Participants:
Series Code: WHO
Program Code: WHO200031S
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00:28 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Worship Hour.
00:31 And I am glad 00:33 that you have decided to join us 00:34 because we are going to study God's Word together. 00:38 The title for this message is "2021 Better than 2020?" 00:44 This is an intriguing title 00:46 that we will talk about in a moment, 00:48 but before we do this, 00:50 we want to encourage you to get your Bibles, 00:54 whatever form you may have it 00:55 whether it's a digital device, follow along, 00:57 you may want to write down the scriptures 00:59 to continue studying God's Word. 01:01 Before we begin, 01:03 I would like to go to the Lord in prayer. 01:05 I invite you to pray with me and pray for me. 01:07 And for everyone that will be listening 01:10 to this message. 01:11 I will be kneeling and asking for God 01:13 to bring a message from heaven to us. 01:16 Let us go to the Lord in prayer. 01:22 Our loving Heavenly Father, we do thank You. 01:25 We thank You, Lord, 01:26 because we have this day of life. 01:29 And we do thank You 01:30 that we have the Holy Scriptures 01:32 that are able to make us wise unto salvation. 01:36 We therefore pray and ask for Your Holy Spirit. 01:41 I place myself in Your hands, Lord, 01:43 that every word may come from Your throne of grace. 01:47 Speak to Your children. 01:49 We pray for an outpouring of Your Holy Spirit. 01:51 And we ask for this blessing 01:53 in the holy and blessed name of Jesus. 01:57 Amen. Amen. 02:00 When we think of the year 2020, 02:04 we think of some terrible things 02:06 that happened not only in the United States, 02:09 but all around the world. 02:12 January 1, 2020 02:13 began with people on a high state, 02:17 Happy New Year, you would hear Happy New Year. 02:20 I hope you have a great one, 02:21 hope it's better than last year, 02:23 but you see, 02:24 looming in the horizon 02:26 was this thing called the Coronavirus. 02:30 We're not gonna dwell on that today, 02:32 but there was Coronavirus 02:33 and at first people did not pay too much attention to it. 02:37 And things began to get more and more difficult. 02:40 And eventually you heard the name COVID-19. 02:45 And, of course, you well know 02:47 the restrictions placed upon people 02:49 they have to stay in their homes, 02:51 something new happened, 02:53 something new, a new experience. 02:56 And many people 02:57 had a very difficult time with it. 02:59 As a matter of fact, 03:00 you would know very well that restaurants closed, 03:05 people had to wear masks. 03:07 And still we have this COVID-19 looming over the whole world, 03:14 and what will be the end of these things, 03:18 but perhaps as you look at 2020, 03:23 you look back and you ask yourself, 03:25 "Well, you know, I had high aspirations. 03:30 I wanted to do better than what I did." 03:35 And perhaps you started 2020 03:36 with some people call them 03:40 new things you wanted to do. 03:44 And so you decided to change some habits. 03:47 Some people decide, 03:48 "Well, I'm gonna lose weight this year." 03:50 "I'm gonna stop doing this or that." 03:52 "I'm gonna be a better father." 03:53 "I'm gonna be a better husband, a better wife." 03:56 Some concluded. 03:58 And so people have these type of things 04:01 and they make New Year's resolution, 04:05 but I ask you the question, 04:07 what happened to the people that made those resolutions? 04:12 Were they carried out? 04:14 Did you make those wonderful changes 04:16 that you wanted to make? 04:18 Was 2020 a good year? 04:22 But the reason I asked the question, 04:24 the reason for the title 2021, 04:27 better than 2020 04:29 is because I'm referring in a spiritual sense. 04:33 And so I ask you the question, 04:35 if we were to put 04:38 all of the thoughts and actions and words 04:42 you spoke on a scale 04:46 and we put all the words and thoughts and actions, 04:49 the good ones and the bad ones, 04:52 which way would the scale tip over, 04:57 to the good or to the bad. 05:01 What was the majority of your experience for 2020? 05:05 I hope that the scale would go, yes, 05:10 you had more thoughts of doing good, 05:14 or more words of good 05:16 and more actions that were good than evil, 05:21 but notice 05:22 that if only one sin remained in your heart, 05:27 that is enough. 05:29 For the Bible says, "The wages of sin is death." 05:34 So if there is a record, a stained record in your life, 05:40 I want you to consider the words of Psalm 103. 05:46 In Psalm 103, the Bible tells us in verse 17, 05:51 "But the mercy of the Lord 05:53 is from everlasting to everlasting, 05:57 and those who fear Him 05:58 and His righteousness to children's children." 06:04 And so the mercy of the Lord 06:06 is from everlasting to everlasting, 06:08 God will have mercy upon you, 06:12 if you come to Him, and ask Him for forgiveness. 06:18 And when I consider the situation 06:20 with the COVID-19, 06:23 and the problems that plagued the world, 06:25 whatever they may be, I have to ask myself, 06:30 if the answers are all in God's Word, 06:34 and they are. 06:36 I would like to encourage you 06:37 to write down another scripture. 06:39 And some may even know this by memory, 06:43 is in 2 Chronicles 7:14. 06:47 In 2 Chronicles 7:14, the Bible says, 06:50 "If my people, who are called by my name, 06:54 will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, 06:58 and turn from their wicked ways, 07:01 then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, 07:05 and heal their land." 07:08 So you see, brothers and sisters, 07:10 friends that are joining me, God is merciful, 07:13 and whatever difficulties, challenges, 07:16 whether they be the Coronavirus, 07:18 whatever it is, 07:19 if God's people humble themselves, 07:22 God will bring healing upon them. 07:25 God will bring forgiveness of sins. 07:28 And so I encourage you that as you consider 2020, 07:34 whatever the case may be for you, 07:37 if you are harboring anger, bitterness, 07:42 hatred for people that did you wrong, 07:45 let those things die with 2020, 07:48 bury them in 2020 and forget about them. 07:52 Give yourself to the Lord completely. 07:54 Ask God to forgive you for your sins, 07:56 so that you can start a new 2021 08:01 with a clean record 08:02 without the weight of the past upon you. 08:06 Let those things go 08:08 and begin a new with Jesus Christ. 08:11 As a matter of fact, 08:12 I would like to invite you 08:15 to consider Lamentations 3:21-23. 08:20 Lamentations 3:21-23. 08:24 "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. 08:29 Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, 08:34 because his compassions fail not. 08:36 They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness." 08:43 Praise the Lord. 08:45 And so, brothers and sisters, 08:48 the Bible has a message of hope for us. 08:51 The Bible has a message of hope, 08:54 a message of hope for you and for me. 08:58 I would like to turn right now to another passage of the Bible 09:02 that communicates hope. 09:04 And this is in Isaiah Chapter 55. 09:07 And we're gonna read verses 6 and 7. 09:12 Thus it is written, 09:13 "Seek the Lord while he may be found, 09:16 call upon him while he is near. 09:20 Let the wicked forsake his way, 09:22 and the unrighteous men his thoughts. 09:25 Let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, 09:30 and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." 09:34 Praise the Lord. 09:36 He will abundantly pardon. 09:40 I encourage you to take advantage 09:42 of the invitation of the Lord. 09:43 Now notice that the scripture said, 09:45 "Seek the Lord while He may be found." 09:48 This implies that a time will come 09:51 when the Lord will not be able to be found. 09:55 So I encourage you to take the opportunity today, 09:59 right now to seek the Lord while He may be found, 10:03 call upon Him while He is near. 10:05 He is near. Praise His holy name. 10:09 And according to what we just read, 10:11 if you forsake your sins and your evil ways, 10:15 He will abundantly pardon. 10:18 Start new. 10:19 Start a brand New Year, we use the word brand, 10:23 but a New Year, 10:25 clean record for you to have the opportunity 10:30 to begin anew in Jesus Christ. 10:37 Remember, 10:38 that the scriptures also bring a message to us 10:42 because perhaps there may be situations 10:46 where there's strife between you and someone, 10:50 you've to consider someone your enemy, 10:52 perhaps they did you wrong. 10:55 And you did them wrong as well. 10:57 I would like to read to you from Luke 6:37. 11:01 Luke 6:37. 11:03 The Bible says this, 11:04 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. 11:07 Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. 11:10 Forgive, and you will be forgiven." 11:15 So I encourage you to forgive others. 11:19 Start anew, start a new with Jesus Christ, 11:22 start a new life in Jesus. 11:26 Now I want to read something to you 11:28 from a very old magazine Review and Herald, 11:32 December 16, 1884, an article by Ellen G. White, 11:36 notice this that will help us 11:41 put the past behind us 11:43 that will help you be reconciled 11:45 and make peace with those around you. 11:47 Notice, "If there have been difficulties 11:50 between brethren and sisters, 11:52 if envy, malice, bitterness, evil surmisings, have existed, 11:57 confess these sins, not in a general way, 12:01 but go to your brethren and sisters personally. 12:05 Be definite. 12:07 If you have committed one wrong and they twenty, 12:12 confess that one 12:14 as though you were the chief offender. 12:18 Take them by the hand, 12:20 let your heart soften 12:22 under the influence of the Spirit of God, 12:25 and say, 'Will you forgive me? 12:28 I have not felt right toward you. 12:30 I want to make right every wrong, 12:34 that naught or nothing may stand registered against me 12:39 in the books of heaven. 12:41 I must have a clean record.' 12:45 Who, think you, 12:47 would withstand such a movement as this?" 12:49 I encourage you to take the first step. 12:52 Pray to the Lord. Say, Lord, give me courage. 12:55 Give me that forgiveness in my heart 12:56 to forgive those 20 things 30, 40, 50, 100 13:00 whatever they may be, 13:02 even if you have committed one wrong, 13:04 go to that person. 13:05 Be specific, and receive the blessing of forgiveness 13:10 and receive that reconciliation that can bring you peace, 13:14 and bring the other person peace 13:15 because if something stands between you and the Savior, 13:19 it could mean that you are left out of heaven 13:22 because you hold grudges. 13:26 Now I want to encourage you 13:29 to consider that God has been appealing 13:31 to your heart throughout the year. 13:34 Throughout the 2020 13:35 the Lord has been trying to draw you 13:37 close to Him, 13:39 draw you near to Him. 13:40 And I want to bring you a message of warning 13:43 because the reality 13:44 is that the Bible says in Romans 6:23, 13:50 "For the wages of sin is death," 13:55 but notice, the scripture say, 13:58 "but the gift of God is eternal life 14:02 in Christ Jesus our Lord." 14:07 There is a message of warning, 14:09 but there's also a message of hope. 14:11 The wages of sin is death. 14:13 And so what I am saying to you is if you persist in sin, 14:17 if you persist in evil, 14:18 what awaits you is the wages of sin, 14:21 but if you repent and give yourself to the Lord, 14:25 the gift of God is yours, 14:28 and that is eternal life through Jesus Christ. 14:33 Please consider Proverbs Chapter 11. 14:38 In Proverbs Chapter 11, 14:40 we have a message that needs to be considered. 14:46 Consider it and put it into practice. 14:49 Notice, Proverbs 11:21. 14:55 In Proverbs 11:21, "Though they join forces, 15:01 the wicked will not go unpunished, 15:05 but the posterity of the righteous 15:07 will be delivered." 15:09 In this verse, Proverbs 11:21, 15:12 the Bible tells us that the wicked 15:14 will not go unpunished. 15:16 The only way of escape is through Jesus Christ, 15:21 to repent, ask the Lord to forgive you. 15:24 And as we read earlier in Isaiah 55, 15:27 He will abundantly pardon, 15:30 take advantage of that opportunity 15:32 the Lord is giving you. 15:35 Now, of course, you go to church, 15:37 and there are different people there. 15:40 The Bible says 15:41 that there are wheat and there are tares. 15:44 And in Matthew Chapter 15, 15:47 there is a message that sometimes people look, 15:51 oh, that's for that person over there, 15:54 that's not for me. 15:55 But in Matthew 15:7-8, 15:58 Jesus says something that we need to consider 16:01 at this moment. 16:03 "Hypocrites! 16:04 Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 16:07 These people draw near to Me with their mouth, 16:11 and honor Me with their lips, 16:13 but their heart is far from Me." 16:17 Verse 9, "And in vain they worship Me, 16:20 teaching as doctrines, the commandments of men." 16:24 So you have these type of people. 16:25 They go to church, they sing, and they sing joyously, 16:30 they seem beautiful, 16:32 but they're praising the Lord with their lips, 16:34 but their heart is far from the Lord. 16:38 I remember hearing some young people 16:39 share that, 16:41 "Oh, yes, we were part of a singing group, 16:44 we would go to church, 16:45 and we will sing all these songs. 16:47 And people would say, "Amen," 16:49 and beautiful songs. 16:52 But after the church service was over 16:54 these young people, some of them, 16:56 not all of them, went over to do wicked things. 16:59 They were worshiping the Lord with their lips, 17:02 but their heart was far from the Lord. 17:03 Let not that be the case for you. 17:06 Come near to the Lord, 17:07 the Lord is saying, draw near to Me, 17:09 and I will draw near to you. 17:11 Now I praise the Lord 17:13 that this story that I just shared with you 17:15 was from one or two of the people 17:18 that were in that group. 17:20 And now they were expressing repentance 17:23 over what they were doing before. 17:26 I wanna talk about some people briefly, 17:29 that come to church, and they are there, 17:34 but these people put very little effort 17:38 in the things of the Lord, 17:40 but when it comes to worldly endeavors, 17:43 trying to get rich, trying to get the highest job, 17:47 they put all the effort, 17:49 all their zeal, all their energy, 17:51 work late hours, 17:52 come home late 17:54 because they want to get this or get that. 17:57 And their job takes priority over the Lord. 18:01 Things of the world take priority over the Lord. 18:06 There is something I would like to share 18:08 that is in the book Testimonies for the Church, 18:11 Volume 1, page 477 18:14 concerning people that are in this category, 18:16 it says, "If all will only manifest 18:20 that degree of ambition, zeal, 18:22 and earnestness for everlasting life 18:25 that they manifest in their worldlypursuits, 18:28 they will be victorious overcomers." 18:32 They have shown that they can put great zeal 18:34 and great effort into an endeavor 18:37 and accomplish those things. 18:38 If only they would put those efforts 18:42 into following the Lord, 18:44 they would be victorious Christians, 18:46 wonderful Christians. 18:48 And so, there is a warning for us 18:52 because in Matthew 24:24, 18:56 I want to encourage you to search for the Lord 18:58 with all of your heart. 19:00 You see, we are living in difficult times, 19:02 troublous times. 19:03 And the Bible says in Matthew 24:24, 19:08 "For false Christs and false prophets will rise 19:12 and show great signs and wonders to deceive, 19:16 if possible, even the elect." 19:21 So you see, these false prophets, 19:25 false Christs will arise, some have already, 19:29 and have deceived many. 19:31 Unless we are grounded under scriptures, 19:34 you may be deceived. 19:37 How can you avoid getting deceived? 19:39 Be grounded in the scripture. 19:41 Study the Word of God, 19:42 ask for the Holy Spirit to guide you 19:45 into all truth as Jesus promised 19:47 that the Holy Spirit will do. 19:49 Cooperate with the Lord and it will be well for you. 19:53 You see, 19:55 there is a terrible enemy out there 19:57 and his name is the devil, the Satan. 19:59 People seem to forget 20:01 that he's actively working hard to destroy, 20:05 to kill, and to deceive, and to derail, 20:09 and to divert your attention in other areas, 20:11 when he knows 20:13 that the longer he holds your attention, 20:15 the more secure you are in his grasp. 20:19 That's why, in 1 Peter 5:8, we are told, 20:24 "Be sober, be vigilant 20:26 because your adversary the devil 20:29 walks about like a roaring lion, 20:32 seeking whom he may devour." 20:36 So I encourage you, be sober, be vigilant, 20:39 search for the Lord with all your heart, 20:42 don't serve the Lord with your lips, 20:44 serve the Lord with your whole heart, 20:47 with all of your mind, 20:49 and you will find the joy 20:52 that the Lord wants to give you. 20:54 And this is why I bring to you the invitation 20:57 from the Book of Job, 20:59 very powerful message here, very short, 21:03 it's in Job 22:21. 21:08 And here in Job Chapter 22, 21:09 a short message 21:11 that I encourage you to consider. 21:12 Now notice, powerful, now, it says, 21:17 "Now acquaint yourself with Him," 21:21 that is the Lord, 21:22 "acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace, 21:26 thereby good will come to you." 21:31 This scripture tells us 21:33 that if we acquaint ourselves with the Lord, 21:37 and be at peace with Him, 21:39 good will come to us. 21:41 Now the word acquaint here is not just something passive 21:46 is something that you develop time, 21:48 you take time to acquaint yourself, 21:52 be familiar with the Lord, get to know the Lord. 21:57 And this is the opportunity we have today. 22:02 Call upon the Lord while He is near. 22:08 God does not just want to forgive us, 22:10 I want to let you know, 22:11 God does not just want to forgive us. 22:14 He wants to change us 22:15 so that we don't keep sinning and sinning and sinning 22:18 and sinning and sinning. 22:20 He wants to change us transform us 22:23 so that sin does not destroy our peace. 22:26 And that's why I encourage you 22:29 to consider 2 Corinthians Chapter 5. 22:31 In 2 Corinthians 5:20, we will begin there. 22:36 Notice, we'll focus in a little verse 20 first, 22:38 and then go to 21. 22:40 "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, 22:44 as though God were pleading through us, 22:49 we implore you on Christ's behalf, 22:51 be reconciled to God." 22:54 That's 2 Corinthians 5:20. 22:57 As an ambassador for Christ, I plead with you, 23:02 and as in the verses 23:03 as if God was pleading through me to you, 23:08 it says, "Be reconciled to God." 23:13 Be reconciled to God. 23:15 You have all to gain. 23:18 And you will have all to benefit 23:20 from being reconciled to God, 23:22 you will deliver yourself from destruction 23:26 because the wages of sin is that, 23:28 be reconciled to God. 23:30 He wants to save you. 23:32 In verse 21 it says, "For He made Him, " 23:36 that is Jesus made Jesus, "who knew no sin, " 23:39 Jesus did not sin, "to be sin for us," 23:42 grab that statement. 23:43 Notice, "For He made Him 23:45 who knew no sin to be sin for us, 23:49 that we might become 23:51 the righteousness of God in Him." 23:54 Wow! What a powerful statement. 23:57 And I want you to consider this statement 24:00 for a moment. 24:01 God made him Jesus to be sin for us. 24:05 Jesus took our sins upon Him, my sins, your sins, 24:10 and He became like sin itself for us. 24:14 And the Bible says 24:16 that God demonstrates His love toward us 24:18 that while we were yet sinners, 24:20 Christ died for us. 24:22 Consider the great price, 24:25 the great sacrifice that God has made 24:28 so that you could be forgiven, 24:30 but not only that, 24:31 the scripture says that we might become 24:35 the righteousness of God in Him. 24:38 In other words, God wants to transform us, 24:41 so that we have 24:43 the righteousness of Jesus Christ in us, 24:46 so that we won't be trying to figure out 24:49 what is the next evil thing I want to do. 24:51 God wants to transform us by renewing our minds. 24:57 God is so good and merciful with each and every one of us, 25:01 so I want to share three steps. 25:03 So that I believe that you can use 25:08 to discover a genuine Christian experience 25:11 for 2021. 25:13 That's right, the year 2021 25:15 can be the best year of your life 25:18 if you surrender yourself to the Lord, 25:20 and follow Him with all of your heart. 25:22 2021 can be the point 25:26 where you start walking with the Lord 25:28 and rejoicing every single day 25:31 that you know more and more about the Lord. 25:35 And that is why I want to remind you 25:37 that Jesus said in John 6:37, 25:39 "He that comes to me, I will in no way cast out." 25:44 So take confidence, come to Jesus, 25:46 just as you are, and He will not cast you away, 25:49 He will not turn you away, He will accept you, 25:52 but I wanna share these three steps 25:53 to discover a genuine Christian experience. 25:57 And that begins in Luke 9:23. 26:01 Luke 9:23. 26:04 From this verse, 26:06 we want to look at the three steps 26:09 that I believe will be a blessing to you, 26:13 and will help you begin 26:15 a new and wonderful genuine experience 26:19 with Jesus Christ. 26:21 And so, Luke 9:23, this is what the Bible says, 26:24 "Then He said to them all, 26:27 'If anyone desires to come after Me, 26:30 let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, 26:35 and follow Me." 26:37 Praise the Lord. 26:39 This is what Jesus said. 26:40 This is His invitation. 26:43 First, let us look at step number one. 26:45 It says there, 26:46 if anyone desires to come after me, 26:48 there is born in you a desire to come after Jesus, 26:52 the Holy Spirit works in your heart, 26:55 and leads you to consider 26:57 the great blessing it would be 26:59 to give your heart to the Lord, 27:01 the great benefit it would be 27:03 to have your sins forgiven 27:05 through the blood of Jesus Christ. 27:07 And you desire to follow the Lord. 27:11 And Jesus says, "If anyone, 27:12 if any man desires to come after Me," 27:14 notice, the next words 27:16 that are written in the scriptures, 27:18 it says, "Let him," what? 27:22 "Deny himself." 27:24 So this is a point in time when you make a choice, 27:29 the desire's there, but then it says, let him deny, 27:33 that means you must make a choice. 27:37 The desire is there, 27:38 the choice must be made to follow Jesus. 27:42 Now for this, I bring you to Joshua 24:14-15. 27:49 The desire must go further, you must go to action, 27:53 you must decide, 27:55 you must make a choice to follow Jesus. 27:58 Joshua 24:14-15. 28:00 "Now therefore fear the Lord, 28:02 serve him in sincerity and in truth, 28:05 and put away the gods 28:08 which your fathers served on the other side of the river, 28:11 and in Egypt, serve the Lord." 28:13 Verse 14 says. 28:15 Now verse 15, 28:16 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, 28:19 choose for yourself this day, whom you will serve, 28:23 whether the gods which your fathers served 28:26 that were on the other side of the river, 28:28 or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell, 28:32 but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." 28:38 Praise God for that. 28:39 Now, I want to encourage you to remember 28:42 that we're dealing with 28:44 if anyone desires to come after Me, 28:46 Jesus said, let him deny himself, 28:49 that means you're making a choice, 28:50 to give up the wickedness of your life, 28:55 and follow Jesus. 28:56 You must make a choice. 28:59 In one of my favorite books called Steps to Christ, 29:03 we have this important message concerning making a choice. 29:08 "Desires for goodness and holiness are right 29:12 as far as they go, 29:14 but if you stop here, they will avail nothing." 29:18 Notice, "Many will be lost 29:20 while hoping and desiring to be Christians. 29:24 They do not come to the point of yielding the will to God. 29:28 They do not choose to be Christians." 29:31 Steps to Christ, page 47. 29:33 So the decision must be made, 29:37 you must make a decision to follow Jesus. 29:41 The desire is wonderful, 29:42 the expression of your desire to follow Jesus. 29:45 I want to follow the Lord. 29:47 I wanna give my heart to Him, 29:48 but you must make a choice 29:50 in order for you to enter into newness of life. 29:55 And, of course, Jesus said that we must be born again 30:00 through the waters of baptism. 30:02 You can read about this in John Chapter 3. 30:04 John Chapter 3. 30:06 So the decision must be made, 30:08 you must decide to follow the Lord. 30:11 Let's move now to the Book of Daniel 1:8. 30:16 In the Book of Daniel 1:8, 30:20 we have a message here that we want to bring in, 30:24 as we consider this aspect of choosing to follow the Lord. 30:30 Now we are moving. 30:31 Now we are moving to step number two. 30:33 In step number two, Jesus said, 30:35 "If anyone desires to come after Me, 30:37 let him deny himself and take up his cross daily." 30:41 There must be taking up the cross action 30:44 is referred to here, 30:45 we must choose and act upon the choice. 30:49 Notice what Daniel decided in Daniel 1:8, 30:53 "But Daniel purposed in his heart 30:56 that he would not defile himself 30:58 with the portion of the king's delicacies, 31:01 nor with the wine which he drank." 31:04 Notice what he did, 31:05 "Therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs 31:09 that he might not defile himself." 31:12 So the desire is born in his heart, 31:15 he makes a decision, he purposed in his heart, 31:19 but then he carried it out, 31:21 he went to talk to someone about his decision, 31:25 and what he wanted to do. 31:29 And so the same thing happens for you and I, 31:32 we make a choice to follow Jesus, 31:34 it's considered that Jesus is standing before you. 31:36 And He says to you, if you want to come after Me, 31:39 you must deny yourself, 31:40 and take up your cross and follow Me. 31:43 And Jesus begins to walk away. 31:45 If you do not take up your cross to follow Jesus, 31:50 you're not gonna follow Jesus, you stay. 31:51 Yes, I do wanna do that. 31:53 I do desire to follow You, but if you stay there, 31:56 and you don't take up your cross and follow Jesus, 31:58 this will not bring you the blessing 32:01 that you so desperately need. 32:04 So I encourage you, make your decision, 32:07 and follow Jesus 32:09 because the blessing will come to you. 32:13 And so, this is something that is done daily. 32:17 Notice that the verses and take up His cross daily, 32:20 every single day, 32:22 you and I must make a choice in the morning. 32:25 I encourage you 32:27 to give yourself completely to the Lord 32:30 every single day. 32:32 Every single day 32:33 brings a new mercy from the Lord. 32:36 I'm gonna read to you again from Steps to Christ, 32:39 page 47 this time. 32:41 I encourage you to read the whole book. 32:42 As a matter of fact, 32:44 I would bring you three recommendations 32:46 to read the book, Steps to Christ, 32:49 and Desire of Ages 32:50 if you want to get closer and closer to the Lord. 32:53 Yes, the Bible brings you the best message, 32:56 the message that we need to read, 32:58 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John 33:00 are the places you can go to get 33:01 the most about the life of Jesus, 33:03 but the whole Bible tells us about Jesus, 33:06 but these books outside of the Bible, 33:09 draw you closer and closer to God. 33:11 There are many good books, 33:12 but for me, I am recommending these to you. 33:15 In Steps to Christ, page 47, 33:17 "What you need to understand is the true force of the will. 33:22 This is the governing power in the nature of man, 33:26 the power of decision, or of choice. 33:29 Everything depends 33:31 on the right action of the will. 33:33 The power of choice has been given to men, 33:36 it is theirs to exercise. 33:38 You cannot change your heart, 33:40 you cannot of yourself give to God its affections, 33:44 but you can choose to serve Him. 33:46 You can give Him your will. 33:48 He will then work in you 33:50 to will and to do according to His good pleasure. 33:53 Thus your whole nature will be brought 33:57 under the control of the Spirit of Christ, 34:00 your affections will be centered upon Him, 34:04 your thoughts will be in harmony with Him." 34:08 Praise the Lord. 34:09 So the true force of the will, this is the governing power. 34:13 This is the power, 34:14 the ability to choose is the gift 34:16 that God has given us. 34:17 And as you choose to do, you will do. 34:22 And so, please put your choice on Jesus 34:28 because that is the best thing that you could possibly do. 34:33 I am going now to the Book of Romans 12:1-2. 34:38 And I am going to join Paul in this appeal to you. 34:44 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, 34:47 by the mercies of God, 34:48 that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, 34:52 holy, acceptable to God, 34:54 which is your reasonable service." 34:56 That means it's the very least that you could possibly do. 35:00 Now notice what it says in verse 2. 35:03 "And do not be conformed to this world, 35:08 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, 35:13 that you may prove what is that good, 35:15 and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." 35:19 Wow. 35:20 This is an invitation 35:21 that we need to take action upon. 35:24 Make a decision, and take action upon, 35:27 be transformed by the renewing of your mind, 35:29 daily following Jesus brings you into the experience 35:35 and blessing of having your mind renewed 35:38 and transformed by the Holy Spirit. 35:41 This is a daily experience. 35:42 We do prayer, we do Bible study, 35:45 we search for the Lord with all of our heart. 35:48 And when you study the Bible, 35:50 study with a sincere desire 35:52 to find out what is God's message 35:55 for me here. 35:57 Place yourself in the message and ask the Lord, 36:00 Lord, what is it that You have for me here? 36:04 You're gonna have a living experience, 36:07 a fresh experience with the Lord, 36:09 when you begin to talk to the Lord, 36:11 as you read the scriptures 36:12 and ask him to make the scriptures alive to you. 36:18 You know, perhaps you've heard this before, 36:21 oh, you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. 36:25 I've heard it, I'm sure you have as well. 36:27 You cannot teach an old dog new tricks. 36:32 Now that may be true for dogs, 36:34 but for people, that is not true. 36:37 We have been blessed 36:39 with a mind that has the capacity, 36:42 God given capacity for our minds 36:45 to be transformed well 36:48 into the all these years you could possibly have. 36:52 Remember that God created us to live eternally, 36:56 but sin interrupted that blessing. 36:59 And our minds are able to change. 37:03 That's right. 37:05 They're able to change as you bring new information, 37:08 new habits, your mind will be transformed, 37:11 will be changed. 37:13 You know, for years, scientists thought, 37:15 oh, no, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. 37:18 Once people are set in their ways, 37:21 they will not change, 37:23 but science has discovered something they have entitled 37:27 or called that the mind has neuroplasticity. 37:32 This means that the mind can adapt and change 37:35 according to the input given what you watch, 37:39 what you see, what you hear, 37:41 these things will have an effect upon your mind 37:46 and your mind will adapt to those things. 37:49 And I'm reading to you from an article 37:51 from Daniel Honan, 37:52 H-O-N-A-N, H-O-N-A-N. 37:55 And there are many articles about this. 37:58 I enjoy reading. 38:00 And one of the things I like to read about is, 38:02 of course, the Bible and the spiritual things, 38:04 but I read a little, I read some on health, 38:06 I read some on how the mind works. 38:09 And this message says, 38:11 "Brain imaging studies show 38:13 that every time we learn a new task, 38:16 we're changing our brain 38:19 by expanding our neural network. 38:22 Your brain is more flexible than we've ever thought before. 38:26 It changes 38:28 because it is constantly optimizing itself, 38:31 reorganizing itself 38:33 by transferring cognitive abilities 38:36 from one lobe to the other, 38:38 particularly as you age. 38:41 After a stroke, for instance, 38:43 your brain can reorganize itself 38:46 to move functions to undamaged areas." 38:50 Marvelous, isn't it? 38:51 Notice, "In a more practical sense, 38:54 we know that the physical exercise 38:57 is good for the brain 38:58 because it helps create new neurons. 39:00 Similarly, when we teach an old brain new tricks 39:04 we know that it will help slow age-related mental decline. 39:10 So exercise your body and exercise your mind!" 39:15 So you see, 39:16 God has put within us this capacity in our minds, 39:21 that we can be changed, transformed. 39:24 That's why when you look 39:25 at the scripture in Romans 12:2, 39:29 "And be not conformed to this world, 39:31 but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." 39:34 It is the fact, 39:36 a fact that God has put in us 39:38 that as we spend time with Jesus, 39:41 we will be transformed into His image. 39:43 Take advantage 39:45 of that every moment that you can. 39:47 And now Steps to Christ, page 70. 39:50 Steps to Christ, page 70, notice this message, 39:54 "Consecrate yourself to God in the morning, 39:58 make this your very first work. 40:01 Let your prayer be, 40:02 'Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. 40:06 I lay all my plans at Thy feet. 40:08 Use me today in Thy service. 40:11 Abide with me, 40:13 and let all my work be wrought in Thee.' 40:16 This is a daily matter. 40:18 Each morning 40:19 consecrate yourself to God for that day. 40:22 Surrender all your plans to Him, 40:25 to be carried out or given up, 40:27 as His providence shall indicate. 40:30 Thus day by day 40:31 you may be giving your life into the hands of God, 40:35 and thus your life will be molded 40:38 more and more after the life of Christ." 40:42 Steps to Christ, page 70. 40:44 So this is a message 40:46 that we need to understand 40:47 that we need to daily spend time with the Lord. 40:51 It is a fact 40:52 that whatever you spend time with 40:55 influences you. 40:56 Your mind is constantly taking an input. 40:59 And that input is what creates in you 41:03 whom you will be, 41:05 what you will say, what you will think about. 41:09 And so, let's go back to Luke 9:23. 41:13 Notice, because we're moving now 41:15 to step number three. 41:17 Step number one, you must make a choice. 41:19 Step number two, 41:20 you must take action upon that choice 41:23 and take up your cross daily and follow Jesus. 41:26 Now when I say, 41:28 take up your cross daily, people ask, 41:29 well what do you mean, take up your cross? 41:31 The cross is a symbol of what will happen 41:35 as you come to challenges and temptations 41:39 the cross in a sense is for you to understand 41:41 that you must crucify the evil desires of self. 41:46 And that is what the cross is given to us. 41:48 And remember, without Jesus, we can do nothing. 41:52 We come to a situation, we come to a temptation, 41:55 we give it to Jesus and say, Lord, work in me Your will. 41:59 This is why Paul was able to say, 42:00 I can do all things 42:02 through Christ who strengthens me. 42:06 Praise be to God. 42:07 So step number three, follow Jesus. 42:11 That's step number three. 42:12 Notice, "Then He said to them all," 42:14 Luke 9:23. "Then He said to them all, 42:16 'If anyone desires to come after Me, 42:19 let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, 42:23 and follow Me.'" 42:25 This is an experience that we daily need 42:29 to take up our cross daily, and follow Jesus. 42:33 There is a rule of life. 42:36 And we've talked a little bit about it. 42:38 There is a rule of life, it's a fact of life, 42:41 that whatever we behold, 42:43 is what our mind to adapt itself to, 42:46 we will be molded into that image, 42:48 whatever consumes most of your time, 42:52 is what your mind will be enjoying 42:54 and want to do and will prompt you to do. 42:57 Look at 2 Corinthians 3:18. 43:01 2 Corinthians 3:18. 43:03 This is what the Bible says. 43:05 "But we all, with unveiled face, 43:09 beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, 43:14 are being transformed into the same image 43:18 from glory to glory, 43:20 just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 43:24 So this is why when Jesus says, 43:27 "Take up your cross daily, and follow Me." 43:30 He knows, and that's why He said it. 43:33 Take up your cross daily, and follow Me. 43:35 It's not just 43:37 when you go to church on that day, 43:40 it's every single day, we must spend time with Jesus. 43:44 And as we spend time with Jesus every single day, 43:48 it's a fact of life, it's a rule of life, 43:52 that what we behold 43:54 will have a changing effect upon us. 43:57 This is why it's important to read God's Word. 44:00 You read God's Word, study God's Word, 44:04 think about God's Word 44:06 and that will have a changing effect 44:08 upon your mind. 44:10 I encourage you to daily spend time with Jesus. 44:14 If you want to be like Jesus, you must spend time with Jesus. 44:18 This is a rule of life, whatever you behold, 44:20 that's what 44:22 you are gonna be transformed into. 44:24 And that's why I bring you 44:26 this next invitation from Jesus, 44:28 from Matthew Chapter 11. 44:30 Matthew 11:28-30. 44:33 Ready? Let us read it. 44:35 "Come to me, 44:37 all who labor and are heavy laden, 44:40 and I will give you rest." 44:43 Do you need that rest? 44:46 Matthew 11:28 says that if you come to Jesus, 44:50 with all of your heavy things, he will give you rest. 44:56 And this is the rest that only Jesus can give. 45:00 Verse 29, "Take my yoke upon you, 45:05 and learn from me, 45:07 for I am gentle and lowly in heart: 45:09 and you will find rest for your souls." 45:13 Wow, we could spend hours 45:15 just talking about each one of these verses. 45:18 He says, "Take My yoke and learn from Me daily." 45:21 Jesus wants to be our teacher. 45:24 So He invites you to take His yoke upon you 45:28 because He is gentle and lowly heart, 45:32 and you will find rest unto your souls. 45:33 Now notice, verse 30. 45:36 "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." 45:41 Wait a minute. 45:43 Did I read that right? 45:45 I'm sure you've heard, 45:47 or maybe you have said it yourself. 45:49 Being a Christian is really hard. 45:53 Recently, I was in a church, 45:56 and a young lady was making the presentation. 46:01 And in this presentation, she said, 46:03 "It is hard being a Christian. 46:05 We all know it's hard being a Christian." 46:08 And I was like, "Wait, wait, wait a minute. 46:10 That is contrary to Scripture. 46:13 It depends on your perspective. 46:15 And it depends on what you have chosen to do." 46:19 Because Jesus says 46:21 that if you come to Him, He will give you rest. 46:24 And then He says in verse 30, 46:26 "His yoke is easy, and His burden is light." 46:30 Some people say it's hard, but it's not hard. 46:32 It's light, Jesus said. 46:35 And if you're saying otherwise, 46:36 you're saying that Jesus is lying. 46:39 Please consider that you have to enter 46:41 into the experience 46:43 that Jesus said if any man will come after Me, 46:45 let him take up his cross daily and follow Me, 46:47 then you will find that his yoke is easy. 46:50 And the devil has deceived many people 46:52 with the idea that it's hard being a Christian. 46:55 It is not hard being a Christian. 46:56 It is a joy being a Christian. 46:58 As a matter of fact, not only is His burden light, 47:01 it's a delight. 47:03 It is a joy to follow Jesus. 47:07 You know, when you ask yourself, 47:11 what is the yoke? 47:12 You know, Merriam Webster defines yoke, 47:15 Y-O-K-E as, 47:18 "A wooden bar or frame 47:19 by which two draft animals such as oxen 47:22 are joined at the heads or necks for working together." 47:27 So in other words, both animals carry the load. 47:31 And Jesus says to you and to me, 47:34 "Take My yoke upon you, 47:37 for My yoke is easy and My burden is light." 47:41 When you work with Jesus, when you cooperate with Jesus, 47:45 you are going to find out 47:48 that it is easy to follow Jesus. 47:50 It is a joy to follow Jesus, 47:53 and you want to spend more time with Jesus 47:55 because you know that in Him, 47:58 there's that rest that we all need. 48:02 And if you're not experiencing that rest, 48:04 need to step back 48:05 and take a look and ask yourself, 48:07 "Wait a minute. 48:08 Am I doing this on my own? 48:10 Am I trying to carry this load on my own?" 48:12 Jesus says, "Take My yoke upon you, 48:14 for My yoke is easy." 48:17 If you're having a hard time being a Christian, 48:20 surrender your heart to the Lord and tell Jesus, 48:23 Lord, I don't want my yoke to be easy. 48:26 If you are heavy laden 48:27 with the yoke of doing it yourself, 48:30 come to Jesus. 48:32 And you will find out 48:33 that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. 48:38 Thousands are saying, 48:40 "Oh, I don't know what's wrong with me. 48:43 How come I don't enjoy church, 48:45 I don't enjoy reading the Bible, 48:47 I don't enjoy the things of the Lord 48:50 or like I used to." 48:52 You know, there is a something that has happened in your life. 48:57 We have been talking about the mind adapts itself 49:00 to whatever you dedicate time to, 49:02 whatever you read, whatever you watch, 49:04 whatever you hear, your mind adapts to that. 49:07 And if during the week, 49:10 you're doing all these exciting things, 49:12 all these things that are moving your emotions 49:17 to a high pitch 49:19 and an excitement that is unnatural. 49:23 When you have to dedicate your time 49:25 to reading the scriptures 49:27 is not exciting about as shooting aliens 49:30 or shooting the bad people in those games 49:33 or listening to that music that has the beat 49:35 that makes you wanna move and makes you wanna jump 49:38 and all those type of things. 49:40 You must understand 49:44 that your mind adapts 49:45 to whatever you put dedicate your time to. 49:49 You see, what happens is 49:50 that if you're not finding a great interest 49:53 in reading the Bible, 49:54 you must be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 49:58 You must dedicate time, you must ask the Lord. 50:02 Okay, where can I read in the Bible 50:04 that will awaken in me 50:06 that will help me to capture the experience 50:10 of enjoying the reading of the scriptures, 50:12 you see because the mind will adapt 50:15 the more you dedicate time. 50:16 If you're finding a difficult time 50:18 trying to read the scriptures 50:20 and understand and enjoy 50:21 the spiritual exercises of prayer, 50:23 you must train your mind, dedicate time. 50:28 Perhaps you may remember Dr. Arthur Weaver, 50:31 Dr. Arthur Weaver program 50:33 that we'll see for many years on 3ABN. 50:36 I'm using an illustration he used. 50:39 He asked the question, 50:40 "Why do the Chinese people eat Chinese food?" 50:44 Because they eat it. That's why. 50:46 And why do the Mexicans eat Mexican food? 50:49 Why do they love it? 50:50 Because they eat it. That's why. 50:52 In other words, 50:53 the experience of daily taking in this food 50:57 begins to become familiar to do 50:59 and it begins to be enjoyable to you. 51:02 You must dedicate time, 51:03 you must make an effort to understand 51:07 what God is trying to tell us in the scriptures. 51:08 This book, the Bible has life, everlasting life, 51:13 the message of everlasting life is there, 51:15 we must reeducate our minds to take time, 51:18 to ask the Lord to help us understand, 51:20 to ask the Lord to change your mind 51:22 into the mind of Christ. 51:24 And I know that you will be blessed. 51:27 I encourage you to dedicate your mind. 51:32 Take time to exercise your mind in that direction. 51:36 You see in Psalm 16:11, the Bible says, 51:40 "You will show me the path of life. 51:43 In Your presence is fullness of joy. 51:46 At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." 51:51 So I am trying to tell you 51:53 that the more you dedicate time 51:54 to the reading of the scriptures, 51:56 you're gonna be in the presence of the Lord. 51:58 And if you're in the presence of the Lord, 52:00 you're going to begin to discover 52:01 this fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. 52:07 The more time you dedicate to the Lord, 52:10 the more you will begin to experience 52:12 that joy of reading the scriptures. 52:15 And I want to encourage you to as it says in Psalms 34:8, 52:19 "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. 52:23 Blessed is the man who trust in Him!" 52:28 We're talking about step number three. 52:31 Step number three talks to us that we must follow Jesus. 52:37 Follow Jesus means you must take time 52:39 to read the scriptures, 52:40 become familiar with Him. 52:42 And so, I want to read to you from Desire of Ages, page 83. 52:48 "It would be well for us 52:50 to spend a thoughtful hour each day 52:53 in contemplation of the life of Christ. 52:56 We should take in point by point, 52:59 and let the imagination grasp each scene, 53:03 especially the closing ones. 53:05 As we does dwell 53:06 upon His great sacrifice for us, 53:09 our confidence in Him will be more constant, 53:12 our love will be quickened, 53:14 and we shall be more deeply imbued 53:17 with His Spirit. 53:18 If we would be saved at last, 53:21 we must learn the lessons of penitence 53:24 and humiliation at the foot of the cross." 53:28 Yes, you need time with Jesus. 53:32 I need time with Jesus. 53:35 Take the opportunities the Lord is giving you 53:38 to receive the blessing of the Lord. 53:42 There's a warning for us in 1 John 2:15-17. 53:47 Listen carefully. 53:48 "Do not love the world or the things in the world. 53:52 If anyone loves the world, 53:54 the love of the Father is not in him. 53:56 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, 53:59 the lust of the eyes, 54:00 and the pride of life 54:02 is not of the Father but of the world. 54:05 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it, 54:09 but he who does the will of God abides forever." 54:13 Praise the Lord. 54:15 I want to encourage you to place yourself 54:17 in the hands of the Lord. 54:19 I want to invite Brother Tim Parton 54:24 and Pastor Ryan Day to hear this wonderful hymn 54:27 that speaks to us 54:29 of the hope that is set before us. 54:35 I don't know 54:39 About tomorrow 54:44 I just live 54:48 From day to day 54:52 I don't borrow 54:56 From the sunshine 55:01 For its skies 55:04 May turn to gray 55:09 I don't worry 55:14 O'er the future 55:18 For I know 55:21 What Jesus said 55:26 And today 55:29 I'll walk beside Him 55:34 For He knows 55:38 What lies ahead 55:43 Many things 55:46 About tomorrow 55:51 I don't seem 55:55 To understand 55:59 But I know 56:03 Who holds tomorrow 56:07 And I know 56:11 Who holds my hand 56:15 Many things 56:19 About tomorrow 56:24 I don't seem 56:27 To understand 56:32 But I know 56:36 Who holds tomorrow 56:41 And I know 56:46 Who holds my hand. 56:59 Amen. Amen. 57:02 God is in control 57:04 if we surrender our hearts to Him. 57:07 If we take up our cross daily and follow Jesus, 57:11 we will discover 57:13 that fullness of joy that God wants to give us. 57:18 I encourage you to follow Jesus 57:20 each and every day that God gives you. 57:24 He is waiting. 57:25 He is waiting for you to surrender yourself to Him. 57:28 Do it right now. 57:30 God bless you. |
Revised 2021-01-08