Legal Entry Part 2 - Kingdom Citizenship with Randy Clay

Well, I'm going to do what I promised that I'd do last week,

and we're going to do just a very, very short review, like

1/2 a page. That's it.

And we're talking about legal entry and Kingdom citizenship.

And I think it's going to be important for us to take a look

at several scriptures that help you understand how we are

supposed to get in and what we're supposed to do once we get

in because there's a lot of different thoughts out there.

Last week that I did talk about the fact that most people, they

go to church, if any type of evangelical church or a, a

denominational church, you know, everybody has their own altar

calls. We're hoping to get people in

the Kingdom. We don't you know, back in those

days I didn't know what the Kingdom was, but I knew that I

wanted to be saved because they painted some really wild

pictures of the hereafter and one of those was hotspot and I

didn't want to go to the hotspot.

And so when we take a look at you know, what does the Bible

say not traditions of men. How many times have we been over

with Apostle Earl? He said, you know, you have made

the word of God have no effect with your tradition.

And so we want to make sure that we clearly know tonight how we

enter into the Kingdom of God so that we can tell people how to

do it correctly and back it up by Scripture, not by the

opinions of men or the teachings of men.

We want to know. So in review, just quickly, we

need to remember that Adam and Eve fell and ushered in mankind

to sin and separation from God. Everybody remember that that's

that's basically the mess we got into, said the father.

Let us know though, in Galatians chapter 3 verse 15, that he's

Galatians 3:15

got a he's got a plan to fix it. And in that plan he told, he

told Satan, all right, when they had fallen.

He told him, he said, I'll put an enmity between you and the

woman and between thy seed and her seed.

It shall bruise thy head. You shall bruise his heel and

we've got into detail and talking about that as far as how

long does it take to get over a heel hurt versus a head hurt,

right and that Satan won't recover.

Just to let you know and and you know from what Jesus put on him.

But we're going to we're going to go in tonight, you know,

talking about the entry into the Kingdom.

I want you to end your Bible and jot this down.

Isaiah chapter 40. This is where I want to start

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

because this is, you know, several, several, several

hundreds of years after God spoke that in the garden to Eve

and Adam, all right, and, and, and the cursings that went on

there. But when he spoke to that time

that he, he pronounced all the curses and the different things

that went with that. Several, several 100 years

later, we have Isaiah the prophet.

Speak something and listen to what he said in verse 3.

The voice of him that cry in the wilderness, prepare ye the way

of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our

God. All right, Now, scholars tell us

that between the last prophet, I don't know if the books are in

chronological order. When we talk about the major

prophets, you got Isaiah, Ezekiel, you, Daniel.

Those are the major prophets. They call them.

And then you get to Amos and you get to Hosea and you get to

these guys and they're called minor prophets.

Now, I'm not real sure which prophet, you know, if they did

it chronologically, but let's just say Malachi being he's the

last book. He was the last guy right

between Malachi and this prophecy all right, that Isaiah

gave that someone is coming to make a preparation for what the

Lord is sending in that remember the seed of the woman all right,

was 400 years, 400 years. There was no word in Israel.

There was no prophet that spoke for the Lord.

We have no record for 400 years of God saying anything, and all

of a sudden, you know that a man shows up on the scene and

Matthew has the first account. And we're going to go over it

just briefly, but I want to let you know something, just a

little nugget. When we look at the four

gospels, and the four gospels have a record of several of the

things that we're going to talk about tonight.

But you need to note this about Matthew.

When Matthew writes, he places his emphasis as Jesus the King.

How he writes and how he describes Jesus is basically

telling us that Jesus is a king. Well, how do we know that?

Well, the second chapter we have the Magi from the East coming

and looking for who the king. So we get to see Jesus through

that lens of being a king. Mark, on the other hand, he

comes in and he shows us Jesus as a servant.

Luke shows us Jesus as a man. How is that?

Well, basically he gives the account all right, that he was

born in a Manger, you know, born in a cave and in a Manger put

and the angels and everything we're singing and gives that

whole account of the Christmas story in in that book.

And then the last book is John writing and putting emphasis in

getting us to understand that Jesus was God.

First verse in the beginning was the word and the word was with

God and word was God all right, so he's telling us he's letting

us know this is coming to pass now Isaiah that what we just

read in 40 verse 3 was fulfilled in Matthew chapter 3 verse one.

Matthew 3 · chapter mention

It says in those days, John the Baptist preaching in the

wilderness of Judea saying repent for the Kingdom of heaven

is at hand. And this is that what was spoken

by the prophet Isaiah saying a voice crying in the wilderness,

prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his path straight.

So we know that Isaiah was talking about John the Baptist,

that John the Baptist is going to come as a forerunner to let

us know. Now think about, we haven't had

a word for over 400 years and you read the account of John the

Baptist, you're going to find out that he looked a little

wild, ate a little crazy stuff. But when he came and said

everybody was drawn to him and that he began, you know, and he

tells us in the, in the the 11th verse, in chapter 3 of Matthew,

indeed, I baptize you with water under repentance, but he that

comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I'm not worthy to

bear. He shall baptize you with the

Holy Ghost and fire, whose fan is in his hand, and he will

thoroughly purge his floor and gather the weed into the garner,

but he will burn up the chaff with an unquenchable fire.

And they said, Then came Jesus unto John, to be baptized of

him. Now, I love this account because

I spent a lot of time not only studying it, but talking to the

Lord about Jesus baptism. And I'm going to share some of

those things with you. We're not.

I'm going to share with you what the the word says here, but

you'll see in a minute why it's so important for a believer, a

new citizen in the Kingdom of God, that they get baptized.

OK, but notice what he said. He said, but John forbade him.

In other words, Jesus came to be baptized, gets out there in the

water. John says, Nope, I shouldn't be

baptizing you, you, why are you coming to me?

In verse 14? He said, and Jesus answered and

said, and I want you to note this, listen to this very

carefully. Permit it to be so now, for thus

it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness.

Then he permitted him. That's what the word suffered

means in the King James. All right in 16.

And Jesus, when he was baptized, he went straight up out of the

water, and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the

Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him, or

landing on him. Verse 17 And lo, a voice from

heaven saying, This is my beloved Son and whom I'm well

pleased. Now all four gospels record a

version of this. We're only going to look at one

more because there's something significant that I want us to

see in that. But Jesus, when he came, you

know, to earth, it says when he turned 30 years old, he was

ready to enter his ministry. If you look up, you'll find out

that 30 years of age is when the Levitical pride, the Levitical

tribe enrolled or put to work their young men.

So Jesus came at 30 years old and he's ready.

He's, he's, he's ready to start his father's business.

And it says the first act of obedience was water baptism.

And it says when he and he, he said, I need you to baptize me.

For thus it becomes us, or it is pleasing, pleasing for us to

feel all righteousness. I had to ask a question one

time. I said Jesus had to fulfill all

righteousness. I mean, wouldn't he like the guy

on the planet that was the only one righteous?

And yet he's telling John that this little act of baptism is

basically what we have to do to fulfill all righteousness.

And so I said, well, what was it that he, what was so significant

about that water baptism? And what I found out was if you

understand water baptism and at the close of the, the, the

message tonight, I'll, I'll give you what Jesus said about that.

But basically what it was saying was this, that when I go under

that water, I'm dying to myself. When I come up out of that

water, I am a person that is now going to be influenced and

controlled by someone else. So what he was telling the

father, he's telling his father, I'm not coming down here to do

my own thing. I came down here because you

sent me. And for me to show you, I want

to show you that I am taking the ritual of baptism and I am dying

to myself. And when I come up out of this

water, I'm going to be totally sold out to your will and

whatever you want from me. Now, I think that's interesting

because when he goes down to verse 17, he said, after you

come up out of the water, he said, a voice from heaven was

heard saying, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased.

And I thought that was kind of funny because what had he done?

He hadn't healed anybody yet, hadn't done any miracles, but

yet that simple act of water baptism, the Father said, I am

well pleased. OK, so put that on pause and

let's move on. All right, just hang on to it

for a little bit. Now in Malachi chapter 3 and in

Malachi 3 · chapter mention

verse one, there's another message about John the Baptist.

Listen to this. Behold, I will send my

messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.

And the Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come to his temple,

even the messenger of the covenant whom you delight in,

Behold, he shall come, says the Lord of hosts.

So he says, a messenger. Now this is fulfilled in Mark's

Gospel chapter 1 verses one through 5.

Notice what it says in the beginning of the gospel of Jesus

Christ, the Son of God, as it is written in the prophets.

Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, and he shall

prepare thy way before thee. That was that.

That's Malachi's version of it. And he said, then the boys, one

crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord,

make his pastry. That was also what the very

first scripture we looked at in the 40th chapter of Isaiah.

So both of them are basically given here and fulfilled here.

OK, he said John did baptize in the wilderness, and he preached

the baptism of repentance for the remission of sin.

And there went out unto him all the land of Judea and they of

Jerusalem, and they were all baptized of him in the river

Jordan confessing their sins. Now you understand this is pre

salvation. Jesus had not died on the cross,

had not risen from the dead yet. So John is preaching a message

where he goes in there and tells them in Luke chapter 3.

Luke 3 · chapter mention

All right, jot it down. Luke chapter 3, verse three.

Luke 3 · chapter mention

It said he came into all the country about Jordan preaching

the baptism of repentance and the remission of sin.

All right, he's he's he's saying prepare the way of the Lord, he

said, and he lets him know repent for the Kingdom of heaven

is at hand. He started that particular

message and he's saying, listen, you need to you need to repent

and you need to change the way that you're thinking.

And he's letting them know that the 1 is coming, that you all

been waiting for. It is the Messiah now.

They didn't know that the Messiah was going to come as a

little baby in Bethlehem in a Manger.

They had no idea. They thought he was coming as a

conquering king. That's all they hoped for.

That's all they wanted because they were under Roman rule and

jurisdiction. They thought that Jesus, or

whoever the Messiah was, was going to come and get them free

from that. That's all they thought about.

But Jesus had a different plan because of the Father.

The Father let him know. This is what you have to do to

be able to change the fallen state of man.

OK. Now in Luke 3, we have John the

Baptist. When he said that, he said he

was preaching baptism of repentance and the remission of

sin. Remember last week toward the

end, I talked to you about the word remission.

All right, And but I want to talk about repentance because

sometimes people get mixed up the difference between repenting

and feeling sorry. Repentance in the original

language, metatoneo in the Greek, that particular word

metanoeo is it's to think differently or to change the

mind. So what was John the Baptist

saying? He said, listen, the Kingdom of

heaven and you need to start thinking differently.

He was giving them an advance warning.

You're expecting the king, but he's not going to be a king.

He's going to live among you and he's going to perform miracles.

He's going to take care of you. All right.

Now when we look at the word, remission is same Greek word.

Last week we talked about freedom, pardon and deliverance.

But here's the the definition. It is a forgiveness or pardon of

sins, letting them go as if they'd never been committed

before. So he said remission of sin is

the key. All right, we want to be

forgiven and God says because of the fall of man being forgiven

is one of the things that God has designed into this program

that he created. But it's interesting if you go

to the the fourth verse in what we were talking about from the

3rd chapter of Luke, he said as is written in the book and the

words of Isaiah the prophet, the voice crying in the wilderness,

Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his path straight.

Every valley shall be filled, every mountain and heel shall be

brought low. The cricket shall be made

straight in the rough ways shall be made smooth.

And notice verse 6 says, and all flesh shall see the salvation of

God. So he's letting them know Jesus

is coming to save you. Now they must have known what

they were going to get saved from, as we discussed last week,

because it said that they came to him confessing their sins.

So they must have known that there was something that

separated them. And it's kind of like, you know,

if people really believe that Jesus was coming back soon, I

think that we would see a uptick of people getting their self

straight if they really believed it.

OK, Now when when we take a look at salvation, I want you to get

this word because, you know, as I'd mentioned last week when I

was a kid, you know that the question was, hey, if you want

to be saved, you know, come down, confess all your sins as

Jesus, come into your heart and you'll be saved.

If we don't know the definition of the word saved, we

immediately are trained to believe that saved is escaping

hell. That is not what the word means.

You'll find it in the Greek as the word soteria, and it means

to rescue, to save, to deliver, to have health, preservation and

safety. Let me read them again.

So Tyria means to rescue, to save, to deliver, to have

health, preservation and safety. That doesn't sound like a free

ticket out of hell. That sounds more like I think

I'm going to need all of that stuff now, not in the future.

All right, now when we move on down to you know, John's account

in John chapter 1, remember he's talking to him about talking to

John 1 · chapter mention

the people about him being the one that is coming.

And in John one, this is what he said.

The next day John sees Jesus coming unto him and said,

behold, the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.

Now what is that referring to? That is referring to the

Passover lamb, the lamb that covers because that's what the

Passover was all about. Remember, they were in Egypt and

they're getting ready to be delivered.

And God said, listen, you take a lamb without spot or blemish,

you take its blood, you put it on the doorpost and the head

head header, the header, hey, and, and put it on the other

side of the doorpost. And when the destroyer comes, he

will pass over you. So the Lamb's blood was what was

necessary to continue living. Good point.

So when when we see that, he said, when we see, behold the

Lamb of God. And then he said in verse 30, he

said, as it as is he of whom I said, After me comes a man which

will be performed before preferred before me.

For he was before me and I knew him not, but that he should make

manifest to Israel. Therefore I am come baptizing in

water. He was preparing the people all

right to get an understanding of this Messiah that was coming.

That's why he was the forerunner, all right.

That's why he was so important in the in, in, in everything,

because he was the prophet that let them know your Messiah is

coming. God's going to take care of the

problem Adam and Eve brought on us.

All right, now we get to and you know, and, and it's very

interesting. I like that.

The second chapter of John, there's a story of John the

Baptist and he's standing there with two of his disciples.

So there were men that wanted to follow John the Baptist because

he had a word from the Lord. So they wanted to hang with him.

And two of them were John and Andrew, Peter's brother.

And when he said, behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the

sin of the world, they left John.

And they were following Jesus a little ways behind.

Jesus turned around and looked at him and said, what are you

looking for? And they go, Rabbi, where do you

live? And Jesus, believe it or not,

said come and see. And he said they abode with him

all that night. And he said he went to he and,

and several times, you know, a lot of people have different

opinions on this. I, I believe that Jesus had his

own house, OK, Because many a times the scripture talks about

the house. The house was full.

They went to the house, to the house.

Some scholars tell us that he lived with Peter.

I think that's kind of funny because when he got to the house

with Andrew Peters brother, wouldn't he have said, oh, I

didn't know you were living with my brother?

It's kind of made sense to me. I'm thinking, you know, he would

have known that so Jesus had him over.

But Can you imagine being with Jesus for an overnight stay and

and begin to ask him questions? What was John talking about?

And Jesus, you know, giving reward.

Well, those two guys made it to the top 12.

And then, you know, I said Andrew went to Peter and said we

found the Messiah. So they must have been talking

about Messiah stuff that night. And he said we found the Messiah

and he goes, oh really? And then you know the course of

him choosing the 12 all right and do it.

But as they were traveling about the country and and he was Jesus

was ministering and training them and showing them what the

Kingdom of God is about. We have the only account in

Scripture in John chapter 3 that tells us about being born again.

John 3 · chapter mention

Let's read the account and let me define some things for you

because this is Jesus apostle said it dozens and dozens of

times. He said sometime around two or

three in the morning, a ruler of the Jews came to Jesus by night,

not as to be seen with him and ask him questions.

Now listen to this. He said there was a man verse

one at verse verse three said there was a man of the Pharisees

named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi, we

know that you are a teacher, come from God, for no man can do

these miracles that you were doing except God be with him.

That was one of the smartest guys in the whole ruler of the

Jews group. Think at what he just said.

No man can do the things that you're doing except God be with

you. Now notice what Jesus didn't

say. Thank you very much.

I'm finally glad somebody noticed he didn't say that.

Jesus right quick, all right, says Jesus answered and sent in

him. Verily, verily I say unto you,

except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.

So there was no time for compliments.

Jesus didn't take 1, he just knew what the guy was after and

he began to tell him you cannot enter the government nor the

Kingdom of God without being what is termed in Scripture born

again. All right, the word born in the

original language, it means to procreate with the emphasis.

Check this out, emphasis on the father.

Look it up. He said he's got to be born of

the Father, the father side and it and it goes on in parentheses

with with a small interest or reckoning of the woman.

But it said it's the procreation that a father is capable of.

The word again in the Greek, the word anthem, it means from above

something anew from the beginning.

So God is saying I got to get my people back to where they were

from the beginning. Remember, Adam did not fall from

heaven, he fell from dominion. So he's telling Nicodemus,

listen, you are going to have to understand what I'm saying about

this being born again. It is not something of the

earth, it is something in the spirit from heaven.

All right. Now Nicodemus, he immediately

goes into the natural and he said, how can a man be born

again when he's old? Can he enter the second time in

his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answers again and says,

verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born of water in

the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

Now how many times have we heard the apostle tell us we can't be

smuggled in? Have we heard that?

So the legal way of entry into the Kingdom of God is this

little process called born again.

Now there's two thoughts to the scripture that I just read.

Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot

enter into the Kingdom of God. 2 lines of thought.

One of them, water symbolizes OK, natural birth.

OK, we all know what is it called an amniotic fluid.

And and you know, when woman's getting ready to give birth,

the, the, the big thing we're waking on is the water breaking,

right? And then doctors tell us within

is it 72 hours, something like that.

Within 72 hours that baby's coming all right.

So when take a look at the fact that it could mean that.

But the the thing that I probably go with a second

thought a little easier because it's obvious that if you were

born into the earth, all right that you would if you let's put

it this way, if you were not born into the earth, you don't

have to worry about being born of the spirit.

So the fact we're all here let's us know OK, if we were born in

water and it is natural birth. And I can tell you where they

get that because in verse 6 verse he said what is flesh is

flesh and what is spirit is spirit.

But the second thought though is this is that the water is

symbolizing the word of God. Now I've got 3 references to the

word of God being symbolized by water.

The first one is John chapter 4 verse 14.

John 4:14

Jot it down. But whatsoever drink.

But whosoever drinketh of this water that I give, shall never

thirst, but the water that I give him will be in him as a

well of water springing up unto everlasting life.

The second verse is James chapter one verse 18.

It says of his own will he begat he begat he us with a word of

truth. In other words, the Father and

the Son birthed into us by the word of truth that we should be

a a kind of firstfruits of his creatures and first Peter 123

says being born again, not of corruptible seed, but

incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth

forever. So those two thoughts, but

here's the thing Jesus said is by the water and by the Spirit

is this new birth and Jesus told Nicodemus in verse 7.

Do not marvel because I tell you, you must be born again.

Now, again, this is the only place that we have a record of

Jesus using the words born again in talking to anybody.

And we've also learned that when Jesus initiated a conversation

with anybody or any group or any multitude on the planet, he

always talked about the Kingdom of God.

Now, the Kingdom of God is mentioned over 90 times in the

New Testament, letting us know that there was an emphasis that

Jesus wanted us to know concerning the government versus

a religion. He didn't come to give us a

religion. What is a religion?

We've heard the definition before is man's attempt to reach

God. That's a religion.

God is letting us know His Kingdom is here so that we can

be reached by Him. He wants to reach us.

He came to give Jesus for us. All right, so let me explain in

as much detail as I can on how this new birth Jesus talked

about happens because you cannot get in to the Kingdom.

That's what he told Nicodemus. You must be born again.

If you're not born again, you don't get in.

But we need to really know what born again is and how it is

accomplished through Scripture. So what I give you from this

point on is going to be worthy of your meditation and

memorization because sometimes you may be talking to somebody.

And if you got it on your phone now, that's good, but you still

need to know where it's at. OK Romans chapter 10.

Romans 10 · chapter mention

Verses 9 and 10 listen, you've heard these scriptures dozens

and dozens and dozens of time, He said.

If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe

in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you

shall be saved. So let's talk for a minute

because do you remember the two things that I said constitute a

covenant? Anybody I know some of you look

in the last week's notes. Hey, hey, number one, blessing

#2 cursing are part of a covenant.

They are done with your mouth. You're not thinking about

blessing, You're not thinking about cursing.

You are speaking blessing and cursing with your mouth.

You remember that, OK, When we look at the word confess in the

New Testament and we look at it here, it is the Greek word homo

logeo. Listen to the definition.

To speak the same thing that has already been spoken.

To speak the same thing that has already been spoken.

It's not coming up with something to say.

It is referring to what has already been said.

And when you speak that a better translation in there, it says

you know if you confess you should, that if you will confess

Jesus as Lord is a better translation than confess with

your mouth the Lord Jesus. You confess you with your mouth.

Jesus is Lord. The Greek word for the word Lord

is the word kurios. KURIOS listen to the definition

Supreme in control, master. And whenever this word was

spoken, it always denoted ownership.

So when you come to God and you know how it happens, sometimes

pastor or Apostle Earl will get up here and give a great

message. And and I know that somebody's

probably being touched. They're reflecting on their own

lives. They're wondering, man, I just,

you know, I don't even really know what he's talking about,

but it's moving me to think there's something more about God

than I really know. For for believers that are not

walking very close to God, every message ought to be a convictor.

You know you're not as close as you need to be, but when he says

in here that you will speak the same thing as what Jesus has

been declared Lord, you find that in Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

All right, verses 9 through 11 said God has given him a name

which is above every name. At the name of Jesus, every knee

will bow, every tongue will confess he is Lord.

There'll be two times it happens, one right now while

you're still alive, being deceived that you're alive

because you're breathing and your hearts are beaten.

And another time will be at the White Throne Judgment where you

will bow before him and you say you are Lord.

It's a good idea to take the first opportunity, right?

But when he says that you're making Jesus Lord, you confess

him. You speak the same thing as been

declared, You are Lord. But here's where it comes to the

new birth part. You are my Lord.

And when you say that you are creating because how does God

create with his words? We are made in his image and his

likeness. So the things that you speak out

of your mouth also create. So when we say Jesus, you are my

Lord, I'm coming into agreement with the entire universe of who

Jesus is. You are my Lord.

You have just spoken the new creation into your life.

Now it's interesting because he goes on to say, and you shall

believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead,

all right? And he and he said, and you will

be saved as we end up that verse, the word, the word

believe is is great word. It is the Greek word pistuo.

It comes from pistus, which means faith.

But pistuo is the verb of faith, all right.

It means to be persuaded of, to be convicted of and put total

trust in the person that's talking to you.

So we know that once we come into alignment with Jesus as

Lord and the problem that we have in America is that we say

nobody owns us, but cover to cover, you're going to find out

that the Bible is full of the master servant relationship.

Now he goes on to call us kids, but you know, there's something

about my kids, grown kids and then the not so grown kids that

I have more of than I had kids. It's 8 versus 2.

And when you think about those little people and they, you

know, come into your presence and you need to have help done

in something and they volunteer to help.

There are their sons and daughters.

But don't we love it when they want to help us with something?

See, that's the relationship that we want with the father is

that we don't serve him because he's a taskmaster.

And yes, he is called our owner. He is our owner.

Why? By right of creation he invented

us, so we are his by right of creation and all he's looking

for us is to come into agreement and get that new birth in

operation in our life and come and serve with Him.

Jesus let us know, he said. Listen, in the 20 chapter, verse

28, I believe in Matthew, he talks to the disciples.

They were arguing with each other who's going to be the

greatest? And he said a little child in

front of him and one, one account and said, you know, you

got to be like this little child and think about kids.

If they if, if they've been raised properly and they've had

a good environment and you know, they haven't been talked down to

their whole life, they will help you do anything.

Melanie tells a story about a little boy that came in and, you

know, he in a little class in, in Sunday morning and he had, he

had a one in a biker wallet with a chain on it.

And he's five years old, right. And you know, I don't know, you

know, what did you say his hair was like, do you have bandana on

or something? He had tattoos on.

They weren't real, you know, and he was just, you know, he was

just real bad. He's five years old and he is

really bad. And one day, you know, we were

trying to figure out what to do with him because he's a little

bit of troublemaker. And he was from, you know, a

part of our town that we bust children in to share the love of

Jesus. And the thing that changed his

life was not only asked him when he got there one day if he'd

help her. And it was like, yeah, And he

would help her set up the chairs and help her get out the snacks

and help her get all the different things going.

And he just came every week just willing and wanting to serve.

Think about that. You know, I know some adults

hadn't figured it out. Jesus said that if you're going

to get in, you're going to have to come as a little child.

Why is it little children believe everything you say?

There isn't no questioning. And then when, you know, we ask

them, hey, can you help us do this?

Oh, yeah. You know, the grandkids,

different things. This week's been an interesting

week. There's not a pastor closer than

about 1500 miles to this church. They're on a retreat this week,

which they deserve. And so we get the honor and the

privilege to watch four of our grandchildren.

Now I know why I loved homeschooling so much.

You know, you can do homeschooling in pajamas.

I'm not kidding. I, I changed in just two days.

Get them to school yesterday. We get a phone call.

They're texting people in Colorado.

Andy's come in with the wrong shoes on.

She's seven years old. You mean to tell me she's got

shoes on the wrong feet still? I mean, we got a 5050 chance of

getting this right. They go, no, it it's the wrong

color. She's wearing some white

something rather. And I, I just, I let kids go,

man, get them in the car. Let's get going this morning.

Now I said if I get a call today that somebody's missing a belt,

if I get a call today and somebody ain't got the right

color socks on, you're going to get a beaten.

Somebody in this family is going to get a beaten now.

They thought it was hilarious. OK, I was serious.

So we have a problem in America today that we don't believe like

we should. I can tell them kids anything

every morning. You know, I don't want to get up

either. But we kind of this time around

decided to do a system. You know, it's like you're

putting your clothes out before you go to bed.

All right, we're packing your lunches.

We're getting everything ready to go.

All you have to do is grab and go.

I'll be waiting for you in the car.

But you know, before we get out, I, we do a devotion and I'm

telling the Bible story and they're sitting there listening

just, and you know what? They believe every word I say.

I can make up a fairy tale and they believe he's in the Bible

if I said so. That's why we got to be

cautious, make sure we know what our Bible stories are.

You know, they like the cartoons.

I don't like a lot of cartoons because they do weird stuff on

them. Cartoons that ain't quite

biblical, right? But we want to make sure that

we're people. I want to make sure that we

under understand how important it is to believe.

Now the reason I said pistuo is a verb, it's continual and that

we've got to continue to hear, believe and obey.

Now in verse 10 of Romans 10/9 and 10 it says for with the

heart man believes unto righteousness and mouth

confession, same word is made unto salvation.

So what kind of salvation are we trying to get?

The same one I described just a minute ago.

So Tyria in the Greek, OK, it's based about health and safety,

everything we need here, not to keep us out of hell there or to

get us to heaven here up here. OK.

Now, one of the saddest things that we have to deal with is

that when somebody comes down front and don't we always have,

we have two counselors here, 2 counselors here.

When people come down to them, all right, we try to instruct

them when they, when, when they let us know what they're there

for, OK, if baptism, Holy Spirit, rededication or I just

need to be born again, All right.

When they come, we're trying to let them know how the Kingdom

works, that it is not a conversion experience as much as

an enrollment experience. One thing I just hate is that

when somebody comes down, they heard a great message.

We've had a great message, we've had great worship, we've had an

experience with God and they come down, they want to make

that decision and we never see them again.

Man, that that can't be. I visited with, you know,

different counselors. I oversaw the counseling

ministry in Oklahoma is part of the ministry of helps and I, I

challenge the people in the next service.

I said, I will meet you at the door where the greeters are and

then tell them what time I'll be there and what time you need to

be here. And I will take them to a class

because we're enrolling them. And this is, you know, the thing

we, we really need to understand.

And let's go to Matthew 28 because when Jesus talked to us

about being born again and that conversion experience and we

speak it into existence, into our lives, we have a brand new

spirit alive unto God. It's not a rebuilt spirit.

It is a brand new spirit. There's one translator that said

a species of being that has never before existed.

We are brand new. We're not patched up.

You know, we're not our, you know what they call a

remanufactured all right, We are totally a brand new.

We speak into existence that brand new spirit on the inside,

but in Matthew chapter 28 in verse 19, he says go therefore

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

and teach all nations. The word teaching the Greek is

the word Matthew 2O and it means to enroll pupils or students.

It's not make converts, converts or conversions of all nations.

He said, You going to make students or pupils of mine of

all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son,

and the Holy Ghost. If you'll remember when you go

under the water and you come up out of that water, you are

telling the Father that I am no longer here to live my own will.

I'm only here to say and to do whatever you tell me to say and

to do. That was Jesus life.

He gave us the perfect example of what a person that is born

again should look like. He didn't have to get born again

because He was perfect, but He made himself a sacrifice for us

that He could bring us into that same realm that He's in, and

that is one that is totally obedient to the Father.

And so he lets us know, He said in the name of the Father, the

Son, the Holy Ghost. Verse 20, teaching them to

observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I'm

with you always, even to the end of the world.

Amen. Well, notice what he said.

He said teaching them to observe.

That's a totally different word in the Greek.

It is the word did ask a loss. Did ask a loss.

It's spelled just like it sound DIDASKLOS and I one time in a

class that I was teaching and I brought I wrote it up on the

board and I erased the S and put AT there.

I said, because if you want to be a teacher of the word of God,

you had better be somebody that did ask a lot of questions.

True. So when we talk about how

important understanding what it is we are to enroll students and

I love and I don't have it in my notes.

Second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17 he lets us know that

2 Corinthians 5:17

everyone in Christ that has come into Christ is a new creation, a

new creature, old things are passed away.

Behold, all things are new, next verse says, and all those new

things are of God who has reconciled himself to us and let

us know, hey, listen, we have a new life that we can live in

him, but it's got to be totally surrendered.

All right, so I was looking today online and and it's

amazing. They knew I was wrapping up.

You guys are phenom. I looked up today US citizenship

eligibility requirements. There was only four of them.

You want to know what the first one was?

Residency. You must have a permanent

resident or a green card for at least five years if you're going

to be a citizen or be eligible to become a citizen.

And I just changed that from residency.

Residency to find a church. Know what the next one is

Physical presence. You must have lived within the

United States for at least half of the five years or three years

if your spouse is AUS citizen immediately prior to your filing

citizenship, citizenship application.

And I put up there under physical presence.

I put show up and participate in your church #3 good moral

character. Wow.

I put up there next to it. Get in His Word and find out

what lifestyle pleases the Lord. Guess where you're not going to

find that out at the bar. Had somebody the other day say,

you know, well, I heard that speaking in tongues is of the

devil. And I said, you know what's

funny about that? My former pastor said, you know

what? When I was living for the devil,

I was living for the devil. And he said, and I went to a lot

of bars and I never heard one person speaking tongues in that

bar. And I knew there was a lot of

people of the devil in there, and not one of them ever spoken

to him. I said that was good man.

I'll never forget that as long as I live, all right.

But I thought it was funny because under this particular 1.

He said you must be a person of a good moral character.

During the five years or three years.

If you're a spouse to AUS citizen proceeding your

citizenship application. If you're concerned about your

criminal record potentially impacting your eligibility for

US citizenship, it's recommended to seek advice of a licensed

immigration attorney. A criminal record can have a

significant effect on your ability to obtain citizenship.

You know just it's the world man.

But here's #4 it's a good one. Oath of allegiance.

When you confess Jesus as Lord, you are making a verbal

covenant. You are performing an oath of

allegiance to another government called the Kingdom of God.

You no longer have a right to live the way you want.

You have to live by the governing authority of the

Kingdom of God. Believe me, the book is full of

right and wrong ways to handle situations.

Just listen to Jesus, He'll guide you.

You get filled with the Holy Spirit, He'll guide you based

upon what he hears Jesus tell you, all right?

He'll guide you because he hears Jesus and he's going to tell

you, all right. But I think if the oath to the

allegiance to the United States, renouncing any prior allegiances

to foreign states, when you confess Jesus is Lord, you are

now making a verbal covenant and an oath to the Lord Jesus and

you're turning your back on every other lifestyle you've

ever come in contact with. Does that make sense?

Anybody get anything out of that?

Amen. All right, let's, let's, let's

find out if anybody needs to respond tonight.

Father, I thank you and praise you for your word.

Your word's so clear. It gives us such good

illustration of understanding. You know, you may be here

tonight and you'd say, Reverend Randy, I, I've, I have never,

you know, committed my life to Christ.

I have never made him Lord. I've never confessed him as

Lord. I'm not even ever been baptized.

Those are steps that you'll need to take.

But you want to make sure that you've done what is needed to be

done by the confession of your mouth as Jesus is Lord and come

to the place where he is put his name here to be able to

understand how and what is required of you to live that new

life. Is there anybody that'd say

Randy need to be born again? Anybody.

I'm looking. I don't.

I don't really beg people. I just said it.

You know, we talked about the exit ramp last week, right?

Everybody's on the same Rd. They're headed for the same

destination. It's total separation from God

forever. You shouldn't have to beg people

to get off that road. Take the exit.

The blood of Jesus. Amen.