SWYC 2015: Christ Our Righteousness

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GYC Southwest

Virna Santos

Morning Devotional

Victory in Jesus: Why?

Victory in Jesus: Temptation, Where Does It Come From?

Victory in Jesus: Living Victoriously

If you would please bow your heads with me. Dear Father and heaven, Lord, thank you for blessing us with such a glorious, beautiful Sabbath. Morning. And Father, as this day goes by, may we be mindful of your presence as you lift us up, Lord, face to face, to sit with you. And Father, as I share the words that you've given me to share with your people, I pray, Lord, that you just keep me hid behind the cross and let it be your voice. Heard Lord, and may all the hearts hear today be touched and changed. I pray this in Jesus name. Let everyone say amen. Amen. Victory in Jesus. What does that mean? Why do we seek victory in Jesus? Do we really understand that phrase, three words, simple, direct victory in Jesus. We need to understand the why. So our what can be powerful. We need to understand why we need victory so our lives can be powerful. Well, Webster dictionary tells us victory, the word itself, victory means an act of defeating an enemy or opponent in a battle, a game or other competition. Some synonyms that was given was success, triumph, conquest, win Favorable results, landslide, superiority, supremacy. When we hear those words, victory and specifically victory in Jesus, it gives us somewhat of an idea of what our condition is. So in understanding why we need victory, we need to understand what is our present condition and why we need it. You see in John three, if you would turn to there, please with me, turn to John chapter three in this story that we are going to read together today. And actually before we we start here, I wanted to make sure I get everyone's permission that every morning this weekend we are going to take a journey together. Is that okay? We are going to journey together through God's word in understanding victory in Jesus. Amen. And I have your permission. Yes, amen. Amen. Amen. In chapter three of the book of John, Jesus is sitting down with someone by the name of Nicodemus, and I'll start with verse one. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night and said unto, unto him, rabbi, we know that thou arte teacher come from God. For no man can do these miracles that thou doist except God be with him. Isn't it amazing that Nicodemus acknowledged who Jesus was being a ruler of the Jews, But funny, he came to Jesus in the night. Why do you think he did not want anyone else to see him talking with Jesus the way he was and inquiring of Jesus? Verse three, Jesus answered and said unto him, rarely, rarely, I say unto the, except. A man be born again. He cannot see the kingdom of God. Let's take a pause here for a minute. Jesus said, if a man except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. The one thing that Jesus did here, brothers and sisters, was acknowledge that our first birth, there was something wrong in our first natural earthly birth. Something was wrong that we need to be born again. You know, we live in a society today that you will hear, I'm born this way. There's nothing you can do about it. This is how I am. My father was like this. My grandfather was like this. And so I'm like this. My mother behaved this way. My grandmother was like this. They have similar attitudes. So what do you think I am? For many years in my life, brothers and sisters, I said to myself, I'm born this way. There's nothing anyone can do about it. And that's when I left the church and lived alive. That was not intended by God. For 20 years, I identified as a butch lesbian. I was born that way. If we take note in this conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus and Nicodemus, Nicodemus actually begins to open up to Jesus. And he innocently, innocently asks Jesus, how can a man be born when he is old? I understand. He says, can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? It was a very innocent question. And Jesus clarifies and he says, rarely, rarely. I say unto accept the man, be born of water and of the Spirit. He cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel. Not that I said unto the, you must be born again. What excuses do we have? Brothers and sisters? What excuses do we make for our condition? That's all we're doing. I say, I used to say I was born this way. There's nothing you can do about it. And God made me this way. We take it a step further, right? We actually blame God for our conditions sometimes, don't we? But Jesus simply, simply appeals to us and says, be born again in me. Be born again in me. Sister White says, she says the idea that it is necessary only to develop the good that exists in man by nature is a fatal deception. The natural man receive if not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned Marvel. Not that I said unto, unto the He must be born again of Christ. It is written in Him was life and the life was the light of men, the only name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. It is not enough to perceive the loving kindness of God, to see the benevolence, the fatherly tenderness of his character. It is not enough to discern the wisdom and justice of his law to see that it is founded upon the eternal principle of love. Paul the apostle saw all this when he exclaimed, I consent unto the law that it is good, it the law is holy, and the commandment holy in just and good. But he added this brothers and sisters, Paul said, in the bitterness of his soul, anguish and despair, I am caral soul under sin. Do we understand our condition today? Brothers and sisters? Paul continues. He longed for the purity, the righteousness to which in himself he was powerless to attain. And Paul cried out, oh, wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death. What does Jesus say? That we must be born again of the water and of the spirit. Not one is righteous, no one, and our righteousness is, but filthy rags. Brothers and sisters, we deceive ourselves. There's a deception going on in humanity today. We like to make excuses. We want the answers. We want to understand. We wanna get all the answers before we can accept truth. It's human nature to want to understand, to want to be clear. But then where does faith come in? Brothers and sisters, in understanding our condition? There is nothing in of ourselves that can make things right. Do we cry out to God and understand our condition? Or do we wait for promises to be fulfilled before we can step forward and trust God? Do we always need to find the answers? Do we always need to understand brothers and sisters? I tell you, I did not understand what was going on in my life when God finally grabbed my attention For 20 plus years after a long-term relationship. And after having a daughter with another woman, God grabbed my attention. And the first thing, the first thing that he impressed upon me, that he had never left me, never. And I'm standing here before you today because I'm also a product of a mother's prayers, a faith in a mother's prayers. And when God finally got my attention, brothers and sisters, with that conviction that came upon my heart so loud and clear, if Sunday is a counterfeit to my Sabbath, my child, what do you think is a counterfeit to my creation? That's what the conviction was. That fell on my heart and I fell to my knees and I didn't quite understand what that conviction meant. What Lord, are you telling me that I'm a counterfeit? I mean all my life, all I understood was that you made me this way. There was nothing else I've known from the, from when I was very little. I'm a counterfeit. And it was days upon days upon days later that God brought me to scripture in the book of Romans, if you could turn there, please say amen when you get there. Amen. Book of Romans chapter one. We're dealing in a day in age now, brothers and sisters, that we all operate by our feelings. We define what is right and what is good by how we feel. And I know all of you, most of you know as of late, what legislation has just passed in the entire United States. Same sex marriage is now legal throughout the us and in the Bible of all the verses in the Bible, from Leviticus to one Corinthians chapter six, verse nine, specifically in verse 10. There's no real reason why homosexuality is a sin, but that is an abomination to God. Why is it an abomination? And this is what I was asking in the beginning of our time this morning, is we need to understand why we need victory. What is our condition? However, in Romans chapter one, Paul gives us the reason to in chapter one, verse 24. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lust of their hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves who change the truth of God into a lie. Let's pause there because there's a comma now. Paul is about to explain what the lie is and worshiped and served the creature more than the creator who is blessed forever. Amen. You see what was going on? Let's, let's take a pause here. What's going on here at the book of Romans is that their people started worshiping things, images, creatures, animals, trees. But Paul took note of something interesting. Paul noticed something among human beings towards each other. And he continues this description in verse 26 for this cause. God gave them up unto vile affections for even their women did change, the natural use into that which is against nature. And likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the women burned in their lust, one toward another men with men working that which is unseemly and receiving in themselves that recompense of their air, which was meat. Paul tells us there's a lie. And then he describes women being with women and men being with men. He noticed something about this and not so much of that interaction between women and women and men and men, but he saw something deeper. He saw the lie that they serve the creature more than the creator. You see brothers and sisters in a same sex relationship in two same sexes. You have a woman with a woman, same body parts, similar features. It's like looking in a mirror, a man with a man, same masculinity, somewhat for some similar body parts. It's like looking in a mirror. What was Paul doing here? Was he crowning one particular sin over another? Paul continues in this passage from verse 29 onto 32, mentioning all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debates, deceit, malignity, whisperers. Basically what Paul did was he aligned all of this with worshiping the creature, then the creator. This is the crux of the human problem, brothers and sisters, that we have put ourselves above God. We've put our feelings and our own thoughts before God. We have given ourselves more power than faith in God. We've put the cart before the horse actually, in our state of confusion. We try to make things work. We try to, we try to fix it ourselves. And I got this. I'm gonna make this right. I'm gonna make this work. And all we find ourselves is falling again. I've counseled so many young people and young adults, why do I keep falling again? Why do I keep on doing what I'm not supposed to do? Is the main question that is always asked in so much torment, in torture. They don't understand how to get free from that which binds him. First and foremost, we must understand our condition. Why do we worship ourselves? This is the crux of our problem. Just like Adam and Eve found themselves in the garden running from God instead of two, God. So brothers and sisters, my challenge for you this weekend, and as we journey together this morning is ask yourself with God. Lord, examine my life. What excuses have I made in my life today? Who am I? Why is an important question to answer? You know, when you have a toddler, they go through a certain stage and that's all they ask is why Mama? Why? Because honey, that's the way it is. Why mama? Why? It's inherent in us to ask that question and it demands an answer. And the only way we're gonna find that answer is in God's word. Amen. Amen. Amen. And we're gonna find these answers together this weekend by God's grace. Amen. And I want to appeal to your hearts this morning. Whatever you do, you may have been in ministry for years. You may have been in ministry just for a short while, or maybe you are still in the, in the, in the valley of decision of what you wanna do for God. Maybe you're heading to souls West, souls Northwest Arise Afco, ask yourself, why? Why are you doing this? Why do you feel that call on your heart? When I had that conviction upon my heart from the Lord, I realized that I had lived a life that did not glorify him. I'd lived a life that was run by my own feelings and brokenness we're all broken. Brothers and sisters we're all broken in need of healing. Amen. Amen. And if our victory does not instill healing in our lives, then we're far from victory. If our victory does not produce healing in our lives, we're far from victory. And Jesus is the great physician who wants to heal our brokenness, who wants to bring us full circle to understanding the why. So our what can be powerful. Let us bow our heads. Dear Father in heaven. Lord, thank you for this time to take a look at your word, dear, dear, father, and to see our condition and why victory is necessary, Lord, and not just victory in of itself, but victory in Jesus. Amen. Thank you, Lord for humbling us. Make us willing, dear Father, to be willing to be made whole in your hands this weekend. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. In Jesus name. Let everyone say amen. This media was brought to you by Audio verse, a website dedicated to spreading God's word through free sermon, audio, and much more. If you would like to know more about Audio verse or if you would like to listen to more sermons, please visit www.audio verse.org.

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Victory in Jesus: Why?

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Victory in Jesus: Why?

Victory in Jesus: Temptation, Where Does It Come From?

Victory in Jesus: Living Victoriously

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