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401 | Grace Appears · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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Music.
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Hello, friends, and welcome back to another podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries,
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where we believe that all of us have to come to Jesus like the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
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Our highest priority is making God real in your life.
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Whether you are listening in our app, in your favorite podcasting app,
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or on our website at watwm.org,
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we invite you to sit down with us as we look to the scriptures to learn more
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about God and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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Living a life for Christ. She's a happy girl.
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Music.
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She's a happy girl. Thank you.
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We'll be right back.
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Showing us the grace of Jesus and the change salvation brings.
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Hello, and thank you for joining us in this podcast of Women at the Well Ministries.
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I believe that all of us truly understand the benefits of salvation.
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I believe for many of us, we understand that it's far more than fire insurance.
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But I think sometimes we get caught up in all that it is for us,
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that we forget all that it costs Jesus.
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And I think we forget sometimes that though it is free to us, it cost Jesus his life.
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He laid it down freely. We learn in John 3, 16, it says, For God so loved the
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world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
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but have everlasting life.
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For God so loved the world. He loves us all.
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That's why we see in Romans 10, 13, that whosoever shall call upon the name
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of the Lord shall be saved.
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But the scripture says, for God so loved the world that he gave.
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And I think that we sometimes have this idea of easy belief.
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That we say, if we say it, then we believe it.
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We say we're a Christian, therefore
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we are one. Now, it's not of works of righteousness, which we have done.
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But according to his work on Calvary, that he saved us.
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And in Ephesians 2, 8, 9, we're told, for by grace are you saved,
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and that not of yourselves.
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It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
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James goes further to tell us, though, that I'll show you my faith with my works.
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And he says that faith without works is dead.
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Now, there is no way that we can earn salvation. There's no way we can work
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our way into heaven. and in no way am I alluding to that or have any idea that
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would even come close to believing that.
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But what I do know is that when you are truly saved, when you're truly born
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again, when you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ,
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then you have advocated your walk with Jesus Christ and you've abdicated your
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throne of your heart to him.
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It's not about what you say, It's about what you do.
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See, the scripture says, whosoever believeth shall be saved.
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You can say you believe a lot of things, but that doesn't make it so.
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And so as we spend the next few moments together, I really want you to understand
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what it means to believe in Jesus Christ.
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And the text that we're going to take a look at today is Titus 2, 11 through 13.
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It's a long-standing favorite passage of mine, and it goes like this.
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For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.
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And so there's no question here, grace of God saves us through the shedding
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of the blood of his son, Jesus Christ.
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And it is available to all.
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Whosoever call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
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And then he says to this in verse 12,
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talking about the grace of salvation, he says, teaching us that denying ungodliness
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and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
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righteously, and godly in this present world.
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So the grace of salvation, which is the gift of God, which we activate and receive
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in our lives through the faith we place in Jesus Christ, it creates a change in us.
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In fact, Scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 5, 17, Therefore,
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if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.
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Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.
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We are a new creation in Christ Jesus when we receive him as Savior.
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When we realize, as we're told in Romans 3.23,
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that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and we place our faith
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in Jesus Christ, realizing that we need him to wash away our sins,
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which are our filthy rags.
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When we do this, then the Holy Spirit indwells us, and we are a new creation.
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And we're told in Romans 6 14 that sin has no more dominion over us that we're no longer.
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Slaves to sin it says for sin shall not have dominion over you for you're not
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under the law but you are under grace it goes further in that chapter of Romans
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to say know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,
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his servants ye are to whom ye obey.
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So if our life is not tracking with the model Jesus Christ has set before us,
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if our ways and our attitude and our thoughts and our convictions are not in
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alignment with the word of God and what it says, and we're not obeying the commandments
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of Jesus Christ or of his father God,
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then we are definitely not obeying him.
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And scripture tells us plainly, if we're not obeying him, we're obeying someone else.
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And he says, thou shalt have no other gods before me.
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So as we begin to look at Titus chapter 2, verses 11 through 13,
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and it goes on to say in 13, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious
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appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
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Orting says, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity
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and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
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Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
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And we all believe that, and we all want to believe that, and that's so easy
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to believe, and that is absolute gospel truth.
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But just as that is true, so are all the other verses I've just read in your hearing.
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And what we see is that a relationship with Jesus Christ has a transforming effect on our lives.
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We deny ungodliness. We're not seeking worldly lust.
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We are living soberly and righteously and godly in this present world.
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That means our want-tos change.
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Our attitude changes.
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The things that we used to do that were displeasing to the Lord,
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They no longer interest us.
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Now, it's a process for many to get themselves in alignment with what the scripture
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says, because they may be saved at a moment, and all they know is that Jesus loves me.
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I'm a sinner in need of a Savior, and they ask for the Lord to save them,
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and he immediately reaches down and saves them.
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But there is a transformation that takes place in their minds.
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One that creates a new creation in them that we just read about in 2 Corinthians 5.17.
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And let's look at Romans 12, 1 and 2 right now. It says this.
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I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your
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bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
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And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of
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your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
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So as we look at Romans 12, 1 and 2, and we lay it beside of Titus 2,
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11 through 14, we see a very common theme,
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that those who have received the grace of God's salvation,
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the gift that it's referred to in
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ephesians 2 8 9 they're different than they were before they received jesus
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as savior and the difference is what we read in second corinthians 5 17 where
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jesus transforms them and creates a new creation and sin no longer has any dominion over them,
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Jesus loves me, this I know. And he stands with nail-scarred hands,
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bidding all of us to come. But we have to truly come.
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Salvation requires that we acknowledge that we are sinners in need of a Savior,
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that we read about in Romans 3.23,
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that we believe in the holy, loving,
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living Jesus Christ, who died on the cross of Calvary to wash away our sins
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and that he was the perfect, sinless lamb of God.
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And Romans 10, 9 and 10 reads like this.
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For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
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In verse 9, he says that
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if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus
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and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised
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him from the dead thou shalt be saved and
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10 says for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth.
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Confession is made unto salvation and then verse 11 says for the scripture saith
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whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed,
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So we need to look at our lives and really be honest with ourselves.
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He says, little children, these things I've written that you might know.
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So you know whether you truly believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior or not.
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You're not waiting until you die, hoping you've got fire insurance to get you out of hell.
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The truly born again believer who has trusted in the Lord with all their heart,
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leaning not into their own understanding but in
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all their ways acknowledge him letting him direct
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their paths as we are instructed to in proverbs 3 5
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6 that is the
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person who has received the transformation of the indwelling of the holy spirit
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who makes them different than those who don't have him you must be different
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if jesus is dwelling in you the holy spirit was sent,
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that he would instruct you, that he would comfort you, that he would direct you,
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that he would provide for you all things that you have need of and bring them
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to your remembrance when you have need of them, we're told in John chapter 14 and verse 26.
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The point of the entire message today is this.
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Who are you fooling? You're certainly not fooling Jesus Christ.
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He knows whether you have placed your trust in him or not.
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Most likely, you're not fooling those around you because they'll see a difference in you.
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As James says, show me your faith by your works.
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As we read in scripture, you're going to model the walk of Jesus Christ.
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You're going to obey the things of him and not the things of the world.
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I want you to be very certain that walking into the church house doesn't save you.
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There's nothing you can do. It's not of works of righteousness,
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which you have done, but it's the finished work on Calvary.
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I want you to know that just because you come from a church-going family and
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godly parents and godly people, you can't be saved on their coattails.
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I want you to know that just because all the people around you believe you when
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you tell them that you love Jesus, but they don't know all about your secret sins.
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They don't know all about the things you just love more than you love Jesus.
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I want you to know that going to church every time the doors are open won't save you either.
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There's nothing magical about the waters of baptism either.
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The only thing that saves you is the grace of Jesus that you acknowledge and
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receive by placing your faith in Jesus Christ,
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calling on him to take lead of your life, to make you what you ought to be, to empower you,
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to enable you.
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This is what it means to be saved.
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It's not any works you can do, but you do have to believe.
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And believing means you repent and turn from your sinful ways,
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and place your faith in a God that cannot fail and allow the Holy Spirit that
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he places within you to convict you, to teach you, to guide you,
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to lead you, to direct you, and to comfort you.
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You're not going to get it right every day. You're never going to be perfect.
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We live in this world, and we're in the world, but we can't be part of it.
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But friends, there needs to be a difference.
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As we see in verse 14, he says that he redeemed us from all iniquity.
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He redeems us from all sin, and he purifies because he imputes his righteousness
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in us, and we have the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
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So we are pure, and when God looks at us, he sees the blood of his Son,
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and he no longer remembers our sins against us no more.
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But he said that he did this to make a group of people, his children,
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peculiar from the world and zealous of good works.
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Because I want to take you back to the very beginning.
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God so loved the world that he gave. And I believe that when we say we love
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Jesus Christ, We show our love of Jesus Christ because we give ourself to him.
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We acknowledge that we need him to be saved.
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We acknowledge that we can only be what we ought to be and what he intends for
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us to be and to reach our full potential by living in the center of his will
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and allowing him to take control of our life and reign of our thoughts and our minds and our desires.
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When we love, we give. I believe it's very simple.
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God loved, he gave Jesus. Jesus loved, he gave himself. We love God,
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we give ourselves to him.
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If you love something more than Jesus, you need to take a hard look on whether
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you've really placed your faith in him or not.
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If the things of the world have more of an appeal to you than the things of
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God, It's time to do business with the Lord and really place your faith in him.
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If sin has a hold on you, it's time that you confess your sins.
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Because in 1 John 1, he says, if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just
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to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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I didn't write this stuff, and I'm not making it up. but I've been called of
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God to make it plain and clear to those with whom I have an influence or have conversation.
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And he said, for the grace of
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God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men. So no one has an out.
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We all have a need, we learned in Romans 3.23, but no one gets a pass.
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And this grace of God that brings salvation is teaching us that denying ungodliness,
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and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.
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If you are a child of the Most High God, your life should reflect it.
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Your words should embrace it.
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People walking behind you shouldn't have to ask, hey, are you a Christian?
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Your life should bear that out. Your testimony should be all the data they need
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that you love Jesus Christ and you are a follower of the Most High God.
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What do the people around you know about who Jesus is in you?
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Do they know that you are a born again, washed in the blood,
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Jesus-loving child of God?
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Are they certain where you'll be most of the time when the doors of the church are open?
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Do they know that you have gratitude and thankfulness to Jesus and you know
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that all things that you have and all things that you are are gifts from him?
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Do they know that you pray over big decisions, little decisions,
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and all decisions in between?
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Do they know that you have put God as king of your life and Lord of your heart?
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Do they know you follow him, you love him, you cling to him?
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Are they certain that you read his word and that you know his characteristics?
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Are they coming to you to pray for them?
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We don't get to heaven on our works, but I promise you, when you know Jesus
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Christ is your personal Savior, you're going to want to work,
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because when you love him, you're going to give yourself to him.
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When you know who he is and his characteristics, you're going to trust him in
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all things and in all ways.
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There'll be moments of doubt. There'll be things that happen in your life.
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There'll be obstacles and occasions that you can stumble, but your intent, your foundation,
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your default will always be to turn your eyes upon Jesus,
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to look full in his wonderful face, and then the things of this world will grow
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strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
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Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
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It is my prayer that you let your light so shine before men that they see your
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good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven, as we are told to do in Matthew 5.
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Friends, he said, let your light shine, not to hide it under a bushel in 5, 14 through 16.
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Read that. Meditate upon this scripture in Titus 2, 11 through 13.
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And look for the blessed hope. Know that he is a hope.
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We serve a risen Savior.
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And Jesus Christ in the form of the Holy Spirit dwells inside of you.
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He never leaves you nor forsakes you.
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But friends, you gotta know who he is. and you got to put your faith solely and wholly in him.
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To God be the glory for the great things he has done.
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Remember you are loved. Jesus loves you.
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Music.
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Thank you for joining us in today's podcast. You can visit the show notes for
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quotes from today's podcast and scripture references.
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Thank you to the Gospel Group Fudge Creek for letting us use their hit song, Happy Girl.
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Remember that God loves you, you.
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Music.