Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000162A
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00:19 Good evening, everyone,
00:21 and welcome to our Wednesday night Bible study 00:23 here at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:26 Thank you for taking the time to tune in to join us 00:28 as we continue the topic on The Anatomy of Righteousness. 00:33 And all you need for this program is a Bible, 00:36 and we'll tell you in just a moment 00:38 where you can get a copy of the lesson 00:40 and how you can follow along with us. 00:42 But this is an exciting topic 00:43 because it talks about righteousness. 00:46 You know, many people live in a world of dos and don'ts. 00:50 "What should I do? What shouldn't I do?" 00:53 And even sometimes in sermons, 00:54 we tell people what to do and what not to do, 00:56 but tonight, we're going to talk about 00:58 the secret of how to allow the will of God 01:02 to be produced in our lives, 01:05 and so we talk about the anatomy. 01:07 You know, if you've taken anatomy 01:08 and physiology in class, 01:10 you know that there is a head, the shoulders. 01:11 I am so not medical, the skeletal system 01:14 that holds up everything on the inside, 01:17 if we didn't have a skeletal system 01:19 on the inside, 01:20 everything will fall apart. 01:22 And so in the very same way, 01:24 there is a skeletal system of righteousness 01:28 that holds the Christian together. 01:30 We're going to talk about that tonight. 01:32 But before I tell you how to find 01:34 a copy of the lesson and where to download the copy, 01:36 we always begin with a word of prayer. 01:38 Let's pray together. 01:41 Our loving Father in heaven, we thank you 01:42 for Your precious opportunity. 01:45 Whenever You present this opportunity to us, 01:47 we know that we will be blessed 01:49 when we ask for the Spirit of God 01:51 to guide in our hearts, in our minds. 01:54 Lord, tonight, we submit our will to You 01:56 that You may work in us both to will and to do 01:59 of your good pleasure. 02:02 Bless us, Lord, as we ask for the Spirit 02:04 to be our teacher this evening, we pray in Jesus' name, Amen. 02:10 Good evening, everyone. Can you say amen? 02:11 Amen. 02:13 So good to have you here tonight. 02:14 We are going to give you an opportunity. 02:17 This is the website that you go to 02:19 to get a copy of the lesson. 02:20 Go to the following website, ASF.3ABN.org, 02:26 and download lesson number 38. 02:29 Lesson number 38, 02:31 and then we will be able to walk through that together. 02:34 If you've already downloaded the lesson, 02:36 then we're going to begin on question number 13 tonight, 02:39 but before we do that, 02:40 we always begin with our theme song. 02:42 And what is our theme song, it's on the screen, 02:44 what is it called? 02:45 Victory in Jesus. 02:46 Let's sing this song together. 02:57 I heard an old, old story 03:01 How the Savior came from glory 03:04 How He gave His life on Calvary 03:08 To save a wretch like me 03:12 I heard about His groaning 03:16 Of His precious blood's atoning 03:20 Then I repented of my sins 03:23 And won the victory 03:27 Oh, victory in Jesus 03:31 My Savior forever 03:35 He sought me and bought me 03:38 With His redeeming blood 03:42 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:46 And all my love is due Him 03:50 He plunged me to victory 03:54 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:57 I heard about a mansion 04:01 He has built for me in glory 04:05 And I heard about the streets of gold 04:09 Beyond the crystal sea 04:12 About the angels singing 04:16 And the old redemption story 04:20 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 04:24 The song of victory 04:26 Key change. 04:28 Oh, victory in Jesus 04:31 My Savior forever 04:35 He sought me and bought me 04:39 With His redeeming blood 04:43 He loved me ere I knew Him 04:46 And all my love is due Him 04:50 He plunged me to victory 04:54 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:58 He plunged me to victory 05:02 Beneath the cleansing flood. 05:08 Amen. Amen. 05:11 The Anatomy of Righteousness is our topic for tonight. 05:15 We're going to be continuing from question number 13. 05:19 And when we began this study, we talked about, 05:21 we began with the definition of what is sin. 05:24 And we know that sin is the transgression of the... 05:28 Sin is the transgression of the law. 05:30 Also others have said it this way, 05:33 whatever is not of faith is of sin. 05:35 And James also says, 05:37 "To him that knows to do good and does not do it, 05:40 to him, it is sin." 05:42 So sin has a number of components. 05:44 But in short, sin is to go in the opposite direction 05:50 of the will of God. 05:52 The will of God says go to the right, 05:54 sin says go to the left. 05:55 The will of God says do this, and as Satan, we say, 05:59 "But I will, I will, I will." 06:04 And tonight, I want to begin as we go to question number 13, 06:09 I want to begin by asking you, before we go to this question, 06:12 to go with me to the Book of Romans. 06:14 What book did I say? Romans. 06:16 Romans, let's go to Romans chapter 6. 06:19 I have been really enjoying the study of the Word of God, 06:24 and there was a picture that jumped out at me 06:28 in a beautiful way that helps me to see 06:33 that it is not just so much 06:35 learning a list of things to do, 06:39 but to understand to whom we are connected. 06:43 I'm going to read Romans 6:16, 06:45 then we're going to go to John chapter 15. 06:47 I'm going to read Romans 6:16, 06:49 then we're going to go to John chapter 15. 06:52 Matter of fact... 06:54 No, I want to do the opposite way around. 06:56 Can I confuse you? 06:58 Okay, let's go to John chapter 15. 06:59 We're going to go to question number 13 first. 07:01 This actually has a better cadence to it. 07:05 If we go to question number 13 first, 07:07 and then we will be able to go to Romans chapter 6. 07:12 So question 15, oh, it's question 13, 07:16 takes us to John chapter 15. 07:19 But here's the question. 07:21 How will the Lord produce righteousness in us? 07:27 How will the Lord produce, what in us? 07:31 Righteousness in us. 07:32 Let's go to John chapter 15. 07:35 John chapter 15. 07:39 Okay. 07:40 Now John chapter 15 is a chapter on relationships, 07:46 relationships of believers to Christ, 07:49 relationships of believers to each other, 07:52 and the relationships of the believers to the world. 07:55 It's all about relationships. 07:57 And John chapter 15 starts with a very wonderful parallel. 08:02 By the way, I'm going to answer the question first, 08:05 and let's look at John 15:5, 08:07 then we're going to walk through John a little bit more 08:10 to get some more specifics on it. 08:12 So the question is, 08:13 how will the Lord produce righteousness in us? 08:14 Look at John 15:5. 08:16 Let's read this one together since it is the first one. 08:20 "I am the vine, you are the branches. 08:23 He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears," what, 08:27 "much fruit, and without Me, you can do," how much? 08:31 So how much can we do without Christ? 08:32 Zero. We can't do anything. 08:36 So when you say to a person, 08:37 now I want you to really tune into that. 08:40 When you say to a person, "This is what you ought to do, 08:44 this is what you should be doing, 08:46 this is how you should be living, 08:48 this is what you ought to be doing." 08:51 When we put together a list of dos and don'ts, 08:55 before we get connected to Christ, 08:57 it is the most frustrating experience 08:59 you can ever have. 09:01 If you don't know the Lord, 09:02 if you're not connected to Christ, 09:04 "Without Me, you can do," how much? 09:05 So write that down. 09:07 How will the Lord produce righteousness in us? 09:09 By being connected to him, by being connected. 09:12 If you're not connected to the Lord, 09:14 you cannot do anything. 09:16 And one of the challenges is to have 09:18 a whole lot of knowledge and no connection. 09:22 A whole lot of knowledge and no connection. 09:24 And unfortunately, in many cases 09:26 and in some circles, 09:29 Paul the apostle, I believe was the one who said this, 09:32 "Your much study has made you mad." 09:35 And then Paul also says, 09:37 "Zeal but not according to knowledge." 09:40 So you have... 09:41 On one end, you have people 09:43 that are busy, busy, busy, busy, 09:45 and then you have people that are not busy, 09:46 they study, study, study, study. 09:48 And in both cases, 09:50 one is so excited but has no knowledge. 09:53 The other one is so intellectual 09:57 but is going mad 09:59 because study without being led by the Holy Spirit 10:04 is a futile exercise. 10:06 People that are highly intellectual 10:08 are not highly spiritual. 10:11 So it's not about intellect 10:12 because Lucifer was one of the most 10:14 intellectual of angels. 10:15 It's not about intellect. 10:17 I want you to know tonight, 10:18 and this is going to be 10:20 something very carefully studied. 10:21 It is about your connection. 10:23 It is about your, what? Your connection. 10:25 "Without Me, you can do nothing." 10:26 Now let's look at this. 10:28 Let's look at some of the examples here. 10:29 And in the earlier studies I talked about, you know, 10:32 if you go to an orange tree, 10:34 you don't yell at the orange tree and say, 10:36 "You need to produce oranges." 10:39 What is it going to produce? 10:41 Come on, talk to me. Oranges. 10:46 As long as the tree is connected, 10:48 roots in ground, the nurturing, 10:52 nutritions of the soil, the sun, the water, 10:55 all those combinations together, 10:57 then the fruit are going to show up. 10:59 But if you cut off the branch just before the fruit, 11:04 where the fruit's supposed to be, 11:06 the fruit will not show up. 11:07 You'll have the entire structure 11:09 but if there's a severing 11:11 between the branch and the tree, 11:13 the fruit will never show up. 11:14 If there's a severing between us and Christ, 11:17 will the fruit show up? 11:18 Yes or no? 11:20 And it's amazing how the Bible used the word fruit 11:22 for the analogy 11:23 because it only took one fruit for Eve 11:25 to lead Adam into sin. 11:27 And then the Bible says the fruit of the Spirit, 11:31 not the fruits of the Spirit. 11:33 So you don't get bananas, peaches, and orange, 11:34 and apples, and plums. 11:36 And each one of them is a different character. 11:38 One fruit produces in us love, joy, peace, long suffering, 11:42 gentleness, meekness, and patience. 11:44 But the connection is so vitally important. 11:46 Now I'm going to take a little deeper. 11:48 Are you ready to go little deeper? 11:51 Who's subject to whom? 11:55 Is the tree under the control of the fruit, 11:59 or the fruit under the control of the tree? 12:03 Who's in control? Tree. 12:05 The tree. 12:07 So what happens as the sap is going through the tree, 12:10 the tree controls what shows up. 12:14 The fruit doesn't say to the tree, "I need oranges." 12:19 The tree will say, 12:20 "But I am an orange tree, what else can I produce?" 12:24 And an orange cannot say to an apple tree, 12:28 "I need oranges." 12:29 The apple tree will say, 12:30 "You're not get any oranges here, 12:32 I'm an apple tree." 12:33 So what shows up 12:37 is under the control of what the tree produces. 12:40 So who is producing, the vine or the branch? 12:45 Think carefully before you answer. 12:46 Who's producing, the vine or the branch? 12:51 The vine is producing, the branch is presenting. 12:56 The branch presents what the vine produce. 12:57 "I am the vine, you are the branches. 13:01 Without me, you can do nothing." 13:03 Now so in the slave-master relationship, 13:08 which one is the slave, which one is the master? 13:12 Is the fruit the slave or the master? 13:15 The slave. 13:16 Is the tree the master or the slave? 13:19 The tree is the master. Now this is huge. 13:21 I mean, because this is... 13:24 Thank you, Lord. 13:25 After being a pastor as long as I have, 13:28 I revisited this topic by praying for the Lord 13:31 to open my eyes even wider than they were 13:34 and to give me a spiritual understanding. 13:36 You know, have you ever read the Bible sometimes 13:38 and something eludes you and all of a sudden, 13:40 one day, it just clicks, 13:42 that shows the fact that when you say... 13:45 As David prayed the prayer, "Open Thou mine eyes 13:48 that I may behold wonderful things." 13:50 And that's what the Lord did. 13:52 So now let's go to Romans 6:16, 13:53 we're talking about the connection here. 13:55 We are talking about the connection. 13:56 And when you understand the connection, 13:59 you begin to be able to see 14:01 why the following questions are so relevant. 14:03 A lot of times, we have been told, 14:05 I mean, we have relatives, every one of us, 14:07 if you're watching the program, 14:08 every one of you has a relative or many relatives that you say. 14:13 You are old enough to do right, why don't you do right? 14:17 Well, doing right has nothing to do with age. 14:22 It has nothing to do 14:23 with how long a person is been around, 14:24 but I go back to, once again, saying, 14:26 it has to do with to whom you are submitted 14:30 and to whom you are connected. 14:31 Now this is another principle. 14:34 Romans 6:16 is not only a fact 14:37 but it is a principle of production. 14:39 Now in Matthew chapter 7, Jesus says, 14:42 "By their fruits," finish it with me. 14:44 "You'll know them." "You'll know them." 14:46 So by the fruit, you'll know them. 14:51 Not by the tree, but by the fruit. 14:53 When it shows up, you'll know them. 14:57 But this passage is going to tell us 15:00 how it shows up. 15:03 Let's look at Romans 6:16. 15:05 I'm reading in the New King James Version, the Bible says, 15:08 "Do you not know to whom you present yourselves," 15:12 as what, "slaves," or servants depending on the translations, 15:17 "slaves to obey, you are that one's slave 15:22 whom you obey, 15:23 whether of sin leading to death, 15:28 or of obedience leading to righteousness?" 15:31 So sin leads to, what, death. 15:33 Obedience leads to, what, righteousness. 15:36 Now we've all heard about slaves, 15:39 we've seen movies about slaves, Egyptian slaves, 15:44 African-American slaves. 15:46 I mean, we've seen movies of slaves 15:47 in all different nationalities. 15:49 And the one thing we know 15:51 is that the slave never tells the master 15:53 what the slave wants to do. 15:56 Have you noticed that? 15:58 The slave never says to the master, 15:59 "Today, I'm not going to plough the fields. 16:01 I'm not digging any holes. 16:04 No, I'm not doing that," 16:07 because the master is always in control of the slave. 16:09 Now this is huge. 16:11 When you think about the connection here, 16:14 who's telling whom what to do? 16:18 The master is telling the slave what to do. 16:20 So anything that the slave does, 16:22 this is really powerful, anything that the slave does, 16:25 the slave could say, "I'm only doing this 16:27 because the master told me to do it." 16:31 So the master gives instruction to the slave. 16:34 Now you only have two outcomes. 16:36 You have righteousness, and you have death, 16:41 sin to death, obedience to righteousness. 16:45 So when you think of who is in charge, 16:49 all we've got to do, and this is something else, 16:52 because the slave, each day, 16:55 has to wake up with this mentality, 16:57 "If I want to survive, I better serve the master." 17:02 I mean, is that true? 17:04 If you've ever seen movies or documentaries about slaves, 17:07 you know that the slave that decides 17:09 to willingly serve the master will have another day of life. 17:13 Now I'm not saying that the Lord will kill us 17:15 if we decide not to serve him, 17:17 but the end result will be, what, death. 17:19 The wages of sin is, what, death. 17:21 So sin to death or obedience to righteousness. 17:24 So when you choose who to serve, 17:26 when you choose who to serve, 17:28 what happens in your life 17:30 is the result of the instruction 17:32 of the master. 17:33 But that's not the only thing. 17:35 I want to go to the next level. I want to go to the next level. 17:38 Remember that, keep that in mind, 17:39 what happens in your life 17:40 happens as a result of the instruction 17:42 and the guidance that comes from the master, 17:44 but it's going to get even more empowering than that. 17:47 Let's go to the next question, 17:48 and then I'll reveal that to you 17:50 through another couple of questions. 17:52 Question number 14, question number 14, all right? 17:57 Here it is. 17:58 Why is human nature helpless 18:01 when it comes to controlling sin? 18:04 Why is human nature helpless 18:06 when it comes to controlling sin? 18:08 You know, you look at this and you think, 18:10 "Yeah, no, no, no, no, no, no. 18:11 Don't give me that excuse. You are helpful. 18:13 You can control sin." 18:15 No, you cannot anymore than 18:19 the slave can tell the master what to do. 18:24 This is maybe revolutionary to some of you 18:25 but follow me carefully 18:27 because I wouldn't say anything that I don't have support for. 18:30 And I'll share with you 18:31 some quotations in just a moment 18:32 to give you further understanding of that. 18:34 But let's look at Romans chapter 7, 18:36 Romans chapter 7, 18:37 the next chapter after Romans chapter 6. 18:39 'Cause Paul talks about the very fact 18:42 that one of his great desires was to do right. 18:46 And Romans chapter 7 was written 18:48 after Paul's conversion. 18:50 He used to be Saul, but now he's Paul. 18:52 Look at the question, why is human nature helpless 18:54 when it comes to controlling sin? 18:56 Here it is Romans chapter 7, Paul says, "But sin," what, 19:01 "taking opportunity by the commandment, 19:05 produced in me," what, 19:06 "all manner of evil," what, "desire. 19:11 For apart from the law sin was," what? 19:15 So here, let me before we go to the next one, 19:17 take that off the screen for a moment, 19:18 before we go to the next one, Paul says, 19:20 "When I didn't know about the commandments, 19:22 I was fine. 19:24 When I did, 19:25 didn't have any relevance to me of whatsoever 19:28 because I didn't have anything to tell me 19:30 that's right or that's wrong. 19:31 But the moment that I saw the commandments, 19:34 and they appeared to me like the speed limit in America 19:38 for a German who drives on the autobahn, 19:40 the moment I saw 55 or 65 or 70 and I'm doing 95 or 100, 19:46 I was feeling fine till I saw an American police officer 19:50 on the side of the road, and the speed limit 70, 19:53 and I'm looking down, I'm doing 105. 19:56 I can't say I'm a German citizen, 19:57 so it's okay." 19:59 Right? 20:00 Because the environment determines what is right 20:02 and what is wrong in that sense. 20:04 In the same way, Paul says, "I was doing fine 20:08 until all of a sudden the law of God appeared to me. 20:11 And then all of a sudden, it defined to me what sin is. 20:15 And then I realized that what's happening in me." 20:18 His sin has taken occasion by the commandment. 20:25 But it doesn't stop there. 20:27 Look at verse 18, what realization did Paul have, 20:31 he says, 20:34 "For I know that in me that is, in my," what, "flesh," 20:38 how much good dwells, "nothing good dwells," 20:42 and this is huge, 20:43 "for to will is present with me, 20:47 but how to perform what is good," what, 20:51 "I do not find." 20:52 So as an essence, saying, 20:53 "Man, to will is present with me 20:56 but how to do it, 20:58 I just cannot find how to do it." 20:59 And then he goes down to verse 20, 21:01 and I'm going to come back to this. 21:03 Look at verse 20, he says, 21:05 "Now if I do what I will not to do, 21:10 it is no longer I who do it, but," what, 21:13 "sin that dwells in me." 21:15 And I'm going to break this down 21:17 because he said, "Now if I do what I will not to do, 21:21 it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me." 21:24 Now we know the story, 21:25 we've heard the anatomy of Satan's fall 21:28 or Lucifer who became Satan. 21:30 We know that all of a sudden, the Bible says 21:32 iniquity was found, where, in him, 21:36 inequity was found in him. 21:38 And that iniquity being found in him 21:41 now became the controlling factor 21:44 in what he continued to do. 21:46 And there's a phrase 21:48 that is repetitive in the desire. 21:50 You see, when Lucifer continued following his own will, 21:56 it took him down the path. 21:57 Let's look at that path 21:58 and let's go to Isaiah chapter 14. 22:00 It took him down a path, 22:02 and I want you to see this comparison. 22:05 It took him down the path and began to produce in him, 22:10 a constitution that God never put there, 22:13 that God never put there. 22:18 Isaiah chapter 14... 22:24 and by the way, we talked about the anatomy of righteousness, 22:26 this really is the anatomy, these passages here 22:29 that I'm going to read now is the anatomy of sin, 22:31 how do we get into doing wrong, and this is an amazing thing. 22:37 Verse 13, "For you have said," where, "in your heart," 22:43 now that's where it starts, the seed of affection, 22:45 you make your determination. 22:47 You have said, what, "I will ascend into heaven, 22:50 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, 22:53 I will also sit on the mount of the congregation 22:55 on the farthest sides of the north. 22:57 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, 23:00 I will be like the Most High." 23:02 Notice what you've seen repeated five times? 23:04 What frames did you see five times? 23:06 I will, over, and over, and over, and over again. 23:11 He determined in his will, remember, Paul says, 23:14 "To will is present with me," but how do I do it. 23:20 I can't figure out how to do it. 23:22 And when you look at this comparison 23:27 between obedience leading to righteousness 23:31 or sin leading to death 23:33 or disobedience leading to death, 23:34 you have to ask yourself the question, 23:36 "Who am I going to put in control 23:38 at this very moment?" 23:40 Lucifer chose not to yield his will to the will of God. 23:43 So all of a sudden, it became, 23:45 "I will, I will, I will, I will." 23:48 And Paul, looking at the fact that sin is residing in him, 23:52 he says, "I want to do this but I can't," 23:56 because sin took occasion in him, 23:59 and bound him and the condition he was in. 24:01 His mind was one place, 24:04 but he could not find how to do it, okay? 24:08 Now I'm going to go slowly on this 24:11 because I want to give you piece by piece. 24:12 Let's go to question number... 24:14 So write down under question number 14, 24:16 why is human nature helpless 24:18 when it comes to controlling sin? 24:19 What answer would you put? 24:25 Why is human nature helpless? 24:27 That's the key is in the question, 24:29 why is human nature helpless 24:31 when it comes to controlling sin, why, 24:33 because it's what nature, human nature. 24:36 The nature that Adam gave to us, 24:38 I Corinthians 15:22, "As in Adam, all die." 24:42 So the nature is in control of what gets produced. 24:45 The tree produces oranges or apples 24:47 because the tree is an orange tree 24:48 or an apple tree. 24:49 You'll never get anything 24:51 other than what the tree produces. 24:53 Can you? Yes or no? You cannot. 24:56 Let's go now to question number 15. 25:01 I'm metering this out a little at a time. 25:04 Question 15 is as follows, 25:08 "What is the only hope that we have 25:12 to be victorious over the sin nature?" 25:17 "What is the only hope that we have 25:19 to be victorious over the sin nature?" 25:21 Yes, okay. 25:22 I Corinthians 15:57, 25:24 let's go there and look at that together. 25:26 All right, I Corinthians 15:57. 25:31 Okay, here it is, and reading together, 25:34 "But thanks be to God, who," does what, 25:37 "gives us the victory," how, 25:40 "through our Lord Jesus Christ." 25:45 Now it didn't say through our Savior Jesus Christ, 25:48 it said through our Lord. 25:50 What word did I just say? Through our, what, Lord. 25:54 Now why Lord, why not savior, why not king, why Lord? 25:59 Because the Lord signifies the one who is in charge. 26:03 If you've ever lived in an apartment, 26:05 have you heard the phrase landlord? 26:08 Now can you do anything 26:09 other than with the approval of the landlord? 26:12 Well, in some cases you can but you better not 26:17 because it wouldn't yield good results 26:19 because the landlord would say, 26:21 "Did I tell you that you could do that?" 26:24 See, Jesus uses the phrase 26:26 and He uses this in the Book of Luke, 26:28 "Why call me Lord, Lord, 26:31 and do not do the things which I say?" 26:36 Once again, the master is in control of the servant. 26:41 If you call him Lord, 26:43 that is a clear declaration that He is in charge. 26:47 Amen somebody? 26:49 So when we say He's our Lord, 26:51 lot of people want Him as a Savior, 26:53 or lot of people want Him as the king, 26:55 or lot of us want Him as our provider. 26:57 We love to say, "God will supply all our needs 26:59 according to His riches in glory." 27:01 But calling Him Lord means we take our relationship 27:04 to another level and we say, 27:06 "I cannot do anything except through You. 27:09 I can't accomplish anything except through You. 27:15 And I'm putting You in control of my life." 27:18 Now I want to take you another place 27:20 after this question. 27:21 Write the answer down. 27:22 So what do we do? What does the Lord do? 27:25 According to this passage, what does the Lord do? 27:29 Thanks be to God who does, what, gives us the victory. 27:32 So if He gives us the victory, 27:34 who wins the victory, Him or us? 27:41 No, no. He gives us the victory. 27:44 Say it again, Dan. He won it. 27:46 He won it, but He just gives it to us. 27:49 It's like going to the Olympics and it says, 27:52 "John Dinzy, gold medal." 27:54 And you'd say, "But I didn't run the race." 27:58 "Oh, no. You don't have to run. 28:00 We're just giving you the victory." 28:02 See, it shows 28:04 that it's not an act on your part, 28:07 it is an act on whose part? 28:08 His part. 28:10 Now, we are not automatons 28:11 where we have no participation at all. 28:13 I'm going to show you 28:15 where our participation comes in. 28:16 I talked about the slave and the master relationship 28:19 which is simply, He's in charge. 28:20 I talked about the vine and branch, 28:22 He's in charge or producing the fruit. 28:24 But I'm going to go 28:25 and now take you to the practicalities of it. 28:28 Go with me to Joshua 24, 28:34 Joshua 24. 28:38 What does Joshua have to do with this topic? 28:42 You would say, "Man, why not Galatians?" 28:45 You're going to find there's a particular motif 28:47 in the Bible that's repetitive, and it's beautiful. 28:52 You find this in the Book of Exodus, 28:55 you find this in Deuteronomy, you find this in Daniel, 28:59 and you find it throughout the bible, 29:02 in the Book of Revelation, beautiful passages, all right? 29:06 I'm going to go ahead and put a little search here 29:08 so that I could bring this up very quickly. 29:14 Wonderful, got it, okay. 29:16 So yes, 29:21 in Joshua chapter 24, 29:23 Joshua is a very powerful passage. 29:25 As a matter of fact, 29:26 my wife and I read this together. 29:28 And I want to encourage you. 29:29 If you've ever had a journey with the Lord, 29:31 Joshua, by the way, 29:32 is the one who took over when Moses died. 29:36 When the Lord led the children of Israel out of Egypt, 29:39 those who are adults, many of them by the time, 29:41 Joshua took over, 29:43 and then Joshua became an old man, 29:45 many of them died off in the wilderness. 29:48 They were in the journey for 40 years. 29:50 And many of the children that came out of the Egypt, 29:52 little kids running around 29:53 like our little kids running around the church, 29:54 they didn't have a clue, 29:56 they just with their moms and dads 29:57 when the Lord delivered them out of Egypt. 29:59 They didn't understand anything, 30:00 when the commandments were given to the adults, 30:02 the kids had no clue about what the commandments were. 30:04 So Exodus, the second Exodus is the Book of Deuteronomy. 30:08 Deuteronomy was written to remind the older people now 30:12 who are children about the obligations 30:14 that were given to their fathers and mothers 30:16 when they came out of Egypt. 30:17 So when you read in Deuteronomy chapter 5, 30:19 the Ten Commandments again, 30:21 it's not because the Bible just wants to reiterate it, 30:23 it's written out for a new generation. 30:25 It's saying, "In Exodus 20, your folks had this. 30:29 Now that you've grown up, 30:30 here are the same commandments for you. 30:32 Since you didn't understand 30:33 when they got it, here it is for you." 30:36 And so Joshua now is advancing in the years 30:40 and he's recounting the journey of the children of Israel. 30:43 He's going all the way back to Abraham. 30:45 He's going back to the call of God, 30:47 and he's reminding them that every step of the way, 30:49 every victory that they had was 30:51 because God brought them through that victory. 30:54 Can we all say amen to that? Amen. 30:55 God brings us to the victories. 30:57 But then, after he says, 30:59 "When they were on the other side, 31:01 when they were in Egypt, this is how they lived, 31:03 these are the gods that they served," 31:05 but when you look at the goodness of God 31:07 and all the things He did for you, 31:09 He said the choice is simple, verse 15. 31:17 "And if it seems evil to you to do," what, 31:20 "serve the Lord," 31:22 let's read this together, are you ready, 31:24 "choose for yourselves," what, 31:27 "this day whom you will serve, 31:30 whether the gods 31:33 which your fathers served 31:35 that were on the other side of the river 31:37 of the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell, 31:41 but as for me and my house together," 31:44 we will, do what, "we will serve the Lord." 31:48 Now I'm going to go ahead 31:50 and hit you with a very powerful point. 31:53 He didn't say, 31:58 "Choose, you, this day what you will do." 32:02 He said, "Choose, you, this day," what, 32:05 "whom you will serve." 32:07 Now when you go back to Romans 6:16 32:10 depending on the translation, depending on the translation, 32:14 the New King James Version uses the word slaves, 32:16 I think the King James Version uses the word servant. 32:19 Correct me if I'm incorrect, 32:20 it uses the word servant, right? 32:21 The key connection 32:23 is when you choose who to serve, 32:26 they are immediately in charge. 32:30 So Joshua didn't say, 32:31 and the Lord never said to Moses to tell Pharaoh... 32:36 Thank you, Lord, for this Revelation 32:38 in our studies together. 32:39 The Lord didn't say, "Tell Pharaoh, 32:41 'Let the children of Israel go that 32:43 they may keep the Sabbath.'" 32:45 He didn't say, "Tell Pharaoh, 32:47 'Let the children of Israel go that I may change their diet.'" 32:51 He never said that. What did He say? 32:54 "Let them go that they may do," what? 32:56 Serve. "Serve me." 32:59 So in serving the Lord, 33:02 He presented to them after they chose to serve Him, 33:07 He presented to them 33:10 His requirements of service. 33:13 My wife and I were in a restaurant, 33:16 and you'll understand this 33:17 more in the contemporary context. 33:21 Now you never call the person 33:23 that attends to your table a slave. 33:25 Don't ever do that, by the way. 33:27 It's not going to get you many good results 33:29 'cause you won't like 33:31 probably what they bring out of the kitchen. 33:34 But when you go to the restaurant, 33:35 you have a menu. 33:37 And you ask for them politely, 33:40 "This is what I'd like on the menu." 33:41 What if they bring you what you don't want? 33:43 What would you say? Take it back. 33:45 Say it again. Take it back. 33:47 Take it back. 33:48 Some of us would... 33:50 Would you just go ahead and eat it? 33:52 No. 33:53 You'd say in a polite way, "This is not what I ordered. 33:56 This is not what I want. Could you change it?" 33:59 And even if it is 34:00 what you ordered and you didn't like it, 34:01 what do they normally do? 34:03 They, what, 34:04 "Is there something else that I can get for you?" 34:06 At that very moment, 34:08 you are the master, they are the servant. 34:11 They want to please you 34:13 because they know in pleasing you, 34:16 it's going to hike up 34:17 the attendance at their restaurant, 34:19 the news is going to get around. 34:21 And most cases, we say, "They have great service." 34:27 But we like to say they have good food too. 34:29 Sometimes you'll say, "Man, the food is not so good, 34:31 but, man, the service is great." 34:36 When you choose 34:39 who you're going to serve, 34:41 they tell you 34:43 how they want you to serve them. 34:46 When we are servants of Christ, 34:49 He tells us how He wants us to serve Him. 34:54 And when you look through the bible, 34:55 this is repeated over and over and over again. 34:57 Let me give you a couple more examples. 35:00 When the Hebrews were in the fiery furnace, 35:03 and Nebuchadnezzar stood there 35:04 and surprised and saw four men walking. 35:07 He said to the Hebrew worthies, 35:11 "The God whom you serve is able to deliver you." 35:16 Right? 35:18 They didn't say... 35:20 Lord, help me say this correctly. 35:23 They didn't say, "The Sabbath I keep is able to deliver me." 35:27 They didn't say, 35:28 "The diet that we had in Israel is able to deliver me." 35:32 Now did they violate the diet? Yes or no? 35:37 You got the example in Daniel 1, 35:38 they refused to violate their diet. 35:40 You know why? 35:41 Because they already knew who they served. 35:43 They have been serving the Lord 35:45 before they became slaves in Egypt. 35:46 And they said, 35:48 "Even in our slavery to this kingdom, 35:51 we're going to still follow the principles." 35:55 And they did it in such a way 35:56 that Nebuchadnezzar joined forces with them 35:58 because it proved that this kind of diet 36:01 was best for their leadership in the kingdom of Babylon. 36:05 But the point I want to make is, 36:07 when Nebuchadnezzar saw them in the fiery furnace, 36:09 he said, "The God whom you serve 36:11 is able to deliver you." 36:12 Now let me ask you a question, 36:13 and I'm going to read a quotation here 36:15 that's powerful. 36:16 Is the God whom we serve able to deliver us from sin? 36:19 Yes or no? Yes. 36:23 Yes. Yes. 36:25 I just paused to take in the yes, 36:28 and I say amen to that. 36:31 When Daniel was in the lion's den, 36:33 have you ever felt that you were in the lion's den? 36:36 Yes. Thank you. 36:39 All of us have kittens 36:40 but one gentleman has the lion's den. 36:42 We've all been in the lion's den. 36:44 The Bible says, 36:45 "For the devil walks about like a roaring," what, 36:47 "lion seeking whom he may devour." 36:49 That's just it. We are on his menu. 36:51 We are the focal point of his desire to devour. 36:54 He wants to devour us through sin. 36:57 He wants to have us yield to him. 37:01 And in the process, get devoured. 37:04 Daniel chose again to pray as he often would, 37:08 three times a day, 37:09 and when Daniel was put in the lion's den, 37:12 the king came in the morning, 37:13 he said, "Daniel, Oh, Daniel, 37:16 is the God whom you serve able to deliver you?" 37:22 And he had enough time to say, "Oh, King, live forever. 37:24 Having a great time down here. 37:27 The God whom I serve 37:28 has sent His angel and has done," what, 37:31 "shut the lion's mouth," 37:33 as evidence that the God 37:34 whom he serves is able to deliver him. 37:37 Now follow me carefully. 37:39 We often apply that to, 37:40 you know, Daniel in the lion's den, 37:42 the Hebrews in the fire, the Israelites in battle, 37:47 but in our fire of trial, in our battle with sin, 37:52 in our den, 37:53 when wickedness wants to devour us, 37:55 if we choose to serve God... 38:03 there's nothing when you choose to serve God, 38:06 there's nothing that the enemy can do 38:10 to make you break your allegiance to God. 38:13 And you have to ask yourself the question now, why? 38:17 Because your allegiance to God, 38:19 and I'm going to make this very clear, 38:20 your allegiance to God 38:24 is not dependent on what you do. 38:26 It's dependent on who you choose. 38:29 "Choose, you, this day whom you'll serve." 38:32 Now have you ever heard anybody ask the question, 38:37 what is God's will for my life? 38:39 Have you ever asked that question? 38:40 Come on, let's all... 38:41 I believe all had. 38:43 If I could find out what God's will is for my life, 38:45 you know, young people ask that question, 38:46 people have been in the church for many years, 38:48 "What is God's will for my life?" 38:49 In other words, 38:51 "If I can figure out God's will, 38:52 maybe I could do it." 38:53 Go with me to Romans 12:2. 38:56 Romans 12:2. 38:57 And we're going to get back to questions here 38:59 because it's very vitally important, 39:00 and I'm gonna share with you 39:02 a quotation here in just a moment 39:04 that the Lord revealed to me. 39:06 Praise God for that. Okay, here it is. 39:11 I'm going to bring that back up here. 39:12 And I tell you, 39:14 when the Lord speaks, His word is clear. 39:17 Okay, good. 39:19 Okay, what did I say? Romans 12:2, right? 39:22 Okay, let's go to Romans chapter 12 39:24 and we're going to look together at verse 2. 39:29 "And do not be conformed to this world, 39:31 but be transformed by the," what, 39:34 "renewing of your mind, that you may prove 39:37 what is that good and acceptable 39:39 and," what else, "perfect will of God." 39:42 Notice, as you're able to prove what it is. 39:47 What it didn't say is 39:49 you're able to perform what it is. 39:51 He says you're able to prove what it is. 39:54 When you're transformed, you are able to prove. 39:57 Now what I want to go even deeper on now is, 40:00 now go with me to the Book of Philippians. 40:05 What book did I say? Philippians. 40:10 Wow. 40:14 Yes, Lord, yes. Okay. 40:18 Okay, I'm here. 40:19 I was looking at my quotation to share with you 40:21 in just a moment here. 40:23 This is a powerful quotation. 40:24 In the future, I'll put it on the screen. 40:27 All right. Okay. 40:30 Okay, Philippians 2. 40:41 And we're going to read verse 12 and 13. 40:45 Okay. 40:48 Oftentimes, we read verse 12, 40:50 disconnect it from 13, and 13 disconnected from 12, 40:53 but let's look at them together. 40:55 "Therefore, my brethren, as you have always obeyed, 40:58 not as in my presence only, but now much more in my," 41:02 what, "absence," 41:04 and this is the part that throws us sometimes, 41:07 "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." 41:11 We read that and we say, 41:13 "Man, how long do I have to work it out?" 41:17 And then we hear the phrase, 41:19 "Sanctification is a work of lifetime." 41:21 And we say, 41:22 "Man, I wonder how much time I need to be fully sanctified 41:26 so that I can have the assurance of salvation." 41:30 But how do you work out 41:31 your own salvation with fear and trembling? 41:34 Look at how you do at verse 13. 41:36 Here it is, "For it is God who," does what? 41:40 "Works in you both to will 41:42 and to do for His good pleasure." 41:44 Both to will... 41:45 for it is God who works in you both to will 41:48 and to do of His good pleasure. 41:51 Notice the two things he does that we cannot do. 41:58 He says work out your own salvation. 42:00 But in reality, it is God who works. 42:04 Who works? 42:06 Now why is this so vitally important? 42:08 Are you ready? 42:09 Here's the beautiful aspect of it. 42:11 Remember, remember, it is God who works 42:13 because if you were working out your salvation, 42:15 you wouldn't need God. 42:17 Is that true? 42:19 But if God is the one working... 42:20 sorry, not if, 42:21 but because God is the one working 42:23 in you both to will and to do. 42:28 Then you're not working, you want the evidence? 42:31 For by grace, are you saved through faith, 42:35 and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of... 42:39 Come on, not of? Works. 42:41 Works, lest any man should boast. 42:43 So when you read the phrase, 42:45 when you read the scripture, work out your own salvation. 42:48 It doesn't say, "Yannick, 42:50 you got a lot of work ahead of you." 42:53 And oftentimes, as Christians, 42:56 we think, "Man, I got a lot of work ahead of me." 43:01 And we say this, "When I look at myself, 43:03 I don't know how I could be saved." 43:06 But I'm so glad we had the other part. 43:09 "When we look at Jesus, 43:10 I don't know how I could be lost." 43:14 And why are we so encouraged by that? 43:17 Because if God is working, 43:19 if God is working, is He reliable, Marlena? 43:22 Yes, He is. He's reliable. 43:24 Is He reliable, Yana? 43:25 Is He reliable, everyone? Yes, He is. 43:28 So if God works out, 43:30 'cause, you know, Matthew talks about 43:32 how they are projects in our lives, 43:37 that some people don't count the cost, 43:39 and they can't finish. 43:42 And some people lose 43:43 their encouragement in Christianity 43:45 because they think, 43:46 "Man, I've been a Christian for X amount of years, 43:48 and it just seems like it's just not working right. 43:50 No matter what I do, I just can't get it. 43:56 No matter how much I pray, I just can't do it." 44:01 When all we have to do 44:04 is choose who to serve. 44:08 And God will both will and do of His good pleasure. 44:15 How do I know that? 44:16 Who's working? 44:18 Who's working in us? God. 44:20 Who's working on you? God is. 44:23 If I had to work on myself, now you know how it would be. 44:26 If we had to work on ourselves, we would say now... 44:29 That's why people boast about the things they overcome, 44:31 they don't tell you the things 44:32 they were still struggling with. 44:34 Right? 44:36 "I used to be a smoker, I don't smoke anymore. 44:38 I can't even be tempted. 44:39 I was an alcoholic, two, three bottles a day, 44:42 twelve beers a week, 44:43 doesn't even bother me anymore." 44:45 They are boasting about what they've overcome, 44:46 but they're not telling you what they are struggling with. 44:50 And as Meade MacGuire said, 44:51 "How is it that we boast 44:53 of all these gigantic deliverances, 44:54 but then we tolerate the little sins in our lives 44:57 as though they don't matter for eternity." 44:59 They do matter for eternity. 45:00 But the question you have to ask yourself, 45:02 "If God is now the one working, is He going to work it out?" 45:05 Come on, is He going to work it out? 45:07 He is the one working in you both to will 45:09 and to do of His good pleasure, 45:10 and here's the confidence you have, Philippians 1:6. 45:12 Philippians 1:6, 45:14 He knows what needs to be out of our lives 45:17 and that's why we are told, 45:19 "Do not despise the chastening of the Father." 45:22 Don't despise it. 45:23 If the Lord has to beat us up every now and then, 45:25 and I say beat us up to discipline us. 45:28 He does it only because He loves His children. 45:32 And He does not want us to be saved. 45:33 If He has to put us 45:35 in the fire sometimes to get the... 45:37 He doesn't want us to be lost. 45:38 He doesn't want us to be lost. Thank you very much. 45:40 He wants us to be saved. My wife helps me out. 45:42 She's editing my sermons. I appreciate that so much. 45:45 He does not want us to be lost. He wants us to be saved. 45:49 So whatever does not resemble Him, 45:51 He is going to work it out. Can we get an amen to that? 45:54 Amen. 45:55 But look what he says, Philippians 1:6, 45:58 "Being confident," what is confident? 46:03 Is another word for confident, assure? 46:05 Yes. Isn't it assurance? 46:08 "Being confident of this very thing, 46:12 that He who has begun a," what kind of work, 46:15 "good work in you will," do what, 46:18 will complete it, or will perform it 46:20 until the day of Jesus Christ. 46:23 Amen. Amen. 46:24 So He says, 46:27 "You're not yet where you need to be 46:29 to be in the kingdom, but I'm working." 46:34 And I want to tell you, He's working on you, 46:37 He's working on me. He's working on us. 46:40 Amen. 46:41 Do we know that to be true? Amen. 46:43 Because He wants us to be in the kingdom. 46:45 And let me give you another text 46:46 so you don't get discouraged. 46:47 Because sometimes, 46:49 we look at ourselves and we say, 46:50 "Lord, I don't know. 46:51 I don't know." 46:53 He said, "My children, don't get discourage. 46:56 You cannot see 46:59 how it's going to turn out but just give me time." 47:02 Right? 47:03 How much time did the thief on the cross need? 47:06 Evidently, he didn't need very much 47:08 'cause the Lord imputed to him His righteousness. 47:11 He imparted to him His... 47:13 how can you get that gift at that very moment? 47:15 Because the Lord loved him so much, 47:17 He qualified him out of a repentant heart, 47:20 you know why, 47:21 because at the moment of the life and death, 47:23 he chose Christ. 47:28 But now let's go to I John. I John. 47:32 And I'm going to read a quotation that is huge. 47:37 My wife and I, together, have been studying this topic, 47:41 and it just has made life so much more beautiful 47:46 because we've been able to get the victory 47:50 over those statements that we heard 47:53 as we were growing up as early Christians. 47:55 You know, we said, 47:57 "Well, you go to church, 47:59 and the preacher spends all the time beating you up 48:01 'cause you ain't living right, you ain't doing this, 48:03 and you ain't doing that." 48:04 And you leave more frustrated 48:06 than encouraged because it's true. 48:12 But when we uplift Jesus 48:16 and point the hopeless sinner to the helpful Savior, 48:21 they walk away not discouraged. 48:23 Even Jesus didn't come to condemn us. 48:26 We've got to preach Christ and Him crucified, amen? 48:28 Amen. 48:29 So people that are already in the lost condition 48:31 would not feel even more lost after a sermon 48:36 but will know beyond a shadow of a doubt 48:38 where they can find help and deliverance. 48:41 So remember now, 48:43 this is in the context of God working in us. 48:46 Okay, now get this. 48:49 Here it is, "Beloved," well, sorry. 48:52 I John chapter 3, I John chapter 3. 48:57 And we're going to start with the verse 1. 49:00 The Bible says, 49:02 "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, 49:08 that we should be called," 49:10 what, "sons of God or children of God. 49:14 Therefore the world does not know us, 49:16 because it did not know Him." 49:18 You know why it doesn't know us, 49:19 because we don't look like it, 49:21 we don't live like it 49:23 because God is in us living, and moving, 49:26 and carrying out His will. 49:28 And when God is doing that, 49:30 the world doesn't recognize people 49:31 that are on God's side. 49:33 But look at the next two passages. 49:36 "Beloved," what is the very next word, 49:39 "now are we, or we are the children of God," 49:42 when are we the children of God, now. 49:45 And this is the part. 49:46 Remember the work He's doing, He didn't finish it, 49:49 but He's going to complete it. 49:51 "And it has not yet been revealed 49:52 what we shall be," 49:55 but don't get discouraged 49:57 because He's going to finish the work, 49:59 "but we know that when He is revealed, 50:02 we shall be," what, "like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 50:07 And then verse 3, 50:09 "And everyone who has this hope in Him 50:13 purifies himself, just as He is pure." 50:16 Now what is it mean purifies himself? 50:19 Who is the purifier? Somebody tell me. 50:22 You've got to lean 50:24 in the direction of the only one 50:27 that can cleanse us, 50:29 He purifies us. 50:31 And James says it, John the revelator says it, 50:35 "Blessed is he that keeps his garment, 50:37 lest he walks naked and they see his shame." 50:39 We maintain that day by day. Let me ask you a question. 50:43 I think you know the answer. 50:44 How often should we yield our will to Christ? 50:47 Daily. 50:49 How often? Continually. 50:52 How, moment by moment by moment, 50:55 test by test by test. 51:01 Moment by moment, 51:03 we are not safe for a single moment. 51:04 But I want to read this quotation to you. 51:07 And this is from the Education, page 289. 51:10 If you don't know what the book Education is, 51:12 you can contact us here at 3ABN, 51:14 and we'll make sure 51:15 that we can give you the resource, 51:17 that number is 618-627-4651, 51:21 you can contact us 51:22 if you don't know what the book Education is. 51:24 It's a beautiful resource, 51:25 and it says this, speaking about the will, 51:28 "The will is the governing power 51:30 in the nature of man," 51:32 the book Education, page 289, paragraph 1. 51:35 "The power of decision, or choice. 51:39 Every human being possessed of reason 51:42 has power to choose the right. 51:45 In every experience of life, God's word to us is, 51:48 'Choose you this day whom you will serve.'" 51:54 Everyone may place his will on the side of the will of God, 51:59 and may choose to obey Him, 52:01 and by thus linking himself 52:02 with divine agencies," this is huge, 52:07 "he may stand 52:08 where nothing can force him to do evil." 52:14 Amen? Amen. 52:15 So what happens? 52:17 Didn't Peter say, "Draw near to God, 52:20 and God will draw near to you." 52:22 Resist the devil and he will do, 52:23 what, flee from you. 52:25 So there is no such thing as... 52:27 many years ago, Flip Wilson said it, 52:29 and some of you are too young to even know who that is, 52:31 don't waste your time looking him up. 52:33 He was an old comedian that said, 52:34 "The devil made me do it." 52:35 No. 52:37 But when you choose who to serve, 52:38 remember Romans 6:16, 52:39 when you choose who to serve, 52:41 immediately you become that one's slave. 52:43 And the slave never tells the master 52:45 what he wants to do and what he doesn't want to do. 52:49 Paul was the evidence of that. 52:51 He said, "What I don't want to do, 52:52 that's exactly what I'm doing. 52:53 What I want to do, 52:55 that's exactly what I can't do." 52:57 And he declared his wretchedness, 52:59 "Oh, wretched man that I am," and then he asked the question, 53:04 "Who will deliver me?" 53:07 We need deliverance. But how do you get delivered? 53:13 Let's go to Isaiah 1. 53:15 I'm giving you a little bit more than the lesson 53:19 because we've covered a number of these questions. 53:21 And in our next broadcast, we're not going to do it today. 53:24 In our next broadcast, 53:26 we will be able to answer 53:27 some of those questions that we have not yet addressed, 53:29 so be patient because the beauty of it is, 53:32 we don't have to finish it all in one broadcast. 53:36 Okay, Isaiah chapter 1, Isaiah chapter 1, 53:41 we begin with verse 18 and 19. 53:45 We go to verse 18 to 20. 53:48 But we start with verse 18. Isaiah 1:18. 53:52 This is such a welcoming way that the Bible says this. 53:54 I like the way, 53:56 you know, the Lord shows Himself 53:57 to be a person 53:58 who invites you into His presence, 54:00 He says, "Come now, and let us," do what, 54:01 "Let us reason together, says the Lord." 54:03 And look at the comparisons, 54:04 "Though your sins 54:06 are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, 54:10 though they are red like crimson, 54:11 they shall be as," what, "wool." 54:14 And look at how it happens, verse 19, 54:18 "If you are, " together, "willing and," 54:21 what else, "obedient, " 54:23 you got to be willing to be willing. 54:27 You'll look at the miracles of Jesus. 54:33 Jesus was placed in a position 54:34 where He was told by the one needing deliverance 54:37 by the one needing healing. 54:39 They said, "Lord, if You are willing, 54:41 You could heal us." 54:42 And the Lord says, "I am willing." 54:44 And Jesus was at the point of choosing 54:48 to bend to the pain of human nature 54:50 and the agony of the cross, 54:52 or to go through the agony of the cross, 54:55 and bend to the will of the Father. 54:57 The devil says I will, Jesus says not my will, 55:01 but Thine be done. 55:05 "If you are willing and obedient, 55:07 you shall eat the good of the land. 55:09 But if you refuse and rebel, 55:11 you shall be devoured by the sword 55:14 for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." 55:18 I want to also give you another quotation. 55:21 This is just so beautiful. 55:24 Can I give another quotation? 55:26 Listen to this one. Wow. Here it is. 55:30 Okay, temperance, once again, 55:33 the phone number that I gave you, 55:35 if you don't have this book, 55:36 Temperance, page 112, paragraph 3, 55:40 "God has given us the power of choice." 55:42 What has God given us, the power of, what, 55:44 He's given us all the power of choice. 55:46 Choose, you, this day, 55:47 choose life, two roads, life and death. 55:49 Life and blessings, death and cursings, 55:50 he says choose life, we can all choose. 55:53 God has given us the power of choice. 55:56 It is ours to exercise. So get this. 56:00 When you exercise the power to choose, 56:03 then you now become the servant of the one you choose. 56:06 And then that servant now, 56:08 that one who is in charge of you 56:10 begins to work out his will 56:12 and to do of his pleasure in you. 56:14 James says that, 56:16 "We are taken captive by Satan to do his will. 56:20 When we submit to Christ, 56:21 we're taken captive by him to do his will. 56:24 Listen to this. 56:27 "We cannot control our hearts, we cannot control our thoughts, 56:32 our impulses, our affections. 56:35 We cannot make ourselves pure, fit for God's service. 56:40 But we can choose to serve God, we can give Him our will, 56:46 then He will work in us to will and to do 56:51 according to His good pleasure. 56:53 We can give Him our will, 56:56 and then He will work in us to will and to do 56:59 according to His good pleasure." 57:01 And it ends by saying this, 57:02 "Thus the whole nature 57:05 will be brought under the control of Christ." 57:08 Can I get an amen? Amen. 57:10 So when you choose to yield, 57:12 the vine begins to send sap to the branches 57:16 and fruit shows up. 57:17 It's not... 57:19 the fruit doesn't send sap to the vine, 57:21 the vine sends sap to the fruit. 57:22 So every day, here's what you have to do. 57:24 You got to wake up in the morning. 57:26 You got to put some living Word in your mind. 57:29 You got to say, "Lord Jesus, I cannot give you my heart, 57:32 I want you to take it. 57:34 I cannot exercise my will except to choose You, 57:37 I want to choose You to be the Lord of my life." 57:41 And when we link our selves up with him, 57:43 we are told, when we yield our will to His, 57:46 He immediately takes possession of us 57:48 and works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. 57:51 How man of you want God to will and to do 57:52 of His good pleasure in your life? 57:54 Amen? Amen. 57:55 Well, friends, if it doesn't make sense 57:57 keep on studying because one day, 57:58 it will surely come into a sharper focus. 58:02 God bless you. |
Revised 2017-12-07