WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.520 --> 00:00:04.240 There's a book in the Bible called Romans, and the 2 00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:09.279 first ten chapters explain the concept of grace in great detail. 3 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:12.039 Chapter three gives kind of a summary of it, and 4 00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:15.320 it says this Romans three twenty three, for all of 5 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:19.399 sin and all falls short of God's glorious standard. Now, 6 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:22.800 as I said, that's not news. It's certainly not good news. 7 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:25.199 But it's not even news. We all know I don't 8 00:00:25.239 --> 00:00:28.600 measure up to my own standards, but us God's perfect standard. 9 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:31.359 We've all sinned, We've all fall short of God's glorious standard. 10 00:00:31.480 --> 00:00:32.759 Yet here's the good news. 11 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:39.759 Now, God, in his gracious kindness, that's grace, declares us 12 00:00:39.799 --> 00:00:44.320 not guilty. You might circle that that's righteousness. He declares 13 00:00:44.439 --> 00:00:45.840 us not guilty. 14 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:48.479 Am I guilty? Yes? Do I deserve to be punished? Yes? 15 00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:51.920 Am I not guilt? Does God declare me not guilty? Yes? 16 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:56.159 He has done this through Christ, Jesus, who has freed 17 00:00:56.280 --> 00:01:00.799 us by taking away our sins. For God's sent Jesus 18 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:04.280 to take the punishment for our sin, the scapegoat, the 19 00:01:04.439 --> 00:01:08.480 sacrificial lamb, the punishment for our sins, and to satisfy 20 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:12.319 God's anger against us. We are made right with God. 21 00:01:13.079 --> 00:01:17.719 When we believe that Jesus shed his blood sacrificing his 22 00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:18.319 life for us. 23 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:19.239 This is atonement. 24 00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:25.079 Now in the church, we believe that God gave us 25 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:30.239 two symbols to remember this important truth that I have 26 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:33.120 made mistakes. I have blown it our sin. There's no 27 00:01:33.159 --> 00:01:34.159 way I could repay it. 28 00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:35.079 You know. 29 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:37.799 The Bible says, well, you know this. When you break 30 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:40.920 man's laws, you pay man's penalty. You have speed, you 31 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:43.719 get a ticket. When you break God's laws, you pay 32 00:01:43.719 --> 00:01:47.280 God's penalty. And the Bible says in scripture an Old 33 00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:50.599 Testament says the soul that sineth, it shall die. The 34 00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:53.680 Bible says, the wage of the sin is death. So 35 00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:57.680 somebody's got to pay for my sin, either me or 36 00:01:57.680 --> 00:02:00.799 somebody else. And this is where the judge becomes a 37 00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:03.760 savior and he says, I love you and I am 38 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:07.200 going to do this for you. See, this is the 39 00:02:07.480 --> 00:02:10.520 difference between a lot of other systems and the Gospel 40 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:13.840 of Grace. Other systems can say do, do, do, do, 41 00:02:13.960 --> 00:02:15.960 do do all these things to make God love you. 42 00:02:16.680 --> 00:02:21.879 Gospel of Grace says done done, It was done for you. 43 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:26.639 That's grace. And we have two symbols of this baptism 44 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:28.360 and communion. 45 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:30.400 And baptism we. 46 00:02:30.280 --> 00:02:33.039 Take a person, we put them under the water and 47 00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:35.479 bring them back up, which is a symbol of a death, 48 00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:37.479 a burial, and a resurrection. 49 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:40.479 Okay, and then communion. 50 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:43.919 Jesus took bread and wine and said, this is going 51 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:47.800 to represent my sacrifice for you, my body and my blood, 52 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:53.240 atoning for your sin as foretold for centuries. Let me 53 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:56.919 show you a couple of other verses. Two Corinthians, chapter 54 00:02:56.960 --> 00:03:02.319 five says this verse twenty one. God made Christ, who 55 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:07.879 never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so 56 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:12.080 that we could be made right with God through Christ. 57 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:13.319 And in the Old. 58 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:16.719 Testament there's an entire sacrificial system of the scapegoat and 59 00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:19.400 the sacrificial lamb who take the sins of the nation. 60 00:03:19.639 --> 00:03:21.919 It's the symbol of what Jesus would do for us 61 00:03:22.120 --> 00:03:25.840 one day. Look at this verse on the screen Titus three, 62 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:29.759 verse five. God saves us not because of righteous things 63 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:32.800 we've done. In other words, Wow, I'm really impressed with that. 64 00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:35.599 God doesn't save us because of what we've done, but 65 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:40.479 because of his mercy. So this is the good news. First, 66 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:44.560 I can't make myself righteous, I can't make myself. There's 67 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:47.479 not a snowballs chance in hell. You're getting into heaven 68 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:50.960 on your own effort because you're not good enough, and. 69 00:03:50.919 --> 00:03:53.280 Neither am I. But good news. 70 00:03:53.319 --> 00:03:56.080 God sent Jesus to pay for my sins. Now here's 71 00:03:56.120 --> 00:03:58.360 the third part of the gospel. Write this down. I 72 00:03:58.439 --> 00:04:03.800 accept by faith what God did for me. I accept 73 00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:07.680 by faith what God did for me. That's all you 74 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:11.199 have to do. That's all I'm required to do. I simply, 75 00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:15.879 all I do is accept God's grace, his mercy. I 76 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:19.759 accept God's forgiveness. And I say, I believe that what 77 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:23.839 Jesus did on the cross paid for my sins. So 78 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:26.680 I can go and be a part of God's family. 79 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:28.519 I can live the way he wants me to live now, 80 00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:32.160 and I'm going to have an eternity that is righteousness. 81 00:04:32.600 --> 00:04:36.439 Let me show you a couple verses Romans chapter three. 82 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:41.879 We are made right in God's sight. That's righteousness when 83 00:04:41.959 --> 00:04:45.079 we do a whole bunch of good things. And I 84 00:04:45.079 --> 00:04:47.439 didn't say that we're made right in God's sight when 85 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:50.079 we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. 86 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:53.279 And I love this part. And here's the cool part. 87 00:04:53.560 --> 00:04:57.720 We can all be saved. That's everybody in the same way, 88 00:04:58.199 --> 00:05:00.920 no matter who we are, what we've done. 89 00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:02.759 All right. I like that part. 90 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:05.920 I want to say hallelujah to that part. We can 91 00:05:05.959 --> 00:05:08.279 all be saved. Remember who we are, what we've done, 92 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:10.360 who we've done it with, how long we've done it. 93 00:05:11.360 --> 00:05:14.360 All be saved now. I don't care what religious background 94 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:19.879 you are. Your background may be Catholic, your background may 95 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:26.360 be Baptist or Buddhist. Your background may be Muslim or Methodist, 96 00:05:26.600 --> 00:05:31.240 or Mormon or Pentecostal or Presbyterian. You and background may 97 00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:35.079 be atheist or agnostic or secularist, or no faith at all, 98 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:39.279 or mix up of everything. I really couldn't care less 99 00:05:39.279 --> 00:05:42.680 about that because religion, no religion, can get you to heaven. 100 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:46.519 Only God's grace can get you to heaven. No amount 101 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.439 of works can make you righteous. Whether it's this guy's 102 00:05:49.480 --> 00:05:51.959 list or this guy's list or that guy's list, None 103 00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:54.800 of those religious lists can get you to heaven because 104 00:05:54.839 --> 00:06:01.319 you can't be righteous enough. It's just simply a relationship 105 00:06:01.519 --> 00:06:03.800 to God, to his son Jesus. 106 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:06.600 And here's what the Bible says Romans chapter ten. 107 00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:11.959 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. 108 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:13.560 In other words, he is who he claimed to be. 109 00:06:13.639 --> 00:06:15.720 He's the Son of God, the savior of the world. 110 00:06:15.959 --> 00:06:18.399 He came to die for you. If you confess with 111 00:06:18.439 --> 00:06:21.839 your mouth, yeah, I believe Jesus's Lord, and you believe 112 00:06:21.879 --> 00:06:24.199 in your heart that God raised him from the dead. 113 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:28.160 That's what Easter is all about. You will be saved 114 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:33.920 for you believe him. For you believe with your heart, 115 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:40.120 resulting in righteousness, and you confess with your mouth, resulting 116 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:44.879 in salvation. Now, I want you to settle this issue 117 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:49.000 this morning, as your friend, as somebody cares about you, 118 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:52.759 as your pastor. I don't want you to ever doubt, ever, ever, ever, 119 00:06:52.839 --> 00:06:55.879 ever again that you're going to heaven when you die. 120 00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:57.959 I don't want you to worry about it. I don't 121 00:06:57.959 --> 00:06:59.680 want you to be concerned about it. I don't want 122 00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:02.879 you to have any doubts about it. So we're gonna 123 00:07:02.920 --> 00:07:06.199 do what Romans tends says to do. Confess with your 124 00:07:06.199 --> 00:07:08.879 mouth and believe in your heart. You will be saved. 125 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:13.399 Would God lie? Know why? Because God cannot lie. People 126 00:07:13.399 --> 00:07:15.199 haven't ask me is there anything God can do? There 127 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:16.839 are a lot of things God can't do. One of 128 00:07:16.920 --> 00:07:19.000 them is he can't deny his characters, so it means 129 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:22.879 God cannot lie. God can only tell the truth, and 130 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:26.160 what's true is always true, and what's false is always false. 131 00:07:26.920 --> 00:07:30.040 If truth wasn't always true, the universe wouldn't work. If 132 00:07:30.399 --> 00:07:33.360 law of gravity was only true on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 133 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:38.519 that would be a problem. The universe operates because some 134 00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:42.199 things are always true and some things are always untrue. 135 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:45.040 The moon is not made of cheese. You might want 136 00:07:45.040 --> 00:07:47.879 to think that, but it's not true. And so the 137 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:50.160 Bible says, I am true. She said, I am the Way, 138 00:07:50.279 --> 00:07:52.120 I am the Truth, and I am the life. No 139 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:54.879 one comes to the Father but by me. I want 140 00:07:54.920 --> 00:07:58.879 you to be absolutely certain you've settled this issue in 141 00:07:58.920 --> 00:08:02.160 your life. On what basis do you know you're going 142 00:08:02.199 --> 00:08:05.279 to heaven? On a what basis of scripture? Do you 143 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:08.480 know that you're going to heaven? And so I'm going 144 00:08:08.519 --> 00:08:11.279 to pray a simple prayer. Honestly, it doesn't even matter 145 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:15.439 the words you pray. What matters is the humility of 146 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:19.439 your heart when you say God, God is God, and 147 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:22.720 I'm not and God, there's not a snowball's chance in 148 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:27.800 hell of me earning perfection. I need somebody. I can't 149 00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:32.159 swim to Hawaii. I gotta get on a boat. I 150 00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:36.279 need a savior. I need an arc to save me 151 00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:42.799 in the flood. So that's bower Heads. And right now, 152 00:08:42.840 --> 00:08:45.200 just in your own heart, why don't you tell God 153 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:49.879 you love him? To say God, I love you, or 154 00:08:49.879 --> 00:08:51.559 maybe you can say God, I want to learn to 155 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:56.960 love you, and then just say these words. Dear God, 156 00:08:57.120 --> 00:09:01.039 thank you for creating me. Thank you for having a 157 00:09:01.080 --> 00:09:05.639 plan and purpose for my life. Thank you for loving 158 00:09:05.679 --> 00:09:10.919 me even when I didn't know you. Thank you for 159 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:15.559 your plan of grace, something I could never earn or deserve. 160 00:09:18.120 --> 00:09:20.360 I don't understand it all, Dear God, but as much 161 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:23.519 as I know how, I want to accept your grace, 162 00:09:23.799 --> 00:09:28.519 your forgiveness and the atonement for my sins. 163 00:09:30.039 --> 00:09:31.080 I hunger and. 164 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:37.200 Thirst for you and for your righteousness, and so Jesus Christ, 165 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:39.639 as much as I know how, I open my life 166 00:09:39.639 --> 00:09:41.559 to you. I want to learn to love you and 167 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:43.600 trust you. I want to learn to get to know 168 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:48.039 you the rest of my life. And I humbly make 169 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:52.279 this request admitting that I need you God in my life. 170 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:54.519 In your name, I pray Amen. 171 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:04.919 Now if you just prayed with me, just now to 172 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:08.200 receive Jesus Christ. I want to say, that's the smartest 173 00:10:08.200 --> 00:10:11.480 decision you've ever made in your life. And congratulations. Did 174 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:14.799 you know that? In Luke chapter fifteen, it says the 175 00:10:14.840 --> 00:10:19.000 angels are throwing a party in heaven right now for you. 176 00:10:19.960 --> 00:10:22.559 Every time one person steps across the line, they have 177 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:25.240 a party in heaven. So I'd like to celebrate with 178 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:28.080 you too, and I'd like to send you some free 179 00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:32.720 materials to help you understand the spiritual journey that you've 180 00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:35.360 just taken. The first step. All you need to do 181 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:37.879 is email me. Let me know, say Rick, I prayed 182 00:10:37.879 --> 00:10:40.080 that prayer open my life to Christ. We'll get you 183 00:10:40.120 --> 00:10:44.600 some minew materials, We'll pray with you, and we'll celebrate you. Congratulations. 184 00:10:46.159 --> 00:10:50.279 So the fourth key to being blessed by God is 185 00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:53.480 to have a spiritual hunger for the rest of your life. 186 00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:56.919 God blesses those who are hunger, hungry, and thirsty for 187 00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:01.399 righteous They will be filled. Now, doctors tell it that 188 00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:04.360 the symptom of illness. 189 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:07.120 Is you lose your appetite. You know this. 190 00:11:07.799 --> 00:11:10.200 When you're sick, you got a fever, you don't feel good. 191 00:11:10.279 --> 00:11:12.919 You have as food is the last thing on your mind. 192 00:11:14.960 --> 00:11:19.840 A loss of appetite says you're sick, and a loss 193 00:11:19.879 --> 00:11:22.440 of appetite for gods. I don't really care about God. 194 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:24.440 I don't really care about knowing him. Knowing his word, 195 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:28.639 doing his ways indicates you are spiritually sick. 196 00:11:29.480 --> 00:11:32.799 You're not healthy. You got to get your appetite back. 197 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:37.480 So how do I stay spiritually hungry the rest of 198 00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:38.039 my life? 199 00:11:38.120 --> 00:11:39.399 Because this is a good thing. 200 00:11:39.759 --> 00:11:42.559 How do I make sure I maintain an appetite for 201 00:11:42.600 --> 00:11:45.960 God the rest of my life? Write these down quickly, 202 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:47.600 five things. I'm not going to spend a lot of 203 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:50.120 time describing them. I just want you to write them down. 204 00:11:50.120 --> 00:11:52.519 You can think about them at home. Number one, the 205 00:11:52.600 --> 00:11:56.360 first key to a spiritual appetite is remind myself how 206 00:11:56.480 --> 00:12:02.399 much God loves me. Remind myself how much God loves me. 207 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:04.200 When you get up in the morning, before you put 208 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:06.240 your feet down inside of it and said, God, help 209 00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:08.200 me the sense how much you love me. 210 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:10.840 I had a guy tell me one time. 211 00:12:10.840 --> 00:12:13.200 He said, you know, Rick, I don't really have any 212 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:14.440 hunger for God. 213 00:12:14.519 --> 00:12:15.039 I don't have. 214 00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:19.720 Any desire to know God. He said, I guess the 215 00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:22.320 real problem with me is I don't love God enough. 216 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:26.879 I said, friend, that's not your problem. Your problem is 217 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:29.600 not that you don't love God enough. The problem is 218 00:12:29.879 --> 00:12:34.039 you don't know how much he loves you, because if 219 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:37.200 you did, you can't help fall in love with a 220 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:40.240 God who loves you that much. When Jesus dies on 221 00:12:40.279 --> 00:12:42.240 the cross, he says, this is how much I love you. 222 00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:44.759 I love you this much. I love you so much 223 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:47.080 it hurts. I love you so much. I'd rather die 224 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:51.000 than live without you. You cannot make God stop loving you. 225 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:53.679 You can try, but you'll fail. God's love is based 226 00:12:53.720 --> 00:12:57.360 on who he is, not who you are. So he 227 00:12:57.360 --> 00:12:59.480 loves you on your good days and bad days, and 228 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:02.279 you need your remind yourself of that. And that creates 229 00:13:02.279 --> 00:13:04.120 a hunger for you to know him. You want to 230 00:13:04.159 --> 00:13:07.200 know anybody who loves you that much. If somebody died 231 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:08.120 for you, wouldn't. 232 00:13:07.799 --> 00:13:09.120 You want to know him? Yes, you would. 233 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:13.519 The Bible says this pray that you have the power 234 00:13:13.559 --> 00:13:17.559 to understand how wide, how long, how high, and how 235 00:13:17.639 --> 00:13:22.200 deep God's love really is. May you experience the love 236 00:13:22.200 --> 00:13:25.480 of Christ, though it's so great you'll never ever fully 237 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:29.840 understand it, But he says, then you will be filled 238 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:33.840 with the fullness of life and the power that comes 239 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:38.000 from God. That's where fulfilled life, satisfying life comes from. 240 00:13:38.200 --> 00:13:40.960 You got to understand how much God loves you. Number 241 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:45.879 two second key to staying hungry spiritually. Stop filling up 242 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:52.559 on junk food. Stop filling up on junk food. Stop 243 00:13:52.600 --> 00:13:54.960 trying to fill your mind and your life with other 244 00:13:55.080 --> 00:13:57.360 things that you think are going to satisfy you, when 245 00:13:57.440 --> 00:14:00.320 really what you're looking for and longing for is God. Now, 246 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:03.519 when God made you, he put a physical hunger and 247 00:14:03.559 --> 00:14:06.159 a spiritual hunger inside you. We all know how to 248 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:10.279 take care of the physical hunger, eat, but we often 249 00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:12.240 don't know how to take care of the spiritual hunger, 250 00:14:12.679 --> 00:14:14.279 and we don't know how to deal with it. But 251 00:14:14.360 --> 00:14:17.240 there's this hole in you, this God shaped hole that 252 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:21.919 only God could fill. And so you need to stop 253 00:14:21.960 --> 00:14:24.639 filling up on junk food. Now, let me just tell 254 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:28.279 you this. If you're not hungry for God, it's because 255 00:14:28.279 --> 00:14:34.159 you're full of something else, and you may be full 256 00:14:34.200 --> 00:14:38.080 of yourself. A lot of people are not hungry for 257 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:41.399 God because they're so full of themselves and they have 258 00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:42.080 no hunger. 259 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:44.159 Look at this verse on the screen. 260 00:14:44.200 --> 00:14:46.360 I love this book verse out of Proverbs and the 261 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:50.039 New living translation, a wise person is hungry for truth, 262 00:14:50.279 --> 00:14:54.519 while the fool feeds on trash. Maybe you need to 263 00:14:54.559 --> 00:14:57.600 take some trash out of your life. If you're filling 264 00:14:57.639 --> 00:15:00.720 your mind with all these movies and all of these 265 00:15:00.759 --> 00:15:05.080 books and novels and all of these gossip magazines, it's 266 00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:07.840 no longer you have no hunger for God. And if 267 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:11.360 you're filling your mind with all of the things about politics, 268 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:13.039 that about everything, it is no wonder you're having a 269 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:18.039 hunger for God. You're full on other things. Isaiah fifty five. 270 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:21.279 The prophet says this. The Lord says, all you who 271 00:15:21.320 --> 00:15:25.519 are thirsty, come to me and drink. And those of 272 00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:28.279 you don't have any money to buy food, come to 273 00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:31.960 me and eat for free. And then he says, why 274 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:33.919 do you spend your money on something that isn't real 275 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:37.360 food and doesn't really satisfy you. 276 00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:38.000 Come to me. 277 00:15:38.279 --> 00:15:40.759 Notice you didn't say come to religion and then say 278 00:15:40.799 --> 00:15:43.000 come to rules, regulations, rituals. He says, come to me 279 00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:46.480 a person, Come to me, and you'll eat what is good, 280 00:15:46.759 --> 00:15:50.960 and your soul will enjoy the stuff that really satisfies. 281 00:15:51.799 --> 00:15:53.519 You know, when I read that verse and I saw 282 00:15:53.559 --> 00:15:55.639 that food, said some of you are eating stuff that 283 00:15:55.720 --> 00:15:58.200 isn't real food. I read an article this week about 284 00:15:58.200 --> 00:16:03.519 how people are starving to death by eating worthless food, 285 00:16:04.759 --> 00:16:07.080 and it gave a couple of examples that in the 286 00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:13.120 Great Famine of China, there was no food for millions 287 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:16.000 and millions and millions of people, and there was nothing 288 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:20.759 to eat, and so the Chinese actually started making a 289 00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:23.120 kind of bread out of an edible soil. 290 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:25.360 It was dirt, literally, it was dirt. 291 00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:28.080 And it was an edible soil that they would make 292 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:30.720 this fake bread and then they would eat it and 293 00:16:30.759 --> 00:16:34.559 it would fill them up temporarily and their stomach pains 294 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:38.360 and pangs would go away. The problem with it is 295 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:42.399 it had no nutritional value, no vitamins, no minerals, no fats, 296 00:16:42.440 --> 00:16:46.120 no carbohydrates, no protein, and so they were filling up 297 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:50.320 and starving to death at the same time they were 298 00:16:50.360 --> 00:16:55.519 temporarily satisfied. It had no nutrition in it. Similar thing 299 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:59.519 happened in Australia during their Great Depression. During that Great Depression, 300 00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:02.279 and there was a really like a famine and people 301 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:05.640 didn't have any money for food. And there is a 302 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:11.640 fern in Australia called the navou nardu plant. It's an 303 00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:14.240 our new fern. They're all literally all over Australia, and 304 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:17.799 they would take the spores of the Nardu fern and 305 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:20.039 they would make a porridge out of it. And people 306 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:24.160 were eating this porridge. The only problem was again no 307 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:28.799 nutritional value, no fats, no carbohydrates, no minerals, no protein, 308 00:17:29.400 --> 00:17:34.519 no vitamins, and so people were dying of starvation with 309 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:41.000 their stomachs full. Friends, that is an accurate description of 310 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:46.920 the United States of America right now. Our nation is 311 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:52.920 gorging itself to death on spiritual junk food, thinking that 312 00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:57.799 pleasure and passion and popularity and privilege and prestige and 313 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:01.880 power and possessions are going to satisfy. But they could 314 00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:05.440 have read thousands of year ago, Solomon said that one 315 00:18:05.480 --> 00:18:10.279 doesn't work. That one doesn't work. And we have people 316 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:14.480 in America with full bellies and empty souls and they're 317 00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:16.640 starving to death spiritually. 318 00:18:17.839 --> 00:18:19.960 You need to stop eating junk food. 319 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:23.599 Number three. Here's the third key. By the way, you know, 320 00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:26.079 Kay and I have another ritual that we do. It's 321 00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:28.119 every Monday. Monday is my day off, so we like 322 00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:30.599 to go out for lunch or for dinner on Mondays 323 00:18:31.160 --> 00:18:32.839 and we play this game every week. 324 00:18:33.559 --> 00:18:34.599 What are you hungry for? 325 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:38.519 Anybody vaguely familiar with this game? 326 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:42.119 What are you hungry for? Mexican? 327 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:45.599 Chinese food and Mediterranean food? 328 00:18:46.319 --> 00:18:46.839 Italian? 329 00:18:47.880 --> 00:18:51.000 You know you're hungry, but you don't know what you want. 330 00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:55.200 Let me ask you this question, what are you most 331 00:18:55.279 --> 00:19:00.799 hungry for? Because your hunger will determine your happiness. If 332 00:19:00.839 --> 00:19:03.799 you're hungry for your sports and your favorite team and 333 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:05.960 that's all you think about, you're going to be left empty. 334 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:09.599 If you're hungry for fame or fortune, you're going to 335 00:19:09.640 --> 00:19:12.559 be left empty. You got to be hungry and thirsty 336 00:19:12.599 --> 00:19:16.880 for righteousness for then you'll be filled. Number three, make 337 00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:21.200 knowing God my number one goal. Make it my number 338 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:25.839 one goal in life. You don't seek happiness, You seek God. 339 00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:31.000 You don't seek success, You seek God. And if you 340 00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:33.279 want a good example, this is just go read the Psalms. 341 00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:36.640 David is the pro at hungering and thirsty for righteousness, 342 00:19:37.240 --> 00:19:40.200 and David over and over says, I long for you God. 343 00:19:40.279 --> 00:19:43.599 I thirst for you, God as a deer pants for water. 344 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:46.799 God. I've got to have you. I cry out to God. 345 00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:48.680 I plead with you, God. 346 00:19:48.759 --> 00:19:51.279 I beg you, God, I seek you God, I cry 347 00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:53.799 out to you, God, I am longing for you. God, 348 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:56.519 look at this verse on the screen. The Bible says 349 00:19:56.519 --> 00:20:01.240 in Psalm sixty three, Oh God, I earnestly seek you. 350 00:20:01.400 --> 00:20:06.160 My soul thirst for you, my body longs for you 351 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:11.079 as I travel through this parched and weary desert where 352 00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:15.000 there's no water. David wrote this psalm as he was 353 00:20:15.039 --> 00:20:18.720 going through the desert of Judea. But you're going through 354 00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:21.920 some deserts right now. To some of you, your marriage 355 00:20:21.960 --> 00:20:25.839 is a desert. It's all dried up. Some of you 356 00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:28.880 are in a financial desert. Your money is all dried up. 357 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:32.359 Some of you are ha did your dream turn into 358 00:20:32.359 --> 00:20:35.680 a desert? It's all dried up. Or a relationship or 359 00:20:35.720 --> 00:20:40.039 a friendship or a career, it's all dried up. What 360 00:20:40.039 --> 00:20:42.079 do you do when you're going through the desert? You 361 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:46.519 do what David did. God, I'm thirsty for you. I 362 00:20:46.519 --> 00:20:51.799 gotta have you. It's the number one goal of my life. 363 00:20:52.039 --> 00:20:54.880 Jesus said it like this, Matthew six thirty three. The 364 00:20:54.880 --> 00:20:59.319 thing you should want most is God's kingdom and doing 365 00:20:59.359 --> 00:21:02.960 what God wants us, and then all these other things 366 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:05.119 you need will be given to you. Seek first, the 367 00:21:05.200 --> 00:21:08.960 Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things 368 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:14.680 will be added to you. Number four, Get into God's 369 00:21:14.680 --> 00:21:20.400 Word every day. Get into God's Word every day. Now, 370 00:21:20.599 --> 00:21:25.079 this book, the Bible, is God's soul food for you. 371 00:21:25.160 --> 00:21:28.960 It's food for your soul. In scriptures, God's Word is 372 00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:37.440 called meat, it's called bread, it's called honey, it's called milk. 373 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:41.119 Lots of metaphors. This is spiritual food. If you don't 374 00:21:41.160 --> 00:21:45.319 eat spiritual food, you're going to dry up. You got 375 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:48.400 to get into God's Word every day. Look at a 376 00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:51.759 couple verses here verse Peter two. You must crave the 377 00:21:51.920 --> 00:21:55.160 pure spiritual milk of the Word so that you can 378 00:21:55.240 --> 00:21:59.759 grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for 379 00:21:59.799 --> 00:22:04.559 this nourishment like a baby cries for milk. You know, 380 00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:07.160 during forty days in the Word, I showed you this verse. 381 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:12.480 Look at the two Timothy Iree. All scripture is God breathed, inspired, 382 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:18.160 and it's useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. 383 00:22:18.279 --> 00:22:20.279 You want to be trained in righteous You need to 384 00:22:20.319 --> 00:22:23.799 get into this book more and more and more. Now 385 00:22:23.880 --> 00:22:27.559 let me just close with this. Studies have shown that 386 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:33.599 appetite is influenced by association. In other words, who you 387 00:22:33.680 --> 00:22:37.279 hang out with has a strong influence on what you eat. 388 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:44.200 Associations influence appetite. You get a bunch of little kids 389 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:45.240 together and have one kid. 390 00:22:45.039 --> 00:22:49.000 Say hey, I'm hungry. What happens everybody's hungry. 391 00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:52.400 If I said, right now, man, I would like a 392 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:56.359 good in and out burger, fifty percent, just start salivating. 393 00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:04.960 Association influences your appetite. So you want to hang out 394 00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:07.400 with people who are hungry for God. If you hang 395 00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:09.400 out with people who are just hungry for politics, you're 396 00:23:09.440 --> 00:23:12.119 going to become that. If you're hung if you hang 397 00:23:12.119 --> 00:23:13.960 out with people who are only hungry for sports, that's 398 00:23:13.960 --> 00:23:14.880 what you're going to become. 399 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:18.720 Here's the last thing. Join a small group for support. 400 00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:24.519 Join a small group for support to keep you spiritually hungry. 401 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:28.920