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Well, we're moving this morning still deeper

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into Romans 10.

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We'll read through the first 13 verses

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as we try to lay a bit of a

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contextual foundation here for what we want to look at.

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Primarily, this morning, I am going to be taken up

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with the first half of verse 9.

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And you'll see as we come into it,

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what that's all about.

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Verse 1

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Chapter 10.

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Romans.

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"Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God

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for them (that's the Jews)

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is that they may be saved.

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I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God,

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but not according to knowledge.

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For being ignorant of the righteousness

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that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own,

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they did not submit to God's righteousness.

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For Christ is the end of the law

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for righteousness to everyone who believes.

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For Moses writes about

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the righteousness that's based on the law,

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that the person who does the commandments

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shall live by them.

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But the righteousness based on faith,

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(you see his comparison...

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he's comparing righteousness based on the law

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with righteousness based on faith)

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Verse 6, he says, "but the righteousness

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based on faith says,

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'do not say in your heart

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who will ascend into heaven?'

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That is, to bring Christ down.

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Or who will ascend into the abyss?

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That is to bring Christ up from the dead."

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Now if you weren't here last week,

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we looked back at Deuteronony 30

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where this came from.

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The interesting thing is,

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Moses is speaking about the commandment.

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He's speaking about the Law.

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What Paul does is everywhere Moses

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speaks about the commandment,

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he takes it out and he puts in "Christ."

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What he's doing is he's showing us

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that the righteousness based on the law

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speaks law. It speaks commandment.

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But he's taking Moses' own words,

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he's stripping it of Law and commandment,

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and he's putting Christ in.

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And he's saying,

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the righteousness that is based by faith

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doesn't speak like Moses anymore.

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It speaks, you remember,

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the law came through Moses;

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grace and truth, they come from Christ.

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The speech of the righteousness which is by faith

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speaks different than Moses spoke.

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So if you wonder, what are all

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these words about the abyss and about heaven?

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Well, it's simply the words that Moses

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used in Deuteronomy 30,

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and Paul uses them to his purposes

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to apply to Christ,

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and he's saying it's near us.

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You don't have to go to heaven,

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You don't have to go into the abyss.

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It's right here.

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And as verse 8 says,

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What does it say?

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"The word is near you.

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In your mouth, in your heart."

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Again, Moses was speaking about the law

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that you had to do.

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Paul is tearing that out of it, and he's saying,

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that's not what I'm talking about.

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I'm not talking about a law you do.

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I'm talking about a word of faith;

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a word you believe.

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That we're proclaiming.

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Verse 9, "Because if you confess with your mouth

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that Jesus is Lord..."

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That's what I want to deal with today:

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confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.

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"...and believe in your heart that God

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raised Him from the dead,

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you will be saved.

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For with the heart one believes,

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and is justified;

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with the mouth, one confesses, and is saved.

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For the Scripture says everyone who believes in Him

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will not be put to shame.

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For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.

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The same Lord is Lord of all.

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Bestowing the riches on all who call on Him.

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For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord

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will be saved."

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Now, what Paul is explaining here...

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I know, we've got some people in here today.

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We've got some visitors.

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Maybe you're not familiar with this concept.

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I want to bring you up to speed real fast.

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There's a reason

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that so many Gentiles

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are being saved;

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why most Jews are not.

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This is Paul's theme that he started

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back in Romans 9.

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He's answering the question.

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Because as we look,

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we say, hey, why are the churches

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mainly filled with Gentiles?

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When the Jews were God's people

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in the Old Testament.

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Why is that?

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How can that be?

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And Paul doesn't say,

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well, you're wrong if you think that's how it is.

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He says, no, you're absolutely right.

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There aren't many Jews being saved.

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Mostly it's Gentiles that are filling

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the church.

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And he says, there's reasons for that.

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In Romans 9, he says it has to do with

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the purpose of God according to election.

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But here, at the very end,

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the last four verses in Romans 9,

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and how all the way through these first

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13 verses in Romans 10,

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he's leading us to another reason.

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Not election anymore.

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Now he wants us to look at something else.

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Look, no matter who we're talking about,

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whether it's Jew and Gentiles,

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you and me, the guy down the street -

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it doesn't matter.

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There's always a reason why some

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are being saved,

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and others are not.

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In Romans 9:30, Gentiles attaining righteousness -

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a righteousness that is by faith.

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Romans 9:31 shows the Jews

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they're trying to get righteousness in other ways.

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It's not by faith.

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Not by faith in Christ.

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It's rather by keeping the Law.

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They were determined to be good enough

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by their own efforts.

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They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

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you see that in verse 32.

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That stone is Christ.

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Look, this is what was happening.

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The Gentiles, they're finding some street preaching guy

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by the name of Barnabas or Paul

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or Silas or Timothy - whatever.

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And they hear this guy,

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and Christ is being set forth,

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He's being proclaimed to them.

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They say, "Yes!"

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I want that!

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We believe that!

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And they attain to the one and only righteousness

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by which men can be accepted by God.

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Christ is proclaimed on the other hand to the Jews,

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Paul - wherever he went, he'd go into

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those synagogues,

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most of them are saying,

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"No thanks. We have a Law."

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"We're going to keep our law."

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So the Gentiles attained by faith righteousness.

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What does that mean?

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Very quickly.

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To attain righteousness means this:

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The very moment,

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I mean the exact instant -

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now catch these two words,

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the moment someone truly and biblically

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believes in Jesus Christ,

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at that very moment,

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their sins are gone.

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Forgiven. They're washed away.

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They're declared 100% absolutely righteous

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in the sight of God.

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Look, do you know what that means?

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That means that if you came in here today,

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you know you're not a Christian.

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You're filthy, you're vile, you're full of sin.

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You're guilty of more wickedness

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than you can even remember.

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This is what this means.

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You don't have to go on this agenda

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to start cleaning up your life.

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You don't have to come to this church for five years

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before you can ever get right with God.

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What this means is you can believe

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on the risen Lord Jesus Christ this very hour.

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And the moment you do, something absolutely

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tremendously wonderful happens.

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You deserve suffering and death and wrath

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and hell for your sins;

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but the moment you believe in the Lord Jesus,

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all your sins are washed away that instant.

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By the blood of Jesus Christ.

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And then, God looks at you

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as though you have never sinned.

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And in fact, as though you have only

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and always kept His Law perfectly.

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Not because of a single bit of law keeping

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on your part.

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Not because you tried to clean up your life.

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Not because you own a Bible.

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Not because you came to this church for five years.

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You say what do I have to do?

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Obviously to become a religious person.

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To become somebody right with God,

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I've got to go through all this stuff.

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I've got to start doing good.

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That's not what the Scriptures teach.

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Perfectly righteous.

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In a moment.

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You can be the most ungodly sinister wretch

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that's ever come through that door.

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You can be sitting there with a guilty conscience

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in all your shame and disgrace,

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and in a moment,

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if you will look to the risen Lord Jesus Christ,

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in faith,

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in that moment,

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you can attain righteousness.

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How?

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By believing the truth God has revealed to us

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about His Son.

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And that's what I want us to look at today.

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What must we believe in order to be saved?

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And this won't be only important for us

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as far as what we proclaim in our Gospel message.

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This will hit home with us.

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This has to do with a test of our own professions as well.

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You see, folks, mark this:

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Christian faith.

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True faith.

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True, saving, Christian faith has specific content.

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It matters what we believe.

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It's not enough for somebody to simply say,

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Oh yeah, I believe.

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You believe what?

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I believe there's a God.

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Well, that's nice.

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The devils believe that.

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Where's that got you to?

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True saving faith has very specific content.

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We need to ask people,

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what do you believe?

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We need to be concerned about what people believe.

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Listen to this,

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the Bible backs me up on this,

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we're going to see this in just a second.

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There is no salvation;

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you cannot be saved,

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unless you are clear about

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who Jesus Christ is.

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The Gentiles were finding salvation for this simple reason:

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They were clear about who Christ was.

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They saw Him to be Lord of all.

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They believed God has raised Him

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from the dead.

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They saw Him as He was.

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You can see Paul's very thinking

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about this in verse 9.

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What does the heart do with Christ?

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That's what Paul's concerned about.

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What does your heart do with Him?

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It believes.

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What does the mouth do with Christ?

277
00:11:40,534 --> 00:11:41,638
It confesses.

278
00:11:41,638 --> 00:11:44,002
That's what hearts and mouths are for.

279
00:11:44,002 --> 00:11:45,206
Hearts believe.

280
00:11:45,206 --> 00:11:47,761
Mouths confess what the heart believes.

281
00:11:47,761 --> 00:11:49,763
And the pathway to salvation

282
00:11:49,763 --> 00:11:52,701
that opens the door wide to the Gentiles

283
00:11:52,701 --> 00:11:55,630
is that they believed in the heart

284
00:11:55,630 --> 00:11:57,740
what is true about Christ

285
00:11:57,740 --> 00:11:59,939
and then confessed with the mouth

286
00:11:59,939 --> 00:12:04,068
what the heart believes.

287
00:12:04,068 --> 00:12:07,150
That's what was happening, clearly.

288
00:12:07,150 --> 00:12:10,188
If you guys do a quick litte study here,

289
00:12:10,188 --> 00:12:12,277
you'll see what?

290
00:12:12,277 --> 00:12:15,939
Romans 9:30 - what happens there?

291
00:12:15,939 --> 00:12:17,957
Gentiles attaining a righteousness.

292
00:12:17,957 --> 00:12:20,111
How are they attaining it?

293
00:12:20,111 --> 00:12:22,740
By faith.

294
00:12:22,740 --> 00:12:27,171
Verse 32, the Jews did not attain it.

295
00:12:27,171 --> 00:12:31,324
Why? What does verse 32 say?

296
00:12:31,324 --> 00:12:35,482
They did not seek it by faith.

297
00:12:35,482 --> 00:12:38,359
You get down to verse 33.

298
00:12:38,359 --> 00:12:41,063
It says somebody there's not going to be

299
00:12:41,063 --> 00:12:42,424
put to shame.

300
00:12:42,424 --> 00:12:44,571
Who is it?

301
00:12:44,571 --> 00:12:45,969
Believers.

302
00:12:45,969 --> 00:12:48,425
You get down to 10:4,

303
00:12:48,425 --> 00:12:54,298
and who is it that Christ is the end of the Law for?

304
00:12:54,298 --> 00:12:56,752
Everyone who believes.

305
00:12:56,752 --> 00:12:59,099
You get down to verse 6.

306
00:12:59,099 --> 00:13:02,271
What is it that's speaking there?

307
00:13:02,271 --> 00:13:07,147
A righteousness which is according to faith.

308
00:13:07,147 --> 00:13:09,687
You get down to verse 8,

309
00:13:09,687 --> 00:13:11,714
and what is it that Paul's speaking?

310
00:13:11,714 --> 00:13:13,293
Is he speaking Law?

311
00:13:13,293 --> 00:13:15,171
Is he speaking things to do?

312
00:13:15,171 --> 00:13:17,643
He's speaking a word of what?

313
00:13:17,643 --> 00:13:19,018
Faith.

314
00:13:19,018 --> 00:13:22,058
It's something that must be believed.

315
00:13:22,058 --> 00:13:24,765
It's all about faith.

316
00:13:24,765 --> 00:13:27,158
Unless you believe certain truths

317
00:13:27,158 --> 00:13:31,458
concerning Jesus Christ, you cannot be saved.

318
00:13:31,458 --> 00:13:34,345
Listen, yes Paul says,

319
00:13:34,345 --> 00:13:38,202
if you believe in Him,

320
00:13:38,202 --> 00:13:40,674
you won't be put to shame.

321
00:13:40,674 --> 00:13:45,493
He says that.

322
00:13:45,493 --> 00:13:48,159
But to believe in Him.

323
00:13:48,159 --> 00:13:50,176
What is that?

324
00:13:50,176 --> 00:13:55,698
Do you guys know what the word "abstract" is?

325
00:13:55,698 --> 00:13:57,909
Non-definable.

326
00:13:57,909 --> 00:14:01,269
Sort of foggy, fuzzy feeling.

327
00:14:01,269 --> 00:14:06,743
Look. Faith in Jesus Christ means something.

328
00:14:06,743 --> 00:14:10,568
A lot of people say, well, I had this feeling.

329
00:14:10,568 --> 00:14:14,014
No, that's not what we're talking about.

330
00:14:14,014 --> 00:14:17,121
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is not all

331
00:14:17,121 --> 00:14:20,351
indistinct, uncertain,

332
00:14:20,351 --> 00:14:24,978
"Well, it doesn't really matter..."

333
00:14:24,978 --> 00:14:28,188
This foggy thing - no real detail,

334
00:14:28,188 --> 00:14:30,952
no pinpointed truth to believe.

335
00:14:30,952 --> 00:14:32,344
He doesn't do that at all.

336
00:14:32,344 --> 00:14:34,090
He's very specific.

337
00:14:34,090 --> 00:14:36,513
He says, this is the Christ who died.

338
00:14:36,513 --> 00:14:38,135
This is the Christ who was buried.

339
00:14:38,135 --> 00:14:40,914
This is the Christ who on the third day was risen.

340
00:14:40,914 --> 00:14:45,916
The Gospel is about a distinct and a certain Christ.

341
00:14:45,916 --> 00:14:48,394
Whoever believes in this certain Christ

342
00:14:48,394 --> 00:14:52,526
labeled in the Scriptures is saved.

343
00:14:52,526 --> 00:14:55,370
There are fixed certainties.

344
00:14:55,370 --> 00:14:59,279
Concrete, actual, objective realities

345
00:14:59,279 --> 00:15:01,036
about Christ.

346
00:15:01,036 --> 00:15:02,442
That your faith and my faith

347
00:15:02,442 --> 00:15:03,893
must lay hold of,

348
00:15:03,893 --> 00:15:07,034
to believe in Christ is to believe very

349
00:15:07,034 --> 00:15:09,482
specific, hard facts about Him.

350
00:15:09,482 --> 00:15:12,269
You can't say you believe in someone,

351
00:15:12,269 --> 00:15:14,518
unless there is something you

352
00:15:14,518 --> 00:15:18,442
expressively believe about him.

353
00:15:18,442 --> 00:15:19,765
That's everywhere true.

354
00:15:19,765 --> 00:15:21,943
We've got people running all over the place

355
00:15:21,943 --> 00:15:25,003
who say, "yeah, I believe in Jesus."

356
00:15:25,003 --> 00:15:29,002
Ask a Jehovah's Witness if they believe in Jesus.

357
00:15:29,002 --> 00:15:31,129
Certainly they do.

358
00:15:31,129 --> 00:15:33,072
Often what people mean by it,

359
00:15:33,072 --> 00:15:34,900
is no more than they acknowledge

360
00:15:34,900 --> 00:15:36,578
that a guy by the name of Jesus

361
00:15:36,578 --> 00:15:40,040
did actually live about 2,000 years ago.

362
00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:41,926
He's a true, historical, real person.

363
00:15:41,926 --> 00:15:43,543
Muslims believe that.

364
00:15:43,543 --> 00:15:45,032
Mormons believe that.

365
00:15:45,032 --> 00:15:46,309
JW's believe that.

366
00:15:46,309 --> 00:15:48,245
All these lost Jews we've been reading about,

367
00:15:48,245 --> 00:15:51,375
they believed Jesus was a real person.

368
00:15:51,375 --> 00:15:52,955
They knew it.

369
00:15:52,955 --> 00:15:54,656
For the most part, all these folks

370
00:15:54,656 --> 00:15:56,430
are willing to admit that Jesus was a

371
00:15:56,430 --> 00:15:57,676
true, historical figure.

372
00:15:57,676 --> 00:15:59,777
Oh, but let's begin to define this

373
00:15:59,777 --> 00:16:01,903
real, historial Jesus -

374
00:16:01,903 --> 00:16:03,530
who He is,

375
00:16:03,530 --> 00:16:05,408
and then you find, none of these folks

376
00:16:05,408 --> 00:16:06,801
are talking about the same

377
00:16:06,801 --> 00:16:11,069
Jesus that we find defined in the pages of Scripture.

378
00:16:11,069 --> 00:16:13,602
By the time Paul gets to Romans 10:9,

379
00:16:13,602 --> 00:16:15,103
he says enough.

380
00:16:15,103 --> 00:16:17,617
Enough about speaking vaguely about

381
00:16:17,617 --> 00:16:18,793
believing in Him.

382
00:16:18,793 --> 00:16:21,433
Let me tell you about Him who you must

383
00:16:21,433 --> 00:16:22,629
confess and believe in.

384
00:16:22,629 --> 00:16:24,481
And you look there at verse 9.

385
00:16:24,481 --> 00:16:28,719
"If you confess with your mouth

386
00:16:28,719 --> 00:16:32,910
that Jesus is Lord,

387
00:16:32,910 --> 00:16:35,543
and believe in your heart

388
00:16:35,543 --> 00:16:39,400
that God raised Him from the dead,

389
00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:43,588
you will be saved."

390
00:16:43,588 --> 00:16:44,933
If you don't believe this,

391
00:16:44,933 --> 00:16:49,267
you will not be saved.

392
00:16:49,267 --> 00:16:51,398
Do you see that?

393
00:16:51,398 --> 00:16:53,145
This is a serious matter.

394
00:16:53,145 --> 00:16:56,008
Those last three words

395
00:16:56,008 --> 00:16:58,508
ought to catch your attention.

396
00:16:58,508 --> 00:17:01,445
You will be saved.

397
00:17:01,445 --> 00:17:04,119
This is something that is on the caliber

398
00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:08,820
of whether or not you have eternal life.

399
00:17:08,820 --> 00:17:13,285
Paul doesn't say, well, because you've looked at

400
00:17:13,285 --> 00:17:16,949
this effeminate looking picture of a long-haired,

401
00:17:16,949 --> 00:17:19,364
weepy-eyed Jesus on the wall somewhere,

402
00:17:19,364 --> 00:17:22,510
and you say, yeah,

403
00:17:22,510 --> 00:17:25,015
I believe that's a picture of a real person.

404
00:17:25,015 --> 00:17:27,632
That's not what saves you.

405
00:17:27,632 --> 00:17:29,665
What saves is seeing Christ -

406
00:17:29,665 --> 00:17:31,274
what does Paul say?

407
00:17:31,274 --> 00:17:34,259
Seeing Christ in all His powerful majesty,

408
00:17:34,259 --> 00:17:35,959
as the Lord of Glory

409
00:17:35,959 --> 00:17:38,085
ruling, reigning, sovereign,

410
00:17:38,085 --> 00:17:41,492
able and willing to rescue any poor sinner

411
00:17:41,492 --> 00:17:43,809
who calls upon Him for help.

412
00:17:43,809 --> 00:17:47,309
Having paid for sin, defeated death,

413
00:17:47,309 --> 00:17:49,505
busted the grave wide open,

414
00:17:49,505 --> 00:17:51,304
now living and reigning victoriously.

415
00:17:51,304 --> 00:17:54,365
That is the Christ you must believe in

416
00:17:54,365 --> 00:17:55,913
if you would be saved.

417
00:17:55,913 --> 00:17:57,519
He is Lord.

418
00:17:57,519 --> 00:17:58,535
He is.

419
00:17:58,535 --> 00:18:00,987
When the Philippian jailer cries out in Acts 16:30,

420
00:18:00,987 --> 00:18:02,704
"What must I do to be saved?"

421
00:18:02,704 --> 00:18:04,544
Paul and Silas didn't say,

422
00:18:04,544 --> 00:18:08,349
"Well, pray a little prayer.

423
00:18:08,349 --> 00:18:10,381
Accept this long-haired, weepy-eyed,

424
00:18:10,381 --> 00:18:12,671
effeminate Jesus into your heart."

425
00:18:12,671 --> 00:18:17,375
You know what? They spoke these timeless truths.

426
00:18:17,375 --> 00:18:22,345
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ

427
00:18:22,345 --> 00:18:23,587
and you will be saved.

428
00:18:23,587 --> 00:18:25,298
In 2 Corinthians 4:5

429
00:18:25,298 --> 00:18:33,321
Paul says, "For what we proclaim..."

430
00:18:33,321 --> 00:18:37,920
Paul, what are you proclaiming?

431
00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:41,025
He's going to tell us.

432
00:18:41,025 --> 00:18:42,721
He didn't proclaim that we need to go

433
00:18:42,721 --> 00:18:45,084
all around the world and show our little Jesus movie.

434
00:18:45,084 --> 00:18:47,589
That's not what he's proclaiming.

435
00:18:47,589 --> 00:18:49,722
He's not proclaiming that

436
00:18:49,722 --> 00:18:52,981
you've got this impotent Jesus at the door,

437
00:18:52,981 --> 00:18:56,411
and he's knocking and he's helpless and can't do anything,

438
00:18:56,411 --> 00:18:58,268
and he's weak and he's pathetic,

439
00:18:58,268 --> 00:18:59,692
and you better open the door and let him in

440
00:18:59,692 --> 00:19:01,178
or he can't do anything.

441
00:19:01,178 --> 00:19:04,032
That's not what he's proclaiming.

442
00:19:04,032 --> 00:19:05,723
What's he proclaiming?

443
00:19:05,723 --> 00:19:07,313
He says it's not ourselves.

444
00:19:07,313 --> 00:19:08,924
It's not our own imaginations.

445
00:19:08,924 --> 00:19:10,828
It's not our conjurings.

446
00:19:10,828 --> 00:19:12,413
That's not what we're doing.

447
00:19:12,413 --> 00:19:14,688
We're not proclaiming ourselves.

448
00:19:14,688 --> 00:19:16,793
We're not proclaiming our own little message.

449
00:19:16,793 --> 00:19:18,807
We're not proclaiming our own little deal.

450
00:19:18,807 --> 00:19:21,773
He says this,

451
00:19:21,773 --> 00:19:28,388
"We proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord."

452
00:19:28,388 --> 00:19:31,063
When John sees the living Christ

453
00:19:31,063 --> 00:19:32,990
in Revelation 19,

454
00:19:32,990 --> 00:19:34,849
I'll guarantee you what he saw,

455
00:19:34,849 --> 00:19:36,352
shook him to the core,

456
00:19:36,352 --> 00:19:41,121
just like what Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6.

457
00:19:41,121 --> 00:19:44,222
This was no pushover. No pathetic weakling.

458
00:19:44,222 --> 00:19:46,505
He saw the very embodiment

459
00:19:46,505 --> 00:19:49,537
of power and authority and mighty majesty.

460
00:19:49,537 --> 00:19:52,421
Just listen to how John describes what he sees.

461
00:19:52,421 --> 00:19:54,882
Revelation 19:11

462
00:19:54,882 --> 00:19:59,138
"Then I saw heaven opened,

463
00:19:59,138 --> 00:20:02,376
and behold, a white horse.

464
00:20:02,376 --> 00:20:04,609
The one sitting on it is called

465
00:20:04,609 --> 00:20:07,256
Faithful and True.

466
00:20:07,256 --> 00:20:12,705
And in righteousness, He judges and makes war."

467
00:20:12,705 --> 00:20:15,554
This is the Christ who makes war.

468
00:20:15,554 --> 00:20:17,303
And wins.

469
00:20:17,303 --> 00:20:19,585
"His eyes are like a flame of fire.

470
00:20:19,585 --> 00:20:21,821
And on His head are many diadems.

471
00:20:21,821 --> 00:20:23,274
And He has a name written,

472
00:20:23,274 --> 00:20:25,372
that no one knows but Himself.

473
00:20:25,372 --> 00:20:30,130
He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood."

474
00:20:30,130 --> 00:20:33,585
His own blood, no doubt.

475
00:20:33,585 --> 00:20:35,892
Or possibly the blood of those

476
00:20:35,892 --> 00:20:41,236
He's slaughtering in His conquest.

477
00:20:41,236 --> 00:20:42,904
"And the name by which He is called

478
00:20:42,904 --> 00:20:44,932
is the Word of God.

479
00:20:44,932 --> 00:20:47,240
And the armies of heaven arrayed in fine linen,

480
00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:49,948
white and pure, were following Him on white horses.

481
00:20:49,948 --> 00:20:52,456
From His mouth comes a sharp sword,

482
00:20:52,456 --> 00:20:54,368
with which to strike down the nations,

483
00:20:54,368 --> 00:20:56,681
and He will rule them with a rod of iron.

484
00:20:56,681 --> 00:20:58,965
He will tread the winepress of the fury

485
00:20:58,965 --> 00:21:00,875
of the wrath of God, the Almighty.

486
00:21:00,875 --> 00:21:08,783
On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written."

487
00:21:08,783 --> 00:21:13,434
There's nothing in this name that is pathetic or weak.

488
00:21:13,434 --> 00:21:18,474
"King of Kings, and Lord of Lords."

489
00:21:18,474 --> 00:21:24,015
This is not the dead Christ of the Catholics.

490
00:21:24,015 --> 00:21:27,479
This isn't some lesser prophet of Islam.

491
00:21:27,479 --> 00:21:30,572
This is the Almighty Lord of Lords,

492
00:21:30,572 --> 00:21:33,624
and you must bow your heart to,

493
00:21:33,624 --> 00:21:35,371
I must bow my heart to

494
00:21:35,371 --> 00:21:37,705
if we would be saved.

495
00:21:37,705 --> 00:21:40,154
It is at the name of this Jesus

496
00:21:40,154 --> 00:21:41,958
that every knee shall bow,

497
00:21:41,958 --> 00:21:43,451
whether you believe on Him

498
00:21:43,451 --> 00:21:45,442
and bow to Him in this life or not,

499
00:21:45,442 --> 00:21:49,233
the day is coming when every knee will bow

500
00:21:49,233 --> 00:21:53,496
and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

501
00:21:53,496 --> 00:21:55,244
Maybe you don't bend to Him now.

502
00:21:55,244 --> 00:21:57,263
Maybe you're in rebellion against Him now.

503
00:21:57,263 --> 00:21:58,999
Maybe you hate His people now.

504
00:21:58,999 --> 00:22:01,873
You hate His message now. You hate Him now.

505
00:22:01,873 --> 00:22:05,255
But I'm telling you one day, you will bow to Him.

506
00:22:05,255 --> 00:22:07,976
You may not acknowledge Him as Lord now.

507
00:22:07,976 --> 00:22:09,832
You may say, I'm going to run my life,

508
00:22:09,832 --> 00:22:11,910
I'm going to rule my life. I'm going to do my thing.

509
00:22:11,910 --> 00:22:14,206
I don't want to be told what to do.

510
00:22:14,206 --> 00:22:17,231
But in that day, you will bend the knee to Him.

511
00:22:17,231 --> 00:22:19,441
And you will know He's Lord.

512
00:22:19,441 --> 00:22:22,181
And when they come to command those angels

513
00:22:22,181 --> 00:22:23,450
to cast you away,

514
00:22:23,450 --> 00:22:25,158
they will obey Him.

515
00:22:25,158 --> 00:22:27,106
They obey their Master all the time.

516
00:22:27,106 --> 00:22:30,595
And you will go in that lake of fire.

517
00:22:30,595 --> 00:22:33,502
But if you bend the knee now...

518
00:22:33,502 --> 00:22:38,394
Oh, you'll find Him a gracious Master.

519
00:22:38,394 --> 00:22:44,425
His burden is not heavy.

520
00:22:44,425 --> 00:22:47,829
He's kind and He's good.

521
00:22:47,829 --> 00:22:50,219
But He is Lord.

522
00:22:50,219 --> 00:22:52,659
And oh, it's a fearful thing to resist Him.

523
00:22:52,659 --> 00:22:55,409
But to submit to Him, you find Him -

524
00:22:55,409 --> 00:22:57,457
Not one of us that have submitted to Him

525
00:22:57,457 --> 00:23:00,533
have ever found Him to be a hard taskmaster.

526
00:23:00,533 --> 00:23:03,245
He is the greatest Lord.

527
00:23:03,245 --> 00:23:05,296
It says Pilgrim in Pilgrim's Progress,

528
00:23:05,296 --> 00:23:09,240
when he's confronted by Apollyon,

529
00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:13,302
he actually liked the service of this Lord.

530
00:23:13,302 --> 00:23:18,369
And so do we who have had taste of it.

531
00:23:18,369 --> 00:23:21,844
Every tongue will confess

532
00:23:21,844 --> 00:23:23,453
that Jesus Christ is Lord

533
00:23:23,453 --> 00:23:27,186
to the glory of God the Father.

534
00:23:27,186 --> 00:23:30,916
Now listen to me very carefully,

535
00:23:30,916 --> 00:23:34,654
if the Jesus that you believe in

536
00:23:34,654 --> 00:23:36,868
or the one that you have a notion of,

537
00:23:36,868 --> 00:23:39,155
or the one you heard about,

538
00:23:39,155 --> 00:23:41,205
and this is your concept of,

539
00:23:41,205 --> 00:23:46,104
if that Jesus falls short of being Lord of all,

540
00:23:46,104 --> 00:23:47,815
Lord of Glory, Lord of Lords,

541
00:23:47,815 --> 00:23:49,920
maybe more importantly,

542
00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:55,147
falls short of being Lord of you...

543
00:23:55,147 --> 00:24:00,213
then your faith is in another Jesus.

544
00:24:00,213 --> 00:24:01,902
Not the true one.

545
00:24:01,902 --> 00:24:03,231
And you cannot be saved.

546
00:24:03,231 --> 00:24:04,247
Hear me out on this.

547
00:24:04,247 --> 00:24:08,434
This happens far more than many realize.

548
00:24:08,434 --> 00:24:11,839
Most men love to construct in their minds

549
00:24:11,839 --> 00:24:15,878
an image of a Jesus that is impotent.

550
00:24:15,878 --> 00:24:19,098
Men love to see Christ as a baby in a manger,

551
00:24:19,098 --> 00:24:20,616
but stop right there.

552
00:24:20,616 --> 00:24:21,673
No more than that.

553
00:24:21,673 --> 00:24:22,824
Put the brakes on.

554
00:24:22,824 --> 00:24:24,206
He's harmless enough there.

555
00:24:24,206 --> 00:24:25,183
Little baby.

556
00:24:25,183 --> 00:24:26,442
Don't have to deal with it.

557
00:24:26,442 --> 00:24:28,945
But I'll tell you what, you remember something,

558
00:24:28,945 --> 00:24:30,917
when those angels came to those shepherds

559
00:24:30,917 --> 00:24:32,073
out in the field,

560
00:24:32,073 --> 00:24:33,762
they said, "Unto you is born this day in the

561
00:24:33,762 --> 00:24:36,998
city of David, a Savior.

562
00:24:36,998 --> 00:24:39,906
It is Christ the Lord."

563
00:24:39,906 --> 00:24:45,440
Even as a baby, He is the Lord.

564
00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:48,079
Oh, how men love to imagine Christ

565
00:24:48,079 --> 00:24:51,065
frail, weak, harmless, pathetic.

566
00:24:51,065 --> 00:24:52,452
Men love a Jesus like this.

567
00:24:52,452 --> 00:24:53,591
He's no threat to them.

568
00:24:53,591 --> 00:24:55,724
The problem is

569
00:24:55,724 --> 00:24:57,941
a Jesus like this can't save.

570
00:24:57,941 --> 00:25:00,444
And the devil is more than happy

571
00:25:00,444 --> 00:25:02,381
to give us a Jesus like that.

572
00:25:02,381 --> 00:25:04,325
Listen to the Apostle Paul:

573
00:25:04,325 --> 00:25:10,585
He says to the Corinthians in 2 Cor 11:3-4,

574
00:25:10,585 --> 00:25:14,331
I'm afraid that as the serpent (that's the devil),

575
00:25:14,331 --> 00:25:19,233
just as the devil deceived Eve by his cunning,

576
00:25:19,233 --> 00:25:21,973
I'm concerned, I'm afraid, that your thoughts

577
00:25:21,973 --> 00:25:24,819
will be led astray from a sincere

578
00:25:24,819 --> 00:25:28,022
and pure devotion to Christ.

579
00:25:28,022 --> 00:25:29,224
What's he mean there?

580
00:25:29,224 --> 00:25:30,782
Well, he gives some explanation.

581
00:25:30,782 --> 00:25:37,998
For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus

582
00:25:37,998 --> 00:25:40,199
than the one we proclaimed,

583
00:25:40,199 --> 00:25:41,873
you put up with it readily.

584
00:25:41,873 --> 00:25:45,036
Folks, not everyone talking about Jesus

585
00:25:45,036 --> 00:25:48,048
is talking about the true Jesus.

586
00:25:48,048 --> 00:25:52,515
Paul says, the one we proclaim to you,

587
00:25:52,515 --> 00:25:54,850
that's the true one.

588
00:25:54,850 --> 00:25:56,658
Others are coming who are proclaiming one

589
00:25:56,658 --> 00:25:57,911
who is not true.

590
00:25:57,911 --> 00:25:59,561
Here's Paul's fear.

591
00:25:59,561 --> 00:26:03,380
He fears the serpent, the devil.

592
00:26:03,380 --> 00:26:05,991
He fears that just in the same way

593
00:26:05,991 --> 00:26:08,654
as Eve was deceived and led astray

594
00:26:08,654 --> 00:26:10,744
to her death,

595
00:26:10,744 --> 00:26:13,137
so Paul fears lest we be led astray

596
00:26:13,137 --> 00:26:15,138
by one of the devil's people coming

597
00:26:15,138 --> 00:26:17,075
and proclaiming another Jesus.

598
00:26:17,075 --> 00:26:18,136
Another one.

599
00:26:18,136 --> 00:26:19,402
Not the true one.

600
00:26:19,402 --> 00:26:21,157
But another one.

601
00:26:21,157 --> 00:26:27,171
How often the other Jesus is proclaimed

602
00:26:27,171 --> 00:26:31,456
by Satan's emissaries this way:

603
00:26:31,456 --> 00:26:34,646
"Well, he's a savior.

604
00:26:34,646 --> 00:26:38,861
He doesn't demand anything of you.

605
00:26:38,861 --> 00:26:47,770
Just believe. Just believe. Just believe.

606
00:26:47,770 --> 00:26:50,680
We wouldn't want to say that you have to repent,

607
00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:52,136
or that you have to turn and be like

608
00:26:52,136 --> 00:26:54,774
a little child, or you have to submit.

609
00:26:54,774 --> 00:26:56,496
None of that. If we say that,

610
00:26:56,496 --> 00:26:58,324
that's adding works to salvation."

611
00:26:58,324 --> 00:27:00,267
Oh, it sounds good, but it is a

612
00:27:00,267 --> 00:27:03,773
deceptive slant on the true Gospel.

613
00:27:03,773 --> 00:27:11,378
It comes being spoken by the serpent's slithery voice.

614
00:27:11,378 --> 00:27:13,936
Anytime someone comes along and says

615
00:27:13,936 --> 00:27:15,815
that you can take Christ as Savior,

616
00:27:15,815 --> 00:27:17,194
but not as Lord,

617
00:27:17,194 --> 00:27:23,262
it is the foul breath of that serpent, guaranteed.

618
00:27:23,262 --> 00:27:27,957
Folks, this happens often.

619
00:27:27,957 --> 00:27:32,064
Listen, Jesus knew the deceiver.

620
00:27:32,064 --> 00:27:35,639
He knew the tempter well.

621
00:27:35,639 --> 00:27:41,330
Here's how He describes him.

622
00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:53,840
Well, you know what, let me say this...

623
00:27:59,550 --> 00:28:01,034
This seems to come up

624
00:28:01,034 --> 00:28:06,267
again and again and again.

625
00:28:15,297 --> 00:28:24,036
What does Jesus as Lord demand of us?

626
00:28:24,036 --> 00:28:29,317
Is it just belief?

627
00:28:29,317 --> 00:28:32,286
Is that stated anywhere?

628
00:28:32,286 --> 00:28:34,715
Oh, I know Luther liked to write,

629
00:28:34,715 --> 00:28:38,206
"faith sola."

630
00:28:38,206 --> 00:28:43,296
In fact, that's the way it is in the German Bible.

631
00:28:43,296 --> 00:28:52,010
Are we saved by faith alone?

632
00:28:52,010 --> 00:28:54,226
I think if we know our Bibles well enough,

633
00:28:54,226 --> 00:28:57,820
we'd have to say yes.

634
00:28:57,820 --> 00:28:59,977
Right?

635
00:28:59,977 --> 00:29:04,318
Looking outside of myself,

636
00:29:04,318 --> 00:29:07,832
finding my total help in Christ

637
00:29:07,832 --> 00:29:09,901
is exactly how a sinner,

638
00:29:09,901 --> 00:29:12,291
helpless, wretched

639
00:29:12,291 --> 00:29:14,810
is saved.

640
00:29:14,810 --> 00:29:20,187
But what the Bible does over and over and over again,

641
00:29:20,187 --> 00:29:24,229
is asserts that true faith,

642
00:29:24,229 --> 00:29:26,219
which does save,

643
00:29:26,219 --> 00:29:30,383
which is only a looking and trusting in Christ,

644
00:29:30,383 --> 00:29:36,184
it's always attended by things.

645
00:29:36,184 --> 00:29:41,106
True saving faith is identifiable.

646
00:29:41,106 --> 00:29:42,996
It's recognizable.

647
00:29:42,996 --> 00:29:46,339
Think about it, Paul's speaking to Titus,

648
00:29:46,339 --> 00:29:49,122
said things like this,

649
00:29:49,122 --> 00:29:52,918
They profess to know God.

650
00:29:52,918 --> 00:29:55,049
Ok, so they say they believe in God.

651
00:29:55,049 --> 00:29:58,166
But what did they do?

652
00:29:58,166 --> 00:30:01,632
They denied Him by their works.

653
00:30:01,632 --> 00:30:05,126
Isn't that interesting that if somebody says

654
00:30:05,126 --> 00:30:09,671
I believe in God, yet at the same time,

655
00:30:09,671 --> 00:30:14,841
they can deny Him. What does that mean?

656
00:30:14,841 --> 00:30:17,810
That means they're not trusting Him.

657
00:30:17,810 --> 00:30:19,537
They just denied Him.

658
00:30:19,537 --> 00:30:20,985
Christ says things about

659
00:30:20,985 --> 00:30:25,716
"if you deny Me, I will deny you."

660
00:30:25,716 --> 00:30:28,567
We're talking: not saved.

661
00:30:28,567 --> 00:30:30,944
This isn't some kind of Christian denial.

662
00:30:30,944 --> 00:30:34,670
This is proving that whatever they said they had,

663
00:30:34,670 --> 00:30:38,081
it's not true.

664
00:30:38,081 --> 00:30:44,523
Beloved, this is why texts like 1 John 2:3-4

665
00:30:44,523 --> 00:30:46,580
are everywhere in our Bibles.

666
00:30:46,580 --> 00:30:47,774
What do they say?

667
00:30:47,774 --> 00:30:50,862
It says this:

668
00:30:50,862 --> 00:30:54,051
"By this we know that we have come to know Him."

669
00:30:54,051 --> 00:30:55,649
What does that mean? Know Him.

670
00:30:55,649 --> 00:30:57,543
That means true faith.

671
00:30:57,543 --> 00:30:58,596
Know Him.

672
00:30:58,596 --> 00:31:00,492
I realize that's relational.

673
00:31:00,492 --> 00:31:03,218
But the fact is, you never enter into that relationship,

674
00:31:03,218 --> 00:31:05,262
that saving relationship with God,

675
00:31:05,262 --> 00:31:06,857
unless there's true faith.

676
00:31:06,857 --> 00:31:09,619
If I say I have true faith, and I say I know Him,

677
00:31:09,619 --> 00:31:11,698
and I say that by that true faith,

678
00:31:11,698 --> 00:31:14,594
that I have come to a real saving knowledge of Him.

679
00:31:14,594 --> 00:31:22,220
John says, by this we can know...

680
00:31:22,220 --> 00:31:25,001
By this we can test our faith,

681
00:31:25,001 --> 00:31:29,701
if we keep His commandments.

682
00:31:29,701 --> 00:31:32,494
Now, that has everything to do with His Lordship.

683
00:31:32,494 --> 00:31:34,031
Everything.

684
00:31:34,031 --> 00:31:39,345
If we say we know Him,

685
00:31:39,345 --> 00:31:42,475
but we're not keeping these commandments,

686
00:31:42,475 --> 00:31:45,488
it says we're a liar and the truth is not in us.

687
00:31:45,488 --> 00:31:46,765
Here's the thing,

688
00:31:46,765 --> 00:31:50,710
those who are masters, those who are in charge,

689
00:31:50,710 --> 00:31:52,675
they give commandments, and they expect

690
00:31:52,675 --> 00:31:54,538
them to be followed by the ones

691
00:31:54,538 --> 00:31:56,937
that are subordinate to them.

692
00:31:56,937 --> 00:31:59,154
Jesus gives commandments.

693
00:31:59,154 --> 00:32:03,177
He says, it validates whether you truly

694
00:32:03,177 --> 00:32:06,448
know God or not.

695
00:32:06,448 --> 00:32:08,981
Jesus Christ said, "If you love Me, you'll keep My commandments."

696
00:32:08,996 --> 00:32:10,849
It validates whether your love for Christ

697
00:32:10,849 --> 00:32:12,338
is true or not.

698
00:32:12,338 --> 00:32:14,411
Now this is the Lord.

699
00:32:14,411 --> 00:32:17,035
I had some guy, I was pressing some guy

700
00:32:17,035 --> 00:32:19,314
with this recently, because there was a certain

701
00:32:19,314 --> 00:32:21,185
gentleman who we were both talking about,

702
00:32:21,185 --> 00:32:23,791
that had lived in

703
00:32:23,791 --> 00:32:26,791
masturbation and pornography

704
00:32:26,791 --> 00:32:31,150
for the last 13 years.

705
00:32:31,150 --> 00:32:34,978
And I said, this guy is in the grips of the power of sin.

706
00:32:34,978 --> 00:32:39,284
You have no right telling him he's a Christian.

707
00:32:39,284 --> 00:32:41,627
You have no business doing that.

708
00:32:41,627 --> 00:32:43,501
Whatsover.

709
00:32:43,501 --> 00:32:45,862
And the guy pressing me on the issue said,

710
00:32:45,862 --> 00:32:49,285
"Well, what percentage of the time do we

711
00:32:49,285 --> 00:32:52,563
have to obey His commandments?"

712
00:32:52,563 --> 00:32:55,799
I said, look, you are walking on dangerous ground.

713
00:32:55,799 --> 00:33:00,001
I said I am not talking perfection here.

714
00:33:00,001 --> 00:33:04,666
But what you're not doing is taking God's Word

715
00:33:04,666 --> 00:33:07,410
for what it says.

716
00:33:07,410 --> 00:33:08,482
I'll tell you this,

717
00:33:08,482 --> 00:33:10,826
the life of the Christian is radically different.

718
00:33:10,826 --> 00:33:12,672
The Scripture says this,

719
00:33:12,672 --> 00:33:14,340
that as a lost person,

720
00:33:14,340 --> 00:33:17,531
our righteous deeds are filthy rags.

721
00:33:17,531 --> 00:33:19,679
The Scripture says there's none that does righteouss,

722
00:33:19,679 --> 00:33:20,466
not one.

723
00:33:20,466 --> 00:33:22,854
When we're lost, it's not just a matter of

724
00:33:22,854 --> 00:33:25,236
whether we ever sinned or not;

725
00:33:25,236 --> 00:33:26,969
or sinned occasionally, or some of the time.

726
00:33:26,969 --> 00:33:29,544
What the Bible describes is the lost man sins

727
00:33:29,544 --> 00:33:30,941
all the time.

728
00:33:30,941 --> 00:33:32,481
What the Bible teaches us,

729
00:33:32,481 --> 00:33:36,418
is that when we truly come to Christ,

730
00:33:36,418 --> 00:33:38,951
when we come to the Lord,

731
00:33:38,951 --> 00:33:41,890
what the Lord does,

732
00:33:41,890 --> 00:33:45,701
is He graciously gives us the ability

733
00:33:45,701 --> 00:33:48,636
to bow to Christ.

734
00:33:48,636 --> 00:33:50,167
That's what the New Covenant is.

735
00:33:50,167 --> 00:33:51,390
We sang it on Wednesday night.

736
00:33:51,390 --> 00:33:52,703
We were singing the New Covenant, what,

737
00:33:52,703 --> 00:33:54,333
from Ezekiel 36?

738
00:33:54,333 --> 00:33:57,576
He says, He's going to write those laws

739
00:33:57,576 --> 00:33:59,924
those commandments on our heart,

740
00:33:59,924 --> 00:34:02,878
and He's going to cause us to keep them.

741
00:34:02,878 --> 00:34:05,642
And John says they're not grievous.

742
00:34:05,642 --> 00:34:07,666
This is the glory of the Gospel!

743
00:34:07,666 --> 00:34:11,761
It's not that we find ourselves moved

744
00:34:11,761 --> 00:34:15,150
under this mean, harsh, taskmaster.

745
00:34:15,150 --> 00:34:19,496
It's that suddenly, my heart has been opened up.

746
00:34:19,496 --> 00:34:22,221
I hunger, I thirst after righteousness.

747
00:34:22,221 --> 00:34:24,506
I don't keep it perfect all the time.

748
00:34:24,506 --> 00:34:25,668
It grieves me.

749
00:34:25,668 --> 00:34:28,099
But even when I tend to fall,

750
00:34:28,099 --> 00:34:29,829
and even when my heart may grow calloused

751
00:34:29,829 --> 00:34:30,948
towards the Lord,

752
00:34:30,948 --> 00:34:33,017
and I may shrug off something.

753
00:34:33,017 --> 00:34:35,433
He so kindly and graciously

754
00:34:35,433 --> 00:34:38,175
comes back to me over and over and over again,

755
00:34:38,175 --> 00:34:41,343
and breaks me and makes me resigned.

756
00:34:41,343 --> 00:34:43,093
Oh, if there's ever anything that brings

757
00:34:43,093 --> 00:34:44,808
peace and joy to the Christian,

758
00:34:44,808 --> 00:34:47,922
it's when they feel total resignation

759
00:34:47,922 --> 00:34:48,961
to Christ.

760
00:34:48,961 --> 00:34:50,733
No agenda of their own.

761
00:34:50,733 --> 00:34:53,252
Just, Lord.

762
00:34:53,252 --> 00:34:56,643
And He alone can bring the sinner to a place

763
00:34:56,643 --> 00:34:59,097
where we just joyfully say,

764
00:34:59,097 --> 00:35:01,262
"Oh, Lord, we love Your ways."

765
00:35:01,262 --> 00:35:03,210
"They're good. They're righteous."

766
00:35:03,210 --> 00:35:05,972
"We see. We want to be led by You."

767
00:35:05,972 --> 00:35:07,488
"We want that."

768
00:35:07,488 --> 00:35:09,880
"Lord, we hate when we're self-willed."

769
00:35:09,880 --> 00:35:11,733
"We hate it!"

770
00:35:11,733 --> 00:35:13,542
"Lord, deliver us from such things."

771
00:35:13,542 --> 00:35:14,710
But I'll tell you what,

772
00:35:14,710 --> 00:35:16,555
Satan's right there all the time.

773
00:35:16,555 --> 00:35:20,617
"No. That's not required."

774
00:35:20,617 --> 00:35:22,582
"That's not part of it."

775
00:35:22,582 --> 00:35:24,217
I'll tell you what,

776
00:35:24,217 --> 00:35:26,801
if there was some psychopathic killer in a room

777
00:35:26,801 --> 00:35:28,924
with your child and he had a butcher knife

778
00:35:28,924 --> 00:35:30,484
in his hand, you'd be terrified.

779
00:35:30,484 --> 00:35:31,626
You'd be concerned.

780
00:35:31,626 --> 00:35:33,657
Well, let me tell you about the greatest

781
00:35:33,657 --> 00:35:35,867
psychopathic killer on the face of this earth.

782
00:35:35,867 --> 00:35:37,318
It's the devil.

783
00:35:37,318 --> 00:35:39,787
And I'll tell you what his meat cleaver is...

784
00:35:39,787 --> 00:35:41,882
it's another Christ.

785
00:35:41,882 --> 00:35:45,570
He butchers men with it.

786
00:35:45,570 --> 00:35:47,383
He means to murder.

787
00:35:47,383 --> 00:35:49,625
He means to kill.

788
00:35:49,625 --> 00:35:54,230
Christ described this killer in John 8:44.

789
00:35:54,230 --> 00:35:57,746
He says this, "He was a murderer from the beginning."

790
00:35:57,746 --> 00:36:00,422
Who did he murder?

791
00:36:00,422 --> 00:36:01,380
Adam and Eve.

792
00:36:01,380 --> 00:36:04,000
And how did he do it?

793
00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:06,776
He says, "He has nothing to do with the truth,

794
00:36:06,776 --> 00:36:08,425
because there's no truth in him.

795
00:36:08,425 --> 00:36:11,307
When he lies, he speaks out of his own character,

796
00:36:11,307 --> 00:36:16,592
for he is a liar and the father of lies."

797
00:36:16,592 --> 00:36:18,721
Don't you dare think

798
00:36:18,721 --> 00:36:20,551
that when somebody comes through the doors

799
00:36:20,551 --> 00:36:21,985
of this church,

800
00:36:21,985 --> 00:36:23,229
or when you meet them out there

801
00:36:23,229 --> 00:36:24,647
supposedly from another church

802
00:36:24,647 --> 00:36:26,014
when we're doing evangelism,

803
00:36:26,014 --> 00:36:27,100
you cross paths with them,

804
00:36:27,100 --> 00:36:31,119
and they're speaking of a Christ

805
00:36:31,119 --> 00:36:34,299
who you don't have to bow down to

806
00:36:34,299 --> 00:36:35,912
and submit to.

807
00:36:35,912 --> 00:36:38,746
Who basically will save any sinner

808
00:36:38,746 --> 00:36:42,845
and then let them go on and live their life however.

809
00:36:42,845 --> 00:36:44,649
Anybody that comes along like that,

810
00:36:44,649 --> 00:36:46,263
speaks that way,

811
00:36:46,263 --> 00:36:47,860
you better deal with it as serious,

812
00:36:47,860 --> 00:36:50,075
because another Jesus kills.

813
00:36:50,075 --> 00:36:51,761
And I'll tell you what, that Satan

814
00:36:51,761 --> 00:36:53,853
as he prowls about like a roaring lion.

815
00:36:53,853 --> 00:36:55,510
He's seeking someone to devour.

816
00:36:55,510 --> 00:36:56,687
How does he devour?

817
00:36:56,687 --> 00:36:58,728
He does it through deception.

818
00:36:58,728 --> 00:37:00,332
Why do you think

819
00:37:00,332 --> 00:37:01,925
that when we think about Islam,

820
00:37:01,925 --> 00:37:03,303
we think about Catholicism,

821
00:37:03,303 --> 00:37:04,691
we think about Buddhism,

822
00:37:04,691 --> 00:37:05,945
Hinduism, the cults...

823
00:37:05,945 --> 00:37:09,605
why is it that it's always Christ that's attacked?

824
00:37:09,605 --> 00:37:11,431
For that very reason.

825
00:37:11,431 --> 00:37:15,612
These religions are satanic deceptions.

826
00:37:15,612 --> 00:37:18,486
Christ is Lord.

827
00:37:18,486 --> 00:37:20,107
And I'll tell you what,

828
00:37:20,107 --> 00:37:23,746
when you see these things in false religions,

829
00:37:23,746 --> 00:37:29,037
what you see is Christ being slandered

830
00:37:29,037 --> 00:37:31,063
by the devil,

831
00:37:31,063 --> 00:37:36,593
and you see the devil murdering the multitudes.

832
00:37:36,593 --> 00:37:38,469
And if that doesn't stir your heart

833
00:37:38,469 --> 00:37:41,916
to take the true Christ out...

834
00:37:41,916 --> 00:37:44,126
He's not a subordinate prophet

835
00:37:44,126 --> 00:37:46,465
underneath Muhammad.

836
00:37:46,465 --> 00:37:50,287
He is Lord of Lords.

837
00:37:50,287 --> 00:37:54,958
He's not dead, pathetic on a crucifix.

838
00:37:54,958 --> 00:37:57,648
He is alive and raised from the dead,

839
00:37:57,648 --> 00:38:00,232
and He is Lord of the living and the dead.

840
00:38:00,232 --> 00:38:02,107
Lord of all.

841
00:38:02,107 --> 00:38:07,048
This is the Christ we must set forth.

842
00:38:07,048 --> 00:38:10,859
Now listen, we need some definition here.

843
00:38:10,859 --> 00:38:14,197
Lord. What does that mean?

844
00:38:14,197 --> 00:38:16,326
Kurios in the Greek.

845
00:38:16,326 --> 00:38:18,150
It's the idea of master.

846
00:38:18,150 --> 00:38:19,856
It's the idea of owner.

847
00:38:19,856 --> 00:38:23,101
It's the idea of one to whom other people

848
00:38:23,101 --> 00:38:25,119
owe allegiance.

849
00:38:25,119 --> 00:38:28,528
It's the idea of: He owns you.

850
00:38:28,528 --> 00:38:30,944
And He has the right to tell you what to do

851
00:38:30,944 --> 00:38:33,375
and when to do it and how to do it.

852
00:38:33,375 --> 00:38:36,947
That's what Lord is all about.

853
00:38:36,947 --> 00:38:38,355
I'm going to prove that to you

854
00:38:38,355 --> 00:38:40,646
in a little bit here from the Scriptures.

855
00:38:40,646 --> 00:38:42,333
Let me tell you.

856
00:38:42,333 --> 00:38:45,348
What Paul is saying, "If you confess..."

857
00:38:45,348 --> 00:38:46,458
What's that all about?

858
00:38:46,458 --> 00:38:47,682
If I confess...

859
00:38:47,682 --> 00:38:52,548
I mean, anybody can say, "Jesus is Lord."

860
00:38:52,548 --> 00:38:53,815
Can't they?

861
00:38:53,815 --> 00:38:56,143
I mean, people do it all the time, do they not?

862
00:38:56,143 --> 00:38:59,078
Look, the confession that Paul's talking about

863
00:38:59,078 --> 00:39:01,596
is a confession that comes forth

864
00:39:01,596 --> 00:39:03,044
from the heart.

865
00:39:03,044 --> 00:39:05,212
The confession of the mouth coming forth

866
00:39:05,212 --> 00:39:08,042
from the heart that believes what it's confessing.

867
00:39:08,042 --> 00:39:12,110
And if you believe Jesus Christ is Lord,

868
00:39:12,110 --> 00:39:13,734
you submit to Him.

869
00:39:13,734 --> 00:39:15,600
Remember this from Titus:

870
00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:19,875
"By their works they deny Him."

871
00:39:19,875 --> 00:39:24,354
The way you attest to truly accepting Him,

872
00:39:24,354 --> 00:39:27,626
is to live based on what you say you believe.

873
00:39:27,626 --> 00:39:29,889
If you tell me you believe something,

874
00:39:29,889 --> 00:39:32,117
but you're not willing to rest yourself on it.

875
00:39:32,117 --> 00:39:34,332
And I was just telling somebody the other day,

876
00:39:34,332 --> 00:39:39,058
and this is what Craig and I remember from early days

877
00:39:39,058 --> 00:39:41,023
about the whole wheelbarrow bit.

878
00:39:41,023 --> 00:39:42,800
I was telling somebody if there was a line

879
00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:45,272
stretched from the top of that building over there

880
00:39:45,272 --> 00:39:47,845
to the top of this building over here,

881
00:39:47,845 --> 00:39:51,093
and I said, hey, I can walk that and I can do it

882
00:39:51,093 --> 00:39:52,797
with a wheelbarrow in my hands.

883
00:39:52,797 --> 00:39:54,376
And you say, yeah, I believe that.

884
00:39:54,376 --> 00:39:55,989
And then I say, ok, jump in the wheelbarrow.

885
00:39:55,989 --> 00:39:57,152
Let's go.

886
00:39:57,152 --> 00:39:58,764
And you say, I'm not going.

887
00:39:58,764 --> 00:40:01,401
Well, you see, you can say you believe something

888
00:40:01,401 --> 00:40:04,254
but if you're not willing to rest your life on it,

889
00:40:04,254 --> 00:40:05,217
it's not true.

890
00:40:05,217 --> 00:40:07,259
You don't believe it.

891
00:40:07,259 --> 00:40:09,918
Faith can be seen

892
00:40:09,918 --> 00:40:11,858
and can be tested

893
00:40:11,858 --> 00:40:15,874
by its willingness to trust what it says it believes in

894
00:40:15,874 --> 00:40:18,091
and act on what it says it believes in.

895
00:40:18,091 --> 00:40:20,254
If you believe in the heart

896
00:40:20,254 --> 00:40:22,375
that Jesus Christ is Lord

897
00:40:22,375 --> 00:40:24,050
and confess that with your lips,

898
00:40:24,050 --> 00:40:26,192
you will not then deny that

899
00:40:26,192 --> 00:40:28,814
by your works.

900
00:40:28,814 --> 00:40:31,137
Did Christ not say,

901
00:40:31,137 --> 00:40:33,747
"Many will say to Me in that day..." what?

902
00:40:33,747 --> 00:40:34,846
(from the room) "Lord, Lord."

903
00:40:34,846 --> 00:40:38,529
They're confessing it, are they not.

904
00:40:38,529 --> 00:40:40,576
And yet, He says what?

905
00:40:40,576 --> 00:40:42,698
Who enters the kingdom?

906
00:40:42,698 --> 00:40:47,197
Those who do the will.

907
00:40:47,197 --> 00:40:48,126
There is it.

908
00:40:48,126 --> 00:40:50,079
Submission to Lordship.

909
00:40:50,079 --> 00:40:52,961
It is not everybody who confesses Lord.

910
00:40:52,961 --> 00:40:57,611
It is those who by their life, submit to the Lord,

911
00:40:57,611 --> 00:40:59,887
and confess Lord that are going to be

912
00:40:59,887 --> 00:41:01,629
accepted in.

913
00:41:01,629 --> 00:41:03,225
Those same people saying, "Lord, Lord,"

914
00:41:03,225 --> 00:41:04,959
He says, "Depart from Me. I never knew you."

915
00:41:04,959 --> 00:41:06,337
"You're workers of iniquity."

916
00:41:06,337 --> 00:41:08,916
"You're not workers that submitted to Me.

917
00:41:08,916 --> 00:41:10,768
By your works, you denied Me.

918
00:41:10,768 --> 00:41:13,525
By your works, you showed you were lawless.

919
00:41:13,525 --> 00:41:15,012
You didn't keep My commandments,

920
00:41:15,012 --> 00:41:17,354
which is the very proof that you are not

921
00:41:17,354 --> 00:41:19,851
one who truly knows Me.

922
00:41:19,851 --> 00:41:21,227
Because if you say you know Me

923
00:41:21,227 --> 00:41:22,239
and you don't keep My commandments,

924
00:41:22,239 --> 00:41:23,921
you're a liar and the truth is not in you."

925
00:41:23,921 --> 00:41:26,559
This is what Lordship is all about.

926
00:41:26,559 --> 00:41:32,777
Now look, in Luke 6, I think it's verse 46.

927
00:41:32,777 --> 00:41:34,691
Christ says this,

928
00:41:34,691 --> 00:41:42,298
"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,'

929
00:41:42,298 --> 00:41:47,091
and do not do the things I say?"

930
00:41:47,091 --> 00:41:48,773
Do you see what He's saying?

931
00:41:48,773 --> 00:41:50,959
If you say, "Lord," if you profess

932
00:41:50,959 --> 00:41:52,971
or confess Me as Lord,

933
00:41:52,971 --> 00:41:54,984
but then don't do the things that I say,

934
00:41:54,984 --> 00:41:56,319
why do you say it?

935
00:41:56,319 --> 00:41:58,094
It's a contradiction.

936
00:41:58,094 --> 00:41:59,430
And if you go on to read following

937
00:41:59,430 --> 00:42:02,598
the next three verses (47, 48, 49)

938
00:42:02,598 --> 00:42:05,089
you'll see that He builds this very case.

939
00:42:05,089 --> 00:42:06,819
He says, "if you hear My word and do them,

940
00:42:06,819 --> 00:42:08,678
you're the wise man."

941
00:42:08,678 --> 00:42:10,441
"If you hear My word and don't do it,

942
00:42:10,441 --> 00:42:11,551
you're a fool."

943
00:42:11,551 --> 00:42:12,833
And the day is coming

944
00:42:12,833 --> 00:42:16,065
when you're headed towards ruin.

945
00:42:16,065 --> 00:42:19,191
Lordship.

946
00:42:19,191 --> 00:42:23,325
Let's just finish up by being real practical here.

947
00:42:23,325 --> 00:42:26,406
How does this come out in the life?

948
00:42:26,406 --> 00:42:28,315
Just what I was talking about.

949
00:42:28,315 --> 00:42:30,445
Membership.

950
00:42:30,445 --> 00:42:34,180
Membership.

951
00:42:34,180 --> 00:42:37,558
You know what, does Jesus expect you

952
00:42:37,558 --> 00:42:41,539
to keep the Lord's supper?

953
00:42:41,539 --> 00:42:43,386
He does.

954
00:42:43,386 --> 00:42:46,912
As often as you do it,

955
00:42:46,912 --> 00:42:48,628
do it in remembrance of Me.

956
00:42:48,628 --> 00:42:49,496
Do it.

957
00:42:49,496 --> 00:42:50,725
In remembrance of Me.

958
00:42:50,725 --> 00:42:52,170
He's calling us to do it.

959
00:42:52,170 --> 00:42:55,748
He's expecting that we will do it.

960
00:42:55,748 --> 00:43:01,192
Now there are many reasons just to

961
00:43:01,192 --> 00:43:03,856
delight in doing it.

962
00:43:03,856 --> 00:43:07,318
But if we're dealing with Lordship itself,

963
00:43:07,318 --> 00:43:09,793
I look at it and I say, you know what,

964
00:43:09,793 --> 00:43:11,960
the Lord wants me to do this.

965
00:43:11,960 --> 00:43:15,268
Now My Lord not only has the authority to command me,

966
00:43:15,268 --> 00:43:18,265
I've been purchased with a price,

967
00:43:18,265 --> 00:43:19,940
I'm a slave of Christ.

968
00:43:19,940 --> 00:43:21,851
He not only has the authority.

969
00:43:21,851 --> 00:43:24,442
I know this about My Lord as well.

970
00:43:24,442 --> 00:43:26,878
He's a lot wiser than I am.

971
00:43:26,878 --> 00:43:29,751
And He's a whole lot more good than I am.

972
00:43:29,751 --> 00:43:32,202
And He's knows what is for my greatest good

973
00:43:32,202 --> 00:43:33,826
a lot more than I do.

974
00:43:33,826 --> 00:43:35,884
And obviously, if He tells us that we should not

975
00:43:35,884 --> 00:43:38,302
miss the Lord's Supper, there's a reason.

976
00:43:38,302 --> 00:43:40,267
He's got some blessing in it for us.

977
00:43:40,267 --> 00:43:42,553
It's meant to strengthen you.

978
00:43:42,553 --> 00:43:45,040
You remember, maybe you don't,

979
00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:46,901
but let me tell you.

980
00:43:46,901 --> 00:43:48,637
There is twice, to the Corinthians

981
00:43:48,637 --> 00:43:53,386
Paul says the Lord has given us authority.

982
00:43:53,386 --> 00:43:55,732
He says, look, we don't exercise it

983
00:43:55,732 --> 00:43:59,074
just basically to have dominion over you.

984
00:43:59,074 --> 00:44:02,683
We exercise it for your welfare.

985
00:44:02,683 --> 00:44:07,430
We exercise it for your strengthening.

986
00:44:07,430 --> 00:44:10,558
The Lord has the right to designate authority.

987
00:44:10,558 --> 00:44:13,336
If the Lord designates authority to an apostle,

988
00:44:13,336 --> 00:44:15,897
or designates it to me as a pastor,

989
00:44:15,897 --> 00:44:19,355
and that apostle who has been designated

990
00:44:19,355 --> 00:44:22,152
that authority under inspiration can say,

991
00:44:22,152 --> 00:44:24,077
The Lord designated the authority.

992
00:44:24,077 --> 00:44:25,747
His authority. He gave it to us.

993
00:44:25,747 --> 00:44:27,538
Not so that we can come in here

994
00:44:27,538 --> 00:44:29,683
and run roughshod over you.

995
00:44:29,683 --> 00:44:33,713
He did it for your own good.

996
00:44:33,713 --> 00:44:38,627
We get something of the heart of this Lord.

997
00:44:38,627 --> 00:44:44,150
He says, "My burden is light."

998
00:44:44,150 --> 00:44:46,831
His yoke is easy.

999
00:44:46,831 --> 00:44:48,976
He is not a difficult taskmaster.

1000
00:44:48,976 --> 00:44:50,311
What He wants us to do,

1001
00:44:50,311 --> 00:44:52,587
He wants us to do for a certain purpose.

1002
00:44:52,587 --> 00:44:54,711
Let me tell you something,

1003
00:44:54,711 --> 00:44:57,044
in Luke 19,

1004
00:44:57,044 --> 00:44:58,829
you've got these folks -

1005
00:44:58,829 --> 00:45:00,632
this is most men he's describing,

1006
00:45:00,632 --> 00:45:02,995
out there in the world.

1007
00:45:02,995 --> 00:45:07,478
And they say, "we will not have this man

1008
00:45:07,478 --> 00:45:11,539
to rule over us."

1009
00:45:11,539 --> 00:45:14,524
That's what most men say.

1010
00:45:14,524 --> 00:45:19,606
Now look, He's kind to those who submit to Him.

1011
00:45:19,606 --> 00:45:24,622
But don't take that for weakness.

1012
00:45:24,622 --> 00:45:28,211
Because several verses later, when He comes again,

1013
00:45:28,211 --> 00:45:32,331
He says, "gather all those enemies before Me

1014
00:45:32,331 --> 00:45:35,057
who would not have Me to reign over them

1015
00:45:35,057 --> 00:45:40,754
and slaughter them before Me."

1016
00:45:40,754 --> 00:45:44,098
He is a fearful Lord.

1017
00:45:44,098 --> 00:45:49,495
But a good one.

1018
00:45:49,495 --> 00:45:54,560
So, the only confession of Christ as Lord

1019
00:45:54,560 --> 00:45:57,718
that's a saving confession

1020
00:45:57,718 --> 00:46:00,520
is the one accompanied by a heart

1021
00:46:00,520 --> 00:46:02,325
that believes it;

1022
00:46:02,325 --> 00:46:07,774
by a life that shows that that faith is real.

1023
00:46:07,774 --> 00:46:09,266
You get young people sometimes,

1024
00:46:09,266 --> 00:46:11,603
yes, Jesus is Lord, they'll confess that.

1025
00:46:11,603 --> 00:46:13,721
But is He Lord of your life when it comes to

1026
00:46:13,721 --> 00:46:17,093
who you select as a mate in marriage?

1027
00:46:17,093 --> 00:46:18,734
Well, you get people that run off

1028
00:46:18,734 --> 00:46:20,660
and they want to do every sort of thing,

1029
00:46:20,660 --> 00:46:22,694
and overlook the fact that the guy

1030
00:46:22,694 --> 00:46:24,502
that they're interested in is

1031
00:46:24,502 --> 00:46:31,044
almost definitely lost.

1032
00:46:31,044 --> 00:46:33,797
Priscilla threw one at me last night.

1033
00:46:33,797 --> 00:46:37,387
Women obeying their husbands.

1034
00:46:37,387 --> 00:46:38,847
What a text that is!

1035
00:46:38,847 --> 00:46:41,431
Women are supposed to obey their husbands

1036
00:46:41,431 --> 00:46:46,638
as unto the Lord, who has the right.

1037
00:46:46,638 --> 00:46:47,657
And women come along

1038
00:46:47,657 --> 00:46:51,020
and they buck against that.

1039
00:46:51,020 --> 00:46:54,469
They don't want to obey their husbands.

1040
00:46:54,469 --> 00:46:56,195
Before any of you husbands get on that kick,

1041
00:46:56,195 --> 00:46:57,813
you need to remember that you're

1042
00:46:57,813 --> 00:46:59,263
supposed to love your wives

1043
00:46:59,263 --> 00:47:00,855
as Christ loved the church.

1044
00:47:00,855 --> 00:47:02,624
You've been commanded to do that

1045
00:47:02,624 --> 00:47:04,486
by the Savior as well.

1046
00:47:04,486 --> 00:47:09,285
Again, don't forsake the assembling together of yourselves.

1047
00:47:09,285 --> 00:47:11,521
This is a command of the Lord.

1048
00:47:11,521 --> 00:47:13,436
And yet, people want to float around.

1049
00:47:13,436 --> 00:47:15,082
They don't want to assemble with the church.

1050
00:47:15,082 --> 00:47:16,672
They don't want to come pray with the church.

1051
00:47:16,672 --> 00:47:19,598
They don't want to break bread with the church.

1052
00:47:19,598 --> 00:47:20,563
Listen to me.

1053
00:47:20,563 --> 00:47:22,124
Here's something.

1054
00:47:22,124 --> 00:47:24,530
When a person savingly believes in

1055
00:47:24,530 --> 00:47:29,453
Christ as Lord,

1056
00:47:29,453 --> 00:47:35,550
suddenly life becomes an altogether different thing.

1057
00:47:35,550 --> 00:47:39,288
I may need to offend family,

1058
00:47:39,288 --> 00:47:42,318
not to offend Christ.

1059
00:47:42,318 --> 00:47:45,240
I may have to get fired from my job,

1060
00:47:45,240 --> 00:47:47,169
not to offend Christ.

1061
00:47:47,169 --> 00:47:51,649
I may have to make radical decisions in my life to cut things out

1062
00:47:51,649 --> 00:47:58,102
that I always thought they defined my life.

1063
00:47:58,102 --> 00:47:59,802
I need to do that.

1064
00:47:59,802 --> 00:48:01,014
You don't understand.

1065
00:48:01,014 --> 00:48:03,440
I need to do that.

1066
00:48:03,440 --> 00:48:07,287
Oh wait.

1067
00:48:07,287 --> 00:48:12,349
The Lord does not share His throne with anyone.

1068
00:48:12,349 --> 00:48:17,110
He comes in, and He says, in Luke 14:33,

1069
00:48:17,110 --> 00:48:18,961
"Unless you forsake all that you have,

1070
00:48:18,961 --> 00:48:21,002
you cannot be My disciple."

1071
00:48:21,002 --> 00:48:25,674
This Lord comes in and He says, "I will be Lord of all."

1072
00:48:25,674 --> 00:48:27,955
He is Lord of all.

1073
00:48:27,955 --> 00:48:31,706
Let me tell you something too.

1074
00:48:31,706 --> 00:48:37,631
We don't make Jesus Lord.

1075
00:48:37,631 --> 00:48:42,326
God declared that He made this Christ

1076
00:48:42,326 --> 00:48:46,578
both Lord and Christ.

1077
00:48:46,578 --> 00:48:48,447
He made Him.

1078
00:48:48,447 --> 00:48:53,629
We don't make Him so. He is so.

1079
00:48:53,629 --> 00:48:57,357
I can remember as a new Christian,

1080
00:48:57,357 --> 00:48:59,925
suddenly being confronted,

1081
00:48:59,925 --> 00:49:03,528
the Lord wants me to obey

1082
00:49:03,528 --> 00:49:05,886
the governmental authorities.

1083
00:49:05,886 --> 00:49:08,384
He wants my taxes paid,

1084
00:49:08,384 --> 00:49:10,360
He wants me to drive the speed limit.

1085
00:49:10,360 --> 00:49:12,758
I remember being confronted by those things.

1086
00:49:12,758 --> 00:49:17,012
He wants me to only find a wife who is saved.

1087
00:49:17,012 --> 00:49:19,410
He basically has say.

1088
00:49:19,410 --> 00:49:21,700
He wants me to not forsake the assembling together

1089
00:49:21,700 --> 00:49:26,330
of myself; He wants me to be involved with the church.

1090
00:49:26,330 --> 00:49:30,140
I see that He is reigning in my life.

1091
00:49:30,140 --> 00:49:33,509
That no longer do my agendas and my will,

1092
00:49:33,509 --> 00:49:35,717
my plans take the day.

1093
00:49:35,717 --> 00:49:38,991
He's got plans for me.

1094
00:49:38,991 --> 00:49:41,862
He comes in and says,

1095
00:49:41,862 --> 00:49:43,762
"I want it all forsaken."

1096
00:49:43,762 --> 00:49:45,923
"Lay it down."

1097
00:49:45,923 --> 00:49:48,533
Resignation.

1098
00:49:48,533 --> 00:49:50,976
There are folks on every hand that will tell you

1099
00:49:50,976 --> 00:49:53,034
about a Christ who doesn't demand

1100
00:49:53,034 --> 00:49:54,599
everything from you.

1101
00:49:54,599 --> 00:49:57,271
I'll tell you why.

1102
00:49:57,271 --> 00:50:01,988
Because men want to hold on to their sin

1103
00:50:01,988 --> 00:50:06,459
and be spared death and wrath and hell.

1104
00:50:06,459 --> 00:50:08,828
And so in one hand, they hold their sin.

1105
00:50:08,828 --> 00:50:11,104
In one hand, they want to create a Christ

1106
00:50:11,104 --> 00:50:12,830
that will take them to heaven without

1107
00:50:12,830 --> 00:50:14,420
letting go of all the sin.

1108
00:50:14,420 --> 00:50:17,372
Christ marches in there and He says,

1109
00:50:17,372 --> 00:50:24,171
"I'll save you, but you've got to receive Me as Lord."

1110
00:50:24,171 --> 00:50:29,089
"You've got to abandon everything to My Lordship."

1111
00:50:29,089 --> 00:50:32,613
When He says, "Follow Me,"

1112
00:50:32,613 --> 00:50:34,936
that's exactly what He's calling you to do.

1113
00:50:34,936 --> 00:50:36,483
Forsake it all.

1114
00:50:36,483 --> 00:50:40,456
Whatever agenda you had in life

1115
00:50:40,456 --> 00:50:44,448
to make money, to be famous, to be well-educated,

1116
00:50:44,448 --> 00:50:46,483
whatever it is, He says, "Lay it down."

1117
00:50:46,483 --> 00:50:49,358
That's not to say as Lord He may not let you go to school.

1118
00:50:49,358 --> 00:50:50,825
That's not to say that as Lord, He may not

1119
00:50:50,825 --> 00:50:52,754
give you a lot of money.

1120
00:50:52,754 --> 00:50:54,746
I'll tell you what, one place

1121
00:50:54,746 --> 00:50:59,460
that men's hearts can be tested in this area is money.

1122
00:50:59,460 --> 00:51:02,862
He comes in, He says, "I want it all."

1123
00:51:02,862 --> 00:51:04,395
Lord, it's 10%!

1124
00:51:04,395 --> 00:51:07,273
He says, "I want it all. I am Lord."

1125
00:51:07,273 --> 00:51:09,464
"I am Lord of Lords."

1126
00:51:09,464 --> 00:51:10,410
"I am Lord of all."

1127
00:51:10,410 --> 00:51:11,655
"I am Lord of you."

1128
00:51:11,655 --> 00:51:13,543
"I'm Lord of all you have."

1129
00:51:13,543 --> 00:51:16,355
He says, "I want it all."

1130
00:51:16,355 --> 00:51:18,897
"And I'll explain to you how I want you to use it."

1131
00:51:18,897 --> 00:51:22,749
Again, this isn't harsh. This isn't torturous.

1132
00:51:22,749 --> 00:51:24,031
You know what He's saying to us?

1133
00:51:24,031 --> 00:51:26,570
"I want to show you how to use it

1134
00:51:26,570 --> 00:51:31,820
for your greatest eternal benefit."

1135
00:51:31,820 --> 00:51:34,272
Men say, no, I'm going to use my money

1136
00:51:34,272 --> 00:51:35,198
the way I want.

1137
00:51:35,198 --> 00:51:39,157
Christ comes in as Lord, and He says,

1138
00:51:39,157 --> 00:51:43,554
"Don't lay up treasure on this earth."

1139
00:51:43,554 --> 00:51:45,521
Oh, but I've got my retirement;

1140
00:51:45,521 --> 00:51:47,084
I've got my deal.

1141
00:51:47,084 --> 00:51:51,176
Certainly, He wouldn't want that.

1142
00:51:51,176 --> 00:51:53,824
Oh, how culturally, we can just dismiss

1143
00:51:53,824 --> 00:51:57,700
the words of our Lord.

1144
00:51:57,700 --> 00:52:00,984
He's Lord.

1145
00:52:00,984 --> 00:52:03,317
You say, well, what would He have me to do

1146
00:52:03,317 --> 00:52:04,198
with my money?

1147
00:52:04,198 --> 00:52:06,811
Take care of your family? Yep.

1148
00:52:06,811 --> 00:52:08,900
Provide for your needs? Absolutely.

1149
00:52:08,900 --> 00:52:11,310
Provide for those who preach the Gospel?

1150
00:52:11,310 --> 00:52:12,958
You'd better believe it.

1151
00:52:12,958 --> 00:52:16,724
Give it to those who are widows and orphans?

1152
00:52:16,724 --> 00:52:19,436
Absolutely.

1153
00:52:19,436 --> 00:52:21,082
Does He say that you've got to have this

1154
00:52:21,082 --> 00:52:23,230
big surplus for a future day?

1155
00:52:23,230 --> 00:52:24,866
He doesn't say that.

1156
00:52:24,866 --> 00:52:28,838
Scripture says, "My God shall supply all your needs."

1157
00:52:28,838 --> 00:52:30,486
This is what it's all about.

1158
00:52:30,486 --> 00:52:31,952
Trusting the Lord.

1159
00:52:31,952 --> 00:52:33,967
I can say, "ok, Lord, I'm going to give it all away."

1160
00:52:33,967 --> 00:52:35,351
Haven't we seen that as a church?

1161
00:52:35,351 --> 00:52:37,458
Ok, Lord, we're going to give it all away.

1162
00:52:37,458 --> 00:52:39,743
In fact, Lord, we're going to commit to giving even more away

1163
00:52:39,743 --> 00:52:42,518
than we even have or ever have had.

1164
00:52:42,518 --> 00:52:43,937
We're going to give it away.

1165
00:52:43,937 --> 00:52:46,057
And we're looking to Him. "You're Lord."

1166
00:52:46,057 --> 00:52:48,291
Cattle on a thousand hills. They're Yours.

1167
00:52:48,291 --> 00:52:50,837
All the money, all the silver, all the gold, it's Yours.

1168
00:52:50,837 --> 00:52:52,453
I mean, He's Lord.

1169
00:52:52,453 --> 00:52:55,406
If He tells us to do it,

1170
00:52:55,406 --> 00:52:58,165
we're not going to be losers for doing it.

1171
00:52:58,165 --> 00:53:00,115
He's Lord.

1172
00:53:00,115 --> 00:53:02,700
Folks, I want you that visit,

1173
00:53:02,700 --> 00:53:04,965
I want you that are members of this church,

1174
00:53:04,965 --> 00:53:06,505
let's talk that way.

1175
00:53:06,505 --> 00:53:09,346
Hey, let's go back to the book of Acts.

1176
00:53:09,346 --> 00:53:10,739
That's our pattern.

1177
00:53:10,739 --> 00:53:13,051
That's our blueprint.

1178
00:53:13,051 --> 00:53:14,996
How many times do you think in the book of Acts

1179
00:53:14,996 --> 00:53:17,377
they called Christ Savior?

1180
00:53:17,377 --> 00:53:20,951
Twice.

1181
00:53:20,951 --> 00:53:24,520
How many times do you think they called Him Lord?

1182
00:53:24,520 --> 00:53:27,083
92 times.

1183
00:53:27,083 --> 00:53:29,461
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ

1184
00:53:29,461 --> 00:53:33,458
is called Lord 747 times.

1185
00:53:33,458 --> 00:53:35,196
You can remember that, right?

1186
00:53:35,196 --> 00:53:36,928
747 just like the aircraft.

1187
00:53:36,928 --> 00:53:38,167
You've got it down.

1188
00:53:38,167 --> 00:53:41,880
I took that number from MacArthur who counted them.

1189
00:53:41,880 --> 00:53:44,987
Or at least read somebody who did count them.

1190
00:53:44,987 --> 00:53:46,850
I knew he said something about that.

1191
00:53:46,850 --> 00:53:47,896
I looked at the back page of

1192
00:53:47,896 --> 00:53:48,804
"The Gospel According to Jesus"

1193
00:53:48,804 --> 00:53:50,253
and I found 92 times.

1194
00:53:50,253 --> 00:53:51,964
I went through and counted in Acts.

1195
00:53:51,964 --> 00:53:53,072
I had 91.

1196
00:53:53,072 --> 00:53:56,164
Then I opened MacArthur; he said 92, so I took 92.

1197
00:53:56,164 --> 00:54:00,695
And maybe the translational difference. I don't know.

1198
00:54:00,695 --> 00:54:05,579
Folks, the early church and the Holy Spirit

1199
00:54:05,579 --> 00:54:08,149
who inspired those early church writers

1200
00:54:08,149 --> 00:54:09,687
wanted us to know

1201
00:54:09,687 --> 00:54:12,194
the Christ we set forth,

1202
00:54:12,194 --> 00:54:13,970
the Christ we proclaim to men,

1203
00:54:13,970 --> 00:54:17,265
the Christ we must believe on,

1204
00:54:17,265 --> 00:54:20,779
He is Lord.

1205
00:54:20,779 --> 00:54:22,364
Amen.

1206
00:54:22,364 --> 00:54:23,760
You're dismissed.