Participants: John Lomacang (Host), John Stanton
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL130006
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00:01 Hello, friends, grab your Bible
00:02 and a friend and sit back as we explore 00:04 God's word together on this edition of "House Calls." 00:22 Welcome to another "House Calls" program. 00:24 My name is John and he is also John. 00:27 Don't get us confused. There are a lot of similarities. 00:30 Most important similarity is we love the Lord 00:33 and we love sharing our Bibles. 00:34 Don't you think so, John? Amen, I like that. 00:36 That's what makes us brothers. 00:38 That's right, brothers in the Lord, 00:39 brothers in the word. 00:41 And thank you for joining us today. 00:42 We are always excited when you come into our home, 00:45 that is, into this house and let us into your house. 00:48 Hopefully, you let us into your hearts 00:50 also by the study of God's word. 00:52 We're gonna continue on the topic of "Justification." 00:56 What does it mean to be justified? 00:57 I think we left the last program 01:00 talking about the difference between 01:01 a convict and a convert. 01:04 That's a great sermon title. 01:05 So look for that one in the future. 01:08 But today, we are excited-- John's smiling over here. 01:12 Because a lot of people don't know 01:14 the difference between being--you know, 01:15 you can be completely convicted of all the things 01:17 you believe but not converted. That's right. 01:19 So get your Bibles, get your pens-- 01:25 did I finish the rhyme? 01:26 Invite your family and your friends 01:28 and sit down with us for the next hour 01:30 or so to enjoy a study of God's word. 01:32 But before we do anything, before we give you 01:34 any more information, we'd like to pray. 01:37 John, pray for us. Yes. 01:38 Dear Father in heaven, we invite Your Spirit to be 01:40 with us here today as we study Your word. 01:43 Lord, be with every aspect of this program. 01:45 May we sense Your Spirit leading and guiding us 01:48 and with our viewers and our listeners, Lord. 01:50 May they be impressed by Your word, 01:52 Your truth and Your love for each one of them. 01:55 In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. 01:58 Many of you like to send questions 02:00 to this program and we always appreciate 02:02 when you do so. 02:03 I'll try to make them as concise as possible 02:06 but if you--if you want to send us a book you can. 02:08 Just know that it won't be read on the air 02:10 because we don't want to decipher 02:12 through all of that to find out what the question is. 02:14 But here is the email that you need. 02:15 Send those questions and comments 02:17 to housecalls@3abn.org. That's housecalls@3abn.org 02:22 and we surely appreciate everything you do. 02:25 John, I'm gonna let you go and quote about it for us today. 02:27 What do you have for us? 02:28 I've got a question here from Rollen. Rollen? 02:31 Yeah. He says, "Firstly, it is"--misspelling there. 02:37 "In Jonah, he was in the belly of the whale 02:40 for three days and three nights. 02:44 Then we expect Christ to be in the belly 02:46 three days and three nights as Jesus Himself referred to. 02:52 Not one night outside, that is, dead before 02:55 being dead into in, simple symbolism, 03:00 Second, John 20:1 and 19 suggest Christ 03:05 was resurrected by Saturday evening. 03:08 Thirdly, calculate the dates backward and see 03:11 which day was the 14th of Abib in AD 31." 03:14 So essentially what the question is-- 03:19 and the question is trying to do here 03:21 is establish that maybe the timeline 03:25 that we have for Christ's crucifixion 03:28 and the days that it happened are incorrect, 03:31 our traditional understanding of that in the church 03:33 and the Bible said something else. 03:35 Well, I think we need to be careful 03:37 with quick rushes to conclusions 03:40 based upon one text or two texts. 03:42 We need to harmonize all the texts of Scripture. 03:45 And there are things that are fairly definitive 03:48 about the event of Christ crucifixion 03:50 that are clearly laid out in Scripture 03:52 and I find only one with a pure sequence of events 03:56 giving days found in all the word. 03:59 That's right. And that is the gospel of Luke. 04:01 And so we need to turn to that gospel, Luke 23. 04:05 Okay. As it transitions into chapter 24 04:08 as well to find the sequence of events 04:11 and when those events actually happened 04:13 because this is the re-capitulation of the event 04:18 giving the timeline itself. 04:20 And so we're gonna start with Luke 23 04:23 beginning with verse 53. 04:26 And this is right after Christ was crucified, 04:29 He gave up his life, He died on the cross 04:32 and it says in verse 53, "Then he took it down," 04:35 that is the body, wrapped it in linen 04:37 and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, 04:41 where no one had ever lain before." 04:43 And that is Joseph and the followers of Christ, 04:47 a few of them there, they got the body of Christ 04:49 down from the cross and took them to the tomb 04:51 that Joseph had donated. 04:54 "That day," it says verse 54, 04:56 "That day was the preparation and the Sabbath drew near." 05:00 There is a clear connection there 05:04 to the preparation day and the day 05:06 that Christ died on the cross, the crucifixion day, 05:10 which is Friday, Friday, the day before the Sabbath 05:13 which is the seventh day. 05:14 So we're talking about the sixth day, Friday. 05:17 That is the day that Christ was crucified on the cross. 05:21 It says then in verse 55, 05:23 "And when the women who had come forth 05:25 with or had come with Him from Galilee 05:28 followed after and they observed the tomb 05:31 and how His body was laid. 05:33 Then they returned and prepared spices 05:35 and fragrant oils and they rested on the Sabbath 05:38 according to the commandment." 05:40 So Christ rested in the grave on the Sabbath, 05:43 as did His disciples rest according to the commandment, 05:47 the fourth commandment which requires 05:48 the observance of the seventh day as the Sabbath. 05:51 That's right. The holy day of God. 05:54 Then it says in chapter 24, verse 1, 05:57 "Now on the first day of the week, 05:59 very early in the morning they and certain other women 06:02 with them came to the tomb bringing the spices 06:05 which they had prepared, but they found 06:07 the stone rolled away from the tomb. 06:09 Then they went in and did not find 06:13 the body of the Lord Jesus." 06:14 So now we find, on the first day of the week, 06:17 we know that today is Sunday, 06:19 that early in the morning they went to the tomb 06:22 and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 06:24 He had been resurrected. 06:27 And so the sequence of events here, John, 06:29 pretty clear in the book of Luke, 06:31 is that on Friday He was crucified. 06:34 On the Sabbath day, the seventh day, 06:35 He rested in the grave. 06:37 By Sunday morning when they went to find Him there, 06:39 He was no longer there. 06:40 He had been resurrected early in the morning. 06:43 That's right. Another text says, 06:46 "Very early in the morning as it was still dark outside." 06:51 Now we know from not only tradition 06:54 but from reading history that they treated each day, 07:00 the transition from one day to the next, 07:02 as happening at sunset. That's right. 07:04 So on the sixth day of the week, the preparation day, 07:07 that day ended on-- at the sunset on Friday 07:12 and the seventh day, the Sabbath 07:14 then was in effect from sundown Friday night 07:18 to sundown Saturday night. 07:20 And then Sunday, the first day of the week, 07:21 began Saturday night into throughout Sunday, 07:25 the entire day until the sun set on Sunday, 07:28 which was then the second day of the week. 07:31 So when we're talking about days here 07:33 we're clearly finding events 07:34 lined up in each day very systematically. 07:37 And what we have in the Bible is 07:38 what's called inclusive reckoning, 07:40 which is, if something happens on part of the day 07:42 you include that day as part of the sequence of three. 07:46 So when we say He was raised on the third day, 07:50 we can say that very clearly that on the sixth day 07:52 He was crucified, the seventh day He rested, 07:54 on the first day He was raised, 07:56 that is the third day. Right. 07:58 So that part is fairly clear in Scripture. 08:01 What this gentleman is suggesting 08:04 is that somehow with Jonah being-- 08:06 or being in the belly of the whale, 08:08 three days and three nights, that somehow 08:11 Christ had to be in the grave, three days and three nights. 08:17 I think what we're finding here is a little misunderstanding 08:19 or misapplication of this Scripture to include 08:22 that Christ had to be in the grave on that first night 08:25 which would have required Thursday night, 08:28 according to our reckoning. 08:30 But that is not in fact the case, 08:31 because we find that Luke tells us 08:33 He was crucified on Friday. 08:36 So the question isn't, is the Bible contradicting itself. 08:40 The question is how do we resolve 08:44 this apparent contradiction 08:46 to find the reality of what happened. 08:48 And the only way to do that is to say, 08:50 what happened to Christ on Thursday night 08:52 that would have qualified Him 08:54 of being as Jonah was in the belly of the whale. 08:58 And what we find here is His experience 09:01 in the garden of Gethsemane. That's right. 09:03 And that experience of Him in the torment of his soul, 09:09 His agony of soul working out our redemption, 09:12 already beginning that process by submitting Himself to God, 09:16 overcoming His own personal desire 09:18 for self sustenance, for not wanting 09:23 to go to the cross, to experience the separation 09:25 from His Father, but yet relenting 09:27 to His Father's will and submitting Himself to that. 09:31 And it says that He agonized so much, 09:33 he dropped--his sweat included drops of blood, 09:37 it came from Him. Wow. I can imagine that. 09:39 And it also suggests in that passage 09:41 that had the angels had not ministered to Him 09:43 that night in His agony, He may have died 09:46 right there in the garden of Gethsemane. 09:49 So He in every way was experiencing death, 09:52 beginning to experience death that separates 09:54 from His Father in that garden 09:57 even before the crucifixion experience. 09:59 So was He in the belly of the whale on Thursday night 10:02 in the garden of Gethsemane? 10:03 Answer, absolutely He was. Right. 10:06 This has been one of the most controverter points. 10:09 It just seems to be a pet peeve, 10:11 kind of like the question of what was Adam's color. 10:15 I find it to be so irrelevant in this sense 10:19 that the fact of the matter is Jesus rose. 10:24 And when you look at the gospels 10:25 and you try to reconcile all of the Scriptures together 10:28 you find one writer would say, while the sun had risen. 10:33 The other one said while it was yet dark 10:35 and one says very early in the morning. 10:38 The fact of the matter is when you look 10:40 at the references in the Bible, 10:42 the point that we pull, and you made 10:44 this point a moment ago, inclusive reckoning. 10:47 Any part of that third day is included in the sequence. 10:50 Here is where people misunderstand 10:52 their own statements. 10:54 They say "Well, He had to be in there three days 10:56 and three nights complete and then He would rise." 11:00 If that were the case He would have to be in there 11:02 for 72 hours and the 73rd hour 11:06 would have been the fourth day. 11:09 The Bible didn't say He would rise the fourth day. 11:12 Nowhere can you find a statement saying 11:15 He would raise the fourth day. 11:16 So He had to rise within that day. 11:19 He didn't rise-- and when people say, 11:22 "Well, didn't the Bible say after three days he would rise?" 11:24 Well, you misunderstand 11:26 how the Lord counted the third day. 11:31 Go with me before I give you the Scriptures, 11:33 go with me to Luke 13:32. 11:36 Look at this, Luke 13:32 and I'm reading this 11:40 by the way in the NIV. 11:42 Reading this intentionally in the NIV 11:43 because I want to get a couple of points very candidly here. 11:47 NIV reads this way, Luke 13:32, 11:52 "Go tell that fox," that is, He replied, "Go tell that fox, 11:57 'I will drive out demons and heal people today, 12:02 tomorrow, and the third day I will reach my goal." 12:07 Now if we did that we'll say-- we won't call 12:10 two days from now the third day. 12:12 We'll start counting tomorrow, 12:14 we'll call that two days from now. 12:16 We won't call that the third day. 12:18 That's the way we count in modern counting, 12:21 but that's not the way they did. 12:22 This is the example of inclusive reckoning, today-- 12:26 Today is the first day. Today is the first day. 12:28 We'll say "I'll meet you in two days," 12:30 we won't think of that as the third day from today. 12:35 Yeah, in this language if we said in two days, 12:37 if we used the way that they interpreted this, 12:40 two days would be tomorrow. 12:41 Right. Exactly. But it's not to us. 12:45 But to them it was. To them it was. 12:47 That's the way they counted the time. 12:48 So when you look at the Scriptures in the Bible 12:51 and once again I put this together 12:52 in the NIV to get you-- to give you 12:54 some perspective here, because sometimes 12:56 it reads a little easier but Matthew 17:23. 13:00 And I want you to give me the reciprocal 13:02 in the New King James version, okay. 13:05 Matthew 17:23. "They will kill Him," 13:11 Matthew 17:23 "and on the third day 13:15 He will be raised to life." What does yours say? 13:20 "And they will kill Him, and the third day 13:22 He will be raised up." Okay. Okay, same thing. 13:26 Here's another one, Luke 9:22. Luke 9:22. 13:33 I want you to read that first 13:34 in the New King James version and I'll read it in the NIV. 13:38 Giving some balance here, Luke 9:22. 13:40 "The Son of Man must suffer many things, 13:42 and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, 13:46 and be killed, and be raised the third day." 13:49 Okay, and it says, "And He must be killed 13:51 and on the third day be raised to life." 13:55 You know what's interesting about that verse, 13:58 is that it includes the trial and the rejection 14:01 by the elders in His crucifixion experience. 14:04 Right, there you go. That was Thursday night. 14:05 That's right. 14:08 I'd actually never seen that before with this verse 14:11 that Jesus Himself is including 14:13 His trial in the experience of His crucifixion. 14:19 Okay, there you go. 14:21 So that tells me right there 14:22 that not only was a garden Gethsemane 14:23 and His deliverance than into the hands 14:26 of the Jewish leaders that night and His trial. 14:29 This verse says just that and in Christ's own words. 14:31 Matter of fact, when He was arrested 14:33 He said this is your hour and the power of darkness. 14:37 He relinquished Himself into the hands of those 14:42 who will persecute Him. 14:44 When He was arrested in the garden 14:46 He said this is your hour and the power of darkness. 14:50 He acknowledged that. He timed it, okay. 14:53 And then when they thought He was going to be released, 14:57 when the disciples thought He would free Himself 14:59 He said it is for this hour that I've come into the world. 15:02 He made it very clear. This now starts a new timeline. 15:07 This is your hour and the power of darkness. 15:09 So clearly the trial, the persecution, 15:13 the scourging, the judgment hall, 15:16 the grave, all of that is included in the hour of darkness 15:19 and that text puts it together wonderfully. 15:22 Yes. Rejected by the elders and chief priests, 15:26 must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 15:31 In Luke 18:33, just simply says, 15:33 "On the third day He will rise again." 15:37 One thing we have to keep in mind 15:38 as we settle this issue 15:40 that continues to go forth and, John, Luke 24:46. 15:44 There's another one. I'll read this. 15:47 Well, just go ahead and read that in the-- 15:48 I'm not there right now. I'll read it. 15:50 Luke, what? Luke 24:46. 15:52 While you're turning there I'll make sure this is clear. 15:54 Remember, this is something widely important. 15:57 Don't try to add another day because if you say morning, 16:01 night, morning, night, morning, night, 16:03 72 hours must pass by before He comes out of the grave. 16:07 A second past 72 hours is the fourth day. 16:11 The Bible never said He'd rise on the fourth day. 16:16 He rose on the third day over and over 16:17 and over and over again. 16:19 So it was perfectly within the timing. 16:22 How does it say there in Luke 24:46? 16:25 "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary 16:27 for the Christ to suffer and to rise 16:29 from the dead the third day." 16:31 Okay, all right, there you go. 16:33 All right, I think we pretty much exhausted that. 16:35 And all through the book of Acts, Acts 10:40, 16:38 "But God raised Him from the dead on the third day." 16:41 Acts 27:19--well, not-- in 1 Corinthians 15:4, 16:46 the last one, "He was buried-- 16:49 that he was buried, that he was raised 16:52 on the third day according to the Scriptures." 16:56 And I don't think this gentleman is arguing the third day issue. 16:59 He is misunderstanding the timeline of the third day. 17:03 He's not understanding inclusive reckoning 17:05 and how they interpreted that statement of the third day. 17:10 So hopefully we've helped provide that kind of information 17:14 for those who are having the same question out there. 17:16 There's a whole book 17:18 that Pastor Doug Batchelor put together. 17:20 Pastor Doug Batchelor put together 17:21 on Amazing Facts website just about the resurrection, 17:24 that whole thing about inclusive reckoning. 17:27 I think I have one more question. 17:29 We have time here for that? 17:31 One more question-- Okay, here it is. 17:34 The following is a question from one of my coworkers. 17:37 She is not a Christian as I am, 17:39 but does believe in a higher power. 17:44 It says here, "We conversed about life 17:48 and spiritual issues and we openly share 17:51 our beliefs about those things with each other." 17:54 But her question is, "if the God that Christians believe in exist 18:01 and it's true that He gives people 18:04 what is referred to as free will to choose 18:07 to believe in Him or not, how can it be called 18:10 free if a person will be destroyed 18:13 for not believing in Him even though 18:17 they live a life of being a good person, 18:20 as good as they can be, 18:22 caring for others, for animals, etcetera? 18:24 In short, why-- won't they be paying 18:27 the ultimate price just for not believing in God?" 18:31 This is a perfect segue, John, into our topic today, 18:35 because I said a moment ago, this is the whole point. 18:38 You see Jesus didn't come to give His life 18:40 for those who do good community works. 18:43 Jesus didn't come to extend eternal life 18:45 for those who take care of animals and care for others. 18:49 He came to those who acknowledge 18:50 that they are sinners in need of a Savior. 18:52 Because what's happening here, what's missing in this 18:55 and I put a couple of verses here, 18:57 John 3:17 is one 18:59 and Deuteronomy 30:19 is another one. 19:04 As I go down this whole idea, the person is putting 19:08 the burden of their salvation on their good works. 19:12 Therefore, they are saying, well, I'm a good person. 19:15 There's none that's good, no, not one. 19:17 The first misunderstanding. I care for others. 19:20 I take care of animals. 19:23 Why am I paying the ultimate price? 19:24 You know why? 19:26 Because unless the price is paid by Christ, 19:29 you have to pay the price, you see. 19:32 Because the wages of sin-- the wages of sin is death, 19:36 somebody's got to die. 19:38 So if you don't accept the death of Christ 19:40 imputed and imparted to you, in other words, 19:42 given you, if your life is not covered, 19:44 if your debt is not paid by Him, 19:47 then you've got to pay your debt. 19:49 That's just as simple as I get. 19:51 Deuteronomy 30:19, because they haven't done 19:54 what these verse says. 19:55 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, 19:59 that I have set before you life and death, 20:01 blessing and cursing. 20:02 Therefore choose life that both you 20:05 and your descendants may live." 20:07 Right. Choose life. 20:10 So we can't just say, "I don't want to choose life." 20:14 That's what it says, I don't want to choose life. 20:17 Yes, every one of us has the freedom to choose. 20:19 Let me use an example, an analogy. 20:21 Why is my plane going to California 20:24 just because I choose to go on a plane going to Chicago? 20:27 I mean, why am I not going to California, 20:30 could not pick any plane I want to. 20:32 Well, you got to get on the plane 20:33 that's going where you want to end up. 20:35 So unless you give your life to Christ, 20:37 unless you accept Him as your Savior, 20:40 unless you are in Him you can't go 20:42 where He is going to be. 20:44 So there's only two roads, 20:45 life and blessings and death and cursings. 20:49 You cannot have two roads. 20:51 John 3:17, look at this, "For God did not send His Son 20:56 into the world to condemn the world." 21:00 He didn't send His Son to condemn this lady. 21:03 "God did not send His Son into the world 21:05 to condemn the world but that the world 21:07 through Him might be saved." 21:08 Why? Because she says, why am I being condemned 21:13 because I don't believe in Him? 21:14 Here is the answer, right here in verse 18. 21:17 "He who believes in Him is not condemned 21:21 but He who does not believe is condemned already." 21:25 This person doesn't know that by not believing 21:28 you're already condemned. 21:31 What do you want to say about that, John? Anything? 21:33 Well, Jesus did not come into the world 21:35 to condemn the world but the world 21:36 through Him might be saved. 21:38 I mean, that's-- Jesus is not 21:41 and nor should we extend condemnation to people. 21:44 We don't. 21:46 It is a fact that they are already condemned, 21:48 they are already on death row without Christ. 21:52 And so our message is find Christ and live, 21:58 not, you're going to hell. Right. 22:00 And that's what I have a problem with, 22:02 hell fire and brimstone kind of messages, 22:03 because it's not really the gospel. 22:06 It's part of the gospel, in that God is delivering us 22:09 from that experience, that lake of fire, 22:12 that ultimate eternal death that all of us will suffer 22:15 if we are apart from God. 22:18 But it is not the heart of our message. 22:20 Jesus came to save us 22:23 and wants to live with us forever. 22:25 And that's the key aspect. That must be our focus. 22:28 When our focus is on accept Christ 22:31 or you'll burn forever, that's a problem. 22:34 You know what's so sad-- 22:36 That's gonna cause people to say oh, 22:37 yeah, a God like that. 22:38 I don't want nothing of Him. 22:40 Right and so-- that's-- 22:41 Because you're not focusing on His love. 22:43 Not focusing on His love. Here is the reality of it. 22:47 We've got to see the perfect picture 22:48 and the perfect picture of our present condition 22:50 is we are all on death row 22:52 before we accept Christ. 22:54 We are on a conveyor belt to destruction. 22:56 So why would I be shocked if I'm destroyed 23:00 when that is the only transportation I'm on? 23:04 I'm on the transportation for destruction. 23:08 I'm on a plane going to Chicago. 23:10 Why am I shocked when I end up in Chicago? 23:12 The Lord is saying get off of that plane 23:14 and the only way you can get off 23:16 of that plane is if My life pays for you 23:19 to get on a different plane, the plane to eternal life 23:22 or the plane in this case to California. 23:25 My wife called the airlines and this is really amazing, 23:30 'cause she tries to-- you know, 23:32 we have status with American airlines, 23:33 so she says, "Well, is it too late for me 23:39 to have the--to get the"-- let me put this again. 23:44 There's bad weather and people 23:47 whose flights were cancelled were automatically 23:50 booked on another flight without having to pay. 23:52 So they extend it to everybody within a specific time frame 23:57 and once you make that-- once you make 23:59 that request before the time is out 24:02 then you could have your reservation 24:04 switched to another reservation for no charge at all. 24:07 So my wife asked the question 24:08 "Is it too late for me to go 24:10 and get the flight on that other plane?" 24:12 And they said, "Well, you made a reservation on this flight 24:16 and the time is already passed, 24:19 so we cannot extend to you the special 24:22 to be on a different flight 24:23 all together on a different day." 24:25 Now she could be on a different flight 24:26 but not on a different day. 24:28 So she said "When was the cut-off?" 24:32 And they gave her the date which was the same date. 24:36 She said "Well, it's still the same date." 24:38 And he said, "Well, actually it was two hours ago." 24:43 On the same date, so she said, 24:44 "Well, can I get the special-- it was just two hours ago." 24:48 But then she said, 24:50 "Well, let's just use December 24th." 24:51 They said, "Well, the special ends on December 24th." 24:54 She said "Well, it is December 24th. 24:57 Well, then she said it ended two hours ago. 24:59 But we have like eight hours left 25:01 in December 24th, can I get it? 25:03 Well, sorry, ma'am, you can't get it. 25:05 My point of that analogy is this, 25:07 we are all booked on a certain flight 25:10 and in this life God has extended to us 25:13 the time to get the ticket changed 25:16 to get on a different flight for eternal life but if we say, 25:20 I'm good enough to get on that flight. 25:23 I have status. 25:24 My status says I've helped the people in the community, 25:27 I've taken care of animals, I'm a relatively good person, 25:31 I should get on that flight. 25:33 And the Lord says, no, it's gonna cost you. 25:35 You don't get on by your deeds, I got to pay. 25:37 And that's the reason why your friend 25:39 who does good deeds must come to the place 25:41 where her good deeds 25:43 are not enough payment for her salvation. 25:46 Her good deeds cannot atone for her sin. 25:50 That nature that she has, has to be put to death 25:53 and she has to put on Christ. 25:55 Until we give ourselves to Christ 25:57 and we die to self we cannot be saved. 26:00 So Christ doesn't condemn us. We are condemned already. 26:04 And it is really sin that destroys us. Right. 26:08 God is simply destroying sin and sinners go 26:11 with that because sin is part of them. 26:17 Years ago I saw a military show 26:18 where these guys were in the midst of a battle 26:21 and they called and they said, you know, the enemy is coming-- 26:25 oh, as a matter of fact there was, 26:28 recently, not many years ago, it was a few months ago, 26:32 where these soldiers in the Middle East 26:34 were pinned down and all around. 26:36 You probably heard about this on the news. 26:37 And this one soldier decided-- Mm-hmm, I saw that. 26:40 And he fought for his whole platoon 26:42 and some of them did die but here's the point. 26:45 He called in some air strikes and the air strikes 26:50 were so close, he heard the bombs blowing up 26:53 and--I forget exactly what I was gonna apply this to, 26:57 but let me just suffice it to simply say, 26:59 we've got to--we've got to get out of the blast zone, 27:03 that's what I was trying to say, 27:05 so that when destruction does come 27:07 we are removed from the place 27:11 where sin is going to be eradicated. 27:13 We are no longer in that category. 27:16 So when all sin is eradicated we are no longer 27:18 in the category of sin, 27:20 because we have put on the Lord Jesus Christ. 27:23 What do you say about that? Amen. 27:26 Amen. So it is not our good works. 27:29 The Lord loves every one of us just as we are, 27:31 but He doesn't leave us the way He finds us. 27:34 We are born on death row, we are born programmed to die. 27:38 He doesn't assign us there. 27:40 He's the one that gets us out of there. 27:41 That's right. Okay. So let's not put it-- 27:43 look at Him as a God that wants us to be lost. 27:45 He wants us not to be lost. That's right. 27:47 Thank you for your questions and comments. 27:49 We're gonna transition to our program 27:50 but if you have any questions and comments 27:52 you'd like to send to us, the email to send those 27:54 is housecalls@3abn.org. That's housecalls@3abn.org. 28:00 Thank you for all you do for this network 28:03 and thank you for bearing with us even 28:05 when we get excited about what we're talking about. 28:08 John, we left off yesterday, kind of put us back 28:10 into the mindset of our topic-- 28:13 actually not yesterday, but last topic, 28:15 we left off on this last topic about justification, 28:19 but we were talking about mercy and the need for forgiveness. 28:23 Lead us into this discussion today. 28:26 Well, there's something that I think kind of carries 28:29 over from the question that we just read. Okay. 28:32 And it's a subject that kind of comes into play 28:34 when we're seeking salvation, when we're seeking 28:38 God's mercy and understanding the condition 28:41 that we're in as sinners. 28:42 And that is this word called guilt. Okay. 28:46 If there's no sense of guilt before God, 28:49 if there's no sense of remorse for our sin 28:54 and at the same time a corresponding love 28:57 for a Savior who has paid the penalty, 29:01 for the penalty of our sin, then there's no-- 29:04 nothing that moves us, moves our heart 29:07 to want or even seek out that mercy 29:12 and the justified life that we can have in Christ. 29:15 And I think that's where she's coming 29:17 from a little bit, the friend, is that there's no remorse 29:20 or guilt for her to live. 29:21 In fact saying I'm a good person is the opposite of guilt. 29:26 What we're saying by that is I'm not guilty of anything. 29:29 Right. Right? 29:30 I mean, when we say I'm a good person. 29:32 I'm not guilty of anything. I don't hurt anybody. 29:34 I don't do anything bad to anybody. 29:37 We understand that guilt has already been-- 29:40 not guilt, but sin has already been imposed. 29:43 Recognizing the sin is guilt 29:47 and then it drives us to the Savior. 29:49 And something I failed to mention, 29:51 I think I need to mention it right now 29:52 just so I can give balance to this. 29:54 This person may be may have never committed a crime, 29:58 may never have cheated on taxes, 30:00 may have been the kindest, most gentle, loving person. 30:04 Everybody loves her, 30:07 but one thing that is missing 30:08 in the equation is this, in 1 Corinthians 15:22, 30:14 "As in Adam all die, 30:17 even so in Christ all shall be made alive." 30:20 What many people fail to realize is 30:23 when we are born into the world, 30:26 we are born alienated, 30:29 because we have this nature, this sin nature, 30:34 not so much a list of thing we've done wrong. 30:37 And I think that's where 30:38 people sometimes misunderstand the truth. 30:41 We haven't done all these terrible things. 30:43 We're not like Jeffrey Dahmer, we're not like Charles Manson, 30:47 we're not like the ramping murderer, 30:49 we're not a terrorist, we're not-- 30:51 we're not any of those awful things. 30:52 We don't rob people, we don't rob stores, 30:54 we don't cheat, but if they fail to realize 30:58 it's the nature that they have is the issue. 31:02 That is the category we are in. 31:04 That results in these sins that occur. 31:07 That results in our condemnation. 31:08 Even if we did nothing wrong, 31:10 and there's nobody who's done nothing wrong, 31:12 but even if we did nothing atrocious it is the nature 31:15 that we have that has to be put to death, 31:17 the nature that condemns us, not just our acts. 31:20 You know even as a Christian though, 31:22 I find the battle that I have 31:26 is not recognizing the sin that I have. 31:31 I'm not a murderer, don't steal, don't lie, 31:35 you know, strict adherence, 31:37 you know, as far the Ten Commandments are concerned, 31:39 but when Jesus came He really elevated, 31:41 He raised the bar 31:43 as to what expectations were of Christians, to be like Him. 31:47 I mean, He was perfect. 31:48 So, you know, we can get our little things 31:51 that we begin to do 31:52 and we can get so kind of, we can rationalize 31:54 what we're doing is not really wrong. 31:58 Simple thing, we talked about this in a program 32:01 not too long ago, complaining. 32:05 Do I have the right to complain? 32:08 I mean, do I have the right to complain? 32:10 If, you know, this situation with Angie, two hours, 32:14 I mean, it just doesn't seem fair, does it? 32:17 She has the right to complain. That's not fair. 32:23 But the Bible says do all things 32:24 without murmuring and complaining. 32:28 Being critical of somebody else, 32:31 getting angry at somebody for doing something. 32:34 These things we kind of rationalize, they're okay, 32:37 'cause we have the right to do that. 32:39 But look at Jesus. 32:40 Did He have the right to come down off that cross? 32:47 Did He have the right to respond and retaliate 32:50 for those who were beating Him 32:52 and whipping Him and spitting on Him? 32:53 Did he have the right to do those things? 32:55 Yeah. Absolutely. 32:57 But he didn't, because it was in his nature. 33:00 He laid any of those rights aside. 33:03 And we as sinners, we like to exercise this right. 33:07 I have this--my dad was a very wise man 33:10 and he loved words and language 33:13 and deep thought kind of articles and stuff. 33:17 And he would bring stuff in front of me. 33:19 And he had this moment just he brought to me 33:20 that was very influential in my approach to life in general. 33:25 And it was an article and I still have it today. 33:28 An article called "The Justice Trap." 33:31 And what it essentially was saying, 33:32 the author was suggesting here that we in America 33:35 and the world in general are caught in this justice trap. 33:40 Well, it's not fair. And we want to exercise. 33:44 We want to assert our rights. 33:45 We want to make things fair. 33:47 And the conclusion is really 33:48 that the world is not a fair place. 33:50 True. It's not. 33:52 And the justice trap, the trap part about it is that 33:55 when we have this mentality that it's not fair 33:57 and we need to exercise our right or assert, 33:59 you know, get justice, when we fall into that trap, 34:03 we can never be satisfied with life, 34:06 because life is never fair. 34:08 And because it never will be fair 34:10 we can never be satisfied by the good life. 34:12 But Jesus came that we might have life 34:14 and have it more abundantly. 34:15 And part of that abundant life is recognizing life's not fair, 34:19 we're not good, we're sinners, 34:21 we're caught in a situation that we can't get ourselves out of. 34:24 I need Jesus. That's right. 34:27 And He lifts us out of that 34:29 and gives us the life that He wants us to have. 34:32 And we can argue and talk about, 34:34 oh, it's not fair for us to be condemned and so forth. 34:37 A lot of that comes out of a misunderstanding 34:38 of who God is and what His character really is. 34:41 That's where a lot of that is coming from. 34:43 But I think to a great degree 34:45 we need to realize no good dwells within us. 34:49 Nothing. 34:51 And if we understand that, 34:52 I think a lot less arguing and fighting 34:53 and complaining and disputing 34:55 what happened even within the church 34:57 that happens today 35:00 and we can move forward with His mission 35:01 knowing that we all have our things, 35:03 we all have our issues, but let's still unite together 35:06 and let's do this work that God has given us to do 35:09 which is proclaim the wonderful love of Christ 35:11 that he has for us and this gospel of salvation 35:14 that we have in Him to pick us up from where we are 35:18 and lift us up into high places 35:21 and eventually bring us up into heaven 35:23 and to live with Him for eternity. 35:25 When we understand our condition this topic of justification 35:29 I want to point at a few texts in the Bible 35:31 that really help us understand to see why it's impossible 35:34 for mercy to be extended to us 35:36 without the existence of God's law. 35:38 We talked about this a moment ago. 35:40 And we use analogies. 35:41 It always makes me chuckles when people, 35:45 kind of, say you're a pastor, 35:47 you got a ticket, you know, speeding ticket? 35:50 Do you know anybody who hasn't got a speeding ticket? 35:53 We had one elder in California 35:54 that had never gotten a speeding ticket all of his life. 35:57 And he was coming down between Concord and Antioch, 36:02 there's a pass there that he was coming down that. 36:04 I don't remember. 36:05 You may--you know exactly what I'm talking about. 36:07 But I remember his name right now, it's been so long. 36:10 He was coming down that coast, 36:11 you know, it's really steep and right at the very bottom 36:13 there was a highway patrol that caught him. 36:15 And he said to highway patrolman, 36:17 "I've never gotten a ticket in my life. 36:24 Please don't give me one." 36:26 And he said, "You were speeding." 36:31 And that--I'm sure there are several police officers 36:34 that love to hear that to give. 36:35 He can say in response, 36:37 "I'll be the first person to give you a ticket then," 36:41 Oh, man, I tell you, 36:42 my wife got one many years ago on her birthday. 36:44 My--I had a cast on my left leg. 36:48 She had a doctor's appointment in St. Louis 36:50 and it was her birthday and we were going to St. Louis 36:53 to go to this doctor's appointment, 36:54 then stay out there and celebrate her birthday. 36:56 And she got a ticket 36:58 and she said to that police officer through tears, 37:00 "Please don't give me a ticket. Today is my birthday." 37:02 He said, "Well, then hurry up. 37:04 I don't want to keep you from celebrating. 37:05 Hurry up and give me your license 37:07 so we get this thing done and get over..." 37:09 It didn't really matter. It didn't really matter. 37:12 And I know of a young lady, 37:14 I performed her wedding with her husband. 37:16 She got a ticket on her wedding day. 37:18 She's on the way with her pre-bride dress on. 37:22 She said, "It's my wedding day." 37:23 He said, "Well, then hurry up. 37:25 What time are you getting married? 37:26 I don't want to take..." 37:28 So there's some people-- here's my point. 37:30 This whole thing about justice 37:32 it cannot be abrogated or it cannot be suspended, 37:37 because human nature cries for mercy, you see. 37:41 Proverbs 16:6. 37:45 This is funny. Oh, boy, I tell you. 37:49 Proverbs 16:6, Proverb is a-- 37:51 if you want to get wise-- 37:53 as a matter of fact Dr. Ben Carson said he-- 37:56 growing up he read the Book of Proverb 37:58 so frequently, but here's one. 38:01 Proverbs 16, "In mercy and truth," no, mercy and truth. 38:07 "In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity. 38:13 And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil." 38:17 So you see clearly there two things exist 38:23 in the context of provision for our simple life. 38:28 Two things must abide together. 38:30 Mercy and truth and God's commandments are truth. 38:35 So you ask for mercy 38:37 but it has to be in the hand of the one who is-- 38:40 now it doesn't say the police officers 38:42 or highway patrolmen or whatever category 38:44 they may be in that enforce the law, 38:48 it doesn't say that they are filled with mercy. 38:50 It said they are filled with justice, you see. 38:54 So God would be the one who atones for us, 38:59 but in Him is mercy and also truth. 39:04 Both of those exist together. 39:07 You know and Psalms, book of Psalms elevates this truth, 39:11 this concept of truth. 39:12 Psalm 119:151, "You are near, O, Lord, 39:18 and all Your commandments are truth." Okay. 39:23 Jesus says, "Sanctify them by your truth. 39:26 Your word is truth." 39:30 So we have here clearly God's word, His commandments. 39:36 Everything that we need, that is truth. 39:39 And coupled with them this atonement that's provided, 39:46 thinking about the atonement, 39:49 atonement really is an act of mercy. 39:52 Atonement is broken down with 39:54 basically by three separate words, at-one-ment. Very true. 39:58 It's a bringing together what has been apart. 40:01 And so when we seek mercy from God and He forgives our sin 40:06 He's performing an act of atonement, 40:09 in that He's bringing what is apart together again. 40:13 And Jesus is the one that makes that possible by His death. 40:18 So when we receive Him, then through Him 40:20 we are brought together as one with God. 40:24 That's right and so-- 40:26 And so I mention that though 40:27 because it's part of the justified life. 40:29 It's part of what the justification is 40:31 that we have in Christ is the bringing together as one. 40:35 You know what we're actually doing here today 40:37 for those of you who are listening 40:39 and watching this program, 40:40 we're not talking about just the justification itself. 40:42 We're talking about why there is a need for justification. 40:46 So often we want to arrive at a particular location 40:48 without understanding why we need to arrive there, 40:51 why we need to be there. 40:52 We've talked about the fact that 40:54 none of us is guiltless before God, 40:58 not because we have done these atrocious things. 41:00 Somebody may say, "Well, man, am I that bad?" 41:05 Yeah, we are. 41:07 Not because we've done all these bad things 41:10 but because our wrapping, our packaging is defective. 41:13 That's the best way I can describe it. 41:14 The packaging is the nature of Adam 41:17 which we had no share in. 41:18 We had no share in that. We became inheritors. 41:22 And when you read that text when it says 41:25 visiting the inequity of the father 41:27 unto the children of third and fourth generation, 41:30 that's what happened. 41:31 The inequity of Adam has visited to us. 41:34 We become inheritors of this defaulty, 41:38 this faulty nature. 41:40 Not guilty of his specific sin. Right. 41:44 But the nature of sin now we have inherited. 41:47 And that's why some people say, 41:48 "Man, you're just as hot-headed as your dad." 41:51 We've heard that. Some people say, 41:52 "You're just as kind as your mother," 41:54 or "kind as your father." 41:55 I don't want to make men hot-headed and women kind, 41:57 but sometimes people say, 41:59 "Boy, it just--I could tell you're part of that family 42:02 because everybody I've met 42:04 from that family is really, really rude." 42:06 Those are the nature-- those are the characteristics 42:08 that carry on from generation to generation. 42:11 And so we're not saying that 42:13 you are this terrible bad person, 42:15 that you're sitting in your house 42:16 scheming and conniving. 42:18 We're simply saying the nature that you were born with 42:22 does not qualify you for a different destination. 42:25 That nature can't fit in a different destination. 42:30 You know we've talked-- 42:31 we're talking about the subject of justification 42:33 and it almost seems like 42:34 we've got to go to Romans Chapter 3. 42:37 Because that is probably one of the most profound 42:40 statements of why or how we are found guilty before God, 42:47 but then He bestows or gives us that forgiveness 42:50 that we have through Christ. Amen. 42:52 And so I'm gonna start with Romans 3:19. Okay. 42:56 "Now we know that whatever the law says 42:59 it says to those who are under the law, 43:01 that every mouth may be stopped, 43:03 and all the world may become guilty before God." 43:06 That's right. 43:07 So the law, the Ten Commandments 43:08 reveals the perfect character of Christ. 43:11 It reveals God's authority, who He is, His perfection. 43:16 And when we see that law we realize we're not like that. 43:19 We become guilty before God, okay. 43:22 Now there's something that law can't do though 43:26 and that's where we get to in verse 20, 43:28 "Therefore by the deeds of the law," 43:31 in another words just by beginning to do it, 43:33 "no flesh will be justified in the sight of God, 43:37 for by the law is the knowledge of sin." 43:40 So it is true that the law cannot do anything to save us. 43:45 That is something that we agree 43:46 with our evangelical brethren on. Right. 43:49 The law cannot save us. 43:51 Just realizing you're guilty and saying, 43:52 "Okay, if I stop performing it now 43:54 or start performing it now 43:56 then I can work my way back to God 43:58 and I will be found in favor with Him." 44:01 But we've already broken it. 44:03 What's gonna happen with all the sins, 44:05 all the things we've done to break the law in the past? 44:07 Well, that's where Jesus comes in. 44:09 So we go a little further now. 44:11 Verse 21, "But now the righteousness of God 44:13 apart from the law," and there was something 44:15 other than the law had to come in 44:18 "had to be revealed to help us." 44:22 That is verse 22, "Even the righteousness of God 44:25 through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. 44:30 For there is no difference, for all." 44:32 How many is that? All. Everyone. 44:35 "All have sinned and fall short of the glory to God." 44:38 We all need this intervening, this revealing of Christ 44:42 apart from what the law could do to save us. 44:46 Verse 24, "Being justified freely by His grace 44:51 through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" 44:54 In another words Jesus saves us by His grace not the law. 44:58 The law can't save us. 44:59 The law condemns us in that we do not measure up. 45:03 And I like the fact, I want to just amplify this verse here 45:07 because when I look at Romans 3, 45:08 this Romans is a deep book, 45:11 but if you go back a few verses to verse 10 45:14 and the reason why this is so beautiful here is 45:16 because of what the stage had been-- 45:17 how the stage had been set in Romans 3:10, 45:20 "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. 45:26 There is none who understands, 45:28 there is none who seeks after God. 45:31 They have all gone out of the way, 45:34 they have together become unprofitable, 45:37 there is none who does good, no, not one." 45:41 So unless we come to that conclusion 45:44 this thing that God extends to us and this is beautiful. 45:47 This is where the good news comes in. 45:49 It says "we have been"--verse 24, 45:51 you read that "being justified freely." 45:54 We look at that and say, "Man, free. 45:56 Salvation is free." To you-- 46:00 Not to God. But not to God. 46:02 It caused Him everything. He paid the price. 46:06 Peter says, "We are not redeemed 46:08 with corruptible things like gold and silver 46:10 but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless lamb." 46:15 He didn't just take out His credit card and swipe it. 46:18 He gave His life on the chopping block. 46:21 He said, "Life for life" and what's so beautiful about life 46:25 is that Jesus, that one life 46:27 can save the lives of every humanity. 46:30 That's how wealthy that one life is. 46:32 Do you know of anyone who has enough money to pay 46:36 for everybody who has ever lived to go on a trip to heaven? 46:40 I thought about it that way one day and I almost stopped. 46:44 I almost froze 46:46 because I don't know of anybody who has enough money to pay-- 46:49 okay, let me put it this way, 46:51 number of years ago Oprah Winfrey 46:54 and this everybody in the studio that day she said, 46:56 "Everybody in here today is going to Australia" 46:58 and they went nuts. 47:01 She paid for everybody 47:03 and their family members to go to Australia. 47:06 She charted, I think two 747s. Wow. 47:11 That's some deep pocket. Yeah. 47:13 I mean, I can't even buy a dinner for everybody. 47:17 I can't go to Australia. 47:20 I mean, we couldn't-- 47:22 we don't have the money in our own pockets 47:24 to pay for us to go to Australia, 47:25 let alone charter two planes 47:27 and pay for all their family members 47:29 to go to Australia. 47:31 That was huge and we were sitting there, it's like, 47:32 "uh, why can't I be in the audience that day?" 47:35 But then I think of Jesus. 47:38 See this is a topic that is just so exciting to me, to us. 47:41 We think of Jesus who says, "Hey, guys, guess what? 47:44 I can pay for everyone and their family to go to heaven." 47:49 And I'm thinking, "man, a lot of Oprah, 47:52 you just got played. 47:54 Oprah, you don't have any money. 47:56 Let me introduce you to somebody 47:57 who really can pay and who has paid it all." 48:01 It's just so humbling. 48:03 So when it says, "We've been justified freely by His grace," 48:07 we're talking about that grace, 48:09 "through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." 48:11 We're talking about something 48:13 that is so powerful, it leads right in. 48:16 And I don't know how many verses you're going down. 48:18 Keep reading on. Are you going down to verse 27? 48:20 Yeah. Verse 28? 48:22 Go ahead. 28, yes. Keep going. 48:24 "Whom God set forth"-- 48:26 That's in verse 25, keep going. 48:28 "As a propitiation by His blood, 48:30 through faith to demonstrate His righteousness, 48:33 because in His forbearance God had passed over 48:37 the sins that were previously committed." 48:40 Stop and break that down. 48:43 He passes over previously committed sins. That's right. 48:47 So if you sinned in the past and you accept Jesus. 48:51 He's passed over them. 48:53 Pass over, get it? That's right. 48:55 He does not allow destruction to come to us, 48:58 because His blood causes destruction to pass over. 49:02 Ooh, that's deep. And what else does He do? 49:06 Verse 26. 49:07 "To demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, 49:10 that He might be just and the justifier 49:14 of the one who has faith in Jesus." 49:18 And verse 27, I got it, "Where is boasting then?" 49:23 That's the way he--so what are you boasting about? 49:26 It's almost like-- Nothing you can do. 49:28 There's nothing about you. It's not about you. 49:30 It's nothing you can do. Right. 49:31 So what do you have to boast about? 49:33 Tell me that you've done that you can boast about? 49:36 That's what Paul is in essence saying. 49:37 So tell me who you're boasting? 49:39 What are you boasting about? 49:40 He says, "Where is boasting then? 49:44 It is excluded. By what law? Of works? 49:48 No, by the law of faith." 49:51 How many have heard of the law of faith? 49:53 The law of faith is demonstrated in the very next passage. 49:57 "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified 50:01 by faith apart from the deeds of the law." 50:07 The law faith is justification. 50:10 Just as if I had never sinned. 50:12 Justified. That's right. 50:14 It's just powerful. So the Lord is saying you-- 50:17 that's the law that you can never get rid of 50:20 because justification doesn't get 50:23 rid of the commandments of God 50:24 nor did justification get rid of the ceremonial law. 50:28 Sometimes people say which law do we get rid of? 50:31 Even if both of them were in force still today, 50:34 we still need justification through the life of Christ. 50:37 In fact verse 31 says, 50:38 "Do we then make void the law through faith? 50:40 Certainly not! Exclamation point. 50:43 On the contrary, we establish the law." That's right. 50:48 If you by faith believe and trust in Jesus 50:51 as your Lord and Savior 50:52 who has died and paid the penalty for your sins 50:55 you have established the authority of God's law. 51:00 Because the authority of God's law is still in effect. 51:02 It is still in place and condemns us 51:04 as a sinner in need of God's grace. 51:09 So grace and law are together. 51:13 It's not law or grace. 51:15 It's not Old Testament law, New Testament grace. 51:18 It's both testaments law and grace together. 51:22 That is what Paul is saying and so anything outside of that-- 51:27 if you're pastor or you're, you know, school teacher 51:31 or you're church teacher, 51:34 whoever is teaching that the law was done away with by Christ, 51:38 he is completely contrary to what we just read, 51:41 that the law is established by the faith we have in Jesus. 51:44 In fact Revelation 14:12. John, I'm there. 51:48 Oh, we do think alike sometimes. Go ahead. 51:51 "Here is the patience of the saints. 51:53 Here are those who keep the commandments of God, 51:58 and the faith of Jesus." 52:01 Law and faith, together. 52:04 Saved by grace through faith, 52:06 but do we make void the law though faith? Uh-uh. 52:10 You establish it. 52:11 This is the amazing part about it 52:12 and I want to emphasize this. 52:14 People have said over and over and I've heard pastors say this, 52:18 but what they are meaning is something quite different 52:20 than what the Bible is meaning. 52:21 They say, "You can't be saved by keeping the law therefore," 52:26 they're saying, "don't try to keep it." 52:29 The first part of statement is accurate, 52:31 the second part is not a conclusion 52:33 supported by Scripture. 52:34 And I've got statements here. 52:37 We read a question the other day. 52:39 You know, we don't--we are not against the Old Testament 52:41 and we're not saying there's anything 52:43 wrong with the law 52:44 but we don't have to keep it to be saved. 52:47 That was the problem with that statement 52:48 and that's exactly what you're reiterating. 52:51 The law of God doesn't save us. 52:52 It points out our need of a Savior. 52:55 But once you have that Savior, 52:56 you can't be saved without living in harmony with that law. 52:59 Thank you. Because they are together. 53:01 The law can't save you. You can't keep it to be saved. 53:04 We can't say this enough, but when you are saved 53:07 you don't live out of harmony with it. 53:10 I like the way John Carter said, he says, 53:12 "You don't have to be good to be saved. 53:15 You have to be saved to be good." 53:17 I like that. Isn't that powerful? 53:19 That's good. Everybody went, whoa. 53:22 When you are saved you are good, 53:24 the law is holy and just and good. 53:29 When you are saved you are good. 53:31 You cannot be good 53:32 and be out of harmony with something that is good. 53:34 And what he's really saying is when you are saved 53:37 God makes you a keeper of His law. 53:40 Your life, they say you want to see the commandments of God? 53:43 There it is. That person's living in harmony. 53:45 Wait a minute. Profound thought. 53:47 If you love me, keep my commandments. 53:50 The only way to get the commandments first 53:52 is through Christ. That's right. 53:53 The relationship has to be established first. 53:56 So when He says keep, 53:58 He's implying you've already received those commandments 54:01 through what Christ has done for you. That's right. 54:03 So He's asking you to keep something, not perform it, 54:06 to do it, to attain it. 54:08 He didn't say attain my commandments. 54:09 That's right. He said keep them. 54:13 He didn't say perform my commandments. 54:14 No. That's right. 54:15 You're keeping what God has given you 54:17 through faith in Christ. Wow. 54:20 So you are keeping something that only He can give you. 54:23 So if you have-- you don't have Jesus yet, 54:25 there's no keeping, 'cause you don't have them. 54:28 Once you have Jesus then there's keeping the commandments, 54:30 because you've got Jesus and His laws. 54:32 Wow, it's like receiving the garment. 54:34 Blessed is he that keepth his garment 54:36 not he that maketh his garment. That's right. 54:38 Not he that designth his garment. 54:40 I've just given you a garment, keep it. That's right. 54:43 I've just-- now you are one 54:45 that I can entrust my law to keep it. 54:48 Just like He gave Moses the commandments, keep them. 54:52 Oh, that's a deep thought. That's a very deep thought. 54:54 Never thought of it that way but that's-- 54:56 That's the evidence of inspiration. 54:59 The Lord, when He comes to us, 55:02 the provision He makes is not something that is shoddy. 55:06 He doesn't require of us to put something together now 55:09 to harness our relationship 55:11 or govern and guide our relationship with Him. 55:14 He says, "I already have the guidelines. 55:17 Here they are now." 55:18 And you know, John, let me add to that. 55:20 This is beautiful. 55:21 This is beautiful, praise God for that. 55:23 He's in essence saying, okay, 55:25 "Up until this point--" 55:27 I'm gonna just make this obscure. 55:28 I don't want the title of this to be seen. 55:31 He said, "Up until this point I could not trust you with this 55:38 because you would have violated them to no end 55:42 but now that I've saved you 55:45 here's my commandments." 55:46 Keep them. "Keep them." 55:49 And you accept them. 55:51 And you say, "You mean, you're giving this to me?" 55:56 I can live like this. 55:57 You mean--yeah, because that's your life. 56:00 You are not out of harmony with any of the-- 56:02 you mean, I'm actually living in harmony with this? 56:05 That's what Isaiah 8:16 says. 56:08 Go to Isaiah 8:16 before our time slips away. 56:10 You see, friends, the beauty of the justified life 56:13 is the Lord couldn't even give us His law. 56:16 He couldn't even give it to us. 56:18 Although it's in authority. Right. 56:20 But we don't have it yet. 56:22 It's only condemning us from afar. 56:23 Well, get the point, He gave it to Moses. 56:26 When did it get broken? 56:28 Because of the transgression of the people. 56:30 It didn't get broken in Moses' hands. 56:32 Isaiah 8:16. Okay. Is that powerful? 56:36 Yeah, it's all working. The Lord is working. 56:38 "Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples." 56:43 Wow. We're talking about the sealing. 56:45 Where is the law sealed? Among His disciples. 56:50 Because He gave it to us. Notice-- 56:52 How is it sealed? In our minds, in our hearts. 56:54 Ezekiel, "I will put my laws within them 56:57 and cause them to walk in my statues and do them." 57:02 And, John, when you think about that, 57:03 the doing of His law, how can we do that 57:05 because it's in our heart, in our lives? 57:08 There's no other way that we can do them 57:10 except He seals them in among us. 57:14 That's powerful. It's a powerful thought. 57:16 So when you think about that, friends, here at "House Calls," 57:18 I mean, we're so excited about this topic 57:19 because the Lord wants to do so much in our lives 57:23 but we have to give Him the permission. 57:24 So today, let me encourage you, 57:27 ask the Lord to come in, justify and change you life. 57:30 And by the way, have a great day in Christ. |
Revised 2014-12-17