Pastors' Panel Podcast- Total Depravity part 2

Hey, thank you for joining us. Welcome to the pastor's panel podcast. We're thankful that you are with us

Thank you for watching if we can pray for you Claude and I would love to be able to pray for you

Like I always say all you have to do is type me We'll see that at some point and we would love to be able to pray for you

Interact with us tonight. Let us know if you have any questions and it doesn't have to be about our topic we would love to interact with you ask questions answer your questions to the best of our ability and talk about Jesus and and and and find him in his in his word together and exalt him and praise him and We're just thankful to be together with you tonight.

So Claude, how you doing? Doing good, sir. Doing good. I just I just heard my accent again and wanted to quit speaking immediately

Brother we can't hide it Oh So it's a call tonight tonight

We want to be in prayer. Remember our other pastors Our other brothers that are part of the pastor's panel podcast, but are unable to be with us tonight

We appreciate them appreciate their work. I know that they are doing ministry work some close

Some are far from home doing ministry work Don't want to necessarily say where all of them are but we want to pray for them because they're they are working serving the

Lord and And spreading the gospel and helping people in their needs. So we we do appreciate appreciate them and their work

And I would encourage you anytime you get a chance if you

Follow the truth and love network go check out here. I stand you can see it behind Claude here.

I stand theology podcast Claude has been doing some great interviews. Tell us about the last few that you did

Well introduce them to the folks and they can go back and watch them All right.

I'll be glad to so I guess starting in the last what go back the last three because the one before the

Dorian principle was actually a two -parter we came back and talk with Nathan Nathan Cravat of the recovering fundamentalist podcast

Had a great conversation with him and then this past week we interviewed author

Pastor Conley Owens out of Silicon Valley, California. He's a senior

Engineer soft I guess software engineer at Google But he is a reformed pastor solid in the faith

He wrote a book called the Dorian principle Dorian is the Greek word for freely giving

Had a great conversation there As Robert will attest to the fact that it will definitely the book will definitely open your eyes though He's saying nothing new yeah, yeah, well and and and this is just a testimony to the fact that I Don't know at all.

I'm still learning I'm still growing and I had never heard of the Dorian principle and there there are probably a million things out there

That I still have yet to learn and we'll spend eternity, you know with the

Lord Learning from his wisdom all the things that are out there And and this is one of those things that it was new to me and I want to learn more about it because it's it

Seems it's very intriguing They gave a good biblical argument for it and I want to I want to dig into it more and see what it's all about and It kind of leads me to one other thing that I want to do

Claude is that in the next few days it's gonna be like a Two to five minute video probably but I want to do a video that I haven't done before and that's

I want to explain why I have Hey, Matt, Matt reading

What's up, Matt? That's my co -host partner Here on the here

I stand theology podcast check out Matt and Claude Absolutely.

Thank you brother for watching So what I want to do is I want to explain why

I have such a passion To reach out my community our community together with with good solid

Deeper biblical teaching and there's a reason for that And I want to share that in a little video

And I think it will be helpful for people to kind of have a background have some information of where I'm coming from And so I hope to put that together in the next few days

Are you ready to dig into tonight's topic part two? I am but because I'm ADHD.

I've got a quick question I don't think I've ever asked you this but you're uh, your backdrop there looks awesome

Did you burn all that yourself? Was it hand -burned? I did I did

Man, so it's so it's kind of an illusion I had to reposition many times since I've started doing the video podcast and At one point

I was behind a bookcase which you know, I felt like it made me look somewhat academic and I like that But I had to move again and I was in a place where it just didn't have a really good background so I was like I'm going to measure out the the space that I need build me a wall and I I like to make things out of old reclaimed pallet wood and I put together put together a wall and then formed a cross on it and then burned the wood around it and I I've told

Claude this before if if some of our backgrounds or videos start to look similar it's because he's my hero and all this and I'm trying to be more like him

Don't be like me brother you'll fall Hey, wait, this is the way

This And I like the bookcases and I would like to decorate a little bit

On my wall here, which I may get to I may need a my wife's special touch and Decorate there, but I think it'll be cool once we get that going all right, so We're on part two of the first of the doctrines of grace the first The first video that we did and Dan and I did it together was

Has it always been associated with the the core tenets of the doctrines of grace even though it's

I guess it's probably always been assumed By those who hold the doctrines of grace but it's it's good to It's good to start with it it's good to have it as our foundation

It's good to include it and that's the a good biblical understanding of the sovereignty of God There's different understandings understandings of the sovereignty of God sometimes we get caught up in Wanting us wanting a doctrine to fit our

Feelings and and so you get you get different understandings of different doctrines that way

But we want to have a biblical understanding of these doctrines and the sovereignty of God is one of those

And that's truly foundational to understanding the doctrines of grace and and helping them to make sense and and Why why they're biblical?

Why they are what they are. So that's that's where we started any any thoughts on the sovereignty of God before we move forward

Um, honestly, all I can say all I can say is a man actually, let me let me do something that that Let me let me jump over and grab a book because I do have a quote

I want to share but I gotta grab the book. Absolutely. Absolutely So if you're just now joining us tell us hello, leave us a comment

As Paul's mentioned in the past. I think you have to give stream yard permission to use your name We'd love to know that you're watching so leave us a comment say hello ask a question

And if we can pray for you say that too, we'd love to be able to do that And thank you for watching

Give us a share help us to spread the word because we truly want to glorify God by sharing his words with our community

Claude is looking up looking looking up a quote for the sovereignty of God and tonight our topic is is the inability the total depravity of man

Yes, okay, so this is a book that I'm working on right now

John Knox fearless faith by Stephen Lawson John Knox is my favorite reformer but you know, that was that was the bedrock really one of the the chief bedrock of his

Spearheading the Scottish Reformation, but but he was constantly

In trouble right for standing against the Roman Catholic Church, but this is what he said.

It made me think about that when you talked about The sovereignty of God right that God is

God is sovereign not only over us little people us peasants

But God is sovereign over Kings But he he said this from the pulpit in st.

Giles This is what he said Would us and it's written in Old English So he said what is thou

O Scotland have a king to reign over thee in justice equity and mercy Subject thou thyself to the

Lord thy God obey his commandments and magnify Magnify thou thy word that calleth unto thee and then he said and this this is providential right here

He said this is the way Oh Bless John Knox This is the way absolutely and and he's right that's

You know apart from understanding the sovereignty of God, you know, we're lost in all this so Perfect place to start so I want to jump in here because we have

We have several on our list here to go through to help us understand. Hey Roger Roger says howdy

Good evening to you, brother we have several more that we want to get through to help us understand that the total depravity of man and Where it comes from in Scripture?

So I want to go ahead and get started But but quickly I'll let it be your turn since it was my turn last week a quick definition of the total depravity of man.

Oh There we are There we go. I hear you now. There we go.

Same thing same things that happened earlier. That was weird So what was your question again? So it was my turn last week

So I want to give it to you this time before we get started just reviewing quick definition of total depravity

Total depravity quick definition is Basically as you stated earlier, it's man's inability to believe savingly on the

Lord It doesn't does not mean that man is not does not make choices and decisions as regarding sin

But it's just that man is totally Incapable of believing savingly on Christ outside of Christ doing work regeneration in our hearts and Claude I was thinking about this too today.

I Really like to give reasons I like to talk about the other side

I know we try to we want to spread the truth in love or share the truth in love but we want to we do want to speak the truth and and sometimes that is you know,

Combating error and but we won't do that in love as well But people may be asking

What is total depravity Why why is it so important that we need to do a video on it and have a discussion about it?

Why is this doctrine important? Don't I already believe in the total depravity of man?

You know people may give a yes and amen to some of these verses that we believe in but if somebody

Um Does not hold yet to the the doctrines of grace

Some people, you know would label it call it Calvinism or whatever They would have a different understanding of the total depravity of man

Yes And and I think and maybe you can come up with some other

Examples but a couple examples that I can think of Differences between those who aren't exactly where we are on the understanding of total depravity of man

They would say well, we do have the ability to you know, repent or say we're sorry

We we have the ability to come to faith, you know and we would say that's not the the

Doc total depravity man. That's not the definition of it We don't find that in scripture that we have that ability and that's that's jaw -dropping to some people

Yes, this can be very These conversations can be very intense. They can be very difficult with some people and so we want to have that conversation with patience and love because we know it can be a

Difficult conversation to have so we hope that you see that in us as we talk about this this subject

So yes, and yeah, I'm sorry It's not one of our verses that we'll be looking at but but just to to incorporate the scripture there and to watch and to Because what you said complements the scripture there particularly when it comes

To repentance right you said some people can say well, can I repent on my own and all this?

But even the scriptures themselves Teach us in like 2nd

Timothy chapter 2 verse 24 and 25 and 26

It says this the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone able to teach

Patiently enduring evil and then it says this correcting his opponents with gentleness God may perhaps so that God may perhaps grant them repentance

Leading to a knowledge of the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil

After being captured by him to do his will I? mean the scripture

Explicitly states that not even repentance is something we do on our own And that verse even speaks to an order of things so that yes he grants us so that and it speaks to an order of things and yeah, the scripture and that example, of course shows us that The ability to do that has to be granted by God Amen.

Yeah, so I think what we'll do here brother is I'm going to start

With with the first verse so I already have it pulled up here and we'll just go back and forth

So that your gears will be gone John 3 3 Okay, and then

I wrote down an extra one to go with that Matthew 5 20 Sweet, so then you'll be in John 8 43 and then we'll rotate from then on.

So John John 14 17 the total depravity of man from scripture

We're taught that we cannot accept the Holy Spirit and that kind of speaks to what we were just talking about John 1417 says

That is the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive Because it does not behold him or know him, but you know him because he abides in you and will be in you

Man so we we can't we can't accept The Holy Spirit, you know, we can't that is a gift of God.

Oh You got a love technology. I hope you guys can hear me.

Well We can all we can do it. We can hear it again. Now. There we go. There we go

So yeah, so you want to expound on that anymore? I just want to Add a scripture reference.

I Think it's 2nd Corinthians. I'm could be wrong. No, it may be 1st Corinthians. Let me see. See this

Try a different route here No, man, anyway, there was scripture reference that I'm looking up here is no man can say that Jesus is

Christ 1st Corinthians 1st Corinthians 1230 actually is what it is

I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says

Jesus is accursed and No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the

Holy Spirit Paul states that to the Corinthians there as well. Yeah, there's no there's no getting around it

It's just it just speaks to the total inability that we have a part for Christ To have anything spiritual much less the

Holy Spirit The world cannot receive the Spirit of truth

And and all these when they when they settle in It becomes so humbling

It should have two reactions in us a very humbling Put us in a very humble state and then it should also

Lift us up once we See and believe what the Lord has done for us

So it's it's an amazing thing that what the Lord does in us. All right the the next one

John 3 3 We cannot see the kingdom of God Amen, so Jesus said to Nicodemus Truly truly

I say to you unless one is born again He cannot see the kingdom of God So I mean

Just just breaking it down piece by piece, right? So truly truly a man a man pay attention pay attention

Basically, Jesus is accentuating this point and he says unless one is born again, right?

That's the new birth That's regenerated born from above Not from an earthly birth but born from above He cannot see the kingdom of God So what

I mean just by the plain reading of the text because that's where we start with our hermeneutic What is what's the opposite of being able to see?

You're in darkness Right. You're you're blind right unable to comprehend unable to grasp the truth

Unable to see as they say Yeah, and and Somewhat of a parallel verse that I thought of when

I when I read that one was Matthew 5 20 For I say to you unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees Which we know and that's one of the verses that we've talked about in another video our righteousness can never surpass that That's why we need the righteousness of Christ.

You shall not enter the kingdom of heaven That's right And so it speaks to it's just drawing that's this grand picture of who we are

Yeah, and the strength of the strength of that statement. I mean Jesus was

When when we when we really get down the context Jesus was saying not even the Pharisees righteousness is good enough

So, so why are you trying to measure up to the righteousness of the Pharisees when their righteousness isn't even enough

Exactly and and it should be speaking to us. I've got to be born again Something you mean something needs to change in me something's got to be done something's got to be different and and I can't be good enough

Just all those questions just should be flooding into our hearts yeah, and and it goes it goes completely against the grain of modern modern church

Theology modern church teaching because the modern mainstream Christianity says have your best life now.

Yeah, you're good enough. You're a Stuart Smalley, I don't know if you remember that You're good.

You're smart enough the doggone it people like Scripture says just the opposite You're not good.

You're not so you're not wise And There's no hope for us outside of the grace of God yeah,

I Feel like we can we can enjoy this conversation and we can laugh about it because we're on the other side

We know the joy of Christ, but this conversation is such a sobering conversation Hey man, and we want you to hear that too, but we also want you to hear the joy of Christ as we

Celebrate what he's done despite who we are. So a man John John 843

Have you got that one That's that'd be your turn wouldn't it I Can do that one?

Yeah. Yeah, and then I'll get second Corinthians. Okay John oh, I see. I see you're right.

You're right. I'm off because you threw in the extra verse. So that's that I'm dumber than I look don't give you you were telling me you've had a you've had a long day.

You've been working hard So you want me to do

John go ahead and do a John 843 I'll do it I'm sorry. Again.

I didn't mean to assume So Jesus said why do you not understand what

I say it is because you cannot bear to hear my word

So the context there Jesus is speaking to the

Pharisees and Actually verse 39 and 40 he's because they say we

Abraham is our father Jesus said if you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did but now you're seeking to kill me a man

Who has told you? The truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did and then he says you're doing the works of your father

They said to him we're not born of sexual immorality We have one God One father even

God and Jesus said to them if God were your father You would love me for I came from God and I'm here.

I came not of my own accord But he that sent me then that's when he said this. Why do you not understand what

I say? It's because you cannot bear to hear my word Yeah As well as a loss go ahead go ahead well

That Really speaks to as I was mentioning earlier of the video that I want to do here in the next few days explaining

Why I'm why I'm passionate why I have such a concern and want to get out good deeper biblical teaching to our community

I'm going to use Some scriptures and verses that I believe relate to what you're talking about here.

I'm gonna I'm gonna be looking at The parables not any parable specifically, but why

Jesus used parables and I think This verse and what we're talking about here our inability to hear is is why he

You know use parables or is related to it. Anyway And I look forward to that video, but I look forward to hearing that Yeah Again, I mean it just speaks to me if this is true and And I have an inability to hear

I have an inability to see I'm in the darkness and and I'm deaf spiritually speaking

Yes, then I need someone to in enlighten me of the truth from his word

I need it. I need it to be open my ears be open To be open so I can see and hear the the truth and the loveliness of God's Word So the lost man

Are you saying the lost man has lost people before we were born again before we were saved?

We didn't even want to hear. Yeah, I think

I think I know where you're going with this and I'll say Hopefully you can hear me again.

Okay good. I think I know where you're going with this. Correct me if I'm wrong But I think it kind of speaks to what you were talking about earlier

You were asking so when we were lost or in the world of the world We can't see we can't hear or understand

God's Word the truth of it and and that really should open our eyes and speak to us about What we do see in the world today because you have

You you have some on Television on on radio social media everywhere now that Draw in the huge crowds.

Yeah, and And you might think well, they're all hearing the truth and and they they can understand the truth

But but in reality if they were being spoken the truth if the spoke truth was being spoken to them

Then those seats and those Coliseum's would be empty. Oh, yeah

Yes Definitely. I mean they're just tickling their ears Yeah Well, I think we may get into some of that here in a minute too.

We will we will with the scriptures Yeah, and that's just a that's just a call and encouragement from me for us to be discerning

You know a man feel be aware because just because it may seem like There are some that are hearing and seeing and understanding the truth

There there's a lot of ear tickling out there And if the truth if the truth was brought into light like we were talking about Yeah, people would scatter

Yeah, just like the darkness scattered When light is shown, you know, you you go into a room full of bugs, right?

That's the picture that I had a pop of my head right? It's dark. There's nothing happening. The light goes on the roaches go everywhere

And even a more non -gross Illustration would be I mean when you're when you're sound asleep,

I Mean you like it dark when you sleep somebody flips on the light your first response

Christian or not Christian I don't care how holy you are is to find something to throw at the person that turn flip that light on in your eyes

Right and to fight to fight the light and that's what that's what sinners

Do and when I say sinners, I'm not it being derogatory. I'm I'm just using biblical terms

That's what sinners do they fight the light they buck against the truth of the scriptures.

Yeah Brother Matt has a good word. He says faith comes by hearing on our own.

We can't hear therefore. We can't Amen Very good connection

Matt's a smart guy. You need to get in touch with him. You need to have him on Seriously, he's a good solid guy.

Well brother Matt. Come on Come on in We can send you the link right now you are you are welcome totally welcome

So, let's see, I think it's my turn And this is this is a controversial verse and I think that we've actually touched on this verse it may have been on a

After podcast conversation. I can't remember when we had this conversation But here's an interesting verse was maybe a controversial interpretation.

But what we're looking at is 2nd Corinthians 4 4 Cannot see the light of the gospel.

We have blinded minds So 2nd Corinthians 4 4 it says in whose case

The God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ Who is the image of God So, I Guess I can start off with I don't know

Might as well get it over with the controversial part of the controversial part of this passage

For the alcohol and scripture on it And I'm Is unfamiliar with many people as it was to me

Yeah, and I don't I'm not even sure where you stand, but maybe you know where I'm going with this

I think a lot of people may interpret this as the the God of this world being

Satan and that he has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, but I think it's an possibility that an interpretation of this could be that The God of this world is speaking of Our Father the

God of heaven which is Which is not outside of his wheelhouse. He has hardened the heart of Pharaoh And if that's true, he's blinded the minds of unbelieving which

That's not outside of his wheelhouse either and it goes back to the video that I'm going to do and why

Jesus talks parables But either way

Our minds apart from Christ are blinded just like our eyes just like our ears

Our minds from being able to understand and seeing the light are blinded right, and so so I would

I would say this it anytime there's a Challenge in interpretation there, you know what this could be

Go go back to the Greek blue letter Bible org is the best resource that anybody can use use the interlinear click on the word brings it brings up the the

Greek of the words. So when when Paul states the God of this world

That word world there is actually the Greek word aeon So it's the the

Greek meaning the Greek meaning is actually the God of this age The God of this time, right?

So we we hear Okay, I'll pull it up.

Yeah, we can see what you're talking about. Okay That would be very helpful

Share share screen. There we go. All right getting there. No problem.

Take your time in the meantime. I'll play some good music Well, you just reminded me

I was gonna play that Play our background music The new feature on stream you are that you introduced me

See if I can get that going get us some low low playing music

I like the it's called feeding the ducks I Don't know if you can hear it or not, that's okay.

I can just barely that's good. That's good by the way to again, so I don't forget it that that intro that in there that was

Fire as the kids are saying literally fire wouldn't it? But really that was good.

You did great on that. Appreciate that All right, so click on tools

Next to the verse. Okay tools. Here we go. Yep, and then scroll up and then as you scroll you see

You see all the words there and then you see the Greek meaning so Greek By God it shows what you don't click on that on that click on the in the world, but in the middle there you see the

G 2 3 1 6 g 3 3 3 7 7 8 g 1 6 5

That's actually a link. So if you click on that not the not the button, but the link itself click on that And you see to the right

Yes That's the Strong's number is what it is, okay, but you see you see that's it gives you the

This Part of speech it is a on how to pronounce it.

You can even listen to it what it is And as you scroll on up You can see the the definitions or actually yeah back down just a little bit to Vines expository

Dictionary you can view the entry there. That's a link for you there you so you can scroll down and you see age and era right rather to be connected rather than with ale so in any case it's as as it is in other places when we just read it not have an

Understanding of the meat the word meaning the etymology of the words When we can wrongly interpret the scripture, but we see

Paul here saying it's the basically the spirit of the age Right.

We we see this today the same thing it pervades the spirit of the age pervades the worldview of Men and women across the world it pervades the worldview of boys and girls across the world

So what Paul says they're the God of this world the spirit of this age Right the ideology the religion of this age

Is has blinded the minds of the people so that they cannot see this the truth of of the gospel, right?

so How do we how do we reconcile that to what the scriptures teach elsewhere?

Well, we reconcile it because the scriptures teach us plainly. What did Isaiah say about?

the sins of God's people he said your sins Have blocked away your way to God right your sins have blinded your eyes and basically in I Think it's

Oops, I've got all kinds of typing there that shouldn't be there Woman's 118

I believe it is 18 the scriptures say this

Nope wrong I think it may be 11. Oh, yeah, that music's nice Robert So it's actually

Romans 11 8 I Had some backwards numbers and letters there, but Romans 11 8

Paul states this as it is written God gave them a spirit of stupor eyes

That they would not see in ears that would not hear down to this very day that That personifies what what you read there?

Yeah But no, this is the this is one of the best tools that any

Christian can can Use and have in their arsenals blue letter

Bible or I've had it on my cell phone for four years. Yes, and I've been thankful for it.

I Thought I was the stuff when I've got one of those Key keywords study Bibles and I could look up the word right in the back of my

Bible But then I got the I found the blue letter Bible I've been one of those that have just enough knowledge to be dangerous

But but that goes to you know that goes to you know Right, you know right interpretation you're gonna have to go to the etymology every time right every time

Even if it seems completely clear, so yeah That was very helpful,

I hope I know it will be encouraging for anybody who watches first Corinthians 118 it says

Because the depravity of man We think the gospel is foolishness

First Corinthians 118 for the Word of the Cross is following to those who are perishing But in us which are being saved it is the power of God And here's here's how

Here's how I think we can answer that because I can hear the objection, you know

I'm sure that there's gonna be objection to all these and I can hear the objection in this one, you know

God is the God of love and Jesus loved us. He forgot to love the world that he

Sent his one and only Son that everyone believing him should not perish but have everlasting life, you know, God loves us

That's the gospel. We just need to believe in him But we've got to look at every time we've got to look at both sides of the gospel

When you see the cross you see God's love, but you also see what put him on the cross

And That part of it is is offensive to to us as men in our you know in our nature in our natural setting

Someone telling us that that we're wrong that I'm wrong. Oh On that Put them up put the message up I Got I Don't see a message.

Oh, I mean, uh, did you say someone was telling you you're wrong here on the podcast right here? No, no, no, no.

No, I thought that's what you were saying. I thought that's what you were looking Just as an example, there's no example.

You mean I'm wrong. You're telling me I'm wrong or I'm a sinner And Yeah For Jesus someone to come, you know die for someone else to me die for someone who has

Spent their lifetime hating me Trying you know

Trying at every turn to be my enemy and yet they would come and die for me

And take away the punishment that is deserved for me I could

I can see how that Is it mind -blowing enough to be foolish?

I Mean why would somebody die for their enemy, you know We go to war to try to fight our enemy so that we can win so that we can have our our freedom and independence

You know apart from our enemy, but Jesus came down to die for his enemies Amen, that's the foolishness of the gospel.

That's right. That's Romans. Uh, ain't that Romans 5 Romans 5 just Off the top of the head here us for scarcely for a righteous man

Will one die or or for a good man will one die for a righteous man someone even dare to die, but God Commanded his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners

Christ died for us Yeah Yeah Any other thoughts on the

Foolishness of the gospel. No, sir. Okay. All right Romans Romans 3 11

We we do not seek for God. Hey, man And I might as well read might as well read

More of the quote there than just verse 11 starting in in verse 10 There Paul's putting the

Old Testament as it is written. There is none righteous No, not even one.

There is none who understand there is none who seeks for God All have turned aside together.

They have become useless. There is none who does good. There is not even one

Wow Hey, man Yeah, we don't seek

God and there's none that do yeah Here's a here's a quotable quote.

Yeah, I guess it's been about mmm year and a half Two years something like that ago

So working with a guy and he's a lost man But he was he was asked questioning me about the faith and He was he actually he's one of these and Emma and us.

I don't know if there's a way to say it that sounds snarky or sarcastic but he's one of those people with the view that good people

As long as a person tries really hard God will let them into heaven and then

I made the statement that I'm about to make now And it's this good people don't go to heaven

Good people don't go to heaven good people can't get to heaven as we've learned from all the scriptures tonight

Good people can't see the kingdom of God good people can't hear the truth of the gospel Good people

Think the gospel is foolishness Goodness doesn't get us to heaven

What gets us actually goodness does but it is the goodness of Christ and not our own goodness

So even after even after we are saved quote -unquote saved after we're born again

We still don't have any goodness in and of ourselves. It's all Christ's righteousness counted to us and you you were taking us in the direction of a

Question that I wanted to ask you about that is so pastorally, you know, someone comes to you and and they say

You know, I feel like I'm seeking after God I feel like I'm seeking God, but you know, you're you see them in the community

You see them here and there and you their life doesn't Match up with with their words

You know, what would you say to somebody or how if you're speaking to someone? Asking them to reflect on themselves and they say

I feel like I do seek after God. So How can they be discerning in their own heart?

What does? If we have Christ if the Holy Spirit has regenerated us and and we are truly seeking after God biblically

What does that look like as opposed to someone who? thinks they are seeking after God maybe a

False sense of seeking after God. What would be the difference? How can we be discerning in our hearts?

I would I would say Start right there at that just for what you said

They're specifically just the text that you read right the scriptures say that none seek after God None do righteousness and they say you said they say

I feel like I am seeking God I would I would cautiously

In one sense encourage them because if a man is

Seeking the Lord it is because he is Has been born again.

He has been regenerated. Otherwise, he's not able to seek the Lord But then

I would follow that by saying this So I would ask them this question

So what Does the Bible say about men and women who seek the

Lord and Then they were they'll either go one in two ways.

They'll say well, hmm. I don't really know I don't know nothing about the Bible right or they'll say well the

Bible says this this and this It in and I would again if they didn't know the scripture or if they said they did and they didn't quote this verse

I Would point them to what the scriptures say seek the Lord Seek the

Lord with all your heart Love the or love the Lord with all your heart mind soul and strength if you are do if you love the

Lord Then you are going to be seeking him. You are going to be chasing

Some some reformed folk may not like this statement, but you will be chasing hard after God Because you can't help it.

There is a There is an attraction that was not there to the lost person but and so I would say

And then I would tell that individual don't trust and we'll get to that too.

But don't trust in your heart Don't trust in your own righteousness don't trust in your good deeds

Don't trust in your feelings even feelings are good. They're a blessing from the Lord.

I love it when you know We get to the point where we literally shout and rejoice over what

God has done But our feelings are not the chief indicator to us of the truthfulness and the veracity of The new birth within us this our standard is the

Word of God So I would say seek the Lord I'd say if you are if you are seeking the

Lord then you're gonna love God you're gonna love the things of God and then I Would I guess at last probably point them to just in a succinct way?

Maybe you know something like the wisdom the Proverbs Proverbs 3, right?

I mean, let me read that to you here. So I don't misquote it here. I While you're finding that word while you're finding that verse

I was so thankful that you where you started you

I mean you started with helping somebody come to the realization of the promise or and the truth of Scripture where it says

There there's none that seek after God And you've got to settle that in your mind, okay,

I Think that I am but who's the liar is it the

Lord? Yeah The scripture the scripture answers that what did

Paul Paul and them say that's country for Paul and them What did

Paul and him say Paul and him said the same thing your mom and him said But what did

Paul and him say let God be true and every man a liar Again, that brings us back to total depravity no matter who it is

How good they are if it's Billy Graham if it's John MacArthur Whoever it is that we hold in high esteem that nobody's word

Holds the way that the scriptures hold Take us to Proverbs chapter 3.

All right, Proverbs 3 5 and 6 trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own

Understanding in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths So I would encourage cautiously encourage him and I would say this look

Number one make sure your hope and your confidence lies in Jesus Christ what he did that he died on the cross for our sins that he was buried that he

Arose on the third day that he ascended to the father and that's where he lives ever to make intercession for us his elect people

Another thing that I'm learning for you Claude is I'm watching the clock and I think it's wise to stick to that hour mark.

So Maybe we can we can push forward. I do want to get brother Matt in here again He said many may many may seek the benefits of God.

Yes Yet they do not seek God himself. Oh, they love the benefits But The God of the benefits

Everybody wants to go to heaven. They just don't want God to be there when they get there So so Romans 3 18, we're down to our last three last three points

All right. Is this me or you

I think that one's you 318 there is no fear of God before their eyes

Yeah Natural human inability, yep

Yep Jeremiah 17. I know you wanted to get there last week. We did and it's it's interesting

I'm glad the they included these two these last two on the list There we go

Lord bless me and I was able to flip to it really quickly Sometimes it's hard to find those those profit profit books.

I need those cheater tabs But I'm glad they included these last two because the ones that we look look through so far

It's it's definitely true and we need to you know We needed to expound upon these to help understand the total gravity of man these things that we cannot do

But I think it does encompass Who we are naturally because of our sin nature and and what we do do

What we are able to do and these verses describe those things who we are and what we do

Jeremiah 17 verse 9 The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick or some versions say wicked who can understand it

The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked and That that goes back to what we were saying just a few minutes ago the advice that you were giving to your counselee

We've got a look at Scripture. We've got a look at the promise that we all look at the truths of Scripture and then look at the mirror and who's

Who's the who's the liar? Who's the truth teller and if we if we do a deep search a deep look into our hearts?

With the help of the Holy Spirit Which we've learned tonight. Well, we'll see that.

Well, we'll see that that Jeremiah is true that our hearts are deceitful and You know

That's that's the hardest place to start But you look at I think it was merciful and kind for God to include the humanity of so many

Some of the people in Scripture, you know, he just he didn't sugarcoat everything He didn't leave things out.

We see the humanity which by humanity I mean simple nature of man. We see that in the the characters of Scripture and And they're they're simple fallenness

Just like us and we're not a lot all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory and Give you the last one

Romans 14 14 23 It's 14 23

But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats Because the eating is not from faith for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin so an act of our

Freewill Outside of divine intervention It's not a faith faith is a gift of God not a works unless any men should boast

So, that's the that's the short of it Yeah Apart from the regenerating work of the

Holy Spirit none of our works are There again I can

I can hear the objection But I you know, I give blood I help the old lady across the street, you know, those those are good deeds

And we hear that we understand that and You know completely

Natural way of thinking, you know seemingly good things But scripture tells us apart from Christ We cannot we those things are not a faith and they're not pleasing to the

Lord They're there in essence Amen So brother, thank you so much.

I hope I hope people were encouraged. I hope the Lord uses this time together that we had

Since we've talked about the total depravity of man. I would love for you To give us the hope in Jesus Christ.

Can you do that for us tonight? Yes, sir. I'll be glad to so the

The fact that we are Bombarded with the truth from the scriptures that we are not good that we are not able that we are not willing in and of ourselves to Come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ is a hard weight to bear without any doubt

I understand completely it is an over It is an obstacle that we are unable to overcome

But the good news is this that Christ came to save that Christ came

To give unto us the forgiveness of our sins to make that the reality in our lives and he does that by and through and according to is

Regenerating work in our hearts. So you are you are going to respond in one of two ways to this tonight

If you are lost You're going to want to discard this to throw it away to pretend like you never heard it before and You'll either be sleeping in a bed

That's too narrow with sheets too short and you'll become so uncomfortable and miserable in your sin that you'll that you won't have any recourse

But to call out to the Lord For salvation Or if you're saved

This even though it even saved people it can rub the wrong way at times But you'll learn as Robert stated or at the very beginning of the podcast tonight to understand that this doctrine of total depravity is a comfort it is a humbling

Theology it is a humbling doctrine but humbling Not only it not only does it affect us in So many ways but it helps us to appreciate the grace the love and the mercy of God.

So I would encourage you tonight Repent of your sin. That's for that's what we must repent of believe on the

Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved Amen praise the praise the

Lord for that and I do apologize if you hear my My little dog in the back

He hasn't done that in a long time Thank you, brother

Paul, I'm gonna pray for us and then we'll roll out of here Father, thank you so much for the discussion.

We had tonight. Thank you for Jesus and the cross and thank you for salvation and the gift of faith and granting us repentance

We're so grateful and humbled by your grace And we pray that you were glorified and you were blessed.

We pray all these things in Jesus name. Amen All right, everyone. Hope to see you soon.

Remember that Jesus is King Go live in that victory go out there and speak with the authority of Christ live in the live in the victory of Christ Continue to go out there with us share the gospel of Christ.