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Well good morning everyone. And I welcome you all here to bring Calvary Chapel and I’m glad each and every one of you were here this morning. And so if you want to open your Bibles along with me we we are in the book of Numbers chapter eight and a couple announcements I need to make right like to make that I need to.
Today is the last day ladies to sign up for secret sisters. There’s a sign up sheet out there. And what secret sisters is, is is is that you pick out a name fact the name drying will be next week, right? You pick out a name, and the name you pick out the person doesn’t know that you picked it out and you’re praying for her on a continuous basis. And they will have on their sheets particular needs they want you to be praying about and they exchange little gifts you know throughout the time is three months visit and then at the end they have a banquet and give testimony of how whoever their secret sister was that had been praying for them, bless them and encourage them. And then they reveal who their secret sister is. It’s pretty cool idea. And also something new that we’re going to be doing starting. We’re going to try it on February 28. And we have a sign up sheet out there is it out there for you to put your name down. And what is going to be is a Friday night, seven o’clock in the evening. And it’s going to be a time that we just fellowship together as believers and maybe talked about questions you might have, you can bring questions you have maybe ideas, concerns theologies, and it’s just going to be a wonderful time for the body to just sit together and talk about the things of God and have any questions answered that you might have. And so, you know, bring a little goodie, whatever. And we’ll I’ll have the coffee made. It’ll be just a wonderful time, February 28. Please sign up so we have some idea of how many are coming. Let’s pray. Father, we come before you in Jesus name because there truly is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved. And we thank You Father, that you’ve given us your word, that through your word, we might have endurance, we might have hope. And Father, it is only in your word in a near light, that really this world makes any sense. And so I pray, Heavenly Father, that you would come and Minister your word to us. Use me Lord as your servant, that it might speak to our hearts, encourage our souls and direct our life. And so we pray this and ask all in Jesus name, Amen. And Amen. And if you didn’t hear pastor Frank Junior’s message you can hear it online. It was really, really good. You don’t want to miss it. Someone gave me this this morning. It’s absolutely amazing. This newspaper article and it’s about Grove Street Methodist Church in Minnesota. I won’t read the whole article, I’ll just tell you about it. And what gross st Methodist Church is doing is they’re sending out a letter to every one of their parishioners 59 and over and asking them to find another church to attend for two years. And after two years, they can reapply to try to come back to the church, but they want the 59 and older, gone, so that they might be able to try to bring in young people. You know what you call that besides stupid? It’s religion. It’s religion, it’s man’s attempt. The fact of the matter is the purpose of the church. Because the A You and I, the very purpose of us coming together is simply to hear the Word of God and to worship Him. Has nothing to do with age, there’s no age. You know what I’m saying? As believers, there’s no age difference. We might look different, but there’s no age difference. And speaking of age, difference, is Mark hard had a birthday on Friday? And I won’t tell you how old he is. And I had one yesterday, and I will tell you how old I am. I’m 75. Can you believe that?
Thanks. That was my son, Pastor Frank Jr. That said that, anyway.
But you know, we have to understand that the Bible, this word that we have in front of us, is a literally divine miraculous gift from God. I don’t have time to go into all the reasons why this book is so different than any other book. I mean, in all the ages that this Bible has passed through, there’s never been an ability to prove anything wrong in it. There have been people who thought they have only To find out they were wrong. And the Bible was written to unite to the church collectively, but to you and I individually as the church. And so when we study the Word, we need to allow it to speak to us. This just isn’t words on paper. I mean that the book is, but the word the message is to us, to our heart, to our Karthi, to our inner man, that we might be able to read the Bible and learn from it. Everything that was written in the past was written for our learning through constant endurance of the Scriptures, we might have hope. This is a book of hope, a book of encouragement. So when we read the Bible, it shouldn’t shouldn’t just be words on a page. It should be the Word of God speaking to us, or what are you showing me? What are you trying to lead? Where are you trying to lead me? What things you’re trying to speak into my heart. And if you do that, God will. I promise you He will follow through and speak you exactly what you need to hear. Because what you need to hear might be different than I need there. But the Lord knows exactly what you need. So we have to understand that everything about serving the Lord is the fact that we are His people, the chosen people, real priesthood, holy nation. I’m going to read that portion from Peter a little bit later. But God has called you and I as believers to be a royal priesthood. Now, when we think we’re priesthood, so often we think of this set apart, kind of, you know, snobby religious person, you know, like me coming on saying, I’m the minister. But we have to understand the very purpose of a priest we’re going to read about it in a moment was to be a servant is to be a servant. And so every one of us as a royal priesthood, we’re all servants of the Lord. And how do we serve Him in any He desires. What’s the Lord calling you to do? Do it? You know, have you ever had those times as a believer that you really feel like the Lord put someone on your heart to pray for, or maybe to even give a call, and then you don’t do it? The reality is, if you would have made that call, if you would have prayed for that person, you would have been blessed because you were in obedience to the Lord. And that call might have been a real blessing to that individual. So we have to be open to the Holy Spirit and to his word, to really, His Word is a light unto our path, right? And it directs us, it directs us in the direction God would have us go. Now, as believers, we have to understand, it should no longer be a matter of are we saved, you know, people get I don’t know if I’m saved, am I saved? Well, the fact of the matter is, if you commit your life to Jesus Christ, your saved. Salvation is no, correct. It’s no big, methodical, you know, effort that we have to go through. The Bible’s very clear. Salvation is just simple, Lord, forgive me a sinner, and come in and take over my life. You mean that’s it? Well, that’s it as far as our effort is concerned. But God himself will place His Holy Spirit in our heart, and give us the sign and seal a deposit of his spirit of power and love. And he’ll change us. But for you and I, yes, it’s that simple. God, forgive me a sinner, and he will.
That’s the love that He has for us. So as believers, it should no longer be a matter of Am I saved? I don’t know if I’m saved. You cannot just ask. But it should be a matter Am I willing to serve? Because all of us need to be servants of the living God. Because we have to understand that Christianity is not just some religious Philosophy. I remember when I was doing my undergraduate work in college, and I had to take a course on philosophy, and it was Socrates and Plato and this and that. And some of you might have taken those kinds of courses when you’re in school as well. And and it was just a bunch of stuff. There was a bunch of philosophies that really didn’t, you know, Plato and Socrates never came to an understanding of what the meaning of life was. They’re always striving but never finding. But I found that when I studied the Bible, I had the answers. What I was looking for was there. And so when we study the Bible, and as Christians, it’s not a philosophy, it’s the relationship with the living God. You know, like with your spouse, like it’s my wife, if I said, Well, our relationship is just an understanding that we have. You know, you’d be thinking it’s kind of kooky now relationship is a love relationship. It’s a love relationship. And our relationship with God Almighty should be a love relationship and his love towards us and the greatest collagraph iOS, and it means it’s an unconditional love. You can’t do anything to spurn his love. We usually don’t have that. You know, the best love we usually can come up with on our own is by Leo, we get the word Philadelphia from that is brotherly kind of love. But God can put an A God as love in us and unconditional love in us where we can love others by the Spirit of God unconditionally. Because if our attitude is all of you, if you love me in the right way. Well, what a What a sad attitude that is. Because the fact is how can you have a relationship That person always has to be doing something exactly right. In order for you to have a love for one another, you know what I’m saying? And it goes both ways. Because any of us who have been married for any period of time, we understand that a God feels love is absolutely necessary. There has to be those times that we unconditionally love that person, even when they don’t deserve it. Right. Think of the God feels love we have with our children. I mean, there’s so many times when our children are growing up, we’re so proud of them. Right. Then there are those times I get a call from Henniker High School, saying, Pastor Thomas, could you come in? We need to talk to you. And anyway, I still had a Garfield’s love for my son. You know, one of the things Frank used to get in trouble for is he’d been biology class and he started Talking about evolution may be going through all these evolutionary theories and stuff from frankly would say God, no Dr. The biology teacher out of her mind, but anyway, it was all true. So we have to realize that it’s it’s a commitment that we make to God. Now as far as the Levitical priesthood is not the vertical priesthood but the Levitical servants are concerned which we’re going to be reading about in a moment. They serve from 25 to 55 years of age. You know how long you and I serve, from salvation to death. From salvation, the death of people say to me, hey, Pastor, but when you’re going to retire me, you just turned 75 you know, it’s getting up there when you’re going to retire. And I always tell people, my retirement programs death. I wasn’t called to pasture to serve for a number of years for a certain number of years. I was called by the Lord God Almighty to serve period. So we’re every one of you. You are called to serve from salvation until death. So we’re picking up in Numbers, chapter eight, verses one through four, will be the first few verses we cover. And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to Aaron, and say to him, when you arranged the lamps, the seven lamps show give light in front of the lamp stand in there and did so he arranged the lamps to face forward to taste the face toward the front of the tabernacle, as the Lord commanded Moses. Now, this workmanship of the lampstand was hammered gold, from a shaft to his flowers. It was hammered work according to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses as he made the lampstand. Now, this here is a menorah, it’s just a replica of the lampstand. The the lampstand was actually in the tabernacle just by the way.
Children have come up instead, is that a circus tent? No, this is actually in an actual scale model of the tabernacle in the wilderness. If you come and look at it, you know, we have the altar sacrifice. And we have the tables where the priests are making the sacrifices, and we had to brazen lever. And then if you go in here, you have the holy place to hold a poisonous roof actually Assad. And you can see the table show bread in the menorah, and the altar of incense, and then the Holy of Holies. And if you lift the Holy of Holies, up, you have inside of it, not the real. Okay, this is just a model, you have the 10 commandments, you know, the law, and you also have Aaron’s rods in it, and a ball of the menorah of the man that came down from heaven. So, the lampstand In fact, one of the times finai were in Israel. We’re at the Temple Institute. The lamp stands huge drill lampstand for the tavern. It’s huge. It’s like that. And it’s made of one piece of hammered gold. And this hit this part here is all is called the lampstand. These parts on top here are called the lights, the lamps themselves, this is the lampstand. These are the lamps. And on the real lampstand, the menorah, they have a beautifully, you know hammered flower that sits behind it. So when it says the light would go forward, that’s what it’s talking about. And so it was set as you’re facing in the left hand corner, and against the wall slanted this way a little bit, and it was China’s flight out. And that’s what’s been, you know, spoken up here. Now, it’s interesting to me. In fact, I want you to turn with me to Revelation chapter one last book of the Bible first chapters, Revelation chapter one Revelation chapter one and go to verse 12. Revelation chapter one, verse 12 112, Revelation 112. Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lamp stands. Sound familiar? lamps dance. And in the midst of the seven lamp stands, one, like the Son of Man, close with a garment down to his feet and girded about his chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow and his eyes like a flame of fire. His feet were were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace. And his voice is the sound of many waters. He had in his right hand seven stars and out of his mouth when it’s sharp, double edge Lord, and his Countess was like the sun shining in its strength. You know, one of the things this is just a little note for you to make here. So often when we think of Jesus, we think of the pictures we see in the wall, as it may you know what I’m saying? Or little, you know, figurines had been made of Jesus. The Bible says, we are to no longer know him after the flesh. Did you know that? That’s what Scripture says. JOHN, when he was given the revelation, he saw Jesus as He is now in his glorified form. And it was absolutely amazing. This is a small description that we just read here. So when you think of Jesus, don’t just think of some brown haired guy and, you know, going down the road with the robot. He came in the form of flesh to redeem us, but then he has died on the cross, so that we might have salvation. He died for our sins. He was buried, he was resurrected and he was ready. into the right hand of the glory of God, and He is there now in his glorified form. We’re no longer to know him after the flesh, but how he is john, who is called the beloved apostle. At the last separate john is the one who laid on Christ breast. And when he saw Jesus in His glorified form, you know what he did? He fell down as if you were dead. So when you try to pick your Jesus Don’t you know he is absolutely beyond what we can imagine right now. It’s amazing to think of His love. But anyway, notice that there’s no mention of the lights. Because you have, remember I said the lamp stand and he has a lights and it just says that he was among the lamp stands. No lights are mentioned. You know why? Jesus is the light. That’s why the lamps weren’t the lights weren’t mentioned in this. In the Gospel. john chapter eight, verse 12. Then Jesus spoke to them saying, I am And that’s interesting, because that’s what we call the tetragrammaton. In other words, he’s declaring himself to be God. I am. Remember when Jesus was in the garden, they came to arrest him. And the Roman soldiers came and they said, Are you Jesus of Nazareth? And he said, I am. And they all fell down. Did you wonder why? Because he was declaring himself as God, I am. And they could not stand at the sound of that name. And they fell to the ground as as if they were dead. So anyway, and Jesus spoke to them saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. Wow. How amazing is that? He is the light of the world.
Let me share with you it’s actually taken from an old Hebrew proverb. And I wanted to share this I thought this was so awesome as light came from the front of the lamp stand. So the light for you and I have Jesus comes from facing him. So in other words, when we’re walking towards Jesus, then his light shines on us and we’re walking in his light. But when we walk away from Jesus, we’re walking in the darkness of our own shadow. The lights behind us we’re walking the darkness of our own shadow. So we’re supposed to walk in the light as he is in the light. And then we have fellowship, one with another in the blood of Jesus Christ. His son purifies us from all sin. We need to walk in the light, not away from it. Run to the light run to Jesus. I love that song. You know, we need to run to him because we have to realize that the lampstand not only represented The light that was on who is Jesus Christ. But the lampstand also represents you and I as the church. The church is an amazing thing. The church isn’t what we call denominations or different religious groups, you understand that? The church is universal. all believers in Jesus Christ make up the church. Yes, the church is made of individuals. And so collectively we are the church. Well, I belong to the church. Well, that might be where you fellowship, but you belong to one church, the church of Jesus Christ, you belong to Him. And it’s interesting, too, that um, it tells us in this portion, that the goal for the lampstand and this is kind of a replica of it was beaten. And of course that speaks to us of Christ as well. Let me read to you from Isaiah 53 verses four through six and this was a prophecy of the Messiah that he fulfilled completely. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was weak, yet we esteemed him stricken. I’m sorry I’m losing my place yet. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes, we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to our own way. And the Lord laid on him the iniquity of a song. He was beaten, he suffered, and he died for no other reason than love. And that love was for you. And me.
You understand, you read these portions in the Old Testament, like here in numbers and you think what does that have to do with anything The Bible is a whole new from Genesis to Revelation. And it speaks to you and I as believers. Jesus died for us. He didn’t just die He died a horrible death. He knew from the moment he came to this earth in the Incarnation to the Virgin Mary, he knew that his purpose was to serve. And he did serve and he served, giving the full extent anyone can give his life and by his stripes, you and I are healed. Our sins are forgiven by the beating in the suffering that he took on our behalf. So absolutely unbelievable. To know someone loved us that much you know anyone else that could love you that much? Jesus did. And as the seven lamps were the only light in the holy place. This lamps on top they were the only lights in the holy Plus, you have to understand the whole Holy Place which is represented here, it had four different kinds of skins that were over it. And in the front, when you went inside the holy place, if the lamp wasn’t lit, you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. That’s how dark it was. But the lamp was the only thing that gave light. And we have to understand in the same way, Jesus is the only one who can give the true light. The true light has come into the world. His face his we just right here shone like the sun. I mean, he is the light. And he’s the only light that can give us directions. You know? Have you ever walked into a room and it was pitch dark and put you you can’t find your way around somewhat scary. And you flick on the light and that’s the way life is. It’s dark. It’s scary. It’s dreary. And then you allow the light to come into your life Jesus Christ and it’s no longer scary. any longer, you know where you’re going, you can see where you’re going. You can follow the Lord. And the gospel of john chapter one, verses four and five. It says In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. darkness of this world doesn’t comprehend the light of Jesus Christ. But any of us who have a heart to receive, we understand and comprehend the full light of Jesus Christ. All of a sudden, life makes sense, given Think of how many people are out there that life makes no sense to them. It’s just one cause after another, you know, one, it’s just absolutely insane. But we have purpose and reason for living, and it’s to serve God and to bring others into salvation. I love the verse, chapter. I’m sorry, Psalm 119, verse 105, it says, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light from my path. So If you want to have the light of God, you have this word. You know, this will give us in Peter says everything. And you know what everything means. Everything. Everything that is necessary for life and godliness is found in our knowledge of Him who call us to be holy and righteous. He calls us out of darkness into His wonderful life. everything we need. Jesus has for us if we just simply accept it. It’s so amazing to me. And the lamp and the lamp stand, of course, we’re going to find we’re going into this portion our setup for the cleansing of the Levi’s now the Levi’s were the only ones that were chosen of God to serve and there’s a reason for it. We we studied it some weeks ago, and that is when there was a time for the people of God for Israel to stand up for the Lord. The Levi’s were the only ones that stood up for the Lord. So for that reason, God set them apart to serve him. He wanted all the nation of Israel to serve him, but they refuse. So he set the Levi’s apart. But among the Levi’s stores, also the priests, these were Aaron and his sons, and they were the ones that actually carried on the sacrifice in the tabernacle. But you need more than just priests in order to keep the, you know, have the upkeep of the tabernacle, you need other workers as well. And those were the Levi’s that we’re talking about here. So in chapter eight, verse five, then the Lord spoke to Moses saying take the Levi’s from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them ceremonially. Thus you shall say to them, that you shall do to them to cleanse them, sprinkle water purification on them, pay attention to these things we’re talking about here and let them shave their body and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. Then let them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil. You shall take another young bull as a sin offering, and you shall bring the Levi’s before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall gather together the whole congregation of the children of Israel. So you shall bring the Levi’s before the Lord and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levi’s because they were to serve the people that’s why they weren’t to serve themselves. They weren’t to be some kind of set apart, you know special class. They were to serve the people verse 11. And Aaron show off for the Levi’s before the Lord as a wave offering from from the children of Israel, then that they may perform the work of the Lord, then the Levi’s shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, and you and you shall offer one as a sin offering and the other is a burnt offering to the Lord to make atonement for the Levi’s and you shall stand the Levi’s before Aaron and his sons and then offer them as a wave offering to the Lord. Thus Isha separates the Levi’s from among the children of Israel. And the Levi shall be mine. After that Levi shall go into service of the tabernacle. And then I want you to move down to verse 19. I’m not going to read the whole thing. Some of its repetitive and I’ll be explaining most of it but go down the verse 19. And I have given the Levi’s listen as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel. In other words, Aaron and his sons who were the actual priests doing the sacrifices, they couldn’t do this on their own they needed help. And so the Levi’s were given to them as a gift and, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel. When the children of Israel come near the sanctuary. That’s Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel did to the Levi’s, according to all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levi’s so that the children of Israel that What did to them? Now, we have to understand is that under the old covenant, only the Levi’s were used in service to the Lord. But under the new covenant, you and I are all priests of the Lord. In fact, if you would like to turn to First Peter chapter two, First Peter chapter 214 of your Bible First Peter chapter two go to verse nine. First Peter two nine. Now this is speaking to all believers to NY First Peter two nine starts off but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people that you may may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Who wants we’re not a people but are now The people of God and who had not obtained mercy, but now has obtained mercy. So the very fact that we we obtain mercy. Here’s the thing that I’m thankful for before I came to the Lord, I knew I was a sinner. I knew I was a sinner. You know, no one ever came up to me and said, I think you’re a sinner. And I said, No, actually, I am without sin. Never said, I knew I was a sinner. And so when Jesus Christ came into my heart and life, as the full atonement for my sin, and wash me clean of all my sin, my whole desire was to serve Him, to serve him the living God. Now, here’s the wonderful thing. We find that this process of offering sacrifice was done over and over again. But it really speaks to you and I, because we have to understand that we don’t ever come to a place that were without sin. Well, I finally arrives. I’ve been walking with the Lord 25 years now and actually 50 years or whatever it’s been now and and I’m finally without sin. No, no, no, I needed the Lord’s cleansing power on the day I was saved. And I continue to need his cleansing power. I was saved by grace I maintain by grace and I’ll be glorified by grace is always the grace and the mercy of God. Now, one of the things that’s interesting is, I want to read to you from the features chapter five. fasion chapter five and go to verse 25, Ephesians 525. People say, well, when you go right to the Bible, like you guys, do, you know what happens when you’re just in the Old Testament, you’re not receiving anything from the New Testament. You have to understand it’s one book, Jesus Christ quoted from every single book of the Bible except the Book of Esther. there’s reason to that. Esther is canonized scripture. But there’s a reason he didn’t will when we get tested, we’ll talk about it. But he quoted from every book of the Bible. So when we’re reading the Old Testament, we can’t help going ahead to the new testament to see its fulfillment. See, the Old Testament was a promise to New Testament as to fulfillment. And effusion, chapter five, verses 25 through 27. We’re told the husband, well, I’m not going to read the whole thing. I’ll just tell you what it’s about. It’s talking about the husband is to cleanse his wife with the washing of the water of the word. Okay. And then it goes on the say, but I’m really talking about Christ in the church. So just as the husband is supposed to wash his wife with the cleansing of the water of the word, that’s what Jesus Christ does to us. He’s given us His word as a means of cleansing. Because if I read his word, I know my need. I know where I need Washington. And He cleanses me with the water of his word, by His Holy Spirit. It’s absolutely amazing. One of the things it’s also wonderful. And when I told you a while back, I said pay attention to this, is it there is a progression to the cleansing of the Levis, okay. First, they were sprinkled with water, which is from the brazen lever. Second, they shaved their whole bodies and they stood before the menorah, you know, the light would shine on them. And third, they wash their clothes and forth they offer a sin offering. Well, the thing we have to understand the first thing they did was they were sprinkled with water from the brazen lever and no one you have to understand can go without taking a bath without stinking right. And so we need to be washed physically in order to remove the stink of rotting flesh. You know how much skin fall off your body every night. You know, every 27 days your skin is replaced and it’s just amazing. But anyway, the point is, we need to take a bath. And even as believers there we have to take a bath. And the only way we can be cleansed in taking our bath is through confession and repentance. God forgive me a sinner. God forgive me for doing this God forgive me for doing it. God forgive me for not doing this. God forgive me for not doing that in service to you say absolutely amazing. The next thing they had to do was they had to shave their whole bodies. The Levites. Why is that?
Well, you have to realize scripture said in order to come into service to the Lord, you couldn’t have any blemish on you. And men especially can be hairy. Some men especially when I was young, I was really hairy. And isn’t that weird? You get older and Allison all your hair goes from everywhere, but you know He don’t have any hair. But anyway, when I was when I was youngest be really hair. So the idea of the whole whole body being shaved, was to make sure there is no blemish. And so we have to in a spiritual sense, all of us men and women, we have to be shaving or sharing before the Lord to make sure there’s no blemish. Because blemishes can have a tough problem. If we don’t take care of it. I had a little blemish on my arm right here. And I decided to take care of it. And of course, it ended up being a type of cancer and had to be cut out. The point on getting it is if I would have ignored that blemish, it could have been very serious. And because I didn’t ignore it, it was taken out and fine, didn’t have to have any further treatment and all that. And so we have to be willing to allow the light of God to shine on us and say, Lord Are there any blemishes? Let’s get rid of it. Take care of it, Lord, because only the Lord can remove those blemishes through confession and repentance. And next, it talks about, you know, the clothing. They were supposed to change their clothes, put on a whole new set of clothing. And what that relates to you and I is just life around us, you know, we were clothing and personality, clothing of whatever, but it’s just related to life. And we have to realize that sometimes our life can get a little frayed, can get a little messed up and get a little wrinkled. And so we have to be willing to put on new clothes to have a refreshing in the Lord. And that’s so easy to do because we serve a God who gives us what we ask in his name. Or another words according to his will work cleanse me or give me a new set of clothes, man These clothes have gotten pretty ragged and and not the way they should give me new clothes, Lord, and He will, because he’s such a great and awesome God. And the thing that the last thing they had to do was offer a sin offering an authentic offering to the Lord. And of course, our sin offering to the Lord is confession and repentance. But the reason so many people don’t want to confess and repentance because their pride. I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t do anything wrong. Yes, you did. Yes, you did. Instead of trying to hide it, instead of trying to ignore it, just confess it. And when we can fast and repent, because it’s not enough just to confess. We have to say, Lord, I want to change. We have to be willing to change so often, you know, we’ll do things like yeah, Lord, I do that God I’m sorry I do that God I’m sorry I do, but we have no intention of changing their has to be that willing to change, or whatever it takes, change me.
Whatever it takes change me. And you know, it’s so easy just to think of relationships that we have not only marriage, but just friendships and this and that, and how frustrating it is when you have someone who’s very close to you, and they’re doing something that’s really offensive, that’s wrong. And you try to talk to them about it. And they say, I’m not doing anything wrong, saw you. I’m not doing anything wrong. You’re never going to have a relationship that really is able to completely blend together. Because we want to be completely one with Christ, one in him, which requires us saying, Lord, this is what I’m doing wrong. I admit it. And Lord, I not only admit it, I want to change. I don’t want to do that anymore. And I think all of us can identify with areas of our life. We’re over and over, we say, Lord, I don’t want to do that anymore. Lord, change me, Lord. I don’t want to do that anymore. But the thing is, if that is your heart attitude, keep trying.
I remember when I first got saved, and I’ve told you this example, probably about 150,000 times, but I remember when I first got saved, and I was a smoker, I used to smoke two packs of cigarettes a day. And fortunately, I didn’t start smoking until I got out of the army, which is kind of crazy. Sony smoked a few years, but I smoked two packs of cigarettes a day. And I used to quit smoking every Monday, because I know it’s wrong. And then by Wednesday, have spoken again. But here’s the point. I knew I shouldn’t smoke, not because smoking itself is this horrible sin. But God has given me this body to care for and so I need to take care of it and smoking is not good for the body. We know that. I quit over and over over and over and over. And one day I quit, never smoked again. Next, I don’t know how many years, 39 years, 40 years, I don’t know how long it’s been 50 years, I don’t know. But it’s been a long time since I smoked. And so my point is don’t get tired of confessing and repenting if you really mean it in your heart. Because one day you’ll have the victory, one day, you’re going to have the victory. Just like with drinking. I mean, I used to drink too much, way too much on the weekends, but I drank way too much. And the Lord convicted me about it. And I quit drinking over and over and tried this and tried that. And then there was one day the Lord spoke to me and said, just one more time and I quit drinking never drank again. been amazing. It’s been, you know, how long have I been in the ministry now? This way before I was in the ministry, how many long Time, my wife says. But my point is, you don’t give up. People give up.
But that’s the Lord to help me with this 12 times last 13 times, you know what I’m saying? You don’t want you don’t give up. You have success. you succeed. You follow the point in making you can’t give up. You just keep asking and striving and seeking, and eventually, eventually you’ll have the victory. Like I’m convinced that starting Monday, I’m going to get up, do my workout. I’m not going to have more than 1100 calories during the day. I’m going to drink 16 ounces of water. I’m not going to eat any carbs that have gluten in it and only one carb a day. I’m convinced of that. Just like today, I said to myself, I’m going to have a good day today. I’m going to really have a good day. Today, and then jack comes and says, Hey, they want to see you downstairs pastor, and I go downstairs and have a birthday cake for me. You know, my going to insult people and say, No, I’m sorry, I’m not gonna have any birthday cake. No, I didn’t. I said and that cut me the biggest piece and make sure I get the whole corner with the flower on top. But anyway, you under you understand my point. We have good intentions. Sometimes we fail. But we keep trying. We keep moving ahead. Because here’s the one thing that I know is the moment you confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You asked him to forgive your sins and come in and take over your heart. You’re saved. You’re going to heaven. And all the rest of it is just to come to a place where we’re able to have more fellowship with Him. Have more loving communion with Him the living God. That’s what it’s all about after we’re saved. It’s not a matter of emissaries and Mrs. Now you are safe. You ask Christ to come and you’re saying you’re going to heaven. But now you want to have a more intimate relationship. You know, if I’m giving marriage advice to any couples, I would say this, communicate, talk, learn to come together, learn sometimes you have to compromise because, you know, sometimes you’re right sometimes it right. But in our relationship was with the Lord, he’s never wrong. So that’s easy. I mean, with couples, you have to figure out who’s right and wrong with the Lord. All we all we have to do is realize we’re wrong. And he’s right, Lord, whatever it takes do it in my heart in life. And he does. I’ve been walking with the Lord, a long, long time. And I’ll tell you what, is the greatest blessing of my life. I’m so thankful that I belong to Jesus. Christ. I’m so thankful I have no fear of death. I’m thankful that I have no fear of the next election. All people talk about are politics, politics. I’ll tell you a good politics and that’s the reign of Christ. And he’s coming back for his church. You know, sometime, maybe we’ll have a chance to go into more detail on the things that are going on in the world. You have to realize, Israel’s a nation, may 14 1948, Israel was declared as a nation, Harry S. Truman was the first, you know, Western diplomat to accept Israel as a nation and to identify them as a nation. That’s a big deal. Because that is a pivotal, pivotal, pivotal, pivotal, pivotal sign of the last days. And we’re not going to go much further. I mean, one of the last things that had to occur before the rapture of the church is Israel had to be recognized by all nation. I mean, Jerusalem had to be recognized by all nations as the capital of Israel. And it seems to me that happened not too long ago, didn’t it? And another thing you’ve got to be considering is, I mean, this would never happen. But you have to think about, you know, Russia and Turkey and Iran, all coming into Syria, from the north of Israel and gathering together their armies that, oh, it is happening right now. This is exactly what’s going on. Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is coming back. What is there in this life that’s worth taking our attention away from him? And I encourage you, brothers and sisters, if you’ve never given your life to Jesus Christ, if you’ve never been born again, today is the day of your salvation. Very simple. Lord, forgive me, a sinner. Come into my heart, take over my life. Simple as that. The other thing we have to recognize is even if we are believers, it’s my focus on serving the Lord or serving myself. It’s my focus on seeing other people saved or just having fun, nothing wrong with having fun. But that shouldn’t be our focus. It shouldn’t be our main sin. Our main thing is serving the Lord.
Father, we come before you in Jesus name and how thankful we are for your love for your mercy and grace, Lord. And I pray, Father, that you would help us to really fully comprehend and understand all that your word speaks to us, and all the encouragement that we receive from it. And I do pray, Father, that if there are any here today that don’t know you who are not born again, this would be the day of their salvation. And those of us Lord who are saved and love you. I pray that this would be a day that we would make a new and fresh commitment to follow you with all of our heart with all of our strength. And I pray this in Jesus name, amen and amen. God bless you, my friends.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai