[0:01] Well, good morning and greetings to each of you as well. It's been a blessing to be here this morning again, and it's been a while.
[0:15] Still getting over my cold, but I'm feeling okay. And I don't know if you can hear me, Chuck, but it's really good to see you. And see you back again.
[0:32] And I was blessed on the trip that we had taken to Michigan especially. That part of the trip was when we were there at the southern Michigan there.
[0:45] We had a really good time. I just so appreciated the people there and the openness. And I think that if men and women's hearts are open to the Word of God and to truth and to the Gospel, and I would just like to bless them for that, God will do amazing things in any heart that is open like that and is turned toward God and says, God, I want to learn more of You.
[1:21] I want to be a disciple of Jesus. And so with that, it brought a strength. It brought a lot of courage to my heart to see that and to be part of that.
[1:33] So God bless them for that and keep praying that God will lead them and guide them the way He sees fit. Amen. Amen. Amen. Something that has been on my heart lately and probably more so over the last number of years, but just again was reminded of it in the last few days.
[2:03] I'm not sure why, but was just to bring a challenge or an exhortation to us as a church and for the body of Christ, not just us, but in the area of just, you know, honor and respect in the body of Christ.
[2:28] And just, what is our view of the people of God? What is our, you know, what's my view?
[2:42] What's my take? I just made a few notes here. I'm going to read some of it. But the lack of honor and respect that the so-called Christian has today for the body of Christ is shocking and appalling.
[3:00] Just think about that for a little bit. I'm not saying that everybody here is shocking and appalling. Not at all.
[3:11] But, and I have nobody in particular in mind other than just to remind us and to hopefully challenge us and challenge myself.
[3:23] I continuously am challenged with this thought that the church has been purchased by the blood of Jesus. And what is my view of that?
[3:36] Do I disregard her? Do I disrespect her? Talking about the church that has been blood bought. Those that have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
[3:51] Do I make light of her? But then, in order to preach about this subject, we also need to, I believe it's necessary to explain with the Bible, what is a Christian?
[4:12] What is a believer? What is a, you know, born again? And I know we talk about it a lot here. We talk about the new birth all the time, probably every Sunday.
[4:23] And I guess I don't apologize for that. I don't know. I don't know any other gospel. But what is a true Christian?
[4:33] And then what is a church? Is every organization in America that's called a church, is it a church? I think we know the answer to that.
[4:46] So I want to look at it from that angle first. What is the church? What is a Christian? Is it someone with a set of beliefs that is different than the non-Christian people?
[5:02] Is that a Christian? Do you have a set of beliefs that are different? Different than the rest of the world, perhaps? Is it someone with a set of beliefs?
[5:15] I already said that. Is it someone that goes to church and other religious gatherings and has better values than those that don't go to church?
[5:26] Is it someone who grew up with a certain set of teachings and a lifestyle that is different than the world? And that person keeps those traditions?
[5:36] Is it someone that is kind and helps others and treats others as they want to be treated?
[5:49] With respect and so on and so on and so on. A good person. In other words, is a Christian a good person? Or is a Christian?
[6:07] You can ask it either way. The world will call any good person a Christian. The world as we know it.
[6:25] Yeah. In America. And how dare you say he's not a Christian? The only answer is in the word of God.
[6:43] We don't make that decision. We don't make that judgment outside of the word of God. But the word has the answer.
[6:54] And we often have talked about the new person. The new person in Christ. But you know, that old nature is so strong and so stubborn and so self-righteous that it demands that it be accepted as a Christian.
[7:11] Whether he is or not. Well, the old is never a Christian. But the answer in the Bible is the cross. And death to the old. So what is a true Christian?
[7:25] We all know the story of Nicodemus. And I just love to preach about Nicodemus. And how he came to Jesus at night. And Jesus told him, you know, except a man be born again.
[7:40] And then he asked that question. How can this be? And he asked kind of a silly question, actually. A question he knew wasn't the right answer. But it's because he didn't know the answer.
[7:55] One of the smartest, most educated religious people of that day, a leader in the Jewish church, synagogue, a leader of the Jews, did not know the answer to this question.
[8:10] And many today, religious leaders, do not know the answer. The same way as Nicodemus. They should come to Jesus at night. They should step out and say, I need to know.
[8:27] If only more of them would. But Jesus said there in, where was that? John 3, I believe. Yes, John 3, verse 5.
[8:40] Jesus answered, Verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit is spirit.
[8:54] Marvel not that I say unto thee, ye must be born again. And unless a person is born of the spirit of God, he or she is not a Christian.
[9:07] Did you get that? All those things that I mentioned above, about being good, going to church, doing things, being nice to people, helping people, doing things that Christians do, right?
[9:24] But unless you are born of the spirit of God, you're still lost. God doesn't know you. And you don't know him.
[9:38] Unless we are born of the spirit. Even though they live by many godly principles and look and act different than the rest of the world, unless a new birth experience has changed that life and Christ has come into that life, they are not Christians, which means they are not part of the body of Christ, the church.
[10:13] Isn't that amazing? You know, it's so opposite from how man thinks. We would think that, you know, if a person does all these good things, surely, surely somehow, there's hope.
[10:27] Yeah, maybe they didn't know God or maybe they weren't truly born again, but they've done all these good things. That's man's way of thinking.
[10:39] But Jesus said, ye must be born again. You must have the spirit of God. So sad.
[10:54] Such a sad story if you think about it. The people that live all their life struggling and trying harder and trying to live good, to live right, to do good to their neighbor, to be separate from the world, try and try and try.
[11:16] And then in the end, if Jesus tells them that He never knew them, He only knows the person that He dwells in.
[11:32] And the new birth is a miracle that only God can perform. When a person comes to Jesus in repentance and He places His trust in Christ for a Savior, the born-again person now lives under a new command.
[11:52] Jesus Christ is now Lord of that life. and that new life is surrendered to Jesus. The old selfish life has been put on the cross and is dead.
[12:06] Old things are passed away and behold, what? All things have become new for the true Christian. He is under a new order.
[12:20] The old order is gone. And we're under a new one. A new life. Are we clear on what is a Christian?
[12:34] I know and I believe with all my heart that at least the majority and hopefully by far most here are born again and know have a relationship with God and have reckoned the old life to be dead.
[12:52] I believe that. But are we clear on that? Do we really understand that? Do we really believe it? That outside of that, there is no life.
[13:05] And that old nature can do so much good. So many good things. So what is the body of Christ? You know, the Bible says that all things have become new for this person that's born of the Spirit.
[13:28] That is a very good question to ask when talking to people or especially when you're talking to somebody that's just religious. When has everything in your life become new?
[13:44] If it hasn't, then it hasn't. When has everything become new? Did that ever happen?
[13:55] And if it did, are you walking in that life? You know, it's a choice. We can still revert back to the old and become selfish again.
[14:10] So what is the body of Christ? It is simply a people that God brings together that have this new birth experience and are walking in this new life in Christ.
[14:22] That's the body of Christ. This is the universal, the larger body of Christ. The body that He's coming back for.
[14:35] So what is a local church? I'm going to say this. This might stretch your thinking a little bit. But what is a church? You know, man has all kinds of ideas of what a church is.
[14:50] I mean, you can believe just about anything and still be called a church in America. But someone said recently, or I heard someone say, I forget who it was, that the apostles did not consider a local gathering, a church, until it was established and had ordained leadership.
[15:12] Now, that doesn't mean that there weren't people there that were born again and part of the body of Christ.
[15:24] But they didn't consider it a local church body or refer to it as such until that took place. Now, if you can find something different in the New Testament, you know, let me know.
[15:37] I'm open to that. But I heard that statement and I thought about it. I thought, wow, that, yeah, I think that's right. That that's how the apostles believed.
[15:50] And I think that is the case. It was a church that had some structure and it was established and it was recognized as a church. But without the new birth as the foundational doctrine and experience for the believer, we can never call that a church.
[16:13] If that's not what makes it, then it doesn't exist. In a true church, Christ will be the head of all things.
[16:30] And He will have the preeminence. Watchman Nee said, without the life of the head, meaning Christ, there can be no body.
[16:45] And without the authority of the head, there can be no unity. If that life, the life of Christ through His Spirit, is not alive and is not working, then how dare we consider the church?
[17:12] So, and back to the question, what is my attitude? What is my respect level, if you will, toward a child of God, a believer, a born-again believer, and the church?
[17:28] That's my message this morning. But I am also clarifying, what is that? What is a child of God? And there's many, many other things that could be said about this subject.
[17:44] Let's read a few verses in Colossians 1. very familiar scripture there. In Colossians 1, I just made the statement or quoted Watchman Nee about where there is no head, the life of the head, meaning Jesus, then there is no body.
[18:10] We can call it whatever you want to call it, but if Jesus is not the head, if it's not his, then it's not a church. In Colossians 1, verse 18, it says this, And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have preeminence.
[18:37] For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself.
[18:52] By him, I say, whether they be in earth or things in heaven, and you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet hath he now reconciled.
[19:07] Our brother Dan mentioned that about while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. When we were alienated and enemies in our mind.
[19:21] Enemies of who? Right? While we were God's enemies, he died for us. Verse 22, In the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight.
[19:38] And I just want to say, this church, this is the true body of Christ. When people are born of his spirit and Christ is the head.
[19:54] This also means that the word of God is the authority of the church. Not man's ideas and opinions, but the Bible. The word.
[20:05] The word of God. Is the word of God the authority? You can't separate that from Christ. The head. You can't separate portions of the scripture and say, oh, I believe in the head, but the word is kind of, eh.
[20:25] No. No, no. So now that we've covered at least part, in part, of what a true Christian and a true church of Jesus Christ is.
[20:38] Let's talk again about our attitude and our thought about all that. So what is my attitude toward another born-again Christian, a child of God, one that has been sanctified, justified, and is being sanctified?
[21:00] What is my attitude toward as a Christian, I will accept another child of God just like I accept Jesus?
[21:15] Did you get that? If I can't accept you, Laverna, as a child of God and you've been washed and born again, then how can I accept Jesus?
[21:29] How can I say I love Jesus? Think about that. we'll get to some verses to prove that later. What does it take for me to accept someone as a fellow Christian brother or sister?
[21:49] Is it when our personalities like each other? You know, you don't even have to be born again for that. Personalities, good friends, right?
[22:00] You had friends before you were saved. So we know it's not that. Is it when we have the same likes and same dislikes?
[22:12] Our tastes are the same. So we have a lot in common in life. We're about the same age and come from the same background, so therefore we must be brothers in the Lord.
[22:25] We go to the same church, we must be brothers. brothers. Anyway, what does it take?
[22:36] What is my attitude toward somebody? What about a brother that is born again and has the witness in himself that he's a child of God, truly saved, but his personality and mine just don't really mesh very well?
[22:52] Does that exist? what do I do with that? What do I do with that?
[23:03] You know, God's kingdom and his ways override our personality problem. It should, it must. Let's turn to 1 John 5 and see what John has to say about fellow believers.
[23:25] Starting in, I think we'll just start in verse 1. 1 John 5, Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him.
[23:47] By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments. commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not grievous.
[24:03] So do Christians keep the commandments of God? Should they be willing to obey the word of God? I don't even know I'm asking that.
[24:15] We know the answer to that. But we almost have to ask it these days. Do Christians keep the commandments of God? We almost have to ask that.
[24:27] Shouldn't need to. Verse 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith.
[24:39] Victory. Do they walk, do Christians walk in victory? Who is he that overcometh the world but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
[24:50] This is he that came by water and blood even Jesus Christ not by water only but by water and blood and it is the spirit that beareth witness because the spirit is truth.
[25:05] For there are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one and there are three that bear witness in earth the spirit the water and the blood and these three agree in one.
[25:23] If we receive the witness of men the witness of God is greater for this is the witness of God which he hath testified in his testified of his Son.
[25:35] He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son and this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his Son.
[26:01] He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Equivalent of saying is not a Christian.
[26:18] A person that does not have the Son does not have life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
[26:40] If a person does not have this new life in Christ and the Holy Spirit has not confirmed or witnessed with them that he or she is a child of God and old things are not passed away and all things have not become new, then you must assume that he or she is not a Christian.
[27:09] Again, back to that subject. We already talked about the amazing amount of things that people can do, good things that people can do, following teachings of the Bible.
[27:27] But in verse 12 here it says that if that good person does not have the Son of God, then he doesn't have life. Amen.
[27:39] How does a church discern whether a person is born again? Oh, there we go. How dare we say that, right? You know, Burt Clendenin says, what, 95% of the people in churches are not born again?
[27:59] I don't know where he comes up with that or where he came up with that, but he's probably not far off. And I believe it's the church's fault for that, by the way.
[28:14] It's preachers' fault for that largely. Because of what is allowed and accepted. But if someone does not have the witness in himself or in herself, in other words, if God has not put it there, why do we try to put it there?
[28:38] If God doesn't tell you, Jeffrey, that you belong to him and he's forgiven and washed you, why would I try to make you a Christian? We do great harm in the church by doing that, by trying to give people the confidence that they're saved, and the Holy Spirit has never said that.
[29:01] We need to be very careful with that. And as individuals also, as we minister and talk with each other and so on, we point people to Christ and he does the witnessing.
[29:17] He does the confirming. He's the one that gives the Holy Spirit, the Father. We don't do that. We don't play God and try to make Christians.
[29:29] Jesus did say, though, that there is a way that we can know. What is that way? Anyone?
[29:40] How can we know? By their fruits, you shall know. Correct. But this is God's work. It's not our work to save people.
[29:52] We preach Christ and Him crucified and He does the saving. but by their fruits, you will know.
[30:02] What are your fruits this morning? What are mine? Are we living the new life? What is my attitude again, back to this, to a born-again believer?
[30:13] I believe that God would have brothers and sisters accept one another as believers?
[30:27] If we know and we have every reason to believe that someone is a child of God by their testimony and by their life, then do I accept that person as a child of God?
[30:42] Is there a level, a high level of honor and respect for that individual? because how can I honor and respect Jesus, but not Jesus in you, Enos?
[31:00] You see the contradiction. It's fake. When I can't accept Christ in you.
[31:13] If God receives a person into His kingdom through the new birth, we've explained what that is. But you and I don't accept that person as a Christian, as a believer, as a child of God.
[31:31] We are saying not only that we know more than God, but that we're better than He is. We're better because God, you know, doesn't get it, but we get it.
[31:46] What? How can this be? Where does that put us? Just because you have a different personality or different makeup or different likings or whatever, those differences that we have as humans, once we have received Christ and made Christ our Lord, that all changes.
[32:21] That's part of our, that's something beautiful actually that happens in the body of Christ, is that that whole thing changes. What used to matter to me so much about you, Ethan, I'm just picking on you, but there's nothing that bothered me about you at all, I'm just saying.
[32:38] But what could have bothered me, you know, once I have Christ in me, and that same Christ now owns you, those things go away.
[32:49] It's okay. It's okay. We can accept things that Christ accepts and receive someone as a brother that has the new birth and that life in you.
[33:03] So what is our attitude toward the body of Christ? And how about the local church body? Can I truly say that I love Jesus, but be at odds with His body?
[33:18] The very people that Christ lives in, can I reject them and be angry at them when I claim to love Jesus? We know the answer.
[33:33] that is a great heresy and it's a lie. In 1 John again, chapter 4, verse 20, I want to read two verses there.
[33:44] It says, If a man say, I love God and hateth his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
[33:59] And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God loveth his brother also. I don't know if we remember this, sometimes we forget, but I know when God began to draw us together as brothers here, brothers and sisters as a church body, one of the things that we wrote down, can't remember how it's worded or where it is now, but in our statement of faith is this thing of loving, committing to love everyone in the body.
[34:43] You remember that? I think we've all made that commitment, haven't we? A lot of us have made that commitment to love each other and this is why it is a commandment.
[34:54] it's a command of Christ that we love each other. But my question remains, what is our mindset about the church of our Lord Jesus?
[35:10] Do I have the utmost respect for the people that have Christ as their authority and as their head? That's what we're talking about.
[35:23] People that have surrendered their life to Christ, people that are following Christ with all their heart, and Jesus is their head. I believe that we must have utmost respect.
[35:45] Again, if I say I love God, but I disregard or talk down and ridicule those that have the Spirit of God, then I am doing that exact thing to God Himself.
[35:59] Think about that, the seriousness of that. I'm going to read more from John chapter 4 there.
[36:17] I was going to just read the whole chapter, but I think we'll just pick out a few verses here. How about we go to verse 7.
[36:36] Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love.
[36:48] Wow, how can you get any plainer than that? He that loveth not, knoweth not God. And this was manifested, the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him, here in His love, that we love God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
[37:19] Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. Let's go down to verse 17.
[37:38] Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment.
[37:56] He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, here are these two verses again, he is a liar, for he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen?
[38:21] And this is the commandment we have from Him, that he who loveth God, love his brother also. In this kingdom, in the kingdom of God, a lack of love is considered hatred.
[38:39] Let's remember that. Just a lack of love. You either love or you hate. There's not this thing in between, well, I just don't like him too much.
[38:52] No. I believe that in God's economy, a lack of love is a hatred. You know what we do to the church, to the people of God, we are doing to Christ himself.
[39:10] In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus said then that people will come to him saying, Lord, when saw we thee and hungered or a thirst or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister unto thee?
[39:32] Then shall he say unto them saying, verily I say unto you, in so in as much as he did it not unto the least of these, you did it not unto me.
[39:45] So in other words, if we didn't minister to those in need, if we did not minister and take care of those in the church or those that we are to minister to, then we've done it unto him.
[40:02] We haven't done it to him either. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. That word minister caught my attention as I was reading that earlier.
[40:17] Minister, what does it mean? Do we minister to each other? Do we care for each other? That's really what it means, I believe. If there is someone in our midst with a need, the need can be spiritual, it can be physical needs, it can be emotional, mental, whatever.
[40:38] But if there are needs, can we with God's help, help each other? Be there for each other? If we don't, and we're not willing to, then we might hear those same words.
[40:58] You didn't minister to these people. You didn't help this person. You know, I think of some of your friends that you're reaching out to, that you're ministering to, you're trying to help, and that's all we can do is try.
[41:17] We can't save, but we can minister to, whether it's just explaining the gospel, sharing the gospel, whether it's physical, whatever the need is, in God's kingdom, in the church, in His body, that's what Christians do.
[41:39] Don't ever be intimidated by that. We are committed to love. It is the very command of God.
[41:54] And we obey God, not man. We fear God, not man. Man might say it's none of your business. But God says we must take care of each other as those needs arise.
[42:12] If Christ is the head of the church, then the church will be obedient to her head. What is your attitude toward church?
[42:24] And I'm not talking, I'm talking about the church we explained, we described earlier. Not just an organization, but a living, something that's alive.
[42:39] An organism that is alive and real. What is our attitude? What if the church speaks?
[42:53] What's our attitude? What is God's kingdom? What is your opinion? I think we need to take it very seriously. What if God speaks through the church and we just ignore it?
[43:14] Have we done that? God? Do you see it as God's kingdom here on earth? Where God dwells in his people?
[43:25] A place where God dwells, where God speaks, where God moves, where God changes people's lives, and he works. You know, there's so much self-afflicted anger and bitterness in the hearts of so many so-called Christians.
[43:46] And I say self-afflicted because no one can make you bitter. No one can make you bitter except yourself.
[43:59] Things can happen that might instigate it, but bitterness and anger is still a choice. What I do with it is still a choice.
[44:10] So, therefore, I say self-afflicted. It's a choice. But there's so many, and they're not only haters of church.
[44:21] They hate God himself, and they serve a false God, a God that doesn't really exist, not the God of the Bible.
[44:33] And these people, they reject the very work of the Holy Spirit, and they mock it. They reject, they cannot accept the brokenness of a true Christian.
[44:45] They cannot accept the new life that only comes from Christ. Don't be fooled. These people not only hate these things, but they hate the cross, and they are haters of God.
[45:00] Listen, they have always existed since the church began, and they're not going away. there are always people that hate the things of God.
[45:12] Now, if you're just a religious organization, and you're just a group of people that come together and do your thing, they won't hate you. You see what I'm saying?
[45:22] It's haters of God will hate you. Jesus said that they have persecuted me, and they will persecute you. what is our attitude toward the church?
[45:39] Is it God's? Do we actually see it as Jesus bought them with his own blood? He owns his body. He's the head of his body.
[45:50] He's the life giver. Is it a privilege for you to be part of the body? that Jesus has purchased.
[46:05] It's not a right. It's a privilege. We should be the most thankful people that we can be in a body of Christ, that we can just be a part of something that is alive and real.
[46:20] But the answer is simple. You know, if my attitude isn't right about another Christian or the church, the answer is simple, to get it right.
[46:35] The grace of God. If my attitude toward a child of God or his church is wrong, then my attitude toward God is wrong.
[46:48] It's just that simple. if we have a problem with a Bible believing, spirit-filled church, and we think they're wrong, and we carry bitterness against her, then our heart toward God is also wrong.
[47:09] What you say against the body of Christ, you are doing and saying to Christ himself. I trust that nobody here is angry.
[47:26] And before this message, I was actually going to preach on bitterness. And then it changed to this, but I have a few thoughts on that. Have we allowed the hurts from the past to control our life?
[47:45] You know, probably every one of us has hurts. I mean, I've never met a person that wouldn't say, yeah, there was something, you know. Some have grown up very sheltered from deep hurts, and that's wonderful, but most of us have, if we look back, we've had hurts in our lives.
[48:06] The question is, what do we do with them? And first, we must take ownership of our problem. And if we can't take this first step of owning our problem, there's probably no hope for you.
[48:24] I don't know how you get past that. It doesn't mean that you're to blame for everything that happened, but owning your problem. And then you can bring it to the cross.
[48:36] The Bible says to come boldly to the throne of grace. We can come boldly to the cross with our needs. If we have a problem with unforgiveness, or with bitterness, or with a bad attitude, we can come boldly to the throne.
[48:56] And there is so much grace there. There's so much help there. More than we ever need is available.
[49:08] if I have a problem with forgiveness, I can find it there. We can find it there.
[49:20] There's more than what we need. If we allow God to come into our life, He is willing to give us more than we need. He is willing to give us grace abundantly.
[49:33] More than enough. He is more than enough. He is more than we need. He has made all the provisions that we can be more than conquerors.
[49:47] There's no need for anyone to have a bitter heart. There's no need for anyone to carry a grudge and struggle and struggle in life.
[50:00] to be an overcomer. To be free. To be totally free.
[50:10] We believe in this life changing gospel. You know, some days, sometimes, we might get tired. Sometimes we might get physically tired.
[50:26] sometimes emotionally drained. I think brother Dan was just emotionally drained. But I remember that night, he just was shot.
[50:38] But sometimes we get to places like that. But I'll tell you, if we wouldn't have a gospel that works to preach about, I'd be drained.
[50:51] But this gospel gives us life. It gives us hope. to see God change lives. Taking that old person and making him brand new and excited for Jesus.
[51:06] It's worth it all. Now, here's a test. When God changes a person, an old, bitter person that hated God and the things of God, perhaps, and changes him into a child that is broken before him.
[51:30] A bitter person will say, yeah, but. You see what I'm saying? You can't accept it.
[51:42] Can't accept that. But if you have that life also, then you will rejoice. You will do nothing but rejoice.
[51:56] I don't know how it is with us. And I don't know why this morning it all changed. But maybe we have a struggle with forgiving somebody.
[52:09] Or maybe somebody here has a struggle with being bitter of somebody in the past. I know when I was studying for this, I had to ask God that question.
[52:23] Did I forgive everybody that has ever wronged me? Have I let them go? Have we?
[52:34] That's the question. Is there still some that we just kind of hold on to that thing? what's our view of other believers?
[52:48] What's our view of the church? Are we rejoicing to be part of her? I don't know where we're at, but I wonder if we should just spend a little time just praying, just maybe five minutes or so, and just giving those things to the Lord.
[53:11] Why don't we just, whoever can, why don't we just kneel and just quietness will just come to God and ask Him to show us. Lord, am I free?
[53:22] Is my heart free? Father, we just come to You and Lord, we thank You that You are merciful.
[53:41] Lord, we thank You that we can come to You with any and all of our needs. Father, if there's anything, search our hearts, Lord, and see if there's any wicked way in us, any evil thought, anything that is less than holy toward Your people, toward our fellow brother and sister in Christ.
[54:11] Father, I pray that You would reveal that to us, to our hearts. Help each of us to look at our own heart. Father, that we would just be made right.
[54:24] Refresh us, Lord. Help us to forgive, to be a forgiving people, especially if we were just wrong personally.
[54:35] Lord, help us to not hold that. You are such an example, Lord Jesus, of that. Even the ones that were nailing You to the cross, You said, God, forgive them.
[54:47] What an example, what an amazing example to us, to be willing to forgive and to release and to let God be the judge. Father, just help us to not hold any grudges.
[55:01] Help us to have a healthy, right, a correct view of Your people, of Your church, Lord.
[55:13] Lord, help us to have a right view of who You are, Lord Jesus. I believe if we have that right, the arrest will fall into place. So, Lord, may You just be revealed to our hearts this morning in a new and in a deeper way.
[55:32] And, Lord, help us to love You more and to love each other more in Your body. Build Your church, Lord, and make us strong, Lord.
[55:45] Thank You. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that draws us back to You time and again. We give ourselves to You, and we thank You for the blood of Jesus.
[55:59] We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.