back to indexCollege Seminar Part 2
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You're going to see that this is different than just sitting at the drawn line between 00:00:19.760 |
heaven and hell and hearing about God, hearing about humans, hearing about Jesus, and just 00:00:28.480 |
Assenting brings you right up to the throne of God and you say, "Give it to me. 00:00:37.880 |
A word you could think is, "Enter through the narrow gate." 00:00:44.120 |
It says, "Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads 00:00:47.120 |
to destruction, and those who enter by it are many." 00:00:50.240 |
I think there are a lot of people who are standing right up against that gate. 00:00:53.400 |
They say, "I believe," and even with all their hearts, they say, "I want that." 00:00:59.200 |
Then it's just like, "Man, I wish I could go around pushing people through those gates." 00:01:11.600 |
Stop thinking like, "Oh, then what do I have to do to be saved?" 00:01:17.400 |
It's leave your baggage behind and take up Christ. 00:01:29.360 |
You need to leave the world and enter the kingdom. 00:01:41.360 |
There's a guy named Steve Lawson, I like the way he put it. 00:01:48.640 |
This is kind of like when you're at the gates of an airplane. 00:01:54.280 |
You go into the plane, or you stay off of it. 00:01:58.600 |
There's no staying in the middle kind of thing. 00:02:07.240 |
Another way to think about it is found in Isaiah chapter 55 verse 1. 00:02:15.120 |
Isaiah 55 verse 1 says, "Come, everyone who thirsts. 00:02:20.360 |
Come buy wine and milk without money and without price." 00:02:23.240 |
Pastor Mark's teaching still got stuck in my mind of what it means. 00:02:27.960 |
You want to ... Man, Pastor Mark, that idea of Black Friday, it's stuck in my mind. 00:02:33.320 |
You want something, you trample people to get it. 00:02:36.440 |
There was this time where Tri-Tip was on sale before Memorial Day weekend. 00:02:43.280 |
Everyone was waiting for the butcher to come out with this crate. 00:02:49.720 |
By the time this guy came out with the thing, people were pushing each other and grabbing 00:02:56.240 |
I was like, "Dude, that's totally ... Pastor Mark, you're right. 00:03:00.760 |
If we understand God, humanity, Jesus, we're in trouble. 00:03:11.960 |
A question we should be asking as we're going through all of this, and the last one, let's 00:03:14.680 |
go through this one first before I get to that. 00:03:18.560 |
Luke 14, verse 26 through 27 says, "Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him." 00:03:22.640 |
It's saying, "Deny everything about who you are. 00:03:24.440 |
Now take up your cross and follow the one that you love." 00:03:31.240 |
If you're thinking right now, "Am I genuinely converted? 00:03:35.320 |
Question to you, "Have you repented of your sin and have you crossed over? 00:03:39.540 |
Have you made that decision or have you been at the line staring at everyone else do it? 00:03:43.920 |
Have you been standing at the line and thinking, "Dude, that looks so good. 00:03:48.360 |
I've been living here, trying to live like that, but I haven't actually crossed over 00:03:52.080 |
into there and therefore I have no assurance of my salvation." 00:03:58.240 |
It gets us into our second point here, belief. 00:04:04.200 |
In Acts chapter 16, verse 31 says, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. 00:04:24.960 |
Knowledge of who Christ is and what he has done for us. 00:04:29.040 |
In Romans chapter 10, verse 14 and in 17, it's done through the word of Christ. 00:04:33.640 |
"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? 00:04:37.040 |
And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? 00:04:39.520 |
And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" 00:04:42.360 |
So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. 00:04:46.240 |
It's a knowledge, it's an understanding that comes through the word of God. 00:04:52.640 |
So for those of you who are walking around saying like, "Oh, they're going to understand 00:05:04.920 |
Many of you guys here already have this knowledge. 00:05:08.320 |
And we see that in James chapter 2, verse 19. 00:05:10.400 |
We've already stated this as well, but it's like standing at the line in James 2, verse 00:05:29.100 |
You can't believe in Christ without approving and agreeing to the knowledge that's presented 00:05:45.320 |
And this knowledge that comes to you, there's a steady growing of agreement of this knowledge 00:05:56.080 |
As that's happening, what needs to be happening is your heart comes more and more in line 00:06:10.920 |
It is not just like, "Jesus died, rose again, okay. 00:06:15.000 |
I just kind of agree with this general message. 00:06:16.920 |
I agree with the depths of what scripture is saying about the salvation that's presented 00:06:25.960 |
In John 3, verse 2, it says, "This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, 'Rabbi, 00:06:31.680 |
Come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.'" 00:06:35.600 |
Look, you see knowledge here and you see agreement. 00:06:42.520 |
It brings us into our third point of belief, trust and depend. 00:06:48.280 |
John 3, verse 16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes 00:06:51.200 |
in him shall not perish but have eternal life." 00:07:05.820 |
That word E-I-S there, or epsilon, or yoda, or sigma, or whatever. 00:07:18.840 |
So letter B there is belief must end in trust. 00:07:26.800 |
If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then you will trust that he has been given 00:07:29.760 |
the power to save through the power of his life, death, and resurrection. 00:07:35.240 |
This is the difference between someone who stands off at the line and someone who draws 00:07:48.200 |
Here are some words of what it means to trust and depend and to move into this life. 00:07:53.440 |
Some words to help understand trust and dependence. 00:07:59.160 |
Luke chapter 14, verse 25 to 33, it says, "Now great crowds accompanied him, and he 00:08:03.680 |
said to them, 'If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and 00:08:06.600 |
wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.'" 00:08:11.400 |
Now what you should be getting is, "Okay, I want to be his disciple." 00:08:16.280 |
What is he saying about me not becoming a disciple? 00:08:21.120 |
Okay, good thing verse 27 and on comes because then you're going to go and hate your family. 00:08:25.160 |
Verse 27, "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." 00:08:32.680 |
Verse 28, "For which of you desiring to build a tower does not first sit down and 00:08:35.680 |
count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it. 00:08:38.560 |
Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin 00:08:41.920 |
to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'" 00:08:45.960 |
This guy, like, you know, if you talk to a contractor or someone, like an architect or 00:08:50.120 |
a builder, an engineer who's saying, like, "We're going to build this thing," and then 00:08:52.760 |
we say, "Make all these plans," and you start working on it, and at the end you're 00:08:58.440 |
He's saying, "You have to consider the cost." 00:09:00.960 |
In verse 31, another one, this is the one we're going to focus on. 00:09:03.160 |
"Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down and first deliberate" 00:09:11.040 |
"Deliberate, deliberate, whether he is able with 10,000 to meet him who comes against 00:09:18.480 |
And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for 00:09:23.440 |
So, therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." 00:09:27.200 |
This is a picture of an army, and you have – how many did it say? 00:09:36.400 |
You know, you're kind of thinking generally, but this is for real. 00:09:43.320 |
This giant army is coming, and you're like, "Okay, we're all going to die. 00:09:47.840 |
Like, death is coming at us full speed ahead right now." 00:09:51.880 |
And he says, "Which of you, seeing this, isn't going to count the, 'Okay, okay, okay, 00:10:08.440 |
He says, "Before, you need to be able to calculate." 00:10:13.800 |
That word in the Greek is called "lagitsimai." 00:10:24.720 |
So God comes, just like this king, this other nation. 00:10:30.960 |
And we're coming before this God, and he's the one asking for peace, right? 00:10:42.240 |
God is the one coming to us and asking peace. 00:10:47.480 |
And not like we talked about this in the Revelation series. 00:10:50.160 |
He's not a God who's just like, "Please, please, please." 00:10:53.280 |
No, this is like, "Hey, I have a million to your ten. 00:11:24.040 |
You can surrender, it can be an act, but submission comes in the heart. 00:11:54.640 |
"Your life doesn't need to be perfect and all cleaned up. 00:12:00.080 |
Repentance and belief is found up front where you simply come and plead before God. 00:12:09.760 |
Because there's nothing you need to do but this. 00:12:12.840 |
You do not need to produce all this fruit and say, 'Look how much I've cleaned up my 00:12:19.720 |
Be saying, 'Come as you are, and you drop that before me.' 00:12:29.200 |
Luke chapter 18, verse 13, "Be like the tax collector." 00:12:32.320 |
He says, "But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to 00:12:44.640 |
He beat his breast saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." 00:12:52.400 |
You know what it says right after this passage? 00:12:53.800 |
I forgot to put it in there, but it says, "He was justified." 00:13:05.680 |
Ever and ever and ever into the kingdom of God. 00:13:10.640 |
He will not be able to be snatched out of God's hand. 00:13:25.680 |
However, it also does mean that how you used to be is different than how you are. 00:13:33.280 |
Your life as a wretched sinner and as a saved person needs to look different. 00:13:41.240 |
We'll talk about that a little bit in Roman numeral four. 00:13:59.040 |
In Hebrews chapter six verse 11, it says, "And we desire that each one of you show the 00:14:02.480 |
same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end." 00:14:08.160 |
In 2 Peter chapter one verse 10 through 11, it says, "Therefore, brothers, be all the 00:14:12.400 |
more diligent to make your calling and election sure. 00:14:14.920 |
For if you practice these qualities, you will never fail." 00:14:30.000 |
Hebrews chapter 10 verse 21 through 22, it says, "Since we have a great high priest over 00:14:33.720 |
the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith." 00:14:43.960 |
Thirdly, full assurance is guaranteed to the end. 00:14:48.000 |
Ephesians chapter one verse 13, "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the 00:14:51.440 |
gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 00:14:56.600 |
who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise 00:15:01.680 |
I love that word because it's just guarantee. 00:15:08.720 |
Second Timothy chapter one verse 12, "I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that 00:15:12.240 |
he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me." 00:15:15.800 |
This guard, this understanding of the century that he is guarding this door. 00:15:26.680 |
In John, this isn't there, but in John it says that everyone that you have placed into 00:15:31.880 |
my hands, no one will be able to snatch them out of the Father's hands. 00:15:39.640 |
And fourthly, assurance comes from the Spirit. 00:15:44.360 |
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. 00:15:50.240 |
Can you become a child of God and then run out of the house? 00:15:54.960 |
You're a child of God, you are a child of God. 00:16:03.360 |
Bringing us to Roman numeral four, "Then why might I doubt my salvation?" 00:16:27.400 |
First of all, you are called to examine your faith. 00:16:33.520 |
First of all, you are called to examine your faith. 00:16:36.960 |
Because in Jeremiah chapter 17 verse nine, it says that the heart is deceitful. 00:16:42.720 |
In second Corinthians chapter 13 verse five, straight up right there, it says, "Test yourself 00:16:55.800 |
Or do you not recognize this about yourself that Jesus Christ is in you, unless indeed 00:17:00.640 |
So doubting salvation is actually part of this, right? 00:17:07.120 |
So doubting in and of itself is not a bad thing. 00:17:09.200 |
It's actually probably a healthy exercise for all of us. 00:17:14.560 |
I know I did while I was putting this together. 00:17:18.120 |
Letter B, this is the big question that leads to doubting. 00:17:35.360 |
So obviously only a person who thinks that he's Christian doubts his salvation. 00:17:48.080 |
You begin to think, "This isn't what a Christian should look like." 00:17:53.160 |
You look at your life and you're kind of examining. 00:17:55.120 |
You question a few things right there in letter A, B, and C. 00:18:07.560 |
Letter B, if you really believe the gospel, you question that. 00:18:11.960 |
Because my actions don't really follow through with that. 00:18:14.720 |
Letter C, you question, "Do I really love God?" 00:18:27.560 |
A human can't stand under the weight of guilt. 00:18:33.180 |
You need to do something with it before you move on with your life. 00:18:36.760 |
And we're masters at masking, covering, or doing the right things to get over guilt. 00:18:45.800 |
Now we have to do a really just a boom boom kind of thing with antinomianism versus legalism. 00:18:56.040 |
That's why I printed out that worksheet for you guys. 00:18:59.160 |
And by the way, there are certain things in there that on other theological points, like 00:19:05.380 |
one or two things, I'm not completely in line with, but this is a brother and a wise one 00:19:13.220 |
So you can go through that worksheet of antinomianism versus legalism and kind of see a little bit 00:19:18.280 |
deeper why doubting salvation will lead to these extremes. 00:19:25.780 |
The first way you can, and usually these are two extremes, but usually most of us are swinging 00:19:34.960 |
Antinomianism basically means free grace, driven by carnality. 00:19:43.000 |
And people tend to find an answer for their sin and guilt through this. 00:19:47.380 |
They say grace is free and there is nothing needed on our part other than a declaration 00:19:54.780 |
An antinomian will then say faith is all you need in your life. 00:20:12.800 |
Okay, Romans 6, verse 1 talks about this, that God's forgiveness is that great. 00:20:19.800 |
This statement will appease your guilt in a bad way, in a negative way. 00:20:26.000 |
It's like trying to mask your guilt by saying, "Well, God is gracious. 00:20:45.440 |
If there is no evidence of faith, then the reality is there is no faith. 00:21:00.360 |
But if you're not producing fruit, then you don't actually have that faith and belief. 00:21:06.080 |
We all know the example of a fruit tree, right? 00:21:07.680 |
You have a fruit tree and then I guess it's an apple tree, then you expect it to bear 00:21:13.640 |
But if it's not bearing an apple, guess what? 00:21:25.800 |
Martin Luther says, "We are justified by faith alone, but not by faith that is alone." 00:21:33.040 |
One way to kind of think through it is, you know, we like to think it's justification 00:21:44.560 |
It says, "I am the true vine and my father is the vinedresser. 00:21:48.240 |
Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away." 00:21:51.800 |
"And every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 00:21:59.200 |
Okay, if you're bearing fruit, he'll prune that will bear more fruit. 00:22:03.600 |
If you're not bearing fruit, he says he'll take it away. 00:22:06.400 |
Big question, what does it mean to be taken away? 00:22:08.760 |
Is it like he's going to discipline us or what's he going to do with us? 00:22:13.640 |
Verse 3, "Already you are clean because of the word that I've spoken to you. 00:22:18.080 |
As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine." 00:22:22.040 |
It's evidence of the fact that you're in the vine. 00:22:24.420 |
If you are in the vine, it's almost like you can't help it. 00:22:28.840 |
But if it's not bearing fruit, that means you're not in the vine. 00:22:33.000 |
Verse 5, "I am the vine, you are the branches. 00:22:34.760 |
Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. 00:22:39.720 |
If anyone does not abide in me," here it is, okay, here's what happens to the branches, 00:22:43.440 |
"he is thrown away like a branch and withers." 00:22:47.320 |
"And the branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned." 00:22:51.240 |
Verse 7, "If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it 00:22:56.920 |
By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so you prove to be my disciples." 00:23:02.000 |
Meaning if you're not bearing fruit, it's proof that you are not his disciples. 00:23:05.160 |
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. 00:23:09.120 |
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love just as I have kept my Father's 00:23:22.920 |
If you love him, commands, you will follow them. 00:23:25.720 |
So it sure seems like you need to do things as a result, as a result of salvation, not 00:23:36.320 |
Chapter F, what do I do when I see traces of sin in my life? 00:23:39.240 |
Well then you are called, if you don't want to be driven by this carnality, by this living 00:23:55.000 |
It's not freedom to do whatever I want, it's freedom to follow God. 00:24:00.200 |
In Titus chapter 2 verse 11 to 12 it says, "For the grace of God has appeared bringing 00:24:05.680 |
The grace of God has appeared, there it is, grace. 00:24:08.320 |
So if you're anti-Gnome-ing you're like, "Grace!" 00:24:10.200 |
And it says, "It trains us to renounce ungodliness." 00:24:12.720 |
It says, "It trains us to say no to the things of the world." 00:24:19.720 |
Then Romans chapter 6 verse 12 to 14 it says, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal 00:24:24.640 |
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves 00:24:27.820 |
to God as those who have been brought from death to life and your members to God as instruments 00:24:32.360 |
For sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law but under grace." 00:24:38.280 |
So we would agree with that last part, right? 00:24:43.640 |
It's saying then, "Don't let sin reign in you." 00:24:56.880 |
In that counter, that was Romans chapter 6 verse 12 to 14. 00:25:03.880 |
Let's go to number two, legalism, work salvation. 00:25:08.240 |
When you doubt your salvation you might start to become more legalistic. 00:25:12.280 |
Letter A, people tend to this to find an answer for their sin and guilt. 00:25:19.320 |
So it's not just a quick fix, but it's like, "Okay, I've got to do more." 00:25:24.860 |
Letter B, "I need to come cleaned up and holy before I can receive true salvation." 00:25:32.920 |
Letter C there, "The conscience speaks against forgiveness. 00:25:36.720 |
Conscience knows only guilt and conviction but nothing of grace and mercy." 00:25:46.480 |
And this conscience says nothing about forgiveness. 00:25:54.240 |
So instead of turning to the right place of forgiveness and grace and mercy, it goes to 00:25:58.760 |
this, "Okay, how do I achieve this for myself? 00:26:06.360 |
So the counter, "What do I do when I see traces of sin in my life? 00:26:09.240 |
And when the temptation is to work harder, what must I do?" 00:26:13.760 |
Here's what Colossians chapter 2 verse 16 to 23 says, "Therefore, let no one pass judgment 00:26:21.320 |
By the way, right before this it talks about Christ and what he did for us, that he saved 00:26:25.120 |
us and that he freed us from the law of God and all the legal demands. 00:26:31.160 |
And he says, "Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with 00:26:35.000 |
regard to a festival or a new moon or Sabbath. 00:26:37.600 |
These are a shadow of the things to come but the substance belongs to Christ. 00:26:41.500 |
Let no one disqualify you insisting on asceticism and worship of angels going on in detail about 00:26:45.720 |
visions puffed up without reason by a sensuous mind and not holding fast to, I'll just say, 00:26:52.040 |
Verse 20, "If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were 00:26:56.120 |
still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations? 00:26:59.640 |
So basically, don't do this, do this, do this, don't do this. 00:27:05.120 |
Verse 23, "These have indeed an appearance of wisdom and promoting self-made religion." 00:27:13.840 |
Self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body but they are of no value in stopping 00:27:20.360 |
We see some kind of sin in our life and we're like, "Oh, this is not good." 00:27:23.880 |
So we become legalistic and we're trying to do more things. 00:27:26.520 |
So like a common used example, something like pornography, if you're struggling in pornography, 00:27:31.960 |
And you try so hard and we do different things and we put different filters and we do all 00:27:36.760 |
these things that says that they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh 00:27:40.880 |
because you're trying to address something where another thing is supposed to be addressed 00:27:50.240 |
So the temptation is to work harder, what must I do? 00:27:52.640 |
But what we should be doing, here's the next part, is take a harder look at grace. 00:28:04.400 |
And I know Kazeeha got this from somewhere, I can't remember, but she tells this to me 00:28:07.320 |
all the time because I beat myself up all the time over my sin. 00:28:12.000 |
It says, "For every look at my sin-stained heart, look 10 times at the cross. 00:28:17.320 |
If you have repented and believed in Christ, every time you look at your sin-stained heart, 00:28:27.680 |
Keep remembering what He did for you, that while you were still sinners, not just in 00:28:31.080 |
the past, but forever and ever, every sin, everything has been justified. 00:28:35.240 |
As far as the east from the west, your sin is taken away from you. 00:28:45.960 |
And then the result then becomes desire to work harder against sin. 00:28:54.600 |
It's not that you're trying to fight sin because this is sheer willpower. 00:28:58.960 |
It's that you see the cross, you see what God has done, and constantly you're revisiting 00:29:04.080 |
Sin is good in the sense that it constantly brings you back to the cross. 00:29:07.720 |
And every time you see it, and you just break over it again, you repent all over again, 00:29:14.600 |
"Please, I need you today just as much as I needed you when I first became a believer." 00:29:23.400 |
And then the desire to work harder against sin happens. 00:29:26.880 |
And it's no longer a work in the sense of legalism, but a work in the sense of joy. 00:29:34.320 |
You're going to be repenting forever, or for this life. 00:29:38.560 |
But either grace is free, there is no more work to be done for salvation. 00:30:01.720 |
We must understand the grace that saved us continues to grace us. 00:30:09.720 |
I'm going to go and talk to this guy when I get to heaven. 00:30:13.440 |
He says, "Whenever I feel that I have sinned and desire to overcome that sin for the future, 00:30:19.400 |
the devil at the same time comes to me and whispers, 'How can you be a pardoned person?'" 00:30:24.800 |
"Accept it with God while you sin in this way. 00:30:26.800 |
If I listen to this, I drop into despondency. 00:30:29.520 |
And if I continue in that state, I should fall into despair and should commit sin more 00:30:38.960 |
You despair and you just fall right back into it. 00:30:42.640 |
That's the enslavement feeling you have because of what you feel. 00:30:46.040 |
"But God's grace comes in and says to my soul, 'Thou has sinned but did not. 00:30:52.440 |
Thou art not saved because thou art righteous. 00:30:56.560 |
And my faith says, 'Though I have sinned, I have not advocated with the Father, Jesus 00:31:00.600 |
And though I am guilty, yet by grace I am saved. 00:31:08.440 |
Why then the tears begin to flow and I say, "How could I ever sin against my God who is 00:31:13.800 |
Now I will overcome that sin and I get strong to fight with sin through conviction that 00:31:22.120 |
So increasing understanding of grace, that happens as a result of salvation. 00:31:26.560 |
Better be transformation of the previous life. 00:31:30.640 |
Second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17 states that, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new 00:31:41.520 |
It says that in John chapter 8 verse 31 through 36. 00:31:47.800 |
And this is not talking about just trials of life. 00:31:50.400 |
This is talking specifically, most specifically about this burden that they feel over their 00:31:57.960 |
Side note, reminder that context is very important. 00:32:00.880 |
Matthew 11, 28 through 30, "My burden is light. 00:32:08.360 |
The reality and the reminder of our identity, that that is who we are, is very, very important. 00:32:18.360 |
Here's a practical reminder, practical application. 00:32:21.560 |
Try starting by killing off one major sin in your life. 00:32:25.960 |
Sometimes you get so like, you see all the sin in your life and you just like, "Oh, 00:32:43.000 |
Or it becomes like, "I'll deal with it later when finals are done." 00:32:48.800 |
Just start by killing off a major sin and you'd be surprised. 00:32:51.840 |
It really gets you into this mentality of like, "Oh, dude, this feels good fighting 00:33:01.600 |
As you're fighting this one major sin, a lot of things start to trickle effect in. 00:33:06.000 |
So if you're overwhelmed by sin, just tackle one major sin and say, "I'm going to kill 00:33:13.280 |
Don't just like, it's not like, you know, when we're in front of an in and out burger 00:33:26.320 |
If you're an alcoholic, you're like, you're, it's not just that you hide it back. 00:33:32.240 |
You know, "I'm going to hide one wine bottle in the back of the cabinet just in case like 00:33:37.640 |
It's like you get everything and then you go, not even outside to your trash can because 00:33:43.080 |
You go to the town dump and you dig a hole and you throw everything in there and you 00:33:54.360 |
This is what it says in Romans chapter 12 verse 14, "Bless those who persecute you. 00:33:59.120 |
And okay, and the reason why I'm using this, you're like, "What is this all about?" 00:34:02.200 |
It's because God actually talks a lot about going on the offensive as Christians. 00:34:07.360 |
That it's not, if someone's persecuting you, you would think the best thing to do is to 00:34:10.120 |
like avoid them, ignore them, or just like shut your mouth. 00:34:14.400 |
You know, like, "I'm not going to say anything back to you and that's going to be my grace 00:34:19.000 |
No, no, no, don't just not take it but like go out and bless them. 00:34:27.320 |
You know, some of you guys might say, "I have anger issues with my dad. 00:34:35.180 |
And you say like, "I'm going to try not to be angry anymore. 00:34:40.560 |
But God's call is not for you to just be defensive like that. 00:34:43.000 |
I'm not going to get angry, but to go on the offensive and say, "I am going to love. 00:35:04.580 |
Don't wrap that like sugar stuff around sin and say like, "It's not that bad." 00:35:15.920 |
You don't have a conviction because you came to praise and prayer night last night. 00:35:20.960 |
Your killing of sin, if you thought about that last night, needs to continue tomorrow. 00:35:25.160 |
And don't just think after a Sunday sermon, "Oh, conviction. 00:35:30.520 |
And then Monday, you're like, "Oh, all right. 00:35:33.440 |
Well, trying to remember why I felt that way." 00:35:39.080 |
Letter C, use the word, that's the word of God, to poison sin. 00:35:42.360 |
That means you can never be apart from the word of God because the word of God is going 00:35:45.120 |
to be the consistent truth and foundation in your life that will never shake. 00:35:49.560 |
It's like that friend who's really blunt, who constantly tells you what you need to 00:35:52.520 |
hear but you don't really like it, but you know you need it and it's good and you realize 00:35:58.360 |
The word of God, and then use it to poison your sin and say, "Oh, sin that looks so attractive, 00:36:05.520 |
It's like, "Whoa, get this thing away from me. 00:36:08.880 |
Letter D, use prayer to expose your hidden sins. 00:36:11.120 |
Pray, get down and say, "God, expose me my sins." 00:36:19.800 |
God, even the things that I can't see, there are a lot of us who are here who have grown 00:36:22.840 |
so jaded and apathetic and we think like, "Man, I feel like I need to force myself to 00:36:29.320 |
I know this is wrong but it doesn't feel that bad anymore." 00:36:32.080 |
Well, use prayer to expose them because even though you see it as sin, it might be hidden 00:36:40.240 |
That means guns blazing like that horse, you know when the gates open and not NASCAR. 00:36:52.240 |
When the gates open and they're just running, it's just boom, like a bullet out. 00:36:56.960 |
You're just relentlessly just going, going, going, going forward, forward, forward, forward, 00:37:05.560 |
I think we need to become a generation that's a generation of more conviction. 00:37:09.960 |
It says we hate it to the point where we're like, "We're going to take this to the end." 00:37:18.880 |
That means don't just sit back and coast but push yourself to grow. 00:37:26.640 |
In Galatians chapter 5 verse 16 through 18, you might memorize the fruit of the spirit 00:37:34.040 |
but I remember this part, "But I say walk by the spirit and you will not gratify the 00:37:38.160 |
For the desires of the flesh are against the spirit and the desires of the spirit are against 00:37:41.800 |
For these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 00:37:44.600 |
But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law." 00:37:48.760 |
It talks about what the fruit of the spirit is, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, 00:37:51.840 |
goodness, faithfulness, justice, self-control. 00:37:53.840 |
When you look at these things in your life, you have to cultivate it. 00:37:56.960 |
That means don't think like, "Oh, here are nine things, let's cultivate it." 00:37:59.840 |
It's like you go into each thing and think, "How can I cultivate this type of fruit in 00:38:10.800 |
No farmer is going to go out there and be like, "I'm just going to throw a bucket of 00:38:17.160 |
It's like you got to go and then, okay, this one, my dad was a landscaper. 00:38:21.980 |
But like every time, he went back to Russia on Tuesday and then every time like I got 00:38:25.720 |
to think about plants again because our whole backyard is covered with plants. 00:38:29.120 |
So every plant, he's like, "This one, you got to water every two days. 00:38:31.920 |
This one, make sure you don't water it every two days or it will die. 00:38:35.640 |
This one over there, do not touch it or I will kill you." 00:38:39.880 |
And these kinds of things, you realize you got to cultivate fruit and so do that as a 00:38:45.960 |
And these things, all these things are going to work to help you in your assurance of salvation. 00:38:50.240 |
Let her see there, this hard work is part of faith. 00:38:52.480 |
Sometimes we think that effort proves that it's not real, but a lot of times, effort 00:38:57.840 |
Don't get that mixed up because I think there are times where we feel like if I have to 00:39:01.840 |
force myself, then it must not come from a genuine heart, right? 00:39:05.680 |
Millennials, you know, like it needs to be genuine. 00:39:08.120 |
It needs to be authentic for it to like real. 00:39:13.580 |
And so if it feels like that, then it's not real so I might as well not do it. 00:39:17.920 |
Actually, in the effort, in the work, it does show a great faith and it shows a great love 00:39:25.000 |
Let her see there, faith is tested through your hardship. 00:39:29.120 |
John Newton says there, "We cannot be safely trusted with assurance till we have that knowledge 00:39:32.560 |
of the evil and deceitfulness of our hearts, which can be acquired only by painful, repeated 00:39:37.240 |
And so there will be hardships, both external and internal, that will come in our lives. 00:39:42.600 |
Just a few verses to note here, Matthew 26, verse 34-35. 00:39:49.240 |
The one who just a moment ago cut off a priest's ear saying, "Gung ho, Jesus. 00:39:57.160 |
And then this little girl, a little bit later, the little girl says, "Hey, don't you know 00:40:04.560 |
And so these things are going to come into your life that test your faith. 00:40:10.240 |
It says, "Count it all, join my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds, for you 00:40:13.840 |
know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 00:40:17.320 |
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking 00:40:21.520 |
So the word perfect and complete, there's an element of maturity, growth, completion 00:40:32.840 |
And even through trials of your own sin, fighting your own sin. 00:40:44.080 |
Okay, you guys can read that on your own some other time. 00:41:05.680 |
Oh, by the way, these five came directly from Pastor Mark. 00:41:08.880 |
I think, Pastor Mark, these are great questions. 00:41:11.280 |
Pastor Mark, I heard that when he counsels you guys, all he does is ask you questions 00:41:16.240 |
and it drives you crazy, but you realize how amazing it is. 00:41:19.400 |
Like, when did you realize that you were a sinner? 00:41:27.360 |
Have you even had a point where you realized you were a sinner? 00:41:33.640 |
Not just that you have to force yourself to believe in a theological concept of human 00:41:47.800 |
Question number three, when and how did you repent and ask God to forgive you? 00:41:50.120 |
Did you move into that repenting and believing type of thing? 00:41:57.320 |
Letter C, when did you trust in Jesus' sacrifice? 00:41:59.320 |
Now, you could get to the point where you say, like, I need you, I need you, I need 00:42:02.080 |
you, but if you sit there, remember, we went through that list. 00:42:05.080 |
If you sit there, that's not gonna be enough. 00:42:07.240 |
That's not gonna get you anywhere in your salvation. 00:42:12.080 |
You need to trust in Christ's sacrifice and that it's done. 00:42:14.640 |
It's complete, holy, completely finished for you. 00:42:20.880 |
Letter D there, when did you feel his repentance? 00:42:39.760 |
So you're sitting there, and good thing you're here. 00:42:47.480 |
Not only that you repent, but have you ever, like, repented at a brick wall? 00:42:52.120 |
Or like you repented and then, like, that person was like, okay. 00:42:56.160 |
And you're like, all right, thank you for saying that. 00:43:26.200 |
If you do, if you have fully comprehended this, and maybe I shouldn't say fully comprehended. 00:43:31.160 |
If you've really attained this, then you will change. 00:43:37.120 |
Because this kind of meeting up with a God like this, there is no way you can leave unchanged.