1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:03,920 I hope 20 years from now, 30 years from now, they're still 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:10,200 singing that song, you know, and we've got great young people in 3 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:15,120 this church and we need to pray for them and we need to stand 4 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:17,400 behind them. We need to support them. 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:20,680 Want you to turn over to Acts chapter one. 6 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:32,600 Just for a second. I was here in this verse, I 7 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:36,600 guess it was sometime last year pastor was gone and I preached a 8 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:39,160 little bit about this. But tonight I thought we would 9 00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:43,080 just review it just for a second here because I think it makes it 10 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:48,000 makes sense to us right now. And so let's start in. 11 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,240 Let's just go to verse 8, Acts chapter one. 12 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:57,440 Verse 8 says and, but, and, but excuse me, but you shall receive 13 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,680 power after that. The Holy Ghost just come up on 14 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:05,160 you and you shall be witnesses unto both Jerusalem and into all 15 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:09,240 Judea and Samaria and into the outermost parts of the earth. 16 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:13,360 You remember that we did talk about I talked about that I felt 17 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:16,880 like that the God was talking about 3 territories here. 1 is 18 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:19,920 what we have at home. That's who we need to be 19 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:22,680 witnesses to. The second was Judea and 20 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:24,800 Samaria. That's the places that we can 21 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:29,400 travel to and then to the uttermost parts of the earth 22 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:34,760 that we can't travel to. But tonight one of us is 23 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,000 traveling over there. In fact, two of us are 24 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,000 traveling. Pastor is traveling over there. 25 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:44,560 Now, the Bible clearly states that this is our responsibility 26 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:46,760 to reach all three of these areas. 27 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:51,880 So the fact that our pastor is all the way on the other side of 28 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:54,840 the world, he calls Mechanicsville the other side of 29 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:58,240 the world, by the way, but that's not really the other side 30 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:00,200 of the world. He's really on the other side of 31 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,960 the world now. But the fact that he's way over 32 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:09,080 there representing us doing the work of God is something that we 33 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:13,920 should really glory in because it's meeting our responsibility 34 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:16,480 in a way. So I hope you are praying for 35 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,520 him. I I really do him and Miss 36 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:24,320 Rebecca are I am sure that no one Pastor boots. 37 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:26,880 There is no grass growing underneath his feet because I 38 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:28,480 don't think there's much grass over there anyway. 39 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:34,760 But I am sure that his energy is is still going. 40 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:38,120 So anyway, I just want to say that because I think that this 41 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:42,920 is a great opportunity for us as well as them to be able to go 42 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:46,000 into a part of the world that we can't travel, that uttermost 43 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:47,880 part of the world. So. 44 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:50,920 But tonight I've got a different topic that I want to talk to you 45 00:02:50,920 --> 00:02:55,640 about. How many of you would think that 46 00:02:55,640 --> 00:03:00,360 in a month's time that you see more people in a month's time 47 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:07,200 than what your grandparents saw in their lifetime in in in a 48 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:09,560 month's time? Yeah, Yeah, you do. 49 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:12,880 It doesn't make any difference if it's television. 50 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:14,880 It doesn't make a difference if it's traffic. 51 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:16,880 It doesn't make any difference at the mall. 52 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:20,920 You see, we have an opportunity today that our grandparents, our 53 00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:24,720 great, great grandparents and all of those good, godly men, 54 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:29,000 even Dwight, even the Moody's and and all of them, they didn't 55 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:32,960 have the opportunity we have today because we see so many 56 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:35,600 people. We see the crowd. 57 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:40,200 It used to be that we would go to a football game, there'd be 58 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,840 three 4000 people there. Now there's 70,000 people. 59 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:46,360 A basketball game's the same way. 60 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:51,440 We have opportunity to see a lot of people that they did not have 61 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:57,480 in the past. But there's a fault there, and 62 00:03:57,480 --> 00:03:59,960 the fault is, is that we get used to the crowd. 63 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:06,320 You see, it is easier. Human psychology just just works 64 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:09,440 this way. It is easier for us to see the 65 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:14,640 crowd than it is the individual. And the reason is, is because 66 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:19,680 once we see an individual, it brings responsibility on us and 67 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:23,800 we don't like that. So it is easier to see a crowd 68 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,000 and focus on a crowd than it is the individual in the crowd. 69 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:31,200 You could be at a football game and you may be sitting beside 70 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:36,240 somebody that you don't even speak to, but yet you want to be 71 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:38,680 a part of that crowd. Now, I think there's some human 72 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:40,360 nature in that. I really do. 73 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:41,880 I think there's safety in numbers. 74 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:45,200 And I think probably instinctively we we just think 75 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:47,000 of that. And so we like being part of the 76 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:49,040 crowd. We like that. 77 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:53,880 But if we're going to see people the way that we need to see 78 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:59,000 them, we have to go against that nature because it's easy to see 79 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:01,960 the crowd. It's more difficult to see the 80 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:05,760 individuals in the crowd. So tonight we're going to be 81 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:09,240 talking a little bit about how does God want us to see people? 82 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:11,800 How does God want us to see people? 83 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:15,400 Not necessarily how we want to see people, but in order to do 84 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:19,960 that, we have to understand that there's some things in us that 85 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:23,520 work against that. And one of them is that natural 86 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:27,760 desire to be part of the crowd. We don't want to say something 87 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:30,520 in the crowd that's going to upset the crowd, right? 88 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:35,520 You don't want to, you don't want to cause trouble in the 89 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:39,240 crowd. So naturally, we we hesitate 90 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:44,120 saying anything in the crowd. We hesitate, hesitate that 91 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:46,760 because it brings so much responsibility on us. 92 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:49,760 It brings so much. We don't want to be responsible 93 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,400 for upsetting the crowd. We just don't want to do that, 94 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:55,440 whether it's the workplace or whatever, we just don't want to 95 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:57,680 be upset at that. So we have to understand that. 96 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:03,280 But there's another thing that goes against us seeing people 97 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:06,920 the way that God wants us to see them, and it's simply this. 98 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:10,640 It's that first impression. You see. 99 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:16,800 We react on first impressions. So very, very often our first 100 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:22,080 impressions, you see a lady with a newborn baby and you 101 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:25,560 immediately think that's a Mama. It may not be. 102 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:33,400 It could be an aunt visiting. So our first impressions can can 103 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:40,040 cause us to not see people. It may very well be that we see 104 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:45,840 somebody and we see some someone and it scares us away from them. 105 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:52,520 You might very well see a mug shot on TV, but it may not be a 106 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:55,320 criminal. It may not be. 107 00:06:55,320 --> 00:07:00,560 It may be an innocent person. So as we, as we learn to see 108 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:05,240 people, we have to understand that our first impressions are 109 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:10,520 not always correct. I want you to turn to, I want 110 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:15,640 you to turn over to Mark. I mean Matthew chapter 15, verse 111 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:18,520 21 and 28. And as we get there, I want to 112 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:20,280 give you a couple of examples here. 113 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:31,000 When Jesus called Matthew Levi, the Pharisees first impression 114 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:34,040 of Levi was he's a tax collect, tax collector. 115 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:35,800 You don't have anything to do with him. 116 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,680 He's an outcast. You don't have anything to do 117 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:42,800 with him. But Jesus in Mark chapter 2 and 118 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:47,000 verse 15 and 17 didn't see the tax collector. 119 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:50,080 That was the Pharisees first impression. 120 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:57,440 Jesus, he saw a disciple. But if you go to Matthew chapter 121 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:04,040 15, let me flip over there. If you go to Matthew chapter 15, 122 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:05,960 you'll know what this account is. 123 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:12,360 And starting in verse 21 through 28, then Jesus went thence and 124 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:14,760 departed into the coast of Tyrea and Sidian. 125 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:19,400 And and behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same 126 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:22,920 coast, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O 127 00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:26,840 Lord, thou son of David, my daughter is grievously vexed 128 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:31,560 with the devil. And he answered her, not, not a 129 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:36,120 word, Listen to his disciples, this is their first impression. 130 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:41,400 And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her 131 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:46,360 away, for she cried after us. You see, she was a Canaanite 132 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:48,160 woman. They don't want anything to do 133 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:52,400 with her. But he answered and said, I'm 134 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:56,160 not sent, but into the lost sheep of the House of Israel. 135 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:59,280 Can't you see the disciples? Yeah, see, get out of here. 136 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:04,680 My first impression was right. And in verse 25 it says, And 137 00:09:04,680 --> 00:09:08,240 then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 138 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:13,280 But he answered and said, It is not me to take the children the 139 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:16,600 the the children's bread, and cast it to the dogs. 140 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:21,080 I can hear the disciples again. And she said unto him, Truth, 141 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:24,680 Lord, yet the dogs eat the crumbs from which fall from the 142 00:09:24,680 --> 00:09:28,040 Master's table. Then Jesus answered and said 143 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:34,440 unto her, Old woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee, even 144 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:37,360 as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole 145 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,320 from the very first hour. Don't you think the disciples 146 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:44,160 should have been very careful with their first impression? 147 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:46,800 I think that's the way we are too. 148 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:50,320 I think sometimes when we see somebody because they may be 149 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:55,120 dressed the, the, the wrong way or they may have hair the wrong 150 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:59,160 way, they may have tattoos or, or it just may be a mean looking 151 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:03,880 person and we say, no, don't want to see them that way. 152 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:07,120 The truth of the matter is, is they're, they're God's children, 153 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:10,480 no matter who they are. And I think that at this point, 154 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:13,320 you're going to have to look at that and you're going to have to 155 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:18,000 say, I have to combat that. I have to combat the crowd 156 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:22,280 mentality and I do have to combat my first impressions, and 157 00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:25,840 I have to see people the way that God wants to see them. 158 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:30,040 We must fight our natural man. Let's pray and we'll get into 159 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:33,680 this a little bit. Father, we do thank you that the 160 00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:36,680 gospel of Jesus Christ, Lord, is for everyone. 161 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:41,080 We thank you, God, that You have chosen to use us to do that very 162 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:43,320 thing. We do Look forward to heaven one 163 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:45,880 day, Lord, when those crowns will be given out and we'll be 164 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:48,760 able to put them at your feet. But Lord, those crowns are only 165 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:53,080 given if if we're doing your work and we know that your 166 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:55,120 number one work is to get the gospel out. 167 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:58,280 So God, we do pray tonight that you would help help us to 168 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:01,440 understand this. Help me to give clarity as I, as 169 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:03,560 I teach it. And Lord, I pray my brothers and 170 00:11:03,560 --> 00:11:06,760 sisters would just open their hearts and they would see the 171 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:09,440 truth of the matter. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 172 00:11:10,560 --> 00:11:15,240 Tonight we do want to, I do want to concentrate on one particular 173 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:19,240 area of how we need to see people. 174 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:23,600 And I want you to turn over to Romans chapter one, verse 16. 175 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:30,880 And we're going to read 16 through 25, give you just a 176 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:34,760 second to get there. Romans 16 through 25 177 00:11:46,950 --> 00:11:49,990 verse 16 says, for I am not ashamed. 178 00:11:49,990 --> 00:11:53,440 Of course this is Paul speaking, says I am not ashamed of the 179 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:56,400 gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto 180 00:11:56,400 --> 00:12:01,160 salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew 1st and 181 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:05,280 also to the Greek. For therein is the is the the 182 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:09,080 righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is 183 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:11,000 written, the just shall live by faith. 184 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:15,000 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all 185 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:19,520 ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in 186 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:24,920 unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is 187 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:28,800 manifest in them, For God has showed it unto them. 188 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:33,920 For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world 189 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:39,160 are clearly seen being misunderstood by the things that 190 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:42,840 are being, excuse me, being understood by the things that 191 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:45,960 are made even His eternal power in Godhead. 192 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:50,200 So that they are without, they are with, they are without 193 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:55,080 excuse, because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not 194 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:58,360 as God. Neither were thankful, but 195 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:01,320 became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish 196 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:05,000 hearts were darkened. Professing themselves to be 197 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:08,640 wise, they become fools and change the glory of the 198 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:13,120 uncorruptible God into an image made like a corruptible man, and 199 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:16,760 two birds and four footed beasts, and creeping things. 200 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:23,480 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanliness, to the lust of 201 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:27,000 their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between 202 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:31,800 themselves, who changed the truth of God into a lie and 203 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:35,200 worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, 204 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:38,320 who is the blessed forever. Amen. 205 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:43,000 Now there is a whole lot to unpack in these verses, a whole 206 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:47,240 lot. And we're going to start with 207 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:52,680 verse 16, and we're talking about how we need to see people. 208 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:59,960 In verse 16, Paul says, Paul said that I am not ashamed of 209 00:13:59,960 --> 00:14:05,720 the gospel of Christ. Wow, This is tough to talk about 210 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:09,720 because I doubt that there's a person in here that hadn't come 211 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:13,480 to the point sometime in their life when they're ashamed to say 212 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:18,160 anything. And Paul says that I'm not 213 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:20,600 ashamed of the gospel. And I think what he means by 214 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:24,160 that is I'm not ashamed to talk to somebody about the gospel. 215 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:28,800 I'm not ashamed to do that. So I think first of all, if 216 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:32,200 we're going to see people the way that God wants us to see 217 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:35,920 them, we're going to have to use the lens of the gospel to see it 218 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:40,560 with that's first impressions that we have are going to keep 219 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:42,480 us from seeing it through the gospel. 220 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:47,840 They're going to cause us not to see them through the gospel. 221 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:51,080 And so I think that's the first thing we have to see, that we're 222 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:52,920 going to have to see them through the gospel. 223 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:56,920 It's not enough just to see someone at the gas pump, pump 224 00:14:56,920 --> 00:15:02,200 and gas. We must see them with eternity 225 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:04,720 in mind. They're either going to spend 226 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:08,280 eternity in heaven or they're going to spend it in hell. 227 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:13,680 And I think, again, sometimes we get so focused on the crowd that 228 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:17,400 we forget that the individuals in the crowd are going to even 229 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:20,120 go to heaven or they're going to go to hell. 230 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:24,400 And I think God wants us to see it through the gospel. 231 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:33,320 Look at verse, verse 18 through 20, verse 18 through 20. 232 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:38,440 Let's go back to that. For the wrath of God is revealed 233 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:40,880 from heaven against all ungodliness. 234 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:43,680 Now folks, that just simply means that God gets angry over 235 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:48,880 over sin, over unrighteousness and unrighteousness of men. 236 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:52,840 But look at this next phrase. I had to study this thing out. 237 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:58,120 Who hold the truth in unrighteousness. 238 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:02,920 You know what that verse means? They know better. 239 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:05,640 Now who are we talking about here? 240 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:09,520 We're talking about mankind. He's talking about all men. 241 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:14,480 They know. They hold the truth, but they 242 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:16,560 hold it and they're still unrighteous. 243 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:22,280 They know better because continuing on, because that 244 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:25,760 which may be known of God is manifested in them. 245 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:32,120 It's already in there. They know it, for God has showed 246 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:35,920 it unto them. For the invisible things of Him 247 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:41,360 from the creation of the world are clearly seen being 248 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:46,640 understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power 249 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:51,480 and his Godhead, so that they are without excuse. 250 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:56,320 I have thought so many times he is a young Christian especially 251 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:01,000 how in the world does God send somebody to have a hell that 252 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,880 doesn't know anything about him? Well, this verse tells us they 253 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:07,880 do know. They may not know about the 254 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:10,760 salvation of Christ. They don't may not know the 255 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:15,599 gospel, but this verse right here is saying that they do know 256 00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:20,359 that there is a God. They do know that God exists. 257 00:17:20,839 --> 00:17:24,520 And if they loved God, if they loved that God, what they would 258 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:29,480 do is search that God out. But you go down into the other 259 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:33,440 verses and it says instead of doing that, they make up their 260 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:40,080 own gods. Now, I, I'm a real history buff. 261 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:42,760 As far as the Cherokee Indians, well, my grandmother was full of 262 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:46,560 Cherokee. And so I've studied it a lot and 263 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:51,320 I've studied what they have done and they have worshipped, They 264 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:53,720 worship nature. They'll worship a tree. 265 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:06,560 And find a a tribe of people who have maybe never touched 266 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:12,120 society, and I would think that you'll find out that they 267 00:18:12,120 --> 00:18:17,040 worship something you see. God has put that in them. 268 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:23,680 He knows that there's a God. When we see people, we have to 269 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:28,520 remember that God has planted within them the fact that he is 270 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:32,600 God, not only God. It says that He knows that they 271 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:39,720 understand, because when we go back up here, even his eternal 272 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:44,840 power and the Godhead, the divinity, they know that there 273 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:48,600 is a God. When an atheist comes up to you 274 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:52,880 or when you approach somebody and they say, no, don't believe, 275 00:18:53,120 --> 00:18:57,920 don't, don't believe that I'm, I'm not, I don't believe in God. 276 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:02,200 Yeah, they do. They made themselves a God. 277 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:07,040 In fact, it goes down here and says that they make themselves a 278 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:10,280 God in the in the Scriptures down there. 279 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:15,720 It tells us that they even they, they make like to corruptible 280 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:20,120 men themselves. Don't let an atheist, do not 281 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:23,960 allow your first impression to say, OK, they're an atheist. 282 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:27,640 I can't talk to them. You can. 283 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:32,000 And how do you do that? Well, go back up here and let's 284 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:37,720 see how that God tells men mankind that there is a God. 285 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:43,440 It's through nature, it says, the creation of the world, for 286 00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:48,200 the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are 287 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:52,920 clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, 288 00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:54,840 even his eternal power and Godhead. 289 00:19:55,120 --> 00:19:58,240 You see, we can see God in nature. 290 00:19:59,960 --> 00:20:01,880 You say, well, how can that be true? 291 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:06,880 How can you see God? Well, look, turn over, turn over 292 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:13,680 to Genesis. Turn it over to Genesis. 293 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:16,320 I have to find it. I think it's 26. 294 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:19,720 First Genesis chapter one, verse 26. 295 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:24,200 Is that where God said that he made everybody in his own? 296 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:34,310 Yeah, I'll get to it. Yeah. 297 00:20:34,310 --> 00:20:37,750 And God said let us make man in our own image after our 298 00:20:37,750 --> 00:20:41,040 likeness. Well, my goodness, look, I can 299 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:44,040 look at my hands right now and see there's no way that that 300 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:46,680 could have happened without divine intervention. 301 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:51,920 It has to be divine. God is saying here that mankind 302 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:57,520 knows that there is a God when they look at nature, when they 303 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:00,400 look at nature. So if we're going to see people 304 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:04,040 the way God wants to see us, first of all we have to see that 305 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:06,400 they need God. But the second of all, they do 306 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:10,120 have a basic knowledge of God. They have a basic knowledge that 307 00:21:10,120 --> 00:21:13,840 God exists because it's all through nature. 308 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:18,200 It's all through nature. Now the question is, is this, 309 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:23,720 how do we use that? How do we use that? 310 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:33,000 Well, you have to know that that will always be with them. 311 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:37,880 For one thing, go down to verse 24. 312 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:44,480 In first Romans, one says, wherefore God also gave them up 313 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:47,640 to uncleanliness. Now let me tell you what that 314 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:50,920 does not mean. That does not mean that God 315 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:56,040 condemned them to hell, OK? You understand that That simply 316 00:21:56,040 --> 00:22:02,000 means that God said, OK, I've tried, I've convicted you, now 317 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:04,840 I'm taking my hand off of you and I'm going to let you do what 318 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:07,920 you want to do. You know, there's a place in the 319 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:09,960 Bible says Christians are sort of like that too. 320 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:11,960 When the Holy Spirit, they quench the Holy Spirit. 321 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:16,960 Well, don't think that that verse says that God condemns 322 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:20,480 them to hell. So that man out here that says 323 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:25,080 there is no God, that doesn't mean they're condemned to hell 324 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:28,560 until they take their last heartbeat. 325 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:31,520 They've still got an opportunity. 326 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:34,280 We have an opportunity to listen to them. 327 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:38,440 God wants those people to be saved. 328 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:43,120 And if we get the idea that, well, they're too far gone. 329 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:47,720 Look, I know people right now that unfortunately, I've 330 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:50,680 probably said to myself, man, they're, they're just too far 331 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:52,640 gone. You know, there's no hope. 332 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:57,640 But God says, no, there's still a knowledge of God in them 333 00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:01,680 somewhere. It's just up to us to help find 334 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:04,200 it. Now, how do we help find that? 335 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:09,160 I think one of the things that it's just like Pastor taking the 336 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:13,080 kids to the Creation Museum. I think we need to learn more 337 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:17,280 about creation. After all, after all, isn't that 338 00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:19,960 what God says? That the way that they know 339 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:22,280 there's a God? So somebody says to you, oh, I 340 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:25,120 don't believe there's a God. Oh well, let me come here and 341 00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:28,560 convince you. You know, and we go through all 342 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:32,240 of this theological mumbo jumbo sometimes. 343 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:35,520 Take them to nature. That's what God does. 344 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:37,880 He says, look, he says I'm seen in nature. 345 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:41,600 Take them to nature. Now let me ask you a question. 346 00:23:47,660 --> 00:23:52,140 When if that is true, and it is, we know because the Bible said 347 00:23:52,140 --> 00:23:56,780 it. If I were Satan, you know what I 348 00:23:56,780 --> 00:24:00,220 would do? I would concoct evolution. 349 00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:08,600 Now think about it. If the knowledge of God, the 350 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:13,120 fact that God exists is through nature, I'm going to discredit 351 00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:17,080 nature. And Satan did that. 352 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:23,080 I can remember when I was in school back in the 60s, I can 353 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:27,880 remember it was called, it would, it had just come out and 354 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:31,320 we had the, I can remember my biology book and we had the 355 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:34,640 monkeys and it came up and it came up and it came up to the 356 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:40,480 Neanderthal man. And it was called the theory of 357 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:44,640 evolution. Today it's no longer theory. 358 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:50,880 They've dropped it, folks. Nature will teach people about 359 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:52,680 God, try to get their attention to it. 360 00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:56,680 Take them to this. If somebody says that I don't 361 00:24:56,680 --> 00:25:01,400 believe there's a God, show them that we can use it that way. 362 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:04,920 So I want you to think there's three things I want you to look 363 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:07,520 at here. I want you to understand very 364 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:11,320 quickly. First of all, this knowledge of 365 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:17,040 God is placed there by God. We didn't create the world. 366 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:21,120 We didn't give everybody the ability to see that a God 367 00:25:21,120 --> 00:25:23,280 exists. We didn't do that. 368 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:26,880 God did that. God placed it there. 369 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:30,680 He placed it. The second thing I want you to 370 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:36,120 see, this knowledge of God is eternal. 371 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:48,640 It's eternal. Those in hell today know that 372 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:53,040 God is real. I want you to turn over to Luke 373 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:56,200 chapter 16. Very familiar verse, but I think 374 00:25:56,200 --> 00:26:09,960 we need to read it here. Luke chapter 1619. 375 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:23,440 I'm sorry, 24 Luke. Luke chapter 16, verse 24. 376 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:30,200 And he cried. This is the rich man in hell, He 377 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:34,240 cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send 378 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:38,440 Lazarus that he might dip his tip of his finger in water and 379 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:41,840 cool my tongue, for I am in torment in these flames. 380 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:46,040 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime 381 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:49,320 receiveth thy good things, and likewise Lazarus. 382 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:54,960 Lazarus received evil things, but now he is he is comforted, 383 00:26:55,600 --> 00:27:00,040 and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between US 384 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:04,040 and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that they which would 385 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:10,360 pass from thence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that 386 00:27:10,360 --> 00:27:16,760 would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee 387 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:19,960 therefore, Father, that thou would ascend. 388 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:25,120 God send him to my Father's house, for I have 5 brethren 389 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:30,600 that he might testify them, lest they also come to this place of 390 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:35,360 torment. You see, even in hell, he knew 391 00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:37,920 God. You see, this knowledge of God 392 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:44,480 is eternal. The flames and everything. 393 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:46,560 I don't know about you. I'm glad I'm not going to go 394 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:49,000 there. But you know what? 395 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:52,720 I can't imagine living every day. 396 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:56,600 Of course, there's probably no days, but living all the time in 397 00:27:56,600 --> 00:28:00,680 eternity knowing that I knew there was a God. 398 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:07,480 Can you imagine that very thing that God planted in me that gave 399 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:09,720 the ability to see there is a God? 400 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:13,320 And I never responded, I never got saved. 401 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:19,000 I never acted on it. And every single day, all the 402 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:27,440 time in those burning flames, I am saying if only I had, if only 403 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:30,560 I had acted on that it is eternal. 404 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:35,040 It is eternal. They will always know that God 405 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:37,080 exists. The Bible tells every knee shalt 406 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:39,680 thou they're going to know who Jesus Christ was. 407 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:44,280 But then the third thing I want you to see is that it is a tool. 408 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:49,280 The fact that we know that people have the ability to know 409 00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:53,200 that there is a God, it can become our tool. 410 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:56,760 And the way that it can become our tool is, first of all, as we 411 00:28:56,760 --> 00:29:00,040 said before, we can study a little bit about nature because 412 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:02,400 we can use nature to help convince them. 413 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:08,120 Maybe if God has given them over, maybe we can rescue them 414 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:13,240 by by instructing them on nature and how God created us. 415 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:16,320 And folks, we have an opportunity today that our 416 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:20,040 forefathers never had. We know about the DNA. 417 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:23,600 We know about all of this science that proves that God is 418 00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:27,400 God. And so we can do that today like 419 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:29,480 no other generation has ever done. 420 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:33,560 So when we run across people like that, I think God wants us 421 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:37,400 to see them as an opportunity, but we need to be equipped. 422 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:41,800 And so I think it becomes a tool for us that we study creation 423 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:44,400 and be ready to give an account for it. 424 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:49,040 You know, I see this as a spark. I truly do. 425 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:51,600 I see it as a spark, spark in every human being. 426 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:55,000 And before I studied this, to be honest with you, I never really 427 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:59,200 given it a lot of thought. I know this verse and I know 428 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:04,000 what these verses mean, but really it never came to never 429 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:08,600 came to the to the top of my head, if you will, until I 430 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:12,680 really started studying it because I do look at people so 431 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:14,560 often and say there's just no use. 432 00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:21,000 There's no need to do that. But now I think I see every 433 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:23,680 single person still has a chance. 434 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:28,280 They truly have a chance. They're still with inside them a 435 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:34,280 little tiny spark that we might be able to ignite. 436 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:40,680 You know, I, when we go camping, my grandson, when we went 437 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:43,120 camping, we would, he would always want to start a fire. 438 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:46,960 And he had one of these magnetic, these magnesium 439 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:53,120 strikers and they would send out a little spark and he'd get some 440 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:56,840 little fodder together, maybe dried up leaves or something. 441 00:30:56,840 --> 00:31:01,960 He'd put those in there and then he would take that spark and he 442 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:05,400 would hit it until a spark landed in there and you'd see 443 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:07,400 just a little, tiny bit of smoke. 444 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:11,080 And if you just leave that there, guess what happens? 445 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:16,120 Just goes out. But I'd seen several times he'd 446 00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:23,720 pick that fodder up and he'd go and he'd blow on it and he we 447 00:31:23,720 --> 00:31:28,720 might blow on it several times, but just about all the time it 448 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:34,880 turned into a flame. The Bible says without 449 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:38,200 preaching, the people perish. Now that preaching simply means 450 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:41,760 you and I, you know, it takes breath to preach. 451 00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:46,520 I mean, I'm out of it now, but it takes breath to preach. 452 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:48,760 And I believe what God is saying is this. 453 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:52,960 I want you to see these people as still having that spark in 454 00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:56,680 them. No matter what you think, no 455 00:31:56,680 --> 00:32:00,840 matter what your impressions are of them, there's still a spark 456 00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:03,400 in there. Would you breathe on them? 457 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:05,920 Would you breathe it into a flame? 458 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:08,520 You know, you may be able to do that. 459 00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:13,680 God loves these people. And I'm going to close with just 460 00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:16,720 some of the things, some of the ways that God sees people. 461 00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:20,120 And you don't need to turn these or you don't need to write them 462 00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:24,080 down. In Genesis 126, He sees people 463 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:29,920 as his creation. In John 316, He sees everyone. 464 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:34,320 He sees someone that He loves first, John 1/3. 465 00:32:34,920 --> 00:32:37,640 He sees someone that he wants to fellowship with. 466 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:43,800 Matthew 2546 as someone who will spend eternity either in heaven 467 00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:49,680 or hell in Philippians 419 as someone with needs that he wants 468 00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:52,800 to meet. And then Matthew 2819 through 469 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:57,720 20, someone he wants to use in his earthly ministry. 470 00:32:58,360 --> 00:33:00,960 And that's us. That's us. 471 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:05,480 So I think as we look at people, it's so easy. 472 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:08,480 It's so obvious. It's nature. 473 00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:10,160 Let's just take a look at the crowd. 474 00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:13,760 Let me ask you something. I'm guilty of this. 475 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:19,480 You've been out here with Bibles and you're holding signs and we 476 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:23,320 look at the cars, all the cars. We hold that sign up. 477 00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:27,000 Look at all the cars. It's easy to look at all the 478 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,120 cars. It's easy to look at all the 479 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:31,160 people in the cars. But let me ask you something, 480 00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:35,200 have you ever made eye contract with one individual in one of 481 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:37,880 those cars and said, I need to pray for that individual? 482 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:42,560 And as that car goes down the road, you are praying for that 483 00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:46,160 individual? Probably not you maybe every 484 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:49,400 once in a while. But it's because it we're so 485 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:53,240 used to seeing the crowds, so used to screaming the crowd. 486 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:58,320 God wants us to see people as individuals with an opportunity 487 00:33:58,320 --> 00:34:05,360 to be saved. So tonight you go back and study 488 00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:10,639 some of those verses, hide them in your heart and learn how to 489 00:34:10,639 --> 00:34:14,239 give an account, how to how to give an answer to someone who 490 00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:19,239 says no, there's no God or lives like there's no God because they 491 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:21,560 can, they can see that there is a God. 492 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:26,520 Bible says that Bible says that it's up to us to breathe on that 493 00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:32,040 fire, breathe on that spark, burst it into a flame. 7 after 494 00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:36,480 that's pretty good. You're you, you know, your 495 00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:40,400 pastor's not here tonight when you get out at almost 7:10. 496 00:34:40,400 --> 00:34:44,960 So, but anyway, Brian, you want to come up and close in prayer 497 00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:51,800 or do whatever? I was looking for it in the hymn 498 00:34:51,800 --> 00:34:54,520 book, but it's it's reminds me of the song. 499 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:57,640 Let me see this world, dear Lord, as though I were looking 500 00:34:57,640 --> 00:35:01,320 through your eyes, a world of men who don't want you, Lord, 501 00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:06,280 but a world for which you died. And then the chorus says, let me 502 00:35:06,280 --> 00:35:10,200 stand high above my petty problems so that we can see the 503 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:13,120 world, the need that they have for Christ. 504 00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:15,640 And so I, I do thank you for that message. 505 00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:20,880 And I, and I pray that you will. It is so easy to just get in a 506 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:22,800 rush, kind of what we were talking about this morning. 507 00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:25,760 We're busy, You move along. I don't have time for that. 508 00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:27,920 You may never see that person again ever. 509 00:35:28,240 --> 00:35:32,960 They may never come across a Christian in their life again 510 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:34,560 that will share the gospel with them. 511 00:35:34,560 --> 00:35:37,960 That was our one chance. And so go ahead and stand with 512 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:40,080 me. We'll pray and then we'll have a 513 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:43,160 time of invitation as she plays. Father, I thank you for this day 514 00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:45,120 you've given us. Thank you for the the time we 515 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:47,720 could spend in your house today that I pray that we would have 516 00:35:47,720 --> 00:35:50,960 been challenged, that our hearts would have been stirred this 517 00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:53,440 morning and this evening, God, and that we would go out this 518 00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:57,640 week into our mission fields, each one that you've called us 519 00:35:57,640 --> 00:36:00,560 to and, and see people the way you see them. 520 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:03,560 And God, I pray that you would help us to, to really have a 521 00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:08,080 passion to draw men to you. God, I pray that we would lift 522 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:11,040 you up so that you can do that work of drawing men to yourself 523 00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:15,520 and God that we would see that little spark in them and, and, 524 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:20,080 and try to cultivate that spark into a flame of of their desire 525 00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:23,000 to know the Savior that you are to us. 526 00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:26,120 And I pray that you would just bless this time of invitation. 527 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:28,120 In Jesus name I pray. Amen.