307: Matt Wigzell: Exhortation – Treasure in Earthen Vessels

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Welcome to Good Chris selfie and
talks.

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I’m Levi and I’m Chris and I’m
Brian.

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Thank you for joining us this
week on this podcast.

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We select one talk a week to
help us get the Bible in our

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Daily News feed.
We post a new episode at the

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start of each week, with a short
intro beforehand to kind of set

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the stage for the talk you’re
about to listen to.

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And now let’s talk more about
this week’s talk.

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This week’s talk is an agitation
given by brother Matt Wigsell on

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June 23rd of this year.
And it was fantastic.

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You’ll, I think you’ll really
enjoy kind of the style.

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He has a really nice tone
through this whole excitation

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and it’s very beautifully
written.

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This would be this would be a
talk that I think you could

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transcribe directly into an
article.

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There’s there’s a lot of
beautiful poetry and the content

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really fits that kind of style.
It’s a, it’s really a discussion

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and exploration on how we as
believers deal with the reality

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of our imperfection, how we are
earthen vessels and how we are

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to see ourselves as our heavenly
Father and the Lord Jesus see

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us.
So I, I really, really benefited

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from this.
I think this is one that I’m

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actually going to listen to
again.

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So thank you to the brother who
sent this in.

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Thank you to everyone who let
us, you know, played along with

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us in July, posting our own
talks.

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That was really fun for me, at
least, I assume it was fun for

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all the hosts and it was fun
too.

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It was definitely a different,
you know, they’re just

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different.
We always try to change it up in

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July with a guest host or some
sort of theme.

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So thank you for allowing us
that.

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It was kind of, it was
definitely a funny, you know,

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funny, silly exercise to try and
find our own, our own best talk.

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So thank you for playing along
and we hope it was still

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beneficial.
So here is Brother Matt Wigzell,

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Treasure in earthen vessels.
Well, good morning my dear

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brothers and sisters and young
people.

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It’s actually very nice singing,
brothers and sisters.

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It was quite touching up here
being sang that.

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So thank you a lot of what I
have to share to you this

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morning is things I’ve been
thinking about for a long, long

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time, but it’s funny the way God
works and brings people into

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your life that actually provide
the the crowning thing that

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binds it all together.
And so I feel that I need to

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acknowledge since dad, brother
Axel for actually giving me some

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thoughts and perspectives that
actually allow me to tie a lot

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of loose ends together.
So anyway, brothers and sisters,

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here we are before the total,
the law.

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But I want to ask the question,
when you look in the mirror, as

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we generally do every day mean
less these days?

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How do we perceive ourselves?
Do you look and see a flawed

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individual with a heart that’s
desperately wicked, whose

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righteousness is as filthy rags,
whose sins are as common and

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many as the sparks to fly
outputs?

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Are we burdened with this
nagging guilt that’s quick to

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bring to mind all our failings
and weaknesses?

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And do we ever think that we’re
not going to be good enough?

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We’re not going to be able to do
enough?

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Anything we do, pals, into a
significance when compared to

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the many things that we do that
are not good.

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It’s like this, in this debt we
have to pay down.

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Or do we rather see ourselves as
a man or woman, made in the

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image and likeness of God, with
an intellectual and moral

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capacity that places us just a
little lower than the angels

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who’ve been given power through
Christ to be sons and daughters

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of the living God, heirs of the
grace of life and a member of

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the family of heaven and earth?
Do we feel that power?

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Do we have that confidence?
Could we say of ourselves that

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we, through confidence in the
love of Christ, are not just

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conquerors, but we are more than
conquerors?

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I think we can all relate to
that first perspective.

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I know I certainly can.
As someone who has spent the

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last 50 years in our community,
this perception is very

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widespread.
When I was a lot younger, I

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carried with me a a guilt
complex because of my failings

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and sin, which I tried very hard
to keep secret.

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I didn’t have a lot of
confidence in myself, but I

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placed a lot of focus on
external measures of wearing the

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right thing at the right time,
things that I did, where I went,

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but most of all, how I compared
to other people who also were

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trying to measure themselves
according to the same measure.

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And in many ways, I felt like
the one talent man who was

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trying to serve this parole
opposite God, who frankly didn’t

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like me very much.
I felt expected too much of me

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and probably wasn’t going to
give me eternal life anyway

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until shame otherwise was like
the churches who blindly thought

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that everybody was saved.
Now, Brother Darren de Poris, in

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the series that we had on the
judgement seat, relates a

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similar example of brothers or
sisters in nursing homes who at

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the end of their lives confessed
that they were afraid of the

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judgement and scared to die.
And it was interesting during

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that series that a brother said
to me, you know, why is it that

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I’ve waited 50 years to hear
such a reassuring message of

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hope about what God actually
thinks of me?

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My mother, before she died of
cancer, would always dwell on

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her regrets and her failings and
the things that she’s done

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wrong, but she’d also minimize
the good that she did.

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It’s almost like whatever good
she did could not be enjoyed

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because it was overpowered and,
and simply down payment on this

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massive lifelong debt she’d
accumulated.

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And towards the end, I, I asked
her, you know, do you ever look

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at your children?
Because none of us are criminals

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and and take the credit for what
would become as she said that

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she didn’t, she never did that
because that would be prideful.

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So she essentially robbed
herself of the joy of her

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inheritance because she was
scared of pride.

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And she’s not the only one with
this mentality.

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I I know plenty of brothers and
sisters who carry in their face

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and eyes the tension and anxiety
of a guilt complex.

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Who clearly spend copious
amounts of time worrying about

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failings and habits to the point
that they robbed themselves of

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any satisfaction, pleasure or
reward of a job well done.

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Because such satisfied, joyous
thoughts might lead to pride.

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So you probably should nip it in
the bud the moment you, or your

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children for that matter, start
to feel good about yourself.

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That would be a sin.
A friend of mine who experienced

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a breakdown a few years ago also
appeared to be somebody who

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exceeded every KPI Key
Performance indicator.

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Enthusiastic, involved, always
on committees, always there.

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But talking through this epic
breakdown with him, it became

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apparent that he’d set this
unattainable bar for himself

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that despite his best efforts,
he never achieved.

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He actually believed that God
expected that of him and

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anything short of maximum
productivity was a sin.

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And his feverish activity hid
this self loathing as well as

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distracted him from the fact
that he didn’t know how to

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think.
He didn’t know how to examine,

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be introspective, and challenge
his competitive driven spirit.

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It’s kind of like he got all
those fleshy things and simply

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spiritualized them.
Now he would have considered a

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model brother, someone to look
up to, an example for all to

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follow.
His recovery took a very long

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time because when all the
externals were stripped away, it

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became apparent that his entire
self worth was not in

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characteristics by his ability
to do and to achieve.

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And when people would try to
help him rebuild, to build on

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his talents and strengths and
the good that he had done, he

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feebly recoiled away from such
thoughts as prideful.

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My son also commented on the
same phenomena.

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He did a psychology research
project and an arsenal number of

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children in heritage and they
all said they struggle with

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anxiety, worried, overthinking
things, depressive thoughts.

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Now, when he said, well, do you
know how to reassure yourself,

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to remind yourself of the good
that you’ve done, your

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strengths, and to praise
yourself when you do right?

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Again, they rejected these ideas
as prideful.

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Incidentally, brothers and
sisters, Lovejoy and Peace are

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mentioned in the Bible 1300
times.

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Pride and proud I mentioned 97
times.

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So we can see that the balance
is really correct here.

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And this really hit me hard
because these ideas are so

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ingrained, brothers and sisters,
that they’re being passed on

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from generation to generation.
And this at a time when the

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world has never, ever been
worse.

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Challenges to faith are
mounting.

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Deceptions and strong delusions
are everywhere.

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The days of lot knowing upon us,
and now more than ever, we

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actually need to be confident
soldiers of Christ who can

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resist evil, discern deception,
and give an answer of our faith

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to be to be conquerors.
Coming back to the mirror

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example, we considered two
perceptions, didn’t we?

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And the 2nd perception was
essentially a whole lot of Bible

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verses strung together, made in
the image and likeness of God,

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with an intellectual and moral
capacity that places us a little

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lower than the angels who have
been given power through Christ

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to be sons and daughters of the
living God, heirs of the grace

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of life, and a member of the
family of heaven and earth more

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than conquerors.
But what does any of that

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actually mean, brothers and
sisters, and how?

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How does it relate to us?
Do we need to overcome sin

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first, or can we, through God’s
grace, still enjoy all of this

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even though we sin and fall
short?

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And it is.
So how do you do that?

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Where do you start?
And how do we start changing our

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perceptions and our very
habitual and ingrained thinking?

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Well, let’s start by correcting
this chronically negative

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perception that we generally
have of ourselves starting in

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Genesis one, verse 26.
As we know, God says let us make

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man in our image and our
likeness right now.

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God says of the animals, let the
earth bring forth, let living

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creatures according to their
kind, livestock creeping things

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and beasts of the earth
according to their kind.

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And it was so for brothers and
sisters.

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Humans are different.
Men and women are different.

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We are created in God’s image
and likeness.

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Now we know what these ideas
mean.

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We explain them in Sunday
School.

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Image means we look like angels
and by extension, God.

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The likeness means that God has
created us with his likeness

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inside us.
Humans, unlike animals, have the

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ability to conceptualize God.
Humans have a similar

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intellectual and moral awareness
of God.

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Humans can create and destroy,
explore, interact, sacrifice,

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serve, and love to name a few
attributes that separate us from

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the animals.
We don’t use the word likeness

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today in in modern English it
would read Let us make man like

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us.
Now Psalm 8 elaborates on this.

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If you’ll turn there with me.
What does it mean to be made

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like God?
Well, we’re giving more details

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in Psalm 8.
Psalm 8, verse four.

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What is man that you are mindful
of them.

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The Son of man that you care for
him.

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You have made him a little lower
than the heavenly beings and

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crowned him with glory and
honour.

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You’ve given him dominion,
you’ve put all things under his

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feet, said the Simon.
So not only are we are we

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created like God, with God’s
likeness inside us, but we are

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only a little lower than the
angels crowned with glory and

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honour.
Now think about that.

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Angels are God’s ministers, they
serve him and do his will.

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They are intelligent, they are
wise, dignified, honourable,

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mighty.
And we humans are just a little

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lower and we are capable of
exactly the same thing.

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Humans, actually all humans,
aspire to these character

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traits.
They value them, they teach them

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and respect those who display
them, attending on the flags and

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the banners of countries, You
know, honour, integrity.

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Sure, not everybody tries.
And most humans, well, a lot of

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humans fail miserably.
But these attributes are part of

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the human experience and they
are God’s character traits and

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00:13:44,920 –> 00:13:48,600
how the image and likeness of
God manifests in US.

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Come with me to Romans chapter
2.

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We get another dimension of what
that these ideas mean, but it

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comes it takes us into the moral
spectrum, brothers and sisters.

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So Romans 2 verse 13 For it is
not the hearers of the law who

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are righteous before God, but
the doers of the law who will be

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00:14:09,360 –> 00:14:12,920
justified.
For when Gentiles who do not

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00:14:12,920 –> 00:14:18,120
have the law by nature do what
the law requires, they’re a law

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to themselves, even though they
don’t have the law, what does

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00:14:20,600 –> 00:14:22,520
this mean?
Verse 15?

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00:14:22,880 –> 00:14:27,440
They show that the work of the
law is written on their hearts

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00:14:28,200 –> 00:14:33,320
and their conscience bears
witness, and their conflicting

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00:14:33,320 –> 00:14:36,880
thoughts will either excuse or
accuse them.

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So being made in God’s likeness
gives all human beings a basic

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00:14:42,640 –> 00:14:46,160
moral conscience that operates
independently of any external

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law.
This conscience commends and

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00:14:48,840 –> 00:14:53,200
condemns people when they do
things such as lie, steal,

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00:14:53,200 –> 00:14:58,040
slander, or commit violence.
And we know this is the case,

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00:14:58,040 –> 00:15:01,600
but not just in ourselves, but
in those people that we interact

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00:15:01,600 –> 00:15:04,760
with every single day.
Everybody has an innate

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00:15:04,760 –> 00:15:08,840
understanding of what is fair,
what is reasonable, what is of

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00:15:09,000 –> 00:15:13,080
what is honest and kind.
In consumer law, the most of

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00:15:13,080 –> 00:15:15,640
repeated phrase is fair and
reasonable.

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00:15:16,320 –> 00:15:19,600
The highest court in the land,
the Supreme Court, faces what is

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00:15:19,600 –> 00:15:24,280
right and wrong in the hands of
a jury of normal people who

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00:15:24,280 –> 00:15:28,520
exercise their conscience to
judge what is right and wrong.

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Sites like eBay would collapse
if people didn’t tell the truth

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00:15:34,800 –> 00:15:37,520
and if honesty wasn’t the
exception, not the rule.

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00:15:38,240 –> 00:15:42,200
Charities, charities and
volunteer organisations run on

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00:15:42,200 –> 00:15:45,560
people’s desire to show
compassion, to sacrifice, to

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00:15:45,560 –> 00:15:49,000
serve, to love.
And I find it tragic that

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00:15:49,360 –> 00:15:52,360
there’s a number of people in
our community that believes that

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00:15:52,360 –> 00:15:55,560
the honesty and compassion of
people in the world has nothing

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00:15:55,560 –> 00:15:57,720
to do with God.
That’s not God’s truth.

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That’s not God’s love.
But it’s like a like a quasi

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00:16:01,040 –> 00:16:07,400
animal selfish self-interest.
I actually don’t know where such

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00:16:07,400 –> 00:16:10,360
elitist ideas come from,
brothers and sisters.

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00:16:10,360 –> 00:16:12,000
Certainly not the Bible, that’s
for sure.

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Being like God means that when
humans tell the truth and serve

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00:16:18,000 –> 00:16:21,560
others and show love, they
resonate with God and feel a

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00:16:21,560 –> 00:16:25,600
sense of peace and contentment,
even if they don’t know why.

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00:16:25,600 –> 00:16:30,160
And by the same token, when
humans lie and behave badly, God

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00:16:30,160 –> 00:16:33,160
is created in such a way that we
feel immediately stress and

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00:16:33,160 –> 00:16:35,680
tension.
This is the basis of a lie

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00:16:35,680 –> 00:16:39,440
detector test, which measures
spikes in blood pressure and

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00:16:39,440 –> 00:16:42,440
heart rate when human beings
tell lies.

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And this applies to the very
worst human beings.

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Brothers and sisters, look at
Herod, a totally evil and

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00:16:48,840 –> 00:16:52,400
corrupt man who locked up John
the Baptist for making him and

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00:16:52,400 –> 00:16:56,760
his wife look bad.
But while John was in jail, Mark

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00:16:56,760 –> 00:17:00,880
Six tells us that Herod was
afraid to kill John because he

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00:17:00,880 –> 00:17:04,440
knew he was a good and holy man,
so he protected him and he liked

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00:17:04,440 –> 00:17:08,520
listening to John, although what
John said left him with so many

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00:17:08,520 –> 00:17:10,640
questions.
That’s from God’s Word.

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00:17:11,520 –> 00:17:13,480
So.
So what drew a corrupt man like

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00:17:13,480 –> 00:17:16,599
Herod down to John’s cell?
Why did he like listening to

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00:17:16,599 –> 00:17:19,839
him?
What drew him to that damn dingy

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00:17:19,839 –> 00:17:21,960
place to ask all those
questions?

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00:17:22,800 –> 00:17:26,599
The same reason Felix kept Paul
in jail and kept visiting him

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00:17:26,599 –> 00:17:29,200
and asking questions.
The same reason why Pilot was

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00:17:29,200 –> 00:17:31,680
fascinated with Jesus and wanted
to free him.

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00:17:31,880 –> 00:17:35,760
The same reason Ahab turned to
butter and felt bad at the word

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00:17:35,760 –> 00:17:38,080
of Elijah.
The same reason Manasseh

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00:17:38,080 –> 00:17:40,680
repented of his evil and felt
remorse.

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00:17:40,680 –> 00:17:43,600
The same reason Nebuchadnezzar
kept searching for something

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00:17:43,600 –> 00:17:48,200
higher than himself.
Being like God is not reserved

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00:17:48,200 –> 00:17:50,920
for people of faith, or even
good people for that matter.

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00:17:51,880 –> 00:17:56,160
Even corrupt and wicked people
feel the tension, stress and

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00:17:56,160 –> 00:18:01,080
regret of how they live and what
they do, which can they can only

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00:18:01,080 –> 00:18:05,000
run away from for so long.
And when a John or an Elijah or

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00:18:05,000 –> 00:18:07,560
a poor present themselves, they
will cling to these people

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00:18:08,000 –> 00:18:11,440
because they know that these
people can lead them to peace, a

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00:18:11,440 –> 00:18:13,960
clear conscience, and a happier
life.

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00:18:14,880 –> 00:18:17,280
It’s a much more positive basis
of appeal, I feel.

296
00:18:18,800 –> 00:18:22,720
The closer humans conform to the
likeness of God is directly

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00:18:22,720 –> 00:18:26,040
proportionate to the peace and
contentment that they will

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00:18:26,040 –> 00:18:29,800
experience in life.
The further humans move away

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00:18:30,200 –> 00:18:35,440
from God’s character and lie and
steal and behave selfishly is

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00:18:35,440 –> 00:18:39,240
directly proportionate to the
amount of stress, pain and

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00:18:39,240 –> 00:18:40,880
disease that they will
experience.

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00:18:42,400 –> 00:18:46,200
Solomon, the richest man in the
world, conducted one of the

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00:18:46,200 –> 00:18:48,920
greatest, most costly
experiments of all time.

304
00:18:48,920 –> 00:18:52,320
And Ecclesiastes to prove to us,
brothers and sisters, that those

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00:18:52,320 –> 00:18:55,280
who live a simple life, who
enjoy the simple things, are

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00:18:55,280 –> 00:18:57,920
happier than all the
billionaires that the world has

307
00:18:57,920 –> 00:19:01,760
produced, put together.
So we need to think about these

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00:19:01,760 –> 00:19:04,600
things, brothers and sisters,
and absorb them and change the

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00:19:04,600 –> 00:19:09,360
way we see ourselves and others.
You know, we have Psalm 79 where

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00:19:09,400 –> 00:19:13,240
Asaf is envious of the wicked
because he’s looking at their

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00:19:13,240 –> 00:19:16,200
confident smiles and their
arrogant demeanours and the

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00:19:16,200 –> 00:19:19,640
flaunting of their success and
he thinks that that’s an

313
00:19:19,640 –> 00:19:21,800
accurate picture of what their
lives are like.

314
00:19:23,240 –> 00:19:26,200
But it wasn’t real.
It’s an illusion, it’s a game

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00:19:26,200 –> 00:19:31,720
face, it’s an act, it’s a lie.
Moving along in John chapter

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00:19:31,720 –> 00:19:34,160
one, we’ve covered that many
times.

317
00:19:34,760 –> 00:19:38,400
John speaks of Lagos purpose,
meaning and intent that is

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00:19:38,400 –> 00:19:42,880
another aspect of the divine in
US and how that everything God

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00:19:42,880 –> 00:19:45,800
does has purpose, meaning and
intent and how this is revealed

320
00:19:45,800 –> 00:19:48,600
in the human experiences
enlightenment.

321
00:19:49,360 –> 00:19:53,120
And so humans are gifted with
logic, discernment and a desire

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00:19:53,120 –> 00:19:55,800
for the freedom that
enlightenment can bring.

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00:19:56,200 –> 00:19:58,680
You know, I work in the
disability sector and I always

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00:19:58,680 –> 00:20:02,080
hear behavioural therapists and
psychologists say that people

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00:20:02,080 –> 00:20:05,120
need a sense of purpose.
They need to contribute

326
00:20:05,120 –> 00:20:07,760
meaningfully.
They need to find a reason to

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00:20:07,760 –> 00:20:10,880
get out of bed.
Why brothers and sisters?

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00:20:10,880 –> 00:20:14,680
Well, that’s the likeness of God
in the form of Logos, creating

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00:20:14,680 –> 00:20:18,600
in them a desire, an urge, a
motivation to live a life that

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00:20:18,600 –> 00:20:22,920
resonates with God, a life that
has purpose and meaning.

331
00:20:24,240 –> 00:20:28,000
In Ecclesiastes 3, God says He
put eternity in human hearts

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00:20:28,200 –> 00:20:32,360
along with the desire for things
that last forever, a desire to

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00:20:32,360 –> 00:20:36,960
push boundaries, to seek eternal
things, be it in a futile

334
00:20:36,960 –> 00:20:42,720
attempt to prolong youth, beauty
and life, or the pursuit of

335
00:20:42,720 –> 00:20:46,920
eternal things, which is God.
Romans 8 tells us that God made

336
00:20:46,920 –> 00:20:50,640
us subject to futility to cause
us to feel bondage and

337
00:20:50,640 –> 00:20:54,600
dissatisfaction so that we
desire the liberty that only

338
00:20:54,600 –> 00:20:58,320
eternal life can bring.
Now we know this, don’t we?

339
00:20:58,320 –> 00:21:01,000
We experience it.
It’s why our children get bored

340
00:21:01,000 –> 00:21:03,960
with their toys while no one is
satisfied.

341
00:21:04,400 –> 00:21:07,640
It’s how we can have more
entertainment and knowledge than

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00:21:07,640 –> 00:21:11,160
Solomon, yet still get bored,
dissatisfied, and depressed.

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00:21:11,920 –> 00:21:15,080
It’s it’s how we know that no
amount of money and things will

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00:21:15,080 –> 00:21:18,520
break this internal battle that
humans have with eternity and

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00:21:18,520 –> 00:21:21,640
futility.
As Roman says, only freedom,

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00:21:22,320 –> 00:21:26,400
freedom in Christ will break the
chains of futility, and it’s the

347
00:21:26,400 –> 00:21:28,640
freedom God’s holding out to all
his children.

348
00:21:29,760 –> 00:21:32,960
Contentment, brothers and
sisters, is a decision we make

349
00:21:32,960 –> 00:21:36,920
by accepting futility and
refusing to fight it with

350
00:21:36,920 –> 00:21:40,520
material things.
And moving along.

351
00:21:40,520 –> 00:21:45,120
Romans one God affirms, does he
not, that he can hold the entire

352
00:21:45,120 –> 00:21:48,920
world accountable by the
powerful witness of creation?

353
00:21:48,920 –> 00:21:54,160
Romans one verse 19 because that
which may be no one of God is

354
00:21:54,160 –> 00:22:00,160
manifest in them in them, for
God has shown unto them.

355
00:22:00,160 –> 00:22:03,080
So what has God created inside
all human beings?

356
00:22:03,680 –> 00:22:06,200
Well, it’s an awareness of him,
isn’t it so so how’s that?

357
00:22:06,280 –> 00:22:09,720
How does that work?
Well, it says verse 20 for the

358
00:22:09,720 –> 00:22:13,440
invisible things of him from the
creation of the world, God is

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00:22:13,440 –> 00:22:18,000
invisible are clearly seen how
being understood by the things

360
00:22:18,000 –> 00:22:22,280
that are made even his eternal
power and Godhead so that all

361
00:22:22,280 –> 00:22:28,320
people are without an excuse.
So brothers and sisters, there’s

362
00:22:28,360 –> 00:22:31,480
numerous quotes from atheists
where they they cite the

363
00:22:31,480 –> 00:22:34,600
struggle they have with feeling
awe and wonder and a desire to

364
00:22:34,600 –> 00:22:37,440
worship with their atheistic
convictions.

365
00:22:37,920 –> 00:22:41,760
And we get the same thing,
brothers and sisters, where we

366
00:22:41,760 –> 00:22:44,840
see something beautiful, we hear
uplifting music, we see

367
00:22:44,840 –> 00:22:48,400
something incredible and we know
that with that feeling there is

368
00:22:48,400 –> 00:22:52,160
something spiritual going on.
I saw it when I my wife dragged

369
00:22:52,160 –> 00:22:55,000
me up a hill and we saw all
these mountains and the sun rose

370
00:22:55,040 –> 00:22:58,440
up and I, I hated the journey to
get there.

371
00:22:58,440 –> 00:23:02,040
But when the sun hit those snow
capped mountains, you feel

372
00:23:02,040 –> 00:23:04,760
something spiritual and no one
talks.

373
00:23:05,600 –> 00:23:10,800
This is God in US, and This Is
Us resonating with God and what

374
00:23:10,800 –> 00:23:14,320
He’s done.
This is what it means to be made

375
00:23:14,320 –> 00:23:15,840
like God.
For all the urges and

376
00:23:15,840 –> 00:23:20,040
temptations that draw us away
from God, there are as many,

377
00:23:20,040 –> 00:23:24,480
possibly more aspects of God
that work together to pull us

378
00:23:24,480 –> 00:23:28,000
back to Him.
And we know this not just

379
00:23:28,280 –> 00:23:33,000
because we have been taught it,
because we’ve experienced it,

380
00:23:33,640 –> 00:23:38,200
we’ve tasted it and we’ve seen
that God is good and that God is

381
00:23:38,200 –> 00:23:41,160
in US.
Now, perhaps the greatest

382
00:23:41,160 –> 00:23:46,040
evidence of God in US is love
and the fruits of Lovejoy and

383
00:23:46,040 –> 00:23:48,560
peace.
And we’ve seen, haven’t we, that

384
00:23:48,560 –> 00:23:51,400
when humans emulate God’s
character, they experience the

385
00:23:51,440 –> 00:23:56,160
absence of tension, tension and
and a transcendent peace.

386
00:23:56,880 –> 00:24:00,400
When we behave selfishly and
we’re a patient and angry, we

387
00:24:00,400 –> 00:24:04,320
experience the absence of peace
and tension rises up in our

388
00:24:04,320 –> 00:24:07,920
bodies.
So the presence of or absence of

389
00:24:07,920 –> 00:24:11,160
peace is like a moral barometer.
It’s like an umpire.

390
00:24:11,560 –> 00:24:14,440
It blows the whistle on us when
we behave badly.

391
00:24:15,480 –> 00:24:18,040
And that’s what Colossians 3
verse 15 says.

392
00:24:18,040 –> 00:24:21,240
It should be.
Above all these things, says

393
00:24:21,240 –> 00:24:25,000
Paul, put on love, which is a
bond of completeness, and let

394
00:24:25,000 –> 00:24:27,680
the peace of God be an umpire in
your heart.

395
00:24:28,880 –> 00:24:33,560
Imagine if our sensitivity to
God in us was so finely tuned

396
00:24:33,880 –> 00:24:38,320
that we modelled our behaviour
not on rules but on the presence

397
00:24:38,720 –> 00:24:41,600
or absence of the peace of God
in us.

398
00:24:42,640 –> 00:24:46,680
Then the peace of God which
passes understanding would keep

399
00:24:46,680 –> 00:24:50,120
our hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus, wouldn’t it?

400
00:24:51,640 –> 00:24:53,400
And wouldn’t that be called
brothers and sisters?

401
00:24:53,400 –> 00:24:56,560
And when we know this is true,
we know this is possible because

402
00:24:56,560 –> 00:24:59,320
we’ve all experienced it to a
greater or lesser degree.

403
00:24:59,680 –> 00:25:05,280
The question is, are we prepared
to renew our thinking, transform

404
00:25:05,280 –> 00:25:09,240
our thoughts, and change the way
we approach ourselves and our

405
00:25:09,240 –> 00:25:11,480
brothers and sisters and
everybody for that matter.

406
00:25:13,400 –> 00:25:17,120
One of the of all the things
we’ve considered the greatest

407
00:25:17,120 –> 00:25:21,440
proof of God in US is love.
We know from first to John 4

408
00:25:21,440 –> 00:25:24,640
verse 16, and we have known and
believed the love that God has

409
00:25:24,640 –> 00:25:29,120
to us.
God is love, and he that dwells

410
00:25:29,120 –> 00:25:32,600
in love dwells in God and God in
him.

411
00:25:33,800 –> 00:25:38,680
There’s so much that could be
said about love as a proof for

412
00:25:38,680 –> 00:25:42,560
God in us, but let us first
consider the words of atheists

413
00:25:42,800 –> 00:25:46,520
who thought so hard about love
that they ended up finding God.

414
00:25:48,120 –> 00:25:51,960
Lovin Platinka I think God is
the most natural explanation for

415
00:25:51,960 –> 00:25:55,240
the way things are.
Love plays a big role in this

416
00:25:55,240 –> 00:25:59,200
understanding.
Alastair Mcglire The love of God

417
00:25:59,200 –> 00:26:01,480
is not something that I sat down
and tried to figure out

418
00:26:01,480 –> 00:26:04,760
intellectually.
Instead, it’s something I’ve

419
00:26:04,760 –> 00:26:07,840
experienced in my own life
before he converted.

420
00:26:08,400 –> 00:26:12,040
Josh McDowell I’ve always said
that there’s nothing greater in

421
00:26:12,040 –> 00:26:14,400
life than to love and to be
loved.

422
00:26:15,000 –> 00:26:19,400
God offices that you know.
There’s not a single part of our

423
00:26:19,400 –> 00:26:21,480
lives that love does not
transform.

424
00:26:21,480 –> 00:26:24,800
Its effects are emotional,
intellectual, physical,

425
00:26:24,800 –> 00:26:28,280
spiritual.
Love heals, restores and

426
00:26:28,280 –> 00:26:33,600
rejuvenates and energizes more
than any other medical procedure

427
00:26:33,600 –> 00:26:37,080
that we could ever have.
Brothers and sisters, when was

428
00:26:37,080 –> 00:26:39,440
the last time you celebrated
your loved ones?

429
00:26:39,440 –> 00:26:42,400
When was the last time you sat
down with your spouse and not

430
00:26:42,400 –> 00:26:44,960
only told them you loved them,
but gave them all the reasons

431
00:26:44,960 –> 00:26:47,200
why?
When was the last time your

432
00:26:47,200 –> 00:26:50,440
children went to bed basking in
their parents praise?

433
00:26:51,440 –> 00:26:55,200
A 15 year study on 2000
marriages demonstrated that

434
00:26:55,200 –> 00:26:59,800
happy marriages conform to the
five to one rule. 5 words of

435
00:26:59,800 –> 00:27:03,840
affirmation, praise, interest,
affection to one word of

436
00:27:03,840 –> 00:27:10,160
criticism. 5050 demonstrated a
very strained marriage, and

437
00:27:10,160 –> 00:27:12,680
marriages where there was more
negative than positive were

438
00:27:12,680 –> 00:27:17,920
doomed to misery or divorce, and
this was accurate to about 98%.

439
00:27:19,320 –> 00:27:22,400
I’ve tried to live by this, not
just for my children but

440
00:27:22,400 –> 00:27:24,680
everyone I know, and it’s
actually really hard because you

441
00:27:24,680 –> 00:27:27,880
must learn an entirely new
vocabulary.

442
00:27:28,880 –> 00:27:31,320
But it does work in my limited
experience.

443
00:27:31,480 –> 00:27:35,280
And when you do need to sink the
boot in, you can sink it in hard

444
00:27:35,280 –> 00:27:38,960
and your children will take it
because you are primarily

445
00:27:38,960 –> 00:27:41,520
enabling their lives and not
always raining on them.

446
00:27:42,920 –> 00:27:46,240
It’s heartbreaking when you see
people who are Satan’s to their

447
00:27:46,240 –> 00:27:49,240
children always opposing,
correcting, criticizing and

448
00:27:49,560 –> 00:27:52,520
pouncing.
They’ll make them take full

449
00:27:52,520 –> 00:27:57,400
responsibility for what they do
wrong, but temper or deny them

450
00:27:57,920 –> 00:28:00,120
the love and praise for what
they do right.

451
00:28:01,880 –> 00:28:06,640
Keep them humble I guess.
So why are we so quick to self

452
00:28:06,640 –> 00:28:10,040
sabotage, brothers and sisters?
Why are we so prone to latch on

453
00:28:10,040 –> 00:28:11,920
to the worst possible
perspective?

454
00:28:12,720 –> 00:28:16,120
Why do we turn our backs on the
likeness of God in as yet

455
00:28:16,440 –> 00:28:20,400
amplify and fixate on the animal
side of our nature?

456
00:28:21,360 –> 00:28:24,720
Something I used to hear a lot
when I was young in Isaiah 57

457
00:28:24,720 –> 00:28:27,240
verse 15.
For thus saith the high and holy

458
00:28:27,240 –> 00:28:30,760
one that inhabits eternity.
His name is holy.

459
00:28:31,200 –> 00:28:35,120
I dwell in the high and holy
place, but with Him also that is

460
00:28:35,120 –> 00:28:37,880
of a contrite, a broken and
humble spirit.

461
00:28:38,080 –> 00:28:41,200
Why?
To revive the spirit of the

462
00:28:41,200 –> 00:28:45,720
humble and to make alive the
heart of the contrite one.

463
00:28:46,280 –> 00:28:49,040
We’re kind of not supposed to
stay here, brothers and sisters.

464
00:28:49,480 –> 00:28:53,360
And Paul in Galatians 6 urges
the same thing when he says,

465
00:28:53,360 –> 00:28:57,440
prove your own work, Then you
can rejoice in yourself alone

466
00:28:57,440 –> 00:29:01,320
and not another.
The Word rejoices to celebrate,

467
00:29:01,800 –> 00:29:07,360
to boast, to be exuberant.
It sounds pretty prideful to me,

468
00:29:07,360 –> 00:29:09,400
I know.
But I’ve shown this passage to

469
00:29:09,400 –> 00:29:12,240
many people and you’d be
staggered at the amount of

470
00:29:12,240 –> 00:29:14,800
people who will refuse to
entertain such biblical

471
00:29:14,800 –> 00:29:18,200
behaviour because they’ve
confused joy with pride,

472
00:29:18,520 –> 00:29:22,720
wretchedness with righteousness,
and humility with brokenness.

473
00:29:23,560 –> 00:29:26,040
Now it’s inevitable, brothers
and sisters, that if you develop

474
00:29:26,040 –> 00:29:29,280
your God-given talents to become
very good at something, you will

475
00:29:29,280 –> 00:29:32,880
experience some form of pride.
But if you’re honest and self

476
00:29:32,880 –> 00:29:36,200
aware and you take that thought
and you remind yourself of all

477
00:29:36,200 –> 00:29:39,440
your failings that you need
God’s grace to remove on a daily

478
00:29:39,440 –> 00:29:42,920
basis, and you remind yourself
that to whom much is given,

479
00:29:43,040 –> 00:29:45,480
actually now much is expected.
I’m judged at a different

480
00:29:45,480 –> 00:29:48,000
measure and God holds me to a
higher standard.

481
00:29:48,720 –> 00:29:51,200
Well, now suddenly we’re seeing
things in perspective again.

482
00:29:52,400 –> 00:29:55,600
Now we could develop that
process of accountability in

483
00:29:55,600 –> 00:30:00,480
ourselves, or we could break
ourselves and break our children

484
00:30:00,480 –> 00:30:03,880
so that they never have to deal
with the pride a healthy

485
00:30:03,880 –> 00:30:08,320
confidence can generate.
It sounds silly, but there are

486
00:30:08,320 –> 00:30:12,040
people alive today who have
convinced themselves that this

487
00:30:12,040 –> 00:30:15,960
is what religion looks like and
will feebly and anxiously fight

488
00:30:15,960 –> 00:30:19,000
you off if you try to use the
Bible to convince them

489
00:30:19,000 –> 00:30:22,640
otherwise.
This mindset does not come from

490
00:30:22,640 –> 00:30:25,760
God or the Bible.
It is not the life that Christ

491
00:30:25,760 –> 00:30:28,520
is calling us to.
And it is a lesson to all of us,

492
00:30:28,520 –> 00:30:32,920
brothers and sisters, to not
trust in authority figures who #

493
00:30:32,920 –> 00:30:36,280
rostrums and browbeat their
listeners into brokenness.

494
00:30:36,520 –> 00:30:39,800
It is a lesson for all of us to
choose leaders who lead with

495
00:30:39,800 –> 00:30:45,120
service, humility as sacrifice.
Being able to admit you’re wrong

496
00:30:45,120 –> 00:30:47,840
and apologizing is probably a
pretty critical first step.

497
00:30:49,400 –> 00:30:53,920
God did not create us broken,
wretched and evil continually.

498
00:30:53,920 –> 00:30:57,320
Yes, we have animal instincts.
Yes, there are thoughts and

499
00:30:57,320 –> 00:31:00,200
behaviours in us that we need to
continually put off.

500
00:31:00,600 –> 00:31:04,240
But look at the wonderful things
the likeness of God has given us

501
00:31:04,600 –> 00:31:08,040
to develop and cultivate in
ourselves and in our children.

502
00:31:08,240 –> 00:31:10,040
The groundwork has already been
laid.

503
00:31:10,200 –> 00:31:13,440
The treasure is already there.
We just have to cultivate it,

504
00:31:13,720 –> 00:31:18,000
nurture it, water it, and God
will provide the increase.

505
00:31:19,520 –> 00:31:22,280
We are made with the likeness of
God, which means that we are

506
00:31:22,280 –> 00:31:25,640
little lower than the angels,
capable of wisdom, dignity,

507
00:31:25,640 –> 00:31:29,040
service, integrity, aspiring to
glory and honour.

508
00:31:29,520 –> 00:31:32,160
Being made like God means that
we have a basic conscience

509
00:31:32,160 –> 00:31:35,560
which, independent of the Bible,
commends or condemns our words

510
00:31:35,560 –> 00:31:38,200
and actions.
We experience peace and contempt

511
00:31:38,200 –> 00:31:41,880
when we tell the truth,
sacrifice for others and show

512
00:31:41,880 –> 00:31:44,560
love.
We experience tension and stress

513
00:31:44,560 –> 00:31:46,200
when we give in to our animal
side.

514
00:31:46,760 –> 00:31:49,280
Having God’s likeness in US
means we’re gifted with logic,

515
00:31:49,280 –> 00:31:52,200
common sense, discernment, a
thirst for knowledge,

516
00:31:52,400 –> 00:31:55,640
exploration, the capacity to
create and destroy.

517
00:31:56,080 –> 00:31:59,760
Having God in US allows us to
desire eternity, experience

518
00:31:59,760 –> 00:32:02,120
futility, search for freedom
from bondage.

519
00:32:02,800 –> 00:32:05,520
And God has created in US an
innate knowledge of Him,

520
00:32:05,520 –> 00:32:09,400
embedded in all that He has made
in such a powerful way that even

521
00:32:09,400 –> 00:32:12,880
atheists do not have an excuse.
And God has allowed us to

522
00:32:12,880 –> 00:32:16,760
experience the pleasure he feels
with music, creativity, and

523
00:32:16,760 –> 00:32:20,280
beauty.
Finally, the peace of God can

524
00:32:20,280 –> 00:32:24,480
guide us, assure us, and help us
to transcend our traits.

525
00:32:25,120 –> 00:32:28,280
And the love of God allows us to
give light to those around us.

526
00:32:29,680 –> 00:32:31,880
So what do we see when we look
in the mirror, brothers and

527
00:32:31,880 –> 00:32:34,520
sisters?
Or more to the point, what does

528
00:32:34,520 –> 00:32:40,520
the Bible tell us we should see?
God or animal, good or bad, evil

529
00:32:40,520 –> 00:32:43,440
or divine.
And the answer is both.

530
00:32:44,320 –> 00:32:48,280
We should see two entities, an
old man and a new man, flesh and

531
00:32:48,280 –> 00:32:51,440
spirit, the likeness of God and
the likeness of animals, good

532
00:32:51,440 –> 00:32:55,600
and bad, and in a man who
delights in God’s ways, wrapped

533
00:32:55,600 –> 00:32:58,800
in a body of death.
And when we’re raising our

534
00:32:58,800 –> 00:33:01,960
children, we should at the
earliest possible age highlight

535
00:33:01,960 –> 00:33:05,360
the animal side of their
behaviour and nature, but also

536
00:33:05,360 –> 00:33:09,720
illuminate and celebrate and
cultivate all the aspects of God

537
00:33:09,720 –> 00:33:12,760
in them.
Paul talks about this split

538
00:33:13,160 –> 00:33:17,040
thing when he says I delight
Romans 7, verse 22.

539
00:33:17,480 –> 00:33:20,080
I delight in the law of God in
my inner being.

540
00:33:20,080 –> 00:33:24,680
A part of him loved God, loved
hearing, loved getting inspired.

541
00:33:24,840 –> 00:33:27,960
But I see in my members another
law waging war against the law

542
00:33:28,000 –> 00:33:31,560
of my mind, two entities making
me captive to the law of sin

543
00:33:31,560 –> 00:33:34,920
that also dwells in my members.
A wretched man that I am, He’ll

544
00:33:34,920 –> 00:33:38,400
deliver me from this body of
death, thanks be to God through

545
00:33:38,480 –> 00:33:41,320
Jesus Christ.
So then I myself serve the law

546
00:33:41,360 –> 00:33:44,920
of God with my mind, but with my
flesh I serve the law of sin.

547
00:33:46,120 –> 00:33:48,720
I think we can relate to this,
brothers and sisters I know

548
00:33:48,720 –> 00:33:50,400
we’re experiencing in our daily
life.

549
00:33:50,880 –> 00:33:54,000
The question is, well, how does
it all work?

550
00:33:54,000 –> 00:33:56,720
And, and where is the line
between the divine

551
00:33:56,720 –> 00:33:58,680
characteristics and the fleshly
ones?

552
00:33:58,960 –> 00:34:01,920
What, what part of us do we need
to focus on and refine and

553
00:34:01,920 –> 00:34:05,080
develop to be more sensitive to
God in US?

554
00:34:06,080 –> 00:34:08,679
Well, again, the Bible provides
the answer and I’m just going to

555
00:34:08,679 –> 00:34:10,560
list these quotes.
You can write them down if you

556
00:34:10,560 –> 00:34:13,840
like.
Luke 6 verse 45, The good

557
00:34:13,840 –> 00:34:16,440
person, how the good treasure is
heart produces good.

558
00:34:16,800 –> 00:34:20,239
The evil person, how the evil
treasure produces evil.

559
00:34:20,639 –> 00:34:23,280
For out of the abundance of the
heart, the mouth speaks.

560
00:34:23,800 –> 00:34:27,639
Matthew 621 where your treasure
is, there will your heart be

561
00:34:27,639 –> 00:34:31,719
also.
Matthew 12 verse 34, you brood

562
00:34:31,719 –> 00:34:34,320
of Vipers, how can you speak
good way?

563
00:34:34,320 –> 00:34:36,239
You are evil.
For out of the abundance of the

564
00:34:36,239 –> 00:34:40,560
heart the mouth speaks.
So the heart is the place where

565
00:34:40,560 –> 00:34:43,239
flesh and spirit reside.
The heart is the place where

566
00:34:43,239 –> 00:34:46,880
divine characteristics and
fleshly characteristics leads

567
00:34:46,880 –> 00:34:49,719
live side by side.
And the heart is where we need

568
00:34:49,719 –> 00:34:53,239
to focus our attention if we
want to turn our lives into a

569
00:34:53,239 –> 00:34:56,080
temple where God and Jesus can
dwell.

570
00:34:57,000 –> 00:35:00,320
Now some may say, well, doesn’t
the Bible say in Jeremiah that

571
00:35:00,320 –> 00:35:03,280
the heart is deceitful above all
things and desperately wicked?

572
00:35:03,440 –> 00:35:06,800
Who can know it?
And Matthew 15 Out of the heart

573
00:35:06,800 –> 00:35:09,840
comes evil thoughts, murder,
adultery, and all the rest.

574
00:35:10,520 –> 00:35:13,320
But again, brothers and sisters,
that’s only half the story.

575
00:35:14,160 –> 00:35:17,120
Here’s some more quotes.
Luke 6, verse 45.

576
00:35:17,120 –> 00:35:20,440
The good person out of the good
treasure of his heart produces

577
00:35:20,440 –> 00:35:24,000
good.
Matthew 2237 You will love the

578
00:35:24,000 –> 00:35:27,880
Lord of God with all your heart,
all your soul, all your mind.

579
00:35:28,360 –> 00:35:32,640
Proverbs 4 verse 23 Keep your
heart with all vigilance, for

580
00:35:32,640 –> 00:35:36,560
from it flows springs of life.
First to Timothy one verse five.

581
00:35:36,560 –> 00:35:40,800
My goal in giving this to you
is, is this order is to love for

582
00:35:40,800 –> 00:35:44,360
love to flow from a pure heart,
a clear conscience and a sincere

583
00:35:44,360 –> 00:35:47,920
faith.
John 738 Whoever believes in me,

584
00:35:47,920 –> 00:35:51,800
as the scripture says, out of
his heart will flow rivers of

585
00:35:51,800 –> 00:35:55,360
living water.
Ephesians 5 verse 19, addressing

586
00:35:55,360 –> 00:35:58,200
one another as psalms, hymns and
spiritual songs, singing and

587
00:35:58,200 –> 00:36:00,880
making melody to the Lord with
your heart.

588
00:36:01,560 –> 00:36:06,440
Psalm 57 verse seven My heart is
tuned, my heart is tuned, I will

589
00:36:06,440 –> 00:36:10,040
sing and touch the strings.
First of Peter 3 verse three.

590
00:36:10,440 –> 00:36:13,360
Don’t let your dawning be
external, but let it be the

591
00:36:13,360 –> 00:36:18,920
hidden person of the heart with
imperishable beauty of a gentle

592
00:36:18,920 –> 00:36:22,440
and quiet spirit.
Paul adds to this terms like

593
00:36:22,480 –> 00:36:27,840
inner being, inner man, inner
self as a part of us that’s

594
00:36:27,840 –> 00:36:29,760
divine.
And no, brothers and sisters,

595
00:36:29,760 –> 00:36:33,640
it’s all inner.
So the heart is not just evil

596
00:36:33,640 –> 00:36:37,720
continually, it’s capable of
good and bad, of godly words and

597
00:36:37,720 –> 00:36:39,640
thoughts and actions, and the
worst evil.

598
00:36:39,840 –> 00:36:43,640
In fact, brothers and sisters,
of the 110 mentions of the word

599
00:36:43,640 –> 00:36:46,400
heart in the New Testament, ten
are neutral.

600
00:36:46,640 –> 00:36:49,680
The heart of the sea, where your
treasure is, there your heart is

601
00:36:49,680 –> 00:36:55,360
also. 67 talk about its
potential for positive thoughts,

602
00:36:55,360 –> 00:37:00,000
emotions, and traits.
Only 33 focus on the negative

603
00:37:00,000 –> 00:37:03,200
aspects, and this tells us where
our focus must be.

604
00:37:05,280 –> 00:37:08,320
Rather than fixating on the
negative, we should be seeking

605
00:37:08,320 –> 00:37:12,440
to build and develop the divine.
The heart is described as pure,

606
00:37:12,440 –> 00:37:17,280
sincere, tender, honest, having
integrity, loving and good.

607
00:37:17,600 –> 00:37:21,040
But my favorite analogy is that
provided by Jesus in the parable

608
00:37:21,040 –> 00:37:24,960
the sower when explaining the
parable to his disciples in Luke

609
00:37:25,000 –> 00:37:27,720
8.
If you come there with me, look

610
00:37:27,720 –> 00:37:29,880
at carefully how he describes
the heart.

611
00:37:31,240 –> 00:37:34,360
Now the parable is this says
Jesus, the seed is the word of

612
00:37:34,360 –> 00:37:38,680
God.
Verse 12 the ones along the path

613
00:37:38,680 –> 00:37:41,200
of those who have heard.
Then the devil comes and takes

614
00:37:41,200 –> 00:37:45,520
away the word from their hearts.
So the ground is the hearts that

615
00:37:45,520 –> 00:37:49,600
they may not believe and be
saved Ones on the rock who those

616
00:37:49,600 –> 00:37:53,360
who receive it with joy.
Again, there’s a part of us that

617
00:37:53,360 –> 00:37:58,120
love to hear something good.
It resonates deep inside us, but

618
00:37:58,120 –> 00:38:00,400
the thorns come and choke.
As for the good soil.

619
00:38:00,400 –> 00:38:05,160
Verse 15 are those who, hearing
the word, hold it fast in an

620
00:38:05,160 –> 00:38:09,640
honest and good heart and bear
fruit with patience.

621
00:38:10,760 –> 00:38:13,440
So according to Jesus, the heart
is like soil.

622
00:38:13,440 –> 00:38:17,040
It can be hard and impenetrable,
it can have rocks and thorns,

623
00:38:17,400 –> 00:38:21,040
but with ploughing, clearing,
watering, cultivation, it could

624
00:38:21,040 –> 00:38:25,840
also receive the word and react
with joy and bear fruit.

625
00:38:26,920 –> 00:38:30,880
And Paul expands on these ideas
when he says, you know, second

626
00:38:30,880 –> 00:38:33,320
of Corinthians 4 verse 6 for
God.

627
00:38:33,320 –> 00:38:37,800
He said, let light shine out of
darkness has shone in our hearts

628
00:38:38,360 –> 00:38:40,960
to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in

629
00:38:40,960 –> 00:38:44,840
the face of Jesus Christ.
But, says Paul, we have this

630
00:38:44,840 –> 00:38:48,760
treasure in earth and vessels to
show that the surpassing power

631
00:38:48,760 –> 00:38:53,720
belongs to God and not to us.
And that, brothers and sisters,

632
00:38:53,720 –> 00:38:56,680
is the correct balance.
We cannot take credit for being

633
00:38:56,680 –> 00:39:00,440
made like God, but we can be
grateful, we can be confident,

634
00:39:00,560 –> 00:39:03,400
and we can make the most of what
God gives us.

635
00:39:03,920 –> 00:39:05,280
Think of the parable, the
talents.

636
00:39:05,280 –> 00:39:08,520
It was the master who gave the
talents to his servants to use.

637
00:39:08,920 –> 00:39:12,960
And it’s our duty to cultivate,
develop and maximize and

638
00:39:12,960 –> 00:39:16,880
celebrate the God-given
abilities we have and to rejoice

639
00:39:16,880 –> 00:39:19,120
in the good that we are able to
do.

640
00:39:20,360 –> 00:39:24,080
We have been made like God,
which means God has embedded

641
00:39:24,080 –> 00:39:28,840
inside of us divine treasure in
earthen vessels, glory, honour,

642
00:39:28,840 –> 00:39:32,120
eternity, logos, all wonder, a
conscience, mercy, truth,

643
00:39:32,360 –> 00:39:35,560
Lovejoy, peace.
We have a heart that is capable

644
00:39:35,560 –> 00:39:38,360
of resonating with God’s heart.
That’s why devil was a man after

645
00:39:38,360 –> 00:39:41,320
God’s own heart.
Providing we break up the soil,

646
00:39:41,760 –> 00:39:43,720
remove the rocks and pull up the
weeds.

647
00:39:44,000 –> 00:39:45,720
And this is the language God
uses.

648
00:39:45,720 –> 00:39:50,920
Yes, we put to death, we put off
the old man, but we bring to

649
00:39:50,920 –> 00:39:54,360
life the likeness of God, the
new man.

650
00:39:54,520 –> 00:39:58,480
The Bible uses terms such as
renew, transform, building up,

651
00:39:58,480 –> 00:40:03,480
planting, watering, assurance,
comfort, exhort, mould, shape,

652
00:40:03,720 –> 00:40:09,840
fan, flame, exercise, grow.
These are not self sabotaging

653
00:40:09,840 –> 00:40:12,920
terms brothers and sisters.
They are words that require us

654
00:40:12,920 –> 00:40:16,480
to develop and nurture what God
has already given us with

655
00:40:16,480 –> 00:40:19,120
patience, persistence and
assurance.

656
00:40:20,040 –> 00:40:23,120
And we do the same.
To our children as well.

657
00:40:24,200 –> 00:40:26,880
And the amazing thing is that
when we focus on these divine

658
00:40:26,880 –> 00:40:30,680
traits and water, develop,
practice and exercise, they

659
00:40:30,680 –> 00:40:34,120
become stronger, more effective
and more influential in our

660
00:40:34,120 –> 00:40:37,040
lives.
And so our glory and honour is

661
00:40:37,040 –> 00:40:39,600
made to conform to Christ’s
glory and honour.

662
00:40:39,600 –> 00:40:41,440
He was also made a little of the
angels.

663
00:40:41,840 –> 00:40:44,920
Our conscience grows from a
basic awareness of right and

664
00:40:44,920 –> 00:40:49,560
wrong to the mind of Christ and
the love of Christ.

665
00:40:49,840 –> 00:40:53,120
The Logos in US is developed
into an awareness of Jesus, who

666
00:40:53,120 –> 00:40:57,640
was the Logos made flesh, and
the desire of eternity becomes a

667
00:40:57,640 –> 00:40:59,720
vision of the Kingdom with
Christ as King.

668
00:40:59,720 –> 00:41:04,200
Our appreciation for music and
beauty and creation becomes an

669
00:41:04,200 –> 00:41:06,520
expression of praise for all
that he has done.

670
00:41:07,560 –> 00:41:10,440
And through this internal
process of cultivating,

671
00:41:10,440 –> 00:41:16,320
exercising, moulding, shaping,
encouraging and watering these

672
00:41:16,320 –> 00:41:21,280
divine traits that make up gods
resemblance, God’s similarities,

673
00:41:21,280 –> 00:41:25,880
God’s likeness, these divine
traits start to take on the form

674
00:41:25,880 –> 00:41:29,240
that was intended for them from
the very beginning.

675
00:41:30,080 –> 00:41:32,880
And this, brothers and sisters,
is the mystery that Paul speaks

676
00:41:32,880 –> 00:41:37,200
of in Colossians chapter one,
Colossians chapter one, verse

677
00:41:37,200 –> 00:41:41,600
25, of which I became a minister
according to the stewardship

678
00:41:41,600 –> 00:41:46,000
from God that was given to me
for you to make the word of God

679
00:41:46,000 –> 00:41:49,720
fully known.
The mystery hidden for ages and

680
00:41:49,720 –> 00:41:54,600
generations, but now revealed to
his Saints, to them God chose to

681
00:41:54,600 –> 00:41:58,440
make known how great among the
Gentiles are the riches of the

682
00:41:58,440 –> 00:42:04,480
glory of this mystery, which is
Christ in you the hope of glory.

683
00:42:06,000 –> 00:42:10,400
And in Luke 17 verse 21 Jesus
says, neither shall they say, lo

684
00:42:10,400 –> 00:42:13,640
here lo, therefore behold, the
Kingdom of God is in you, that

685
00:42:13,840 –> 00:42:18,000
the elements that you need to
live a Kingdom life are in you.

686
00:42:18,800 –> 00:42:23,120
John 14 verse 23 If a man love
me, he will keep my words, and

687
00:42:23,120 –> 00:42:26,000
my Father will love him, and we
will come to him and make our

688
00:42:26,000 –> 00:42:30,160
abode with him.
Galatians 2 verse 20 I am

689
00:42:30,160 –> 00:42:33,200
crucified with Christ.
Nevertheless, I live, but not I.

690
00:42:33,920 –> 00:42:38,360
But Christ lives in me and the
life I now live in the flesh.

691
00:42:38,360 –> 00:42:41,920
I live by the faith of the Son
of God who loved me and gave

692
00:42:41,920 –> 00:42:45,880
himself for me.
Yeah, I used to think, brothers

693
00:42:45,880 –> 00:42:48,680
and sisters, me bad, me really,
really bad.

694
00:42:48,680 –> 00:42:53,400
Bible good, ecclesia good.
The only hope for me is to read

695
00:42:53,400 –> 00:42:57,120
the Bible and engage in many
external activities as I can to

696
00:42:57,120 –> 00:43:01,000
keep the flesh of Bay.
What we’re seeing, brothers and

697
00:43:01,000 –> 00:43:04,480
sisters, is the process of
conversion is all internal.

698
00:43:05,200 –> 00:43:09,840
We are gardeners of the heart.
We are treasure hunters looking

699
00:43:09,840 –> 00:43:13,000
inside ourselves for divine
treasure in the field of our

700
00:43:13,000 –> 00:43:15,560
heart.
We are grateful recipients of

701
00:43:15,560 –> 00:43:19,680
God’s Excellency and power,
which can surge through these

702
00:43:19,680 –> 00:43:23,960
earthen vessels and can give us
confidence, courage, strength

703
00:43:24,080 –> 00:43:26,960
and love.
And now imagine the kind of

704
00:43:26,960 –> 00:43:30,440
things that a life empowered by
Christ can inspire you to

705
00:43:30,640 –> 00:43:33,200
perform.
Imagine the good you can

706
00:43:33,200 –> 00:43:35,040
achieve, the motivation you’ll
have.

707
00:43:35,040 –> 00:43:37,880
And if you get knocked down,
even if it happened 7 times or

708
00:43:37,880 –> 00:43:42,600
77 * 7 times, you keep getting
back up because you know better

709
00:43:42,600 –> 00:43:45,000
than to let anyone get in the
way of love, of the love of

710
00:43:45,000 –> 00:43:50,000
Christ that is inside you.
And This is why Paul focuses on

711
00:43:50,000 –> 00:43:53,800
faith not works.
Because when someone has that

712
00:43:53,800 –> 00:43:56,680
kind of faith, works are
inevitable.

713
00:43:57,400 –> 00:44:00,280
Kind of like a spring of living
water that keeps on welling up.

714
00:44:01,680 –> 00:44:08,000
So the New Testament, in the New
Testament, God in you, Christ in

715
00:44:08,000 –> 00:44:12,080
you, and related ideas are
mentioned over 50 times.

716
00:44:12,080 –> 00:44:15,840
Brothers and sisters, this is
how God’s Spirit works and

717
00:44:15,840 –> 00:44:18,560
guides our lives.
If we are sensitive to it, if

718
00:44:18,560 –> 00:44:22,000
we’re listening to it, if we’re
aware of it and cultivating it.

719
00:44:23,200 –> 00:44:25,440
So hopefully, brothers and
sisters, we have a better

720
00:44:25,440 –> 00:44:28,720
understanding of what it means
to be made like God.

721
00:44:29,240 –> 00:44:35,280
The hope of glory, Christ in
you, if we get there is entirely

722
00:44:35,280 –> 00:44:39,200
up to us, brothers and sisters.
But just understand it’s neither

723
00:44:39,200 –> 00:44:42,200
to do with the mountain or the
temple that we go to, but it’s a

724
00:44:42,200 –> 00:44:48,440
decision in our heart to seek
God honestly, truthfully, and

725
00:44:48,440 –> 00:44:51,440
with mercy.
I’d like to conclude with a

726
00:44:51,440 –> 00:44:54,800
prayer from our brother Paul in
Ephesians chapter 3.

727
00:44:56,600 –> 00:45:01,640
Ephesians 3 verse 14 For this
reason I bow my knees before the

728
00:45:01,640 –> 00:45:05,440
Father, from whom every family
in heaven on earth is named.

729
00:45:06,360 –> 00:45:10,080
That according to the riches of
His glory He may grant you to be

730
00:45:10,080 –> 00:45:15,120
strengthened with power through
His Spirit in your inner being.

731
00:45:16,280 –> 00:45:19,560
That Christ may dwell in your
hearts through faith.

732
00:45:19,560 –> 00:45:24,200
That you, being rooted and
grounded in love, may have

733
00:45:24,200 –> 00:45:27,200
strength to comprehend with all
the Saints what is the breadth

734
00:45:27,400 –> 00:45:31,680
and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ

735
00:45:31,680 –> 00:45:36,080
that surpasses knowledge, that
you may be filled with all the

736
00:45:36,080 –> 00:45:40,840
fullness of God, filled now to
Him that He’s able to do far

737
00:45:40,840 –> 00:45:44,920
more abundantly than all that we
ask or think, according to the

738
00:45:44,920 –> 00:45:48,840
power at work within us.
To Him be glory in the ecclesia

739
00:45:48,840 –> 00:45:52,440
and in Christ Jesus throughout
all generation, forever and

740
00:45:52,440 –> 00:46:06,970
ever.
Thank you for listening to the

741
00:46:06,970 –> 00:46:08,570
good Chris Adelphian Talks
podcast.

742
00:46:09,410 –> 00:46:11,850
We hope this talk helped you in
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743
00:46:11,850 –> 00:46:14,210
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744
00:46:14,210 –> 00:46:15,970
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745
00:46:16,330 –> 00:46:19,610
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746
00:46:20,730 –> 00:46:23,170
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747
00:46:23,170 –> 00:46:25,090
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748
00:46:26,000 –> 00:46:28,720
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749
00:46:28,720 –> 00:46:32,600
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750
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00:46:45,080 –> 00:46:46,800
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759
00:46:59,000 –> 00:47:00,920
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week.