Sermon
Think Again - Kingdom Repentance
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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Thanks for checking out the Anchor Faith Message podcast
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from St. Augustine, FL.
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Now enjoy this message. Well, let's turn over to Mark
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chapter one. Mark chapter one, And I sense
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that some of those things I was saying were not just by me
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saying it's unction of the Spirit.
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I did not say thus sayeth the Lord, but it was.
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Just as much a function by the Spirit, more of a word of
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knowledge, because some of you are like, yeah, that's me.
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Which means the Lord, through His word and knowledge, wanted
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me to encourage you along those lines.
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Amen. Some of you I could call out
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some very specific things because I just happen to know.
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And let me just say this, thank you, Lord, because the Lord just
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trying to deal with this church often.
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Does the Lord know everything? Right.
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So why is it that Saints get so impressed by a minister that
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doesn't know you, but by the spirit of God can tell you about
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what's going on in your life, then give you the words you need
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to overcome it? And we would rather receive it
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from that person than someone that God's placed in your life.
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Like your pastor who happens to know what's going on cause you
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told them but then told you the same word by the scripture that
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you need to overcome. But we want to get it from a
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stranger, because you're not getting a more sure word of
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scripture of how to overcome from someone who just didn't
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happen to know your problem. That doesn't make it more
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spiritual. In fact, I would even submit to
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you this way. The reason why some of those
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gifts are actually in operation is because of the failure of
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people to actually be under their pastor.
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And it's God again, trying to get your attention because why
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in the world are you way over there?
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Yeah, it's good preaching. It's not popular.
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But I'm not here for popularity contest.
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I'm just here to do the word of the King.
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Hey man, John the Baptist wasn't in a popularity contest.
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Neither was Jesus. Jesus said y'all, I'll go to the
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house, right? Because at the end of the day
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I'm just going to do the will of my Father, Amen.
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And that's the best place of peace, just doing the will of
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the father March after one verse 14 to 15 says this.
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And now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came
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into Galilee preaching the gospel of God and saying the
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time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand.
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Repent. And believe in the gospel.
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So these two verses here, if you put them both up at the same
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time would be really awesome. Is that Jesus is literally
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communicating what the gospel is.
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Just in case we don't because you know that way we got to go
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preach the gospel. Jesus tells us the gospel
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because it says Jesus came into galley preaching the gospel of
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God. Verse 15 tells us what it is
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saying. What did he say?
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The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand.
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That's the gospel. The Kingdom of God is at hand.
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The Kingdom of God is at hand. The Kingdom of God is at hand.
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That's the gospel. The good news is that the
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Kingdom of God is at hand. Now guess what?
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That includes being born again because you can't see the
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Kingdom. Unless you're born again, you
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can't enter the Kingdom unless you're born again.
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But the good news is not the Death Bear on resurrection of
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Jesus. The good news is the Kingdom of
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God. The Death Bear on resurrection
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of Jesus is what was the required payment so that we
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could be forgiven of our treason and the debt associated with our
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life. Because again, God's ready to
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forgive man in Genesis chapter 3.
Genesis 3 chapter mention
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No issue when Adam eats the fruit and God comes into the
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garden and then he eventually speaks to the serpent, he said.
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I'll bring my seed through the woman.
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In essence, I want to forgive man, but I cannot give him
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forgiveness until the debts paid.
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He can't enter into life until it's paid.
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That's why everyone prior to Jesus's death burial is in
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paradise. They're in the grave.
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They cannot go and be present with the Lord because the
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payment is not there. They're waiting on payment.
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Now forgiveness obviously is in play for them to be in a
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separate place than those that were beyond the abyss.
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However, it does not give them access to God yet or they cannot
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be present It be in His presence, be before Him
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consistently are eternal until the payment comes.
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So Jesus is telling us the good news is the Kingdom.
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Is the Kingdom My work, Jesus says, is to pay the price so you
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can have the Kingdom back. So he says, listen, the time is
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fulfilled. In essence I've come to make
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payment. So the good news in this
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particular dispensation we're in, called the New Covenant, is
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that when we die, we don't go to the grave.
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We get to be present before the Lord, and he is seated at the
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right hand of the Father. And so we'll go to heaven and be
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with him until he returns, and then we'll be with him when he
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returns. But it says the time is
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fulfilled. The Kingdom of God is at hand.
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That is the gospel. Then he goes on and says this.
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Now the gospel is the Kingdom of God.
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But there's a there's something necessary for you to have the
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gospel. Two things are required.
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Say two things. Two things are required.
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Say two things. Two things are required.
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Say two things. Two things.
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The first thing is repent. And repent is not a religious
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word. It means change your thinking.
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So you repent and believe. Repent and believe in the in
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what? What is the gospel?
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The Kingdom of God. Amen.
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So the gospel is the Kingdom of God of which Jesus is the King
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of the Kingdom. That's why the Bible says all
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who call on the name of the Lord cause Lord is supreme and
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authority. It's not a religious word.
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It means Jesus is the king of the Kingdom and for you to get
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in the Kingdom then you must believe that the payment Jesus
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paid. For your treason against the
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crown of the Father was made, and you're going to make him
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your supreme in authority. You're you are crucifying your
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life, your purpose, your will, your intent, your way of doing
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everything to submit fully and entirely to Him.
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And in order to do that, you're going to have to repent.
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Because to change your thinking. And then you believe in his
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finished work. In his finished work.
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I don't have to die in order to only get it by myself.
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I have to die to myself. But I have to die to myself and
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receive the blood that he shed for me.
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He made the payment. I could not get there on my own
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initiative. Are you hearing me?
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So repent is a big deal, I said. It's a big deal.
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It's not the gospel without repentance.
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It's not the new birth without repentance.
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Going to say that again, it's not the new birth without
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repentance. And you say, wait a minute now,
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I mean, they don't know anything about God who's lost and
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separated from they have to repent.
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They have to change their thinking that they can be right
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with God without God, without the finished work of Jesus.
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So someone who calls on the name of the Lord or believe that he
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died on the cross and rose from the grave, they already changed
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their thinking that they can get there without that.
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So they actually did a natural thing first.
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When I say natural, I'm saying they decided to take that
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thought. Now I understand the thought
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comes by revealing by the Spirit.
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So again, no man goes after God. No, not one.
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But once the Holy Spirit reveals to man's mind, Jesus is the only
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way and you know that you know in your mind.
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Now I can't do it my way. Then you change your thinking,
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and you then with your heart, with everything that you have
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with, I mean honestly, your spirit man's dead.
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At the moment you know you're confessing, Jesus's Lord.
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But that event, through the revealing of the spirit, that
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you can call on the name of the Lord to be saved, it will cause
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the spirit of the man that's dead to be evicted from this
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skin suit and you'll get a new creature in Christ.
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Are you hearing me? So repentance is key.
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Unfortunately, we think repentance is only a one time
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shot. Yet we'll see that that's not
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true. And that's chapter 17, verse 30.
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It says this, these are the disciples now going around
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fulfilling the Great Commission. And it says therefore, having
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overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring
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to all men that all people everywhere should.
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Repent repents a big deal. Got the gods.
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Word translation says that this way God overlooked the times
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when people didn't know any better, but now he commands
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everyone everywhere to turn to him and change the way they
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think and act and act. Acts 2620 Acts 2620.
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But declaring but but kept declaring both to those of
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Damascus first. And also at Jerusalem, and then
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throughout all the region of Judea and even to the Gentiles,
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that they should what repent, turn to God, performing deeds
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appropriate to repentance, Performing what deeds?
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Another word for deeds is works. Yep, the old dirty word in the
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church. Which is not a dirty word
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because doctrines of demons. Have attacked the church with
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the word work when the reality is just keep reading Ephesians
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210, where everyone says it's not a work any less any man.
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It's not a man's work independent of God.
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That's what it means. But we are born again for the
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purpose of having good works, which means a lifestyle that now
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is in keeping. With repentance, the God's Word
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translation says that this way of Acts 2620, both groups were
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expected to change the way they thought and acted and turned to
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God. I told them to do things that
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prove they have changed their lives.
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We have reduced being born again to a God only event and there is
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no man side. And that once we're born again,
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we still do nothing. Which is not a true statement
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because the Bible doesn't support it, and the early church
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knew this very well, of which Jesus himself understood this.
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I said Jesus himself understood this.
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Jesus never expected for us to be born again and never change
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the way we think. So that our thinking would be in
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line with this new spirit that we are.
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Are you hearing me? So again, the problem is, is
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that you and I have already been instructed by the Holy Ghost.
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So this is in our advantage and and you need to understand it's
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to your advantage because there's many places that are
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only dealing with the Spirit side.
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What I mean by that is that what Jesus could only do.
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And then put in you at your confession, which is a new
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creature in Christ. Your spirit is perfect, but
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you're not just a spirit. And so anytime you take the
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Bible and only deal and try to take the spiritual thing that
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has taken place in us and apply it to our soul realm, you're
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going to get off. And apply it to your body realm.
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You're going to get off. No one would believe that your
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body now is eternal. None of us believe that.
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Nobody believes that you're going to live forever.
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Yet in the spirit you do right in our spirit, like our spirits
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alive will always be with the Lord.
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Yeah, but your body's not. You're going to get a glorified
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body, and that is an accepted truth across the board.
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But what's not accepted is what's going on in the soul.
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Because many are attaching the Spirit and saying the spirit and
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the soul are one and they're not one.
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I said they're not one. The Bible clearly communicates
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there is a difference between your soul and a spirit.
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Now in the Old Testament, you're not going to hear these things.
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You're not going to have that conversation.
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So again, they go back into the Old Testament say, well, it's
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the heart. It's the heart.
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It's talking about the spirit of the man.
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The spirit of the man was dead in the old covenant, which means
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it only listened to the soul. And it did everything from a
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soul perspective because that's all it could.
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When Adam ate the fruit, he was limited to his five senses and
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he tried to worship God the best he could with all this soul.
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It was only those that had experienced the Spirit upon that
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began to access some things concerning the spirit, even
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though their spirit man was dead.
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Are you hearing me? So there was a plausibility.
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It was possible for man to be righteous even though his spirit
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was dead in that dispensation, but in the new one?
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In the new one, it lets us know there's a difference because
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once we got born again, it did not change our mind.
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That's right, didn't change our mind.
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Just like it did not make us put on a glorified body immediately.
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That is a future event. When it comes to our soul realm,
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we have the responsibility. I love what Pastor John George
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said very clearly. I'm going to apply to us all, he
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said. You know, parents, it's God's
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responsibility to save your child's spirit.
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It's your responsibility to help save their soul.
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Well, that applies individually to us.
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God saved our spirit. He's responsible for saving our
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spirit. It's our responsibility to save
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our soul. And the Bible talks about the
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saving of the soul. So the minute we're born again,
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that doesn't mean our mind's right.
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And and nowhere does it mean that God allows your mind to
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continue to be wrong and he's OK with it in essence.
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Really, what the gospel tells us is that if you'll change your
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thinking, you'll be able to access the Kingdom constantly.
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So I'm going to put in you a Your spirit is going to be right
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with God and right standing with the king.
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Then I'll put him in there as well, meaning the Holy Ghost
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who's going to teach you Kingdom stuff so that now your mind can
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think and respond like the King of the Kingdom.
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And you have that responsibility to hear from the great teacher
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that lives on the inside and that he will enlighten you.
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He would illuminate. He would reveal to you God's
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will that now you actually have the power to say soul, you're
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going to change the way you think about this.
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You're fixing to change the way you feel about this right now.
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You don't control me anymore. You know, up to this point, the
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soul realm controlled man. Man was led by his sight.
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That is a sense in the soul realm.
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But now we're not led by our sight.
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We're led by faith or the word of God.
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We have something happening on the inside that we're led by
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that We come back up to our soul realm and we say this is how
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we're going to respond. Now are you hearing me?
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So we know. And 1st Thessalonia is 523.
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I'm just going to quote him for you.
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He said that that man would to be blameless until the return of
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Jesus in his spirit, soul and body.
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So first that's alone is 523. You can write that down South.
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You can study this for yourself. Or remind yourself that we are a
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spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body.
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Then in Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12 says the word of God is
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living in active sharper than any two Ed sword able to Pierce
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between joint and marrow soul and spirit.
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So the only thing that can can let you know what is a feeling
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and what is spirit is the word of God.
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Which tells us that there are plenty of born again believers,
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but if they're not in the word, they can still be led by their
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soul and not the spirit, because you have to learn of the spirit
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in order to be led by the Spirit, and the spirit don't
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care how you feel. Now when I say that, that's not
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like he's insensitive. Or that he doesn't care.
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I'm just saying if he gives you a direction, even though in the
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natural it may cause many people to be fearful, it may cause many
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people to want to cry. I mean I, you know, I don't know
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what the situation is. I'm just throwing out some
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examples. In essence, he's like you just
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need to follow this and don't go based upon the way you feel
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because my word works. And you can change.
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Say, well, I'm, I'm not going to feel that way.
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I'm going to feel the way the spirit's telling me to feel.
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And a lot of times he'll have you feel joy.
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Another thing he'll do is have you feel peace.
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Are you hearing me? And so you'll you'll sense peace
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in your spirit, and you'll put it over your soul realm and say,
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well, I'm going to walk in this piece instead of being fearful.
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So did Jesus know this word repent meant something?
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Well again we opened up in Mark one that it says after John was
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put into prison, Jesus came preaching.
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Well what did John preach? John the Baptist?
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Well it's in Matthew chapter 3. In Matthew chapter 3 verse 2,
Matthew 3 chapter mention Matthew 3:2
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John the Baptist preached repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at
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hand. Now what is that?
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It's the gospel. Thank you.
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One person's got it. We've we left the scripture and
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we've already forgotten what the gospel is.
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Let's change our thinking. The gospel is not Jesus Christ
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out on the cross and rose from their dead.
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That is the way into the gospel. It's the way into the gospel.
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You know, cause honestly, it's not good news that Jesus died.
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You know, we called it Good Friday, but by all rights, it
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wasn't a good day. It wasn't a good day.
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I mean, it was a it was a sorrowful day.
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It was sorrowful for the Father. I mean, it was it was painful
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for Jesus. But Jesus had a different
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mindset because the Bible tells us in Hebrews for the joy set
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before him, he endured the cross.
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So when he looked at the cross, he saw it as a joyful
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experience, although his body was in extreme pain.
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Are you hearing me? So by all rights, it's not good
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to die. But he had to die so that we
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could get into the good place. Because if I had never eaten a
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fruit, we wouldn't have this problem, right?
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And if we hadn't send ourselves, we wouldn't have this problem.
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But we did. And so Jesus pays the price so
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that we can come in. So repent, Mitch means change.
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Your thinking is what John priests.
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And did John know what he was saying when he said repent?
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Yes, jump down to verse 8. And if you don't think Jesus was
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around hearing this or knowing this, then you would be mistaken
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because you understand John is only related to Jesus.
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And where do you think John got his message from?
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Jesus called John the greatest prophet.
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He said he was the greatest. No miracles are having it.
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He's the greatest preacher got a prophet.
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Why? Well, he's announcing the king.
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He's anowing. This is the fulfillment of the
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fulfillment of time. This is where the good news is
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finally made available for people to access back in the
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planet that you don't have to wait to go to heaven.
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This is what God was always wanting.
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He's wanting to get it back and he's getting it back to us.
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Still not in Eric as it originally was, because our soul
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and our body's going to be perfect as well.
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But he's definitely getting where he's among men, because
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Jesus means Emmanuel, God with us, not man's coming to God.
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God wanted to come to us, He wanted to be in us.
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And he don't want to wait for you to go to heaven to have a
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relationship. He wants to come and have his
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abode with you now, and he's not concerned that you're in a
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simple world still, because once you get right with him, that
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stuff don't have anything to do with you.
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He's delivered you from that. He's, he's taking you out of the
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law of sin and death. He's redeemed you.
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He's put a spirit in you that has that doesn't want to sin or
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be rebellious to the Father ever again.
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And then he puts the Holy Ghost in you that says, now let's get
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your mind right so that you can act and have the Kingdom
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functioning in your life all the time because it's really not
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about when you go to heaven. Heaven came to you.
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Hallelujah, man. That's good news, such good
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news. And so he knew that if we
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repented, then there's going to be a evidence that's going to
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follow. And he says, John says this
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therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
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Now, he was obviously talking to some religious people that knew
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the Word. They had access to the Word, and
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yet they were manipulating the Word so they could live their
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way of living. Instead, this is how we're going
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to use God's word so that this can be our lifestyle.
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We're going to manipulate God's Word to justify our lifestyle
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and say we're right with God. I'm telling you, this is worse
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than a unbeliever not even knowing scripture, trying to
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live right for God. It's not working.
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But you know, they don't even have the excuse of knowing the
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Word. These guys here, they knew the
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Word, they had access to it and and they were in the environment
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where the Spirit of God would come upon the priest in order to
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rightly divide it and see it with clarity.
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And yet they were rejecting that, so that they could
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maintain fruit that was not from the Kingdom.
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But John calls them out. On this he calls them out, he
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said, Now, therefore bear fruit, in keeping with a change of
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thinking. Are you hearing me so the
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passion of this verse, Matthew 38, says it this way.
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You must prove your repentance by a changed life.
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Amen. Now, just for the sake of
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record, I'm not saying that the minute you get born again,
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you're going to do everything right.
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Obviously you're not. You're going to be a babe in
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Christ and you're going to make mistake.
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But you know even a baby will keep coming to milk.
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That's what babies do. They come to milk.
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They keep coming to milk. They're not going to reject
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milk. Now, if you get born again and
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then you never come to milk, well, then you're probably not
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born again, which means you had a confession with your mouth,
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but your heart was far from it. Because you can't tell me you're
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right with God if I'm begging you to get to milk, right?
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I mean, honestly, I love what Pastor Darryl Huffman says.
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He says I got born again for life.
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This wasn't like until the first problem came, until the first
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issue took place. And I wasn't trying him.
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You know what He's No one's begging him.
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No one begged him. I mean, many of you, you're not.
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No one's begging you. You're just like this is what I
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do, cause I'm alive to God. And that is what babes do.
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Babes know somebody that is with me now who has begotten me has
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got some milk somewhere. And get me to the milk.
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Hallelujah. The contemporary English version
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says this. Do something to show that you
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have really given up your sins. Do something.
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Hallelujah. The God God's word says it this
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way to do those things that prove you have turned to God and
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have changed the way you think and act again.
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A righteous man may fall, but he gets up.
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I said he gets up at the end of the day, may fall 7th, but he
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gets up nowhere. Am I preaching perfection?
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What I'm preaching is develop maturity.
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You know what's what's amazing to me is that people will make
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all kind of excuses not. To be with God and act like
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they're still with God, it's just amazing.
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Why? Because have they really
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repented? You know, again, when we sell
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Jesus as you couldn't do anything and just ask him to
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come into your heart and save you.
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Then when you die, you know you're going to go to heaven
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because it doesn't really matter what you do after that, God
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loves you anyway. In essence, we're endorsing
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something other than what Jesus called the gospel.
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You know, if someone ever said, well, I just want to come to
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church, you know, because I want to come, You know, I don't want
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to have to be made, you know, because you know, one thing that
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we do here at Anchor a church, if you're going to partner with
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a vision, again, we have 40 people lined up for supportive
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ministry and they're going to be, they're assigned now
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somewhere. Part of the responsibility of
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serving is that you actually have to attend church.
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You don't serve and then don't come to church, right.
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So again, well, you know, I I want to come just because I want
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to come. I don't want to come because I
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have to serve. Well, first of all, you
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obviously don't know Jesus because Jesus would ask you to
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serve. So serving should come out of
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your heart. So if you already felt like
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you're being made, then I'm asking the question, are you
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right with God? Because if we only can show up
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when we're scheduled, then you've made it work.
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Not me. I mean, I say we're a job, let's
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put it out. You made it a job.
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You know, everybody goes to A to a job when they're scheduled.
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And you know how many people go to a job and they don't want to
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go? And then they'll say, well, you
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know, I want to go to church when I want to because I don't
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feel like I have to. Well, you have to go to job and
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you go to job and the job didn't die for you, the job didn't.
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The money you're making from the job will not save your life from
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eternal damnation. It will not heal your body.
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I don't care how good your insurance is, the insurance you
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have does not cover every condition.
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Even if you're going through cancer, it can't heal cancer.
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It can just pay for the treatments and your retirement.
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I mean, I'm glad you got this great 401K, but at the end of
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the day, what's going to happen? Yeah.
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You know, I mean, many people go to jobs they don't want to go
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to. Well, yeah, you should come to
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church because you want to, which is pretty simple.
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I mean, it's an easy overflow. Hallelujah.
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Thank you, Jesus. That's why you know the hired
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employees that we have here. I mean that's like no brainer.
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I mean you're hired because your vision partner and you come to
-
church and if you don't want to come to church but you do want
-
to come to work, there's a problem.
-
I mean, that's like just a natural overflow.
-
It's not a forcing, it's an overflow of a heart to serve a
-
vision. And then God pays you as well to
-
do a part of it. I mean, how exciting is that,
-
right? Yeah.
-
It's like, wow, this is amazing. Amen.
-
Well, I feel like I have to go. That's that's your problem.
-
It's not. It's not.
-
It's not my problem. I love to do what God wants to
-
do. I love to be in His presence.
-
I love to serve His church. I love to serve Him because I
-
have a lifestyle in keeping with repentance.
-
Did I do God's word already? OK, let's do amplified.
-
Amplified. Matthew 38 says it this way.
-
So produce fruit that is consistent with repentance,
-
demonstrating new behavior that proves a change of heart and a
-
conscious decision to turn away from sin.
-
Why would Jesus call us into his Kingdom and then keep us in a
-
position where we have we lack power of community?
-
I mean, there's nowhere in Scripture that individuality or
-
let's put independence is what God was looking for.
-
Let me just say it this way. There's actually no in scripture
-
that literally constitutes A singular thinking of personal
-
Savior. God never intended to have one
-
son. God was never gonna have one.
-
Never. And it's from the first pages.
-
Let us make man in our image according to our likeness.
-
I'm gonna pull out of that man or woman, and then they gonna
-
multiply. They're gonna produce God's
-
seeds. Kingly seeds the whole race.
-
When Adam falls from dominion, the Lord's likes the seed.
-
A man's corrupt now, so I got to get a different seed in the
-
woman because I'm looking for a community.
-
I'm not looking for one person here.
-
So when he gets into covenant with Abram, what's he say?
-
He says. Abram, I'm gonna make a covenant
-
with you, and I'm gonna call you Abra Ham, which is known as the
-
father of of what many nations not I just want.
-
Through you to get Jesus. So I could personally be with
-
people individually. I don't want them to know each
-
other and interact with one another.
-
I don't even want them to get along.
-
I want them for me and me alone. So what I'm going to do in
-
eternity. I'm going to line them up and
-
I'm just going to have one dance before me and sings praises to
-
me, You know tell me how awesome I am.
-
You know I'm tired of hearing their voice.
-
I'll send them out and I'll bring the other one.
-
They won't know each other because eternity's big.
-
You understand that you've I'm letting you know with the
-
universe is really large and I can put y'all in different
-
places. That you never have to be around
-
anyone. That's not the case.
-
The only reason why people don't want to connect is because they
-
don't want to change their thinking.
-
Hallelujah. No repentance means all right,
-
I'll just follow God completely however he wants and what that
-
looks like. Amen.
-
And I realized the brother to my left and the sister to my right,
-
they're working things out. They're growing.
-
They're having to change their thinking constantly so that
-
their behavior will be reflective of not a person who
-
sins. And I realized sometimes they're
-
not going to make it, but I'm going to be there to encourage
-
them, strengthen them, tell them let's go get on up.
-
I'm not going to say, you know what, I couldn't do it either.
-
Let's go back and live like we used to.
-
I mean, honestly, the world's really wanting you to
-
demonstrate it. When I say that, you just live
-
it. And they're like, why you go to
-
church all the time? Why are you reading the Bible
-
all the time? Why are you praying?
-
I'm going to say all the time. It's not literally all the time,
-
but you understand so much so that they notice, Are you
-
hearing me that they associate you with that?
-
You know, I I never hear you cuss.
-
I you never talk about anybody at work.
-
Are you hearing me? Amen.
-
That this behavior becomes so different because they're like,
-
yeah, well, you know my relationship with Jesus.
-
Well, I know plenty of people who have said they have a
-
relationship with Jesus, but they live like I do.
-
Well, I don't believe that's what God intended.
-
Because again, as we said in prayer, God never intended us to
-
be relevant to the world. They expected us to be different
-
because they're in darkness. And when we're different, we'll
-
actually be in light, and they'll be drawn to the light,
-
not to our sameness. God changed me.
-
Repent means to change one's mind.
-
It means to change one's mind for the better.
-
I mean, when your spirit man wasn't better before, God
-
Correct. So why when we get born again,
-
we think our minds better just because he's in us now, It's not
-
better because we can still think the same way.
-
And you see many people that are born again get mad cuss, you
-
know, back, bite, lie. Even still fornicate.
-
Still fornicate. It's mind blowing.
-
Well, you know, I just believe the Lord wants me to be around
-
them because he's going to use me to get them right.
-
So you sleep with them on the weekend and then bring them to
-
church. I don't understand this.
-
You don't understand. We're online.
-
So I got to talk about outside this house.
-
I mean, it's amazing how many people will justify when the
-
Holy Ghost will have conversation and it's like, hey,
-
let's change our thinking about how this relationship goes.
-
Because guess what, the Holy Spirit who happens to know the
-
beginning from the end could literally say.
-
Man, I'm sure glad you're in the Kingdom now, but you're going to
-
let this one go. What?
-
Yeah, you're gonna need to let them go.
-
This is not the relationship for you.
-
I've been with him for five years.
-
I love. Yeah, you lusted after them.
-
It's really what was going on. You were led by your emotions
-
here, but now you're alive. I know this is hard to your
-
emotions, but put on my piece is going to be all right.
-
I got somebody better. And how many people married the
-
wrong person because they won't renew their mind and let God
-
bring the right person? Joseph Benson, who's the
-
commentary for Scripture, says this for repentance not only
-
implies sorrow for sin or sincerely wishing it undone, but
-
a change of mind and a reformation of life.
-
So again, repent. Never meant to not actually
-
change the way you live now. It did not mean I feel sorry for
-
my sin. Come into my heart and save me.
-
I can't do anything better and I'm never going to be great.
-
I'm never do it. I'm never going to be perfect.
-
The Bible never asked you to be perfect.
-
It asked you to be mature. And you can be mature.
-
And a mature person will not willfully sin or make excuses
-
for sinning, nor make excuses to stay offended.
-
Won't do that. Aren't you glad that you don't
-
do that? Aren't you glad that you don't
-
do that? I was hoping to be a little bit
-
louder. Aren't you glad you don't do
-
that? OK, say it in faith then.
-
God has empowered us with the greater one, and I don't have to
-
do that. I get to resist sin.
-
I get to put it down. I get to take every thought
-
captive. I actually have control of what
-
I'm thinking about. This is awesome.
-
Hallelujah. So Romans 12/2 says it this way.
-
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
-
renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of
-
God is, that which is good, acceptable and perfect.
-
The Bible and basic English says it this way.
-
And let not your behavior be like that of this world, but be
-
changed and made new in mind, so that by experience you may have
-
knowledge of the good and pleasing and complete purpose of
-
God. Now notice Romans is directly
-
saying if your mind's being renewed, it's your
-
responsibility now it's not without God's help.
-
I'm not saying that. I'm not saying you're getting
-
this on your own. I'm saying as you're reading and
-
studying the word, because again, Jesus said go and make
-
disciples. So again, when we're selling the
-
good news, when we are preaching the good news, when we're
-
communicating the good news, when we're trying to convince
-
people about the good news and the good news is the Kingdom.
-
OK, what we're saying to them is that, hey, there's a whole
-
nother way to live, whole another way to live, and you
-
can't get in it by yourself. You're going to have to believe
-
on the finished work of Jesus. But once you're in, then he's
-
going to deposit in you a spirit that wants to obey dad and put
-
his own spirit in you so that you can be taught.
-
And then he's going to reveal scripture to you to help clean
-
your mind up. So you'll quit thinking like
-
you're thinking this is really awesome.
-
We have a personal tutor. Amen.
-
Now a tutor comes alongside things that are already teaching
-
us. So the Holy Ghost does two
-
things. Number one, he is the great
-
teacher, don't get me wrong. But what I mean by that is he
-
does allow, because God wanted it this way, the fivefold
-
ministry to equip the Saints, and through the fivefold
-
ministry, who are actually being led by the spirit and not
-
popularity and preaching what God wants to be preached.
-
OK, then when you're hearing that truth, then your spirit
-
will say, now that's what I'm talking about.
-
And you're receiving it not as the word of men, but what it
-
really is, the word of God. You just happen to hear it
-
through the voice of the gift, that's all.
-
You understand what I'm saying and there are many things the
-
Holy Spirit wants to teach you through the gift.
-
Why? Because he never wanted you to
-
have a personal assignment with him alone.
-
Because when the Scripture says in Hebrews you don't need man to
-
teach you anymore, that has. That's in reference to how the
-
old covenant was, is that you could only learn through those
-
that had the anointing on, but now you have an anointing and
-
that anointing now will actually let.
-
You're not only subject to what they say because they say it,
-
you actually, I will actually verify that what they're saying
-
is true. So truth is being spoken.
-
And you know what's funny about those individuals that actually
-
grab that scripture? And I'm kind of complain about
-
that position, you know? Or you know, they're like, I
-
don't need anyone to teach me, but they always want somebody to
-
listen to them. They're the ones that are on
-
social media trying to teach everybody.
-
Wait a minute, you said it. Why are you even talking?
-
Since you learned this truth that you don't need anybody to
-
teach you, you should just be quiet.
-
You should cease to be heard. Why are you violating your own
-
belief by trying to teach somebody that?
-
Why are you trying to teach somebody that the Holy Ghost, to
-
teach them that so he doesn't need you?
-
Since we're thinking, Amen. I'm just so thankful for the
-
Holy Ghost. You know, because he does.
-
He. He's.
-
He won't let you get duped up. He won't let you get, you know,
-
drug along. I mean, at the end of the day,
-
he will help you out along the way.
-
Amen. Thank you, Jesus.
-
All right, so Romans 12/2. In the complete contemporary
-
English version, it says don't be like the people of this
-
world, but let God change the way you think.
-
Then you will know how to do everything that is good and
-
pleasing to him. The Good News Bible says this,
-
says it this way. Do not conform yourself to the
-
standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a
-
complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know
-
the will of God, what is good and pleasing to him and it's
-
perfect. Now every one of these
-
scriptures so far they are saying if you don't let God
-
renew your mind, it's impossible for you to be in his will.
-
Now you can be born again and be completely out of the will of
-
God. So being born again is access to
-
the will of God. It is God's will that all would
-
repent. That all would what?
-
Where's that at? Somebody looked that.
-
Script real quick for me and tell me where it's at.
-
Well, I don't know all y'all shouting at me, but you know
-
what it is. The one where Jesus the Lord
-
says you know the Father desires that none would perish, but that
-
all would repent. Second what?
-
OK, yeah, I still didn't hear it.
-
Hold on second. What?
-
Peter? Second Peter, let me get.
-
There where you at OK 3 niner. It's military.
-
The Lord is slow, is not slow about his promises.
-
As some counts slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing
-
for any to perish but for all to come to salvation.
-
No, doesn't say that, does it? And that.
-
Interesting. So this scripture is not a
-
scripture, only about being born again.
-
We use this all the time just as a born again scripture.
-
What God desires at known would perish, right?
-
But look what He says. The Lord is not slow about his
-
What now? Who in the world has access to
-
the promises of God? Only the covenant kids, as some
-
count slowness, but is patient towards you.
-
My goodness, are you hearing what I'm saying right now?
-
So again, we believe in God. He's not slow on his promises,
-
but he's patient towards us, not wishing to any what that none of
-
us would perish. My people perish due to lack of
-
knowledge. They're covenant people that are
-
perishing are not receiving what God has for them, and it's
-
because they don't change their thinking in order to receive it.
-
They're living like the world who doesn't have access to it.
-
So God doesn't want any of us to perish or not have the promises
-
through to the lack of not renewing our minds.
-
Now anyone could access. Can I move this over to a lost
-
person? Sure.
-
Because in order to get born again you have to 1st repent and
-
believe the gospel. Or that Jesus is king of the
-
Kingdom, he is Lord, he is ruler, and his death Baron
-
Resurrection was the payment for you to get in.
-
But then once you're in then he's always wanting to renew
-
your mind. Change your thinking, change
-
your thinking, change your thinking, change your thinking,
-
change your about every situation that's going on in
-
life. He wants to change your
-
thinking. And some of the worst thinking
-
to change is the religious. And I get it.
-
I mean it's all in there. Hallelujah.
-
But if you're willing to actually take time to go
-
through, you'll find yourself adjusting, and you won't allow
-
the accepted majority to be your response, even if it comes from
-
whole denominations. Amen.
-
Hallelujah, the message says. Don't become so well adjusted to
-
your culture that you fit into it without even thinking what.
-
Let me just say this. You may walk in the place and
-
you look the same as a human, but when they get around you, it
-
shouldn't be long for them to realize you are not the same.
-
And let me just say this, if you're doing it right, then you
-
know what? Even the lost will talk to you.
-
Now, some won't. Because if if they get convicted
-
by your presence and you're living and you're talking, well,
-
then they will isolate themselves from you.
-
There's nothing you can do about because they're doing that to
-
Jesus, are you hearing me? But on the other side, there are
-
others that their lifestyles completely off and they will
-
still talk to you. There's not a person nowhere I
-
go that I cannot engage in conversation, period.
-
If they personally ask me my belief, I will personally tell
-
them and that doesn't hinder my ability to talk to them.
-
Now it may hinder their ability to talk to me, but it won't
-
hinder me because you're sin, especially the world.
-
The world's going to send nobody that's in.
-
I mean, I you're sin and I I can't stop it.
-
So there's really no reason for me to harp on you about
-
changing. I just might as well live this
-
life so that you will want this life.
-
And then I'll say, you know, you'll have to change your life.
-
Now. It's easy God to help you first
-
spiritually and then boom, we'll get it through the renewing of
-
mine after that. Pretty simple.
-
So the things that I preach in church are a lot different than
-
when I'm in front of the world, right?
-
So if you're sitting here assuming that if I go to a
-
restaurant and then I'm telling people about their sin and
-
calling it out, I'm not doing that, none of us should do that.
-
I mean, I actually have waiters and waitresses that are in
-
fornication relationships, adulterous relationships,
-
homosexual relationships, and I tip them really great because
-
I'm not appealing to their sin. I'm showing them the goodness of
-
God. They can't help it.
-
I mean, when Christian like, oh, I can't believe you're doing,
-
you know what? I'm not going to.
-
That's so silly. God died for that.
-
Now if you tell me you're a brother and you're sleeping with
-
somebody, I'll still tip you good and tell you you need to
-
get out of relationship cause you know better.
-
It's a different conversation, but what do people do?
-
They want to take the everyone's lost mentality and apply it all
-
the way across the board to where we don't even hold our own
-
brethren accountable when Jesus says I'll judge the house first,
-
he said. You can judge your brother,
-
you're definitely going to look at their fruit.
-
You're definitely going to have to live up to a standard because
-
if you've repented then there's a lifestyle that I make a demand
-
to happen and the reason why, John said.
-
Why don't you have a lifestyle in keeping with repentance?
-
Since you're acting like you know God and that's what he's
-
saying. He sure didn't say it to
-
everyone else. John never told another person.
-
Why don't you have a lifestyle keeping with offensives?
-
You know why? Because when those people got
-
right, they lived right. Wow, they lived right.
-
Who did Jesus have conflict with?
-
He sure wasn't walking around telling, you know, everyone that
-
was all out and sin. I mean, now he talked about it.
-
The Kingdom of God is like he's letting them know.
-
I mean, he's having conversations, but he's not in
-
the dispensation of his church. But don't think the head of the
-
church isn't conversing. I mean, the woman at the well is
-
a great example. Don't think he let that go.
-
Nor did he let the woman go. Called an adultery.
-
He didn't let that go. And and and many, we don't even
-
know their sin. But once he healed them, he's go
-
in sin no more. We just don't know the details
-
of what they were doing. But he sure was an advocate for
-
it. But now the people who say they
-
knew him, that conversation sounded different.
-
So you, I can't sit here and you and again let me just say it
-
this way. If you're bringing a guest that
-
you know is not born again, you need to let them know, man, our
-
pastor, now he talks to us as believer so that we stay, right.
-
You know, cause God wants us to live this life, right.
-
So you're going to hear some things that that you know unless
-
you're born again, you just can't even do that.
-
At least be wise enough to inform them, because at the end
-
of the day, I'm. I'm not supposed to be the
-
greatest evangelist you are. Your life should be getting them
-
born again at work. Which means then once they come
-
in and they'll want the milk, they'll be like like many of you
-
have done. Wow, this is so good.
-
It's life changing. I've never heard anything like
-
that because your spirit man is hungry for it.
-
The Holy Spirit saying is truth and you start renewing your
-
mind. I just told to someone during
-
prayer that was like I was in a place a pastor was preaching.
-
They said now repeat this. And when they repeated me and
-
the other person looked at each other like we can't say that
-
because it's not biblical. How do they know that?
-
Because the Holy Ghost says you can't say that.
-
That's not even scriptural. I don't care if the preacher
-
saying it and can I just say this.
-
I have preached for almost. I have preached almost 3
-
decades. I have preached a lot of
-
messages. I would love to tell you that I
-
never failed to say a word right when I preach.
-
Sometimes I do. Sometimes the word comes out and
-
it wasn't the right word and I don't catch it till later.
-
I mean, if you know the person's character and you're believing
-
the best, then you're not looking for one word to fail.
-
Basic. You know who was looking for one
-
word of a failure? The Pharisees.
-
All the Pharisees waiting to hear give me just getting to say
-
one thing so I can discredit everything he does.
-
And we kill him, kill him. We don't kill him.
-
So don't be coming up in here looking for one word so that you
-
can try to justify. So funny.
-
Just walk in love, man. Thank you, Jesus Okay.
-
Let me go back to the message because we have communion today,
-
because communion reminds me that I'm different.
-
He changed me and I just. I just want us to be a community
-
of believers that actually live heaven on earth.
-
Is that Is that wrong? Is that such a lofty goal?
-
That you would just desire that everyone who says that Jesus's
-
Lord is that we would actually really love one another as the
-
word says, not as we say. That we really forgive each
-
other as the word says, not as we say.
-
Is it too much to ask? It's not.
-
It's only too much to ask. If you don't want to change your
-
behavior but go to heaven, then it's too much.
-
To ask, and I get it, and this is not your church.
-
This is not your church, because that's not his church.
-
But it's definitely for those who want what's on the inside to
-
come out in the way they think and behave and talk.
-
Because it's your king. He knew you couldn't get to him
-
anyway, and despite all that, he still died for you.
-
And then he says, now let me help clean up your mind, because
-
it was really a mess in there. And we're like, don't touch my
-
mind, just Remember Me when I die because I like what I was
-
doing. No message.
-
Don't. Become so well adjusted to your
-
culture that you fit into it without even thinking.
-
Instead, fix your attention on God.
-
You'll be changed from the inside out, readily recognized
-
that he wants what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.
-
Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its
-
level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops
-
well formed maturity in you. Wow.
-
How powerful is that? The passion says it this way.
-
Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the cultural around
-
you, but be inwardly. Transformed by the Holy Spirit
-
through a total reformation of how you think.
-
This will empower you to discern God's will as you live a
-
beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes.
-
Last Scripture I'm going to turn you to as an Ephesians chapter
Ephesians 4 chapter mention
-
4. Again, we need to think again,
-
God. Caused us to become children of
-
God, our children of the king, so that we could think again
-
like kings. Because God gave us our dominion
-
back. He never gave us a salvation
-
that we're holding on and just stuck living like everybody else
-
and subject to all the passions and temptations and.
-
And handling the situation is just like everybody else, you
-
know. And at the end, if we just hold
-
on good enough, you know, at the end of the day, we're going to
-
go and it's going to be way better there.
-
That was never God's intent. His intent was to get you born
-
again, so that you could become, have dominion, so you could
-
function as a king, so that he could bring heaven to you, in
-
and through in you and through you, and then change your whole
-
system of thinking of how to operate.
-
How to handle everything in life so that then the world would be
-
drawn to you because they would truly, clearly see you're not of
-
this world. Wow, We're not of this world.
-
We're not. Subject to it anymore, but it
-
takes our effort to change. If he's in chapter 4, verse 22
-
to 24, is this that in reference to your former manner of life,
-
you lay aside the old self? Which is being corrupted in
-
accordance with the lust of this of deceit, and that you be
-
renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new.
-
Self which is in the likeness of God, and has been created in
-
righteousness and holiness and truth.
-
The Passion says it this way. And he has taught you to let go
-
of the lifestyle of the ancient man, the old self life which was
-
corrupted by sinful and deceitful desires that spring
-
from delusions. Now it's time to be made new by
-
every revelation that's been given to you, and to be
-
transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ within, as you
-
as your new life, and live in union with him.
-
For God has recreated you all over again in his perfect
-
righteousness, and now, and you now belong to him in the realm
-
of true holiness. Well, that should be lived out
-
in our lifestyle. And here's the thing.
-
There's no excuse for it to not, since our spirit man is that
-
right with God is that alive to God is is not wanting to sin.
-
Ever, ever. It never choose it.
-
Our spirit never chooses sin. Our spirit never chooses sin.
-
It's never its choice. It's never its choice to respond
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in the flesh. It's never its choice.
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And as you train your mind, your soul to hear in your spirit, in
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your inner man, then you can always side with the spirit of
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God in every situation and produce that fruit every time.
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And that amazing the message says it this way.
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But that's no life for you. You learn Christ.
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My assumption is that you paid careful attention to him, then
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well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in
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Jesus. Since then we do not, do not
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have the excuse of ignorance. Everything, and I do mean
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everything connected with that old way of life has to go.
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It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it, and even take on
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an entirely new way of life, a godfashioned life, a life
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renewed from the inside, working itself into your conduct as God
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accurately reproduces his character in you.
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Say I have the character of God. Say I have the character of God.
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Say I have the character of God. Because the spirit in you is
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going to change your thinking. If you allow it.
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