Just When you Thought it Was Over | Jack Hibbs Special
Just When you Thought it Was Over
We are in Romans chapter seven verses 7-12 and uh a brief portion powerful portion.
But we’re looking at a message titled just when you thought it was over, Just when you thought it was over Is the title of her message Romans seven verse 7-12 and our scripture reading is here and I’ll pick up the adverse and you guys know what to do with the even numbered verses.
What shall we say then is the law sin?
Certainly not on the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law for I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, you shall not covet.
Yeah, I was alive once says the apostle paul, listen to this.
I was alive once without the law.
But when the commandment came, sin revived and I died for sin taking occasion by the commandment deceived me and by it killed me slowly father, we pray in jesus name that you would bless the going forth of your word.
And we ask it now in the glorious, wonderful, awesome eternal name of jesus and all God’s people said amen you may be seated church and by way of introduction.
This is some years ago now where I had the honor and the opportunity to uh be part of a team of pastors.
It was pastor john miller uh and pastor john Courson, anybody remember pastor Jon Carson uh and myself and we were leading a host uh on a trip on the footsteps of the Apostle paul Tour through uh the mediterranean.
And so we had left Los Angeles, we had flown to Rome where we got our connection and the tour was to begin in Athens.
And so as we were uh taking off, we we got on the plane, everything was fine.
We were, I think if I remember right, it was olympic air, the national airline of of Greece.
And so we took off from Rome and uh we noticed that when we got up it was a little bit bumpy, but it’s just kind of normal, there was just some turbulence.
Um and then as as we were going along and as we reached uh and got over Greece uh the turbulence really began to get intense.
And I remember because of what was transpiring, I remember exactly where I was sitting.
I remember that one seat ahead of me on the aisle with his legs stretched out because he was, he’s a big guy is john Courson.
Uh And then in front of me was a guy by the name of bob who was a ups freight airline captain.
And we had another captain on the tour from from Delta Airlines.
And I want to read to you uh what was going on and it makes sense to you in a moment that just after takeoff we had encountered light turbulence and that’s not uncommon.
It was summer in the mediterranean, but it began to get even more bumpy and then we knew and I remember hearing that we were 100 miles out from Athens, the pilot announced and he said we’ll soon begin our descent into Athens.
And just when you thought it was over the title of this message, we ran into what is called moderate chop.
If you’re a pilot, if you’ve studied anything like that, you know what that is?
It’s it’s definitely keeps you in your seat, I’ll tell you that.
Uh and then that increased to what is called moderate turbulence and that’s that’s intense uh stuff’s flying around inside the plane and people are hanging on.
And I remember looking over at john Courson and he’s got a hold of the seat in front of him and he’s praying that’s how bad it was.
People are crying, there’s a little bit of screams up and down when the plane would just drop.
And um I remember the two pilots who were separated began to talk to each other and and I have this uh the delta, the delta pilots said to the ups pilot not good, not good.
This is not good. The UPS pilot answered to Delta saying he needs to reduce our airspeed before he breaks this thing up.
That’s when I knew we were gonna die.
And the reason why I listen, the point is a set up for all of you is I got my pilot’s license in 1982 and I knew just enough to know that when you get into turbulence, you pull back on the throttle, you slow your plane down because you can stress the airframe and once you stress the airframe, the plane begins to break apart in flight, you never want to do that.
That’s why the one pilot said to the other, he needs to reduce the airspeed because the plane would fall apart and these guys, they knew too much.
I knew a little bit, but all of us combined knew enough. It ain’t good.
And that pilot of that airline put the plane into a nosedive and I don’t know how we landed.
But let me tell you something.
Normally in America, when you land in the United States, you kissed the ground your back home on.
I’ve never been to Greece before, but we were kissing Greece because we couldn’t believe we survived that.
And the whole thing was I knew enough just enough to know this wasn’t good.
I knew more than the average person on the plane.
But those two captains knew the most and they were terrified when you see somebody who’s so skilled at what they do, terrified at what’s going on around them in their career, not a good thing.
It’s like a ship captain saying, oh no, you don’t want to hear that and that kind of thinking you’ve got paul the apostle who is the man of such great esteem, if you think of him and remember him as saul of tarsus and we’ll talk more about his former career in a moment, but he knew enough about the law, He was an expert in the law and he had been hearing about this sect called the way anybody remember what the way was we called the way 1st Century Church.
Now today Christians both of them were slang words by the way.
Both of those identification points were marks of insult.
Well look there of the way, because jesus, they were the followers of jesus and the roman empire had heard that jesus is the way, so they made fun of us.
And then in anti ock in Syria they began to announce that these people who are of the way were called christians, they called us christians then and so Saul of Tarsus who was the great rabbi.
Uh not yet a christian was making fun and attacking and going after those who were of the way those who were christians.
But the strange thing was, the predominant population of Christianity originally were jews and then they preached and shared, but nobody would really listen and large in the roman empire, but slaves.
So the church was a weird uh, what’s the word amalgamation or a homogeneous gathering.
It was jews predominantly, but a growing number of slaves and then the slaves and the jews loved each other uh, in christ and that began to catch fire and even the roman empire.
And one of the great caesar’s had announced, we don’t understand, listen, we don’t understand these atheists, but we know this, they love one another.
They called us atheist because we believed in one god. They believed in all kinds of gods.
But they turned us as atheist, we believed in one god.
We view the term atheist today as no god, right?
They saw us as a quirky group of people who believed in only one god.
But boy, they sure do love each other regardless of their status and income and color and nationality, they sure love each other.
And Paul began his career of persecuting Christians or Saul and that gives us a little bit of background as to where we’re going.
He now in Chapter seven begins to reveal himself to us both of his past and his present, a pre christian and a christian saul of Tarsus, otherwise known to us as paul the apostle.
So church mark it down if you would. Our first argument is this when you thought it was over.
When you thought the turbulence was over. This is when things began to happen.
And verse seven teaches us that the truth strikes you at the core, Can you write that down, please?
You’re gonna want to know more about this. The truth strikes you at the core.
Just when you thought it was over, maybe just when you thought you had your world put together, just when you thought you had enough zeros behind your bank account just when you thought you were uh now live in large and successful, something happens.
And it happens to every single one of us, no matter who you might be in life.
And that is that the truth shakes you at your core, life happens.
And the first thing that we see is that truth is factual. Can you write that down?
We need to hear this. People. You say, man, this is redundant. If it’s redundant.
It’s because thank God, you know the truth.
But a lot of people today in our world, truth, what is truth? They’re asking again after 2000 years.
The question is being asked again, what is truth? Because I’ve got my truth. What’s yours? I had somebody.
Well I watched somebody. I said I said I had somebody because I got in an argument with them.
But the problem was I was in my living room and they were on the news on tv.
They couldn’t hear, they couldn’t hear a word I was saying to them.
But this person was arguing on the news about there’s certain situation and she said this is why I want to receive some sort of subsidy because this is my truth.
And it was absolutely insane what she was arguing.
And so I tried to inform her again as she couldn’t hear a word I said.
But you can’t make up your truth.
I mean you can but it is with eternal peril that you make up your truth.
But the fact is that truth is factual. It doesn’t change.
It doesn’t move and we learn in verse seven, where the bible says, what shall we say then is the law sin?
Certainly not on the contrary.
Now, when your margins write this down, paul was being attacked because they said the the Judah Iser said, paul is insane.
He’s lost his mind. He’s saying that as a christian, you can live any kind of life you want, you’re free, you’re free from the law.
You enjoy God and live as you please. Martin Luther said the same thing.
The great reformer, Augustine said the same thing.
We covered this in some chapters earlier, but it comes back to us again and it stumbles.
People paul was saying, get away from the law, understand what it’s all about, but get away from it.
You need to understand something about the law.
And when paul began to explain what the power of the law was, you were set free.
But those who did not want to get away from legalism and the law and those who wanted to understand God’s law through.
Listen, Judaism, that is the teaching, the traditions of men, are you hearing me?
Because it’s certainly not what Isaiah taught. It’s certainly not what Jeremiah taught.
It’s not what moses taught that if you keep these rules and regulations.
In fact, there’s not enough. We’re gonna add more to them.
If you do all of these things, then you’ll be right with God.
But in all of their legalism, they truly do not offer any plan of salvation?
You need to know that, by the way, Legalism never offers a plan of salvation.
It’s just tyranny draped in religion, which in my opinion is probably the worst.
And um paul is saying you need to be free from the law.
And so they thought that he was telling people that you can go send up a storm.
Did paul ever say go send up a storm?
No, See, listen, just the fact alone of that announcement, which is 100% biblically true, draws a line right down the middle, so to speak, of this sanctuary boom, like an earthquake fault right down the middle.
Because there’ll be some people who will say, man, if you don’t have rules and regulations and somebody watching over you and a and a short leash on your neck, you’re gonna wind up getting in trouble.
So you need us to control you. You know what, you’re lost in legalism.
But to the person who understands that christ fulfilled the law and that christ in us by the power of the Holy Spirit puts a love in our life for the law, knowing that in our flesh, we can’t fulfill it, but we go for it 100% every day that we actually get more in tune with the law, even though we don’t have to keep it compared to those who think they have to keep it never even get close to it.
Why? Because they’ve got no power of the holy spirit in them. Does that make sense?
This is very, very important. It’s it’s deep stuff, but it’s mandatory for us to be believers.
What shall we say then? Well the meaning is this we are going to without apology, paul is teaching with complete and total surrender.
We offer ourselves to the truth. It is the surrendering to the truth and the truth.
The fact is christ has died for us and that death by christ has liberated us even from the law, there’s a reason for the law, we’re gonna talk about that, but this is so vitally important.
I wrote myself a note that we need to be careful and you’ve heard me say this before, but we need to be careful to not talk christian ease in front of an unbelieving world or or in front of unbelievers.
We need to stop talking christian ease in the world when when you and I are in the world and we say things like and I wrote them down when we say things like jesus saves you, understand that people don’t know what in the world you’re talking about, praise the Lord, They don’t they think you’re nuts.
My car, my car just blew up, praise the Lord, jesus is in control?
Well you understand if you’re not a christian, you’re thinking if that’s if that’s the way he controls things who wants them, you know why people come away with that because we’re talking christian ease, you can only say that self, that stuff to believers.
We only understand each other that way. You can’t do that.
So when you tell somebody, oh we don’t have to keep the law. We’re christians. They think you’re nuts.
They think that you’re some sort of renegade.
And so jews pushback from us as believers, Muslims pushback from us as believers because they think we’re crazy.
They don’t understand unless we get to the point And that’s what Paul is doing in Romans chapter seven.
And in a lot of ways Romans Chapter seven, the entire chapter.
It’s almost like reading the diary of his. It’s extremely personal.
We would say that we would be following God as a believer when he says, what shall we say then?
Is sin or is the law sin? Absolutely certainly not. The word has perish the thought.
There’s no way that you can even think that way.
We are actually without easy detection giving incredible honor and glory to the law.
First Corinthians chapter two verse six. Watch this. However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature.
That’s what we’re doing right now. I’ve been told listen, keep that verse up.
I’ve been told this that if I would change the way that I teach on Sundays and just leave it to Wednesdays and if I taught shorter and lighter messages, the church would grow now there’s a couple of seats left.
I can see around here, but some of you had to walk far just to park your car to get here.
So do I want the church to grow? For what reason? Numbers?
No, we want to grow deep. The word is mature.
You understand, we want to know what it is that we believe.
We want to know why we believe it and how to do it once we know it.
It’s called being Are you ready for it? Hang on, wait for it. It’s called being a disciple.
That’s what every church on every corner is supposed to do in the entire world is make disciples.
However, we speak the wisdom of God among those who are mature yet not the wisdom of this age nor of the rulers of this age.
We don’t talk like the world who are coming to nothing, but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery.
In other words. If the Holy Spirit is not illuminating you, you don’t understand the truth of God.
The hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory verse eight, which none of the rulers of this age knew for had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory verse 14.
But the natural man does not receive the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness to him nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned that brilliant or what?
It’s 100% true. What did I just read? Pure fact.
There are people that, you know, that are religious, but they can’t make one iota sense of the bible when they read it.
But they’re very religious. They might even be more faithful to going to their church than you are.
But they don’t understand. And you ask them simple basic questions and they don’t know how to answer.
No. Listen, the fact of the matter is God’s revelation to us and his truth to us.
The fact of the matter is that he speaks to the believer, his Children, us his truth.
And it’s remarkable the law is truth and all truth.
I have to say it this way in this world. All true truth is of God. Isn’t that sad?
That’s sad. I just had to say that. Of course you say, Jack, that’s redundant.
You can’t repeat that because truth is truth. Yeah, I know. I know.
But we got a bunch of crazies running around saying that there’s new truth.
There’s truth that’s hasn’t been known before now. It’s known to us over here.
No, if it’s truth, it’s of God and that is true in all areas of reality.
That’s why the God of creation science and the God of the bible is the same God and he never contradicts himself.
I love that about him. So the word certainly when he says certainly not the word simply means this.
And we remember this from previous chapters.
Uh, never think it or are allowed to come into your, into your being.
Uh, this will never happen, perish the thought. But look at also in verse seven, truth is surgical.
Truth is very surgical and you appreciate that. By the way, truth is surgical. Look at verse seven continues.
I would not have known sin except through the law. How did you ever listen, paul is saying?
How did you ever or how did I ever come to the knowledge that I needed jesus christ as my lord and savior?
The truth of the matter is there was the law of God that busted you and I, that’s how you and I know listen, you can’t, you can’t go to a church service or a christian gathering among believers and feel that it’s a neat gathering of people who, what are your conclusions?
Hey, I feel safe around these people. That’s nice. I don’t think anyone’s out to scam me. Well, that’s nice.
Um, they’re very moral. Well, that’s nice. Um, I’d like to hang around them more often.
They’re better than hanging around the people of the world. Well, thank you for noticing.
But if that’s your reason for being in association with Christianity, just know this for the record.
You’re almost a christian, but you’re not true Biblical Christianity, the way that we live out our lives is very commendable if we live a christian life that honors jesus.
People would want us as their neighbor. You ever had a bad neighbor?
We had a completely quiet neighborhood for 35 years until a couple of days ago and new neighbors moved in and they let us know it until about 3:00 this morning when they turned the music off and I had dawned on me, I should have been praying when that house is up for sale.
God, when we live our lives we should be noticeable to the world and the world can even get closer and say you guys, you guys are doing a good job.
But listen, why don’t you join us now? You see? Because truth is surgical.
It doesn’t allow for us to play in the peripheral.
I had somebody literally admit to me honestly, without even cringing without even realizing they were what they were saying to me, They said hi pastor.
Yeah, I believe in God. I must confess, I go to church at christmas and easter and you know the famous those are chris tress, right?
But they were so innocent about their godless life and I don’t mean godless that they’re mean and ugly.
I mean godless that God is not an active part of their living that they admitted I’m I I go two Sundays a year but just understand something going to church.
Like the old saying goes, going to church doesn’t make you a christian just like going to Krispy Kreme makes you a donut?
I was gonna say Windchills remember that. But what is the wind chills.
The young people don’t know what Winchell’s is. Krispy Kreme. They live there.
So, but it’s it’s the truth is surgical.
When when the truth is given, it always dives in and paul says, I wouldn’t even known about sin except for the law or through the law.
The law points out sin. Can you all write that down if you forget everything today?
The law of God was given to point out sin.
Friends listen, the law of God was not given to save your soul. It can’t do it.
Legalism cannot save you Christianity without a biblical definition cannot save you Pastor.
I’ve been a member of this denomination for 50 years.
Well, good for them, not for you because that cannot save you.
You have to that personal relationship with the Lord, jesus christ.
Because everything that God does, can I put it this way is like a surgical strike, surgical strike.
We use that term in military and most specifically in in uh, an air force or bombing.
Because if you are, if you deliver a surgical strike, it means that all collateral damage is pretty much minimized.
And you got your target because it was a pinpoint drop to the issue.
And when God speaks, he doesn’t throw as it were, as a strewn of flowers over all of us.
And and say welcome to the kingdom God has worked in our lives with a dagger as it were.
He cut us. Let’s be honest. He cut us and we bled.
And for many of us we blood in some way where it’s like, what is this?
What is happening to me? That this God that I’m not even sure exists, has laid me open.
And he’s convicting me. He’s telling me. And I don’t even know anything about the bible.
And he’s telling me I can’t sleep with her anymore. I can’t treat my parents like this anymore.
Or my Children or my fill in the blank. Are you are you hearing me?
It’s a surgical strike by the Holy Spirit.
If you know the Lord like paul is talking about God moves in surgical strikes.
And listen, you can choose right now today to run from him.
You can go, you can get right up off the operating table and run. You’re free to run.
Or you can hang on with terror and say cut away. Yes, Amen.
Have your way with me.
Almighty God, let your truth be surgically applied to my life and go down deep and you know that when a doctor is digging around, they’ll go down deep and often what they do hurts more than the accident that cause the situation.
Why? Because they want to fix it all. They want to get it all. People who have had skin cancer.
What do the doctors do? They cut out your skin cancer? No, they don’t.
They cut out your skin cancer and more. Why? Why to be safe?
They say things like this are the margins clear.
Well, I I believe in God, but I live like this and I do my thing and then I can.
But I believe in God. Listen, you have cancer. You still have cancer.
You need a surgical strike. By God. The word in the greek here, no, is gone.
So it’s a very familiar word.
The word means to come to the place of being able to recognize, perceived, become aware of to understand what was previously not understood very powerful reality that causes sin to become obviously wrong.
You may have come in here today and your whole concept was of the world.
I get it. We all get it. It’s like I’m okay. I’m fine.
But already I’ve mentioned something that the spirit of God did he not strike you?
Maybe someone either hear somebody watching right now? That he cut you. And you didn’t like what I said.
Listen, you can be mad at me all you want. You’re just wasting your time. I’m only the messenger.
I didn’t write this right? Your battles with God. Not with me.
You can turn the channel or you can get up and walk out.
But just know your battle is not with me.
The book of Hebrews chapter four verse 12 says this for the word of God is living and powerful.
Is that pretty scary To hear the word of God.
The bible is living and powerful people today, we need to defend the bible.
I hear it all the time, Christianity’s perishing in America. We’ve got to defend the word of God.
Are you seriously? Really? You think so?
That’s like having a lion in a cage. You don’t defend the lion.
You let it go. You wanna see something happen, open the door and the bible is like a lion.
You have to defend a lion. Turn the thing loose.
You want to fix your home, You want to fix your marriage, your state, your nation.
Let the bible loose. The word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword.
Sounds like a doctor piercing even to the division of the soul and spirit.
That sounds surgical to me and of the joints and the marrow and is a discern er of the thoughts and the intents of the heart and there is no creature hidden from his sight.
But all things are naked and open to the eyes of him To whom we must give an account, wow!
That should cause you and I to tremble. I’ve been a Christian for almost 50 years, 40 something I forget.
I don’t since 1977. You do the math long time in the word and I read that and it’s terrifying.
He knows the motives of why we do what we do, why we say what we say.
Here’s a goofy illustration when someone’s walking around thinking that they’re fine and they’re not aware of the law, They’re not aware that the losses thou shalt not and they are doing that thing and they feel a little tickle on the back of their neck.
It’s like, what is something I could hm I thought something was on my neck.
And then you know, a few minutes goes by and you feel something right?
And then you reach back there and then you feel this huge spider crawling up on your finger.
What do you do? Do you just go, oh here you go.
There you go, Hey, how are you? How you doing? Is that how you act?
Is that how you react? Why is it that a £200 human being has a spider the size of a peanut on my I mean not a peanut peanut.
That’s justifiable. I’m talking about the peanut that you eat part a little tiny thing.
How can a person jump and run and jump around like a freak?
Like my pants are on fire because I realized there was there’s a spider on me.
He said, Jack, what’s what’s the connection walking along? Just fine revelation comes from the law.
You can’t do this And you freak out.
He said hello and now I’m busted, The law comes and the law exposes and it cuts me open and it tells me I’m wrong and I need christ acts.
Chapter two verse 37 X to 37 says now when they heard this, that is the preaching of the Gospel.
They were cut to the heart and said to Peter into the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do then Peter said to them, I love this.
Are you guys all awake?
Peter said to them, Did you know this next word in a lot of churches?
The ministers of those denominations are not allowed to say this next word.
Peter said to them, the first word of the Gospel, meta Noia repent.
That means change your mind. That’s what the word means.
I don’t know what you think the word repent meant, but it means change your mind about that.
It’s when used in a nautical term.
It means turn your ship around 180°. You’re gonna hit the rocks, turn around and let every one of you be baptized in the name of jesus christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
It all begins with repentance. The word that nobody is supposed to mention today in church.
This is how you destroy church.
Attendance is using the word repentance means change your mind and I would just submit to you today.
How awesome in relevant. The bible is always when the bible says repent and believe in the Lord, jesus christ translation, stop believing in yourself and your ability to save yourself and the ability for self resource and self reformation and self preservation.
It means to do the opposite of those things? It means to come and realize that you can’t preserve yourself.
That everything that you’ve done to shore up your life is starting to crumble like the waves on the shore things are coming down and God with a surgical strike is moving in your life to bring you to a place of decision.
I need to change my mind.
It’s amazing to see the word except I wouldn’t have known.
He says sin except the word except means exclusively or from one source.
There’s only one source uniquely limited to to reveal to us truth.
Everybody listen, it’s the bible, it’s not some philosophy. It’s not some psychology, it’s not some guru.
It’s not some uh what did colorado just pass a new law? Mushroom law? Is it colorado?
Is that the mushroom state now? Yeah, mira, what’s it called?
I said maranatha, which means the Lord comes.
Hopefully that was a divine slip of the tongue in colorado.
They got bored with their marijuana laws and gee shocker. They’ve got to turn it up more.
And so they just passed their mushroom law.
You can get stoned on mushrooms all over the state of colorado.
What are they gonna do when they run out of mushrooms?
Oh we’re gonna pass the asset law. Why does this happen?
Listen, why is it, why does it go this way? It always goes this way. Why?
Because the depravity of man, the evil heart of man and God’s word stands there and it and it has always stood there and it says, listen, you better be careful what you think and do and allow you allow your mind to think because it turns into doing you better get those thoughts under control because if you don’t, they’re gonna come out and when they come out and you keep doing them, you’re gonna darken your mind even more until you’ve darkened your mind to the point where I will not save you, I cannot save you.
You’re gone. He says, I’ve given you over to your reprobate mind. God says this in the bible.
I don’t care what you it’s my freedom.
Listen, if you want to do your freedom in your house, you keep it in your house.
But when you run for office on legalizing mushrooms or legalizing human trafficking, okay, you have taken your reprobate mind and you’ve imposed it upon the rest of the same world.
Things always tend any science.
If any of us had any decent science at all in our life, you know, the second law of thermodynamics is called wet.
Thank you entropy. What does that mean?
It means the moment you screw the nut on the bolt and walk away, the bolt begins to unscrew itself.
Did you know that? You know, you ever go around and you have to loosen the nuts on the bolt?
No, you always have to tighten the nuts on a bolt. Why? Everything that’s put together comes apart.
Why the second law of thermal dynamics? It’s a fact. It’s a law, it’s the way God made things.
And when you see something coming apart, it’s the same is true in our culture.
If you allow this, then this is what happens.
Look, we’re allowing this administration and then you see what happens at an airport the other day at T. S. A.
And somebody gets caught from the administration stealing from an innocent passenger. Their baggage, Why?
Because the person in the administration wanted to beg. It was a wonderful bag.
I just had to have that bag. And so this person stole the bag and got caught.
A government official, evil sin.
It comes against all of our lives. And even as believers, we must fight.
Hey, is it hot in here or am I? Am I the only one. Is it hot? It’s hot.
So I thought I was preaching fire, but it turns out I’m wearing a jacket, John chapter 16, John 16.
Nevertheless, Jesus is speaking. I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away.
I’m come on be with me. We got our sandals.
We’re wearing our robes were with Jesus and Jesus says to us, Hey, good for you guys. I’m leaving.
Excuse me. What? We don’t want to be anywhere without you? You’re not going anywhere?
No, no, I’m leaving. I have to leave.
In fact, it’s better for you guys that I do go back where I came from.
How could that possibly work? Listen to this?
It’s to your advantage that I go away.
For if I do not go away, the helper, the periquitos, the Holy Spirit will not come to you.
But if I depart, I will send him to you, not it him.
And when he has come, he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.
That’s the threefold job of the Holy Spirit. Ladies and gentlemen, hope I’m not losing you.
This is important. We’re looking at a 2000 year old document that is eternal truth that’s happening in our world right now, He, the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin and of righteousness, of judgment of sin because they do not believe in me and of righteousness because I go to my father and you see me no more and of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged.
Reference to Satan thank God verse 12, I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
However, when he, the Spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak and he will tell you of things to come.
What an incredible statement. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is here, he’s here, He dwells in the life of every true believer says the bible.
And the Holy Spirit, you can always trust and be present when the Word of God is opened, the Spirit of God will show up and he moves.
So guys, I have a note to self, but I can’t read it.
Can you put it up on the screens? Note to self?
I put I made the font too small and I looked final I computer screen this morning, but I mentioned over the last couple of years that watching the world and how it’s crashing headlong morally and ethically toward apostasy that I made the comment that I would not be surprised if soon the political leaders in the world today would seek to criminalize the bible, the work of the Holy Spirit in the area of topics that generate the conviction of sin.
What I mean by that? Everybody loves the hallmark section of the bible.
Love one another, love suffers long behold, I am with you always even satanists love those parts.
You can get those on any greeting card, but the part that the world doesn’t like is the part that surgically strikes them.
J vernon McGee remember him, J vernon McGee said, uh if you ever want to know when you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, he said, If you ever want to know if you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, which which dog did you hit?
And you said it’s the dog that yelps.
If you throw a rock into a pack of dogs. One dog yelps, that’s the one you hit.
Makes sense. The spirit of God does that.
And so in the area of topics that generate conviction of sin that at some point in time godless humanity would seek to silence God and if possible arrest him, jail him and throw away the key.
See that’s that’s extreme. Isn’t that what they did to jesus?
The bible says they had him killed because of envy, They were jealous.
I find it interesting. I’m gonna show you a couple slides here.
This is the european conservative publication.
The bible as Hate speech was the topic of the article, interesting another article Finnish government.
This is January 25, 2022 finished government puts Christianity on trial calls the Bible hate speech and I’ll give you one guess as to what group of people is leading the charge at the United Nations every day to outlaw the bible, which is remarkable to me because they’re not doing the same thing regarding the Koran.
Not one Christian filled with the Holy Spirit will cause anyone of the L. B. G. T. Q.
Or whatever community to be threatened.
In fact we would help you if you were bleeding, we would give you money if you were broke, we would give you a water.
If you were thirsty, we would shelter you in the storm. Islam will kill you.
But what does the listen friends Wake up? What is the what’s the trend of the world? Silence, Christianity.
Get rid of the bible. Don’t you think it’s demonic? Isn’t that what Hitler wanted to do? Now?
Think about it? All of them? The tyrants of the world, get rid of the bible.
Nobody wants ever said get rid of the Quran. They know something.
If you had to get rid of the current campaign, which you wouldn’t do for fear they would cut your head off.
But you can do this to Christianity. You wanna know why?
Because our boss told us to love our enemies. So the enemy takes advantage.
Thus persecution comes. Thus God’s words fulfilled. Were not of this world.
We love those who hate us and that drives them nuts.
But truth cuts john chapter 19 john 19 But they cried out, that is the crowd.
This is at the crucifixion or at the arrest scene of jesus, they cried out away with him away with him, Crucify him, Pilate said to them, shall I crucify your king?
The Chief priest answered. Notice it’s not some colonel or major or lieutenant priest.
It’s the chief priest answered. We have no king but caesar modern day equivalent?
Ah The pope or the President of the southern baptist convention.
Some super duper titles equivalent with them. Would would be them saying?
We don’t have God as our king, We’ve got a government as our king.
That’s what they’re saying here, are you with me? That’s what they’re saying here. We’ve got no king.
But caesar, then Pilate delivered jesus to them to be crucified.
Then they took jesus and led him away Luke. Chapter 23 Pilate.
Therefore wishing to release jesus again called out to them, but they shouted saying, crucify him, crucify him.
Then pilot said to them the third time, why? What evil has he done? Don’t you find that remarkable?
Any cynic unbeliever in the house right now? Is that weird?
You’ve got an unbelieving pagan worshiping roman governmental power. Leader, pilot saying, what are you guys doing?
This makes no sense. What evil have, what evil has he done?
I have found no reason to for death in him.
I will therefore chastise him for no reason that by the way that was illegal, you couldn’t beat a roman citizen for no reason and let him go.
But they insisted, demanding with a loud voice that he’d be crucified and the voices of these men and of the chief priest prevailed.
So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. Verse 25 Pilate delivered Jesus to their will.
Now, I don’t know how, what I’m going to share with you is gonna come out.
But this moved me tremendously when I was preparing my notes and I guess I should say church, do you?
You do realize right, church that satan is real, jesus said he’s real.
You do know that he has a wicked memory.
The bible says that he accuses us before God, day and night. You know that satan’s got a memory friends.
In fact, there’s things that you try to forget that he makes sure you don’t, he whispers and you know, he has perverted humor, you know, humors from God.
Did you know that humor is good?
The bible tells us that when we laugh, it’s like medicine to our bones, there’s some sort of an actual benefit.
The laughing, you’re supposed to laugh. That’s why when people say they know God and they can’t laugh.
I don’t know if I want to know their God, right? Think about it.
Just look at the stuff God does. It’s amazing. Look at, look at just the animals.
How is it that every baby animal, I think, I don’t know if a worm is cute or not when it’s a baby, but have you noticed every little baby animals so cute.
I’m even a baby ostrich just like it’s kind of cute.
I mean those things are as ugly as sin as they grow up.
But even the little things like that. It’s kind of cute.
This guy is amazing and I told you this before, but I gotta repeat it in case you missed it.
You know, God’s not an evolutionist.
I know that rocks the Pope’s world, but the Pope needs to know, God’s not an evolutionist.
This Pope believes in evolution. And you know what’s hilarious about this, That’s why God created the platypus a beaver kind of a thing that lays an egg swims in the water.
Uh, he’s got claws like a cat. He’s got he’s got a tail like a beaver.
He’s got a head that looks like almost like a goose head.
He’s got a duck bill swims.
I mean, he just about does it all and people looking, you know, you never see platypuses and evolutionary books because it just that thing drives them nuts.
Just like next page. Next page. God’s God’s humorous. But satan perverts it.
Look, our God invented sex. What did what did say didn’t do with it, ruined it.
And so guys go ahead and put that out because I can’t read a thing today.
And so as you sit here this morning, it is is it not?
It is not morning in hell right now, it’s morning here, but it’s not in hell, it’s pitch black dark there.
But I bet you know, listen, satan is taunting and reminding people there.
What was it that you said about, jesus to jesus face.
Oh yes, I remember because I put those words in your head and you argued with me or agreed.
Excuse, excuse me, agreed with me. I told you agreed with me.
And so they just flew out of your mouth because my words found a place in your heart, I just used the fact that you hated jesus christ by simply ignoring him.
Think of this now satan would say and I think he’s saying it to people in hell this morning.
Look at what you’ve done to you.
Imagine how sarcastic satan could be if sarcasm is real.
He’s the master of it. Away with him, away with him that equals yank him out of here. Crucify him.
That word. By the way in greek means fence him, fence like lock him up and then shame him.
Did any of you see what is the thing with the C. S.
Lewis where they got Aslan and they’ve got him on the block and they’ve tied him down.
Which one is that one? The line on the witch and the wardrobe.
You got to see it if you haven’t seen it.
They’ve got a slim who is jesus and they’ve strapped them down and what have they done?
They’ve done that word where it means crucify him.
They fenced them in and shamed him and if you watch that clip it’s awesome.
They’ve got him and now the world shames him.
The world today thinks they’ve got jesus again and they’re shaming him and they’ll do that to you.
We have no king that isn’t, we have no authority but caesar our our political leaders. That’s the matter.
That’s the that’s the point, crucify him, crucify him, fence him in.
Then shame him, Get him out of here and satan would say, why did you do this to you notice isn’t blame disgusting.
It’s a characteristic of satan. Imagine what Satan is doing in hell.
How could you do this to you? Humans were not supposed to be in hell?
The bible says, did you know that?
And imagine satan speaking saying, look what you’ve done to you, you silly little fool.
All I did was put a thought in your head and you believed it.
Look what you’ve done to you.
You don’t like it here, it’s dark and you don’t see anyone but you hear nothing but screaming and the howling of tortured people.
Oh and that feeling, you’re feeling a falling, get used to it.
All I did was put a thought in your head and you believed it.
And you know, you didn’t want jesus in your life.
So I hope you get what you wanted.
So now look, look at what you’ve done to you.
Satan doesn’t accept any responsibility for anyone who’s in hell.
And I gonna leave you with this tragic theological fact, Satan will never be held accountable for anyone who’s in hell.
You wanna know why because he didn’t have the authority to take them to help.
He will never be blamed by God because satan didn’t do that, humanity rejecting, jesus handed themselves over to him.
It happened in the garden and it’s happened ever since.
And to this, we have to end because you guys cannot business the way we have to end father at this moment.
This is a serious moment.
I’m certain that there’s just I pray insights and stuff that you’re giving to us that the enemy of our souls would not want to be known.
Secret weapons are to remain secret classified information to remain classified.
And if satan can get us to think that we’re believers and miss heaven by inches, he wins, He gets to inflict one more jab at your heart.
Oh God, my dear friend, right now, right where you’re at, you need to make sure that you are a true follower of the Lord, jesus christ because I’m telling you just when you thought it was over, truth strikes you at the core and it’s not your truth, my friend.
Your truth blinds you. Your truth deceives you. God’s truth saves you.
Put your trust in jesus.
He died on the cross for you and rose again from the dead exactly as the bible said.
But you will benefit not one bit from that work of his if you’re going to be legalistic are atheistic in light of all that he’s done for You.
Trust him. Now, put your faith in him
