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Sermon | 25th October 2026 | The Forbidden Fruit by, Deacon Robinson Omol — Transcript

by Infinite Fellowship Ministries · 9,726 words · 1,553 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:01Welcome [music]
0:02to Infinite Fellowship Ministries, where
0:04we train believers to know and to pursue
0:07[music] God's perfect will so as to
0:09yield fruit for his kingdom. Here's a
0:12sermon by Deacon [music] Robinson Omal.
0:15Um, this sermon that I want to talk
0:18about is
0:20this was your cue to put it there. Uh,
0:23is called is entitled The Forbidden
0:26Fruit. And I'll just jump right into it.
0:29the forbidden fruit. And
0:32I think most of us have heard the story
0:35of Genesis,
0:37uh the story of how Adam and Eve ate of
0:40the fruit and then sin came into the
0:43world through them and the whole story
0:47of life as we know it has happened. But
0:51today I want to just dive a bit deeper
0:53into that. Um perhaps there are some
0:56things that I'll mention here today that
0:59maybe you might have not seen it that
1:01way. And I want to also submit to you
1:05that there are certain things that you
1:08will recognize
1:10uh during this sermon that actually
1:13implicate you
1:16so that you may see that this was not
1:18just a story. It's not a myth.
1:22It's not a It's not something that was
1:25made up, but it is something that you
1:29and I encounter each and every day. So,
1:32we'll dive into Genesis chapter 2 verse
1:35from verse 15 to 17. Genesis 2 15-17.
1:42I'll be reading from the amplified
1:43version. So the Lord God took the man
1:47and uh the man he had made and settled
1:50him in the garden of Eden to cultivate
1:55it and to keep it. And the Lord God
1:58commanded the man, saying, "You may
2:00freely, unconditionally
2:03eat the fruit from every tree in the
2:06garden, but only from the tree of the
2:09knowledge, the recognition of good and
2:13evil, you shall not eat. Otherwise, on
2:17the day that you eat from it, you shall
2:20most certainly die because of your
2:23disobedience."
2:26Um,
2:28let me start by saying everything God
2:29created was good.
2:32Most
2:34uh believers that I've asked I I've
2:37asked is was the tree of the knowledge
2:39of good and evil bad? Because
2:44why would God ask
2:47uh Adam tell Adam and Eve not to eat of
2:50it? So, was it bad? It wasn't bad.
2:54Everything God created was good. So why
2:57did God command Adam and Eve not to eat
3:02of that tree?
3:04He commanded them uh because he wanted
3:08to test their trust and obedience. Not
3:11because the tree was evil,
3:14but the prohibition was meant to teach
3:19that God alone knows what is good for
3:22humans.
3:23and that enjoying his blessings require
3:26trusting his wisdom rather than deciding
3:29good and evil for ourselves.
3:33You get what I mean?
3:36But now we go into Genesis chapter 3
3:39verse 5.
3:42For God knows, this is Satan now
3:45speaking to Eve and he deceives her. He
3:49says, "For God knows that in the day you
3:52eat from it, your eyes will be open."
3:57That is, you will have greater awareness
4:00and you will be like God, knowing the
4:03difference between good and evil.
4:07But do you know the interesting thing?
4:10I don't think even this was a lie.
4:15If we read a verse before, Genesis 3 uh
4:19verse 4.
4:21Um you can put it up there.
4:25Genesis 3:4.
4:31This was a lie. But the serpent said to
4:34the woman, "You shall not surely die."
4:39That's the lie. Because this was the
4:43moment that when when Eve ate of that
4:45fruit, that's the moment that death
4:47entered into the world.
4:52But this verse five, now if you go to
4:54verse 5, that greater awareness
4:59for knowing the difference between good
5:02and evil. Do you know up to this point
5:04when God had created man and man was
5:07enjoying fellowship with God the only
5:10thing man knew was good and his rather
5:14for knowing what is good was looking to
5:17God because we all know God God's
5:22identity is good. God is good. When we
5:26say God is good we're not saying an a
5:29characteristic of God. We're saying the
5:32he that is his identity.
5:35You get what I mean? The same way we
5:37would say God is love. Like if you're
5:40talking about love, you're talking about
5:42God.
5:43So that's what I mean. Identity, not a
5:46characteristic.
5:48And so the only definition of the only
5:51definition of good that man knew was
5:53God.
5:55And that's how life in was intended to
5:59be. That's how life was intended to be.
6:02Whereby if you want to do anything good,
6:06you look at God and you know what is
6:08good.
6:10But eating the fruit,
6:13uh Eve ate the fruit, gave it to her
6:15husband who was passive
6:20and he also ate.
6:22Do you know if
6:24Adam would have said no
6:28in him saying no to Eve eating that
6:32fruit, he would have been able to redeem
6:35Eve because Eve was under his authority.
6:40But
6:43[snorts]
6:45Mambosa
6:47Yeah. And then so now eating the fruit
6:49we recognize that now it was not a minor
6:52slip up but it was rebellion. It was
6:55throwing off God's authority and
6:57declaring independence from him. The
7:00tree symbolizes
7:02that human rule is limited under God's
7:06higher throne.
7:08And by obeying Adam could have lived in
7:12genuine faith
7:14because
7:17um you don't have to know everything.
7:20He didn't know why God commanded him not
7:22to eat of that fruit. So he would have
7:25lived in genuine faith but but
7:29he disobeyed and he brought death and a
7:33fallen world a cast world upon all
7:36humanity.
7:39So think about these four questions.
7:43What if Eve had Eve and subsequently
7:47Adam uh thought that if they eat of the
7:50fruit they would be closer to God
7:53because they would know the difference
7:55between good and evil. What if they
7:58thought that? Or what if in desiring to
8:01be closer to God, they took matters into
8:03their own hands and caused the complete
8:06opposite to happen. They became close to
8:09the serpent. They listened to the
8:11serpent. They obeyed and believed the
8:15serpent.
8:17What if in thinking that your way of
8:20life is the right way of living,
8:24meaning that you thinking your way
8:27glorifies God,
8:29but it is the very thing that separates
8:32you from God because you are living in
8:36in disobedience to him. Think about
8:38that.
8:40Because
8:42Adam and Eve ate of the fruit and now
8:45their eyes were opened and they
8:49now had to judge for themselves. It was
8:53no longer God guiding them. It was now
8:55you have to judge for yourself what is
8:57good and evil. And what if you your way
9:00of thinking you think that this is the
9:03right way is the very thing that is
9:06leading you away from this glorious
9:09beautiful relationship with your
9:11creator.
9:12What if you become who you listen to?
9:16What if
9:20the fruit indeed gave them greater
9:22awareness
9:24that is what they wanted but they did
9:26not know what to ex what what what to
9:29expect it will do.
9:32Um they got greater awareness by sinning
9:35against God. They disobeyed God and the
9:38consequence of that they bore shame,
9:41fear, guilt. For the first time, they
9:46recognized they were naked and they were
9:48ashamed.
9:50And with that greater awareness, they
9:52began to clearly see what they had done.
9:56They
9:58when they recognized that they were
10:00naked, it was not merely a physical
10:03thing. So think about it that way. It
10:07was not necessarily just a physical
10:09thing.
10:12It was a psalmist who said in I believe
10:15it's in Psalm 51, "My sin is ever before
10:20me." In other words, I can always
10:23recognize my sin.
10:27You might not even see it, but I see it.
10:31I know that I told a lie.
10:35I know the things that I've been
10:37meditating and musing upon. I know the
10:40things that I do when nobody's watching.
10:42My sin is ever before me. They saw their
10:46sin and like you and I tried to cover it
10:51up with leaves.
10:53Can you imagine that?
10:55Because that nakedness they were seeing,
10:58they were it was not merely a physical
11:00thing. It was, "Oh my god, I've done
11:04this." And how how I can prove that they
11:07were trying to cover it up, it wasn't
11:09just a physical thing, is when God asked
11:11them,
11:12"Adam, where are you? What have you
11:14done?" And he said, "This woman you gave
11:17me, babe,
11:20she's the one." And this is the same
11:24babe he loved like bone of my bone,
11:27flesh of my flesh.
11:29So
11:30why would he say why would he try and
11:33cover his bases?
11:38Why?
11:39He was looking at he was pointing the
11:41finger at Eve. And what did Eve do? Eve
11:44did the exact same thing. Eh, it's not
11:46my fault. It was the serpent
11:49who did this leaves. What are the leaves
11:53that you're covering yourself with? And
11:56recognize this leaves represent
12:01the the thing the beautiful things that
12:05God has created
12:07and then you using that to cover it up.
12:09Does that sound familiar? Like religion.
12:15You use your good works,
12:18your good posture. Have you ever even
12:20said to a person, I'm a good person. I'm
12:23not usually like this.
12:27You use that
12:29to to cover up
12:33for your own sin.
12:37Hopefully today that ends.
12:43They the leaves represent the gifts of
12:45God.
12:47The leaves because think about it. God
12:50created
12:51the garden
12:53and they got the leaves from the garden.
12:56They got the leaves from that which is
12:58good and covered themselves up. So you
13:02use you don't use a bad thing to cover
13:05up your bad deeds. You always try and
13:08use the good things
13:10to cover up your bad deeds.
13:15And that was the that was a challenge.
13:19When confronted by God like you and I,
13:23they became defensive. They deflected
13:27and they accused.
13:30Does that sound like you? Does that
13:33sound like me? I've done it so many
13:36times before. Don't know about you. Me,
13:39I defend myself. I deflect
13:44change the story. I accuse somebody
13:48else. It's not my fault. It's
13:54it's it's in that sinful nature
14:00where these things come from. But before
14:03this, they had not known how to do good
14:06or evil from their own judgment. The
14:10only judgment, like I said, they had was
14:13that of the knowledge of God,
14:15which was only good all the time, every
14:19everyday pure. And that goodness is not
14:24just the moral goodness that we're
14:27talking about. It is holy.
14:30It is by by holy I mean holistic.
14:35It was holy.
14:38Now, now because of the fall, they had
14:41to make judgments for themselves as to
14:43what is good and what is evil. What is
14:46good works? Uh
14:51let's ask ourselves this. What what good
14:53is good works from an evil and sinful
14:56heart? I may do I may give to charity,
15:01but what good is that if it's coming
15:03from a a a sinful heart? a heart that
15:08that the motive of me giving is so that
15:11others may
15:13glorify me so to speak. They may think
15:16I'm a good person. They may say I'm a
15:19good person.
15:21is
15:23sometimes I may do that
15:26um so that I may quote unquote atone for
15:30the evil things that I have done in
15:33secret and feel good about myself
15:38but that before God is filthy rags.
15:42You may deceive man with your moral
15:45standing but you cannot deceive God with
15:47an unholy heart.
15:50You may deceive man. Me I won't know.
15:54The pastors may not know. Your best
15:56friend won't know
15:58but God knows.
16:01And that's the He's the only person who
16:03counts.
16:05It reminds me of the sermon except on
16:08morality versus holiness. And that
16:11really it really captured my heart. So
16:14here's a quote. This is not me. This is
16:16another minister who said this. God
16:19wants a holy people. Not a moral people,
16:24but a holy people.
16:26Is there a difference between the two?
16:29Absolutely.
16:32Positively.
16:33To capture it most clearly, it is the
16:36difference between the Pharisees, the
16:38most zealous of all religious leaders in
16:41the in ancient Israel and the Lord Jesus
16:44Christ himself. There is a dichotomy.
16:48You see they were moral but he was holy.
16:54Morality is a negative concept. It
16:56defines itself in terms of what one
16:59refrains from doing.
17:02More often than not its preoccupation is
17:04with externals.
17:07Holiness on the other hand is the much
17:10more positive concept. Like its related
17:12term it is much more holistic. It
17:15embraces the externals. But to be sure
17:19uh but uh to be sure but it doesn't stop
17:22there. There is far more it is far more
17:25penetrating
17:27far more thoroughgoing far more
17:29comprehensive.
17:31So let's illustrate the difference and
17:34you're going to like this or you're
17:36going to hate this [laughter]
17:39because you might see yourself. I I know
17:41for me I saw myself. The moral person
17:45abstains from wrong actions.
17:48The holy person hates the very thought
17:51of doing wrong. You see the difference?
17:55The moral person is driven by what
17:58people perceive him to be. The holy
18:01person is consumed
18:03with what God wants him to be.
18:08He's not looking at other people. He's
18:10looking at what is God saying about me?
18:15Cuz God sees me in my secret place.
18:21The moral person mindless mindlessly
18:23aders to a cold list of two of dos and
18:27don'ts.
18:30The holy man ponders what brings the
18:34greatest pleasure to his holy father.
18:38Those are the thoughts that are filling
18:43the mind of the holy person. The moral
18:46person keeps a meticulous record of all
18:49his good deeds, expecting by them to win
18:53the favor of God.
18:56But the holy person grieavves that
18:59nothing he ever does, even for God, is
19:03completely free of sinful or selfish
19:06motives. And so he knows that
19:11every blessing he ever receives from God
19:13is pure grace.
19:16Everything
19:18the moral person lives by his own
19:20definition of what is right and wrong
19:22and he delights to impose that
19:26definition upon other people.
19:29The holy person allows the word of God
19:32to direct his life. And in anything
19:35beyond that, he guards the silences of
19:37the Bible and relishes the freedom that
19:40Jesus Christ has purchased for his
19:42people. Honoring the differences that
19:46freedom that that freedom allows
19:49among those that dearly love the same
19:52savior. [snorts] Holiness
19:56affects the heart. It affects the mind.
19:59It affects the action, the will, the
20:01conscious, the motives.
20:04Holiness
20:06affects the to the totality of a person.
20:11What he is, [snorts] where he goes,
20:14how he feels, what he thinks.
20:19And I end the quote there.
20:22You see, it's very easy for you to go to
20:25God on your own terms,
20:28but the only terms that are acceptable
20:30to God are God's own terms.
20:36Just as Cain, the father, I call him the
20:40father of false worship or false
20:44religion.
20:47He too went to worship God with leaves.
20:54aiming for atonement in his own way. Yet
20:57God had already provided a way which his
21:01brother Abel followed by faith.
21:06God had already taught these brothers
21:09how to worship.
21:11You know the only way that atonement can
21:15happen is if there is blood. But what
21:17did Cain do? Cain went and took the
21:20fruit of the ground and said sacrifice
21:25the works
21:27that he had. I I've worked so hard for
21:30this isn't God even worship. And God was
21:35like but I've provided a way. All you
21:39need to do is just obey. In in fact, as
21:42Bishop put it in one of his previous
21:44sermons,
21:46Abel did nothing.
21:49He did nothing. He just went and took
21:51the fattest sheep he could get and
21:55slaughtered it and woripped.
21:58But Cain
22:00went and
22:08took the the the plants and took it
22:11before God. But God is like if you do
22:15what is right, won't you be accepted? In
22:19fact, I even believe that God God was
22:22really fond of Cain because if you
22:24notice in that whole story, God did not
22:26speak to Abel. He spoke to Cain. You
22:29know how we treasure the voice of God in
22:31this house.
22:33Imagine God spoke to Cain. He didn't
22:36speak to Abel.
22:38He spoke to Cain. He came and told him,
22:41"If you do what is right, won't you be
22:44accepted?"
22:45before he did anything.
22:48And you see why Cain's situation is so
22:52detrimental
22:54and why I call him the father of false
22:57religion is because he did the ex the
23:00very thing the Pharisees ended up doing.
23:03He killed his brother
23:05out of jealousy, out of envy.
23:09He saw that which is right
23:12and wanted to define if if if that if I
23:17get rid of Abel, God has no other choice
23:21but to accept me.
23:24The Pharisees thought that if they got
23:27rid of Jesus,
23:30the people would have no other choice
23:33but to accept them
23:36because they were jealous of Jesus. They
23:38were jealous of the following that he
23:40had, the influence, the authority that
23:43he had. And I would also say that they
23:46were jealous of the fact that he was
23:50doing the will of God.
23:52And they knew deep down in their hearts
23:55that they were never even close to God.
23:59They knew.
24:03Now
24:05I wanted to talk about something here. A
24:08person does not need to be to believe in
24:11God to know right from wrong
24:14or to live a deeply ethical life.
24:18So that is what we define as moral
24:22epistemology
24:24which is how we know morality.
24:28Like all human beings on earth, they
24:30don't need to know the Bible to know
24:32what is right and wrong. And that is a
24:34consequence of the fruit
24:38because when they ate of that fruit,
24:41they got the knowledge of good and evil.
24:45So all human beings know the difference
24:47between good and evil. Even if you've
24:49never heard the Bible, you've never
24:51heard the gospel, you've never heard
24:53anything like that, you've never met
24:55God, so to speak.
24:59But
25:00this is different from moral ontology.
25:03So there's another term called ontology
25:06which is what grounds morality. So for
25:10for you and I
25:13um what what is that thing that grounds
25:16that gives you a definition of your
25:19moral actions?
25:22What is that thing that has grounded
25:23you?
25:26A person cannot
25:28be holy if he does not walk with God.
25:32So when we're talking about this
25:35morality whereby I don't know God but I
25:39know I I can do good things and I know
25:41how to do you know and I'll I'll I'll
25:44live a very ethical life.
25:48You may live an ethical life but you
25:50will never be a holy person.
25:53Think about it this way. There was a
25:55story in Acts of uh that p where Peter
26:01was
26:02actually this that story is actually the
26:05deliverance of Peter and not the
26:08this guy. What's what was his name? I
26:10think he was a centurion or something.
26:13Cornelius. Yes. But it was more like it
26:16was a deliverance of for Peter because
26:18God spoke to Peter and then and told him
26:22uh and and gave him a vision. And then
26:24Peter was like, "Yo, I cannot eat
26:27anything that is unclean from my birth
26:30jul anything that is unclean." And then
26:32God told him, "Do not call what I have
26:35made clean unclean."
26:38And then he sends him to Cornelius. and
26:40the the the people the
26:43during that period God was also
26:45ministering to Cornelius. Now Cornelius
26:48interesting thing he was a really nice
26:51guy very pious he he used to give to the
26:54poor very noble very good guy at heart
27:00ethical.
27:02But why would God want to send Peter to
27:06such a good guy? Think about that. Why
27:10would he insist? Why would God insist on
27:13sending Peter to a very ethical, good
27:16guy? He gives to the poor. He does
27:18really nice things for his neighbors.
27:19He's raising a very wonderful family.
27:22Even his servants loved him. Why?
27:26It's because you can never be holy
27:32if you do not walk with God.
27:36What God wanted is for this pious good
27:42man to receive the gift of the Holy
27:45Spirit and to have relationship with
27:48God. So that his goodness was not
27:51defined by his own works but was defined
27:56by the leading of the Holy Spirit in his
28:00life. And that is truly good because
28:03that would deal with the innermost parts
28:07of his being.
28:09That's that's what it means.
28:12Another way uh to look at this
28:17uh
28:20is
28:23the flesh of man after the fruit knows
28:26how to do good things. So,
28:30I'm taking this concept a bit deeper.
28:33The flesh of man, like you know how to
28:36do good things. You know how to create.
28:39Um, come create dope designs and stuff
28:42like that. Music. You know how to give.
28:46You know how to serve. You know how to
28:48love.
28:51That that's innate. Those things are
28:55like you don't even need to be a
28:57believer to know how to do those things.
29:00But also at the same time your flesh
29:04knows how to do evil. Lie, kill,
29:06deceive, envy, covert.
29:09So we have this thing that's happening
29:11within us. So that knowledge was not
29:14present before the fruit. Before the
29:15fruit, man's spirit, soul, and body did
29:19not debate about matters concerning the
29:23spirit. Man was whole, and his function
29:27was a factor and extension of God's
29:31function alone.
29:33His spirit was one with the spirit of
29:36God.
29:38In fact,
29:41I want to make a very radical statement
29:44here that the knowledge of doing good
29:48and doing evil was not important in
29:50God's plan for man all along.
29:54What was what was and is most important
29:58to God is a heart of obedience to him
30:02through love.
30:05And the fruit of that obedience would be
30:09good works. So I'm not against good
30:14works. I'm just against where those good
30:17works are coming from.
30:19Where are they coming from? What is the
30:21motive? What is the attitude? What is
30:24the underlying thing? Where is that
30:27coming from? I'm not against good works.
30:30In fact, we must do good works.
30:36But why am I saying all this?
30:38Ecclesiastes
30:3912 11 to12.
30:42Ecclesiastes 12 11-12.
30:49It says the words of the wise
30:54are like proddding gods
30:57and these collected sayings are firmly
31:00fixed in the mind like well-driven
31:03nails.
31:04they are given by one shepherd. So that
31:08verse is to qualify
31:12uh that the book of Ecclesiastes was
31:14inspired by the Holy Spirit.
31:17It's to qualify that it wasn't just some
31:19dude writing some dope sayings. It was
31:24to qualify that that these things are
31:27the sayings they they're given by one
31:29shepherd. But beyond this, my son,
31:34this is verse 12, about going further
31:37than the words given by the one
31:39shepherd. So think about that about
31:43going further than the words given by
31:46the one shepherd.
31:49Be warned, the writing of many books is
31:52endless. So do not believe everything
31:55you read.
31:56and excessive study and devotion to
31:59books is wearing to the body.
32:02In other words, you will search many
32:04books. [snorts] You will listen to your
32:06podcasts. You will watch your
32:08influencers
32:10in search of what is good.
32:13And all you will do is worry yourself
32:17if you if they do not lead you back to a
32:21life of obeying Christ. Remember Jesus
32:26said, "Take my yoke upon you. My burden
32:30is light."
32:32If you are here in this room and you
32:35have burdens,
32:40one thing after another,
32:43Jesus says, "Come to me
32:47all you who are heavy laden and I will
32:50give you rest.
32:52I [clears throat] will give you it. It's
32:54it's it's not something you work
32:56towards. He says he will give it. It's a
32:58gift. It's such an easy thing
33:03or rather a very simple thing.
33:09John chapter
33:126
33:14verse 28. John chapter 6 verse 28 to 29.
33:23It says then they asked him what are we
33:27to do so that we may habitually be doing
33:31the works of God. So these guys had the
33:33idea. They were like okay. So Jesus say
33:36you want us to do the works of God. So
33:38how do we do this? What
33:42what are we to do? And then Jesus
33:44answered this is the work of God. You
33:48think he would tell you to do something,
33:50but he says that you believe, that you
33:54adhere to, trust in, rely on, and have
33:57faith in the one whom he has sent.
34:01Notice that what Jesus commands you to
34:03do is not something external, but very
34:06internal. Because faith is birthed
34:09within your heart.
34:11Faith is something that nobody else can
34:14see until you start doing good works.
34:18And people will be able to tell
34:20he's doing these things because
34:23of something that he believes.
34:27There's something inside of this man
34:31that he believes that's driving them to
34:33do what they do. So whatever you do,
34:35what you do, whatever you do, think
34:38about it. It's actually as a result of
34:40what you believe. It is a result of what
34:43you believe.
34:46Now doing good was covered
34:50just not in human effort but in
34:52believing having complete trust reliance
34:56and cleaving to and obeying
34:59God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ
35:02whom he sent. That's that's where good
35:05works are covered in believing. Man
35:08didn't need to judge right and wrong to
35:12obey God.
35:14He just needed to know and love and
35:17treasure God.
35:19And that is and was enough
35:25to be in right standing with him.
35:28That's enough. If I just love him, if I
35:31just treasure him, if I just
35:34consistently walk in relationship with
35:35him, if the first thing that I think
35:37about in the morning and the last thing
35:39that I think about in the evening is
35:44God and the beauty of his holiness and
35:47his glory and his his marvelous works,
35:53then my good works will be covered there
35:56because what I believe will move into
36:01what I do.
36:03Isn't that what Christ came to restore?
36:07Because in loving to obey God, you are
36:10not just doing good. You are being good.
36:16It's an identity and not an action. You
36:19remember what I was talking about
36:21initially
36:23about that? It's it's an identity, not
36:26an action. And there's a difference
36:28between identity and action. Action is a
36:31natural expression. It it is works. In
36:34other words, like good as they may be,
36:38they are only external expressions from
36:41a deceptive heart.
36:44Your heart will deceive you. Oh, you're
36:46a good person because you did this to so
36:49and so.
36:52But the holy person recognizes
36:56there is no
37:00good person. No, not one. The way the
37:03scriptures say
37:06there's no righteous person, not one.
37:11And so what needs to change is not your
37:14actions but your identity.
37:17Think about it.
37:19When somebody is telling you stop doing
37:22that,
37:25sometimes it may communicate to your
37:27mind that my action is the one that was
37:30bad. It's not your action. It's
37:32something m far more deeper. It is your
37:36identity.
37:38Identity on the other hand is the
37:40definition of a thing. It has nothing to
37:43do with expression at its core. The
37:46expression comes naturally from a heart
37:49that is transformed.
37:52So your heart has to be transformed for
37:55you to do good works that are pleasing
38:00to God.
38:05John chapter 1 verse 12 to13.
38:11I love the gospel of John.
38:15It says but to as many as did receive
38:18and welcome him. He gave the right he
38:21gave again the right the authority the
38:25privilege to become children of God.
38:27That is to those who believe in are
38:30thereto trust in and rely on his name
38:36who [snorts] were born verse 13 not of
38:38blood which is natural conception. So
38:42this is not a natural thing. Nor of the
38:45will of the flesh which is physical
38:47impulse.
38:49Nor of the will of man which is that of
38:51a natural father
38:54but of God. That is a divine and
38:59supernatural birth.
39:02They are born of God. Spiritually
39:05transformed renewed and sanctified.
39:09Are you born of God
39:12or have you just been living with the
39:15life of that which your earthly father
39:18gave you?
39:20Because what the gospel does is when you
39:25receive the message of the gospel and
39:27you believe in faith, you are born
39:31again. You are born of God.
39:35You are born spiritually.
39:39There there's a place I I I don't
39:41remember specifically but in the
39:43scriptures where it describes that the
39:46unbelieving heart their spirits are
39:49dead. Your spirit is dead and the only
39:53way you can be made alive is by
39:56believing in him. So now you begin to
39:58see spiritual things. You began you
40:00begin to hear God. You begin to discern
40:04that which God desires you to do. You
40:06discern your purpose. You discern your
40:10you have your vision straight from the
40:12father himself.
40:15And you know exactly what to do, where
40:18to do it, how to do it, how to even feel
40:22about what you're doing.
40:25All that there are senses that are
40:27spiritual senses that are activated
40:29within you. The same way you have the
40:31sense of taste, touch,
40:34sight,
40:36um the sense of hearing is the same way
40:39in the spirit. There are spiritual
40:41senses that are activated when you
40:43believe.
40:47But because of the impact of the
40:48original sin,
40:51uh sin is with is within our flesh and
40:55we know how to do what is good but only
40:58by human standards.
41:02Take note of that. Only by human
41:03standards. We know we know how to do
41:05what is good but not by godly standards.
41:08In Matthew 7 11 it says if you then evil
41:14sinful by nature
41:21[laughter]
41:23[snorts] if Matthew 7:1
41:28If you then evil sinful by nature as you
41:34are know how to give good gifts good and
41:37advantageous gifts to your children. How
41:40much more will your father who is in
41:43heaven, perfect as he is, give what is
41:47good and advantageous to those who keep
41:50on asking him.
41:54You see, this scripture defines you. You
41:57are evil. You are sinful by nature. But
42:00you know how to do good
42:03for your children, for your family, for
42:06your friends. [snorts]
42:08So think about God's standard. Who does
42:12not have a deceptive heart?
42:17We also know how to do what is evil by
42:20godly standards.
42:24How do we transform this battle that is
42:27raging between us?
42:30And Paul asked the same question. If we
42:32dive into Romans chapter 7 verse 14
42:39to 25.
42:41Romans 7.
42:4414-2.
42:50[laughter]
42:56[laughter] I hope you're okay.
43:02Pardon?
43:05[laughter]
43:05Professor
43:07Professor
43:09Nikipa, PhD. PhD. Hey, PhD. Hey, hey,
43:14hey.
43:15Nikipa, PhD.
43:18Uh, I'll drop the name Robinson.
43:26professor, doctor.
43:31So,
43:33Romans chapter 7 from verse 14.
43:38So, Paul was talking about the conflict
43:41of two natures.
43:43We know that the law is spiritual,
43:47but I am a creature of the flesh,
43:50worldly, self-reliant,
43:53carnal, and unspiritual,
43:56sold into slavery
43:59to sin, and serving under its control.
44:03For I do not understand my own actions.
44:07I am baffled and bewildered by them. I
44:10do not practice what I want to do, but I
44:15am doing the very thing I hate and
44:18yielding to my human nature, my
44:20worldliness, my sinful capacity.
44:23Now, if I habitually do what I do not
44:26want to do, that means I agree with the
44:29law, confessing that the law is good. It
44:33is morally excellent.
44:36So now
44:38if that is the case, then
44:41it is no longer I who do it, the
44:44disobedient thing which I despise, but
44:47the sin nature which lives in me. For I
44:51know that nothing good [snorts] lives in
44:55me, that is in my flesh. Just read those
45:00words again. For I know that nothing
45:02good lives [snorts] in me. This is a
45:05person who recognized the truth about
45:08himself
45:10and he was not no longer lying to
45:12himself. He was like s now I can tell I
45:15can see it. Nothing good dwells in me in
45:18my flesh, my human nature, my
45:20worldliness and my sinful capacity.
45:23For the willingness to do good is
45:26present in me. But the doing of good of
45:31that good is not
45:35for the good that I want to do I do not
45:39do but I practice the very evil that I
45:42do not want.
45:44But if I am doing the very thing I do
45:47not want to do I am no longer the one
45:50doing it. That is it is not me that acts
45:56but the sin nature. So there's a nature
45:58within you that now acts
46:03which lives in me.
46:06So I find it to be the law of my inner
46:10self that is evil. That evil is present
46:14in me. The one who wants to do good
46:18it's present. So what do I do? For I
46:22joyfully delight in the law of God in my
46:26inner self with my new nature. That
46:28nature that we read about in John 1
46:32where you have been born again.
46:35That nature you where you have accepted
46:38God and your spirit has been made alive.
46:40When your spirit is made alive, you you
46:42now recognize the duality of what's
46:45happening within you.
46:48So he joyfully delights in the law of
46:52God, in his inner self, in that new
46:55nature. But I see a different law and
46:58rule of action in the members of my
47:01body, in its appetites and desires,
47:04waging war against the law of my mind,
47:08and subduing me, and making me a
47:10prisoner of the law of sin, which is
47:14within my members. wretched and
47:17miserable man that I am, who will rescue
47:22me and set me free from this body, this
47:27body of death, this corrupt moral
47:31existence.
47:34You see, the moral man's nature without
47:38the Holy Spirit is religious
47:41and is zealously misled and it is
47:44sinful. beyond what we can imagine. I
47:48don't care if you go to church. I don't
47:50care if you give to the poor. If you're
47:52just a moral man, your nature is this
47:56misled. You're sinful beyond what you
47:59can imagine.
48:01Another spanner in the works is this.
48:04You may say to me, Rob,
48:07why did God bring the law?
48:10The law is good.
48:13if he knew sin would take advantage of
48:16this law and hold me captive
48:19and I would say that
48:23to answer you that first
48:26we've already established that the law
48:28is good if you read uh just a few verses
48:32Romans chapter 7 verse 11-13
48:36um for sin seizing its opportunity
48:40through the commandment so God has given
48:43us command and commandments. He's given
48:44us instructions. He's guided us. And
48:47then sin, seizing its opportunity
48:50through that same commandment, that
48:52commandment which is good, beguiled and
48:55completely deceived me, and using it as
48:58a weapon, killed me, separating me from
49:00God. So then, the law is holy, and the
49:04commandment is holy and righteous and
49:07good.
49:10Did that which is good, the law, then
49:15become death to me? Certainly not.
49:19Certainly not.
49:21But sin, in order that it might be
49:24revealed as sin, was producing death in
49:27me by using
49:30this good thing as a weapon.
49:33Imagine that. Imagine
49:37it's it's it's it's the story of slavery
49:41in in America. How the white
49:46supremacists slaves
49:49used the Bible to subdue and kill and
49:56torture
49:58the black people whom they had stolen
50:00from their homeland.
50:03They were using a good thing. the Bible,
50:05the scriptures, the scriptures that say
50:08slaves honor your master. But now they
50:11were using that and it was sin. That is
50:13sin. Using that the good thing and
50:16turning it to use it for evil to the
50:20point where
50:22even to date, black people in America
50:25still struggle.
50:27Even though they are free from the
50:30physical aspect of their bondage, they
50:34are still spiritually bound in an in in
50:37that nation.
50:40You see what's you see how this thing is
50:44so evil.
50:46This thing is so bad. And if you
50:48recognize it within yourself, there's a
50:50way out. Remember
50:54how the law was inaugurated?
50:57God invited the children of Israel to a
51:00relationship in the Lord's holy
51:01mountain. So uh they had gone I believe
51:05it was Sai, right?
51:07I keep looking at the pastors.
51:14So yeah, it was Sai. So Moses had taken
51:17them to Sai and then God spoke to Moses
51:19and told them tell the people to prepare
51:22themselves three days to take a fast and
51:26on the third day I will come down and
51:28meet them and have relationship with
51:31them. You see God was inviting them to
51:35relationship and they did that. They
51:37fasted. They h prepared themselves and
51:40stuff like that. And then when they came
51:42to the mountain, they saw the presence
51:46of God coming down in a cloud and they
51:49were afraid.
51:51And you know that fear is the same fear
51:54Adam and Eve had. Think about it. That
51:57fear, that shame,
52:00it was sin speaking again.
52:03Sin speaking against something good like
52:06God was coming. We are going to have
52:08relationship.
52:10I'm going to be connected to my maker.
52:12I'm going to live a righteous, holy
52:15life. I'm going to have
52:18a quality of life that no other human
52:21being has experienced. But now sin
52:25taking advantage
52:27made them fear.
52:30Made them fear. And so they told Moses
52:37you whatever he tells you to do we will
52:40do. What was that? That was works as in
52:45whatever he tells you to do. Not
52:47whatever he tells you he tells us to be.
52:49Whatever he tells us to do we will do.
52:52So you you just want externalities. You
52:54just want actions. You don't want an
52:57identity. You don't want to identify
52:59yourself with God. Ah where where Moses
53:01where I ender you identify yourself with
53:03God. See you see whatever he says we
53:06tells us to do we will do and then
53:08that's how the law came. So God was like
53:11okay if you guys just want
53:14my standard of what is good and evil I
53:17give it to you in the ten commandments
53:20and then all those other commands. They
53:21were the ethical laws the ones there
53:25were those laws for the culture. There
53:28were those laws for worship and
53:32the reason like so there were the moral
53:35laws, the ethical laws and the sacrif
53:38the worship laws
53:40and the ethical laws were specifically
53:42for the Israelites at that time. So
53:45those are not laws that apply to us so
53:48to speak. The laws that mostly apply to
53:50us are the moral laws and I would say a
53:54bit of the worship laws
53:57which Christ also changed
54:01rather no Christ didn't change Christ
54:03revealed the heart behind it. [laughter]
54:06Yes, let me put it that way cuz
54:10Christ revealed the mystery behind the
54:13worship laws. How we were how we are to
54:17worship. So you see this is something
54:19that even the law which is good God said
54:23okay
54:26this is my standard of what is good and
54:28evil and they could not do it. Why?
54:31Because sin took captive took that law
54:35and
54:37killed
54:39the the spirit of man. And that's what's
54:43happening not just from that time with
54:46the children of Israel but also to us
54:49because we have sin in us. When the
54:51minute you know
54:53that this is the right thing to do, sin
54:57takes you captive
54:59[snorts and clears throat]
55:01and you do the complete opposite, the
55:03very thing you do not want to do.
55:07So
55:10God gave the law to reveal man's nature
55:13within him
55:15that it was not just his actions that
55:18were sinful. It was much deeper than
55:20that. It was a nature
55:23and throughout history to date, nobody
55:25could measure up to God's standard.
55:29It was only those who came to God in
55:33faith, humility and repentance that were
55:38accepted
55:39and through that transformed. I even
55:44submit to you guys
55:47the law
55:49even in the Old Testament the law was
55:51not the the factor that God was using.
55:54If you read Hebrews 11 very well, it
55:58speaks of the patriarchs. It speaks of
56:01Enoch, um, Abel, um, and Noah. And how
56:07they were accepted by God was not by
56:10following the law. It was by obeying
56:12God.
56:15It was by having faith in God. It was
56:18when Abraham was told, "Leave this
56:21country that you're in and go to a land
56:24which he didn't even know which I will
56:26tell you about. I'll tell you when you
56:28get there."
56:30And he left by faith.
56:33By faith. By faith. He lived in tents
56:36because he looked to a kingdom that he
56:39could not see.
56:42He looked to a kingdom much like us. You
56:45know, right now when you tell somebody
56:46about eternal life, life after death,
56:48somebody looks at you like you're crazy.
56:52But your faith tells you that you're
56:56looking to a kingdom that is beyond this
56:59physical realm that is more real than
57:03this phys physical realm that you can
57:05see and touch.
57:07and
57:10you
57:11you have to make a decision but we'll
57:14get to that.
57:16Uh
57:19it was only those who came to God in
57:22faith, humility and repentance. So this
57:25brings us to Jesus Christ the way. This
57:28is my favorite part of this sermon
57:30because it's about to come to a
57:33culmination. I love talking about Jesus
57:37because without him,
57:41we would not really be able to have this
57:45gift.
57:48So Jesus was born of a virgin by the
57:52spirit of God. Why is that significant?
57:56It means that he did not have the
57:58tainted blood of the original sin.
58:02Blood is life
58:05and blood biologically
58:09from
58:12you get you get what I mean? It comes
58:14from the father. So throughout if you
58:18read like Matthew chapter one it says so
58:22and so begget so and so so and so begget
58:24so and so. All those people
58:28had the opportunity
58:30[snorts] to redeem
58:32uh humanity but they could not and the
58:35reason they could not is because sin was
58:39dwelling within them. So at every moment
58:41you see someone as great as David who
58:44conquered nations, killed giants, was
58:47obedient to God still going to sleep
58:51with Bath Sheba and kill Bath Sheba's
58:54husband Uriah
58:57and lie to the prophet
59:01and to a whole nation who was who were
59:03holding him accountable.
59:06Someone as great as him. When you read
59:09about David, you you admire him until
59:11that point and then you're like, where?
59:13So, the Bible is not shy of exposing
59:17these people. It's not shy. It says
59:24he's also evil.
59:27And so, we see an underlying problem
59:31throughout history. And even after
59:34Christ, we see that underlying problem.
59:37But the only person whom it does not say
59:41anything evil of is Jesus Christ. And
59:44this was the beginning of it. Born of a
59:47virgin. He lived a holy obedient life.
59:51He was tempted in every way as described
59:54in Hebrews. Y any temptation you have
59:57ever gone through Jesus did.
59:59But instead of eating the fruit of that
1:00:02tree of knowledge of good and evil. In
1:00:05other words,
1:00:07uh trying to test God's word and find
1:00:10out,
1:00:12he responded with, "You shall not put
1:00:15the Lord your God to the test." He knew
1:00:19how to respond when temptation came.
1:00:23So, some of us here are testing God with
1:00:26our eternal life. We don't believe what
1:00:28God says about gaining eternal life
1:00:33through Christ, but we believe our own
1:00:36idea of what happens after death,
1:00:37whether it means nothingness or going to
1:00:41the universe
1:00:43and connecting with the universe or
1:00:45reincarnation. You come back as a
1:00:47butterfly or uh a pig if you are a bad
1:00:50person those things. I I don't know
1:00:54where people get those ideas.
1:00:58Another thing, Jesus was baptized by
1:01:00John. The baptism of repentance even
1:01:04though he had no sin.
1:01:08So why was Jesus baptized by John?
1:01:13He was baptized by John not because he
1:01:15needed to repent of sin because John was
1:01:18saying repent
1:01:20for the kingdom of God is at hand. And
1:01:23so everyone he was baptizing were
1:01:24sinners who recognized their sin and
1:01:27wanted to turn from their sin. But Jesus
1:01:30did not have sin.
1:01:32So why did he need to be baptized
1:01:36by John? It was to identify fully with
1:01:41sinful man and to fulfill all
1:01:44righteousness. Basically fulfilling all
1:01:46righteousness. When he said I want to
1:01:49fulfill all righteousness, do this to
1:01:51fulfill all righteousness. It means
1:01:54what was righteous in the eyes of God is
1:01:57Jesus to identify with you and me. That
1:02:00was a that was God's righteousness.
1:02:03His baptism was an act of obedience
1:02:07to God's will.
1:02:10[snorts] Showing that he stood in the
1:02:12place of sinners. Jesus's participation
1:02:14pointed to his mission to bear the sins
1:02:17of others. By being baptized, Jesus
1:02:20publicly aligned himself with the
1:02:22repentant people of God even though he
1:02:24himself was sinless.
1:02:26Jesus obeying the father taught about
1:02:28the kingdom. He brought healing,
1:02:32salvation, and justice to people.
1:02:35And in the last supper, which is another
1:02:39like significant
1:02:41part of the gospel, he took bread, which
1:02:44represented the body as he said, and the
1:02:47wine which represented the blood
1:02:52and he gave it to his disciples. And as
1:02:55they took his life,
1:02:59basically his body and his blood, as
1:03:02they took his life, what was happening?
1:03:05Cuz he wasn't taking, he was taking
1:03:07theirs
1:03:09and ours. If we believe, I think that's
1:03:13why we have communion to remember what
1:03:16he has done for us.
1:03:19Where did he take their blood and ours?
1:03:23Back into a garden. Remember in go in in
1:03:26Gethsemane.
1:03:29It is a representation of where it all
1:03:31began.
1:03:33Remember man lost his innocence in a
1:03:36garden, the garden of Eden. And man
1:03:39receives righteousness through Christ in
1:03:42a garden.
1:03:45He took the bitter cup of your sin and
1:03:48my sin. Why do I say this? While the
1:03:51disciples slept after drinking the sweet
1:03:54cup of his blood, [laughter]
1:04:00they drank that wine and they ate that
1:04:04bread and they slept in the sweetness of
1:04:07Christ's blood and body.
1:04:10It was at that very moment
1:04:13so painful he did not even need the
1:04:16crown of thorns for him to bleed. His
1:04:19very sweat was bloody that night.
1:04:24He was agonizing. And it was at that
1:04:27moment that he was bearing the sin of
1:04:30not only his disciples but the sin of
1:04:32the world.
1:04:34That's why he could his sweat was blood.
1:04:41And he went to the cross willingly.
1:04:45Remember that he he went willingly. He
1:04:49was crucified on the same tree that was
1:04:52the reason for the sin of man in the
1:04:56first place. Remember that
1:04:58the in the garden God planted a tree but
1:05:02in Golgoa
1:05:04the sinful man planted the cross.
1:05:08And you see this the beautiful thing
1:05:11about this story is you see the reversal
1:05:14happening.
1:05:15You see the reversal happening. Adam
1:05:19in his passivity and his ignorance and
1:05:23his disobedience lost
1:05:28purity and relationship with God. And
1:05:31then Christ in his obedience and in his
1:05:35passion and in his pain
1:05:38redeemed
1:05:40that very thing.
1:05:43And though this was the most cruel thing
1:05:45ever done in history, God orchestrated
1:05:48it through his sovereignty to restore
1:05:51what was lost. And not only that, but to
1:05:55secure a better future in the new heaven
1:05:58and new earth without the possibility of
1:06:01sin. Without the possibility of sin.
1:06:05That's what the cross has done.
1:06:10So if you do not believe in eternity,
1:06:13hey message G, cuz I look forward to
1:06:17that day when I will go to be with my
1:06:20maker.
1:06:23Many of us say that if I was Adam, I
1:06:26wouldn't have eaten of the fruits of the
1:06:29tree of knowledge of good and evil.
1:06:34But we all show you and I we all show
1:06:37that we would we would
1:06:40if you cannot eat the fruit of the cross
1:06:44which is righteousness through Jesus
1:06:46Christ
1:06:50the tree of life.
1:06:52That cross is a is the tree of life. It
1:06:55represents the tree of life.
1:06:58In Romans chapter 5:1 19, it explains
1:07:02this concept very well.
1:07:05Romans 5:19,
1:07:07for just as one man's disobedience, his
1:07:10failure to hear his carelessness, the
1:07:14many were made sinners. So when you were
1:07:16born, you were born in sin. Like you did
1:07:19not even choose, you didn't you don't
1:07:21even have the privilege
1:07:23or the right to choose your own father
1:07:26and mother.
1:07:28Some of us were born in broken homes.
1:07:31Some of us have only known our single
1:07:34parent. Some of us were raised by
1:07:36guardians. So you don't even know who
1:07:38your parents were. Some of us were
1:07:40orphaned at a young age.
1:07:43You did not get to choose that.
1:07:47But what do you get to choose? That is
1:07:50the question. So through obedience,
1:07:52through the obedience of the one man,
1:07:55the many will be made righteous and
1:07:58acceptable to God and brought into right
1:08:00standing with him. And that is what you
1:08:02can choose. You did not choose to be
1:08:05born the way you were born, where you
1:08:08were born, how you were born,
1:08:10but you get to choose your destiny. Your
1:08:15you get to choose
1:08:17the one who defines your purpose.
1:08:21You get to choose to live a holy and
1:08:25pure and righteous life in relationship
1:08:26to God.
1:08:28You get to choose that the penalty for
1:08:31sin was paid on the cross. But it
1:08:35doesn't end there. On the third day, he
1:08:37rose from the dead to a new life. He not
1:08:39only pays the price for our sin, but he
1:08:42quickens us to a new life in him. So the
1:08:45resurrection is essential because it
1:08:47vindicates Jesus's death and secures all
1:08:51the blessings he obtained for us because
1:08:54where there is holiness there is life.
1:08:58There is no death. The only way Christ
1:09:02could die, think about it. If Christ was
1:09:04holy, what I'm claiming is a a holy
1:09:09person cannot die.
1:09:12Like you're pure. You have you have
1:09:14never sinned. Never ever sinned. That is
1:09:17a person who cannot die. Do you know
1:09:19they tried to kill Jesus so many times?
1:09:21There was even a time they were about to
1:09:23throw him off a cliff and he just walked
1:09:25past them. And I I think they were in
1:09:28their minds they were like honey what
1:09:30happened. See we it was just a shove. We
1:09:34that was all it needed to be. But they
1:09:36couldn't do it because he was holy. And
1:09:39that's why I say that when he went to
1:09:42the cross, he went willingly. He's the
1:09:45one who chose. And when he died, he only
1:09:49died because he was carrying your sin
1:09:51and mine. Otherwise, he could not die.
1:09:55He couldn't. The only way Christ could
1:09:58die was by taking the wages of our sin
1:10:01because he didn't have sin of his own.
1:10:05In his life and death, he was lord over
1:10:08life
1:10:10and in the resurrection he was lord over
1:10:13death. So he conquered life and he
1:10:16conquered death. Meaning if you want to
1:10:19know how to live your life, you go to
1:10:22him. If you want to know how to die
1:10:24well, you go to him because he defines
1:10:28where you go after death. He's the only
1:10:32man who has seen the life. He who has
1:10:36seen what is there beyond death.
1:10:39[snorts]
1:10:40So I choose to believe him
1:10:45resurrect.
1:10:47So
1:10:50if
1:10:52resurrect why should I listen to
1:10:54[laughter] to you? You
1:10:58you get
1:11:00I wouldn't let
1:11:04a person define
1:11:07for me what happens after death if they
1:11:11have not seen it. And Jesus is the only
1:11:12person who has seen it. And what he says
1:11:14about life and death and eternity and
1:11:18hell and uh the new heaven and the new
1:11:21earth. That is what I choose to believe.
1:11:26And if Christ is the the argument
1:11:30usually for us is is Christ credible.
1:11:35It's not even did Christ exist, did he
1:11:37go to the cross? Did he resurrect?
1:11:40The thing we are we battle is is what he
1:11:43says credible.
1:11:46And for me the death and the
1:11:48resurrection proves his credibility.
1:11:52Proves that he wasn't a crazy man.
1:11:54saying that if you drink of my if you
1:11:56eat of my flesh and drink of my blood
1:11:58[laughter] you know that's how he spoke
1:12:00and I understand the people of his day
1:12:03running away from him they were like
1:12:06he wants us to be cannibals
1:12:09he said crazy things and that's why it's
1:12:12either he's a lunatic a liar or he is
1:12:16the lord of lords and it's up to you to
1:12:20decide to choose
1:12:22Now,
1:12:28if Christ had not been raised, our faith
1:12:31would be futile and preaching is in
1:12:34vain. His bodily resurrection confirms
1:12:37his lordship and guarantees our
1:12:40justification as he was raised for our
1:12:42justification. It also gives believers
1:12:46hope and power to live faithfully since
1:12:50the risen Christ lives in us.
1:12:54That though you ate of the fruit of the
1:12:56knowledge of good and evil, which is
1:12:59anytime that you have gone against the
1:13:01will of God to follow your own
1:13:02preconceived notions of what is good.
1:13:07He calls you to a life of obedience, of
1:13:10love, of sacrifice, to walk with him as
1:13:14we could have been originally. And
1:13:17though our bodies will die because of
1:13:19sin,
1:13:21our spirits
1:13:24will be made alive in him forever.
1:13:28And that is the gospel. And that is the
1:13:30good news.
1:13:32Thanks be to God.
1:13:35which leaves us with the choice to make
1:13:38because we have this flesh that tells us
1:13:42within ourselves I'm a good person. I'm
1:13:44a moral person.
1:13:47It is the conclusion of every conscience
1:13:52that is blind to Christ. Even Paul could
1:13:56not judge himself.
1:13:59We have a choice to repent. That is
1:14:04repenting is not confessing. Repenting
1:14:06is turn away from your way of thinking
1:14:08and turn to God's way of thinking and
1:14:12then believe. That is to put your faith,
1:14:15your trust, your reliance on Jesus
1:14:18Christ to be the template
1:14:21for your inner life.
1:14:25But you may say to me again, Rob, I you
1:14:29know, I didn't choose to be born. let
1:14:32alone
1:14:33born tainted with sin. And I will tell
1:14:36you that that is why you have the
1:14:39gospel. That is why the gospel must be
1:14:42preached. How else will they believe if
1:14:44they have not heard? How will they hear
1:14:45if somebody does not preach to them? And
1:14:48how will somebody preach if they have
1:14:50not been sent
1:14:53so that you may choose
1:14:56to be born again through faith and
1:14:58repentance. God himself wants to bath
1:15:01you
1:15:03and in God's birthing of you, you have a
1:15:06responsibility to surrender
1:15:09or reject it.
1:15:13So
1:15:16the reason we beat our flesh to
1:15:18submission is because of this knowledge
1:15:23of what is inherently in our flesh.
1:15:27An example to illustrate this is the
1:15:29song of the sirens in the Odyssey
1:15:32the movie. So if you have not watched
1:15:34that movie spoiler alert I really loved
1:15:38that movie. The sirens promise Odessius
1:15:43knowledge.
1:15:44They essentially say we know what
1:15:46happened at Troy. We know what happens
1:15:50in the world. All the secrets of the
1:15:52world. Come and hear us. And Odessius
1:15:56wants to hear them to answer his own
1:15:59question of getting home.
1:16:03So he orders his men, tie me to the
1:16:06mast. The mast was like the the pole in
1:16:08the middle in the middle of the ship.
1:16:11And
1:16:13it's because he knows something about
1:16:15himself. He knows that I may want
1:16:18something that I shouldn't have.
1:16:22And that is mature wisdom.
1:16:26All things are given to us
1:16:30but not all things are beneficial for
1:16:32us.
1:16:34I may want something that I shouldn't
1:16:36have
1:16:38and that is mature wisdom. He does not
1:16:41eliminate temptation. He prepares for
1:16:44it. Are you ready for the things that
1:16:46are coming to you in your life?
1:16:51And the only way you'll be ready is if
1:16:53you turn to him. If you turn your heart
1:16:56to him.
1:16:58You tie yourself to the must that is the
1:17:01cross.
1:17:03Let the crew which is in our case the
1:17:07church [snorts] tie you to the must
1:17:10preparing you for what is to come in
1:17:12this world.
1:17:15Just like in the same movie, Odessius
1:17:18said something that also correlates with
1:17:20something that links to our faith. He
1:17:22said, "The power of the sacrifice is in
1:17:26the cost of the person making it.
1:17:31It cost God,
1:17:33his son, his humiliation, his life.
1:17:37What will it co cost you?"
1:17:43So because I'm a musician, [snorts]
1:17:46I'm a poet, I'm a designer,
1:17:50I want to finish with two
1:17:54poems
1:17:56that will help you to think about all
1:17:58the things I've spoken.
1:18:01This the first one is called the bitter
1:18:03cup.
1:18:05Dark was the night and cold was the
1:18:07ground on which the Lord was laid. His
1:18:10sweat like drops of blood run down in
1:18:15agony he prayed.
1:18:17Father remove this bitter cup if such
1:18:21thy sacred will. If not content to drink
1:18:25it up, thy pleasure I fulfill.
1:18:29Go to the garden, O sinner.
1:18:33See those precious drops that flow, the
1:18:36heavy load he bore for thee.
1:18:40for thee he lies so low. Then learn from
1:18:44him the cross to bear. Thy father's will
1:18:48obey.
1:18:50And when temptations press thee near,
1:18:53awake, awake to watch and pray.
1:19:00The second poem is by a guy called Jeff
1:19:03O'Hara.
1:19:06It's very short.
1:19:09And he says, "Why call me Lord, Lord,
1:19:13and do not the things I say? Ye call me
1:19:17the way and walk me not. You call me the
1:19:20life and live me not. You call me master
1:19:24and obey me not. If I condemn thee,
1:19:28blame me not. You call me bread and eat
1:19:31me not. You call me truth and believe me
1:19:34not. Ye call me Lord [music] and serve
1:19:37me not.
1:19:39If I condemn thee, blame me not.
1:19:44I want us [music] to rise to our feet.
1:19:46Thank you for watching this video. If
1:19:48you enjoyed it, be sure to subscribe and
1:19:50share with a friend. The red.

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