Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW200016S
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00:02 I want to spend my life
00:08 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:35 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello, friends, welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:11 It's Friday night's family worship. 01:14 And guess what? 01:15 I have my better half 01:17 which makes me the fortunate half. 01:18 Good to have you with me, honey. 01:20 I'm so excited to be here. 01:21 Happy Sabbath, everyone. That's right. 01:23 It's going to be a wonderful program, 01:25 isn't it, honey? 01:26 That's right. 01:27 You know actually this program came into fruition 01:31 based on my wife's recommendation. 01:32 We'd like to read a lot together 01:34 in our own personal devotion together in the morning, 01:37 in the evening, 01:38 about three different things we do, 01:40 reading the Bible reading this book, 01:41 another book, and actually four, 01:43 and depending on the day, 01:45 we sometimes go through all of them 01:46 like on Sundays, 01:48 other days different ones, but this topic, 01:50 the topic is restorative grace. 01:54 Now I know you've heard about grace before, 01:56 but restorative grace, 01:59 and we're going to talk about that, 02:01 we're going to first introduce our guest today. 02:03 And then my wife is going to kind of give 02:05 a little excerpt from the book she's reading 02:07 that kind of explains in a chorus way 02:11 what restorative grace is. 02:13 Now everybody knows 02:14 that grace is the means by which we are saved, 02:18 by grace through faith in Christ alone. 02:20 We know that, but today, 02:22 we're going to take grace from the justification level 02:24 to the sanctification level, a step further. 02:26 Yeah. 02:27 And it really transformed my vision 02:30 of what grace really is. 02:32 Yeah, mine too. 02:33 And it's expanded it, as you said. 02:35 I'm just excited to see how God offers grace to you, 02:40 to us, everyone here have experienced God's grace, 02:44 and we want to share what we have learned with you. 02:47 Okay. 02:48 Well, honey, I'll let you start to your left 02:50 and I'll go to my right. 02:52 Who do we have on our panel today? 02:53 We have here James Rafferty. 02:54 Good to be here. Excited to have you here. 02:57 This is first time 02:58 being part of our familyworship. 03:00 Amen. 03:01 Yes. So where are you lately? 03:03 I'm at home in Oregon with my wife, 03:05 who's doing her master's 03:07 in registered dietitian nutrition 03:09 finishing up 03:11 and we are pastoring there part-time 03:13 and just doing ministry 03:15 and just really feel blessed 03:17 to spend a little bit more time with the family 03:19 and be settled down a little bit, yeah... 03:20 And you've grown children? 03:22 Grown children, my sons... 03:24 One of our son is in, 03:25 one of them's in California, Loma Linda area. 03:28 And he's in a medical field, 03:29 and then our daughter's still at home. 03:32 She's 22, and she is officially a photographer. 03:36 Nice. She has a website. 03:38 She loves photography, 03:39 and she's been doing that quite a bit 03:42 and been a blessing. 03:43 She must be good. Yeah, she's pretty good. 03:45 Yeah. Okay. 03:46 You know, in photography, 03:48 I would say she's in sharper focus... 03:50 Oh! Ooh! 03:51 Like the ministry of 3ABN. 03:53 And to my right is, no stranger, 03:54 Pastor John Dinzey. 03:56 Good to have you here, my brother. 03:57 It's a blessing to be here Pastor John, Angela. 03:59 It's a blessing to be here. 04:01 And family worship is such a wonderful program 04:04 that unites us with the extended family 04:06 beyond the cameras. 04:07 That's right. That's right. 04:09 And tonight's topic 04:10 is going to be one that I believe, 04:12 I would encourage right now if you could do that, 04:14 hit record 04:15 because I know we're going to talk 04:16 about things under God's guidance 04:18 that may be a part of our script, 04:19 that may be just simply guiding us 04:22 by the Holy Spirit. 04:23 But before we go any further, honey, 04:24 would you have a prayer for us? 04:26 Sure. Let's bow our heads. 04:27 Our gracious Heavenly Father, 04:30 we are so privileged and honored 04:33 to come to You tonight. 04:35 To give You praise, honor, and glory, 04:37 for You alone are worthy. 04:39 Thank You for this opportunity 04:41 as we as Your people that can get together 04:45 and gather around this table and many people are at home, 04:49 around their couches in their living rooms, 04:52 gathering around worshiping with us. 04:54 We pray and ask for Your Holy Spirit 04:56 to come and fill us, 04:58 empty us of self and fill us with Your sweet spirit. 05:03 And, Lord, we will be careful to give You the praise, 05:06 the honor, and the glory for You are worthy, 05:09 in Jesus name, amen. 05:11 Amen. Thank you, honey. 05:13 Thank you. 05:14 Now if you have been married for any length of time 05:17 as we have, how many years now, honey? 05:19 Thirty-seven. You're whispering. 05:21 Oh, okay. How many? 05:23 'Cause I can't believe it's been that long, 37, 05:26 I told you, I said, don't tell people 05:28 how long we've been married anymore, 05:29 it makes us seem old. 05:31 We got married at 10 years old, 05:32 only marriage in the world at 10 years old. 05:35 Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. 05:37 But we've enjoyed 05:38 and if you have been around one person any length of time 05:41 with family members or friends or people 05:43 you're very well acquainted with, 05:44 you know that you have needed grace 05:46 and they have needed grace. 05:48 Yes, yes. 05:49 And, you know, in 1 Corinthians 15:22, 05:51 the Bible says, verse 22, 05:53 "As in Adam all die, 05:55 even so in Christ all shall be made alive." 05:58 And everyone born into the world, 06:00 all have sinned and fallen short 06:02 of the glory of God. 06:03 We are all sinners by nature, our birth. 06:07 How do you get from being broken 06:10 to being whole, 06:11 and in some cases, 06:13 people have been broken 06:14 after they were in the process of being whole, 06:17 and they have to be restored. 06:19 So we're going to talk about that tonight. 06:21 And I'm so glad that we have a panel here. 06:23 But, honey, just read an excerpt 06:24 from this book 06:26 that the Lord has blessed you with. 06:27 Sure. 06:28 And I think it's really important 06:30 to just lay the foundation 06:31 on what restorative grace is all about. 06:32 Okay, just a short paragraph, just about restorative grace, 06:34 as you mentioned. 06:36 "And this kind of grace comes to a broken world person 06:40 who comes to insight 06:42 and acknowledges misbehavior in attitude or deed. 06:47 Restorative Grace is God's action 06:50 to forgive the misbehavior 06:53 and to draw the broken world person 06:56 back toward wholeness and usefulness again." 07:00 Wow. 07:02 So brokenness, 07:04 and I think that we talked about this prior to the set. 07:07 And one of our panelists will use that example 07:10 that we used about a house, 07:12 how many people have seen broken down houses. 07:15 And Pastor Rafferty, 07:16 you know, when we talked about that 07:18 before the program you thought, 07:19 "Wow, what an example that really brings into view." 07:22 One of our favorite programs is the house hunt. 07:24 Yeah, HGTV House Hunters 07:27 and how they fix and restore these houses. 07:30 And it looks so awful when you look at it. 07:33 It's like, "How could they get something out of this? 07:36 And what, voila when they're done, we're like, 07:38 "Ah, we want to clean up our house. 07:40 when we done." 07:42 We want to tear down this living room and, you know, 07:45 just restore everything. 07:47 And what amazes us as people look at that, 07:49 and they say, you know, they look at this house 07:51 they buy for like $5,000 it's just a, it's a mess. 07:55 But they say it has bones, we could work with it. 07:57 It has good bones 07:59 and they walk into and on the inside is a mess, 08:02 just, you know, rotten things on the outside 08:06 and then 55 minutes later, 08:09 when they unveil the house, we say, "Wow." 08:11 Almost like that show, Move That Bus! 08:13 and try to look at it was like,"What?" 08:16 And so with that with that example, 08:19 that's how the Lord sees us. 08:21 We come, the Lord sees us like a house 08:25 that the devil just says, "Tear it down." 08:28 And the Lord says, "No, 08:30 I could fix it up on the inside and on the outside." 08:34 And that's what our program is about today. 08:35 And I know if you're watching and you're maybe in the process 08:37 of feeling broken, 08:39 and you might be saying, "Well, 08:41 how can that make a difference for me?" 08:42 Stay with us, 08:43 we're going to walk through first 08:45 the definitions of grace 08:46 and then we're going to go ahead and build 08:47 on restorative grace. 08:49 And so I'm going to just start with a... 08:50 Pastor Rafferty, 08:52 let's start with one of those very, very famous passages, 08:55 Ephesians 2:8, 9 08:59 and then we'll spend a little time on that 09:01 because, Pastor Dinzey, you know, that's the... 09:03 When people say what is grace? 09:05 It's like what is sin? The transgression of the law. 09:08 You know, what is faith? 09:09 The substance of things hoped for. 09:11 We have those... 09:12 Those are scriptures, 09:13 but the cliche response 09:15 must begin with this one and then we're going to begin 09:16 to build on that. 09:17 God is great. 09:19 All right, Ephesians 2:8, 9. 09:22 It says, "For by grace you are saved through faith, 09:25 and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, 09:28 not of works, lest any man should boast." 09:31 Okay, so give us some example, 09:33 amplify that for us this kind of grace. 09:36 I really loved 09:37 what you were saying about the house 09:39 because I was actually helping my friend work on this house. 09:41 He purchased this house. 09:43 He and I have been working together 09:45 for a while in ministry. 09:47 He was in a Rice grad. 09:48 That's a school we were doing, 09:50 and he ended up becoming an intern. 09:53 So we... 09:54 I mentored him for a couple of years, 09:55 but he's a contractor by trade, 09:57 and he helped actually redo 09:59 my father-in-law's house in California. 10:01 We went down there for a few trips 10:03 and redid that house and opened it up. 10:05 It was one of those here's one room, 10:06 here's another room here's the kitchen 10:08 and we just he just opened it up 10:09 and put these beams across and just, oh, 10:11 it was so beautiful. 10:12 And that house had bones. 10:14 The house he's working on now 10:15 almost... 10:17 Sometimes I get the idea that he regrets it a little bit 10:20 because we went, 10:21 and I helped him again demo it 10:23 and get all of the... 10:25 You know, it didn't have Sheetrock, 10:26 it was old enough. 10:27 It was, I think, in 1924. 10:29 So really old house with the rope windows, 10:32 you know, the weight rope windows 10:33 and the old plaster instead of the Sheetrock, 10:38 which is really hard to get off with the netting 10:40 and all the boards. 10:41 And as we demoed that thing, you know, 10:43 he found a lot of things inside, 10:44 and I think that's how it is with us 10:46 and God, you know, God has purchased... 10:48 You know, He purchased the house. 10:50 That's right. 10:51 And you start demoing the house, 10:53 you start finding things, 10:54 and I think we start seeing things 10:56 sometimes in our characters and our natures, you know, 10:58 they're really difficult, 10:59 but he thought 11:00 he was going to be done by now, 11:02 like the end of June, he was going to be done. 11:03 And, you know, he's hoping to be done 11:04 by the end of the year because it just takes time. 11:07 Sometimes it takes time to work through the floor 11:10 and the walls and get them straightened out 11:12 and try to get a straight corner somewhere 11:14 where everything's kind of square, 11:16 and he said, "You know, 11:17 it would have been faster for me to start from scratch." 11:20 And God could have done that, 11:21 you know, He could have wiped us out 11:23 and He could have just started all over again. 11:25 No one would have known but Him. 11:28 Wow, wow. 11:29 And He couldn't do that, 11:31 you know, because that would have been 11:32 a denial of who he is. 11:33 So he purchased us, I love that, He purchased us. 11:36 I love the first verse. 11:37 I mean, not the first verse, 11:38 but the first mention of grace in Ephesians 2:5, 11:42 "When we were dead in sins, 11:44 he quickened us together with Christ, 11:45 by grace, you're saved." 11:47 So this house is dead. 11:48 I mean, it is dead like it is a 1924 dead house. 11:52 And John is just, you know, God, 11:55 His name is John DioAnn, and he's got the tools, 11:59 God has given him the wisdom and the ability to do this. 12:01 And I think when we look at that illustration, 12:03 we see God and He's got the tools 12:05 and He's got the wisdom and He's got the grace 12:08 to do for us 12:09 what John is doing with that house 12:10 and deal with all the surprises. 12:12 Wow. 12:13 You know, honey, sometimes people look dead, 12:14 like, there's no hope. 12:16 And I like that illustration. 12:17 It just looks like just get rid of it. 12:20 But the Lord looks at it and says, "Wow, no, 12:22 I don't see him the way you see him." 12:26 Okay. 12:27 It's like my plant, remember years ago, 12:29 I had a little old... 12:31 Stem. 12:33 A stem, you know, 12:34 you're into replanting pineapples 12:36 and things like that. 12:38 He says, Caribbean people, we love our little... 12:41 Anyway, I had a little stem of a plant. 12:43 Irritating stem. 12:45 And it just had a little root. 12:47 And you were in the kitchen 12:49 and you went in there and said, 12:50 "Oh, man, throw this out." 12:52 I said, "Don't throw it out!" 12:53 She said, "Don't throw out my plant." 12:55 My plant. 12:56 And I looked at this thing, 12:58 it looked like a green stem that lost its way 13:02 trying to find the rest of the plant. 13:04 And I thought, "Honey..." 13:05 It was a white plastic cup with a little bit of water 13:08 and it was just hanging over the edge like, 13:09 "I'm tired. I just want to die. 13:11 Please let me die, don't keep me awake." 13:13 And I said "Honey, 13:14 what are you going to do with this?" 13:15 I took care of that plant. 13:17 I watered it. 13:18 Next thing you know, roots started coming in. 13:20 It looked real lame, but it was so pretty. 13:23 Little leafy looking thing 13:25 and it was just limp and the next thing you know, 13:27 it started perking up, and I put it in the sunshine, 13:30 and it started looking nice. 13:32 And another little leaf started growing 13:34 and another one, another one. 13:36 And next thing you know, 13:37 I put it in a pot, potted plant. 13:40 I put it in dirt and in the pot and mix. 13:43 What happened? 13:44 About six months later... 13:45 It was beautiful. She gave it away. 13:47 I gave it away as a gift to someone that got married, 13:49 and it was absolutely gorgeous. 13:52 The one you wanted to throw out. 13:55 And she said, "See, 13:57 what you see and what I saw are not the same." 13:59 Exactly, it's not the same. 14:01 That's right. 14:02 I would like to add something to restoring the house idea 14:06 because, you know, as you were talking, 14:07 it made me think of what God does inside, 14:11 you know, the people watching, passing by, 14:13 they don't know what's going on inside the house. 14:16 All the work that's been done to restore the walls, 14:19 tear down things. 14:20 And when the house is done, it's just beautiful. 14:24 You know, in Israel, 14:26 they told us about the buildings, 14:28 they want to maintain this old look. 14:31 And there's this one architect 14:33 that went to the government says, 14:35 "I need to build something, and I can't get in 14:37 and do the things I need to do." 14:39 And he says, "No, you need to maintain that." 14:40 So he somehow convinced them 14:43 that he could put everything back the way it was. 14:47 And he put numbers and things 14:50 on each and every piece of stone or brick. 14:54 And so then he took everything down and rebuilt, 14:58 built something beautiful inside, 15:00 and then put everything back outside. 15:02 So God does the work inside of us 15:05 that people don't know, 15:06 but it's reflected on the outside, 15:08 you know, your demeanor changes, 15:10 you know, the same angry, you know, jealous 15:12 or whatever it was that you had, 15:14 and this work inside that God does, 15:18 us in cooperation with him, 15:20 and we praise the Lord 15:22 because it says that, 15:23 "He who has begun a good work in us 15:26 will complete it." 15:28 And so we need to cooperate with Him 15:29 so that that can happen. 15:32 I'm glad you mentioned that 15:33 because that's what we're talking about here. 15:36 There's a work it starts on the inside first 15:38 because what starts on the inside 15:39 is eventually going to manifest itself on the outside. 15:43 Woman at first is pregnant internally 15:45 before it starts showing up externally. 15:47 And if Christ is being born in you, 15:49 the process that's happening inside 15:51 will eventually manifest itself outside. 15:53 But I want to also point out now, 15:55 and sometimes people might be listening 15:57 to the program and say, 15:58 "Well, I don't think that they are worthy of grace. 16:00 I mean, what they have done 16:01 is just not really worthy of grace." 16:03 I think what we need to do now 16:05 is remind if that is a mindset 16:08 that's existing maybe in the mind of a person 16:09 who's watching the program, 16:11 we have to square it away 16:13 and help you understand 16:14 that what we're talking about 16:16 is what you have already received. 16:18 Let's look at the second text. 16:20 Titus 2, honey, verse 11, 12. 16:22 Read that for us. 16:24 This lets you know that... 16:26 Well, I'll let the text speak for itself. 16:29 Titus 2:8, 9, right? 16:32 No versus 11 and 12, no. Titus 2: 11, 12. 16:36 "For the grace of God that brings salvation 16:39 has appeared to all men, 16:41 teaching us that denying ungodliness 16:44 and worldly lusts, 16:47 we should live soberly, righteously, 16:49 and godly in the present age." 16:51 Okay, now what did that text say about grace? 16:54 Let me throw it to my panelists here. 16:55 What did you hear in that verse 16:57 about the grace of God that brings salvation? 16:59 What else does it bring? 17:01 What else does it bring with it? 17:03 Oh, tremendous blessings. 17:05 Okay. 17:07 But what else did he say it brought with it? 17:08 Live soberly... 17:10 Teaching. Okay. 17:11 Teaching us how to live in this world in a godly way, 17:14 in a way that is opposite of worldly lusts. 17:20 It's a way that's sober, that's righteous, 17:25 and it's now. 17:26 So and this comes to every man. 17:28 I really believe this verse is applicable to every person. 17:31 I believe that there are even people 17:33 who don't realize 17:34 that they're being influenced by grace. 17:36 Sometimes we think of people that aren't religious. 17:39 "Oh, that's a good person. 17:41 They're not religious, but they're a good person." 17:42 Well, they're a good person because grace, 17:44 the grace of God envelops the air we breathe, 17:47 and the influence of the Spirit of God 17:49 works upon every human being. 17:50 And I think whenever someone does 17:52 something good, 17:53 it's because the grace of God is influencing them. 17:55 I believe that's what this verse is saying. 17:57 But sometimes I think what we do is we stop, 18:00 you know, with our goodness, if you will. 18:04 And we think, "Well, yeah, I'm a good person. 18:06 So I don't really need God, I don't really need religion." 18:08 But I think what this verse is saying 18:10 is the grace of God that comes to you, 18:12 that leads you to do that good thing 18:14 is wanting to continue 18:16 and to actually influence and impact you, 18:19 and lead you to live a more godly life 18:21 and a more sober life 18:23 and to live more righteously in this present world. 18:26 Don't just stop with that good deed 18:28 of helping that person 18:30 or doing this or doing that and think, 18:31 "Oh, I'm a good person," 18:32 you know, allow the grace of God 18:34 to continue to mold you and to influence you 18:36 and impact your life. 18:38 Right. 18:39 And then now the passage pointed out 18:42 that every one of us has received grace. 18:44 Yes. 18:45 Have you received grace, honey? 18:47 Oh, absolutely. Yes. 18:49 Okay, we all agree 18:50 we have all received grace, but... 18:52 And we need to extend grace. Right. 18:54 And we're going to go there in just a minute, extending, 18:56 and this is powerful, 18:58 but it says the grace that God gives you, 19:00 it's not just says, "Okay, I forgive you." 19:02 But it says, "I want to teach you now 19:04 how to take that grace," 19:06 as Paul says, I think it's in Romans 60 says, 19:09 "Do we continue in sin that grace may abound?" 19:12 And the answer of that is... 19:14 God forbid. God forbid, certainly not. 19:17 So don't just say, "God saved me." 19:19 He doesn't just want to save us or buy the house, 19:22 as a great example we're going to continue with, 19:24 He doesn't just want to buy the house, 19:26 but He wants to restore it. 19:27 And in our lives, restoration means teaching us. 19:31 That's the teaching process that's continual. 19:33 And we've been talking about that. 19:37 You know, that book you have 19:39 talks about some great examples. 19:40 The one that I really appreciate 19:42 was the young lady who bought her mom, 19:45 you know... 19:46 Look for that. 19:48 I want you to share that in a minute. 19:49 But while you're looking for that, 19:50 Pastor Dinzey. 19:52 Yes. 19:53 You know, this 2 Timothy... 19:54 I mean, Titus 2:11, 12, 19:57 it talks about the way things are in the world as well 20:01 because it's saying denying ungodliness. 20:03 Is that in the world? Yes. 20:04 Worldly lust, is that in the world? 20:06 Yes. 20:07 And it says that we should live soberly, 20:08 righteously and godly in the present age. 20:12 In other words, 20:13 God is calling us to live differently 20:14 than what the world is living. 20:17 You know, one of the things that happens to people, 20:19 I remember one time when... 20:21 Actually first time I went to Cuba, 20:24 there was a... 20:26 We were all there in a group and somebody said, 20:29 "Well, everybody steals in Cuba." 20:32 And I said, "Oh, really?" 20:34 And he was shocked. 20:36 "Well, it's tough living here, you know?" 20:39 And so I ran into other people that said, 20:43 "God takes care of us." 20:45 Now are these people stealing? No. 20:47 They saw that God supplies our needs. 20:50 But this person 20:52 apparently had come to the realization that, 20:54 "Okay, in order for me to survive, 20:56 I have to steal." 20:57 But that was not the case with the other people 20:58 that they saw God supplying their needs. 21:01 And so when we are in the world, 21:05 there's a danger 21:07 that we can become like the world. 21:10 And so wherever we are, 21:12 we are to let our light, so shine 21:14 that they may see our good works 21:15 and glorify God, 21:18 our Heavenly Father, 21:19 from whom comes all these good works 21:21 and things that we do. 21:23 So yes, the grace of God makes this happen. 21:28 It's a power that God gives us 21:32 and it's a marvelous thing that can take place, 21:35 God transforming a person that... 21:38 "Wait a minute, 21:40 weren't you that person that was, 21:41 you know, wicked, and evil or drunk?" 21:44 But God transforms people, and He's still doing that. 21:47 And this teaching part is transformed 21:49 by the renewing of your mind. 21:51 He's teaching you mentally 21:53 that you don't have to be that same person anymore. 21:55 That's why what I like about the Bible, you've seen... 21:59 Okay, go ahead, honey. 22:00 You can finish your thought. That's why... 22:02 I see you percolating it. 22:04 That's what I like in the Bible, 22:05 when the Lord changes people, 22:07 you find He also gives them a status 22:09 where the anonymity now exists. 22:12 Saul, Paul now, okay? 22:15 And we're going to all have a new name in the kingdom. 22:17 What's on your mind? 22:20 So much. Okay. 22:22 I was talking about... 22:23 I was thinking 22:24 if someone in the church falls and make a terrible fall, 22:27 a moral fall 22:29 that the Lord could restore that person. 22:31 We may not see them as... 22:34 We do not see them as God sees them, 22:37 but God restores that person, gives them a new life, 22:40 a new heart, 22:42 and we can't look at them the same. 22:44 We have to go by scripture. 22:46 You know, the Lord changes the person. 22:49 They are not the old person, they've become new, 22:52 all things are new, 22:53 so you don't have to be someone 22:54 that's out there and come back in the church. 22:56 Sometimes it's in the church that, you know, 22:59 you fall from grace, and the Lord restores you. 23:02 You look at that life 23:04 and you see how that person is today. 23:06 That's right. It's beautiful. 23:08 I love that illustration that you brought up earlier 23:10 in relation to what you just said, Angela, 23:12 about Barnabas and Paul or Saul because Saul, 23:18 you know, 23:19 as bad as he was persecuting the church, 23:21 for some reason God saw him as, 23:26 you know, honest to some degree, 23:28 you know? 23:29 When He came to Saul, God said, 23:32 "Why are you persecuting Me, Saul?" 23:35 And Saul said, "Well, who are you, Lord?" 23:37 That's right. 23:38 It was kind of like, he really... 23:40 And I remember reading about this experience of Paul, 23:45 some commentary on it was like 23:46 he really was convinced that he was doing right. 23:49 But his conscience struggled with, 23:52 you know, what happened with Stephen, 23:54 but his religious leaders and people that influenced him 23:57 will tell him, "No, no, no, no, 23:59 that was right, and you're doing right, 24:00 and this is good," and he was struggling. 24:02 And so Paul under the grace of God changes. 24:07 And then he... 24:08 You explained that scenario. 24:10 I'd never heard it before. Yeah. 24:11 You explained it, you know, his relationship with... 24:14 Barnabas. With Barnabas. 24:15 And the church was really hesitant 24:17 to accept Paul. 24:19 That's the point you just made. 24:20 You know, when you have a... 24:21 When you're a mean person 24:23 or when you take a fall or something happens 24:24 as bad in your life, 24:25 church people can be reluctant to accept you. 24:28 And so that's what this experience 24:29 was with Paul or with Saul. 24:31 Right. 24:32 The church wasn't wanting to have 24:33 anything to do with him. 24:35 They're like, "No, no, we heard about this guy." 24:37 Yeah. But Paul was... 24:38 I mean, Barnabas, the son of consolation, 24:41 extended him the right hand of fellowship. 24:43 Amen. 24:44 And so Paul comes in, and then what happens? 24:46 I want you to read it because right here, 24:47 I think you have it right in front of you, hon, 24:49 that all the... 24:50 Oh, okay. 24:52 Go ahead. You know it. 24:53 Well, the story of Barnabas, 24:54 the church at Jerusalem had a very difficult time 24:56 even thinking about Saul and thought, 24:59 "My parents, my cousin, my aunt, my neighbors, 25:03 this is the guy that killed them." 25:04 Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I mean, really. 25:06 So if I get this correctly, 25:08 let's put this in a contemporary setting. 25:10 And the guy just walks in, they just, 25:11 he's guilty of so many Christians dying. 25:13 And he said, "He is going to be a part of our new ministry. 25:17 We're going to train him to be an outreach coordinator." 25:19 They said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! 25:23 Are you talking about him? 25:25 I know exactly who he is. 25:27 We've been on the run for four years because of him." 25:31 And read that part about that. 25:33 That's important there. 25:34 So they could really take off on him now 25:37 and really pay him back. 25:39 That's why we need to read that part there 25:40 because what grace is. 25:42 That red part there. 25:44 "The opposite of grace might be retribution, 25:47 repayment in kind or punishment, 25:51 or the demand for reparations. 25:54 It wouldn't have been surprising 25:57 if to some if Ananias had refused to go to Saul 26:02 and had instead sent a note saying..." 26:04 Look at the note. You got to read this. 26:06 This note is the... 26:07 This is the note that he could have sent us up. 26:09 I love it. 26:10 "We hear you may have a change of heart about Christians. 26:12 If that's true, 26:13 get back to me in a couple of years. 26:14 If there has been no further hostile action 26:16 on your part between now and then, 26:18 we might meet in a neutral location. 26:20 In the meantime, 26:22 you might wish to think about repayment 26:23 for all the damages you've caused 26:25 because if there is nothing done, 26:27 we're going to sue your socks off. 26:30 Our church attorneys name is..." 26:32 They think about how they can deal with Saul. 26:34 Yeah, yeah. 26:35 But Barnabas comes in and goes on the line for Saul 26:39 and then we know the rest of the story. 26:41 Saul recognizes as you realize... 26:44 God, the Lord said, 26:46 "He is going to be useful in the ministry." 26:49 And Barnabas says, 26:50 "He is going to be useful in the Lord's work." 26:51 And we know we adore him today by saying 26:57 what a writer, 26:59 but look at who he was before, and he was restored. 27:04 When a person is restored, 27:06 that individual is useful in the hand of God. 27:09 By the grace of God restored him... 27:10 By the grace of God, exactly. 27:11 You know, I've been wondering if I should share this story 27:14 that I recently read in the ASI magazine 27:18 because it's a story, like Paul's story. 27:21 And I keep hearing you talking about Paul, 27:23 I say we got to share this thing 27:24 because this is a remarkable... 27:29 Something that happened today, let's say in today's time. 27:34 This story is being told by this Muslim man, 27:37 and I'm telling you the way it was written. 27:39 This Muslim man was, you know, this... 27:41 He was part of the Jihad 27:42 and he literally killed some Christians. 27:47 And he shot one Christian man that in his dying words, 27:51 he said, "Lord, forgive them 27:53 for they know not what they do." 27:56 And he died, this man shot him. 27:59 And so he grabbed the Bible, 28:02 the man that shot him grabbed the Bible 28:03 and he says, "Who does he think he is, 28:05 you know, saying that?" 28:07 And later he's at home with the Bible. 28:10 And at night, 28:12 God talks to him and says 28:16 that He is calling him 28:19 because He wants to use him for a special work. 28:22 And he goes, "Well, who are you?" 28:23 And He says, "I am Jesus Christ." 28:27 And he recognized the mess. 28:29 "Oh, you are Jesus Christ." 28:31 And the story is beautiful. 28:33 I hesitated to tell it because that the whole story 28:35 is not in there yet. 28:36 But this man, he says, "Who could believe, 28:40 "he says in the end, "that 18 months later, 28:42 I would be giving my life to Christ in baptism." 28:46 Wow! 28:47 So it's a remarkable story... 28:49 Yes. 28:50 That this man now 28:52 is a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. 28:55 And from what the story tells in the ASI magazine 28:59 that the Lord is going to use him 29:01 to do great things. 29:03 It's the same thing for him, you know? 29:06 He may not be recognized as Paul was or Saul was, 29:10 but this man now can reach people 29:14 from his old way of life, unlike anyone else. 29:18 Right. That's right. 29:19 Because you and I can come knocking at the door 29:21 of the people who used to be like, 29:23 and we will not be accepted, 29:26 but he knows their language, he knows their way of life, 29:28 he knows how to talk to them, to reach them for Christ. 29:31 Amen. Beautiful. 29:33 So today, God is doing miracles in the same way. 29:35 That's right. 29:36 And that's a powerful story. 29:38 And that's why when Jesus came, 29:40 you know, John introduced Jesus 29:42 as if we ask ourselves the question, 29:45 "Is there enough grace for us?" 29:46 The Bible introduced Jesus in John 1:14 29:49 as full of grace and truth. 29:53 So if somebody is full of grace and truth, 29:56 is there enough grace to turn your life 29:59 into a life of truth? 30:01 Yes, there is. Absolutely. 30:02 So, pastor, I want to go to Genesis 6:8 30:05 because I want to start talking 30:07 about how grace starts manifesting itself. 30:09 When grace is being extended from your life, my life, 30:13 or anybody's life to a person 30:15 who's coming from a broken world experience, 30:17 where do they start seeing this grace? 30:20 Look at Genesis 6:8. 30:23 I love the context of this 30:24 because God is just regretting, 30:26 like my friend has a couple times regretted 30:28 building that house, 30:32 but He says, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." 30:34 Wow. 30:36 And there's something about this whole project 30:38 that my friend's been involved and this is so biblical, 30:41 right now it's just clicking with me. 30:43 And that is that, you know, there are people coming by, 30:46 walking by in the neighborhood or whatever, 30:48 I was there for quite a few weeks 30:49 just helping him, 30:50 you know, in certain parts of the project, 30:52 and here we did the stairs in the front entry 30:54 and it was so cool. 30:55 Put a wall, and it was really nice. 30:57 And people will come by, one guy said, 30:59 "Man, I remember this house before. 31:01 It looks so nice right now." 31:02 And, of course, 31:03 they're not seeing the inside yet 31:05 and the outside doesn't look much changed 31:06 except for this, you know, front entryway. 31:09 But they're just kind of encouraging, 31:10 encouraging, encouraging. 31:12 And when we're very discouraged, 31:13 God is very discouraged here. 31:15 He's looking on the world and He's like, 31:17 "Man, look at that wall, 31:18 look at that floor, look at that roof. 31:21 It's one problem after... 31:22 "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. 31:25 There was something there that gave him hope, 31:28 there was something there he could hold onto, you know, 31:30 there's something there that John is holding onto 31:32 in this house. 31:33 He's going, "Yes, there is potential here. 31:35 I see potential here." 31:37 Exactly. Yeah. 31:38 So we talked about this, honey. 31:40 So we're in this story, in this verse, 31:43 is the Bible telling you 31:47 that people can see grace in you. 31:48 Where can they see it? Say it, honey. 31:50 In your eyes. In your eyes. 31:52 He can. 31:53 How do you look at people 31:54 that you know are transgressors? 31:56 How do you look at people that you know 31:57 have done something 31:59 that the church members are talking about? 32:00 How do you look at them? 32:02 If they look at your eyes, 32:03 can they see grace or do they see... 32:05 "Uh-huh. I know what you did." 32:07 The human face has thousands of expressions. 32:10 And we just... Without saying a word. 32:11 Oh, we were talking about this week in my verse. 32:13 Yes. 32:14 Non-verbal communication is... 32:15 Is powerful. 32:17 More powerful than verbal communication. 32:18 Yes, just a look. 32:20 I'll use an example. 32:22 I really hate you. 32:23 I really hate you. 32:24 Would you believe that? 32:26 No. No. If I just say, "I love you. 32:28 I just want you to know, I really love you." 32:32 My face is not lining up with what I'm saying. 32:34 And our face... 32:36 What is beautiful about this 32:37 in the midst of a hopeless situation, 32:40 James, 32:42 Noah found something in God's eyes. 32:45 He looked in his eyes and told, 32:47 "Wow, I'm looking at his eyes. 32:48 There's grace there." 32:50 In this broken world that's about to be decimated, 32:52 Noah looked and he found grace in God's eye. 32:55 The first act of restoration to a person is broken 32:58 is how do they see grace in your eyes 33:00 or do they even see it? 33:02 When they look across the room in the church at you, 33:05 when you're walking down the hall 33:06 in the place you work, 33:08 and you know their stuff, and they see your eyes. 33:11 What do they see? 33:13 That's the first thing about grace. 33:14 Marriages, when you look at each other, 33:17 what do you see? 33:18 You know, and being married 37 years, 33:20 believe me, we've had many moments 33:21 where we needed each other's grace. 33:23 Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I believe you. 33:25 Okay, okay. 33:28 Thirty-one years, I get it. All of us are married. 33:29 Thirty-one, thirty-seven... 33:31 Twenty-six. Twenty-six. 33:32 If you've been married 10 years or 7 years or 2 weeks, 33:36 you know... 33:37 One year. One year. 33:39 Grace is necessary. 33:40 Yeah. Yes. 33:42 Okay, let me throw it to one of you guys. 33:43 When you look at the situation with Noah, I mean, 33:47 it almost makes you, 33:50 "Ah, man, I want to meet Noah" 33:52 because Noah found grace in His sight. 33:55 And just like Noah then, there are Noahs today. 34:00 They may not have that name, 34:02 but they find grace in God's sight. 34:05 And I believe, 34:06 I really believe that the greater population 34:10 is blessed by these faithful people. 34:13 They find grace in God's sight. 34:15 You know, you could be on a plane 34:17 and because you're on that plane, 34:18 everybody else is safe. 34:20 Wow! 34:21 It could be, you know, walking down the street, 34:23 but God's grace is upon you, 34:26 the holy angels are protecting you. 34:27 Amen. That's right. 34:29 And God is still transforming lives. 34:33 And He doesn't give up easily, and I praise God for that. 34:36 Amen. Right. 34:38 So you can look at God on any given day 34:39 and still see grace in His eyes. 34:40 Isn't that wonderful, hon? Yeah, and that's Old Testament. 34:42 That's right. 34:43 Many people say 34:45 that grace is not in the Old Testament. 34:47 No. Yes, it is. 34:48 He's gracious, and merciful, and long suffering. 34:49 All the time. 34:51 Yes. 34:52 And one of the place... Yes, go ahead. 34:53 I was going to say one of the things too 34:55 is that, you know, 34:56 when we look at Noah, 34:57 we're not looking at a perfect man. 34:59 When you look at his history after the flood, you know, 35:00 and his sons in their family, you see humanity, you see us. 35:04 That's right. 35:05 So just for our viewers to know, you know, 35:07 not for them to give up and think, 35:08 "Well, Noah was you know, exceptional and, you know, 35:11 grace is unmerited favor." 35:12 That's how it is. 35:14 When it comes to us, because it's unmerited favor, 35:16 it influences us as a power in our lives. 35:20 As soon as we give some kind of merit to grace, 35:23 we diminish its power and its influence in our lives. 35:25 And so as soon as we say, "Oh, Noah, 35:27 the reason is he was special, he had this or he had that, " 35:31 then all of a sudden Noah's in a category 35:32 that's different from the rest of us. 35:34 But what Noah was trying to do was communicate the grace 35:37 that he saw in God's eyes 35:38 to the rest of the Antediluvian World 35:40 for 120 years. 35:41 That's grace. 35:43 Not just for Noah, that's grace for everybody. 35:44 That's right. 35:46 Hundred and twenty years is a lot of grace 35:47 that God has given through the ridicule 35:49 and through the criticism and all the things 35:51 they were saying against Noah. 35:52 He was just spreading that grace out, 35:53 spreading that... 35:55 The grace he saw like you, I think, we're implying. 35:56 The grace that God has towards us in His eyes, 35:59 He wants us to now to have it toward other people. 36:01 And Noah had that grace. 36:02 He was allowing that grace 36:06 to flow out through him from God 36:09 to the Antediluvian World for 120 years. 36:10 That's right. 36:12 So they saw it in His eyes, 36:13 but that's in another place, so... 36:14 I never thought about that until you were saying that 36:16 because Noah found grace in God's sight, 36:20 how many years passed? 36:23 Hundred and twenty years. Long time. 36:25 I mean, he could have next week said, 36:27 "Okay, I'm done with being..." 36:29 I'm done with this. 36:30 No, he continued following the Lord. 36:32 Yeah. 36:34 And that is a marvelous thing 36:37 because it was in his heart to do the well of the Lord, 36:40 to serve the Lord. 36:42 I mean, I'm sure Satan knew 36:45 that Noah found grace in God's sight 36:47 and sent him on this special mission. 36:49 He knows. He said, "What's he doing? 36:50 What? 36:51 He's building this large, massive thing 36:53 that's not just for his family, you know?" 36:55 But this is a marvelous thing 36:57 that Satan apparently tried to derail Noah, 37:01 but Noah had his sight set on the Lord, 37:04 120 years Noah remained faithful. 37:08 Like you said, 37:10 he may have had those things inside, 37:12 but God continued to work in him 37:13 and that's what we need to, allow the Lord 37:15 to continue to work in us. 37:17 That's right. 37:18 I want to also... 37:19 Now we talked about the non-verbal communication. 37:21 Grace he found in God's eyes. 37:23 But now grace is also another place 37:25 that people are looking for grace. 37:26 Look at point number six. 37:28 We have a little outline. 37:29 This just kind of gets to the point very quickly. 37:31 Proverbs 22:11. 37:33 Read that. 37:35 Just on the outline there. 37:37 Pastor Rafferty, read that for us. 37:38 "He who loves purity of heart 37:41 and has grace on his lips, the king will be his friend." 37:45 Wow. 37:46 So the nonverbal is in the eyes, 37:50 but the verbal is where? 37:52 On the lips. 37:54 How do you sound when you meet people 37:57 that you know they're junk? 37:59 How do you sound? 38:01 "You doing okay? 38:04 You and I know you shouldn't be... 38:06 I understand how you feel, I mean, 38:08 look what you did." 38:09 When grace is on our lips. 38:12 That's why the Lord says, 38:13 "Your sins and your inequities, I will remember no more." 38:17 And He throws it into the depths of the sea 38:20 and puts out a No Fishing sign as so many people have said. 38:24 So grace is not only verbal... 38:27 I mean, not only non-verbal in the eyes but also verbal. 38:30 Daniel Chapter 9. Okay. 38:33 We have sent, 38:34 we have not listened to the prophets, 38:37 we have forsaken the covenant. 38:38 Yes. 38:39 Daniel had a we attitude. 38:41 You know, we're all sinners. 38:42 We all have this problem. 38:43 And sometimes, I think, when we forget that, 38:46 God allows us to stumble a little bit to remind us 38:49 that we're not better than anyone else. 38:51 And so I think the grace on the lips, 38:53 when we come to another human being 38:54 who's fallen and perhaps we're not in that, 38:56 you know, on that same level with them, 38:59 we need to remember that actually we are. 39:01 The ground is level at the foot of the cross. 39:03 Yes. 39:04 And so grace can come forth, you know, 39:06 there by the grace of God, go I. 39:08 And so we are gracious to others 39:10 because we know that 39:11 that person is another human being 39:13 that we would be that person, 39:16 given the circumstances, situation, 39:17 given some of the decisions we've made or could make, 39:20 and so then we become more gracious in the way 39:22 that we communicate. 39:24 I don't think it excludes being straight with people 39:25 and being honest with people. 39:27 Right. 39:28 I think it actually allows us to be honest with people. 39:30 Because the right motive is there. 39:32 Yes, the right motive is there. 39:33 The right attitude and the right spirit is there. 39:34 Yes. 39:36 When the right motive is behind it, 39:39 the words will be seasoned with grace 39:41 and it will come out of the lips that way. 39:42 Yes. 39:43 Instead of condemnatory, and the people will understand, 39:47 "Hey, you're trying to actually help me." 39:49 And you know... 39:50 I know there are some people that say, 39:52 "I had some constructive criticism 39:53 for you." 39:55 Oh, yes. Like a wrecking ball, maybe. 39:58 And when you hear the constructive criticism, 40:01 it sounds like destroying instead of constructive. 40:04 And so we really need to let God be in our hearts 40:07 so that the words that come out of our mouth 40:09 will be seasoned with grace. 40:12 Words of my mouth. 40:14 It's a process, you know, 40:18 some people are very quick to speak. 40:21 And before the brain is engaged, 40:25 the lips are in motion. 40:26 Okay. 40:28 And unfortunately, 40:29 we say things that we wish we could have never said, 40:33 and so that's why the Bible gives us 40:37 the very wise words, 40:39 be slow to speak, we have to hear. 40:41 Yeah, yeah. 40:43 Twice as many ears as we have lips. 40:45 James. Twice as many, what? 40:48 We have two ears and one set of lips. 40:50 I was just going to comment John 40:52 and just clarify the verse you mentioned. 40:54 You didn't quote it? No, I didn't quote it. 40:55 But you just said seasoned with grace. 40:57 And I was going to read this verse in Colossians 4:6. 41:00 It's one of my favorites. 41:01 "Let your speech be always with grace 41:03 seasoned with salt." 41:04 Amen. 41:06 Seasoning is the lighter end of what we put on our words, 41:08 the seasoning. 41:10 You know that the main entree is what we're going to eat. 41:11 I like that. 41:13 And season is what we sprinkle on. 41:14 And I think sometimes as Christians, 41:16 and I'll say this as an Adventist, 41:19 even as Adventist, 41:21 our main entree a lot of times is salt 41:23 and our seasoning is grace. 41:25 Whoa! That's right. 41:27 We've got it backwards, you know what I mean? 41:28 That's right. 41:30 And so the Bible says, let your speech be with grace. 41:33 Let the main entree be with grace. 41:34 Now I love potatoes. I'm Irish on my mother's side. 41:37 I love potatoes. 41:38 My wife loves beans, I love potatoes. 41:41 We have this thing in our house. 41:43 I think John can relate to that. 41:44 Oh, yes. 41:45 And yet, I can't eat potatoes without salt. 41:49 I got to have a little bit of salt on there. 41:50 You know, that's the seasoning. 41:52 And I think, in a world that is bland with inequity, 41:54 I mean, it's just like, inequity is everywhere. 41:57 Sometimes we forget the salt. 41:59 We can't forget the salt. 42:00 You know, we can't just have grace and no salt. 42:02 But then I think we kind of tend 42:04 to maybe go to the other extreme. 42:07 And, you know, everyone's talking about grace, 42:09 you know, and so we want to dump 42:10 a bunch of salt on it. 42:11 Oh, have you ever like, every once in a while, 42:14 my wife or I will over-season. 42:16 Like, "Honey, I'm sorry, it's too saltier." 42:18 My wife, "I'm sorry, honey, I put too much salt in there." 42:20 Oh, just... 42:22 I know that happens. 42:23 That happens. Yeah. 42:24 And that's where we are, I think, 42:26 sometimes in our Christian walk, 42:27 you know, where we... 42:29 That balance. 42:30 And, of course, I think God is saying 42:31 "Hey, main entree grace, but don't forget this, 42:33 don't forget the salt. 42:35 Season it correctly. I like that. 42:36 What are you thinking, honey? Beautiful. 42:38 I was thinking of David. 42:39 Many people are quick to point out David sinned, 42:42 but he was gracious to Saul, wasn't he? 42:45 Remember Saul, hon? 42:47 What happened with Saul? 42:48 He could've killed Saul, 42:50 but he was very gracious to Saul. 42:53 And that's the point I'm bringing 42:55 how gracious he was to Saul, 42:58 in spite of everybody says, 43:01 "Oh, look at David, look what he did." 43:03 Forget about what he did. 43:05 Lord restored him. You're going to say something. 43:07 You know, it's interesting you say that. 43:10 Because it was not just one time 43:12 that he had the opportunity to kill Saul. 43:14 That's right. 43:15 And sometimes the temptations that come our way, 43:21 Satan has already tempted us with those things, 43:24 and then somehow repeats it through somebody else 43:27 because, you know, the followers with David. 43:31 They would go, "David, David, David, there he is. 43:34 This is your chance." 43:35 This is an answer to prayer. 43:37 This is an answer to prayer. 43:38 And they could even use these Christian... 43:41 Providential. 43:42 Yeah, providential opportunity. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 43:44 And so we really have to be careful 43:46 because when it's in our heart to serve the Lord, 43:51 the devil is going to try to use 43:52 different things, different people, 43:54 and people that we even love to lead us into thinking, 44:01 "Maybe I should do this, you know, kill Saul." 44:03 Yeah, yeah. 44:04 But that's not what God wants us to do. 44:06 God has ways 44:08 to get what He wants accomplished 44:11 that if we do it according to His will, 44:13 better results, better results. 44:15 Imagine if he had killed Saul. 44:17 Wow, wow! 44:18 Saul threw the javelin at him, didn't he? 44:21 You know, we laugh about that every now and then 44:23 because when he summoned Saul, 44:25 when he was feeling all grievous and all downcast, 44:28 Saul summoned David... 44:29 Yes. Saul summoned David. 44:30 To play the harp. 44:32 And while he's playing the harp, 44:33 he throws a javelin at him, he try to pin him to the wall. 44:35 Yeah. 44:36 And said, "Boy, look, see, if I show up again..." 44:38 And he showed up again. 44:39 He continued to respond. 44:41 And now I said, what happened? 44:42 The javelin, the angel moved that javelin other way. 44:45 Redirected it so it wouldn't stab. 44:46 Redirected it. 44:47 Yeah, so it wouldn't have killed him. 44:49 What I want to do now is 44:50 I want to dive into some of the areas 44:51 where grace is now 44:53 how restorative grace really affects us. 44:56 Let's go to section number seven. 44:57 Did you want to share something before, honey? 44:58 No, nothing. Nothing. Okay. 45:00 Look at section number seven. 45:01 And they're very quick points I want to just rifle through. 45:04 The first one is in section seven. 45:07 Job... 45:09 Let's look at there. Here it is. 45:10 Section seven, Job 33:26, 45:14 Pastor Dinzey, you read that one for us. 45:16 This is showing all the areas of restoration. 45:18 "He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, 45:22 He shall see His face with joy, 45:24 For He restores to man His righteousness." 45:27 Okay, so one of the first steps of restorative grace 45:30 is what is he restoring. 45:32 Righteousness. Righteousness. 45:34 His righteousness. 45:35 Thank you. 45:36 Say it again. His righteousness. 45:38 Yes, that makes all the difference. 45:39 Yeah, why is our righteous is not sufficient? 45:41 Come on, we know. Filthy rags. 45:42 Filthy. 45:43 Mostly, I think... 45:45 I mean, not mostly, but a main reason 45:46 is the motives behind are which we can't read many times. 45:48 What's motivating us? 45:50 And God's righteousness 45:51 was always motivated by selfless, 45:53 other-centered love. 45:54 Always. Completely pure. 45:56 Amen. 45:57 So the first thing He's restoring 45:59 His righteousness. 46:00 Ours would never do. 46:02 Even I like... 46:04 You know, we need another hour on this topic, 46:06 we can't get it tonight. 46:07 But when you talk about the salt, 46:10 we just came into the sermon, you know, seasoned. 46:14 It's a beautiful aspect of it. 46:16 So the first thing that God restores to us 46:18 is His righteousness, not our own. 46:22 But then there's something else 46:24 because when a person is broken, 46:25 something else they lose. 46:26 Let's look at Psalms 51:12 which is on point 7A, 46:31 "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation 46:34 and uphold me with Your generous Spirit." 46:36 Have you ever seen people 46:37 that have lost the joy of salvation? 46:39 I have. 46:40 I've lost the joy of salvation, so I know how that feels. 46:43 You know, 46:44 it's a completely different experience 46:46 when you are just in love with Jesus 46:47 and you've got that first love experience. 46:49 But when you're just doing it out of duty 46:51 and you feel like it's a formal ceremony 46:54 and you've just lost that inner joy... 46:55 I know what you mean. Yeah. 46:57 I think all of us go through that, 46:59 you know, from time to time, and it's overwhelming. 47:03 And David went through that in a huge way 47:05 because this comes right after his sin with Bathsheba 47:08 that you had mentioned earlier. 47:10 And so he's recognizing, 47:12 I think, that how far he had fallen 47:15 because, you know, it wasn't just the sin. 47:16 It was what led to it and then the aftereffects, 47:18 and self-righteousness, and cover up, and all that, 47:21 and he knew the only thing that could actually restore him 47:24 was the joy of salvation. 47:25 Right. And so he pleaded for that. 47:27 And like you said, a lot of people, 47:29 they want to sin like David, 47:31 but they don't want to repent like David. 47:33 Oh! Wow, wow! 47:35 That is... Woo-hoo, woo-hoo! 47:36 That is impacting. 47:38 Yes... 47:39 The only the way that repentance can come... 47:40 I was driving down the freeway again here 47:42 and it said, "Trust, Jesus repent." 47:45 Oh, yeah. 47:46 And the sign that I would love 47:48 to put up on a billboard one day 47:49 is based on Romans 2:4 47:52 because the word repent means to turn around 47:54 180 degrees. 47:55 And Romans 2:4 says, you know, 47:57 the goodness of God leads us to repentance. 47:59 So I'd like to put a billboard up that says, 48:01 "Let God's love turn you around." 48:03 Let God's love turn you around. 48:04 Let God's love turn you around. Wow. 48:06 Goodness of God, 48:07 the love of God turns you around 48:09 because when you're called to do something 48:11 in order to repent, trust Jesus repent. 48:14 It's not going to happen. Right, exactly. 48:15 God's the one that works it in our lives, 48:17 and David knows this. 48:19 He's the king and he's in this position, 48:21 but he's just been completely unmasked, unveiled, 48:25 and he's just barren. 48:26 He has nothing, nothing. Wow! 48:28 And he says, "Lord restore to me. 48:29 The joy of your salvation, I have nothing." 48:32 That's right. 48:33 And we're going through the book of Psalms now. 48:35 We have seen instance after instance 48:37 where David is downcast, he is disheartened, 48:40 he's lamenting, he feels, 48:42 "Lord, my enemies have surrounded me unjustly, 48:44 they are accusing me wrongly. 48:46 Father, don't just stand there, do nothing, 48:49 do something." 48:50 And when you read the book of Psalms, 48:52 it's 150 chapters, 48:53 but I tell you by chapter 86 or 87 48:56 where we are, we're saying, "Wow, I've really... 48:58 Now I'm getting to know David." 49:00 Yeah. 49:01 And in the interest of time, I want to hit the next one. 49:03 So first He restores his righteousness, 49:05 then He restores the joy. 49:07 But look at Psalm 23:3. 49:09 Honey, read that one. 49:10 This is special to me. Okay. 49:12 Before I read it, several years back, I was... 49:15 We were having... 49:16 I was having just a terrible... 49:19 Funky time. Terrible... 49:20 Yeah, in my life. And I had a dream. 49:24 And I woke up in the morning, and I started singing, 49:28 He Restoreth My Soul. 49:31 And there was like angels were singing that song. 49:34 And it was like a choir in my dream, 49:37 "He restoreth My Soul, " 49:38 just over and over, 49:40 and I woke up, He restoreth my soul. 49:43 And it was just... 49:44 Ooh! 49:45 When I think of it, it brings tears to my eyes. 49:47 But how the Lord restoreth my soul, 49:49 then we went to the store Hobby Lobby, 49:51 we found that beautiful placard. 49:55 It was a painting. 49:56 And it says, "He restores my soul." 49:59 So I want to share that with you right now 50:01 if I could get through my tears. 50:03 Where is it? Psalms 23:3. 50:04 Okay. 50:06 "He restores my soul, 50:08 He leads me in the path of righteousness 50:10 for His name's sake." 50:11 Amen. Wow! 50:12 And I feel like my soul has been restored. 50:15 Praise God. Amen. 50:17 And, you know, we talked about that. 50:18 So we have in our kitchen 50:19 a reflection of our journey, you know? 50:21 Oh, yeah. 50:22 And right there on this large piece of wood, 50:25 small piece of wood, etched in metal, 50:27 "He restores my soul." 50:29 And you know what, I want to say to you 50:30 if you're watching the program, as we're winding down, 50:32 we have a few more points. 50:33 The Lord wants to restore your soul 50:35 including His righteousness and the joy of His salvation. 50:39 Because we know we're saved, but sometimes as pastors, 50:42 we can get ready. 50:44 You know, we're locked into that whole thing of, 50:45 "We just can't handle, we just can't make it, 50:48 we just can't deal with life and what's coming to us." 50:51 So we're at that place where, you know, 50:53 it's difficult to deal with life. 50:55 And we say, "Lord, restore us completely." 50:58 and He does it. 50:59 One more, another one. 51:01 Now, Pastor Dinzey, Jeremiah 27:22. 51:05 Jeremiah 27:22. 51:07 "'They shall be carried to Babylon, 51:09 and there they shall be 51:10 until the day that I visit them, ' 51:12 says the Lord. 51:13 'Then I will bring them up 51:15 and restore them to this place.'" 51:17 Oh. 51:18 That's another powerful one. 51:20 You may have lost your place, but when Lord visits you, 51:24 He'll restore you to that place. 51:26 Beautiful. James. 51:27 John, I just... 51:29 You know, you said we know we're saved. 51:30 You mentioned that we know we're saved. 51:31 And you've said that a couple of times in it, 51:33 just led me to the verse here in 2 Corinthians 1:10 51:37 because I think a lot of times, 51:38 we misunderstand what salvation is. 51:40 That's right. 51:41 I'm sure you're familiar with this verse, 51:43 you know, as pastors, 51:44 it's something that's really hit home 51:45 with me many times. 51:47 2 Corinthians 1:10 51:50 is describing what salvation looks like. 51:52 Yes. 51:53 And Paul's speaking here and he's talking about the Lord 51:56 that raised up, you know, Jesus from the dead 51:58 and he says, "who delivered us from so great a death, " 52:02 that's past, 52:03 "Does deliver," that's present, 52:06 "in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us, " 52:09 that's future. 52:10 That's right. 52:11 Salvation is past, present, and future. 52:14 That's right. 52:15 Sometimes we think of salvation is a one-time act. 52:17 No, it's not a one-time act. That's just part of it. 52:19 It's a three-part thing. 52:21 And that's why when we talk about salvation, 52:22 we talk about justification, we talk about sanctification, 52:25 but we also have to remember glorification. 52:27 That's just as vital a part of salvation. 52:30 And those three parts are promised to us here. 52:32 So salvation, we know we're saved, 52:34 and we know we're being saved, and we know we will be saved. 52:37 Oh, you remember that, honey? 52:38 He just always say exact words. All right. 52:40 Yes, say from the penalty of sin, 52:43 from the power of sin, from the presence of sin. 52:45 And we are saved, we are being saved, 52:47 and we will be saved. 52:48 Right. That's a powerful thing. 52:50 And the whole thing that includes that package 52:52 is restoration. 52:55 It has not the house. 52:56 And it's not once saved, always saved either. 52:58 No. 52:59 The house that has not yet been revealed, 53:01 but you shall be. 53:02 Yes. 53:04 Okay, but when He's done, we're going to be like Him. 53:06 Wow, wow. 53:07 He restores us to the place that we once occupied, 53:10 not because we deserve it but because of His grace. 53:13 Amen. Wow. 53:14 And one more. Okay. 53:15 Lamentations... 53:17 Pastor Dinzey, Lamentations 5:21. 53:19 "Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored. 53:24 Renew our days as of old." 53:26 Wow! 53:28 How many people watching this program 53:30 want to say, "Lord, take me back. 53:34 Take me back to the place I once received You. 53:37 Take me back."? 53:39 You know, you talked about that first love. 53:42 Hit that for a minute or so here. 53:43 That first love, what's it like? 53:45 It's amazing 53:46 because when you come to Jesus... 53:48 When I first came to Jesus, I had nothing to offer Him. 53:50 You know, I wasn't a Sunday keeper, 53:52 or Sabbath keeper, 53:54 or tithe payer, or Sabbath School lesson guy, 53:56 or a Bible scholar, or anything. 53:58 I have nothing to offer Him. 54:00 And so when I came to Jesus, 54:01 the only thing I could give him was my load of sin and guilt. 54:03 And I gave that to Him, 54:05 and He made it clear that He forgave me 54:07 and accepted me. 54:09 Whoo! 54:10 The greatest enemy of our love for Christ 54:13 are our works for Christ. 54:15 And when you start piling up those works 54:18 like the Pharisees did, 54:19 our relationship to Christ can change. 54:21 "Oh, I'm so glad 54:23 I'm not like that person over there. 54:24 You know, I pay tithe a lot. 54:25 I pay tax and I fast twice a week," 54:28 and then the publican goes up, he says... 54:30 I'm vegan. Yeah, yeah. 54:32 My soymilk drink... 54:33 My rice milk, I actually don't like soymilk. 54:35 And the publican says, 54:37 "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner." 54:39 And He goes down to His house 54:41 justify more than the other and that is our first love. 54:44 Our first love is based upon unmerited favor. 54:48 And that unmerited favor continues 54:50 through the whole course like with David. 54:52 It continues through the whole course 54:53 to restore, to glorify. 54:55 It does everything. 54:56 And then later the Lord restored David 54:58 so completely that later on 54:59 when He is born, the angel said, 55:02 "You will find Him in the city of David." 55:05 God identified, Jesus identifies with a man 55:08 that just didn't have the right 55:09 to be identified in the city of David. 55:11 That's beautiful. Powerful. 55:13 Two more things, 55:15 we're going to just fly into this. 55:16 Pastor Dinzey, Galatians 6:1 and point number eight. 55:18 The question is what do we have to be able to do... 55:20 What do we do to help aid in the process of restoration, 55:24 restorative grace? 55:26 "Brethren, if a man is overtaken 55:28 in any trespass, 55:30 you who are spiritual 55:31 restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, 55:35 considering yourself lest you also be tempted." 55:38 Wow. So a spirit of arrogance? 55:40 No. 55:42 Didn't even mention in the book, 55:43 don't even condescend. 55:44 No. 55:46 Don't even make that person feel like a second class 55:47 and you are the one that really is not as bad 55:48 as he or she is. 55:50 It's... I forgot the term. 55:52 Yeah, that's the same thing. 55:54 Yeah, don't condescend to them. 55:56 So we have to be spiritual, we have to be gentle. 56:01 And we have to say but for the grace of God. 56:03 Yeah, so go I. Unmerited favor. 56:06 You know, when I first became a Christian Adventist, 56:09 I thought that's not grace. 56:11 You know, that's cheap grace. 56:12 And I remember 56:14 and I'm just going to bring this up 56:15 reading that in Ellen White's writings, 56:17 and then I went through the Great Controversy 56:19 and I got to the end, 56:20 you know, the very end when Jesus comes, 56:23 there's in Great Controversy 541, 56:25 I want to bring this up 56:26 because sometimes people criticize Ellen White, 56:28 you know, very recklessly. 56:30 Jesus comes, and all of our faces, 56:32 the faces of the righteous gathered paleness 56:34 and everyone asked the question, 56:36 who's going to be able to stand? 56:37 And there's a moment of awful silence, all right? 56:40 And then on that page, page 541 I think it is. 56:43 She says... 56:44 641 she says, 56:46 "Then the word of the voice of Jesus is heard," 56:48 And you know what it says, 56:49 "My grace is sufficient for you." 56:52 Wow. Amen. 56:53 That's how it ends. That's how it ends. 56:55 We don't want this program to end. 56:57 The God's grace is sufficient. 56:58 And lastly, Mark 8:25. Okay. 57:00 When the Lord put His hands out and restored the man's eyes, 57:04 the Bible says, 57:05 "And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. 57:08 " The last thing the Lord wants to do for us 57:10 in the process of restorative grace 57:13 is help us to see everyone the way that Jesus sees. 57:16 Amen. 57:17 Honey, thank you for recommending this. 57:18 We're just getting started on this. 57:20 Wish we had more time. That's right. 57:22 And, friends, we pray that God will restore you 57:25 that as He restores you, 57:27 you will be in aid with Him to help restore others. 57:31 May God bless you and have a Sabbath... 57:32 Happy Sabbath. 57:34 Happy Sabbath until we see you again. |
Revised 2020-07-06