Participants:
Series Code: TMC
Program Code: TMC000028A
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00:13 Maddy is going to sing
00:15 a beautiful song about that today 00:17 'cause we're going to be talking about 00:19 it's time to grow up. 00:21 And you and I need to ask ourselves 00:23 whatever He wants of me that's what I want to do. 00:44 Surrender 00:46 To the perfect will of God 00:52 I do not give 00:56 Him less 01:01 Though He may lead my steps 01:03 From here abroad 01:07 I want His will 01:12 My life to bless 01:19 Whatever He wants 01:25 For me His will 01:31 His will I must know 01:39 Wherever He wants 01:43 To send me 01:48 His way by faith 01:53 I must go 01:58 If He once speaks 02:01 I'll obey at His voice 02:07 I've already decided 02:12 His will is my choice 02:17 Whatever He wants 02:22 For me His will 02:29 His will I must do 02:37 My plans must not oppose His perfect will 02:45 I want to live 02:49 His thoughts 02:54 My words and deeds 02:56 His purpose to fulfill 03:01 For I am His 03:05 So dearly bought 03:12 Whatever He wants 03:17 For me His will 03:24 His will I must know 03:31 Wherever He wants 03:36 To send me 03:40 His way by faith 03:45 I must go 03:50 If He once speaks 03:54 I'll obey at His voice 03:59 I've already decided 04:04 His will is my choice 04:11 Whatever He wants 04:16 For me His will 04:23 His will I must do 04:30 His will 04:33 His will 04:36 I must do 05:02 Gracious Father, 05:05 we come to You today 05:08 to express our thanks 05:11 for the presence of Your Spirit. 05:15 Also, Lord, open our hearts to You. 05:20 Lord, we ask that each of us here 05:25 may make sure 05:29 that we're right with Jesus Christ. 05:34 Lord, may I know 05:37 and if my heart was to stop beating right now, 05:42 that everything would be right with Jesus. 05:45 As we study Your Word, 05:48 we ask that You will give us insight, 05:52 You'll give us understanding. 05:56 I pray that we might see all that Jesus wants to do for us. 06:01 We ask that Your blessing 06:03 might rest with each individual here today. 06:06 For this, we ask in Your name, 06:09 Amen. 06:18 In the Christian life, 06:21 it is absolutely necessary 06:24 that you grow. 06:26 There is no such thing 06:30 in the walk with the Lord 06:32 as standing still, 06:35 that doesn't exist. 06:37 If your Christian experience is not moving ahead, 06:42 then it's going backwards. 06:45 So it is necessary 06:47 that you and I continue 06:49 day by day to grow. 06:53 The Scripture tells us 06:55 in Ephesians 4:15, 06:58 "But, speaking the truth and love, 07:01 may grow up in all things into Him 07:03 who is the head, Christ." 07:06 So the Bible just simply says 07:07 that you and I need to grow up. 07:11 Growth is not something that is instantaneous. 07:15 Growth is something that takes place 07:17 over a period of time. 07:20 There is no such thing 07:22 as instantaneous sanctification. 07:28 Justification, yes. 07:31 When you give your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, 07:34 then at that moment, 07:37 your sins are forgiven, you are justified, 07:40 you are made right with Jesus Christ. 07:43 But from that moment on, it is a walk with Jesus. 07:49 It is a growth day by day. 07:53 That is necessary in the Christian life. 07:57 2 Peter 3:18, 08:00 "But grow in grace 08:02 and the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 08:05 So you and I are to grow in grace. 08:09 You are to realize 08:12 that as one who has accepted Christ 08:16 that that is the most important thing in your life 08:20 is your relationship with Jesus Christ. 08:24 That is the most important thing that you have. 08:27 And therefore, it is necessary that you do those things 08:33 that will cause growth to take place. 08:36 Those are important. 08:39 There are two men in the Bible. 08:42 Two men other than Jesus Christ 08:45 that you never read anything that they ever did wrong. 08:51 Now the Bible is unique 08:54 in the fact that it tells the good and bad of people. 08:58 I mean, it doesn't just tell the good, 09:00 it tells the bad as well, but there's two men, 09:02 that you can't read 09:04 where they ever did anything wrong. 09:05 One of those was Joseph. 09:08 You read the life of Joseph, 09:09 it doesn't ever tell about anything that Joseph did wrong. 09:13 Now true enough, he was a human being. 09:16 And as a human being, we are all sinners. 09:20 We all come short of the glory of God. 09:22 So there's no question he did things wrong, 09:25 but the Scripture doesn't record it. 09:27 Okay? 09:29 So you've got an example 09:31 in the life of two men that will help you and I 09:34 in our Christian life. 09:35 And it says this about Joseph. 09:37 "Joseph is a fruitful bough, 09:40 a fruitful bough by a well. 09:43 His branch runs over the wall." 09:45 Now that may sound 09:46 like a very simple statement. 09:49 There are great, great truths in that. 09:53 When it says that 09:54 he is a fruitful bough by a, what? 10:00 By a well. 10:02 We'll come back and talk about that. 10:04 Because of being a fruitful bough by well, 10:08 his branches ran over the wall. 10:12 Great, great truth in that. 10:16 Grew, his experience grew, 10:19 he stayed close to the Lord. 10:21 And as a result of that, 10:22 his branches ran over the wall. 10:26 The other person 10:27 that the Scripture mentions 10:29 that you can't read anything 10:31 who ever did anything wrong was Daniel. 10:35 And it says this, Daniel 6:10. 10:37 "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, 10:41 he went home. 10:43 And in his upper room, 10:44 with his window open towards Jerusalem, 10:48 he knelt down on his knees three times that day 10:52 and prayed and gave thanks before his God, 10:54 as was his 10:56 custom since early days." 11:00 That the creed had gone forth from the king 11:03 that nobody 11:05 was to pray to any other God but the kings. 11:09 That was it. 11:11 But Daniel's custom was to pray every day. 11:15 It didn't stop him, 11:16 didn't deter him one bit, folks. 11:19 He went up with his windows open, 11:21 he didn't even close them, 11:22 left the windows open and prayed to his God 11:26 as his custom was, okay? 11:29 There are some very important things about 11:31 what Daniel did that is necessary for you and I 11:36 in our Christian growth, okay? 11:39 Why is it necessary? 11:40 Why is it necessary for Christian growth? 11:45 What do I have to do 11:47 for my spiritual experience to grow? 11:50 What is necessary? 11:51 Well, to begin with, 11:53 it says, "As newborn babes, 11:55 desire pure milk of the word, 11:58 that you may grow thereby." 12:02 It makes it very clear that as babes, 12:05 you and I need the milk of the word. 12:09 This is it. 12:11 That's what I need. 12:12 You can't really grow spiritually without it. 12:17 So you've got to take the milk of the word 12:21 and drink of it 12:22 if you're going to grow. 12:25 And, dear friend, 12:27 if that Bible is laying there on the coffee table 12:31 or if it's in the closet, 12:34 if it's gathering dust, 12:37 dust it off 12:39 and get in it. 12:40 You know, spend time in the Word of God. 12:45 There are some very simple things 12:47 about the Word of God. 12:48 The Bible 12:51 is necessary. 12:52 It does a lot of things for us, the Scripture does. 12:55 And so you need to get a Bible. 12:58 Get one, folks, that you can understand, 13:00 okay? 13:02 What I've been preaching to you here 13:04 five weeks out of is what's called 13:05 the New King James Version. 13:08 Why do I use the New King James Version? 13:10 I use the New King James Version 13:13 because I grew up on the Old King James. 13:17 That's how I grew up. 13:18 In fact, when I was a boy, 13:20 I had a difficult time with this because my mother... 13:26 You know, I didn't appreciate it 13:27 and didn't like it. 13:29 But now, as I got older, 13:31 I realized what invaluable help it was 13:34 that she would make me... 13:36 She would make me sit down and read her the Scripture. 13:40 I mean, she'd make me read several chapters 13:42 to her out loud, 13:44 you know what I mean? 13:45 And I detested that 13:47 as a young person. 13:48 I didn't want to do that at all, 13:51 but she insisted I read to her. 13:52 And I can still remember, 13:54 I'd read it just as fast as I could read it, you know? 13:58 But, boy, those texts 14:00 that I read her over and over, 14:02 they stuck, 14:04 you know, they stayed there. 14:06 And now great, great help 14:07 because those texts come flooding back. 14:10 So spend time in the Word of God. 14:14 It has tremendous effect upon your life. 14:18 Speaking of those in Berean, 14:23 it says they were faithful 14:26 because they did something. 14:28 It says here in Acts 17:11, 14:30 "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, 14:34 in that they received the word 14:38 with all readiness and searched the Scriptures 14:42 daily to find out whether 14:45 these things were so." 14:46 They heard Paul, they heard Silas speak 14:49 that they got the Scriptures, 14:51 and they checked it out, and they studied the Scripture 14:54 to see if what was being preached to them were so. 14:57 That's what you need to do. 14:59 I stand up here and preach to you, 15:01 but you need to open the Word of God 15:03 and see what I told you if it's true or not. 15:06 You do not build your belief on a preacher. 15:12 You build your belief on the Word of God. 15:16 What in this text that I just read you 15:19 other than the fact that they spent time 15:21 in the Word of God is important? 15:24 There's one word there you ought 15:26 to very special attention to. 15:28 Yeah, that word daily. 15:32 They did it daily. 15:33 It wasn't something that was spasmodic with them, 15:37 it wasn't something they done once in a while, 15:39 but they did it daily. 15:41 And you and I 15:43 need to spend time in the Word of God daily, 15:47 so important that you do. 15:52 I learned a long time ago 15:55 that you've got to give it special priority. 15:57 Why do you have to give it special priority? 16:01 Do you know why? 16:03 You have to give it special priority 16:05 because the devil will do everything he can 16:06 to keep you from doing it daily. 16:10 I can assure you, 16:11 he'll bring up everything he can, 16:14 every way to try to keep you from doing that. 16:19 But I decided that if I could eat physically, 16:24 I seem to find time to do that every day. 16:27 If I could do that, 16:29 I could spend time eating spiritually every day. 16:32 And so I made a decision, I said, 16:34 "Okay, 16:36 if I do not spend time eating spiritually, 16:39 I don't eat physically." 16:42 And since that day, I found time to do both. 16:45 So, you know, 16:47 open up the Word of God, spend time in it daily, 16:52 make all the difference in the world in your life. 16:55 You see, the Scripture 16:58 is your defense against sin. 17:01 Did you know that? 17:03 The Scripture is your defense against sin? 17:07 If you're having a hard time 17:09 struggling over some particular sin 17:12 that plagues your life, 17:14 spend time in the Word of God. 17:17 This is what the Scripture says, 17:19 "Your word have I hidden in my heart 17:21 that I might not sin against You. 17:26 Your word if I hid in my heart 17:27 that I might not sin against You." 17:30 That is simply what the word does. 17:32 I take it into my life and it builds, it helps. 17:36 I grow spiritually. 17:39 And as I grow, 17:40 it's a defense against sin. 17:42 That's the way you meet temptation. 17:46 Did you know that? 17:49 I've known people saying thank you, 17:51 you meet temptation by willpower. 17:55 No, you don't, 17:57 you meet temptation by the Word of God. 18:00 That's how you meet it. 18:02 In fact, that's the way Jesus met it. 18:05 If you don't think 18:06 that He didn't meet it that way, 18:08 listen to the temptation 18:10 for the devil is come to Him, 18:13 said, you know, 18:15 "If you're the Son of God, 18:18 turn these stones into bread." 18:21 Haven't had anything to eat for 40 days. 18:26 But He answered and said, what? 18:30 "It is written. 18:34 It is written." 18:37 Are you getting the point? 18:38 I mean, when the temptation was there, 18:41 He went to the Word of God, He said, 18:42 "It is written man shall not live 18:45 by bread alone." 18:46 Yeah? 18:48 I mean, that's where He went. 18:49 Devil wasn't satisfied with that 18:51 but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, 18:54 and then it says 18:57 that the devil 18:59 took Him where? 19:01 Okay. 19:02 And it says, 19:05 the Lord has said, you know, 19:07 taking the pinnacle temple said, 19:09 "Cast yourself off." 19:11 In fact, He quoted, 19:13 Jesus had quoted the Scripture, 19:15 quoted the devil Scripture, He said, 19:16 "It is written 19:18 man shall not live by bread alone." 19:19 So the devil said, "Okay, you want to quote Scripture?" 19:22 While over here in Psalms, 19:24 it says He'll give His angels charge over You, 19:27 lest you dash your foot against the stone. 19:29 Jump off, see if He will." 19:32 And Jesus responded, 19:34 Jesus said to him, "It is..." 19:37 Okay, you see, 19:38 coming back from the Scripture. 19:40 "It is written you shall not tempt the Lord your God." 19:44 So that's it. 19:46 And then devil said, "Well, if I can't get him that way..." 19:49 He took Him 19:50 to an exceedingly high mountain, 19:52 showed Him all the kingdoms of this world, 19:56 He said, 19:57 "I'll give it all to You 19:59 if You'll just fall down and worship me." 20:05 But Jesus said to him, 20:07 "Away with you, Satan. 20:10 Get away, Satan. 20:11 For it is written, 20:13 'You shall worship the Lord your God, 20:17 and Him only you shall serve.'" 20:19 Every time, every time 20:21 Jesus went to the Word of God. 20:23 So, dear friends, 20:25 that's where you and I have to stand. 20:26 When the temptation comes, 20:28 we've got to go to the Word of God. 20:30 It's where you've got to go. 20:31 This is what the Word of God says, 20:33 "This is where I stand, 20:35 this is where my faith is, 20:38 it's in the Word of God." 20:40 If I do that, 20:42 then it's a defense against sin, 20:45 then it helps me begin to grow. 20:48 It's also the way 20:51 that you get acquainted with Jesus. 20:54 Hey, 20:56 how can you get acquainted with Him 21:00 if you never spend any time with Him? 21:02 I've never understood that. 21:05 You know, 21:06 how can you get acquainted Jesus 21:09 if you don't spend time with Him? 21:11 In fact, Jesus said, 21:12 "That's the way you got acquainted with Him." 21:16 John 5:39, 21:18 "You search the Scriptures, 21:20 for in them you think you have eternal life. 21:24 And these are they which testify of Me." 21:29 He said, 21:30 "These are the ones that testify of Me." 21:33 So if you want to come to know Jesus Christ, 21:36 then you've got to spend time in the Word of God. 21:39 That makes all the difference in the world. 21:42 I can tell you right now, dear friend, 21:45 it's Jesus Christ 21:48 that makes the Scripture come to life. 21:51 It's Jesus Christ 21:54 that puts meaning into the Christian life. 21:58 It's Jesus Christ 22:00 that brings peace to your heart. 22:03 It's Jesus Christ 22:05 that puts joy in your soul. 22:08 And if you have religion without Jesus Christ, 22:12 I'm sorry. 22:14 Sorry, but you don't have those things 22:18 'cause religion without Jesus 22:22 doesn't bring peace, 22:24 it brings fear. 22:27 Let's say, religion without Jesus 22:30 doesn't bring joy, 22:33 it does away with those things. 22:35 It's Jesus 22:36 that makes it real in every way. 22:39 Now Job 22:21. 22:42 "Now acquaint yourself with Him, 22:45 and be at peace." 22:48 So, dear friend, 22:49 I'm going to tell you if you're going to grow 22:51 in Jesus Christ, 22:53 you're going to have to spend some time in the Word of God, 22:56 daily, on a regular basis. 22:59 I've had many you come up to me and say, 23:00 "Oh, Brother Cox, I've enjoyed the meeting so much. 23:03 My Christian experience has been enriched. 23:06 It's helped me so much." 23:08 Folks, 23:10 let's be real honest with one another, 23:13 that has nothing to do with the preacher, 23:16 it has nothing to do with the preacher at all. 23:20 It only has to do with the fact that you're spending more time 23:24 in the Word of God. 23:25 That's what it has to do with. 23:27 You see, your interest is not in the preacher. 23:30 If a Western Union boy comes to your door 23:32 knocking on the door, 23:33 what are you interested in most? 23:35 The Western Union boy or the message? 23:38 Okay, that's all I am as a Western Union boy, 23:40 nothing more, okay? 23:42 That's it. 23:44 So spend time in the Word of God. 23:47 Learn what it has to say 23:49 because it's in it that you become acquainted 23:52 with Jesus Christ. 23:54 You must not, you must not, folks, 23:56 and those of you that are being baptized, 23:58 those of you that have come here 24:00 and some 275 of you or so that have 24:04 accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. 24:07 And you're born into the kingdom of God, 24:09 you're born into the kingdom as babes, 24:12 Okay? 24:13 But please don't stay a baby, 24:17 you know? We all love babies. 24:21 You pick them up, love them, they're wonderful. 24:24 But if it stays a baby, 24:25 there's something seriously wrong. 24:28 Okay? 24:29 We want it to grow, 24:31 and you must grow in your Christian experience. 24:34 If you don't, then it's not right. 24:37 So don't stay a baby, grow. 24:40 How do you do that? 24:41 1 Corinthians 3:2, 24:44 "I fed you with milk 24:46 and not with solid food." 24:51 I've given you a mixture here. 24:54 I've given you some milk 24:55 and I've given some of you some solid food, 24:58 okay? 24:59 But nevertheless, 25:01 you don't need to just stay on milk, 25:03 you need to get on solid food. 25:05 "For until now 25:07 you were not able to receive it, 25:09 and even now 25:10 you are still not able to receive it." 25:16 "For everyone who partakes only of milk 25:19 is unskilled in the word of righteousness, 25:23 for he is a babe." 25:26 So it's saying if you just... 25:28 "All you get is milk, 25:30 well, then you're just a babe. 25:34 You need to get into some solid food." 25:38 That means you need to spend time 25:40 studying the Word of God 25:41 but solid food belongs to those who are of full age. 25:47 So, dear friend, 25:49 get into the Word of God, begin to study it. 25:52 This is the reason, 25:54 "That is, those who by reason 25:57 of use have their senses exercised 25:59 to discern both good and evil." 26:01 All right, what does it do? 26:08 You take a tree 26:11 when it sprouts, comes up, 26:13 just a very, very small twig, a tree. 26:18 A child can go and pull it up. 26:23 Not difficult. 26:24 I mean, when it comes up and it's just a little twig, 26:26 a child can reach and get hold of that tree 26:28 and pull it out of the ground. 26:31 But you let that tree grow, 26:35 and you let it become a mighty oak, 26:40 and 10 men can't move it. 26:43 That's the same thing in the Christian experience. 26:46 That's what Jesus was talking about 26:49 when He talked about the sower that sowed seed 26:52 and He said that it sprung up. 26:54 Remember? 26:55 Sprung up, but He said it didn't have much root. 27:00 And it says when the sun came out 27:02 and persecution came, it withered up and died. 27:06 You see, 27:07 you've come here, you've read the Word of God, 27:09 you've seen it on the screen, you've studied it, 27:12 and you have reached out in faith, 27:13 and given your heart to Jesus Christ. 27:15 It's as a twig that's come up, 27:19 but you mustn't stay there, you've got to put down root. 27:24 When you put down root, 27:26 then the tree begins to get solid and fast, 27:29 and no one can shake it or move it. 27:32 That's what you and I are to be, 27:34 "My faith must be based on the Word of God. 27:37 I must stand there. 27:38 That's what I must believe." 27:41 And if I do that, 27:43 then it becomes solid. 27:45 I grew up. 27:47 When we left Chicago, we moved to Oklahoma. 27:52 I grew up in the southeast part of the state. 27:56 In the southeast part of the state, 27:57 they have what's called strip mines. 28:00 I don't know if you've ever heard of 28:02 what's called a strip mine or a strip pit. 28:05 That feels like this. 28:08 And what they do 28:09 is they find that just under the soil, 28:12 two or three foot under the soil is coal. 28:16 And so they go in, 28:17 and they take bulldozers, and they push away the soil, 28:20 and they begin to strip out the coal. 28:24 Dig it up, strip it out. 28:27 But let me tell you something, 28:29 in strip mines, 28:31 like this type, they dig up the ore, you know, 28:35 you don't find diamonds. 28:40 You understand me? 28:42 In strip mines, 28:43 you do not find diamonds. 28:47 You know where diamonds are found? 28:50 Way down 28:52 in the mine shafts, 28:53 way back deep 28:56 is where the diamonds are found. 28:59 And what I'm trying to tell you 29:00 that same thing is true in the Word of God. 29:03 That's where you find it. 29:04 If you're just going to peruse it 29:06 and if you're just going to go over it shallow, 29:08 you're never gonna find the diamonds. 29:11 So when you get into it, 29:12 and you dig, and you study, 29:15 then all of a sudden, you run across the diamonds. 29:18 And when you find them, you know it, 29:20 no question, it speaks to your heart. 29:22 There's the diamond of God's Word 29:24 and you see things. 29:26 All of a sudden, 29:27 the inspiration of the scripture 29:29 stands out in vivid form, 29:31 and you understand what God is trying to tell you. 29:35 That takes place, folks, 29:37 by solid food, digging in the Word of God. 29:41 So spend time in the Word of God, dig in it. 29:47 How to study the Bible? 29:49 I want to share with you just some principles 29:52 because I think a lot of people 29:54 don't know how to study it. 29:56 One, always pray first, 30:02 always pray first. 30:04 Let me tell you something, 30:06 human mind of itself won't comprehend it. 30:11 So you need to pray, 30:13 and you need to ask God to give you understanding. 30:19 John 16:13, 30:21 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, 30:25 He will guide you into all truth." 30:28 You see, you have to have the Spirit of God lead you in. 30:33 I know people who read the Word of God 30:35 that they never get anything out of it. 30:38 They never seem to understand it. 30:40 As it says in the Scripture, 30:42 they wrestle it to their own destruction. 30:44 Do you know why? 30:48 'Cause they're lacking the Spirit of God. 30:52 What does that mean they're lacking 30:53 the Spirit of God? 30:55 I mean, that if you won't open your heart, 30:59 if you won't keep your heart soft, 31:01 if you won't give the Holy Spirit the right 31:03 to work in your life in the mourn 31:05 and to impress and to guide you, 31:07 then you're not gonna understand 31:09 the Word of God. 31:12 If that's what it talks about, 31:13 reading the Scripture with a veil over your face, 31:17 you can't do that. 31:19 So you've got to pray 31:20 and you've got to open up your heart 31:22 and invite the Holy Spirit to come into your life 31:25 and to fill your life 31:26 so that you can understand the Word of God. 31:29 That is necessary, friends. 31:33 So first, pray. 31:36 Secondly, learn simple things. 31:42 Don't start out studying the Word of God 31:45 by taking on some major question. 31:49 I find people that are babes trying 31:52 to run out and understand the nature of God. 31:56 What are you talking about, friend, you're a human being? 32:00 You're not gonna understand divinity. 32:02 Never in 10,000 years will you understand 32:05 totally the question of divinity? 32:09 Don't take something on like that. 32:12 Oh, you may as years go by, 32:15 you may begin to get a glimpse 32:17 and you may understand, 32:19 but start out with some simple things. 32:22 Learn some, just the basic truths. 32:25 Look for those simple things. 32:28 What a difference it will make in your life 32:30 when you see those, 32:32 and then when you run across the diamond, 32:34 well, praise God. 32:36 Something wonderful has happened, see, 32:39 but that's what you need to do. 32:40 Spend time with Him. 32:41 But just learn simple things to start with. 32:45 Thirdly, 32:47 read the Scripture for your own soul. 32:51 I run on the people who read it, 32:54 always trying to read it for somebody else, you know? 32:59 Read it for your own soul. 33:01 Let it speak to your own heart. 33:05 Seek what God has to say to you? 33:08 That's not easy. 33:10 That's not easy 33:12 because you get into the Word of God 33:16 and sometimes it speaks so direct to you 33:19 that you don't wanna hear it, you know? 33:22 This says... 33:23 God just very clear says this, and you say, "My," 33:28 wish I hadn't read that, you know? 33:31 But you got to let it speak to your soul. 33:34 And if you let it speak to your soul, 33:36 then you begin to grow. 33:39 Things begin to happen in your life, 33:41 but if you're always going to read it 33:43 and read it for somebody else or... 33:45 As I run on some people 33:47 that read it strictly for argument sake. 33:50 No, no, 33:53 it's not the way you study the Word of God. 33:56 It's His letter to you. 33:59 That's what He's talking, He's talking to you. 34:01 Read it. 34:03 Understand it as He speaks to you. 34:06 Four, 34:09 read it slowly, like I told you. 34:13 Man, I read it to my mother just as fast as I can read it, 34:17 but that didn't help, you know? 34:18 I mean, sure it implanted a lot of Scripture in my mind, 34:22 but that isn't the way you really understand it. 34:25 You need to read it slow. 34:28 You're not trying to win some contest, you know? 34:33 Just read it and as you read it, 34:35 try to understand 34:36 what each verse is talking about. 34:39 So don't try to read it fast. 34:42 Just read it. 34:44 As I told you, I cannot haphazardly do it, 34:49 it's not my nature. 34:51 So I know before a year starts, 34:53 I know what I'm going to read that whole year. 34:57 I read my Bible through every year 34:59 completely from cover to cover. 35:02 And I probably will read five, six, seven books 35:07 related to the Bible at that time. 35:10 I'll read that. 35:11 And I'll study those. 35:13 That's what I do. 35:14 That's my devotion. 35:15 That's the time I spend with Jesus Christ. 35:19 Some have very wonderful time, but read it slowly. 35:23 It'll help you if you do. 35:25 Five, 35:26 try to understand what God's Word is saying. 35:30 If you don't understand 35:31 what it's saying on one particular verse, 35:34 stay with that verse until you understand 35:36 what God's saying. 35:38 Don't go away from it. 35:39 Just stay there until you read it 35:41 or read something about it, until you understand 35:44 what that verse is saying to you. 35:48 Have you... 35:50 Simple illustration. 35:52 Do you remember when David went to fight Goliath? 35:55 Huh? 35:57 You know how big Goliath was? 36:00 Huh? 36:02 Yeah, almost 10 foot, almost 10 foot. 36:07 The head of his spear weighed 70 pounds. 36:11 And you remember David went out 36:14 to fight him with a slingshot. 36:19 That's all. 36:20 And it says that David got to the brook there, 36:26 and it says that he picked up five smooth stones 36:32 is what the Scripture said. 36:33 Now, folks, 36:35 surely David had enough sense to know 36:37 that all he was going to be able to throw was one. 36:41 That was it. 36:43 And by the way, 36:45 don't think for a moment 36:46 that David didn't know how to throw it 36:49 because I can read to you in the Scripture 36:51 where it says that he was able to throw that stone 36:54 so it hit within a hair of breadth every time. 36:58 So I can guarantee you 37:00 when Goliath pulled back that helmet, 37:02 David knew where the rock was going. 37:04 No question about that. 37:06 Okay? 37:08 So he pulled back his helmet and David hit him 37:10 right between the eyes with a rock. 37:13 But why did he pick up five smooth stones? 37:19 'Cause the Scripture says that Goliath had four brothers, 37:23 and David picked up one for each one. 37:29 You see what I'm talking about? 37:31 Spend a little time in the Word of God, 37:34 learn what it's talking about. 37:36 It'll enrich your soul. 37:38 You'll find things 37:40 there that God will speak to your heart. 37:42 Take the Bible for what it says. 37:45 I have preached to you night after night, 37:48 and I've tried to get across 37:49 to you that the Scripture will be consistent. 37:53 Don't buy that, folks, 37:55 that's so prevalent in the world today 37:58 that seemed to think that Moses is going to disagree with Paul. 38:02 And Paul's going to disagree with Jeremiah. 38:04 And Jeremiah is going to disagree with Matthew. 38:07 No, they will not. 38:10 It will be consistent all the way through. 38:14 If you run across a text 38:16 that doesn't seem to be consistent 38:18 with other Scripture, 38:20 then you need to spend more time with that text. 38:24 And as you do, it'll clear up, 38:26 and you'll see that it will be consistent 38:28 with all the Scripture. 38:30 So take the Scripture for what it says. 38:34 It will make great, great difference. 38:37 Don't try to spiritualize it, just read it, 38:41 try to understand it for what it's telling you. 38:44 Seven, take it verse by verse. 38:48 Just go through it. 38:49 Take it verse by verse, read it, study it. 38:52 It'll make great, 38:54 great improvement in your Christian life. 38:59 Secondly, it's prayer. 39:04 I'm talking about ways to grow. 39:06 You've got to spend time in the Word of God, 39:09 and you've got to spend time in prayer. 39:13 Prayer is the breath of the soul. 39:18 So you've got to breathe, 39:21 you've got to. 39:22 You've got to take time to pray. 39:24 Absolutely necessary. 39:26 Prayer is simply talking to a friend. 39:31 Okay? 39:32 That's all it is. 39:33 Simply talking to a friend. 39:36 There is no prescribed way. 39:40 Oh, I believe that when you come before the Lord, 39:44 it's nice to kneel. 39:46 That's the reason I do each night 39:49 because I'm coming before the Lord, 39:51 I want His presence, I think that's nice. 39:54 I think that's what I as a servant of Jesus Christ 39:59 that I should do. 40:00 So I kneel, but you don't always have to kneel 40:02 to pray, folks. 40:04 You can pray anywhere you're at, 40:07 anytime. 40:09 And just open up your heart and have a talk with Jesus. 40:14 So a song says, 40:15 "A little talk with Jesus makes things right." 40:19 Okay? 40:20 Little talk with Jesus. 40:22 So just talk to Him as a friend and you'll find 40:25 it will make a great, great difference. 40:28 Let me try to illustrate what I'm trying to tell you. 40:36 Let's say you came to me and said, 40:39 "I'm interested in getting married, 40:44 but I can't find anybody." 40:47 And I say, "Well, who are you looking for?" 40:50 And you say, "Well, 40:51 I'm looking for somebody that's kind, 40:54 and that's gentle, and that is helpful, 40:59 and is loving, 41:03 and never sees anything bad in me, 41:07 and who will be a very, very close friend," 41:11 and you go on and enumerate all these things, 41:14 and I'm gonna say to you, "Good luck." 41:17 So I'm gonna say to you, "Good luck." 41:20 If you could find somebody that was kind, 41:22 and gentle, and loving, and always saw good in you, 41:25 and did all those things, 41:27 would you be interested in them? 41:29 Huh? 41:31 Would you? 41:32 Oh, absolutely. 41:34 It's like wonderful. 41:36 Well, what I'm trying to tell you is Jesus is like that. 41:39 That's how Jesus is, He's kind, He's gentle, He's loving, 41:46 He's merciful, 41:47 He only wants that which is good for you. 41:51 So why don't you talk to Him? 41:55 See, He's your friend. 41:57 That's what it says. 41:59 "Come to Me, 42:01 all you who labor and are heavy laden, 42:04 and I will give you rest." 42:07 He said, "Just come to Me, 42:09 I'll give you rest." 42:11 He loves you, cares for you. 42:14 "Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me, 42:19 for I am," what, "gentle, lowly in heart, 42:24 and you will find rest for your souls." 42:27 So take the time to spend with Jesus. 42:30 "My yoke is easy, My burden is light." 42:34 Marvelous, the things that He promises. 42:37 Jesus is that friend. 42:41 That's what He is. 42:42 And so prayer is just 42:43 a matter of talking to a friend. 42:45 It's what it is. 42:47 So don't get all caught up and think 42:49 that you have to say special words, 42:52 you know? 42:53 Just talk to Him as your friend and it'll make great, 42:58 great difference. 43:00 "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, 43:06 but there is a friend 43:07 who sticks closer than a brother." 43:12 So Jesus is that friend. 43:14 And so I'd like to encourage you to spend time, 43:17 talk with Him. 43:18 I think you'll find it'll help your Christian experience grow. 43:21 There's many ways to pray, folks, many ways to pray. 43:25 There are prayers of confession. 43:29 That's when I'm coming to Him and saying, 43:33 "I messed up. 43:38 I did something I shouldn't have. 43:42 I'm sorry, for what I did. 43:46 Forgive me." 43:48 Prayers of confession. 43:50 There's prayers of intercession. 43:53 When your heart is burden for somebody 43:57 and you wanna talk to Him about that person. 44:01 And then there's prayers of thanksgiving, 44:06 where you're thanking the Lord, 44:07 praising Him for what He's done. 44:08 Those are all different types of prayer. 44:10 And I've read lots of books on prayer. 44:13 And it's always kind of, 44:16 you know, 44:17 amused me 'cause they act like 44:20 that you take these different types of prayer 44:22 and you come to the Lord and you say, 44:24 "Well, Lord, today, I've got to confess my sins," 44:28 you know? 44:29 Or "Today, 44:31 I need to spend some time in thanksgiving." 44:33 No, no, that's not the way it is. 44:36 Prayer is the result of a relationship, okay? 44:42 Prayer is the result of a relationship. 44:45 I'm going to come to the Lord and say, 44:47 "Lord, listen, 44:49 I'm so sorry, I let you down. 44:53 You've had so much confidence in me 44:56 and I just blew it. 44:59 I'm sorry." 45:01 That's a relationship, folks. 45:04 Or I'm gonna come to Him and say, 45:05 "Lord, my heart's burden today, 45:10 burden because of that child of mine. 45:14 He doesn't serve You, Lord. 45:18 Child's not listening. 45:22 He doesn't know You as his Savior. 45:25 My heart is burden for him." 45:28 It's prayers of intercession. 45:31 Or I'm gonna say, 45:32 "Lord, you've been so good to me, 45:36 done so much for me. 45:38 I thank You for what You did today." 45:42 Prayers of thanksgiving. 45:44 All those are the result of a relationship. 45:48 Okay? 45:49 And that's simply what the Lord wants you to do. 45:52 He just wants you to come 45:53 and talk to Him and visit with Him, 45:56 spend time with Him. 45:57 And as you do that, that's what changes your life? 46:02 It what makes it different? 46:04 You just spend time in prayer with Him, 46:08 but you got to balance it out. 46:12 You can't spend time in the Word of God 46:17 and spend time in prayer and let it stop there. 46:22 You see... 46:26 And you got to grow. 46:28 Body has to grow. 46:31 You can't be hydrocephalic. 46:35 You understand what I mean? 46:37 Can't have a great big head and little body. 46:41 That isn't the way it works. 46:43 You've got to exercise. 46:44 And we're gonna do a little exercise right now. 46:48 We're gonna have all the folks 46:50 that are being baptized right now 46:54 have an exercise and go right out that door, 46:56 right over there, 46:58 and go get ready for the baptism. 47:00 All the folks are being baptized. 47:03 We're going to let them go do that right now. 47:07 Okay, 47:08 so we'll let them do that, 47:10 but we aren't through with this sermon, okay? 47:12 But when we finish the sermon, 47:14 we wanna be ready to go right into the baptism. 47:16 So that's what they're gonna do, 47:17 you know? 47:18 But you... 47:20 If your Christian experience is going to grow, 47:21 you've got to exercise. 47:24 That is absolutely necessary 47:26 in the Christian experience is to exercise. 47:29 So what does that mean? 47:31 Well, it says, "Joseph is a," what, 47:36 "fruitful bough," okay, 47:38 "a fruitful bough by a well, 47:41 his branches run over the wall." 47:44 Great lesson here, folks. 47:45 Joseph spent time with the Lord, 47:49 that's the well. 47:51 See, he drank of the well, 47:54 and because he drank of the well, 47:56 what happened? 47:57 The vine grew, 48:00 the vine grew, and it bore fruit, 48:03 and it even ran over the wall, okay? 48:07 If you spend time in the Word of God, 48:11 you spend time in prayer, you're going to grow. 48:15 Okay? 48:16 You're going to grow, and as you grow, 48:19 it will be necessary 48:21 for you to witness 'cause it says, 48:25 "He shall be like a," what, 48:27 "tree planted by the river of waters, 48:30 and bring forth its fruit in season." 48:33 That person that spends time in the Word of God 48:38 gonna be like a tree, he's gonna grow, 48:41 and it's going to produce fruit. 48:45 Now what I'm trying to tell you this morning 48:51 is if you don't have any fruit, what's wrong? 48:59 If you don't have any fruit, what's wrong? 49:04 Well, yeah, you're not spending time 49:07 in the Word of God. 49:09 You're not spending time in prayer. 49:13 Okay? 49:14 'Cause you can't drink of the water 49:16 and not produce fruit. 49:18 Impossible. 49:19 "Whose leaf also shall not wither 49:22 and whatever he does shall prosper. 49:26 But whoever drinks of the water 49:27 that I shall give him will never thirst." 49:31 Now let's watch what's going to happen to him 49:33 if I drink of the water of life, 49:36 I spend time in the Word of God, 49:37 I spend time in prayer, 49:39 I've given my heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, 49:42 "But the water that I shall give him 49:44 will become in him a fountain of water 49:48 springing up into everlasting life." 49:52 You become a stream of water, okay? 49:57 That's what you become. 49:58 And when that happens, then, 50:02 dear friend, you can't help it. 50:05 Jeremiah, Jeremiah said, 50:09 "I've talked to these people 50:10 until I'm tired of talking to them." 50:13 He said, "I've preached to them early in the morning, 50:16 late at night. 50:17 I've talked to them, they won't listen. 50:19 I'm tired of talking to these people." 50:22 And then watch what happened here. 50:23 "Then I said, 50:25 'I will not make mention of Him, 50:27 nor speak any more of His name.'" 50:28 Jeremiah said, 50:29 "I'm not going to talk about the Lord to them anymore, 50:32 not going to mention His name, 50:33 I'm not going to say anything about Him." 50:38 "But His... 50:41 But His Word was in my heart like a burning fire 50:47 shut up in my bones, 50:49 I was weary of holding it back, I could not." 50:55 That what you and I ought to do. 50:59 Spending time in the Word of God 51:00 until its soul floods my soul, and until I say, 51:06 "I can't keep from talking about it." 51:09 Preachers, preachers, 51:13 if you're going to preach, 51:15 preach out of the overflow. 51:19 Do you understand what I'm saying? 51:21 Preach out of the overflow, 51:23 spend time in this book until it flows over, 51:27 and when it starts running over, 51:29 people will know it. 51:31 Preach out of the overflow. 51:34 Spend time with the Lord. 51:37 Then you can't help it, friends, can't help it. 51:40 It makes great, great difference. 51:43 Witnessing. 51:45 Witnessing is when one who tells 51:48 what he or she has heard, seen, or experienced. 51:54 That's witnessing. 51:55 That's what you were called to do is to witness, 52:00 every one of you, called to witness. 52:03 But, dear friend, 52:06 you've got to spend in time here. 52:08 So you see, and so you hear, and so you experience. 52:14 See, that's what it's about. 52:16 If you haven't seen anything 52:18 or you haven't heard anything, 52:19 you haven't experienced anything, 52:21 then you aren't gonna have much to say. 52:24 But a witness is one who tells 52:26 what he's seen, heard, or experienced. 52:29 Now let me tell you something about witnessing. 52:34 When you're witnessing to people 52:37 who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, okay? 52:42 You're talking to someone who does not know 52:44 the Lord Jesus Christ, 52:47 then you must witness to them subjectively. 52:51 Do you understand what I mean by that? 52:54 In other words, 52:55 you must talk to them 52:57 about what Jesus means to you, 53:01 what Jesus has done for you, 53:04 the experience that you've had with Jesus. 53:06 They can't argue with that. 53:09 Do you understand me? 53:11 That's my experience, 53:13 my experience and nobody else's. 53:15 So you can't argue with that. 53:17 So your witness must be subjective. 53:21 You only witness to people objectively 53:26 after they've given their heart to Jesus. 53:30 You see, if you go out here 53:32 and you start taking one of the Bible doctrines 53:35 and you're trying to explain a Bible doctrine to someone 53:38 who has never given their heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, 53:42 I'm sorry, you're wasting your time. 53:45 You're not helping that person. 53:48 You need to talk to that person about Jesus. 53:52 After they have given their heart to Jesus Christ, 53:54 then, as a follower of Jesus Christ, 53:57 you can talk to them about what Jesus taught, okay? 54:02 But you don't until then. 54:04 So make sure 54:05 when you're talking to people about Jesus, 54:10 that you keep it subjective if they don't know Jesus Christ 54:13 as their Savior. 54:15 Don't argue with them. 54:17 John 1:45 says, 54:20 "Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 54:23 'We have found Him of whom Moses in the law." 54:26 He said, "We found this person 54:28 that Moses in the law spoke about." 54:30 "And also the prophets, wrote Jesus of Nazareth, 54:34 the son of Joseph." 54:35 He said, 54:36 "Well, we've found this man 54:38 that all the Bible talked about, 54:39 Jesus of Nazareth." 54:42 Watch Nathanael. 54:45 "And Nathanael said to him, 54:47 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?'" 54:50 He said, 54:51 "You found this man in Nazareth? 54:53 Is this possible?" 54:54 Now, folks, Philip argued with him. 54:57 Huh? 54:59 Philip argued with him. 55:00 No, he didn't argue with him, what did he do? 55:04 "Philip said to him, 'Come see. 55:07 Come see.'" 55:08 That's all. 55:10 Didn't argue with him, didn't say, "Now listen, 55:11 everybody in Nazareth is not bad." 55:14 He didn't argue about that. 55:15 He just said, "Come see." 55:18 And he came, and he saw, 55:21 and what he saw convinced him 55:24 that he was all that he claimed to be. 55:27 That's witnessing, folks. 55:29 That's witnessing. 55:30 That brings about a balance. 55:33 Your witness is an indication 55:36 of your relationship with Christ. 55:39 That's what your witness is. 55:40 It's an indication of your relationship 55:43 with Jesus Christ 'cause if you're full of Christ, 55:47 I'll guarantee you, you will talk about Him. 55:50 "You are our epistles written in our hearts, 55:53 known and read by all men." 55:58 You are a living epistle. 56:00 You're a witness and people look at you 56:03 and they read Jesus Christ. 56:08 They read what Jesus Christ is. 56:10 "But what does it say? 56:12 'The word is near you, 56:14 in your mouth and in your heart. 56:18 That if you confess with your mouth." 56:22 If you confess, what? 56:25 With your mouth. 56:28 So, folks, as a witness of Jesus, 56:30 sure, I must live it. 56:34 I must live it day by day. 56:38 Living it includes a lot of things. 56:41 But I must not just live it, I must talk about it. 56:46 I must talk about it. 56:48 I must witness with my mouth. 56:52 If I confess... 56:53 "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ 56:55 and believe in your heart 56:57 that God has raised Him from the dead, 56:58 you will be saved." 57:02 So what it says, "But with the heart, 57:05 one believes unto righteousness," listen, 57:09 "and with the mouth, 57:11 confession is made unto salvation." 57:15 So, dear friend, 57:17 if you're going to have a Christian life, 57:20 if you're going to grow, 57:22 you've got to spend time in the Word of God. 57:25 Okay? 57:27 Secondly, 57:29 you need to learn to talk to Jesus as a friend, 57:32 visit with Him. 57:34 And then if He is very real to you, 57:38 you'll witness to those about you of the marvelous, 57:42 wonderful love of Jesus Christ. 57:45 This is what He will do for you. 57:49 So He just simply invite you and I to invite Him 57:53 into our hearts, 57:56 to accept Him as our Savior, 57:58 to give our life to Him 58:01 that He will pour out His Holy Spirit upon us. 58:05 Heavenly Father, 58:07 we just place our lives in Your hands, 58:11 thankful for the blessings that You give us 58:14 for each one that has made this decision this morning. 58:18 Bless them, Lord. 58:19 For this, we thank You in Christ's name, 58:22 amen. |
Revised 2019-06-14