WEBVTT 00:00:00.281 --> 00:00:14.699 But we're gonna dig into the word because there's healing and there's redemption in the word of God and there's really everything we need is wrapped up in this word and when God shines His light on it for us, it can break things off of our life. 00:00:14.699 --> 00:00:15.962 It can break things out of our. 00:00:15.962 --> 00:00:21.053 We can break out of a bad mood or a bad day or whatever. 00:00:21.053 --> 00:00:25.839 We can leave that in the past just by studying His word, and so let's do that tonight. 00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:32.960 I'm actually continuing a series that I started in the summertime called the Image of Jesus series. 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:36.542 We're on part three tonight we're gonna talk about. 00:00:36.542 --> 00:00:41.895 We've been tracing God, jesus' life through. 00:00:41.895 --> 00:00:43.759 I'm gonna take it through four stages. 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:45.146 So tonight is part three. 00:00:45.146 --> 00:00:52.960 Part one was His life as a child and His growth, and of course that was a symbol of our growth spiritually. 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:57.671 We are supposed to grow in wisdom and stature and have favor with God and man, like Jesus did. 00:00:57.671 --> 00:01:02.743 So we talked about that and then we talked about we're just like Jesus. 00:01:02.743 --> 00:01:04.811 In His mission. 00:01:04.811 --> 00:01:09.500 Jesus said he came to seek and save that which was lost. 00:01:09.500 --> 00:01:21.180 So we talked about what that word save meant salvation, wholeness that he brought to us, to the lost, and so we studied all about that, and His mission is our mission. 00:01:21.180 --> 00:01:24.091 And so tonight we're gonna get to. 00:01:24.091 --> 00:01:30.346 His passion is our passion, you know, because His mission, eventually, how did he seek and save the lost? 00:01:30.346 --> 00:01:35.519 He died on that cross and he did that in our place. 00:01:35.519 --> 00:01:37.126 He took our place there. 00:01:37.126 --> 00:01:41.079 We were there with Him when he did that. 00:01:41.079 --> 00:01:49.840 Therefore, his suffering filled up our cup of judgment that we earned, and yet he paid that penalty for us. 00:01:49.840 --> 00:02:01.260 So, but yeah, there is a passion in this life that we have to share with Him, and so we're gonna get into that tonight. 00:02:01.260 --> 00:02:03.900 And let's just go for our series Foundation Scriptures. 00:02:03.900 --> 00:02:05.439 We've got to be just like Jesus. 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:13.900 We've got to be His image in this world, and so our Foundation Scriptures have been 1 John, chapter 4, verse 17. 00:02:13.900 --> 00:02:19.953 It says love has been perfected among us in this, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. 00:02:19.953 --> 00:02:22.649 But it's the day of judgment, do y'all feel it out there? 00:02:22.649 --> 00:02:29.400 But because, as he is, listen to this, as he is, so are we in this world. 00:02:29.400 --> 00:02:35.137 We are His mouthpiece, we represent Jesus to this world. 00:02:35.137 --> 00:02:41.689 And then in Ephesians 5, it says, verse 1, therefore, be imitators of God as dear children. 00:02:41.689 --> 00:02:43.424 How many of you have kids. 00:02:43.424 --> 00:02:49.187 If you've ever had kids, you saw the way they imitated mom, you saw the way that they imitated dad. 00:02:49.187 --> 00:02:52.699 And that's the way we want to be with God. 00:02:52.699 --> 00:02:55.288 We want to imitate Him and walk in love. 00:02:55.288 --> 00:03:03.889 It says, as Christ has also loved us and given Himself for us and offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet, smelling aroma. 00:03:03.889 --> 00:03:07.819 And so that's the way that we want to imitate Jesus. 00:03:07.819 --> 00:03:16.479 We want to watch everything he does and everything he did do, and we want to just make the most of that at this time that we have been given. 00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:16.762 So. 00:03:16.762 --> 00:03:20.663 But tonight we're going to move on and talk about the passion of Jesus, because he did. 00:03:20.663 --> 00:03:26.366 He fulfilled His call on the cross and we're told. 00:03:26.366 --> 00:03:29.293 So our foundation for tonight, that scripture. 00:03:30.161 --> 00:03:32.840 Let me go to Luke, chapter 9, verse 23. 00:03:32.840 --> 00:03:39.042 He says to them all if anyone desires to come after me, that's me. 00:03:39.042 --> 00:03:41.049 I desire to come after Jesus. 00:03:41.049 --> 00:03:47.152 It says let Him deny Himself and take up His cross and follow me. 00:03:47.152 --> 00:03:50.151 And actually in verse 9, 23,. 00:03:50.151 --> 00:03:54.991 In this passage it says take up His cross daily and follow me. 00:03:54.991 --> 00:04:00.290 Ouch, it's not something we just did one time, a long time ago, and now it's over. 00:04:00.290 --> 00:04:03.810 It says to take up His cross daily and follow Him. 00:04:03.810 --> 00:04:12.872 And it says for whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it or find it. 00:04:12.872 --> 00:04:23.848 We find a true life, a joy for life and living, when we give our life for Him like he gave His life for us, amen. 00:04:23.848 --> 00:04:25.990 So that is about the passion. 00:04:25.990 --> 00:04:32.886 That word passion actually does mean the sufferings of Christ on the cross, so we're taking up His cross. 00:04:34.329 --> 00:04:45.146 When I'm talking about passion tonight, I'm talking about the suffering of Jesus on the cross, the cross being a symbol of death and humiliation, not a physical suffering. 00:04:45.146 --> 00:04:47.420 Now, jesus suffered already for us. 00:04:47.420 --> 00:04:54.257 He bore our sins and carried our sorrows and our griefs and our pains. 00:04:54.257 --> 00:04:58.855 In one version says in Isaiah and so we are not talking about physical pain, thank God. 00:04:58.855 --> 00:05:06.540 Jesus bore all of that on the cross and it's His desire and part of our covenant that we don't suffer physical pain. 00:05:06.540 --> 00:05:08.430 When we do, it is just. 00:05:08.430 --> 00:05:14.930 It is the devil unlawfully afflicting us with something that Jesus already bought away from us. 00:05:14.930 --> 00:05:22.379 And so we are learning how to stand on the word and kick physical pain and physical suffering out of our life. 00:05:22.379 --> 00:05:22.480 Amen. 00:05:24.142 --> 00:05:33.899 But the suffering of the cross is one of you know the disciples in Acts that says they rejoice that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. 00:05:33.899 --> 00:05:39.858 So the cross was a symbol of more than physical pain. 00:05:39.858 --> 00:05:54.771 It was a symbol of shame Because only the worst criminals, only the most hated or the most despised of all slave populations, only those people would be crucified. 00:05:54.771 --> 00:06:02.454 The Romans reserved that type of death for only the people that were just spit upon. 00:06:02.454 --> 00:06:07.767 And so for Jesus, the king of the world, to die on a cross. 00:06:07.767 --> 00:06:11.774 There was such an irony in that. 00:06:11.774 --> 00:06:20.055 And so that's the kind of, and there's a time when the devil will make you feel shame just for bearing the name of Jesus. 00:06:20.055 --> 00:06:21.543 And we're seeing that separation. 00:06:21.543 --> 00:06:23.310 It's just part of living in the end days. 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:26.468 But let me dig into the meaning of the word passion. 00:06:26.468 --> 00:06:29.548 So it is the sufferings of Christ on the cross. 00:06:29.548 --> 00:06:35.408 It is any kind of martyr that suffers. 00:06:35.408 --> 00:06:38.574 That suffering of that martyr is called a passion. 00:06:38.574 --> 00:06:45.071 But of course it's a double meaning word, right, because it also means intense emotion, right. 00:06:45.071 --> 00:06:52.894 Fervor, zeal, ardor, just a burning, fiery love, passion. 00:06:52.894 --> 00:06:57.420 And then it can also mean ire and fury and wrath and rage. 00:06:57.420 --> 00:07:04.860 It can have that edge on it, that dark side, and what would be an opposite of passion. 00:07:04.860 --> 00:07:10.220 It would be something like apathy, right, and the devil likes to keep everybody asleep. 00:07:10.220 --> 00:07:17.771 That's why God told my dad a long time ago wake up the church People that he would like the devil would like to put a cloud of apathy over everyone. 00:07:17.771 --> 00:07:25.800 Just be asleep, just be watching our TV all the time, just be a zombie, not really alert to the things of God. 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:34.214 But if we let ourself arise and be awake, we will have that zeal, that zeal that Jesus had. 00:07:36.242 --> 00:07:40.331 And if you really think about it, that zeal and that suffering are related. 00:07:40.331 --> 00:07:50.713 Because when you really love, I mean with a fiery, passionate love, the way God so loved the world John 3.16,. 00:07:50.713 --> 00:08:02.062 He's so loved, he's so loved that he went all the way out, he gave his only begotten son, he gave his very best. 00:08:02.062 --> 00:08:07.165 And so passion, fiery love and ardor and zeal. 00:08:07.165 --> 00:08:11.244 It has that level of sacrifice. 00:08:11.244 --> 00:08:43.519 You will go to the ends of the world, of the earth, and there is fire, and there I mean so there is an emotional component, but in human emotions there is one level and then in spiritual, the way the spirit works, god is a spirit, he's not an emotion, and so there is a true passion, a righteous indignation, a righteous love, a righteous, holy passion that could come upon us Like that's the passion that motivated Jesus and that's where we wanna stay. 00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:50.701 So I wanna I have a video tonight, because when I thought of passion, I just have a human example tonight. 00:08:50.815 --> 00:09:01.484 You know I'm a sports mama and I have, as a mama bear, I have both experienced and witnessed a lot of passion out there on the ball field. 00:09:01.484 --> 00:09:05.583 I have seen some throwdown, some brawl, some. 00:09:05.583 --> 00:09:09.062 You know, I mean, if you're a sports mama you have seen these things. 00:09:09.062 --> 00:09:19.024 And then I have seen intense, just pride and joy and as people just rejoice and what they're, I mean I can cry over other people's kids doing well. 00:09:19.024 --> 00:09:27.785 I don't know why, but I cannot stand on the side of a track meet and cheer on while parents are cheering their kids on while they're running. 00:09:27.785 --> 00:09:34.900 I have something about running and I just I mean I can't watch a kid run and in the mama cheer. 00:09:34.900 --> 00:09:38.160 I don't care if it's my kid or not, I will cry tears. 00:09:38.160 --> 00:09:41.004 Oh, look at that kid, go look at him, dig deep. 00:09:41.004 --> 00:09:46.981 Oh he is, oh, he is suffering, but he is running strong and I don't know, there's just some passion. 00:09:47.394 --> 00:09:56.061 But I have a video clip tonight of some passion of a family that happened this weekend and then this went viral. 00:09:56.061 --> 00:10:01.178 This video went viral about this passionate family watching their child participate in a sport. 00:10:01.178 --> 00:10:07.145 And see if you have seen this video or see if you can relate to this in any way. 00:10:07.145 --> 00:10:09.302 I think you might feel some passion when you watch this. 00:10:09.302 --> 00:10:10.619 All right, let's roll that. 00:10:10.619 --> 00:10:13.500 Let's go 40 seconds. 00:10:13.500 --> 00:10:16.817 You got it, babe. 00:10:16.817 --> 00:10:19.504 You got it. 00:10:19.504 --> 00:10:21.860 You got it. 00:10:21.860 --> 00:10:25.895 Yeah, yeah, for an eggy upset win. 00:10:25.895 --> 00:10:26.216 And it goes. 00:10:26.216 --> 00:10:26.557 Yeah, he got it. 00:10:26.557 --> 00:10:40.289 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:10:42.014 --> 00:10:45.783 I can't remember the name of the kicker, but his last name is small. 00:10:45.783 --> 00:10:59.167 All right, so this young man you're watching there a picture of his wife and his mother, and they are watching so anxiously as he's about to kick that field goal. 00:10:59.167 --> 00:11:00.639 They didn't know it was going to make it. 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:10.797 And here is the A&M team playing the Alabama team there, and the Alabama team is ranked number one can tell it better than me. 00:11:10.797 --> 00:11:15.668 Y'all know I'm not a big sport, but Alabama, here they are. 00:11:15.668 --> 00:11:21.163 It's 38 to 38, and A&M has a chance to win it. 00:11:21.163 --> 00:11:26.503 And with one second left of the game, and then they put in this kicker. 00:11:26.845 --> 00:11:31.143 Now, what people then know about this kicker is he'd been praying all night long. 00:11:31.143 --> 00:11:35.097 He's been saying Psalm 231, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 00:11:35.097 --> 00:11:36.785 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 00:11:36.785 --> 00:11:38.975 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 00:11:38.975 --> 00:11:48.917 And he got out there on that field and he kicked a game-winning upset of college football history. 00:11:48.917 --> 00:11:57.089 Field goal to win put the Aggies over 41 to 38 at home in Kyle Field. 00:11:57.955 --> 00:12:00.782 And you can see the passion on his wife. 00:12:00.782 --> 00:12:02.326 She couldn't contain herself. 00:12:02.326 --> 00:12:06.971 She had to jump over the edge, she had to run out and then I bet you didn't even notice. 00:12:06.971 --> 00:12:13.720 But the mama was sitting there on the right hand side of the screen and she was or the left side, I think anyway and she was praying. 00:12:13.720 --> 00:12:15.182 She didn't even have her eyes open. 00:12:15.182 --> 00:12:22.095 She was praying the whole time until she heard the roar of the crowd and then she opened her eyes. 00:12:22.095 --> 00:12:23.638 But she was praying. 00:12:23.638 --> 00:12:46.239 And I think of all of the hours and weeks and years that that woman hauled that boy to football practice and bandaged up his little injuries that he had over the years and cried over him and prayed over him and fed him lots of food and more food and how she worked. 00:12:46.239 --> 00:12:51.719 I'm telling you that mama's passion in that moment was so you could feel it right. 00:12:51.719 --> 00:12:59.845 You could feel that wife, you could feel all the investment of this family wrapped up, but there was nothing they would not do for that young man. 00:13:00.966 --> 00:13:09.378 And when you really love somebody, when you really I mean like God loves us, there is nothing that God withholds from us. 00:13:09.378 --> 00:13:11.082 There is nothing that he withholds. 00:13:11.082 --> 00:13:16.423 And so I just want to ask you when was the last time you were passionate about something? 00:13:16.423 --> 00:13:18.568 Are you passionate? 00:13:18.568 --> 00:13:23.383 Have you let your passion for the Lord stay strong? 00:13:23.383 --> 00:13:34.576 It is easy to let the devil come in and lull you away, pull the lust of other things, the desires for other things, and we've got to guard against that. 00:13:34.576 --> 00:13:46.610 I'm telling you that real passion, it's rooted in intense love. 00:13:46.610 --> 00:13:47.635 I could be hatred too. 00:13:47.635 --> 00:13:56.922 It has a dark side, but it's rooted in such an intensity and it's usually when the dark side started out in love. 00:13:56.922 --> 00:14:25.341 Somewhere there's some love and great desire, such that you will go through hell and high water, you will go through anything for the benefit of the object of your passion, and then you will come against in wrath and anger and all fire and hell and damnation on the, anything that comes against or threatens to separate you from the object of your passion. 00:14:25.341 --> 00:14:29.120 I mean, passion is like that, it's a fire and that's what God has. 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:30.720 He has that over you. 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:31.481 He has zeal. 00:14:32.095 --> 00:14:35.504 Psalm 119, 139,. 00:14:35.504 --> 00:14:40.722 He says my zeal has consumed me, and I believe this is a messianic Psalm. 00:14:40.722 --> 00:14:44.298 It's talking from the perspective of Jesus, the Word made flesh. 00:14:44.298 --> 00:14:48.701 It says my zeal has consumed me because my enemies have forgotten your words. 00:14:48.701 --> 00:14:53.500 Jesus had a zeal about the things of God, about the word of God. 00:14:53.500 --> 00:15:03.525 Truth was his passion and he hated to see anybody fly in the face of it and he had his zeal consumed him. 00:15:03.525 --> 00:15:08.602 I'm telling you, when somebody has passion, they are thinking about that thing all the time. 00:15:08.602 --> 00:15:09.798 They're focused in. 00:15:09.798 --> 00:15:11.644 They won't forget. 00:15:11.644 --> 00:15:13.178 I mean on the dark side. 00:15:13.239 --> 00:15:23.125 I have seen, I saw a video of a young man, because there are passions now in our teenagers that just misplaced. 00:15:23.125 --> 00:15:34.958 I saw a video game addict and this child was probably about 15 years old and for some reason somebody had hidden his video game console or whatever. 00:15:34.958 --> 00:15:46.725 He couldn't get to it and he broke out into this demonic demonstration where he looked like an angry chimpanzee. 00:15:46.725 --> 00:15:52.662 You know when they scream and then they jump around the cage and they fly everywhere and he was destroying things in his room. 00:15:52.662 --> 00:16:03.224 He was in a complete blind rage because somebody separated him from the object of his passion, which was that video game Totally demonic, weird, sick, sad. 00:16:03.224 --> 00:16:08.547 But there's a zeal there. 00:16:08.547 --> 00:16:10.081 What are we zealous about? 00:16:10.081 --> 00:16:12.142 Are we zealous for the things of God? 00:16:12.142 --> 00:16:17.186 And so that zeal will lead us to do the will of God. 00:16:17.186 --> 00:16:23.123 That zeal is what gives us the fire to obey God when he speaks to us, no matter what he tells us to do. 00:16:23.875 --> 00:16:26.724 In Hebrews 13, three, it talks about Jesus. 00:16:26.724 --> 00:16:40.405 We look to Jesus, the author and finish of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame. 00:16:40.405 --> 00:16:48.503 The cross was miserable, but Jesus endured it because he saw through that, because he was looking. 00:16:48.503 --> 00:17:03.904 He had passion and joy over you and over me, and he could endure anything, and even separation from the heavenly father for that time, because he knew it would pay off. 00:17:03.904 --> 00:17:11.506 He knew it would unite him with the object of his passion, which is you and me and, ultimately, father, god and his will. 00:17:11.506 --> 00:17:22.759 And so he was able to look through the hurt and look through that shame Because he cared. 00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:23.864 He cared about the passion. 00:17:24.115 --> 00:17:28.459 Today I went I'm healed in Jesus' name my shoulder a few weeks ago. 00:17:28.459 --> 00:17:31.902 I couldn't move it at all and so I went in to get it tested. 00:17:31.902 --> 00:17:38.102 I thought for sure the doctor was gonna tell me it was falling out of the socket or something and I had just torn everything in there. 00:17:38.102 --> 00:17:44.002 But no, oh, that's fine, because I just believe God's already been working on me to heal me and I'm already way better and I'm moving. 00:17:44.002 --> 00:17:44.818 But I was. 00:17:44.818 --> 00:17:49.102 But I was there with this physical therapist this morning and he was telling me about his wife. 00:17:49.102 --> 00:17:59.346 She was carrying their baby daughter down the stairs and she fell down the stairs while holding that baby. 00:17:59.346 --> 00:18:04.005 And do you know, that baby was completely unharmed. 00:18:04.005 --> 00:18:07.462 I'm talking about passion, passion. 00:18:07.462 --> 00:18:18.463 Now the mom wrenched her ACL, just wrenched her knee, just messed up her ankle really bad, just completely was incapacitated. 00:18:18.463 --> 00:18:25.924 But that baby was cradled in that dangerous situation because the mom sacrificed herself. 00:18:25.924 --> 00:18:32.337 She did anything it took to keep that baby in a cocoon down those stairs. 00:18:32.337 --> 00:18:34.605 And that's what passion does. 00:18:34.605 --> 00:18:39.962 Passion did that for you, passion did that for you and so we can do that for God. 00:18:39.962 --> 00:18:43.344 We can do that If Jesus said take up your cross and follow me. 00:18:43.555 --> 00:18:47.625 And if he said to do it daily, daily, he said to do it. 00:18:47.625 --> 00:18:51.721 He knows that there's a blessing in it for you. 00:18:51.721 --> 00:18:55.084 He knows that ultimately it will lead to your good. 00:18:55.084 --> 00:19:00.337 And in fact he didn't just say it one time in Luke nine it's actually mentioned. 00:19:00.337 --> 00:19:07.619 That idea of taking up the cross or bearing his cross is mentioned six times in the gospels, so it's not like an afterthought. 00:19:07.619 --> 00:19:14.145 I mean, jesus thought it was important and we're not bearing that cross for our redemption. 00:19:14.145 --> 00:19:18.787 No, jesus bore it one time and he redeemed us. 00:19:18.787 --> 00:19:21.403 He redeemed us from sin already. 00:19:21.403 --> 00:19:23.481 We're not bearing it, we're not talking about that. 00:19:23.481 --> 00:19:24.136 Why so? 00:19:24.136 --> 00:19:25.782 Why did he tell us to take up the cross? 00:19:25.782 --> 00:19:35.625 If his work was complete already at the cross and he already redeemed us, why does he tell us to take up the cross daily? 00:19:35.625 --> 00:19:38.240 What is he talking about? 00:19:39.795 --> 00:19:41.942 Well, I have a theory on that. 00:19:41.942 --> 00:20:00.903 We don't bear it for our redemption, we bear it for his glorification, we bear it for his glory, and eventually, his glory, because he always shares it with us, is our glory, and so it's ultimately our greatest blessing. 00:20:00.903 --> 00:20:10.082 Our greatest suffering in this world is our greatest blessing and glory, first to Jesus and then, for all of the body of Christ. 00:20:10.082 --> 00:20:13.800 I'm telling you, there is such a glory in what, even what we're going through now. 00:20:13.800 --> 00:20:21.923 I have never seen an attack on Christianity in the United States you hear about it in other countries, but I've never seen an attack like there is today. 00:20:21.923 --> 00:20:23.719 But I believe it yields. 00:20:23.719 --> 00:20:30.104 It will be for our glory and for the glory of the one that we serve. 00:20:30.104 --> 00:20:34.925 And so do not be discouraged tonight. 00:20:34.925 --> 00:20:36.260 This is a message of hope. 00:20:36.260 --> 00:20:38.921 This is about, I'm telling you, we're talking about the cross tonight. 00:20:38.921 --> 00:20:43.961 We're talking about death and suffering, but it's a message of hope, because y'all know what happened after he died. 00:20:43.961 --> 00:20:46.500 Right, did he stay dead? 00:20:46.500 --> 00:20:47.257 Did he? 00:20:47.257 --> 00:20:49.621 No, no, no, no. 00:20:49.621 --> 00:20:50.483 That's part four. 00:20:50.483 --> 00:20:51.660 We'll talk about that next time. 00:20:51.660 --> 00:20:52.920 But what are we talking about? 00:20:52.920 --> 00:20:58.703 I mean, he rose from the dead in victory and we're just like that in his victory, amen. 00:20:58.703 --> 00:21:00.781 So I don't want you to be discouraged tonight. 00:21:00.781 --> 00:21:02.240 I am gonna give you some fuel. 00:21:03.035 --> 00:21:06.705 The apostle Paul said I died daily. 00:21:06.705 --> 00:21:08.200 1 Corinthians 15, 31. 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:11.958 The apostle Paul knew about taking up a cross and following Jesus. 00:21:11.958 --> 00:21:13.262 He died daily. 00:21:13.262 --> 00:21:14.278 What was he talking about? 00:21:14.278 --> 00:21:18.000 You know, the apostle Paul lived a long time and he said I died daily. 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:24.044 He's talking about putting to death the deeds of the flesh, galatians 2.20. 00:21:25.376 --> 00:21:30.384 He says the same apostle, apostle Paul here, says I have been crucified with Christ. 00:21:30.384 --> 00:21:47.823 It is no longer I who live, praise God, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 00:21:47.823 --> 00:21:51.825 So in other words, jesus died on the cross. 00:21:51.825 --> 00:21:54.102 I was with him in his death. 00:21:54.102 --> 00:22:04.541 I was with him then and so now it's no longer I that lives, it's Christ that lives in me and through me, and I live completely for him. 00:22:04.541 --> 00:22:11.637 I'm totally all about him, and that's the kind of passion we wanna see. 00:22:11.858 --> 00:22:15.000 And we have to do it daily, because daily there's an onslaught. 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:19.943 Daily there's an onslaught, but, thank God, his mercies are new every morning. 00:22:19.943 --> 00:22:21.380 Did you mess up yesterday? 00:22:21.380 --> 00:22:22.538 Who cares? 00:22:22.538 --> 00:22:36.704 Put it under the blood of Jesus and claim your verse the mercies of God are new every morning and you just keep walking and serve God with all your heart today and forget about yesterday. 00:22:36.704 --> 00:22:38.986 You're crucified with Him. 00:22:38.986 --> 00:22:39.981 All of that is. 00:22:39.981 --> 00:22:44.536 Every mistake, every sin, every, even if it's a bad habit. 00:22:44.536 --> 00:22:48.970 You can put it under the blood of Jesus today and you can make a new start right now. 00:22:48.970 --> 00:22:49.782 It's never too late. 00:22:49.782 --> 00:22:53.086 And so what are we, how? 00:22:53.086 --> 00:22:54.068 What are we dead to? 00:22:54.068 --> 00:22:55.443 So we're dead to three things. 00:22:55.443 --> 00:22:56.227 I'll talk about that. 00:22:56.227 --> 00:23:02.487 I'm sure we're dead to a lot of other things, but I got three things tonight and we'll spend most of the rest of the night in 1 Peter 4. 00:23:02.487 --> 00:23:06.904 And I was there and I turned away. 00:23:06.904 --> 00:23:08.288 That's okay. 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:11.605 1 Peter 4, verse one. 00:23:11.605 --> 00:23:22.362 It says Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. 00:23:22.362 --> 00:23:24.082 So again we know where. 00:23:24.082 --> 00:23:29.506 He's not talking about physical suffering, cancer and car wrecks and shoulder trouble. 00:23:29.506 --> 00:23:29.941 You know. 00:23:29.941 --> 00:23:33.049 He's not talking about that kind of suffering in the flesh. 00:23:33.559 --> 00:23:34.502 What is he talking about? 00:23:34.502 --> 00:23:37.685 He's talking about sin. 00:23:37.685 --> 00:23:43.122 It's talking about fleshly desires, that war against the spirit he says that he has. 00:23:43.122 --> 00:23:51.249 He should no longer live the rest of his life, of his time, in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 00:23:51.249 --> 00:23:59.328 In other words, our body has a certain tendency and human nature being what it is, and it just pulls us the wrong way. 00:23:59.328 --> 00:24:20.804 It pulls us into separating from God and our spirit is connected with God and if we'll lead a spirit dominated life, then we will have dominion over the deeds of the flesh over here and we won't follow, we won't make bad decisions, we won't keep going the wrong way, we'll be united to God and he had in all of his wisdom. 00:24:20.804 --> 00:24:22.448 He has the right path for us. 00:24:22.448 --> 00:24:26.747 Amen, all right, so it says for verse three. 00:24:26.747 --> 00:24:31.002 We have spent enough time of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles. 00:24:31.002 --> 00:24:43.002 When we walked in lewdness and lusts and drunkenness and revelries and drinking parties and abominable idolatries I mean sinners out, we were crazy. 00:24:43.002 --> 00:24:47.323 Apostle Paul saying oh no, I'm sorry, now we're in Peter. 00:24:47.323 --> 00:24:48.663 Peter was. 00:24:48.682 --> 00:24:49.886 Peter knew about crazy. 00:24:49.886 --> 00:24:54.489 He was a fisherman, he was rough around the edges and Jesus saved him. 00:24:54.489 --> 00:24:58.384 He knew about crazy, he knew about betrayal. 00:24:58.384 --> 00:25:02.826 You know, when Jesus said deny, let him deny himself. 00:25:02.826 --> 00:25:04.951 Take up his cross and follow me. 00:25:04.951 --> 00:25:07.025 Peter didn't deny himself. 00:25:07.025 --> 00:25:07.961 We all know that. 00:25:07.961 --> 00:25:10.490 He denied Jesus three times. 00:25:10.490 --> 00:25:21.987 He denied him, disowned him, and yet Peter had a chance to redeem himself Once Peter got filled with the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. 00:25:21.987 --> 00:25:23.711 Peter was never the same. 00:25:23.711 --> 00:25:25.986 He was never a week like that, ever again. 00:25:25.986 --> 00:25:33.530 And in fact he had the strength in his spirit from the Holy Ghost to carry the fire of God as an apostle in the early church. 00:25:34.133 --> 00:25:39.909 And then Fox's book of martyrs tells us that Peter was actually crucified upside down. 00:25:39.909 --> 00:25:45.318 He knew he was going to be crucified and they gave him an option. 00:25:45.318 --> 00:25:47.348 He said you know what? 00:25:47.348 --> 00:25:50.282 I'm not worthy to suffer in the same way that Jesus did. 00:25:50.282 --> 00:25:51.747 I don't want to die in that same way. 00:25:51.747 --> 00:25:54.491 You're going to turn me upside down. 00:25:54.491 --> 00:25:58.519 That's how committed that Peter was. 00:25:58.519 --> 00:26:01.472 That's how committed Peter was to the Lord. 00:26:01.472 --> 00:26:03.298 So he knew about crazy. 00:26:03.298 --> 00:26:16.034 He talked about lust and drunkenness and revelries, but he also knew about the Holy Ghost and fire from heaven and he knew about the power of God to break him out of prison. 00:26:16.034 --> 00:26:20.403 He knew about signs, wonders and miracles. 00:26:20.403 --> 00:26:23.012 And he knew about suffering, shame for his name. 00:26:23.012 --> 00:26:28.192 And so he writes a lot about actually a lot about suffering in Peter, first and second Peter. 00:26:29.035 --> 00:26:32.565 And he says so we know about all the crazy works of the Gentiles. 00:26:32.565 --> 00:26:36.979 In regard to these, they, the Gentiles, the sinners, lost. 00:26:36.979 --> 00:26:44.135 People think it's strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation and they speak evil of you. 00:26:44.135 --> 00:26:45.198 Does that sound familiar? 00:26:45.198 --> 00:26:50.988 Have your lost friends tried to track you down and they think you are so crazy that you don't act like them anymore. 00:26:50.988 --> 00:26:52.532 I'm sure they do. 00:26:52.532 --> 00:26:58.330 It says they will give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 00:26:58.330 --> 00:27:00.457 There will be a day of accounting. 00:27:00.457 --> 00:27:11.250 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh but live according to God and the spirit. 00:27:11.250 --> 00:27:15.818 So I mean we're like dead people, we're like dead. 00:27:15.818 --> 00:27:18.891 We're dead to sinful desires. 00:27:18.891 --> 00:27:19.491 That's point one. 00:27:19.491 --> 00:27:23.846 We are dead to those sinful desires, we're completely dead to them. 00:27:23.846 --> 00:27:31.732 We're living according to the spirit of God, not into the lust of the flesh, and so we're dead to sinful desires. 00:27:32.095 --> 00:27:38.797 And then, if we skip down in the same first Peter four, we skip down to verse 12, it says beloved, I love this, I love it, you're going to love this. 00:27:38.797 --> 00:27:53.357 Listen, do not think it's strange, concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you, if you are suffering for the kingdom of God, it is not strange. 00:27:53.357 --> 00:27:56.368 It is normal, sylvia. 00:27:56.368 --> 00:27:57.109 It is normal. 00:27:57.109 --> 00:28:01.435 You are not alone, it says. 00:28:01.435 --> 00:28:03.700 But then it gives us advice on what to do. 00:28:04.305 --> 00:28:12.438 Rejoice, rejoice, read, do not cry, do not fear, do not be sad. 00:28:12.438 --> 00:28:23.547 It says to rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 00:28:23.547 --> 00:28:29.218 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, I'm telling you. 00:28:29.218 --> 00:28:30.768 The word calls you blessed. 00:28:30.768 --> 00:28:31.911 Therefore, you are blessed. 00:28:31.911 --> 00:28:33.394 Have you been reproached for the? 00:28:33.394 --> 00:28:36.409 For the name of Christ, you're blessed. 00:28:36.409 --> 00:28:39.515 You are highly favored of God. 00:28:39.515 --> 00:28:47.599 You might be despised of man, but you know God has a different plan, he has a different viewpoint from the plans of man. 00:28:47.599 --> 00:28:48.061 Amen. 00:28:48.061 --> 00:28:53.099 So man might see you as despised, but God says you're blessed and highly favored. 00:28:53.099 --> 00:28:58.892 And it says the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 00:28:58.892 --> 00:29:00.694 That's why you can rejoice. 00:29:00.694 --> 00:29:02.778 Jesus said it too. 00:29:02.778 --> 00:29:03.220 You can. 00:29:03.220 --> 00:29:09.558 You can rejoice when you're reviled, when people call you on names for my sake, you can rejoice. 00:29:09.558 --> 00:29:10.665 I'm telling you. 00:29:10.665 --> 00:29:11.347 This is why. 00:29:12.609 --> 00:29:18.307 So, on their part the Lord is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified. 00:29:18.307 --> 00:29:24.861 Your life of this type of suffering, of persecution, glorifies God. 00:29:24.861 --> 00:29:43.406 And but let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief, as an evil doer, in other words, when we make bad decisions and especially if we follow the lust of the flesh and if we end up giving away, giving into these sins right here, an evil doer or a busy body, another I'm telling you, a murderer and busy body is listened in the same sentence. 00:29:43.406 --> 00:29:49.398 That's the, that's the concerning, that's very concerning, but. 00:29:49.398 --> 00:29:55.557 But it's possible to suffer consequences for sin in this world. 00:29:55.557 --> 00:29:59.472 We don't want to suffer the consequences of sin, all of our suffering. 00:29:59.472 --> 00:30:02.166 We're blessed if the suffering is just suffering. 00:30:02.166 --> 00:30:03.310 Shame for his name. 00:30:03.310 --> 00:30:09.249 The other kind of suffering hurts really bad and God's here to help you as you repent. 00:30:09.249 --> 00:30:11.373 He can deliver you out of that suffering. 00:30:11.373 --> 00:30:16.549 But this other kind of suffering, you're counting it, you're counting yourself. 00:30:16.549 --> 00:30:26.711 God has counted you worthy and he might not be proving you out right now, but you're going to pass the test, like gold is refined in the fire and you're going to come out shiny. 00:30:26.711 --> 00:30:28.758 You're going to come out purified. 00:30:29.681 --> 00:30:34.311 It says if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glory. 00:30:34.311 --> 00:30:41.538 Glorify God in this matter, for the time has come for judgment to begin in the house of God. 00:30:41.538 --> 00:30:46.029 We know that this is a time of judgment on the earth and it does begin in the church. 00:30:46.029 --> 00:30:49.146 And that means judgment just means separating, right? 00:30:49.146 --> 00:30:50.794 Pastor talks about it all the time. 00:30:50.794 --> 00:30:56.932 He's separating the wheat from the chaff, the good fish from the bad fish in the dragnet. 00:30:56.932 --> 00:31:02.022 He's separating and so he can separate. 00:31:02.022 --> 00:31:14.253 When there's fire, when there's judgment, when there's heat on and pressure on you, what's really inside of you will come out and it will prove to be gold. 00:31:14.253 --> 00:31:14.694 It will be. 00:31:14.694 --> 00:31:24.017 Your motives will be proven out and and you can glorify God and people will see your good works and glorify God. 00:31:24.017 --> 00:31:25.720 Hallelujah. 00:31:25.720 --> 00:31:33.016 What an honor, what an honor to be able to glorify God in that way. 00:31:33.016 --> 00:31:38.670 And you know it reminds me. 00:31:38.670 --> 00:31:39.152 So let's. 00:31:39.432 --> 00:31:53.064 I hadn't planned to turn here, but if you just flip one page back in 1 Peter 3, 13, it's really talking about the same subject, verse 14,. 00:31:53.064 --> 00:32:00.259 But even if you should suffer for righteous of sake, you are blessed and do not be afraid of their threats or be troubled. 00:32:00.259 --> 00:32:08.438 Do not be afraid of their threats or be troubled. 00:32:08.438 --> 00:32:11.423 God has a supply for you. 00:32:11.423 --> 00:32:13.891 I know many of you are facing the loss of your job. 00:32:13.891 --> 00:32:23.237 I know many of you are facing serious consequences because you've taken a stand of faith for your health and you are facing heat right now. 00:32:23.237 --> 00:32:31.127 But God says do not be afraid of their threats or be troubled, but sanctify the Lord in your hearts. 00:32:31.127 --> 00:32:42.192 Sanctify him, in other words, set him apart, put him first, put him way, way up there, put him so much higher than your boss, put him so much higher than your own needs he. 00:32:42.192 --> 00:32:53.151 Sanctify God in your heart and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you for a reason, for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. 00:32:53.634 --> 00:32:54.878 Having a good conscience. 00:32:54.878 --> 00:32:56.144 Do you have a good conscience today? 00:32:56.144 --> 00:33:02.183 That's the most valuable thing you can have in the world, and God will make it pay for you. 00:33:02.183 --> 00:33:02.765 Amen, amen. 00:33:02.765 --> 00:33:10.606 That when they defame you as evil doers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 00:33:10.606 --> 00:33:16.499 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 00:33:16.499 --> 00:33:20.872 Why would it be the will of God for you to suffer for doing good? 00:33:21.994 --> 00:33:23.258 I can't answer that question. 00:33:23.258 --> 00:33:25.431 I'm just reading what the word says. 00:33:25.431 --> 00:33:41.175 But what I can know is that God is, he is, good and that his plan for you is good for you to bless you, and that it redounds in the glory of God, and that through your life, he is using you to build his kingdom. 00:33:41.175 --> 00:33:47.433 And as he and he is a rewarder, everybody say that God is a rewarder. 00:33:47.433 --> 00:33:48.576 He will. 00:33:48.576 --> 00:33:50.501 He will never owe you anything. 00:33:50.501 --> 00:33:52.769 Have you suffered shame for his name? 00:33:52.769 --> 00:33:57.465 That's why you should rejoice and be and know that you're blessed and favorite of God. 00:33:57.465 --> 00:34:08.655 He loves you, he's going to pour out his glory on you and that means blessing and provision and wholeness, and it it means the whole package. 00:34:08.655 --> 00:34:09.958 Blessed of God. 00:34:10.721 --> 00:34:21.990 And and so I just want to close with this one scripture, because I talked about it earlier we don't bear the cross for our, for our redemption. 00:34:21.990 --> 00:34:26.559 We bear it for his glory, which in turn becomes our glory. 00:34:26.559 --> 00:34:32.074 And so, and and I did so we're, we're dead to the, the works of the flesh. 00:34:32.074 --> 00:34:37.153 We're dead to criticism, because all of these people will criticize us. 00:34:37.153 --> 00:34:38.719 But we've got to be dead to that. 00:34:38.719 --> 00:34:46.952 Like that got nailed on the cross when we were crucified, when we took up the cross daily today, when we said, jesus, I'm taking up your cross, that means I'm going to be dead. 00:34:46.952 --> 00:34:59.865 I'm going to be dead to all of the, and if I'm dead, that means I'm going to just be a mouthpiece for the kingdom of God and no matter what they do to me, I'm going to come through that fire and Jesus is going to be right there with me. 00:34:59.865 --> 00:35:03.434 So let's go to Philippians two, and I'll close with this. 00:35:05.898 --> 00:35:08.349 Our final one is we're dead to praise. 00:35:08.349 --> 00:35:10.737 The praises of others will not sway us. 00:35:10.737 --> 00:35:13.746 We will not be flattered into doing what they want. 00:35:13.746 --> 00:35:21.568 Our, their praise will not puff us up in pride if people, if people think we're so great when we do succeed. 00:35:21.568 --> 00:35:23.755 We're dead to that too. 00:35:23.755 --> 00:35:50.547