Participants: John Dinzey
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000057
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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. |
Revised 2014-12-17