1 00:00:10,750 --> 00:00:15,030 When you think of the word hope, what 2 00:00:15,030 --> 00:00:16,190 comes to your mind? 3 00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:19,990 Sometimes we hear people saying, I hope I 4 00:00:19,990 --> 00:00:21,110 win the lottery. 5 00:00:22,370 --> 00:00:25,510 Others say, I hope I pass my exam. 6 00:00:26,490 --> 00:00:29,830 For others, they say, my hope is in 7 00:00:29,830 --> 00:00:30,690 the Lord. 8 00:00:31,350 --> 00:00:33,530 The one who says, I hope I win 9 00:00:33,530 --> 00:00:36,930 the lottery, is banking on hope being something 10 00:00:36,930 --> 00:00:39,330 like good luck, chance. 11 00:00:39,910 --> 00:00:43,090 The student who says, I hope I pass 12 00:00:43,090 --> 00:00:46,850 my exam, really doesn't have the confidence in 13 00:00:46,850 --> 00:00:50,130 his own personal study method, so he's banking 14 00:00:50,130 --> 00:00:52,970 on, I hope the teacher is kind. 15 00:00:53,510 --> 00:00:54,910 It's a wild guess. 16 00:00:55,590 --> 00:00:59,350 But the person who says, my hope is 17 00:00:59,350 --> 00:01:04,129 in the Lord, is saying that hope, that 18 00:01:04,129 --> 00:01:09,150 trust, that confidence is based on the faithfulness 19 00:01:09,150 --> 00:01:09,810 of God. 20 00:01:10,650 --> 00:01:14,910 I have hope because of who God is 21 00:01:14,910 --> 00:01:16,090 and his character. 22 00:01:16,670 --> 00:01:19,550 Paul the Apostle, writing a small letter, almost 23 00:01:19,550 --> 00:01:23,510 like a postcard to Titus, is telling us 24 00:01:23,510 --> 00:01:27,010 about the hope that we have in God. 25 00:01:28,110 --> 00:01:31,450 Paul starts his letter in verse 1 of 26 00:01:31,450 --> 00:01:35,190 chapter 1 of Titus, saying Paul, a servant 27 00:01:35,190 --> 00:01:38,750 of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ, for 28 00:01:38,750 --> 00:01:41,590 the faith of God's elect and the knowledge 29 00:01:41,590 --> 00:01:44,490 of truth that leads to godliness. 30 00:01:45,450 --> 00:01:49,530 Paul identifies himself as a servant of God. 31 00:01:50,270 --> 00:01:53,590 This kind of attitude, being a servant of 32 00:01:53,590 --> 00:01:57,450 God, is not a positional idea, but rather 33 00:01:57,450 --> 00:01:59,590 it is a humble idea. 34 00:02:00,370 --> 00:02:04,550 Paul, being extremely educated, to the point where 35 00:02:04,550 --> 00:02:07,870 today it would be equal to several PhDs, 36 00:02:08,110 --> 00:02:12,950 amazing ability and logic and reason, where he 37 00:02:12,950 --> 00:02:15,690 could stand with the king and reason, or 38 00:02:15,690 --> 00:02:17,890 he could be with the beggar and reason. 39 00:02:18,970 --> 00:02:22,910 Paul takes the title of servant, rather than 40 00:02:22,910 --> 00:02:26,290 some high position, because in the Old Testament 41 00:02:26,290 --> 00:02:30,670 a bond servant is one who was a 42 00:02:30,670 --> 00:02:33,710 slave that was set free, but chose to 43 00:02:33,710 --> 00:02:37,490 remain with the master because of love. 44 00:02:37,710 --> 00:02:42,050 Not money, not position, nothing else except love. 45 00:02:42,430 --> 00:02:45,970 And so Paul identifies himself as a servant 46 00:02:45,970 --> 00:02:49,290 of God, based on love. 47 00:02:49,730 --> 00:02:52,050 It's a great challenge for us who are 48 00:02:52,050 --> 00:02:54,870 in the ministry or who have a desire 49 00:02:54,870 --> 00:02:55,970 to serve the Lord. 50 00:02:56,910 --> 00:03:01,890 Very often we see wrong examples of ministers 51 00:03:01,890 --> 00:03:05,730 or servants of God on television, where it's 52 00:03:05,730 --> 00:03:08,350 the show and the flash and the excitement 53 00:03:08,350 --> 00:03:11,270 and the position and power and the fame 54 00:03:11,270 --> 00:03:14,910 that people are attracted to, and yet they 55 00:03:14,910 --> 00:03:17,550 do not see the Lord in the midst 56 00:03:17,550 --> 00:03:18,210 of all that. 57 00:03:18,910 --> 00:03:22,670 You look at Jesus' life, everything He did, 58 00:03:23,150 --> 00:03:26,750 the miracles, the teaching, whatever He did, you 59 00:03:26,750 --> 00:03:30,510 see that people went away glorifying and praising 60 00:03:30,510 --> 00:03:31,570 God the Father. 61 00:03:32,470 --> 00:03:34,710 There was something very unique in the way 62 00:03:34,710 --> 00:03:39,330 Jesus conducted Himself and served His Father that 63 00:03:39,330 --> 00:03:41,350 pointed all the attention to Him. 64 00:03:41,890 --> 00:03:44,690 Paul, later on in 1 Corinthians 11, would 65 00:03:44,690 --> 00:03:47,110 say follow me as I follow Christ. 66 00:03:47,310 --> 00:03:49,770 Don't look at me, but look at me 67 00:03:49,770 --> 00:03:53,030 as I follow Christ as the example. 68 00:03:54,430 --> 00:03:57,030 It's a challenge for all of us not 69 00:03:57,030 --> 00:03:59,970 to get caught up in the flashy, showy, 70 00:04:00,190 --> 00:04:03,290 all kinds of fantastic fame and fortune that 71 00:04:03,290 --> 00:04:06,070 we see very often on television with these 72 00:04:06,070 --> 00:04:08,390 preachers and teachers of God's Word who use 73 00:04:08,390 --> 00:04:11,470 God's Word as a means to gain fame 74 00:04:11,470 --> 00:04:12,730 for themself. 75 00:04:13,730 --> 00:04:16,510 And my brother, my sister, if we are 76 00:04:16,510 --> 00:04:19,250 called to be a servant of God, which 77 00:04:19,250 --> 00:04:22,850 literally means slave of God, or minister which 78 00:04:22,850 --> 00:04:27,750 means slave also, then humility is the road 79 00:04:27,750 --> 00:04:28,530 that we take. 80 00:04:29,150 --> 00:04:34,050 Not the road of money, position, fame, or 81 00:04:34,050 --> 00:04:37,270 influence, but the road of humility. 82 00:04:37,690 --> 00:04:40,570 And Paul being great shows this title on 83 00:04:40,570 --> 00:04:44,210 purpose because his road that he chose was 84 00:04:44,210 --> 00:04:46,150 a road of humility. 85 00:04:46,650 --> 00:04:49,350 And also he chooses Apostle of Jesus Christ 86 00:04:49,350 --> 00:04:52,170 which we know on the Damascus Road, Christ 87 00:04:52,170 --> 00:04:55,190 met him there and from that point on 88 00:04:55,190 --> 00:04:58,150 his life was completely changed and now he 89 00:04:58,150 --> 00:05:01,710 becomes the great messenger of Jesus Christ, the 90 00:05:01,710 --> 00:05:04,890 Apostle proclaiming Jesus as Lord. 91 00:05:05,110 --> 00:05:07,910 But the message that he proclaims is that 92 00:05:07,910 --> 00:05:12,170 the faith that we have is based on 93 00:05:12,170 --> 00:05:16,430 the knowledge of truth that leads to godliness. 94 00:05:17,950 --> 00:05:21,950 As we grow in our understanding of the 95 00:05:21,950 --> 00:05:24,470 Lord and what the Word of God teaches 96 00:05:24,470 --> 00:05:29,790 us, it is not an intellectual understanding, but 97 00:05:29,790 --> 00:05:32,910 it is the truth that changes us. 98 00:05:33,990 --> 00:05:39,230 Jesus warning his disciples to watch out for 99 00:05:39,230 --> 00:05:41,790 the Pharisees and the religious leaders and he 100 00:05:41,790 --> 00:05:45,990 said to them they change God's Word to 101 00:05:45,990 --> 00:05:47,410 fit their lifestyle. 102 00:05:47,950 --> 00:05:51,510 They do not change their lifestyle in obedience 103 00:05:51,510 --> 00:05:53,790 to fit God's Word. 104 00:05:53,790 --> 00:05:56,830 Truth is truth. 105 00:05:57,290 --> 00:05:58,130 It's absolute. 106 00:05:59,290 --> 00:06:01,750 If you have ever listened to any messages 107 00:06:01,750 --> 00:06:05,250 from Ravi Zacharias, one of the great Christian 108 00:06:05,250 --> 00:06:08,110 apologists of our time, you go back in 109 00:06:08,110 --> 00:06:10,310 the day and you find C.S. Lewis, 110 00:06:10,570 --> 00:06:14,330 Francis Schaeffer, Ravi Zacharias, these men and their 111 00:06:14,330 --> 00:06:18,030 names are those who defend the faith and 112 00:06:18,030 --> 00:06:20,290 who have the heart and passion for the 113 00:06:20,290 --> 00:06:20,550 Lord. 114 00:06:21,290 --> 00:06:23,230 One of the things that Ravi Zacharias was 115 00:06:23,230 --> 00:06:25,730 saying is that one of the greatest challenges 116 00:06:25,730 --> 00:06:30,210 today is that truth has become relative. 117 00:06:31,010 --> 00:06:33,450 It means it's not an absolute anymore. 118 00:06:33,810 --> 00:06:35,990 It's a wrong statement and a wrong belief, 119 00:06:36,550 --> 00:06:40,490 but it's a convenient idea that no one 120 00:06:40,490 --> 00:06:43,950 can claim to have a truth statement. 121 00:06:44,590 --> 00:06:47,050 That no one can claim that this is 122 00:06:47,050 --> 00:06:47,870 absolute. 123 00:06:48,870 --> 00:06:51,290 What they fail to see is in saying 124 00:06:51,290 --> 00:06:54,490 there is no absolutes, you have made an 125 00:06:54,490 --> 00:06:55,310 absolute statement. 126 00:06:55,610 --> 00:06:57,950 There is no absolutes is an absolute statement. 127 00:06:58,490 --> 00:07:00,470 There is no way to get around it. 128 00:07:00,590 --> 00:07:01,890 There are absolutes. 129 00:07:02,050 --> 00:07:04,130 Two plus two does equal four. 130 00:07:04,590 --> 00:07:08,450 In science, mathematics, and engineering, there are absolutes. 131 00:07:08,910 --> 00:07:12,790 When Paul says, the truth that leads to 132 00:07:12,790 --> 00:07:18,150 godliness, Jesus said, I am the way, the 133 00:07:18,150 --> 00:07:20,330 truth, and the life. 134 00:07:20,730 --> 00:07:23,470 No one comes to the Father except through 135 00:07:23,470 --> 00:07:24,430 me. 136 00:07:25,610 --> 00:07:31,450 Paul, Pilate, asked Jesus, what is the truth? 137 00:07:31,610 --> 00:07:32,330 Good question. 138 00:07:32,830 --> 00:07:35,150 The answer, the truth was standing right in 139 00:07:35,150 --> 00:07:38,310 front of him, Jesus Christ himself. 140 00:07:39,410 --> 00:07:42,250 The truth of what God's Word tells us 141 00:07:42,250 --> 00:07:46,030 that we are sinners and we need a 142 00:07:46,030 --> 00:07:48,490 Savior and that God loved us and therefore 143 00:07:48,490 --> 00:07:52,050 he sent Jesus to redeem us and to 144 00:07:52,050 --> 00:07:54,310 pay the penalty of our sin so that 145 00:07:54,310 --> 00:07:56,770 we could have a right relationship back with 146 00:07:56,770 --> 00:08:00,030 God once again that was lost in the 147 00:08:00,030 --> 00:08:03,030 Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned, 148 00:08:03,450 --> 00:08:07,010 disobeyed God, broke the relationship by taking and 149 00:08:07,010 --> 00:08:09,090 eating from the tree of the knowledge of 150 00:08:09,090 --> 00:08:09,710 good and evil. 151 00:08:10,770 --> 00:08:14,390 And so here, the truth of God that 152 00:08:14,390 --> 00:08:16,190 leads to godliness. 153 00:08:17,290 --> 00:08:20,390 My brother, my sister, every time we read 154 00:08:20,390 --> 00:08:23,130 God's Word and we discover the truths of 155 00:08:23,130 --> 00:08:26,150 God in his Word and we are obedient 156 00:08:26,150 --> 00:08:29,470 to that and we change our life according 157 00:08:29,470 --> 00:08:32,450 to what the Bible says, we find that 158 00:08:32,450 --> 00:08:34,130 it leads to godliness. 159 00:08:34,450 --> 00:08:34,690 Why? 160 00:08:35,049 --> 00:08:37,289 Because it leads you to loving God more, 161 00:08:37,870 --> 00:08:41,230 reverencing God more, respecting him more, and you 162 00:08:41,230 --> 00:08:43,530 find that it leads us to godliness. 163 00:08:44,050 --> 00:08:46,750 But here you see in verse 2, it 164 00:08:46,750 --> 00:08:49,330 says, a faith and knowledge resting on the 165 00:08:49,330 --> 00:08:52,430 hope of eternal life which God who does 166 00:08:52,430 --> 00:08:55,210 not lie promised before the beginning of time 167 00:08:55,210 --> 00:08:58,250 and at his appointed season he brought his 168 00:08:58,250 --> 00:09:00,970 word to light through the preaching entrusted to 169 00:09:00,970 --> 00:09:03,910 me by the command of God our Savior. 170 00:09:04,290 --> 00:09:06,890 And so here, Paul begins to tell us 171 00:09:06,890 --> 00:09:10,470 that there's hope that we have in Jesus 172 00:09:10,470 --> 00:09:13,750 Christ being our Savior who went to the 173 00:09:13,750 --> 00:09:16,850 cross, spilled his blood, his body was beaten 174 00:09:16,850 --> 00:09:19,450 and pummeled, he died and on the third 175 00:09:19,450 --> 00:09:21,090 day he rose again. 176 00:09:22,050 --> 00:09:25,950 This hope in God that we have through 177 00:09:25,950 --> 00:09:31,890 Jesus Christ was promised before the beginning of 178 00:09:31,890 --> 00:09:32,310 time. 179 00:09:32,730 --> 00:09:34,470 You remember I said some people say, I 180 00:09:34,470 --> 00:09:35,990 hope I win the lottery. 181 00:09:36,470 --> 00:09:37,190 Good luck. 182 00:09:37,590 --> 00:09:38,090 Chance. 183 00:09:38,550 --> 00:09:39,730 We'll throw it to the wind. 184 00:09:40,170 --> 00:09:42,590 A student will say, I hope I pass 185 00:09:42,590 --> 00:09:43,170 my exam. 186 00:09:43,370 --> 00:09:44,990 They really don't have any confidence. 187 00:09:45,190 --> 00:09:47,950 They're banking on the goodwill of the teacher 188 00:09:47,950 --> 00:09:49,970 rather than their own study. 189 00:09:50,150 --> 00:09:51,530 There is no real hope in that. 190 00:09:51,970 --> 00:09:54,710 But someone who says my hope is in 191 00:09:54,710 --> 00:09:58,390 the Lord, there is a confidence in that 192 00:09:58,390 --> 00:09:58,930 statement. 193 00:09:59,310 --> 00:10:01,430 There's no good luck in the statement or 194 00:10:01,430 --> 00:10:03,610 I hope by chance something will happen. 195 00:10:03,970 --> 00:10:07,570 It is a confidence statement to say my 196 00:10:07,570 --> 00:10:08,590 hope is in the Lord. 197 00:10:08,910 --> 00:10:10,850 And when Paul the Apostle tells us and 198 00:10:10,850 --> 00:10:14,290 he's writing to Titus and reminding Titus of 199 00:10:14,290 --> 00:10:16,650 the faith that we have in Jesus Christ, 200 00:10:16,910 --> 00:10:21,270 that this hope of God in eternal life 201 00:10:21,270 --> 00:10:26,310 was promised, who God cannot lie, he promised 202 00:10:26,310 --> 00:10:28,690 it before the beginning of time. 203 00:10:29,430 --> 00:10:30,730 What does that mean? 204 00:10:31,730 --> 00:10:35,910 When God created the world, he created everything 205 00:10:35,910 --> 00:10:36,730 so wonderful. 206 00:10:36,910 --> 00:10:38,750 He created the stars and the moon and 207 00:10:38,750 --> 00:10:41,650 the planets and the solar systems and the 208 00:10:41,650 --> 00:10:42,370 Milky Way. 209 00:10:42,650 --> 00:10:44,910 He created the earth, the plants, the animals, 210 00:10:45,370 --> 00:10:46,630 the air, the atmosphere. 211 00:10:47,630 --> 00:10:50,070 He created the waters and the fish. 212 00:10:50,250 --> 00:10:53,770 And then on the sixth day, he created 213 00:10:53,770 --> 00:10:54,570 man. 214 00:10:55,110 --> 00:10:55,870 It was different. 215 00:10:56,350 --> 00:10:58,390 Everything else he spoke into existence. 216 00:10:59,390 --> 00:11:01,930 But for man, he formed man from the 217 00:11:01,930 --> 00:11:04,710 dust of the earth and breathed life into 218 00:11:04,710 --> 00:11:05,070 him. 219 00:11:05,070 --> 00:11:09,550 Very unique, different, a different kind of life 220 00:11:09,550 --> 00:11:13,430 because we are not simply body and soul, 221 00:11:13,610 --> 00:11:16,070 our mind and capacity to think and reason, 222 00:11:16,410 --> 00:11:18,630 but we have an eternal part, our spirit. 223 00:11:19,090 --> 00:11:21,910 When we die, our body is gone and 224 00:11:21,910 --> 00:11:23,270 our spirit continues. 225 00:11:24,250 --> 00:11:26,130 That's what we read in God's Word. 226 00:11:27,370 --> 00:11:29,810 Adam and Eve, the first man and first 227 00:11:29,810 --> 00:11:35,410 woman, created our parents to say, God told 228 00:11:35,410 --> 00:11:37,690 them in this beautiful garden of Eden, you 229 00:11:37,690 --> 00:11:41,810 can eat from any tree, eat everything, enjoy 230 00:11:41,810 --> 00:11:43,050 life. 231 00:11:43,810 --> 00:11:46,110 Nothing is off limits for you. 232 00:11:46,730 --> 00:11:49,550 Only one thing, there's a tree in the 233 00:11:49,550 --> 00:11:51,230 middle of the garden, the tree of the 234 00:11:51,230 --> 00:11:53,530 knowledge of good and evil and the tree 235 00:11:53,530 --> 00:11:54,110 of life. 236 00:11:54,670 --> 00:11:57,890 You cannot eat from the tree of the 237 00:11:57,890 --> 00:11:58,850 knowledge of good and evil. 238 00:11:59,190 --> 00:12:01,250 On the day you eat of that tree, 239 00:12:01,490 --> 00:12:03,370 you will die. 240 00:12:04,250 --> 00:12:07,650 Now why, if God is so loving, would 241 00:12:07,650 --> 00:12:11,190 God put this dangerous thing in the middle 242 00:12:11,190 --> 00:12:13,030 of the garden, not even on the edge 243 00:12:13,030 --> 00:12:14,670 of the garden, but in the middle of 244 00:12:14,670 --> 00:12:15,030 the garden? 245 00:12:15,950 --> 00:12:17,150 And then he says you can eat of 246 00:12:17,150 --> 00:12:19,130 all the trees in the garden except this 247 00:12:19,130 --> 00:12:19,730 one tree. 248 00:12:19,730 --> 00:12:22,190 Why would he do that? 249 00:12:23,330 --> 00:12:27,870 God created this entire universe and put man 250 00:12:27,870 --> 00:12:31,030 on earth in this beautiful garden and he 251 00:12:31,030 --> 00:12:34,030 did this for relationship. 252 00:12:35,030 --> 00:12:39,410 God wanted to have fellowship and relationship with 253 00:12:39,410 --> 00:12:41,850 Adam and Eve, not the animals, not the 254 00:12:41,850 --> 00:12:44,990 insects and birds and reptiles and plants, but 255 00:12:44,990 --> 00:12:46,330 with the human race. 256 00:12:47,610 --> 00:12:52,630 Relationship based on love needs an element of 257 00:12:52,630 --> 00:12:55,410 being able to say no to that relationship. 258 00:12:55,870 --> 00:12:58,970 If I came to your house and I 259 00:12:58,970 --> 00:13:01,910 threatened you with a knife and said you 260 00:13:01,910 --> 00:13:04,090 will be my friend and you have no 261 00:13:04,090 --> 00:13:07,150 choice but to be my friend, you will 262 00:13:07,150 --> 00:13:08,830 say yes I will be your friend, but 263 00:13:08,830 --> 00:13:11,410 it is not a loving response from your 264 00:13:11,410 --> 00:13:14,490 side, it is by force I am making 265 00:13:14,490 --> 00:13:14,770 you. 266 00:13:15,050 --> 00:13:17,430 Now in some funny movies you will find 267 00:13:17,430 --> 00:13:19,570 that there are some people who will pay 268 00:13:19,570 --> 00:13:21,330 someone else to be their friend for a 269 00:13:21,330 --> 00:13:22,810 day or a week so that they can 270 00:13:22,810 --> 00:13:23,490 be popular. 271 00:13:24,210 --> 00:13:27,790 That also is not a genuine relationship, that 272 00:13:27,790 --> 00:13:30,610 is a relationship that was bought with money 273 00:13:30,610 --> 00:13:32,510 and that's not even a relationship, it's an 274 00:13:32,510 --> 00:13:33,970 agreement, a contract. 275 00:13:34,850 --> 00:13:38,690 And so God needing to have an element 276 00:13:38,690 --> 00:13:42,990 where Adam and Eve could choose to not 277 00:13:42,990 --> 00:13:45,690 have that relationship, the tree of the knowledge 278 00:13:45,690 --> 00:13:46,390 of good and evil. 279 00:13:46,490 --> 00:13:49,830 The tree itself was not evil or bad 280 00:13:49,830 --> 00:13:54,510 or sinful, but the act of disobedience to 281 00:13:54,510 --> 00:13:57,210 God would bring sin into their life. 282 00:13:58,070 --> 00:14:00,510 And so Adam and Eve, we see they 283 00:14:00,510 --> 00:14:02,590 were there for some time and Eve was 284 00:14:02,590 --> 00:14:05,630 tempted by Satan to take the fruit and 285 00:14:05,630 --> 00:14:07,770 eat of it and she did and also 286 00:14:07,770 --> 00:14:09,430 gave it to her husband. 287 00:14:10,270 --> 00:14:13,270 They both ate from that fruit and their 288 00:14:13,270 --> 00:14:14,910 eyes were opened. 289 00:14:15,690 --> 00:14:18,450 Not open to all the wisdom that Satan 290 00:14:18,450 --> 00:14:21,090 had promised, but all of a sudden open 291 00:14:21,090 --> 00:14:23,950 to the shame of their own sin and 292 00:14:23,950 --> 00:14:25,910 guilt filled their life. 293 00:14:26,810 --> 00:14:29,070 It says that God came walking in the 294 00:14:29,070 --> 00:14:31,670 cool of the evening calling Adam, Adam where 295 00:14:31,670 --> 00:14:32,130 are you? 296 00:14:32,490 --> 00:14:34,930 God was not calling Adam because God did 297 00:14:34,930 --> 00:14:37,050 not know where he was, but it was 298 00:14:37,050 --> 00:14:39,770 a rhetorical question, it was a question asked 299 00:14:39,770 --> 00:14:43,870 to help Adam to think, why are you 300 00:14:43,870 --> 00:14:44,930 hiding now? 301 00:14:45,690 --> 00:14:49,050 If we have this wonderful relationship, why are 302 00:14:49,050 --> 00:14:49,990 you so ashamed? 303 00:14:50,810 --> 00:14:52,930 And God said, Adam did you eat the 304 00:14:52,930 --> 00:14:55,190 fruit that I told you not to eat? 305 00:14:55,970 --> 00:14:57,670 He said, yes, but it was my wife 306 00:14:57,670 --> 00:14:58,570 who gave it to me. 307 00:14:59,390 --> 00:15:02,030 And he said, Eve did you eat of 308 00:15:02,030 --> 00:15:02,430 this fruit? 309 00:15:02,710 --> 00:15:04,810 And she said, yes, but it was this 310 00:15:04,810 --> 00:15:07,610 serpent, Satan caused me to do this. 311 00:15:08,590 --> 00:15:10,850 Blame shifting from the very beginning. 312 00:15:11,050 --> 00:15:13,930 Husband blaming the wife, wife blaming Satan. 313 00:15:14,370 --> 00:15:15,930 This is still continuing today. 314 00:15:16,210 --> 00:15:19,390 None of us want to take responsibility for 315 00:15:19,390 --> 00:15:22,350 our own actions, especially for our own sins. 316 00:15:22,490 --> 00:15:24,730 Have you ever noticed when you ask a 317 00:15:24,730 --> 00:15:26,070 child, why did you do that? 318 00:15:26,550 --> 00:15:29,710 It wasn't my fault, it was my sister's 319 00:15:29,710 --> 00:15:32,210 fault, or it was the dog, or it 320 00:15:32,210 --> 00:15:34,390 was you know some other person's problem. 321 00:15:34,930 --> 00:15:38,290 We never want to take responsibility for our 322 00:15:38,290 --> 00:15:38,890 own sin. 323 00:15:39,430 --> 00:15:42,750 And until we recognize that, that we need 324 00:15:42,750 --> 00:15:45,850 to take responsibility, we will never come to 325 00:15:45,850 --> 00:15:48,930 God to ask forgiveness if we keep avoiding 326 00:15:48,930 --> 00:15:52,470 the responsibility that yes, I have done this. 327 00:15:53,030 --> 00:15:55,070 And so Adam and Eve, they sinned and 328 00:15:55,070 --> 00:15:57,990 now what God said would come true. 329 00:15:58,870 --> 00:16:00,430 He said on the day that you eat 330 00:16:00,430 --> 00:16:01,750 of that fruit, you will die. 331 00:16:02,090 --> 00:16:04,410 And what God meant is spiritually on the 332 00:16:04,410 --> 00:16:06,670 inside, there will be a breaking of the 333 00:16:06,670 --> 00:16:09,270 relationship and you will die. 334 00:16:10,030 --> 00:16:13,610 Eventually physically you will die also, but now 335 00:16:13,610 --> 00:16:16,790 there is a death in the spirit and 336 00:16:16,790 --> 00:16:19,310 something has to come and cause it to 337 00:16:19,310 --> 00:16:23,530 be recharged and restarted and reborn is what 338 00:16:23,530 --> 00:16:27,790 you see Jesus talking to Nicodemus in John's 339 00:16:27,790 --> 00:16:28,950 Gospel chapter 3. 340 00:16:29,510 --> 00:16:33,470 God, before sending Adam and Eve out of 341 00:16:33,470 --> 00:16:36,950 the garden because he loved them, now in 342 00:16:36,950 --> 00:16:39,690 their sinful decaying body, if they were to 343 00:16:39,690 --> 00:16:42,150 go back into the garden and eat of 344 00:16:42,150 --> 00:16:45,550 the other tree, the tree of life, they 345 00:16:45,550 --> 00:16:49,250 would live forever in a sinful decaying body 346 00:16:49,250 --> 00:16:50,890 and it would be misery. 347 00:16:51,710 --> 00:16:53,610 And so because God loved them, he sent 348 00:16:53,610 --> 00:16:55,970 them out of the garden, but not until 349 00:16:55,970 --> 00:17:00,890 he gave the first prophecy of hope of 350 00:17:00,890 --> 00:17:05,130 his son Jesus Christ coming to the earth. 351 00:17:05,510 --> 00:17:07,510 He said the seed of the woman would 352 00:17:07,510 --> 00:17:09,770 crush the head of the serpent. 353 00:17:09,950 --> 00:17:12,990 The first prophecy of the virgin birth of 354 00:17:12,990 --> 00:17:16,490 Jesus Christ, the Savior that would come later 355 00:17:16,490 --> 00:17:20,550 to redeem man back to the Father through 356 00:17:20,550 --> 00:17:23,150 him going to the cross, taking all the 357 00:17:23,150 --> 00:17:28,410 sins upon himself, giving us a righteous hope, 358 00:17:28,930 --> 00:17:31,610 a hope that is definite, not a hope 359 00:17:31,610 --> 00:17:33,730 I win the lottery, I hope my teacher 360 00:17:33,730 --> 00:17:35,750 gives me a good grade, no, a hope 361 00:17:35,750 --> 00:17:38,650 and confidence in Christ Jesus. 362 00:17:39,390 --> 00:17:44,430 And Paul says that this hope in Christ 363 00:17:44,430 --> 00:17:48,170 was promised before time even began. 364 00:17:48,650 --> 00:17:49,730 You know what that simply means? 365 00:17:50,810 --> 00:17:53,690 God knew that Adam and Eve would eventually 366 00:17:53,690 --> 00:17:54,210 sin. 367 00:17:54,950 --> 00:17:57,470 He let them choose, even though he knew 368 00:17:57,470 --> 00:18:00,570 what the outcome would be, instead of destroying 369 00:18:00,570 --> 00:18:03,130 the world and starting over again, his love 370 00:18:03,130 --> 00:18:06,070 being demonstrated that before creating the world, he 371 00:18:06,070 --> 00:18:09,030 said, I will plan to send Jesus. 372 00:18:09,930 --> 00:18:12,490 They had the free choice and free will 373 00:18:12,490 --> 00:18:14,730 to break the relationship. 374 00:18:15,330 --> 00:18:17,310 Jesus will come and die on the cross 375 00:18:17,310 --> 00:18:20,710 and provide again the free will choice. 376 00:18:21,070 --> 00:18:23,910 They can accept the free forgiveness of sin 377 00:18:23,910 --> 00:18:26,390 and gift of God into life or they 378 00:18:26,390 --> 00:18:27,350 can reject it. 379 00:18:28,290 --> 00:18:31,670 He is giving us this hope of eternal 380 00:18:31,670 --> 00:18:36,070 life through Jesus Christ which was promised before 381 00:18:36,070 --> 00:18:37,410 time even began. 382 00:18:38,570 --> 00:18:42,390 God is amazing in his ability to love 383 00:18:42,390 --> 00:18:45,450 us and go to the extent and Jesus 384 00:18:45,450 --> 00:18:49,850 Christ himself chose to obey the Father and 385 00:18:49,850 --> 00:18:51,970 in his own will he said, I will 386 00:18:51,970 --> 00:18:52,910 do this. 387 00:18:53,930 --> 00:18:57,510 The Bible tells us that Jesus endured the 388 00:18:57,510 --> 00:19:01,190 cross for the joy that was set before 389 00:19:01,190 --> 00:19:01,490 him. 390 00:19:02,350 --> 00:19:05,110 Why would Jesus allow himself to be beaten 391 00:19:05,110 --> 00:19:08,690 and pummeled and hurt so terribly then crucified 392 00:19:08,690 --> 00:19:10,430 and then faced death? 393 00:19:10,950 --> 00:19:13,390 Because while he hung on the cross, he 394 00:19:13,390 --> 00:19:16,050 was thinking about you and I. 395 00:19:16,550 --> 00:19:18,710 For the joy that was set before him 396 00:19:18,710 --> 00:19:22,970 when he saw so many people being brought 397 00:19:22,970 --> 00:19:25,730 into a right relationship with the Father, once 398 00:19:25,730 --> 00:19:28,610 again it gave him so much joy. 399 00:19:29,250 --> 00:19:34,090 In a small imperfect example, like a lady 400 00:19:34,090 --> 00:19:37,750 giving birth to her children, the pain of 401 00:19:37,750 --> 00:19:41,630 giving birth is forgotten when she sees the 402 00:19:41,630 --> 00:19:43,310 beautiful little baby. 403 00:19:44,330 --> 00:19:48,230 And Jesus endured that cross and God planned 404 00:19:48,230 --> 00:19:51,730 for this to happen before creating the world 405 00:19:51,730 --> 00:19:56,190 so that you and I could experience God's 406 00:19:56,190 --> 00:19:59,590 grace in a huge significant way. 407 00:20:00,450 --> 00:20:02,810 Jesus talking to Nicodemus. 408 00:20:04,050 --> 00:20:06,870 Nicodemus, one of the religious leaders at that 409 00:20:06,870 --> 00:20:09,750 time, came to Jesus by night secretly and 410 00:20:09,750 --> 00:20:12,710 said, how do I inherit eternal life? 411 00:20:13,230 --> 00:20:16,850 And Jesus said, Nicodemus, you must be born 412 00:20:16,850 --> 00:20:17,470 again. 413 00:20:17,890 --> 00:20:20,530 Nicodemus said, how can I be an old 414 00:20:20,530 --> 00:20:23,150 man go back in my mother's womb and 415 00:20:23,150 --> 00:20:24,010 be born again? 416 00:20:24,410 --> 00:20:25,530 It doesn't work. 417 00:20:26,030 --> 00:20:28,730 And Jesus said, you being a teacher, a 418 00:20:28,730 --> 00:20:31,350 religious teacher of Israel, how do you not 419 00:20:31,350 --> 00:20:32,050 know these things? 420 00:20:32,330 --> 00:20:34,450 He said, I'm not talking about a physical 421 00:20:34,450 --> 00:20:38,350 being born again, but by the Spirit. 422 00:20:38,550 --> 00:20:41,970 Remember, Adam and Eve, the Spirit died. 423 00:20:42,670 --> 00:20:45,790 Something broke in them because of their sin. 424 00:20:46,290 --> 00:20:48,270 And so Jesus would go to the cross 425 00:20:48,270 --> 00:20:51,250 and when we accept the free gift of 426 00:20:51,250 --> 00:20:54,090 God, of forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ, 427 00:20:54,450 --> 00:20:56,630 our spirit is born again. 428 00:20:56,930 --> 00:21:00,470 It's restarted, recharged, and we have a new 429 00:21:00,470 --> 00:21:04,570 birth and a new right relationship with God 430 00:21:04,570 --> 00:21:06,310 the Father once again. 431 00:21:06,970 --> 00:21:09,630 And Paul tells us, and he tells Titus, 432 00:21:10,190 --> 00:21:13,930 reminding him this message of the good news 433 00:21:13,930 --> 00:21:17,130 of Jesus Christ that we preach is not 434 00:21:17,130 --> 00:21:20,370 based on some empty hope, but a solid 435 00:21:20,370 --> 00:21:20,850 hope. 436 00:21:21,790 --> 00:21:24,570 A hope that we have confidence and we 437 00:21:24,570 --> 00:21:27,210 know that God loves us and God has 438 00:21:27,210 --> 00:21:27,630 done this. 439 00:21:27,950 --> 00:21:31,290 And Paul says, not only am I a 440 00:21:31,290 --> 00:21:35,450 servant and a slave of God, and I 441 00:21:35,450 --> 00:21:38,250 serve God not for money, not for position, 442 00:21:38,510 --> 00:21:41,190 but I am an apostle, a messenger of 443 00:21:41,190 --> 00:21:41,990 Jesus Christ. 444 00:21:42,630 --> 00:21:46,230 And this message I give is this, there 445 00:21:46,230 --> 00:21:49,390 is hope in Jesus Christ and his hope 446 00:21:49,390 --> 00:21:53,030 was planned before the beginning of the world 447 00:21:53,030 --> 00:21:53,990 being made. 448 00:21:54,550 --> 00:21:57,750 And God loves us so much and we 449 00:21:57,750 --> 00:21:59,610 too can have this hope. 450 00:22:00,130 --> 00:22:03,510 And as we live in this hope, taking 451 00:22:03,510 --> 00:22:06,130 God's word, putting it into our life, in 452 00:22:06,130 --> 00:22:08,670 obedience to him and love to him, it 453 00:22:08,670 --> 00:22:11,970 brings about the righteous life. 454 00:22:12,570 --> 00:22:17,150 My brother, my sister, this is exciting news 455 00:22:17,150 --> 00:22:18,450 for all of us. 456 00:22:19,190 --> 00:22:22,110 Maybe you have never made Jesus Christ your 457 00:22:22,110 --> 00:22:22,970 Lord and Savior. 458 00:22:23,510 --> 00:22:27,030 Maybe you've never experienced the forgiveness of sin 459 00:22:27,030 --> 00:22:29,330 and the peace of God that fills your 460 00:22:29,330 --> 00:22:31,510 heart because of the forgiveness of sin. 461 00:22:32,190 --> 00:22:35,350 Maybe your whole life you've been searching for 462 00:22:35,350 --> 00:22:38,030 the answer for the guilt that you hold 463 00:22:38,030 --> 00:22:40,230 inside and you carry with you and you 464 00:22:40,230 --> 00:22:43,510 tried everything and there is no answer or 465 00:22:43,510 --> 00:22:44,030 peace. 466 00:22:45,090 --> 00:22:48,230 Jesus said, I give you peace, not as 467 00:22:48,230 --> 00:22:51,230 the world gives, but a lasting peace. 468 00:22:51,970 --> 00:22:54,230 The Bible tells us that if we call 469 00:22:54,230 --> 00:22:56,370 upon the name of the Lord and ask 470 00:22:56,370 --> 00:22:59,270 him to forgive our sins and repent of 471 00:22:59,270 --> 00:23:02,210 our old ways, then we have a new 472 00:23:02,210 --> 00:23:04,190 life and a new beginning. 473 00:23:05,150 --> 00:23:09,030 Maybe we are already following Christ and we 474 00:23:09,030 --> 00:23:11,490 have experienced this new life in Jesus. 475 00:23:12,450 --> 00:23:16,850 My brother, my sister, every single day you 476 00:23:16,850 --> 00:23:19,050 can wake up in the morning and have 477 00:23:19,050 --> 00:23:22,370 the confidence, my hope is in Jesus Christ 478 00:23:22,370 --> 00:23:25,410 and I can live this life for his 479 00:23:25,410 --> 00:23:28,510 glory and I can tell others about the 480 00:23:28,510 --> 00:23:30,070 hope that I have. 481 00:23:30,410 --> 00:23:33,230 Let's pray and ask God to help us. 482 00:23:33,630 --> 00:23:35,530 Rejoice in these things. 483 00:23:36,090 --> 00:23:38,870 Father, we thank you for your grace and 484 00:23:38,870 --> 00:23:39,350 your mercy. 485 00:23:39,670 --> 00:23:41,970 We thank you for this hope that we 486 00:23:41,970 --> 00:23:46,670 have through Jesus Christ and the confidence that 487 00:23:46,670 --> 00:23:49,430 we know by him going to the cross 488 00:23:49,430 --> 00:23:52,110 and our sins being forgiven that we can 489 00:23:52,110 --> 00:23:55,130 have life and life more abundantly. 490 00:23:55,810 --> 00:23:57,390 I pray for each of my brothers and 491 00:23:57,390 --> 00:23:57,710 sisters. 492 00:23:58,370 --> 00:23:58,910 Bless them. 493 00:23:59,370 --> 00:24:00,210 Watch over them. 494 00:24:00,710 --> 00:24:02,370 In Jesus' name, amen. 495 00:24:02,910 --> 00:24:05,610 My brother, my sister, if you have never 496 00:24:05,610 --> 00:24:08,610 experienced the love of God that comes through 497 00:24:08,610 --> 00:24:11,530 the hope in God through what Jesus Christ 498 00:24:11,530 --> 00:24:13,810 did on the cross of Calvary for you, 499 00:24:14,370 --> 00:24:15,550 please write to us. 500 00:24:15,950 --> 00:24:18,730 Call us and we'll explain more how you 501 00:24:18,730 --> 00:24:21,430 too can have this hope in Jesus Christ, 502 00:24:21,790 --> 00:24:25,290 seeing your life transformed and giving you a 503 00:24:25,290 --> 00:24:28,110 purpose, a genuine purpose in life. 504 00:24:29,030 --> 00:24:32,430 Remember this, the Bible has the answers for 505 00:24:32,430 --> 00:24:36,090 life and God's promises always comes true. 506 00:24:36,650 --> 00:24:39,490 May the Lord bless you as you experience 507 00:24:39,490 --> 00:24:43,530 this hope that comes through Jesus Christ our 508 00:24:43,530 --> 00:24:43,870 Lord.