0:02 [music] Man, I was blessed by that message. Um, just a few weeks ago, I was speaking to a young person and um, he said he needs some help, some advice, 0:20 and he said he doesn't really feel like coming to church because he feels he's just failing the Lord too much. And um if I remember correctly, some one of the words he used was he said, "Why would God want to look look at my face after 0:39 repeatedly failing?" And after speaking to him a little bit and knowing him a little bit, I realized that he was not someone who's flippant about sin. He was not just playing the fool with sin and living a loose life, but he was actually someone who's very 0:56 very serious um about living a godly life and being pleasing to God. But despite his best efforts, he used to fail. And it was occasional failure. And I said, and I tried to encourage him by saying, uh, there's not many like you 1:12 actually who takes sin so seriously and is so hurt when he hurts God. And he said [clears throat] he he just doesn't feel like he often times feel like feels like just staying in bed, staying at home because the week has 1:28 been so terrible. And there are a few weeks every now and then where it's a good week and he feels like like coming to church and singing God's praise. And [clears throat] he was reminding me of myself uh in my younger years when some weeks I used to 1:45 be so eager to go to church. I used to be up early. Um but other weeks I felt like what's the point? Um what is what does God want with me anyway? I've messed up so bad this week. uh maybe another week I'm doing a little better 1:59 and then I want to be a church. In other words, that cup that brother AJ was showing, this cup is so dirty. What do I have to bring to God? Maybe I'll I'll work on it a little bit, clean it up a little bit more, and then I'll show up. 2:14 And he reminded me of myself so much that I started thinking about my thoughts, my view on who God is as a young believer sometimes was so distorted either by things that I had learned um from school about God or I have a Catholic background um things 2:34 that I'd learned there about how God is. And many a time I used to just feel like not not approaching God. what why would he want to look at my face? And I was reminded of Genesis 3 um of how from the very beginning, the ministry of the devil, if you like, 2:52 was to distort the image of God, to distort who God is, to conceal God from human beings. And he's still at work today. Even in our midst, despite having walked with the Lord many years, the devil is still trying to cloud our 3:09 vision of who God is. In Genesis 3, um this is the first time the devil approached uh Adam and Eve. And he says in verse 4, first of all, Eve said, God said that we may eat of any fruit of the trees in the garden. But God said, "You 3:27 shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die." And the first thing that the devil told Eve was, "You shall not surely die." And then he first of all, he's saying 3:42 God is a liar. And second, verse 5, he's saying, "For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be open and you will be like him, knowing good and evil." And the first thing that the devil did was tried to convince Adam and Eve that 3:56 God is not really who he says he is. God is not really good. He's keeping you from this fruit because you'll become like him. It's not because it's not for your good. It's for his good. And sin came into the world when Eve 4:09 believed the devil's lie about God. And and as this as I was speaking to this brother, I hope I gave him um a good answer. I don't remember exactly what I said, but for myself, I was thinking about it after. And whenever my vision of God is 4:26 clouded, um, whenever I start to believe that there's something that's happening in my life that's not for my good, it's because I've begun I've begun to buy the lie of the devil that God is not God is not truly good in this situation. that 4:42 there's there's something here that's happening in my life that's not for my good. And specifically, his question was about sin. He said, "I've messed up so many times. Just this past week, I messed up on Thursday, and here I am trying to 4:56 come before God's presence on Sunday." And I was thinking to myself, what what is God's reaction to sin when I've messed up despite my best efforts, despite me praying and saying, "Lord, fill me with the spirit, despite wanting 5:11 to clean that inside of the cup, what is God's reaction to sin?" And I was reminded that while the devil's ministry is to distort God's image and to conceal him, Jesus ministry was to reveal God and reveal my father. Um Jesus was the one who 5:31 introduced the term father. But until then he was only known as God Almighty. And not only that, he's left us with his holy spirit, the third person in the trinity who continues to reveal Jesus and to reveal the father to me. 5:46 And in Matthew 11 and uh verse 27, Jesus said, "All things have been handed over to me by my father, and no one knows the son except the father. And no one knows the 6:05 father except the son and anyone to whom the son chooses to reveal him." And in John 14 Jesus had taught them many things. And John 14:8, Philip came to him and said, 6:24 "Lord, show us the father. It is enough for us if you show us the father." It's almost like Philip said, "Lord, you've taught us many things. You've taken us on this journey. I think we've we have all the pieces of the puzzle except this 6:36 one central piece. Just show us the father and then the puzzle's complete." And Jesus said, "Phillip in verse 9, have I been with you so long and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the father. How can you say, 6:50 show us the father?" In other words, Jesus was saying, Phillip, the completed puzzle is standing right in front of you. I am I am what you need. I and the father are one. You don't have to go looking anymore. I have revealed the 7:03 father to you. Just draw near to me. And on that basis, I there are two things the Lord taught me. One, what is the Lord's response when I mess up, when I fail? When when there's something that I promised to do, um I didn't keep. I 7:20 said, Lord, I I failed, my cup is dirty, Lord, um and I've come to you hoping to repent. What is the Lord's response? And I thought of Peter specifically in response to that one line that the brother said which stuck with me. He 7:36 said,"Wh would God want to look at my face again?" And I was thinking of Peter in Luke 22. And this is Peter who had already walked with the Lord, who had accomplished a little bit for the Lord's kingdom, and then he failed miserably. 7:56 And in verse 61, right after he had finished denying the Lord three times, it says, "The Lord turned and looked at Peter." Um, and specifically in response to that brother's question, why would the Lord want to look at me? 8:19 And I was thinking about these words even before Peter had repented. Peter Peter's repentance would come later in the last chapter of John and Jesus turned and looked at him and there's no detail here about what exactly the expression on Jesus' face 8:37 was um or anything specific. And I believe that's the Holy Spirit's ministry to reveal to us what that face was like. Um, but Jesus looked at him and he allowed Peter to look at his face 8:56 and at the mount of transfiguration, Peter couldn't bear to look at the glory of Jesus. His face shone like the sun. But Jesus chose to reveal not that face that shone like the sun, but the face of compassion to man who had failed him so 9:11 miserably. And I believe in just the next passage, it goes on to say how Jesus was mocked. That very face was spit upon, struck, bruised. That sacred head was wounded. And I believe in that at that point, nobody would have felt 9:25 responsible for Jesus's death as much as Peter would have. But the Lord looked at him. And I was also reminded of of Zakius in um in Luke chapter 19. And um 9:46 and verse 5 and it says and when Jesus so Zakius was on the tree and it says when Jesus came to the place he looked up and said to him Zakius hurry and come down for I must stay at your house today. This was even before 10:00 Zakius had repented. He would repent and the Lord knew of his desire to repent. But I love how it says in verse 5 Jesus looked up at Zakius. He looked into his face and said, "Zakius, come down." And I was so encouraged by this. I was 10:16 also reminded of the disciples who sitting around the table. Each of them was going to betray and run away from the Lord and leave them all alone. And yet in Luke 22:15, Jesus said, "I've longed to have this meal with you. 10:29 Earnestly desired to sit down with you and have this meal." What is the Lord's response to a sinner who's eagerly desiring to repent? Like brother AJ was saying a cup is dirty but I'm coming to him humility and saying Lord I've messed up. First of all the 10:46 Lord looks at our face and says come to me. He draws the repentant sinner. It's not go away figure things out and then come back when you're all right. He says come to me now. And somebody put it this way. They said, "If you've realized that there's some 11:02 uncristlikeness inside you, how can you become Christlike if you don't come to the Christ? Are you trying to run away and then become Christlike outside of Christ? Come to him. Come to him and repent." Um, and another thing the Lord 11:18 showed me was from the book of Jonah. And we know very little about Jonah outside of the book of Jonah except that it says that he was a true prophet and he prophesied um God's words. Um but the book of Jonah is is a book 11:36 honestly of Jonah's failure. It talks about the goodness of God, but it talks about Jonah's failure. And in verse four um after the Lord had um given Nineveh the chance to repent and they did repent in verse one it says but it displeased 11:53 Jonah exceedingly and he was angry and he prayed to the Lord and said oh Lord is not this what I said when I was yet in my country. This is why I made haste to flee to Tarses. For I knew that you are a gracious God, merciful, slow to 12:08 anger and abounding in steadfast love and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, oh Lord, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live. And verse four was what really struck me. It's God's response to 12:24 Jonah. And the Lord said in the NASB, it says it this way. Jonah, do you have a good reason to be angry? In other words, just go back to what Jonah just said. Jonah said, Lord, I knew that you are abounding in steadfast 12:40 love and relenting from disaster. You're gracious and merciful. And the Lord said, "Is that the reason you're angry? That I'm such a good God? That I'm relenting from disaster? that I'm gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. And 12:57 because of that, Jonah, you're now angry. And the Lord challenged me with those words. Um, not just anger, anything, anxiety. Lord, I don't know. I was in India a few weeks ago and there were so many things that were clouding my my 13:13 view. I was concerned about this, concerned about that, anxious about this, fearful about something else. What's going to happen when I get back? Um, so many things. And the Lord challenged me with this word. Allan, do you have a good reason to be anxious 13:28 right now? Um, is there anything that that I can't do? Do you not know who I am to you, your father? And in that moment, I realize it's my view of God has been has been distorted. The devil has managed to conceal the 13:46 goodness of my father somehow. And I want to take that word seriously, the words of the Lord. If I wake up one day anxious about something, I'm troubled, I'm angry, upset, I'm not forgiving someone, I'm holding on to some 13:59 bitterness, and I want to hear the Lord's voice, ask me, Alan, is there a good reason why you're bitter? Why you're not forgiving this person? Is there a good reason why you're fearful of tomorrow? Why you live in the fear of 14:12 men? Alan, is there a good reason? And the answer is, I have a reason. Here's the reason. But is there a good reason? No. There's no good reason. In fact, there's good reason to for me to put my trust in God. In Matthew 5 and verse uh 14:28 26, Jesus said, "Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his lifespan? And 14:44 why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the liies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as one of these. But if God so clothe the grass of the 14:57 field, which today is alive, and tomorrow is thrown in the oven, will he not much more clothe you, oh you of little faith? There's no good reason for me to be anxious or worried or angry or bitter. But there's good reason for me 15:11 to be in faith, for me to be forgiving, for me to be like my father in heaven. Jesus said in in Matthew 5:48, "Therefore, you must be perfect just like your heavenly father is perfect." And I want to continue walking in that 15:25 in that way. When I've sinned, when I'm returning to the Lord, when I'm anxious, when I'm fearful, I want to realize that I have a father in heaven, a good father in heaven. And if there's any time that my view of him is is 15:39 clouded, I want to come back and say, "Lord, reveal yourself to me." I want to be filled with his spirit that more of Jesus is revealed to me on a daily basis. And I see more clearly in John 17. Jesus said in verse 26 16:00 um I've made known to them your name and I will continue to make it known that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them. And John 17 there's only a few more chapters. Jesus ministry would end soon on earth. But 16:17 Jesus said, "I will continue to make it known." And I believe it goes beyond the pages of the gospel into the episodes. But even beyond that, beyond the written word, I believe this day the lord wants to reveal more of the father to me. Um 16:31 and as brother AJ was saying, what is the condition? Uh is there a condition for Jesus to reveal the father to me? First of all, that I am in the father, that I'm born again, which I am, which we are. But what's the second condition? 16:45 In Matthew 11:25, Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children." Yes, Father, for such was your gracious 16:59 will. All things have been handed over to me by my father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal to him. Jesus chooses who he's going to reveal 17:12 the father to. And it's not going to be to the wise and the understanding, but to little children, to the humble of heart. And I want to keep that in my mind. Um, every day that I wake up, I want to humble myself, come before my 17:26 father and say, "Lord, I've drifted. My eyes have turned, but I want to humble myself. Reveal the father to me." Amen. >> A couple weeks ago, we had a Q&A with Zach and our in our brother's meeting. and he said something that stuck with 17:44 me. Somebody asked how we could tell if we're just doing something out of obedience or if we're trying to overcome by our own strength. And Zach's response to that was that he said he doesn't think he should that we should spend our 18:01 time analyzing that. And uh he was saying in the context of overcoming sin that we might be able to restrain just with self-discipline and so many other things we might be able to restrain external actions and behaviors and there 18:13 are people who do yoga and you know master certain outward things. Um but when it comes to actually having victory inwardly um that can only be accomplished by the grace of God that in our thought life and in our heart those inward things 18:27 only God can really accomplish it. But for me, I found that the thought of just not analyzing it was really freeing. Um that I don't need to analyze every act of discipline or every effort toward obedience. And I don't have to take my 18:43 foot off the gas either. I don't have to wonder every time I uh put effort toward obedience. And any genuine effort or any genuine victory I have comes from God's grace anyway. So I don't have to sit there wondering when I 18:57 take a step, will this be self-effort? Um, and I can do everything within my control by faith while trusting God to accomplish inwardly what I couldn't accomplish in my natural strength. Um, there was a passage one of the brothers 19:10 shared this week in Ephesians chapter 6. And just this little phrase stood out to me, but Ephesians 6 verse 13. Ephesians 6:13, 19:32 "Therefore, take up the full armor of God so that you will be able to resist in the evil day and having done everything to stand firm." And so Paul doesn't tell us to be passive. Um there's something we have to do. We have to take up the armor and 19:47 resist and pray and remain alert and stand. Um, but then just a few verses before that in verse 10, he says where the strength comes from. Ephesians 6:10, finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. So, we do 20:01 everything having done everything. Uh, it doesn't mean we're doing it independently of God. It means we're doing it in the strength of his might. But it also doesn't mean that we're just sitting there waiting passively in 20:12 prayer and hoping that God's going to give us this feeling of strength that, oh, suddenly I'm in I have this inspiration and this power that I didn't have. um when he when he's made the next step clear, we should just take it and we 20:25 should do everything that we can. And so the the right path isn't just being passive or self-reliance, but it's active obedience while we depend on God. Um, another verse that came to mind for me is in Hebrews chapter 12. 20:52 Hebrews 12:4 it says, "You have not res yet resisted to the point of shedding blood and your striving against sin." So there's strong languages. There's a serious fight involved in sin. There's sin in our life and we strive 21:08 and we may not have even striven yet to the point of shedding blood as Jesus did. Um, but I need to flee. I need to confess. I need to cut off an opportunity. I need to accept discomfort. There's a verse in Hebrews that says um 21:23 was it Moses wasn't willing to enjoy the pleasures of sin even for a moment. There's a taking up our cross and maybe plucking out. Jesus said we pluck out an eye, we cut off a hand. And these are things that we do. Um, and so I 21:35 shouldn't call being passive faith, just sitting there waiting and uh hoping God will change me. Um, but even with I when I resist with all my strength, I know that my effort cannot change my heart. I'm resisting by faith, looking to Jesus 21:49 and depending on grace. Um, there's another verse, just a small one in Mark chapter 14. This was uh before Jesus went to the 22:07 cross. Mark 14:8 talking about Mary just says she has done what she could do. She's anointed my body beforehand for the burial. And you know in earthly understanding he says give this to the poor and all these things. But Mary, in 22:24 her understanding, she might not have even known what was going to happen, but she did what she could do. And the Lord praised her for it. Um, and God doesn't ask me to do what I can't do, but he, if I do have the ability to do something, I 22:37 shouldn't withhold it from God. Um, another one, the Lord says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and all your strength. He asked for all my strength and not that's not because my strength 22:48 is sufficient but because love for God doesn't hold anything back of oursel. Um and the picture the Lord's given me is like a I've never ridden one actually but the ebikes the ones that have the pedal assist. They're not like a you don't 23:02 press a button and go. You get on the bike and when you start to pedal uh it start the the motor kicks in and I still have to steer. I still have to remain on the road. I keep moving in the right direction. It doesn't make all the 23:15 choices for me. I'm pedaling the bike, but there's another power that's working with every stroke of the pedal. And it can accelerate beyond what my legs can produce. And it can carry me up a hill that I couldn't get up on my own. And 23:30 I'm I the picture that I have is God's grace like this. It's It's not just a motor that turns on after I've exhausted myself. I have to go and put in all this self effort. Um but it's present from the beginning. And but I even if it's 23:45 present from the beginning, I might not become aware of it until I hit a hill that I just can't I couldn't have ever made it up. So I'm maybe God's helping me all the way. I'm pedaling and thinking I'm moving along. Then I hit a 23:55 hill that I could never overcome. And that's where I see oh it's been God who's been driving me all along every single moment. Everything that I've done, every push of the pedal, it's been God who God's grace um that's propelled me along. 24:09 Colossians chapter 1, another verse. Colossians 1:29, just a couple more verses. Paul says, Colossians 1:29, for this purpose also I labor striving, For this purpose also I labor striving 24:30 according to his power which mightily works within me. So he didn't uh you know the the power that was in him carried his labor well beyond what he could do in his his own strength. Another one is in Philippians chapter 2 24:48 familiar verse. Philippians 2:12, the end of verse 12, he says, "But now much more in my absence, you work out your salvation with fear and trembling." 25:07 In verse 13, "For it is God who is at work in you." Um, so for as much as it depends on me, I'm working, working, laboring by the might and power that God supplies. I obey with everything I have, but I trust God to give the desire, the 25:25 strength, the inner life, and I don't need to keep examining myself and asking, is that my effort or was that grace? Um, if I obeyed God, I can thank him for enabling me and continuing to walk humbly. So, the encouragement I 25:37 received is this. Do everything God has placed within your control. Resist sin seriously. Love him with all your strength. Do what you can, but never trust in your strength to produce inward victory. Trust in grace that works 25:49 mightily within you. So, we pedal. We pedal in obedience, but it's God who supplies the power to get over the hill. And he's the one that's going to help us to overcome in our life. [music]
