July 7, 2025 • 49 mins
How often do we mistake God's grace as permission to sin freely rather than understanding it as the transformative power that enables us to turn away from sin completely?
Grace is the unmerited favor given through Christ's sacrifice, but many Christians have developed a dangerous misunderstanding—believing grace provides freedom to sin without consequences. This podcast episode tackles this misconception head-on, exploring how we often acknowledge ourselves as "blood-bought children" while making choices that directly contradict our proclaimed faith.
True repentance isn't merely feeling remorseful or offering hollow apologies. It represents a complete 180-degree turn from sin toward our Savior. Looking at the thief on the cross in Luke 23:39-43, we see the perfect model of genuine repentance—acknowledging guilt, recognizing Christ's innocence, and believing in Jesus as King. Even in his final moments, this man's sincere heart transformation was honored with Christ's promise of paradise.
We examine how our relationship with "the world" affects our spiritual walk, exploring James 4:4's warning that friendship with the world creates enmity with God. This doesn't mean avoiding relationships with non-believers but refusing to embrace worldly values that pull us from authentic faith. The episode challenges listeners to consider where their treasures truly lie—in temporal possessions or eternal rewards.
Whether you're struggling with habitual sin, wondering about the nature of true repentance, or seeking to understand grace more deeply, this conversation will inspire you to live a life worthy of Christ. Remember, Jesus doesn't expect perfection before we come to Him, but He does invite transformation after we do.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Walmart.
It's not really devotional.
It's kind of a one-year guideto reading your Bible, helps you
get through it.
And the very first day that Iopened it I bought it.
I probably had it for a coupleof months before I cracked it
open.
The very first day that Iopened it, the very first
paragraph that I read, I waslike this is God knew what I
needed and how I need it andwhen I needed it.
(00:22):
So here's what this firstparagraph says and I want to
read it to you.
It says Genesis is the book oflaw.
So it starts in Genesis andworks our way through.
Genesis is a book of law.
It is not a science book or ahistory book, though it does
tell us a lot about history.
While scripture is 100% true, itisn't always 100% literal.
It's important for us to holdour scientific conclusions or
(00:44):
our opinions with an open hand.
It's even more important tohold our questions with an open
hand, because this book isn'tnecessarily here to answer them.
It's here to reveal God.
Holy smokes right, because howmany people challenge what the
Word of God says with logic orwith emotion?
(01:06):
That is not what the Bible ishere to do.
The Bible is designed to revealGod, amen.
Okay, a couple of weeks ago,before I started preaching, I
got up here and I was talkingabout repentance and the Lord
kept working on me and he saidyeah, that was fine, you did
what I told you to do.
But there's so much more, andso today I want to start with a
(01:29):
passage of scripture in the bookof Luke.
We're going to start in chapter23, verse 39.
It's Luke 23, 39.
And we're going to read through43.
So if you've got your Biblesand you want to get them out, if
not, it'll be on the screen foryou, so we'll keep you moving.
It says one of the criminalshanging beside him scoffed.
So you're the Messiah?
(01:50):
Are you Prove it by savingyourself and us too, while
you're at it.
But the other criminalprotested don't you fear God,
even when you have beensentenced to die?
We deserve to die for ourcrimes, but this man hasn't done
anything wrong.
Then he said Jesus, remember mewhen you come into your kingdom
(02:17):
.
And Jesus replied I assure youtoday you will be with me in
paradise.
So the message that I want todeliver today is about grace and
mercy and repentance, and Iwant to start by saying that I
think we misunderstand grace.
See, grace is essential to thegospel and it's the unmerited
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favor freely given through JesusChrist's death on the cross.
Amen, we can all agree on that.
Amen, yes, we're excited.
Today Everybody got to bed late, right?
All right, we're excited.
It was freely given throughJesus Christ.
But it is not freedom to sinwithout consequence and that's
what we hold on to.
(03:01):
Well, I'm covered in the blood,yes, you are, but it does not
mean that you should willinglylive in sin.
Amen, amen.
Okay, so we all know that, butwe, many of us I don't want to
say all of us many of us chooseto ignore it.
Right, see, some of us.
We know that we areblood-bought children of the
Almighty.
(03:21):
Amen that.
I know that Jesus Christ, bornof a virgin, came to this world,
went to the cross, died for mysins, rose again on the third
day and pretty soon he's comingback for me, amen.
But then I go out and I spendthe 4th of July with my friends
drinking beer and smoking weed.
(03:41):
Right?
Am I telling you the truth?
Because somehow we havecalculated that, because I am
saved, I can do what I want.
I'm telling you that we havemisunderstood grace and we
choose to abuse God's goodness,amen.
Now I want to remind you thatif you were in the Old Testament
, if you were pre-Jesus era, wewould all be killed, beheaded,
(04:04):
impaled, whatever the case maybe, because God was wrathful.
It was through the grace ofJesus, god giving us his one and
only begotten son, thatwhosoever should believe in him
shall not die but haveeverlasting life, amen.
So if I have everlasting life,if I know that Jesus came to die
(04:25):
for me, then I should bewilling to choose to live
without sin.
Amen.
Now I said it, but now I haveto live it right.
It's easy to say, it's easy toput on paper, it is not easy to
live.
But remember it is God'sunmerited favor, freely given
(04:45):
through Jesus Christ.
But it is not freedom to sinwithout consequence Romans 6, 1
and 2, it says Well then, wellthen, right.
Well then, should we keep onsinning so God can show us more
and more of his wonderful grace?
This is a question he's askinga question Should we continue to
(05:07):
do what we want so God cancontinue to show us grace?
Of course not.
Since we have died to sin.
How can we continue to live init?
If we are alive in Christ, weare dead to sin, amen.
So why do we choose to live init?
We choose to live in it as asimple word the choice right.
(05:31):
It is a choice to live in sin,right?
So when you do something thatyou know you're not supposed to
do, you ever get that stillsmall voice that says, hey, you
probably shouldn't do that.
You probably shouldn't say that.
Hey, you probably shouldn'tlook at that.
Hey, why are you looking atMarcus like that?
Marcus, you want to come overhere and sit, buddy, you want to
come over here and sit.
Listen, there are a lot of waysthat we can be sinning.
(05:57):
We always like to think of thebig ones, right, we always like
to think of the big ones.
I think where most of us gettripped up today and every day,
is when we start talking aboutone another.
Listen, that's the one I'mtelling you.
It's so easy.
It isn't easy to pull somebodyinto that or to get pulled into
it, like you say to yourselflisten, I know this person's
(06:18):
gonna try to get me to talkabout so-and-so and I ain't
gonna do it.
I'm not going to.
I don't care what they say, I'mnot having this conversation.
The next thing you know, you'rehaving that conversation.
It's easy to do, but I'mtelling you that that is what
the enemy is using today as histactic, because all of the other
things we've become smart to,right Now we've.
(06:38):
So people get all worked upbecause I, you know, smoking is
a choice.
Right, it's not good for yourbody If you're putting that
before the Lord.
And I'll just be honest withyou, I used to, every Sunday
morning when I was on theworship team Dan Burway, his
wife's not here today Wendy wewould, he and I he was the
drummer, I was singer we'd sneakout back behind the building,
we'd smoke a cigarette before westarted praise and worship.
(06:59):
Right, I was choosing that overprayer because I would go and
smoke while they were in theprayer room.
Right, I was choosing that overministry.
See, that's when it becomessinful, right?
How many of us are again goingout to the bar on Saturday night
(07:20):
and then coming to church onSunday morning and pretending
like nothing ever happened?
Shut up, marcus.
Listen.
Some of y'all come in here highas a kite.
Some of you have come in herehungover.
I know it's not a secret andI'm going to tell you if you
think it's a secret.
Probably everybody knows, right, probably everybody has figured
it out.
You don't hide it.
(07:40):
Well, the problem is, is it's achoice?
And then we come into churchand we come to the altar and
we're in front of the altar ohLord, forgive me.
Hey, I'm not saying there'sanything wrong with that,
because that is repentance.
But repentance is not just lipservice.
Amen, it is not just lipservice.
This isn't just telling God oh,I'm sorry, I won't do that
again.
(08:06):
I listened to a podcast theother day and it was this guy
who, as a kid, his parents wouldpunish him when he would do
something, mean by writing anessay.
Listen, my kids think you'rekilling them if you make them
write something, even if youmake them write their name and a
birthday card.
Right, can we voice detect thatbirthday card?
Like, is there a faster way to?
And it's interesting because hesaid he felt like it was
(08:28):
torture.
His parents tortured him withthis and every time they did
something they had to answerfive questions.
I can't remember all of thequestions, but there was no
length requirement on the essay.
You just had to hit all fivepoints.
Some of them were things likehow was I responsible for what
happened?
Facts on how it happened.
How am I going to make it right?
And one of them was I don'tremember, but again.
(08:51):
So there were these five pointsand he said he absolutely hated
doing it.
And then one day he was incollege and he had a roommate
and the roommate had left someleftovers sit out and he decided
, well, if he left them sit out,he's obviously not going to eat
them.
So he went and ate them and hisroommate came home and his
roommate was mad and he said tohis roommate I'm sorry that I
(09:12):
ate your leftovers.
I obviously wasn't thinking howthat would affect you and I
will replace them tomorrow.
And again, I just want you toknow how genuinely sorry I am.
And the guy said to him that'sthe most full and sincere
apology I've ever had.
And he realized in that momenthis parents were teaching him
how to apologize.
In all of those things.
He was learning a life lessonthat most of us have never
(09:35):
learned.
Because we say I'm sorry becauseI don't want you to be mad at
me, right?
We say I'm sorry because wewant you to still talk to us.
We say I'm sorry because Istill want whatever favor I have
in your life.
We don't say I'm sorry becausewe're actually sorry.
It's the same thing with God,because you don't see God face
to face, amen.
(09:55):
So whenever you're at the altar, god, I'm sorry that I'm here
hungover, lord, I'm sorry that Iwas calling that person a name,
and, lord, I'll never talkabout that person.
Don't lie to God, because healready knows, he already knows.
The problem is is you're onyour knees in front of him and
you're saying these things, butyou can't see his face, and so
if I tell him I'm sorry, maybehe'll believe me.
(10:17):
Amen, maybe he'll believe me.
Grace saves us from sin, notallows us a lifestyle into sin.
Amen.
Grace removes us from sin.
It doesn't permit us to have alifestyle of sin.
(10:39):
Titus 2.11.
It says for the grace of Godhas been revealed, bringing
salvation to all people, and weare instructed to turn from
godless living and sinfulpleasures.
We should live.
We should live in this evilworld with wisdom, righteousness
(11:00):
and devotion to God.
Amen.
Go back to that first one forme.
It says for the grace of Godhas been revealed, bringing
salvation to all people.
We are instructed to turn fromgodless living and sinful
pleasure.
If the grace of God is intendedto turn us from sinful living.
(11:21):
As Christians, we should be thefirst to turn from sinful
living, amen.
See, the world shouldn't be ableto look at us and go well, they
sin, so I can sin.
See, a lot of times we use that.
Well, I'm not perfect.
I'm not trying to be perfect,but I'm also not trying to go
out into the world to make theworld think that I am of the
world.
I live in the world.
I am not of the world.
(11:42):
I live in the world.
I am not of the world.
I don't have to participate inworldly sports, right?
I don't have to do a pub crawlto prove that I live in the
world.
Listen, this flesh is hereevery day.
I'm walking this walk every day.
I am not perfect, but I am nottrying to abuse the grace that
God has bestowed upon me.
(12:02):
I am trying to live in hisunmerited favor by turning away
from sin at every opportunity.
Listen, repentance is not just afeeling, because you can feel
bad, right?
You ever said something tosomebody and then felt bad about
saying it.
Something to somebody and thenfelt bad about saying it right?
(12:29):
It's not just a feeling.
It's not just about feeling bad, it's a decision.
Repentance is a 180 degree,turn from sin to Savior.
Right, we're not focused on thesin, we're focused on the
Savior.
And so when we come to thealtar or when we stand in our
seat with our arms raised highand we're asking God for
forgiveness, this is not just sothat we can be forgiven, it is
(12:49):
so that we can be pleasing untoGod, so that we can live in that
unmerited favor.
Amen, amen.
Listen, I'm not here to beatyou up.
I'm here to tell you that we'redoing it wrong.
We are doing it wrong as achurch, as the church, as the
body, as the people who aresupposed to be bringing the
world to Christ.
We keep telling them the samething Jesus loves you, jesus
(13:13):
loves you.
He may love you and he may wantyou to come into his fold, but
he does not want you to sin.
You will not have unmeritedfavor if you choose to live
willingly in sinful nature.
Amen, and see the church.
We don't wanna talk about thatanymore.
Listen, I was on.
(13:34):
I love social media because Ilike to watch.
Do you guys know nobody's gonnaknow this there's this guy who
plays piano at Disney.
His name is Grayson.
Has anybody ever seen any ofhis videos on Facebook or TikTok
?
Yeah, so my dad was just atDisney.
His name is Grayson.
Has anybody ever seen any ofhis videos on Facebook or TikTok
?
Yeah, so my dad was just atDisney last week and I'm
obsessed with this guy.
He's like 24 years old and heplays the piano like nobody's
business and he does it all frommemory.
You can tell him to play a song.
(13:55):
He'll think for a second andhe'll just play it.
It's fascinating to me thatsomebody's brain can retain that
right.
Okay, can retain that right.
Okay, I don't know where I wasgoing with that.
Yep, don't know where I wasgoing with that, but let me just
tell you if you ever get thechance to watch this, oh, that's
(14:15):
why I like social media.
That's where I was going.
I enjoy watching that kind ofstuff on social media.
I don't enjoy watching,although.
Have you ever watched thoseskater videos where, like,
people try to make ramps andthey fall and they hurt
themselves, like?
I do that every time, but I dolike to watch those.
I don't know why.
It's just one of those weirdlike, but I don't want to watch
videos of people fighting.
Have you ever seen those?
Like?
(14:36):
People record other people fistfighting and then post them on
social media.
Why are we doing that?
Why is that the world we chooseto live in Right?
So I was on social media and Iwas watching a couple of videos.
And I was watching a video of apastor who was preaching and I
(15:00):
had to stop and pause it for asecond because I was like they
certainly didn't just say what Ithink they said.
I rewound it it and I watchedit again and they started using
feminine pronouns for God and Ithought, all right, let it slide
, let's keep watching.
And pretty soon it got to thepoint to where they were
basically telling you that wearen't really sinners, we don't
sin.
We just we haven't acceptedgrace for ourselves yet.
(15:23):
What, what?
I'm going to tell you, ifpeople are attending that church
, they're going to hell.
If they're going there and theybelieve that they will end up
in hell, listen, we can loveeach other all day long.
We can love each other all daylong, but if our choice is sin
because remember that we knowthat we can lose salvation if we
(15:47):
choose to walk away, If we sayI am not going to believe in God
any longer, I'm going to walkaway from my faith, and I'm
going to tell you what my sisteris that way right now and it
breaks my heart.
It breaks my heart.
She says I'll never set foot ina church again and I'm like,
but why?
And she says I just won't.
She has chosen.
She knows better, but she haschosen to walk away from her
(16:10):
savior.
That means she won't get toheaven.
Do you know how hard that is tosay, how hard that is to think?
Because, like, I'd like to hither in the head with a hammer
because she knows better.
That's what this is here for,by the way.
She knows better but choosesnot to live in better.
(16:31):
Right, okay, okay.
Acts 3.19.
It says now repent of your sinsand turn to God so that your
sins may be wiped away.
What does that mean?
That means when I come to Godwith a pure and clean heart and
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I say to him Lord, lord, you aremy savior, take this sin from
me.
It doesn't mean you're notgoing to fall short at some
point, but you are willinglygiving it to him.
Right, you can't lay it downand pick it up as you walk away.
I always picture it like thosesuitcases on wheels.
You know what I mean.
You bring it to the altar withyou and you sit it there.
(17:15):
But on your way back out of thebuilding, you come up and
collect your luggage and headback out.
Right, it's like the baggagecheck.
We drop it here when we walk inbecause we want to be in a
spirit of worship, in a momentof worship, we want to be in his
presence right, but it's anexperience for us and we want to
enjoy it.
But then we want to carry allthe stuff back out with us
because I'll be darned if I'mgoing to let that go.
(17:36):
Right.
You ain't going to say that tome and expect me to just lay it
down.
Right, I might tell you I did,but I didn't.
I might pretend like I did, butI didn't.
And I'm going to pick it backup and I'm going to carry it
around and it's going to beheavy for me.
But you don't give a crap.
You don't even know I'mcarrying it.
(17:56):
You don't even know I'm pullingit behind me.
And I continue to just wearmyself out and wear my, and then
I get to the point to where I'mlike I don't want to do this
anymore.
God, if you can't fix this, I'mgoing to walk away.
And he says I tried to fix it.
I let you lay it down.
You chose to pick it up.
You chose to pick it up.
(18:17):
Isaiah 55, 7.
It says let the wicked changetheir ways and banish the very
thought of doing wrong.
Banish the very thought ofdoing wrong.
Welcome to the HimalayasMonsters Inc.
Anybody.
No, that's fine.
It's just what you get, guys,if we banish the very thought of
(18:41):
doing wrong.
Remember, sin starts here.
The mind is the battlefield,right, when we're thinking
negative thoughts, when we'rethinking bad things.
Listen, some of us are goingthrough some stuff today, right?
Amen, hallelujah, Thank you,jesus.
We're going through it and allwe do is think about it.
We can't do anything else withour lives.
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We're constantly consumed withall of the things that are
happening good, bad orindifferent.
We can't do anything else withour lives.
We're constantly consumed withall of the things that are
happening, good, bad orindifferent.
We can't allow ourselves tofocus on the Savior because we
are focusing on the bad.
Let them turn to the Lord thathe may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for hewill forgive generously.
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Now I believe that my wife and Iwe give generously, right we
always, if there's a cause.
We went and got breakfast atthe fireworks festival yesterday
and you could get sausage,gravy and biscuits and a hash
brown, or you could get abreakfast sandwich and a hash
brown, and it was by donationonly.
So we're like, okay, well,we'll give like $10 a breakfast.
(19:47):
That seems fair, right, becauseI'm thinking sausage, gravy and
biscuits, that's a decent meal.
So my wife donates the moneyand then we get these tiny
little portions and I was like,dang it, it was a $5 breakfast,
not a $10 breakfast.
But then I thought, thought,but we are supporting a cause
that we love, right?
We enjoyed being able to be atthe fireworks festival and all
(20:08):
of that money goes back to them.
That's wonderful, right.
So we give very generously, butoftentimes we don't forgive
generously, right?
That's hard to do.
It's hard to forgive generouslybecause every time somebody does
something to us, it consumes usat every turn.
Have you ever dealt withsomebody and then had to see
(20:29):
them real quick afterwards?
They had a situation.
Then you have to see thesepeople.
You're like I don't want tolook at their face, I don't want
to talk to them.
I don't want to be in the sameroom as them face, I don't want
to talk to them, I don't want tobe in the same room as them and
God says well, guess whatyou're going to be.
You know why?
Because he needs you to let itgo.
Let it go, elsa.
Let it go, because there is noreason to hold on to it.
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You are not doing that personany good and you're not doing
yourself any good.
If God has grace and mercy onyou, why can you not have it on
somebody else?
Matthew 3, 8.
Here it is Prove, by the waythat you live, that you have
repented of your sins and turnedto God.
Amen.
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Prove by the way that you live,that you have repented of your
sins and turned to God.
Again, I ask you do you come tothe altar and say God, I'm
laying this down at your feetand then leave and go?
Listen, you peel out of theparking lot, you get out to
Macaulay Drive and realize youcan't go straight because you
really wanted subway.
And then you run the lightanyway and you're giving
somebody the bird as you fly byand it turns out it's your
(21:33):
pastor, right?
See, I have a luxury.
You guys don't do that to mebecause you recognize my car, so
but it happens, right, you doit and you realize it's somebody
you go to church with orsomebody that knows that you
attend church.
Right, if you live a life ofsinful nature but proclaim to be
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a Christian, the world thinkseveryone is like you, everyone.
That's why I don't go to church, because those Christians are
hypocrites.
Listen, this should look morelike a hospital than it does a
country club, right, like weain't coming in here because
we're perfect.
We're coming in here because weneed healed.
But when we walk out of thisplace, it should be game face
(22:18):
right.
You come in to worship shouldbe game face right.
You come into worship, youleave to serve, amen.
And you should be serving aworld of people who are lost and
broken and you need to provethat Jesus Christ is king of
your life, amen.
2 Corinthians 5, 17.
This means that anyone whobelongs to Christ has become a
new person.
The old life is gone and a newlife has begun, amen.
(22:45):
Thank you, jesus, for a newlife.
Listen, I've been through somestuff.
I've seen some ugly things inmy life.
I've done some ugly things inmy life.
I am thankful for that grace.
But here's the thing I can't dothose ugly things anymore.
I can't be that person.
But here's the thing I can't dothose ugly things anymore.
I can't be that person.
I can't call people names and Ican't throw stuff.
And I remember one time theseare not like when I share this
(23:05):
stuff.
I just need you to understandthat I haven't always been a
perfect person.
I remember one time I took ajewelry armoire one of those
ones that stands up about thistall, had somebody say something
to me.
I didn't like.
I grabbed that sucker by itsfront legs and smashed it off
the wall, blew into pieces,doors coming off, jewelry flying
everywhere, and I thoughtthat'll serve you, right?
(23:25):
Well, guess who had to clean itup?
Right, think about it.
It sounds like such a a mundanestatement to make, but I wasn't
always living for Christ.
I wasn't always doing andsaying things that I wanted the
world to see.
And then you try to keep thatstuff hush-hush.
I'm going to be honest with youguys.
You legacy members are luckyyou didn't grow up with social
media.
People didn't take videos ofyou saying stupid things at
(23:46):
McDonald's, right, because Iguarantee you did it.
There just wasn't video proof,right?
I watched a video of a ladyknocking stuff off the
McDonald's counter and throwingfood at people because she was
mad that she didn't get whateverit was that she wanted fast
enough, right?
(24:06):
That's the world that we livein today and that we stand and
record it as entertainment.
Listen, sin is notentertainment.
Sin is not entertainment.
All right, I want to jump backto the thief on the cross again.
So, if we can go back to Luke23, I just want to read this
again real quick.
It says one of the criminalshanging beside him scoffed so
you're the Messiah, are youProve it by saving yourself and
us too, while you're at it.
(24:27):
But the other criminalprotested don't you fear God,
even when you have beensentenced to death?
We deserve to die for ourcrimes, but this man hasn't done
anything wrong.
Then he said Jesus, remember mewhen you come into your kingdom
.
And Jesus replied I assure youtoday you will be with me in
(24:49):
paradise.
So I want to talk about and thiswas stemmed from the podcast,
last podcast episode, by the waythis pretty much this whole
second half of the message.
I love not being in that roomsometimes, but then I just yell
at you guys while I'm listeningto it on the radio, it's true,
(25:10):
like I'm riding in the car andI'm like no, no, no, wait, wait,
wait.
I've got a point to make.
Can't nobody hear it but me.
I'm gonna have to startrecording mine and then putting
it in over top of theirs,because it's it's such a great,
it was such a great message.
But they were talking aboutdeathbed um repentance, and I
believe that it's a true thing.
We see it in the thief on thecross, right.
(25:30):
But what did the thief on thecross do?
He acknowledged his guilt.
We deserve to die, right.
He knew that he was wrong.
He recognized Christ'sinnocence this man has done
nothing wrong and he believed asJesus and as king.
Remember me as king, rememberme when you come into your
(25:54):
kingdom.
Hanging on the cross, herepented of his sin.
He believed that Jesus Christwas his Lord and Savior.
The guy on the other side waslike you fool, this guy can't
even get himself down.
How do you think he's going tosave you if he can't save
himself?
Little did he know that Jesuswasn't willing to save himself
(26:17):
because he needed to save usinstead.
Amen.
Romans 10, verses 9 and 10.
If you openly declare that Jesusis Lord and believe in your
heart that God raised him fromthe dead you will be saved.
(26:38):
For it is by believing in yourheart that you are made right
with God and by openly declaringyour faith that you are saved.
That's the reason that we havea water baptism right.
That is an open declarationthat we have turned our lives to
Christ, amen.
Here's the thing, for bybelieving in your heart that you
(27:00):
are made right with God lostyou pull that back up In your
heart that you are made rightwith God.
And it is by openly declaringyour faith that you are saved.
Right Saved, it doesn't say bygood works, it doesn't say by
(27:20):
being kind, it doesn't say anyof those things.
Now listen, discipleship isgreat because that's how we make
new Christians right, that'show we.
But when we make disciplesthrough social and just hanging
out and being friends with oneanother and saying you should
come to church with me on Sunday, that's wonderful, right,
because that's how people end upbecoming saved.
But just because they sit in apew doesn't mean they're saved.
(27:43):
They have to be willing tobelieve that Jesus Christ is the
Lord of their life and whenthey do that, the good works
will come.
Naturally.
They will want to do goodthings.
It will be easier for them tounderstand.
Giving it will be easier forthem to understand.
Giving it will be easier forthem to understand being kind
and being gracious, right, thosethings come with being saved.
(28:04):
That is not what gets you saved.
It is not what gets you saved.
Listen, we could go see.
Do you guys see that guy on thecorner by Walmart all the time
with his repent sign?
I love that man Like, listen,there aren't many people brave
enough to do that anymore, right?
Remember they used to wearthose sandwich boards and walk
around town and you know, jesusis king, all of those things.
(28:26):
There aren't many people braveenough to do that.
Listen, we should be doing thatevery day through our actions.
Our lives should be a livingexample of repentance, grace and
of mercy.
Here's the thing.
You're going to see peoplesinning doesn't mean you have to
(28:46):
just call it out.
You have to love them.
But you still have to be ableto preach the truth.
You still have to be able tospeak truth into their life.
It's not easy to do.
Sometimes it's incrediblydifficult to do because when you
say it it rubs the wrong wayand it hurts feelings.
But iron sharpens iron, right,Iron sharpens iron.
And if I know that there is ahint of belief.
(29:10):
If there's faith, the grain ofa mustard seed in their body,
then I want them to repent oftheir sin.
I want them to be saved.
I want them to turn to Christbecause I want them to have
everlasting life.
I want them to be in thekingdom, right, even if I don't
like them.
I want them to be in thekingdom.
The great debate on the podcastwas what does heaven look like?
(29:32):
What does it look like when weget?
Will we know our loved ones?
We don't know.
I ain't never been there, Iain't ready to go just yet.
Now, if he gave me a revelationand showed it to me, it would
probably be hard to describebecause we, for our brains to
(29:53):
understand it, we would have tobe able to comprehend all of the
glory and all of the grandeurthat God truly is, and I don't
think that we can.
I think that our spirit canabsorb it, but I don't think
that our flesh can truly absorbit.
Even in death, that thief hadliving faith and Jesus honored
(30:17):
it Deathbed conversions are real.
It can happen, but only withtrue repentance.
So a lot of times what I'll getis I'll get a call that says hey
, you know my best friend,they're in hospice and you know
they're not a believer.
Can you come up and pray withthem?
Most of the time there'snothing there.
Right, I'm going to come do it,but I'm not going to make you
(30:41):
any promises.
I don't know.
Do I want to give you hope?
Yes, I certainly want to giveyou hope, but I cannot promise
because I don't know their heart.
I don't know what they've beenthrough, I don't know what.
Are they able to process this?
Because, honestly, I can't knowwhat they've been through.
I don't know what are they ableto process this?
Because, honestly, I can't getyou to heaven.
(31:01):
Jesus Christ is the only onethat can get you to heaven.
That's why I tell you thattoday is a great day for
salvation.
You're alive and breathingright now.
Right, this is when we should berepenting, turning of our sins,
looking to Jesus and living ourlives for Christ and not for
the world, because tomorrow isnot promised, this evening not
(31:22):
promised, this afternoon notpromised, and if we want to have
true salvation, true salvation,it has to begin right now, in
this moment.
We can't be looking at it goingI'll do it tomorrow.
We can't be looking at itsaying oh yeah, I'll do that.
(31:44):
No, no, stop, focus on whatmatters.
You get a bachelorette partytomorrow and you know they're
going to drink.
I'll wait until after that sothat I'm not silly.
It's just silly.
You're going to play cards withthe guys tonight and you know
(32:05):
there's going to be some beersthere.
Listen, stop.
Do you know how easy it is forme to say no when somebody
offers me alcohol?
Now listen, when I was 23 yearsold, if you offered me alcohol,
I was taking it.
Now listen, when I was 23 yearsold, if you offered me alcohol,
I was taking it Like two orthree at a time, however many
you'd give me.
Right Now I look at you and say, no, I'm good, I don't need to
(32:26):
explain myself.
Do you know why I don't need toexplain myself?
Because I know that God in meis already showing them why I
don't need it.
See, the enemy is workingthrough them to try to get me to
do something, to knock me offcourse.
I'm not willing to be knockedoff course, to be out of control
of my own body, right?
It doesn't make sense to me.
(32:47):
Now there are people whostruggle with that.
So my question is you decide tohave a barbecue and you invite
them and you offer it to them.
They may not be able to say no.
And now you have dragged themdown back into the pits of hell,
where they have been clawingand climbing and begging to be
(33:08):
released from Christians.
Don't do that to one another.
We should be willing to live alife centered on Christ.
What passage of scripture didwe just read?
Romans 10, 9, or not?
Yeah, 10, 9, and 10.
Hebrews 11, 6.
And it is impossible to pleaseGod without faith.
(33:30):
Anyone who wants to come to himmust believe that God exists
and that he rewards those whosincerely seek him.
That's the deathbed confessionpart that becomes a struggle God
exists and that he rewardsthose who sincerely seek him.
You can't seek him out ofdesperation, because you're
(33:51):
afraid of death.
You seek him because you knowthat he is king of kings and
lord of lords.
You seek him because you want adifferent life, because you
want salvation.
You want to be able to sharethe gospel with the world.
That is why we truly seek ourheavenly father.
We want to be saved.
Right, I want to go to heaven.
I don't want to go to hell.
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That sounds terrible.
I don't even like to go outsidewhen it's hot, let alone spend
eternity in hell.
I bet they got air conditioningin heaven.
I like central air, right, Ienjoy being here.
I'm standing in front of thisfan thinking this thing ain't
cool enough, right?
(34:32):
Listen, it is a choice that wemake every day.
Repentance is not a revolvingdoor between sin and forgiveness
.
We are all called to be worldlyChristians, but transformed
followers.
Amen.
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James 4.4.
It says you adulterers, don'tyou realize that friendship with
the world makes you the enemyof God?
Now, I'm not saying friendswith people who are of the world
.
I'm saying friendship with theworld.
When you're living in the world, when you're buddying up to sin
, when you're saying that thisisn't wrong, this is okay, this
is acceptable that is when youhave a problem Makes you an
(35:15):
enemy of God.
I say it again If you want tobe a friend of the world, you
make yourself an enemy of God.
Listen, I'll be enemies with alot of people.
I don't think I want to beenemies with God.
He is smarter than me.
He is stronger than me.
He knows all of the things thatI'm thinking, which means he
has an edge in all things.
(35:37):
Every time I think adversely,every time I act, speak, do
something that is opposite ofthe word of God.
He knows it, he sees it and itain't good for me.
Amen.
Now I can go back and I canrepent, but I have to genuinely
make change.
I have to do a 180 from sin toSavior.
(35:58):
1 John 2.15,.
Do not love this world, nor thethings it offers you.
For when you love the world,you do not have the love of the
Father in you.
For the world offers only acraving for physical pleasure,
amen, right.
When we talk about the world,it's always about some sort of
(36:21):
pleasure for us, right, acraving for everything we see
and pride in our achievementsand possessions.
This is not from the Father.
But these are not from theFather, but are from the world.
And the world is fading awayalong with everything that
(36:41):
people crave.
But anyone who does whatpleases God will live forever.
Your physical body will notlive forever.
That's not saying you're goingto get to live forever.
That is telling you that youwill have everlasting life.
Amen, amen, amen.
Telling you that you will haveeverlasting life, amen, amen.
(37:06):
Jesus doesn't say clean up yourlife first and then come.
He says come as you are, but healso tells us to never leave
the same.
Do you have John 8, 11?
Do you have John 8, 11?
No, lord, she said.
And Jesus said neither do I Goand sin no more.
(37:33):
Go and sin no more.
He's telling you.
You don't get to walk away andcontinue to sin.
I don't condemn you Now.
Go and sin no more.
There is, in fact, a line in thesand and we have to choose
which side we want to stand on.
You don't get to stand on bothsides.
You know there's a place whereyou can stand in four states all
(37:54):
at one time.
That's a pretty cool idea,right?
Sin's not like that.
Salvation's not like that.
You don't get to stand on theline.
You don't get to straddle theline.
You're picking a side, becauseif one foot is on the side of
sin, then your entire side is onsin.
It doesn't matter the sidethat's standing on.
Grace means nothing, becauseyour heart is revealed to God in
(38:16):
that moment and he realizesthat there's nothing I can do in
this moment.
You have to repent and turn toGod.
Galatians 5 24.
It says those who belong toChrist Jesus have nailed the
passions and desires of theirsinful nature to his cross and
(38:38):
crucified them there.
You don't need to be perfect torepent, you just need to be
willing to turn away.
You don't have to be perfect,you just have to be willing to
turn.
Repent from your sins.
Repent and turn to Jesus.
(38:59):
Don't repent and turn to theworld.
Do not repent and turn to theworld, because where will the
world put you?
Right back in sin.
We talk a lot about in the OldTestament.
The Jewish people would comeout of slavery and live for
(39:21):
seven years on a high, and then,guess what?
We get bored, we go right backinto it.
I think about when Moses wentup on the mountain to get the 10
commandments.
He comes back down and they'reall down here worshiping all of
these golden idols and he snapsthe tablets.
He's like seriously, seriously,I went to seek the face of God
(39:44):
on your behalf and this is whatyou chose.
Can I ask a question?
How many times do you go andseek the face of God and when
you walk out of there, you goright back into living in the
world?
Listen, those golden idols.
(40:06):
It's not the same as it used tobe.
It's not something that youlook at, something that you see.
Typically, it's what we carryin our pocket.
Right, it's technology, it'sour cell phones, it's maybe our
iPads, maybe it's our money.
Whatever it is that we have,it's those tangible goods, it's
the things that we can collectand have.
(40:27):
Listen, I've got this really badbug.
It is terrible.
I have to collect everything.
If it is collectible, I want tocollect it.
Right, mcdonald's.
I'm a sucker for all, like youknow.
Whenever they, you guys seethose cups they just brought out
with all the like, thenostalgic cups, I was like, do
you remember when they broughtout maybe it was Burger King, I
don't remember but the littleDisney cups that had, like,
pocahontas and all of the?
(40:48):
You guys remember that stuff?
It wasn't that terrible becausesomebody like me, I had to go
every week because I had to getone.
I had to have the whole set,right?
Ninja Turtle bowls Nick, Ithink you and I have talked
about this the cereal bowls thathad the Ninja Turtle heads on
them.
I had to have them all right,it's not healthy, because this
desire to constantly have more,what does it get me in heaven?
(41:10):
Nothing, nothing.
I'm building up riches on earth.
That means I lose all of theriches in heaven.
Listen, I don't want to do that, right?
Do you guys know how manyjumpsuits Elvis had?
It was like 126.
It was a lot.
Right, I'm nowhere close, mel,I think I'm at six or seven
(41:31):
right now.
But this is it's funny, butit's a realization.
I was looking through my closetand I was like mm.
Man, I got enough money to buyanother one.
Which one do I want?
And I start shopping and I'mlooking and I'm like I really
like that one, I really likethat one.
And I go back to the closet andI'm looking because you know
you got to decide on color basedon what you've already got.
Like, what's my color palettecurrently?
Like I don't need to buyanother black one or another red
(41:54):
one or another white one.
I need to get something new andfresh.
Right, amen, it's like shoes,ladies.
Right, you don't need six graysweaters.
You need a gray sweater, ayellow sweater, a pink sweater,
(42:15):
a blue sweater.
Right, okay, we can agree onthat.
Pastor Holly sent me a pictureof a pair of beautiful stiletto
heels she was going to buy.
They laced like all the way upto her calf.
I mean, those were whoo whoo.
And I was looking in my closetand I was like man, I haven't
wore that one in two years.
I haven't wore that one inprobably three years.
Why do I need another one?
(42:36):
I don't, but the world tells meI do right Now, not my wife.
Now, when I say the world, Idon't mean my wife because she
says no, you don't.
But when I watch other Elvistribute artists and they've got
these racks full of jumpsuitsand belts and boots they got six
, seven pairs of boots, I gottwo.
Doesn't seem fair, right,listen, I don't want to build up
(43:01):
riches on earth.
I want to save those rewardsfor heaven.
Amen, I want to save thoserewards for heaven.
Now I want to say thisRepentance is asking for
forgiveness.
Repentance is making change inyour life.
So when I talk about it, I wantto think about our daily lives
(43:21):
too right, want to think aboutour daily lives too right.
When we ask somebody forforgiveness, when we say I'm
sorry that I've done that to you, I'm sorry that I created that
stress, I'm sorry that I,whatever.
Right, we need to mean it andwe need to turn away from it.
(43:42):
It doesn't mean you get to sayI'm sorry and go back and do it
again.
It doesn't mean you get to sayI'm sorry and then go tell all
of your friends.
Well, get to say I'm sorry.
And then go tell all of yourfriends, well, I said I'm sorry.
But Right, I told him I wassorry because I'm just sick of
listening to it.
Right, I said I'm sorry becauseI don't want them to.
To listen when we repent of oursins is saying sorry to God.
With a change of attitude, witha change of lifestyle, treat
(44:05):
your life the same way.
For those of you who aremarried, that is the best piece
of advice that I can give you.
When you say I'm sorry, mean it, change your life.
Don't just pretend right,because when you just say it and
it's just lip service, you'regoing to do it again.
(44:25):
You're going to do it again.
And what happens when you do itagain?
The trust is broken.
And when we continue to breaktrust, relationships become
unbendable.
When we continue to break trust, hope is gone.
It is our responsibility asspouses, as friends, as
(44:55):
Christians, to live a lifeworthy of Jesus Christ.
Repent and turn from your sin.
Repent and turn to Jesus.
Do not repent and turn to theworld.
Let's pray together and thenwe're going to do communion.
Father, I thank you for the wordthat was delivered this morning
.
Lord, I thank you for theanointing that rested upon it.
Lord, allow that word topenetrate the hearts and the
(45:21):
minds of those who have heard it.
Lord, there is just so much tounderstand about grace and mercy
.
I thank you for giving usclarity and for giving us desire
to truly repent in turn of oursin.
Father, I thank you for theblessings that rest upon this
(45:42):
house.
Continue to lead us, guide usand direct us.
We pray all of this in yourprecious son, jesus' name, and
the church says amen.
Pastor Holly and Pastor Dave, or?
Oh, I spoke it.
I spoke it into existence.
I spoke it into existence.
(46:03):
Will you guys deliver communion?
And then, can I Blaine, willyou take deliver to Joe and Ruth
?
Miss Vicki, do you want us tobring your communion to you?
We'll bring it to you.
If you want us to bring yourcommunion to you, just raise
your hand and we'll bring it toyou.
That way, you don't have to tryto carry it.
We'll get you to Dan.
You're on the list.
You're already on the list.
And then also take care of theclassroom workers for me, please
(46:26):
.
This one right here is for theclassroom workers.
Thank you All right, we'll goahead and start on this side if
you want to work your way up.
(49:16):
Thank you, thank you um.
Thank you.
Walmart.
It's not really devotional.
It's kind of a one-year guideto reading your Bible, helps you
get through it.
And the very first day that Iopened it I bought it.
I probably had it for a coupleof months before I cracked it
open.
The very first day that Iopened it, the very first
paragraph that I read, I waslike this is God knew what I
needed and how I need it andwhen I needed it.
(00:22):
So here's what this firstparagraph says and I want to
read it to you.
It says Genesis is the book oflaw.
So it starts in Genesis andworks our way through.
Genesis is a book of law.
It is not a science book or ahistory book, though it does
tell us a lot about history.
While scripture is 100% true, itisn't always 100% literal.
It's important for us to holdour scientific conclusions or
(00:44):
our opinions with an open hand.
It's even more important tohold our questions with an open
hand, because this book isn'tnecessarily here to answer them.
It's here to reveal God.
Holy smokes right, because howmany people challenge what the
Word of God says with logic orwith emotion?
(01:06):
That is not what the Bible ishere to do.
The Bible is designed to revealGod, amen.
Okay, a couple of weeks ago,before I started preaching, I
got up here and I was talkingabout repentance and the Lord
kept working on me and he saidyeah, that was fine, you did
what I told you to do.
But there's so much more, andso today I want to start with a
(01:29):
passage of scripture in the bookof Luke.
We're going to start in chapter23, verse 39.
It's Luke 23, 39.
And we're going to read through43.
So if you've got your Biblesand you want to get them out, if
not, it'll be on the screen foryou, so we'll keep you moving.
It says one of the criminalshanging beside him scoffed.
So you're the Messiah?
(01:50):
Are you Prove it by savingyourself and us too, while
you're at it.
But the other criminalprotested don't you fear God,
even when you have beensentenced to die?
We deserve to die for ourcrimes, but this man hasn't done
anything wrong.
Then he said Jesus, remember mewhen you come into your kingdom
(02:17):
.
And Jesus replied I assure youtoday you will be with me in
paradise.
So the message that I want todeliver today is about grace and
mercy and repentance, and Iwant to start by saying that I
think we misunderstand grace.
See, grace is essential to thegospel and it's the unmerited
(02:40):
favor freely given through JesusChrist's death on the cross.
Amen, we can all agree on that.
Amen, yes, we're excited.
Today Everybody got to bed late, right?
All right, we're excited.
It was freely given throughJesus Christ.
But it is not freedom to sinwithout consequence and that's
what we hold on to.
(03:01):
Well, I'm covered in the blood,yes, you are, but it does not
mean that you should willinglylive in sin.
Amen, amen.
Okay, so we all know that, butwe, many of us I don't want to
say all of us many of us chooseto ignore it.
Right, see, some of us.
We know that we areblood-bought children of the
Almighty.
(03:21):
Amen that.
I know that Jesus Christ, bornof a virgin, came to this world,
went to the cross, died for mysins, rose again on the third
day and pretty soon he's comingback for me, amen.
But then I go out and I spendthe 4th of July with my friends
drinking beer and smoking weed.
(03:41):
Right?
Am I telling you the truth?
Because somehow we havecalculated that, because I am
saved, I can do what I want.
I'm telling you that we havemisunderstood grace and we
choose to abuse God's goodness,amen.
Now I want to remind you thatif you were in the Old Testament
, if you were pre-Jesus era, wewould all be killed, beheaded,
(04:04):
impaled, whatever the case maybe, because God was wrathful.
It was through the grace ofJesus, god giving us his one and
only begotten son, thatwhosoever should believe in him
shall not die but haveeverlasting life, amen.
So if I have everlasting life,if I know that Jesus came to die
(04:25):
for me, then I should bewilling to choose to live
without sin.
Amen.
Now I said it, but now I haveto live it right.
It's easy to say, it's easy toput on paper, it is not easy to
live.
But remember it is God'sunmerited favor, freely given
(04:45):
through Jesus Christ.
But it is not freedom to sinwithout consequence Romans 6, 1
and 2, it says Well then, wellthen, right.
Well then, should we keep onsinning so God can show us more
and more of his wonderful grace?
This is a question he's askinga question Should we continue to
(05:07):
do what we want so God cancontinue to show us grace?
Of course not.
Since we have died to sin.
How can we continue to live init?
If we are alive in Christ, weare dead to sin, amen.
So why do we choose to live init?
We choose to live in it as asimple word the choice right.
(05:31):
It is a choice to live in sin,right?
So when you do something thatyou know you're not supposed to
do, you ever get that stillsmall voice that says, hey, you
probably shouldn't do that.
You probably shouldn't say that.
Hey, you probably shouldn'tlook at that.
Hey, why are you looking atMarcus like that?
Marcus, you want to come overhere and sit, buddy, you want to
come over here and sit.
Listen, there are a lot of waysthat we can be sinning.
(05:57):
We always like to think of thebig ones, right, we always like
to think of the big ones.
I think where most of us gettripped up today and every day,
is when we start talking aboutone another.
Listen, that's the one I'mtelling you.
It's so easy.
It isn't easy to pull somebodyinto that or to get pulled into
it, like you say to yourselflisten, I know this person's
(06:18):
gonna try to get me to talkabout so-and-so and I ain't
gonna do it.
I'm not going to.
I don't care what they say, I'mnot having this conversation.
The next thing you know, you'rehaving that conversation.
It's easy to do, but I'mtelling you that that is what
the enemy is using today as histactic, because all of the other
things we've become smart to,right Now we've.
(06:38):
So people get all worked upbecause I, you know, smoking is
a choice.
Right, it's not good for yourbody If you're putting that
before the Lord.
And I'll just be honest withyou, I used to, every Sunday
morning when I was on theworship team Dan Burway, his
wife's not here today Wendy wewould, he and I he was the
drummer, I was singer we'd sneakout back behind the building,
we'd smoke a cigarette before westarted praise and worship.
(06:59):
Right, I was choosing that overprayer because I would go and
smoke while they were in theprayer room.
Right, I was choosing that overministry.
See, that's when it becomessinful, right?
How many of us are again goingout to the bar on Saturday night
(07:20):
and then coming to church onSunday morning and pretending
like nothing ever happened?
Shut up, marcus.
Listen.
Some of y'all come in here highas a kite.
Some of you have come in herehungover.
I know it's not a secret andI'm going to tell you if you
think it's a secret.
Probably everybody knows, right, probably everybody has figured
it out.
You don't hide it.
(07:40):
Well, the problem is, is it's achoice?
And then we come into churchand we come to the altar and
we're in front of the altar ohLord, forgive me.
Hey, I'm not saying there'sanything wrong with that,
because that is repentance.
But repentance is not just lipservice.
Amen, it is not just lipservice.
This isn't just telling God oh,I'm sorry, I won't do that
again.
(08:06):
I listened to a podcast theother day and it was this guy
who, as a kid, his parents wouldpunish him when he would do
something, mean by writing anessay.
Listen, my kids think you'rekilling them if you make them
write something, even if youmake them write their name and a
birthday card.
Right, can we voice detect thatbirthday card?
Like, is there a faster way to?
And it's interesting because hesaid he felt like it was
(08:28):
torture.
His parents tortured him withthis and every time they did
something they had to answerfive questions.
I can't remember all of thequestions, but there was no
length requirement on the essay.
You just had to hit all fivepoints.
Some of them were things likehow was I responsible for what
happened?
Facts on how it happened.
How am I going to make it right?
And one of them was I don'tremember, but again.
(08:51):
So there were these five pointsand he said he absolutely hated
doing it.
And then one day he was incollege and he had a roommate
and the roommate had left someleftovers sit out and he decided
, well, if he left them sit out,he's obviously not going to eat
them.
So he went and ate them and hisroommate came home and his
roommate was mad and he said tohis roommate I'm sorry that I
(09:12):
ate your leftovers.
I obviously wasn't thinking howthat would affect you and I
will replace them tomorrow.
And again, I just want you toknow how genuinely sorry I am.
And the guy said to him that'sthe most full and sincere
apology I've ever had.
And he realized in that momenthis parents were teaching him
how to apologize.
In all of those things.
He was learning a life lessonthat most of us have never
(09:35):
learned.
Because we say I'm sorry becauseI don't want you to be mad at
me, right?
We say I'm sorry because wewant you to still talk to us.
We say I'm sorry because Istill want whatever favor I have
in your life.
We don't say I'm sorry becausewe're actually sorry.
It's the same thing with God,because you don't see God face
to face, amen.
(09:55):
So whenever you're at the altar, god, I'm sorry that I'm here
hungover, lord, I'm sorry that Iwas calling that person a name,
and, lord, I'll never talkabout that person.
Don't lie to God, because healready knows, he already knows.
The problem is is you're onyour knees in front of him and
you're saying these things, butyou can't see his face, and so
if I tell him I'm sorry, maybehe'll believe me.
(10:17):
Amen, maybe he'll believe me.
Grace saves us from sin, notallows us a lifestyle into sin.
Amen.
Grace removes us from sin.
It doesn't permit us to have alifestyle of sin.
(10:39):
Titus 2.11.
It says for the grace of Godhas been revealed, bringing
salvation to all people, and weare instructed to turn from
godless living and sinfulpleasures.
We should live.
We should live in this evilworld with wisdom, righteousness
(11:00):
and devotion to God.
Amen.
Go back to that first one forme.
It says for the grace of Godhas been revealed, bringing
salvation to all people.
We are instructed to turn fromgodless living and sinful
pleasure.
If the grace of God is intendedto turn us from sinful living.
(11:21):
As Christians, we should be thefirst to turn from sinful
living, amen.
See, the world shouldn't be ableto look at us and go well, they
sin, so I can sin.
See, a lot of times we use that.
Well, I'm not perfect.
I'm not trying to be perfect,but I'm also not trying to go
out into the world to make theworld think that I am of the
world.
I live in the world.
I am not of the world.
(11:42):
I live in the world.
I am not of the world.
I don't have to participate inworldly sports, right?
I don't have to do a pub crawlto prove that I live in the
world.
Listen, this flesh is hereevery day.
I'm walking this walk every day.
I am not perfect, but I am nottrying to abuse the grace that
God has bestowed upon me.
(12:02):
I am trying to live in hisunmerited favor by turning away
from sin at every opportunity.
Listen, repentance is not just afeeling, because you can feel
bad, right?
You ever said something tosomebody and then felt bad about
saying it.
Something to somebody and thenfelt bad about saying it right?
(12:29):
It's not just a feeling.
It's not just about feeling bad, it's a decision.
Repentance is a 180 degree,turn from sin to Savior.
Right, we're not focused on thesin, we're focused on the
Savior.
And so when we come to thealtar or when we stand in our
seat with our arms raised highand we're asking God for
forgiveness, this is not just sothat we can be forgiven, it is
(12:49):
so that we can be pleasing untoGod, so that we can live in that
unmerited favor.
Amen, amen.
Listen, I'm not here to beatyou up.
I'm here to tell you that we'redoing it wrong.
We are doing it wrong as achurch, as the church, as the
body, as the people who aresupposed to be bringing the
world to Christ.
We keep telling them the samething Jesus loves you, jesus
(13:13):
loves you.
He may love you and he may wantyou to come into his fold, but
he does not want you to sin.
You will not have unmeritedfavor if you choose to live
willingly in sinful nature.
Amen, and see the church.
We don't wanna talk about thatanymore.
Listen, I was on.
(13:34):
I love social media because Ilike to watch.
Do you guys know nobody's gonnaknow this there's this guy who
plays piano at Disney.
His name is Grayson.
Has anybody ever seen any ofhis videos on Facebook or TikTok
?
Yeah, so my dad was just atDisney.
His name is Grayson.
Has anybody ever seen any ofhis videos on Facebook or TikTok
?
Yeah, so my dad was just atDisney last week and I'm
obsessed with this guy.
He's like 24 years old and heplays the piano like nobody's
business and he does it all frommemory.
You can tell him to play a song.
(13:55):
He'll think for a second andhe'll just play it.
It's fascinating to me thatsomebody's brain can retain that
right.
Okay, can retain that right.
Okay, I don't know where I wasgoing with that.
Yep, don't know where I wasgoing with that, but let me just
tell you if you ever get thechance to watch this, oh, that's
(14:15):
why I like social media.
That's where I was going.
I enjoy watching that kind ofstuff on social media.
I don't enjoy watching,although.
Have you ever watched thoseskater videos where, like,
people try to make ramps andthey fall and they hurt
themselves, like?
I do that every time, but I dolike to watch those.
I don't know why.
It's just one of those weirdlike, but I don't want to watch
videos of people fighting.
Have you ever seen those?
Like?
(14:36):
People record other people fistfighting and then post them on
social media.
Why are we doing that?
Why is that the world we chooseto live in Right?
So I was on social media and Iwas watching a couple of videos.
And I was watching a video of apastor who was preaching and I
(15:00):
had to stop and pause it for asecond because I was like they
certainly didn't just say what Ithink they said.
I rewound it it and I watchedit again and they started using
feminine pronouns for God and Ithought, all right, let it slide
, let's keep watching.
And pretty soon it got to thepoint to where they were
basically telling you that wearen't really sinners, we don't
sin.
We just we haven't acceptedgrace for ourselves yet.
(15:23):
What, what?
I'm going to tell you, ifpeople are attending that church
, they're going to hell.
If they're going there and theybelieve that they will end up
in hell, listen, we can loveeach other all day long.
We can love each other all daylong, but if our choice is sin
because remember that we knowthat we can lose salvation if we
(15:47):
choose to walk away, If we sayI am not going to believe in God
any longer, I'm going to walkaway from my faith, and I'm
going to tell you what my sisteris that way right now and it
breaks my heart.
It breaks my heart.
She says I'll never set foot ina church again and I'm like,
but why?
And she says I just won't.
She has chosen.
She knows better, but she haschosen to walk away from her
(16:10):
savior.
That means she won't get toheaven.
Do you know how hard that is tosay, how hard that is to think?
Because, like, I'd like to hither in the head with a hammer
because she knows better.
That's what this is here for,by the way.
She knows better but choosesnot to live in better.
(16:31):
Right, okay, okay.
Acts 3.19.
It says now repent of your sinsand turn to God so that your
sins may be wiped away.
What does that mean?
That means when I come to Godwith a pure and clean heart and
(16:53):
I say to him Lord, lord, you aremy savior, take this sin from
me.
It doesn't mean you're notgoing to fall short at some
point, but you are willinglygiving it to him.
Right, you can't lay it downand pick it up as you walk away.
I always picture it like thosesuitcases on wheels.
You know what I mean.
You bring it to the altar withyou and you sit it there.
(17:15):
But on your way back out of thebuilding, you come up and
collect your luggage and headback out.
Right, it's like the baggagecheck.
We drop it here when we walk inbecause we want to be in a
spirit of worship, in a momentof worship, we want to be in his
presence right, but it's anexperience for us and we want to
enjoy it.
But then we want to carry allthe stuff back out with us
because I'll be darned if I'mgoing to let that go.
(17:36):
Right.
You ain't going to say that tome and expect me to just lay it
down.
Right, I might tell you I did,but I didn't.
I might pretend like I did, butI didn't.
And I'm going to pick it backup and I'm going to carry it
around and it's going to beheavy for me.
But you don't give a crap.
You don't even know I'mcarrying it.
(17:56):
You don't even know I'm pullingit behind me.
And I continue to just wearmyself out and wear my, and then
I get to the point to where I'mlike I don't want to do this
anymore.
God, if you can't fix this, I'mgoing to walk away.
And he says I tried to fix it.
I let you lay it down.
You chose to pick it up.
You chose to pick it up.
(18:17):
Isaiah 55, 7.
It says let the wicked changetheir ways and banish the very
thought of doing wrong.
Banish the very thought ofdoing wrong.
Welcome to the HimalayasMonsters Inc.
Anybody.
No, that's fine.
It's just what you get, guys,if we banish the very thought of
(18:41):
doing wrong.
Remember, sin starts here.
The mind is the battlefield,right, when we're thinking
negative thoughts, when we'rethinking bad things.
Listen, some of us are goingthrough some stuff today, right?
Amen, hallelujah, Thank you,jesus.
We're going through it and allwe do is think about it.
We can't do anything else withour lives.
(19:02):
We're constantly consumed withall of the things that are
happening good, bad orindifferent.
We can't do anything else withour lives.
We're constantly consumed withall of the things that are
happening, good, bad orindifferent.
We can't allow ourselves tofocus on the Savior because we
are focusing on the bad.
Let them turn to the Lord thathe may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for hewill forgive generously.
(19:24):
Now I believe that my wife and Iwe give generously, right we
always, if there's a cause.
We went and got breakfast atthe fireworks festival yesterday
and you could get sausage,gravy and biscuits and a hash
brown, or you could get abreakfast sandwich and a hash
brown, and it was by donationonly.
So we're like, okay, well,we'll give like $10 a breakfast.
(19:47):
That seems fair, right, becauseI'm thinking sausage, gravy and
biscuits, that's a decent meal.
So my wife donates the moneyand then we get these tiny
little portions and I was like,dang it, it was a $5 breakfast,
not a $10 breakfast.
But then I thought, thought,but we are supporting a cause
that we love, right?
We enjoyed being able to be atthe fireworks festival and all
(20:08):
of that money goes back to them.
That's wonderful, right.
So we give very generously, butoftentimes we don't forgive
generously, right?
That's hard to do.
It's hard to forgive generouslybecause every time somebody does
something to us, it consumes usat every turn.
Have you ever dealt withsomebody and then had to see
(20:29):
them real quick afterwards?
They had a situation.
Then you have to see thesepeople.
You're like I don't want tolook at their face, I don't want
to talk to them.
I don't want to be in the sameroom as them face, I don't want
to talk to them, I don't want tobe in the same room as them and
God says well, guess whatyou're going to be.
You know why?
Because he needs you to let itgo.
Let it go, elsa.
Let it go, because there is noreason to hold on to it.
(20:51):
You are not doing that personany good and you're not doing
yourself any good.
If God has grace and mercy onyou, why can you not have it on
somebody else?
Matthew 3, 8.
Here it is Prove, by the waythat you live, that you have
repented of your sins and turnedto God.
Amen.
(21:11):
Prove by the way that you live,that you have repented of your
sins and turned to God.
Again, I ask you do you come tothe altar and say God, I'm
laying this down at your feetand then leave and go?
Listen, you peel out of theparking lot, you get out to
Macaulay Drive and realize youcan't go straight because you
really wanted subway.
And then you run the lightanyway and you're giving
somebody the bird as you fly byand it turns out it's your
(21:33):
pastor, right?
See, I have a luxury.
You guys don't do that to mebecause you recognize my car, so
but it happens, right, you doit and you realize it's somebody
you go to church with orsomebody that knows that you
attend church.
Right, if you live a life ofsinful nature but proclaim to be
(21:56):
a Christian, the world thinkseveryone is like you, everyone.
That's why I don't go to church, because those Christians are
hypocrites.
Listen, this should look morelike a hospital than it does a
country club, right, like weain't coming in here because
we're perfect.
We're coming in here because weneed healed.
But when we walk out of thisplace, it should be game face
(22:18):
right.
You come in to worship shouldbe game face right.
You come into worship, youleave to serve, amen.
And you should be serving aworld of people who are lost and
broken and you need to provethat Jesus Christ is king of
your life, amen.
2 Corinthians 5, 17.
This means that anyone whobelongs to Christ has become a
new person.
The old life is gone and a newlife has begun, amen.
(22:45):
Thank you, jesus, for a newlife.
Listen, I've been through somestuff.
I've seen some ugly things inmy life.
I've done some ugly things inmy life.
I am thankful for that grace.
But here's the thing I can't dothose ugly things anymore.
I can't be that person.
But here's the thing I can't dothose ugly things anymore.
I can't be that person.
I can't call people names and Ican't throw stuff.
And I remember one time theseare not like when I share this
(23:05):
stuff.
I just need you to understandthat I haven't always been a
perfect person.
I remember one time I took ajewelry armoire one of those
ones that stands up about thistall, had somebody say something
to me.
I didn't like.
I grabbed that sucker by itsfront legs and smashed it off
the wall, blew into pieces,doors coming off, jewelry flying
everywhere, and I thoughtthat'll serve you, right?
(23:25):
Well, guess who had to clean itup?
Right, think about it.
It sounds like such a a mundanestatement to make, but I wasn't
always living for Christ.
I wasn't always doing andsaying things that I wanted the
world to see.
And then you try to keep thatstuff hush-hush.
I'm going to be honest with youguys.
You legacy members are luckyyou didn't grow up with social
media.
People didn't take videos ofyou saying stupid things at
(23:46):
McDonald's, right, because Iguarantee you did it.
There just wasn't video proof,right?
I watched a video of a ladyknocking stuff off the
McDonald's counter and throwingfood at people because she was
mad that she didn't get whateverit was that she wanted fast
enough, right?
(24:06):
That's the world that we livein today and that we stand and
record it as entertainment.
Listen, sin is notentertainment.
Sin is not entertainment.
All right, I want to jump backto the thief on the cross again.
So, if we can go back to Luke23, I just want to read this
again real quick.
It says one of the criminalshanging beside him scoffed so
you're the Messiah, are youProve it by saving yourself and
us too, while you're at it.
(24:27):
But the other criminalprotested don't you fear God,
even when you have beensentenced to death?
We deserve to die for ourcrimes, but this man hasn't done
anything wrong.
Then he said Jesus, remember mewhen you come into your kingdom
.
And Jesus replied I assure youtoday you will be with me in
(24:49):
paradise.
So I want to talk about and thiswas stemmed from the podcast,
last podcast episode, by the waythis pretty much this whole
second half of the message.
I love not being in that roomsometimes, but then I just yell
at you guys while I'm listeningto it on the radio, it's true,
(25:10):
like I'm riding in the car andI'm like no, no, no, wait, wait,
wait.
I've got a point to make.
Can't nobody hear it but me.
I'm gonna have to startrecording mine and then putting
it in over top of theirs,because it's it's such a great,
it was such a great message.
But they were talking aboutdeathbed um repentance, and I
believe that it's a true thing.
We see it in the thief on thecross, right.
(25:30):
But what did the thief on thecross do?
He acknowledged his guilt.
We deserve to die, right.
He knew that he was wrong.
He recognized Christ'sinnocence this man has done
nothing wrong and he believed asJesus and as king.
Remember me as king, rememberme when you come into your
(25:54):
kingdom.
Hanging on the cross, herepented of his sin.
He believed that Jesus Christwas his Lord and Savior.
The guy on the other side waslike you fool, this guy can't
even get himself down.
How do you think he's going tosave you if he can't save
himself?
Little did he know that Jesuswasn't willing to save himself
(26:17):
because he needed to save usinstead.
Amen.
Romans 10, verses 9 and 10.
If you openly declare that Jesusis Lord and believe in your
heart that God raised him fromthe dead you will be saved.
(26:38):
For it is by believing in yourheart that you are made right
with God and by openly declaringyour faith that you are saved.
That's the reason that we havea water baptism right.
That is an open declarationthat we have turned our lives to
Christ, amen.
Here's the thing, for bybelieving in your heart that you
(27:00):
are made right with God lostyou pull that back up In your
heart that you are made rightwith God.
And it is by openly declaringyour faith that you are saved.
Right Saved, it doesn't say bygood works, it doesn't say by
(27:20):
being kind, it doesn't say anyof those things.
Now listen, discipleship isgreat because that's how we make
new Christians right, that'show we.
But when we make disciplesthrough social and just hanging
out and being friends with oneanother and saying you should
come to church with me on Sunday, that's wonderful, right,
because that's how people end upbecoming saved.
But just because they sit in apew doesn't mean they're saved.
(27:43):
They have to be willing tobelieve that Jesus Christ is the
Lord of their life and whenthey do that, the good works
will come.
Naturally.
They will want to do goodthings.
It will be easier for them tounderstand.
Giving it will be easier forthem to understand.
Giving it will be easier forthem to understand being kind
and being gracious, right, thosethings come with being saved.
(28:04):
That is not what gets you saved.
It is not what gets you saved.
Listen, we could go see.
Do you guys see that guy on thecorner by Walmart all the time
with his repent sign?
I love that man Like, listen,there aren't many people brave
enough to do that anymore, right?
Remember they used to wearthose sandwich boards and walk
around town and you know, jesusis king, all of those things.
(28:26):
There aren't many people braveenough to do that.
Listen, we should be doing thatevery day through our actions.
Our lives should be a livingexample of repentance, grace and
of mercy.
Here's the thing.
You're going to see peoplesinning doesn't mean you have to
(28:46):
just call it out.
You have to love them.
But you still have to be ableto preach the truth.
You still have to be able tospeak truth into their life.
It's not easy to do.
Sometimes it's incrediblydifficult to do because when you
say it it rubs the wrong wayand it hurts feelings.
But iron sharpens iron, right,Iron sharpens iron.
And if I know that there is ahint of belief.
(29:10):
If there's faith, the grain ofa mustard seed in their body,
then I want them to repent oftheir sin.
I want them to be saved.
I want them to turn to Christbecause I want them to have
everlasting life.
I want them to be in thekingdom, right, even if I don't
like them.
I want them to be in thekingdom.
The great debate on the podcastwas what does heaven look like?
(29:32):
What does it look like when weget?
Will we know our loved ones?
We don't know.
I ain't never been there, Iain't ready to go just yet.
Now, if he gave me a revelationand showed it to me, it would
probably be hard to describebecause we, for our brains to
(29:53):
understand it, we would have tobe able to comprehend all of the
glory and all of the grandeurthat God truly is, and I don't
think that we can.
I think that our spirit canabsorb it, but I don't think
that our flesh can truly absorbit.
Even in death, that thief hadliving faith and Jesus honored
(30:17):
it Deathbed conversions are real.
It can happen, but only withtrue repentance.
So a lot of times what I'll getis I'll get a call that says hey
, you know my best friend,they're in hospice and you know
they're not a believer.
Can you come up and pray withthem?
Most of the time there'snothing there.
Right, I'm going to come do it,but I'm not going to make you
(30:41):
any promises.
I don't know.
Do I want to give you hope?
Yes, I certainly want to giveyou hope, but I cannot promise
because I don't know their heart.
I don't know what they've beenthrough, I don't know what.
Are they able to process this?
Because, honestly, I can't knowwhat they've been through.
I don't know what are they ableto process this?
Because, honestly, I can't getyou to heaven.
(31:01):
Jesus Christ is the only onethat can get you to heaven.
That's why I tell you thattoday is a great day for
salvation.
You're alive and breathingright now.
Right, this is when we should berepenting, turning of our sins,
looking to Jesus and living ourlives for Christ and not for
the world, because tomorrow isnot promised, this evening not
(31:22):
promised, this afternoon notpromised, and if we want to have
true salvation, true salvation,it has to begin right now, in
this moment.
We can't be looking at it goingI'll do it tomorrow.
We can't be looking at itsaying oh yeah, I'll do that.
(31:44):
No, no, stop, focus on whatmatters.
You get a bachelorette partytomorrow and you know they're
going to drink.
I'll wait until after that sothat I'm not silly.
It's just silly.
You're going to play cards withthe guys tonight and you know
(32:05):
there's going to be some beersthere.
Listen, stop.
Do you know how easy it is forme to say no when somebody
offers me alcohol?
Now listen, when I was 23 yearsold, if you offered me alcohol,
I was taking it.
Now listen, when I was 23 yearsold, if you offered me alcohol,
I was taking it Like two orthree at a time, however many
you'd give me.
Right Now I look at you and say, no, I'm good, I don't need to
(32:26):
explain myself.
Do you know why I don't need toexplain myself?
Because I know that God in meis already showing them why I
don't need it.
See, the enemy is workingthrough them to try to get me to
do something, to knock me offcourse.
I'm not willing to be knockedoff course, to be out of control
of my own body, right?
It doesn't make sense to me.
(32:47):
Now there are people whostruggle with that.
So my question is you decide tohave a barbecue and you invite
them and you offer it to them.
They may not be able to say no.
And now you have dragged themdown back into the pits of hell,
where they have been clawingand climbing and begging to be
(33:08):
released from Christians.
Don't do that to one another.
We should be willing to live alife centered on Christ.
What passage of scripture didwe just read?
Romans 10, 9, or not?
Yeah, 10, 9, and 10.
Hebrews 11, 6.
And it is impossible to pleaseGod without faith.
(33:30):
Anyone who wants to come to himmust believe that God exists
and that he rewards those whosincerely seek him.
That's the deathbed confessionpart that becomes a struggle God
exists and that he rewardsthose who sincerely seek him.
You can't seek him out ofdesperation, because you're
(33:51):
afraid of death.
You seek him because you knowthat he is king of kings and
lord of lords.
You seek him because you want adifferent life, because you
want salvation.
You want to be able to sharethe gospel with the world.
That is why we truly seek ourheavenly father.
We want to be saved.
Right, I want to go to heaven.
I don't want to go to hell.
(34:12):
That sounds terrible.
I don't even like to go outsidewhen it's hot, let alone spend
eternity in hell.
I bet they got air conditioningin heaven.
I like central air, right, Ienjoy being here.
I'm standing in front of thisfan thinking this thing ain't
cool enough, right?
(34:32):
Listen, it is a choice that wemake every day.
Repentance is not a revolvingdoor between sin and forgiveness
.
We are all called to be worldlyChristians, but transformed
followers.
Amen.
(34:53):
James 4.4.
It says you adulterers, don'tyou realize that friendship with
the world makes you the enemyof God?
Now, I'm not saying friendswith people who are of the world
.
I'm saying friendship with theworld.
When you're living in the world, when you're buddying up to sin
, when you're saying that thisisn't wrong, this is okay, this
is acceptable that is when youhave a problem Makes you an
(35:15):
enemy of God.
I say it again If you want tobe a friend of the world, you
make yourself an enemy of God.
Listen, I'll be enemies with alot of people.
I don't think I want to beenemies with God.
He is smarter than me.
He is stronger than me.
He knows all of the things thatI'm thinking, which means he
has an edge in all things.
(35:37):
Every time I think adversely,every time I act, speak, do
something that is opposite ofthe word of God.
He knows it, he sees it and itain't good for me.
Amen.
Now I can go back and I canrepent, but I have to genuinely
make change.
I have to do a 180 from sin toSavior.
(35:58):
1 John 2.15,.
Do not love this world, nor thethings it offers you.
For when you love the world,you do not have the love of the
Father in you.
For the world offers only acraving for physical pleasure,
amen, right.
When we talk about the world,it's always about some sort of
(36:21):
pleasure for us, right, acraving for everything we see
and pride in our achievementsand possessions.
This is not from the Father.
But these are not from theFather, but are from the world.
And the world is fading awayalong with everything that
(36:41):
people crave.
But anyone who does whatpleases God will live forever.
Your physical body will notlive forever.
That's not saying you're goingto get to live forever.
That is telling you that youwill have everlasting life.
Amen, amen, amen.
Telling you that you will haveeverlasting life, amen, amen.
(37:06):
Jesus doesn't say clean up yourlife first and then come.
He says come as you are, but healso tells us to never leave
the same.
Do you have John 8, 11?
Do you have John 8, 11?
No, lord, she said.
And Jesus said neither do I Goand sin no more.
(37:33):
Go and sin no more.
He's telling you.
You don't get to walk away andcontinue to sin.
I don't condemn you Now.
Go and sin no more.
There is, in fact, a line in thesand and we have to choose
which side we want to stand on.
You don't get to stand on bothsides.
You know there's a place whereyou can stand in four states all
(37:54):
at one time.
That's a pretty cool idea,right?
Sin's not like that.
Salvation's not like that.
You don't get to stand on theline.
You don't get to straddle theline.
You're picking a side, becauseif one foot is on the side of
sin, then your entire side is onsin.
It doesn't matter the sidethat's standing on.
Grace means nothing, becauseyour heart is revealed to God in
(38:16):
that moment and he realizesthat there's nothing I can do in
this moment.
You have to repent and turn toGod.
Galatians 5 24.
It says those who belong toChrist Jesus have nailed the
passions and desires of theirsinful nature to his cross and
(38:38):
crucified them there.
You don't need to be perfect torepent, you just need to be
willing to turn away.
You don't have to be perfect,you just have to be willing to
turn.
Repent from your sins.
Repent and turn to Jesus.
(38:59):
Don't repent and turn to theworld.
Do not repent and turn to theworld, because where will the
world put you?
Right back in sin.
We talk a lot about in the OldTestament.
The Jewish people would comeout of slavery and live for
(39:21):
seven years on a high, and then,guess what?
We get bored, we go right backinto it.
I think about when Moses wentup on the mountain to get the 10
commandments.
He comes back down and they'reall down here worshiping all of
these golden idols and he snapsthe tablets.
He's like seriously, seriously,I went to seek the face of God
(39:44):
on your behalf and this is whatyou chose.
Can I ask a question?
How many times do you go andseek the face of God and when
you walk out of there, you goright back into living in the
world?
Listen, those golden idols.
(40:06):
It's not the same as it used tobe.
It's not something that youlook at, something that you see.
Typically, it's what we carryin our pocket.
Right, it's technology, it'sour cell phones, it's maybe our
iPads, maybe it's our money.
Whatever it is that we have,it's those tangible goods, it's
the things that we can collectand have.
(40:27):
Listen, I've got this really badbug.
It is terrible.
I have to collect everything.
If it is collectible, I want tocollect it.
Right, mcdonald's.
I'm a sucker for all, like youknow.
Whenever they, you guys seethose cups they just brought out
with all the like, thenostalgic cups, I was like, do
you remember when they broughtout maybe it was Burger King, I
don't remember but the littleDisney cups that had, like,
pocahontas and all of the?
(40:48):
You guys remember that stuff?
It wasn't that terrible becausesomebody like me, I had to go
every week because I had to getone.
I had to have the whole set,right?
Ninja Turtle bowls Nick, Ithink you and I have talked
about this the cereal bowls thathad the Ninja Turtle heads on
them.
I had to have them all right,it's not healthy, because this
desire to constantly have more,what does it get me in heaven?
(41:10):
Nothing, nothing.
I'm building up riches on earth.
That means I lose all of theriches in heaven.
Listen, I don't want to do that, right?
Do you guys know how manyjumpsuits Elvis had?
It was like 126.
It was a lot.
Right, I'm nowhere close, mel,I think I'm at six or seven
(41:31):
right now.
But this is it's funny, butit's a realization.
I was looking through my closetand I was like mm.
Man, I got enough money to buyanother one.
Which one do I want?
And I start shopping and I'mlooking and I'm like I really
like that one, I really likethat one.
And I go back to the closet andI'm looking because you know
you got to decide on color basedon what you've already got.
Like, what's my color palettecurrently?
Like I don't need to buyanother black one or another red
(41:54):
one or another white one.
I need to get something new andfresh.
Right, amen, it's like shoes,ladies.
Right, you don't need six graysweaters.
You need a gray sweater, ayellow sweater, a pink sweater,
(42:15):
a blue sweater.
Right, okay, we can agree onthat.
Pastor Holly sent me a pictureof a pair of beautiful stiletto
heels she was going to buy.
They laced like all the way upto her calf.
I mean, those were whoo whoo.
And I was looking in my closetand I was like man, I haven't
wore that one in two years.
I haven't wore that one inprobably three years.
Why do I need another one?
(42:36):
I don't, but the world tells meI do right Now, not my wife.
Now, when I say the world, Idon't mean my wife because she
says no, you don't.
But when I watch other Elvistribute artists and they've got
these racks full of jumpsuitsand belts and boots they got six
, seven pairs of boots, I gottwo.
Doesn't seem fair, right,listen, I don't want to build up
(43:01):
riches on earth.
I want to save those rewardsfor heaven.
Amen, I want to save thoserewards for heaven.
Now I want to say thisRepentance is asking for
forgiveness.
Repentance is making change inyour life.
So when I talk about it, I wantto think about our daily lives
(43:21):
too right, want to think aboutour daily lives too right.
When we ask somebody forforgiveness, when we say I'm
sorry that I've done that to you, I'm sorry that I created that
stress, I'm sorry that I,whatever.
Right, we need to mean it andwe need to turn away from it.
(43:42):
It doesn't mean you get to sayI'm sorry and go back and do it
again.
It doesn't mean you get to sayI'm sorry and then go tell all
of your friends.
Well, get to say I'm sorry.
And then go tell all of yourfriends, well, I said I'm sorry.
But Right, I told him I wassorry because I'm just sick of
listening to it.
Right, I said I'm sorry becauseI don't want them to.
To listen when we repent of oursins is saying sorry to God.
With a change of attitude, witha change of lifestyle, treat
(44:05):
your life the same way.
For those of you who aremarried, that is the best piece
of advice that I can give you.
When you say I'm sorry, mean it, change your life.
Don't just pretend right,because when you just say it and
it's just lip service, you'regoing to do it again.
(44:25):
You're going to do it again.
And what happens when you do itagain?
The trust is broken.
And when we continue to breaktrust, relationships become
unbendable.
When we continue to break trust, hope is gone.
It is our responsibility asspouses, as friends, as
(44:55):
Christians, to live a lifeworthy of Jesus Christ.
Repent and turn from your sin.
Repent and turn to Jesus.
Do not repent and turn to theworld.
Let's pray together and thenwe're going to do communion.
Father, I thank you for the wordthat was delivered this morning
.
Lord, I thank you for theanointing that rested upon it.
Lord, allow that word topenetrate the hearts and the
(45:21):
minds of those who have heard it.
Lord, there is just so much tounderstand about grace and mercy
.
I thank you for giving usclarity and for giving us desire
to truly repent in turn of oursin.
Father, I thank you for theblessings that rest upon this
(45:42):
house.
Continue to lead us, guide usand direct us.
We pray all of this in yourprecious son, jesus' name, and
the church says amen.
Pastor Holly and Pastor Dave, or?
Oh, I spoke it.
I spoke it into existence.
I spoke it into existence.
(46:03):
Will you guys deliver communion?
And then, can I Blaine, willyou take deliver to Joe and Ruth
?
Miss Vicki, do you want us tobring your communion to you?
We'll bring it to you.
If you want us to bring yourcommunion to you, just raise
your hand and we'll bring it toyou.
That way, you don't have to tryto carry it.
We'll get you to Dan.
You're on the list.
You're already on the list.
And then also take care of theclassroom workers for me, please
(46:26):
.
This one right here is for theclassroom workers.
Thank you All right, we'll goahead and start on this side if
you want to work your way up.
(49:16):
Thank you, thank you um.
Thank you.
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