Lost In The Woods - with Joshua Clay

Thanks for checking out the anchor Faith.

Message podcast from st. Augustine, Florida.

Now, enjoy this message. So it's an honor that Pastor

Earl's asked me to come and Minister.

It's always an honor. I love my church.

I love my church family. I love every one of you, you

know, I've really kind of grown up here and I say that every

time, but I have my, some of the most pivotal points in my life,

have happened here with you guys that I prefer a church.

I answered the call to Ministry. I came here, I've met my wife,

I've had my children, my greatest triumphs, my greatest

failures of all happened in this church body.

So it's exciting for me to come and Minister and it's always a

great honor. This is never something that's

taken lightly by our pastors or any one of us that step up here

because we know the, you know, the responsibility to rightly

divide the word of Truth, the responsibility that rests on our

shoulders to make sure that we're accurately communicating

what God has said in his word. So tonight we're going to go on

a little journey together. Either the title, my message is

lost in the woods. Okay.

The goal was to not be, so let's just be clear about that. but to

any time that we ever, Anybody ever enters this Pulpit at

anchor? In a church, you know, the

message that we bring is not just the general message, you

would hear from the regular Christian religious church.

We always bring the gospel of the kingdom of God and that's

not something I ever be taken lightly.

Because you understand, I was raised in church and I, you

know, every time I miss her, I say this and I get this little

disclaimer but I was basically born on to a Pew.

I think the second the service right after my mom can, you

know, testify with a service right after I was born.

Boom, we were we were there at church and we never missed But

in that, I was taught a lot of great things growing up.

I was taught a lot of the word, a lot of truths and foundations

that set me up from my life. But I was also taught a lot of

religion because the message I received wasn't through the lens

of the kingdom. And when I read the Bible, I

read it through religious eyes until the moment came that I

received the revelation of the Kingdom, until I put on that

lens of the kingdom. And then the whole world came to

life for me. The word of God came to lat.

I mean, everything that I ever had questions of became

answered. I received the kingdom message,

so it's not just a sermon that we preach about the kingdom.

Everything that we talked about everything that we do every the

way that we think all of it hinges on the foundation of the

kingdom. And if you guys miss Sunday, you

need to go back and listen to it before next Sunday, because

Pastor Earle just started a new series.

And it's again, re-emphasizing and Reba, you know, establishing

this foundation of the kingdom of God, that really is just the

message Jesus preached as well. I was reading through today and

like, you know, I read the Bible every day but today specifically

knowing I was going to come Minister.

I started looking through the gospels and looking through the

good news, right? The gospel means, good news and

as I'm looking through the good news, what I didn't find in

there. Was, if you die, you go to

heaven. That's in the Bible.

I'm not discounting, that's not, it's in the Bible.

But when you're reading the gospel, why?

If that was the best news for the church, why isn't it in the

gospels of Matthew Mark, Luke and John Why is it specifically

stated in fact, if the gospel and the good news for all

Humanity was when you die, you spend eternity with God.

If that was the good news, why did Jesus forget to preach that?

So when we, when we look at the kingdom of God, and look at the,

you know, this Forest, so to speak that we've entered into,

you know, we've heard it said a bunch of times from the pulpit.

It's like the kingdom is the forest and every individual

message of Salvation healing forgiveness, all these, you

know, Redemption, all of these things are trees within the

forest. But what I've found is with most

modern Christians. They've come into the kingdom of

God, gotten into the forest. But don't know where they are

and don't know what they've entered into and they're in fact

lost in the woods. And they're wandering around.

And if you ask them direct questions, you know.

Well, you know, why is your if it just at work?

If you say, well, why is your why are you?

Why is your life so good? Because God is good brother and

we walk into church more like God is good and then somebody

says all the time so we know the Christian he's that we speak, we

got it. But if somebody said but why is

he good? How many people go, hmm?

You know, because he is that's not a good enough answer or if

you said, how is God good? Well, because that's what he is.

We don't we don't really know what we have.

So whenever we begin to look at the what God is trying to do in

us through the kingdom, we got to start with the foundation of

Genesis 1:26, put it on the screen.

Genesis 1:26

Some of you have heard this a bunch of times, like a thousand

times but honestly, some of you in here, this is your first time

hearing it. And I'm just going to tell you.

If this is one of the first times, you've heard this

message, you'll never ever be the same.

You'll never able be able to go back from this revelation.

So every time this gets mentioned any time Pastor Earle

ever brings up the Scripture, it becomes alive to me.

There's we have not exhausted the depths of Genesis 1:26,

Genesis 1:26

don't think, I know where we're going.

God gave, man Dominion I get it. I'm telling you, I hear some of

you talking in the lobby, you don't have it yet.

I know what this is. Do you though, really because I,

you know, you're the way the way you're acting is telling me you

don't have it yet, but we're going to read it because this

understand, we're spoiled a tanker, Faith Church.

We get the word all the time. Rightly divided when, I mean,

our pastors do exactly what the Apostle Paul did.

He says, I didn't Apostle. Paul said, I did not withhold

from you, the full counsel of God and I'm thankful for real

pastors, that have raised us in developed us and taught us that

way. But Realize there's other places

outside of here that you'll go and they're not going to

understand this. This is a answer to a deep

theological question that church people and non-church people are

both asking, why do we exist? God answers it on the first

page? That we see God, the high

Creator, the Creator. The emanates love the emanates

life that that has created. All things says, and let us make

man in our image, according to our likeness.

And then he says these three words that are the foundation of

every human Destiny from then, to Eternity.

And I'm going to emphasize what I just said.

Again, the three words that God says here are the foundation of

every human Destiny from this point through eternity.

This did not change when Jesus showed up.

God's original intentions for Humanity.

Never changed ever. His original intentions are his

eternal intentions. So these are the most powerful

words you could ever hear for your purpose, your assignment

and your destiny. God says, and let them rule.

Okay, he then he says over the fish of the sea over the birds

of the sky over all the cattle over all the Earth and over

every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

We know that God in the original beginning, did not create man so

that he could just be a being of worship to just Worship in a

religious setting. Everything that I've read in the

Bible. Don't know if y'all have read

the Bible, but I read the Bible and everything.

I've read shows that God gave man a kingdom and dominion over

the Earth and an assignment on the planet to dominate the

planet. And that didn't change with

Jesus. So whenever God gave man a

kingdom and said, you're going to, you were born and created to

dominate this world. That means everything that

happened from the fall all the way to Revelation was to get

mankind back to God's original statement of let them rule.

Since it's the foundation of your destiny, realize anything

other than you ruling is substandard living.

And I don't know what version of Christianity, you were told.

But I've read the Bible. And it empowers me to dominate

right now. The Bible talks about the

afterlife and what happens when you die realize even after you

die. You come back because you were

made. To rule here not heaven.

Who rules Heaven, think. Let's just think about it.

Let's think it through, who rules Heaven, someone 1560s

pretty clear 11650 now, which is one of those to get read both

chapters. You'll find it.

It says, the highest Heavens are the Lord's, but the Earth he is

given to who, man or woman mankind, okay?

We're not trying to say just men, but he's giving it to

humanity to mankind. So if gods Original design was

that we would dominate here. That's his forever.

Designed that means Jesus came not to change the rules or to

get you somewhere that you weren't made for.

Jesus came to bring you back to the place that you are designed

to rule. Okay.

I hope we believe it. Let's go to Genesis chapter 2

Genesis 2:15–17

verses 15 through 17. We're going to do some reading

tonight. It says something, God took the

man and put him into the Garden of Eden, to cultivate it, and

keep it. And I'm going to do what all the

creative team hates. And I'm going to read portions

of it and I'm going to stop and expound and I'm gonna read and

pause all through this. But it says in, God took the man

and put him in the Garden of Eden.

Where did he put, man? Did God do that?

Because he hated man. Did he do that?

Because he wanted man to suffer. No God, put man in the garden in

the Earth. Because that was God's very best

for man, is that he would be where God put him on the planet

if it was better that he just be in heaven with God.

I haven't found that. It says in verse 16, the Lord

commanded the man saying from any tree of the garden, you may

freely eat but from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil,

you shall not eat for in the day that you eat it, you will surely

die. God does a powerful thing for

man. Here in this moment, he empowers

his free will. He gives him an either/or Choice

C without an either/or choice. You don't have free will.

You just exist and are and you go around doing and there's no

consequence. There's no choice.

But God gave man, a choice and I find it interesting.

This whole story starts with the tree.

In the Epic tale that God is riding.

Is the ultimate Storyteller. He starts out his whole story

with you and I and a treat. That'll be important later.

Write that down a tree. Draw a picture of a tree.

If you're like me, take notes and you draw little pictures and

there's this fine. We're not gonna do a Bob Ross

tutorial. Don't worry.

It doesn't have this is this was supposed to be a happy little

tree, but it became not a happy little tree.

So But he says and he put the tree of knowledge of Good and

Evil. You shall not eat from it or in

that day. You eat from it, you will surely

die. So at this point, God gives Adam

a choice to either obey the command or disobey life is

simple for Adam. Would you agree that he has

given obey or not? Don't obey.

And I think it's worth saying for us as Believers right now,

life is still that simple. We overcomplicate things. when

really God is still dealing with us the same way, Okay.

Okay, we'll just keep going. It's fine.

If we look at what's in is we know that it in this story with

just for the sake of paraphrasing.

We know that Adam obviously doesn't obey this.

We see that in the next chapter, he God gives him a woman and

then the next one, they go and they eat from the fruit, and

they're separated. God said, you will die.

If you eat from this fruit, you'll be separated from the

King. You'll be separated from the

Kingdom's realm. And the ultimate thing that he

was separated from was his Dominion.

See sin, always Always causes you to Forfeit Dominion.

Always. Send disrupts your Dominion, sin

comes and divides your dominion and your assignment from what

you're doing. So whenever God said don't eat

from the tree, it was more than him just giving him options

because God just wanted to see if he would obey it.

God was giving him a safeguard to say, here's how you keep your

Dominion. so, if sin destroys your Dominion of sin, hinders

your Dominion, if it keeps you from operating in your Dominion,

He had to send his son to save us from that environment.

If we're to Define sin, a tank of a church, I love how our

pastor always defined Senate made it so simple for me because

sometimes you know you have this whole list of sins, you've got

the unpardonable sin and you got, you know, these other sins

that are you know whatever but in the end sin is only just in

its simplest form. Disobeying what God Said, Adam

didn't cheat on his wife, he didn't murder, he didn't steal,

he didn't do the Ten Commandments, tough.

All he did. Was disobeyed what God

commanded. And that's in affected the whole

world forever. Like, well, you know, sometimes

there's some sins, you know, like, you know, that are worse

than others Sin is Sin. Meaning if God says to do

something, just do it. It doesn't matter how small it

seems. It doesn't matter if he's

talking about plants and fruit, or if he's talking about

people's lives and relationships, just do what he

says. And life simple.

Alright, let's let's go for the further.

Let's look at what sin does here.

Let's go to Romans 5:12. And this kind of gives us the

Romans 5:12

explanation here. What happened with with with

Adam Romans 5:12 says, therefore just as through one man sin

Romans 5:12

entered, the world and death through sin, so that death

spread to all men because all sinned, so death entered in to

all humanity and became the nature of everybody.

Born after Adam sinned became inevitable.

By Adam eating the fruit. He made sin inevitable, then the

next passage we see in Romans, if we go to Romans 3:23, this

Romans 3:23

one we know really well, most Christians know this one really

well, but they know it for different reasons than we're

going to talk about. But it says for all have sinned

and fallen short of the glory of God.

So again what does this mean that we're all?

We all are never going to make it never going to make it is

that what this means? No y'all are taught to good.

See this would this would slay at a different church if I went

to the religious Church in some other town this they'd be like

but y'all are talk to good here. See these points, somebody

online. They're gonna be blown away in

their car. They're gonna what Romans

Romans 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7 put that up there for all have sinned and fallen short

of the glory of God and then if Romans chapter 7, start in verse

Romans 7 · chapter mention

18, we're going to read Is this for, I know that.

Nothing good. Dwells in me.

That, and again, the writer of Romans here is kind of lamenting

his past life. Okay, he's not presently.

Talking about his present state, but he says, for, I know that

nothing good dwells in me, that is in my flesh for the For the

Willing is present in me, but the doing of good is not for the

good that I want to do. I do not do, but I practice the

very evil that I don't want to do, can anybody identify that?

That was how life was? You're just trying to do good?

I just want to do something good.

It just seems like everything I'm doing is bad verse 20 says,

but if I am doing the very thing, I do not want.

I am no longer the one doing it but sin, which dwells in me, I

find then the principle that evil is present in me and the

one who wants to end me the one who wants to do good.

For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the Inner Man, but

I see a different law in the members of my body Waging War

against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law

of sin, which is in my members. So, if we stop there, this is

the state of every person that's lost without God.

And it's important to emphasize that as we move further on in

this message, because there is no hope Without the king you're

stuck, no matter what you do, no matter how good you want to be,

no matter how many good things you try to do, it's all going to

be burnt up and fall away. If you're not in the kingdom,

and with the one who can fix the problem, see this man, that's

talking this, this person this personification of this person

needs saving They need a savior. Okay.

Verse 24 Wretched, Man that I am, who will set me free from

this body of the body of this death?

Then we see in verse 25. Thanks be to God through Christ

Jesus our lord. So then on one hand, my myself,

with my mind, I am serving the law of God, but on the other

with my flesh, the law of sin, does it go further?

There's not another one, we'll stop there because I did that on

purpose and I'll remember why in a second.

But in this dreary terrible picture of the this horrible

person that he is and me, we sing a song about this in

Amazing Grace, right? And we all know that song.

Amazing, Grace. How sweet, the sound that saved

a Wretch like Me? So in knowing that we need a

savior. Can we all agree?

We need a savior. In fact, those of you who've

been born again, are you saved? Come on.

Are you saved? From what sin?

What does that mean? No separation is the consequence

of sin. So are you saved from sin?

Are you safe from separation? I'll wait, I mean, look good

because if you ask most Christians, I'll tell you the

popular. It's, I'm not gonna come to, I

could come down. Be like mr.

Joe, what do you think you're safe from and then put him in an

awkward position because then I'll come my friend correct.

When he said me like you're wrong.

Here's what I really meant my message.

I'm not gonna do that to him. I'm just gonna tell you what he

was gonna say what he was gonna say.

Most crisp. Most modern Believers.

It's got finger quotes in case. We're just audio recording, only

see right here. Most modern Believers.

If you said, you're saved, what were you saved from?

They would say, hell, Eternal punishment.

He paid the price for my sins so that I wouldn't have to pay that

price and all they're talking about is the consequence of sin.

But this this man in this passage isn't travailing as a

Wretched Man because of a consequence that's paying out.

He's not at the end result yet yet he feels the wretchedness

that he is. He needs to be saved from his

wretched State presently. Okay, okay, okay, okay.

Okay, we'll go somewhere, hold on.

Let's go to John chapter 8. John 8:34.

John 8 · chapter mention John 8:34

We all want Savior, Jesus to save us.

We all understand. He is a savior, he does that,

but who he truly is as Lord. So when we're trying to Define

between Savior, and Lord, what does our Lord and our lordship

that we confess when we get born again, what does that save us

from? What were we in?

What will rebound by? Bound by sin.

Okay. We're, y'all are getting it,

you're putting together. It says Jesus answered them and

said. So if this was in, you know, my

Bible, this would, these letters would be read their white right

now. I have zero Bibles that have

white letters, but it's okay. It says, Jesus answered them and

said, truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin,

is a slave of sin and the slave does not remain in the house

forever, but the sun does remain forever.

Then here's a popular scripture, we quote.

So if the son makes you free you will be free.

Indeed free from what. Free from Santa free from the

consequence of sin. Because right here, it says the

one who commits sin is a slave of sin.

Then it says the son, if he makes you free, you will be

free. I could just be in this one

passage and say it looks like The son frees you from.

The slavery of committing. Sin.

It's gonna be a little quiet for a little bit but all the rest of

you will get on board in a second.

Because when in the end, we want Jesus to be the Savior that

meets us at the Pearly Gates and says, hey, you're okay.

Come on in. and what we get uncomfortable with is the savior

that meets you in your bedroom and says, hey, I can save you

from actually needing a consequence from here on out.

See, it's understood when you accepted Christ that work that

he did in his death burial and Resurrection, you became a brand

new person when you get born again and you made the Covenant

with your mouth that he was Lord forever.

You're the old passed away and you became a brand new person on

the inside free from sin and all your past sins were forgiven.

But the problem is if in that moment he said it doesn't matter

what you do from here on out. He undoes what happened in

Genesis 1:1 God gave man Choice C.

Genesis 1:1

Jesus is work on the death burial and Resurrection is

sitting at is sitting at the right hand of the father that

work didn't undo free will. And we're saying that's right

but it's going to get it's it's going to be tight, it's going to

be right. It's only going to get heavier,

but it'll be okay. I promise it'll end.

Well, is that okay, as could I forecast that at least Because

our issue is, they're like, oh well Jesus.

Forgives all my sins. Even the ones I'm gonna do.

We've already failed that Wretched Man.

That was going to be saved. Apparently, just wants to stay

wretched. So when sin showed up, it was it

was inevitable because there was nothing you could ever do

outside of Christ payment to be free from it.

But the moment that he came and the moment that he died on the

cross and became sin on our behalf.

Because isn't that what it says that he on the cross?

He became what was inevitable for us?

But it's important to note. There's something there's things

that took place before the cross.

Jesus is life, isn't summed up like most of the you know the

Catholic Creeds right? Those are all summed up with the

birth of Christ, the death of Christ and we miss everything in

between which is all the kingdom stuff.

And it was written for a reason. So why don't we go?

And look at that, I mean, it, even if we look at Matthew

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4, look at Jesus, as our perfect example.

Would you say Jesus is our example?

Raise your hand. Let me see, is Jesus the perfect

example. Okay.

Then I never should hear from you, well, but that was Jesus.

My brother. Can you do it?

Because Jesus well that was Jesus.

No, he's our example, an example, something to be

followed and he's not unfair, which means whatever he said

that he did that we could do, we can do so in Matthew 4, when

he's tempted by the enemy. Did he?

Bow to sin. Was he a slave to sin?

so, when Temptation comes to you, Are you a sinner?

Or are you in Christ? The one who overcame.

Because again, when somebody says well, I've been saved the

problem is they're lost in the woods because they know I've

been transferred from the domain of Darkness into the kingdom.

Forest, what's their? I don't know.

But I'm here and it's good and I love it and God is good all the

time and they can't even answer. What have you been saved from?

And then when you throw that well punishment, tell me if I

which one makes me a better parent if My child I know is

going to do wrong. Goes out, runs out in the street

and gets hit by a car and I know it's going to happen.

But I pick them up, I take them to the best doctors and get them

patched up the best I can. And I take care of them and make

sure. Listen, you got hurt, but I'm

going to, we've got the whole environment here to restore you

or am I better as a parent to protect them from the thing that

would cause them to have to go through the whole recovery?

Then we say, father God. We think he's a deadbeat dad.

We think that he's up there sitting going.

Yeah, we'll see what you do. Let's see it.

Lets see it, lets see it up your gut.

Okay, do what you want? Look, okay, now, I guess we're

gonna have to restore you again and there's this whole cycle

with God, that he's just forgiving and saving us after

the after we've done it. And it well, there's a

punishment but we'll get you out the punishment.

Oh, there's a punishment will get you out of the punishment

and he's not here as your bailout plan for your

punishments. He did way more than that.

In fact, that's what the Old Testament people lived in.

There were constantly given sacrifices, because God wasn't

in them, and all they can ever do was wrong.

So all they were going to do. Is blow it all the time, and God

was going to have to forgive every time they brought a half

of a dove or a half of a cow or a half of a lizard or whatever

it was, they had. Every time they made a

sacrifice, God was forgiving. Something they had done whenever

Jesus showed up, he changed those the game he said, now you

don't have to do the stuff that incurs punishment, he saved you

from the thing that was going to hurt you.

But we don't want the personal responsibility of that, not weed

and Cafe church. But you understand what I'm

saying? Because the gospel that I find

in Powers, my choice and responsibility.

The gospel that's preached. In other places.

Widely removes responsibility and says just show up, do nice

stuff, you're always going to fail but God, in the end will

forgive That's a false message that's not in here.

That's not in my Bible. Or any of the other ones I got

the Bible app. I got a whole bunch of Bibles, I

can't find any of them. So, let's keep going, we'll keep

what will keep moving on because sin was truly the thing that

bound us and held us down. I mean again, if you were

chained in a Cell in a horrible place, I mean, you think of the

worst circumstance you could think and some kind of prisoner

of war camp because really isn't that what we were before Christ?

That we were held against our well as captives by a horrible

evil person that only wanted wrong for us and tormented us in

our mind and in our choices in our lives, and then, you know,

wreak havoc in our, in our guilt and in our families, and we were

bound and all the sudden, the savior's shows up And takes you

out of that. He doesn't wait until one day

you die and then says now it's all going to be better.

That's not a good savior. I want the Jesus.

That's powerful in the grace. That's powerful to come in and

break the chains off of me and get me in the Kingdom.

Now noth-nothing Jesus said, just wait until it all goes in a

handbasket to wherever see toeing the line here.

That's the Bible were but that's all y'all think I was gonna say

it. Yeah, I got catch me cussing up

here or anywhere else. Let's go to first, John.

Because the work that Jesus did was not just to forgive your

past sins. And I found so many Believers

really can only talk about where they came from.

And who they were and the old man, and look what I did before

God, and here's my testimony, but really answer the better

question. Where are you going?

Because I could ask the question you were, what were you saved

from? But the better question to ask

is what were you saved for? Why did he save you?

Because he loves us. Listen go listen to pastors

Wednesday night messages on the route of love.

Does God? Love us?

Sure enough. He loves us.

But why were we saved? Why did he save us?

Just so that we could feel his love?

No. We got it.

This isn't you know that he Capital H in case you didn't

know when you read the Bible, there's a capital H for he

that's talking about God or Jesus.

Some of your like duh and then some of your like, oh my gosh, I

just learned one thing tonight. I know that he appeared in order

to take away sins and in him. There is no sin.

Okay, let's read this part again.

Okay, he came to take away sins and in him, there is no sin.

Are you in Christ? Are you in sin?

Because you can't be see, you're getting it, it doesn't work.

Sin and Christ are impossible. Roommates.

They're never moving in together.

They can never dwell together. You'll never find them both in

the same room. In him, there is no sin, no one

who abides in him sins. Okay, hold on.

I got it. I already heard it.

I heard it from some of you already.

Well brother, sometimes we make mistakes.

You know if we sent we're not talking about making a mistake

as a Believer, we're talking about habitually choosing to

just send and go against What God Says.

So let me give that disclaimer very clearly when you're saying

well, since you know, I've you know, what happens when we sent

listen, I'm talking about people who know what God Said and

choose, I'm not going to do that.

So know that as we continue to read, there's no one who abides

in him sins. No one who sins has seen him or

knows him little children, make sure that no one deceives.

You the one who practices righteousness is what now hold

on. I thought we'd been made

righteous Have we been made righteous in Christ?

Yes. Absolutely.

We have So the question is, do we maintain that?

Talking about Works. Your whole life is about works.

You wake up in the morning because it works and you go sit

down at your works and you do your Works.

Don't tell me about Works. Everything we do is working and

doing and moving. And that's because we're alive,

and we're moving forward and we're passionate about

everything that we're doing. So yeah, you're going to work

something. You might as well say.

I'm going to stay righteous. How do you stay righteous?

Practice righteousness. O.

If I said a person who's practicing sin is someone who is

making a choice. I'm not going to do what God

said. Well then the opposite for

righteousness would mean I'm going to do what God Said and

that behavior and that attitude and that heart is righteous.

So don't be deceived a person who practices righteousness.

That's a righteous person. Just as he remember, Capital H,

I just told you that you should have written that down.

He is righteous the one who practices sin is of who, the

devil for the devil has sinned from the beginning and the Son

of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of

the devil. No one.

Who is born of God practices sin. because, There you go,

because his seed abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is

born of God. There's a lot, there's a lot to

be said, go back to the last slide.

Okay. So in keeping life simple.

The person who practices righteousness is what a person,

who habitually practices sin is. Of sin.

And as of who is of the devil for the devil, has sinned from

the beginning. And the Son of God Jesus

appeared for this purpose. To destroy what?

What are the works of the devil? Don't say sin?

Don't do not, do not do that. To me, you're going to leave

here. And your children are going to

ask you what you learn about, you like sin, because that's

what they do to you in class. You know.

We taught him a whole lot more in a cafe Church than that, big

walk. I say what you learn about,

Jesus. What about Jesus?

Don't do that to me. The Works that it's got to be

deeper than that, right? So let's find out what we're his

works. From the beginning.

Let's look at it. Let's go to Isaiah chapter 14.

Isaiah 14 · chapter mention

This is the first account that we have of something that was

taking place before planet Earth.

Before the creation, there was this whole coup that happened in

heaven. so, if we pick up in the stories, Where's it at?

See, I told you if it happens going to call you by name,

Kevin. There we go.

Everybody say thank you, Kevin. He's the man.

I'm telling you, he's one of the best that I've got back there.

Isaiah Chapter, 14, verse 1 through you, you saw it 32.

We're not going to read all the way there, but it says when the

Lord. Wait wait, hold on.

Skip ahead for me to verse 12. Almost.

Here we go. So we pick up in the prophet,

Isaiah's, getting this picture of something that happened in

heaven before the creation. It says, and how you have fallen

from heaven Oh, star of the morning.

O, son of the Dawn. You have been cut down to the

Earth, you who have weakened the nation's but you said in your

heart. So get this.

This is the devil. This is Lucifer and his

beginning. The first time that we see

rebellion in God's kingdom. He says, you said in your heart,

I will say, I will, I will Ascend to Heaven.

I will say I will. I will raise my throne above the

stars of God and I will say, I will I will sit on the Mount of

the assembly in the recesses of the north, and I will see, you

got it Ascend above the heights of the clouds.

And I will make myself like the most most high.

But then it says nevertheless, you will be thrust down into

sheol to the recesses of the pit.

So the first time that we see sin or what we could call

original sin because it doesn't get any more original or Was it

precedent-setting than this? The route of the first fall in

sin, was selfishness. The devil said, I will do what I

want. Above what God wants.

That's the work. The first work of the devil that

we just read was in the beginning.

So then the very next time that we see him show up and start.

Doing his work in the earth is in Genesis chapter 3.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Starting in verse 1. I deserve this because I did

this to Pastor last week, I made him.

Wait, Genesis chapter 3 verse 1. It says now the serpent was more

Genesis 3:1

crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had

made. Do we know who that is.

And he said to the woman indeed has God said You shall not eat

from any tree of the garden. And didn't we read earlier that?

God told Adam, eat freely of any tree but do not eat of the tree

of the knowledge of Good and Evil.

That's in the middle of the garden.

Don't do it. The only command God gave that

was an either, or the only one is the first conversation, the

enemy brings up. Why didn't he talk about

anything else? Why did he make up any other

sin? Why didn't he get Eve to try to

cheat on her husband? Or why didn't he get her to go

and try to steal from something or, or do any other kind of

detestable thing that we can think of?

What did he try to tempt her say you should murder Adam.

Think about it. The only thing that he wanted to

happen was to find. What has God said, all I want to

get them to do is disobey it. He didn't tempt her with

anything else. So he comes in.

He says, indeed has God said, You shall not eat from any tree

of the garden that has he said that don't eat from anything.

Then that just soundless, you crafty.

God said you can't eat, right? Like you're not allowed to eat

at all. Well no.

Oh okay, let's have a conversation then sneaky sneaky

sneaky snake. It says the woman said to the

serpent from the fruit of the Trees of the garden.

We may eat but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle

of the garden, God said, do not eat from it or touch it or you

will die. Now whether she added or didn't

not my concern, but this next part is interesting of all the

things he could have told her or had her do and all of the sin

that is that is in the Earth and all the options and

opportunities. The only thing he came after was

what God Said. Think about it.

If the word of God leave this up here, the word of God is so

valuable. That God himself said, I exalt

my word above my own name. He's got the name above all

names, but he said there's one thing that's higher than that.

And that's my word. In fact, the way he created the

whole universe was with his word, whenever mankind fella

says, he sent forth his word. So the most powerful entity in

the whole universe, is the word of God.

And that's the only thing, the devil cared about even in the

garden and he shows up. And he says, what did God say?

Then the serpent says what God Said won't happen.

You won't die for God knows that in the day that you eat of it.

Now listen, listen wait, go back, go back.

Listen to how the conversation then turns.

Because at this point, Adam and Eve have purpose.

They've been given a mandate they've been given their terms

and conditions of what keeps this Dominion mandate.

And all they know is, God said it, we're doing it. then the

devil says, listen, God knows that in the day that you eat of

it, you know, we kind of read through this quickly, but he

made it personal He said it in the day.

You eat of it. Go back.

Go back, go back. For God knows that in the day

that you eat, now, you can go forward from it.

Your eyes will be opened. All of the sudden they went from

this God, focus of purpose. And what God has assigned them

to your eyes will be opened. When you eat your eyes will be

open. Doesn't this sound like his work

in the beginning? When he said, I will do what I

want. I'll have the only way that he

could get them on board, with his way of thinking, is to get

them to say, but you will have your eyes opened.

And you will be like God knowing Good and Evil.

And then here's where the whole shift takes place.

Before the fruit was eaten in verse six, everything falls

apart right here. In this verse, it says, when the

woman saw that the tree was good for food, When the woman saw was

she blind before, did she see the tree before?

Did she know that it was there because she saw it.

So this is a different kind of seeing This is when the woman

saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight

to the eyes. And it was desirable to make one

wise. She took.

She fell right into the Trap. the same trap that every

believer, Will fall into if they don't know where they are in

this Kingdom. And that is the choice between.

Do I get what I want or do I do what he wants?

Is my focus on what the king says or is my focus on what it

does for me? But I want see that's dangerous.

Talk. I need some me time.

How about it? Just all be his time whatever

I'm doing. I know the Lord.

I feel like the Lord has drawn me that but I careful careful

because you're not sounding like Jesus.

You're not sounding like Kingdom.

We read Genesis 1:26 and God says, let them rule.

Genesis 1:26

They don't sound like ruling. Because the moment that she he

was able to get her to focus on herself more than what God Said.

Then she fell to the Temptation and did what we call Sin.

She disobeyed the word of the king all sin stems from you.

Choosing what you want above? What God Said.

That's the root of all sin. A selfish choice to take what I

want instead of what God has said and every day, that's all

you're faced with is that choice?

That's your tree everyday self or God.

So God could talk to Modern Believers this way.

He could say listen. Any good thing that I've ever

made for you everything. I've said in my word is all at

your disposal, take all of it and choose all of it.

There's just one thing you can't choose.

That's yourself. The moment you eat from the Tree

of self. You destroy your Dominion. so,

if we need to be saved, Couldn't we say the greatest thing that

Jesus saved me from I could say this, the greatest thing he

saved me from was myself. I don't have to side with myself

anymore. If I come to a situation where

my own selfish desires rise up, I don't have to choose me.

I can choose him. And in that moment, I don't need

saving from a consequence. I'm saved because I don't have

to have a consequence. I'm not in curing more and more

and more consequences every day because I'm just a sorry sinner.

Don't be deceived if you're a sinner, you practice sin and

that's what you are. But if you're righteous, you

practice righteousness. It's really simple.

I love how that verse remember it started, I said, oh, little

children, That means this is Elementary principal.

The one who practices righteousness is, what the one

who practices sin is what a sinner and belongs to.

How are we over comp? Yeah, thank you.

Being a light bulb. It's not just the shine on my

head. See, I knew that joke would go

over. Well, it's not in here.

I didn't write it down. Pastor Marcus would have.

I did not so note that So again, when Jesus shows up as our

ultimate example, he didn't show up as a person who continually

blew it and all we see is his pattern of making a mistake and

how to get out of the mistake and making a mistake and how to

get out of mistake and make a mistake and talking to the

father. That was not his pattern.

His pattern was only dominating, it was only Rising above

Temptation and saying I don't have to succumb to it.

It was only being faced with situations that he said I'm

gonna choose God. And Jesus is the perfect example

because he always only ever chose God.

But he's Jesus, right? Nobody's perfect.

Hey hey, hey, don't say that. You sound stupid because

somebody was his name is Jesus and he's your example and you

would say I'm a Christian. I'm christ-like.

I'm like Christ in every way except I sent all the time, you

can't be that you can't be in Christ and a thinner.

Doesn't it sound wacky? I mean, seriously, there's

people other Christian radio just this week.

It's why I don't turn it on and it came on randomly against my

will. I didn't want it on and it came

on this person was like, you know, we're all just sorry

Sinners. Why is that a coin?

The phrase among the charge If you're a sorry sinner, you're

not in with him. Again, in the Old Testament.

That's what they were Abraham. All them could get together and

sing together. We're all sorry.

Sinners saved by grace. Let me they were Sinners.

It was inevitable in their life but Jesus is work in his death

burial and Resurrection saved. You from the inevitability of

sin, it is no longer what just happens with you.

We're all human. Yeah, we're all human, but I'm

in a different kind of humanity. I'm in a redeemed, Humanity, I

got born again. I came into this Kingdom, and I

know where I am. I'm not lost in the woods.

I know where I'm supposed to be. Ask me what I've been saved

from. I've got an answer.

It's good. The last question that we really

last is what are we saved for? Because again, if this was

really just about Jesus coming and dying so that you could just

go to heaven, one day, he didn't have to do that.

He came to empower your daily living.

He didn't save you for an end goal.

He saved you for now, in fact all through the gospels, Jesus

was always addressing people's present tense life.

Present tense. This Kingdom that we preach is

not a just a future tense. Its present tense, right now.

When you got transferred from the domain of Darkness, could

do, we all understand this? This passage, we were

transferred from the domain of Darkness into the kingdom of his

beloved Son in whom, there is redemption and forgiveness of

sins. When are we there?

Maybe. When are we there?

When did that happen? Are you in the Kingdom right

now? Where does that happen?

When you die? Does it change the way you live

right now? Or will it just be better when

you die? Is there something you need to

do? Is their responsibility for you

because I found most Believers when they're lost in the woods

is because they have allowed sin to come in and have such a

strong hold. That it breaks off their

dominion. And even though they're supposed

to dominate, they fall into the Trap of trying to dominate while

being dominated and it'll never happen.

If something dominates you, you'll never dominate the planet

and if your purpose is to dominate the planet and

something's dominating you, you'll never enter your destiny.

And I found so many times, when somebody says what's my purpose,

you know, I just want to know my purpose.

It's a big question, guys. It's a huge question.

How do you find your purpose? I mean, it's one of the biggest

challenges you'll ever have is finding and entering into the

assignment that God gave you before you were born.

But so many people can't find their purpose because the

foundation of their purpose is to dominate yet.

They constantly allow other things to dominate them and they

you can't dominate while being dominated.

I've got this addiction and, you know, God just, he's just

forgives me and I just go back to it from time to time, but

it's just because it's just, you know, I'm just only human.

I gave up only human when I got into Christ.

I became a god human. I came a human with the spirit

of God living inside of me. That's different than only

human. So, I'm not only human, I'm no

longer mirrored in the Apostle. Paul say that we're no longer

mirror, we're something greater because the greater one is in

US. Okay, well, let's look over

here. Let's go to Ephesians chapter 2

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

because what were we saved for? Why did we be saved?

Why does this matter? If he's ins 2:1.

Says and when you were dead in your trespasses and sins, we've

covered clearly before Christ. We were this, right?

We were dead in our trespasses and sins.

Then it says in which you formerly walked according to the

course of this world, according to the prince of the power of

the air of the spirit that is now working in the sons of

disobedience. The sons of Disobedience sin is

simply disobeying the word of the king, which means these

people are just operating. It's in verse 3, says among

them. We too all formerly lived in the

lusts of our flesh. Important to note the word

formerly, he's not talking to Believers at the church of

Ephesus and saying we to all presently live in the lusts of

our flesh because we're all just sorry.

Sinners saved by grace. No.

He said, we formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh.

Indulging in the desires of the Flesh, and of the mind.

And by Nature, we were children of Wrath, even as the rest verse

4, but God being rich in Mercy. Let me just tell you, you didn't

deserve his saving. We didn't deserve it again.

Nobody's given the argument that.

It's not of it's not of Works. Lest any man should boast.

It wasn't something we did to earn his saving us.

But now that he's saved us, don't diminish what he's done

because you want to go back to what he saved you from.

Again, even as a parent, leave that up there as a parent, if my

child went over and got shocked in electrocuted in the light

socket and I rescued them on my oh my gosh and we are

resuscitated him and they came back to life and I saved her

life because I brought them back to life from them talking and

they immediately got up and went back again and I just let him do

it and then I'll just CPR again. And we just have this cycle

where every time they get up how wacky but how many Believers are

doing that the very thing they were saved from and rescued from

in the consequence that they had all the sudden they wake up in

their salvation and go right back to the thing they need

saving from He didn't come to save your consequence.

He came to save you from the thing that was creating

consequence. But God being rich in Mercy

because of his great love and which he loved us.

Even when we We're dead in our transgressions transgressions,

he made us alive together with Christ by Grace.

You've been saved and he raised us up with him and seated us

with him in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Say in Christ is their sin and Christ.

Where are you in? Christ is their sin and you are

you gonna sin? If you do, can you stay in

Christ? Deep question.

We're gonna keep going verse 7, so that in ages to come, he

might show The surpassing Riches of his grace and kindness

towards us in Christ. Is their sin in Christ.

If you want. What's in Christ?

Can you get it through sin? Okay.

Just trying to, We're just trying to just just do we get

it, you know, I'm just wondering.

For by Grace, you have been saved through faith, not of

ourselves, but is a gift of God, not as the result of works.

So that one may boast, but for we are his workmanship.

And, again, we ask the question, what were you say from?

But then the next question is, what were you saved for?

It's answered here. We were his workmanship created

in Christ for, that's a bad word and it's in the Bible.

Works as a bad word. In fact, I find most of the time

when someone wants to quote, to me something about works that

use this passage It's not of our works, lest any man should

boast. but if you just finish out the passage, it says, we

were his workmanship created in Christ for Good works.

Which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

I think God is expecting more from Believers than Believers.

Are expecting from believers. Are we tracking with What's

Happening Here? God, prepared and created us for

good works. So you were saved to do.

The Lord's will and there's nothing holding you back from

always obeying and getting it right?

Every time. The only thing that would

Endeavor hinder you is the same thing that would hinder even the

garden. The same thing that would I

mean, who was listen, who was Lucifer's enemy?

We know that in this in the story that picks up with

Humanity, the enemy in the garden is the serpent.

Who was the Serpent's enemy in heaven?

Himself. Sometimes we we pray and we want

God to Deliver Us from something.

But the thing we really need to liver from is our flesh.

And I'm sorry you can't have a Deliverance service for the

flesh. You're not gonna come down,

we're gonna play Canada and I look what the lawn and you come

down and just dance the flash off.

You're gonna put on worship music in your house and your

flesh is going to melt away. And when you make your daily

choices and daily decisions, you're still gonna have to

choose. Do I side with what I want or do

I side with What God Says? Do I side with my flesh?

Or do I side with my spirit? It's Paul was clear.

You're at War these two things, go against each other.

All the time. You're never free from the

conflict of do I choose flash, or do I choose spirit?

In fact, if he delivered you from the conflict, he's removed.

Your free will. The existence of the choice.

Do I choose God? Or do I choose me?

Means you have a free will in a God who will never violate that.

And it's such a powerful, Eternal principle.

The devil will never ever violated either ever.

The devil is coming after me. Yeah, but he's coming after you

with one thing. A choice.

Always the devil made me do it. No he didn't.

You're a little kid, little kid. Say that stuff.

Don't be a little baby about it. That wouldn't make you do

anything to bed. Offered you?

A choice C was easy for you when she really just new.

I'm just gonna do what God wants and all the sudden, whenever a,

the contrary came in and was handed over on a platter, don't

do what God Said. He didn't force her to do

anything. He offered a choice to choose.

Do you want what you want or do you want?

My God doesn't? He had a good argument?

Look what it would do for you? Think about you think about your

family. Think about how tired you would

be. Think about how hard it is,

raining outside and churches today.

But what if the rain gets you really wet before you go in?

You can listen on YouTube on Thursday.

But God said don't forsake the assembling of ourselves together

and why would I do that for the sake of the weather?

But what will it do for your kids?

They'll get wet to. These are the real life

situations that we deal with. We're not I mean not God's not

tempting. Everybody to murder and rape and

steal and plunder with good people.

All he does is he tempts you with good things?

That aren't the right thing that God said?

Because in the end all he tempted Eve with was, eat some

fruit. Who's going to say that's bad.

Who ate fruit today. Was it bad?

No. So what he did is tempted her

with something that was good but not right?

But we have to be mature enough to distinguish between the two.

What has God said that I should do?

What has God said in his word? Do I do that thing or do?

I do what I want? The last scripture tonight,

we'll look at is this and we should leave here tonight.

Empowered, we started one way. We're ending one way because I

do want to make mention to this because I just have this

thought, you know what, it was awesome.

So I'm going to say it God started the whole story with the

tree. And when that one fell apart, he

started a new story with you with a tree, the thing.

Wow. In the Bible, it says that

cursed is any man that hangs on a tree.

Why? Because the first curse was

hanging on a tree. It was taken off the tree.

And use selfishly. So, be careful with what you do

with the man who hung on a tree for you.

Because you can take him selfishly and miss the gift.

that when man fell with the first tree, got offered a second

tree, that contained all that you would need to overcome 1st.

John 4:4 says this you are from God little children and you have

John 4:4

overcome overcome. Say I've overcome Because

greater is he? Remember, look, he with the

capital, got it. He that is in you, he who is in

you than he, who is in the world.

What could the world come against you with?

That would force you to forfeit your Dominion.

Nothing. The better question is, what

could you do and bring against yourself to forfeit your

Dominion? Because in the end, whether we

do God's will or don't will stand before him?

Alone, not with our pastors, not with our parents, not with our

friends, not with our children, not with the person who did us

wrong. we're all alone will stand there and he'll say, Did

you do? My will?

Or did you do yours? And you'll give an answer.

One of my favorite quotes by c.s.

Lewis, is he said in the end? There's only two kinds of

people. Those who say to the Lord thy

will be done and those to whom. The Lord says, thy will be done.

You have the choice and the ability to choose God to choose,

right? And to live above sin.

And only you. But again first John, 4:4 and

you are from God. And you have overcome because

greater is what's inside of you than anything that could come

against you. Amen.

All right. Let's pray father.

God, we thank you, Lord, so much for the word tonight.

We thank you that you truly have redeemed, us and saved us, and

brought us out of what was damaging Our Lives into a

lifestyle, that would only produce life, and joy and peace

at all times. Lord, you empowered more than

just A consequence in an afterlife, but Lord, you

empowered, our present life and our ability to choose right?

Right now, So father I pray right now.

I think he that each and every one of us Lord, no matter where

we've come from. No matter what.

We've done, we don't focus on who we used to be or where we

came from. But Lord continue to reveal to

us the plans in the purposes and the and the dreams and the

things that you have for us in our future so that we can truly

give an answer and say I'm a Child of God.

I was a sorry sinner. I was bound by sin but Grace has

brought me and made me a brand new person who's no longer

hindered by anything. This world will throw at me.

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