1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,280 In the name of the glorious Trinity, Father and Son and Holy 2 00:00:03,280 --> 00:00:06,960 Spirit, forever Amen. Glory be to the everlasting 3 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:10,880 mercies which sent you to us, O Christ, the light of the world 4 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:14,640 and the life of all. Give us wisdom by Your law and 5 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:16,640 enlighten our impulses by Your knowledge. 6 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,720 Sanctify our souls by Your truth and grant that we may be 7 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,160 obedient to Your words and may fulfil Your commandments at 8 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,520 every hour. O You who enlightens the 9 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:31,680 rational with the knowledge of Your greatness, do enlight, O my 10 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:35,520 Lord, our thoughts, that we may meditate upon Your holy and 11 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:39,880 divine Scriptures at all times. O Lord of all, Father and Son 12 00:00:40,040 --> 00:01:03,360 and Holy Spirit, forever. So we discussed in somewhat 13 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:08,800 detail the question, why would God punish sin if he made some 14 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:13,840 to sin in order to punish them and show his righteousness or 15 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:16,120 his righteous judgement? And this is the message Saint 16 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:20,720 Paul is trying to convey to the Jews and the Gentiles who had 17 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:24,920 believed in Rome. When we say Saint Paul's letter 18 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:29,880 or epistles to the Romans, it's not pertaining the Italians. 19 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:34,400 It's the Jews and the Gentiles in Rome at that time who 20 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,960 received Jesus Christ and believed and they were called 21 00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:39,920 the people of the way. The word Christian wasn't, 22 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,920 hadn't was not used at that time. 23 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:45,840 But let's you know hindsight now. 24 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:47,720 They were they became Christians. 25 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:51,920 And Saint Paul's argument is this so why do you think that 26 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:59,720 God would punish us for punish sin if he will create some to be 27 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:05,120 sinners, some to be condemned to hell or could to damnation just 28 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:07,280 so he can show his righteous judgement. 29 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,720 You know, that's it's it's it's mind boggling. 30 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:15,440 As I said last episode, and it's a little annoying for Christians 31 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:18,720 to preach this that you've been predestined. 32 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:21,240 God predestined a few people to go to hell. 33 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:25,280 What an unloving God. It's like, as we gave the 34 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:30,600 example, children or parents contemplating having children so 35 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,600 that one day they will grow up to be drug addicts and end up in 36 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:37,680 jails or end up being murdered in a gutter or, or just be lost 37 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,000 in the world homeless. And you know, you've seen some 38 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:44,280 of these brothers and sisters in in these cities, Los Angeles, 39 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,800 San Francisco, New York, and, and you know, on the North, as 40 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:51,560 they say, right, they've taken their shot and they're, they're 41 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,600 half bent and they're just barely standing on their feet. 42 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:57,760 No. So just imagine, you know, a 43 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:01,840 mother and a father or parents wanting to have children so that 44 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:03,880 one day they will end up there. It doesn't make sense. 45 00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:07,440 And Jesus says, you who are evil, that means parents, you 46 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:09,920 who are evil and what the best for your children. 47 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,800 How much for your family? Father in heaven, You know, as I 48 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,840 said, this was a, a, a, a platonic understanding and 49 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:18,840 Augustine understanding. I don't know where they got it 50 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:21,440 from. These are renowned fathers, but 51 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:26,320 you know, in my ignorance and in my lowliness of knowledge of the 52 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:29,840 word of God, it just doesn't make sense sometimes it's, you 53 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:33,320 know, it, it doesn't fit right in the conscience, right? 54 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:38,360 And Paul in verse 7 says this. He says that for if if the truth 55 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:43,680 of God is made abundant through my falsehood to his glory, why 56 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:46,600 then am I to be judged as a Sinner? 57 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:51,840 If God is glorified through me sinning because he's showing his 58 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:55,480 righteousness, why am I being judged then I'm only doing what 59 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:59,160 what's good for God has to say. I'm only that's why he says I 60 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,640 speak as a man like this is this is nonsense, right? 61 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,040 But what Paul wants to talk to us is about free will and he's 62 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:09,560 going to mention that free will, which some churches struggle to 63 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:12,840 receive and accept. Is there free? 64 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:16,279 My question do you have free will? 65 00:04:17,959 --> 00:04:20,480 Prove to me that people do not have free will. 66 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:24,360 Prove to me you can't. But let me prove to you that 67 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:26,560 people have free will. Yeah. 68 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:30,760 Go out in the street and look at the lifestyle people have chosen 69 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:34,440 for themselves. The homeless, the the the drug 70 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:38,720 addicts, the murderers. Go to jails, go to the go to the 71 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:42,480 the grave size, go to the cemeteries and you see people 72 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:47,200 that out of their own free will have had basically, you know, 73 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,840 'cause themselves to and to be 6 feet under. 74 00:04:50,840 --> 00:04:53,680 But we know God is merciful. We pray that the mercies of God 75 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:56,920 is always upon those because we don't know the circumstances, 76 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:00,560 right. I'll prove to you there is free 77 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:05,920 will for a a demon possessed to pick up a gun and go into a 78 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:07,840 school and shoot innocent children. 79 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:11,160 Did God 'cause this person to do this? 80 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:21,040 What a war, loving, cruel. What's the word? 81 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:26,440 I forgot God. We have costly to say that. 82 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:30,080 But no, it was free will. Jesus says in John 717. 83 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:36,000 Whoever is willing, you know, willing means wills because 84 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:37,840 we've give. Free will is because it's been 85 00:05:37,840 --> 00:05:41,560 given to us freely. God gave us the will to choose. 86 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,920 He helps us to choose right through the conscience, through 87 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,000 the scriptures, through the teachings of the Church, through 88 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,000 the teachings of the Fathers and the lives of the holy Saints of 89 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:57,680 the of the Church, right. Whoever is willing to do his 90 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:01,800 will understands my teaching, whether it is from God or 91 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:04,200 whether I speak from my own pleasure. 92 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:07,720 Do the will of God. If you want do the will of God, 93 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:11,240 then you'll know that my teachings are from God. 94 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:20,480 Paul goes on verse 9. What then do we uphold that is 95 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:24,360 superior? We have already decided 96 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:29,160 concerning both Jews and Aramians for they are all on the 97 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:32,120 scene and this is what we're going to talk about Khacha in 98 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,040 depth. Khacha means a little in depth. 99 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:37,240 Verse 9, Paul is saying, what do you think I'm telling? 100 00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:42,000 I'm saying that we Jews are greater or, you know, more 101 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:47,040 superior than the Gentiles because he talked about law and 102 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:51,080 what have you in Romans chapter 1, chapter 2, right. 103 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:56,400 Do you think I, I'm, I'm hinting or I'm can't you know, I'm, I'm, 104 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,800 I'm trying to get the message that we Jews are better than the 105 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:01,240 Gentiles. Of course not. 106 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:07,680 Are you better than them? Will they go to eternal 107 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:10,680 damnation only and not you? Not at all. 108 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:15,360 He says, because he says that we have determined previously in 109 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:20,440 the previous chapters that both the Jews and the Gentiles, the 110 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:25,280 Jews and the Gentiles are were all under sin. 111 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:29,440 Mark those two words under sin. That's what Paul says. 112 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:31,760 They were all under sin. We're going to talk about this, 113 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:34,800 not they were sinners. He doesn't use that. 114 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:40,360 They were all under sin pre Jesus Christ, pre crucifixion, 115 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:44,520 pre resurrection and pre ascension of our Lord and Savior 116 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:49,320 Jesus Christ. The Jews while they appear to be 117 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:54,720 living under God's law and defend that they have privilege 118 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:59,360 by merits of the ancestors. God spoke to our ancestors, God 119 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:03,160 spoke to our fathers. One father we have Abraham is 120 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:06,800 our father. Jesus said, sorry, the, the, the 121 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,920 scribes and the Pharisees said and Jesus replies, if you knew 122 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:16,600 who Abraham was and before Abraham, I am right, He is God 123 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:18,560 praising glory be to his name, right? 124 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:22,480 So they were basking in their forefathers in their ancestors 125 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:25,480 glory and that's what they were thinking, right? 126 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:32,280 But they in fact brought the grace of God, the love of God, 127 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:35,840 the work of God. Grace means what God had done 128 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,960 through them, through the law, through their direction, through 129 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:41,679 their prophets, through his leadership. 130 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:44,800 They brought that grace. They brought that act of God 131 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:50,960 into disrepute, disgrace, disrespect, and because they 132 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:56,360 thought that they just because that their ancestors, God worked 133 00:08:56,360 --> 00:09:01,240 through them, they were it as they say, but they rejected the 134 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:05,560 promise that is Jesus Christ that was made to their 135 00:09:05,560 --> 00:09:07,960 ancestors. Yes, God spoke through you, 136 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:11,760 God's word through you, through your prophets, gave you the law, 137 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:14,200 gave you the law, gave you the law of Moses. 138 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:16,680 Yes, you were the the chosen people. 139 00:09:16,680 --> 00:09:19,440 Yes, God spoke about you so highly right. 140 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:26,160 But then now you rejected God's promise, which was Jesus Christ. 141 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:35,040 So you are or were under sin to the Gentiles. 142 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:40,720 Paul is saying and said that you are also guilty according to the 143 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:42,880 law of nature. You didn't have the law, but you 144 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:45,800 had the law of nature written on your heart. 145 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:50,000 You had the breath of life. God created you in His image and 146 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:51,920 His likeness. You had the breath of life. 147 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:56,600 You had the law of nature. And because you did not accept 148 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:02,880 the law of Moses as well, you are in a dire straits. 149 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:07,120 You're even in more terrible situation and you are in more 150 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:16,080 need to realize, to understand that you only have salvation and 151 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:20,200 you only have hope in Jesus Christ, which you have received 152 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:22,160 already. You don't need to go back to 153 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:26,560 your old understanding of the worship of God. 154 00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:30,120 No, only through Jesus Christ. Why Romans 214? 155 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:33,800 Look at what he writes or we've read this in the past programs. 156 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:37,320 They're all on YouTube. For if the Gentiles who had not 157 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:41,080 the written law would perform those things of the written law 158 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:45,760 by their nature, while they have not the written law, they would 159 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:47,600 be the written law to themselves. 160 00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:51,160 So you are condemning yourselves by doing what is in the law, 161 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:52,320 even though you don't have the law. 162 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:56,480 You know that murder naturally is evil. 163 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:01,920 You know that when when you spoke of murder or when you, you 164 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,520 know, when you witnessed murder, you knew that that was evil. 165 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:05,520 Why? There was no law. 166 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:07,400 You didn't have the law. Thy shall not kill. 167 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:11,360 You didn't have that, but it was in your heart. 168 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:13,960 It was written on your heart because it was the law of 169 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:18,320 nature. And notice what Saint Paul 170 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:24,320 writes is that they are all the Jews and the Gentiles are all 171 00:11:24,560 --> 00:11:28,640 under sin. Notice it's not they all sinned 172 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:32,600 or they are sinning or they have sinned. 173 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:38,280 Why does he use that term under sin, which means basically 174 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:43,120 empowered by sin, enslaved by sin? 175 00:11:45,560 --> 00:11:49,800 Uncle AI, I put in AI where or in Google? 176 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:54,080 Where in the Bible does the word sin first appear? 177 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:58,200 Lo and behold, not in the Garden of Eden. 178 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:00,640 God doesn't say to Adam and Eve you have sinned. 179 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:02,960 No, he actually says where are you Adam? 180 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:06,440 What have you done in where are you not playing hide and seek? 181 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:10,600 I can't see you. No, no, Adam, where have you 182 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:14,480 brought yourself to? Why have you brought yourself to 183 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:19,600 this situation now? Now God knew beforehand. 184 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:23,240 God knows this. See this is the pre 185 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:27,760 predestination that God said if you eat surely you will die. 186 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:30,560 There it is. So if you eat, you're 187 00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:34,400 predestined to die. Not God did not say, Adam, I'm 188 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:38,920 going to cause you to eat so that I can bring death into you, 189 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:41,840 so that I can come down and die for you. 190 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:44,800 No, but I know this is going to happen because this is the 191 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:49,000 repercussion of disobedience. Am I clear about that? 192 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:51,800 Do we still have doubts? Do we still think that? 193 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:54,280 No. God creates people and he 194 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:56,800 chooses them. Heaven, Hell. 195 00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:58,240 Hell. Heaven. 196 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:00,120 Blonde blue eyes. Heaven. 197 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:02,560 Well, right. It's ridiculous. 198 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,400 You're probably saying to me, you know, this, this, this 199 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:07,320 priest makes a mockery of the word of God. 200 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,040 No, I'm not. I'm not. 201 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:12,120 God forbid for me to to use the word of God. 202 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:15,920 You know, that's the ambulance, right? 203 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:20,400 When my, when my wife listens to these podcasts, she said for the 204 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:22,720 first time she was listening to them after 2 1/2 years. 205 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:24,960 She said when I she's probably listening. 206 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,600 She said when I was driving and I heard the ambulance, the 207 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,080 sirens, I pulled aside. Then I realized, no, no, it's in 208 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:32,560 the so don't pull aside. It's not a, it's not a, a 209 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:35,960 ambulance or a fire engine. No, no, no, that's just a, a 210 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:38,680 recording in my office at Mother Day church in Turlock. 211 00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:43,080 So let's go back. These are the understandings as 212 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:48,840 some people say, but the first time the word sin appears is 213 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:53,640 Genesis chapter 4 verse 7. And before I tell you and read 214 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:57,400 you the verse, think about little 5 second trivia. 215 00:13:57,680 --> 00:14:06,200 Who did God use the term sin? Tick tock, tick tock. 216 00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:07,360 Bring. Did you get it? 217 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:09,920 Yeah, you probably looked it up, right? 218 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:14,440 Genesis 47, Sin lies in wait before the door is talking to 219 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:18,240 Cain, who murdered Abel because Cain was a little bit aggro. 220 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:22,040 He was, he was spitting the dummy because God didn't accept 221 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:25,280 his sacrifice, but he accepted Abel's sacrifice, so he killed. 222 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:27,520 But look before he did this. Look at what God says. 223 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:30,360 Sin lies in wait before the door. 224 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:34,920 You are going to be converted to it and it will have authority 225 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:37,720 over you. Now does God say I'm going to 226 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:42,480 allow sin to convert you and to have power over you? 227 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:46,080 Now that's that's a different siren sin. 228 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:48,680 Let's have a guessing competition. 229 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:52,080 That's the fire truck, OK, we call it fire engine in 230 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:53,760 Australia. Go the Aussies. 231 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:58,400 So let's go back. You know, that's that's you 232 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:02,320 know, the enemy tries to sometimes also take us off 233 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:05,000 track, but it's OK. We have strengthened the Lord 234 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:06,240 Jesus Christ and his Holy Spirit. 235 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:08,280 Sin lies in right before the door. 236 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:11,160 You are going to you're going to white because you're going to 237 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:14,320 use your free will. I can see in your mind you're 238 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:16,560 going to do this. But look, God's reaching out to 239 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:19,280 him again, just like Jesus reached out to Judas. 240 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:21,400 God's reaching out. You're going to do you're going 241 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:25,000 to be converted, but I'm not going to determine your this is 242 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:26,400 not going to determine your footsteps. 243 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:30,840 He still did it. He still murdered his his 244 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:34,320 brother Abel. You are going to be converted to 245 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:36,800 it and it will have authority over you. 246 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:40,920 So being under sin, that means sin has authority. 247 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:47,080 Giving, giving into sin, given into sin, enslaved by sin. 248 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:54,840 Sin becomes then an addiction. Sin becomes a habit because we 249 00:15:54,840 --> 00:16:04,320 give in to it, just like the Alcoholics, my beloved brothers 250 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:07,800 and sisters who are going to turn 21 this year. 251 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:11,120 We have two months left. Yeah, one month. 252 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:14,880 Relax. When you turn 21, it's not about 253 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:20,160 just having your first drink. Like I I'm baffled out, you 254 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:25,000 know, I I'm mind boggled. 21, my first drink. 255 00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:28,120 And then you have those memes, you know, the glasses going back 256 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:29,760 and forth. OK, fine. 257 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:30,680 God bless you. Yeah. 258 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:31,680 All right. Congratulations. 259 00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:36,000 Happy birthday, Right. But just be sure that drinking 260 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:42,920 doesn't mean getting drunk. You got to be careful that that 261 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:45,720 first glass is only to celebrate. 262 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:47,920 Fine. I you know, we all do that. 263 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,280 I drink. I love my beer cause light. 264 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:56,800 All right, I love my beer. One that that drink, it does not 265 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,240 mean that when you drink, you have to continue to drink, then 266 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:05,000 continue to drink, then become ill, then start vomiting and 267 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:10,280 then start stumbling and then then start slurring and cussing. 268 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:13,800 Be very careful because there have been brothers and sisters 269 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:16,720 that first drink at the age of 21. 270 00:17:16,839 --> 00:17:20,440 Now they cannot control their drinking. 271 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:23,560 Why? Because let's say alcohol was 272 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:26,000 lurking. You know, Satan was trying to 273 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:30,480 use this medium, this, this tool, lurking at the front door, 274 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:34,080 knocking at the door and you were converted to alcohol. 275 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:40,720 It becomes an addiction. Drugs, cigarettes, you know, we 276 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:44,160 are told not to smoke. There are always these ads. 277 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:46,520 You know, I remember in Australia there were ads and 278 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:50,640 they would bring a sponge and show that the, that, you know, 279 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:55,600 that the sponge represented the lungs of one who's been smoking 280 00:17:55,840 --> 00:17:58,960 and they would squeeze the, the, the sponge for those in 281 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:02,640 Australia may remember this and all these tiring gunk was coming 282 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:08,320 out of the sponge, teaching people that smoking can cause 283 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:10,880 illness, terminal illness, cancer, what have you. 284 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:15,400 But people still smoked. I smoked for seven years, right? 285 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:23,840 Then that smoke goes into dope and then doping is not enjoyable 286 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:25,920 anymore. It doesn't do anything for you. 287 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:30,880 You start the ecstasies, then after ecstasy's don't do much to 288 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:34,760 you, you start with all these other other pills where you see 289 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:39,480 that they are rolling on the streets and tumbling and falling 290 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:41,320 and and crouching. And why? 291 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:43,640 Because I don't know what the and I don't want to know what 292 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:45,680 the pill is called. They take those pills and then 293 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:51,640 it becomes the needles. See from the point get go 294 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:55,920 enslavement to this addiction was at the door. 295 00:18:56,040 --> 00:19:00,800 But because we have free will and after watching all these 296 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:04,120 advertisements and all these warnings and all these 297 00:19:04,120 --> 00:19:07,240 disclaimers, we chose to continue. 298 00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:11,760 Now we are where we are at pornographic or addiction, 299 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:14,600 pornographic or addiction. And yes, I'm going to use the 300 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:18,160 terms I said I wouldn't in the Assyrian language, masturbation 301 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:21,400 and, and you know, watching all these porn films, which my 302 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:25,600 brothers and not only young men, let's not only blame the youth, 303 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:29,240 just the youth. No, we have fathers, 304 00:19:29,360 --> 00:19:35,800 grandfathers that have addiction and problems with porn and 305 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:38,680 masturbation, both male and female. 306 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:43,880 Gosh, you know, it's going to be not only excommunicated, he's 307 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:46,760 going to be crucified because he's using words that shouldn't 308 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:48,920 come out of his word mouth. They're in the Bible. 309 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,280 Sexual immorality. Is this beloved? 310 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:57,680 It begins with one. It begins with Satan lurking and 311 00:19:57,680 --> 00:20:02,120 those who have a problem and they who have struggles with 312 00:20:02,120 --> 00:20:06,840 this addiction. It begins when you put in your 313 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:15,000 password for your desktop or your your phone or your laptop 314 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:17,760 and then you start surfing the net. 315 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,800 Is that term still used, Steven? Surfing the net. 316 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:22,320 Yeah, you. Thank you. 317 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:25,680 My producer said, yes, I can use it surfing the net, right? 318 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:29,560 And today you're looking at, you're reading a story. 319 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:31,960 It's something interesting, political, religious, whatever, 320 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:34,120 whatever it is. And then all of a sudden 321 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:36,760 something pops up and you think, Oh my God, where did this come 322 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:38,920 up from? Right. 323 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:42,040 It's that moment where you say no, in the name of Jesus. 324 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:44,280 I don't need this. I don't want to be enslaved. 325 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:50,120 I don't want to be under sin because I still haven't sinned. 326 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:55,120 To be tempted to be under sin doesn't mean you've sinned. 327 00:20:55,160 --> 00:20:58,200 That's why he didn't say they have sinned to be under sin. 328 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:02,160 You haven't seen, but it's when you transgress the law. 329 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:04,040 That's why we have transgression. 330 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:09,520 Forgive our faults and transgressions, which becomes 331 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:13,160 sin because sin has empowered us. 332 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:16,960 Beloved, we need to be very careful. 333 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:25,000 We are all under sin when and when we transgress, when we give 334 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:31,080 in to that addiction, to that desire, when we give in to that 335 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:42,760 law, when Christ's do not is I have done no, is yes, walk away, 336 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:47,200 is I'm coming there, then we transgress the law. 337 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:50,560 That's what Saint Paul is saying, that they were all under 338 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:54,480 sin and they transgressed the law, whether written law, Mosaic 339 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:58,040 law, or the law of the nature, you did. 340 00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:02,720 You worshipped pagans, Pagan gods, you duped one another. 341 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:05,840 You were extortionist, you were blasphemous. 342 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:11,400 You were in immorality, in sodomite, in in homosexuality, 343 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:16,680 evil murderers, thieves. You were why? 344 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:22,920 Because you didn't pay attention that you were enslaved to sin 345 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:27,880 and you gave in to sin. You put down your shield and you 346 00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:33,360 transgressed the law that then makes you a Sinner because you 347 00:22:33,360 --> 00:22:37,040 weren't careful and you weren't a lot alert in the 1st place. 348 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:40,800 You know, you may say OK, what do we do? 349 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:47,040 How do I but relieve myself? How do I free myself from the 350 00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:49,800 enslavement of sin? That's next episode. 351 00:22:50,120 --> 00:22:56,360 That's what Jesus did. Jesus Christ enslaved himself. 352 00:22:56,360 --> 00:22:58,840 Now be very careful. Let's be very careful. 353 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:02,160 We've got to use our terminology very carefully, not jump into 354 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:04,640 conclusion. He took on sin. 355 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:09,600 He didn't sin, he didn't sin. He didn't transgress the law. 356 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:12,680 He didn't he actually fulfilled, you know, when he was, and I've 357 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:16,160 mentioned this when he was always in battle with the 358 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:20,120 scribes and the Pharisees and the and the the Jewish 359 00:23:20,120 --> 00:23:22,480 priesthood. He didn't say you're wrong, your 360 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:24,760 law is wrong, your precepts are wrong. 361 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:28,080 No, they were of God. He said you are a hypocrite. 362 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:31,200 You're not fulfilling them, You're preaching them. 363 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,280 You're not practicing them here. I am. 364 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:37,440 I'm preaching them. I'm fulfilling them, filling 365 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:40,120 them fully. I'm doing it. 366 00:23:40,120 --> 00:23:43,160 I'm obedient. I've done everything that the 367 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:46,400 law has said. I've, I've been circumcised. 368 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:53,640 I go to the synagogue. I, I, I pray, Jesus prayed. 369 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:59,360 I show love and mercy. I showed love to the the 370 00:23:59,360 --> 00:24:01,400 Samaritan. I did all of that. 371 00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:05,680 I fulfilled it. I ate what I was supposed to 372 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:07,880 eat. I celebrated this feast. 373 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:11,760 I was supposed to not supposed to not Jesus wasn't supposed to. 374 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:15,240 Man was supposed to fulfill because I took on your flesh. 375 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:20,440 I did all of that, but I then became Israel. 376 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:27,720 I sinned. I new sin, I took on sin and I 377 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:33,960 died, and then I took the old Israel with me. 378 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:39,600 And when I was resurrected, I gave new life, I renewed 379 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:42,680 everything. And then with me was resurrected 380 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:45,640 the new Israel, which is the church. 381 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:51,240 That's what Jesus did to all of us for you and I, beloved, he's 382 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:53,320 done it. He's he's released from the 383 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:55,880 power of sin. Will he now Saint Paul will say 384 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:57,880 sin does not have power over you. 385 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:02,480 Yes, yes, it will enslave us still because we give in free 386 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:05,960 will, but we have forgiveness now. 387 00:25:06,120 --> 00:25:08,760 We have redempt redemption has been fulfilled. 388 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:11,440 You know what redemptions means? The debt has been paid. 389 00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:17,040 Jesus paid the debt that you and I had to death and sin and 390 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:19,720 death. He paid it through his blood and 391 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:21,800 he redeemed us. That means he paid it all out. 392 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:25,000 He he came and said, what's the payout figure? 393 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:26,760 Give me the payout figure, the payout figure. 394 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:28,400 I want to, I want to pay it all out. 395 00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:31,600 And they said death blood and he did. 396 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:37,960 And we've been freed from Satan from sin, not by him taking away 397 00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:43,760 Satan and taken away the, the, the you know, the potential of 398 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:45,320 sin. No, no, it's still there because 399 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:48,080 we still have free will. He didn't take away our free 400 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:50,280 will. We still have free will. 401 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:54,880 For those who are struggling with free will, the Platonic 402 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:58,680 understanding, the Augustine under free will, I just read the 403 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:01,200 scriptures. He who wills, he who wants to 404 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:06,000 come after me. What did Jesus, what did God say 405 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:10,560 to Adam and Eve? The the day that you eat, you 406 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:14,280 surely shall die. He didn't say, listen, the day 407 00:26:15,360 --> 00:26:19,360 that you stretch out your hand, I'm going to break your hand and 408 00:26:19,360 --> 00:26:23,800 break your necks. Don't do that or look at that 409 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:28,360 tree, but I'm not going to allow you to do that. 410 00:26:28,360 --> 00:26:30,640 No, no, he didn't. He just said, listen, there's 411 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:32,240 predestination here. It is. 412 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:34,280 You do it, you die. That's it. 413 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:38,480 That's predestination. Not I've created you to go and 414 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:40,880 take it to die so that I can come down and die for you. 415 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:44,640 No, you do it, you die. And he did it because he had 416 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:48,400 free will, because will was given to him freely by the grace 417 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:52,200 of God, the act of God. So Saint Paul is saying to them, 418 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:55,640 listen, no one is better than the other. 419 00:26:56,200 --> 00:27:00,120 No. Yes, the Jews had the law. 420 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:02,640 Maybe they should have been under more punishment because 421 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:06,440 they had the law. They knew fine, but the Gentiles 422 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:07,680 had it. It was in their heart. 423 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:10,920 It was written in their heart. The Jews had the law written on 424 00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:15,480 tablets and on on scrolls, right? 425 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:18,120 But they had it in their heart as well. 426 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:21,960 So when they both were sinning, it was because they were under 427 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:24,880 sin. When they gave in to sin, they 428 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:29,040 transgressed the law, the written law, and the natural 429 00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:32,760 law, and then they sinned and became sinners. 430 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:35,840 But Jesus prays, and glory be to his name. 431 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:41,840 While the world was under that damnation of sin, Jesus died for 432 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:44,200 us and redeemed us. Praise and glory be to His name 433 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:45,520 now and at all times and forever. 434 00:27:46,240 --> 00:28:15,940 Amen. We hope you enjoyed this week's 435 00:28:15,940 --> 00:28:18,260 message. Please don't forget to rate and 436 00:28:18,260 --> 00:28:21,020 review this podcast and share with your friends and family. 437 00:28:21,300 --> 00:28:24,780 For any future topic suggestions or to give us detailed feedback, 438 00:28:25,020 --> 00:28:27,340 please visit our link in the show notes. 439 00:28:27,620 --> 00:28:32,020 Linktr dot EE forward slash double edged sword. 440 00:28:32,500 --> 00:28:34,220 Until next time, God bless you all.