THE TEST OF YOUR CHRISTIAN MATURITY (PERFECTION) IS THE LOVE OF THE FATHER
YOUR EXPERIENCE OF THE LOVE OF THE FATHER
AND YOUR LIVING OUT THE LOVE OF THE FATHER
WHAT KEEPS US FROM THE LOVE OF THE FATHER?
WHAT TAKES THE LOVE OF THE FATHER AWAY FROM US?
THE DESIRES OF THE BODY
THE DESIRES OF THE EYES
PRIDE
AT THE CENTER OF EVERY SIN IS DESIRE (LUST) AND PRIDE (SELFISHNESS)
LUST REVEALS WANT, DISSATISFACTION, IDOLATRY
PRIDE REVEALS INSECURITY, LACK OF TRUST, UNBELIEF
IF YOUR LIFE CONSISTS OF LUST AND PRIDE YOU CANNOT BE HAPPY
THE PROBLEM LIES IN OUR DISHONESTY
AS WE SEE LUST IT TELLS US CERTAIN THINGS
OUR PRIDE TELLS US CERTAIN THINGS
IF YOU EXAMINE YOURSELF AND YOU SEE BITTERNESS AND LUST
IT TELLS YOU THAT YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH GOD
IT REVEALS YOU NEED TO COME TO JESUS, BE WITH JESUS, DRINK FROM JESUS
COME NEAR TO JESUS AND HE WILL COME NEAR TO YOU
OR IT REVEALS YOU NEED TO COME TO THE LORD TO HAVE HIS FORGIVENESS
OUR SIN REVEALS EVERYTHING ABOUT US
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS HONESTY
THE FIRST STEP IS TO ADMIT YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO DO IT BY YOURSELF
IF WE WERE HONEST WITH OURSELVES AND WITH GOD
WE WOULD SAY: I NEED OTHERS IN MY LIFE
THE REASON WE HINDER OUR GROWTH IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS BY NOT BEING HONEST
WITH OURSELVES, WITH GOD AND WITH OTHERS ABOUT OUR SIN
OUR STRUGGLES, OUR NEED FOR HELP
AND TRYING TO BE SOMETHING WE ARE NOT
IN THIS WAY WE CANNOT RECEIVE WHAT WE NEED
GOD CANNOT GIVE US WHAT WE NEED FOR OUR GROWTH WHEN WE ARE NOT HONEST
DISHONESTY ABOUT OUR SIN WILL KEEP US FROM THE LOVE OF THE FATHER
DISHONESTY ABOUT YOUR NEED FOR GOD WILL KEEP YOU FROM GROWING SPIRITUALLY
IN THE GARDEN WHEN ADAM AND EVE SINNED AND GOD CAME AND SAID, WHERE ARE YOU?
THEY HID
AND ADAM SAID IT WAS EVE AND EVE SAID IT WAS THE SERPENT
AND THEY BLAMED OTHER PEOPLE
ONE THING WE COMMONLY DO IS BLAME OTHERS
OR WE BLAME THE ENEMY AND SAY: THE ENEMY IS ATTACKING ME
INSTEAD OF SAYING: WHAT IS THIS TEACHING ME?
WHAT IS THIS SIN TRYING TO TELL ME?
WHAT LACK IS THERE IN ME THAT I STRUGGLE WITH THIS?
ITS THE WORD OF GOD THAT YOU HIDE IN YOUR HEART THAT YOU MAY NOT SIN
THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IN YOUR LIFE IS THE LEVEL OF YOUR MATURITY (PERFECTION)
THE BIBLE SAYS CONSIDER JESUS
CHRIST BORE THE GUILT AND THE SHAME FOR ALL THE WORLD'S SINS
NOT JUST THE PHYSICAL SUFFERING AND PAIN
HE BORE THE GUILT AND SHAME AS IF HE HAD COMMITTED ALL THOSE SINS
THE BIBLE SAYS HE STARTED TO BLEED IN HIS SWEAT
ITS A CONDITION WHERE YOUR VEINS POP BECAUSE OF THAT LEVEL OF STRESS
AND ON THE CROSS HE SAID, FATHER, WHY HAVE YOU LEFT ME?
BECAUSE GOD IS HOLY, HE WANTS NOTHING TO DO WITH SIN
HE HAD TO SEPARATE HIMSELF FROM SIN
WHAT WE DESERVE IS TO BE SEPARATED FROM GOD BECAUSE OF ALL OUR SINS
BUT JESUS WAS SEPARATED FROM GOD INSTEAD OF US AND DIED ON THE CROSS
WE DESERVE TO BE SEPARATED FROM GOD
BUT JESUS WAS SEPARATED FROM GOD INSTEAD OF US
WE DESERVE TO DIE BECAUSE OF ALL OUR SINS
BUT JESUS DIED FOR YOUR SINS AND MY SINS
GOD DIDN'T JUST SAY: I LOVE YOU
HE DEMONSTRATED HIS LOVE FOR US
BY BECOMING ONE OF US
HE HUMBLED HIMSELF TO BECOME ONE OF US SO THAT HE COULD REDEEM US
WHEN GOD ASSURED US BY HIS ACTIONS OF HIS LOVE FOR US AND FORGIVES US
WE CAN BE OPEN AND WE CAN BE HONEST WITH HIM ABOUT OUR SIN
WE CAN BE HONEST AND WE CAN BE OPEN BECAUSE WE KNOW THERE IS FORGIVENESS
AS LONG AS WE CONTINUE TO PURSUE THE DESIRES OF THE BODY
THE DESIRES OF THE EYES
PRIDE
THOSE WHO PURSUE THESE THINGS DO NOT HAVE THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IN THEM
THERE ARE THE THINGS THE DEVIL TESTS EVERYONE WITH
RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING THESE ARE THE THINGS THE DEVIL TESTED ADAM AND EVE WITH IN GENESIS 3
THE DEVIL ALSO TEMPTED JESUS WITH LUST AND PRIDE IN LUKE 4
JESUS IN REDEEMING US, DIDN'T JUST DIE FOR OUR SINS
JESUS DIDN'T JUST TAKE THE PUNISHMENT THAT WAS NECESSARY FOR US ON HIMSELF
JESUS HAD TO OVERCOME WHERE WE FAILED
WHERE ADAM AND EVE FELL, JESUS OVERCAME
WHEN THEY GAVE IN TO THE LUST OF THE EYES, HE OVERCAME
THE PRIDE, HE OVERCAME
IN EVERY WAY THAT WE FALL AND WE FAIL JESUS WAS SUCCESSFUL
THEREFORE HE WAS QUALIFIED TO TAKE OUR PLACE ON THE CROSS
THE BIBLE SAYS THAT JESUS WAS SINLESS
THE BIBLE SAYS BECAUSE JESUS WAS WITHOUT SIN, OUR SIN WAS LAID ON HIM
THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT HINDER US FROM THE LOVE OF THE FATHER
THE DESIRES OF THE BODY
THE DESIRES OF THE EYES
PRIDE
THERE IS A PLACE THAT'S CALLED WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
WHERE YOU WALK IN THE POWER OF GOD
IT TAKES TIME TO GET THERE
BUT WHEN YOU LEARN TO RECOGNIZE HIS STILL SMALL VOICE
AND NOT YOUR OWN DESIRES
YOUR OWN WAYS, YOUR OWN THOUGHTS
YOU START TO EXPERIENCE THE LOVE OF THE FATHER
THE WAY OUR BODIES ARE DESIGNED TELLS US ABSOLUTELY THAT WE HAVE A NEED FOR OTHERS
WE WERE MADE TO BECOME ONE WITH OTHERS
PRIDE AND LUST CONFUSE THAT
AND YOU START TO USE YOUR BODY FOR THINGS IT WASN'T CREATED FOR
IT STARTS WITH OUR UNION WITH GOD
THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE OUTSIDE
THE PROBLEM IS IN OUR HEART
IF YOUR DO NOT HAVE PEACE IN YOUR HEART
IT'S NOT WHAT YOU HAVE OR DON'T HAVE ON THE OUTSIDE, IT'S JUST YOUR HEART
IT'S YOUR UNION WITH GOD
ONCE YOU ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR NEED FOR GOD YOU CAN TAKE STEPS TOWARD HIM
I WANT YOU TO CLOSE YOUR EYES
I JUST WANT TO THANK GOD
I JUST WANT TO THANK GOD THAT HE IS FAITHFUL
THROUGH THE TESTS THAT WE GO THROUGH HE IS FAITHFUL
I WAS THINKING ABOUT WHEN WE EXERCISE AND DO THAT SAME ROUTINE AND WORKOUT
OUR MUSCLES GET USED TO IT AND THEY STOP GROWING
IF WE WENT THROUGH THE SAME THINGS ALWAYS WE WOULD NOT GROW
WHETHER THAT'S MENTALLY, EMOTIONALLY, SPIRITUALLY
SO GOD HAS TO PUT YOU IN NEW CIRCUMSTANCES AND SITUATIONS IN ORDER TO GROW YOU AND TEST YOU
THE LORD HAS TO REVEAL THE KINKS IN YOUR ARMOR
IN ORDER TO BUILD YOU UP
NO MATTER WHERE GOD HAS TAKEN YOU
NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE
HE WANTS THE SAME FOR ALL OF US
HE WANTS US TO KNOW HIS LOVE
TO WALK IN FREEDOM
FROM THE CORRUPTION OF THE WORLD WHICH IS EVIL DESIRES
WHICH IS PRIDE AND INSECURITY
GOD WANTS TO DELIVER US FROM THAT ENDLESS CYCLE OF MISERY
FROM DISSATISFACTION
FROM CONFUSION
TO LIVE FREE WITHOUT FEAR
FATHER I PRAY THAT YOU HELP US TO BE HONEST
ABOUT SIN AND ITS RESULT
ABOUT ITS DESTRUCTION IN OUR LIVES
ABOUT HOW IT DESTROYS OUR MINDS AND OUR HEARTS
HOW IT KEEPS US FROM LOVE
HOW IT KEEPS US FROM YOU
IN JESUS MIGHTY NAME
AMEN