1 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:12,520 Amen. Look at your neighbor and tell 2 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:15,880 them how good they look today, Amen. 3 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,400 Some of you just got a smirk on your face as soon as I said that 4 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,560 because like you had some type of awareness, he was sitting 5 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,720 beside you, Amen. Good to be in God's house this 6 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:29,400 morning, Amen. With all of you find people 7 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:31,120 looking out, seeing your smiling faces. 8 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:32,640 Amen. That is comforting. 9 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:36,320 Today we're going to be turning to 1st Corinthians chapter 15. 10 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,800 Some of the guests that we have here today is because later 11 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:41,160 today before we leave, we have a baby. 12 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:46,360 Well, a child dedication a little, a little one dedication. 13 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:52,200 Julie McGee was never dedicated. So we're going to dedicate her 14 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,480 this morning. And so we have friends and 15 00:00:55,480 --> 00:01:00,200 family on both sides to be here to participate in that. 16 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:02,960 And it's an important thing. It's an important thing for us 17 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:07,280 to return back to the Lord what He is has so graciously given 18 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:08,920 us. Amen. 19 00:01:09,320 --> 00:01:15,280 First Corinthians chapter 15, and I'm going to begin reading 20 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:19,440 in verse #5 so glad to have all of you. 21 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:25,040 And Missy, it's good to see you. She's visited us on several 22 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:27,320 occasions to come in with that crutch. 23 00:01:27,320 --> 00:01:30,040 And I just assumed that it was something that she could reach 24 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:32,480 out and tap Rex with if she needed to. 25 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,920 But I guess she really does have some problems going on. 26 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:40,360 But listen, never know what it takes to keep Rex in line. 27 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,360 You know, it's just Amen. We're glad to have you. 28 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,480 Appreciate him, everybody, everybody Hills, we're glad to 29 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:51,080 have you this morning down from the north to be celebrating with 30 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:55,000 your granddaughter and sister Rhonda as well today. 31 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:58,160 Amen. First Corinthians 15, verse 5. 32 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:00,800 I'll try to be mindful of our time here today with all those 33 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:04,960 other things that are going on. The Bible says and just kind of 34 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:08,720 preface this kind of jumping in a scripture the writer is 35 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:13,360 writing about after that Jesus has has been resurrected and 36 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:17,520 those that saw him or witnessed him after his resurrection. 37 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:20,680 This is the apostle Paul is writing to the Church of 38 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,240 Corinth. He says and he was seen of 39 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,840 Cephas, which that's a reference to to Peter. 40 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,320 All right. Cephas is just like Greek like 41 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,760 name for Peter. And he was seen of Cephas then 42 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:40,280 of the 12 And after that he was seen of above 500 brethren at 43 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:44,480 once, of whom the greater part remained unto this present, but 44 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:47,520 some are fallen asleep, or other words some, some died. 45 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:52,560 After that he was seen of James, then of all the apostles. 46 00:02:52,920 --> 00:02:55,800 And Paul says. And last of all, he was seen of 47 00:02:55,800 --> 00:03:02,040 me also as one born out of due time, for I was the least of the 48 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:07,120 apostles that am not me to be called an apostle. 49 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:10,400 We're getting a little self reflection here that Paul has of 50 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,760 himself. Because I persecuted the Church 51 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:18,200 of God. But by the grace of God I am 52 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:22,760 what I am. This grace which was bestowed 53 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:26,640 upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly that 54 00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:30,560 they all then they all yet not I, but the grace of God, which 55 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:34,040 was with me for a little while this morning. 56 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:38,360 I want to talk to you simply this from from verse #10 Paul 57 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:47,400 said I am or if I say I am what I am, I am what I am Amen. 58 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:48,920 Can we go to the Lord in prayer right now? 59 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:50,400 He would touch us in the next little bit. 60 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:54,720 Father, help us today, God through Lord Jesus your word, I 61 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,120 pray Lord, you're able to strengthen someone today. 62 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:01,800 Lord give hope and encouragement Lord Jesus God open our minds 63 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,600 and our understanding. I pray Lord that you're able to 64 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:08,120 enable us Lord and we Lord lean upon that enable it that only 65 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:10,400 comes from you God in this place. 66 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:14,000 Let your purpose and will be done in the name of Jesus Christ 67 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:19,079 that I pray Hallelujah and Amen. The church say Amen Amen. 68 00:04:19,079 --> 00:04:25,840 You may be seated this morning in Jesus name the apostle Paul 69 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:31,120 and we see him at a stage in his life that's after his conversion 70 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:34,360 many times we concentrate upon him and writing so much of the 71 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,760 New Testament Scripture and some of the great things that he was 72 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,840 used in in his life with the Lord. 73 00:04:40,840 --> 00:04:46,040 But the apostle Paul's not unlike many of us today and I'm 74 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:49,400 you may you know, struggle with that concept and think me like 75 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:50,760 the apostle Paul. No way. 76 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:56,280 But he also he also had some less than than perfect times of 77 00:04:56,280 --> 00:05:01,160 his past that even haunted him in his present. 78 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:05,800 He he had a past that would constantly compete for for his 79 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:08,200 time and his energy and his attention. 80 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:11,560 Even after he come to know the Lord, his mind would sometimes 81 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:15,920 drift off to who he once was or what he once did. 82 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:20,360 And although that existed in the past, it it still made some some 83 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:24,880 big attempts and brazen attempts to be a part of his present. 84 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:29,240 Always nagging at him and trying to remind him where he came 85 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:31,440 from. In our text, though the Bible 86 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:36,160 speaks that he is an apostle, at this time he he's a leader of 87 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:39,640 the New Testament church. And yet even being a leader of 88 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:42,720 the New Testament church, he's still wrestling with his past. 89 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:45,720 He's still wrestling where he once was. 90 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:47,840 And and he even begins to downplay. 91 00:05:47,840 --> 00:05:50,280 We see some of his self reflection Sister Sheila. 92 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:54,800 He says I'm the least of the apostles, He said I even goes on 93 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:56,600 to even the state. I don't know if I even, you 94 00:05:56,600 --> 00:06:00,440 know, qualified. I feel unqualified to be in this 95 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:03,240 capacity, he said. I don't, I don't feel as though 96 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:08,360 I'm, I, I, I fit the description or the qualifications of an 97 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:13,640 apostle because of past mistakes that I've had in my life or past 98 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:16,680 sins that I've had in my life. I've had some errors and even 99 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:18,480 shares a few of them with us. He says. 100 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:22,280 I, I was a persecutor of the Church of God. 101 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:25,560 He's struggling. He's struggling with who he is 102 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:29,480 because of who he had been. So I, I was a persecutor of the 103 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:31,760 Church of God. And, and can I tell you this 104 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:34,600 morning, and if you've not come against it yet, you will. 105 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:37,000 It comes to all of us. It doesn't matter if you've been 106 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,880 in church five years, 5 seconds or 50 years. 107 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:43,240 And that is one of the biggest challenges of our Christian 108 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:46,520 faith is our past. It's our past. 109 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:49,880 If there's anything that the enemy of our soul will try to 110 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:53,920 press upon, it will be press upon something that we done 111 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:57,960 years ago before we ever knew the Lord. 112 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:01,680 And that just goes to show that the enemy is the enemy. 113 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:05,360 The Bible talks about him being the accuser of the brethren. 114 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:09,000 And if there's anybody ever around that's accusing you in 115 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,360 your mind about where you used to be or what you used to do and 116 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:15,600 all of that, you can mark that the adversary. 117 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:19,160 You can mark that the enemy of yourself because the Lord, he's 118 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:21,800 not going to remind you of your past to make you feel guilty 119 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,400 about your past. If the Lord ever reminds you of 120 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:28,360 your past, it's because He wants to see how far you've come from 121 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:33,640 where you've been. And so Paul attest to the fact. 122 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,360 He says, I understand I'm now in the pulse on that. 123 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:41,720 He says, but I understand it was the Lord that enabled me. 124 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:45,840 It was the Lord that helped me. It's the Lord that put me into 125 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:48,960 this ministry. And all of that understanding of 126 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:52,200 Paul that it was the Lord that helped and the Lord that aided. 127 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:57,440 That's the reason why Paul could say I am what I am. 128 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:01,560 He was saying it wasn't because of me or I had all of the 129 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:03,840 planets just lined up in my life. 130 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:07,360 No, it was because of the Lord. He's understanding. 131 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:12,080 I didn't get here by myself. I don't have any, just natural 132 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:14,960 skills to be able to say, oh, here's the apostle Paul. 133 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:20,320 No, he says, but I had the Lord and the Lord helped enable me 134 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:21,720 and place me. I want you. 135 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:23,800 And I got a lot of scripture here today. 136 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:28,520 First Timothy chapter #1 The apostle Paul is writing again, 137 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:32,280 and he's writing to a man by the name of Timothy, and he says in 138 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:36,240 First Timothy 1 and verse 12, he says, I thank Christ Jesus our 139 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:40,280 Lord, who hath enabled me. Here It is for that He counted 140 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:42,840 me faithful, putting me into the ministry. 141 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:45,880 Verse 13, who was before? Here he is, he's talking about 142 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:49,600 his past, who before I was a blasphemer and I was a 143 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:54,200 persecutor and injurious, he says, But I obtained mercy 144 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,640 because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 145 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:00,160 Amen. And so despite where Paul 146 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:02,920 presently is, he emits where he was. 147 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:07,440 I was a blasphemer, I was persecutor, I was injurious to 148 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:10,760 those around me. And at times those dark shadows 149 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:14,400 from my past, they cast dark clouds over my life. 150 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:18,160 But he's going to state to us again, as he did in our text, I 151 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:24,200 am what I am before. I was a a blasphemer, but today 152 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:28,320 I am what I am before, before I was a persecutor, but today I am 153 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:30,840 what I am. I was injured, but I am what I 154 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:34,400 am and God has enabled that. I think it's important this 155 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:38,960 morning to come to a realization of that, that you are not what 156 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:41,600 you were. You are not what you used to be. 157 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:44,320 You are what you are because of God. 158 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:47,320 That doesn't mean that's what you used to be that that that. 159 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:49,080 That never happened. It happened. 160 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:52,600 But it's a part of your story. It's a part of your history. 161 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:54,440 But you're. Living in the now. 162 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:56,920 You're living into today. There's a bright. 163 00:09:56,920 --> 00:10:01,480 Future ahead of you because you are what you are because of God, 164 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:06,800 Paul says. The things that I did back then, 165 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:09,040 some of those things he said I did in ignorance. 166 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:14,760 I, I, I didn't recognize Christ Jesus to be be God manifest in 167 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:17,480 the flesh or come down and walk around in humanity. 168 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:20,760 And so some of these things, I did these things ignorantly. 169 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:25,160 He says in verse 13, look at it, He said, but I obtained mercy. 170 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:29,200 He tells us in this chapter that He obtained the mercy and grace 171 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:34,080 and faith and love and all of these situations that came into 172 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:37,080 his life, all of these things from God that came into his life 173 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:39,360 to help him in this moment of rest. 174 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:43,920 He said love came to my rescue. Mercy and grace and faith, they 175 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:46,240 all came to my rescue. Look at verse 14 and First 176 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,880 Timothy 1. And the grace of our Lord was 177 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:53,240 exceeding abundant with faith, love which is in Christ Jesus. 178 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:56,320 He says this is a faithful saying and worthy of all 179 00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:02,000 acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save 180 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:06,440 sinners. Wait a minute, Christ came into 181 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:10,200 the world to save sinners. Whenever Christ came into the 182 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:13,160 world, he wasn't looking for anybody that was perfect. 183 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:17,600 For that matter, there is no one perfect. 184 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:22,600 He said the ho is not in need of a physician. 185 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:25,080 He came for those that were sinners. 186 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:27,640 That was his purpose. He came looking for them. 187 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:33,400 And Paul says whom I am chief, this is how he felt. 188 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:36,120 He felt like he was the biggest Sinner of them all. 189 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,240 He felt like he had done worse than anybody else had ever done. 190 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:43,000 He says in verse 16 he said, how be it for this, 'cause he said, 191 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:47,880 I obtained the mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might shew 192 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:52,600 forth all long-suffering, or all patience for a pattern to them 193 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:56,800 which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. 194 00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:02,760 Christ came to save sinners and Paul says I felt like the 195 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:07,840 biggest Sinner in the bunch, that Christ was long-suffering 196 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:10,120 and patient with me. And I think this is important, 197 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:13,160 what Paul says, because understanding Paul's life, he 198 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:17,200 was a persecutor of people. He imprisoned some others, met 199 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:22,000 their death because of Paul. This is the same guy that's now 200 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,520 an apostle, right? All these things that he did, he 201 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:27,080 was very injurious, of course, to people. 202 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:29,280 And he said, he says, you know what I believe? 203 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:36,840 He said the Lord saved me, a blasphemer, a persecutor, 204 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:41,280 someone that was interest to others as as bad as I estimate 205 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:45,200 myself. The Lord saved me to provide a 206 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:52,720 pattern and a model that if he could save somebody like me, it 207 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:56,160 didn't matter who else lived during my day, he could save 208 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,120 them. I call myself the chief. 209 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:03,280 God can reach down as far as needed to be reached and say 210 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:07,600 whosoever will Christ saved, according to Paul, his own 211 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:11,200 estimation, he saved the chief of sinners. 212 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:14,560 So he's saying there's nobody incapable of being saving 213 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:20,200 because Christ saved me. Folks, sometimes I know how we 214 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:24,120 are with our mistakes, Tracy. Sometimes we believe they went 215 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:30,120 over a particular line, a particular limit, right, of 216 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:36,760 beyond grace, beyond mercy. Paul says if you think that, 217 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:41,160 Remember Me. He says if you think that, 218 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:43,440 Remember Me. And for that matter, there's not 219 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:46,880 a single one of us, probably somewhere in our life that's not 220 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:54,760 been trapped in the human trap of classifying sin, big sin, 221 00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:58,560 small sin, bad sin, horrific sin, not so bad sin, horrible 222 00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:05,680 sin, classifying levels and degrees of sin. 223 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:09,440 Paul blasphemer, yes. Grace put him in the ministry, 224 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:11,440 yes. Persecutor, yes. 225 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:14,920 Injuries, yes. But he says it all boils down to 226 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:18,120 this. He said what I did, I did in 227 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:22,280 unbelief, he says. I just lumped all of that sin 228 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:26,360 under one umbrella of unbelief. What's that mean? 229 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:31,560 He didn't have a relationship. He didn't have a relationship 230 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:34,480 with the Lord. It's like unbelief. 231 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:36,880 What is the trunk of the tree and all the other branches are 232 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,120 these other sins that people seen in Paul's life? 233 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,800 But but the big picture is he just didn't have a relationship 234 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:45,080 with God. And when you don't have a 235 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:49,240 relationship with God, you're going to yourself, you're going 236 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:54,320 to be subject to, to sins of various kinds and, and things in 237 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:56,160 your life. So Paul says what it really 238 00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:58,760 comes down to is, is my unbelief. 239 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:02,120 And that's, that's very serious, because unbelief when itself 240 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:04,960 having no belief in the Lord that, that, that can become a, a 241 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:08,000 sin of itself. As a matter of fact, whenever we 242 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:12,320 read in scriptures, in Revelation 21 and verse #8 and 243 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:15,280 you read about the murderers and the whoremongers and the 244 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:18,360 sorcerers and the idolaters, they'll have their place. 245 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,440 The Bible says in the lake of fire and brimstone. 246 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:25,600 It, it links in that list of all these murders and whoremongers. 247 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:29,160 It lists the unbelieving in the list. 248 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:32,680 Because what what we have here is whoremongers practice 249 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:37,160 whoremongering, sorcerer's practice sorcery, Idolaters 250 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:39,400 practice idolatry, serving other gods. 251 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:41,520 The unbelieving practice unbelief. 252 00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:46,280 And Jesus even said in his own words in Mark 1616, he says he 253 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:50,160 that believeth not shall be damned. 254 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:53,880 And so when we see persecution about Paul and and he's a 255 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:57,200 blasphemer and he's injurious when we look at all these things 256 00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:59,440 again, the primary thing was his unbelief. 257 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:02,120 He didn't have a relationship with God. 258 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:09,320 And so sin is sin this morning. Humanity's like I can't. 259 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:15,600 Believe they did that. And we're putting sin on 260 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:20,960 different levels, but sin is an affront to God. 261 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:24,160 Sin is sin. Someone say man. 262 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:29,280 That begins to explain a little bit about Paul and how he's 263 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:31,160 feeling. He's a human too. 264 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:34,000 He's saying he's the chief of sinners, as though there's a 265 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:39,520 big, big Sinner and a little Sinner, a better Sinner than 266 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:43,920 another Sinner. But sin is sin. 267 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,680 Bible also teaches us that that grace is grace. 268 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:53,000 What are you saying? The same grace if you want to 269 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:56,040 talk, if you're going to talk in levels, Great saves a good 270 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:58,600 person just as much as saves A lawless person. 271 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:05,240 Great save to Cornelius, who was devout and had prayers just as 272 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,119 much as it, said Paul, who's a persecutor and interest. 273 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:12,560 Grace is grace and sin is sin. But we do have this confidence 274 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:16,240 according to Romans 520. That where sin abounds. 275 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:18,280 Grace will always there'll be. Ample. 276 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:21,960 There will be ample grace for the sin. 277 00:17:22,319 --> 00:17:27,319 There'll always be enough. There'll always. 278 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:33,200 Be enough. There's no degrees among sin, no 279 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:37,080 degrees per SE among grace. There's always going to be ample 280 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:39,640 grace for sin. Think with me for a moment. 281 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:44,800 Whenever Joseph in the Old Testament Joseph, he was one of 282 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:47,600 the sons of Jacob and he had some hard times. 283 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:51,640 He'd he'd been in the pit in the prison and been, you know, lied 284 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:54,360 upon by his brother, so to speak, and sold. 285 00:17:54,360 --> 00:17:58,400 And Joseph here the Bible says that one time was in Potiphar's 286 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:01,120 house, it was like being a steward of their house doing a 287 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:04,080 great job. But the Potiphar's wife tried to 288 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:09,920 seduce him and whenever he denied her seduction, he 289 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:15,200 basically said he said how can I do this great wickedness know 290 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:18,240 what he says and sin against God. 291 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:24,360 He understood individual sin really links back to your 292 00:18:24,360 --> 00:18:28,040 relationship with God. It always links back whether 293 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:31,680 being in relationship or not in relationship as you should be 294 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:34,280 with God. David is a murderer, an 295 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:36,400 adulterer, all these different things. 296 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:38,080 Amen. And there would be some that 297 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:40,880 some would look at today particular sins, focus on them 298 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:43,480 and start putting you know, on a on a scale to 1 to 10. 299 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:46,000 How do you rate these sins, you know, type of scenario. 300 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:48,640 But whenever we look at all of this, it was a broken 301 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:52,040 relationship with God. That's the reason why whenever 302 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:56,800 David prays in Psalms 51 about his sin with Bathsheba, he says 303 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:02,000 against the the only God, have I sinned and done this evil in 304 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:03,920 your sight? He says I understand what this 305 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:06,480 is all about. It's not about big sin, little 306 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:09,960 sin, black sin, white sin. It's about I fell out of 307 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:12,680 relationship with God and that's the over. 308 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:17,840 That's the overall thing. There's no degrees. 309 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:19,200 Everybody say there's no degrees. 310 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:23,440 Is it any wonder this morning that in the New Testament 311 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:27,040 scripture that whenever there's different listings of sins and 312 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:30,680 mistakes in the works of the flesh that the writers always 313 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:34,240 lump them all together and don't separate them into categories? 314 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:39,000 What we would call humans would call today big sin, little sin. 315 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:41,800 Look at it Galatians 5 verse 19 through 21. 316 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:45,160 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these? 317 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:49,320 Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 318 00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:53,440 which is an unbridled lust, idoltry, witchcraft, hatred. 319 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:59,120 You hearing this hatred variance which is debate emulations, 320 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:03,640 which is like anger, wrath, indignation, strife, seditions, 321 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:08,560 division, parasais. Enviance murders drunkenness in 322 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:11,320 our mind, if we would say now I want you to go through and you 323 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:14,920 you list these from greatest to worse, by your human standards, 324 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:17,800 we wouldn't have them in the order they are right now. 325 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:22,640 But as they're presented in Scripture, according to our 326 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:26,880 standards, they're jumbled all together between what we would 327 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:28,240 say. Is big and small. 328 00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:32,200 That's because Christ, through his wisdoms, trying to convey 329 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:38,520 something to us. Sin, sin, sin is sin. 330 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:41,280 There's a mix, if you will, of every level according to our 331 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:45,000 human standards. Whenever God said, he said it's 332 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:49,320 the things that come out of the heart of man that defile the man 333 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:52,680 when he made that statement. Brother Fred, New Testament 334 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,480 Scripture in the book of Mark. Again, he mixes up what we would 335 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,640 think would be the classifications for sin. 336 00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:02,800 You can read it in Mark 7, verses 20 through 23. 337 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:05,800 Again, he talks about things coming from the heart of man. 338 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:10,440 Verse #21 from within, out of the heart of men proceed evil 339 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,480 thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, 340 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:17,320 covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, and evil 341 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:21,920 eye, blasphemy, pride, foolish. You got the run of the gamut in 342 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:24,600 this list. They're all lumped together 343 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:29,960 because together they are sin, and together they represent one 344 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:33,840 large overarching problem, a lack of relationship with the 345 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:39,840 Lord. So before you sit down this 346 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:44,800 afternoon, make your spreadsheet of your personal sins and you 347 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:46,840 begin to number them and graduate them all. 348 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:48,200 That was bad. That wasn't so bad. 349 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:51,760 And you need to realize that we've all failed. 350 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:57,760 We've all fallen, and there's not one of us that's better than 351 00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:06,720 the other when it comes to sin. Not one, the Bible says. 352 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:09,160 And this, this really touches who? 353 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:13,920 Not lightly, but heavily in James 210. 354 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:20,440 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one 355 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:31,040 point, he is guilty of all. If I offend in one point, I'm 356 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:36,360 guilty of all points. Let me put it in these terms. 357 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:49,040 I lied, I'm guilty of murder. If I offend in one point, I'm 358 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:50,880 guilty of all points. How can that be? 359 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:58,880 Because sin is sin. So we're all on the same level 360 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:03,240 at the foot of the cross. We don't have first, second and 361 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:09,280 third place. We're all on level ground at the 362 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:12,640 foot of the cross. Because you know how we stand 363 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:14,280 there? Every single one of us, we all 364 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:18,160 stand guilty there. We all stand guilty there. 365 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:21,240 There is no difference between you and me. 366 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,600 We're guilty. Sinners in need of a Savior, in 367 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:28,280 need of a relationship with God. Amen. 368 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:31,640 Someone say, Amen, not one sin matters more than another 369 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:33,560 matter. It's our relationship to the 370 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:36,200 Lord and our relationship. Amen to His will and His 371 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:37,440 purpose. Amen that matter. 372 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:40,960 And the Bible says we have this great confidence in first John, 373 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:43,920 not Saint John, but first John chapter #1 and verse 9. 374 00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:49,320 It says if we confess our sins notice it doesn't start to tell 375 00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:52,840 us if you confess your bad sins or if you confess your little 376 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:56,360 sins no sins. It's not making any distinction 377 00:23:56,360 --> 00:24:00,040 if you confess your sins. He's Speaking of God is just is 378 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:04,240 faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from 379 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:09,080 all unrighteousness. Hey man, so I'm glad I don't 380 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:11,880 have to figure out this dynamic. Well, if I've done a bad sin, 381 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:14,400 then I confess like this, or if I've done this type of sin, then 382 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,360 I confess like this or find the right combination to be able to 383 00:24:17,360 --> 00:24:19,320 take care of my my sin. Sin is sin. 384 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:22,880 All you got to do is confess that to the Lord and He is 385 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:27,600 faithful and He is just to forgive you of your sin, whether 386 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:29,320 in your mind you. Classify a big. 387 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:31,800 Little somewhere in between. God is faithful and. 388 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:39,800 When you confess, it opens up an Ave. for forgiveness in your 389 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:45,560 life. God, I'm trying to keep track of 390 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:46,600 time. I'm trying to be a good boy 391 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:49,520 today. I know we're on time here. 392 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:57,320 God showed Peter a vision whenever he was praying and, and 393 00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:02,760 Acts chapter #10 and he would be greeted by two men, three men 394 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,480 from the House of Cornelius because Cornelius was interested 395 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,720 in the Word of God and wanted to hear the word before all that 396 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:11,480 ever occurred. Peter Peter was praying and he 397 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:15,720 had a vision of a blanket that descended 3 times with all sorts 398 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:19,400 the Bible says of four footed beast and fowl and such on it. 399 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:23,320 And Peter heard the Lord speak and say rise Peter, slay and 400 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:25,720 eat. And Peter refused. 401 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:30,640 He said Lord I've never eaten anything common or unclean. 402 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:34,960 Look at the Scripture in verse 11 and saw heaven Acts 1011 and 403 00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:40,080 saw heaven open in a certain vessel descending unto him as it 404 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:43,080 had been a great sheet and neat knit at the four corners and let 405 00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:46,640 down to the earth, wherein we're all manner of four footed beasts 406 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:50,000 of the earth and wild beasts and creeping, creeping things and 407 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:51,880 fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him 408 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:55,120 riseth Peter killing me. And Peter said, not so, Lord, 409 00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:57,920 for I've never eaten anything. Look what he says that is common 410 00:25:57,920 --> 00:25:59,240 or unclean. These things that are upon the 411 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:00,960 sheet they're they're calm, they're unclean. 412 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:04,720 And the voice said, spake unto him again the second time and 413 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:07,680 basically told him what God hath cleansed. 414 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:11,880 I like this. That call not that uncommon, 415 00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:14,160 Peter, don't, don't call that. Don't call that common. 416 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:18,160 Don't call that unclean. And this was done thrice. 417 00:26:19,120 --> 00:26:21,600 The Lord's reply was what I've cleansed. 418 00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:27,840 Don't call that common. Don't call that unclean because 419 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:31,800 I've cleansed it. Don't persist in calling it 420 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:33,600 unclean whenever I've cleansed it. 421 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:41,240 Someone say man, The Bible tells us also in first John that it is 422 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:51,120 the blood of Jesus Christ that has cleansed us from all sin. 423 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:55,480 What are you saying? If you come to a relationship 424 00:26:55,480 --> 00:27:01,320 with God today, don't get trapped in holding your past up 425 00:27:01,360 --> 00:27:05,840 so large in a place as though it can't be cleansed. 426 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:10,760 If God has cleansed it, if God has spoken it, if God has 427 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:14,560 forgiven, then. Don't call that thing unclean. 428 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:18,680 That God has said I've cleansed, that I've forgiven, That I've 429 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:22,640 forgotten, that I've don't keep bringing it up. 430 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:26,520 No, no, he says. I've touched, that I've enabled 431 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:28,240 you. I've empowered you. 432 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:34,120 I've forgiven. Amen. 433 00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:38,000 Because the blood of Christ has been placed upon that. 434 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:41,080 The Angel told Mary concerning that child that she would have 435 00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:45,080 Jesus, that he shall save his people from their sins. 436 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:49,120 It didn't specify what sins, it just said their sins. 437 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:55,760 Amen. First Peter 224 the Bible says 438 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:59,600 who and The Who be in reference to this Christ Jesus who his own 439 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:03,760 self bear our sins. Which ones? 440 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:10,480 All of them are sins in His own body on the tree, that we being 441 00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:14,360 dead to sin, should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes 442 00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:17,440 ye were healed. Again, no qualification, no 443 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:21,560 limit was placed on the sins that He bore in His body. 2nd 444 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:26,560 Corinthians 5 verse 21 For he hath made him to be sin. 445 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:33,600 That is all sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the 446 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:41,320 righteousness of God in him. We all have hope here today. 447 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:46,040 Paul said the one that I said that I am that I am the one that 448 00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:48,880 was a persecutor and injuries and all these things Paul said 449 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:53,320 in Galatians 2 here he, he, he founded he, he got this 450 00:28:53,320 --> 00:28:57,360 relationship thing with God. He says I'm crucified with 451 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:01,200 Christ. And I think what's awesome about 452 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:05,360 that, that he talks about it in the present tense, I am 453 00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:08,560 crucified. He doesn't say I was crucified. 454 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:12,320 He says I am crucified with Christ. 455 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:16,280 He told us in Colossians 3. He said to the Church of 456 00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:20,640 Colossians of Colossae, he says for year dead and your life is 457 00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:25,720 hid with Christ in God. This is the reason why Paul 458 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:29,600 could stand in our text and say Amen without any doubt a 459 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:33,680 reservation. I am what I am because he leans 460 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:37,560 upon the fact that I am crucified with Christ. 461 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:42,760 He leans on the fact that I am dead unto sin, but I'm alive 462 00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:45,240 unto God. That's how he could say I am 463 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:48,160 that I am Amen. In other words, Paul was 464 00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:51,720 basically relaying everything that happened to Christ has 465 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:54,240 happened to me. Hey, man, hey man. 466 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:58,160 I have died with him. I've been buried with him. 467 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:00,400 I've raised with him. I'm. 468 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:03,360 Seated with him and in. Him in heavenly places. 469 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:06,000 Amen. Paul says I I've had this 470 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:10,320 experience of Christ so I can say I am that I am everybody 471 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:14,480 doing OK, I'm probably not going to I don't know he's first 472 00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:18,960 Corinthians 15-8. I'll just touch on this. 473 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:20,640 I might not be able to preach everything there is to preach. 474 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:25,600 OK, but notice what Paul says and he says this one's seen 475 00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:28,200 Christ after the resurrected and that one did and this one did. 476 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:31,360 This is just how Paul feels as a human, right? 477 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:34,880 Look in the perspective of his life. 478 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:41,080 And he says, and last of all, he was seen of me also. 479 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:48,440 So he's had problems with this whole categoric thing of sin the 480 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:54,280 way that humans do look in the sin now he's looking at. 481 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:59,000 But last of all, you know what Paul's saying. 482 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:05,280 Some of these seen him quite soon after his resurrection. 483 00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:11,720 I was too busy still persecuting the church, too busy doing this, 484 00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:14,840 too busy with no relationship, if you will, broken 485 00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:17,720 relationship, not pure relationship with God. 486 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:20,040 So he said I was the last of all. 487 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:23,440 You know what Paul's dealing with, He's dealing with what we 488 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:28,080 deal with sometimes. And that is but moaning that you 489 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:31,200 know what, I started this life for God late. 490 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:36,280 I've wasted some time in my life. 491 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:44,520 I've wasted some time I regret to not have done something 492 00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:48,480 sooner. Listen to me folks, you come to 493 00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:52,680 know the Lord you now on this side of the cross and what the 494 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:55,080 Lord has done for you might look back on your past, said man, 495 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:57,760 man, I regret all the time that I wasted. 496 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:02,680 But if you get in that type of mindset and mode of always just 497 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:06,360 regretting of the time you wasted, you're wasting time in 498 00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:09,760 your present on thinking about having wasted time. 499 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:19,040 I can't go back and undo the past or the time loss. 500 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:24,440 But I can't apply myself today. I can't apply myself now. 501 00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:27,640 Hey, man, if I can't. And Paul, I believe he's 502 00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:31,480 endeavored to do so for the quote UN quote mistime and 503 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:32,840 missed opportunities that he had. 504 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:36,000 You know what he said? He says I labor now more 505 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:39,560 vehemently, more strongly now than a lot of other people 506 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:43,200 because I realize, yeah, it seems like I started late, but 507 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:45,480 I'm not going to let my mind be consumed with that. 508 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:47,840 I'm going to do everything that I can do. 509 00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:50,840 Right now I want to do everything I can do in. 510 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:53,840 This moment, don't bemoan. Where you were? 511 00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:57,840 Look at where you are and get your hands in the harvest. 512 00:32:58,080 --> 00:32:59,960 Get your hands busy. You. 513 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:02,240 You. Could do for something for God 514 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:09,240 right now. Paul says I I was late coming to 515 00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:11,840 the game. Last of all, it was seen to me. 516 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:14,840 He's saying this regrettedly. Hey, man, he says. 517 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:17,480 But I'm going to labor more abundantly. 518 00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:20,560 I didn't see the Lord when he was first resurrected. 519 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:22,880 I was too busy doing other things. 520 00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:25,360 I was the very, it seemed he. Says I was the last. 521 00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:32,440 One right on that road to Damascus in Acts 9, he's seen a 522 00:33:32,440 --> 00:33:36,480 light suddenly from heaven. Later, whenever Barnabas was 523 00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:39,560 even telling the story to the other disciples, he stated it 524 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:42,480 plainly that Paul had seen the Lord. 525 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:48,640 Paul had seen the Lord. Paul says I was the last to see 526 00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:51,840 him. And note what he says, though as 527 00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:58,120 one born out of due time. He's not Speaking of his natural 528 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:03,040 birth, he's Speaking of his spiritual birth. 529 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:08,400 When I came to God, it just seems untimely that I would have 530 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:11,960 wasted. Oh, bad time. 531 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:16,360 They heard Jesus's teachings, they walked with him and his 532 00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:18,920 earthly ministry. They were present on the 533 00:34:18,920 --> 00:34:20,800 outskirts as he was being crucified. 534 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:22,840 They they seen where his tomb was. 535 00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:26,120 They witness all these things he did 40 days after he was 536 00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:30,320 resurrected and they were there for his ascension but not me. 537 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:37,440 I'm too busy sowing my oats. I had an opportunity about 538 00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:41,719 escorned it. He even says in Acts 26 and 9. 539 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:45,120 He said I thought to do many things contrary to the name of 540 00:34:45,239 --> 00:34:51,480 Jesus. I thought Sheila number one, I 541 00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:53,440 got some really bad sins. This is the apostle Paul 542 00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:57,600 talking. I got some bad sins and boy, I 543 00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:02,120 started late in the game. But it's in our text that he 544 00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:10,640 realizes again, I am what right now, today I am because of His 545 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:12,520 mercy, because of His grace, because of these things. 546 00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:15,520 He didn't look back. He looks where He is right now 547 00:35:16,240 --> 00:35:20,400 because I am what I am. What I can state now is that I 548 00:35:20,440 --> 00:35:30,640 am healed, I am restored, I am forgiven, I am reconciled, I am 549 00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:33,760 adopted. I am his. 550 00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:37,040 Folks, you need to remind. When the enemy reminds you who 551 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:41,800 you were, you need to remind him who you are, who you are, who 552 00:35:41,800 --> 00:35:48,000 you. Here's the fact of the matter, 553 00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:50,000 folks. In the book of Matthew, it's in 554 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:51,040 the 20s. I don't remember. 555 00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:53,720 It might be chapter 20, but it's in the 20s. 556 00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:58,520 There's a parable of a man that he goes out to get laborers for 557 00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:00,600 his vineyard. He goes early in the morning, he 558 00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:03,600 gets laborers, they come in. He goes out another hour, finds 559 00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:06,320 laborers, bring them in. Finally at the 11th hour toward 560 00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:08,640 the close there he's going out getting laborers and he has them 561 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:13,200 all come in. The Bible says as as this pay 562 00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:14,840 starts to come at the end of the day. 563 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:16,400 He agreed with the ones that first come. 564 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:17,760 He said, you work for a penny day. 565 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:20,440 Yeah, yeah, absolutely. They start going forth. 566 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:27,360 Those who had been there early in the day got the same reward 567 00:36:28,160 --> 00:36:29,720 for those that started late in the day. 568 00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:37,360 What are you saying, right? Try some of their regretting 569 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:42,320 that we didn't start sooner. But the fact is, whether you 570 00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:49,000 start early or you come at the 11th hour, the reward, the 571 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:55,920 reward, Hallelujah. The reward is the same, it's not 572 00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:57,800 on. Judgment day that there's going. 573 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,880 To be a different heaven that God's going to allow me into 574 00:37:01,280 --> 00:37:03,840 rather than reason to come in because he just came in the 575 00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:04,880 past. Few years, no. 576 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:07,640 No, the reward the same. Streets of. 577 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:12,240 Gold, the same gates of Pearl, the same 12 foundations, the 578 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:17,280 same land of no more tears, no more sorrow, no more pain. 579 00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:20,440 It doesn't matter if you start early or you come in. 580 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:29,840 Lay the reward. I am what I am, Paul. 581 00:37:29,840 --> 00:37:37,840 Let's clap our hands. Right now, to God, Hallelujah. 582 00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:40,640 Come on, somebody you can stand today. 583 00:37:40,880 --> 00:37:43,120 Don't let your passion intimidate you. 584 00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:45,640 Don't let yesteryear intimidate you. 585 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:55,080 I am what I am. Staying with me all across this 586 00:37:55,080 --> 00:38:07,440 place. I know our ideas folks, right? 587 00:38:07,440 --> 00:38:11,760 You can't get time back, right? That's what they say, can't get 588 00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:16,200 time back. But you know what's so amazing 589 00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:21,440 to me in the book of Joe chapter #2 when they talk about this 590 00:38:21,440 --> 00:38:24,200 locust at different stage of Palmer worm and cankerworm and 591 00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:27,920 stuff, and came and devastated the land and took it all. 592 00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:31,320 God's promise to the children of Israel was this. 593 00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:33,320 He said, I will restore to you the years. 594 00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:34,160 Yes, come on, come on, yes, come on. 595 00:38:40,520 --> 00:38:44,120 Here's what I know about my God, Jeanette. 596 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:48,640 Seven years, the length of time that the locust just totally 597 00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:52,240 overpowered the land, prevented harvest and fruit. 598 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:56,080 He says I'll restore the years that they took. 599 00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:04,360 Here's what I know about my God. He can make a single season's 600 00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:11,880 harvest be sufficient and equal to the years of harvest. 601 00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:19,360 That's your loss, my God. If you didn't get 3 years of 602 00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:23,160 harvest. My God transcends time. 603 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:26,160 He. Don't have to have three years 604 00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:31,080 to get back what you lost. He can do it in a moment. 605 00:39:31,280 --> 00:39:37,960 He Joseph's been in the pit, Joseph's been in prison, 606 00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:41,480 Joseph's been separated. But it would seem like in one 607 00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:46,560 day God exalted him to be second in command over Pharaoh's house. 608 00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:56,840 God can do in the moment. Yes, there's more preaching 609 00:39:56,840 --> 00:39:57,960 there, but not time to preach it. 610 00:39:59,920 --> 00:40:02,000 The preacher never finishes. He always quits. 611 00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:10,360 But this morning, what I want to convey is we're all in the same 612 00:40:10,360 --> 00:40:15,040 boat today for you to look over your shoulders that you're 613 00:40:15,040 --> 00:40:17,760 seeing and begin to try to place it in different categories. 614 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:23,400 We've all done it. But since then, if you look over 615 00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:26,400 your shoulders and have regrets, man, I wish I'd started earlier. 616 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:31,640 We've all done it. You need to look today and see 617 00:40:32,120 --> 00:40:39,080 and just admit that I am what I am present. 618 00:40:39,840 --> 00:40:44,040 You need to concentrate on the present because God's doing 619 00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:49,000 something in some of y'all's lives right here in the present. 620 00:40:50,600 --> 00:40:54,040 And it would be a ploy of your adversary to cause you to look 621 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:58,120 back on your past with all this regret and miss what He's doing. 622 00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:04,880 Right now. And I stand here and I'm boldly 623 00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:07,920 confident today. It's not just what God is doing 624 00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:10,800 right now, but he's got a future for you. 625 00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:21,840 He's got a future for you. You know what you need to do, 626 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:23,920 You need to do. Like the apostle Paul finally 627 00:41:23,920 --> 00:41:27,520 came to the place of exclaiming. He said, I count in Philippians 628 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:29,040 4. I believe he says. 629 00:41:29,040 --> 00:41:33,360 I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing 630 00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:37,040 I do forgetting. Those. 631 00:41:37,040 --> 00:41:44,040 Things that are behind and pressing toward what he say. 632 00:41:44,040 --> 00:41:46,040 He said. I pressed toward the mark. 633 00:41:47,680 --> 00:41:51,960 Of the high calling of God. Which is in Christ Jesus. 634 00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:55,600 That's there, but I'm not holding on to that. 635 00:41:56,240 --> 00:41:59,160 That's there, but that's not going to dictate and guide my 636 00:41:59,160 --> 00:42:01,520 life. I'm living for the now and I'm 637 00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:04,440 living for where He's taking me. I'm living for where we're 638 00:42:04,440 --> 00:42:07,360 going. I am that I am. 639 00:42:15,280 --> 00:42:18,160 We have a, we have a baby dedication, but we have enough 640 00:42:18,160 --> 00:42:19,880 time for an altar call. I'll tell you that right now. 641 00:42:24,600 --> 00:42:30,880 There's nothing wrong with being honest with God, You hear me? 642 00:42:31,320 --> 00:42:34,120 There's nothing wrong. Nothing wrong, Sister honey. 643 00:42:34,320 --> 00:42:35,560 Letting God know. Yeah. 644 00:42:35,600 --> 00:42:37,080 God, I've been categorizing everything. 645 00:42:38,200 --> 00:42:39,440 Y'all? God, I've been bemoaning all 646 00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:41,920 these. There's nothing wrong, folks. 647 00:42:41,920 --> 00:42:44,680 There's Sometimes I've been so honest with God, looking back, 648 00:42:44,680 --> 00:42:46,640 and I've almost been embarrassed about how honest I've been with 649 00:42:46,640 --> 00:42:49,520 God. Sometimes I've been mad. 650 00:42:51,120 --> 00:42:53,800 I've shaken my fists. String to the heavens. 651 00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:56,200 You've been in this church sometimes when it's just been me 652 00:42:56,200 --> 00:42:58,960 and God, you probably think, Oh my goodness, who is he talking 653 00:42:58,960 --> 00:43:06,520 to like that? But God, I think it was Joe said 654 00:43:06,720 --> 00:43:09,320 Joe, He said God remembers that we're but dust. 655 00:43:13,240 --> 00:43:18,680 So I'm asking you today, all you glorified dust balls, you can 656 00:43:18,680 --> 00:43:20,640 come in the presence of holy God this morning. 657 00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:24,400 You can come to this altar and say God, I've allowed the past 658 00:43:24,400 --> 00:43:26,920 has really been really been overshadowing me right now 659 00:43:27,560 --> 00:43:31,160 really been messing with me. I want you to come forward 660 00:43:31,160 --> 00:43:33,040 though, with on your lips the present. 661 00:43:33,320 --> 00:43:37,320 I want you to begin to to exclaim and and speak in this 662 00:43:37,320 --> 00:43:42,760 place today. I am what I am. 663 00:43:43,200 --> 00:43:45,240 These halters are open. It'd be good as many of us as 664 00:43:45,240 --> 00:43:47,960 could, and so many of I know there's only so many of us that 665 00:43:47,960 --> 00:43:50,760 can fit here, but as many of us that could could gather in 666 00:43:50,760 --> 00:43:52,960 today. And we need to let the Lord 667 00:43:52,960 --> 00:43:56,760 know, and we need to let the adversary of our soul know. 668 00:43:56,960 --> 00:44:01,480 With this explanation, I am what I am. 669 00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:03,480 I'm speaking in the present tense. 670 00:44:03,520 --> 00:44:06,600 I am what I am. God has enabled that. 671 00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:10,960 His mercy has underwrote that His love has drawn me to this 672 00:44:10,960 --> 00:44:15,080 place. I am what I am today. 673 00:44:16,520 --> 00:44:19,440 Hallelujah. I'm not going to be who I used 674 00:44:19,440 --> 00:44:21,160 to be going to. Dictate you. 675 00:44:21,200 --> 00:44:24,000 I know I. Am what I am because of him. 676 00:44:24,480 --> 00:44:26,400 Hallelujah. Come on, talk to God. 677 00:44:26,680 --> 00:44:29,920 He loves to hear your prayer. He loves to hear your prayer. 678 00:44:29,920 --> 00:44:32,720 He's not wearied with your. Voice, he's not. 679 00:44:32,720 --> 00:44:37,280 Wearied with your trouble, God? Is interested in you today. 680 00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:41,200 He'll enable. He'll empower.