Thanks for checking out the Anchor Faith Message podcast
from St. Augustine, FL.
Now enjoy this message. Well, let's turn over to Mark
chapter one. Mark chapter one, And I sense
that some of those things I was saying were not just by me
saying it's unction of the Spirit.
I did not say thus sayeth the Lord, but it was.
Just as much a function by the Spirit, more of a word of
knowledge, because some of you are like, yeah, that's me.
Which means the Lord, through His word and knowledge, wanted
me to encourage you along those lines.
Amen. Some of you I could call out
some very specific things because I just happen to know.
And let me just say this, thank you, Lord, because the Lord just
trying to deal with this church often.
Does the Lord know everything? Right.
So why is it that Saints get so impressed by a minister that
doesn't know you, but by the spirit of God can tell you about
what's going on in your life, then give you the words you need
to overcome it? And we would rather receive it
from that person than someone that God's placed in your life.
Like your pastor who happens to know what's going on cause you
told them but then told you the same word by the scripture that
you need to overcome. But we want to get it from a
stranger, because you're not getting a more sure word of
scripture of how to overcome from someone who just didn't
happen to know your problem. That doesn't make it more
spiritual. In fact, I would even submit to
you this way. The reason why some of those
gifts are actually in operation is because of the failure of
people to actually be under their pastor.
And it's God again, trying to get your attention because why
in the world are you way over there?
Yeah, it's good preaching. It's not popular.
But I'm not here for popularity contest.
I'm just here to do the word of the King.
Hey man, John the Baptist wasn't in a popularity contest.
Neither was Jesus. Jesus said y'all, I'll go to the
house, right? Because at the end of the day
I'm just going to do the will of my Father, Amen.
And that's the best place of peace, just doing the will of
the father March after one verse 14 to 15 says this.
And now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came
into Galilee preaching the gospel of God and saying the
time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent. And believe in the gospel.
So these two verses here, if you put them both up at the same
time would be really awesome. Is that Jesus is literally
communicating what the gospel is.
Just in case we don't because you know that way we got to go
preach the gospel. Jesus tells us the gospel
because it says Jesus came into galley preaching the gospel of
God. Verse 15 tells us what it is
saying. What did he say?
The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand.
That's the gospel. The Kingdom of God is at hand.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
That's the gospel. The good news is that the
Kingdom of God is at hand. Now guess what?
That includes being born again because you can't see the
Kingdom. Unless you're born again, you
can't enter the Kingdom unless you're born again.
But the good news is not the Death Bear on resurrection of
Jesus. The good news is the Kingdom of
God. The Death Bear on resurrection
of Jesus is what was the required payment so that we
could be forgiven of our treason and the debt associated with our
life. Because again, God's ready to
forgive man in Genesis chapter 3.
No issue when Adam eats the fruit and God comes into the
garden and then he eventually speaks to the serpent, he said.
I'll bring my seed through the woman.
In essence, I want to forgive man, but I cannot give him
forgiveness until the debts paid.
He can't enter into life until it's paid.
That's why everyone prior to Jesus's death burial is in
paradise. They're in the grave.
They cannot go and be present with the Lord because the
payment is not there. They're waiting on payment.
Now forgiveness obviously is in play for them to be in a
separate place than those that were beyond the abyss.
However, it does not give them access to God yet or they cannot
be present It be in His presence, be before Him
consistently are eternal until the payment comes.
So Jesus is telling us the good news is the Kingdom.
Is the Kingdom My work, Jesus says, is to pay the price so you
can have the Kingdom back. So he says, listen, the time is
fulfilled. In essence I've come to make
payment. So the good news in this
particular dispensation we're in, called the New Covenant, is
that when we die, we don't go to the grave.
We get to be present before the Lord, and he is seated at the
right hand of the Father. And so we'll go to heaven and be
with him until he returns, and then we'll be with him when he
returns. But it says the time is
fulfilled. The Kingdom of God is at hand.
That is the gospel. Then he goes on and says this.
Now the gospel is the Kingdom of God.
But there's a there's something necessary for you to have the
gospel. Two things are required.
Say two things. Two things are required.
Say two things. Two things.
The first thing is repent. And repent is not a religious
word. It means change your thinking.
So you repent and believe. Repent and believe in the in
what? What is the gospel?
The Kingdom of God. Amen.
So the gospel is the Kingdom of God of which Jesus is the King
of the Kingdom. That's why the Bible says all
who call on the name of the Lord cause Lord is supreme and
authority. It's not a religious word.
It means Jesus is the king of the Kingdom and for you to get
in the Kingdom then you must believe that the payment Jesus
paid. For your treason against the
crown of the Father was made, and you're going to make him
your supreme in authority. You're you are crucifying your
life, your purpose, your will, your intent, your way of doing
everything to submit fully and entirely to Him.
And in order to do that, you're going to have to repent.
Because to change your thinking. And then you believe in his
finished work. In his finished work.
I don't have to die in order to only get it by myself.
I have to die to myself. But I have to die to myself and
receive the blood that he shed for me.
He made the payment. I could not get there on my own
initiative. Are you hearing me?
So repent is a big deal, I said. It's a big deal.
It's not the gospel without repentance.
It's not the new birth without repentance.
Going to say that again, it's not the new birth without
repentance. And you say, wait a minute now,
I mean, they don't know anything about God who's lost and
separated from they have to repent.
They have to change their thinking that they can be right
with God without God, without the finished work of Jesus.
So someone who calls on the name of the Lord or believe that he
died on the cross and rose from the grave, they already changed
their thinking that they can get there without that.
So they actually did a natural thing first.
When I say natural, I'm saying they decided to take that
thought. Now I understand the thought
comes by revealing by the Spirit.
So again, no man goes after God. No, not one.
But once the Holy Spirit reveals to man's mind, Jesus is the only
way and you know that you know in your mind.
Now I can't do it my way. Then you change your thinking,
and you then with your heart, with everything that you have
with, I mean honestly, your spirit man's dead.
At the moment you know you're confessing, Jesus's Lord.
But that event, through the revealing of the spirit, that
you can call on the name of the Lord to be saved, it will cause
the spirit of the man that's dead to be evicted from this
skin suit and you'll get a new creature in Christ.
Are you hearing me? So repentance is key.
Unfortunately, we think repentance is only a one time
shot. Yet we'll see that that's not
true. And that's chapter 17, verse 30.
It says this, these are the disciples now going around
fulfilling the Great Commission. And it says therefore, having
overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring
to all men that all people everywhere should.
Repent repents a big deal. Got the gods.
Word translation says that this way God overlooked the times
when people didn't know any better, but now he commands
everyone everywhere to turn to him and change the way they
think and act and act. Acts 2620 Acts 2620.
But declaring but but kept declaring both to those of
Damascus first. And also at Jerusalem, and then
throughout all the region of Judea and even to the Gentiles,
that they should what repent, turn to God, performing deeds
appropriate to repentance, Performing what deeds?
Another word for deeds is works. Yep, the old dirty word in the
church. Which is not a dirty word
because doctrines of demons. Have attacked the church with
the word work when the reality is just keep reading Ephesians
210, where everyone says it's not a work any less any man.
It's not a man's work independent of God.
That's what it means. But we are born again for the
purpose of having good works, which means a lifestyle that now
is in keeping. With repentance, the God's Word
translation says that this way of Acts 2620, both groups were
expected to change the way they thought and acted and turned to
God. I told them to do things that
prove they have changed their lives.
We have reduced being born again to a God only event and there is
no man side. And that once we're born again,
we still do nothing. Which is not a true statement
because the Bible doesn't support it, and the early church
knew this very well, of which Jesus himself understood this.
I said Jesus himself understood this.
Jesus never expected for us to be born again and never change
the way we think. So that our thinking would be in
line with this new spirit that we are.
Are you hearing me? So again, the problem is, is
that you and I have already been instructed by the Holy Ghost.
So this is in our advantage and and you need to understand it's
to your advantage because there's many places that are
only dealing with the Spirit side.
What I mean by that is that what Jesus could only do.
And then put in you at your confession, which is a new
creature in Christ. Your spirit is perfect, but
you're not just a spirit. And so anytime you take the
Bible and only deal and try to take the spiritual thing that
has taken place in us and apply it to our soul realm, you're
going to get off. And apply it to your body realm.
You're going to get off. No one would believe that your
body now is eternal. None of us believe that.
Nobody believes that you're going to live forever.
Yet in the spirit you do right in our spirit, like our spirits
alive will always be with the Lord.
Yeah, but your body's not. You're going to get a glorified
body, and that is an accepted truth across the board.
But what's not accepted is what's going on in the soul.
Because many are attaching the Spirit and saying the spirit and
the soul are one and they're not one.
I said they're not one. The Bible clearly communicates
there is a difference between your soul and a spirit.
Now in the Old Testament, you're not going to hear these things.
You're not going to have that conversation.
So again, they go back into the Old Testament say, well, it's
the heart. It's the heart.
It's talking about the spirit of the man.
The spirit of the man was dead in the old covenant, which means
it only listened to the soul. And it did everything from a
soul perspective because that's all it could.
When Adam ate the fruit, he was limited to his five senses and
he tried to worship God the best he could with all this soul.
It was only those that had experienced the Spirit upon that
began to access some things concerning the spirit, even
though their spirit man was dead.
Are you hearing me? So there was a plausibility.
It was possible for man to be righteous even though his spirit
was dead in that dispensation, but in the new one?
In the new one, it lets us know there's a difference because
once we got born again, it did not change our mind.
That's right, didn't change our mind.
Just like it did not make us put on a glorified body immediately.
That is a future event. When it comes to our soul realm,
we have the responsibility. I love what Pastor John George
said very clearly. I'm going to apply to us all, he
said. You know, parents, it's God's
responsibility to save your child's spirit.
It's your responsibility to help save their soul.
Well, that applies individually to us.
God saved our spirit. He's responsible for saving our
spirit. It's our responsibility to save
our soul. And the Bible talks about the
saving of the soul. So the minute we're born again,
that doesn't mean our mind's right.
And and nowhere does it mean that God allows your mind to
continue to be wrong and he's OK with it in essence.
Really, what the gospel tells us is that if you'll change your
thinking, you'll be able to access the Kingdom constantly.
So I'm going to put in you a Your spirit is going to be right
with God and right standing with the king.
Then I'll put him in there as well, meaning the Holy Ghost
who's going to teach you Kingdom stuff so that now your mind can
think and respond like the King of the Kingdom.
And you have that responsibility to hear from the great teacher
that lives on the inside and that he will enlighten you.
He would illuminate. He would reveal to you God's
will that now you actually have the power to say soul, you're
going to change the way you think about this.
You're fixing to change the way you feel about this right now.
You don't control me anymore. You know, up to this point, the
soul realm controlled man. Man was led by his sight.
That is a sense in the soul realm.
But now we're not led by our sight.
We're led by faith or the word of God.
We have something happening on the inside that we're led by
that We come back up to our soul realm and we say this is how
we're going to respond. Now are you hearing me?
So we know. And 1st Thessalonia is 523.
I'm just going to quote him for you.
He said that that man would to be blameless until the return of
Jesus in his spirit, soul and body.
So first that's alone is 523. You can write that down South.
You can study this for yourself. Or remind yourself that we are a
spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body.
Then in Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12 says the word of God is
living in active sharper than any two Ed sword able to Pierce
between joint and marrow soul and spirit.
So the only thing that can can let you know what is a feeling
and what is spirit is the word of God.
Which tells us that there are plenty of born again believers,
but if they're not in the word, they can still be led by their
soul and not the spirit, because you have to learn of the spirit
in order to be led by the Spirit, and the spirit don't
care how you feel. Now when I say that, that's not
like he's insensitive. Or that he doesn't care.
I'm just saying if he gives you a direction, even though in the
natural it may cause many people to be fearful, it may cause many
people to want to cry. I mean I, you know, I don't know
what the situation is. I'm just throwing out some
examples. In essence, he's like you just
need to follow this and don't go based upon the way you feel
because my word works. And you can change.
Say, well, I'm, I'm not going to feel that way.
I'm going to feel the way the spirit's telling me to feel.
And a lot of times he'll have you feel joy.
Another thing he'll do is have you feel peace.
Are you hearing me? And so you'll you'll sense peace
in your spirit, and you'll put it over your soul realm and say,
well, I'm going to walk in this piece instead of being fearful.
So did Jesus know this word repent meant something?
Well again we opened up in Mark one that it says after John was
put into prison, Jesus came preaching.
Well what did John preach? John the Baptist?
Well it's in Matthew chapter 3. In Matthew chapter 3 verse 2,
John the Baptist preached repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at
hand. Now what is that?
It's the gospel. Thank you.
One person's got it. We've we left the scripture and
we've already forgotten what the gospel is.
Let's change our thinking. The gospel is not Jesus Christ
out on the cross and rose from their dead.
That is the way into the gospel. It's the way into the gospel.
You know, cause honestly, it's not good news that Jesus died.
You know, we called it Good Friday, but by all rights, it
wasn't a good day. It wasn't a good day.
I mean, it was a it was a sorrowful day.
It was sorrowful for the Father. I mean, it was it was painful
for Jesus. But Jesus had a different
mindset because the Bible tells us in Hebrews for the joy set
before him, he endured the cross.
So when he looked at the cross, he saw it as a joyful
experience, although his body was in extreme pain.
Are you hearing me? So by all rights, it's not good
to die. But he had to die so that we
could get into the good place. Because if I had never eaten a
fruit, we wouldn't have this problem, right?
And if we hadn't send ourselves, we wouldn't have this problem.
But we did. And so Jesus pays the price so
that we can come in. So repent, Mitch means change.
Your thinking is what John priests.
And did John know what he was saying when he said repent?
Yes, jump down to verse 8. And if you don't think Jesus was
around hearing this or knowing this, then you would be mistaken
because you understand John is only related to Jesus.
And where do you think John got his message from?
Jesus called John the greatest prophet.
He said he was the greatest. No miracles are having it.
He's the greatest preacher got a prophet.
Why? Well, he's announcing the king.
He's anowing. This is the fulfillment of the
fulfillment of time. This is where the good news is
finally made available for people to access back in the
planet that you don't have to wait to go to heaven.
This is what God was always wanting.
He's wanting to get it back and he's getting it back to us.
Still not in Eric as it originally was, because our soul
and our body's going to be perfect as well.
But he's definitely getting where he's among men, because
Jesus means Emmanuel, God with us, not man's coming to God.
God wanted to come to us, He wanted to be in us.
And he don't want to wait for you to go to heaven to have a
relationship. He wants to come and have his
abode with you now, and he's not concerned that you're in a
simple world still, because once you get right with him, that
stuff don't have anything to do with you.
He's delivered you from that. He's, he's taking you out of the
law of sin and death. He's redeemed you.
He's put a spirit in you that has that doesn't want to sin or
be rebellious to the Father ever again.
And then he puts the Holy Ghost in you that says, now let's get
your mind right so that you can act and have the Kingdom
functioning in your life all the time because it's really not
about when you go to heaven. Heaven came to you.
Hallelujah, man. That's good news, such good
news. And so he knew that if we
repented, then there's going to be a evidence that's going to
follow. And he says, John says this
therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
Now, he was obviously talking to some religious people that knew
the Word. They had access to the Word, and
yet they were manipulating the Word so they could live their
way of living. Instead, this is how we're going
to use God's word so that this can be our lifestyle.
We're going to manipulate God's Word to justify our lifestyle
and say we're right with God. I'm telling you, this is worse
than a unbeliever not even knowing scripture, trying to
live right for God. It's not working.
But you know, they don't even have the excuse of knowing the
Word. These guys here, they knew the
Word, they had access to it and and they were in the environment
where the Spirit of God would come upon the priest in order to
rightly divide it and see it with clarity.
And yet they were rejecting that, so that they could
maintain fruit that was not from the Kingdom.
But John calls them out. On this he calls them out, he
said, Now, therefore bear fruit, in keeping with a change of
thinking. Are you hearing me so the
passion of this verse, Matthew 38, says it this way.
You must prove your repentance by a changed life.
Amen. Now, just for the sake of
record, I'm not saying that the minute you get born again,
you're going to do everything right.
Obviously you're not. You're going to be a babe in
Christ and you're going to make mistake.
But you know even a baby will keep coming to milk.
That's what babies do. They come to milk.
They keep coming to milk. They're not going to reject
milk. Now, if you get born again and
then you never come to milk, well, then you're probably not
born again, which means you had a confession with your mouth,
but your heart was far from it. Because you can't tell me you're
right with God if I'm begging you to get to milk, right?
I mean, honestly, I love what Pastor Darryl Huffman says.
He says I got born again for life.
This wasn't like until the first problem came, until the first
issue took place. And I wasn't trying him.
You know what He's No one's begging him.
No one begged him. I mean, many of you, you're not.
No one's begging you. You're just like this is what I
do, cause I'm alive to God. And that is what babes do.
Babes know somebody that is with me now who has begotten me has
got some milk somewhere. And get me to the milk.
Hallelujah. The contemporary English version
says this. Do something to show that you
have really given up your sins. Do something.
Hallelujah. The God God's word says it this
way to do those things that prove you have turned to God and
have changed the way you think and act again.
A righteous man may fall, but he gets up.
I said he gets up at the end of the day, may fall 7th, but he
gets up nowhere. Am I preaching perfection?
What I'm preaching is develop maturity.
You know what's what's amazing to me is that people will make
all kind of excuses not. To be with God and act like
they're still with God, it's just amazing.
Why? Because have they really
repented? You know, again, when we sell
Jesus as you couldn't do anything and just ask him to
come into your heart and save you.
Then when you die, you know you're going to go to heaven
because it doesn't really matter what you do after that, God
loves you anyway. In essence, we're endorsing
something other than what Jesus called the gospel.
You know, if someone ever said, well, I just want to come to
church, you know, because I want to come, You know, I don't want
to have to be made, you know, because you know, one thing that
we do here at Anchor a church, if you're going to partner with
a vision, again, we have 40 people lined up for supportive
ministry and they're going to be, they're assigned now
somewhere. Part of the responsibility of
serving is that you actually have to attend church.
You don't serve and then don't come to church, right.
So again, well, you know, I I want to come just because I want
to come. I don't want to come because I
have to serve. Well, first of all, you
obviously don't know Jesus because Jesus would ask you to
serve. So serving should come out of
your heart. So if you already felt like
you're being made, then I'm asking the question, are you
right with God? Because if we only can show up
when we're scheduled, then you've made it work.
Not me. I mean, I say we're a job, let's
put it out. You made it a job.
You know, everybody goes to A to a job when they're scheduled.
And you know how many people go to a job and they don't want to
go? And then they'll say, well, you
know, I want to go to church when I want to because I don't
feel like I have to. Well, you have to go to job and
you go to job and the job didn't die for you, the job didn't.
The money you're making from the job will not save your life from
eternal damnation. It will not heal your body.
I don't care how good your insurance is, the insurance you
have does not cover every condition.
Even if you're going through cancer, it can't heal cancer.
It can just pay for the treatments and your retirement.
I mean, I'm glad you got this great 401K, but at the end of
the day, what's going to happen? Yeah.
You know, I mean, many people go to jobs they don't want to go
to. Well, yeah, you should come to
church because you want to, which is pretty simple.
I mean, it's an easy overflow. Hallelujah.
Thank you, Jesus. That's why you know the hired
employees that we have here. I mean that's like no brainer.
I mean you're hired because your vision partner and you come to
church and if you don't want to come to church but you do want
to come to work, there's a problem.
I mean, that's like just a natural overflow.
It's not a forcing, it's an overflow of a heart to serve a
vision. And then God pays you as well to
do a part of it. I mean, how exciting is that,
right? Yeah.
It's like, wow, this is amazing. Amen.
Well, I feel like I have to go. That's that's your problem.
It's not. It's not.
It's not my problem. I love to do what God wants to
do. I love to be in His presence.
I love to serve His church. I love to serve Him because I
have a lifestyle in keeping with repentance.
Did I do God's word already? OK, let's do amplified.
Amplified. Matthew 38 says it this way.
So produce fruit that is consistent with repentance,
demonstrating new behavior that proves a change of heart and a
conscious decision to turn away from sin.
Why would Jesus call us into his Kingdom and then keep us in a
position where we have we lack power of community?
I mean, there's nowhere in Scripture that individuality or
let's put independence is what God was looking for.
Let me just say it this way. There's actually no in scripture
that literally constitutes A singular thinking of personal
Savior. God never intended to have one
son. God was never gonna have one.
Never. And it's from the first pages.
Let us make man in our image according to our likeness.
I'm gonna pull out of that man or woman, and then they gonna
multiply. They're gonna produce God's
seeds. Kingly seeds the whole race.
When Adam falls from dominion, the Lord's likes the seed.
A man's corrupt now, so I got to get a different seed in the
woman because I'm looking for a community.
I'm not looking for one person here.
So when he gets into covenant with Abram, what's he say?
He says. Abram, I'm gonna make a covenant
with you, and I'm gonna call you Abra Ham, which is known as the
father of of what many nations not I just want.
Through you to get Jesus. So I could personally be with
people individually. I don't want them to know each
other and interact with one another.
I don't even want them to get along.
I want them for me and me alone. So what I'm going to do in
eternity. I'm going to line them up and
I'm just going to have one dance before me and sings praises to
me, You know tell me how awesome I am.
You know I'm tired of hearing their voice.
I'll send them out and I'll bring the other one.
They won't know each other because eternity's big.
You understand that you've I'm letting you know with the
universe is really large and I can put y'all in different
places. That you never have to be around
anyone. That's not the case.
The only reason why people don't want to connect is because they
don't want to change their thinking.
Hallelujah. No repentance means all right,
I'll just follow God completely however he wants and what that
looks like. Amen.
And I realized the brother to my left and the sister to my right,
they're working things out. They're growing.
They're having to change their thinking constantly so that
their behavior will be reflective of not a person who
sins. And I realized sometimes they're
not going to make it, but I'm going to be there to encourage
them, strengthen them, tell them let's go get on up.
I'm not going to say, you know what, I couldn't do it either.
Let's go back and live like we used to.
I mean, honestly, the world's really wanting you to
demonstrate it. When I say that, you just live
it. And they're like, why you go to
church all the time? Why are you reading the Bible
all the time? Why are you praying?
I'm going to say all the time. It's not literally all the time,
but you understand so much so that they notice, Are you
hearing me that they associate you with that?
You know, I I never hear you cuss.
I you never talk about anybody at work.
Are you hearing me? Amen.
That this behavior becomes so different because they're like,
yeah, well, you know my relationship with Jesus.
Well, I know plenty of people who have said they have a
relationship with Jesus, but they live like I do.
Well, I don't believe that's what God intended.
Because again, as we said in prayer, God never intended us to
be relevant to the world. They expected us to be different
because they're in darkness. And when we're different, we'll
actually be in light, and they'll be drawn to the light,
not to our sameness. God changed me.
Repent means to change one's mind.
It means to change one's mind for the better.
I mean, when your spirit man wasn't better before, God
Correct. So why when we get born again,
we think our minds better just because he's in us now, It's not
better because we can still think the same way.
And you see many people that are born again get mad cuss, you
know, back, bite, lie. Even still fornicate.
Still fornicate. It's mind blowing.
Well, you know, I just believe the Lord wants me to be around
them because he's going to use me to get them right.
So you sleep with them on the weekend and then bring them to
church. I don't understand this.
You don't understand. We're online.
So I got to talk about outside this house.
I mean, it's amazing how many people will justify when the
Holy Ghost will have conversation and it's like, hey,
let's change our thinking about how this relationship goes.
Because guess what, the Holy Spirit who happens to know the
beginning from the end could literally say.
Man, I'm sure glad you're in the Kingdom now, but you're going to
let this one go. What?
Yeah, you're gonna need to let them go.
This is not the relationship for you.
I've been with him for five years.
I love. Yeah, you lusted after them.
It's really what was going on. You were led by your emotions
here, but now you're alive. I know this is hard to your
emotions, but put on my piece is going to be all right.
I got somebody better. And how many people married the
wrong person because they won't renew their mind and let God
bring the right person? Joseph Benson, who's the
commentary for Scripture, says this for repentance not only
implies sorrow for sin or sincerely wishing it undone, but
a change of mind and a reformation of life.
So again, repent. Never meant to not actually
change the way you live now. It did not mean I feel sorry for
my sin. Come into my heart and save me.
I can't do anything better and I'm never going to be great.
I'm never do it. I'm never going to be perfect.
The Bible never asked you to be perfect.
It asked you to be mature. And you can be mature.
And a mature person will not willfully sin or make excuses
for sinning, nor make excuses to stay offended.
Won't do that. Aren't you glad that you don't
do that? Aren't you glad that you don't
do that? I was hoping to be a little bit
louder. Aren't you glad you don't do
that? OK, say it in faith then.
God has empowered us with the greater one, and I don't have to
do that. I get to resist sin.
I get to put it down. I get to take every thought
captive. I actually have control of what
I'm thinking about. This is awesome.
Hallelujah. So Romans 12/2 says it this way.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of
God is, that which is good, acceptable and perfect.
The Bible and basic English says it this way.
And let not your behavior be like that of this world, but be
changed and made new in mind, so that by experience you may have
knowledge of the good and pleasing and complete purpose of
God. Now notice Romans is directly
saying if your mind's being renewed, it's your
responsibility now it's not without God's help.
I'm not saying that. I'm not saying you're getting
this on your own. I'm saying as you're reading and
studying the word, because again, Jesus said go and make
disciples. So again, when we're selling the
good news, when we are preaching the good news, when we're
communicating the good news, when we're trying to convince
people about the good news and the good news is the Kingdom.
OK, what we're saying to them is that, hey, there's a whole
nother way to live, whole another way to live, and you
can't get in it by yourself. You're going to have to believe
on the finished work of Jesus. But once you're in, then he's
going to deposit in you a spirit that wants to obey dad and put
his own spirit in you so that you can be taught.
And then he's going to reveal scripture to you to help clean
your mind up. So you'll quit thinking like
you're thinking this is really awesome.
We have a personal tutor. Amen.
Now a tutor comes alongside things that are already teaching
us. So the Holy Ghost does two
things. Number one, he is the great
teacher, don't get me wrong. But what I mean by that is he
does allow, because God wanted it this way, the fivefold
ministry to equip the Saints, and through the fivefold
ministry, who are actually being led by the spirit and not
popularity and preaching what God wants to be preached.
OK, then when you're hearing that truth, then your spirit
will say, now that's what I'm talking about.
And you're receiving it not as the word of men, but what it
really is, the word of God. You just happen to hear it
through the voice of the gift, that's all.
You understand what I'm saying and there are many things the
Holy Spirit wants to teach you through the gift.
Why? Because he never wanted you to
have a personal assignment with him alone.
Because when the Scripture says in Hebrews you don't need man to
teach you anymore, that has. That's in reference to how the
old covenant was, is that you could only learn through those
that had the anointing on, but now you have an anointing and
that anointing now will actually let.
You're not only subject to what they say because they say it,
you actually, I will actually verify that what they're saying
is true. So truth is being spoken.
And you know what's funny about those individuals that actually
grab that scripture? And I'm kind of complain about
that position, you know? Or you know, they're like, I
don't need anyone to teach me, but they always want somebody to
listen to them. They're the ones that are on
social media trying to teach everybody.
Wait a minute, you said it. Why are you even talking?
Since you learned this truth that you don't need anybody to
teach you, you should just be quiet.
You should cease to be heard. Why are you violating your own
belief by trying to teach somebody that?
Why are you trying to teach somebody that the Holy Ghost, to
teach them that so he doesn't need you?
Since we're thinking, Amen. I'm just so thankful for the
Holy Ghost. You know, because he does.
He. He's.
He won't let you get duped up. He won't let you get, you know,
drug along. I mean, at the end of the day,
he will help you out along the way.
Amen. Thank you, Jesus.
All right, so Romans 12/2. In the complete contemporary
English version, it says don't be like the people of this
world, but let God change the way you think.
Then you will know how to do everything that is good and
pleasing to him. The Good News Bible says this,
says it this way. Do not conform yourself to the
standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a
complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know
the will of God, what is good and pleasing to him and it's
perfect. Now every one of these
scriptures so far they are saying if you don't let God
renew your mind, it's impossible for you to be in his will.
Now you can be born again and be completely out of the will of
God. So being born again is access to
the will of God. It is God's will that all would
repent. That all would what?
Where's that at? Somebody looked that.
Script real quick for me and tell me where it's at.
Well, I don't know all y'all shouting at me, but you know
what it is. The one where Jesus the Lord
says you know the Father desires that none would perish, but that
all would repent. Second what?
OK, yeah, I still didn't hear it.
Hold on second. What?
Peter? Second Peter, let me get.
There where you at OK 3 niner. It's military.
The Lord is slow, is not slow about his promises.
As some counts slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing
for any to perish but for all to come to salvation.
No, doesn't say that, does it? And that.
Interesting. So this scripture is not a
scripture, only about being born again.
We use this all the time just as a born again scripture.
What God desires at known would perish, right?
But look what He says. The Lord is not slow about his
What now? Who in the world has access to
the promises of God? Only the covenant kids, as some
count slowness, but is patient towards you.
My goodness, are you hearing what I'm saying right now?
So again, we believe in God. He's not slow on his promises,
but he's patient towards us, not wishing to any what that none of
us would perish. My people perish due to lack of
knowledge. They're covenant people that are
perishing are not receiving what God has for them, and it's
because they don't change their thinking in order to receive it.
They're living like the world who doesn't have access to it.
So God doesn't want any of us to perish or not have the promises
through to the lack of not renewing our minds.
Now anyone could access. Can I move this over to a lost
person? Sure.
Because in order to get born again you have to 1st repent and
believe the gospel. Or that Jesus is king of the
Kingdom, he is Lord, he is ruler, and his death Baron
Resurrection was the payment for you to get in.
But then once you're in then he's always wanting to renew
your mind. Change your thinking, change
your thinking, change your thinking, change your thinking,
change your about every situation that's going on in
life. He wants to change your
thinking. And some of the worst thinking
to change is the religious. And I get it.
I mean it's all in there. Hallelujah.
But if you're willing to actually take time to go
through, you'll find yourself adjusting, and you won't allow
the accepted majority to be your response, even if it comes from
whole denominations. Amen.
Hallelujah, the message says. Don't become so well adjusted to
your culture that you fit into it without even thinking what.
Let me just say this. You may walk in the place and
you look the same as a human, but when they get around you, it
shouldn't be long for them to realize you are not the same.
And let me just say this, if you're doing it right, then you
know what? Even the lost will talk to you.
Now, some won't. Because if if they get convicted
by your presence and you're living and you're talking, well,
then they will isolate themselves from you.
There's nothing you can do about because they're doing that to
Jesus, are you hearing me? But on the other side, there are
others that their lifestyles completely off and they will
still talk to you. There's not a person nowhere I
go that I cannot engage in conversation, period.
If they personally ask me my belief, I will personally tell
them and that doesn't hinder my ability to talk to them.
Now it may hinder their ability to talk to me, but it won't
hinder me because you're sin, especially the world.
The world's going to send nobody that's in.
I mean, I you're sin and I I can't stop it.
So there's really no reason for me to harp on you about
changing. I just might as well live this
life so that you will want this life.
And then I'll say, you know, you'll have to change your life.
Now. It's easy God to help you first
spiritually and then boom, we'll get it through the renewing of
mine after that. Pretty simple.
So the things that I preach in church are a lot different than
when I'm in front of the world, right?
So if you're sitting here assuming that if I go to a
restaurant and then I'm telling people about their sin and
calling it out, I'm not doing that, none of us should do that.
I mean, I actually have waiters and waitresses that are in
fornication relationships, adulterous relationships,
homosexual relationships, and I tip them really great because
I'm not appealing to their sin. I'm showing them the goodness of
God. They can't help it.
I mean, when Christian like, oh, I can't believe you're doing,
you know what? I'm not going to.
That's so silly. God died for that.
Now if you tell me you're a brother and you're sleeping with
somebody, I'll still tip you good and tell you you need to
get out of relationship cause you know better.
It's a different conversation, but what do people do?
They want to take the everyone's lost mentality and apply it all
the way across the board to where we don't even hold our own
brethren accountable when Jesus says I'll judge the house first,
he said. You can judge your brother,
you're definitely going to look at their fruit.
You're definitely going to have to live up to a standard because
if you've repented then there's a lifestyle that I make a demand
to happen and the reason why, John said.
Why don't you have a lifestyle in keeping with repentance?
Since you're acting like you know God and that's what he's
saying. He sure didn't say it to
everyone else. John never told another person.
Why don't you have a lifestyle keeping with offensives?
You know why? Because when those people got
right, they lived right. Wow, they lived right.
Who did Jesus have conflict with?
He sure wasn't walking around telling, you know, everyone that
was all out and sin. I mean, now he talked about it.
The Kingdom of God is like he's letting them know.
I mean, he's having conversations, but he's not in
the dispensation of his church. But don't think the head of the
church isn't conversing. I mean, the woman at the well is
a great example. Don't think he let that go.
Nor did he let the woman go. Called an adultery.
He didn't let that go. And and and many, we don't even
know their sin. But once he healed them, he's go
in sin no more. We just don't know the details
of what they were doing. But he sure was an advocate for
it. But now the people who say they
knew him, that conversation sounded different.
So you, I can't sit here and you and again let me just say it
this way. If you're bringing a guest that
you know is not born again, you need to let them know, man, our
pastor, now he talks to us as believer so that we stay, right.
You know, cause God wants us to live this life, right.
So you're going to hear some things that that you know unless
you're born again, you just can't even do that.
At least be wise enough to inform them, because at the end
of the day, I'm. I'm not supposed to be the
greatest evangelist you are. Your life should be getting them
born again at work. Which means then once they come
in and they'll want the milk, they'll be like like many of you
have done. Wow, this is so good.
It's life changing. I've never heard anything like
that because your spirit man is hungry for it.
The Holy Spirit saying is truth and you start renewing your
mind. I just told to someone during
prayer that was like I was in a place a pastor was preaching.
They said now repeat this. And when they repeated me and
the other person looked at each other like we can't say that
because it's not biblical. How do they know that?
Because the Holy Ghost says you can't say that.
That's not even scriptural. I don't care if the preacher
saying it and can I just say this.
I have preached for almost. I have preached almost 3
decades. I have preached a lot of
messages. I would love to tell you that I
never failed to say a word right when I preach.
Sometimes I do. Sometimes the word comes out and
it wasn't the right word and I don't catch it till later.
I mean, if you know the person's character and you're believing
the best, then you're not looking for one word to fail.
Basic. You know who was looking for one
word of a failure? The Pharisees.
All the Pharisees waiting to hear give me just getting to say
one thing so I can discredit everything he does.
And we kill him, kill him. We don't kill him.
So don't be coming up in here looking for one word so that you
can try to justify. So funny.
Just walk in love, man. Thank you, Jesus Okay.
Let me go back to the message because we have communion today,
because communion reminds me that I'm different.
He changed me and I just. I just want us to be a community
of believers that actually live heaven on earth.
Is that Is that wrong? Is that such a lofty goal?
That you would just desire that everyone who says that Jesus's
Lord is that we would actually really love one another as the
word says, not as we say. That we really forgive each
other as the word says, not as we say.
Is it too much to ask? It's not.
It's only too much to ask. If you don't want to change your
behavior but go to heaven, then it's too much.
To ask, and I get it, and this is not your church.
This is not your church, because that's not his church.
But it's definitely for those who want what's on the inside to
come out in the way they think and behave and talk.
Because it's your king. He knew you couldn't get to him
anyway, and despite all that, he still died for you.
And then he says, now let me help clean up your mind, because
it was really a mess in there. And we're like, don't touch my
mind, just Remember Me when I die because I like what I was
doing. No message.
Don't. Become so well adjusted to your
culture that you fit into it without even thinking.
Instead, fix your attention on God.
You'll be changed from the inside out, readily recognized
that he wants what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.
Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its
level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops
well formed maturity in you. Wow.
How powerful is that? The passion says it this way.
Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the cultural around
you, but be inwardly. Transformed by the Holy Spirit
through a total reformation of how you think.
This will empower you to discern God's will as you live a
beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes.
Last Scripture I'm going to turn you to as an Ephesians chapter
4. Again, we need to think again,
God. Caused us to become children of
God, our children of the king, so that we could think again
like kings. Because God gave us our dominion
back. He never gave us a salvation
that we're holding on and just stuck living like everybody else
and subject to all the passions and temptations and.
And handling the situation is just like everybody else, you
know. And at the end, if we just hold
on good enough, you know, at the end of the day, we're going to
go and it's going to be way better there.
That was never God's intent. His intent was to get you born
again, so that you could become, have dominion, so you could
function as a king, so that he could bring heaven to you, in
and through in you and through you, and then change your whole
system of thinking of how to operate.
How to handle everything in life so that then the world would be
drawn to you because they would truly, clearly see you're not of
this world. Wow, We're not of this world.
We're not. Subject to it anymore, but it
takes our effort to change. If he's in chapter 4, verse 22
to 24, is this that in reference to your former manner of life,
you lay aside the old self? Which is being corrupted in
accordance with the lust of this of deceit, and that you be
renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new.
Self which is in the likeness of God, and has been created in
righteousness and holiness and truth.
The Passion says it this way. And he has taught you to let go
of the lifestyle of the ancient man, the old self life which was
corrupted by sinful and deceitful desires that spring
from delusions. Now it's time to be made new by
every revelation that's been given to you, and to be
transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ within, as you
as your new life, and live in union with him.
For God has recreated you all over again in his perfect
righteousness, and now, and you now belong to him in the realm
of true holiness. Well, that should be lived out
in our lifestyle. And here's the thing.
There's no excuse for it to not, since our spirit man is that
right with God is that alive to God is is not wanting to sin.
Ever, ever. It never choose it.
Our spirit never chooses sin. Our spirit never chooses sin.
It's never its choice. It's never its choice to respond
in the flesh. It's never its choice.
And as you train your mind, your soul to hear in your spirit, in
your inner man, then you can always side with the spirit of
God in every situation and produce that fruit every time.
And that amazing the message says it this way.
But that's no life for you. You learn Christ.
My assumption is that you paid careful attention to him, then
well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in
Jesus. Since then we do not, do not
have the excuse of ignorance. Everything, and I do mean
everything connected with that old way of life has to go.
It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it, and even take on
an entirely new way of life, a godfashioned life, a life
renewed from the inside, working itself into your conduct as God
accurately reproduces his character in you.
Say I have the character of God. Say I have the character of God.
Because the spirit in you is
going to change your thinking. If you allow it.
Thank you so much for listening to this message.
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