WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:04.879 When Jesus died on the cross, he fulfilled every one 2 00:00:04.919 --> 00:00:08.080 of the promises and every one of the predictions or 3 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:11.039 the prophecies that had been made for thousands of years. 4 00:00:11.119 --> 00:00:13.279 You see, in the Old Testament we get a partial 5 00:00:13.320 --> 00:00:16.399 glimpse of God. We kind of get partially the figure, 6 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:19.480 but it's not real clear. But when Jesus comes, he 7 00:00:19.519 --> 00:00:22.879 fills in all the details. He paints the picture, He 8 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:25.239 completes the picture. He gives us what it's like. 9 00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:25.800 And here's what. 10 00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:29.160 Jesus told some people after he'd come back to life, 11 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:32.439 after he'd raised on Easter Sunday, he's talking to some people, 12 00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:34.439 and here's what he says. In Luke, chapter twenty four, 13 00:00:35.399 --> 00:00:38.560 verse forty four to forty seven. Jesus said, this is 14 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:40.479 what I told you when I was still with you. 15 00:00:40.520 --> 00:00:41.399 This is before he died. 16 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:47.200 Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in 17 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:49.479 the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms, that's 18 00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:51.719 the Old Testament. He said, all the stuff that was 19 00:00:51.719 --> 00:00:53.920 written about me for a thousand years had to be fulfilled. 20 00:00:54.119 --> 00:00:56.840 Then he opened their minds so they could understand scriptures, 21 00:00:56.840 --> 00:01:00.399 and he told them this is what is written. The 22 00:01:00.520 --> 00:01:04.319 Christ will suffer and rise from the debt on the 23 00:01:04.359 --> 00:01:07.920 third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sin will be 24 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:11.519 preached in his name to all nations. He's saying, I 25 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:14.239 just fulfilled all of the promises and all the predictions, 26 00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:16.680 all of the prophecies that had been given for thousands 27 00:01:16.719 --> 00:01:20.599 of years. So Jesus fulfilled God's promises on the cross, 28 00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:24.760 and Jesus satisfied God's justice on the cross. Here's the 29 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:28.640 third thing that he completed on the cross. He paid 30 00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:33.120 off the debt I owed God. He paid off the 31 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:39.000 debt that I owed God. You owe something to everybody 32 00:01:39.079 --> 00:01:43.120 you've ever hurt or offended or of sinned against. You 33 00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:46.560 owe something to them. But you're also in deeper debt 34 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:50.079 to God, and that's a debt you would never possibly 35 00:01:50.120 --> 00:01:53.000 be able to repay on your own. But here's the 36 00:01:53.040 --> 00:01:56.480 good news. Colossians, chapter two. The Bible says this verse fourteen, 37 00:01:56.760 --> 00:02:00.319 we owe a debt because we've broken God's laws. That 38 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:03.760 debt listed all the rules we failed to follow. But 39 00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:08.439 here's the good part. But God forgave our debt, and 40 00:02:08.520 --> 00:02:13.240 he canceled our debt by nailing it to the cross. 41 00:02:13.840 --> 00:02:16.120 Can you imagine if tonight you went home and all 42 00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:19.599 of a sudden you got a call from Visa or MasterCard, 43 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:22.960 and they called up and said, we have decided to 44 00:02:23.080 --> 00:02:27.159 cancel all your debt. We're just gonna wipe it out. 45 00:02:27.479 --> 00:02:32.199 Your record is wipe clean. You are forgiven. It's all forgotten. 46 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:37.159 We're calling it our new Tetelesty program. 47 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:42.599 Paid in full. You're free. Would you like that? Oh yeah? 48 00:02:42.840 --> 00:02:45.919 Would you feel free? Oh yeah, you'd. 49 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:49.919 Want to rejoice, because that's what happens when your debt 50 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:52.240 is forgiven. That's what Jesus Christ did on the Cross. 51 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:54.919 He paid off the debt that I owed God. Colossians, 52 00:02:55.000 --> 00:03:00.280 chapter one, verse fourteen. God's son paid the price. God's 53 00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:04.120 son paid the price to free us, which means that 54 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:08.719 our sins are forgiven. Which sins are forgiven, all of them, 55 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:13.199 all of them, every single one of them. Just to 56 00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:15.800 have it all wiped off, to have your debt paid 57 00:03:15.800 --> 00:03:18.879 off by somebody else, that's an amazing thing that Jesus 58 00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:23.479 Christ did. Jesus wants to be your best friend. He's 59 00:03:23.560 --> 00:03:27.400 just paid off all your debt that you owed to God. 60 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:31.879 Now the Bible says this in Hebrews chapter ten, verse eighteen. 61 00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:36.599 Now that sins have been forgiven, there's no need to 62 00:03:36.759 --> 00:03:41.199 offer any more sacrifices. You know what your problem is. 63 00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:43.719 Your problem is you keep trying to pay for sins 64 00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:51.000 that have already been paid for. You keep trying to 65 00:03:51.039 --> 00:03:54.599 pay for sins in your life that have already been 66 00:03:54.599 --> 00:03:57.560 paid for. Jesus Christ paid for every sin you have 67 00:03:57.639 --> 00:04:00.240 ever committed and ever will. He's even paid for the 68 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:03.080 ones you haven't done yet, the ones you're gonna do 69 00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:06.960 next week, next year, and in ten years. When he 70 00:04:07.080 --> 00:04:09.439 paid on the cross for all the sins of humanity, 71 00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:11.479 he died for every one of them. There's not any 72 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:16.480 that's left out. But so many people go around carrying 73 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:21.399 unnatural guilt because they don't realize their sin has been forgiven. 74 00:04:21.720 --> 00:04:23.839 And in their mind, they're going, you know, maybe if 75 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:27.959 I just do this, then God will forgive me. Maybe 76 00:04:27.959 --> 00:04:31.279 if I do that, then God will forgive me. Maybe 77 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:33.839 if I'm good in this area, God will forgive me. 78 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:36.399 You're trying to pay for sins that have already been 79 00:04:36.439 --> 00:04:36.959 paid for. 80 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:40.879 They don't need to be paid for twice. 81 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:44.480 Jesus Christ paid for every stupid mistake I've made in life, 82 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:47.879 every stupid mistake you've made in life. Every sin, every error, 83 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:50.759 every fault, every weakness, you. 84 00:04:50.680 --> 00:04:53.000 Don't need to pay for them. That's good news. 85 00:04:53.240 --> 00:04:56.920 He paid off the debt that I owed God. There 86 00:04:57.000 --> 00:05:01.639 is nothing more you can do. There's nothing more you 87 00:05:01.639 --> 00:05:03.480 can do. It's not like, well, if I do this 88 00:05:03.480 --> 00:05:05.560 thing now, God's going to smile at me and he'll 89 00:05:05.600 --> 00:05:06.600 kind of even the score. 90 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:06.800 Here. 91 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:08.480 I did all this bad stuff. I gotta do this 92 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:11.600 good stuff to make it even. That's not in God's mind. 93 00:05:12.439 --> 00:05:15.839 There's nothing more you can do. It's already been paid for. 94 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:18.920 To tell us die, it is finished, paid in full. 95 00:05:20.959 --> 00:05:23.279 All your sins have been completely paid for, even the 96 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:26.720 future ones. All right, here's the fourth thing Jesus did 97 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:31.480 all right, fulfilled God's promises, satisfied God's justice, paid off 98 00:05:31.480 --> 00:05:34.279 the debt I owed God. Number four, he defeated. This 99 00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:36.639 is a big one. He defeated the fear of death 100 00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:41.839 on the cross. Jesus defeated the fear of death. And 101 00:05:41.879 --> 00:05:44.879 you know what, I've been in countries all around the world. 102 00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:48.600 You know what I've discovered. It's a universal fear. Everybody 103 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:50.959 has a fear of death. 104 00:05:51.399 --> 00:05:52.120 You ever want. 105 00:05:51.920 --> 00:05:55.600 To kill a conversation, invite some friends over to your 106 00:05:55.600 --> 00:05:57.480 house for our party and say, let's talk about death 107 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:02.639 and see how far that goes. This is a universal fear. 108 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:05.279 But when Jesus was on the cross, he broke the 109 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:08.800 fear of death and the power of death. The Bible 110 00:06:08.839 --> 00:06:12.560 says this Romans five, verse seventeen. The sin of one 111 00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:14.879 man Adam caused. 112 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:16.240 Death to rule over us. 113 00:06:16.519 --> 00:06:20.439 But all who received God's wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness, 114 00:06:20.439 --> 00:06:25.000 that's the gift of grace, will live in triumph over 115 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:30.920 sin and death. Through this one man, Jesus Christ, How 116 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:33.720 did he break the sin, the power of sin and 117 00:06:33.720 --> 00:06:36.519 death in our lives? Next verse Hebrews, Chapter two, verse 118 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:40.720 fourteen fifteen. Jesus became flesh and blood, became a human 119 00:06:40.759 --> 00:06:45.120 being by being born in human form. For only a 120 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:48.319 human being, as a human being, could he die. God 121 00:06:48.399 --> 00:06:50.720 can't die, so he had to come as a human being. 122 00:06:50.759 --> 00:06:53.040 Only as a human being could he die. And only 123 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:56.240 by dying could he break the power of the devil 124 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:01.519 who had the power of death. Only in this way 125 00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:05.240 could he deliver those who have lived all of their 126 00:07:05.399 --> 00:07:11.399 lives as slaves to the fear of dying. The only 127 00:07:11.480 --> 00:07:15.000 reason you know that there's life after death is because 128 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:18.720 Jesus Christ resurrected. If Jesus Christ had not resurrected, you'd 129 00:07:18.759 --> 00:07:21.839 just be guessing. You'd have no proof, you'd have no 130 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:23.240 knowledge that there's. 131 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:26.639 Anything at death. That's the end. It's over, you're done. 132 00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:29.879 The only reason you know today that there's life after 133 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:34.160 death is because Jesus Christ resurrected. Now, let me just 134 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:39.399 put this perspective. Nobody else is resurrected. Jesus Christ is 135 00:07:40.439 --> 00:07:42.720 a lot of times you read these books about people 136 00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:46.399 who die for a few hours and then they supposedly 137 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:49.600 go to heaven and then they come back and they 138 00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:53.199 come back to life. That's not a resurrection. That's a resuscitation. 139 00:07:55.199 --> 00:07:55.480 Okay. 140 00:07:55.720 --> 00:07:58.959 Resurrection means you're buried in the ground for three days, 141 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:02.639 you've been dead for three days, and now you're a 142 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:07.920 that's a resurrection. Nobody else is resurrected. And all those 143 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:09.480 books about going to heave and I Saw this and 144 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:10.759 all that and the bright light, you can just throw 145 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:13.560 them all away. Okay, you just throw them all away. 146 00:08:13.639 --> 00:08:16.879 Just trust this one right here, because there's only one 147 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:21.279 guy who's been resurrected. You can get resuscitated, you can 148 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:25.040 faint and I could resuscitate you. You can be in 149 00:08:25.079 --> 00:08:28.199 a coma and people get resuscitated all the time. Resurrection 150 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:36.120 means you've been dead for days, and only Jesus did that. Now, 151 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:38.279 this is, by the way, this whole thing here of 152 00:08:38.279 --> 00:08:41.200 defeating the fear of death. This is what Jesus, what 153 00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:45.360 baptism illustrates. You know, it's saddleback. We don't sprink gold, 154 00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:47.759 or we don't pour water on people. We actually put 155 00:08:47.799 --> 00:08:50.720 people under the water and bring them back up. 156 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:51.919 Why. 157 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:54.279 Well, in first place, the word baptizo and Greek means 158 00:08:54.320 --> 00:08:58.279 to immerse, that's what it means. But the second place, 159 00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:00.879 it's the only way that you could picture a death 160 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:05.720 and a burial and a resurrection. And the baptism represents 161 00:09:05.799 --> 00:09:08.720 Jesus dying, being buried in the ground and coming back 162 00:09:08.759 --> 00:09:12.360 to life. And Jesus baptism represents that you are going 163 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:14.440 to die and be buried in ground and come back 164 00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:16.679 to life because of what Jesus did on the cross. 165 00:09:17.159 --> 00:09:20.159 Here's what the Bible says Romans six, verse four. By 166 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:25.559 our baptism, then we were buried with him and shared 167 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:28.440 in his death in order that just as Christ was 168 00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:33.200 raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father. 169 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:38.080 Now there's the fifth reason that Jesus said it is finished, 170 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:40.559 and the fifth task that he finishes. This, this is 171 00:09:40.559 --> 00:09:43.720 a big one. He destroyed Satan's power to control me 172 00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:46.279 is a big one. 173 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:51.320 He destroyed Satan's power to control me. He did that 174 00:09:51.720 --> 00:09:55.399 on the cross, in the death of the Son of God. 175 00:09:55.519 --> 00:09:59.799 On the cross, there's a cosmic battle going on between 176 00:10:00.120 --> 00:10:03.639 good and evil, and from a human standpoint, when you 177 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:06.399 look at Jesus on the cross, it looks like evil's winning. 178 00:10:07.960 --> 00:10:10.120 It looks like evil is winning. It looked like Satan 179 00:10:10.120 --> 00:10:10.480 had won. 180 00:10:10.919 --> 00:10:14.679 And when Jesus gives up his spirit and dies, Satan 181 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:19.240 goes I did it, I won, I killed God. 182 00:10:19.480 --> 00:10:27.559 I won. But three days later, surprise, he's back on 183 00:10:27.759 --> 00:10:31.639 the cross. Jesus cries out, shouts out, it is finished. 184 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:34.799 Not I'm finished. It is finished. But three days later 185 00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:39.399 Satan's going uh oh, I'm finished. I'm finished. 186 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:54.519 Every year, Christians from all over the world remember the 187 00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:58.200 death and resurrection of Jesus Christ by traveling to Jerusalem, 188 00:10:58.519 --> 00:11:01.240 where they walk the path that Jesus took on the 189 00:11:01.240 --> 00:11:03.559 way to the cross. That path is called the Via 190 00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:06.480 Dola Rosa. Now, since you may not be able to 191 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:09.240 ever travel to Jerusalem. I want to suggest a way 192 00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:12.960 for you to celebrate and reflect on and pray about 193 00:11:13.000 --> 00:11:16.240 what Jesus did for you on the Cross. So I've 194 00:11:16.320 --> 00:11:19.679 created a brand new, one of a kind resource, Journey 195 00:11:19.679 --> 00:11:25.399 with Jesus, a deluxe hardcover gift edition book that's illustrated 196 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:30.120 with really beautiful, high quality glossy photos of mosaic tile 197 00:11:30.279 --> 00:11:34.840 artwork that reflect each of the stops that Jesus made on. 198 00:11:34.879 --> 00:11:37.919 His journey to the Cross. You're not ever going to 199 00:11:37.960 --> 00:11:38.759 forget this gift. 200 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:41.559 It's a great book to keep and to study over 201 00:11:41.639 --> 00:11:44.080 and over again, and it make a great gift for 202 00:11:44.200 --> 00:11:45.639 your family and your friends too. 203 00:11:47.240 --> 00:11:51.039 This one of a kind resources only available through Daily Hope. 204 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:54.200 Quantities are limited, so be sure to get yours today. 205 00:11:54.679 --> 00:11:57.879 Just call eight four four four six seven thirty nine 206 00:11:57.960 --> 00:12:11.200 hundred or visit Daily Hope dot com to get yours today. 207 00:12:11.360 --> 00:12:12.559 Now, let me be frank with you. 208 00:12:13.159 --> 00:12:15.519 If you don't know Jesus Christ, if you don't have 209 00:12:15.679 --> 00:12:20.039 his spirit in your life, you were flat out powerless 210 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:24.000 against Satan's traps and tricks. You don't have any power 211 00:12:24.039 --> 00:12:27.080 at all. You have no power against Satan. You have 212 00:12:27.159 --> 00:12:29.840 no power against evil if you don't have God's spirit 213 00:12:29.879 --> 00:12:31.159 in your life. Now the Bible says, I you have 214 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:32.919 God's spirit, greater is he that is in you than 215 00:12:32.919 --> 00:12:35.159 he that is in the world. But you don't have 216 00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:38.279 any of that power unless you get God's spirit inside you. 217 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:43.840 How does Satan manipulate you. He manipulates you through thoughts. 218 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:47.840 He manipulates you through suggestions, and his two favorite ways 219 00:12:47.879 --> 00:12:55.080 to manipulate you are by temptation and by condemnation. Temptation condemnation. 220 00:12:55.320 --> 00:12:56.720 What he does is he tempts you. He goes, this 221 00:12:56.759 --> 00:12:59.320 is no big deal, everybody's doing it. Go ahead and 222 00:12:59.320 --> 00:13:03.279 do it, and he minimizes a sin of rebellion. Before 223 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:07.080 the moment you do it, he maximizes, go well, God's 224 00:13:07.120 --> 00:13:08.200 never going to love you again. 225 00:13:08.360 --> 00:13:11.559 Forget that, You're going to hell. Forget that, and on 226 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:12.320 and on and. 227 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:17.120 So he maximizes the consequences He minimizes up before you 228 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:23.240 do it, temptation and condemnation. Now, notice what Jesus did 229 00:13:23.240 --> 00:13:26.480 in these verses. Jesus destroyed first the power of temptation 230 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:30.279 Colaussians one thirteen. God has freed us from the power 231 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:35.120 of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his 232 00:13:35.240 --> 00:13:38.720 dear son. He destroys that power. Second, he destroys satan 233 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:42.159 power to accuse you. Satan can't condemn you anymore. Why, 234 00:13:42.159 --> 00:13:45.440 because you're completely forgiven. If God's forgiven you, God likes you, 235 00:13:45.480 --> 00:13:49.759 and you like you. Satan's got a problem Calausians two fifteen. 236 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:53.039 God took away Satan's power to accuse you of sin. 237 00:13:53.639 --> 00:13:56.720 He can't accuse you anymore, and he openly displays the 238 00:13:56.720 --> 00:14:00.679 whole world christ triumph at the Cross, where your sins 239 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:04.960 were all taken away. The Cross was God's fatal blow 240 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:08.559 to evil. The Cross was God's fatal blow to Satan. 241 00:14:08.559 --> 00:14:12.080 He didn't even know what was going on. He lost 242 00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:12.600 his power. 243 00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:15.440 You say, it seems to me that Satan's got a 244 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:18.519 lot of power today. Satan is living on borrowed time. 245 00:14:19.799 --> 00:14:22.879 His days are numbered. You know, if you got the 246 00:14:22.919 --> 00:14:25.120 desert and you see a rattlesnake or any kind of stay, 247 00:14:25.320 --> 00:14:26.759 and you cut off the head of a snake, the 248 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:29.679 snake will still wiggle for a while. He's dead and 249 00:14:29.720 --> 00:14:33.320 doesn't know it. Satan is dead and doesn't know it. 250 00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:38.080 He was fatally wounded at the Cross. His days are numbered. 251 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:40.960 He's dead and no, no, no, he's cooked. And if you 252 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:44.840 have accepted God's spirit into your life inside you, Satan 253 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:49.720 only has power that you yield to him. He don't 254 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:51.639 have any power over you if you don't yield it. 255 00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:55.360 But if you yield him power, how do you yield. 256 00:14:55.200 --> 00:14:56.320 Him aout through fear. 257 00:14:57.879 --> 00:15:02.639 That yields power to say, through bitterness, through anxiety to 258 00:15:02.679 --> 00:15:05.080 give it into temptation. Yeah, you can yield power to say, 259 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:08.240 but he doesn't have any power over you unless you yield. 260 00:15:08.039 --> 00:15:08.559 It to him. 261 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:14.919 Because Jesus destroyed his power to control me on the cross. Okay, 262 00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:18.720 let me summarize this. When Jesus dies on the cross 263 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:20.480 and he says to tell us die, it is finished, 264 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:25.240 she's saying, I fulfilled all of God's promises. I satisfied 265 00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:29.080 God's judgment, so you don't have to pay, you know, 266 00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:32.480 go to prison. I paid off the debt that you 267 00:15:32.519 --> 00:15:35.559 owed God. I defeated the fear of death. You don't 268 00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:37.639 have to be afraid. I'm not afraid to die. I 269 00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:41.519 know where I'm going. He destroyed Satan's power to control you. 270 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:46.559 All five of these benefits are potentially yours. They're not 271 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:50.559 yours yet they're potentially yours. You just need to accept them. 272 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:54.279 You need to accept these five benefits. Now, you know, 273 00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:57.759 I've been a pastor a long time, and I've actually 274 00:15:57.799 --> 00:16:00.440 talked to a lot of people who hesitate to accept 275 00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:03.279 God's gift of what Jesus did on the Cross out 276 00:16:03.320 --> 00:16:08.200 of fear. And the fear is well, I'm afraid that 277 00:16:08.279 --> 00:16:11.240 if I accept the Lord into my life. I won't 278 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:14.600 be able to keep myself saved. Let me tell you can't. 279 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:18.360 You can't keep yourself safe. But it's not your job. 280 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:22.840 That's his job too. There's nothing left for you to do. 281 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:25.559 It's not your job. It's job God's job to keep 282 00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:29.240 you saved. Look at what the Bible says this verse Philippians, 283 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:32.600 Chapter one, verse six. You can be certain this is 284 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:35.440 not a wish. This is a certainty. You can be 285 00:16:35.559 --> 00:16:39.039 certain of this. God who began his good work within you, 286 00:16:39.320 --> 00:16:43.840 will continue his work in you until it is finally finished. 287 00:16:43.879 --> 00:16:46.960 To tell us, diy finally finished. On that day when 288 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:51.320 Christ comes back again, God finishes every single thing he starts, 289 00:16:51.399 --> 00:16:57.039 including your salvation. That's included too. Now let me just 290 00:16:57.080 --> 00:17:01.200 say this, The fact of life is you're gonna die 291 00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:04.480 with some unfinished business. There's gonna be some things you 292 00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:06.599 wish you'd done with your life that you didn't get done. 293 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:10.039 You're gonna have some regrets, some remorse. Not everything's gonna 294 00:17:10.039 --> 00:17:13.640 get done. But there's one thing in your life, and 295 00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:16.880 it's the most important thing that has already been finished. 296 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:22.519 It is your salvation, because it was done two thousand 297 00:17:22.599 --> 00:17:26.640 years ago. Ephesians two, verse eight says this saving being 298 00:17:26.680 --> 00:17:29.920 saved is all his idea, God's idea, and it's all 299 00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:32.039 his work. You don't work for it. It's all God's work. 300 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:35.720 Jesus did it on the cross. Saving is all his idea, 301 00:17:35.799 --> 00:17:39.400 all his work. All we do is trust him. All 302 00:17:39.400 --> 00:17:40.799 we do is trust him enough to. 303 00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:42.319 Let him do it. 304 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:47.039 It's God's gift from start to finish. Do you see 305 00:17:47.119 --> 00:17:49.079 now why I call this bessies. There's nothing more for 306 00:17:49.160 --> 00:17:53.200 you to do. There's nothing more for you to do. 307 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:55.880 I mean, what if I took a paint brush and 308 00:17:55.960 --> 00:18:00.000 I tried to improve the Mona Lisa, It'd be stupid. 309 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:03.160 But what if I took a chisel and tried to 310 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:05.680 improve Michelangelo's statue of David? 311 00:18:06.359 --> 00:18:08.559 It'd be stupid. 312 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:11.519 What if I try to add to my salvation and 313 00:18:11.599 --> 00:18:13.680 make myself saved by all the good things I do. 314 00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:14.839 It would be stupid. 315 00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:18.400 It's the same thing. You can add anything to it. 316 00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:21.799 See what I'm saying is the difference between Christianity and 317 00:18:21.880 --> 00:18:24.720 every other faith, every other faith, is the difference between 318 00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:28.920 do and done. All the other religions have a list 319 00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:30.640 of dues, and they've all got their list of dues 320 00:18:30.680 --> 00:18:32.960 and don'ts, and even their secular religions that their dues 321 00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:35.960 and don'ts in political correctness. And you do all these things, 322 00:18:36.039 --> 00:18:37.400 and you don't do all these things. 323 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:39.960 But when it comes. 324 00:18:39.799 --> 00:18:43.960 To a relationship with Christ, it's all been done, all 325 00:18:43.960 --> 00:18:47.920 been done, And never forget. Many years ago, a guy 326 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:50.839 up here on the patio after service came up to 327 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:55.200 me and he goes, Pastor Rick, tell me what do 328 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:59.240 I need to do to go to heaven? What do 329 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:02.839 I need to do to go to heaven? And I 330 00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:04.960 looked at him and I just wanted to shock him, 331 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:11.839 and I said, you're too late. He wasn't expecting this 332 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:16.559 from a pastor. Okay, I know you're too late. Oh 333 00:19:16.599 --> 00:19:19.640 come on, tell me what I gotta do. You're too late? 334 00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:22.519 So what do you mean you're too late. There's nothing 335 00:19:22.599 --> 00:19:25.039 left you can do. It was all done for you 336 00:19:25.039 --> 00:19:28.480 two thousand years ago to tell us die. It is finished. 337 00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:33.440 It's finished. There's nothing left for you to do. You 338 00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:36.359 can't add anything to it. You can't make the Mona 339 00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:41.079 Lisa look better. If you've ever bought an insurance policy, 340 00:19:42.839 --> 00:19:45.519 you know there's a section called death benefits, and in 341 00:19:45.519 --> 00:19:47.799 that section it lists this is what's gonna happen when 342 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:50.319 the person dies, the benefits that you get out of 343 00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:53.160 this policy. I have just given you the death benefits 344 00:19:53.599 --> 00:19:57.759 of the death of Jesus Christ past forgiven purpose for 345 00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:02.079 living home in heaven. Ask forgiven purpose for living home 346 00:20:02.079 --> 00:20:04.400 in heaven. Where are you gonna get that from anybody else? 347 00:20:04.640 --> 00:20:09.880 There is no other place. There's no other place. You 348 00:20:10.039 --> 00:20:13.759 need to stop trying to pay for sins that have 349 00:20:13.799 --> 00:20:17.319 already been paid for. You need to stop beating yourself 350 00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:22.240 up trying to atone for your own sins. You can 351 00:20:22.279 --> 00:20:25.200 stop hanging yourself on a cross, because Jesus was hung 352 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:26.359 on across for you. 353 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:31.039 He was hung up for your hang ups. All you 354 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:35.079 gotta do is just accepted there is nothing more for 355 00:20:35.160 --> 00:20:36.200 you to do. 356 00:20:37.240 --> 00:20:44.680 Let's bower heads, would you pray this simple prayer in 357 00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:49.319 humility and in honesty and authenticity to God. It actually 358 00:20:49.319 --> 00:20:51.559 doesn't even matter the words you say as much as 359 00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:56.880 your attitude of humility and authenticity. But just say something 360 00:20:56.920 --> 00:20:59.680 that say, Jesus Christ, thank you for dying for me. 361 00:21:00.039 --> 00:21:02.000 Say it in your mind. Jesus Christ, thank you for 362 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:07.160 dying for me. Thank you that you paid off the 363 00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:13.839 debt that I owed God. Thank you that you satisfied justice. 364 00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:17.279 It's not fair for me to go free. I should 365 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:21.400 have to pay for my sins, but you paid for them. 366 00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:28.200 You satisfied God's justice. Thank you for keeping your promise. 367 00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:30.680 God. 368 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:32.880 Thank you for sending a savior to earth because I 369 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:38.559 certainly can't save myself. Thank you for defeating the fear 370 00:21:38.599 --> 00:21:41.799 of death that I can know there's life after death 371 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:48.200 because Jesus resurrected. And thank you that you destroyed Satan's 372 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:51.440 power to control me. I don't want to be controlled 373 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:57.359 by evil. I want to be controlled by good. So 374 00:21:57.400 --> 00:22:04.160 as much as I know how, I humbly say I 375 00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:10.759 believe in you. I accept your gift, and I want 376 00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:12.319 to spend the rest of my life just. 377 00:22:12.279 --> 00:22:15.839 Getting to know you and learning to love you. 378 00:22:17.279 --> 00:22:21.400 And being grateful for what you did for me that 379 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:24.960 I could not do for myself. Thank you that you 380 00:22:25.079 --> 00:22:32.000 love me that much. I humbly pray this in your name. 381 00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:33.960 Amen. 382 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:51.759 One of the greatest joys of my days reading letters 383 00:22:51.759 --> 00:22:55.519 from our listeners. It truly is inspiring to see how 384 00:22:55.519 --> 00:22:58.759 God is working in your lives, and it encourages me 385 00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:02.920 just as much as I hope to encourage you. So 386 00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:05.680 today I want to share a note from Heather, who 387 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:09.759 has been discovering the incredible benefits of studying God's Word 388 00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:12.880 every day. Heather wrote to me, she said, Hi, Pastor Rick, 389 00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:16.720 a friend of mine recently sent me your podcast, and 390 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:19.440 I've been feeling lost and helpless and I didn't I 391 00:23:19.480 --> 00:23:21.240 wasn't sure what to pray, or how to pray, or 392 00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:23.200 when to pray. And it's like I hit a wall 393 00:23:23.640 --> 00:23:26.720 and I haven't been sure how to get back on track. Well, 394 00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:31.279 your message really spoke truth to me, and it made 395 00:23:31.279 --> 00:23:35.079 me realize the missing pieces I had in my life. 396 00:23:35.559 --> 00:23:39.200 Because I was not in God's Word daily. I was 397 00:23:39.240 --> 00:23:41.720 basically living my life without God and I was trying 398 00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:42.759 to do everything on my own. 399 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:44.720 Well, Pastor Rick. 400 00:23:44.599 --> 00:23:47.119 It goes without saying that doing life without God has 401 00:23:47.160 --> 00:23:51.359