 you can't really say you're a Christian 10:37 because you are the servant of another master. 10:41 The Lord wants us to be on His side. 10:43 Number two. 10:45 When the commands of God and men conflict, 10:49 whom did Peter say we should obey? 10:52 We just read this a moment ago, Acts 5:29. 10:55 Peter and the other apostles are being tried 10:57 for their faith. 10:58 They're before the Supreme Court, 10:59 the Sanhedrin of the Jewish nation. 11:01 They're commanding them not to preach 11:03 in the name of Jesus anymore. 11:04 What would you do in a situation like that? 11:06 They're telling you how to preach and how to witness. 11:08 By the way, that could happen in our country. 11:11 You know, there's parts of the world that I've been to 11:13 where I used to be able to preach freely 11:16 and now there are certain subjects you're not allowed 11:18 to preach, even though they're Bible topics 11:20 in some countries. 11:22 So what do you do? 11:23 "We ought to obey God rather than men." 11:27 Is there going to be a command in the last days 11:29 telling us to worship contrary to the Word of God? 11:31 What will you do? 11:33 Will you follow the crowd? 11:34 Or will you say we ought to obey God rather than men? 11:37 Why did Daniel survive the lions den? 11:39 Because he made up his mind to obey God 11:41 instead of the king of Persia. 11:44 And Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, the three Hebrews, 11:46 how did they survive the fiery furnace? 11:48 There was a law that they were supposed to bow 11:50 to the image of Babylon and they wouldn't bow to it 11:54 because they decided we ought to obey God rather than men. 11:57 We're going to have the same issue in the last days, friends. 11:59 That's why this lesson is so important. 12:01 That we are determined that the Word of God 12:03 and following Christ is absolute, 12:06 no matter what it costs. 12:08 That's the only safe thing to do. 12:10 If you only follow God when it's convenient, 12:12 then the devil will see to it it's never convenient. 12:16 If you're waiting, and I used to do this, 12:18 I'd be struggling with cigarettes and I kept thinking, 12:21 when would be a good time to quit? 12:23 I'll wait until this stress is gone or that stress is gone. 12:26 If I quit now I might gain too much weight. 12:28 I had all these excuses. 12:30 That actually wasn't my excuse, 12:32 but I've heard it used a lot. 12:33 I had all these excuses waiting for it to be 12:35 the perfect time. 12:36 And you know, the devil arranged my life 12:37 so it never was the perfect time. 12:39 I had to just make up my mind, perfect or not perfect. 12:42 No matter what the struggle is, 12:43 this is what God wants me to do, and I did it. 12:46 How do we best demonstrate our love for God? 12:50 John 8:31. 12:52 "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed." 12:58 Abiding in the Word of God means that 13:00 you're rooted in the Word of God, 13:01 that you're feeding it, you're gathering sap from it. 13:05 And you know, if you're separated for very long, 13:08 you don't get that nourishment and you shrivel up. 13:11 We need to be drawing from the sap of God's Word every day. 13:14 And we've had some people that have written in. 13:15 They said, you know, I struggle reading. 13:17 That's okay. Some people do. 13:19 Today, praise the Lord. 13:21 You can listen to tapes, you can listen on your phone, 13:23 there's all these streaming devices. 13:25 There are websites you can go to and click on 13:27 any verse in the Bible that'll just start reading to you. 13:29 And listen to good inspirational sermons. 13:34 Listen to Christian music. 13:36 But you need to be feeding your soul good food all the time. 13:39 Jesus said, if you love me, do what? 13:42 (congregation murmuring) 13:43 "He who says, 'I know Him,' 13:45 and does not keep His commandments is a liar, 13:47 and the truth is not in him." 13:49 I was doing a Bible study one day, 13:50 and friend I was studying with, he says, 13:52 Doug, you're being legalistic. 13:55 He said, we don't need to keep His commandments. 13:58 He said, I'm a Christian and I'm being led by the Spirit. 14:01 And this was very early in my Christian experience, 14:03 and I thought, this isn't right. 14:05 And I opened my Bible and my eyes fell on this verse, 14:09 and I hadn't remembered ever reading it before 14:11 and I read that to him and he was just thunderstruck. 14:14 He was dumbfounded by that. 14:16 It's so simple. 14:17 You say I know Him and you don't keep His commandments, 14:19 you're a liar. 14:21 "For whoever shall keep the whole law, 14:23 and yet stumble in one point, he's guilty of all." 14:27 So if you know, if we say, well look, 14:31 you cheat on your wife and you say, 14:33 but I'm keeping the other nine commandments, 14:36 that's not going to work. 14:38 I can tell you right now. 14:40 That one's going to make a big difference. 14:41 The whole relationship's going to be broken. 14:43 Would you agree? 14:45 And some people will say, well, 14:46 doesn't God give us at least like a 10% discount? 14:50 I mean can't we keep all of 'em 14:52 except like the fourth commandment that says remember? 14:55 No, they're not optional, they're not 10 recommendations. 14:58 Someone said the 10 commandments are not multiple choice. 15:02 They're all 10. 15:04 They're not the 10 suggestions. 15:06 God wants us to obey them and He's God. 15:09 If there's anybody that has a right to tell us 15:11 how we should live, who would that be? 15:12 - [Parishioner] God. 15:14 - Creator and our Redeemer. 15:15 The one who made us and then died to save us again. 15:19 Don't go anywhere, friends. 15:20 In just a moment will return for the rest 15:22 of today's presentation. 15:24 What if you had an extraordinary friend? 15:27 Always dependable, consistently inspiring you 15:30 to noble actions, 15:31 bringing out your best character traits 15:34 and loving you no matter what? 15:36 Someone who would be with you throughout 15:38 your entire life. 15:39 Well, according to the Bible, 15:41 you can find that friend in Jesus. 15:43 We have a beautiful full-color resource 15:45 we'd like to give you that will help you 15:47 get to know Jesus like never before. 15:50 Thousands have become acquainted with Him 15:52 through this powerful life-changing book, 15:54 and have found in Him a best friend forever. 15:57 To get your free copy, call the phone number 15:59 on your screen and ask for offer number 800, 16:03 or visit the web address on the screen. 16:05 And after you read this incredible resource, 16:08 make sure and share it with a friend. 16:10 Well, let's get back now to today's presentation 16:13 and learn some more amazing facts about the Word of God. 16:18 According to Jesus, why did the hypocrites act religious? 16:23 You know, in the teachings of Christ, 16:28 the first thing that Jesus hit with both hands, 16:31 He said, you pray, you fast, you give. 16:34 That's all good. 16:35 But He said to the religious leaders, 16:36 you're praying to be seen of men. 16:38 Praying long prayers while you devour widow's houses. 16:41 He says you fast and then you try to, you know, 16:44 beat yourself up and drag around 16:46 and let everyone know you're fasting 16:48 so they'll be impressed by how you're suffering 16:49 for your religion. 16:51 And you give, but when you give, 16:52 you blow the trumpets so everyone sees you give 16:54 so you can look real generous, 16:56 but at the same time you really have much more than that. 16:59 Some people give, you know? 17:00 You can give a hundred dollars and think, wow, 17:01 that's very generous. 17:03 Well, I got 10 million. 17:04 It's no sacrifice for them. 17:06 What was it that Jesus was condemning? 17:08 It says, "That they might have glory from men." 17:11 "That they might be seen by men." 17:14 This was the challenge that Peter had. 17:16 He was always concerned about everybody watching. 17:19 When Jesus was raising the dead, 17:20 when Jesus was doing miracles, 17:22 Peter wanted to be right there next to Him 17:24 like His bodyguard running interference, 17:26 and you know, being His administrative secretary 17:28 because he thought, you know, 17:29 I want to be with the one who's popular. 17:31 We're good friends. Jesus and I were like that. 17:35 But when Jesus was no longer popular, 17:39 Peter would get into trouble. 17:40 He had to get the victory over the crowd control. 17:44 He struggled with crowd control. 17:47 Is it generally safe to follow the crowd? 17:50 What does the Bible say? 17:51 "You shall not follow a crowd to do evil." 17:54 Now, if a crowd's doing something noble and good, 17:56 that's great. 17:58 Sometimes I've seen crowds of people that get together 18:00 and get involved in cleaning a beach 18:02 or doing some good humanitarian thing, and it's great. 18:06 But we're talking about in the context of the last days. 18:08 It's typically the multitude that goes the wrong way. 18:12 On Mount Carmel there was a brave prophet named Elijah. 18:16 Elijah against 800 false prophets, 18:19 400 prophets of Baal and 450 prophets of Asherah. 18:23 I know that adds up to 850. 18:25 But you've got one Elijah. 18:27 All the other prophets had kinda gone underground. 18:30 You only had one that had the audacity to stand up. 18:33 That's often what you see in the Bible. 18:35 Like Noah in the last days. 18:38 Do not follow the crowd, again, Jesus tells us. 18:41 "Enter by the narrow gate; 18:43 for broad is the way that leads to destruction, 18:47 and there are many who go there." 18:49 And you know, the heartbreaking thing is, 18:52 how many people's sins did Jesus die for? 18:56 The Bible says He died for all. 18:57 - [Parishioner] Amen. 18:59 - All those people He'd like to save. 19:01 It's not that salvation cannot be found, 19:03 but they're just preoccupied with the world. 19:07 There are many who go by that. 19:08 "Whereas narrow is the gate and difficult the way 19:11 that leads to life, and there are a few who find it." 19:15 Pastor Doug, what do you mean difficult the way? 19:17 Well let me just explain here. Life is difficult. 19:20 So if you're thinking I'm looking for that 19:22 which is not difficult, there is no option in this world. 19:26 It is difficult for the wicked. 19:28 The Bible says the way of the transgressor is hard. 19:30 So if you're wondering is it easier to be saved or lost? 19:33 Let's put it this way. 19:36 Would you rather be a slave in Egypt 19:39 serving under hard labor, 19:42 or would you rather follow the Lord through a desert 19:44 on your way to the promised land? 19:46 Those are are your options. 19:49 You can either be a hopeless slave in Egypt 19:52 or you can follow the Lord where you have 19:54 the presence of God. 19:55 He feeds you with bread from heaven, 19:56 gives you water from a rock, 19:58 and an occasional quail every now and then. 20:01 And you've got His presence and He's teaching you. 20:04 I mean, how much better? 20:06 But you know, even the people following God 20:08 to the promised land got discouraged and they said 20:10 I wish I was back in Egypt. 20:12 What benefits come as a result of accepting 20:15 and following the truth? 20:18 "Great peace have they who love Your law, 20:22 and nothing causes them to stumble." 20:24 You know, Peter learned those lessons of peace 20:26 after he completely surrendered to the Lord. 20:29 Bible tells a story in Acts chapter 12 20:31 where Peter was in prison, 20:32 he's going to be executed the next day. 20:34 He's chained between two soldiers, 20:37 and he's sleeping like a baby. 20:40 He had great peace because he knew his life 20:43 was in God's hands. 20:44 By the way, God delivered him from that jail 20:45 and he did not die. 20:48 David said even though my enemy is hunting my life, 20:51 I will lay me down and sleep 'cause God watches over me. 20:55 Great peace has who? 20:57 Those that love His law. 20:59 If you make up your mind to do the will of God. 21:01 And by the way, I have mentioned this, 21:02 but you may have missed it. 21:04 The law of God is the will of God, 21:06 and the will of God is the law of God. 21:08 The law of God is the most simple expression of His will. 21:12 They got great peace. 21:13 You will know the truth and the truth will make you free. 21:17 It gives you purpose, it gives you direction, 21:18 it gives you a wonderful sense of serenity 21:21 knowing that God is guiding you and watching over you. 21:23 And I don't worry like people that don't know 21:26 there's a God that loves them. 21:28 I think it was George Whitfield who said 21:30 several people tried to kill him. 21:31 He was a famous preacher. 21:33 He'd preach in public and people would throw rocks 21:34 at him and try and kill him, 21:36 and he was kind of an unconventional preacher. 21:38 And he said, "I am immortal until my work is done. 21:42 As long as I'm serving God, nobody can hurt me." 21:45 He ended up dying at home on his knees with his Bible open. 21:49 And you don't have to worry. 21:53 Since you have purified your souls in obeying 21:55 the truth through the Spirit. 21:56 God promises to give us the Spirit, 21:58 and He'll purify our hearts. 22:00 Don't worry about making every change in one day. 22:03 You surrender your life to Jesus, 22:04 He is then given permission to work in your life. 22:08 Work out your own salvation 22:10 and He'll be the author and the finisher of your faith. 22:13 Does following Jesus involve some struggle 22:16 and self denial? 22:18 It requires commitment. 22:21 There's struggle involved. 22:22 And there's sacrifice involved in following Jesus. 22:27 And I know it's easy for us to talk about it. 22:29 It's a little harder to do it sometimes. 22:32 I remember that chicken and a pig really liked 22:34 the farmer 'cause he fed them very well and they said, 22:36 we need to do something nice for the farmer 22:38 and let's make 'em breakfast. 22:39 Pig said, that sounds fair. What have you got in mind? 22:42 So let's make him a ham and eggs breakfast. 22:45 And the pig said, well, for you it's a contribution. 22:47 For me it's total commitment. 22:49 (congregation laughing) 22:51 When you really get down to doing it, it's serious business. 22:56 Is there self denial in following Jesus? 22:59 Luke 9:23. 23:01 "If anyone desires to come after me, 23:03 let him deny himself and take up his cross." 23:06 Do you do that once? 23:08 "Daily, and follow me." 23:12 Every day as a Christian, it's kinda like marriage. 23:14 Marriage is not a sprint, it's a marathon. 23:16 Every day it's like farming. 23:17 You get up and you're committed every day. 23:20 Say I've loved this person, 23:21 I'm going to do my best to honor and serve this person. 23:24 And that's the secret also in the Christian life. 23:26 It's a relationship you renew every day. 23:28 And you must die to self every day. 23:31 Paul said, I die daily. 23:32 What do you think he's talking about? 23:34 Instead of living for myself, the world, 23:36 it's all about what shall I do for me? 23:38 Most of the thoughts about me, me, me. 23:41 And sin is S-I-N. 23:43 I is in the middle of sin. 23:45 It's all about this. 23:46 But the secret to happiness is joy. 23:49 J-O-Y. 23:50 Jesus, others, then yourself. 23:53 That's the equation. 23:55 And you've gotta make up that decision 23:56 to not just die daily, but to be born again every day. 23:59 Renew your commitment to Christ. 24:01 Is it safe to procrastinate or postpone 24:05 a decision to follow Jesus? 24:07 I heard one time that the devil had a convention, 24:11 and he invited all his top demons to come. 24:13 There were thousands of 'em there. 24:15 And he said, look, we're looking for 24:17 a new marketing campaign. 24:18 We need something really good. 24:21 I'm open to suggestions. 24:24 And one demon comes up and he says, I've got it. 24:26 He said, tell 'em there's no God. 24:30 The devil says, well, we've done that before 24:31 with some success, but there's so much evidence of God, 24:34 we're still losing a lot of people. 24:37 And another one came up and he said, 24:39 tell 'em God doesn't love 'em. 24:41 And the devil said, well, that often works, 24:43 but, he said, even though I don't understand it, 24:46 he said, there's a lot of evidence of God's goodness 24:48 and love in the world and still we're not able 24:51 to get people. 24:53 And one after another, 24:54 these different demons came up with 24:56 their brilliant marketing strategies. 24:58 And Satan was listening and finally this one 25:01 especially diabolical devil, he came up and he said, 25:05 I know what the answer is. 25:08 He said, tell 'em that there is a God. 25:10 Tell 'em they should go to church. 25:12 Tell 'em that God loves 'em. 25:14 Tell 'em they should make a complete surrender. 25:16 But tell 'em not today. 25:20 And a satanic smile curled over Lucifer's face 25:25 and he said, that's it. 25:27 Just get 'em to plan on doing it all, 25:30 plan on believing it all, 25:31 but don't ever come to the point of making 25:33 a complete surrender. 25:36 And I think that hell is going to be bursting over 25:38 with people who really had the best of intentions, 25:42 but they never got around to it. 25:43 You know, people often die the way they live. 25:45 Procrastinating day after day in making 25:47 that complete surrender. 25:49 Is it safe to procrastinate? 25:51 "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." 25:57 "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" 26:00 I heard a sermon one time where someone said, 26:03 here's something that God can't answer. 26:07 You think God can do everything. 26:08 God can't answer how we will escape 26:10 if we neglect so great a salvation. 26:13 Don't neglect it, embrace it. 26:15 Surrender to Him. 26:16 Trust Him with your life and He will not let you down. 26:19 I promise, friends. 26:20 (soft uplifting music) 26:24 - [Announcer] Don't forget to request today's 26:26 life-changing free resource. 26:28 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 26:30 you can download a digital copy straight 26:32 to your computer or mobile device. 26:34 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 26:37 simply text the keyword on your screen to 40544 26:41 or visit the web address shown on your screen 26:43 and be sure to select the digital download option 26:46 on the request page. 26:47 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word 26:50 with "Amazing Facts," wherever and whenever you want, 26:54 and most important, to share it with others. 26:59 - [Announcer] Have you always wanted to be 27:00 a Bible expert but never knew where to start? 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Revised 2023-12-28