1 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:07,100 You're visiting with us today. When I Echo what Steve said, 2 00:00:07,100 --> 00:00:08,300 we're glad that you're here today. 3 00:00:08,300 --> 00:00:09,600 Thank you for worshiping with us. 4 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:13,200 I'll introduce myself to you. My name is Kyle Kyle Jones. 5 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:17,200 I serve as the lead Pastor here and happy, happy that you're 6 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:21,400 here to join us mentioned a moment ago, but it's in the 7 00:00:21,407 --> 00:00:24,000 middle of chaos. If you have your bobbing open to 8 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:30,500 John chapter 1, John chapter 1, we are embarking on a new series 9 00:00:30,500 --> 00:00:33,900 today series is titled the law and the gospel. 10 00:00:35,100 --> 00:00:37,200 Subtitle is you must be born again. 11 00:00:37,700 --> 00:00:42,800 Must be born again. The series births out of John. 12 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:44,800 We're gonna look at John one today because it's kind of a 13 00:00:44,808 --> 00:00:48,200 precursor to what will where we'll land for the next several 14 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:54,200 weeks. In John chapter 3, But the idea 15 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:56,300 behind the series is really this. 16 00:00:56,300 --> 00:00:57,600 Just want to share my heart with you. 17 00:00:58,700 --> 00:01:04,599 There is a form of Christianity that exists in our culture. 18 00:01:05,700 --> 00:01:07,800 It's a false form of Christianity. 19 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:11,100 It's the kind of Christianity that is. 20 00:01:11,700 --> 00:01:14,500 You might call Easy. Believe is MM, maybe that's the 21 00:01:14,500 --> 00:01:16,000 term you've heard. It's the kind of Christianity 22 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:19,600 that requires nothing of its converts. 23 00:01:20,300 --> 00:01:23,800 Requires nothing of its disciples you can simply say, 24 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:29,600 I'm a Believer in Jesus and be widely accepted in many 25 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:36,100 churches. As a genuine Christian of a 26 00:01:36,107 --> 00:01:41,000 problem with this is scripture goes against the idea that mere 27 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:45,000 mental assent, Gets You Through True Discipleship. 28 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:48,900 In Jesus Christ to be a true disciple, it requires more of 29 00:01:48,900 --> 00:01:51,500 you than just mere mental assent. 30 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:57,000 And so then the obligation maybe forms in your mind will then I 31 00:01:57,008 --> 00:02:00,100 need to also be moral. I need to say, I believe in 32 00:02:00,100 --> 00:02:04,400 Jesus but I must exercise practice, good morals. 33 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:10,100 And so by being a morally, good person with right ideas about 34 00:02:10,100 --> 00:02:14,000 Jesus that I believe that, you know, he was the son of God or I 35 00:02:14,008 --> 00:02:16,800 believe that he was a good teacher, I believe that he died 36 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,000 and you know, history says he rose again, I believe those 37 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:21,700 things. And I learned those things in 38 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:24,200 Church. And I'm also a good person. 39 00:02:24,900 --> 00:02:28,800 Those things don't equal necessarily Christians either, 40 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:32,400 although they are things that Christians might value should 41 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,300 value. And so what happens in John 42 00:02:35,300 --> 00:02:39,200 chapter 3 is a guy named Nicodemus who was a Pharisee of 43 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:43,100 Pharisees, he was considered the teacher of Israel. 44 00:02:43,300 --> 00:02:45,500 Jesus calls him. The teacher of Israel he says, 45 00:02:45,500 --> 00:02:47,000 are you not the teacher of Israel? 46 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:51,300 And you do not know And and so the implication is that 47 00:02:51,300 --> 00:02:54,900 Nicodemus comes to Christ in the middle of the night. 48 00:02:55,100 --> 00:02:59,400 He comes not wanting to be seen. He comes with questions though 49 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:02,700 and he's seeking answers to those questions. 50 00:03:03,500 --> 00:03:06,900 And Nicodemus is one of those who, if he's if anybody's going 51 00:03:06,900 --> 00:03:10,400 to be good enough to get into heaven. 52 00:03:11,500 --> 00:03:15,700 He should fit the bill and so we'll look at Nicodemus is life 53 00:03:15,700 --> 00:03:18,100 in the coming weeks. We'll look at Jesus responds to 54 00:03:18,100 --> 00:03:22,400 Nicodemus and their interaction. But what Nicodemus learned that 55 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,200 night was exposed that night what's exposed here in John 56 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:31,600 chapter 1, is that Your religious pedigree, you know, 57 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:35,100 the Heritage, you have the family, you're born into, you 58 00:03:35,100 --> 00:03:38,800 know, great-grand dad was a missionary and a foreign country 59 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:43,800 Grandma's a Praying believer. She's prayed for you your whole 60 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:48,700 life. You were raised in church, but 61 00:03:48,700 --> 00:03:51,200 now, you know, church is just kind of a thing. 62 00:03:53,700 --> 00:03:56,800 None of those things are enough to get you into heaven, your 63 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:59,400 morality, whether or not you're a good person. 64 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:05,100 There's lots of good quote, unquote, good people who are 65 00:04:05,108 --> 00:04:08,900 destined for hell because their faith is in their good works, 66 00:04:08,900 --> 00:04:13,600 and not in Christ. And so, what I want to do with 67 00:04:13,700 --> 00:04:16,899 this series is I want to do two things for you. 68 00:04:16,899 --> 00:04:22,400 One, I want to give you hopefully assurance that if you 69 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:26,000 are in Christ, you are saved. Amen. 70 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,100 And I want you to know that I want you to walk away from this 71 00:04:29,100 --> 00:04:32,800 series, knowing I'm a Believer in Jesus Christ. 72 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:36,400 And here's why. Here's where my faith rest. 73 00:04:37,500 --> 00:04:42,100 To you work around you, live around. 74 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:47,900 You might live with, you might have family members that are but 75 00:04:47,900 --> 00:04:53,900 you are near constantly cultural Christians, people who have the 76 00:04:53,900 --> 00:04:58,500 religious Point of views, correct? 77 00:04:58,900 --> 00:05:01,300 Maybe have morality lined up, largely. 78 00:05:01,300 --> 00:05:06,600 Good people who have no real faith in Jesus Christ, but at 79 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,700 the end of the day, they think they do. 80 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:13,400 And so you need to know how do I answer these people? 81 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,200 How do I witness to such people? How do I approach such people? 82 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:20,600 How do I talk about the true gospel with such people? 83 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:24,100 Because with are trusting in, at the end of the day is the law. 84 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,000 Trusting in the law, the trusting in Morality, they're 85 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,600 trusting in their own, good works to achieve salvation and 86 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:33,600 it's impossible. It's a fruitless Endeavor. 87 00:05:34,700 --> 00:05:37,200 And so what we want is for people to know the true Gospel 88 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:41,100 of Jesus Christ to believe the true gospel of Christ to receive 89 00:05:41,100 --> 00:05:44,000 Christ to believe in his name. We're going to talk about what 90 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,400 those things mean today. Before I go any further because 91 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,700 I'm getting getting riled up. Let me let me pray for us. 92 00:05:51,500 --> 00:05:55,100 Father, we love you got to thank you for these men and women You 93 00:05:55,100 --> 00:05:58,800 Lord for these boys and girls who are present today. 94 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:02,300 And we ask Lord, that you be near to us that you open our 95 00:06:02,300 --> 00:06:04,600 hearts and Minds to receive your word today. 96 00:06:05,700 --> 00:06:11,900 Lord this message serves as a bit of a preface to a new series 97 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:17,600 that I think holds many truths that we need to know and to 98 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:21,200 understand and to believe in to hope it. 99 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:25,000 And so Lord, I pray that you begin that heart work and I Us 100 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:26,800 today by the power of your spirit. 101 00:06:27,900 --> 00:06:30,100 I was worried that your spirit speak to your people today. 102 00:06:30,100 --> 00:06:32,300 That's what I asked. That's my request. 103 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:35,500 Let them hear your words. Father and not mine. 104 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:40,200 Father, we love you, we, thank you for your word, again, we are 105 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,600 excited to get into it now. Jesus name I pray. 106 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:48,700 Amen, amen. So I want to read just a few 107 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:53,700 sections of John 12, you to kind of help you again form. 108 00:06:53,700 --> 00:06:57,100 A preface to what we'll be doing in John chapter 3. 109 00:06:57,700 --> 00:07:03,600 John 1 1 through 5, the Apostle John is writing here and he says 110 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:08,500 this, he said, in the beginning was the word and the Word was 111 00:07:08,500 --> 00:07:13,000 with God and the Word was God. So right out of the gate, John 112 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,100 is saying, in the beginning was the word, the word was with God. 113 00:07:16,100 --> 00:07:20,100 The Word was God, the word is capitalized here because the 114 00:07:20,100 --> 00:07:22,400 word is a reference to Jesus Christ. 115 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:25,200 He is the word of God. Amen. 116 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:30,200 And he is God. And so he goes on to say some 117 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:35,200 really astounding things about who Christ is, he setting him up 118 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:39,400 as altogether, different as having an altogether different 119 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:41,700 Authority, from any other human that walked. 120 00:07:41,900 --> 00:07:45,800 He setting him up as altogether, powerful as more powerful than 121 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:49,500 any other human That Ever Walked the face of the Earth, and he's 122 00:07:49,500 --> 00:07:51,800 letting us know why? He's more powerful. 123 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:55,900 Why he's more authoritative? It's because he is God. 124 00:07:55,900 --> 00:07:58,800 He is the son. God, as we get into. 125 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:03,300 And so he says, he the word Jesus was in the beginning with 126 00:08:03,300 --> 00:08:06,100 God, and all things were made through him. 127 00:08:06,100 --> 00:08:10,400 And without him was not anything made, that was made in him was 128 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:13,500 life. And the life was the light of 129 00:08:13,500 --> 00:08:16,400 men, the light shines in the darkness, and the Darkness has 130 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:20,600 not overcome it. So now you make some, again some 131 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:24,600 some amazing statements about Christ, Christ was in the 132 00:08:24,608 --> 00:08:28,100 beginning with God, so Christ, the man had a birth date. 133 00:08:28,100 --> 00:08:32,000 He was born of the Virgin Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit. 134 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:35,100 But Christ, the son of God has no beginning. 135 00:08:35,100 --> 00:08:38,200 He was in the beginning with God the Father, amen. 136 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:42,000 So we've covered this at length of multiple different times but 137 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,100 I just want to make a clarification there because 138 00:08:44,100 --> 00:08:47,200 later In this passage which we won't actually read it. 139 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:50,000 But later In this passage here in John 1 John says and the word 140 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:54,200 became flesh and dwelt among us and that's when he introduces 141 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:58,800 Christ in that moment. So All things were made through 142 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:01,200 him. And without him was not anything 143 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,000 made that was made, so it's God spoke. 144 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:08,700 Let there be light, Let There Be Darkness, let there be, you 145 00:09:08,700 --> 00:09:12,000 know, land and sea, and trees, and birds, and plants, and 146 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:17,000 animals, and let there be humans male and female as that is 147 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,900 happening. The word was creating in the 148 00:09:19,908 --> 00:09:22,100 word. That is creating is Christ 149 00:09:22,100 --> 00:09:25,300 Jesus. And without him was not anything 150 00:09:25,500 --> 00:09:29,600 made that was made. In him was life and the life was 151 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:31,900 the light of men, the light shines in the darkness and the 152 00:09:31,900 --> 00:09:35,800 Darkness has not overcome it. Now that light and darkness is 153 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:39,400 going to get picked back up here in just a second as we read in 154 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:41,500 verse 9. But we're going to see it again 155 00:09:41,500 --> 00:09:43,300 in John chapter 3. So it's important to have this 156 00:09:43,300 --> 00:09:46,400 idea of light and darkness which is really a theme that the 157 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:50,900 Apostle John uses throughout his gospel and verse 9. 158 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:54,600 Verses 6 through 8 or an introduction, to John, the 159 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:58,900 Baptist, not the author of the book but the the precursor to 160 00:09:58,900 --> 00:10:02,800 Christ the one who's announcing the coming of the Messiah. 161 00:10:03,500 --> 00:10:06,800 But in John 19, the Apostle picks back up with who crisis, 162 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:11,600 he says the true lights, which John, the Baptist was giving way 163 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:14,200 to the True Light, which gives light to everyone was coming 164 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:16,700 into the world. He was in the world, and the 165 00:10:16,700 --> 00:10:20,000 world was made through him. You have the world, did not know 166 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:22,600 him. He came to his own, his own 167 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:27,300 people did not receive him. So now we see that Christ has 168 00:10:27,300 --> 00:10:32,100 come to his to his creation, to his people and in that sense of 169 00:10:32,100 --> 00:10:36,100 all those that he has created, he was in the world who and the 170 00:10:36,108 --> 00:10:38,900 world was made through him. So he comes and he dwells in 171 00:10:38,900 --> 00:10:42,300 creation and it says, yet the world did not know him. 172 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:44,600 The world looks on him and they don't know him. 173 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:48,100 And he says, he came to his own and his own people did not 174 00:10:48,100 --> 00:10:50,900 receive him, so he comes the sky. 175 00:10:51,100 --> 00:10:54,100 Double meaning, he comes not only to people in general, but 176 00:10:54,100 --> 00:10:58,100 he came to the Jews also, right? Largely Christ's Ministry, was 177 00:10:58,100 --> 00:11:02,700 to the Jews first, and then the Gentiles afterwards, but in this 178 00:11:02,700 --> 00:11:05,500 idea, that he came to his own, he's coming to his own creation, 179 00:11:05,700 --> 00:11:08,700 and his own are not receiving him. 180 00:11:09,300 --> 00:11:12,100 I've not received him, the rejecting him. 181 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,000 And one of the things that's interesting about this to me, is 182 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:20,900 that Christ is still coming to his own. 183 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:23,400 Onto his creation. Amen. 184 00:11:23,700 --> 00:11:29,100 You are not, you were, you know, Christ, because Christ has come 185 00:11:29,100 --> 00:11:31,400 to you. If you are a Believer, amen. 186 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:35,300 If you're an unbeliever though, Christ is still come to you 187 00:11:35,300 --> 00:11:37,800 crisis. Still been revealed to you. 188 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:42,200 God himself has been revealed to you and you cannot hide that and 189 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:45,000 I'll talk about that more here in just a moment. 190 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:48,900 But what we need to think about here, right now, just in our 191 00:11:48,900 --> 00:11:53,000 context is that Christ has come Through the word of God which 192 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:56,300 has been proclaimed for Millennia. 193 00:11:56,300 --> 00:12:00,200 Now Christ has come to Magnolia Arkansas. 194 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,700 Amen. Christ has come to Columbia 195 00:12:03,700 --> 00:12:07,700 County Christ has come to your household to your home. 196 00:12:08,500 --> 00:12:13,000 Amen. And so you now have to decide. 197 00:12:13,100 --> 00:12:14,900 What am I going to do with Christ? 198 00:12:14,900 --> 00:12:18,600 Because Christ has come to you. This is not in the saving sense. 199 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:21,600 This is mean you've received him for salvation It just means 200 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:26,600 that, you know, about Christ and so many others around you and 201 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:29,500 your workplaces and your home's know about Christ, he's come to 202 00:12:29,500 --> 00:12:32,100 them and now they must deal with that. 203 00:12:33,100 --> 00:12:35,100 Now, there must be a decision to be made. 204 00:12:35,100 --> 00:12:37,700 There must be something done with Christ. 205 00:12:37,700 --> 00:12:41,000 Look at verse 12 through 13. So we came to his own, his own 206 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:44,200 did not receive him, but to all who did receive him, who 207 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:47,200 believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of 208 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:49,900 God. Who were born, not of blood, nor 209 00:12:49,900 --> 00:12:52,300 of the will of Flesh, Nor of the will of, man. 210 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:58,200 But of God. Now his own rejected him but 211 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:02,100 verse 12 shows us that not all rejected him because it says, 212 00:13:02,100 --> 00:13:06,800 but to all who did receive him, who believed in his name. 213 00:13:07,300 --> 00:13:13,800 So some Rightly believe some rightly received Christ. 214 00:13:14,500 --> 00:13:19,800 So he Jesus gave them the right to become children of God. 215 00:13:21,100 --> 00:13:26,000 But what we learned here in this, is that there are children 216 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:30,300 of God and the children of God are those who receive Christ, 217 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:32,300 amen. That's what he says to all. 218 00:13:32,300 --> 00:13:34,700 Who did receive him to all who believed in his name, he gave 219 00:13:34,700 --> 00:13:36,100 the right to become children of God. 220 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:38,800 So, those who are children of God are the ones who received 221 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:43,000 Christ, who believed in his name, anyone who does not is not 222 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,100 a child of God, right? Amen. 223 00:13:45,900 --> 00:13:48,800 This is why fission is to use the language just very 224 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:54,600 explicitly saying you are Before Christ, anyone outside of Christ 225 00:13:54,700 --> 00:13:59,000 is a child of Wrath. Bound to his own sin and 226 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:03,000 trespasses and so you were either a child of Wrath or child 227 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:07,900 of God, but there is no neutral ground and we'll look at that in 228 00:14:07,900 --> 00:14:09,400 a moment. But for now, what we're saying 229 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:11,800 is God is not a father to everyone. 230 00:14:15,100 --> 00:14:22,600 No, it's a false statement to say that humanity is the that 231 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:27,200 they are the children of God. They're God's creation. 232 00:14:27,900 --> 00:14:32,300 But the Bible holds here, a truth about who the children of 233 00:14:32,300 --> 00:14:35,900 God are that separates them from the rest of humanity there? 234 00:14:35,900 --> 00:14:39,600 No less human, but now they've been made alive in Christ by the 235 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:43,100 receiving and believing in the name of Jesus Christ. 236 00:14:43,700 --> 00:14:45,000 Amen. So there's that. 237 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:46,800 There's a separation. We can't say that. 238 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:50,500 Everyone is a child of God. Otherwise distinguishing between 239 00:14:50,500 --> 00:14:54,000 Christians and non-christians becomes, much more difficult. 240 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:58,300 But here, what we see is that those who are Christian are 241 00:14:58,300 --> 00:15:01,400 children of God, those who are truly received, truly believe. 242 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:03,000 So God is not a father to everyone. 243 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:07,300 He is however their creator, he is a Creator do all and so they 244 00:15:07,300 --> 00:15:09,700 are, therefore his. Let's make no mistake about 245 00:15:09,700 --> 00:15:13,300 that. But to all who reject the light 246 00:15:13,300 --> 00:15:17,600 of his son they have rejected God and so they are not God's 247 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:22,500 children. And so Jesus says in John 8:42, 248 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:26,400 if God, we're your father, you would love me. 249 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:29,400 If God, we're your father, you would love me. 250 00:15:29,900 --> 00:15:33,300 So God is not everyone's father because not everyone loves God. 251 00:15:33,300 --> 00:15:36,800 Amen! Many, who hate God? 252 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:42,800 Pastor John Piper makes a helpful offer observation here. 253 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:47,600 He says the test of who your father is is whether you loved 254 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:51,600 his son. This is how we know this is one 255 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:52,700 way. We begin to know. 256 00:15:52,700 --> 00:15:56,600 Rightly am I a child of God? Am I a true Christian? 257 00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:01,600 Am I a True Believer because the test becomes to find out how do 258 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:03,700 I know if God is my father or not is to know? 259 00:16:03,900 --> 00:16:08,000 Do I love his son or not? And we're going to talk about, 260 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:10,600 we're going to Define further what it means to love his son. 261 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:14,200 You know, and maybe that's one way we should start talking 262 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:15,800 about. What it means to be a Christian 263 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:21,000 is that you love the son of God? You love the Son of God? 264 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:25,200 Your faith is growing in Christ. Amen. 265 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:32,400 But because you can't just believe that Jesus is Lord and 266 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:35,100 be saved. Even the demons James says 267 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:40,200 believe and shudder at the name of Christ and yet we know demons 268 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:43,600 are not God's people. Amen. 269 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:45,700 So there is a difference. There's distinctions that need 270 00:16:45,700 --> 00:16:49,600 to be made, so that turns can be clarified so that we can know 271 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:53,600 who's in and who's out so that we can know where we stand first 272 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:56,500 and foremost with God, where our heart rest with the Lord. 273 00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:59,200 And if we find ourselves to be in the right place with God, 274 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:01,800 truly in love with his sons, really submitted to the will of 275 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:05,000 the father. Then we can proclaim the good 276 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,800 news of the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ Our Lord to 277 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:12,700 all around us. And as we run into people who 278 00:17:12,700 --> 00:17:15,099 are saying, well, I believe that I believe in Jesus but their 279 00:17:15,099 --> 00:17:21,000 life looks like hell on Earth. We can say well there's a 280 00:17:21,008 --> 00:17:28,000 disconnect between what you say you believe and the Wake that's 281 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:33,500 behind the path you're blazing. It's full of Destruction and 282 00:17:33,500 --> 00:17:37,000 Decay and death. Which are the fruits of an 283 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:38,900 unbeliever, not the fruits of a believer. 284 00:17:40,500 --> 00:17:44,000 It's a tough word, but it's a necessary word. 285 00:17:44,100 --> 00:17:48,800 If we want to see the kingdom of God rightly populated. 286 00:17:49,700 --> 00:17:52,100 Amen. If we want to see, true 287 00:17:52,100 --> 00:17:55,900 conversions to Christ, want to see true disciples walking with 288 00:17:55,900 --> 00:17:59,200 the Lord. We must clarify these things and 289 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:01,100 we must help others. Clarify these things in their 290 00:18:01,100 --> 00:18:05,400 hearts and Minds. It would be unloving to not do 291 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:09,700 so. So it's not everyone is a child 292 00:18:09,700 --> 00:18:11,900 of God, then you have to ask yourself. 293 00:18:14,300 --> 00:18:19,400 Am I a child of God? Am I a child of God? 294 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:25,500 And in verse 12 through 13, we see how to become children of 295 00:18:25,500 --> 00:18:27,500 God. We see how we know if we have 296 00:18:27,500 --> 00:18:30,500 become a child of God, and if we are not a child of God, we see 297 00:18:30,500 --> 00:18:34,900 how to become a child of God. And so again, you're either in 298 00:18:34,900 --> 00:18:37,200 two groups, you're in one of two groups of people you're either 299 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:41,100 an unbeliever or a Believer. There's no neutral ground with 300 00:18:41,100 --> 00:18:44,000 God. There's You don't stand a 301 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:49,100 neutrality with the Lord. You were either in Adam if you 302 00:18:49,100 --> 00:18:53,500 go and read, Romans 5. I mean, really even before that, 303 00:18:53,500 --> 00:18:56,700 Romans 3, where you see that there, is none righteous. 304 00:18:56,700 --> 00:19:00,300 No, not one. There's none who does ride in 305 00:19:00,300 --> 00:19:02,300 the world. There is none, who thinks all 306 00:19:02,300 --> 00:19:05,000 the right things. There's none who are righteous 307 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:08,600 in the sight of God. And we see in Romans 5 that we 308 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:12,200 inherited that sin nature that sentence. 309 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:15,800 We inherited that from our father, Adam. 310 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:22,200 And so you are in Adam if you were not yet in Christ, but once 311 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:24,900 you are in Christ, you have been redeemed. 312 00:19:25,900 --> 00:19:29,000 You have been granted a new life in Christ Jesus. 313 00:19:29,500 --> 00:19:32,500 Second Corinthians 5 says that you are a new creation in 314 00:19:32,500 --> 00:19:35,000 Christ, old things have passed away. 315 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:40,500 Behold all has become new. Now, this means that you are now 316 00:19:40,500 --> 00:19:43,100 working. You are enabled by the spirit of 317 00:19:43,100 --> 00:19:45,900 God to put to death, the Deeds of the flesh. 318 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:49,600 Romans 8 says if by the spirit of God, you put to death, the 319 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:53,800 Deeds of the flesh, then you are a child of God. 320 00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:58,100 You no longer a slave to sin. You're a slave to God through 321 00:19:58,100 --> 00:20:01,000 Christ Jesus. You're able now, to subdue the 322 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:04,900 flesh, you're able now to exercise dominion over your own 323 00:20:04,900 --> 00:20:06,800 mind and over your own fleshly desires. 324 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:12,000 You're able to put those things to death, so that you're freed 325 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:20,400 up to serve Christ, Jesus. but if you're an unbeliever, you're 326 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:24,500 counting on your own intellect, you're counting on your own 327 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:27,900 righteousness. Your own morality to appease the 328 00:20:27,900 --> 00:20:33,000 righteous Judgment of God. And so many people will try to 329 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:34,800 get out of that. Well by saying well I don't 330 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:37,400 believe in the righteous Judgment of God. 331 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:39,900 I don't believe there's a God, I don't believe that he'll judge. 332 00:20:39,900 --> 00:20:41,300 I don't leave any of those things. 333 00:20:41,300 --> 00:20:44,000 If there's truly a righteous God, then no one will be 334 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,100 punished. But that's not the definition of 335 00:20:47,100 --> 00:20:52,000 righteousness or Justice. You can't have Justice without 336 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:55,200 punishment. You can't have Justice without 337 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:59,100 due payments and so that's the beauty of the Gospel that Christ 338 00:20:59,100 --> 00:21:03,700 takes for us, what was due to us, rightly due to us, which is 339 00:21:03,700 --> 00:21:06,000 death on a cross bearing, our sin. 340 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:09,500 So that we might become the righteousness of God, but if 341 00:21:09,500 --> 00:21:15,100 won't someone says an unbeliever may say well, I'm not under the 342 00:21:15,100 --> 00:21:17,400 righteous Judgment of God or I won't be under the righteous 343 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:21,400 Judgment of God because I do not believe that God exists or that 344 00:21:21,900 --> 00:21:23,900 even if he does. I don't believe in the kind of 345 00:21:23,900 --> 00:21:28,800 God who would judge that way. Well, the thing about that is it 346 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,500 doesn't make it any less real at the end of the day. 347 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:37,200 It doesn't make the Judgment of God, any less forthcoming. 348 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:43,100 And then it doesn't make it an untruth. 349 00:21:43,100 --> 00:21:47,800 It doesn't make it a lie. It in fact, what happens is the 350 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:53,100 presence of a desire for Morality In someone And the 351 00:21:53,100 --> 00:21:57,900 growing intellect regarding eternity or just the afterlife 352 00:21:57,900 --> 00:22:02,100 or trying to think about things in a semi religious manner. 353 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:07,400 Only serves to prove that God exists, and that his word is 354 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:12,500 true. You're not saying God doesn't 355 00:22:12,500 --> 00:22:18,300 exist, when you say, I think people need to be good. 356 00:22:19,100 --> 00:22:21,400 I think they need to show morality. 357 00:22:23,900 --> 00:22:28,500 And most unbelievers would agree that people need to be more 358 00:22:28,500 --> 00:22:33,900 good. Not less could Ecclesiastes 3:11 359 00:22:33,900 --> 00:22:40,600 says that God has put eternity into man's heart yet so that he 360 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:43,600 cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the 361 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:46,600 end. So the idea of Eternity is 362 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:54,300 placed into man's heart by God. Yet, in such a way that he 363 00:22:54,300 --> 00:22:58,100 cannot find out on his own. What God is doing from beginning 364 00:22:58,100 --> 00:23:02,600 to end. And so there's a desire for 365 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:06,500 Morality, why? Because God has put it there. 366 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:12,600 In Romans 1, we read that the wrath of God is revealed from 367 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:15,400 Heaven, against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. 368 00:23:17,900 --> 00:23:21,100 Because those people, the ungodly, the unrighteous 369 00:23:21,500 --> 00:23:24,800 suppress the truth by their unrighteousness or there. 370 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:28,700 Yeah, their unrighteousness, they're suppressing the truth 371 00:23:29,700 --> 00:23:32,200 for. What can be known about God is 372 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:34,900 plain to them because God has shown it to them. 373 00:23:34,900 --> 00:23:37,900 He came to his own and they did not receive him. 374 00:23:37,900 --> 00:23:42,100 It can be shown because God has shown it to them. 375 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:46,600 Verse 20, Paul continues. He says for his invisible 376 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:49,800 attributes, namely, his eternal power, and divine nature have 377 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:53,400 been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world 378 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:55,500 and the things that have been made. 379 00:23:55,500 --> 00:23:59,600 So they are without excuse. So when an unbeliever looks into 380 00:23:59,900 --> 00:24:05,200 the world and sees creation, And we don't have to get that 381 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:07,200 drastic with it when an unbeliever looks into the 382 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:12,100 mirror. And sees his or her own body and 383 00:24:12,100 --> 00:24:16,800 the way God has created the way, he's knit them together the way 384 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:22,700 he's formed Bones the way he's put Flesh on the way, he causes 385 00:24:22,700 --> 00:24:29,800 the organs to work in unison. The way that hair comes out of 386 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:32,500 that nostril that way all the time, right? 387 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:40,800 The color of your eyes. When an unbeliever looks into 388 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:44,100 the mirror, they see the creation of God, The Marvelous 389 00:24:44,100 --> 00:24:48,300 creation of God. And when they choose to say, I 390 00:24:48,300 --> 00:24:52,800 don't think God exists there. They're not making truth 391 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:56,600 non-existent they're just suppressing truth. 392 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:02,800 Amen. They're just suppressing. 393 00:25:03,500 --> 00:25:06,300 So the presence of suppression that denial of biblical. 394 00:25:06,300 --> 00:25:09,900 Truth does not equal the non-existence of those truths. 395 00:25:09,900 --> 00:25:13,900 It only proves the truth, God has answered that already. 396 00:25:15,700 --> 00:25:21,100 God isn't said. In his word, they're suppressing 397 00:25:21,100 --> 00:25:26,600 the truth I have revealed myself but this passage in John 1 398 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:30,200 serves as like a it's a precursor to this conversation 399 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,300 between Jesus and Nicodemus and Nicodemus is an unbeliever of a 400 00:25:33,308 --> 00:25:36,300 different shade so I'm describing unbelievers. 401 00:25:36,300 --> 00:25:40,500 Who maybe are more agnostic or atheistic, right? 402 00:25:41,300 --> 00:25:43,800 There is no God or if there is a God I don't know who he is. 403 00:25:44,300 --> 00:25:49,200 We can't know him. Or maybe it's more new age even 404 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,100 than that right? God is everything and everything 405 00:25:52,100 --> 00:26:00,300 is God. But Nicodemus was a Jewish 406 00:26:00,300 --> 00:26:01,900 leader. He's a ruler. 407 00:26:01,900 --> 00:26:04,400 He's the teacher of Israel as I mentioned earlier. 408 00:26:05,500 --> 00:26:08,800 And he is he finds out in his interaction with Christ, that he 409 00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:14,200 is no less bound to sin than the mocking skeptic, though. 410 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:16,500 He is one of the religious leaders of his day. 411 00:26:18,700 --> 00:26:22,300 Jesus, informs him, that all his great, religious knowledge. 412 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:26,700 All his good works, aren't good enough to get him into the 413 00:26:26,700 --> 00:26:30,100 kingdom of heaven. And if Nicodemus isn't good 414 00:26:30,100 --> 00:26:33,700 enough to be good enough, then none of us are good enough to be 415 00:26:33,700 --> 00:26:40,400 good enough either. Again, will look further at And 416 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:43,700 Nicodemus and that interaction. But the parallel between John 3 417 00:26:43,700 --> 00:26:52,300 and John one is the requirement for all people to be born again. 418 00:26:52,700 --> 00:26:57,400 If they are to be children of God, That's the parallel. 419 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:02,000 You must be born again. Not by your work of 420 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:07,200 righteousness, not by your flesh, or your own blood, or the 421 00:27:07,208 --> 00:27:10,700 things you've inherited not by your own will, but by God, you 422 00:27:10,700 --> 00:27:15,300 must be born again. And so, John 1:12 shows us how 423 00:27:15,300 --> 00:27:17,200 to become a child of God and 112. 424 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:19,500 We read. But to all who did receive him, 425 00:27:19,700 --> 00:27:22,600 who believed in his name, he gave the right to become 426 00:27:22,900 --> 00:27:26,000 children of God. So if you're taking notes, you 427 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:28,600 can write this down, you become a child of God and maybe you 428 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:31,200 have to some extent already but you become a child of God by 429 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:34,000 receiving and believing in Christ Jesus. 430 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:44,400 You become a child of God by believing, Sorry by receiving 431 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:49,800 and believing in Christ Jesus. Now, what does it mean to 432 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:55,400 receive Jesus? Does it mean to believe in his 433 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:57,200 name? We have to ask those questions. 434 00:27:57,200 --> 00:28:00,200 Now, if this is how this is how it happens. 435 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:03,300 What does it mean? How do we, how do we get there? 436 00:28:06,900 --> 00:28:09,700 Again, I thought John Piper sum this up really well. 437 00:28:10,100 --> 00:28:13,900 He said receiving, Jesus means that when Jesus offers himself 438 00:28:13,900 --> 00:28:18,600 to you, you welcome him into your life for what he is. 439 00:28:20,100 --> 00:28:23,600 Jesus offers himself to you. You welcome him into your or 440 00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:25,300 sorry. When Jesus offers himself to 441 00:28:25,300 --> 00:28:29,300 you, you welcome him into your life for what he is. 442 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:33,500 And so he goes on. He says if Jesus comes to you as 443 00:28:33,500 --> 00:28:37,900 Savior you welcomed his salvation if Jesus comes to you 444 00:28:37,900 --> 00:28:40,900 as leader, you welcome his leadership. 445 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:44,500 If he comes to you as provider, you welcome his provision. 446 00:28:44,700 --> 00:28:47,500 If he comes to you, as a counselor, you welcome his 447 00:28:47,500 --> 00:28:50,100 counsel. If he comes to you as protector, 448 00:28:50,100 --> 00:28:55,300 you welcome his protection. If he comes to you as Authority, 449 00:28:55,300 --> 00:28:59,600 you welcome his authority. If he comes to you as king, you 450 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:02,400 welcome his rule. Amen. 451 00:29:03,700 --> 00:29:07,200 That's what it means to receive. Jesus Christ. 452 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:14,500 It's to welcome him. And when we welcome somebody, we 453 00:29:14,500 --> 00:29:16,500 don't welcome. Just a piece of them. 454 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:22,800 You might you might think about this as you think about 455 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:27,900 welcoming a guest in your home. All right maybe you have friends 456 00:29:27,900 --> 00:29:31,200 or family or whatever that you want to hang out with that you 457 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:33,800 want to get together with or that you get to spend time with 458 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:37,000 and maybe you're having to spend time with and you think to 459 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:38,700 yourself why? Welcome? 460 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:43,600 I welcome them but man there's things about them I don't 461 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:45,900 prefer. Maybe it's a roommate. 462 00:29:45,900 --> 00:29:48,800 Maybe that's a better example. You had a roommate in college. 463 00:29:49,900 --> 00:29:52,400 And you welcomed the idea of a roommate until you had the 464 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:55,900 roommate and your like I don't welcome this roommate anymore, 465 00:29:56,100 --> 00:29:58,300 right? Because you can't just welcome 466 00:29:58,300 --> 00:30:01,500 someone without welcoming all of them. 467 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:07,000 To a certain extent, right people, bring who they are with 468 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:09,700 them, and that's what this is, what Christ is doing, this is 469 00:30:09,700 --> 00:30:13,200 what the Apostle John is saying. He said these people received 470 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:16,900 him and when they received him, they received everything about 471 00:30:16,900 --> 00:30:22,700 him. So it's an implied submission in 472 00:30:22,700 --> 00:30:26,200 welcoming Jesus. You're submitting to him. 473 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:30,100 As you welcome him, your welcoming him because you've 474 00:30:30,100 --> 00:30:35,800 submitted to him. He doesn't come to you for 475 00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:41,500 peaceful, cohabitation. Right, where you get to do, what 476 00:30:41,500 --> 00:30:46,700 you want when you want in the house and then you will do what 477 00:30:46,700 --> 00:30:49,800 he wants when you want in the house. 478 00:30:52,700 --> 00:30:56,900 Right. But the claims of Christ do not 479 00:30:56,900 --> 00:31:01,900 allow us to to merely cohabitate with Christ. 480 00:31:03,100 --> 00:31:05,800 This is the problem with cultural Christianity. 481 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:10,100 It's a, it's, it's cohabitation, which is false. 482 00:31:10,100 --> 00:31:14,800 There's no such thing as cohabitating with Christ, but 483 00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:21,100 Christ calls himself, the son of God, A son of God. 484 00:31:22,300 --> 00:31:27,300 He calls himself Lord. He claims all authority in 485 00:31:27,300 --> 00:31:31,100 heaven and on Earth has been given to him from God the 486 00:31:31,100 --> 00:31:38,400 Father. He claims to have died and rose 487 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:42,200 from the dead to defeat sin and death. 488 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:49,900 He says that he came to save sinners, He says that, if you 489 00:31:49,900 --> 00:31:52,300 love me, you will obey my commands. 490 00:31:54,800 --> 00:32:00,300 He says he will come and judgments when he returns is 491 00:32:00,300 --> 00:32:05,800 just a few things that Christ. Says about himself through the 492 00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:10,100 word of God. And so you can't be neutral and 493 00:32:10,100 --> 00:32:13,000 dealing with Jesus. The world wants to say well he 494 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:15,800 said some good things and we should listen to those things. 495 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:18,000 Like love your neighbor, do good to your enemy. 496 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:21,700 Help those who are in need, who are in trouble. 497 00:32:23,700 --> 00:32:26,300 When we start getting into the nitty-gritty of what Christ has 498 00:32:26,300 --> 00:32:31,500 said the really big things. You can't be neutral anymore. 499 00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:37,000 It's disingenuous for an unbeliever to say, he said, good 500 00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:39,900 things if they're not willing to quote all the things. 501 00:32:43,100 --> 00:32:45,700 And so they're not remembering everything that Christ said or 502 00:32:45,700 --> 00:32:49,500 they couldn't say he said good things because you can't pick 503 00:32:49,500 --> 00:32:52,700 and choose. It's either crisis the truth or 504 00:32:52,700 --> 00:33:01,300 he is a liar. So if you receive Jesus, you 505 00:33:01,300 --> 00:33:03,700 receive Jesus. Just as he is the very Son of 506 00:33:03,700 --> 00:33:08,600 God, the Lord of lords, the King of Kings, but you do not receive 507 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:11,800 him as a roommate who can stay in the house as long as they 508 00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:15,900 don't break your rules. Amen. 509 00:33:17,500 --> 00:33:20,400 Now, what does it mean to believe in his name? 510 00:33:21,300 --> 00:33:25,500 And John 3:18 believing in Jesus is synonymous with believing in 511 00:33:25,500 --> 00:33:29,000 his name and we'll look at 3:18 in the coming weeks, but I want 512 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:32,000 to read it to you today. He says, whoever believes in him 513 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:35,700 is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned 514 00:33:35,700 --> 00:33:38,100 already. Because he has not believed in 515 00:33:38,100 --> 00:33:44,700 the name of the only son of God. And so here, we see believes in 516 00:33:44,700 --> 00:33:48,200 him and believed in the name of the only son of God used 517 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:50,600 synonymously. So, believing in the name those 518 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:54,300 who did receive him and believed in the name of Jesus Christ. 519 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:57,200 He gave the right to become children of God. 520 00:33:57,200 --> 00:34:01,100 That means the same thing as saying believing in Jesus 521 00:34:01,100 --> 00:34:03,500 Christ. So now we have to decide what 522 00:34:03,500 --> 00:34:08,100 does Why does John choose to use the name here? 523 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:12,100 And what does that mean for us if we're actually to believe the 524 00:34:12,100 --> 00:34:19,400 name I think one reason that John uses believing the name, Is 525 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:26,500 because he is emphasizing. The true nature of Christ that 526 00:34:26,500 --> 00:34:31,199 he is the son of God. And he is, man. 527 00:34:33,900 --> 00:34:39,100 He's a he's emphasizing the de the Divinity of Christ. 528 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:47,400 The divine nature of Christ, the authority of Jesus Christ, This 529 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:50,500 is why we conclude prayers with normally. 530 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:54,600 We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ. 531 00:34:57,500 --> 00:35:00,900 Because we're told, if you ask anything in my name, it will be 532 00:35:00,900 --> 00:35:03,800 given to you. The idea of asking something in 533 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:08,500 the Name of Christ is to ask it according to his will and 534 00:35:08,500 --> 00:35:12,400 nature. It's not like adding Abracadabra 535 00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:14,700 to the end of your prayer, hoping that something magical 536 00:35:14,700 --> 00:35:16,900 happens. That's not what? 537 00:35:16,900 --> 00:35:21,000 Saying, in the name of Jesus, means what we're saying is, we 538 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:25,300 believe that what we just prayed is in accordance with the name 539 00:35:25,300 --> 00:35:28,800 of Christ. And if it's not, we understand 540 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:32,300 he's not going to answer the prayer, but if it is, we believe 541 00:35:32,300 --> 00:35:35,100 he'll answer the prayer. And so when you believe in the 542 00:35:35,100 --> 00:35:39,900 name of Jesus Christ, you're welcoming Christ for who he is. 543 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:44,800 Is and you are believing now that he is who he says he is and 544 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:47,900 you're staking your whole life on it. 545 00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:51,100 You're surrendering yourself to his lordship. 546 00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:56,100 And so to Believe, In The Name of Jesus Christ. 547 00:35:56,100 --> 00:36:02,400 Takes a deep heart work. It, it's routed. 548 00:36:03,300 --> 00:36:05,800 And commitment to the Son of God. 549 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:10,100 It's not merely believing just some facts about Jesus or that 550 00:36:10,100 --> 00:36:13,000 he said some good things or that we should be good. 551 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:16,700 People. It's saying I'm aligning my life 552 00:36:16,700 --> 00:36:22,600 with him surrendering, myself to him. and so the Believe, In The 553 00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:26,300 Name of Jesus requires you to humble yourself, it requires you 554 00:36:26,300 --> 00:36:30,200 to confess, not only that, you are not the Son of God, which 555 00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:34,000 most people don't say they're the Son of God, but they believe 556 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:37,000 they are the god of their own lives and the way that they 557 00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:39,900 live, but it requires you to say, I'm not only the, I'm not 558 00:36:39,900 --> 00:36:45,600 only am I not the Son of God, but I am in need of Salvation 559 00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:49,200 from the Son of God. Believing in his name. 560 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:53,800 And what concerns me about the culture that we live in. 561 00:36:55,700 --> 00:36:58,700 What concerns me about so many people today. 562 00:37:00,500 --> 00:37:05,000 Is that it is full of people who profess a belief in Christ, but 563 00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:10,500 show, no fruits of having ever actually submitted themselves to 564 00:37:10,500 --> 00:37:15,500 the lordship of Jesus Christ. They might have church 565 00:37:15,500 --> 00:37:20,400 attendance checked off. I might have walking an owl at 566 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:22,400 some point. Going under the water and a 567 00:37:22,408 --> 00:37:29,200 tank, having recited a prayer. You name it, they may have you 568 00:37:29,200 --> 00:37:33,100 know, giving up rated R movies for a season of their life, not 569 00:37:33,100 --> 00:37:37,600 listening to secular music anymore, try not to say as many 570 00:37:37,700 --> 00:37:41,200 foul words you know the people right. 571 00:37:42,900 --> 00:37:46,000 I confess I've been the people that's been me. 572 00:37:49,300 --> 00:37:53,500 And my faith was in nothing less than Kyle himself. 573 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:57,500 So nothing less than the ability to perform. 574 00:37:58,700 --> 00:38:01,700 And perfect. My own righteousness in the 575 00:38:01,700 --> 00:38:04,100 hopes of Landing in the good graces of God. 576 00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:10,700 So many people don't even give it that. 577 00:38:11,500 --> 00:38:13,000 Don't even going that far with it. 578 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:20,100 They're just saying I believe. But they're not in the local 579 00:38:20,100 --> 00:38:23,200 church. They're not giving themselves to 580 00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:26,100 the Lord in prayer. We're not surrendering 581 00:38:26,100 --> 00:38:28,700 themselves to his wisdom, by reading his word. 582 00:38:29,300 --> 00:38:31,900 They're not seeking Godly counsel for decisions and their 583 00:38:31,900 --> 00:38:35,300 lives. They're simply saying I believe 584 00:38:35,300 --> 00:38:43,300 in Jesus, I believe in God. But there's no submission and 585 00:38:43,300 --> 00:38:49,300 that frightens me for them. frightens me form, and it's 586 00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:54,100 worthy of It's worthy of discussion. 587 00:38:55,100 --> 00:39:00,600 It's worthy of Confrontation. It's worthy of getting them to 588 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:05,500 wrestle with what the Bible actually says, it takes to be a 589 00:39:05,500 --> 00:39:11,500 Christian. It does take belief but it takes 590 00:39:11,500 --> 00:39:13,900 real belief. The kind of belief that submits 591 00:39:13,900 --> 00:39:16,500 himself and that's what we're saying here. 592 00:39:16,500 --> 00:39:22,600 Is that present in those people is a confession of belief with 593 00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:31,900 no submission It's false fruit. And it's no different than many 594 00:39:31,900 --> 00:39:37,300 professing unbelievers. They align with the idea of 595 00:39:37,308 --> 00:39:41,500 morality but not lordship. I think I've talked about that a 596 00:39:41,508 --> 00:39:44,900 lot, but it's interesting to me that a professing unbeliever. 597 00:39:44,900 --> 00:39:47,700 Somebody who says, I don't, I don't believe in the Lord. 598 00:39:47,700 --> 00:39:48,900 I haven't really thought about it. 599 00:39:48,900 --> 00:39:51,700 I just think everybody needs to be a good person is really at 600 00:39:51,700 --> 00:39:55,000 the end of the day, saying the same thing as the one who says 601 00:39:55,500 --> 00:39:59,700 why I believe in God, but And then at the end, then during the 602 00:39:59,700 --> 00:40:02,800 week, what the relying on is their own good works that the 603 00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:04,700 two people are not really that different though. 604 00:40:04,700 --> 00:40:07,600 They might start with a different confession. 605 00:40:08,700 --> 00:40:10,600 They're still relying on their own works. 606 00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:15,600 To get them in the good graces of whatever lies at the end of 607 00:40:15,600 --> 00:40:20,600 their life. But to become a true child of 608 00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:24,000 God, you must receive him for everything that he is. 609 00:40:25,300 --> 00:40:28,300 And believe in his name. And that's what John 1:12 610 00:40:28,300 --> 00:40:31,200 through 13 says. But to all who did receive him, 611 00:40:31,200 --> 00:40:33,500 who believed in his name, he gave the right to become 612 00:40:33,700 --> 00:40:38,300 children of God, who were born now, verse 13, not of blood, nor 613 00:40:38,300 --> 00:40:41,500 of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of, man, but of God. 614 00:40:41,900 --> 00:40:48,300 So the Apostle, John introduces. Now, some clarifying, things 615 00:40:48,300 --> 00:40:51,500 about what it takes to be born again, and what it does not 616 00:40:51,500 --> 00:40:53,200 take. Again, this is a great precursor 617 00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:54,800 to what we're going to look at in John 3. 618 00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:58,200 And he offers three negatives, there's three. 619 00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:01,800 It's not of this, it's not of this, it's not of this but of 620 00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:03,400 this. So there's three negatives and a 621 00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:06,900 positive and this is clarifying. Sometimes the best way to 622 00:41:06,900 --> 00:41:09,500 clarify position is to say what it is. 623 00:41:09,500 --> 00:41:12,300 Not before you say what it is, all right? 624 00:41:12,300 --> 00:41:16,800 And this is what John is doing. And so he's talking about, 625 00:41:16,800 --> 00:41:18,700 there's three negatives. There's a positive and he's 626 00:41:18,700 --> 00:41:22,100 describing in this, the supernatural nature of how one 627 00:41:22,100 --> 00:41:25,500 is born again. And the first thing he says is 628 00:41:25,500 --> 00:41:32,900 not of blood You are not burst into a family of God or into the 629 00:41:32,900 --> 00:41:35,900 family of God because of your heritage. 630 00:41:37,500 --> 00:41:40,800 We're not made right with God, by being born into a believing 631 00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:43,600 family. It's wonderful that you grew up 632 00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:46,200 with Christian parents. If you got to grow up with 633 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:50,300 Christian parents, but this is not mean that you are a Believer 634 00:41:50,500 --> 00:41:54,500 just because you were born into that family and raised knowing 635 00:41:54,500 --> 00:41:59,400 the right things. I wish it did. 636 00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:01,600 How much easier would that be on parents? 637 00:42:04,700 --> 00:42:07,400 But the parents still has the role of discipleship in the home 638 00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:10,300 and the child still has the role of submitting to their parents, 639 00:42:10,300 --> 00:42:12,800 submitting ultimately to the Lord. 640 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:16,200 Amen. And so, a parent's job is to 641 00:42:16,200 --> 00:42:19,900 disciple their children for submission to the Lord. 642 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:23,800 Not just submission to morality. You know, the things I say you 643 00:42:23,800 --> 00:42:30,200 shouldn't do in the things I say you should. and so, the family 644 00:42:30,200 --> 00:42:36,100 you're born into does not make you a Christian or not. 645 00:42:37,600 --> 00:42:43,300 We're all born unchristian. We're all born lost were all 646 00:42:43,300 --> 00:42:47,000 born in need of a savior. There's a saying that's been 647 00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:49,900 around a long time. The first time I heard it was 648 00:42:49,900 --> 00:42:52,800 from Stephen Lawson but I don't think it originates with him. 649 00:42:54,300 --> 00:42:57,300 The saying goes God has many children but no grandchildren. 650 00:42:59,700 --> 00:43:03,800 And then there's not second generation Christians because of 651 00:43:03,808 --> 00:43:08,200 believing children. Everyone who comes to the father 652 00:43:08,200 --> 00:43:11,800 through Jesus Christ. Becomes a son or daughter, not a 653 00:43:11,800 --> 00:43:13,900 grandson or granddaughter, a great-grandson are 654 00:43:13,900 --> 00:43:15,500 great-granddaughter. Amen. 655 00:43:18,300 --> 00:43:21,300 And so that's a helpful I think clarification, Christian 656 00:43:21,300 --> 00:43:24,700 Heritage cannot birth anyone into gods family. 657 00:43:25,400 --> 00:43:28,600 Although, if you're raised or being raised in a home, where 658 00:43:28,600 --> 00:43:33,700 your parents held up Christ before you, praise God, for it. 659 00:43:35,100 --> 00:43:41,300 Praise God for. Not by. 660 00:43:41,400 --> 00:43:48,300 Will he says it says not by the will of Will of Flesh. 661 00:43:50,900 --> 00:43:54,400 Not by the will of Flesh. So you do not become a child of 662 00:43:54,400 --> 00:43:57,500 God by your moral efforts is what he's getting at. 663 00:43:57,500 --> 00:44:02,100 It's not by your your your fleshly actions that make you a 664 00:44:02,100 --> 00:44:05,000 child of God. It's not by your good works. 665 00:44:05,900 --> 00:44:09,600 You are utterly powerless powerless to create eternal life 666 00:44:09,700 --> 00:44:13,700 in yourself. And so, he gets into the next 667 00:44:13,700 --> 00:44:17,100 one, not by the will of man, so it's not only not by your 668 00:44:17,100 --> 00:44:20,000 physical works, but it's not by your intellectual working, 669 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:21,200 either. It's not by your own. 670 00:44:21,500 --> 00:44:24,500 Will you cannot make a decision either for yourself or someone 671 00:44:24,500 --> 00:44:28,700 else that results in their becoming a child of God? 672 00:44:29,500 --> 00:44:31,600 Again, how much easier would this be if we could? 673 00:44:32,800 --> 00:44:36,300 This is why when we pray for an unbelieving friend or family 674 00:44:36,300 --> 00:44:38,900 member or child or anyone? We pray. 675 00:44:38,900 --> 00:44:41,000 Father. Reveal yourself to them that 676 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:45,400 they might know you open their heart that they would receive 677 00:44:45,400 --> 00:44:47,300 you give the, my eyes to see ears to hear. 678 00:44:47,300 --> 00:44:50,100 We pray all those kinds of things because we understand 679 00:44:50,500 --> 00:44:53,400 it's not by our Wills. It's not even going to be by 680 00:44:53,400 --> 00:44:54,700 their own. Will they need to be? 681 00:44:54,700 --> 00:44:56,900 They need to have their eyes open that they might see the 682 00:44:56,900 --> 00:44:59,300 Lord for who he is. And that's what we pray for. 683 00:45:00,700 --> 00:45:04,000 And so we are those who were dead in our trespasses and sins. 684 00:45:04,500 --> 00:45:08,400 And as such, we must recognize our complete inability to save 685 00:45:08,400 --> 00:45:13,600 ourselves and we must cry out to God, for salvation. 686 00:45:15,900 --> 00:45:21,900 The crowd of the Lord for salvation. and so John says, but 687 00:45:21,900 --> 00:45:27,900 by God, who were born by God, the new dirt in the New Birth 688 00:45:27,900 --> 00:45:32,000 takes place entirely by God's working in your soul. 689 00:45:32,100 --> 00:45:35,200 And that is why John says that Jesus gave them? 690 00:45:35,700 --> 00:45:38,500 Those who did receive? Those who did believe Jesus gave 691 00:45:38,500 --> 00:45:41,300 them the right to become children of God. 692 00:45:41,600 --> 00:45:44,900 And they were born again, it wasn't by their Heritage. 693 00:45:44,900 --> 00:45:47,300 It wasn't by the works. It wasn't by their intellectual 694 00:45:47,300 --> 00:45:50,500 assent. It was by God's work in them. 695 00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:54,000 And so you must receive Jesus Christ. 696 00:45:54,000 --> 00:45:58,400 You Must Believe in his name, to become a child of God, but that 697 00:45:58,400 --> 00:46:01,300 work of New Birth is a work of God. 698 00:46:01,300 --> 00:46:04,300 And that's what Jesus is going to explain to Nicodemus, it's 699 00:46:04,300 --> 00:46:08,400 going to make it crystal clear for us. and one commentator, he 700 00:46:08,400 --> 00:46:12,300 offers this he says this is the greatest Miracle God performs 701 00:46:13,500 --> 00:46:18,600 The new birth beginning of new life is the greatest miracle 702 00:46:18,900 --> 00:46:22,700 that God performs. So many of us think like if I 703 00:46:22,700 --> 00:46:26,200 could just see a dead person raised to life and how 704 00:46:26,200 --> 00:46:32,800 incredible would that be If I could just have God show me 705 00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:35,400 something amazing. Then my faith would really be 706 00:46:35,400 --> 00:46:40,400 fortified. No, it wouldn't and John chapter 707 00:46:40,400 --> 00:46:46,100 5, Jesus feeds 5000 men, not counting women and children. 708 00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:52,000 In John chapter 6, he's now gone to the other side of the lake. 709 00:46:53,100 --> 00:46:55,600 They wake up in the morning looking for and why they're 710 00:46:55,600 --> 00:46:58,500 hungry. They see, he's not there, they 711 00:46:58,500 --> 00:47:01,100 want more of that. Good bread, they cease not their 712 00:47:01,100 --> 00:47:03,100 rights, probably most bread If we're honest Jasper. 713 00:47:05,600 --> 00:47:08,600 They want more of that and he's not present. 714 00:47:10,900 --> 00:47:13,200 And so they go looking for him and they to go to the other side 715 00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:15,400 of the lake. They find Jesus there and they 716 00:47:15,400 --> 00:47:21,100 start to tell him we want more food. and Jesus says, 717 00:47:21,900 --> 00:47:25,100 essentially what he told Satan that man does not live by bread 718 00:47:25,100 --> 00:47:28,200 alone, but by the word of God, he says, essentially, that what 719 00:47:28,200 --> 00:47:34,700 he gets to is But the bread I gave you was to show you your 720 00:47:34,700 --> 00:47:39,500 need for a different kind of bread and then he reveals some 721 00:47:39,500 --> 00:47:44,000 really wild things to him that he's the bread of life and then 722 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:47,700 unless man would eat of his flesh and drink of his blood, 723 00:47:47,900 --> 00:47:54,200 there is no life in them. Now they saw the miracle of 724 00:47:54,200 --> 00:47:58,500 turning the Happy Meal into food for five thousand men plus women 725 00:47:58,500 --> 00:48:01,300 and children. They saw that they knew that 726 00:48:01,300 --> 00:48:03,100 Christ. Got to the other side of the 727 00:48:03,100 --> 00:48:06,700 lake, somehow not in the same boat that his disciples left in. 728 00:48:09,200 --> 00:48:16,600 He walked on the water. And here they are, hearing the 729 00:48:16,600 --> 00:48:19,700 very difficult words of Christ. And it says that when he said 730 00:48:19,700 --> 00:48:22,500 this to them, it was too difficult to understand and they 731 00:48:22,500 --> 00:48:24,000 turned, and they walked away from him. 732 00:48:24,000 --> 00:48:28,100 Many of his disciples people who had been following him left him 733 00:48:28,100 --> 00:48:31,600 that day. Because his words were too 734 00:48:31,600 --> 00:48:37,500 difficult. And so the greatest Miracle is 735 00:48:37,500 --> 00:48:42,000 not making a Happy Meal into 5 into food for 5000. 736 00:48:42,600 --> 00:48:44,700 The greatest Miracle is not the walking on the water. 737 00:48:44,700 --> 00:48:48,000 The greatest Miracle is not the Turning of water into new wine. 738 00:48:48,000 --> 00:48:51,400 The greatest Miracle is not the raising of Lazarus from the 739 00:48:51,400 --> 00:48:54,700 dead. All of the miracles of god were 740 00:48:54,700 --> 00:48:57,500 meant to point to the one great miracle of God, which is the 741 00:48:57,500 --> 00:49:02,400 raising of new spiritual life. But you are taken from one who 742 00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:06,100 is dead in your trespasses and sins and by God's grace and his 743 00:49:06,100 --> 00:49:08,500 mercy and his love being poured out on you. 744 00:49:08,500 --> 00:49:13,300 You were raised to New Life. Now, a co-heir with Christ 745 00:49:13,300 --> 00:49:17,800 Jesus, it's the greatest Miracle of the new birth. 746 00:49:18,600 --> 00:49:20,700 And so, we shouldn't walk around thinking, well God doesn't 747 00:49:20,700 --> 00:49:23,600 perform Miracles today. If you are a believer in Christ 748 00:49:23,600 --> 00:49:27,400 Jesus, you are his greatest miracle. 749 00:49:28,700 --> 00:49:30,500 That he's still performing today. 750 00:49:34,800 --> 00:49:36,500 The commentator goes, I rambled there. 751 00:49:36,500 --> 00:49:38,700 The commentator goes on to say every other display of divine 752 00:49:38,700 --> 00:49:41,600 power is a distant, second to his causing the new birth. 753 00:49:41,800 --> 00:49:43,800 We who are born again or never the same. 754 00:49:43,800 --> 00:49:48,200 Again, we are a new creation by the undeserved grace of God, the 755 00:49:48,200 --> 00:49:50,000 new birth Christ. Sorry. 756 00:49:50,000 --> 00:49:53,800 The new birth Begins. The Divine work of remaking. 757 00:49:53,800 --> 00:49:57,900 Each person into the likeness of Jesus Christ. 758 00:50:01,600 --> 00:50:07,400 And so let me summarize for you. Kind of the response to this. 759 00:50:09,100 --> 00:50:14,400 On one hand. if you are an unbeliever, And you're not 760 00:50:14,400 --> 00:50:17,900 placing your faith in Jesus Christ or if you are a 761 00:50:18,200 --> 00:50:21,600 professing Believer. But there is no fruit of that 762 00:50:21,600 --> 00:50:25,900 profession in your life. Then you must repent of your 763 00:50:25,900 --> 00:50:28,900 sins and turn in faith to Christ Jesus. 764 00:50:28,900 --> 00:50:34,600 Our lord to receive him, to welcome him for who he truly is 765 00:50:35,600 --> 00:50:38,900 and to believe in his name for your salvation. 766 00:50:39,300 --> 00:50:45,000 So let him be Lord of your life. If you will do that, you will be 767 00:50:45,000 --> 00:50:48,700 saved. Will be saved. 768 00:50:51,000 --> 00:50:56,300 And if you have done that, then I think there's an interesting 769 00:50:56,300 --> 00:51:00,900 flip to these things that are the knots that are the negatives 770 00:51:01,400 --> 00:51:08,500 in verse 13. So, you were born not by Blood 771 00:51:08,700 --> 00:51:13,500 initially. But as someone who's welcoming 772 00:51:13,500 --> 00:51:17,800 Christ, someone who's believing in his name you were born by the 773 00:51:17,800 --> 00:51:21,600 blood of Jesus Christ. So, it's not by your heritage 774 00:51:21,600 --> 00:51:25,000 from your family. It's from your heritage from 775 00:51:26,200 --> 00:51:31,500 your brother in Christ Jesus. You're saved by his blood and 776 00:51:31,500 --> 00:51:33,200 now you are a co-heir with Christ. 777 00:51:33,700 --> 00:51:37,800 You are not the son but you are a son, a daughter. 778 00:51:39,400 --> 00:51:42,300 Of the father. You can trust that. 779 00:51:43,800 --> 00:51:46,400 The work of your flesh will not save you. 780 00:51:48,300 --> 00:51:51,500 But if you are saved, if you have welcomed Jesus Christ, if 781 00:51:51,500 --> 00:51:56,500 you have believed in his name, then the works of your flesh. 782 00:51:56,500 --> 00:52:00,900 Have been redeemed, you are a new creation in Christ, Jesus. 783 00:52:01,600 --> 00:52:07,600 You are his workmanship and he has given you a work to perform, 784 00:52:08,500 --> 00:52:12,200 whatever you are. If you are a husband, a father, 785 00:52:12,500 --> 00:52:14,600 if you're none of those things. If your friend, if you're a 786 00:52:14,607 --> 00:52:21,500 co-worker, if you're a son a daughter Naamans whatever you 787 00:52:21,500 --> 00:52:25,900 are has been given to you by the hand of God that you might use 788 00:52:25,900 --> 00:52:28,900 it. To make his glory known in all 789 00:52:28,900 --> 00:52:34,100 the Earth. And so your Works don't save 790 00:52:34,100 --> 00:52:38,400 you. but now your Works bear, the fruit of Salvation or they 791 00:52:38,400 --> 00:52:42,800 should it should your heart should be changing. 792 00:52:44,100 --> 00:52:47,700 You should be putting the deaths in taking on the likeness of 793 00:52:47,700 --> 00:52:51,200 Christ. We should be growth maturity, 794 00:52:51,200 --> 00:52:55,500 even if it's slow. You may not look like a mature 795 00:52:55,500 --> 00:52:59,000 believer after five years of following the Lord, but you 796 00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:02,000 should notice some growth. I was here. 797 00:53:02,000 --> 00:53:06,200 And now I'm here, I was here and now I'm here, whatever that 798 00:53:06,200 --> 00:53:09,000 growth may look like, there's going to be Seasons where you 799 00:53:09,000 --> 00:53:12,900 grow exponentially and then there's going to be Seasons 800 00:53:12,900 --> 00:53:14,700 where it feels like a Snell's, crawl. 801 00:53:16,100 --> 00:53:19,100 And by faith, you're just clinging to the Lord holding on, 802 00:53:19,400 --> 00:53:22,200 none of those things are indicative of no growth. 803 00:53:23,400 --> 00:53:26,800 Amen. Fighting for faith. 804 00:53:26,800 --> 00:53:29,900 In the middle of a fight is a sign of growth. 805 00:53:31,100 --> 00:53:36,700 It's a sign of maturity. And though you're not born of 806 00:53:36,700 --> 00:53:40,100 the will of man, you don't make a decision, you don't arrive at 807 00:53:40,100 --> 00:53:43,500 some knowledge that saves you, and nobody can do that for you. 808 00:53:44,200 --> 00:53:48,100 What you are able now to do is to surrender your will to God. 809 00:53:50,100 --> 00:53:53,700 You're able to work, according to his will on the earth. 810 00:53:53,700 --> 00:53:56,600 You're able to walk. According to his will, it would 811 00:53:56,600 --> 00:54:00,200 have believed his wisdom. Trust his wisdom, have his 812 00:54:00,200 --> 00:54:05,200 desires, your desires, die, you take on his desires, and you are 813 00:54:05,200 --> 00:54:08,600 now able to pray with Christ. As we read in Matthew chapter 6, 814 00:54:09,100 --> 00:54:13,700 not my will but yours be done. Amen. 815 00:54:15,200 --> 00:54:17,700 You meant, let me pray for you. Heavenly Father, we thank you 816 00:54:18,300 --> 00:54:20,300 for your word. We thank you, Lord, for the 817 00:54:20,300 --> 00:54:22,400 Salvation we have in Christ Jesus. 818 00:54:23,300 --> 00:54:27,200 We thank you, Father. That salvation is a miracle. 819 00:54:28,000 --> 00:54:33,400 It's a work of God in our lives that we are to be so grateful 820 00:54:33,400 --> 00:54:38,600 for while there are pray that through the word that's been 821 00:54:38,800 --> 00:54:43,700 preached today. That you have either solidified, 822 00:54:44,300 --> 00:54:49,500 the faith of someone. Or you have revealed to them a 823 00:54:49,500 --> 00:54:52,300 false faith and that you are drawing them. 824 00:54:52,300 --> 00:54:59,000 Now, even now to yourself and salvation, Father, we trust you 825 00:54:59,200 --> 00:55:02,800 for our own salvation. We trust you father because we 826 00:55:02,800 --> 00:55:07,600 are born by you. And we thank you for the gift of 827 00:55:07,600 --> 00:55:09,500 Christ that we might be born again. 828 00:55:09,600 --> 00:55:15,000 Truly Born Again, truly New Creations with a new work or 829 00:55:15,000 --> 00:55:19,400 help us grow as mature us more and more into the image and 830 00:55:19,400 --> 00:55:23,800 likeness of Christ. Put far from us, the idea that 831 00:55:23,800 --> 00:55:29,500 our morality that our knowledge is going to save us in some way. 832 00:55:32,100 --> 00:55:38,900 Help us clean to Christ. As the old hymn says, help us 833 00:55:38,900 --> 00:55:45,700 clean to that Old Rugged Cross. We thank you, Lord. 834 00:55:47,300 --> 00:55:50,400 We thank you. We pray these things in the Name 835 00:55:50,400 --> 00:55:52,600 of Christ Jesus. Amen.