WEBVTT 00:00:02.009 --> 00:00:09.330 So we're beginning a new series called written in red and the tagline is the revolutionary words 00:00:10.130 --> 00:00:11.060 Of Jesus. 00:00:12.410 --> 00:00:19.039 Jesus really didn't come to this earth to make those that are happy with the status quo 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:19.969 Comfortable. 00:00:23.390 --> 00:00:24.949 That's the whole series right there. 00:00:26.539 --> 00:00:27.710 You're done for the month. 00:00:28.489 --> 00:00:30.350 Check that box, go on home. 00:00:32.750 --> 00:00:33.890 Oh, you can stick around. 00:00:35.689 --> 00:00:38.060 So his goal was to change the world. 00:00:38.899 --> 00:00:42.259 He changed the world and his words led the way. 00:00:43.310 --> 00:00:50.509 In fact, one might say that words, change, worlds, words, change worlds. 00:00:50.869 --> 00:00:59.659 If you want to change the world that you're living in, change the words that are coming out of your mouth words come from the heart. 00:00:59.840 --> 00:01:02.179 It's out of a heart that the mouth speaks. 00:01:02.179 --> 00:01:03.560 The scripture teaches us. 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:15.859 So the words that we say originate somewhere far deeper than just right here and words change worlds, and you might say, well, that's a bit of an extreme statement that, you know, is that, is that really true? 00:01:15.861 --> 00:01:18.409 And I would say that it is true. 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:41.870 That words express what is within our hearts that are, is, is within us completely, uh, words express externally, what is believed and what it's understood internally, which is why they hurt so much whenever they're hurtful words and why they bless so much whenever they're positive and uplifting words. 00:01:41.870 --> 00:01:54.439 Because I know when Christie says, you know, when she says to me things that cut or hurt me is because somewhere I know that she, she thinks those things she that's coming from within her. 00:01:54.620 --> 00:02:04.040 And at the same time, when she says words that are uplifting and kind to me, they, they mean so much because she has, she has thought them, she has felt them. 00:02:04.040 --> 00:02:06.859 And now they're being externally expressed. 00:02:06.861 --> 00:02:10.759 And just to be clear, she never says anything that ever hurts me 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:11.539 Ever, 00:02:15.530 --> 00:02:22.909 But words push those inner thoughts, those inner ideals, those inner ideas out into the, the atmosphere around us. 00:02:23.270 --> 00:02:28.879 And they begin to change things, words, start stuff. 00:02:30.530 --> 00:02:34.550 Think about the words we hold these truths to be self-evident. 00:02:35.569 --> 00:02:43.460 Now they're not the first words of the declaration of independence, but they're probably the most well-known words of the declaration of independence. 00:02:44.150 --> 00:02:45.590 And they're just words. 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:50.750 But they started something, they started something. 00:02:50.751 --> 00:02:59.030 And the end result was it birthed a nation words, uttered shape lives and change the world. 00:02:59.050 --> 00:03:08.050 In fact, the, it was the playwright, Edward Bulwer-Lytton who wrote the pen is mightier than the sword. 00:03:08.460 --> 00:03:12.180 He wrote that in 1839, 00:03:12.870 --> 00:03:19.860 And by the night, by the 1840s, it had become common vernacular. 00:03:19.949 --> 00:03:31.740 In that time that's lightening speed in the word of, in, in things like words, becoming common vernacular, it was so impacting. 00:03:31.949 --> 00:03:33.539 It was so powerful. 00:03:34.050 --> 00:03:35.430 It meant so much. 00:03:35.460 --> 00:03:45.060 It conveyed so much that society and culture at, in general adopted it as normal patterns of speech. 00:03:46.590 --> 00:03:47.159 The only thing 00:03:47.159 --> 00:03:52.650 More powerful than words written or words said are words that are lived out. 00:03:54.449 --> 00:03:54.629 If 00:03:54.629 --> 00:04:09.090 A word is just said, or just written and has never lived out, that it may not change much, but, but when the word is spoken or the word is written, and then the word is believed, and now there's a deep conviction behind the words. 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:13.650 And then that word becomes lived out in the life of a man or a woman. 00:04:13.651 --> 00:04:29.040 Then suddenly it has the ability to change everything, to change everything in their world, but also to change things in the world around them, words that are held on to, and then lived out with deep conviction are in fact world changing 00:04:29.550 --> 00:04:30.449 World changing. 00:04:31.230 --> 00:04:31.410 And 00:04:31.410 --> 00:04:35.100 That's why it's so powerful to read in John chapter one, 00:04:35.550 --> 00:04:40.620 John verse number one in the beginning was the word 00:04:41.939 --> 00:04:46.560 Word was in the beginning and the word was with God. 00:04:47.069 --> 00:04:49.350 And the word was 00:04:49.410 --> 00:04:50.129 God. 00:04:50.850 --> 00:04:51.990 So the word 00:04:51.990 --> 00:05:02.129 In the beginning, before everything was made before anything was made before the world was created and formed, the word was in the beginning. 00:05:02.130 --> 00:05:06.899 So you have any eternal God and you have an eternal being. 00:05:06.901 --> 00:05:11.639 And, and in the beginning of what can be known, the word was with God. 00:05:11.641 --> 00:05:20.910 And the word was, God, well, if the, if the word was with God and the word was God, then who was this word? 00:05:20.911 --> 00:05:21.899 How do we know? 00:05:21.959 --> 00:05:31.949 How do we identify this thing that the Bible is describing that John is writing and calling the word well, John continues. 00:05:31.951 --> 00:05:36.750 And in verse 14, he gives us kind of a hint of who this word is. 00:05:36.810 --> 00:05:41.430 Verse 14, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us. 00:05:41.579 --> 00:05:49.050 And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth. 00:05:49.350 --> 00:05:52.709 So who was the big gotten of the father? 00:05:52.949 --> 00:05:56.339 Well, Jesus was the begotten of the father. 00:05:56.660 --> 00:06:02.600 Jesus was filled with grace and with truth, it wasn't just truth. 00:06:02.899 --> 00:06:04.069 Cause that would kill it. 00:06:04.071 --> 00:06:06.949 Wasn't just grace, because that would change nothing. 00:06:07.129 --> 00:06:09.889 It was grace and truth. 00:06:09.980 --> 00:06:16.519 Jesus personified that Jesus was the word of God made flesh. 00:06:16.730 --> 00:06:26.389 So when Jesus came to this earth, it was the word of God being made, flesh, being personified among us and in this world. 00:06:26.509 --> 00:06:33.410 So when Jesus was walking and on planet earth, it was the word of God walking on planet earth. 00:06:33.470 --> 00:06:39.259 It was the word of God being expressed externally, lived out by an individual. 00:06:39.350 --> 00:06:41.720 It was the word of God manifest 00:06:42.970 --> 00:06:42.970 Mungus. 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:48.490 And that's why it's so important to hear the words of Jesus 00:06:48.910 --> 00:07:01.569 And recognize that if the word of God is uttering words of God while living out the word of God, then the word spoken 00:07:02.139 --> 00:07:02.949 Are important. 00:07:07.509 --> 00:07:15.339 It'd be enough just if he was the son of God, but he's the son of God and the word made flesh. 00:07:16.089 --> 00:07:16.629 Why is that? 00:07:16.630 --> 00:07:21.009 Because he's the prophesied son of God, he's the word made flesh. 00:07:21.370 --> 00:07:26.860 So in this series, we're talking about the words of Jesus 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:30.100 In John six, he described his own words. 00:07:30.250 --> 00:07:33.910 As words are spirit and they are life. 00:07:34.600 --> 00:07:36.389 So the words of Jesus are important. 00:07:36.459 --> 00:07:39.639 Why are we calling it written and read is number one. 00:07:39.641 --> 00:07:48.850 If you have a red letter edition of the Bible, when you open up the new Testament and you see red letters as because that's indicating they're the words of Jesus 00:07:50.529 --> 00:07:53.529 Written and read, but also 00:07:54.459 --> 00:08:00.970 Is when Jesus lived out the word, he backed up the word with his own blood. 00:08:02.259 --> 00:08:05.589 You see his words indicated the father's plan. 00:08:06.310 --> 00:08:14.230 He expressed the father's plan through his teaching and everything he said, but his actions backed up his words. 00:08:14.949 --> 00:08:20.589 His actions backed up his words with the miraculous, but they also backed up his words with his death. 00:08:20.709 --> 00:08:25.720 As he hung up on the cross, the Jewish officials hated him. 00:08:26.470 --> 00:08:31.360 They hated him because his words were teaching something different than what they were teaching. 00:08:31.689 --> 00:08:56.519 It wasn't that he was out of alignment with the law that they professed to follow, but he was fulfilling the law that they professed to follow the law that they profess the follow gave them this standing that they had in society and in culture, the, the, the law that they profess to follow had brought them resources into their life as they had. 00:08:56.580 --> 00:08:58.620 And this is why I'm using professed to follow. 00:08:58.620 --> 00:09:06.480 As they had manipulated the law in order to serve their own purposes and, and be able to accomplish their own goals and their own aims. 00:09:06.690 --> 00:09:14.789 And so the law that they profess to follow, if it were fulfilled within their ability to rule as they were ruling. 00:09:15.029 --> 00:09:36.330 And so the Jewish, uh, courts, the Jewish leaders, the Sanhedrin, the, the chief priests, along with other priests within the system, they did not like what Jesus was saying, because it would, it would take away the, the authority and the power that they operated in, even as it fulfilled the law that they professed to follow. 00:09:36.629 --> 00:09:51.210 But then the Romans also were struggling with him because what do you do with this, this one who's causing unrest among those that you were trying to rule and trying to lead, and the fastest way to bring peace back to the situation, it would seem is just get rid of that guy. 00:09:51.211 --> 00:09:54.779 So the Jews condemned him and the Romans crucified him. 00:09:55.649 --> 00:09:58.049 And now the words of Jesus were backed up 00:09:58.879 --> 00:10:04.820 By his own blood written in red, written in red 00:10:05.570 --> 00:10:13.190 And our primary texts for the series of sound in Matthew chapter five, Matthew chapter five is the first chapter of the sermon on the Mount. 00:10:13.549 --> 00:10:16.429 It goes from five chapter five to chapter seven. 00:10:16.669 --> 00:10:21.500 The sermon on the Mount is the longest sermon on record of Jesus. 00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:25.370 He, if you just read it through, it takes about 10 minutes to read through. 00:10:25.549 --> 00:10:29.120 And some of you are thinking right now, I wish pastor Michael was more like Jesus. 00:10:29.389 --> 00:10:32.809 And I'm saying I've never confessed to be Jesus. 00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:35.570 And, um, he can do better than me. 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:36.259 Hallelujah. 00:10:36.710 --> 00:10:42.019 We also know that the location, we know that at his location, the location is unknown. 00:10:43.100 --> 00:10:46.429 And when I said, we know I'd realized, I was about to say also unknown. 00:10:47.059 --> 00:10:55.549 The, the Catholic church did a whole bunch of research and, and their historians determined that they, they discovered where the Beata, where this lesson was taught. 00:10:55.549 --> 00:10:59.059 And so they built a church there it's called the church of the beatitudes. 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:04.340 And that in fact may be where Jesus gave this sermon, but we don't know exactly. 00:11:04.580 --> 00:11:10.460 And I think the content of the sermon is far more important than the location in which the sermon was given. 00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:18.080 We know that contextually Jesus is giving this sermon as his, as his ministry has just really gotten started. 00:11:18.440 --> 00:11:23.990 He started off in the wilderness where he was tempted of the devil and he, and he overcame the temptations. 00:11:24.259 --> 00:11:33.350 And then he begins the process of calling all of his disciples to him, even as he begins, preaching his message of the kingdom of heaven 00:11:33.769 --> 00:11:35.059 Being at hand. 00:11:36.470 --> 00:11:49.250 And in Matthew chapter four, the Bible says that as he is getting this started, that people started hearing about him because he's teaching in synagogues and he's, he's walking among the towns from village to village and he's teaching. 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:54.129 And, and as he's teaching, he's also beginning to do miracles people's lives. 00:11:54.130 --> 00:11:57.129 And so people are hearing about him because he's making a difference. 00:11:57.309 --> 00:12:10.299 He's making a difference intellectually because he bringing clarity to what they've been taught in the word from the, from the, um, from the profits of old and from the writings of the old, what we have now as the old Testament. 00:12:10.570 --> 00:12:15.159 And so he's bringing intellectual clarity and understanding and making a difference there. 00:12:15.340 --> 00:12:26.919 And then he's bringing a difference as he begins to heal people that are, uh, have all kinds of different diseases and all kinds of different problems and all kinds of different issues in their lives. 00:12:27.149 --> 00:12:30.129 And, and when you make a difference in people's lives, they begin to show up. 00:12:30.159 --> 00:12:33.730 When you make a difference to people's lives, they bring other people with them. 00:12:33.730 --> 00:12:39.970 And so, as it were, there were people who, who brought others to Jesus and said, Hey, can you do something about this? 00:12:39.971 --> 00:12:41.649 And he began to heal them. 00:12:41.820 --> 00:12:44.139 And, and he made a difference in their lives. 00:12:44.440 --> 00:12:50.889 His miracles drew people to him and his teaching increased their understanding about him. 00:12:51.250 --> 00:13:00.309 It's a, both an, it's not an either or the, the, the church of Jesus Christ needs the miracles of God working in the church today. 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:05.200 And it needs the intellectual understanding of who we are and what we believe. 00:13:05.350 --> 00:13:13.389 The Bible says that we're to show ourselves approved Workman unto Christ, Jesus, that we're to know how to give an answer for the things that we believe. 00:13:13.390 --> 00:13:19.600 And so it's a, both, and it's not an either, or, and Jesus brought that very reality to life. 00:13:19.629 --> 00:13:25.000 As he's beginning his ministry and teaching in the synagogues and making a difference in people's lives. 00:13:25.269 --> 00:13:35.019 Then we hear Paul describing his own ministry, and he says, Hey, I didn't come to you just in the, uh, the, uh, excellency of man's wisdom. 00:13:35.419 --> 00:13:37.419 I didn't just come to you in that. 00:13:37.539 --> 00:13:41.320 It's not that Paul didn't come with intellectual understanding. 00:13:41.321 --> 00:13:44.529 In fact, Paul was one of the most intellectual writers of all time. 00:13:44.919 --> 00:13:45.340 He's incorrect. 00:13:45.350 --> 00:13:50.919 One of the, definitely the most intellectual writer that we have in scripture, specifically in the new Testament. 00:13:51.100 --> 00:14:03.070 And he writes incredibly in the end, he brings out deep, deep revelation and understanding, but Paul himself in first Corinthians says, Hey, I didn't just come to you with man's wisdom and an intellectual understanding. 00:14:03.190 --> 00:14:07.120 I came to you in power and demonstration of the Holy spirit. 00:14:07.570 --> 00:14:16.269 We, we need the Holy Spirit's power to be able to demonstrate the truth of what God has called us to and what he's revealed in his word. 00:14:16.269 --> 00:14:21.279 And Paul says, it's a both, and I'm bringing both to you at the same time. 00:14:21.280 --> 00:14:31.389 So in essence, uh, the words revealed the father's plan again, and his actions proved the authority of God in people's lives. 00:14:31.539 --> 00:14:45.279 And so here's something that you can write down that teaching gives us the how to while Holy spirit power gives us the ability to the word says, this is what's right, and this is what's wrong. 00:14:45.700 --> 00:14:51.100 The Holy spirit living in you and living in me, that's what gives us the ability to do what's right. 00:14:51.110 --> 00:14:52.730 When we really want to do what's 00:14:52.730 --> 00:14:56.629 Wrong, please don't say amen to that. 00:14:57.320 --> 00:14:59.120 Don't even blink at this moment. 00:14:59.480 --> 00:15:00.889 Breathe very shallowly. 00:15:02.460 --> 00:15:05.470 We've all been in that moment when we know what the right thing is. 00:15:05.471 --> 00:15:08.200 And yet we want to do what is the wrong thing. 00:15:10.450 --> 00:15:10.629 And 00:15:10.629 --> 00:15:11.860 It's the Holy spirit power. 00:15:11.860 --> 00:15:34.570 If we will allow him, he will allow us, he will empower us to do the right thing when we want to do the wrong thing, but it's also the Holy Spirit's power that allows us to walk into a room and understand that there's a conversation that needs to be had with this person, or this person is struggling with a situation, or we need to pray about a particular condition or situation in someone's life. 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:45.970 It's the Holy spirit and the gifts of the Holy spirit, working in the lives of his believers that empower us to live beyond our own natural, understanding our own abilities. 00:15:46.929 --> 00:15:49.179 He can, and he will make a difference. 00:15:49.450 --> 00:15:52.809 And he did not stop making a difference with Jesus. 00:15:52.811 --> 00:16:07.539 And he did not stop making a difference with Paul, but he's making a difference in our world today through the church, through you and through me as believers in Jesus Christ empowered by the Holy spirit, he can, and he will make a difference. 00:16:07.929 --> 00:16:12.429 But as Jesus sees the crowd gathering around him, he begins to teach. 00:16:13.059 --> 00:16:14.139 And he's teaching 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:16.600 What we now know as the be attitude 00:16:18.070 --> 00:16:20.440 Be at us, meaning blessed. 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:23.350 So blessed are those. 00:16:23.860 --> 00:16:26.259 Each one of the beatitudes begins that way. 00:16:27.190 --> 00:16:29.710 And the first words he teaches 00:16:30.139 --> 00:16:32.169 Is what we're going to be looking at today. 00:16:32.171 --> 00:16:39.279 Matthew chapter five, verse number three, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 00:16:40.059 --> 00:16:41.340 Now the kingdom of heaven part, 00:16:41.409 --> 00:16:43.840 I like that blessed. 00:16:43.929 --> 00:16:45.789 I liked that, but I, 00:16:45.909 --> 00:16:54.970 I struggle with anything that comes with the word poor in the middle of it, because there's not much about poverty that I personally enjoy. 00:16:56.259 --> 00:16:58.570 And, and I know what poverty is. 00:17:00.009 --> 00:17:00.190 There 00:17:00.190 --> 00:17:05.289 Was a time in our life whenever Kristy and I made a whopping$800 a month 00:17:06.670 --> 00:17:11.980 With a family of four and two cats and a dog, which 00:17:12.259 --> 00:17:15.519 No idea why we own two cats and a dog making$800 a month. 00:17:15.549 --> 00:17:16.509 Lord Jesus. 00:17:16.779 --> 00:17:17.470 We were crazy. 00:17:17.471 --> 00:17:18.130 That's what our problem 00:17:18.549 --> 00:17:18.549 Was. 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:24.880 But when the word poor is there, I don't know if I want that kind of blessing. 00:17:26.230 --> 00:17:27.220 Thank you very much. 00:17:28.700 --> 00:17:34.329 Definitely would have been a revolutionary word in the days of Jesus because he's preaching to people. 00:17:34.509 --> 00:18:00.900 Many of whom were probably poor on a level of poverty that you and I are able to truly understand, maybe in the third world, at this particular moment, they could come to that understanding, but it was a revolutionary because poverty was a sense of, uh, it was a statement of God's unhappiness while wealth of any kind was a statement of God's happiness with you. 00:18:01.049 --> 00:18:09.660 When your life, people who were wealthy at the time were thought to be people who were blessed of God in a particular way, God was happy with them. 00:18:09.661 --> 00:18:11.519 And so he poured out blessings upon them. 00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:15.809 Whereas if you were poor, that meant God was not as happy with you. 00:18:17.099 --> 00:18:19.920 And this was the mentality of the day. 00:18:21.329 --> 00:18:24.329 In fact, that is still the mentality of some people today. 00:18:24.359 --> 00:18:31.079 There are doctrines that are wrapped around the idea that material wealth is a sign of God's blessing. 00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:33.480 And I'm going to just tell you that ain't right. 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:44.099 God does bless with material things at times, but bless, but wealth is gained by positive sowing and reaping. 00:18:45.450 --> 00:18:47.220 You reap what you sow. 00:18:48.029 --> 00:18:57.000 That's why there are people who do not believe in any God and much less Jesus Christ as Lord and savior who are vastly wealthy in this world. 00:18:57.059 --> 00:19:01.799 Because at somewhere along the line, that was a positive sowing and reaping. 00:19:02.460 --> 00:19:12.299 If it is only a sign of God's blessing, if you're financially wealthy than people who do not call on the name of Jesus as Lord and savior, God is blessing the fire out of them. 00:19:16.730 --> 00:19:35.480 That's less than number two today, but even the disciples were a little bit misunderstanding of this or struggled with this a little bit because you see them asking, well, Lord, if, if, if, if it, you said that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to go to heaven. 00:19:35.480 --> 00:19:46.069 And if that's true, who then can go to heaven because wealth indicated righteousness and Jesus said, no, that's not how that works. 00:19:46.549 --> 00:19:55.910 But then as history moves on, we see that shift and suddenly it becomes the poor that are the ones blessed of God. 00:19:56.480 --> 00:20:04.130 And that the rich are the ones who cannot be saved because, well, God likes poor people better. 00:20:05.180 --> 00:20:09.230 And rich people were involved in access and, and extreme things. 00:20:09.230 --> 00:20:17.089 And, and to some extent, that's true because when I was making$800 a month, um, we, weren't doing a lot of excess things. 00:20:17.660 --> 00:20:22.250 There wasn't a lot of opportunity for us to get in trouble doing flashy stuff. 00:20:22.700 --> 00:20:24.440 No people would people. 00:20:24.450 --> 00:20:37.339 I, I lusted after peoples and envied after people situation, when they said we went to Chili's twice this week, I was like, Whoa, if only we could do such a thing. 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:43.279 I used to think Chili's was the nicest restaurant on the planet. 00:20:45.740 --> 00:20:46.309 It still is. 00:20:46.310 --> 00:20:47.799 If that's where you're at, it's still is 00:20:50.250 --> 00:20:50.980 Still is 00:20:52.440 --> 00:20:54.720 We moved into another area of doctrines. 00:20:54.930 --> 00:21:09.779 The poverty doctrine becomes the primary doctrine of the agent and whole theologies rested on that to the point where some were teaching that that people could not have wealth and people could not have strength and suddenly no one was supposed to own anything, anything. 00:21:09.930 --> 00:21:19.349 And it's, it's kind of ironic that the primary driver of that particular area of religion became the most wealthy church entity 00:21:20.279 --> 00:21:23.819 In the world kind of odd. 00:21:24.599 --> 00:21:24.599 But 00:21:24.660 --> 00:21:27.720 Matthew says Jesus was talking about poor in spirit. 00:21:27.869 --> 00:21:29.009 So let's define some things. 00:21:29.010 --> 00:21:31.109 I've got to move quickly and you've got to write fast. 00:21:31.111 --> 00:21:31.380 Okay. 00:21:31.381 --> 00:21:32.190 And listen faster. 00:21:32.309 --> 00:21:33.119 So here we go. 00:21:33.420 --> 00:21:37.049 The kingdom of heaven is not talking about heaven as an eternal home. 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:44.039 It's a place where God rules a place where God rules and he's ruling right now, and he can rule in your life and your heart today. 00:21:44.099 --> 00:21:52.380 In fact, I taught more about this specific thing in the, uh, in the series kingdom come and January of 2020. 00:21:52.500 --> 00:21:55.650 So I encourage you if you weren't here for that, go back and listen to that. 00:21:55.651 --> 00:21:57.480 That will, they'll bring some revelation to that. 00:21:57.599 --> 00:22:00.059 Now we want God to rule in our lives. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:01.259 Then he said, blessed. 00:22:01.260 --> 00:22:02.670 What does blessed mean here? 00:22:02.970 --> 00:22:06.299 And being supremely blessed, happy, fortunate, well off. 00:22:06.390 --> 00:22:09.420 And I want every part of that in my life. 00:22:09.569 --> 00:22:12.150 But then he says poor in spirit. 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:14.160 And that's the hinge point here. 00:22:14.309 --> 00:22:18.089 That's the thing that if we want this, we got to have that poor in spirit. 00:22:18.090 --> 00:22:18.839 What does that mean? 00:22:19.019 --> 00:22:24.660 It means recognizing personal limitation, not inwardly self reliant. 00:22:24.779 --> 00:22:28.259 It means God, I cannot do this on my own. 00:22:28.410 --> 00:22:33.119 And if I was going to summarize this in one word, it would be the word repentance, 00:22:33.630 --> 00:22:34.650 Repentance. 00:22:35.250 --> 00:22:36.660 And that's our big idea today. 00:22:37.049 --> 00:22:39.569 The big idea as a life of repentance 00:22:42.210 --> 00:22:49.440 Places, God in control bringing great blessing, a life of her printed repentance, 00:22:50.380 --> 00:22:53.099 God and control bringing great 00:22:53.609 --> 00:22:54.210 Blessing. 00:22:55.890 --> 00:23:04.079 Repentance is not about looking at yourself terribly, but we're going to break that down. 00:23:04.859 --> 00:23:06.119 Thought number one is this. 00:23:06.779 --> 00:23:07.309 The first 00:23:07.559 --> 00:23:10.380 Work of the Holy spirit in your life is coming 00:23:10.410 --> 00:23:12.569 Eviction conviction. 00:23:14.940 --> 00:23:15.589 When we think 00:23:15.660 --> 00:23:26.880 Poverty, we all automatically go to the financial side of things, the fiscal side of things, but your financial situation in mind is not God's primary concern. 00:23:27.089 --> 00:23:28.890 It's our personal revelation. 00:23:29.039 --> 00:23:31.529 That is God's primary concern. 00:23:32.190 --> 00:23:35.670 Our personal revelation of who he is and who we are. 00:23:36.509 --> 00:23:40.019 Salvation requires that purpose, personal revelation. 00:23:40.470 --> 00:23:43.170 It requires us to recognize that he is the ultimate. 00:23:43.171 --> 00:23:44.069 Holy God. 00:23:44.250 --> 00:23:46.819 And we are unholy before him. 00:23:46.970 --> 00:23:55.009 When we stand in his presence, we are unholy the spirit of truth, which the Bible calls the Holy spirit in John chapter 14. 00:23:55.010 --> 00:23:58.759 Jesus says that the Holy spirit is the spirit of truth. 00:23:58.849 --> 00:24:00.890 He brings revelation to us. 00:24:01.069 --> 00:24:03.740 And I can remember as a kid, I grew up in the church. 00:24:03.769 --> 00:24:05.000 My dad was the pastor. 00:24:05.420 --> 00:24:06.950 I'd been around church my whole life. 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:12.980 And I can still remember the moment that I realized I needed a savior and that I was not worthy. 00:24:13.099 --> 00:24:15.200 Even though I, I grew up sleeping. 00:24:15.201 --> 00:24:20.269 As many of you are today, it, while the preacher is preaching, I was sleeping. 00:24:21.559 --> 00:24:24.109 I'm thankful that you are so comfortable in church. 00:24:24.440 --> 00:24:25.549 Just keep your snoring 00:24:25.779 --> 00:24:26.259 Well minimum. 00:24:29.410 --> 00:24:30.099 But I grew up 00:24:30.160 --> 00:24:30.609 That way. 00:24:30.611 --> 00:24:33.309 I grew up under church pews trying to take them out. 00:24:34.500 --> 00:24:40.599 And, and this was, this was life, but I still had to come to an understanding that I needed a savior in my own life. 00:24:41.650 --> 00:24:42.819 I needed a savior. 00:24:43.630 --> 00:24:49.599 So the Holy spirit would bring that revelation to your life in mind, recognizing that we are in sync. 00:24:49.990 --> 00:24:52.869 Then this is called conviction. 00:24:54.069 --> 00:24:54.849 Conviction 00:24:54.970 --> 00:24:58.150 Is often misunderstood as condemnation. 00:24:58.599 --> 00:24:59.859 The two are not the same. 00:25:00.460 --> 00:25:03.039 Condemnation says you are wrong. 00:25:03.339 --> 00:25:05.799 Conviction says you've done wrong. 00:25:06.069 --> 00:25:07.839 And here's how to do right. 00:25:08.529 --> 00:25:10.609 Conviction is from God. 00:25:10.611 --> 00:25:11.650 And it corrects us. 00:25:11.651 --> 00:25:13.630 It helps us to walk in the right way. 00:25:13.900 --> 00:25:15.880 Condemnation kills us. 00:25:15.910 --> 00:25:17.049 It's from the world. 00:25:17.170 --> 00:25:19.630 And all it does is drive us down. 00:25:19.631 --> 00:25:27.519 It does not give us any hope, but we are serving the living hope in our life today. 00:25:28.089 --> 00:25:33.250 And so condemnation is not the same thing as conviction. 00:25:33.430 --> 00:25:35.680 The Holy spirit convicts our life. 00:25:35.740 --> 00:25:39.279 And if we listen to him, we, we can get right. 00:25:39.700 --> 00:25:41.799 What we've gotten wrong. 00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:44.559 Now, CS Lewis said something. 00:25:44.560 --> 00:25:54.369 He said, humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less, and I'm going to commit a sin right now, but it's not the unpardonable one. 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:56.200 I'm going to disagree with 00:25:56.529 --> 00:25:57.160 It's Louis. 00:26:00.099 --> 00:26:01.720 And there was a gasp in the room. 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:03.609 But 00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:09.849 The reason why I disagree with him slightly is because I think humility is thinking of yourself accurate. 00:26:12.160 --> 00:26:14.710 I don't know that it's thinking of yourself less. 00:26:15.339 --> 00:26:17.170 It's thinking of yourself accurately. 00:26:17.980 --> 00:26:19.569 And no matter where you are 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:23.650 LAN on the social financial spectrum, 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:25.720 Wherever you 00:26:25.720 --> 00:26:38.079 Are in the spectrum spiritually, the reality is conviction causes us to look at ourselves as we truly are before a Holy God. 00:26:39.700 --> 00:26:40.599 Understanding 00:26:40.599 --> 00:26:44.069 What we look like to him and 00:26:44.069 --> 00:26:45.299 A prideful 00:26:45.619 --> 00:26:48.380 Response to conviction is avoidance. 00:26:49.730 --> 00:26:50.839 While a humble 00:26:50.869 --> 00:26:55.849 Response to conviction is repentance, repentance. 00:26:57.140 --> 00:27:04.190 And I know folks who will, who will avoid whenever they feel conviction in their life, they will avoid the thing. 00:27:04.191 --> 00:27:05.359 That's bringing conviction. 00:27:05.361 --> 00:27:09.950 So I've seen it many times over the years to people they're, they're living for Christ. 00:27:09.951 --> 00:27:10.880 They're loving God. 00:27:10.910 --> 00:27:12.200 Everything's going well. 00:27:12.230 --> 00:27:19.279 They fall in love with one another they're for whatever reason in their life, they're not ready to get married, but they move in together anyway. 00:27:19.609 --> 00:27:23.779 And the response is they stopped going to church almost immediately. 00:27:24.170 --> 00:27:26.960 They stopped going to church because they know they're living together. 00:27:26.961 --> 00:27:34.279 And they know that if you're going to be living together, you need to be married unless you are selling Bitly, living together, which is highly unlikely and unusual. 00:27:34.490 --> 00:27:37.700 And I have no idea who I'm talking to right now. 00:27:37.730 --> 00:27:43.880 But, uh, but when it all comes down to it, they say, well, what it will do is to feel better about this situation. 00:27:43.880 --> 00:27:48.950 We just won't go to church and we won't be around believers until we're ready to get married. 00:27:49.069 --> 00:27:50.420 That doesn't change anything. 00:27:50.839 --> 00:27:51.890 Doesn't change anything at all. 00:27:51.920 --> 00:27:59.420 I've seen people almost break their own personal necks, trying to get away from me because I was the pastor of the church and they were doing something. 00:27:59.421 --> 00:28:02.059 They didn't want to see the pastor, see them doing. 00:28:02.299 --> 00:28:03.470 And here's the problem. 00:28:03.619 --> 00:28:05.750 I am not the Jesus police. 00:28:05.779 --> 00:28:06.319 Okay? 00:28:07.250 --> 00:28:10.430 If you're doing something wrong, if it's illegal, I'll call the cops. 00:28:10.549 --> 00:28:13.460 If it's not illegal, then I'm just going to say, God bless you. 00:28:13.910 --> 00:28:17.660 And, and, and I'm going to move on with my day and pray for you. 00:28:17.779 --> 00:28:22.910 But, um, I can't sick Jesus on you and making sure that I don't see what you're doing. 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:25.279 Ain't gonna do you any good whatsoever. 00:28:26.480 --> 00:28:28.490 That's your third sermon of the day. 00:28:28.849 --> 00:28:28.849 Halloween 00:28:32.839 --> 00:28:33.920 It's avoidance. 00:28:34.819 --> 00:28:35.569 True. 00:28:35.869 --> 00:28:36.890 A good response. 00:28:36.891 --> 00:28:40.430 A right response to conviction is repentance. 00:28:41.119 --> 00:28:44.480 Pride says, I'm going to invoid, whoever's telling me I'm doing wrong. 00:28:44.509 --> 00:28:45.920 I'm going to do what I want to do anyway. 00:28:46.730 --> 00:28:48.920 And repentance says, I'm going to get it right. 00:28:49.400 --> 00:28:51.349 That thing, which I've been getting wrong. 00:28:51.799 --> 00:28:54.230 And if you're in love with one another and living together, get married, 00:28:55.880 --> 00:28:56.720 Thought number two, 00:29:00.109 --> 00:29:02.630 And winning friends and influencing people, Tim, and that's what I'm doing, right? 00:29:04.670 --> 00:29:05.569 Thought number two, 00:29:05.869 --> 00:29:08.869 The first work of grace in your life is repentance. 00:29:09.049 --> 00:29:11.809 So the first work of the Holy spirit in your life is conviction. 00:29:11.960 --> 00:29:14.960 The first work of grace in your life is repentance. 00:29:15.440 --> 00:29:20.150 The command to repent is found throughout the new Testament, taught by our greatest leaders. 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:25.130 Listen to the first words of these particular messages. 00:29:25.309 --> 00:29:26.750 John's message. 00:29:26.839 --> 00:29:29.509 First words from John's gospel. 00:29:29.569 --> 00:29:35.990 He said, uh, Matthew chapter three, his or John's message was repent of your sins. 00:29:36.140 --> 00:29:40.460 And turn to God for the kingdom of heaven is near the first words of Jesus. 00:29:40.579 --> 00:29:46.509 His messages from that time, Jesus began to preach it to say repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 00:29:47.079 --> 00:29:49.420 The first words of Peter's message. 00:29:49.539 --> 00:29:51.700 When they said, tell us what we need to do. 00:29:51.880 --> 00:29:52.930 Acts two 38. 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:58.299 Peter said to them, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sin. 00:29:58.480 --> 00:30:04.000 And you shall receive the gift of the Holy spirit throughout Paul's messages and acts 17. 00:30:04.059 --> 00:30:12.220 It says, and now he, God commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him in no way. 00:30:12.250 --> 00:30:14.650 Do we see that anyone teaching? 00:30:14.740 --> 00:30:20.079 Hey, if you'd like to think about it, repentance might be a possible direction for your life. 00:30:20.380 --> 00:30:22.539 Now, everyone is commanding repent. 00:30:22.569 --> 00:30:23.559 It's a command. 00:30:23.589 --> 00:30:25.539 Every single time. 00:30:25.540 --> 00:30:27.400 It's not a suggested action. 00:30:27.579 --> 00:30:30.640 It is a commanded attitude and our life. 00:30:31.420 --> 00:30:34.329 And it's not a decision for a moment where we say, okay, I repeat it. 00:30:35.339 --> 00:30:36.720 And then that's it. 00:30:36.869 --> 00:30:37.440 It's, 00:30:37.500 --> 00:30:39.329 It's a complete change of mind. 00:30:39.330 --> 00:30:40.349 And behavior. 00:30:42.269 --> 00:30:44.819 Penn is to change the focus of your 00:30:44.970 --> 00:30:45.569 Life. 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:47.279 It's a change. 00:30:47.280 --> 00:30:49.589 The focus of your life. 00:30:50.160 --> 00:30:50.789 You shift 00:30:50.880 --> 00:30:56.700 From focusing on your desires to focusing on his direction 00:30:57.690 --> 00:30:58.559 Where you're not saying 00:30:58.710 --> 00:30:59.880 It's all about me anymore. 00:30:59.881 --> 00:31:01.319 Now you're saying it's all about him. 00:31:01.470 --> 00:31:11.400 Our thoughts, our decisions, our attitudes, our actions filter through his will and through his word, it's us saying, I assess myself consistently. 00:31:12.750 --> 00:31:17.099 And if I don't align with his will and his word, I changed me versus trying to, 00:31:17.160 --> 00:31:18.089 To change him. 00:31:19.500 --> 00:31:23.880 I aligned me versus trying to get him to agree with him, 00:31:23.910 --> 00:31:30.269 My direction and this rubs against our human nature, rubs against everything that we enjoy, that we want. 00:31:30.270 --> 00:31:36.299 We want things to adjust to us, but Jesus teaches us that to gain anything from him. 00:31:36.300 --> 00:31:39.720 We must give him everything that is us. 00:31:40.349 --> 00:31:42.569 Jesus is not an add on 00:31:42.660 --> 00:31:43.829 To our life. 00:31:44.789 --> 00:31:50.789 Jesus is the end of our life and the beginning of a life in him 00:31:52.410 --> 00:31:54.869 And repentance brings us to that point. 00:31:55.619 --> 00:32:01.259