Three Types of Hope - Pastor Jeff Shipley

Whitten Baptist Church

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We're going to be in Ephesians chapter 2.

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It's funny, brother Josiah read out of Ephesians 5, brother

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Andrew read out of Ephesians 1, and I'm going to be preaching out of Ephesians 2, and we didn't plan any of that, so that's a cool thing.

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I always love it when that happens. We're going to be in Ephesians chapter 2 in just three verses today.

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Thank you, brother Shane. Three verses today. Verses 11 through 13, and I'm going to talk to you about what position are you in today?

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Do you a person in here today that has no hope? Are you a person in here today that has false hope?

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Are you a person in here today that has true hope? And guys, I don't care what the world, listen, people, we are

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God's people. There is a time where everything over history has tried to eradicate

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God's people, governments have persecuted God's people, killed them, put them in prison, fed them to lions, and the church was still there, right?

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Guys, there have been times where diseases have wracked mankind, viruses, not like this, actually true pandemics that wiped out a quarter of the world's population, and the church is still here.

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But what I'm talking to you about today is there is even a worse time coming, and the church won't be here.

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And that's the hope that I'm talking about today. That means that no matter what happens, if I die before I finish this next sentence, if they storm in the building, if viruses come, if it's just total pandemonium,

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I know without a shadow of a doubt, not because I'm a pastor, not because I'm a preacher, not because I don't cuss, smoke, or drink, but because of the blood of Jesus Christ, my destiny is secure.

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Do you have that hope? Are you still resting on walking down the aisle when you were 13? Do you have that hope?

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And have you matured that faith that you have endured the trials of this world and that endurance has given you stronger faith and that faith feeds a hope in you that cannot be explained by common sense or the logic of this world?

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If you don't have that hope, I don't know how you walk through life. You are tougher than I am.

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I don't know how you walk through this world. Fearing death all the time, listening to stock markets rise and fall and trembling over either the absence or the gluttony of paper with dead people's faces on it.

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That that is your security? That is your hope? That a pale blue line actually defends you from evil?

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No. There is no thin blue line. There is no thin green line. There is nothing that separates from evil except the blood of Jesus Christ.

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Do you have that hope in you today? You're never going to be popular. It's never going to be the majority of belief.

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But it is the only belief that is based in truth. Read with me Ephesians chapter 2 verses 11 through 13.

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It says this, So then remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcised by those called the circumcised, which is done in the flesh by human hands.

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At that time you were without Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise.

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Without hope and without God in this world, but now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away, have been brought near by the blood of the

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Messiah. I want someone in here to explain this to me in a dispensational mindset.

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All right, now listen. Here we go. You ready? God came to Israel, chose Israel and said,

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I'm going to make you my microphone to a lost and dying world. I'm going to give you promises.

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I'm going to make promises with you that other people will be blessed through your bloodline, i .e.

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through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. There will come a Messiah one day who will rescue you from your sin.

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That Messiah Jesus did come. Now Paul is addressing people who did not have the blood of Jewish people.

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And he's sitting there talking to them and saying, you Gentiles, all of us in this room are

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Gentiles. A Gentile is nothing more than anyone who is not Jewish, right? This verse, this passage,

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Paul is sitting there saying, I'm coming to you Gentiles. I'm coming to you to let you know there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles.

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The same promises God gave the Jews are your promises today. And in fact, they always were your promises.

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You just didn't know about it till now. That's what dispensation is talking about.

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Okay, you with me? But within that is the message of hope that God's blood atoned for all sin.

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Now I know some of you Reformists in here just cringe when I say that. And I don't mind you being both wrong and ignorant.

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But the reality is the blood of Jesus Christ paid for the sin of the whole world.

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It atoned for the sin of the whole world. Now the effects of that atonement is not known by the whole world.

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But the payment, the bill, the butcher's bill of sin was paid on the head of Jesus Christ.

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All right, pastor, you've given us a theological lesson. How do we apply this today? Well, first of all, you've got to remember that you have an exhaust fan in your bathroom too.

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Okay? All right? Church people, listen to me. Christians, listen to me.

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You were once, go back and read the first part of this chapter. You were once dead in your sins.

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You were once an alien and a stranger to God. You know why your praise and worship stink so, so much?

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Because you forget where you came from and you forget what God has already done. You say, you come in here and you participate in a song service whether you coming in here and giving thanks and praise to God for saving your soul from hell.

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Well, brother Jeff, I don't like the music. Grow up. Grow up. You've been in church for 30 years and you should be in Miss Carol's nursery rather than sitting in here.

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Guys, you were once someone that had no hope.

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Look at verse 12, read it. Read it again. It says this, at that time, you were without the

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Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise.

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Now read this last part, without hope and without God in this world.

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I'm so scared of sharks. When I was a little kid, we lived in the canal zone.

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We lived in a city called Balboa and Panama. And there was a military base there and that's where we lived.

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Well, they had this swimming area and you could go swimming there, but they had this huge metal fence surrounding the beach.

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Now, you know why that fence was there? Keep sharks out. My dad was one of those dads that didn't understand how to really make men.

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He thought you made men by just grinding them into the dirt. And, you know, you got to get tough.

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You got to be tough. You got to be tough. So me and my brother were made to swim out and touch that net and swim back.

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Well, you could, huh? Yeah, I was only five at the time, right? And so I'd swim out there and some of you generations are going to get this.

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I'd be swimming out there going, Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning.

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Some of you younger people don't get that. But when you get out to the net way deep down, you can see movements in the net.

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And that was sharks caught in that net. Man, I kept wishing in my head that I was

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Iron Man. I kept wishing in my head that Flipper was right next to me.

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But in reality, if a shark had been there, I don't care how many ninja, death seal, ranger, green beret,

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Rambo types you are, you're losing that fight. Okay? You're going to lose that fight.

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And you have no hope. Listen to me. Some of you in here today have your insecurities, little girls, have made you trust in boys' words.

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Because of your daddy issues and the rebellion that's in your heart, you have come to a place where over here is where hope can be found.

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And yet you're scarred, and you're marred, and you're heartbroken. And you're going to carry that baggage into your next relationship.

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And then it's going to get pounded because a 16 -year -old kid is not ready. Ladies, he is not emotionally, mentally, spiritually, or physically ready to take responsibility of your heart.

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And then you gasp in amazement, and get on ticker, tritter, or whatever, and go, hey,

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I'm so heartbroken, and turn into a drama queen. Come here for a second. You keep touching fire, you're going to keep getting burned, dummy.

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And the more you do it, the more it's going to happen. And at some point, the scar tissue is going to build up, and you're going to become numb.

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So when that young man who God sends comes, you won't feel anything.

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You'll look at how they look instead of what God has brought you.

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Because you've come to a place in your life where you have no hope, because you've put your trust in the world.

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You are without hope and without God in this world. Parents, Lady Gaga, is that her name?

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Yeah. Yeah. I really don't know much about her.

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I just saw a picture of her a long time ago to show up in an award ceremony with meat on. That's close.

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That's her? That's who your children are following, parents.

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Come here. And the totality of the time you spend with your kids is what's up before breakfast.

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And good night, I'll see you tomorrow. And you're going to compete with that. And then here's the other thing.

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You want them to be Christians, yet you don't live out a Christian lifestyle in front of them. And then you're amazed that they feel it's hypocritical and rebel against it.

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Keep touching the pot. Keep touching the stove. Keep getting burned, and then blame everything else.

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Oh, it's drugs. It's guns. It's whatever. Yeah, OK, stupid. You don't have hope ever in this world.

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This world does not care about you. This world will chew you up, spit you out.

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Guys, you don't understand how quick, how violent, and how absolute destitute of any emotion or mercy this world has till you get a little bit older.

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Guys, if you're in this room and you have no hope, if you're sitting there, listen to me, and if you go, well,

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Brother Jeff, I don't feel what he's saying, you just are too stupid to realize you have no hope.

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Some of you are in this room, and you think this is a sermon. You think this is a church service. It's not.

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I'm the guy in the orange vest waving a flag going, you're headed for a bridge that's out. Well, Brother Jeff, I don't believe you.

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I don't care that you don't believe me. God is God. He is reality. Hell is hot.

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Heaven is real. Hope is real, only in Christ. Second thing, there are people in this room that have false hope.

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Guys, and I'll be honest with you, false hope is worse than no hope.

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When I used to train fighters, it's amazing. I have trained fighters in every state that I've ever ministered in, and it's amazing.

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I used to hate the guys that would walk in and go, yeah, I'm a black belt.

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Usually what that meant is they trained in the yard with their next door neighbor in their backyard and went out and bought them black belts.

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I call them backyard black belts. The other guys I really hated were the guys that had either been in the military or law enforcement.

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They come in there, and they have, I mean, I remember this guy coming in.

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I'm like, all right, guys, let's line up. Get on the line. Fighters ready? Fight.

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And I remember this guy doing this, and I remember going, he's fixing to take a beating, okay?

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He is fixing to take a beating. Another time, a police, this was in Wyoming, I had the custody and control officer instructor at the police academy come to my class, and he walked in, and he's like, man,

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I really don't need any instruction. I just need some sparring time. I was like, okay.

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And of course, he pointed to one of the weakest guys in the room, or so we thought. And John, you remember

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John? John was this homeschool kid, little mama's boy, never done anything wrong, no tough guy, no nothing, but he was really good.

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And John got up on the line, and this cop got up on the line, and I went, fight. And this guy did some jump spinning hook kick or something in the air, and I'm like, oh my gosh.

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John went, this was his defense. You know how you had to block? This is how John blocked.

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The guy's foot went past, John moved this way, bam, bam, clocked. For 20 minutes,

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I could not get this guy to wake up. I had to call 911. I'm not kidding, I thought he was dead.

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I had to call 911. Meanwhile, little John, 16 -year -old kid that just knocked out this 25 -year -old cop or a 30 -year -old cop instructor is going,

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I'm going to jail, I'm going to jail. I'm like, no, you're not, man. When rescue showed up, rescue found out who it was, put it back out on the band, and like 30 cop cars all came, not because anybody did anything wrong, but these guys had trained them, the guy at the academy, and they're like going, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho.

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That knocked out my 16 -year -old kid. You see, guys, when you think you already know something, and push comes to shove, and you get whipped, it's because you've trusted in a lot of fluff instead of trusting in something real.

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Guys, there are some of you in this room that are trusting in your church attendance.

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Listen to me for a second. You're trusting in you walking down the aisle.

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You know how many people I've talked to over the years that have said, I said, tell me your testimony, and this is what they literally start with.

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I walked down the aisle when I was 13. Can you find me that phrase anywhere in Scripture?

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Can you find an aisle in Scripture? Or they'll say this, I prayed the sinner's prayer.

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Where is that in Scripture? It's not. You see, you're trusting in a church membership, and you're trusting in a prayer, instead of trusting in the blood of Jesus Christ.

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You have false hope. Look what verse 11 says. Read it with me. It says this. So then remember that at one time you were

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Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcised by those called the circumcised, which was done in the flesh by human hands.

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Ladies and gentlemen, listen to me. I went to confirmation class.

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I took the Eucharist at 12 years old, or 13. How old were we?

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13, 15, whatever. I remember going, how many of y 'all ever been to catechism class?

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One, two, three, four. You went? Oh, that's right, CBHS, cult.

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There are five of us in here who are really Christians. The rest of you are all

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Protestant. You know where that word came from? Because you protested the only true church, the

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Catholic church. Omnia Deus et Spiritus Sancti. Go in peace, the love of the Lord. Kyrie eleison. We believe in one

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God, the Father, the almighty maker of heaven and earth. Here's what's so sad.

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There are gonna be millions of souls slipping to the abyss of hell to scream forever because they trusted in a religion rather than Jesus Christ.

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You're saying, oh, well, that's hyperbole. There will be an awaking of reality for a lot of people in this room because in your little brain you believed in Jesus, but you were never truly converted by the power of the

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Holy Spirit. James 2 says even the demons believe in God.

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You're really banking your eternal destiny, your eternal life on the fact that you have a mental consciousness that there's a

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God? You are screwed. You have a false hope, and it's worse than no hope at all.

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Look at Matthew seven. I wrote it on little pieces of paper for you. It's up here on the screen. Look at Matthew seven.

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This is the words of Jesus. This isn't my words. This isn't a Baptist words.

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These are the words of Jesus. Read with me the word of God.

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Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.

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But that sink in. This isn't a Sunday school lesson. It's not a Bible study. This is the word of the living

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God, and it's directed to some folks in this room. Watch this.

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It says, but only the one who does the will of my father in heaven.

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Yeah, pastor. I'm a Christian. Oh, yeah.

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I mean, when I was a kid, I got

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Jesus Christ to come in my heart and save me. Oh yeah, pastor.

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I'm a Christian. I'm just been really busy. So I can't commune with God's people on Sunday because man,

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I work on Sunday. What about Sunday night? Yeah, I worked in too. What about Wednesday night? Yeah, I worked in too.

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What about Tuesday Bible? Yeah, I worked in too. Dude, you need to get another job. Well, pastor,

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I can't do that. Who's gonna pay my bills? Same guy that pays mine.

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His name is Jesus. You see, your priorities are jacked up. You say you're a Christian, but you walk, talk, act, smell, dress, and talk just like the world.

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And there is nothing in you that says Jesus Christ other than your mouth.

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That might be a problem. And it's to you whom this verse is addressed.

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And it's funny, the whole Bible was written to God's people. And it's funny that this verse got put in because God knows that there are people who are sitting in this room who are not believers, but claim they are.

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Let's read the rest of it, just for giggles. It says this, but the one who does the will of my father, which is in heaven, on that day, the day of judgment, on that day, many will say to me,

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Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name? You know who that's addressed to?

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Preachers. There will be preachers who say, God, what do you,

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Lord Jesus, what do you mean? I was a preacher. I was at First Baptist whatever, forever and a day.

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I was ordained in the Baptist church. I'm a licensed ordained preacher. Then look what else it says.

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God, I drove out demons in your name. I drove out the demons.

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I had that prayer cloth and put a vow on your name, Jesus. And out the demons came.

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Those guys, check this one out. You ready? And do many miracles in your name.

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You know how many miracles I've done? None. I mean, I really wish I could.

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Like, I wish I could walk up to Robert and go be healed in the name of Jesus.

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I swear, I wish I could. I pray for him, but I can't do miracles.

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I can be a part of one by witnessing it because I've witnessed them happening here.

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I've seen a person healed of cancer in here, but not by Jeff Shipley. I don't have special hands, right?

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Any miracle you see is the work of the Holy Spirit, not of men. And anybody that tells you different is a liar.

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Watch this. I do many miracles in your name. Now listen to what Jesus says.

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Verse 23. Then I will announce to them, come here, I never knew you.

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See, you know the religion. You know that there's little Bible stories. You get the whole idea of the little animals on the ark with the giraffe sticking its head up out of the window.

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Hello, the little cartoon smiley face. You get that. But you don't know Jesus Christ.

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And what's scary is you have no idea because you have a false hope. Last thing and I'm done.

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You're in this room, you either have no hope, you have a false hope, or you have true hope.

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Look at verse 13. My favorite word in all of scripture. I like big butts and I cannot lie.

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Verse 13, read it. After all of that right there, verse 13, the first word is this, but.

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But, guys, I look past in my life and I still see things that I've done and I go, dang it.

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But, but, but. You see, the hope I have is not in what

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I've done or what I haven't done or what I'm going to do. Here's where my hope is. Verse 13, you ready?

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Read it with me. But now, in Christ Jesus, you who were far away had been brought near by the blood of the

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Messiah. Guys, no matter how big of a mess up, if you're one of those people with false hope here today, listen to this scripture again.

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But now, now. Romans 8, one says this. I love this verse.

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There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

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Guys, I know the stupid things I've done in my past. I know the stupid things I'm gonna do in my future.

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But what's really cool is this. God knew him before time began and still chose to call me his son.

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See, that's hope. Well, brother Jeff, you might end up being the biggest stupid loser in the world.

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Yeah, I might be, but guess what? I still have hope of one day I'm gonna go home because it wasn't based on the works and the false hope of my religion.

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It was based on the finished work and the blood of Jesus Christ. My salvation is complete, absolutely complete in Jesus Christ.

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It's not over because you've gotta walk out those doors and still live life.

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You gotta walk out those doors and you're either gonna walk out of here the same you walked in as a godless heathen with no hope, or you're gonna walk out of there as a child of God.

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And if you are a child of God, let me tell you something. You have a calling beyond just simply showing up to a worship service.

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It says, if you keep reading, to do good works, eager to do good works. Titus, eager to do good works.