1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,560 Hi, this is Dave Olson. I'm the senior leader of 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:04,600 Heartland Church located in Ankeny, IA. 3 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:08,039 I hope the following message challenges and courages and 4 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,160 ultimately changes you. Thanks for joining us. 5 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,800 We're going to get back into our series when I get back from 6 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,280 Indonesia and do be praying for us. 7 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:23,440 We're going to connect with one of the pastors from Columbia in 8 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:27,600 Houston. We fly out six O clock Wednesday 9 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:31,160 morning. We arrive in Jakarta midnight 10 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:34,120 Friday night. Then we spend the night there 11 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:37,480 and then take a fly overnight again to some island. 12 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:43,760 I mean Indonesia is like 17,000 islands and so, but we're going 13 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:46,680 into minister into some. There's a a leader in in 14 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,160 Indonesia, we're going to minister in his church and then 15 00:00:49,160 --> 00:00:51,520 minister in a Bible school do a pastor's conference. 16 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:56,080 And I just have a sense about this, this trip, that God wants 17 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:59,500 to break some things open and so be praying for us. 18 00:00:59,500 --> 00:01:02,980 It's the most populated Muslim nation in the world. 19 00:01:02,980 --> 00:01:05,060 It's got the largest Muslim population in the world. 20 00:01:05,060 --> 00:01:08,980 And so they need a move of God. And Indonesia has seen a move of 21 00:01:08,980 --> 00:01:10,860 God in the past. And so we're believing God for 22 00:01:10,860 --> 00:01:13,220 some real breakthrough. And so as as you think of it, 23 00:01:13,220 --> 00:01:15,380 pray for us. I've got to spend 2 weeks with 24 00:01:15,380 --> 00:01:17,180 my brother, so I'll need it. Amen. 25 00:01:17,740 --> 00:01:20,940 OK All right. We're going to receive communion 26 00:01:20,940 --> 00:01:23,020 at the end this morning. And here I am opening my 27 00:01:23,020 --> 00:01:25,060 elements. I better put that down. 28 00:01:25,140 --> 00:01:30,300 I'm fiddling with it. Oh, all right. 29 00:01:30,380 --> 00:01:32,100 There we go. OK. 30 00:01:32,100 --> 00:01:36,500 But what I want to do this morning is I want to look at the 31 00:01:36,500 --> 00:01:40,380 idea of covenant. Last time we took communion. 32 00:01:40,380 --> 00:01:44,500 And so over these next few times when we receive communion, I 33 00:01:44,500 --> 00:01:48,300 want to lay some groundwork so that we really understand what 34 00:01:48,300 --> 00:01:51,250 we're doing. The, you know, communion, the 35 00:01:51,250 --> 00:01:55,130 the Lord's Supper is a covenantal meal and it is rich 36 00:01:55,290 --> 00:01:59,210 with revelation of what God has done for us and how he wants us 37 00:01:59,210 --> 00:02:03,570 to utilize that covenant and how he wants us to utilize this 38 00:02:03,570 --> 00:02:07,410 meal. Jesus said when he He took the 39 00:02:07,410 --> 00:02:11,770 Passover with his disciples and he renamed it, he reframed it 40 00:02:11,770 --> 00:02:14,730 for them. And he said, this is now the new 41 00:02:14,730 --> 00:02:19,440 covenant in my blood. And by that he instituted a new 42 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:21,440 meal. And he said, do this in 43 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:25,240 remembrance of me. So whenever we do it, we're to 44 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:28,640 remember what he did. It's supposed to we're to 45 00:02:28,640 --> 00:02:33,080 recollect or recollect some of these ideas and put them in the 46 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:37,440 forefront of our mind so we can remind ourselves, so that we can 47 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:40,440 look through the lens of what he has accomplished for us. 48 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:45,600 The fact is, we can accumulate truths that we can easily lose. 49 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:48,320 How many of you ever lost something that God has spoken to 50 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,400 you about? I had a vision one time that I 51 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,000 forgot about until Roger reminded me this morning. 52 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:56,720 And so we can lose touch with those things. 53 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:00,520 And so God has given us this wonderful helpful tool, this 54 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,740 covenant meal that we can go back to and that we can remind 55 00:03:04,740 --> 00:03:08,540 ourself what he did for us. But we need to understand what a 56 00:03:08,540 --> 00:03:12,460 covenant is because if we don't understand covenant, we leave a 57 00:03:12,460 --> 00:03:15,580 lot of value on the table, so to speak. 58 00:03:15,820 --> 00:03:18,700 There's things that we we're partaking of it, but we don't 59 00:03:18,700 --> 00:03:20,780 really, we can't leverage it in our life. 60 00:03:20,780 --> 00:03:22,540 We don't really understand what's going on. 61 00:03:22,820 --> 00:03:26,300 So now the the the foundation of what I'm going to say this 62 00:03:26,300 --> 00:03:28,780 morning was what we talked about last time. 63 00:03:29,140 --> 00:03:32,500 So I I want to say it was like 3-4 weeks ago, 5 weeks ago. 64 00:03:32,500 --> 00:03:35,540 Just look back on the podcast and it should say something 65 00:03:35,540 --> 00:03:38,660 about the blood and a laid a groundwork for an understanding 66 00:03:38,660 --> 00:03:41,620 of the blood. Why does God value the blood and 67 00:03:41,620 --> 00:03:43,500 how do we utilize it in our own life? 68 00:03:43,500 --> 00:03:47,100 Because the blood of Jesus is something that we offer the 69 00:03:47,100 --> 00:03:50,780 Father. It's something that's God word. 70 00:03:51,980 --> 00:03:56,330 It's also something that we apply to our own heart and it's 71 00:03:56,330 --> 00:03:59,290 also a weapon we use against the enemy. 72 00:04:00,690 --> 00:04:05,650 The Foundation is using it in in approaching the Father. 73 00:04:05,650 --> 00:04:09,650 If we don't understand why God values the blood, then we can't 74 00:04:09,650 --> 00:04:11,410 really apply it to our own heart. 75 00:04:11,970 --> 00:04:15,650 Scriptures clear there's a there's the shed blood that we 76 00:04:15,650 --> 00:04:18,930 offer to the Father, but there's the sprinkled blood that we 77 00:04:18,930 --> 00:04:22,170 apply to our own heart. It's a different application of 78 00:04:22,170 --> 00:04:26,470 the same blood of Jesus. And so we can't understand how 79 00:04:26,470 --> 00:04:29,670 to apply it to our heart unless we first understand how God 80 00:04:29,670 --> 00:04:32,310 values it. And we can't really use it as a 81 00:04:32,310 --> 00:04:36,230 weapon against the enemy until we understand how to use it in 82 00:04:36,230 --> 00:04:39,790 our own heart. We're to cleanse our heart of a 83 00:04:39,790 --> 00:04:46,670 guilty conscience through the sprinkled blood, and that gives 84 00:04:46,670 --> 00:04:48,950 us our on ramp into what we're going to talk about this 85 00:04:48,950 --> 00:04:52,470 morning. Now again, communion is a 86 00:04:52,470 --> 00:04:57,230 covenantal meal. Covenant is common to the 87 00:04:57,230 --> 00:05:00,670 ancient world. In fact it's it's very common to 88 00:05:00,670 --> 00:05:04,950 many Eastern nations to this day, We as the West and our 89 00:05:04,950 --> 00:05:09,990 advanced technology our our advancement, we have lost the 90 00:05:09,990 --> 00:05:12,030 meaning of covenant and therefore we're at a 91 00:05:12,030 --> 00:05:15,230 disadvantage when we look at this wonderful truth and 92 00:05:15,230 --> 00:05:18,630 scripture. Covenant is not some side issue 93 00:05:18,630 --> 00:05:21,350 in scripture. It's not even 1 doctrine among 94 00:05:21,350 --> 00:05:23,130 many. It's an actuality. 95 00:05:23,130 --> 00:05:27,170 It's the the framework, it's the it's the context of all the 96 00:05:27,170 --> 00:05:31,690 other content. The Bible is a covenantal book. 97 00:05:32,770 --> 00:05:35,770 God deals with us through covenants and if we don't 98 00:05:35,770 --> 00:05:39,210 understand what covenants are, we don't really understand much 99 00:05:39,210 --> 00:05:43,010 of the word. Really the last residue of 100 00:05:43,010 --> 00:05:46,690 covenant that we have in Western culture is of course the 101 00:05:46,690 --> 00:05:51,440 marriage covenant. The marriage covenant is to be 102 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:53,480 entered into. It's not a marriage contract, 103 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:55,760 even though some people try to reduce it to that. 104 00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:01,640 And there's a reason for that. The the purpose of covenant is 105 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:07,920 to make two people, parties, nations, tribes, to take two and 106 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:09,720 bring them together and make them one. 107 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:13,640 That is the purpose of covenant. The marriage covenant is to make 108 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:18,600 the two into one the covenant with God. 109 00:06:19,070 --> 00:06:22,630 We were alienated from God, but God is going to remove the 110 00:06:22,630 --> 00:06:25,510 barriers and were to come into oneness with him through 111 00:06:25,510 --> 00:06:29,470 covenant. So much so that just like in 112 00:06:29,470 --> 00:06:32,430 ancient times when someone when 2 tribes would enter into 113 00:06:32,430 --> 00:06:36,270 covenant with one another, if you attacked the person that you 114 00:06:36,270 --> 00:06:39,310 were in covenant with, you were obligated to go to war with them 115 00:06:39,790 --> 00:06:42,550 because when they attacked your covenant brother, they attacked 116 00:06:42,550 --> 00:06:44,670 you. When they stole from your 117 00:06:44,670 --> 00:06:46,190 covenant brother, they stole from you. 118 00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:50,640 And so you, what was yours, belong to them and vice versa. 119 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:54,040 And it's a beautiful picture of our relationship with God. 120 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:56,600 What I brought to the table was sin. 121 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:00,640 What God brought to the table was redemption and the Kingdom 122 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:04,640 of heaven. What was mine he took on and I 123 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:07,480 get to take on what is his. It's a covenant act. 124 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:10,880 And so we need to understand covenant. 125 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:14,800 Now Covenant is the purpose of covenant is to make two parties 126 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:19,050 into one party. OK, but the the the method of 127 00:07:19,050 --> 00:07:24,610 doing that was to remove all doubt in the hearts of the 128 00:07:24,610 --> 00:07:28,730 covenant partners. Think about it in the in regards 129 00:07:28,730 --> 00:07:33,490 to marriage, when you get married, you're in love. 130 00:07:33,530 --> 00:07:37,410 Hopefully you're you're you're in love with that person and 131 00:07:37,410 --> 00:07:42,210 over time you hopefully grow in love and you surrender yourself 132 00:07:42,210 --> 00:07:45,910 more to them. But the only way for you to do 133 00:07:45,910 --> 00:07:48,830 that is there has to be trust between those two partners. 134 00:07:50,030 --> 00:07:53,510 And if you don't trust, you can't surrender yourself to that 135 00:07:53,510 --> 00:07:56,790 person. That's why marriage is a 136 00:07:56,790 --> 00:08:00,270 covenant. And so the purpose of covenant 137 00:08:00,470 --> 00:08:05,030 is to remove all the barriers, to remove the doubt, to remove 138 00:08:05,030 --> 00:08:09,510 any kind of fears in those individuals so they can fully 139 00:08:09,510 --> 00:08:11,230 give of themselves to one another. 140 00:08:11,470 --> 00:08:17,200 That's the idea of Covenant. And so God instituted this idea 141 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:20,000 of covenant. Now all down through history and 142 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:23,240 and actuality in the ancient world Covenant put the civil and 143 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:27,040 civilization it would Covenant was the way that people would 144 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:29,600 enter into agreements and then enter into relationships. 145 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:32,080 It was the way that they would know hey, we're safe. 146 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:34,039 We can live amongst these people. 147 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:36,880 These two tribes can live with one another in peace. 148 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,200 These two families can live with one another in peace. 149 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:47,190 So Covenant was a way to to really create trust among people 150 00:08:47,190 --> 00:08:50,230 so they could live together. So that's why I say it put the 151 00:08:50,230 --> 00:08:55,030 civil and civilization today, what we've replaced Covenant 152 00:08:55,030 --> 00:08:58,990 with is of course, contracts. When you're in Covenant with 153 00:08:58,990 --> 00:09:02,150 someone, the objective is that you trust them so much that you 154 00:09:02,150 --> 00:09:03,750 fully surrender yourself to them. 155 00:09:03,790 --> 00:09:06,310 What what is mine is yours and vice versa. 156 00:09:06,430 --> 00:09:10,190 I trust you. If you don't have that trust, 157 00:09:10,350 --> 00:09:13,230 the only way to really work with people, the only way to really 158 00:09:13,230 --> 00:09:16,030 enter into to business with people is you have to have a 159 00:09:16,030 --> 00:09:20,550 contract at you know, that operates really by fear of 160 00:09:20,550 --> 00:09:22,630 retribution. If you don't live up to your 161 00:09:22,630 --> 00:09:25,830 end, then there's going to be consequences that I'm going to 162 00:09:25,830 --> 00:09:30,110 have the courts enforce. In ancient society, they would 163 00:09:30,310 --> 00:09:34,230 enter into covenants before God understanding that God was the 164 00:09:34,230 --> 00:09:35,830 one who would honor the covenants. 165 00:09:35,830 --> 00:09:37,990 God would be the one who would enforce the covenants. 166 00:09:40,370 --> 00:09:43,090 In the book of Jeremiah it has this interesting phrase. 167 00:09:43,090 --> 00:09:48,290 It talks about when they walked among the pieces and it's a 168 00:09:48,290 --> 00:09:52,730 reference to a covenantal ceremony that we see Abraham and 169 00:09:52,930 --> 00:09:55,530 enter into in Genesis chapter 15. 170 00:09:56,930 --> 00:10:00,330 In that passage God makes a promise to Abraham and he says 171 00:10:00,690 --> 00:10:03,690 I'm going to make you a father of many nations. 172 00:10:03,690 --> 00:10:09,060 And Abraham asks this question that God could have easily took 173 00:10:09,060 --> 00:10:11,740 offense to. He said how do how can I know 174 00:10:11,740 --> 00:10:13,860 this is going to happen. How are you going to bring this 175 00:10:13,860 --> 00:10:16,660 about? And rather than rebuke him, God 176 00:10:16,660 --> 00:10:19,540 says go get some animals and bring them before me. 177 00:10:19,900 --> 00:10:23,460 And God was asking him to make a sacrifice. 178 00:10:24,340 --> 00:10:27,540 So what Abraham did is he cut the hind parts in the four 179 00:10:27,540 --> 00:10:31,260 quarters and he laid them out in in four pieces. 180 00:10:31,700 --> 00:10:34,420 And this was a common covenantal ceremony. 181 00:10:34,620 --> 00:10:39,010 It was common among the the people, the Mesopotamian people 182 00:10:39,010 --> 00:10:43,010 of that area. But rather than walk through the 183 00:10:43,010 --> 00:10:46,450 pieces like most people would, Abraham did not do that. 184 00:10:46,450 --> 00:10:52,090 He just he just laid out the sacrifice and then waited and it 185 00:10:52,090 --> 00:10:55,130 says a deep darkness came over Abraham. 186 00:10:55,130 --> 00:10:59,090 He went into his sleep. Prior to that it said the birds. 187 00:10:59,250 --> 00:11:04,680 These birds began to attack his sacrifice and all of this is has 188 00:11:04,680 --> 00:11:08,920 rich symbolism about around it. The enemy was trying to attack 189 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:13,560 his sacrifice before God and Abraham wanted to enter into 190 00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:16,760 covenant with God. But Abraham knew better than to 191 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:21,120 initiate it himself because this specific type of ceremony was a 192 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:24,880 very serious ceremony. It's what's alluded to in 193 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:26,720 Jeremiah. When it's called, They walked 194 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:29,360 among the pieces. And what they would do is they 195 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:33,210 would walk in a circular 8 fashion between those. 196 00:11:33,210 --> 00:11:35,890 Or it was also called the Valley of Blood. 197 00:11:35,890 --> 00:11:38,370 It was called the Walk of Death or the Valley of Blood. 198 00:11:38,610 --> 00:11:42,410 And they would walk in this, this the circle, the circle 199 00:11:42,410 --> 00:11:46,170 eight way in the bloody portions. 200 00:11:46,330 --> 00:11:50,090 And then they would stand in the midst of this animal torn to 201 00:11:50,130 --> 00:11:52,130 Thunder. And they would make the vows of 202 00:11:52,130 --> 00:11:55,090 the covenant and they would make their promises. 203 00:11:55,930 --> 00:11:58,970 They would state what they're going to give in this covenantal 204 00:11:58,970 --> 00:12:01,720 relationship. Then the partner would do the 205 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,640 same. And then they would say this. 206 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:08,240 This is how they would bind themselves to their promises, 207 00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:12,840 They would say, and so be it unto me as was done unto this 208 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:16,080 animal. If I do not fulfill the vows of 209 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:21,320 my covenant, it's a very, very serious thing in ancient 210 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:26,900 culture. Now when Abraham lays those 211 00:12:26,900 --> 00:12:30,380 pieces out, he recognized what God was asking of him. 212 00:12:31,380 --> 00:12:35,420 But Abraham didn't enter in because Abraham knew the 213 00:12:35,420 --> 00:12:40,260 weakness of his own heart. How many of you would want to 214 00:12:40,260 --> 00:12:45,140 enter into a covenant with God in that fashion and say, God, I 215 00:12:45,140 --> 00:12:48,380 give you my all, and if I ever renege, so be unto me, as was 216 00:12:48,380 --> 00:12:51,540 done under this animal. I'm not standing in line. 217 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:57,200 So it says that a deep darkness came upon Abraham and he went 218 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:00,520 into a deep sleep. And in this dreamlike state a 219 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:04,680 smoking fire pot and a torch began to move through the 220 00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:08,640 pieces. And then the Lord made promises 221 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:14,400 to him, and it was a picture of God initiating covenant with 222 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:18,680 himself. The promises were made to 223 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:23,680 Abraham, but the covenant was cut by God himself. 224 00:13:24,780 --> 00:13:28,340 In the Book of Revelation, we see Jesus showing up in the 225 00:13:29,100 --> 00:13:32,500 before John the Beloved, the one who'd laid his head on Jesus 226 00:13:32,500 --> 00:13:34,980 chest. But now he shows up in this way 227 00:13:34,980 --> 00:13:38,100 that's terrifying. And his eyes are like flames of 228 00:13:38,100 --> 00:13:40,100 fire. They're like a torch and his his 229 00:13:40,100 --> 00:13:44,340 legs like burnish bronze. And it's a picture of that, that 230 00:13:44,340 --> 00:13:48,300 flaming furnace that walked through the pieces. 231 00:13:49,820 --> 00:13:53,490 What Abraham saw was the preincarnate Christ coming and 232 00:13:53,490 --> 00:13:57,130 walking among the pieces and cutting covenant with the 233 00:13:57,130 --> 00:14:01,210 Father. Jesus entered into covenant with 234 00:14:01,210 --> 00:14:05,890 the Father and we enter in with him into covenant we are we are 235 00:14:06,090 --> 00:14:13,770 folded into that covenant. And so God bound himself by 236 00:14:13,770 --> 00:14:16,610 himself. Hebrew says he's couldn't find 237 00:14:16,610 --> 00:14:20,010 anything greater to swear by but his own name. 238 00:14:20,010 --> 00:14:24,630 He swore by himself and bound himself to covenant. 239 00:14:26,230 --> 00:14:31,390 The whole idea is covenant is the the the purpose is to remove 240 00:14:31,390 --> 00:14:35,470 all doubt on the in the on the part of the covenant partner. 241 00:14:37,030 --> 00:14:39,470 So in the New Testament what did God do? 242 00:14:40,270 --> 00:14:43,350 He foreshadowed it in Genesis 15 with Abram. 243 00:14:44,270 --> 00:14:48,350 But what he did is he sent his son to enter into covenant with 244 00:14:48,350 --> 00:14:53,800 the Father. Jesus came and offered himself 245 00:14:53,800 --> 00:15:00,920 as the sacrifice, Romans 5 says. While we were yet sinners, 246 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:04,760 Christ died for us. How much more, Now that we're 247 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:06,560 redeemed, will he not give it? That's a paraphrase. 248 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:09,520 But now that we're in relationship with him, now that 249 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:13,080 we've been made righteous, how much more will he not give us 250 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:15,600 all things? It's an amazing statement. 251 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:22,360 There were two things that God only two things in heaven that 252 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:25,560 God could give, that he couldn't just snap his fingers and 253 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:30,840 recreate. God could have given gold and 254 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:34,720 treasures and angels and all those things and just recreated. 255 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:38,920 But the two things He gave to you and I were the two uncreated 256 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:42,480 elements of heaven, His Son and his Spirit. 257 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:48,600 And he did it precisely to communicate a message to us. 258 00:15:49,350 --> 00:15:50,870 I remember when I first got saved. 259 00:15:50,870 --> 00:15:55,190 I I was raised in church and knew the Lord as a kid and 260 00:15:55,190 --> 00:15:57,830 drifted away. And I I've picked up a lot of 261 00:15:58,670 --> 00:16:03,390 bad theology and just I had a lot of I I held God at arm's 262 00:16:03,390 --> 00:16:05,510 length. I didn't trust God, and that's 263 00:16:05,510 --> 00:16:08,110 why I ran from him. I picked up some lies along the 264 00:16:08,110 --> 00:16:11,910 way and I remember telling God, I said, God, I don't love you 265 00:16:11,910 --> 00:16:14,590 and I don't want to serve you, but I know you got what I need. 266 00:16:14,590 --> 00:16:16,630 I I've made such a mess of my life. 267 00:16:16,870 --> 00:16:20,380 If you will give me the want to I'll go through the motions 268 00:16:20,380 --> 00:16:22,780 until you do. But just but change my heart. 269 00:16:22,780 --> 00:16:24,980 Give me a desire. Because right now I don't want 270 00:16:24,980 --> 00:16:28,300 to serve you. And God was gracious. 271 00:16:28,300 --> 00:16:31,180 He began to work in my heart and and soften it. 272 00:16:32,260 --> 00:16:35,340 But God began to deal with me and show me his love. 273 00:16:37,180 --> 00:16:40,060 And during that season when I was in Teen Challenge, there was 274 00:16:40,060 --> 00:16:43,620 a song we used to sing. And I don't remember all of it, 275 00:16:43,620 --> 00:16:45,910 but I remember this one phrase it. 276 00:16:45,950 --> 00:16:48,310 It was essentially it was talking about, you know, look at 277 00:16:48,470 --> 00:16:53,510 Jesus hanging on the cross. He outstretched his arms and and 278 00:16:53,510 --> 00:16:57,070 then it said, how can you ever say no to this man? 279 00:16:57,470 --> 00:17:00,790 Anybody ever remember that song? How can you ever say, I won't 280 00:17:00,790 --> 00:17:04,069 say it for you, I'll clear the room, How can you ever say no to 281 00:17:04,069 --> 00:17:06,829 this man? And it was really bringing us 282 00:17:06,829 --> 00:17:10,470 into that, that drama of all that he done for us. 283 00:17:10,470 --> 00:17:13,349 And it then he's saying, what more can I do? 284 00:17:15,089 --> 00:17:19,490 I gave you the only thing I can't replace my son. 285 00:17:20,730 --> 00:17:24,810 Then I gave you my spirit. What more can I do to prove to 286 00:17:24,810 --> 00:17:27,569 you my commitment to you, my love for you? 287 00:17:27,930 --> 00:17:29,610 That was the message of the song. 288 00:17:31,010 --> 00:17:33,970 And I remember that just began to minister to my heart and I 289 00:17:33,970 --> 00:17:37,410 began to realize that I had some misconceptions. 290 00:17:39,610 --> 00:17:45,360 We've talked about this many times, but the foundation of the 291 00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:51,520 human problem is the lies we believe about God and the 292 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:54,240 corresponding lies we believe about ourselves. 293 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:58,280 That was the entrance of sin, Entrance of sin. 294 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:01,680 Theologians talk about original sin. 295 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:04,600 It was the sin of Adam and Eve, and it opened the door. 296 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:09,210 Romans 5 is clear that through the disobedience of one man, sin 297 00:18:09,210 --> 00:18:12,530 came into the world and death through sin the door was swung 298 00:18:12,530 --> 00:18:15,490 wide open and everything changed after that. 299 00:18:17,090 --> 00:18:20,850 But we need to realize that behind original sin was an 300 00:18:20,850 --> 00:18:24,010 original lie and that original lie was this. 301 00:18:24,250 --> 00:18:31,890 God can't be trusted. That was the lie in Eden, and 302 00:18:31,890 --> 00:18:36,090 covenant is designed to address that lie. 303 00:18:38,390 --> 00:18:42,830 And there's not a person in this room that overcame that lie 304 00:18:42,830 --> 00:18:46,870 permanently as an event. Some of us more than others 305 00:18:48,350 --> 00:18:51,830 still struggle with the lie, and some of us more than others have 306 00:18:51,830 --> 00:18:54,870 come into the truth. Some of that is because of how 307 00:18:54,870 --> 00:18:58,670 you were raised and and the the the theology you were raised 308 00:18:58,670 --> 00:19:02,070 with, the way you related with your earthly father and all 309 00:19:02,070 --> 00:19:07,030 kinds of other complex things. But the fact is we all struggle 310 00:19:07,030 --> 00:19:09,070 with that lie. Can I really trust Him? 311 00:19:10,990 --> 00:19:14,790 And that's why we need to continually partake of the 312 00:19:14,790 --> 00:19:19,630 Lord's Supper, because we're to remember what He did and we're 313 00:19:19,630 --> 00:19:23,790 attacking those lies that God can be trusted. 314 00:19:24,870 --> 00:19:28,270 In order for us to fully surrender to Him, we've got to 315 00:19:28,270 --> 00:19:33,570 be fully convinced in his heart towards us and the cross was 316 00:19:33,570 --> 00:19:40,130 this resounding message. What more can I do to prove to 317 00:19:40,130 --> 00:19:43,890 you my commitment to you? And when we partake of 318 00:19:43,890 --> 00:19:48,850 communion, we're reminding ourself while we were yet 319 00:19:48,850 --> 00:19:54,130 sinners, while we were still enemies, Christ died for us. 320 00:19:54,730 --> 00:20:00,210 How much more, How much more will He not give us all things 321 00:20:00,210 --> 00:20:05,440 now that we're redeemed? When we were talking about the 322 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:09,760 blood a couple of weeks ago, I talked about how the enemy has a 323 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,840 primary weapon and that weapon is accusation. 324 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:14,040 It's really a double edged sword. 325 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:16,000 It's accusation and condemnation. 326 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:21,120 He first accuses you, and there's always at least a kernel 327 00:20:21,120 --> 00:20:25,480 of truth in his accusation. He accuses you and then he 328 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:29,830 condemns you for what you did. And if we don't understand how 329 00:20:29,830 --> 00:20:33,910 to use the blood against that, then we stand condemned and 330 00:20:33,910 --> 00:20:36,350 we'll always stay outside of God's presence. 331 00:20:36,710 --> 00:20:40,430 If God can't lie to you, or I mean if the enemy can't lie to 332 00:20:40,430 --> 00:20:45,230 you about God, God being good and therefore keep you out of 333 00:20:45,230 --> 00:20:49,790 His presence, then what He'll do is lie to you about you and tell 334 00:20:49,790 --> 00:20:53,110 you you're not good enough. Fact is, none of us are good 335 00:20:53,110 --> 00:20:56,550 enough in and of ourselves, but we are good enough under the 336 00:20:56,550 --> 00:21:00,620 blood, and we need to learn how to apply that to our heart. 337 00:21:02,260 --> 00:21:05,740 And so the blood of Jesus is the way that God paves the way for 338 00:21:05,740 --> 00:21:08,740 us to get in. The cross is the resounding 339 00:21:08,740 --> 00:21:14,620 message that God can be trusted, that hard taskmaster mentality 340 00:21:14,860 --> 00:21:17,780 that God is going to require of things of you that he hasn't 341 00:21:17,780 --> 00:21:22,540 already provided for you. That thing has to be eradicated 342 00:21:22,540 --> 00:21:26,480 and has to be attacked. And much of our Christian life 343 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:31,360 is us growing in faith as he reveals his faithfulness. 344 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:37,000 And the the result of that is a greater and a deeper surrender 345 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:39,360 to him. And it's a lifelong thing that 346 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:43,760 we need a greater revelation when we're when we sing here in 347 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:47,040 in worship and we cry out, we say, God, I want to know you 348 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:48,680 more. I want to see you more. 349 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:54,480 It's not just some curiosity that we have, It's a necessity. 350 00:21:55,010 --> 00:21:57,210 We've got to see him for who he is. 351 00:21:57,610 --> 00:22:00,450 Because seeing him for who he is, it's what's going to 352 00:22:00,450 --> 00:22:05,010 eradicate the things that are destroying our lives, the things 353 00:22:05,010 --> 00:22:09,530 that keep us from him. Because when I have bad 354 00:22:09,530 --> 00:22:14,210 theology, when I have wrong thoughts about him, I won't 355 00:22:14,210 --> 00:22:18,650 approach him for who he is. My beliefs will determine my 356 00:22:18,650 --> 00:22:24,240 behavior, and it'll especially determine my behavior in regards 357 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:28,880 to my relationship with him. Many of us struggle with 358 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:32,440 condemnation and at the accusation of the enemy, and 359 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:36,040 we've never learned to enter into what covenant provides for 360 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,920 us. And we kind of stand on the 361 00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:43,800 outside of the Holy of Holies feeling guilty, almost as if 362 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:45,880 we're we're going to pay a little bit of penalty. 363 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:49,080 We'll stay on the outside because we lost it with the cat 364 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:53,090 or whatever or your children or your wife or your spouse. 365 00:22:53,090 --> 00:22:57,210 Don't bump them it. You know whatever you you failed 366 00:22:57,490 --> 00:23:00,090 and then you feel like you have to stand on the outside of the 367 00:23:00,090 --> 00:23:02,930 holy of holies and that is not Christianity. 368 00:23:03,290 --> 00:23:06,650 We need to learn to apply the blood of Jesus to the door 369 00:23:06,890 --> 00:23:10,250 doorpost of our heart to cleanse our hearts of a guilty 370 00:23:10,250 --> 00:23:14,970 conscience so that we can stand in His righteousness. 371 00:23:14,970 --> 00:23:17,970 Years ago we when I was working for Teen Challenge we used to 372 00:23:17,970 --> 00:23:21,620 have devotion staff devotions is the the students would do what 373 00:23:21,620 --> 00:23:23,860 they call DeVos. They would read a chapter 374 00:23:23,860 --> 00:23:25,140 scripture and they'd write on it. 375 00:23:25,300 --> 00:23:27,820 Meanwhile, we were down in the the dining room and we'd have 376 00:23:27,820 --> 00:23:31,060 devotions with each other and somebody would share something 377 00:23:31,060 --> 00:23:35,180 from the word among the staff. And that morning John Hostetler, 378 00:23:35,500 --> 00:23:39,500 he was one of our staff members was a pastor here in Iowa as 379 00:23:39,500 --> 00:23:44,740 well and John was telling us he said I was reading about Jonah, 380 00:23:44,740 --> 00:23:46,300 he said. So I started looking up about 381 00:23:46,300 --> 00:23:48,420 the Ninovites. He said they were some bad 382 00:23:48,420 --> 00:23:51,950 dudes, the Ninovites. That's why Jonah didn't want to 383 00:23:51,950 --> 00:23:55,470 see them get saved. When they got saved, he got 384 00:23:55,470 --> 00:23:57,790 bummed. When people answered his altar 385 00:23:57,790 --> 00:24:00,870 call, he was like, bummed out. That's kind of dysfunctional, 386 00:24:00,910 --> 00:24:03,470 you know? But when you hear about how the 387 00:24:03,470 --> 00:24:06,350 Ninovites treated people, you kind of understand they used to 388 00:24:06,350 --> 00:24:08,390 skin people alive. I mean, there were some gross 389 00:24:08,390 --> 00:24:10,150 people. One of the things they used to 390 00:24:10,150 --> 00:24:14,390 do is they would stand their prisoners, their captives on A 391 00:24:14,470 --> 00:24:16,630 at the end of a field and they tell them, listen, if you can 392 00:24:16,630 --> 00:24:19,640 run to that end of that field before we catch you, you're a 393 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:23,000 free man. You know the the prisoners 394 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:25,520 thinking skinned alive, possible freedom. 395 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:29,400 I'll take door #2. What they didn't know is that 396 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:32,040 the Ninovites had this game. They would play with their 397 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,360 prisoners, and the guy would start running down the field, 398 00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:38,040 and they had already made bets on how far he would run without 399 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:40,760 his head. And they would ride up behind 400 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:43,480 him on a horse and with the big hold sword, they'd snap his head 401 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:45,180 off and his body would keep running. 402 00:24:45,180 --> 00:24:47,620 And then it would flop and they would laugh and they would, and 403 00:24:47,620 --> 00:24:49,660 whoever got closest would make the money. 404 00:24:51,020 --> 00:24:53,780 And John is telling us this. And I looked at him just like, 405 00:24:53,780 --> 00:24:56,100 you're looking at me like pastor, Why did you put that in 406 00:24:56,100 --> 00:25:02,060 my head? He didn't have an application 407 00:25:02,060 --> 00:25:04,780 for it was just a gross story. So we went upstairs. 408 00:25:05,140 --> 00:25:08,500 So then we had Chapel, and we're in worship that morning. 409 00:25:08,740 --> 00:25:11,140 And I'm worshipping the Lord trying to get this picture out 410 00:25:11,140 --> 00:25:14,600 of my head. And the Lord spoke to me because 411 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,600 it was very relevant to my life at that time, he said. 412 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:21,640 Dave, that's exactly what the enemy does to you. 413 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:26,400 He cuts you off from the head and makes bets on how long 414 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:32,400 you'll last. Jesus is the head, and we've got 415 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:36,360 to be connected to him relationally or we won't last. 416 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:41,000 So what the enemy does is he's got a big old sword called 417 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:44,040 condemnation. On one side it's a double edged 418 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:48,440 sword, condemnation and accusation, and he tries to cut 419 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:52,080 you off from the head if he can cause you to begin to feel 420 00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:55,600 guilty and identify yourself with your failure. 421 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:59,680 If he can't push you into doing something wrong, he'll beat the 422 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:05,200 stuffing out of you over not doing enough right and you'll 423 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:07,040 you'll you'll never get there. There. 424 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:10,600 That's where the enemy Not that I wasn't falling into doing 425 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:14,660 things wrong at times, but the enemy would just ride me about. 426 00:26:14,660 --> 00:26:18,540 You didn't read the word enough. You didn't fast enough this 427 00:26:18,540 --> 00:26:20,140 week. You didn't pray enough. 428 00:26:20,780 --> 00:26:23,580 Man, I got, I got. So legalist, I I remember making 429 00:26:23,580 --> 00:26:26,460 vows to God. I'm going to pray 2 hours a day. 430 00:26:26,460 --> 00:26:28,740 I'm going to be in the word. I'm going to fast this many days 431 00:26:28,740 --> 00:26:30,940 a week and I remember just hitting the wall and crying out 432 00:26:30,940 --> 00:26:33,740 to God and say God, I can't do it anymore. 433 00:26:35,620 --> 00:26:37,660 He didn't say this. But now, looking back, I think 434 00:26:37,660 --> 00:26:39,220 what he was saying. I never asked you to. 435 00:26:41,230 --> 00:26:43,910 I put it on myself. I was trying to earn His 436 00:26:43,910 --> 00:26:47,630 righteousness. And it was during that season 437 00:26:47,630 --> 00:26:49,950 the Lord began to teach me about the blood. 438 00:26:51,310 --> 00:26:54,670 And on the tail end of that is when John Hostetler told that 439 00:26:54,670 --> 00:26:59,390 story. The Lord has given us a weapon 440 00:26:59,430 --> 00:27:03,790 of defense. They overcame him by the blood 441 00:27:03,790 --> 00:27:07,560 of the lamb, the word of their testimony and they love not 442 00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:10,400 their life unto the death. The first weapon out of the 443 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:13,880 sheath is the blood of the lamb. And make no mistake about it 444 00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:18,240 that verse in that verse you use the blood Satan word. 445 00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:23,400 It's used against the enemy. There's verses where we present 446 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:26,760 the blood. Jesus presented it to God and we 447 00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:29,920 enter into that and we present the blood on our own behalf. 448 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,520 When the enemy accuses you and begins to beat you up and 449 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:38,120 condemn you. We talked about it a couple 450 00:27:38,120 --> 00:27:39,520 weeks ago, but look at Matthew 5. 451 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:42,160 It says agree with your adversary when you're on your 452 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:44,920 way to the judge. Like, what's the deal with that? 453 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:47,520 Jesus assumes we're always guilty. 454 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:49,920 No. When you're going to the judge 455 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:53,720 of all the earth, as Abraham called Jehovah, when you're on 456 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:58,160 your way to the secret place, the enemy will always condemn 457 00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:01,860 you. He's the accuser of the brother 458 00:28:01,860 --> 00:28:04,780 and he accuses us before the throne day and night. 459 00:28:04,940 --> 00:28:06,860 How does he gain access to the throne? 460 00:28:07,020 --> 00:28:09,700 He doesn't. It's when you go to the throne 461 00:28:09,700 --> 00:28:13,620 he accuses you to keep you out of the secret place. 462 00:28:14,460 --> 00:28:18,020 Because if you believe God is continually disappointed with 463 00:28:18,020 --> 00:28:22,260 you, If in your mind when you approach God, there's this 464 00:28:22,550 --> 00:28:26,790 simmering, this low burn disappointment in you like, oh, 465 00:28:26,790 --> 00:28:29,030 here he comes again, Dave. The failure. 466 00:28:29,110 --> 00:28:31,070 My son bought him, and now I'm stuck with him. 467 00:28:31,150 --> 00:28:32,390 Come on in. What? 468 00:28:32,390 --> 00:28:36,230 What do you want? I I used to feel that I felt 469 00:28:36,230 --> 00:28:37,870 like God was clicking his throne. 470 00:28:37,870 --> 00:28:39,750 He and his little finger on the stone. 471 00:28:39,870 --> 00:28:43,110 Oh man, here he comes again. And I'd come in timidly, God, 472 00:28:44,430 --> 00:28:48,190 rather than come boldly before the throne of grace in our hour 473 00:28:48,190 --> 00:28:50,910 of need. But in order to come, I'm 474 00:28:50,910 --> 00:28:53,970 telling you, if you come boldly before the throne of grace, 475 00:28:53,970 --> 00:28:57,130 based on your own righteousness, you're in deception. 476 00:28:58,290 --> 00:29:02,130 And God loves you enough. He will not allow you to find 477 00:29:02,130 --> 00:29:06,730 rest and security there. He will allow failure into your 478 00:29:06,730 --> 00:29:10,210 life till you throw up your hands and say, God, I can't do 479 00:29:10,210 --> 00:29:13,890 it on my own. And that's what he gives us, 480 00:29:13,890 --> 00:29:18,410 That revelation of the blood, the blood of Jesus is our plea, 481 00:29:19,530 --> 00:29:24,900 The blood that is satisfied every righteous requirement of 482 00:29:24,900 --> 00:29:29,860 God. Once made perfect, Jesus became 483 00:29:29,860 --> 00:29:33,780 the source of eternal salvation. Scripture says what does that 484 00:29:33,780 --> 00:29:36,580 mean? It means he fulfilled all of 485 00:29:36,580 --> 00:29:39,260 righteousness like he told his brother John the baptizer. 486 00:29:40,140 --> 00:29:45,100 He said I must fulfill it all because he wanted to give a 487 00:29:45,100 --> 00:29:49,930 perfected life to the Father. And the life that was in the 488 00:29:49,930 --> 00:29:53,010 blood of Jesus was a life that fulfilled every requirement. 489 00:29:53,970 --> 00:29:58,610 And that's the life that we provide the Father that is the 490 00:29:58,730 --> 00:30:03,850 entry fee into the throne room. I used to imagine a big old 491 00:30:03,850 --> 00:30:06,690 whopping Angel standing outside the throne room and I was 492 00:30:06,690 --> 00:30:09,650 wanting to get in and I'd imagine, I'm saying, all right 493 00:30:09,650 --> 00:30:11,410 buddy, I'm going to have to card you. 494 00:30:11,410 --> 00:30:14,090 Do you got what it takes? Do you have a righteous life? 495 00:30:14,530 --> 00:30:17,410 And I would go through these mental gymnastics in and of 496 00:30:17,410 --> 00:30:18,850 myself. I do not. 497 00:30:19,350 --> 00:30:23,030 My life without him has been an utter failure. 498 00:30:23,630 --> 00:30:29,110 But I've got this life in this bowl of blood, and the Angel 499 00:30:29,110 --> 00:30:33,310 would step back in reverence. Oh my, come on in, enter in, and 500 00:30:33,310 --> 00:30:34,910 I would go in and worship the Lord. 501 00:30:35,310 --> 00:30:37,870 And I had to retrain my heart and mind. 502 00:30:39,470 --> 00:30:42,870 The blood of Jesus answers on our behalf. 503 00:30:43,110 --> 00:30:46,970 The blood of Jesus is what the weapon we use against that 504 00:30:47,010 --> 00:30:49,770 accusation and that condemnation. 505 00:30:49,890 --> 00:30:52,050 We don't argue our own righteousness. 506 00:30:52,050 --> 00:30:53,610 We agree with the enemy. Yep, you're right. 507 00:30:53,610 --> 00:30:54,810 You know what? Thank you. 508 00:30:54,970 --> 00:30:57,930 Thank you Devil, for reminding me what the Bible says is true. 509 00:30:59,170 --> 00:31:01,770 But I don't approach based on my own righteousness. 510 00:31:01,770 --> 00:31:03,690 I pay. I approach God based on the 511 00:31:03,690 --> 00:31:07,770 righteousness of Jesus that was completed 2000 years ago and 512 00:31:07,770 --> 00:31:10,450 that you can't touch this. You can't. 513 00:31:10,650 --> 00:31:12,990 You can't close the door on this. 514 00:31:12,990 --> 00:31:16,390 I have free access when I approach based on the blood. 515 00:31:18,670 --> 00:31:24,790 And so we begin to apply that. So covenant is God's answer for 516 00:31:24,790 --> 00:31:29,630 all of this our doubts about God and our doubts about ourself, 517 00:31:30,910 --> 00:31:33,590 our doubts about God. Because God is saying listen, 518 00:31:33,790 --> 00:31:39,150 I'm willing to bankrupt heaven and give give the worship of all 519 00:31:39,150 --> 00:31:44,160 of heaven in your stead. Jesus took on human flesh and 520 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:48,680 walked among us and experienced everything we did, all, every 521 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:52,600 temptation we ever experienced and then gave his life. 522 00:31:53,920 --> 00:32:00,240 Make no mistake about it. Jesus faced every temptation and 523 00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:02,120 came out righteous. You say? 524 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:06,280 Well, I don't ever see in the scriptures Jesus struggling with 525 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:11,690 crack cocaine. What Jesus struggled with was 526 00:32:11,690 --> 00:32:15,610 what's behind crack cocaine, That flight from pain, that 527 00:32:15,610 --> 00:32:18,890 momentary escape that I'm not going to follow. 528 00:32:19,490 --> 00:32:21,650 I'm going to take a break from following God. 529 00:32:21,650 --> 00:32:24,490 I'm going to get off this path of suffering so I can get a 530 00:32:24,490 --> 00:32:27,010 little bit of relief. And he resisted that. 531 00:32:28,650 --> 00:32:30,650 CS Lewis has this wonderful phrase. 532 00:32:30,890 --> 00:32:36,650 He said not only does Jesus no temptation, he's the only one 533 00:32:36,650 --> 00:32:41,310 who really does. He's the only one who rode that 534 00:32:41,310 --> 00:32:46,350 thing all the way to the end. You and I have experienced 535 00:32:46,350 --> 00:32:50,310 temptation, and we got bucked off at some point, but Jesus 536 00:32:50,310 --> 00:32:52,270 rode that thing into the ground and tamed it. 537 00:32:52,430 --> 00:32:55,270 He experienced all of temptation and conquered it. 538 00:33:00,110 --> 00:33:04,250 And so when we see what He did for us, it's to minister to our 539 00:33:04,250 --> 00:33:06,010 heart. And every time we take 540 00:33:06,010 --> 00:33:09,250 communion, we're to remind ourself of that we're to 541 00:33:09,250 --> 00:33:11,370 recollect. We're to recollect all these 542 00:33:11,370 --> 00:33:14,610 truths and put them in the forefront of our mind and feast 543 00:33:14,610 --> 00:33:16,490 on them. And the Lord's Supper. 544 00:33:16,730 --> 00:33:20,130 And remind ourself the price He paid and that he has proven 545 00:33:20,130 --> 00:33:25,970 himself trustworthy, worthy of our trust that we can surrender 546 00:33:25,970 --> 00:33:33,440 ourself. And once that is conquered, once 547 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:38,680 you've really begun and to enter into I know he is trustworthy, 548 00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:43,360 then you've got to begin to work on your you've conquered your 549 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:45,560 theology, so to speak. We're always going to grow on 550 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:46,960 that. But you've nailed that down. 551 00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:50,680 I know he's trustworthy. Then you work on your identity 552 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:55,000 and you fight the enemy's accusations and you find your 553 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:58,640 identity in Christ and not in your own behavior, your own 554 00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:04,110 performance. And both of those are in 555 00:34:04,430 --> 00:34:07,590 communion. You can put it this way. 556 00:34:08,670 --> 00:34:10,469 Let's go ahead. And if you don't, if, if you 557 00:34:10,469 --> 00:34:13,630 don't have your communion elements, I'm going to ask the 558 00:34:13,710 --> 00:34:18,710 the band to come on up. We're going to close by 559 00:34:18,710 --> 00:34:21,630 receiving the Lord's Supper today. 560 00:34:23,710 --> 00:34:27,630 You can put it this way. Man had a problem. 561 00:34:29,540 --> 00:34:32,580 There was the God side of it and there was the human side of it. 562 00:34:34,139 --> 00:34:37,860 That problem was guilt. There was legal guilt. 563 00:34:37,860 --> 00:34:43,300 That's the God side. We had broken moral law and God 564 00:34:43,580 --> 00:34:49,420 required that that be satisfied because God is just that had to 565 00:34:49,420 --> 00:34:53,699 be satisfied. And the blood of Jesus. 566 00:34:53,980 --> 00:35:00,150 The sacrifice of Calvary satisfied legal guilt and paid 567 00:35:00,150 --> 00:35:04,310 for that with Jesus blood. But there are a lot of people 568 00:35:04,550 --> 00:35:08,630 who understand that God satisfied the legal guilt, but 569 00:35:08,630 --> 00:35:11,950 they still struggle with psychological guilt. 570 00:35:12,830 --> 00:35:17,150 They still identify with it. And I'm telling you that the 571 00:35:17,190 --> 00:35:21,030 answer is the same. The blood of Jesus will deal 572 00:35:21,030 --> 00:35:24,270 with your psychological guilt. I remember a guy that was 573 00:35:24,270 --> 00:35:27,940 discipling me. He was the the guy that ran the 574 00:35:27,940 --> 00:35:32,580 Bible little first Bible squad went to tremendous man of God. 575 00:35:32,580 --> 00:35:34,820 I I'm so appreciative that I had him in my life. 576 00:35:35,580 --> 00:35:39,060 But I wasn't appreciative of this one time he he'd heard my 577 00:35:39,060 --> 00:35:41,660 testimony. He knew my dad was a pastor and 578 00:35:41,660 --> 00:35:44,620 that my dad had left fulltime ministry because of my brother 579 00:35:44,620 --> 00:35:47,820 and I drug use. And he asked me, said, don't. 580 00:35:47,820 --> 00:35:52,260 Aren't you racked with guilt over your father leaving his 581 00:35:52,260 --> 00:35:58,030 calling over your behavior? And I thought for a moment, I 582 00:35:58,030 --> 00:36:03,270 thought not until now. No, really, I I I When he said 583 00:36:03,270 --> 00:36:05,990 it, I just. I was puzzled. 584 00:36:08,430 --> 00:36:13,550 And I told him I said no, because I'm not that person 585 00:36:13,550 --> 00:36:18,030 anymore. That person died with Christ. 586 00:36:18,870 --> 00:36:22,990 I'm a new creation. I, I, I, I am incapable of 587 00:36:22,990 --> 00:36:27,990 feeling guilty about who I used to be because that man is dead 588 00:36:27,990 --> 00:36:31,430 and buried and we celebrate that in here. 589 00:36:31,830 --> 00:36:35,390 Some of you, you deal with psychological guilt. 590 00:36:35,670 --> 00:36:39,990 The enemy use uses accusation about your past and even your 591 00:36:39,990 --> 00:36:42,630 present. And you're thinking, man, I'll 592 00:36:42,630 --> 00:36:45,070 get over this when I get my behavior in order. 593 00:36:45,230 --> 00:36:48,430 And I'm telling you, you'll never get your behavior in order 594 00:36:48,430 --> 00:36:53,070 until you get over that, because guilt will lock your mind on 595 00:36:53,070 --> 00:36:56,500 your behavior. Guilt will block your mind on 596 00:36:56,500 --> 00:36:59,660 the things of the flesh. Paul put it this way in Romans 597 00:36:59,660 --> 00:37:03,020 chapter 8. He who minds the things of the 598 00:37:03,020 --> 00:37:08,500 flesh walks after the flesh. He doesn't say if you've got a 599 00:37:08,500 --> 00:37:11,500 real positive attitude and you really want it, the flesh you'll 600 00:37:11,500 --> 00:37:13,900 walk out to flesh, he said. If you got your mind on it, 601 00:37:13,900 --> 00:37:18,820 you're going to walk after it. An accusation and condemnation 602 00:37:18,820 --> 00:37:24,550 locks our mind on our fleshly failings and it it sentences us 603 00:37:24,550 --> 00:37:27,590 to repeating them again and again and we've got to find a 604 00:37:27,590 --> 00:37:29,590 way out of the cycle. And I'm telling you, the way out 605 00:37:29,590 --> 00:37:33,510 of the cycle is to step out and approach the Father based on 606 00:37:33,670 --> 00:37:36,070 Jesus righteousness and not our own. 607 00:37:37,030 --> 00:37:38,870 Thanks for listening to our podcast. 608 00:37:38,870 --> 00:37:41,390 If you'd like to help more people hear this message, you 609 00:37:41,390 --> 00:37:43,990 can get the word out by subscribing and sharing it on 610 00:37:43,990 --> 00:37:46,310 social media. If you'd like to support the 611 00:37:46,310 --> 00:37:49,150 ministries of Heartland Church, you can do so at Heartland 612 00:37:49,150 --> 00:37:51,390 Church, online.com/give.