John 8 – New Year, New Life in Christ
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The following transcript is a direct copy from the Youtube automatic transcript. It may not be 100% accurate but it is being provided until we can produce a better and more accurate transcript of the sermon.
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used to sing it was a man named Ray Boltz super sad what happened in his life he eventually turned to
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homosexuality and left the faith but you know songs like that are kind of
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Timeless in the sense that the message is is really important and it's one that shockingly since it wasn't prepared Beth
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Becky was going to sing this morning Gerald came prepared to sing that it it goes along with some of what we're going
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to talk about in the sermon this morning and it's something you you need to consider is we often look at our lives
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in the sense of uh of the of the world here the physical world and our day-to-day whatever we're doing and but
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you need to think about your life in the Heavenly sense you you really do need to think about what it's going to be like
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when you get to heaven because there will be a day for each one of us where we stand before the Lord
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an unbeliever will stand before him in absolute judgment and in fact I shouldn't even say stand
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because an unbeliever at the great white Throne judgment will not stand you you will kneel and you will confess
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Christ but it will be too late if you haven't trusted Christ but for all of you Believers you have an
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experience much like the one that was saying about here this morning you will one day stand before your Lord and He
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will discuss with you the life you've lived and he will go over everything whether good or evil done in the body
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then you will receive reward for that and you know you want to have the experience that this this person had hey
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look great is your reward because what are the rewards in heaven I mean what is true reward
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other people if you've spent your life in Ministry of the Gospel in a sharing and teaching and
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preaching and praying for it what else could matter it's what we do every day here at church
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when we're here gathered together it's what we talk about the word of God and how to live properly and honor The God
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Who has changed you and as Gerald shared you know I too am a man who just like
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you started as a sinner an unbeliever a rebellious person and one day I believe
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the truth of the Gospel now in my case many many people had shared that gospel
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with me and like Gerald I didn't get saved at church I didn't trust at church I was at home alone in an upstairs
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apartment on Cherry Street in New Paris and again reflecting on you know being a new
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father we were pregnant with Sherry was pregnant with our first child and I was like I can't be a dad who
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would you know how would I raise a child I can't raise myself I can't take care of myself
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and just gave my life over to the Lord picked up a Bible for some reason and
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started reading broke down can't tell you what day it was what I was reading in the scripture all I know is just like
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Gerald confessed in that moment I told the Lord you can have my life you take
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it you take control of it all and he did he took it and I have been completely
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changed ever since the way I think the way I act the things I think that are
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important just like Gerald so now you've heard two confessions and you've heard a song
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about helping you to reflect and me to reflect on what it's going to be like
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when we stand in heaven and all of that before we ever even get to a sermon
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isn't Church wonderful isn't the word of God wonderful aren't Christian people wonderful because of
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the power of the Holy Spirit the blood of Christ let's pray together and then then I have
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some questions for you and we'll get into this sermon oh Heavenly Father we are filled with
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joy this morning not because we are great but because you are father not because we Are Holy but you
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are God we are so grateful that you have chosen to save some of us
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you have chosen to put your holy spirit inside of us you've sent your son Jesus
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to pay for sin that we might be free from the bondage that is sin
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father we pray now and even more emphatically than we probably would have
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that father you help us understand that our lives mean something every single day of them means something
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for the kingdom of God so father prick our hearts prick our minds help us to order our Affairs and
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our lives according to what you find important what you say is eternal and not what we
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think you are a gracious God father work through the power of your
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word and through the power of your Holy Spirit this morning demonstrate to us the truthfulness of
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this show us that we are people who need to be holy
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be righteous and to stop sinning you are a wonderful god father I thank
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you for each one you've sent out here this morning I know it's a new year and I'm thankful
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for the new year the New Opportunities and I'm thankful to be starting the year with the family of God right here in the
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church so father help us I pray that you'll bless them that you'll grow each one of us and
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you'll continue to make us Holier continue the process of sanctification
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that you've started father we know if you've started a good work you will finish that good work so God help us to
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plug in to be on board with what you're doing we love you and praise you and ask for
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your spirit to move in this place Open Hearts open minds
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keep people focused keep their ears open but have them here with understanding
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not just here for knowledge you are a great God
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father again we ask that you'll bless the church help us to take the gospel message of Jesus out to a dark World a
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lost world father we want to do this through your power and not our own
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for your strength is perfected in our weakness again we praise you and give you all the
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glory in Jesus's holy name amen okay let me ask you a couple of
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questions and by the way if you would open your Bibles to John chapter 8. we are going to start in verse 30. I
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know we've already talked about 30 31 32 but we're going to hit those again as we
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launch into the rest of this there's a little recap there's a little bit I want to clarify and and sharpen from those
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texts that we've already dealt with but now if I could get all of your attention away from cell phones other
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thoughts what you're going to do this afternoon lunch whatever it is that's in your mind or just simple distraction if
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I could get your attention and get your focus for these three questions I would appreciate it and really think about things write them
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down if you have to because the whole of the message they don't hang on these they hang on the
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word of God but these will help I think to get you into the mindset of where
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this sermon is coming from it's thrust its point of view it's
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point so here's question one how was your spiritual life in 2022
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it's question number one not your neighbors not your households
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not the people here in your church not your pastor how was your spiritual life in 2022
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2022 is gone the book is closed on 2022. how was your spiritual life
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do an assessment because if you don't do an assessment no one will I can't live your life you can't live
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mine you can't fix whatever you broke in 2022 you can't go back and make it better all
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you can do is look forward from here so we would need to reflect and we need to make sure it's finished it's over did
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you grow are you more faithful now are you more committed to God than you were yesterday
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okay second question what will you do with 2023
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assuming Lord willing that you have an entire year left ahead of you and that
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the Lord won't take you to heaven or send you to Hell whichever side of the fence you're on this year assuming you
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won't perish from this Earth what will you do in 2023
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this is a big question and and I'll simplify it saying this and hopefully you'll spend more time in the
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details will it be just another year lived for self or will it be a year lived for
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Christ Christ in his kingdom the Church of God that Christ died for
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will it be just for you again or will it be for him that's question two
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question three this is the one that's going to drive us in and even drive us out of the sermon
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are you truly committed to Christ or are you committed to you
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what's the reality of that in your life are your is your life truly a commitment
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to Jesus or is it a commitment to you and you want other people to think you
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belong to Jesus where's your commitment
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how was last year what's this year going to look like where's your commitment and I think
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you're going to find the answer to all of those that's going to have something to do with your commitment to Jesus
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all of it probably all right let's go to the text chapter 8 starting in verse 30. now I'm
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going to read all the way down through 59 and we are not going to take all those verses as you could imagine we'd
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be here for days I'd enjoy it and you would hate me and never come back
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so we'll start in verse 30. as he spoke these words many believed in
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him remember context they're in the Feast of Tabernacles Jesus is having a
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lengthy conversation with the Pharisees with the scribes with these Jewish religious leaders in the context of the
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Feast of Tabernacles but while he's speaking these words to them many believe
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then Jesus verse 31 said to those Jews who believed him if you abide in my word
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you are my disciples indeed and you shall know the truth and the truth shall
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make you free they answered him we are Abraham's descendants and have never been in
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bondage to anyone how can you say you will be made free Jesus answered them most assuredly I say
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to you whoever commits sin is a slave of sin and a slave does not abide in the
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house forever but a son abides forever therefore if the sun makes you free you
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shall be free indeed I know that you are Abraham's descendants but you seek to
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kill me because my word has no place in you I speak what I have seen with my
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father and you do what you have seen with your father they answered and said to him Abraham is
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our father Jesus said to them if you were Abraham's children you would do the works of Abraham
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but now you seek to kill me a man who has told you the truth which I heard
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from God Abraham did not do this you do the Deeds of your father
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then they said to him we were not born of fornication we have one father God
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Jesus said to them if God were your father you would love me for I proceeded
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forth and came from God nor have I come of myself but he sent me why do you not
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understand my speech because you are not able to listen to my word you are of
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your father the devil and the desires of your father you want to do he was a murderer from the beginning and
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does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him when he speaks a lie he speaks from his own resources
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for he is a liar and the father of it but because I tell the truth you do not
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believe me which of you convicts me of sin and if I tell the truth why do you not believe me
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he who is of God hears God's words therefore you do not hear because you
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are not of God then the Jews answered and said to him
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do we not say rightly that you are a Samaritan and have a demon
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Jesus answered I do not have a demon but I honor my father and you dishonor me and I do not
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seek my own Glory there is one who seeks and judges most assuredly I say to you if anyone
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keeps my word he shall never see death
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then the Jews said to him now we know that you have a demon Abraham is dead
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and the prophets and you say if anyone keeps my word he shall never taste death
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are you greater than our Father Abraham who is dead and the prophets are dead who do you
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make yourself out to be Jesus answered if I honor myself my honor is nothing it
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is my father who honors me of whom you say that he is your god
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yet you have not known him but I know him and if I say I do not know him I
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shall be a liar like you but I do know him and keep his word
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your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad
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then the Jews said to him you are not yet 50 years old and have you seen
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Abraham Jesus said to them most assuredly I say to you before Abraham was I am
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then they took up stones to throw at him but Jesus hid himself and went out of
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the temple going through the midst of them and so passed by
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you'll remember from Sunday school we referenced such passages where they raise up stones and things they want to
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kill him and all of a sudden he just passes right through the middle of them and and leaves
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and again nothing to do with the sermon but I think it's interesting your your day of
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death is already marked in heaven what are you what do you fear you shouldn't fear anything except God
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God has the power to take your body and your soul and cast them together into hell
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he's who you should fear let's get to the sermon because that has
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nothing to do with the sermon sermon go back up to verse 30. like I said this
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is during the Feast of Tabernacles Jesus had this conversation with the Jews and you know I wanted to read the full
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extent of that conversation so you could hear it the back and forth and the things that were said those are
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important words and there's a lot to chew on Lord willing in the weeks to come we will chew on all of those things
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that he said there but as he spoke to them many believed in him and he told those Jews who believed that look if you
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abide in my word then you are my disciples indeed and that word indeed
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means in truth you are actually truly my disciples if you abide in my word now
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the converse is also true if you aren't abiding in God's word guess what you're
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almost certainly not his I don't care what you claim I don't care what you can
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manufacture out of your mouth or even what you've deceived yourself with in your heart if you refuse to abide in the
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word of God and abide abide by the word of God you aren't his plain and simple
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that's as matter of fact as I can say it Jesus is not being cagey he's not being
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unclear here understand you must abide in the word and and we'll talk more about that in a
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second because he also deals with that a little bit further down but remember this and I said this in the
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in the last sermon when we were in the chapter here of chapter 8 of John if you should if you abide in the word
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he says on down right here he says and you shall know the truth and the truth
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shall make you free and a lot of people quote that verse so verse 32 but they
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leave out the first part of that very sentence that statement that or that
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that very passage I should say there's another sentence right before it which is part of the quote he made look at
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verse 31 then Jesus said to those Jews who believed him if you abide in my word
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you are my disciples indeed now do you see the emphasis your Jesus's disciples when you're
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abiding in his word in truth and then you will know the
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truth and the truth will make you free knowing truth is not enough
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and like I said I preach this already to you but it but it is a good statement
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for you to hold on to just knowing truth is not enough
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do you remember the old GI Joe slogan
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knowing is half the battle I figured somebody about my age would remember that when I was a kid I watched a lot of
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GI Joe cartoons and that was one of the statements knowing is half the battle
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truth is half the battle the other half is doing
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following believing so there's got to be a demonstration for
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it to actually be effective you just knowing something is true is not all I
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shouldn't say it's not helpful it's helpful it's just not enough to make it work for you everyone who is a believer
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especially a Biblical believer you know that lying is sin lying is wrong
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however how many of you still tell a lie from time to time
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you see how the truth even knowing the truth is not enough to make you free
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because when you tell that lie you're back in bondage to lying and what does a lie do does Elijah is
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Elijah's one little it's just one little event of sin it's a little white thing nobody cares about it no it generally
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starts as a little thing and it grows into a big thing because when somebody questions your lie what do you do well
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um uh well this this and you have to start justifying and making up other lies and protections for your first lie
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and it grows into a huge thing to the point where the person finally just looks at you and goes I can't trust you
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I can't trust you and you thought it was just a little white lie there's nothing white about lying
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there's nothing white about our sin it's all Blackness it's all Darkness
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the truth is important but the truth is only going to be good for you if you abide in the word of God
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and you follow what God's word says that's why he uses the word abide here
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he doesn't say if you know the truth then you're completely free that's the
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second part of his statement the first part is hey abide in my word then you're
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my disciple indeed then you'll know the truth and it will make you free or set you free whichever way you want to say
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that see that only the believing people who are born again
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transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus's actual disciples not just
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the ones who claim to be they're the ones who know the truth and that truth makes them free because they
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follow what God has said in his word what is the standard of Truth
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well let's just talk plainly about this the source of Truth is God
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and God Alone is the source of truth that's it and then so
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then how does this come in well these are God's words and since God is true and he cannot lie that makes
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these true and they're never they're never alive they're never false
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they're never the opposite of true or yeah they're never the opposite of
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Truth to make sure I said that right scared myself for a minute heresy
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but the statement is often misquoted and frankly I think most Christians misapply it
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most Chris most Christians misapply this the truth is only going to give you half
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of what you need the rest of it is obedience right we sing that song Don't We Trust
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and Obey trust means you believe the truth you know the truth the second half
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of it is be obedient to then you're truly free then you're made free because now you're
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living in what God calls truth and what God will bless to do anything else to go off the path
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right or left to Veer in any other way means that you are going to receive the
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punishment from God that is built in to God's creation he will punish you for your sin
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guaranteed there is no question whether believer or unbeliever
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you will receive punishment for your sin you have to know this but listen they go
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on I don't want to take the whole sermon on that one topic they answered him we are Abraham's
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descendants and have never been in bondage to anyone how can you say you
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will be made free that's verse 33. they think he's talking about slaves to a
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nation that is not what Jesus means here as he is talking about being free from
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sin not from physical captivity now the Jews at several times in their
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history were actually sent into captivity you know that right I mean Egypt is a major one to think about you
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know there was an exodus out of Egypt because even though at first they lived in Egypt peacefully under Joseph in his
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Reign and God brought them there to take care of them gave them the best part of Egypt in that that a land of Goshen or
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in the world history it's called avarus but Goshen in the Bible he gives them
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this land however later under Fair as it did not know Joseph they oppressed the
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people into slavery and hard slavery right at the time of The Exodus making
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mud bricks and this is the kind of thing that happened now also later many times
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by the say the Assyrians people from Israel were captured and enslaved but
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later God sent them again into captivity under the Babylonians now you'll
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remember it wasn't the kind of forced labor that the Egypt at one point in time it was more of a migration from
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Israel to Iraq or Babylon in those days to become citizens of that Kingdom
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and God said hey you're going to be there for 70 years don't worry about going back I'm not
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letting you go back for 70 years you remember this so the Jewish people themselves had been
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in slavery in bondage at various times but notice the people standing there before Jesus at this point in time when
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he was on the earth they never had been in actual slavery type bondage now of
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course the Roman Empire is in power so Israel is only a vassal State under the
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Roman Empire they don't even have their own King you remember right they have
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Herod as a king and you might say well Herod he wasn't Jewish remember he's an
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Edomite he is a political King put in place to keep the Jews in check
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he was not a Jewish King and so understand they actually are in bondage
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in a sense under the Roman Empire even under Herod but
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I get their statement in the physical we've never been slaves
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in that sense the word due loss from the Greek text here we've never been slaves
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so what are you talking about but Jesus isn't talking about the physical and no matter how you slice the
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bread here he isn't referring to physical slavery he is referring to spiritual slavery
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this is something you have to get in your heads and we've been over it here in the Book of John and we we go over it
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from a lot of other passages when you are not gods and you are just in
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darkness you belong to Satan or your worldly your carnal whatever you want to call it
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you are a slave to sin now what that means is you serve sin
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in that condition and this is what Jesus is saying to these people hey
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you're not mine you say you belong to God but your behavior clearly shows you are not Gods
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you say you don't love Jesus and if you were from God you would love Jesus
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but you also don't do what God says to do you do what you want to do
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you don't do the will of God I do the will of God he says but you don't
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you are slaves to sin you are in bondage to your sin and if you're an unbeliever
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in this room you need to know you are in complete and total bondage it is why you cannot get out of it it's why you can't
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stop doing what you do it's why practices and and things that
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you do day in and day out it's why they never change it's why most of the world
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if you talk to somebody in the world like a a worldly therapist or something they will say people don't change
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fundamentally you can't change a person they're a murderer today they're going to be a murderer tomorrow
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if they're a liar today they're going to be a liar tomorrow their pedophile today guess what
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pedophile tomorrow the only way to truly leave that kind of
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bondage and slavery to sin one method that's what this is unfolding for us
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to trust Christ to believe what God has said where he places his holy spirit into you and and
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this is what's this is what's interesting is not only just this text but many other texts and we're going to
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reference a few the whole Bible declares proclaims
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commits to this one narrative all people are under darkness and in sin
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all and only by the power of the Holy Spirit the blood of Christ can you be free from
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that sin Jesus paid for it if it's applied through faith to you then he
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puts his holy spirit in you and you are now free but you're only free if you abide
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see a person that says oh hey I'm Christ I belong to Christ but they don't do what Christ has said
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to do you believe they're a Christian no you look at them and be like either they're
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a very disobedient Christian or that's an unbeliever there's only two choices you never go
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well that's a good Godly Christian when they lie cheat steal commit sexual sin
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commit murder commit hatred and anger and aggression all day long every day
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that's not a Believer I don't care what comes out of their mouth and Matthew 7 helps us with this doesn't it because
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at the end when many come up to Jesus they're going to say Lord Lord didn't I prophesy in your name didn't I cast out
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demons in Your Name Lord didn't I do great wonders in your name
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and what's Jesus going to say oh yeah you're right I messed up
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sorry I got the list wrong I I forgot to add you
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no see I'm changing the scripture huh now what he's going to say is hey I never knew you
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you said you knew me but we never had a relationship you never followed me for
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real because I never knew who you were depart from me you workers of what good
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Godly iniquity
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the whole scripture tells the same story the same narrative the same thing about
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the gospel keep going because they get a little confused on this
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but Jesus goes on in verse 34 and it's very helpful Jesus answered the most assuredly I say to you whoever commits
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sin is a slave of sin
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oh I'm a sinner
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I've sinned this morning I'm not talking about me I'm talking about all of us collectively thinking in our minds hey hold on I have committed
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sin of what is going on here so I'm not Jesus's because I commit well we need to
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do a little language study for a moment the problem here what it says is true
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and what it says can be applied if you understood the context of how it's being
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applied there because we use that word commit very differently then
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then it might be actually defined let's talk more about this word commit
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this word Falls a little bit short in English because we need understanding to
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recognize it I'm going to help you with that so most assuredly this thing here that
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is trans that is the Greek word amen or what we say Amen so the word amen we use
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that most assuredly he opens up with is the word amen in Greek the reason I tell
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you that is the word amen means it is true so so what Jesus is saying is something
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that we do a lot and and it it may throw some of you off when people do it it is like when people say something to you
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like all right I'm gonna be honest with you I'm going to tell you the truth or this
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is true sometimes you look at them and you're like so that means everything else you ever told me was a lie
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that's not normally what they mean what they mean is listen you can trust what I'm saying here this is an honest
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statement this is a true statement that's what Jesus is saying because you know Jesus isn't a liar
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Jesus is just saying this is true listen up okay that would be that'd be a good way
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to maybe say that first part of that most assured but the word commits here
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that word in the Greek is the word poyon if you want to transliterate it
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p-o-i-o-no we own okay and the common way to define that word
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is something similar to the word commit okay so that's why people translate it
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that way the problem is that doesn't give the actual sense of what it's
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trying to express it would be better translated in the way we use English
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today to use the word practice or practices
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that that's a much closer translation to what is actually being said in the Greek here and if you go to the ESV version of
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the Bible are you carrying that today Ben if you read the ESV version it uses the word practices here it doesn't say
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commits and that's why because it's a much closer translation to what is being
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said let me give you an analogy to help you understand the the way this is being
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used a good analogy would be to think of someone who is celebrating say a feast
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or something okay so think about somebody celebrating something that gives you a couple pieces of
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information to help it's something being done willfully regularly and with devotion
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you see what I mean that's why the word practices is much better translation
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than commit what you might say if you want to say it with the word commit in
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there is say they're committed to sin that changes it doesn't it that changes
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the way we look at something very differently if Jesus said whoever is
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committed to sin is a slave of sin that helps a lot doesn't it instead of
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just saying one who does a sin like a one-off sin or messes something up someone
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committed to or practicing sin that helps a lot and see that's all in
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the Greek that's actually underlying this English translation the Greek is very clear here where the
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English it's not being unclear it's just the way we use the word makes it a little muddy
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to us you might go back and say well so if I just commit any sin then I'm a slave to sin
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no not necessarily but if you're practicing sin yes you are
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in bondage to sin whether believer or unbeliever and in fact we'll find as we
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go on that Believers can't remain in the practice of sin
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I didn't say shouldn't I said can't and and I'll use scripture to back that up let's listen to this
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first John chapter 3 verses 9 through 10. listen to what it says
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Whoever has been born of God does not sin uh oh
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see what I mean we start to get into a little trouble here for his meaning Gods this is capital his seed remains in him
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and he cannot sin because he has been born of God
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and you might be shaking in your boots a little bit wait a second it says I can't sin at all we'll get to it verse 10 in
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this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest remember this is the exact same writer
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this is the book of First John same writer that wrote the Book of John the gospel whoever does not practice righteousness
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is not of God nor is he who does not love his brother
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that's hard isn't it but it's clearer that second sentence
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helped to clear it up now let me read you the first sentence in the ESV version chapter 3 verse 9 in first John
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no one born of God makes a practice of sinning for God's seed abides in him and
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he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God now that's a much
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better way to say that isn't it it's about the practices or what you're
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committed to see a foul-mouthed person
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a foul-mouthed person they're going to keep on being foul-mouthed when they're an unbeliever
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they won't change it they don't want to change it in fact try arguing with an
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unbeliever to clean up their speech I've done it it's a frustrating conversation
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well what are cuss words cuss words I mean they're just words
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they try to justify the speech now the Bible says let no corrupt
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communication proceed out of your mouth so what does a Believer do a Believer eventually realizes that God said don't
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do it so they don't do it and it's not a habit they keep returning
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to over and over when I finally realized that I had to give up swearing as a young believer I did keep playing around
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with it I didn't keep going back to it and letting it slip out of my mouth
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guard your hearts guard your mouth be careful what you say there's lots of things in here
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guard your eyes if you're toying around with that well you probably should toy around with am I
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a genuine believer now you might be a young Christian you might be a young Christian and I'm not saying everything
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in your life is going to change overnight when you're a new believer but it'll start changing and it'll keep
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changing now I mean a foul mouth is just one thing that we could talk about how about
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this how about when somebody brings up the word of God to you and talks to you about something going
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on in your life how about instead of getting angry with them you sit and listen and let them share with you the
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truth of God's word and let it penetrate your heart instead of just getting mad
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oh who are you to judge me
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don't tell me what to do is that the right response from God's
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word for a Christian person No it should be and we all know this it should be sit
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down shut up and listen if somebody is willing to take the time
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to share something about your character or your personality or your walk or how
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divisive you are or how frustrating you are to talk to you ought to sit down and listen
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and when you're angry and you will be angry in that moment because no one
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likes chastisement in the moment when it's taking place no one you will be angry
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say something like this brother thanks for sharing that with me I'm not sure I entirely agree or even
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understand it all but I will take it under advisement and I'll think about it and I'll consider it and then go do that very
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thing and I'll pray about it and I'll see if God is telling me in my heart the same
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thing and if it's true guess what's going to happen you're going to love that brother or
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sister for coming and telling you that something was wrong something isn't right something isn't Godly
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but if you're not Gods your response is going to be get away from me or in fact I'm going to leave the conversation I'm
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done with this why you always got to run me down
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see the anger the aggression we all know it because we've all done it
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don't sit there and pretend that you haven't responded that same way yourself
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and you've definitely had someone respond like that to you if you've ever tried to share truth with anyone
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but Christian people don't do that Christian people take this stuff seriously see I had Justin read the
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parable of the sower this morning for this very reason when I was putting
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this sermon together I got to this point and I'm like look we need an illustration from the Bible that is
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clear about there are different types of hearts that the word of God Falls on
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there are different types of hearts see there's one type of heart that is
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it's a path or it's a pressed down area where the seed can't even penetrate the
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surface so what happens the sower throws the seed on the pathway and what happens does it start growing
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no it never germinates it never grows at all the birds come and eat it in the
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parable that he read the the explanation of Jesus said this is the kind that goes
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into the heart but it's immediately taken away because they don't believe it
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they don't believe they don't trust God's word so they don't hear it they or they don't understand it
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that may be another way to say that but then there's another type of path or
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there's another type of ground that looks like good soil but it's got a lot of stone in it it's got a lot of rocks
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mixed in it ladies do your flower beds grow very well when there's a bunch of rocks mixed in with your soil no because
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the roots try to go in and they got a bunch of rocks and they got to make all these weird turns and they just don't
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grow very deep even if they have a little topsoil there so what happens well the sun comes up
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starts to bake down on that plant and because it's really hot and the
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pressure's turned up it just Withers and dies it never grows to what it's
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supposed to be it never gets anywhere near gilding fruit does it so the seed that never grew of course we
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know that's an unbeliever well so is the plant that never takes full root they
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might receive it with with godness initially but the minute pressure is put
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on that walk it's gone they're angry they're frustrated
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every time you bring up the word of God and you apply a little pressure to their life they're going to get angry about it
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see that's not a Believer either you need to know if that is your common response to people putting the word of
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God to you you're not a Believer almost certainly doesn't matter what you think in your
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head or you've deceived yourself with like Matthew 7. this is important stuff
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then there's another soil and this one is very common in the Christian church
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and and yes the church isn't this building it's the people this is one local church
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but in the Christian church the seed goes over what should be good ground however there's a bunch of thorns
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and weeds there and what are those thorns and weeds do to the plant as it tries to grow up in
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that environment they choke it out they take the nutrients that that plant should be
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using and what were those described as the deceitfulness of riches and the
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cares of this world see when you care more about your daily life and the world around you and how
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you're going to live and how you're going to do your job and take care of your family all of that stuff will choke out what
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God is trying to do in your life is he saying be irresponsible to your family no but you can be responsible for
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your family and do the work to take care of your family and serve God at the same time in fact they should be one in the
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same thing to properly raise and teach your family men
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you must be a Godly Man to do it well
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but you're choked out by the cares of this world well I got this job or I got this game to watch or I got whatever
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whatever your excuse is and like I said I don't follow you guys around so I have no idea what you're doing most of the
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time day to day but guess who I do know this scoundrel
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and if the cares of the kingdom of God are being choked out by the cares of this world
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you're probably not Christ's and it doesn't doesn't matter what you think
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doesn't matter what I think doesn't matter what you've convinced yourself of that's the point
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it's only what actually happens in your life is God the one who is at the center or
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are you this text is really driving
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at a lot of things now think about think about this think about this text listen to this
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Psalm 119 11 and some of you can probably quote it I could quote it from
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the King James version Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I
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might not sin against thee you can hear all the thighs and the V's in there
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but what it says in the new King James is your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you
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see the whole idea is you study the word you hide it inside of yourself and that's a protection against sin and you
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say well how's that a protection because you know the truth and if you abide in what the word says guess what
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you would know the truth and it will make you free Thou shalt not lie King James again Thou
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shalt not lie I won't lie God says it's wrong to lie God said to punish me if I lie I won't lie
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see how it works the illustration is clear the Bible says only one thing listen to
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this this is a statement I wrote I'm being sincere when I say it too
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it's very difficult for me to understand how someone could claim to belong to Christ
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yet continue in sinful practices one the Bible makes it clear over and
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over that a Believer cannot do that the practicing of sin cannot continue in
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an actual believer this is huge
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genuinely you need to think about it this is antithetical to everything the
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Bible teaches you reveal by your behavior over the Long Haul Who You Are
46:40
period you might tell me you know hey I'm a Christian
46:47
good praise the Lord awesome all right let's do some Christian things
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some Bible things some Godly things some holy things I don't have time for that I don't want
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any of that church two or three times a week no no thank you no thank you come on show up
47:05
on Sunday morning and that's it serve in the church are you crazy I got a job I got family responsibilities I
47:12
got yard work I got a hobby that I want to do football is going to be on on Sunday dude I ain't coming back for
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Sunday church Sunday night church huh
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you're a Christian absolutely I love Jesus
47:28
Jesus is my favorite of the religions oh wait that probably reveals too much
47:35
wind that back they wouldn't say that would they but that might be what they're thinking
47:40
in their mind I don't know I'm not trying to Mock I'm trying to be serious
47:46
your behavior shows who you are over the Long Haul okay just because you've missed last
47:52
Sunday well maybe you were sick I don't know it's not up to me to decide when you come to church and when you don't
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I'm not the judge some of you may have had family get-togethers on Christmas you may have
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been out of town I have no idea Hunter where I went to a different church I do know that they told me
48:09
we hate your church we're not coming there anymore it's not my church Hunter no they went with their parents to their
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church for Christmas Day so again it isn't about what I think and
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what I see it's about what you do and how you live you're going to answer to God for it you
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will never stand in front of Rodney and have to give me an account for how you live
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I'm not your judge pastors are not judges we don't have
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that as a job description you won't find that anywhere in scripture and guess what you aren't a judge either
48:48
but you are responsible to the judge for who you are and how you live
48:55
you will answer for it and you show the rest of us who you are Anyway by how you live
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how you speak how you speak now listen to this because this goes on
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let's keep going on in this text so after Jesus makes those statements is
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whoever commits sin is a slave of sin and then he says in verse 35 and a slave
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does not abide in the house forever but a son abides forever
49:25
think about that for a second Jesus is making the spiritual
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illustration here and he's only lining people up in one of two categories
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you're either a slave to sin or you are a son of God
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and I don't mean a Son of God Like Jesus in the Eternal Son of God I mean a son
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adopted by God and grafted into the household of faith a wild Branch that's
49:52
been grafted in you are a son or a daughter if you are Jesus's you've trusted him through faith had the Holy
49:59
Spirit placed inside of you let me let me read this to you Galatians chapter four this is amazing you ought to go
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read the book of Galatians if you haven't recently Galatians 4 starting in verse 6.
50:12
and because you are Sons God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your
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hearts crying out Abba Father therefore you are no longer a slave but a son
50:27
Galatians is written by Paul by the way not John are you hearing how closely this follows what we're reading in the
50:33
other texts therefore you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son then an
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heir of God through Christ but then indeed when you did not know
50:44
God you served those things which by Nature are not Gods meaning you served
50:50
idols and false gods and worldliness in yourself verse 9 but now after you have
50:57
known God you started salvation didn't you oh wait it has more text sorry or rather are
51:04
known by God see God knows you well how is it that you turn again to the
51:10
weak and beggarly elements to which you desire again to be in bondage
51:16
you want me to put it in English for you if you belong to Christ you are not a slave to sin so why revert to sinful
51:24
desires that put you back in bondage
51:30
why why are you serving sin when you're a
51:35
Believer it has no place with you why do you want to be brought back under
51:42
bondage when you've been freed again the question goes back
51:48
are you free or are you still a slave to sin there's only two categories
51:55
spiritual life is in one of two places Darkness slaves bondage to sin
52:03
spiritual Freedom newness of Life godliness righteousness
52:09
two sides not two sides of the same coin but either one or the other
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do you notice when Jesus takes away your sins in one place it says that he casts it as far as as the East is from the
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West now technically the East over here right
52:27
see I can be walking East but I could turn and walk west right here they're very close together the East and the
52:33
West aren't that far apart however they can never be the same you notice that right you can't face that way and that
52:40
way at the same time you either are gods or you aren't
52:46
there's never a time when you're in a little gray area oh I'll be partly God's and partly
52:52
satans partly God and partly self doesn't work that way you can't be
52:58
there's no dabbling either you are or you aren't be honest
53:03
about it the only way to get better is to when you've gone to the doctor of the word of God the great physician himself
53:11
is to listen to the diagnosis believe it and then take the action that's required
53:18
to get out of it now you can't save yourself but if God is calling you to trust him
53:25
do it do it that's what we say it's simple belief we
53:31
don't have to have an altar call you heard two men we didn't come forward
53:36
during the altar call now I did once upon a time but it was a it was fake it
53:41
was phony it meant nothing I was not transformed in the moment of going forward you know
53:47
I went forward because everybody else was going forward when God really changed my heart I
53:54
wasn't in front of anyone except him sounds like Gerald was in the same boat many of you might have been in the same
54:00
boat now if you did respond and you were genuinely saved at an altar call praise the Lord
54:06
but that isn't the only way to be saved the only way to be saved is to have God transform your heart
54:12
you become a complete now look at this verse 36.
54:20
therefore if the sun makes you free you shall be free what
54:26
indeed and that word means in truth not just a proclamation of I'm born
54:33
again but you are legitimately free because Christ has freed you
54:39
legitimately truthfully you're his there are only two states you could be
54:45
in we've already said that the way you behave every moment of your life is
54:50
demonstrating which one you are when Jesus makes someone free from the bondage of sin that freedom is clearly
54:57
seen in the way they talk their actions their focus and their
55:03
faithfulness we've already said it in a young Christian even you'll start to see the
55:10
desires of the old man will start to be done away with and it's like all these new desires that they didn't have before
55:17
it's wonderful it's amazing to watch someone be changed by God their whole
55:23
Focus their whole life is being transformed right in front of you and and I'm not and I'm not doing any of it
55:29
you're not doing any of it it's God doing it even in my own life the things that
55:36
truly change the power of the Holy Spirit In Me Is what changed them not not because I'm a great guy
55:44
be honest with yourself do a full full assessment and you don't have to do it right in
55:50
this moment but I I would recommend you do it very soon and especially if you
55:56
haven't done a spiritual assessment and I'm not talking about some list and checklist I'm talking about
56:02
how you behave what you do what your focus is on what are you doing with your
56:08
life this is day one of a brand new year day one
56:13
you got the entire year if the Lord allows we'll add that because I don't know if each of us have the whole year
56:20
but you got the whole year if the Lord allows in front of you you can be anyone you want to be
56:26
assuming that you're a Christian you could be a Godly person you could be a loving person you could be a giving
56:31
person you could be a minister of righteousness a minister of the Gospel you could be influential in the lives of
56:39
dozens maybe hundreds of people in the next year if you'll apply yourself
56:45
but you could also be the same lazy pathetic bum that you were in 2022 in
56:52
2023 and no I don't have anybody in mind I don't think I was making a sermon in
56:59
your names here there are no names in here I wasn't thinking of any of you as the pathetic bum
57:05
me too can waste the whole year I could literally waste the whole year
57:12
if the Lord allows me to I don't want to I'm hoping 2023 will be even more
57:19
spiritual and better for the kingdom than 2022 was but you need to take a self-assessment
57:25
of you understand that Jesus already hears and sees everything that you do
57:32
you aren't hiding anything even if you've got me full you haven't
57:38
you haven't fooled the one who's going to judge the one who you are responsible
57:44
to you haven't fooled him he's an omnipresent God that misses
57:51
absolutely nothing if he counts even the very hairs on your
57:56
head meaning every time one falls out he has a new count what other details of your life do you
58:02
think he might miss he's keeping perfect records and in fact
58:10
we already know his books in heaven are so thorough he's going to be able to open them up and show you your life from
58:17
his books everything done in the flesh whether good or evil he's got it all
58:23
recorded it's all there you're not fooling anyone
58:30
now it's a new year so you have a new opportunity to fully commit to God you really do
58:36
this doesn't have anything to do with the pastor this doesn't even have anything to do directly with the local
58:42
church other than the fact if you get serious about serving God imagine what this local church could
58:50
benefit from you doing what you're doing imagine what The Universal Church of God can
58:57
benefit as Gerald's saying to us we'll wrap it up with this again
59:02
thank you for serving the Lord in heaven that's what we want to hear don't we we want to hear well done my good and
59:09
faithful servant Jesus isn't going to say those words empty if you were a lazy bum and wasted and
59:16
squandered away your life for Christ he isn't going to say that
59:21
he's going to say you are a Believer and here's the two things you did for me the entire time you were a servant
59:28
you were ignorant and lazy but some
59:34
you might just say well done great is your reward in heaven
59:41
great is the kingdom of God because of your faithfulness and and it wasn't you who did it all it
59:49
was Christ through you Christ in you did all that work it's almost like he's thanking himself
59:54
for you being obedient to the will of God in the word of God
59:59
if Christ has rescued you from the bondage of sin isn't it time to start putting God's will above your own your
1:00:06
own you do not know if you will get one more breath I know I've said that and if you think
1:00:13
it's gloomy talking about death if you're a Believer I hope that isn't you
1:00:18
I'm not I'm not in gloom and doom when I think about death I think about translating from this
1:00:24
awful evil terrible world to Heaven a perfect place that that is a very good thing in my
1:00:31
mind especially for a faithful person Jesus came to save and rescue us from
1:00:37
sin please hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and believe before it's too late
1:00:44
Jesus paid for your sin already every single sin you would ever commit Jesus died on a cross and paid for it already
1:00:52
you can't pay for it it wouldn't do any good even if you hung yourself on a cross
1:00:59
grasp the thought that Jesus died on a cross Pang for you
1:01:04
and I all of our sin before it ever even happened all of it
1:01:10
and if you want something even greater in the mind of God before he created or laid the foundation of the Earth
1:01:17
he had it all worked out in his mind already that's how big and great God is
1:01:24
and now it's up to you to respond the response when God is calling you is
1:01:30
pulling on your heart and he's trying to convince you to believe
1:01:35
just trust him surrender and follow let's pray together
1:01:42
it's a new year a lot of exciting things ahead let's pray
1:01:50
heavenly father again we bow at the end of this sermon knowing that you are God and we are not
1:01:56
father we pray that you would Empower us through your Holy Spirit to be Godly and
1:02:01
holy separated and set apart for the ministry of God for your ministry
1:02:08
for the ministry of the Gospel father we pray that you will do this work in us and that you will cause us to
1:02:14
understand how imperative and important this work is this isn't a work that can be just left
1:02:20
to anyone it's a work that you've given to each one of us individually with gifts
1:02:27
with the things that Empower us through your Holy Spirit to do what we do in the kingdom of God
1:02:33
by the pricky chart here to be more effective more bold more diligent more
1:02:39
faithful completely sold out to the will of God
1:02:46
father we give you all of the glory and we'll leave all the results to you we love you and praise you we thank you
1:02:53
for our church and we pray you'll continue to build it while we wait for Jesus to return
1:02:58
we pray in Jesus's holy name amen thank you very much
1:03:04
you'll stand with us as we sing Our Last Song in the Sweet By
