[0:00] Good evening. It's a blessing to me to be here. It's a long drive coming up here. And the scenery and all the things change a lot. So does the weather.
[0:16] I was blessed with the opportunity to be able to come here. The invitation to come and share with you God's Word. And so, yeah, I've been blessed with what is shared here.
[0:30] That if we are made free in Christ, we are free indeed. It's something that is God's plan. What His desire is for each one of us, wherever we stand.
[0:44] His desire for all mankind is that they be set free. And that freedom only comes through Him. It comes through His Son. When we're willing to give ourselves, willing to repent of our sins, willing to accept what He says.
[1:01] So, yeah, I am blessed with this opportunity. And I just want to ask you again if you are willing to pray with me one more time. So, if we are willing, let's get on our knees.
[1:13] And let's just ask the Lord to, in a powerful way, meet each one of our needs. Seek Him personally. I do not want to be seen here.
[1:24] I want God to be seen. I want God to be heard. And so, let's ask Him personally. Amen. Lord, we come to you.
[1:37] In Jesus' name, O God. Come to us, O Lord. Just pray, God.
[2:11] God, that you would come through, Lord. That your name would be exalted. We're meeting together, Lord, tonight to talk about you, God. We're here to hear from you, God.
[2:21] We're here because you have drawn us, God. Some a few years ago. Some many years ago, God. But all together, Lord, you have drawn us. It's because of your love.
[2:32] So, we ask, Father, for your presence. We ask you to speak here, God. Not that there would be a show of a man, God. But that these things, God, that you have laid on my heart tonight, O God. That those things, Lord, would encourage us to turn our eyes on you, God.
[2:45] And to just out of a thankful heart and a thankful attitude, Lord, to continue just to worship you, God. We bless you and praise you. In Jesus' name. Amen. So, most of you probably don't know me personally, but there's actually quite a few faces that I have seen before.
[3:16] Different meetings. And so, yeah, it's good to see the familiar faces and even new ones. I'm not, by nature, a very shy type of person.
[3:26] I'm not very easily nervous around people. I meet literally hundreds of people a year, depending on what God all puts in my path, allows me to go through.
[3:37] So, I want to just share my wife and I, we have nine children. And we have somewhat large families.
[3:50] Some people have larger families than ours, but we're a busy house. Our oldest is going to be 14 this month. Our youngest is nine months.
[4:00] And we are blessed with the children that God has given to us. And, yeah, God has a purpose. We live in Mexico.
[4:11] We live about four hours from the border. The city, the nearest, biggest city to us would be like Chihuahua. It would be a couple hours from us.
[4:21] Jotemoc. I don't know if anybody's familiar with that area. I know some of you have been there. And then the border town is Juarez, which is by El Paso, across from El Paso. We moved there about five years ago, just a little bit over five years ago, full time.
[4:37] And the reason for us moving there this time was not necessarily that we wanted to do mission work, but we saw a need for our family in the day and age that we live in. There's many things that are happening and changing in the way governments operate and the laws that are being passed.
[4:53] And we see that there's a day coming soon where the Lord will return based on the things that we see happening in the world, the way the laws are changing and just the things that are being passed with the whole movement against God.
[5:10] And so, yeah, we decided that we would move back to Mexico. God, through a series of events and us even becoming homeless because of something I prayed, we moved back to Mexico.
[5:23] So, anyway, I won't share all those details today. If you want to know some of them, I can share them later with you. So, yeah, Elizabeth and I are married since 2008.
[5:41] And, yeah, our purpose, one of the things that we said when we got married was that we would become more like Christ. So, we are not here in perfection tonight. We're still on that journey.
[5:52] God is still working on us. And I believe that each one of us, we are on a journey. It's called the narrow path if we have already met the Lord. If we haven't yet, then we're still on the broad path.
[6:05] And God would have all of us on that narrow path. So, I'll start with reading some verses here. I'm going to be reading out of Ephesians chapter 2.
[6:16] And then I want to share my personal testimony tonight so that you get to know who I am. And understand some things as to how the Lord brought me out.
[6:28] And then with these things that we read here in Ephesians 2, I want to go over that. And then also some verses in Romans. And, yeah, we just want to look at, in light of us getting converted, you know, the first verse there.
[6:44] And you hath he quickened. He's made us alive. Who were dead in trespasses and sins. We were dead in trespasses and sins.
[6:55] What's the opposite of that? Life. And walking in righteousness. That's the opposite. And sometimes we find ourselves still walking in some of those things that are dead.
[7:08] And what is that? That's the old life. And God wants us to walk in a new life. He wants us to walk a life that is pleasing to him. Like what Brother John here already shared about the freedom that is promised to us today in many places.
[7:24] It's a freedom. Do whatever you desire. You've got your fire insurance. If you once prayed a prayer to the Lord, you're good to go. And that is not what we find in Scripture. It's very clearly spelled out.
[7:37] That is not what we find in Scripture. The opposite of walking or being dead and trespassing in sin is walking a life that is holy and in righteousness towards God.
[7:48] It doesn't mean that we don't stumble. We do. From time to time we stumble. We fail. But we have an advocate. Jesus Christ. He is interceding for us at all times. When in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
[8:19] But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
[8:50] For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them.
[9:08] So just think of this chapter, and just flip it over, then you see the opposite side, if it's speaking of us who have been delivered from the walking in darkness, walking in the trespasses and sins, the lusts of this world, and all those things that are there, you just flip this chapter over, those verses at least, and then you can see how we should walk.
[9:32] We should walk the opposite direction, as to what it's saying to us. So, I'm going to, I felt clearly tonight, I have many messages prepared already, from Mexico, and I had a message prepared specifically for tonight, but as we were traveling, I felt clear that it would be good to share my personal testimony, and then we should look at this chapter here exactly, and then out of Romans some things, so that we can understand, what is God's heart?
[10:03] And you get to know me a little bit better, and where I come from, and what God did. Again, like what we prayed, what we're asking is that we see God. It's not about how good I have become, it's about how good God has been, in delivering me, and all of you who he has delivered.
[10:21] So tonight it will be more, in a form of me sharing my testimony, and then out of the scripture, looking at those things. What is God's heart for us then, if he has done these things for us?
[10:32] If he has brought us out, if he has forgiven us of our sins, if he's given us salvation, what is his heart? And we want to, as the week goes by, go into some different messages, that show us some opposites, of different things.
[10:45] So, so I was born in Mexico, about an hour, and about 10 minutes, from where we live right now, and I was born into a home, of an old colony, Mennonite family, and the old colony, do not necessarily live, on colonies exactly, but they do.
[11:08] It's different than, the Hutterite colonies. We have our own houses, our own land, it's more independent, than a Hutterite colony. I was born into a home, where my parents, are not believers.
[11:26] My dad, from before he was married, all the way up until, about a year or two ago, he has been an alcoholic. My mom, was not an alcoholic.
[11:42] She stood with him for, I was about 13 years old, I think. And then things changed, which I will get to. Our beliefs, as the old colony, we do not believe in salvation, or that we can know, that we're saved.
[11:59] We believe that, if we are good enough, then somehow, we'll get there. Somehow, with hope and grace, then somehow, we'll get there.
[12:11] And, so the Bible, is not important to us. In school, we would be reading, through chapters of the Bible, on a daily basis, like in the school system, that they have, with the old colony in Mexico.
[12:26] I didn't get to go to school there, until I was probably, about nine or ten years old. Because my mom, took us to Canada, when I was about two years old, and left my dad.
[12:37] So, yeah, the Bible is definitely something, that you don't want to know. You want to put that thing, on the shelf, and occasionally, you want to maybe, look in there a bit, but, it's something that, the less you know, the less responsibility, you have.
[12:52] Drinking is okay. Being an alcoholic, is okay. As long as you come to communion, and you don't do too many, very vile things, you're fine.
[13:04] And, immorality. There are, very many wicked, and dark things, that go on, in the communities, where I would have grown up, if I would have stayed in Mexico, long enough.
[13:18] So, there is a great, division. They do not understand, the things of God, and neither do they have interest, in the things of God. If, if you would have come to me, and shared, like I'm going to share, yet here, before I was converted, I have many things, to tell you.
[13:36] Many things, against the gospel. No, this is, no, this is not the way, and, and that's not the way, my grandfather said this, and my grandfather said that, and, and lots of excuses. You, will join the church, when you want to get married.
[13:52] You will, join, by, going through the, motions of baptism. A catechism, you'll be, coming up there, I think it's for some weeks, that they come up, and they will, say parts of the catechism.
[14:07] So, they try to memorize, parts of the catechism. And then, you'll be asked a series of questions, one, in which is, will you be faithful to the church, right here? And that's a stronghold, that they use against the people, once they do, if they do get converted.
[14:24] And yet, their life does not change. It's not like, they have met Christ. That's the type of home, I grew up in. So my dad is an alcoholic. There's abuse in our home.
[14:36] At one time, I remember my dad, bringing out a gun, in the fight that him, and my mom were in, and, and he, you know, they went into a different room, and, me and my sisters were screaming, and, thinking that my mom, was going to be shot.
[14:50] So, from when I was, two years old, I lived in Canada, except for some time, when we later on, moved to Mexico. When I was about, nine years old, then we, some winters, would go to Mexico.
[15:04] I grew up in Ontario, Canada, and, so, the first time, that, I started having these memories, of what's happening in our home, I was about five years old, there was fights, between me and, or, between my parents, and so, I would be listening.
[15:24] I was awake, almost all night, at times, hearing them, with their arguments, my dad saying, that he's going to commit suicide, and these types of fears, coming into my heart, and, and just different things.
[15:37] I saw books, that I shouldn't have seen, when I was five years old. There was just many, many things. I would bring my dad, his alcohol, take the bottles, away. That's the type of home, I grew up in.
[15:49] And this was all okay. As long as you come to communion, at the church, you're good to go. God is not important. I learned some things, of prayer, some recited prayers, that they would, share with us, as children.
[16:04] But nothing, where there was, a deep relationship, with God. So yeah, these sleepless nights, there was fear. When I was about 13, my parents started partying, with a different couple, who lived, some blocks away, from where we lived.
[16:22] I lived in town, I grew up in the city. And, so my parents, would party with this couple, they would come over, and then we would go over, to their house. And, one morning, we're off to school, and, when we come home, in the evening, my mom is not there.
[16:43] So here we've had, these parties going on, I don't know exactly, how many months, this was going on, maybe seven or eight months. And, I come to the house, my sisters come to the house, and my mom is gone.
[16:56] And we have no clue, where she went. But we did find out, sooner, or soon, and then we, realized that she had, taken off with this guy, who, my mom and dad, were partying with.
[17:11] So now my mom is gone, and my dad is trying, to convince us, that he's on our side, and he's going to take care of us, and all these different things. Well, in the meantime, he's an alcoholic, and far from God, we didn't know, anything about God.
[17:25] So we spilled out, a lot of things, at that point, to some of the relatives, what was going on, in our home, and some of them, were very shocked, with how these parties, had gone, all night parties, and just drinking.
[17:36] And at that time, my mom did start drinking, some. My mom, up until then, I would say, I had a very, decent mom, about all the fighting, and different things, and the things, that my dad was involved in, like the books, and stuff, it caused a great divide, in our home.
[17:54] So at this time, my mom is then gone, for a month or two, my parents are separated, so this is the second time, they were separated, so at two years old, my mom left my dad, came to Canada, and then my dad, came over there, about a year later.
[18:12] So, when she comes back, then I, at this point, am starting to party myself, starting to, drink, every opportunity, that I have, if I can get a friend, that is older, to buy alcohol, and do different things, I start dating, I start going to parties, and live a wild life, just like the upbringing, that I have.
[18:34] What kind of fruit, is it supposed to produce, if that's the lifestyle, that we, we have chosen, the lifestyle, that we live. So I am dating, and drinking, and I just, go from one party, to the next, one weekend, to the next, doing these things.
[18:53] I meet this girl, that I went to school with, when I was about 17, and this is where God, began the journey, of working in my life. And I met this girl, at a party, I'd gone to school with her, when I was in grade five, and this girl, is also an ungodly girl, but God used, this situation, this dating situation, to change my life.
[19:19] So I, started really liking, this girl, and we would, for a time, not go to any of the parties, and stuff, but it wasn't meaning, that we weren't living in sin, there was sin involved, in this relationship.
[19:30] And it was not pleasing to God, God would not have us, do things like that. But her mom, would go to church, and my dad, hated this church, my mom hated this church, that this girl went to, and they warned me, not to go there.
[19:46] In their state, of their ungodly life, I was warned, not to go to church. So, you can imagine, I'm already, sick of what they're doing, I'm sick of the life, that I've seen, in our home, and now they're telling me, I'm not supposed to do this, in rebellion, I'm going to go, wherever I want to go.
[20:06] So I went to services, I went to tent meetings, and, in my ungodly, unconverted state, I'm sitting there. And what did God want to do?
[20:17] God wanted me to hear, just those little pieces, those little seeds, being planted in my heart. This relationship, went for about a year, and just before the close of a year, the relationship ended.
[20:30] I was devastated, I was broken, I had no purpose, what purpose do I have? Our home is broken, I've lost this relationship, what do I have left?
[20:43] I went back to the parties. So for several more months, I continued to walk, this party lifestyle, I drank more, than I had before, and I did, very many awful things.
[20:58] My mouth was full of vile language, and bitterness, and anger, if I'd see this girl, at the party, I would make fun of her, and just vile things.
[21:10] But I'd come home on the weekends, and I would just be broken. I knew the sin I'd been living in. God had spoken to me enough, through these meetings that I had been at, that I knew that there was salvation, and there was such a thing that you could know.
[21:31] I had sung hymns, I had, you know, just had a little bit of taste, of a taste of what it was, to be, you know, listening to what God's word says, and having our life changed.
[21:43] Even while in the relationship, there was times where I would repent of things. I knew that I had done things wrong, and I would say to the Lord, I'm sorry for doing this. I remember coming home one time, when I was still in this relationship, and I knew I had walked in things that God did not desire.
[22:03] So I was like, I am not praying tonight. I had enough sense already that my relationship with God was not right, that I was like, you know what, I'm not going to pray tonight, kind of in a rebellious way.
[22:18] No sooner had I somewhat dozed off, and there was flames of fire before my eyes, and you can imagine how long it took me to flip over and get on my knees, and I was repenting of the things that I had done that day.
[22:35] And it was just the beginning of what God was doing and calling me out of this. That was still in that relationship. Not God's desire that I walk in those things. And so he was reminding me of the things that could be upon my life if I would not be willing to repent.
[22:50] And so these flames were there before my eyes. I even had screamed, and so I think my parents had heard me screaming. So yeah, this relationship ended.
[23:03] These parties, weekends of unrest, my heart broken, our home broken, everything upside down, everything chaotic.
[23:14] What am I going to do? I come home, and I was weeping at night. I knew that God had a different life for me. I knew that God had a different plan for me.
[23:27] But out of this home, out of this broken place, out of this home where God is not present, where God is not welcome, where we don't even have interest in knowing the things of God, where we don't even desire Him, out of this home that somebody should be raised up, and somebody should be turned to God, somebody should be forgiven, should be cleansed.
[23:49] I didn't know the scripture. I didn't know God's mercy. I did not know His grace. I didn't know the big plans that He had for those who would turn to Him, who would repent from their sins.
[24:02] But He had a plan. And if it was not for God's grace and His mercy in my life, most likely, like many of my friends, I would be in the grave tonight.
[24:14] Because that's where my friends were ending up. Away from God, unforgiven, and lost for eternity.
[24:26] That's where my friends are. Friends that I walked with in the party. One would end up getting killed in a car crash. Actually, this family who my parents were partying with, their oldest son was killed in a car crash coming from a party.
[24:43] I was also the oldest in our home. They just tore me apart when I heard that this young man had been killed like that. So, what do I do?
[24:59] Where do I turn? But God was drawing. And the place I was working at, I was working in a greenhouse, a fairly large-sized greenhouse operation. in Leamington.
[25:12] My job was a bug specialist I put on here. Sounds kind of funny, but I was looking after the biological things in the greenhouse, checking, you know, to see what kind of insects are in here, what do we need to do to conquer them.
[25:30] Basically, I was at war with the bad insects. And so, on a Monday morning, if I remember correctly, on the 22nd of March 2004, I was working on one of these bug lights, and we have these scissor carts in those greenhouses, and they have platforms to raise you up because the plants are fairly high, and we can ride the rails in there.
[25:52] They have heating rails, and you can do your work on the plants that need to be done. So, my job was to look at what kind of population of insects do we have in here by one of these fly zappers.
[26:02] You know, the blue lights or whatever, or purple lights, whatever they are, and I would check the insects there. And so, I'm looking at these insects here, and again, I, excuse me, just I'm feeling that burden, that brokenness, that I'm lost, I'm helpless, what do I do?
[26:30] But that's where God met me. So, I'm standing on there. I many times repented of the sins that I had been walking in.
[26:42] I was so sick of the sins. I was so tired of the sins that I've been walking in. I had no desire to be at those parties anymore. It was all old news for me. I have water here.
[26:52] And right there, I said to the Lord, from now on, I will serve you. That's all I can remember.
[27:04] It was the basic thing that I told the Lord. From now on, I commit to serving you. And he changed my life. I was not the same after that.
[27:16] Like I said, I had these experiences where I repented. I asked the Lord to forgive me of the sins that I had been walking in. But up until that time where I made that personal commitment, God, I am serving you.
[27:29] Nothing happened. And here, there was a drastic change in my life. A drastic change of direction. Just like what we are reading here in Ephesians 2.
[27:39] There was a difference. It was opposite. Before I was enjoying this, now I was enjoying this. Before I despised the Bible, now I love the Bible. Before, I would not have wanted to go to church where there was the Bible being taught, and now I'm longing for that.
[27:56] I didn't want to be baptized. I told these people that this church where me and this girl had gone to, I will never be baptized in this church. And just within a month, I think within a month's time, I was there after I got converted.
[28:13] Right there. And I'm like, I want to be baptized. I need to be baptized. I've gotten converted. People everywhere started hearing that I had gotten converted.
[28:24] And some people, they would come up to me and they couldn't believe that this young man got converted. My dad kicked me out of the house. So here, our home was broken.
[28:36] God was not welcome. But my dad, when I started sharing with him that I had gotten converted, and I think I was very zealous for the way that I shared with him.
[28:49] Here, walking in sin, I was welcome. Walking in fornication, walking in all kinds of sins, I was welcome in the house. I was drinking and all these things. But as soon as I gave my life to the Lord, I had no place in the home.
[29:03] I remember the one day he told me that you are welcome to sleep here tonight yet, but that's it. Tomorrow you have no place here. I had no place to go. I had debt. I was lost.
[29:14] But God, so I have friends at work. And maybe I'm a little long-winded in sharing what I want to share, but I think it's good to remind ourselves of what God has done, where God has brought us from.
[29:27] Not to go back there, but to remember, this is where he brought me from, where am I going now? So, anyway, I went to work, and there one of my coworkers, he talked to me that morning, and I said to him, I'm homeless.
[29:42] I have no place to go. My dad has kicked me out of the house. And he already knew I was converted. He was a believer. And so he called his mom and said that I could come and stay, or if I could come and stay there.
[29:55] So I spent three months, the next three months, in a home that was a Christian home. And I went to church sometimes with them, and I went to this other church where I'd heard the gospel first.
[30:06] I was baptized. Just had a really different experience than what I had in our home. But God completely changed my life. The parties, I didn't have to go to the parties anymore.
[30:20] God gave me a new life. So anyway, that's basically the story of how I was converted.
[30:33] This girl that I was dating back then, as far as I know, she's still not converted. And me and my wife, we prayed for her and her family very often that she would get converted with her husband.
[30:44] God used her as an instrument to help me to hear the truth. But she was not willing to walk that same path because she believed that easy believism. That gospel that doesn't change you.
[30:55] A gospel where you can stay the same and the Lord doesn't really have a plan for you other than just, yeah, just saving you basically. And so, anyway. So with that all shared, I want to go back now again and read through Ephesians 2, 1 through 10, and then we want to read some different scriptures.
[31:15] And you'll have to forgive me, I have a little bit of a cold with all these weather changes over the last week. Yeah, I have a little bit of a stuffy nose and stuff happening with me, but I want to go through these verses with you, and we want to be challenged and encouraged that we have a new life.
[31:33] Old things have passed away, and if we have not seen the old things pass away, then we need to see where we are at. Have we made that true commitment to Christ? Or are we still living in that old man?
[31:46] Are we still pursuing that old life? God's heart for those who come to Him is that they have a new life, that they are a new creation, that they are a new creature.
[31:59] The old desires, the old lusts, the drinking, the fornication, the divided place between man and God has passed away.
[32:13] Now we can have that communion with Him. We can walk and hear the things. We can see where He wants to guide us. We see light on our path. Though sometimes it's difficult to pass, but it is the path of everlasting life.
[32:32] Like I said, forgive me if I sound a little stuffy and stuff, but I'll try to convey the things here as good as I can. Verse 1 in Ephesians 2 again, And you hath He quickened who were dead and trespasses and sins.
[32:52] That's where I was. And I believe that's where you either were or currently are, depending on what Christ has done for you. And if you still are in that place, in death and trespasses, I invite you today to be cleared.
[33:11] God is not willing that you perish. He has that same grace, that same mercy for you. Where do we find ourselves today? Maybe we had an experience with Christ, but have left His ways.
[33:24] Are we dead in sins and trespasses against God? Hath He quickened, made us alive, who were dead? Have you been made alive? Our sin separates us from God.
[33:39] God has done everything that needs to be done for us to be made alive. It is no longer His problem. It's not His problem.
[33:50] If we want to walk away from Him, and we want to be lost for eternity, it is not God's problem. Because He has done everything possible. We do not need to seek a sign.
[34:02] We do not need to have some special revelation. We have it here. We have it here. You want to see a sign today?
[34:12] Just look in His Word. You want to see, you want to hear Him? Hear Him. It's His Word. That's why I said, like, if I was coming here to speak to you, it would be pretty dry.
[34:25] If I brought you bread out of my cupboard, like what we heard of this last week when we were at these meetings, the minister's meetings, it might be flavored with all kinds of things that are junk, that help us nothing.
[34:37] But let's look at what does it say here? What does God's Word have to say to us? He wants that every person be delivered from their sins.
[34:48] just like what He did in my life and He's done in the lives of some of you. He wants to do the same for each one of us. We do not have to stay in that place. Sin is that which separates us.
[35:03] And we know that if we are willing to confess our sins, to repent and turn from those sins, He is willing to translate us from the kingdom that we are walking in into His kingdom of light, into an eternal kingdom.
[35:21] And that is not a kingdom of loose living. That is a kingdom where we have a king. He does not rule over us with a rod. He rules over us with love.
[35:33] And His desire for us is that we look to Him and we glorify Him and we praise Him with our life. And if we are not willing to hear Him and walk away from Him, rather, then what's left for us?
[35:50] An expectation of judgment. But it's not God's heart. God's burden for us is that we be saved. And praise God that many of us have experienced that.
[36:04] Like I said, God has done whatever it took to bring us back to Him, to be reconciled to Him. He put Christ on the cross. He allowed Christ to be crucified.
[36:15] Christ was willingly going to the cross. It was not man's idea. It was not my idea that Christ went to the cross, that we should put Him on there. It was not any of your ideas.
[36:27] It was God's heart that He be there. And we read in Isaiah of different things that He experienced there. It was the will of God that He be bruised for us, that He suffer for us, that He carry our burden, that His back, I think it's in Psalms that we read, that His back was so torn that even the ribs could be seen, His bones.
[36:54] That was God's heart so that the punishment that we deserve would be on Him so that we could be translated from the kingdom of darkness into His kingdom.
[37:10] He's done it. It's open today that if you are still in that kingdom of darkness, you can be changed. If you're walking in that same place where I walked those many years ago, where I was hopeless, I had no purpose in my life, I felt like this ending it all from what I had heard from when I was a little boy doing the same thing that what my dad talked about, but that was not God's heart.
[37:35] That's why God drew. He called. If God is calling you today, just be willing. Do what it takes on your part. Go to Him and make that thing right.
[37:47] Your relationship can be clear with God. He was free and Christ is free indeed. If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed, just like that verse that was read here. And I experienced that. That was one of my favorite verses when I got converted.
[37:58] I actually had one of my coworkers, she painted rocks and I had her paint the verse on a rock. So it's kind of interesting that you would read that verse here tonight. Repentance and baptism for the remission of our sins.
[38:15] That's what the scriptures teach. If you read, which I was very shocked again when I read these verses the other day, in Acts chapter 2, let's go there and read these verses.
[38:26] Acts chapter 2, verse 37 through 47.
[38:37] I'm going to read them in the Amplified because I think some of the things just get brought out in a unique light here. Now when they heard this, and we know what was happening here.
[38:48] Peter was sharing with them the Pentecostal sermon. He was sharing a sermon with them. And it says here, now when they heard this, they were stung. Cut to the heart.
[39:04] That's what the word of God did to me. It continues to do that. When there's things in my life that need to be dealt with, even this last week as we were at these meetings, there was times where I heard things and I'm like, Lord, yeah, this is something that needs to still be worked on in my life.
[39:20] Forgive me where I've walked in error. I haven't seen this clearly. cut to the heart. And they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, special messengers, brethren, what shall we do?
[39:36] They noticed, they realized their lost state. What are we going to do? If this is what is, if this is the truth, where are we going to go?
[39:47] What do we need to do? And Peter answered them very simply, very clearly.
[39:59] Repent, change your views, and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it.
[40:10] These words are profound when you think of that. change your views, and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it.
[40:24] From when I first heard the gospel to when I was willing to receive the truth, willing to receive salvation from God, it was probably about eight months or nine months where I was resisting.
[40:37] Like I said, these preachers would come and talk to me, and I was like, no way do I want this because of my upbringing. But when Christ changed me, all those views changed because I found myself in God's word.
[40:55] I literally, when I got converted with these friends that I had, my old friends left. They were gone. They wanted nothing to do with me. Even my cousins, my relatives, oh my, whatever's happened to this guy, I want to get as far away from him as possible.
[41:10] I could not even give my relatives rides in my car. Like if I go to a Christmas gathering or something, and one of my cousins wanted a ride just to town, my grandparents lived out of town, I could not even take them with in my car to town.
[41:24] They were that afraid of me, afraid of God. So anyway, let's get back to what we're reading here. So he is saying that we are to repent, turning away, and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
[41:54] Very unique, even those words there, having the gift of the Holy Spirit. At times, people have puffed up the thing of the Holy Spirit to some things that it isn't. So there's been times where I've been like confused.
[42:07] Okay, I've never spoken in tongues, or there's things that I haven't experienced that some people have experienced. But when I look at what God did there on that scissor cart when I was in the greenhouse, how he changed my life, the boldness that came over me to start sharing the truth, even though I made many, many mistakes, I know that God right away put this Holy Spirit there in my life.
[42:31] Right away, that was there. I had a fire and a burden to share with everyone that crossed my path. I almost lost my job there because of preaching the gospel. I spent hours and hours in the rows as I would go through them.
[42:45] And again, I'm getting a little bit off the topic, but I want to share with you what God did in light of what I experienced there. I spent hours and hours going up and down those rows and there would be other people working the plants.
[42:58] My job was to look at the insects and they would be winding up the plants and doing whatever else they could be done. And I got called out by the supervisor, my supervisor, and said if I would not stop putting tracks everywhere and make this a more personal thing with these people, that I would lose my job.
[43:18] And that was within months after being converted. There was tracks everywhere in that greenhouse and people knew everywhere that something happened to this man. And then when I think of that, then I don't need to see other things.
[43:32] I know that God did a work there. And that work was not just for them, he continues to do a work in my life. That's the important thing. We can share our testimony of years ago, but where are we at today?
[43:44] Is that burden, is that fire still there? Do we still purpose to do what God wants just like it says here? Accepting what he says? So the recipe here, if we want to call it that way, is very simple, what he says here.
[44:01] The man asked, what shall we do? He says, repent, be baptized. Believe what God has done through Christ on the cross, accept what he's done, receive what he has said to do, repent, repent, be baptized for the remission of sin.
[44:20] And you can't have a right relationship with God. for the promise of the Holy Spirit is to and for you and your children and to and for all that are far away, even to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to himself.
[44:44] And Peter solemnly and earnestly witnessed, testified, and admonished, exhorted with much more continuous speaking, and warned, reproved, advised, encouraged them, saying, be saved from this crooked, perverse, wicked, unjust generation.
[45:00] Therefore, those who accepted and welcomed his message were baptized. And there were added that day about 3,000 souls.
[45:12] And they, this is what is important, this is a continuance in their life. It did not stop there. And they steadfastly persevered, devoting themselves constantly to the instruction and fellowship of the apostles to the breaking of bread, including the Lord's Supper and prayers.
[45:34] If we've been converted and we find ourselves not desiring church life, something's wrong. And we want to go into that some later, not today.
[45:45] That's something very important. These people, when they got converted and they received the word and were baptized, they committed themselves to the teachings. They were in the word.
[45:56] They wanted to hear the word. And that's something that was very dear to me. I started a little bit before. I want to share that. I had some friends, new friends, after I got converted, and we would have Bible studies.
[46:08] And we didn't have somebody special to teach us. Yeah, I went to church and I got baptized, but we had these Bible studies and we were in the word. We were like, what does it say? As much as I despised it before, I was hungry for God's word.
[46:23] What does it say? And it has helped me till today. There was a foundation established in my Christian walk because of being in God's word.
[46:33] And I believe that is foundational. If we get converted, that has to be there. God wants us to know his word. He wants us to be equipped with his word. It doesn't mean that I walk in perfection.
[46:45] I'm very forgetful with verses where this is or where that is, different things. but it is foundational that we know the scripture because we're coming into a time where if we do not know God's word, how will we stand?
[47:01] We need to be in his word. His word is him. It's who he is. We read in John 1, John chapter 1, what the word is.
[47:13] It's him. And if we say we desire to be converted, we desire to be changed, our life is changed, or we have gotten converted and we have received this, his word is not dear to us.
[47:24] Something is missing. His word needs to be precious to us. A sense of awe, reverential fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were performed through the apostles, the special messengers, and all who believed, who adhered to and trusted and relied on Jesus Christ were united and together they had everything in common and they sold their possessions, both their landed property and their movable goods and distributed the price among all according as any had need.
[47:58] And day after day they regularly assembled in the temple with united purpose. Excuse me. And in their homes they broke bread, including the Lord's Supper. They partook of their food with gladness and simplicity and generous hearts, constantly praising God and being in favor and goodwill with all the people and the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were being saved from spiritual death.
[48:24] That's the purpose right there. I like what it adds there in the amplified. They were being saved from spiritual death. That's where I was.
[48:36] That's where those of you who have received this word were and those who have not yet are still there. And it is not God's heart that you stay there. He desires that you also be converted.
[48:48] That you can be translated from that spiritual death into a living relationship with God. Repentance and baptism for the remission of our sins.
[49:03] That's what it says. It just hit me the other day. They ask what needs to be done. This is what needs to be done. Just be willing. It's walking in humility. I continue to have to walk in humility and I am positive all of us in here have to continue to walk in that.
[49:22] We say things we shouldn't say. We do things we shouldn't do. We continue to have to walk in that humility and repentance. That's living in that life. The life of Christ.
[49:38] Where in time past ye walked according to the course of this world. According to the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. This is the second verse in Ephesians there.
[49:52] Two. You did this in your past life. I said before already this is opposite. What are we walking after now? The world has a course set for us.
[50:06] The end is destruction. That's the world's course. And I have to ask how many times do we find ourselves on that course? What is the world pursuing?
[50:18] What is the world desiring? What is it after? And we're not going to go through all those things right now. But what does it look like? If we would all list something right now.
[50:29] What is the course of the world? Palm, show, pride, everything that you can list. That's the course of the world. But God translated us from that course, from that broad path to the narrow path.
[50:47] Are we walking there? Yeah. Maybe we had a good beginning. Where are we today? Still walking on that path? It's not.
[50:59] Excuse me. It's not a path where we have to make up a whole bunch of rules of do this and don't do this that don't come from scripture.
[51:12] But it's the path that God has chosen for us. There are going to be things that automatically that we're going to know when we're walking in God's spirit. This thing does not belong in my life.
[51:22] Because if we're God's children, he's going to correct us. He's going to tell us things. We just need to be open listening to what he's saying. That's why we need the Holy Spirit in our life. Very, very important that we have God's spirit in our life.
[51:40] You did this in your past life. This must not be your condition, current condition. That's not our current condition, the course of this world. The spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, that spirit must not exist in our lives.
[51:57] We must not give the enemy any room in our lives. Let's turn to Romans chapter 6 verse 15 through 23.
[52:20] What then? Shall we sin? Because we're not under the law, but under grace. God forbid.
[52:32] That's again the opposite. We were walking according to those sins before. We ran after those sins. I ran after that sin. What then? Shall we sin? Because we're not under the law, but under grace.
[52:43] God forbid. Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness?
[52:57] But God be thanked that ye were servants of sin, were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart the form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being them made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
[53:12] The opposite. The course of this world is unrighteousness. The course of God's kingdom is righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh.
[53:28] For as ye have yielded your members the servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
[53:43] You're free from righteousness. We are free from righteousness if we're walking the kingdom of darkness. But if we have been translated to the kingdom of God, then we are part of the kingdom of righteousness, the path of righteousness.
[53:59] What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
[54:17] The path of life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God. Again, we're returning to that, what I said before. This is God's plan. You didn't create it.
[54:28] You didn't think it up. I didn't think it up. Nobody thought this up but God. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
[54:39] that's God's gift towards us. That's His gift to us. Then, in Romans chapter 8, we want to turn there, 1 through 17.
[55:00] There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who ought not after the flesh, but after the spirit. I know these verses are very familiar to us, but let them speak to us again, just to show us the contrast.
[55:13] We were there, now we are here. Do we continue to walk on the path of unrighteousness, trespasses, or do we walk on the path of righteousness? We walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.
[55:26] For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who are not after the flesh.
[55:49] The opposite. We're either walking in the flesh or we're walking in God's kingdom. We're either walking in the spirit or we're not walking in God's spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit.
[56:07] For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. That's the difference. The reason that peace came into my life was because God changed me.
[56:22] He did what it took to change me. The reason peace is in your life is because God has done that for you too. And for those of you who do not have peace tonight, because you have not received this, you can have the same thing.
[56:34] God's peace can be on your life today if you are willing. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God.
[56:46] The broad way, you can say it that way, is enmity with God. We cannot walk two courses. And this really stunned me the other day too.
[57:00] You are either an enemy of God and an enemy, or sorry, a friend of the world, or you are an enemy of the world and a friend of God.
[57:16] You can't be both. You cannot love this world and the broad way of sin and wickedness and love God at the same time. You either have your back turned on one or the other.
[57:31] And our life shows it. Our life shows it. We do not have to tell ourselves or even lie to ourselves that we can do both. tell me while you are driving can you have one eye on the mirror and one eye on the road?
[57:49] The rear view mirror? Anybody here can do that? That's a pretty silly example, right? Try it sometime. Try and see if you can.
[58:00] Don't do it while you are driving because you might do something. But try looking at both of them at the same time. You can't do it. If we want to be a friend of God then we must be an enemy of the world.
[58:18] If we want to be walking in the spirit then we cannot be walking in the flesh. They do not it's not the same course. Because a carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be until I committed my life to God I could not walk in this.
[58:42] I had to yield myself and say yes Lord from now on I'm serving you. Then that path was open for me. Until then I did not find any power to walk victorious to stop the partying stop the drinking stop the swearing all the things that I was involved in.
[58:59] But when that commitment is there there's power. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you.
[59:12] If any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his. And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you.
[59:31] Isn't that exciting? If God's spirit is in us that same spirit will resurrect us. We will be with Christ. Glory to God.
[59:42] Therefore brethren we are debtors not to the flesh. We owe this flesh nothing. We are not debtors to this flesh. I think of the verse or where Christ says the words of Christ he says daily take up your cross.
[59:58] you know that he actually says that he who is not willing to take up his cross daily is not worthy of him. If we are not willing to put to death the deeds that this flesh desires daily we are not worthy of him.
[60:16] Every day that needs to happen. Daily that cross that means death to this this flesh this flesh has many wants it has many desires but we put those things to death and when we haven't we repent we turn away from those things and we again bring that to the cross.
[60:40] We are not debtors we are debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh for if we live after the flesh for if you live after the flesh you shall die but if through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body you shall live.
[60:53] Mortify put these things to death. That's why he says take that cross with you. Doesn't mean that we all you know go to whoever has a wood shop here we all build ourselves this wooden cross and we carry that thing wherever we go but we spiritually walk in a place where the deeds that come up the things that rise up they are put to death then we will have victory and there will be peace because those things are dead.
[61:21] for as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sons of God why? Because there's victory over sin the victory is right there we have mortified the deeds of the flesh by the spirit how come there was power to not go to these parties how come there was power that I could share with people was because of God it was not because I had become something good God changed my life and for you the same thing those of you who have experienced that was God's power working maybe we are not finding that victory today maybe we are not walking in that victory maybe we've been yielding to the things that the flesh desires but God desires that we crucify those things bring them to the cross mortify them kill them let them be dead because we are not those who are going to be lost for eternity we are of those who are going to live for eternity with Christ for ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry
[62:32] Abba Father the spirit itself beareth witness with God with our spirit that we are children of God and if children then heirs heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him that we may also be glorified together now I want to read verse 3 here in Ephesians chapter 2 again among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind and were by nature the children of wrath even as others and from there we want to turn to Romans chapter 5 verse 9 this is so important we were by nature children of wrath God's wrath even as others and then here in
[63:34] Romans chapter 5 verse 9 much more than being now justified by his blood we are justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him we are no longer the children under wrath God's wrath and what a freedom that we can experience when we do not have to be under that wrath but if sin is still there and we are still separated and we are still under that wrath by nature children of wrath but God verse 4 in Ephesians 2 but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us and then we have Romans 5 verse 1 through 8 here therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of
[64:42] God and not only so but we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us for when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly again we see God's plan in due time Christ died for the ungodly he did what it took for seriously scarcely for a righteous man will one die yet preadventure for a good man some would even dare to die but God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us the drawing you remember personally how God drew you you felt so hopeless your life was in a mess my life was in a mess while in sin God was showing us his love drawing us
[65:44] I remember so clearly laying there in my bed or thinking about these things I have a different plan for you I have a different calling for you than this it's not the direction I have for you the direction of sin and death it's just beautiful to read some of these verses even when we were dead in sins verse 5 in Ephesians 2 he hath quickened us together with Christ by grace ye are saved God has made all this available to us even when we were yet dead separated from God and verse 6 and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus we are now raised with Christ we know those verses in Romans 6 that talk about we are baptized with him we are buried with him and now we are raised with him to newness of life in the ages to come listen the plan doesn't stop here the plan continues in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through
[66:54] Christ Jesus isn't this glorious all eternity will be shown his riches of grace those of us who are saved and those who haven't yet we can all experience this together the riches of his grace for all eternity see that for great by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God salvation was not man's idea like I said we can call it that it's God's way for man God's plan for man he did what it took to make it possible for us to be brought to life to raise us out of death and sin it isn't something we can add to or take away from it's complete it's totally totally finished so don't let the devil ever rob you of thoughts that you need to add something to it yet walk in a holy way walk in a life that is pleasing to him and if there's sin deal with the thing bring it to
[68:01] God ask him for forgiveness and those who have not received this yet I invite you to make that personal make that personal that relationship is available to you too we can receive it very simply by being willing by faith to believe him repent and be baptized believe that when he said it's finished on the cross believe him that it is God is not a liar he did what it took he completed the salvation plan for man then verse 9 of Ephesians 2 not of works lest any man should boast now if we would stop there well then oh well then there's nothing I just receive this and I run no we have already talked about that there's such a vast difference between those who walk after the spirit and those that walk after the flesh there's a vast difference and we have just touched the surface many many other things we could have read tonight about this there's a separation and I know that for those of you who received it and have had family issues like what I did after I got converted and got kicked out and separated from my family
[69:16] I know you understand but what joy we have what peace we have we can lay our pillows our heads on our pillows at night and we can lay down and we can be at peace that's because of what God has done now not of works lest any man should boast but we cannot add something to this plan but why did he do this so that we could just live our own merry little lives and do whatever pleases us from here no it's for a purpose when God raises us through his grace and his mercy it is to give us purpose I had no purpose the sin I was walking in what what was I getting out of that there was no purpose it was a fleshly temporal joy that I experienced but spiritual death verse 10 of Ephesians 2 for we are his workmanship his new creation created in
[70:20] Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them is a plan and the plan is that we do good works not because that saves us but because we are saved because we're a new creation he's made us new so we see the call of God here for us we are his workmanship created in Christ for good works God didn't just save us to be bumps on logs he saved us to be workers in his kingdom to walk the life and the reason I thought of bumps on logs is because this very beautiful place that we're staying right now there's a lot of trees around us we're so surrounded that yeah we're not used to this where we live we can see for miles and I just thought of that we can just be a bump on a log somewhere but that's not what God created us in Christ to be we have purpose you have neighbors and those things we won't talk about later throughout the week but
[71:20] I just thought I should start with this share my story and encourage us to remember there's a vast difference between the two kingdoms if we're of the kingdom of light then darkness has to go the reason that the darkness is not able to come in here right now is because there's light and if the light is in us God's light is in us the darkness has to flee if the cross I'm bearing then the sin that this body desires has to be nailed there it's always being put to death as it comes it's being put to death we put it away it's not that there isn't a battle the reason he talks about bearing that cross is because he knew there would be a battle for us but we win because we put those deeds to death and we walk after the spirit God didn't just save us to be bums on logs he saved us to be workers in his kingdom and it is a joy and a delight to be working in his kingdom it is not a sorry life it is a life of excitement sometimes danger sometimes threats sometimes sleepless nights many many things or it is a joy because we know even if we should be killed you know when we're going on mission trips or different things we have a life that does not consist or end just with what we experience here it's eternal whole manga of hing human
[73:01] ADA сообщ because he only k ale mend des curvature oko b sinn