Valley Gospel
A Pentecostal church experience.
Valley Gospel
From the Beginning
Have you ever pondered the dual nature of Jesus Christ as both a fierce lion and a meek lamb? This episode of Valley Gospel Church’s podcast promises to enlighten you on this profound aspect of Jesus’ character. We start by exploring how Jesus embodies both the strength to challenge evil and the humility to sacrifice Himself for humanity. Our thought-provoking sermon, "From the Beginning," takes us on a journey through Genesis 4, examining the nature of sin and the delicate interplay between belief and faith.
The story of Cain and Abel serves as a powerful lesson on the importance of faith and obedience. By contrasting Cain's disobedience and lack of faith with Abel's compliant offerings, we uncover the ultimate truth pointing to Jesus Christ as the final and only acceptable sacrifice for our sins. This chapter emphasizes that righteousness before God is achieved solely through faith in Jesus, underscoring the specificity of this requirement. Through biblical history, we illustrate God's unwavering expectations and the choices we must make between His way and sin.
In our continued exploration, we discuss Jesus' power to overcome sin and defeat Satan, as highlighted in 1 John 3:8-9 and Genesis 3:15. The significance of Jesus casting out demons and binding Satan is examined, showcasing His divine authority. We conclude with a heartfelt celebration of Jesus' unconditional love through a cherished hymn. Join us in singing and reflecting on the boundless affection and devotion of Jesus, encapsulated in the moving lines, "Oh how he loves you and me." This episode is a beautiful testament to faith, obedience, and the immense love of Jesus Christ.
Thank you, jesus. God will open. He'll open up the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing. My God will open. He'll open up the windows of heaven and He'll pour you out a blessing. My God will open. He'll open up the windows of heaven, he'll pour you out a blessing, and you will not have the room, not because of you, but because he's good, and you will not have the room to receive him hello welcome to valley gospel church.
Speaker 3:We are a non-denominational Pentecostal church located in Springdale, Pennsylvania. Our sole mission is to present the living truth of a risen Lord Jesus Christ to a remnant church in a lost world. So let's go into the service recorded live at Valley Gospel Church.
Speaker 1:Let's go into the service recorded live at.
Speaker 4:Valley Gospel Church. Before we get started, I'll just share with you what God showed me on my heart last Sunday and this morning a little bit. So we were worshiping last Sunday about the lion and the lamb right the lion on that banner and the lamb and I was pondering that and as he led me through the message, he kind of just showed me a different picture that I didn't really see before about the lion and about Jesus, about how he is both, and that hopefully I can clear up and show you it will touch on the end part of the sermon and kind of wrap it up that the lion, jesus Christ, in the spirit, he was the lion that came to this earth and he crashed the kingdom of heaven right into Satan's front door and booted it open and had his way at will with the demons and all those seed of the serpents. And hopefully I can clarify this up and kind of show you that. The lamb in the flesh, he was lowly and meek, but in his spirit, the lion, the spirit of Jesus, he's never lost a battle. Not one battle has he ever lost.
Speaker 4:And we're going to touch on a couple things today. The title is From the Beginning and we're going to talk about the sin, nature and the flesh and your belief and your belief in faith, and they're all closely knit together and we're going to try to clarify. If the Holy Spirit will help me, give you the words to speak, to clarify all this in your head and go through the scripture and see what the word of God says, the word of truth that we stand on, amen. So we'll pray and we'll get started and we're going to be in Genesis 4 to get started and I'll just pray. Father, I come before you in the name of Jesus Christ, your son, the lion and the lamb, the one who laid down his life for, and I'll just pray that you have your way here today through your Holy Spirit. I thank you, holy Spirit, that you just minister to all of us, you teach us and lead us and guide us by the hand, closer and closer to Jesus. I just pray that your word today, that you would take possession of me, use me, father, however you can, I surrender fully to you that you would speak to me, you would speak through me to your children, to clarify your word and your message that you would have for us. Father, I love you and I just ask you to do what you do, father, in the name of Jesus, amen, amen, amen. All right, when you get to Genesis 4, starting the first verse, if you would stand for the reading of the word. And we're going to jump around through the Bible. But this journey with the Lord was just, he took me on, was so amazing. And through every part of the Bible, from beginning to end, I couldn't write it all down and I couldn't. There's so much stuff going on in my head. So I'm praying that the Holy Spirit would just plainly get out the words so that it makes sense to all of you and so that we could get what the end goal is to know more about Jesus and to get closer with him. Amen, all right.
Speaker 4:Genesis 4 and 1. It says Now Adam knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and Cain said, oh, and said I have acquired a man from the Lord. Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of the sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground and in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering. But he did not respect Cain and his offering and Cain was very angry and his countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain why are you angry and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door and its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.
Speaker 4:Now Cain talked with Abel, his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother and killed him. And then the Lord said to Cain when is Abel your brother? He said I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper? Amen, we'll go from there jumping back and forth, but you may be seated From the beginning. Huh, not off to a good start, huh.
Speaker 4:So in verse 7, god tells Cain if you look back at verse 7, he says If you don't do well, sin lies at the door and its desire is to have you, but you should rule over it. And we're talking about the sin nature that's in us. And Cain has a decision to make. God steps in and tries to tell him he's at a crossroads right now. Be careful about your next move. And as I'm reading this, I'm thinking, cain, you've got to be thinking about the stories and the lessons your parents, adam and Eve, told you. They taught you about how important it is to obey God. And because Abel knew what God asked for and wanted, we know that Cain also knew, their parents wouldn't have taught just one of them, wouldn't have taught just one of them.
Speaker 4:Cain and God talking right now in this verse shows that Cain knows what God told him and expected him to bring for a sacrifice, and it was specific. It was specific because it pointed to Jesus and pointed to him specifically as the sacrifice that God will accept. Abel understood and brought what God asked when God asked. In faith, cain brought what he wanted when he wanted, proving his lack of faith in his obedience to God. Abel may have not fully understood why God said to bring what he did and when he said to do it, but having faith in God and his ways that God's ways are better than his ways Abel did what God asked because he trusted God over his own understanding. He had faith. In Hebrews 11, 4, it says by faith, abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, god testifying of his gifts, and through it, he, being dead, still speaks and through it, the sacrifice and faith that Abel made. He, being dead, still speaks. That says God testified that Abel was righteous by obeying God in faith. Abel did what God asked in faith and God witnessed or said that Abel was righteous. He declared him righteous. Him obeying what God asked him to do proved his faith.
Speaker 4:And you can see it now, picturing it from today, just talking with people. I can picture Cain. It says that he was a tiller of the land. I could picture him saying I'm just going to bring him what I have. This is what I got, right, this is what I got. This is good enough. So I'm going to bring, going to bring him what I have. This is what I got, right, this is what I got. This is good enough. So I'm going to bring it because it's what I have, not taking the extra step to make any kind of effort to give him what he asked for. Right, he just did this is what I got. He'll take it right and, just like us today, jesus is the sacrifice and we accept him by faith and we are declared righteous by God.
Speaker 4:God, from the beginning, was trying to show how the Messiah Jesus would come and be our sacrifice and by faith we would be declared righteous before God. In Hebrews 12 and 24 it says that Jesus was the mediator of the new covenant and to and to the sprinkled blood, that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Jesus' blood speaks a better word because he was the last sacrifice for all time, for all people. And when God says he hears the voice of Abel's blood calling out to him from the ground, I think how much more the blood of his son, the sinless, spotless lamb that died for us. God had to be specific back here with Cain, because God is specific right now. Jesus is the only sacrifice God can and will accept. There is no other. That's why you can't bring your own sacrifice. Jude 1.11 says woe unto them, for they have gone in the way of Cain.
Speaker 4:Cain rejected God's way and therefore proved his faith. You can't bring your good deeds, your moral standards or your faith in a higher power. That's not good enough. And someone just said that I believe what, if I believe in a God and if I have faith in a higher power and I'm a good person. I try to do good and live morally. You're saying I can't go to heaven and the answer is yes, you can't. God doesn't ask for blind faith. It's specific and since Jesus died on the cross for us as our sacrifice, it's been faith in him. It's specific Faith in Jesus, the son of God, and his death on the cross for us. You're trying to do what Cain did and bring a different sacrifice, and your wrong sacrifice shows your heart and proves your faith or, just like Cain, your lack thereof.
Speaker 4:Cain believed in God. He was talking to him, so obviously he believed. We'll turn to James 2, real quick, james 2. I'll read 18 to 24, I think. But someone will say you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God you do well, even the demons believe and tremble. But do you want to know, o foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham, our father, justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works? And by works faith was made perfect and the scripture was fulfilled, which says abraham believed god and it was accounted to him for righteousness and he was called the friend of god. You see, you see, then, that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. Your actions, actions, prove your faith. God was specific in the Bible with the sacrifices. He was teaching the Israelites that his sacrifice, his sacrifices, were specific for a reason. And when Jesus died for all sin, for all time, he became the only sacrifice, the only way. And that's what all this history in the Bible is about God trying to teach us the right way. And he had to start early because we're a little slow.
Speaker 4:And when you say I have faith in a higher power and I'll just be good, you don't realize a couple things First off, that there's none good but God. And you're saying you're good based on what you think is good and those around you. God's good is Jesus. It's perfect. And you're missing another very important part. God teaches there are two ways to walk through life God's way and your way. When you choose, as you say, to be good and walk your way, you're turning your back on God and going in a different direction. You're rebelling against God. You might not have thought of it, about it like that, but that's what it is. Those two paths, god's and yours. They're going in different directions. You have to turn your back on one of them and God's path and how to get on it is specific.
Speaker 4:We turn from our ways and put our faith in Jesus, the only sacrifice acceptable to God. But, like I said before, it's not a blind faith. You look at everything and you choose to have faith in something based on what you believe, based on evidence and history. Belief and faith are closely knit together. But faith takes belief a step further. Faith causes you to put trust in what you believe. It causes you to stand on what you say you believe, and we use evidence and history and things around us to mentally believe something. But when that belief drops down into your heart, when your heart believes it, then it's faith. Faith is your belief in action and there is overwhelming evidence for our belief in Jesus Christ and when you believe and seek him as soon as he shows up for you, that first time that belief will drop into your heart and then you will have faith in him. God was establishing this history and evidence for our faith and belief since the beginning he did it with Adam and Eve and now with Cain and Abel.
Speaker 4:And look at verse 6 and 7 again in Genesis. In chapter 4, it said God told Cain you're at a crossroads right now, just like your parents were with the apple right in front of you. And I can see that your whole attitude has changed, cain, because you feel offended by me. But there is a reason. I am specific, there is a reason. I won't bend, I can't Not budge not even a smidge from what I'll accept. It has to be this way. You have to know how important this is and that there is only this one way. And because I love you, I'm telling you that way. All you have to do is walk in it, come this way and you'll be accepted.
Speaker 4:If God would have made exceptions and let different people do what they wanted, then there wouldn't be this track record, this historical track record of evidence that we use to not only build our faith but to prove it. It's important. So when God says, hey, children, this is the way we take it seriously, because it is the Bible shows people choosing other ways instead of God's and it all ends badly and in death and separation from him. If God would have changed his ways off and on, then we would say, ah, he doesn't really mean that. Look he let Cain slide and offer and bring whatever he wanted. It'll be cool. Right, we're good. And anyways, I'm not that bad. Right, I'm not that bad. I never murdered anyone like him, let alone my brother. Right, I'm good? No, the answer is no.
Speaker 4:From the very beginning, from day one, with Cain's parents, god started teaching them and showing them his plan and he's never wavered. From the beginning, with Adam and Eve, people ask why? Why does God allow Satan to come in and tempt and do these things and lead people astray? God has to allow this so that we have a choice. There has to be another way, so that we have a choice, a choice to choose God or not, and just like that. From the beginning, god already had a plan and was starting to reveal it. As soon as Adam and Eve chose to believe Satan's lie instead of God's truth, god made the first sacrifice to cover Adam and Eve and taught them about the sacrifice, what it meant, how it covered them and their sin, and they taught Cain and Abel we know they taught them because that's how Cain got into this position was by bringing a sacrifice to God. He didn't bring a sacrifice, not knowing what the sacrifice was supposed to be. He didn't bring a sacrifice not knowing what the sacrifice was supposed to be.
Speaker 4:Cain's standing at the crossroad and God telling him which way to go and that if he chooses his own way, sin is waiting there to have you. Sin is standing there, waiting for you to acknowledge it, waiting for you to make eye contact with it. You have to tag sin in. It doesn't just overtake you. It's a choice. And 1 Peter, 5 and 8, I'll look at it real quick 1 Peter 5 and 8. You just don't have to turn to real quick. Just one verse. But it says that you just know it. Be sober, be watchful, because Satan is roaming around like a lion looking for someone to devour right. And how does he do it? Satan uses sin and temptations and lust to lure you in, to get you to disobey God. He's getting you to open the door for him.
Speaker 4:James 4 says to submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee. When we submit to God, we are choosing to obey him and his ways. Obedience to God is so important. And look at Romans 6. We'll look at Romans 6, starting in 16, real quick, and when you're talking about the sin nature and how to walk this out and how this affects you and live your life.
Speaker 4:You just read Romans. Read the whole book of Romans. Paul and all of his writing talks us and leads you through it. And the book of Romans is so beautiful. I could just sit here and read the whole book from beginning to end, and it'll lead you from step one the whole way through. But I'm not going to do that. You're just going to do that, right. But uh, romans 6, starting in verse 16, it says do you know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey? You are that one slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness. Amen, amen. Whoever you obey is who you are a slave to. It's who you serve, and God wants us to rule over sin. Remember what God said to Cain Sin's waiting for you, but you are to rule over it. Sin and Satan are a package deal. They're a team. You don't get one without the other.
Speaker 4:Every time we talk about struggling with sin and the sin nature in us, I think of Samson. I always think of Samson and the story of Samson, if you don't know, is in Judges 16, but I'll just give you some highlights from it. So Samson was amazingly strong and he was gifted from God and God's hand was on Samson. But Samson kept flirting with sin. He just kept running back to it. He couldn't get enough. He just kept flirting back and forth with sin. And what happened? He thought he was stronger than sin and it wasn't a big deal. But the same thing happened to him as everybody else. And it proves that statement true that sin will take you farther than you wanted to go and cost you more than you wanted to pay. Sin grabbed a hold of Samson and did just that.
Speaker 4:Samson's hair represented his commitment to God, his word and his pledge to God. And when sin cut his hair it broke his commitment to God. It was like him turning away from God or taking his hand out of God's hand. And what happened? Sin cost him more than he wanted to pay. His enemy put out both of his eyes and took him as a prisoner, as a slave. Now Samson, having no eyes, can't see anything. Sitting bound as a prisoner in the devastation that sin left him in and for the first time, with no eyes he finally sees, hallelujah, that it was the Lord. From the very beginning it was the Lord. And now Samson cries out. I know it was you, lord. Help me up. Just one more time, lord, just one more time. And God does hear Samson's cry and he answers, just like he does for us time and time again.
Speaker 4:And since the beginning in the garden, with the fall of Adam and Eve, the sin nature in us, that leaning towards sin, has been a problem and it needs dealt with. This sin nature in us that God says you're supposed to rule over, is too powerful for us. You can't defeat it by yourself. You'll lose. Every time Satan will use lust and temptations to get you to sin and do what he wants whenever he wants. You are a slave to sin and the devil and there is only one who is stronger than Satan and that one is Jesus. And do you remember? And it's in Matthew and Mark. But do you remember? We'll look in Matthew 12, but when Jesus was casting out demons, he's healing everybody. And the religious leaders come and say that Jesus is casting out demons by the power of Satan or Beelzebub. Remember, and we'll look. It's in Matthew 12 and 24. Real quick, we'll look at that.
Speaker 2:Because it's good.
Speaker 4:Good, I'll read 25 to 30 or right in there, and then we'll go back through it. But it says but Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. Verse 2. Therefore, they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you? Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man and then he will plunder his house? Jesus said that if Satan possessed someone, the last thing he would do is use that person to cast out his own demons. Then Jesus says that if I cast out demons in the name of Satan, by his power, then by whom does your sons cast out demons? Right, there, let them be your judge. So obviously the Pharisees and them were casting out demons. There, let them be your judge. So obviously the pharisees and them were casting out demons. Their family was too. So what name were they using to cast out demons? Right, that's what he's getting at in verse 28. Jesus says that. But if I cast out demons by the power of god, then the kingdom of god is here now. The religious leaders can't have none of that, because that would be saying that Jesus was at least from God and more powerful and anointed than them and could do all these miraculous things that he was doing. They'd have to admit that he was from God and they weren't going to do that.
Speaker 4:And verse 29 is what I want to look at. Verse 29 I'll read it again for you. It says or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. And I pray that I can clear this up and you can stay with me on this, and I can make it clear for you, like the Lord did for me. Jesus tells them exactly what is going on here.
Speaker 4:Now, the strong man is Satan and his goods are unbelievers and those that don't believe in the Lord. Right, it's there. And he uses their instruments, their bodies, their arms, legs, mouth, their mind, all that stuff. Right, we use that and you think about it. Before you met the Lord, you used everything you have for unrighteousness, right, we were sinners, right, and that's what we use that for Now. The strong man's house is the world down here that's ran by Satan. Right, that's his house.
Speaker 4:So Jesus says that the only way someone can enter a strong man's house, this world, and bind him and plunder his goods is if he is stronger than the strong man. And Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is that man. And Jesus Christ, the Son of God is that man. He was proving it right in front of them that by throwing Satan out of everywhere that he went at will, jesus could plunder Satan's goods. He could set unbelievers free from Satan's house or his kingdom into God's kingdom. Amen, the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. That's what Jesus was doing. Jesus is the one that is stronger than Satan and the sin nature that's in us. And if we receive Jesus, we can overcome the sin, the sin nature that's in us, by the Holy Spirit working in us. Jesus on the cross bound Satan for us spiritually because he made a way for us to receive the Holy Ghost. Amen. And think of everything like this Everything comes from God, through Jesus on the cross and by the Spirit. That's how it works. So when we don't know Jesus, we don't have the power of the Holy Spirit in us. And when we are born in the flesh and not of the Spirit. The strong man is Satan. He's running the show until we kick him out, and the only one who can defeat him is Jesus, the seed of the woman Right.
Speaker 4:1 John, 3, 8 and 9 says Whoever has been born of God does not continue to sin. Whoever has been born of God does not continue to sin, for his seed remains in him. Because of his seed in us, because of his seed in us, we are not ruled by the sin nature anymore. Let me go to that and read that again so we can get that, because it's good. I'm trying to go a little slower and hopefully, because it took me a while to get it so I can drive home these points that the Lord gave me, so you can kind of hopefully, I hope you get a clear picture in your head of what's going on. So 1 John, 3, 8 and 9 says he who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for his seed remains in him and he cannot sin because he has been born of God right. So that's saying that whoever has been born of God does not sin means to continue to sin, continue to follow the sin nature in us, for his seed remains in us. So his seed is what gives us the power to not sin anymore. Because of his seed in us, we are not ruled by the sin nature anymore. That's why Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. So stay with me on this.
Speaker 4:Look at Genesis 3 and 15. And that's at the beginning, when he's speaking to the serpent, to Satan, telling him and cursing him. And it says in 15, it says I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. And this is from the fall, when God curses the serpent or Satan. God says I will put enmity between your seed and the woman's seed and he will bruise your head. We know that the woman's seed is Jesus Christ and he defeated Satan on the cross. But when we come to Christ, when we surrender to Jesus, he comes to live in us through the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 4:And now the seed is in us. We are not the seed, and let me repeat that we are not the seed, but we are a seed because the seed is in us, amen, okay. So we're not going to be gods one day. That's not what I'm saying. God said that there is no gods before me and there shall be none after me. So we're not gods. But because the seed is now in us, he can defeat the sin nature in us. Or the seed of the serpent, the seed of the woman, can now crush the sin nature in us. Right, you guys getting that? Okay.
Speaker 4:So the sin nature in us, the sin nature, is the thing in us that causes us to be offspring of the devil Right, and we acquired that at the fall. So when you follow the sin nature, your flesh, the lust, all that stuff, you become of your father, the devil right when we follow that. And that's why, when the religious leaders came after Jesus in John 8 and tried to kill him, he said you are of your father, the devil right, because they were following their flesh, their sin nature. Think of it as if you have two seeds, and I'm going to try to drive this home for you. So see, think about it. If you have two seeds in you, one is the spirit of God, and we'll call that a seed of the woman. Right, that's in you. And the other one is the sin nature, and we'll call that the seed of the serpent because it leads you. It's not the. It leads you to make actions that make you offspring of the devil. Right, that's what the sin nature does. There's no good in it, right? Okay, so those two natures are in you.
Speaker 4:The plan is you're supposed to have the spirit in you, the spirit of God, stronger than the sin nature, the seed of the serpent. It's supposed to smash it and, though it never, neither one goes away. One is going to lay dormant and one is not. So, when you don't know Jesus, when you don't know him, think of, before you walk with the Lord, the sin nature. Satan ran the show. You did whatever you wanted, whenever you want, whatever you felt like doing, right. So the Spirit of God that he breathed into you was in there, but it was dead. The Bible says it was dead. Right? The spirit of God quickens our spirit, it brings our spirit to life. So, before you meet the Lord, you're not spiritually alive. So sin rules the show, whether you think so or not, right? So then, whenever we get born again and the spirit comes alive, the Holy Ghost puts the jumper cables right onto our spirit right and brings it to life. Now we're supposed to reverse, we're supposed to let the sin nature go dormant and roll in the spirit right? So I hope you're getting all this right, okay?
Speaker 4:The Bible says that before you knew God, that your spirit was dead, and this is all through Paul's writing, the whole new. You could read this everywhere, but in Ephesians 2 it says that you were dead in your trespasses and sins and he has made you alive. Paul talks about this all through his writings, about putting off the old, putting on the new man being joined in death with Christ. The baptism we just had was a symbolization of this right of being joined in death with Jesus. The baptism we just had was a symbolization of this right Of being joined in death with Jesus and being raised with him in the newness of life. And now we're supposed to walk in that.
Speaker 4:So look at Romans 6. I'll read that real quick. I know we're jumping all over, but it's just, it's too good. You know what I mean. Read the whole thing. Just read the whole thing. It's all good, but okay.
Speaker 4:So Romans 6, in verse 11, I'll read 11 to 14. It says Likewise you also reckon yourselves to be dead, indeed to sin, but alive to god in christ jesus, our lord. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it and its lusts, and do not present your members that's like I was talking before your arms, your mouth, your legs, everything that you do, the work of your hands, your and sing. It says don't use that for Satan's purposes to follow those lusts and the sin natures. It says do not present those members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Amen, amen. So that's, and he's saying the same thing that God said to Cain, for sin shall not have dominion over you. He said the same thing as God said to Cain you shall rule over it.
Speaker 4:Our battle is still the same as back with Adam and Eve and with Cain and Abel. It's faith in God which is proven by our actions of obedience to him. You can believe God or, like them, choose to believe Satan's lie. It's all about who our faith is in. It's not faith in a higher power, it's not blind faith. It's faith in the one God sent, who surrendered himself to God and hung on a tree for us, the only one who laid down his life for us, the only one who came and dealt with the sin issue that's inside us. And he did it, proving his faith, faith in his father, faith in his father's plan. And Jesus dealt with our sin and made a way for us.
Speaker 4:People today are the same as they were back then. They blame everything and anyone else for our sin, but don't deal with it. We have to agree with God and his word that sin is sin. We can't say God is good with our sin Because we like it when his word says differently. We can't agree with the lie and say God made me this way, so it's not sin. That's a lie. And using and us liking sin just proves God's word is true and that we're all sinners and lead towards sin and we like it. Once we realize we are the li us, not God God is right Then we can surrender to God, agree with him and then the Holy Spirit can start to work. We can lie and make excuses like they did?
Speaker 4:Adam and Eve blamed everybody else. Cain lied and said I don't know what you're talking about, god, I'm not my brother's keeper, I don't know where he's at right. Cain rising up and killing his brother proves the enmity between the two seeds A seed of the woman, abel, and a seed of the serpent, cain. Who killed his brother? And what was Abel doing? What was Abel doing? He was just doing what God asked him to do. He was doing the right thing right. And why did he kill his brother?
Speaker 4:1 John 3.12 says that because Cain's works were evil and his brothers were righteous. And so it is that those who choose to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, just like Abel did. But I love how Jesus came and slammed God's kingdom right into Satan, the strong man, right into his house, binds him and throws him out and starts setting people free. And that's what's supposed to happen inside you when you're born again, when the Holy Ghost comes in with those paddles and brings you to life. And now the stronger man, Jesus, who set us free. And now we walk in his light with him. We can tell others about Jesus and what he did. We can tell others about his kingdom of light against the kingdom of darkness and how, no matter how dark it is, the light always overcomes the darkness.
Speaker 4:And in closing, I'll just say that God's message from the beginning is I have a way for you and you can trust me. I have the best intentions for you, because I truly love you and I know everything about you, and not just you personally, but all of you. And that perfect way is Jesus everything about you, and not just you personally, but all of you. And that perfect way is Jesus. Jesus is the perfect gift from God, so that we don't have to be perfect because we can't. He takes all the burden off of us, it takes the weight off of our shoulders. We can't do it and and that's awesome, it's an amazing gift from God.
Speaker 4:Why? Why is that offensive? Oh, because you're good. How good is good enough to get to heaven. Where's the line? What if I can't do as good as you because I don't have as much money or time or talents? What is the limit till I'm good enough for heaven? It can't be on our goodness, because it's all different. There has to be just one way, equal for all, no matter what, and it's Jesus. Aren't you tired of all? Aren't you tired of it all? Aren't you tired of all the religiousness? Jesus is calling you into a relationship, if you'll just come to him, cry out to him, like Samson, from your brokenness, open your blind eyes to see him, and I'll close with a scripture from Matthew 11, 28 to 30. And Jesus said come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke, amen, amen, thank you.
Speaker 3:Thank you for listening to this week's podcast. We pray it was an encouragement and a blessing to you. You can contact us at Valley Gospel Church, 1069 Butler Logan Road, Springdale, Pennsylvania, 15144. We invite you to listen to this week's worship service that follows and tune in for next week's podcast.
Speaker 1:Here is love, vast as the ocean, loving kindness as the flood. When the Prince of life, our ransom, shed for us His precious blood. Who His love will not remember? Who can cease to sing His praise? He will never be forgotten Throughout heaven's eternal days. On the mount of crucifixion, fountains open, deep and wide, then deep and wide, through the flood gates of God's mercy, float a vast and gracious tide, like mighty rivers, poured incense from above. Oh, heaven's peace and perfect justice. Kissed a guilty world in love. Here is love, vast as the ocean, loving kindness as the flood. When the prints of life are ransomed flood when the prince of life, our ransom, shed for us his precious blood. Who his love will not remember? Who can cease to sing his praise? He will never be forgotten throughout eternal days. On the mount of crucifixion, fountains open, deep and wide. Through the floodgates of God's mercy Float a vast and gracious tide. Grace and love, like mighty rivers, poured in sex and from above, heaven's peace and perfect justice. Kissed a guilty world in love, who His love will not remember and who can cease to sing his praise? Oh, he can never be forgotten throughout his eternal days. Grace and love, like mighty rivers, poured's peace and perfect justice Kissed a guilty world in love. Heaven's peace and perfect justice Kissed a guilty world in love.
Speaker 1:Oh how he loves you and me. Oh how he loves you and me. He gave his life. What more could he give? Oh how he loves you. Oh how he loves me. Oh how he loves you and me. Let's sing it again oh how he loves you and me. Oh how he loves you and me. Oh how he loves you and me. He gave his life. What more could he give? Oh how he loves you. Oh how he loves me. Oh how he loves you and me. Sing it again oh how he loves you and me. Oh how he loves you and me. He gave his life. What more could he give? Oh how he loves you. Oh how he loves me. Oh how he loves you and me.