Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #16209 - 3 Questions When You Doubt Your Salvation - 1 John 2:3-11

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#16209 - 3 Questions When You Doubt Your Salvation - 1 John 2:3-11 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's Word with pastor and author Ed
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Taylor, recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora, Co.
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To learn more about the many resources available through
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Abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream services,
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visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church or download our free
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Calvary Church app. Now.
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Here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Amen. Open your Bibles to 1st John
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chapter 2. We're going to pick up where we
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left off last time. First John chapter 2 in there in
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verse 3. And the title of our Bible study
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is 3 questions. Three questions when you doubt
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your salvation. Three questions when you doubt
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your salvation. How do you know the Lord?
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That's an important question to ask.
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How do I know that I'm saved? Many people ask that question as
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well. The enemy of our souls would
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love to confuse you about your own salvation, to cause you to
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doubt that you're really saved, that the finished work of Jesus
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Christ applies to you. He wants you to doubt it, to
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make us believe ultimately that we're not saved, looking at our
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behavior, looking at our thought patterns, knowing that we
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confessed our sins, that we repented, that we were born
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again. But then in the up and down of
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life, there are those moments where you're just like what is
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happening? Paul had one.
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You can write it down in Romans Chapter 7.
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He's wrestling with his own life, the the Confessions of a
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struggling Christian. But you could also say the
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Confessions of a struggling pastor, one that's battling.
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Remember, we learned with struggling.
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There's two types. There's the struggle for life,
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good struggle, but then there's that time where we just say
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struggle and we're giving up. He's talking about his fight
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against sin and a fight against this flesh, and he goes, who's
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going to deliver me from this body of death?
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I thank God. I thank Christ who?
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Saved. Me and changed me.
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Romans Chapter 7. This was happening in the 1st
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century. False teachings to cause you to
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doubt your salvation. The Gnostics were throwing off
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the believers with their teachings that were leading away
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from Christ. And it's happening today.
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False teachers and cults wanting to confuse you.
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You don't know enough, you don't do enough.
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You're not thinking this way. You're not a part of us.
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And as John continues chapter 2 here, he's going to give us 3
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questions. So that moment you begin to
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doubt, that moment that you begin to wonder, the moment that
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the attack comes. You know how 2nd Corinthians 10
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says we're to learn to take every thought into captivity of
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Christ. So on the one hand, you're going
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to take that thought captivity to Christ, and on the other
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hand, you can look at some of these things that Paul says he
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goes, pay attention to these three things and they're not
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surprising. They won't be, they won't be a
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shock to you, but it's good to revisit.
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And this Bible study could easily be a series.
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I'm sure we could find 10 or 11 things, but these were the three
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things that John gave to the believer.
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So this is God's will for us. It's one of the things I love
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about our our church and the way we were discipled in our church
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family. And that is we stay tethered to
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the text. We need to let I know we could
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find 11 or 12 different things. And that may be appropriate in
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in some seasons. But when we're going through the
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Bible, we're going to pause and we're like, oh, no, this is the
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three. This is the three on the
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backdrop of these false teachers, the Gnostics.
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And as you'll see, we'll develop it.
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Pick up with me in chapter 2, verse 3.
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Now by this we know that we know him if we keep his commandments.
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He who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a
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what church liar and the truth is not in him.
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But whoever keeps his word truly the love of God is perfected or
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that word could also be translated completed in him.
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By this we know that we are in him.
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Here's question number one, do I keep His word?
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And if you want to summarize that in just one word,
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obedience, am I obedient? That's a sign of a born again
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believer. I'm obedient to God as He speaks
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in His word. The phrase we know there in
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verse one or in verse 3 is repeated 2 times.
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I know is used in another place. The word no is interesting.
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In the Hebrew, no reflected the most intimate relationship
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between a husband. And a wife.
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This no is so important as it reflects closeness and intimacy.
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How do you know the Lord? How do you know you're in
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relationship with Him? Do you keep His word?
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That's in life and life changing question.
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Very important. The Gnostics, this false
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teaching group that was there in the 1st century, they taught
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that you couldn't know God outside of their secret
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religion. We saw people doing that today.
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They're here. You see you carrying a Bible,
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see you praying at a restaurant, see you just going to the mall,
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shopping and and you become the target.
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And the target will be to undo what you believe and join their
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group. Why?
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Because they believe they're the only group that's saved on the
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planet Earth, their unique special cultic group.
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And it's very confusing when you give them an audience if you
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don't know your word. You have to understand the cults
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are designed and trained to confuse you.
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The first thing they want to get from you is what's your
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religious background? As soon as you get your
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religious background, you know which angle to take and to
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confuse you and to ask some hard question what theologians have
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been arguing for 2000 years over the question.
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And you're supposed to, you're supposed to answer it at the
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Aurora Mall, you know, with a slushie in your hand.
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They're designed to get you into a place of confusion so that
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they can invite you to another discussion and another Bible
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study. And it's really not a Bible
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study as much as that is a cultic instruction of their
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false theology. Confusion comes through false
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teaching. You remember Jesus said in John
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chapter 17 and verse 3 when you ask yourself the question, how
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do I know that I know God? This is what Jesus said in John
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17. Three, this is eternal life,
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that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom
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you have sent. And throughout the ages there's
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been different angles and paths to attempt to know God.
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The Greeks, they were very much into the mind and the emotions.
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The Hebrews emphasize deep study but you remember the Hebrews in
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their emphasis of study caused the religious rulers to value
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study over relationship. Here it says in John chapter 5
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verse 39 Jesus says you search the scriptures for in them you
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think you have eternal life and these are they which testify of.
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Me, you see, we don't. Worship the Bible, We worship
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Jesus. We don't worship theology, the
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knowledge of God. We worship God.
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And it's through that devotion to God that we gain knowledge.
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You never want to get it. You never want to flip it around
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so that you become more loyal and devoted to the Bible than
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you are God. Now, of course, it's a very
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close relationship, God in the Bible, because God reveals
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himself in the Word. So you need to know the Word
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because this is how God reveals himself.
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But the Word is never above, you know, In John chapter 1 we see
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that Jesus, He is the Word. And the Word became flesh and
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dwelt among us. So one of the questions you have
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to ask yourself is, do I obey? Now, of course, if you're going
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through a difficult time, one of the ways you answer this, well,
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no, I'm actually asking the question right now because I'm
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in a season of disobedience. And so if you're not careful,
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you're like, well, do I obey? And you're looking at some
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instant mistake. You go, Oh no, I'm not obeying
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at all. Therefore I must not be a
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believer. No, you're looking for steady
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obedience, not perfect obedience.
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Nobody can provide perfect obedience.
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We all sin. We learn that in chapter 1.
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Come back to chapter one with us.
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It says in verse 10, if we say that we have not sinned, we make
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him a liar and his word is not in US isn't perfect obedience,
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but understand the question, do I obey God through his word?
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So there's two parts to that. Are you a man or a woman that
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now wants? To read the Bible because before
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you were saved, you didn't care much about the Bible unless you
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got in trouble. I mean, if you're in crisis.
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Pull the Bible out. Pull the Bible.
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Send me a Bible. I need a Bible.
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And then once you get out of the crisis, whatever else you want
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to read, it's not the Bible, but it's not that kind of it's are
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you a man or a woman that's hungering and thirsting for the
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righteousness of Christ? Like that's your desire.
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You could say, yeah, I'm here. That's why I'm here.
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I'm rearranging my whole life in the midweek so I can have more
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of Bible study, so I can pray with the brothers, so I can be
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in a place of refuge. Yes, yes, yes.
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So then, now when you read the Bible, do you obey it?
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Not perfect obedience, but do I obey it?
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You see, the Bible says. That if you say you're a
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believer, I know him and do not keep his commandments, then
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that's dishonest. That's what a liar is.
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He's dishonest. She's dishonest.
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So when you see a rebellious person fighting against the
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things of the Lord, at the at first glance we don't know
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whether they're saved or not, but we can't speak to the
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disobedience to God's Word and start there.
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Like a like a liar. You know, just a known liar and
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you call them out on their lies. I'm not lying.
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You're lying right now, bro, because you lying about lying.
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Well, you know I'm a Christian, I make mistakes sometimes, but
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do you care that you're a liar? I'm not a liar.
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Well, you know, I, I really can't be the judge on whether
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someone saved or not that's going to be between you, but I
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can reveal the evidence to you and if.
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You are a liar today and that's what you live in.
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You should really, really go back to the word of God and ask
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yourself, do I obey the word of God?
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It is not OK to lie. That's a serious.
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One, isn't it lying? It's in the top ten.
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It's in the top 10 commandments not to lie.
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And so as you look at your life and go, wait a minute, you know
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what I'm. I I'm, I'm not lying as much as
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I used to. That's progress.
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That's progress like you might find yourself.
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Like not only not only am I not lying as much as I used to, but
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I feel really bad when I do. That's really good progress.
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You know what feeling really bad when I do is?
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The conviction of the Holy Spirit God is inside of you as a
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born again believer, reminding you of what you already know to
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be true in His Word and then reveals to you that you're not
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obeying. It's important to stand back and
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ask yourself, am I obeying the Word of God?
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Jesus lays great emphasis on obedience.
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In John chapter 14 and verse 15, Jesus said if you love me,
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you'll what? Keep my commandments to some
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after our study through Galatians and the entirety of
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the Scriptures. Some might respond at this time,
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maybe listening on the radio right now.
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You go wait a minute pastor. I thought we were saved by grace
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and not works, not works of obedience to which I would say
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you're right. You are saved by grace, through
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faith. It is not of works, lest any man
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should boast. However, we are not saved by
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works, but we are saved for good works.
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The evidence, one of the many evidences in a boarding and
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believer's life is works of obedience.
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They come not to earn anything, but because you're saved, you
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live differently. It is like 2 single people
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getting married. When two single people get
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married, one thing will be an evidence of that marriage.
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At least one thing. There's a lot of things, but one
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thing will be an evidence of that marriage and that is this.
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You ready? They will no longer live like
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singles. They will no longer live in two
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places. No, they will no longer live the
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single life. You move into the same house and
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combine all your you know, we're look at this, we're married.
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Where you going, honey? Hey, I'm going out looking for a
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chick. That's not a married guy.
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We're looking for a guy that's not a married woman.
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That that's not consistent with your changed life.
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That's not consistent you because you might have a past
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and you have these temptations. That's different.
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But then now you're married and you're working through them and
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you're confessing and you're living in the newness of
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relationship. It's true in your relationship
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with God, you will see many things change in you.
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But one thing you will see right away, you become a woman and a
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man of obedience. Obedience that becomes very
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important to you. You're not trying to please a
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church or trying to please a pastor or trying to please your
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grandmother. You're, you're really
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reflecting. If I love Christ and I do, then
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I'm going to obey him. You you'll sit through a Bible
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study and you'll hear something, and the Holy Spirit says that's
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for you. That's for you.
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And you're like, oh, that is for me.
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And then you start saying I don't really want to do that,
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but I have to do that. I don't really want to do that.
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That's going to be painful. I'm not sure but that very
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wrestling is evidence of the Holy.
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Spirit, you're getting there. You may not be so quick to obey.
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Some things are easier, some things are more challenging.
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But John says you want to know if you're saved.
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It's not by joining some secret religion or being in a church
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building. You're saved by asking the
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question, Do I keep His commandments?
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Verse 5 Whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is
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complete in Him. By this we know that we are in
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Him. Verse 6.
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Come to the second question. He who says He abides in Him
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ought Himself also to walk as He.
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Walked. Let.
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Me give you a second word here, a second question to ask when
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you're doubting your salvation number one, am I obeying?
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How do I keep his word as obedience?
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The second word is example. Do I follow the example of
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Christ? There's a question that preludes
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that, and that is, do I even know the example of Christ?
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Do I read the Bible in such a way where I'm learning from
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Jesus how he lived, God in human flesh, how he lived, how he
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dealt with people, how he wants to add into my life?
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Do I follow his example? Notice he uses the word verse 6
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abides. The Greek word ameno meno, it
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means to stay put, to remain. So many today walk around with a
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a profession of faith without true possession.
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They say that they're Christians, but their lifestyle
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says something completely different and that needs to be
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investigated and challenged with the people that are close to
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you. Not challenged like in a in a
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bad way, but really questioned. Hey, you say you're a believer,
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but your behavior and your lifestyle, the example of your
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life, does not reflect Jesus. Things change when you're born
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again. You are a new creation in
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Christ. Old things have passed away.
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Behold, all things have become new.
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There is an old Ed a before Christ Ed and a new believer or
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a believing Ed in Christ there is a there is the old you.
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They often refer to that as the BC days before Christ.
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And there are the a. New you and sometimes it gets
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confusing because The thing is the old you still hangs around
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because you have the same physical brain and with the same
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physical brain that you developed all those.
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Sinful habits. Those sinful habits tempt you
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and draw you away from living a life that pleases God.
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The flesh less against the Spirit, the Spirit against the
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flesh. Jesus is our model.
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He walked by faith in the leading of the Holy Spirit in
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continual contact. With the father.
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In self surrender he lays down his life for others.
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He controlled his temper and his tongue he leave to please the
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father. Now some of you are too young to
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remember this but it wasn't too long ago where they had this
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slogan WWJD. Do you remember that Super
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Popular had the little? Wristbands and then it just took
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off. And it was a great idea.
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It was a reminder of these little wristbands to ask the
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question in moments, what would Jesus do?
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What would Jesus do? What would he do in this
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situation? How would he have me to respond?
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And it's unfortunate it became so popular that, you know, you
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get bracelets and hats and socks and books and probably
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underwear, I don't know. But it was just so prolific.
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It became a byword. It became a cliche.
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It was made fun of by late night comedians, But you know, it's
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still a great way to live your life.
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It's a great question to ask, what would Jesus do in this?
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And even even if you can't answer the question, you say,
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what would Jesus do? And you begin to open the
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Scriptures and ask the Lord to give you wisdom.
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What would he do? Not only what would he do, but
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God, what's the next question? What do you want me to do?
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Because I want to follow your example.
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I want to be able to have that discernment to follow you and
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obey you. How should I respond as a
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follower of Jesus? You used to have the privilege.
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You and I used to have the freedom.
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I wouldn't say it was a privilege, but you and I used to
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have a freedom to respond any way we wanted.
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And that wasn't probably even 5050, depending on what the
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situation was of hitting a mark of being kind or nice or moral.
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But we don't have that anymore. It's not how should I respond,
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but how should I respond as a child of God when you don't care
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about your obedience and we don't care about the example of
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Christ. Those are concerning things.
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But when you do, it's like, I just don't know if I'm saved.
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OK, how's your obedience? Well, you know, I've seen
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obedience in my life before. I'm just struggling with this
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one or, or how's how's your example?
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Can people look at your life and.
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Go yeah, that guy's. Different she's she's changed or
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no? That's just the same old person
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using Christian language. They go, whoa, Ed, yeah, that
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that happens. Churches are filled with same
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old person, just got a new vocabulary as if nobody can
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tell. As if nobody can tell.
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We've all been called to walk as Jesus walked, not by a list of
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rules and regulations, but by example.
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When Jesus look at the law, looked at the law, he narrowed
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it down to just one. And that was love.
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Love God and love your neighbor. And this is where we've in
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today. John takes us next obedience
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example. The last word will be love.
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Notice verse 7. Brethren, I write no new
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commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have heard
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from the beginning. The old commandment is the word
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which you heard from the beginning.
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And again verse 8, a new commandment.
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I write to you which thing is true in Him and in you, because
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the darkness is passing away and the true light is already
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shining. Verse 9.
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He who says so you have a profession, right?
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That many have a profession of faith, but not a possession.
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So when he says he who says that he is in the light Now why would
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anyone say that he is in the light?
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Well, back in chapter 1, if we walk in the light as he is in
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the light. So hey, we're in the light.
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We we walk in the light of life. He is Jesus is our light and we
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are in the light. Why would you say that?
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Because that's a phrase of that would describe you being a
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believer. He who says he is in the light
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and hates his brother is in darkness.
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Until now. He who loves his brother abides
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in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
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But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in
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darkness and does not know where he's going because the darkness
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has blinded his eyes. You're doubting your salvation.
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You look at obedience, you look at example, and you also now
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look at love, God's love. Do I love the brethren?
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Now? The text itself can be a little
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confusing at first. Read old commandment, new
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commandment. But let's try to follow John's
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train of thought here. In verse 7, it says the
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commandment to love was an old commandment.
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You can jot it down. Leviticus chapter 19 and verse
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18. You shall not take vengeance nor
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bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you
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shall love your neighbor as yourself.
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I am the Lord. So it's not new.
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It's an old commandment Leviticus.
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The hearers would understand that most of the believers are
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Hebrews at this time, so they would understand this.
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Then in verse 8 though it says John is writing a fresh insight
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to the old command. And remember at the last
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suffered Jesus said this in John 13, a new commandment I give you
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that you love one another as I have loved you that you also.
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Love one another by this all will know that you're my
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disciples if you have love for one another.
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What was new was the concrete example of love.
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Now John looks back and says, OK, we know the old commandment
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and and we see it carrying over in a new covenant.
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But what's new about this now as we see Jesus as the greatest
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demonstration of love. Not that just we enjoy His love
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and we receive His love, but we actually see it in self
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sacrifice. We see it in death to self.
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The command becomes new in the sense of the freshness and seen
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as the example of Jesus Christ. So we can't perfectly obey.
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I mean, none of us are going to give that perfect example of the
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love of Jesus, but we're getting there.
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We're living out His love. We're living out in the
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appreciation. The Bible says that we love
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because we were first, God first loved us.
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It's such a transformative thing for many of us.
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For many of us that lived outside of Christian love for so
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many years, maybe even had a hard heart, had a, you know, an
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attitude of I don't care. We're the only one I care about
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is myself. It truly is a.
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Transformative thing to walk in the love of God and to care
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about others more than you care about yourself.
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To help carry burdens with one another.
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You might in the past before you were saved, you might have saw
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someone with a burden and go on sorry for that guy, but now your
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heart is pricked by the love of God.
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Sick. Not only am I sorry for that
24:02
guy, but I'm going to help him. Where did that come from?
24:04
Well, isn't just a moral decision, it's an expression of.
24:07
Love. And he puts this expression of
24:10
love in the backdrop of hatred. This is an important topic that
24:16
needs to be addressed, this issue of hatred.
24:19
If you hate your brother, you're not in the light.
24:23
And let me just say at the outset, the antidote to hating
24:27
your brother is forgiveness, and on either side of the stage.
24:30
Here in these baskets on either side are pamphlets that are free
24:35
to you to take. I didn't ask them for them to
24:38
put more, but if we run out, you can e-mail me and I'll send you
24:41
a link and you can just download it.
24:43
I'll send you the link to download this.
24:45
Just a simple little pamphlet on forgiveness that you can step in
24:49
through obedience and follow the example of Christ and open
24:52
yourself up to forgive the person that has stirred up so
24:55
much hatred in you. Remember with forgiveness,
25:00
forgiveness doesn't equal reconciliation.
25:02
That's a separate step. Many times hatred is fostered
25:06
because of pain and what's been done to you.
25:09
Hatred is stirred up in you because you just replay it over
25:12
and over and over again. And then hatred gets hooked to
25:14
bitterness and unforgiveness and, and before you know it,
25:18
you're you're the one that's not walking in the light.
25:20
I don't know about the person you're hating, but you're not
25:22
walking in the light. Every time you talk about them,
25:25
every time you think about them, you're.
25:26
Not walking in the light. Hatred needs to be complemented
25:30
with forgiveness, which will turn into love.
25:33
You'll be, you'll be released. But reconciliation doesn't
25:37
necessarily need, doesn't mean that's going to happen.
25:41
Because there must be, for there must be repentance on the other
25:45
person. Like in order to have a real
25:46
relationship, you have to have repentance.
25:50
And so that's laid out for you in that pamphlet.
25:53
We also did a couple chapters in the book Letting Go of Your
25:56
Past. We talked about that with anger
25:58
and like bitterness. It's all deep, deep stuff and so
26:01
many Christians waste a portion of their life, a large portion
26:07
of their life, or most of their life.
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Living in hatred, saying that they're walking in the light and
26:15
it's hindering you. If I hate my brother, I'm not in
26:19
the light. The transformed life lives in
26:24
agape love. Notice if you want to flip
26:28
through first John, look at chapter 3 verse 11.
26:31
It says for this is the message that you heard from the
26:33
beginning, that we should love one another.
26:37
Chapter 3, verse 23. This is the commandment that we
26:41
should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and.
26:44
Love. One another as he gave
26:47
commandment now it's tied to obedience you can see how these
26:49
questions wrapped together chapter 4 verse 7 beloved let.
26:54
US. Love one another, for love is of
26:58
God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God for
27:04
who? He who does not love does not
27:07
know God. For God is.
27:10
Love and how was love manifested verse 9 in this the love of God
27:15
was manifested, that God sent his only begotten son into the.
27:18
World that we might live. Through him, hatred is a very
27:23
potent and dangerous emotion, sort of like fire.
27:29
You know, anger and frustration in its right proper context,
27:32
like fire is very health, healthy and warm.
27:34
You you should improve of evil. You shouldn't be happy when
27:37
someone is taken advantage of. There is an emotion to hate evil
27:42
to hate what sin is doing doing to those lives.
27:44
There is a there is a godly form of hatred when it is turned
27:50
towards sin, but it's a very dangerous emotion, like fire
27:55
when it's out of control. It's destructive, and we'll
27:59
stifle a relationship with God and with others.
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In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus said that hatred is the equivalent of
28:08
murder. Murder in the heart.
28:12
Unbridled, uncontrolled, unrestricted anger is dangerous.
28:20
Coming back to the text, notice the word hate in the original
28:26
language speaks of long lived anger.
28:29
The anger of a man that nurses his anger to keep it warm.
28:33
As one commentator said. Let me say that again.
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The anger of a man that nurses his anger to keep it warm.
28:40
You know what phrase we might use today?
28:42
We wouldn't use a long sentence like that.
28:44
This hatred of your brother. We might say today that you're
28:47
holding a grudge. Sounds a lot more attractive
28:51
that way, doesn't it? Just holding a grudge, brother,
28:55
you know you're not walking in the light.
28:56
I'm not walking in the light when I hold a grudge, not
29:00
walking in the light when I live in hatred.
29:04
Anger is addressed in the scripture of course.
29:06
The Bible speaks of a Christian can be angry without sinning.
29:11
And not quite sure where that line is, but usually that phrase
29:15
the Bible says you can be angry without sin is usually
29:17
reflective of someone that lost it.
29:20
It usually isn't trying to describe healthy anger, but
29:23
there is an anger without sinning.
29:25
There's a righteous anger, one that.
29:27
Protects God's. Honor, and we'll study this in
29:30
depth. In Ephesians chapter 4, verses
29:33
26 and 27, Jesus even demonstrated A righteous anger
29:38
as the temple was being used to take advantage of his followers
29:41
and to RIP them off and steal from them.
29:44
But too often this is not the expression of anger, especially
29:47
not the one that John is saying. When you're Downing your
29:51
salvation and you're wanting that assurance, you come back to
29:55
the place and you check your obedience and you check your
30:00
example and you check your love. You see, you can, you can find
30:08
areas, although you might look because you're in such a time of
30:11
doubting and confusion, you might look at things to try to
30:13
disqualify yourself. But if you're a true believer,
30:16
you're going to find areas of obedience.
30:17
Yes, I do love God. Yes I do.
30:21
I don't know how I got here, but I do love God.
30:24
I really do. And and, you know, I really want
30:27
to please him. And you begin to dig.
30:29
Deep in what God's doing and then opening yourself to a fresh
30:33
work of the Holy Spirit to bring you back into a relationship
30:37
that's strong and vibrant walking in the light as he is in
30:40
the light he says in verse 10 he who loves his brother abides in
30:44
the light see love puts you in the light hatred puts us in the.
30:48
Dark and when we're abiding, there is no cause for stumbling
30:53
in Him. One of the advantages that I
30:58
personally appreciate in my own walk with the Lord, when I'm
31:01
reading the Bible and when I'm teaching the Bible, when I'm
31:05
singing worship songs in the congregation or putting a song
31:09
in the car on the way in, is in that that moment of worship, I'm
31:14
abiding in Christ. You know, I might be wrestling
31:18
with something all upset about something and you know, whatever
31:21
it might be and I open up my Bible and begin to read the
31:23
whatever text it is and automatically I'm taken out of
31:27
now and I put into the place of the Spirit.
31:30
I'm taken out of the human and with my Bible open, I'm just
31:33
reading about the things of God. I'm watching Jesus, whatever it
31:37
is this morning it was Psalm 73 for me.
31:39
I'm just reading about this time in the life turn over to Psalm
31:42
73. This is such a blessing of how
31:46
God can I'm a heart and a spirit if you just obey him and follow
31:49
him. So I woke up with something on
31:51
my mind and I'm just going through things.
31:54
I'm overthinking it. Any overthinkers here nothing to
31:57
Amen about it, but I was just curious, you know, and you're
32:01
just you're going through it and you're overthinking and you're
32:03
just but you know it's legitimate.
32:05
You're not overthinkers, doesn't mean there's no facts attached
32:07
to it, but you're going through it in my devotion of all places
32:11
of where I'm reading my regular devotion from.
32:14
Jim Simbola's new Devo book that we have was today with Psalm 73.
32:20
And he had a great word on it and it caused me to do what I
32:23
asked, I asked you guys to do to bless you is just go back and
32:26
read the verse. Read the chapter that the verse
32:28
is in because the devo has no power, right?
32:31
It's the word of God that has power.
32:33
So you're the devo's getting in the thing and you're reading it.
32:35
So I go back to Psalm 73 and it's a familiar passage a a
32:39
Psalm of Asaph and he's there. He opens up in Psalm 73 and it
32:45
says truly God is good to Israel, to such is pure and
32:48
heart. Great beginning.
32:50
Oh Lord, it's a good day. You're so good to us.
32:52
It's amazing. But verse 2, Oh no, not another,
32:57
but but As for me, my feet had almost stumbled and my steps had
33:03
nearly slipped. And then the rest of the Psalm
33:05
up to the verse that we'll get to in a moment is just an
33:08
example of this brother getting his eyes off the Lord.
33:12
His eyes were off the Lord, seeing all the people that don't
33:15
follow God being blessed and he's struggling, maybe going
33:18
through some health issues. He's going on his eyes are not
33:20
on the Lord. It's on the circumstances, on
33:23
the people, on his neighbor, on the difficulty and he's just
33:26
wrestling with it. I mean, and he's not even
33:27
speaking the truth. He's like, there's no pangs in
33:30
their death and and they don't they get away with everything.
33:32
And and you know, in your own language, you have to be careful
33:35
when you start using words like never and they get away with
33:39
everything. You just know that's
33:41
exaggerated. It's not true.
33:42
Nobody gets away with anything. There's a final judgment because
33:46
of the cross and the blood of Jesus Christ.
33:49
Well, we'll either forgive that sin or without the blood they'll
33:52
experience. Nobody gets away with anything,
33:54
but that's what he's dealing with.
33:55
You know how it feels. You'll go through that.
33:57
I usually will have those moments in my car, just the
34:00
windows rolled up and just dealing with whatever I'm
34:03
thinking, whatever issue, just wrestling with the Lord and and
34:06
he gets to the place and verse. 16 where he says when I thought
34:10
how to understand. This, it was too painful for me.
34:16
And isn't that the most painful place to be to try to figure out
34:22
what is happening, just to try to what is going like I just got
34:27
to figure this out. You're not you're it's not going
34:29
to happen. It's in the realm of the Lord.
34:31
It was too painful. I couldn't do it.
34:32
I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't understand it.
34:35
It's not fair, it's not right, it's wrong.
34:39
It's in just until see with verse 17, you might want to mark
34:44
it, circle it, highlight it until I went into the sanctuary
34:51
of God. Then I understood.
34:56
I understood once I was in the place of worship.
35:00
So I did my DeVos really quickly and I read through the chapter
35:05
and I'm meditating on it. And I looked at the time and I
35:08
had some extra time before we came in today and I was going to
35:13
stay home and go through the Psalm again and just kind of
35:16
spent about 1/2 hour on it. But then I got the thought, no,
35:20
I'm going to obey this Psalm. There's nobody at the building
35:23
or very few people at the building.
35:25
So I'm going to go to, I'm just going to go to the church.
35:27
I've got a key I can walk in and I can come into this dark
35:31
sanctuary and I can just sit in one of these chairs in the dark
35:35
because I have my iPad. So I could read on my, I could
35:37
just sit in one of these chairs in the dark and meditate on this
35:40
in the sanctuary of God. So God could give me
35:42
understanding. Well, when you know what I come
35:44
in, walk through, somebody's at the door already.
35:47
There's already people in the building.
35:48
I walk upside door lights are on because the precious sisters are
35:51
cleaning the sanctuary and straightening the chairs.
35:55
I'm like, OK, that's not going to determine.
35:57
I'm not going to go to my office.
35:58
I'm not going downstairs. So I went upstairs because
36:00
there's another sanctuary upstairs for the high schoolers
36:03
and they got chairs all set up and it's dark up there too.
36:06
So I go up there, one side, the lights on.
36:08
I'm like, no, no, no, but Lord, just trying to obey you.
36:13
But the high school was dark. So I went in.
36:14
Nobody was up there because they were having problems with the
36:16
fire alarm or something. Go in and for about 1/2 hour I'm
36:20
just like, OK, Lord, I'm in the sanctuary and I'm seeking you
36:23
for this. And I don't understand and I'm
36:25
not sure. But your word says.
36:29
Your word says it was just a sweet, I didn't get full
36:32
understanding in the evening but or in that half hour of time.
36:35
But what I did get is a peace of God for 1/2 hour.
36:40
Isn't that a gift? It's like we come in and go, I
36:42
want the peace of God for the whole day.
36:44
You know God wants to give you a half hour.
36:47
You're not happy with 1/2 hour and then you take it back and
36:49
you come back and you take it back.
36:51
Now you may not have the privilege of coming into a dark
36:53
empty sanctuary, but guess where you are now?
36:55
The sanctuary and what guess what God is giving you now?
36:59
Understanding, but you got to claim it by faith, by believing
37:03
the promise of God. That's what you're doing.
37:05
Lord, you know what I'm coming to church with?
37:07
I'm not coming from a Bible study.
37:08
That's great. I'm not just coming for worship.
37:10
That's wonderful. I'm not just coming to.
37:11
Say hi to friends, I'm coming because when I come to the
37:14
sanctuary of the Lord. Then.
37:16
I understand, and you can create your own room as a sanctuary.
37:20
It would have been just fine. If I stayed home this morning,
37:23
that's not the point. The point is, is it's important
37:28
that you develop. You develop a desire to seek
37:34
after the Lord. The context of what we're
37:38
sharing here is hatred. You can't dwell in the darkness
37:44
of hatred. It's important that you forgive.
37:50
We murder people in our heart when our hearts are unforgiving.
37:57
Jesus and his teaching in Matthew chapter 5 said not to
38:00
call anyone Raqqa. Remember that?
38:02
Raqqa I always remember that. I try to say it.
38:04
Raqqa we don't. Everybody with today's listening
38:08
to me, you're on the radio. I don't call anybody.
38:09
Raqqa. I don't know what that word IS
38:13
means. Well, some translations
38:16
translate it. Fool, Raqqa, fool.
38:19
They go together. They're in Matthew 5.
38:21
But let me give you the modern day word that maybe has been in
38:24
your head or your mouth from time to time when you don't say
38:27
Raqqa to someone, but you say you idiot.
38:32
Yeah, whatever the situation was or whatever the difficulty was,
38:38
it flipped you from being a person expressing the love of
38:41
Christ to judging a person with a name like Raqqa or Idiot.
38:48
These are all these little areas where the Lord's showing us to
38:51
come back to him. Like the psalmist.
38:54
Psalm 73 could be the Psalm of the week for you, where you're
38:58
surveying and watching the news and your Insta feed or your
39:01
Twitter feed or X, whatever they're calling it these days.
39:04
It's just feeding you all this stuff, feeding you all this
39:07
stuff. It's just feeding you and you're
39:09
just seeing all the evil in the world and you're hearing all the
39:11
evil wearing all everyone's opinion on all that.
39:14
And you're. I don't get it.
39:15
I don't like it. I can't understand it.
39:16
And you got to come back to the sanctuary.
39:18
The truth is not on Twitter. The truth is in the sanctuary of
39:22
the Lord. It's in his word.
39:24
Am I saved? Am I saved?
39:26
Lord? What do I obey?
39:28
Yeah, I obey. Do do I live with a, with a like
39:35
not only is my example, but do I think of being an example for
39:39
you? Because I cross my mind that I'm
39:42
living not just for myself, but I'm also living for you.
39:46
I want to be a good example. Every all of us are examples.
39:49
You know that, right? The only difference is we're
39:52
either a good example or a bad example, but we're all examples.
39:56
Our lifestyles I. I know that people need to get
40:00
their eyes on the Lord, I teach it all the time, but sometimes
40:02
their eyes on you, there's not much you can.
40:05
Do about it. Their eyes are on you, and
40:08
you're going to help them get their eyes back on the Lord.
40:10
But right now they're on you. And are you in the light?
40:14
Are you walking in love? It's one of the things that I do
40:19
appreciate about knowing the Lord that he would change such a
40:24
hard heart like the Bible says and put a heart of flesh in me,
40:28
put a soft like it's it's truly transformative as you look at
40:34
the change that God has done in US.
40:38
Hatred will destroy. So you have obedience example
40:43
and love great things to look at to substantiate.
40:46
We know that we know him so we begin to see the transformative
40:50
work in our lives. Now I don't want to spend a lot
40:53
of time. I'm not going to, but I want to.
40:54
Add to this list. OK, it's a.
40:57
Different Bible study. I just want to add to this list
41:01
seven things that will help you see God's work in your life as a
41:07
new believer or as a believer if you're attacked with doubt over
41:11
your salvation. These are new attributes in your
41:15
life. You may see them fully.
41:16
You may see little. But #1A born again believer
41:19
loves God. That's new you love.
41:22
God #2 you long for personal communion with God.
41:26
So let's just pause for a second.
41:27
We're here on a midweek. You're listening to Christian
41:30
radio or flipping through YouTube on you're not watching a
41:32
movie, you're watching a church service and you just think, I
41:35
don't know, five years ago, do you ever see yourself in a
41:37
church on Wednesday night? 10 years ago you ever see
41:41
yourself on a in a church on Saturday, serving on Sunday,
41:44
worshipping on Wednesday like. Never in a million years, but
41:50
now my life is planned around the gatherings of the Saints.
41:55
I mean, it was from the very beginning.
41:58
I probably went a little overboard and I was at the
42:00
church as many as much as the doors were open and I was a
42:03
little lopsided not being home. I should.
42:05
You got to put that together. You need to be home.
42:07
Take your spouse with you. You don't be at church and leave
42:10
everyone behind all the time. But hey, I had a.
42:12
Desire I had to learn. I had to learn.
42:15
Number 3A believer loves what God loves and #4 is with it.
42:21
You hate what God hates. You allow His righteous anger
42:25
for his glory be your righteous anger.
42:28
You love what God loves. You love salvation and you love
42:32
change and you love giving and you love generosity.
42:35
On and on #5 this is a big one. You love the people that God
42:41
loves. You love the people that God
42:45
loves. Number six, a brand new thing
42:48
that happens in the born again believer.
42:49
You are looking for and wanting the soon return of Jesus.
42:54
I mean who? Talked like that before you got
42:56
saved, especially if you weren't raised in a church who talked
42:59
about the rapture of the church like.
43:01
Who talked about Maranatha and you're like.
43:03
What artha like what do you? What is that?
43:07
Maranatha is a one time word in the Bible and it means Even so,
43:10
Lord come quickly. Come quickly.
43:15
And part of it could be, you know, like whenever we think
43:18
about the rapture of the church and the coming of the Lord, it's
43:20
always bittersweet, isn't it? Because we wanted to come now,
43:23
but at the same time we're like, but but my uncle's not saved
43:25
yet. So can you just get him saved
43:27
then come now? Maybe he's the last Gentile.
43:29
But we want you to come, Lord, but also have this life.
43:32
And it's a battle of being in heaven and earth at the same
43:35
time. But you are talking about and
43:37
you desire in the, as we'll see later on in first John, your
43:41
desire for the soon return of Jesus develops holiness in you
43:45
and hope. And then #7 mark of the
43:49
believer, the born again believers.
43:50
You have a desire to forgive and reconcile with others.
43:54
It is challenging when you have broken relationships.
43:58
That's not something that you value.
44:01
It's just something the Lord does in your life.
44:03
God is a reconciling God. He's given us the ministry of
44:05
reconciliation. And so it's hard when the other
44:08
party or the other, it just doesn't reconcile it.
44:11
You carry a burden you your prayer life changes.
44:15
And so Father, I pray for those that wrestle with doubt, doubt
44:18
of their salvation. I know more of the letter speaks
44:21
to this truth, but we thank you God, for the stable, factual
44:26
insights that you give us that will help us plow through the
44:32
doubts. I pray over our church today.
44:35
Just those that are, you know, just dealing with the obedience,
44:41
there was a word for them today. I pray for those that are
44:44
dealing with the example, especially among the littles,
44:48
those that are looking up parents, grandparents, aunts,
44:51
uncles. I pray God for love, which is
44:55
pretty much for all of us that we might be more filled with
45:00
love as an example and like John that just keep our eyes on you
45:07
like the psalmist and until I'm I almost stumbled because I just
45:12
took my eyes off of you. But when I came into the
45:16
sanctuary of God, I began to gain understanding.
45:19
I thank you for the 90 minutes of understanding tonight just to
45:23
get our eyes on on you, to reorient ourselves, to cast our
45:28
cares upon you, to obey. Some here are here tonight of
45:31
obedience. They made a commitment, but then
45:33
they didn't really want to come. But they're here.
45:35
Because they made a commitment, they're obedient in the new
45:36
year, others are here. Because they wanted to pray.
45:42
Others are here. Because they wanted to sing.
45:45
Others are here because their kids need to be here.
45:48
And we're so grateful, God. That you don't leave or forsake
45:52
us. You don't give up on us before
45:56
we leave. I just want to give you a
45:57
chance. If you were not born again
46:00
today, you want to give your life to Jesus, would you just
46:02
stand up? I want to pray with you that you
46:06
know that you've sinned against God and that he loves you.
46:10
God sent his only begotten Son to die for you.
46:13
That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe
46:16
in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
46:18
saved. Anyone here today?
46:20
This is the moment. I love Wednesday night
46:26
invitations because I got saved on a Wednesday night.
46:30
A Wednesday night service, strolling in after work, hearing
46:35
a guy talk about the Bible, but all the while Holy Spirit
46:39
drawing me just like he's drawing you near and far.
46:43
I know sometimes I forget about you guys in the cafe or in the
46:46
Agape room, but you're not forgotten.
46:49
God sees and God knows you guys on the radio or on YouTube or
46:55
Facebook, wherever you're watching this, you're seen,
46:58
you're known. But here in the room, we get to
47:00
see it with our own eyes. So anyone here that would say, I
47:04
want to choose, God bless you in the back.
47:07
I want to choose to follow Christ today.
47:09
Today is the day. What a great angle with that
47:12
area back there. Sister, you're going to be a new
47:15
sister in just a moment. I, I got saved on that back row
47:18
over there so many years ago. The Lord is moving church.
47:24
He's moving in our community. He's moving in our church.
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He's moving in your family. Even when I don't.
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When I don't. See it, I believe it with the
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eyes of faith that God is moving upon the hearts of people.
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Our prodigals that we're praying for.
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All. Those and just trust God, don't
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give up on him, cling to him. Don't give up on those you love
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and so for you that responded today, just pray with me talking
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to God. This is your confession to God.
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You can say God, I accept your forgiveness for my sin and I
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believe Jesus died for me and rose again to save my life, to
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save my soul. And I choose to turn away from
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my sin tonight and I choose to follow you.
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Help me God, to live a life that pleases you.
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And I pray that in Jesus name, Amen.
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We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible study
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delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church.
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For prayer, call us at 87730 grace that's 877-304-7223.
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To listen to this message in its integrity or to join us for our
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live stream services, visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church
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or download our free Calvary Church app.
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Be blessed as you worship Jesus this week.