ABOVE ALL: Walking in the Victory of Jesus - Part 7: A Broken Heart | Pastor Pablo Morales

Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is

an international church in Bangkok, Thailand,

with dozens of nationalities worshiping together.

We invite you to connect with us from wherever

you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our

mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed

by this week's sermon. Starting in March, we

began this series called Above All. And today

we will continue on this series and we're going

to finish it. It's the last study on the whole

series. So I pray that the Lord will use this

time to really consolidate your understanding

of what Jesus has done. Before we enter into

this time, please join me as I pray. Lord, as

we were singing, the very same power that raised

Jesus from the dead is the one that lives in

me. That is so profound, so true. It is true.

It is true. I will get to see that even more

today as we study your word. I'm asking you,

Lord, you know that I can only open the word

and preach a sermon, but only you can reach the

heart. I'm asking you, Lord, reach the heart.

Use me in your power and in your grace. to take

us where you want us to be. In Jesus' name we

pray, amen. I would like to start this last study

of the series by doing a quick summary. And what

we discover at the beginning is that when the

book of Hebrews talks about what Jesus came to

accomplish in our salvation, we discover that

Jesus Hebrews says, had to become a human being,

flesh and blood, because by only becoming a human

being, he could die, and only by dying, he could

break the power of Satan over humanity. And as

we started the studies, section by section, what

emerges is that the problem that humanity had,

it was, classified in these three distinct areas.

First is that there's a spiritual being called

Lucifer or Satan, who is the one that leads the

opposition against God, and he's called the prince

of this world. He is the prince of the kingdom

of darkness, the kingdom that humanity was under

after... the first humans decided not to love

God and follow Him. And because after those humans

became sinners and mortal, sin and death spread

to everyone. And as sinners, now Satan had the

power to accuse because we were guilty. And he

could use that against us to separate us from

God. But not only that, The Bible says that after

dying, Satan had the power over death, and therefore

he had the power to separate us from God. And

therefore, when Jesus comes to do his ministry,

and he dies and he resurrects, what the Bible

describes is Jesus accomplishing a salvation

that addresses all these three areas right to

the core. First, as a human being, Satan was

not able to control Jesus, to compromise Jesus,

to dupe Jesus into becoming under his power.

Satan tempted him, tried to deter him from his

mission, but he couldn't. And because Jesus died

and resurrected never, ever, Engaging in any

form of sin, Satan had no power over Jesus, and

therefore Jesus breaks the power that Satan had

over humanity. And now Jesus has all authority

instead. Secondly, by dying on the cross, we

discover that Jesus took away the account of

the record against us. And by dying on the cross,

then he took away the power that Satan had to

accuse us because there was nothing anymore that

he could accuse us for because Jesus had paid

for it. And that's why Jesus now breaks the power

of Satan to accuse. But then after Jesus dies,

before he resurrects, the Bible says that he

went into Hades. the place of the dead. And in

it, he broke the power that Satan had there.

And he opened the way to heaven so that people

now, God's people can go and be with God instead

of being separated from him. And at that moment,

through his death and resurrection, Jesus breaks

the power that death had to separate. And one

day, death will be the last enemy to be destroyed

at the end of human history when Jesus returns.

So by doing these things, Jesus accomplished

a salvation that addressed all of these different

things. And now he is inviting us to walk in

the victory that he has accomplished. If all

of this is new to you or you missed some of the

studies, I encourage you to go to our ECB app

or our ECB website. at ecb .asia, and you can

access all these studies, including the videos,

the audio, the PowerPoints, the study guide,

all of that available for you. So this is the

summary of what we have covered so far. Today,

I want to turn to a very different part of the

study. But before doing that, I want you to read

this verse with me because this verse from Colossians

summarizes beautifully What we just said. In

the previous slides. Let's read it together.

For he has rescued us. From the kingdom of darkness.

And transferred us. To the kingdom of his dear

son. Who purchased our freedom. And forgave our

sins. That's it. Simple. Profound. This is the

victory that Jesus has accomplished. And after

understanding that, we need to dig a little bit

deeper today to really understand the very last

part of what Jesus has accomplished and what

he's inviting us to experience. And I would like

to ask this question. How is your heart? I don't

mean, what are you doing? What are your plans?

I'm talking about... The deepest part of you.

How's your heart? How are you really, really

doing? And you might realize that depending the

day I ask you that question, your answer might

change. Because there's something of all these

inner part of our lives that seems to be a little

bit kind of Complicated. In fact, Jeremiah, the

prophet, reflecting on this, put it very simply.

And he says, you know, the heart is deceitful

about all things and beyond cure. Who can understand

it? Yeah. Complicated. And at moments it feels

as if it's beyond cure. Jesus was talking about

this aspect of our lives to the people during

his ministry. And in the Gospel of Matthew chapter

Matthew 15 · chapter mention

15, he observes two things. One of them is that

when people are not doing well in their heart

level, they can still play the religious game.

And he says, you know, these people honor me

with their lips, but their hearts, it's a different

story. Their heart is far from me. Have you ever

felt that way? You read the Bible, you did the

prayer, you sang the song, but it's like somehow

there's like a disconnect. You feel distant.

And Jesus says, yeah, sometimes people want to

worship God, but their heart is not in it. And

not only that, Jesus said in the same chapter

that the heart gets a little bit uglier. Because

he says, for from the heart come what? Evil thoughts.

You have evil thoughts? Yeah? Comes from the

heart? Murder. Adultery. All sexual immorality.

Theft. lying and slander. All of this comes from

the heart and these are the things that defile

you, that contaminate you, that compromise you.

It's like, okay, Jesus, you're getting a little

bit too personal here. It's like, you are reading

my mail here. But it gets even worse because

the Apostle Paul tells us, that our inner life,

all of these things, when they get worse and

worse and worse, it's a reality, especially if

Jesus is not your Savior. He says, Satan, who

is the God of this world, has blinded the minds

of those who don't believe, and they are unable

to see the glorious light of the good news. It's

like not only there's an internal thing, but

there's this external spiritual thing. And all

of it combined, it's like, okay, how is my heart?

Based on what we just read, I can tell you, you

know, your heart is broken and can be distant

and even blinded. And depending on where you

are in your relationship with God, those words

will change. But the heart is a complicated thing

and it's not pretty. But the good news is that

God cares about your heart the most. Your inner

life, that deepest part of your being. And the

Word of God says that God wants to do something

in there. He heals the brokenhearted. And he

bandages their wounds. What God is interested

in doing. Is in reaching that deep place that

is broken. And entering into a process of healing.

Now hear me right. I'm not saying God is interested

in fixing you. He is interested in healing you.

And there's a big difference. When the bike needs

fixing, you go, done, okay, let's use it again.

But when your arm is broken, you don't go, okay,

fixed, let's use it again. It's like, oh, you

have to enter a journey, a process that is more

complex, and there are many more parts of the

body compromised here, so the whole thing is...

And takes time. And God is interested in inviting

you. With your broken heart. And the mess that

is inside. To enter into a journey. Where he.

Not you. He can heal the broken hearted. And

he can bandage their wounds. That's why. As we

enter this study today. How does God heal a broken

heart? What has Jesus accomplished. That can

reach that deep part of our being. And what is

he inviting us to? In order to understand this.

We will have to understand. What Jesus. After

his resurrection. Because after Jesus resurrected.

Remember. He just have come out. Of dealing with

Hades. And opening the way to God. And taking

the power from Satan over that. So he comes there

victorious. And now he comes on a mission. To

start moving things forward. First part of the

plan done. Second part of the plan done. Now

the third part of the plan has to come in place.

What was the first part of the plan? Well, get

to the cross and die. Second part of the plan,

go to Hades and destroy death. Third part of

the plan, heal the heart and allow people to

start experiencing God's healing. And therefore,

he appears to the apostles. And in the words

that he's going to start describing to them,

he is going to give us the hint of the beginning

of this healing plan to heal the broken heart.

Now let's read. What the book of Luke tells us

happened after Jesus resurrected. The apostles

are there gathering. Some of them have seen Jesus

resurrected. Some of them haven't. They are confused

about what's going on. It's just everything was

so vivid. The cross, the crucifixion, seeing

Jesus being carried now to the tomb. All of these

things were so fresh in their minds that the

idea that Jesus was alive was... Was so confusing

still. So as they are talking about all of these

different things. While they were still talking

about this. Jesus himself stood among them and

said to them. Peace be with you. And they were

startled and frightened. Thinking they saw a

ghost. A ghost like that. And Jesus says to them.

Why are you troubled? Why do doubts rise in your

minds? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. It

is myself. Touch me and see. A ghost does not

have flesh and bones as you see I have. He is

resurrected. His spirit came out of Hades. Enter.

His body. His body resurrected. And now. He is

going to. Prepare to go. And ascend. To the father

in heaven. And at that moment. They are trying

to figure out. What does that make any sense.

What's going on. And even though Jesus is inviting

them. To see the evidence. For them to realize

this is true. Jesus is like. What can I do to

make you get it? I'm not a ghost. So then he

says to them, he showed them his hands, his feet,

and how they still did not believe it because

of joy and amazement. Then he asked them, do

you have anything here to eat? And they gave

him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and

ate it in the presence. So you can imagine Jesus

appearing to them and saying, a ghost. No, I'm

not a ghost. Look, I'm not a ghost. No, a ghost.

And Jesus says, no. Do you have anything to eat?

Fish, give me the fish. You see, I'm not a ghost.

And at that moment, he says to them. This is

what I told you while I was still with you. Don't

you remember? Everything must be fulfilled that

is written about me in the law of Moses, the

prophets, and the Psalms. Basically, the entire

Old Testament has prophesied about me, the Messiah,

coming and fulfilling all of these things that

you have seen happen. Why are you acting so surprised?

I told you this before. And at that moment, he

opens their minds so they can understand. Then

he opened their minds so they could understand

the scriptures. And he told them, this is what

I mean. This is what is written in the Old Testament,

in the first half of the Bible, ancient writings.

Before Jesus was even born. This is what was

written. The Messiah will suffer and rise from

the dead on the third day. And repentance for

the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his

name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. Right

here where they are having that conversation

at that moment. And before reading the next verses.

Here is the outline. It's highlighting all these

things. What Jesus came to accomplish. He says

look. I had to suffer. I had to go through the

cross. Because by dying on the cross. The record

against us was cancelled. And the power of Satan

to accuse removed. But not only that, I had to

rise from the dead on the third day. Because

I had to go to Hades and spend time there to

break the power of Satan. And I rise now. I am

alive. So that the power of Satan over death

could be destroyed. But now there's a new phase.

And that phase hasn't happened yet. It's going

to happen now. So he tells them. Repentance.

For the forgiveness of sins. Would be preaching

his names. To all nations. Beginning at Jerusalem.

And from that point on. He's going to start explaining.

How this is going to happen. And he tells them.

Then in the next verse. You are witnesses. Of

these things. And you will. Be my witnesses now

and proclaim the forgiveness of sins that I have

now achieved. But I'm going to send you what

my Father has promised first. So you will have

to stay in this city until you have been clothed

with power from on high. Because for you to be

able to do this and enter the new... of this

salvation that I have accomplished, this has

to happen. What is Jesus talking about? What

is this power from on high that they need to

experience first? Well, Jesus had already talked

about this a little bit earlier. During the last

supper, he told them lots of things before he

was crucified. And we can find that exactly in

the book of John. In John chapter 14, He told

John 14 · chapter mention

them this, I will ask the Father, and He will

give you another what? Another advocate. God

is going to give you someone like me that is

going to be for you. And this someone is going

to do something very specific. This advocate

will never leave you. When will this advocate

leave them? Never. Once he comes, he will never

leave you. And who is this advocate? Who is this

person that will never leave them? He says in

verse 17. He is the Holy Spirit. Who leads into

all truth. He tells them look. I'm going to ask

the Father to send you someone. Who is named

the Holy Spirit. And he is going to lead you

into all truth. And this Holy Spirit. The world

cannot receive him. Because. It is not looking

for him and does not recognize him, but you know

him. Because he lives with you now, later will

be in you. Jesus had told the apostles that there

was going to be a moment that the Holy Spirit

was going to come. And until now, they had experienced

a dimension of that reality because the Holy

Spirit was with them. Right? If they are with

Jesus, and Jesus has the Holy Spirit, then the

Holy Spirit is with them too. But something is

going to change. At a point in time, the Holy

Spirit now is going to be in them. And when Jesus

talked about this later in the same chapters,

he tells them, I have to leave. I have to ascend

to heaven before the Holy Spirit can come. And

I know that is going to sadden you, but believe

me, it's better that this happen because if I

stay, the Holy Spirit won't come. I have to leave

first for the Holy Spirit to come. So this is

what he told them. In the book of Luke. This

is the promise that the Father is going to send

you. And did you notice by the way. That when

Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit. He didn't

say. The world cannot receive it. Because it's

not looking for it. The Holy Spirit is not an

it. Or a something. Or like an energy that is

impersonal. It describes him as a person. And

this person is the one that will reach the inside

of you, will be in you. And in order to understand

how this works, we have to go back to the beginning

review. We saw how Jesus overcame Satan and sin

and death. But I want to explain something about

the reality of sin in the human experience. Because

the Bible says that ever since the first humans

disobeyed God, all humans after that were born

sinners. And you and I have this condition in

our being. that has this dual issue. One of them

is that being a sinner, having this condition

in our lives, means that sin has the power to

accuse, and this is what Satan would use. We're

guilty, and we carry the guilt, and we feel that

we are so undeserving because of the things that

we have done. Wouldn't it be great if there was

a way to remove that guilt so we don't have to

live through life feeling that we are so undeserving?

The second dimension of sin is that it has the

power to control, has the power to direct, or

I should say misdirect. And therefore, it causes

us to have all this shame because... We do things

that we shouldn't and we say things that we shouldn't

and we think things that we shouldn't and yet

it's there. Where is that coming from? Well,

Jesus said it comes from the heart. And we experience

shame, fear, and we withdraw because that place

is so ugly that if people just knew, wouldn't

it be great? If there was a way to live life

without shame and without being controlled by

these things, that would be awesome. Wouldn't

it be great if there was a way? Welcome to the

good news of what Jesus has accomplished. Because

that's exactly what salvation will do. When Jesus

comes and dies and pays for our sin and cancels

the record against us, he takes away the power

of sin to accuse and to make us walk in guilt.

Because we have been forgiven. And this forgiveness

of sin is what Jesus says needs to be now proclaimed

to the nations so that people know that there's

a way to be forgiven, that even though they have

guilt they carry, that can be removed from them.

But then, to get to the deepest part, which is

the controlling one, how do you get there? This.

It's the Holy Spirit's role. The Holy Spirit

that the Father promised will be in you. And

when He is in you, He will begin this healing

process in your life. And that healing process

will last the rest of your life until it's complete.

And this process will be complete. On the day

that we are glorified. When Jesus comes back.

And at that time. The Holy Spirit will complete

his assignment. To remove the whole thing from

us. I shared before when my mother was diagnosed

with stomach cancer. All the treatment that she

had to go through. But it was very complicated.

Until the day that she was declared. Cancer free.

And one day you and I will be declared sin free.

Guilt free. Shame free. Why? Because the Holy

Spirit will complete the treatment inside of

us. And when that day comes, the Apostle John

says we will be like him. This is what Jesus

is talking about when he told the apostles, look,

I had to suffer. I had to resurrect. But now

the forgiveness of sins has to be proclaimed

and the Holy Spirit has to come. Because this,

it was the plan for the healing of the broken

heart. And therefore, what we have to understand

now, It's how Jesus meant for this strategy to

be accomplished. And so it happens that there

are three things that the Holy Spirit is going

to do in the life of anyone that follows Jesus.

The first thing that he has to do is to enter

the heart. How is the Holy Spirit going to enter?

That broken heart to start the treatment of healing.

How is he going to do that? What needs to happen?

There are many people that live in fear because

they do not know whether they have the Holy Spirit

or whether the Holy Spirit has left them. And

maybe you are one of them. So it's very important

that we understand what the Bible says here.

I want to ask you to read out loud with me. Ephesians

Ephesians 1:13

chapter 1 verse 13. This is a letter that the

Apostle Paul writes to these first Christians

in the city of Ephesus. They worship pagan deities.

They channel spirits. They were involved in all

of these different things. And they heard the

gospel. And they learned about forgiveness of

sins. And now the Apostle Paul writes to them

to explain to them so they can understand more

about their salvation and look at what he tells

them. Together. And now you Gentiles have also

heard the truth, the good news that God saves

you. And when you believe in Christ, He identified

you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit

whom he promised long ago. He's telling these

Christians, look guys, I know you are not Jews,

you are Gentiles, but the gospel and the forgiveness

that God gave is for all. And something happened

in your life. You were given the Holy Spirit.

that have been promised long ago. You have been

given the Holy Spirit now to be in you. But the

question is, when were you given the Holy Spirit?

When? When did the Holy Spirit enter them to

now start reaching that deep part of the broken

heart to begin this healing process? When? Now

it's your job to look at the verse and give me

the answer. When? And when you believed in Christ.

It doesn't get any clearer than this. If you

were ever wondering, what do I need to do to

have the Holy Spirit come into this broken heart?

What you need to do is that you need to believe

in Jesus. And when you give your life to Jesus,

Jesus says, sure, here, Holy Spirit, in. I had

a friend many years ago that was a colleague

of mine and she came from a church that they

were teaching her that she did not have the Holy

Spirit. Because she hadn't had certain kinds

of manifestations that she thought she needed

to have. And she's asking me, and she says, you

know, I'm feeling discouraged today because they're

telling me all these things, and I try everything

they tell me, but nothing happens, you know.

They have even given me a little phrase that

I need to repeat, repeat, repeat, so my tongue

will get loose. They say that will help me. And

she says, all confused, and she says, you know,

I... I believe in Jesus, so I don't understand.

And I started explaining to her, this is what

the Bible says. You see it? I knew it. She was

so excited to realize that the Bible says that

when you believe in Jesus, you are given the

Holy Spirit. And she says, Pablo, you have no

idea what this means to me. Could you come and

teach my family about this? So sure, we organized

a meal together and I went to visit her home.

And the whole family was there together to do

the study. And at the end, everybody was so comforted

to know that they didn't need to memorize all

these things for their tongue to get loose. That

they did not need to fall on the ground to experience

some kind of experience to prove something. That

simply Jesus said, I will give you the Holy Spirit

the day you give me your life. So I do not know

if you are wrestling with this, but I'm here

to tell you. Jesus, when he talked about the

promise of the Holy Spirit coming to be in us,

he said very clearly, from the very beginning,

to avoid any confusion, He said from the very

beginning, this Holy Spirit that will come to

be in you will never leave you. The moment he's

in, he's in to stay until the day of our glorification.

So if you are a follower of Jesus that has been

confused and living in fear, thinking... Oh,

I thought the Holy Spirit left me. Or maybe I

don't have the Holy Spirit. Or maybe this or

that. I want you to stop. Don't freak out. Just

stop. And simply answer one question. Do you

believe that Jesus is your Savior? Have you repented

of your sin and given your life to Jesus? Yes

or no? If the answer is no. then you don't have

the Holy Spirit. You are under the domain of

the prince of this world, the kingdom of darkness.

But if the answer is yes, then you have been

transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the

kingdom of the son he loves, Jesus. And Jesus

has given you the Holy Spirit to be in you to

begin this healing process for the rest of your

life. And you can put that doubt to rest. Okay.

So, phase one is the Holy Spirit has to enter

the heart. What is the next thing? Well, the

Holy Spirit now is going to clean the heart.

Because the heart is broken. The heart is filthy.

This inner part of our being is wrestling with

lots of things. That are not what God wants us

to experience. He wants us to experience his

life. So this is what the Bible says. That the

Holy Spirit came to accomplish. Let's read it

together. When God our Savior revealed his kindness

and love. He saved us. Not because of righteous

things we had done. But because of his mercy,

he washed away our sins, giving us a new birth,

a new life through the Holy Spirit. Oh, he saved

us because we were good people. And we tried

very hard, so we deserved that he saved us. Is

that what we read? It's like the wife that needed

to take the car to do car wash. But before she

took it to the car wash, she was cleaning it

a little bit. Because she felt that it was too

dirty. And it's like, wait, that's what the car

wash is for. You don't need to try to help the

car wash to clean it. He saved you. Not because

you were good enough to be saved. He saved you

not for the things that you have done. Actually,

he had to save you because of the things that

you had done. He saved you out of his mercy.

Nothing more, nothing less. And when He saved

you, He gave you the Holy Spirit to give you

a new birth and a new life and starts washing

all your sins away. Washing it away. Washing

it away. Because when the Holy Spirit moves in,

He begins a transformation that only he can do.

I entered pastoral ministry when I was 29 years

old. And I remember that part of my salary package

at the church was that the church owned a house.

We call it the parsonage, if you heard that word

before. It's a house that a church owns and then

they provide the housing for the pastor to live

there. Except that not only the church was dying,

but also the house. And God called us there.

I was out of the question. So that's what we

were serving at the beginning. And I remember

I walked in that house and it was like, oh, this

house is not livable right now. The ceiling has

a hole. Things look horrible, smells old. So

we began fixing certain things, painted the walls,

and did a couple of things, brought the furniture

in. And the old smell, that's not something we

could do anything about, the house was old. So

we just moved in. And when we moved in, we did

not move in because the house was great. It was

because the house was what was given to us. But

you know how long I lived in that house? 18 years.

All our kids were born there, made in Texas.

But that house was nothing like the house I lived

in once I left. 18 years gave us plenty of time

to remodel that house completely. I mean... We

opened the kitchen, did new cabinets, changed

floor, all counters were new. The TV room, we

changed the carpet, we retextured the walls,

we put nice soft carpet. The laundry room, we

changed the dryer, the washer, we put new dryer

and washer. We painted, put a cabinet on top,

the bathrooms. The bathrooms, we changed all

the tiles. We brought glass. We removed the curtains,

put glass. It was very nice. You could take in

the shower, and it was beautiful. We removed

the counters. We put big windows, I mean, mirrors

in the hall, covering the whole wall, so even

though it was a small bathroom, it looked big.

And the living room, well, we changed the flooring,

and we put wood flooring that was like bamboo

color. It was nice. It looked so nice with the

new color walls. The windows were old. You could

hear every car driving by. We changed the windows.

You know that you can have windows that are sealed

and that you don't hear anything on the other

side? Amazing. And the outside, well, the outside,

we changed the roof, completely replaced, put

a new roof in it. And then after that, actually,

the outside, we had the front yard, we had the

backyard, we planted grass. And then I had to

water with the hose and realize what were we

thinking. We need to put sprinkler system. So

we put a sprinkler system all over the front

and the back of the house. We trimmed the oak

tree in the front, the oak tree in the back.

We built a deck in the backyard. We put one of

those trampolines that you jump on, you know,

for the kids. And then the fence that were all

dark, all gray, fading, all wood. We removed

all of that. We built a whole new fence. And

with a very nice design on top. So it did not

matter where you walked into that house. It looked

nice. But that took 18 years. And it didn't matter

what contractor I was working with. It didn't

matter what project I was in, I would tell the

people, you have to remember that this house

is not mine. People are going to live here years

away after I move from here. So make sure you

do a good job. When the Holy Spirit moved in

my heart, it wasn't livable. Not nice. The things

he found in there, not nice. And so your heart,

same story. But he's going to wash away the mess.

And the good thing is he's not limited to 18

years. The rest of your life. He's going to do

one room, then the other, then this one, then...

Because you cannot take all of it at once. And

he is going to make your life become something

that is not yet. Because the healing process

is a process that will last. The Lord is not

done with you. He doesn't think you are disgusting.

He knows that you were broken. That's why he

needed to move in. Just let him do his job and

trust patiently in what he's doing. After that,

what the Holy Spirit is going to do, as he enters

and as he starts washing away, he is going to

fill you. He wants to fill your heart so that

it doesn't smell anymore like the old house.

It's going to have a fresh smell. What is that

smell? What does he want to fill you with? Let's

read it together. Romans 5, 5. And this hope

will not lead to disappointment, for we know

how dearly God loves us. Because he has given

us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his

love. What? He wants to fill my heart with what?

With his love. That is what he's interested in.

I wish we knew this earlier. Because people like

Jennifer, for instance, that grew up going to

church since they were little. And she was always

told, don't do this thing. Don't do that. God

is going to punish you. So she grows up trying

to be good. And then she's told, don't go to

the movies. That's where sinful people go. So

she never went to a movie theater. And then she

was told, don't listen to music that has drums

in it. Because drums is the instrument of the

devil. So she never listened to any drums. And

then she was told, don't wear any pants because,

you know, prostitutes wear pants. So it's like,

okay. And she loved Jesus. But that little girl

became an adult. And that adult became a missionary.

And she was spokeswoman. for the gospel of love

and grace of Jesus, except that love and grace

was anything that was in her heart. Because she

kept feeling that she was a disappointment to

God. Because all of her life following Jesus

was about, did you check the list? Huh? Huh?

Don't do that. Do this. That was her Christian

experience. She had never realized that Jesus

has sent the Holy Spirit into her heart not to

fill her with good behavior, but with His love.

And that is where everything flows. And one of

the things that we do at home with our kids,

since they were little, is that when birthday

time came, they will give us a card, but they

will make it. And I remember the first cards

when they were little toddlers, you know, all

these drawings, cute drawings, you know, stick

people, right, and dad with a face and everything,

and love you, puppy, and all these different

things. But at the very beginning, they did not

know how to spell. And some of the words were

just misspelled, or a letter is backwards, and

they're not coloring right. It's outside the

lines, you know? So when you take that card from

your toddler child that loves you so much, and

they're trying to put it in that card, you don't

go like, well, you don't know how to spell, do

you? You know, this is not colored right. Try

again. Try a little bit harder. That's not what

you would do. And we are like that toddler. Anything

I can do for God, as long as I'm not glorified,

anything I can do for God is like that card.

I don't want to misspell things. It's not going

to be colored with the right combinations of

this and that. But God loves me. And he wants

me to experience that love. And therefore I understand

that my love for God is a broken love. It's an

imperfect love. But that is the love that I can

give. And that is the love that God welcomes.

If we are not filled with the love of God, then

something else will fill it. And if it's not

love, it's going to be these feelings of shame.

And these feelings that you are unworthy of God.

And that is not from God. The Holy Spirit wants

to fill you with His love. And that is the freedom

that Jesus accomplished. So with this, now we

understand what Jesus has done. As he overcame

the power of Satan, and as he ascends, he sends

the Holy Spirit now, which by the way, in May

we'll get to celebrate Pentecost Sunday when

we celebrate the fulfillment of the promise of

the coming of the Holy Spirit. So Jesus made

a way. For the Holy Spirit to come. Enter our

hearts when we believe. Begin washing away our

sins. And removing things from our heart. And

remodeling our home. Until the day of redemption.

And until that he's going to fill us with his

love. And you know I picture that with like a

glass that has dirty water in it. And instead

of going, let's replace the water. No, he starts

filling us with his love. And before you know

it, the water looks cleaner and cleaner and cleaner

and cleaner. And you become so transformed that

you never saw it coming. Because God has filled

you with his love. And you know what that is

going to look like at the end? Glorified. Sinless.

Immortal. As we learned last week. So I want

to conclude this study with a couple of things.

First of all, Jesus is inviting you to walk in

the victory he accomplished, and that means seek

deeper intimacy with the Holy Spirit he sent.

And if you come from a place where you worship

spirits, so when you hear Holy Spirit, it's like,

that freaks me out. I am afraid of spirits. This

is not like that. The Holy Spirit is holy. It's

good. And when Jesus talked about the Holy Spirit,

he used certain words. He is the advocate. He

is for you, not against you. So you can trust

him with your future. As he guides you, trust

him. He is your advocate. Secondly, Jesus said

that the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit of truth.

He's going to speak truth to you, even when you

don't want to hear it. He's going to convict

you. And when the Holy Spirit is convicting you,

He's doing that not because He's disgusted with

you. He's doing that because He loves you and

He wants you to walk in truth. So you can trust

Him when He convicts you. You can obey Him. It's

for your good. He's not trying to enslave you.

And Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is the comforter.

As the comforter, he's there to comfort you when

you are in pain and in suffering. So when you're

in pain, don't walk away from God. Walk to him

instead. You can trust him with your pain. So

if you are feeling that you need to walk away

from God because you cannot trust that he's for

you. Or that you cannot trust that what he's

convicting you is going to be better if you obey

him. Or you cannot trust God because you don't

think that He cares about your pain. That is

from the enemy. Jesus accomplished this salvation

so that you can experience life with the Holy

Spirit. And that's exactly what the new series

is going to be about starting next week. Life

with the Holy Spirit. So are you walking with

the Holy Spirit? Is Jesus your Savior? Have you

believed in Jesus? If not, you cannot walk with

the Holy Spirit because you have no Holy Spirit

in you. But if Jesus is your Savior, then walk

with the Holy Spirit. Let Him lead you into this

healing journey and trust Him with all of it.

And finally, as the last study of this series,

in this series we have explored what Jesus accomplished

from his earthly ministry to the cross, to the

resurrection, to his ascension, to his return.

And what Jesus has accomplished for us is huge.

Are you walking in the victory of Jesus? That

is something that I pray will be true of all

of us as we continue this journey of following

Jesus together. Lord Jesus, you are above all.

And as we declare this from our hearts, if Jesus

is not your savior, I invite you to tell the

Lord, Lord, I give my life to you. I will follow

you. I do not understand what this will look

like, but I don't need to. I'll just trust you

where I am today. Follow him. Lord Jesus, thank

you for this amazing salvation you have accomplished.

So intricate, so complex. But you did it. And

you found a way to reach the hardest place to

fall. our hearts. Fill us with your love. Teach

us what it's like to live in your love. In Jesus'

name I pray, amen. Thank you for tuning in to

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