1
00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:07,720
You're very welcome to today's 
Triumph Church podcast. 

2
00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:10,440
We pray that you enjoy the 
message. 

3
00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:20,440
If you brought your Bibles, 
hopefully you did phones, iPads,

4
00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:24,320
whichever. 
I want you to turn to Ephesians 

5
00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:30,920
chapter 2. 
Ephesians chapter 2 is one of 

6
00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:37,960
the the clearest windows into 
the the gospel and it's my 

7
00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:42,200
absolute favorite book, 
Ephesians. 

8
00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:48,120
But Ephesians chapter 2 is my 
favorite chapter in in the 

9
00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:50,080
Bible. 
There's so much packed into 

10
00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:52,040
there. 
I absolutely love it. 

11
00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:57,920
But Ephesians, the first part, 
the first 3 verses we're going 

12
00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:02,400
to look at this morning. 
It's a, a, a good window of, of 

13
00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:05,720
the gospel and the gospel is 
really something that every 

14
00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:10,440
believer should have a, a handle
on, have an understanding on 

15
00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:16,680
because who's God going to ask 
to share this good news to 

16
00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:20,040
others through? 
It's going to be you and I, 

17
00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:22,760
right? 
So we need to have an 

18
00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:26,400
understanding of, of what the 
gospel is, what the good news 

19
00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:31,600
actually is, so that we will be 
enabled to share that with those

20
00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,000
around us. 
And honestly, I don't really 

21
00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,720
believe that the church overall 
has, has done the best job of 

22
00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:43,480
this equipping their churches, 
their congregations to be able 

23
00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:47,760
to share their faith 
intelligently and scripturally 

24
00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:50,400
with their neighbors, with their
Co workers. 

25
00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,680
Like I don't believe we've, 
we've done a good job equipping 

26
00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:57,240
churches. 
And so this year I'm, I'm going 

27
00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:02,960
to be purposing to, to do a, a 
series on sharing your faith, 

28
00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:08,560
because there's probably no more
important thing that we can do 

29
00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:14,360
in our lives than that. 
Nothing else is going to have a 

30
00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:20,880
bigger impact in this world than
us sharing the gospel with those

31
00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:23,960
around us, right? 
Jesus, before he left, told us 

32
00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:25,880
two things that we were supposed
to do. 

33
00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,240
The first one is to preach the 
gospel in all the world. 

34
00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:33,960
The second one is to make 
disciples. 

35
00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:36,240
That's what the church is all 
about. 

36
00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:39,840
That's what the church is 
supposed to be doing and 

37
00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,160
Ephesians chapter 4 and we'll 
get there eventually. 

38
00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,400
You know, it says that the the 
gifts of the of the body, the 

39
00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:49,200
apostle, the prophet, the 
evangelist, the teacher and the 

40
00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:51,760
pastor. 
Those are for the equipping of 

41
00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,800
the Saints. 
Who's the Saints? 

42
00:02:54,880 --> 00:03:01,200
Saint Peter, St. 
Paul, Saint Timothy, let's talk 

43
00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:07,480
about you, right, Equipping you 
for the work of the ministry. 

44
00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:09,760
Well, what is the ministry that 
God's called you to? 

45
00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:12,000
Well, whatever it is, he's 
called you to. 

46
00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:16,760
But part of that, a big part of 
that is being able to share the 

47
00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:20,480
Gospel with those around you. 
Amen. 

48
00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,400
So we're going to be doing a, a 
series on that. 

49
00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:29,400
When Paul wrote to the believers
in in Ephesus, he was writing to

50
00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:34,440
a people who lived in a very 
spiritually demonic city. 

51
00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:38,040
The city hovered and revolved 
around that. 

52
00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:40,800
Ephesus was steeped in idol 
worship. 

53
00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,840
It was a city immersed in magic 
and Pagan spirituality and 

54
00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:49,240
sexual immorality. 
And many of the Ephesian church 

55
00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,360
had been rescued out of that 
culture. 

56
00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:55,160
That's their background. 
That's their history. 

57
00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:57,440
That's who they they used to be,
right? 

58
00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:02,000
So going into chapter 2, Paul 
doesn't flatter them. 

59
00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:04,680
He doesn't really hold any 
punches here. 

60
00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:09,600
He doesn't soften the truth. 
He tells them exactly who they 

61
00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:16,240
were and exactly what God did. 
Ephesians chapter 2 shows us 

62
00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:20,560
these three powerful realities. 
All right, the first one is who 

63
00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:24,520
we were without Christ. 
This is what we'll talk about 

64
00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:28,120
this morning. 
The second one is what God did 

65
00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,600
because of His mercy. 
The third thing is who we are 

66
00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:36,400
now because of His love and His 
grace. 

67
00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:41,320
So let's begin by reading 
Ephesians verses one through 3. 

68
00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:43,880
Ephesians chapter 2 verses one 
through 3. 

69
00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:48,840
It says in verse one, once you 
were dead because of your 

70
00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:54,200
disobedience and your many sins.
And verse 2 you used to live in 

71
00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:58,440
sin just like the rest of the 
world, obeying the devil, the 

72
00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,160
commander of the powers of the 
unseen world. 

73
00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:05,640
He is the Spirit at work in the 
hearts of those who refuse to 

74
00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:09,200
obey God. 
And verse 3, all of us used to 

75
00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:12,560
live that way, following the 
passionate desires and 

76
00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:14,840
inclinations of our sinful 
nature. 

77
00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:20,760
And by our very nature, we were 
subject to God's anger just as 

78
00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:24,160
everyone else. 
So Paul begins laying out 

79
00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:28,080
clearly who we were without 
Christ. 

80
00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:32,520
And the first thing that Paul 
says here in verse one is once 

81
00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:36,000
you were dead. 
Well, that doesn't sound like a 

82
00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,040
very good fairy tale. 
You know, Once Upon a time, 

83
00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:40,880
right? 
And you go into a very nice, 

84
00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:43,920
very sweet thing. 
Now, Paul starts off just saying

85
00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:48,080
once you were dead. 
And what does he mean by that? 

86
00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:52,320
The Apostle Paul isn't sugar 
coating things here. 

87
00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,600
He's being matter of fact that 
we were dead. 

88
00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:58,600
We were dead as a result of 
what? 

89
00:05:58,840 --> 00:06:03,040
Of our disobedience. 
And we were dead as a result of 

90
00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,640
our sins, not someone else's, 
right? 

91
00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:09,280
We always like to shift blame, 
don't we? 

92
00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,080
Well, such and such made me do 
it right? 

93
00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:13,720
But this isn't what Paul is 
saying here. 

94
00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:18,080
He's saying we were once dead 
because of our disobedience, 

95
00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:23,160
because of our choices, because 
of our decisions, right? 

96
00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:28,280
Each of us have chosen to make 
decisions that have led to sin, 

97
00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:30,160
right? 
Is there anyone exempt from this

98
00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:33,880
or is there anyone here that has
never made a decision that has 

99
00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:36,800
led to to sin, right? 
I'm going to have you pray for 

100
00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,240
me after service because that is
amazing. 

101
00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:43,160
The only person that has ever 
done that is Jesus, right? 

102
00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:47,160
We have all sinned. 
It's a great scripture. 

103
00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:52,600
The apostle Paul says in Romans 
chapter 3 and verse 10, Paul 

104
00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:58,560
said this as the scriptures say 
no one is righteous, not even 

105
00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:01,640
one. 
Sometimes we like to think of 

106
00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:05,040
ourselves in in a light right of
an heirs. 

107
00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:07,000
This is who who I believe we 
are. 

108
00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:10,280
But scripture says that no one 
is righteous, not even 1. 

109
00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:14,560
And in Romans chapter 3 and 
verse 23, Paul continues with 

110
00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,680
this. 
He says, for everyone has 

111
00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:24,640
sinned, for we all fall short of
God's glorious standard that 

112
00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:28,680
we're dead. 
In Ephesians chapter 2 and verse

113
00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:34,840
one is not poetic exaggeration. 
It's exactly what Paul is trying

114
00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:40,360
to say here, that we were dead. 
Paul is describing a very real 

115
00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:44,120
spiritual condition that exists 
before our decision to accept 

116
00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:46,880
Jesus Christ as our Lord and 
Savior. 

117
00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:51,000
And the results of what the 
apostle Paul begins chapter 2 

118
00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:55,440
with once you were dead is an 
important thing that we need to 

119
00:07:55,440 --> 00:07:59,480
understand because for us to 
appreciate what we have been 

120
00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:03,720
saved to, right? 
We see that in Ephesians chapter

121
00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:08,240
one, what we have been saved to,
but the apostle Paul knows that 

122
00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:12,360
that we also need to know what 
we have been saved from. 

123
00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:16,720
So we're going to look at this 
kind of unpack this a little bit

124
00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,400
of what this means. 
The first thing we're going to 

125
00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:24,560
talk about is spiritual death is
separation from God. 

126
00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:28,640
Death in Scripture is 
fundamentally means separation, 

127
00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:31,760
right? 
Physical death is the separation

128
00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:35,240
of the spirit from the body. 
Spiritual death is the 

129
00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:38,440
separation of a person's spirit 
from God. 

130
00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:41,280
It's the severing of that 
relationship. 

131
00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:45,480
And it began in in Genesis 
chapter 2, verse 17. 

132
00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:50,480
But God warned Adam of the one 
tree that he and Eve had 

133
00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:53,600
forbidden to eat from, that he 
forbid them to eat from. 

134
00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:55,600
What is that tree? 
It's the tree of the knowledge 

135
00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:59,880
of of good and evil. 
God said that if you eat of its 

136
00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:05,600
fruit, you will surely die. 
But Adam didn't drop physically 

137
00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:10,640
dead that day, did he? 
But something did in fact 

138
00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:14,280
happen. 
The slow process of physical 

139
00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:19,600
death began, but also he and 
Eve's spirits became separated 

140
00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:24,160
from God. 
Shame entered into their lives 

141
00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:28,880
and fear entered as they knew 
immediately the reality of this 

142
00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:35,840
costly decision that they made. 
In Isaiah chapter 59 and verse 2

143
00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:40,400
it says this. 
It's your sins that have cut you

144
00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:44,040
off from God. 
Because of your sins, He has 

145
00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,520
turned away and will not listen 
anymore. 

146
00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,880
Listen, Spiritual death is 
alienation from God. 

147
00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:57,440
God is not ceasing to exist 
here, but we've been cut off 

148
00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:02,560
from Him because of sin. 
But it goes much deeper than 

149
00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:05,200
just alienation or, or being cut
off. 

150
00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:09,080
It's, it's more than a simple 
break in our relationship with 

151
00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:12,440
God. 
It also means judgement. 

152
00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:18,240
This is probably the, one of 
the, the, the biggest parts of 

153
00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:22,480
this because judgement, 
judgement of our disobedience, 

154
00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:25,240
judgement because of our, our 
sin. 

155
00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:29,160
And it's not because of God. 
God didn't do this right? 

156
00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:33,480
He doesn't cause anyone to sin. 
The devil can't even cause you 

157
00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:37,600
to sin. 
The devil can tempt you to sin, 

158
00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:41,880
but the devil cannot cause you 
to make that decision. 

159
00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:45,400
You make that decision, you're 
tempted to, and then you act on 

160
00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:48,240
that, right? 
But I want you to to see 

161
00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:52,000
something important here because
when we make those choices, we 

162
00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,600
need to understand that that sin
always has consequence. 

163
00:10:57,560 --> 00:11:02,640
Every decision that we make has 
some kind of consequence, right?

164
00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:06,120
If I'm driving my vehicle and I 
just pull out into traffic 

165
00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:08,720
without looking, there's 
probably going to be some kind 

166
00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:11,400
of consequence to that action, 
right? 

167
00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:16,160
Well, sin has consequence and 
people like to blame God for 

168
00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:19,080
their bad decisions or the bad 
decisions of others, but they 

169
00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:23,280
have nothing to do with God. 
Those are our decisions. 

170
00:11:23,560 --> 00:11:28,800
We make those things, we make 
those decisions, we make those 

171
00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:31,520
choices. 
But listen to what Jesus said in

172
00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:36,040
John chapter 3 and verse 17 and 
this is the good news. 

173
00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:41,000
John 3 and verse 17. 
Jesus said that God sent His Son

174
00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:45,200
into the world not to judge the 
world. 

175
00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,360
That is not why Jesus came to 
this world. 

176
00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,840
He did not come to judge you of 
your sin. 

177
00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:58,720
He did not come to judge you, 
but He came to do what He came 

178
00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:03,520
to save the world. 
That's why Jesus came, and this 

179
00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:07,400
is the good news. 
What Jesus came to do was to 

180
00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:13,520
take the judgement that was do 
you and rightfully do you upon 

181
00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:17,080
himself. 
He came to do this so that we 

182
00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:22,000
each would have an opportunity 
at life instead of death. 

183
00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:26,240
This is the good news. 
This is the gospel, but the 

184
00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:28,760
travesty is for those who reject
Jesus. 

185
00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:33,680
Listen to what Jesus said in 
John chapter 3 verses 18 through

186
00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:36,320
20. 
It says, but there is no 

187
00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:39,360
judgement against anyone who 
believes in him. 

188
00:12:39,680 --> 00:12:43,880
But anyone who does not believe 
in Him has already been judged 

189
00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:47,120
for not believing in God's one 
and only Son. 

190
00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:51,400
And in verse 19 and the 
judgement is based on this fact 

191
00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:55,800
that God's light came into the 
world, but people loved the 

192
00:12:55,800 --> 00:13:00,200
darkness more than the light, 
for their actions were evil. 

193
00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:04,200
And in verse 20, all who do evil
hate the light and refuse to go 

194
00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:08,800
near it for fear that their sins
will be exposed. 

195
00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:13,800
This explains a lot, doesn't it?
And this is both good news and 

196
00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:15,960
and bad news. 
It's good news to those who 

197
00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:18,720
believe in Jesus and repent of 
their sin, right? 

198
00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,640
Because there isn't any 
judgement then against them. 

199
00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:25,880
But for those who do not believe
in him, they have already been 

200
00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:30,600
judged, right? 
The second thing here is 

201
00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:36,760
spiritual death means inability.
When Paul says dead, he does not

202
00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:39,000
mean spiritually struggling, 
right? 

203
00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:44,040
He means spiritually incapable. 
A dead person cannot revive 

204
00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:48,680
themselves, can they? 
A dead person cannot resurrect 

205
00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:52,160
themselves, can they? 
They're completely helpless. 

206
00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:56,000
Romans 8 and verse 7 and 8 
describes this. 

207
00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:01,120
Inability says in verse 7, the 
sinful nature has always been 

208
00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:04,680
hostile to God. 
It did not obey God's laws, and 

209
00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:06,920
it never will. 
Verse 8. 

210
00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,880
And that's why those who are 
still under the control of their

211
00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:14,160
sinful nature can never please 
God. 

212
00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:19,440
Theologically, this means apart 
from God's grace, apart from 

213
00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:27,200
Christ, humanity is incapable of
saving themselves, not able to. 

214
00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:33,960
No amount of good works, no 
amount of religious activity can

215
00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:39,360
lead us to salvation. 
Salvation is only by God, right?

216
00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:44,680
Salvation comes from God and can
only be given by God. 

217
00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,360
It's a gift that He's given to 
us. 

218
00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:51,240
It can't be earned. 
The third thing spiritual death 

219
00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:55,560
is, is enslavement. 
In Ephesians chapter 2 and verse

220
00:14:55,560 --> 00:15:00,240
2, it says you used to live in 
sin just like the rest of the 

221
00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:04,560
world, obeying the devil, the 
commander of the powers of the 

222
00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:08,040
unseen world, he is the spirit 
at work in the hearts of those 

223
00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:13,120
who refuse to obey God. 
Spiritual death is not 

224
00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:16,440
neutrality. 
It's a position of active 

225
00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:20,240
rebellion against God obeying 
the devil. 

226
00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:25,000
It's bondage, it's slavery. 
If you look at people's lives 

227
00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:29,000
who are, who are bound up in 
slavery to to the devil and to 

228
00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:31,800
sin, it's horrific to see, isn't
it? 

229
00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:36,160
Well, let's look at John chapter
8 and verse 34. 

230
00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:38,240
This is what Jesus said. 
Jesus said, I tell you the 

231
00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:42,520
truth, everyone who sins is a 
slave to sin. 

232
00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:48,200
And in Romans 6 and verse 16 
says, don't you realize that you

233
00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,880
became the slave of whatever you
choose to obey? 

234
00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:55,880
You can be a slave to sin, which
leads to death, or you can 

235
00:15:55,880 --> 00:16:00,360
choose to obey God, which leads 
to righteous living. 

236
00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:04,320
You know, we may feel 
autonomous, like we're just free

237
00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:07,760
to make whatever choices that we
want apart from Christ. 

238
00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:11,440
But spiritually dead humanity is
under influence whether they 

239
00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:14,840
realize it or not. 
They're enslaved to this world's

240
00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:20,040
fallen system, enslaved to a sin
sin nature and and enslaved to 

241
00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:25,800
spiritual opposition to God. 
And the last thing spiritual 

242
00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:28,400
death carries is judicial 
consequence. 

243
00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:32,760
In Ephesians chapter 2 and verse
3 says all of us used to live 

244
00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:35,320
that way, following the 
passionate desires and 

245
00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:37,600
inclinations of our sinful 
nature. 

246
00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:41,680
But our very nature, by our very
nature, we are subject to God's 

247
00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:46,400
anger just like everyone else. 
This doesn't mean emotional 

248
00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:49,000
rage, right? 
God's not up there looking for 

249
00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:51,840
people to to beat. 
What it means is righteous 

250
00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:56,080
judgement. 
God is love, but God is also 

251
00:16:56,080 --> 00:17:01,240
just. 
God is also holy in the natural 

252
00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:06,359
We expect justice, don't we? 
We expect that evil's going to 

253
00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:09,400
be punished, right? 
Is there anyone who doesn't 

254
00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:11,200
expect that evil should be 
punished? 

255
00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:13,079
That's why we have court 
systems. 

256
00:17:13,079 --> 00:17:14,839
That's why we have laws, don't 
we? 

257
00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:19,160
We expect that a murderer will 
be brought to justice, don't we?

258
00:17:19,839 --> 00:17:23,040
We expect that a rapist will be 
brought to justice because we 

259
00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:26,880
believe that evil should be 
punished, right? 

260
00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:33,360
So listen, God is just, God is 
love, and God is holy. 

261
00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:38,960
But sin is evil. 
So if God is just, then justice 

262
00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:44,120
is required. 
Sin must meet righteous judge 

263
00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:48,280
judgement. 
John 336 states this. 

264
00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:53,200
Anyone who doesn't obey the Son 
will never experience eternal 

265
00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:56,720
life, but remains under God's 
angry judgement. 

266
00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:01,800
But I want you to know that this
isn't God's desire, right? 

267
00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:06,200
This isn't God's heart. 
This is not what He wants. 

268
00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:12,320
We know that because God sent 
Jesus, didn't he, to take the 

269
00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:19,080
judgement that we all deserved 
upon Himself so that we could 

270
00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:23,080
get out from underneath this 
spiritual death. 

271
00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:27,800
The devil comes to steal to kill
and cause destruction, doesn't 

272
00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:29,360
he? 
We know that John 1010, but 

273
00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:33,760
Jesus came to give us life and 
life more abundantly. 

274
00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:39,160
Peter told us this. 
That's God's position position 

275
00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:41,600
in two Peter chapter 3 and verse
9. 

276
00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:46,120
He said the Lord isn't really 
being slow about his promise as 

277
00:18:46,120 --> 00:18:49,960
some think. 
No, he is being patient for your

278
00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:52,880
sake. 
He's being patient because he 

279
00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:56,040
loves you. 
He's being patient because he 

280
00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:59,840
wants to give each and every one
of us opportunity after 

281
00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:04,560
opportunity after opportunity to
choose life instead of death 

282
00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:08,320
because he loves us. 
So he's not being slow. 

283
00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:13,840
He's being patient with us. 
And he's so patient, isn't he? 

284
00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:17,400
Man, there's so many times I'm 
like, Lord, I am so thankful for

285
00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:21,240
your patience in my life. 
If I were you, I wouldn't be 

286
00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:25,040
that patient with me, right? 
I would have struck me with 

287
00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:28,640
lightning a long time ago, 
right? 

288
00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:31,200
I am thankful for God's 
patience. 

289
00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:35,280
Aren't you? 
He's being patient for your 

290
00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:40,360
sake, and He does not want 
anyone to be destroyed, but 

291
00:19:40,360 --> 00:19:45,200
wants everyone to repent. 
Listen, this is the good news. 

292
00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:48,680
Doesn't matter how bad a person 
is, it doesn't matter how evil a

293
00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:51,920
person is, if they will repent 
of their sin, if they will 

294
00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:57,400
accept Jesus Christ as their 
Lord and Savior, God will accept

295
00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:03,160
them with open arms, right? 
And love them just as much as 

296
00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:07,240
you and I. 
That's how big God's love. 

297
00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:11,400
He's being patient, He loves us.
This is good news. 

298
00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:15,240
But here's what I want you to to
take away in closing this 

299
00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:21,520
morning, because none of us have
to be stuck in that position of 

300
00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:26,280
dead, right? 
We don't have to be enslaved to 

301
00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:29,400
sin. 
We can be free from that bondage

302
00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:35,880
in our life. 
Paul begins chapter 2 by saying 

303
00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:39,920
that once you were dead because 
of your disobedience and your 

304
00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:44,080
sins, but thank God that he 
didn't abandoned us there, 

305
00:20:45,120 --> 00:20:48,800
right? 
He jumped to action immediately 

306
00:20:49,560 --> 00:20:53,800
to save us. 
And this wasn't Plan B, all 

307
00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:56,880
right? 
Christ being sent wasn't Plan B 

308
00:20:57,040 --> 00:21:00,480
Whoops. 
Wow, I really made a mistake 

309
00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:04,400
with all of these people, right?
I didn't think they'd turn on me

310
00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:08,560
so fast, right? 
Well, what should we do, guys? 

311
00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:12,320
Holy Spirit, you have an idea. 
Jesus, do you have an idea? 

312
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:15,440
You guys got anything right? 
Bring out the whiteboard. 

313
00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:17,320
Let's brainstorm for a minute, 
right? 

314
00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:22,760
No, this was God's plan well 
before the earth was ever made, 

315
00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:24,880
right? 
We, we, we looked in the 1st 

316
00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:28,080
chapter of Ephesians, right? 
That before the world was 

317
00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:31,920
created, God already had a plan.
He already had a purpose. 

318
00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:35,920
He already planned to adopt us 
into his family, right? 

319
00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:40,280
Long before any of us, long 
before Adam and Eve were 

320
00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:44,640
created, long before they made a
mistake that affected all of our

321
00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:53,680
lives, God already had a plan in
Romans chapter 5 and verse 8. 

322
00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:57,360
This is a powerful scripture. 
Romans chapter 5 and verse 8 

323
00:21:57,360 --> 00:22:03,560
says, but God showed his great 
love for us by sending Christ to

324
00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:09,360
die for us while we were still 
sinners, right? 

325
00:22:10,360 --> 00:22:17,720
While you were still a Sinner, 
dead in rebellion, open 

326
00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:22,760
rebellion against God, He died 
for you because he loves you. 

327
00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:27,040
He showed his great love. 
He demonstrated his love for us 

328
00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,160
by sending Christ. 
This is the good news. 

329
00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:33,200
People don't have to live the 
way they're living. 

330
00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:37,200
They can choose to live that way
if they want to, right? 

331
00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:43,840
But they can choose life, they 
can choose freedom, They can 

332
00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:47,120
choose to have those shackles 
which have bound them like a 

333
00:22:47,120 --> 00:22:52,480
slave to be tore off. 
They don't have to be bound by 

334
00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:55,520
that anymore. 
That's good news. 

335
00:22:56,840 --> 00:23:04,480
If you would just all bow your 
heads and close your eyes, if 

336
00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:10,080
you believe in Jesus but you've 
never repented of your sin, 

337
00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:14,280
today's the day for you to do 
that, right? 

338
00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:15,960
I just want you to shoot up your
hand. 

339
00:23:17,360 --> 00:23:21,680
Don't be shy, don't be timid. 
But people think I'm a Christian

340
00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:24,240
because I come to church. 
It's not about that. 

341
00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:32,600
Maybe you have believed in Jesus
and repented of your sin, but 

342
00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:36,880
you've let yourself slip into 
old patterns and I've been 

343
00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:39,920
living apart from Christ. 
Listen, I want you to shoot your

344
00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:47,120
hand up too. 
There's no day like today. 

345
00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:54,200
Today is a day to make a 
decision to make that commitment

346
00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:59,080
to Christ. 
I'm going to live my life for 

347
00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:07,920
you, Lord, unashamedly, boldly, 
and I'm going to let you have my

348
00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:11,160
life. 
I'm going to surrender my life 

349
00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:15,280
to you. 
I am choosing not to live under 

350
00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:18,680
the slavery of sin any longer, 
letting it control me, letting 

351
00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:23,440
it make decisions in my life. 
I'm going to choose you, Jesus, 

352
00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:26,560
completely and holy. 
The Bible says that if you will 

353
00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:31,120
humble yourself in the sight of 
the Lord, that He will lift you 

354
00:24:31,120 --> 00:24:32,680
up. 
Lift you up from what? 

355
00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:36,680
Lift you up from that slavery, 
you need Jesus. 

356
00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:42,000
And 1 John 19 it says if you 
will confess your sins to Him, 

357
00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:47,720
that He is faithful and just to 
forgive us of our sins and will 

358
00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:52,240
cleanse us from all wickedness 
or unrighteousness. 

359
00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:56,400
Listen, if you raised your hand 
this morning, we're going to 

360
00:24:56,400 --> 00:24:59,560
pray here and I just want you to
repeat this prayer with me. 

361
00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,160
Listen, it's not the it's not a 
prayer that that saves you, all 

362
00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:04,520
right? 
I don't want you to put your 

363
00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:08,640
faith in a prayer. 
What God is looking for, like I 

364
00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:13,080
talked about earlier, is, is a 
humble heart, is a heart that 

365
00:25:13,120 --> 00:25:18,040
honors him, a repentant heart 
towards God and that you're 

366
00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:21,000
choosing to live your life for 
him. 

367
00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:23,280
All right, let's all pray this 
together. 

368
00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:28,560
Dear Heavenly Father, I repent 
of my sins before you today. 

369
00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:35,760
I believe in Jesus, I believe 
you rose him from the dead and 

370
00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:42,000
victory, and I confess Jesus as 
my Lord and Savior today. 

371
00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:51,200
Help me God, to live my life, to
honor you, to honor you in my 

372
00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:59,800
heart, to honor you in my words,
to honor you in my actions, to 

373
00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:07,480
honor you and my family, to 
honor you with my life in Jesus 

374
00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:14,080
name, Amen. 
Thank you for listening to the 

375
00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:16,280
Triumph Church podcast this 
week. 

376
00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:20,320
If it was a blessing to you, 
share it with someone you know. 

377
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:26,760
For more information on Triumph 
Church, you can visit us at WWW.