Until The Fullness

Four hundred years is a long time to wait. Genesis says God held back judgment because “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” and that single line opens a sobering conversation with Daniel Johnson about God’s patience, human rebellion, and why mercy is never permission to drift.

We walk from Romans 4 to Genesis 15 to show how righteousness with God works: Abraham believes, and God credits righteousness immediately. David calls that kind of life “blessed” because forgiven sin is covered and not counted. That means the core of the gospel is not self-improvement or religious achievement, but justification by faith through grace, secured by Jesus Christ. We also dig into the Old Testament warnings about adopting the surrounding culture’s abominations, then hear Moses repeat the hard truth: the promised land was not gained because of Israel’s righteousness.

From there we zoom out to Romans 11 and the “fullness of the Gentiles,” connecting God’s long patience then to God’s long patience now. The message turns personal with Jesus’ own words from John 3, John 8, and Luke 13: belief is the dividing line, the narrow gate is real, and church activity can’t replace a living relationship with Christ. You’ll leave with a clear challenge to repent, return to time alone with Jesus, and receive grace with gratitude rather than in vain.

If this encouraged or challenged you, subscribe for more, share it with someone who needs hope, and leave a review telling us what line hit you the hardest.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:32

Hello. Welcome to Valley Gospel Church. We are a non-denominational Pentecostal church located in Springdale, Pennsylvania. Our sole mission is to present the living truth of a risen Lord, Jesus Christ, to a remnant church and a lost world. Let's get into the service recorded live at Valley Gospel Church.

Prayer For Guidance

Righteousness Credited By Faith

Genesis Covenant And A Dark Vision

The Amorites And God’s Long Patience

Mercy Calls For Repentance

Circumcision Of The Heart

Signs Point Us To Believe

Who The Amorites Were

The Abominations God Warned Against

Not Because Of Your Righteousness

The Fullness Of The Gentiles

Jesus As The Only Way

The Narrow Gate And Knowing Jesus

Closing And Church Invitation

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Good to see you. Thank you. Yeah. All right. Let's pray. We'll talk and then dive in and see what the good Lord got for today. And first, I'll ask you if Yuns would pray for me. Keep me in your prayers. I know I hang out with the Lord a lot, but it's hard for me to put him on paper to share. So I ask you to pray for me as I pray for Yuns to help guide me and all that. I thank the Lord that he's good and he shows up every single time. Amen. Amen. All right, let's pray. Father, thank you so much for everything that you do. Thank you for being here today to fill us up, Lord, overflowing with your spirit. We can't do nothing, Lord, without you. And I thank you for that, Lord. I thank you that you made a way, you sent your Son, that we can just believe in you, be filled by your Holy Spirit, and then listen and obey to Him and walk free in the name of Jesus. And I thank you that you've given us life and life abundantly, that we are declared righteous and justified in your Son through faith in Jesus, who did it all and paid it all for us on the cross. We love you, Lord, and I just pray that you help me to bring your word today. I surrender everything to you to use me however you see fit, Lord. Your will be done. Take control of my mind and use my mouth to speak your words, Lord. I pray for your children everywhere around here today that they would uh hear and receive your word, Lord. Open up all of our hearts, that we could just sit in your presence and uh get closer to you with your knowledge, Lord. Build our faith and our confidence in you, and we just thank you for everything. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Alright, so just to get you caught up where all this came from, and hopefully I hope it makes sense to everybody because uh I get a little jumbled in all my thoughts and looking up some of the stuff and the scriptures, it just got so many scriptures and everything all over that I had to just stop and just go over. So hopefully the Holy Ghost will make this make sense for everybody and lead me in my words and clear my brain so I can bring the word. And uh, so teaching the kids in uh Romans and going over our righteousness, like preach mentioned this morning and everything, so that's cool. The Lord works and lines this all up. So it led us into some amazing things in Genesis with Abraham, and uh Paul uses Abraham as an example and David to show and explain how our righteousness works. Paul says, just like Abraham, who is the father of our faith, was declared righteous by God, in the same way, so are we. In Romans 4, Paul's talking about this, and he says in verse 3, Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. He was made right with God by believing or through faith in God. In verse 5, he said, But to him who does not work, but believes on God who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. And David describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from the works, apart from their works. And impute just means to credit something to someone's account. I'm used to breaking down the words for the kiddos, so hopefully you don't mind. But uh, yeah, so and Paul in Romans quotes David's writing from Psalm 32, in verse 1 and 2, where he says, David says, Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin. Both showing and describing how God imputes righteousness and that it is separate from any works. And now back in Genesis 15, God said to Abraham that his heir would be his own son, and that would come from his and that he would come from his own his own body. Genesis 15, five says, Then God brought Abraham outside and said, Look now toward heaven and count the stars if you are able to number them. So shall your descendants be. Verse six says, Abram believed in the Lord, and God accounted it to him for righteousness. So we see Paul's point here, that as soon as Abraham believed God, apart from anything else other than his belief in God, God immediately accounts it to him for righteousness. And now that we're and now that we're all on the same page, this all leads up to what I wanted to talk about today, and our opening scripture. So right after God promises Abraham a people and a land, he makes a covenant with him, and our opening scripture is Genesis 15 12 to 16. And if you get there, I'll ask you to stand for the reading of God's word, and that's where we'll open and begin for today. Genesis 15, 12 to 16. All right. And it says, Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. Then he said to Abram, Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years, and also the nation whom they serve I will judge. Afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace, you shall be buried at a good old age, but in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the inequity of the Amorites is not yet complete. Indians can be seated. He said, For the inequity of the Amorites is not yet complete. What's this mean, and what's going on here with God and Abram and the Amorites? Well, let's dive in and see what God's talking about. The sin or wickedness of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure or has not yet come to its fullness. Reading this reminded me of the times we're living in right now. The Bible says in Romans that we're just waiting for the fullness of the Gentiles to come in. So back in Genesis, God was waiting for the sins of the Amorites to reach its fullness or full measure till his children came into the promised land. And right now, God's waiting for the fullness of the Gentiles to come. So you see where we're heading with this. And let's go deeper and connect some of the dots. And starting with Abraham and the Amorites, God prophetically tells Abram what's going to happen in the years to come, and says that he is going to make a covenant with him and give him and his descendants this land. But first God says your descendants will be slaves and afflicted in a strange land for four hundred years. Then, when the sins of the Amorites is complete, I will bring your descendants back to inherit this land. And we know from reading the Bible that this time of affliction and bondage for Abraham's descendants is when Israel was slaves in Egypt. Now when the four hundred years had passed, and it was time for them to come out, that's when God called Moses to lead them out and bring them back to the land he just promised Abraham, the promised land. Now why is God waiting four hundred years for the sins of the Amorites for all this to take place? God is awesome and He's doing a couple things at the same time. But why the pause? For the same reasons that we're reading and just read about in our Bible study in Revelation and all through the Bible, why does God pause before his judgments? Before because of his character, because of who he is. Time for everyone to turn from the from their ways and to come to him. He wants to save everyone. God is showing his love, his mercy, his long-suffering, and his patience with all of sinful man. Like he does all through the Bible from the beginning to the end, God continually tries to get all of us to turn and see that he is good and his way is better, to trust him, to love him, and follow him. And just like when Jonah preached to Nineveh and they all repented and God didn't bring judgment, that's what God wants for everyone. And the Amorites are no different. But the Amorites, instead of using this four hundred years that God gave them of mercy and grace to turn from their sin out of his goodness, they chose to keep filling up the cup with their sin and rebellion until God's judgment finally came. This whole situation mirrors where we're at right now. In a time of grace and mercy from God because He is good, waiting for all to repent and turn to Him before the judgment comes. God loves us all. Remember, the Ninevites were not Israel, they were not God's chosen people. Yet God loved them and sent Jonah to tell them if they don't repent, they got forty days, then judgment is coming. And what happened? They repented and God forgave them. God cares for every person everywhere. What's the great commission? Go and make disciples of all nations. It's not just one group of people or one place, but all. And this isn't just New Testament or Old, it's who God is, and it's all through the Bible from front to back. God's character, who he is, doesn't change. Now speaking of God's children or making disciples, Paul says in Romans 2, for he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit. And I wonder where he got that from. Look way back in Deuteronomy 10, verse 16 and 19, real quick. See if we can see where Paul got this idea at. Deuteronomy 10, 16 and 19 says, This is Moses. Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart and be stiff-necked no longer. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Moses said back in Deuteronomy, Circumcise your heart and love the stranger, because you were a stranger. God said, Get rid of the covering that you put over your heart to hide it and harden it, which leads to the Old Testament, stiff-necked people, and the New Testament, a heartless generation with no love. God loves us, his people, and everything he does is to lead us closer to him, to know him, to have an abiding faith in him, to have this world filled with his children who look and act like him, to have loyal, believing, obedient children that follow him because they know and love him. And it's from the heart. And because of because of or out of that love and knowledge, even if things around us here might not look good at times, we would say in our hearts, I love you, Lord, and I will follow. Never letting go of his hand. Let everything lead us closer to God, and when it's rough, don't slip away. Hold tighter and draw closer. It's a believing loyalty that holds fast to him and his word. And God does everything to try to lead us and show us who he is. Matthew 20 and 24. I had too many scriptures, so I don't have bookmarks, so it'll take me a minute to get to them or whatever. But I think we'll make it. We'll be all right. But oh yeah, Matthew 11. Matthew 11, 20 to 24. Jesus said this. Then Jesus began to rebuke the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done because they did not repent. Woe to you, Terazan, who woe to you, Beth Seda, for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you, and you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades, for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you. Jesus said all these signs and wonders, everything I've been doing, is so that you will see, and in seeing you will repent and believe in me. That's what all this is about. It's not just a healing or a casting out of demons. That is good, but it's so you will believe. The Bible says that Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. All these things are written that you may believe. So the riches of his goodness, his patience and mercy, also leads us to repentance. God signs and wonders, all the things that God, that Jesus does, even Him holding off judgment, is to lead us to believe and to repent. And that's exactly what's going on with the Amorites. God's patience and mercy, God's patience and mercy for 400 years. That whole time, God was holding back judgment or what they deserved. That was God's goodness, and he was doing that so that they would repent and believe, but they didn't. They despised the riches of his goodness, just like so many today. And we are without excuse, because there is so many or so much more evidence now in hindsight than they had. Look at the testimonies of all the people who have been delivered from anything you can think of by Jesus Christ. I watched a bunch of testimonies the other day of just people sharing their testimonies of Jesus on the internet, and there's not one thing that you can look up or that would come against you in your walk or your life that you can't look up and Jesus didn't heal and deliver somebody from. So we have no excuse. Right? We'll get into that, and we'll get into more of this in a minute. We've had way longer than that 400 years. So yeah, we'll get into that in a minute. But just a little, just a little background on who the Amorites were and where they came from. So the Amorites came from Noah's grandson Canaan and his two sons. And this is all back in Genesis 10. I'll look real quick. And the kids were just looking, uh just learning about Noah and his sons too downstairs, which was cool. Let's see. Genesis 10 is where it lists all this. You don't have to turn. I'll go over it real quick. Let me find it. Yeah, Genesis 10. So in verse 1 it says the genealogy of the sons of Noah. Noah had Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And then verse 6, go down, verse 6 says the sons of Ham were Cush, Mizram, Put, and Canaan. And then verse go up to skip up to 15. 15 says, Canaan begot Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth. And they make the Jubasite, the Amorite, the Gergashite, the Hivite, the Archite, the Sinite, the Arvidite, the Samarite, all these ites, right? And uh, yeah. And now afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. So these are all the Canaanites, right? Alright, so these are all the inhabitants of Canaan, and they are the families of the Canaanites, all the Its. And you can think of it like this. Canaan was Canaan was a person that these people all came from, and they lived in Canaan as well. All of the different ites that we just mentioned were like little tribes who all lived in the land of Canaan, right? So Canaan is like Pittsburgh, think of it like that. And all the ites are like the little New Kenites, the Springdalites, the Cheswickites, you know, the Tyrannites, right? And the Bible sometimes lumps them together as the Canaanites, or uh meaning all of them, and sometimes picks them out individually. And think about when you're uh it's the same thing when you go on vacation. If you're out of the state or the country, if somebody asks you where you're from, you just say Pittsburgh, right? You don't get into the smaller details, and you've probably done that, and they were like, oh, Stealers, right? Yeah. So they know. But when someone, say if you're down in Pittsburgh and you go to a ball game in Pittsburgh, everyone's from right in the area. So if they ask you, you don't say when you're in Pittsburgh, I'm from Pittsburgh, you say I'm from Oakmont or Cheswick, you know what I mean? Fox Chapel, whatever. Right? So it's the same thing that's going on here. All these ice are all from the land of Canaan, but specifically they have their own little spots or little towns. But all this that they're inhabiting was the promised land that God promised to Abraham and his descendants. So now the Bible talks about the sins or the wickedness, the things, the evil things that they were doing. And uh, I'm not gonna read through all of them and go through that. I'm just gonna skip through and touch on a couple points in it, but I'll look at we'll look at two different ones, two different sets of them, but it's uh it's in Leviticus 18. You can read the whole thing. I'm just gonna skip through it. Instead of listing all this out, I'll skip through it and we'll hit some points in it. Leviticus 18, and I'll just do one to five real quick and then skip through it. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do. And according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do, nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe my judgments and keep my ordinances to walk in them. I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments. Which, if a man does, he shall live by them. I am the Lord. And now jump up to twenty-one. And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. And now down to twenty-four to twenty-eight. Do not defile yourselves with any of these things, for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you, for the land is defiled. Therefore I will visit the punishment of its inequity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you. For all these abominations the men of the land have done who are before you, and thus the land is defiled, lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. So God's telling his children Israel not to be involved in these sins and wickedness that's going on around them, that they're to be different. And just for a side note, real quick, I know most of you know this, but so we are perfectly clear and on the same page, when the Old Testament says God's people have to keep all these laws and statutes. Remember that's the old covenant before Jesus, and the New Testament shows and proves us that Jesus kept the law perfectly, which we cannot, and then went to the cross to take the punishment that we deserve, and now through faith in Jesus we are justified or declared not guilty through our faith in Jesus. This is the whole point of Paul's teaching in the New Testament, along with the New Testament. The law or keeping rules can't save us, and it doesn't make us righteous or right with God. Remember how we started this. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And this was before the law. It was by faith for Abraham, and it's by faith for us. Faith in Jesus that we are made righteous. Trying to keep the law doesn't bring salvation or righteousness, it brings the knowledge of sin and death. And I just had to say that so we were all on the same page, real quick. We all good? Alright. So now uh the last one with the uh the sins of the Amorites and the Canaanites, Deuteronomy 18. 9. Verse 9 to 14. Yeah, so this story's all through all the first books of the Bible. That's why all the scripture was driving me all over the place. So I tried to keep it organized for you. So hopefully, hopefully it's not confusing and as you're getting the picture. So Deuteronomy 18, 9 to 14 says, When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abomination of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his sons or his daughters pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls upon the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, for these nations which you will dispossess listened to the soothsayers and diviners, but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you. See, we see the Amorites and the Canaanites and all those ites were killing their children and getting mixed up in all kinds of wicked, evil stuff. Everything God was against, they were doing, and God gave them four hundred years to change, and they didn't. And now before Moses leads Israel into the promised land, he reminds them of what's going on and why it's going on. Moses puts the mirror on them for a minute and also reminds them that they haven't done so good themselves in God's sight, and not to get puffed up in their own righteousness, thinking that they've done something to deserve it. Moses reminds them, hey, if it wasn't for me talking to God on your behalf, God would have wiped you out too. You wouldn't have made it. And look at Deuteronomy 9, what Moses says. Deuteronomy 9, 4 to 6. He says, Do not think, and check out how many times Moses says it's not because of your righteousness that you possess the land in this. See how many times God says that. Do not think in your heart after the Lord your God has cast them out before you, saying, Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess the land. But it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out, driving them out from before you. It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God drives them out from before you, and that he may fulfill the word which the Lord swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore understand that the Lord your God has not given you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people. He says your righteousness a bunch of times in that same little reading, right? And it reminds me of what we just read about how we today get to enter the promised land to come or the kingdom of heaven. It's not by our own righteousness either. It's by Jesus' righteousness. And not only that, but there is also someone who is making intercession for me and for you today on our behalf. There's a lot of similarities going on here between the Israelites and Moses and Jesus and us and God's chosen people and his children. And there are a lot of us today who are also still a stiff-necked people. But all this finally hits the mark that God set, and the fullness of the Amorites' sin was now complete. Now God calls Moses to get my people its time, and Moses leads God's people out of Egypt by amazing signs of God's presence and his power. And we know the story and the ten plagues that God used to deliver Israel from Pharaoh. And now just like God waited till the Amorites' sin hit a certain mark, God's waiting now till the Gentiles hit a certain mark, Paul said. God's judgment finally came after four hundred years, just like God said it would to Abraham way back in the beginning, and it's the same for us now, except that we've had way longer than four hundred years. Paul tells us in Romans that God is just waiting for the fullness of the Gentiles. And this is in Romans eleven twenty-five to twenty-nine. And I'll read that real quick. Romans 11, 25 to 29 says, For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion. That blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written. The deliverer will come out of Zion, and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob, for this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins. Concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. You see, God was showing us that the sin of the Amorites and the bondage or the slavery of Israel for four hundred years is a small scale version of what's going on now. And Paul is talking about this here in Romans with Israel's blindness. Israel was slaves in bondage while God was having mercy on the Amorites and the Canaanites in the promised land. But God at the same time didn't forget about Israel, but also used this time to protect them, to keep them together, and to build his great nation and people. The Israelites went into Egypt with not very many in number, but multiplied and grew while in Egypt to a huge number of people. And you could say it like this a family walked in and a nation walked out. God was accomplishing more than one thing at the same time. But God said after the 400 years it was going to change. And like today, the full-scale version of this, God has allowed Israel Israel's blindness now to happen in part so that he can have mercy on all those around Israel. But it's not just the immediate surrounding land anymore of Israel physically, but the whole world now, all of us. It's everywhere, it's across the globe. Do you see the small scale version of the Amorites' sin and God's mercy while Israel's in bondage right there in just that little spot on the map to the big scale version of what's going on now, with Israel's partial blindness, so the world, the entire globe, the fullness of the Gentiles can come through God's mercy. And this has been going on for 2,000 years, for over 2,000 years now. And just like back then, God hasn't forgotten Israel, his people. Paul says in Romans right after this, still in 11 in third verse 30, he says, For you, for as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, that's through Israel's disobedience, even so these Israel have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you or to us, they also may obtain mercy. We were disobedient at one time, but received God's mercy through Israel's disobedience. So now Israel is disobedient like we were, but just as God was merciful to us when we were disobedient, now they also may obtain mercy too. You see what Paul is saying? And verse 32 sums it up. Paul says, For God has committed them all to disobedience that he might have mercy on all. Wow. That God might have mercy on us all. This sounds familiar too. I'll give you a little hint. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous. Hallelujah. Can you see it? How the oh the depth and the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out. Amen. How good is our God. And all this, just like back then, is only for a season and a time. And Paul says, this time we're waiting in right now is the fullness of the Gentiles. And just like the Amorites and Canaanites after 400 years were judged, so will all of us, the world. But we don't have to wonder how we'll do in that judgment. That doesn't have to be a mystery, for the Lord and judge already told us from the breath of his own mouth. John three, sixteen to eighteen says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that through him they might be saved. He who believes in Jesus is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Jesus is the only way to be saved, the only way to be made right with the Father. And if you don't believe in him, you can't be saved. John 8 23 and 24 puts it this way. It makes it more even plainer. John 8 23 and 24. And it says, and he said to them, and this is Jesus, and Jesus said to them, You are from beneath, I am from above, you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins, for if you do not believe that I am, and that he that you have after that in your Bible that's italicized is not in the original Greek, this is one of the I am statements of Jesus. In the original, it says, For if you do not believe that I am, the I am statement from back in Genesis where God told Moses to tell them, I am sent you, right? This is one of the I ams. If you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins. I don't know how God could make it any plainer for us. God does all this, just like we told the kids the other day. God tells us all of this, not to beat us down, but because he loves us and tells us the truth. Why? So that we don't, so that we not only know the way, but find our way home. All of us. Amen. The scripture is clear, Jesus is clear, there is only one way, and that's through a personal relationship with Jesus. Jesus said, He who rejects me and my words has the judgment already. The words that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. We have been warned that judgment day is coming, and it's promised. But until then we have time, time to repent and believe. Believe in Jesus. Jesus didn't give us a time frame like he did the Amorites and the Canaanites. We don't have a specific time, but like preach just said in his message, we live ever ready. Let's not be like those who were destroyed and cast out. Let's not waste this time of mercy and grace from God because He loves us. Let's learn from history and see that God's word is true and turn from our ways to Him while we can. And I'll close with this Luke thirteen, twenty-four to twenty-seven. Luke thirteen, twenty-four to twenty-seven says, and Jesus said to them, Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at that door, saying, Lord, Lord, open for us, and he will answer and say to you, I do not know you where you are from. Then you will begin to say, We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets. But he will say, I tell you, I do not know you, or where you are from. Depart from me, all you workers of inequity. We all know some people, and maybe we're one of them, who come to church, who do some religious things, who hear the word, say they're a Christian, they come, eat and drink, but they but you have no personal relationship with Jesus. Without this relationship, Jesus said, We won't make it. So let me say something that should be obvious but might sound a little rough, though I say it out of love. If you don't spend any time alone with Jesus, just you and him, then you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus. And if you used to and don't anymore for whatever reason, life's crazy, it's busy, your relationship with Jesus is all that matters. Everything else in your life then flows from that or out of that relationship. Our relationship with Jesus is the headwaters of our life. So pencil in some time in your schedule to get to know him or get back to that closeness that you once had. I'm telling you, he'll change your life. The Amorites were not Israel, neither was the people of Nineveh that Jonah preached to. But Nineveh repented and God turned his judgment away. The Amorites didn't seek God or turn away from the wicked way from their wicked ways, and they were cast out and destroyed. Let us turn, repent, and believe in Jesus, so that we may be saved. And we then, as workers together with him, also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. And just like Moses said, Israel didn't get the promised land because of their own righteousness, Jesus said, Neither do we enter his kingdom or the promised land to come by our own righteousness or anything that we have done. There is no law we can keep to make it, no rule we can follow, and we're good. It's not on our righteousness, but on his. Amen. And we receive his righteousness by his grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Thank you for listening.

SPEAKER_01 41:44

Thank you for listening to this week's podcast. We pray it was an encouragement and a blessing to you. You can contact us at Valley Gospel Church, 1069, Butler Logan Road, Springdale, Pennsylvania, 15144. We invite you to listen to this week's worship service that follows and tune in for next week's podcast.

Worship: Speaking The Name Of Jesus

SPEAKER_04 42:17

Who frees the captive from sin and breaks every stronghold of darkness. When we speak the name of Jesus, we are declaring that there is peace, hope, healing, and freedom in that name. I speak Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 44:01

Break every strong hope. Shine through the shadows. Burn light up. Sing it again. Your name is power. Your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name is life. Break every strong hope. Shine through the shadows. Burn like a heart. I just wanna speak the name of Jesus over fear and all anxiety. And to every soul held captive by depression. I speak Jesus. Your name is power. Your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name is life. Shine through the shadows. Burn light up. Hallelujah to the Lamb. We worship your name, Jesus. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. I just wanna speak the name of Jesus over every heart and every body. Because I know there is peace within your presence. I speak Jesus. I just wanna speak the name of Jesus till every dark addiction starts to break. We're declaring there is hope and there is freedom right now. I speak Jesus. Your name is life. Shine through the shadows, burn light a fire. Over fear and all anxiety to every soul held captive by depression. I speak Jesus. I wanna sing that again. I just wanna speak the name of Jesus over fear and all anxiety, and to every soul held captive by depression. I speak Jesus. Your name is power, your name is power, your name is healing, your name is life. Every stronghold, break every stronghold, shine through the shadows, burn light up life, your name is power, your name is power, your name is healing, your name is life. Shine through the shadows, burn light up. I don't wanna abuse your grace, God, I need it every day. It's the only thing that ever really makes me wanna change. I don't wanna abuse your grace, God, I need it every day. God, I need it every day. It's the only thing that ever really makes me wanna change. I don't wanna abuse your grace, God, I need it every day. I like the sound of the symphony of my ears. Yes, Lord, hallelujah, Jesus. Your forgiveness. Shout Jesus in the streets, shout Jesus in the darkness over every enemy. Shout Jesus for your family. I speak the holy name of Jesus. Your name is life, Lord. Break every stronghold, shine through the shadows, burn like the light. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. Shout Jesus from the mountains, shout Jesus in the streets, shout Jesus in the darkness, over every enemy. Shout Jesus for your family. I speak the holy name of Jesus. Bring every stronghold, shine through the shadows, burn life alive. I don't wanna abuse your grace, God, I need it every day. It's the only thing that ever really makes me wanna change. I don't wanna abuse your grace, God, I need it every day. I wanna know about being born again. I need you, God, I need you. Take me to the riverside, take me on the baptized. I need you, God, I need you, your forgiveness, it's like sweet, sweet honey on my lips, yes, Lord, like the sound of the symphony to my ears, it's like holy water on my skin. Yes, Jesus. Thanks be to God, He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. With joy, you will draw water from the well of your salvation. God, I'm on my knees again, God, I'm begging please again. I need you. Oh, I need you. Walking down these desert roads, water for my thirsty soul. I need you. Oh God, I need you. It's like sweet, sweet honey on my sound of the symphony in my ears, it's like holy water on my sink.