1 00:00:00,900 --> 00:00:02,500 It's great to see everyone that's here tonight. 2 00:00:02,500 --> 00:00:04,900 I'm glad to be here. I consider it a privilege to 3 00:00:04,900 --> 00:00:08,400 stand before you as I have the throughout this short series of 4 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:11,300 gospel meetings. And tonight, I'm excited about 5 00:00:11,300 --> 00:00:14,000 what I'm going to preach to you. I'm excited because it's a 6 00:00:14,008 --> 00:00:16,200 message from Jesus. If you're visiting with us, I 7 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,100 invite you to turn in the gospel of Matthew. 8 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:22,100 This inspired man wrote this down for us. 9 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:27,000 The Bible says, beginning in verse one, at that time, the 10 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:31,900 disciples came to Jesus saying, who then is the greatest in the 11 00:00:31,900 --> 00:00:35,300 Kingdom of Heaven. Now, that's a big deal. 12 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:39,000 Who is the greatest? We all want to be the greatest 13 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:41,500 that we sing songs. People have songs about the 14 00:00:41,500 --> 00:00:43,800 greatest. We like to think about our stars 15 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,400 and stripes and 50 stars are, maybe 51 now that they like to 16 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:49,600 fly. But 50 stripes are 50. 17 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:53,700 Stars represent a great nation, a powerful Nation. 18 00:00:53,700 --> 00:00:58,300 The greatest army in the world people would like to say So, who 19 00:00:58,300 --> 00:01:01,500 is the greatest? Do you ever wonder whether or 20 00:01:01,508 --> 00:01:02,600 not? You're great. 21 00:01:03,100 --> 00:01:05,700 Not if your mom or your grandma says, you're great. 22 00:01:05,700 --> 00:01:09,300 That's a given take that out. I'm talking about when you look 23 00:01:09,300 --> 00:01:11,500 in the mirror and you think about your life? 24 00:01:11,500 --> 00:01:14,500 And you look at yourself and say am I really great? 25 00:01:15,900 --> 00:01:17,900 I'm not just talking about being great at a job. 26 00:01:17,900 --> 00:01:20,700 Lots of people can be great at making money, but they're not 27 00:01:20,700 --> 00:01:24,100 great in life. I'm talking about being great in 28 00:01:24,100 --> 00:01:29,500 the epitome of the word, a great human being a person that God 29 00:01:29,500 --> 00:01:31,900 would look down on and say this is great. 30 00:01:31,900 --> 00:01:35,600 That's exactly what they did. They got an answer from God, the 31 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:39,100 son. Rarely, do you have an 32 00:01:39,100 --> 00:01:42,300 opportunity? Rarely, would you ever have the 33 00:01:42,300 --> 00:01:46,000 opportunity to have such a conversation and yet Jesus gave 34 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:48,300 it to us. Who is the greatest? 35 00:01:48,300 --> 00:01:52,500 They said, and Jesus called a little child to them, verse to a 36 00:01:52,500 --> 00:01:55,800 little child to him, set him in the midst of them. 37 00:01:55,800 --> 00:02:02,400 And said, assuredly I say to you unless you are converted and 38 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:06,900 become as Little Children, You Will by no means enter the 39 00:02:06,900 --> 00:02:10,800 kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles 40 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:16,600 himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of 41 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,000 heaven. And whoever receives one little 42 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,800 child like this, in my name, receives me. 43 00:02:25,300 --> 00:02:28,600 Now you think Jesus doesn't care about children? 44 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:31,700 And I believe spiritual children to hear. 45 00:02:32,700 --> 00:02:38,300 Verse 6 says, but whoever causes one of these little ones who 46 00:02:38,300 --> 00:02:43,400 believe in me to sin. It would be better for him if a 47 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:47,400 millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the 48 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:52,900 depth of the sea, woe to the world because of offenses for 49 00:02:52,900 --> 00:02:57,000 offenses, must come, but woe to that, man, by whom the offense 50 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,100 has come. I worry about people who don't 51 00:03:00,100 --> 00:03:05,500 like little children. Jesus upon this occasion used a 52 00:03:05,500 --> 00:03:11,000 little child to draw a wonderful, big, spiritual 53 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:15,100 principle. And tonight I want to talk to 54 00:03:15,100 --> 00:03:19,300 you about becoming like a child. And there will be a clear 55 00:03:19,300 --> 00:03:21,200 distinction in what I have to say tonight, there is a 56 00:03:21,208 --> 00:03:25,200 difference between being child ish and like a child. 57 00:03:26,500 --> 00:03:27,900 And we have to make that distinction. 58 00:03:29,300 --> 00:03:32,600 Becoming a child of God. Almighty is a big deal. 59 00:03:33,500 --> 00:03:38,200 It involves our choice. Becoming a spiritual child 60 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:42,000 involves our choice. I did not decide who my physical 61 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,800 parents were. They are Jimmy and Cindy's Smith 62 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:46,700 that DNA. Don't Lie. 63 00:03:46,700 --> 00:03:49,200 The lungs are there? The look is there. 64 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:53,800 It just is there but I have a choice as to whether or not I 65 00:03:53,808 --> 00:03:57,500 will make God Almighty my spiritual father. 66 00:03:57,500 --> 00:04:01,300 I love prayers is our brother prayed where we address Our 67 00:04:01,300 --> 00:04:07,400 Father in Heaven as almighty God because literally It is a great 68 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,500 thing to think of your father, as the greatest. 69 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:16,300 The greatest. You last night on the way home. 70 00:04:16,300 --> 00:04:18,000 Frankie. And I were talking about family, 71 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,600 we're talking about love language, and he gave me the 72 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:23,100 distinct privilege of listening to a birthday. 73 00:04:23,100 --> 00:04:25,800 Present, his 40th birthday present from his kids. 74 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:29,100 It's one of the sweetest things I've ever heard. 75 00:04:30,700 --> 00:04:33,800 And I want to tell you and when I think about what it means to 76 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:36,200 be a good dad, when I think about what it means to be a good 77 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:40,100 father, I see a lot of men here that have been some really great 78 00:04:40,100 --> 00:04:48,300 dads. you know, a lot of that sometimes is subjective We have 79 00:04:48,300 --> 00:04:54,200 the greatest father on the top side of this Earth as we often 80 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:56,300 say, but that didn't really catch. 81 00:04:56,300 --> 00:04:59,400 It does it? We have the greatest opportunity 82 00:04:59,700 --> 00:05:02,400 to have a relationship with almighty. 83 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:05,400 God, literally to make him our father. 84 00:05:06,300 --> 00:05:08,600 We created in His image as human beings. 85 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:13,300 But what he allows us to do is to have a spiritual a real 86 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:18,500 relationship where somebody like me that had a problem with a 87 00:05:18,500 --> 00:05:22,100 three-letter word of sin can have a relationship with someone 88 00:05:22,100 --> 00:05:25,200 that is infinitely, good and pure and holy. 89 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:29,200 And someone that literally poured out, the very Express 90 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:34,700 reflection of his love, when he had to make a choice about what 91 00:05:34,700 --> 00:05:37,100 to do with me. And in order to make that 92 00:05:37,100 --> 00:05:40,500 choice, it required him to shed the blood of Jesus. 93 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,200 Your father may have given up a lot for you. 94 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:50,300 I heard the little squeaky voices of Taylor and Tanner as 95 00:05:50,300 --> 00:05:52,800 they said, Dad, I think you're the greatest. 96 00:05:53,300 --> 00:05:55,000 Those are some of the sweetest words. 97 00:05:56,500 --> 00:06:00,700 I have pictures of my wallet now and I hope and I pray and I beg 98 00:06:00,700 --> 00:06:03,700 God, for two healthy babies and I hope that they will utter 99 00:06:03,700 --> 00:06:08,100 those words. I pray that. 100 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:10,400 But I want to tell you something. 101 00:06:10,900 --> 00:06:14,900 When you approach, God, and when you deal with the reality, that 102 00:06:14,900 --> 00:06:19,800 God is who he said he was, he is real, he is a real being he 103 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:23,000 created this world, he is the star breather. 104 00:06:24,100 --> 00:06:28,200 We're in a little cul-de-sac in this little Milky Way. 105 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:33,300 Galaxy and he created all that is seen to get my attention and 106 00:06:33,300 --> 00:06:37,700 to get your attention and you're nothing but a speck of dust. 107 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,800 This Earth is nothing, but a speck of dust in the great 108 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:46,900 telescopes that magnify all of this wonderful universe and 109 00:06:46,900 --> 00:06:50,000 those things were breathe out of his mouth. 110 00:06:51,700 --> 00:06:55,600 And when he saw a need in me and a need in you and a need and 111 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:58,800 every man on the face of the Earth, he allowed his only 112 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:04,300 begotten son to walk down the stair, e, The Starry staircase 113 00:07:04,300 --> 00:07:08,000 of Heaven. And die, a cruel and awful death 114 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:12,400 for us. And so, when I say that it 115 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:18,200 involves a choice, it involves me making a choice as to whether 116 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:20,600 or not. I want to be a child of God. 117 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,600 Yeah, I can say that. And it's true. 118 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:27,500 But it is a no brainer. It's a no-brainer. 119 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:34,400 Are absolutely shutter sometimes thinking about people's lives 120 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:36,200 and what must be going through their head. 121 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:40,400 When I know, they know and they say I'm not interested in God. 122 00:07:40,500 --> 00:07:42,300 I'm not interested in anything to do with God. 123 00:07:42,300 --> 00:07:46,500 We talk to a guy yesterday that has some serious physical 124 00:07:46,500 --> 00:07:52,400 problems. Nice guy greeted both Frank it 125 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:56,200 just nice. But when you invite somebody, 126 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:58,000 what do you do? You have a relationship with 127 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:00,300 God? He says you know I'm not really, 128 00:08:00,300 --> 00:08:02,500 I'm not really, I'm not really into that. 129 00:08:02,500 --> 00:08:04,400 I said what do you mean? You're not into that? 130 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:07,700 He was a very nice guy, just had a conversation with him. 131 00:08:07,900 --> 00:08:08,900 What do you mean? You're not into? 132 00:08:08,900 --> 00:08:10,900 They say you know, I just never been into that. 133 00:08:11,700 --> 00:08:14,200 I don't know. I can't explain it, I'm just not 134 00:08:15,300 --> 00:08:17,400 Well, I want to tell you, I don't know. 135 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:21,000 It was a great way to explain that because I can't imagine it 136 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:25,200 literally violates my mindset almost to conceive of the 137 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:29,400 privilege and the honor of being a child of God and then know 138 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:33,000 that it's an invitation to everybody. 139 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:36,799 And then someone say, I'm just not that into that. 140 00:08:39,500 --> 00:08:44,000 I'm just not that into that. Becoming a child of God involves 141 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:48,300 my choice. It involves my choice of saying, 142 00:08:48,300 --> 00:08:51,700 yes, to the great Almighty creator of the universe. 143 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:55,900 Who made a way for me to have a relationship with him? 144 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:01,300 In John 1 verse 12, notice what the Bible says, but as many as 145 00:09:01,300 --> 00:09:05,300 received him to them, he gave the right to become children of 146 00:09:05,300 --> 00:09:07,400 God. Who did they have to receive? 147 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:10,200 Who are they going to have to receive, who's everyone going to 148 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:12,000 have to receive? They're going to have to receive 149 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:17,000 Jesus Christ. There is no salvation in any 150 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:20,600 other. Acts 4:12 says there is no other 151 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:24,300 name given among men whereby we must be saved. 152 00:09:24,300 --> 00:09:27,700 So if I'm to be a child of God and it absolutely must be 153 00:09:27,700 --> 00:09:29,800 through Jesus Jesus clarified it. 154 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:33,400 When he said I am the way, the truth and the life. 155 00:09:33,500 --> 00:09:42,700 No man cometh unto the father. But by me That's a big deal. 156 00:09:44,100 --> 00:09:47,000 That's a big deal. He went on to say, who were born 157 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:51,500 not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of 158 00:09:51,500 --> 00:09:53,200 man. But of God. 159 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:55,200 Now I want to trace this really quickly. 160 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:00,100 I am not in the physical bloodline today. 161 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:05,100 I'm not a Jew back way back there in Genesis chapter 12, 162 00:10:05,100 --> 00:10:09,900 about chapter 17 and 18, a few other places, God bless this guy 163 00:10:10,100 --> 00:10:13,100 named Abraham and he told Abraham. 164 00:10:13,100 --> 00:10:18,400 Hey, I'm going to bless you and out of your seat out of your 165 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,900 bloodline, all the nations of the Earth are going to be 166 00:10:21,900 --> 00:10:26,800 blessed through you. That's a big deal. 167 00:10:27,700 --> 00:10:30,200 And I'm going to come back to how this relates to it. 168 00:10:30,900 --> 00:10:36,500 How this is involved in it. He said though, we are born not 169 00:10:37,300 --> 00:10:40,700 of the will of the flesh. We are not born of physical 170 00:10:40,700 --> 00:10:43,500 blood lines. Per se were born of spiritual 171 00:10:43,500 --> 00:10:47,100 Bloodlines so you can imagine as we get closer to this passage 172 00:10:47,100 --> 00:10:50,600 how it is that the blood of Jesus Christ, relates to me 173 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:55,900 being a child. And I intend to tie that in I 174 00:10:55,908 --> 00:10:59,200 want to invite your attention to John chapter 3 in John chapter 175 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:01,100 3. There's a great case this guy 176 00:11:01,100 --> 00:11:05,700 named Nicodemus. Now some people, some people 177 00:11:05,700 --> 00:11:08,900 don't think this guy was scared, but here's what the Bible says, 178 00:11:09,100 --> 00:11:12,500 there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the 179 00:11:12,500 --> 00:11:14,700 Jews. Now, what you need to know about 180 00:11:14,700 --> 00:11:17,800 the Jews, give you some cliff notes of what's going on in the 181 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:19,700 Bible. Here, the Jews were not 182 00:11:19,700 --> 00:11:23,400 particularly crazy about Jesus. He stole their Thunder. 183 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,000 They got real upset about it. They were just Plus, they were 184 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:29,300 envious and they ended up delivering him to pilate to kill 185 00:11:29,300 --> 00:11:33,600 him because they were envious. Have you ever heard the term 186 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:38,300 Green With Envy? They were Green With Envy, they 187 00:11:38,300 --> 00:11:42,000 hated him and that's in that internal sin had. 188 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:45,500 So captured, their mind, they threw off all the Miracles. 189 00:11:45,500 --> 00:11:48,900 They did not even regard the reality that he could raise the 190 00:11:48,900 --> 00:11:52,600 dead, they just hated his guts. So dick, adiemus comes and says 191 00:11:54,300 --> 00:11:57,500 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him. 192 00:11:57,900 --> 00:12:04,500 Rabbi we know you are a teacher. Come from God for no one. 193 00:12:04,500 --> 00:12:09,300 Can do these signs or Miracles that you do unless God is with 194 00:12:09,300 --> 00:12:11,400 him. And let me just make a little 195 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:14,800 aside here and I'll challenge you to this. 196 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:22,100 You may think that those guys on TV, n are performing miracles on 197 00:12:22,100 --> 00:12:26,600 stages across the country. If you believe that you've been 198 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:29,800 deceived, I'm here to tell you tonight, I'll Stand in 2010 and 199 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:32,500 tell you you've been deceived. You believe the one of the 200 00:12:32,500 --> 00:12:35,600 greatest lies and one of the greatest facades on the face of 201 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:42,200 the Earth. let me tell you about a miracle, a miracle was when 202 00:12:42,700 --> 00:12:49,200 you literally had instantaneous healing Instantaneous. 203 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:54,100 You would go in and someone had never walked before. 204 00:12:54,100 --> 00:12:56,300 They literally had never taken steps. 205 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:58,700 Have you ever seen Benny Hinn? Do that? 206 00:13:01,300 --> 00:13:05,100 When I watch these guys on TV, they'll go up and in some great 207 00:13:05,100 --> 00:13:08,500 spectacle, hit people on the forehead and they fall back in 208 00:13:08,500 --> 00:13:11,200 some form of ecstasy. And let me tell you, the 209 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:14,000 difference in that the difference in that. 210 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,000 And what Jesus did is when people when Jesus touched 211 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:21,200 people, they stood up, They didn't fall down. 212 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:27,400 That right there is a huge deal. That's a big deal. 213 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,900 Jesus could raise the dead if you ever seen anybody, empty out 214 00:13:30,900 --> 00:13:34,900 some graveyards. If you could start with Paul 215 00:13:34,900 --> 00:13:39,700 supposed gray, please. Raise people from the dead. 216 00:13:39,700 --> 00:13:43,500 That's what Jesus would do. Have you ever seen them cure 217 00:13:43,500 --> 00:13:47,700 some inexplicable disease? Know, you'll find let me tell 218 00:13:47,700 --> 00:13:51,400 you something, these great shows like Dateline who catch more 219 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:55,800 than predators and MSNBC and all these guys will do shows and 220 00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:59,100 they send people undercover and you come in and you act like 221 00:13:59,300 --> 00:14:02,300 you're down and out and everything else and you're 222 00:14:02,300 --> 00:14:04,500 hobbling, I need some help. I need him to heal him, guess 223 00:14:04,500 --> 00:14:06,500 what? They won't deal with you. 224 00:14:07,500 --> 00:14:10,700 You can get on YouTube tonight and you can find people right 225 00:14:10,700 --> 00:14:12,000 now. I'll tell you this right now. 226 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:16,400 You can find a clip on there where a man is acting like the 227 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:20,200 Lord's revealing to me that God said to say to you and there is 228 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:23,600 an earpiece in his mouth and it got caught over radio channel 229 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:26,400 and they recorded it and they expose the man and it shut his 230 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:31,900 church down. When Nicodemus said we know, 231 00:14:31,900 --> 00:14:34,000 Thou Art the ruler come from God. 232 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:37,600 He knew without it beyond a shadow of any doubt, these 233 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:39,200 things were not done in the corner. 234 00:14:39,300 --> 00:14:42,200 Jesus did not play favorites. He went in every city and 235 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:45,500 Village healed people that had problems that no one else has 236 00:14:45,500 --> 00:14:47,800 been able to heal. Doctors had worked on them for 237 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:50,200 years. A woman with an issue of blood 238 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:54,600 for years. He healed But it been mutilated 239 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:58,000 by doctors, literally, and the great physician in the form of 240 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:02,200 Jesus comes, she touches his garments made whole Nicodemus 241 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:03,600 new this. Now let's move on. 242 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,700 Jesus answered and said to him, most assuredly, I say to you. 243 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:13,200 Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 244 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:20,100 He can't see the kingdom of God. Well, Nicodemus was no man's 245 00:15:20,100 --> 00:15:21,700 fool. How's that going to happen? 246 00:15:22,100 --> 00:15:25,000 He knew the natural order of reproduction. 247 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,700 How's a person? Going to be born again. 248 00:15:27,700 --> 00:15:31,300 Notice what he says, Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be 249 00:15:31,300 --> 00:15:35,900 born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into 250 00:15:35,900 --> 00:15:41,100 his mother's womb and be born? So Jesus clarified it and so he 251 00:15:41,100 --> 00:15:48,000 said in verse 5 most assuredly I say to you unless one is born of 252 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:51,000 water. And of the spirit, he cannot 253 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:56,300 enter the kingdom of God water, and of the spirit. 254 00:15:56,900 --> 00:16:01,100 So if I'm to become a child of God and it's through Jesus, I 255 00:16:01,100 --> 00:16:07,200 have to be born again. And Jesus said, I have to do it 256 00:16:07,700 --> 00:16:11,400 by water and the spirit, now, what does that sound like to 257 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:15,200 you? Give an example go into all the 258 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:18,000 world preach the gospel to every creature? 259 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:28,200 He who believes and is baptized, what is baptism? 260 00:16:28,300 --> 00:16:31,400 It's in water. It's a burial, he who believes 261 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:40,900 and is baptized shall be saved. So, I know Jesus said, I've got 262 00:16:40,900 --> 00:16:43,900 to be born of water and of the spirit, but yet Jesus gave the 263 00:16:43,900 --> 00:16:48,000 marching orders of go and preach faith and preach, baptism those 264 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:53,600 who believe and are baptized, that's in water are saved. 265 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:58,800 And Jesus told Nicodemus, that's what has to happen in order for 266 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:03,000 you to see the kingdom of God. God wanted us to find out about 267 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:06,700 the New Birth through his word, the gospel, it's good news. 268 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:10,099 You've got to find out about it Nicodemus, wanted to find out 269 00:17:10,099 --> 00:17:12,099 about it, so he came and asked about it. 270 00:17:12,099 --> 00:17:15,200 And so tonight, if you wanted to know how to be a child of God, 271 00:17:15,300 --> 00:17:17,700 this is where it's at. It's in the word of God. 272 00:17:17,700 --> 00:17:20,400 It's not my plan. It's no other man's plan. 273 00:17:20,500 --> 00:17:23,599 It is God's plan. In First Peter chapter 1 and 274 00:17:23,599 --> 00:17:29,800 verse 22. wrote this, since you have purified, your souls Since 275 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:34,400 you have purified your souls, he said in obeying the truth 276 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:37,700 through the spirit in sincere. Love of the Brethren. 277 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:39,400 Love one. Another fervently with a pure 278 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:46,700 Harper's 23 having been born again not of corruptible seed 279 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:52,200 but Incorruptible through the word of God which lives and 280 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:58,800 abides forever. Now, The Incorruptible word not 281 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:02,000 corruptible seed. It'll die. 282 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,000 It'll Fade Away Incorruptible seed. 283 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:07,600 When Jesus gave his great parable of the soils. 284 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:11,000 He talked about the Wayside, the rocky, the thorny, and the good 285 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,100 Grant. And he said, the seed is the 286 00:18:13,100 --> 00:18:16,000 word of God. Peter said, the seed, the word 287 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,800 of God is Incorruptible. And when you obey it, you purify 288 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:22,900 your souls. Now, that gives me some insight 289 00:18:22,900 --> 00:18:26,000 into what James said, he said receive with meekness the 290 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,200 engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 291 00:18:29,300 --> 00:18:34,500 Now, the actual Edwards itself. Is that what you're saying? 292 00:18:34,500 --> 00:18:37,600 Preacher? I'm talking about the 293 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:42,100 outpouring, the Revelation, the will of the Father in heaven. 294 00:18:42,100 --> 00:18:46,000 And When God says your savior saved, if I tell you, you're 295 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:47,700 safe, that doesn't mean anything. 296 00:18:47,700 --> 00:18:51,200 If God tells you you're saved, let me tell you, you're saved. 297 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:56,000 That's where the powers that. When Paul said I'm not ashamed 298 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:59,600 of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God and the 299 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,600 Salvation. It was not in Paul to save it 300 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:05,300 was in the message of the death burial and resurrection of 301 00:19:05,300 --> 00:19:08,900 Jesus. And I want to ask you tonight. 302 00:19:08,900 --> 00:19:12,000 If you read your Bible, have you ever heard the word of God, 303 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:14,500 preached that if you over obeyed, what you read in the 304 00:19:14,500 --> 00:19:16,700 Bible? Lots of men will tell you, lots 305 00:19:16,700 --> 00:19:18,600 of different things. I think we've already 306 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:22,000 established, Liars are present in religion tonight. 307 00:19:23,100 --> 00:19:25,500 But there is only one standard of truth that will make you 308 00:19:25,500 --> 00:19:28,100 free, as Jesus said, in John, 18, verse 32. 309 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:33,800 If we accept the word of God, we're privileged to be the child 310 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:37,600 of God, I promise to come back to this illustration of Abraham. 311 00:19:38,300 --> 00:19:39,600 And I'm going to do that right now. 312 00:19:39,700 --> 00:19:41,200 If you have your Bibles, please open. 313 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:45,300 This is a great passage. It's in Galatians, chapter 3, in 314 00:19:45,300 --> 00:19:49,900 Galatians Chapter 3, The Apostle Paul was helping these Gentiles 315 00:19:49,900 --> 00:19:53,700 realize who they were and what they were in Christ. 316 00:19:54,300 --> 00:19:59,400 And so he says this in verse 26, For you are all sons of God 317 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:03,900 through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have as 318 00:20:03,900 --> 00:20:10,100 were baptized into Christ. Have put on Christ, there is 319 00:20:10,100 --> 00:20:14,700 neither Jew, nor Greek. There is neither slave, nor 320 00:20:14,700 --> 00:20:18,000 free. There is neither male nor female 321 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:21,200 for you are all one in Christ Jesus, and I'm going to come 322 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:22,800 back to verse 29 in just a minute. 323 00:20:22,900 --> 00:20:25,200 I want to make a big splash about this and just bear with 324 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:26,800 me. Here's the splash. 325 00:20:27,900 --> 00:20:30,900 I was raised in Northwest Arkansas transplanted there by 326 00:20:30,900 --> 00:20:34,000 preacher and his wife. I'm not perfect. 327 00:20:34,700 --> 00:20:37,400 I was raised in their home by their Rules, by their 328 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:40,600 guidelines. That's where I came from. 329 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:45,000 Where did you come from? You may have come from some 330 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,700 far-flung place. You may have come from across 331 00:20:47,700 --> 00:20:50,600 the water or across the border are you may have come from a 332 00:20:50,608 --> 00:20:53,900 home that didn't love you or care for you at all. 333 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:55,200 I didn't have one of those homes. 334 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:58,400 I want to apologize for that but I also will tell you at this 335 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,300 point in the game, really, it doesn't matter that much. 336 00:21:02,900 --> 00:21:06,800 Because here's the reality in Jesus Christ. 337 00:21:08,100 --> 00:21:12,500 In Jesus Christ. We Are All One. 338 00:21:12,700 --> 00:21:16,900 In other words, God doesn't look at you any different than he 339 00:21:16,908 --> 00:21:21,900 looks at you or you or you, or you or anybody else in here. 340 00:21:25,900 --> 00:21:28,700 You know, parents can make a mistake and play favorites. 341 00:21:30,300 --> 00:21:33,800 They sure can. Listen to some of the horror 342 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:37,900 stories of in-laws and outlaws and step this and step that and 343 00:21:37,900 --> 00:21:42,300 some Wicked Witch of the West. They're all kind of stories. 344 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:48,300 You never find a story in the word of God, where God cares 345 00:21:48,300 --> 00:21:53,300 about one particular race or one particular group more than he 346 00:21:53,300 --> 00:21:56,000 cares about another and that ought to appeal to you. 347 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:59,600 Because listen, we're all Gentiles, and the Jews hated the 348 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:03,300 Gentiles and Paul a Jew was saying get over it. 349 00:22:05,500 --> 00:22:08,000 Doesn't matter if your slave or free or male or female. 350 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:09,500 Let me tell you this to women in here. 351 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:11,200 You know what the Jews would say about women? 352 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:15,300 I thank God that I'm not as a Samaritan, a woman or a dog. 353 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:18,700 You think Jesus didn't do something for women's rights? 354 00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:22,500 He did more for women than any government has ever done on the 355 00:22:22,500 --> 00:22:28,000 face of God's green earth. Jesus made it where it doesn't 356 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:31,400 matter if you're male or female, you're not a second-class 357 00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:34,000 citizen. You're not a person that God 358 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,200 choose Men first over. He doesn't think like that. 359 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:41,000 That's not who God is. God wants you to recognize that 360 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:44,400 as a child, you're a child. Now the word of God sometimes 361 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:47,500 we'll say sons of God, it's not making a gender preference 362 00:22:47,500 --> 00:22:51,600 there. It's making a statement of 363 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:54,500 familiar relationship as a child. 364 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:58,700 Now. Remember back over there in 365 00:22:58,700 --> 00:23:02,100 Galatians, are rather in Genesis where God told Abraham. 366 00:23:03,500 --> 00:23:10,200 I'm going to bless you. Abraham had one son. and, 367 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:17,300 Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Jacob down the line had 12 boys. 368 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:19,400 They made up the 12 tribes of Israel. 369 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:21,600 Jacob's name was changed to Israel so therefore they're 370 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,000 getting they get called The Twelve Tribes of Israel. 371 00:23:24,100 --> 00:23:27,400 God protected the bloodline over hundreds and thousands of years, 372 00:23:27,500 --> 00:23:33,800 literally that brought it about a pure bloodline of the Jews and 373 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:37,100 all of a sudden we get down, how is it that? 374 00:23:37,100 --> 00:23:40,900 I am going to be benefit from a relationship with God. 375 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:45,900 How is And I get to benefit from Abraham's blood lot. 376 00:23:45,900 --> 00:23:50,200 How do I get to do that? Listen Cohen Smith, I'm raised 377 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:52,600 in Timbuktu, compared it to Jerusalem. 378 00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:55,400 I don't have a bloodline, I can't go to the temple and get 379 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:59,000 out the roles and say, who's your Daddy, I can't do any of 380 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:02,800 that. And that's why John's going to 381 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:05,400 say. We're not born of the will of 382 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,400 the flesh nor of man because you know what? 383 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:11,900 The Jews did they would sit up there and say I've got Abraham's 384 00:24:11,900 --> 00:24:14,900 blood in my veins and they didn't care about God. 385 00:24:19,100 --> 00:24:26,800 Verse 29 says. And if you are, Christ's then 386 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:34,600 are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. 387 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:42,000 I love that. You didn't deserve it and I 388 00:24:42,008 --> 00:24:46,900 didn't deserve it but it still is available and God made sure 389 00:24:47,100 --> 00:24:51,600 that you understood how important Jesus was and how 390 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:56,400 important his blood is because Jesus literally physically was 391 00:24:56,500 --> 00:25:00,900 he came in the flesh and lived in the lineage of that promise. 392 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:04,800 And when he died on the cross ones, blood greater than Abraham 393 00:25:04,900 --> 00:25:10,900 now blesses all mankind. And now it was no longer about 394 00:25:10,900 --> 00:25:13,600 the blood of one man. It was about the blood of the 395 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:17,100 very Son of God. And that's why John literally 396 00:25:17,100 --> 00:25:21,600 would say, Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of 397 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:28,100 the world. That's a big deal. at the point 398 00:25:28,100 --> 00:25:33,700 of being born again, we decide to turn our life over to the 399 00:25:33,700 --> 00:25:38,600 father's will. And when I write these steps on 400 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:41,000 the board of how you're going to be saved, I know this is a big 401 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:43,600 deal for a lot of people because lots of preachers say, lots of 402 00:25:43,608 --> 00:25:46,500 different things. So I'm going to say just what 403 00:25:46,500 --> 00:25:50,800 Jesus said and if you leave here and you think you know, I'm not 404 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:53,700 sure about that. I hope you talk to me because 405 00:25:53,700 --> 00:25:56,000 I'm going to open up the Bible. In fact I'm not even going to 406 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:59,400 quote it, I'm going to flip their right now in John 8 and 407 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:01,100 verse 24. I want to read this. 408 00:26:01,300 --> 00:26:04,500 Quickly sometimes, when we quote, somebody thinks where'd 409 00:26:04,500 --> 00:26:06,400 he get that from? Well I'm going to read it to 410 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:08,600 you. Therefore, I said to you, that 411 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:11,500 you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I 412 00:26:11,500 --> 00:26:13,800 am, he you will die in your sins. 413 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:19,000 So in other words, absolutely the foundational step is we must 414 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,600 believe we must have faith in Jesus Christ. 415 00:26:22,700 --> 00:26:24,900 Do you believe in Jesus Christ tonight? 416 00:26:26,100 --> 00:26:33,500 If you believe in Jesus Christ, That's a big deal, but you're on 417 00:26:33,500 --> 00:26:36,000 your way. That's the foundation of 418 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:37,900 everything. If you don't believe in, Jesus 419 00:26:37,900 --> 00:26:39,800 Christ, whatever. I'm about to say now, doesn't 420 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:42,200 mean anything? That's why it's always listed 421 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:45,000 first. Just so, you know, if you don't 422 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:47,900 believe in God, why in the world, would you be here? 423 00:26:49,100 --> 00:26:52,200 Why would you be moved to go and worship him and sing praises to 424 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:54,300 Him and listen to a prayer to him? 425 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:57,100 Why would you be compelled to do that? 426 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,800 So obviously, I'm going to take it that pretty much you're here 427 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:04,600 because you believe in God, and I'm also going to take it that 428 00:27:04,900 --> 00:27:06,900 most people that are in our assemblies. 429 00:27:06,900 --> 00:27:09,400 Many times believe in Jesus Christ. 430 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:12,800 But I'm here to tell you that in John 8, verse 24, Jesus said. 431 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:15,800 If you don't believe that I am he you will die in your sins. 432 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:20,200 The next thing I'll say is Jesus wanted us to change our lives 433 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:22,900 and that word is repentance. I promise to read it so I'll 434 00:27:22,900 --> 00:27:26,500 read it in Luke 13:3. Here's what Jesus said. 435 00:27:30,900 --> 00:27:34,100 I tell you no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise 436 00:27:34,100 --> 00:27:36,800 perish. That's Luke, 13 and 3. 437 00:27:37,500 --> 00:27:40,600 The next thing I'll tell you and repentance is change. 438 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:43,000 Will go over that in a second. The next thing I'll tell you is 439 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:47,300 the idea of confession. Jesus taught this in Matthew 440 00:27:47,500 --> 00:27:53,100 chapter, 10 verses, 32 and 33. We've already gone over John 3 441 00:27:53,100 --> 00:27:55,900 and 5 on baptism. We absolutely know that's 442 00:27:55,900 --> 00:27:58,900 essential. But in Matthew, 10, 32 and 33. 443 00:27:58,900 --> 00:28:01,800 This is a very Telltale Passage And let's do it very, very 444 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:06,400 carefully here, Jesus expresses Our obligation to confession. 445 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:10,400 He says therefore whoever confesses me before men him 446 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:12,500 will. I also confess before my father, 447 00:28:12,500 --> 00:28:16,600 who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men him will I 448 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:20,500 also deny before my father, who is in heaven, when Jesus comes 449 00:28:20,500 --> 00:28:23,700 back, he's going to say this is your child father. 450 00:28:23,700 --> 00:28:26,200 Why? How because we confess the sweet 451 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:29,800 name of Jesus. Peter confessed, Thou Art the 452 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:32,900 Christ, the son of the Living God and Jesus said, blessed art 453 00:28:32,900 --> 00:28:35,200 thou Simon bar-jonah for Flesh and Blood hath. 454 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:37,900 Not revealed it unto thee but my Father which art in Heaven. 455 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:41,400 That is the confession. We all must make and here's what 456 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:45,200 I'm going to tell you. If you don't believe in Jesus 457 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:48,000 Christ commit to change your life and confess him as the Son 458 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:52,300 of God and be born of water. And of the spirit, you cannot 459 00:28:52,300 --> 00:28:55,100 enter the kingdom of God. I didn't say that. 460 00:28:56,500 --> 00:28:59,800 I didn't say that. Jesus said that. 461 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:03,800 And tonight I want to plead with you on behalf of the Son of God 462 00:29:03,900 --> 00:29:07,500 to re-evaluate, perhaps what religious experience you may 463 00:29:07,500 --> 00:29:10,100 have had in your life. What you think about how it is? 464 00:29:10,100 --> 00:29:13,000 You're going to be a child of God, reflect upon that and be 465 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:17,400 moved by what the word of God says, not by what I said, all of 466 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:19,800 these things. Jesus said, I'm asking you, I'm 467 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:22,600 pleading choose to be a child of God. 468 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:25,400 It's the greatest thing you'll ever do, in. 469 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:29,700 Mar in Romans 6:17, Paul said, but God be That ye were the 470 00:29:29,700 --> 00:29:32,600 Servants of sin. But you have obeyed from the 471 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:34,800 heart that form of Doctrine, which was delivered. 472 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:37,200 You being then made free from sin. 473 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:40,600 Ye became the Servants of righteousness, man, comes up 474 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:43,700 with all kinds of plans, Jesus had only one. 475 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:48,100 Secondly, Jesus wanted change to happen before. 476 00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:51,900 And after being born again, he said, go therefore and Make 477 00:29:51,900 --> 00:29:55,800 Disciples of all Nations, baptizing them in the name of 478 00:29:55,808 --> 00:29:58,300 the father, and of the son and of the Holy Spirit. 479 00:29:58,500 --> 00:30:02,400 And teaching them to observe all things whatsoever. 480 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:05,700 I have commanded you a child. A safe person. 481 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:09,600 Is a one is one, that is learning. 482 00:30:11,500 --> 00:30:13,900 Learning. What are we learning? 483 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:19,100 We're learning all things that were revealed from God, through 484 00:30:19,100 --> 00:30:22,300 Christ to us. Where do we get all of that? 485 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:25,000 Where do we get all of this? The very calling card, the very 486 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:28,800 basis of who we are the very basis of what we do is in the 487 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:32,300 word of God. That's it. 488 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:37,400 That's where it is. I've got to hurry along, Paul 489 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:40,900 top plainly the Corinthians but God has revealed them to us 490 00:30:40,900 --> 00:30:44,700 through the spirit that helps me understand passages, like Romans 491 00:30:44,700 --> 00:30:48,000 8:14 for as many as are led by the spirit of God. 492 00:30:48,100 --> 00:30:52,000 These are the sons of God in Ephesians. 5:18 Paul said, be 493 00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:55,200 filled with the spirit in Colossians, 3:16 a sister 494 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:56,800 passed. The chief said, let the word of 495 00:30:56,800 --> 00:31:02,900 Christ dwell in you richly. And I want to tell you, if you 496 00:31:02,900 --> 00:31:07,000 want to fill yourself up and be led by the Holy Spirit, listen 497 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:10,300 and write the word of God on your heart. 498 00:31:14,100 --> 00:31:18,000 David did that? David meditated in the word of 499 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:21,200 God day and night, Psalms 1 and 2, and he hid it in his heart to 500 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:26,400 avoid sin, Psalms 119 11, he called it the word as a lamp and 501 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:30,400 a light in Psalms 119, 105 and John wrote that we should walk 502 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:33,400 in it. The very light in 1st John 1 and 503 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:36,000 verse 7. When we keep it, we know God, if 504 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:38,000 we don't keep it, we don't know. God. 505 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:44,400 The word of God Reveals His character and Ephesians 5 in 1. 506 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:47,600 Paul wrote therefore be imitators of God as dear 507 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:52,700 children. Peter would say as God is Holy, 508 00:31:52,700 --> 00:31:58,100 so be ye holy Do you know the funny part about children? 509 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:03,000 A lot of times they do this? Oh, he acts just like his dad. 510 00:32:05,300 --> 00:32:06,900 That's what happens in it. Now, I'm tell you. 511 00:32:07,100 --> 00:32:09,600 You can tell by the tone of my voice that wasn't necessarily 512 00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:12,900 the complimentary time. That wasn't the happy birthday 513 00:32:12,900 --> 00:32:13,500 time. Frank. 514 00:32:13,500 --> 00:32:15,200 That's the time. Where things aren't great, isn't 515 00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:16,200 it? Yeah, sure it is. 516 00:32:17,100 --> 00:32:21,400 Oh, he's just like his mom. Those things happen, don't we? 517 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,100 Because as genetic Heritage is passed on. 518 00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:28,400 WE bear some traits of our parents. 519 00:32:28,500 --> 00:32:30,600 That's not a bad thing. Hate it for you? 520 00:32:30,700 --> 00:32:33,400 Used to think I'd never be like my dad, how many times have I 521 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,400 heard it in this meeting? You sound just like Jimmy Smith. 522 00:32:38,300 --> 00:32:40,500 Haven't heard Turner burn in years. 523 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:46,600 That's what I grew up on. I want to ask you this, do you 524 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:49,000 have a relationship with God where you want to be like him? 525 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:56,400 If you don't, something's wrong. If you evaluate your life and 526 00:32:56,400 --> 00:33:00,000 you look in the mirror, does your life as a child of God, 527 00:33:00,100 --> 00:33:03,500 reflect the character and the image of God, how do I know what 528 00:33:03,500 --> 00:33:06,300 his character and image is? I know it because it's revealed 529 00:33:06,300 --> 00:33:09,100 in the word of God and it was expressed in the image and 530 00:33:09,100 --> 00:33:12,100 person of Jesus Christ. He said, if you've seen me, 531 00:33:12,100 --> 00:33:18,400 you've seen the father And I know if I'm mean and nasty and 532 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:22,000 rude and unkind and unforgiving, and full of envy and jealousy, 533 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:25,200 those are none of the things that Jesus Christ was there for. 534 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:29,900 I'm not acting like God, I'm not acting like him. 535 00:33:32,100 --> 00:33:36,800 When Jesus addressed this made this statement In this passage 536 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:39,900 in Matthew 18, some of very small points. 537 00:33:39,900 --> 00:33:44,400 I want to cover in closing. Are Jesus wanted humility of a 538 00:33:44,408 --> 00:33:46,300 child to be the goal of every Christian. 539 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:50,200 Are you a humble person or a proud person? 540 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:54,700 Proud people sometimes have ego problems. 541 00:33:55,500 --> 00:33:59,000 Now we can ride it off and weep we can begin to rationalize it 542 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:02,200 as well. He's just an unsecure or 543 00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:05,000 insecure. He's insecure. 544 00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:11,900 That's a big cover for pride. Prides, a big deal. 545 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:15,300 In First Peter five and five likewise ye younger submit 546 00:34:15,300 --> 00:34:17,800 yourselves unto, the Elder. Yea, all of you be subject to 547 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:22,199 one another, and be clothed with humility for God, resisteth, the 548 00:34:22,199 --> 00:34:24,100 proud, and giveth grace, to the humble. 549 00:34:24,100 --> 00:34:27,600 Psalms tending, for says, the wicked in, his proud countenance 550 00:34:27,699 --> 00:34:31,100 will does not seek God, God is in none of his thoughts. 551 00:34:31,199 --> 00:34:34,100 Pride is one of those sins that comes from the heart and mind 552 00:34:34,199 --> 00:34:36,800 and defiles the man, not what you eat. 553 00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:42,000 It's what comes out of you. Why did Jesus take a child and 554 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:44,800 tell them to be humble? Like a little child beautiful 555 00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:46,699 thing? About two and three year olds. 556 00:34:47,300 --> 00:34:49,100 Now sometimes they get possessive. 557 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:55,199 But I have never seen a child come up and say, you know what? 558 00:34:55,199 --> 00:34:58,800 Look at this, she right here. This you cost $159. 559 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:01,800 That shoe is amazing, isn't it? It's got this marking on it and 560 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:06,200 that market on. It's amazing but that's what we 561 00:35:06,200 --> 00:35:10,800 do. Sometimes we make status symbol 562 00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:14,600 statements with our clothing and we like to look good. 563 00:35:14,900 --> 00:35:18,300 And sometimes people worry about the little Insignia up on their 564 00:35:18,300 --> 00:35:19,800 shirt. Let me tell you, if you're 565 00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:22,600 trusting in people to think well of you, because of the Insignia 566 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:28,800 upon your shirt, grow up, But that's how it is, isn't it? 567 00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:33,600 I mean I was fine with Walmart shoes up until like fourth grade 568 00:35:33,700 --> 00:35:38,700 and it wasn't cool anymore. And my parents couldn't get it. 569 00:35:38,700 --> 00:35:40,100 Well mainly because they couldn't get it because they 570 00:35:40,100 --> 00:35:41,600 didn't want to pay for the upgrades. 571 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:46,900 But that's what we do, isn't it? We get proud, We want to wear 572 00:35:46,900 --> 00:35:49,000 nice things. We want to fit in. 573 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:53,200 We want to be keeping up with the Joneses so to speak. 574 00:35:55,100 --> 00:35:59,200 As a child of God, please care more about what the father 575 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:02,800 thinks than what anybody else thinks and that's a big deal to. 576 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:08,900 There's a little girl back home or name is Julianne her daddy's 577 00:36:08,900 --> 00:36:16,300 Brad and Julianne is like I've never seen a kid like her one 578 00:36:16,300 --> 00:36:18,500 day. I was visiting with him and she 579 00:36:18,500 --> 00:36:22,100 wanted something. We were at a store and I'll 580 00:36:22,100 --> 00:36:24,300 reach them out, my pocket, and gave her a dollar. 581 00:36:24,300 --> 00:36:25,900 And her daddy said, give it back. 582 00:36:27,900 --> 00:36:30,400 She gave it back like without even a thought. 583 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:35,200 I said, no, no, no you go on go on most kids I'm thinking about 584 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:40,400 self would say. All right, Take it and run, she 585 00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:44,900 didn't she would have nothing to do with my dollar bill. 586 00:36:46,300 --> 00:36:48,000 Because do you know the voice in her head? 587 00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:50,300 That was the most important, her daddy's. 588 00:36:51,500 --> 00:36:56,500 It was the most important voice in her head and if the most 589 00:36:56,500 --> 00:37:00,600 important voice in our head says, get ahead and be this 590 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:04,100 great person based off what society and culture wants you to 591 00:37:04,100 --> 00:37:07,500 be, we're not acting like a child of the god of God, we're 592 00:37:07,500 --> 00:37:09,500 acting like a child of the world. 593 00:37:10,900 --> 00:37:14,000 And the father of this world, and that's not a compliment. 594 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:18,400 Humility is a big deal for God. Secondly growth is another 595 00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:21,600 quality of a little child when we reach stages of life we want 596 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:25,300 to grow. I remember my sister-in-law when 597 00:37:25,700 --> 00:37:28,800 all of my sister-in-law's you would ask how is your first 598 00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:31,500 checkup for the baby? And they would all say oh well, 599 00:37:31,500 --> 00:37:34,400 he's in the 75th percentile and then you'd hear somebody say 600 00:37:34,500 --> 00:37:38,700 cohesive the 95th percentile. What is that? 601 00:37:40,100 --> 00:37:43,600 Some doctor gets ahead and ends. Well, he's not even percentile 602 00:37:43,600 --> 00:37:46,400 for height. But 30th percentile for weight. 603 00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:47,700 I'm going to have to fatten him up. 604 00:37:49,400 --> 00:37:51,500 There are charts. These doctors will go in. 605 00:37:51,500 --> 00:37:53,100 They'll measure them. They'll get their hide, they'll 606 00:37:53,100 --> 00:37:55,800 get their weight and they'll say, your child really should be 607 00:37:55,800 --> 00:37:59,200 on this plan. They really should be here. 608 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:04,000 And that's not a bad thing. They put those things in place. 609 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:06,800 So if you have a problem with your child, they can catch it 610 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:09,500 early and deal with it. Perhaps with modern medicine, 611 00:38:09,500 --> 00:38:15,000 whatever it may be, God, put some controls in place to so you 612 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:18,600 can check yourself up if you're not growing spiritually, because 613 00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:21,100 guess what? You can live and be an old 614 00:38:21,100 --> 00:38:24,000 person and be spiritually immature. 615 00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:26,200 And never grow. You be stunted. 616 00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:30,000 That happens to people. And let me tell you how that 617 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:33,000 happens. The Bible says, lay apart all 618 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:37,400 filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with 619 00:38:37,400 --> 00:38:40,600 meekness the engrafted word. If you keep sitting in your 620 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:44,800 life, you'll never grow. That's why you gotta get rid of 621 00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:47,500 it. It's like poison. 622 00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:53,300 If you put grass killer, or you put some kind of a weed B gon or 623 00:38:53,300 --> 00:38:56,800 Roundup, in with fertilizer, you're in for it. 624 00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:03,100 Your grass is going to die. Well, God wants us to grow 625 00:39:03,100 --> 00:39:05,300 spiritually when we're born again, we need food. 626 00:39:05,300 --> 00:39:09,400 Peter said, laying aside all malice, all deceit, all 627 00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:13,200 hypocrisy envy and all evil. Speaking as newborn babes 628 00:39:13,300 --> 00:39:16,400 desire, the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow. 629 00:39:16,500 --> 00:39:18,800 Thereby, I want to tell you something, I can't help you 630 00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:20,200 with. I'm going to write it down the 631 00:39:20,207 --> 00:39:21,700 board. You're going to see it right 632 00:39:21,700 --> 00:39:22,800 here. It's something I can't help you 633 00:39:22,808 --> 00:39:25,900 with, I can't fix this. I can't do it for you. 634 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:27,900 Nobody else can. Nobody can do it for you. 635 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:29,800 This is you. And You and you alone. 636 00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:32,300 This is between you and God. Let me tell you what it is. 637 00:39:32,400 --> 00:39:36,400 It's this little word called desire. 638 00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:40,900 Desire. Have you ever heard the old 639 00:39:40,900 --> 00:39:42,900 illustration? You can take a horse to water 640 00:39:42,900 --> 00:39:45,500 but you can't make him drink and I know that's old adage. 641 00:39:45,500 --> 00:39:49,300 I know that's a little cheesy. But that's true. 642 00:39:50,500 --> 00:39:53,500 You can't make somebody grow spiritually and if you don't 643 00:39:53,500 --> 00:39:55,900 want to give up your sin and you don't want to change your life 644 00:39:55,900 --> 00:39:59,300 and you don't want to grow into the person and do all the things 645 00:39:59,300 --> 00:40:00,900 you need to be and grow to the person. 646 00:40:00,900 --> 00:40:05,800 You need to be, you won't You won't. 647 00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:10,000 Peter said again. Beloved. 648 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:12,800 Since you that know this beforehand, beware lest you also 649 00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:16,400 fall from your own steadfastness being led away with the error of 650 00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:19,900 the wicked, but grow in Grace and knowledge of our Lord and 651 00:40:19,900 --> 00:40:22,500 Savior. Jesus Christ, second, Peter 3, 652 00:40:22,500 --> 00:40:26,600 17 and 18, what'd he say, they're don't fall away. 653 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:29,300 You know, what happens to a lot of children of God, they fall in 654 00:40:29,300 --> 00:40:31,700 love again with the sin of the old life, and they go do it 655 00:40:31,700 --> 00:40:35,000 again. What's the answer to that? 656 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:42,000 Grow grow for all you're worth and if you're growing, that's 657 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:46,200 huge, that's great. Paul said to the Ephesian 658 00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:49,900 Elders, he said take heed unto the fuck over which the Holy 659 00:40:49,900 --> 00:40:51,800 Ghost? Hath made you overseers to feed 660 00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:54,800 the Church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. 661 00:40:54,900 --> 00:40:56,100 Why? Because there's going to be 662 00:40:56,100 --> 00:40:58,200 Grievous wolves, that, enter in among you not sparing. 663 00:40:58,200 --> 00:40:59,800 The flock also of your own selves. 664 00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:02,600 Men shall arise speaking perverse, or distorted things to 665 00:41:02,600 --> 00:41:05,300 draw away. Disciples after themselves. 666 00:41:05,700 --> 00:41:08,800 What did Paul say? He said you feed them the word 667 00:41:08,800 --> 00:41:11,200 of God. What happens when you feed 668 00:41:11,200 --> 00:41:13,600 people? The word of God, they grow? 669 00:41:13,600 --> 00:41:16,400 Now let me ask you a little self-help question. 670 00:41:17,700 --> 00:41:19,700 Are you a better person than you were last year? 671 00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:27,600 Are you nicer? You better husband a better 672 00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:33,600 wife, you better friend? All those are all the questions 673 00:41:33,600 --> 00:41:36,200 you can get on a pop psychology exam or whatever it may be. 674 00:41:37,700 --> 00:41:39,200 What about this? What about the word of God? 675 00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:41,400 What truths have you been able to internalize? 676 00:41:43,100 --> 00:41:45,200 What have you been able to break through and break over? 677 00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:48,700 What have you been able to overcome? 678 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:53,700 I know some men right now, they could cuss like Sailors when 679 00:41:53,700 --> 00:41:56,300 they first came to Christ and their veins would split and 680 00:41:56,300 --> 00:41:58,300 they'd go off here there. And Ian their faces would get 681 00:41:58,300 --> 00:42:00,800 beat red. Lips would tremble and you would 682 00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:04,300 tremble because they literally could go off But then, over 683 00:42:04,300 --> 00:42:05,900 time, they begin to grow out of that. 684 00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:10,100 That's what the sons of thunder. Did you ever heard cuss like a 685 00:42:10,107 --> 00:42:11,700 sailor? The apostles were sailors. 686 00:42:15,400 --> 00:42:18,300 They changed. They changed. 687 00:42:18,900 --> 00:42:22,300 They grew a salty, West, Texas, and they mock Howard. 688 00:42:22,300 --> 00:42:24,300 Good friend of mine. Kenneth, some of some in this 689 00:42:24,300 --> 00:42:26,100 audience told me one time. He was quoting. 690 00:42:26,100 --> 00:42:28,500 His uncle benny. Who many of, you know, he said 691 00:42:28,500 --> 00:42:30,900 the two most important questions you'll ever answer in your whole 692 00:42:30,900 --> 00:42:34,500 life are two simple questions. Are you saved? 693 00:42:34,500 --> 00:42:39,900 And are you growing Because there is no holding your own. 694 00:42:40,500 --> 00:42:43,300 There is no well I'm doing all right. 695 00:42:44,300 --> 00:42:48,800 This is not a country song, we're talking about growing 696 00:42:48,900 --> 00:42:53,300 succeeding conquering living the life or we're talking about 697 00:42:53,300 --> 00:42:58,100 Meandering around falling back, fading away walking away. 698 00:43:00,300 --> 00:43:02,900 We have to feed ourselves. You take one meal away from a 699 00:43:02,900 --> 00:43:05,400 child and you're going to have a screaming fit on your hands. 700 00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:10,200 Because they're hungry. The third thing I want to close 701 00:43:10,200 --> 00:43:13,800 with is children trust their parents. 702 00:43:16,600 --> 00:43:22,200 I was up in Manteca at Labor Day and Kip Lee was telling me about 703 00:43:22,200 --> 00:43:25,500 his boy. That they built a tree house 704 00:43:25,500 --> 00:43:28,700 back in Rick's yard and doesn't have really a rail around it yet 705 00:43:29,100 --> 00:43:31,800 and he had been jumping off to him and he said he somehow 706 00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:34,100 climbed up there and he was walking by and all of a sudden 707 00:43:34,100 --> 00:43:38,700 he reached and caught him. And so this kid has been playing 708 00:43:38,700 --> 00:43:41,200 where he jumped off and he just knew his that he was going to 709 00:43:41,207 --> 00:43:42,900 catch him. So what'd he do climbed up and 710 00:43:42,900 --> 00:43:45,900 ran and jumped off in full confidence? 711 00:43:48,100 --> 00:43:53,700 Do you trust God with your life? Paul trusted him with his soul 712 00:43:53,700 --> 00:43:57,200 and his life. He would say, for me to die is 713 00:43:57,200 --> 00:44:01,400 gain for me to live is Christ. It was all for God. 714 00:44:04,900 --> 00:44:08,300 Now, you may look at that and you may say that's a bum deal, I 715 00:44:08,300 --> 00:44:09,600 don't know about that. What about me? 716 00:44:09,600 --> 00:44:11,200 What about me? Let me tell you something. 717 00:44:11,300 --> 00:44:13,200 You'll never have more blessings. 718 00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:16,600 You'll never have more joy. You'll never be more happy and 719 00:44:16,600 --> 00:44:20,900 have more peace in your life for you for me than when you give 720 00:44:20,900 --> 00:44:26,200 yourself to God. That is called and inherit 721 00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:29,100 blessing. It's not one of those things you 722 00:44:29,100 --> 00:44:32,400 can pick up at Walmart, its inherent, you do the right 723 00:44:32,400 --> 00:44:36,000 things, you live the right way, you literally do your best to 724 00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:39,900 become, like, God, Like Jesus. And when you do all the sudden, 725 00:44:39,900 --> 00:44:43,100 you have joy and peace, that is beyond comprehension. 726 00:44:45,400 --> 00:44:49,900 But you have to trust God and his plan to do that in Matthew 727 00:44:49,900 --> 00:44:51,200 6. Jesus slapped the 728 00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:56,000 self-sufficient attitude down and he slapped it down hard 729 00:44:56,500 --> 00:44:59,600 about how awesome God is, and how he attends to our needs, and 730 00:44:59,600 --> 00:45:02,600 we should trust him. He would say, things, like, seek 731 00:45:02,600 --> 00:45:08,200 first, the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, And all these 732 00:45:08,200 --> 00:45:11,000 things will be added unto you. God never promised you to be 733 00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:14,000 rich, but he promised to take care of your physical needs. 734 00:45:14,200 --> 00:45:16,400 The problem is what we consider to be. 735 00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:18,900 Our needs are really a whole lot of wants. 736 00:45:22,500 --> 00:45:25,400 Trust is Central. It's Central to all life. 737 00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:28,500 For example today, if you go to the doctor, generally your the 738 00:45:28,500 --> 00:45:31,700 name of that doctor, you won't be able to pronounce. 739 00:45:32,100 --> 00:45:35,000 He'll have degrees on the wall that you've never verified. 740 00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:37,100 If you ever call him verified his degrees on the wall. 741 00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:42,500 He gives you a prescription, you can't read about 17 cylinders 742 00:45:42,500 --> 00:45:46,800 long, this long hardly can make a label to fit it on there. 743 00:45:47,700 --> 00:45:50,500 You take it to the pharmacist that you've never seen before. 744 00:45:50,700 --> 00:45:52,300 He gives you a chemical compound. 745 00:45:52,300 --> 00:45:55,500 You do not understand. Do you go home and take the pill 746 00:45:55,500 --> 00:45:57,900 exactly? Like he tells you to and guess 747 00:45:57,900 --> 00:46:00,100 what magically you get better. Don't you? 748 00:46:01,900 --> 00:46:07,100 That's how it works. God revealed himself, he's shown 749 00:46:07,100 --> 00:46:10,100 himself. It's all on the table, it's all 750 00:46:10,100 --> 00:46:12,100 out there. There's no hidden agenda, 751 00:46:12,200 --> 00:46:15,500 there's no hidden progress. No hidden anything God saying 752 00:46:15,500 --> 00:46:20,200 here I am here's my son here's what I'm offering you live for 753 00:46:20,200 --> 00:46:21,900 me. I'm going to make you happier 754 00:46:21,900 --> 00:46:24,100 than you've ever been and I'm going to give you Joy, you can 755 00:46:24,100 --> 00:46:27,600 imagine and I want to take away all your sins and not only that 756 00:46:27,600 --> 00:46:29,200 you get to live with me forever more. 757 00:46:29,200 --> 00:46:32,400 Now, listen if you can't trust, God based off all the evidence 758 00:46:32,400 --> 00:46:34,200 you've been given. I want to tell you, I feel Sorry 759 00:46:34,200 --> 00:46:40,100 for you. Don't trust in God like the 760 00:46:40,107 --> 00:46:43,000 story of a man one time who stumbled From the Path over the 761 00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:46,400 edge of a cliff and as he was falling down he grabbed hold of 762 00:46:46,400 --> 00:46:48,700 a small branch of a tree that grew out of the side of the 763 00:46:48,700 --> 00:46:50,800 Rocks instantly. He began to scream. 764 00:46:50,900 --> 00:46:55,400 Is anyone there? A voice came from the top. 765 00:46:55,400 --> 00:46:59,800 That said, yes, I'm here. The man asks, who is that the 766 00:46:59,808 --> 00:47:01,200 voice came back? The Lord. 767 00:47:01,200 --> 00:47:04,600 Do you trust me? The man responded. 768 00:47:04,600 --> 00:47:06,500 Oh thank you. Lord! 769 00:47:06,500 --> 00:47:10,400 Yes I trust you completely the Lord responded. 770 00:47:10,400 --> 00:47:16,600 Let go of the branch. The man said what the Lord said, 771 00:47:16,600 --> 00:47:21,400 let go of the branch. There's a long pause for just a 772 00:47:21,400 --> 00:47:24,300 moment. And the man yelled back up 773 00:47:24,300 --> 00:47:27,000 again. Is anyone else up there? 774 00:47:29,500 --> 00:47:36,000 That's how we are sometimes. That's how we are the Lord is a 775 00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:41,100 person that caught our very image of distrust. 776 00:47:41,100 --> 00:47:43,600 He was a person. He is the person that we can 777 00:47:43,600 --> 00:47:45,700 trust and he attacked our distrust. 778 00:47:45,700 --> 00:47:49,500 He attacked our anxieties James would say, but let him ask in 779 00:47:49,500 --> 00:47:52,400 faith with no doubting. That's a difficult thing to do. 780 00:47:53,500 --> 00:47:55,000 How many times have you gotten up? 781 00:47:55,000 --> 00:47:57,300 When you got a call from some horrible disease? 782 00:47:57,300 --> 00:47:59,100 That struck someone and pray to God. 783 00:47:59,100 --> 00:48:01,400 Please help them. Please intervene. 784 00:48:01,400 --> 00:48:03,300 Get up off your knees and say they're as good as dead. 785 00:48:06,400 --> 00:48:10,600 God changes things, he hears and answers our prayers. 786 00:48:11,100 --> 00:48:14,500 One writer said having no doubt God can deliver another said no 787 00:48:14,500 --> 00:48:16,900 man can believe too much. Good about God. 788 00:48:17,900 --> 00:48:19,800 And I want to tell you, you need to trust God when you're 789 00:48:19,800 --> 00:48:23,100 tempted. And you need to know that 790 00:48:23,100 --> 00:48:24,700 whatever it is. That's coming your way. 791 00:48:24,700 --> 00:48:28,700 God will make sure it is not too much that you cannot still be 792 00:48:28,700 --> 00:48:30,800 his child and still lived a life. 793 00:48:31,000 --> 00:48:33,300 It may be difficult, it may be more than you've ever 794 00:48:33,300 --> 00:48:36,500 anticipated. Family problems. 795 00:48:38,300 --> 00:48:42,200 Addictions. Issues in your life. 796 00:48:43,500 --> 00:48:46,300 You may even go to prison for things. 797 00:48:46,300 --> 00:48:49,600 You did not do. Trust in God. 798 00:48:51,100 --> 00:48:54,100 And live for him. No matter what? 799 00:48:55,500 --> 00:48:59,800 Because I want to tell you something, he is in control of 800 00:48:59,800 --> 00:49:04,700 what the world and men and evil men and circumstances cannot 801 00:49:04,700 --> 00:49:08,200 touch. He is in control of your soul. 802 00:49:12,000 --> 00:49:13,500 On the fifth floor of a burning building. 803 00:49:13,500 --> 00:49:15,700 Everyone W is a little nine-year-old, girl. 804 00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:22,500 Clung to the edge. They had erected a huge balloon 805 00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:25,300 thing for her to fall into at the bottom. 806 00:49:26,200 --> 00:49:29,100 She was trembling hanging to the side of the ledge. 807 00:49:30,100 --> 00:49:35,500 She happened to be blind. They could not coax her to jump 808 00:49:35,500 --> 00:49:39,000 from the ledge. They would try over and over in 809 00:49:39,000 --> 00:49:42,700 the Flames, kept leaping closer and closer to her. 810 00:49:43,400 --> 00:49:48,300 The building was engulfed. Finally her father frantically 811 00:49:48,300 --> 00:49:52,200 arrived on the scene. He was granted a bullhorn and as 812 00:49:52,200 --> 00:49:54,700 it seemed as if life would certainly be lost. 813 00:49:55,600 --> 00:49:59,500 He screamed in that bullhorn as loud as he could jump. 814 00:49:59,500 --> 00:50:04,500 Now, And at the sound of his voice. 815 00:50:05,900 --> 00:50:08,100 She turned loose and jumped to safety. 816 00:50:10,000 --> 00:50:12,600 Tonight, I'm begging you not to listen to my voice. 817 00:50:14,400 --> 00:50:17,300 But to listen to the voice of the Almighty. 818 00:50:18,700 --> 00:50:21,200 Through these feeble vocal cords that I have. 819 00:50:22,400 --> 00:50:26,200 Please. Come unto me all ye that labor 820 00:50:26,200 --> 00:50:30,600 and are heavy laden. I will give you rest. 821 00:50:31,500 --> 00:50:34,600 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. 822 00:50:35,000 --> 00:50:37,800 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 823 00:50:39,200 --> 00:50:43,500 When you're a child of God, You have special Provisions in 824 00:50:43,500 --> 00:50:47,700 special protections, you have prayer, but most of all, you 825 00:50:47,700 --> 00:50:51,700 know, that your father will take care of your soul. 826 00:50:53,200 --> 00:50:56,700 Tonight, if you're trying to take care of your own soul, you 827 00:50:56,700 --> 00:51:00,700 haven't done very well. Let God. 828 00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:06,200 Let God allow you the privilege of saying yes to him. 829 00:51:07,200 --> 00:51:11,200 And you being added to the very family of God almighty. 830 00:51:12,500 --> 00:51:15,100 We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the 831 00:51:15,100 --> 00:51:20,900 Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you 832 00:51:20,900 --> 00:51:24,100 would like any additional information or you would like to 833 00:51:24,100 --> 00:51:27,100 receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail. 834 00:51:27,800 --> 00:51:31,600 Please email us at info at True Church of Christ 835 00:51:31,600 --> 00:51:35,600 Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays 836 00:51:35,600 --> 00:51:41,200 at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. 837 00:51:41,800 --> 00:51:45,400 Please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our 838 00:51:45,400 --> 00:51:46,300 honored guest.