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Dr. Robert Jeffress

Robert Jeffress - The Prophet Who Lost His Head Over Jesus (Part 2)

December 6, 2024 | S24:E4906

Robert Jeffress - The Prophet Who Lost His Head Over Jesus (Part 2)
Pathway to Victory offers a practical application of God’s Word to everyday life through the clear, biblical teaching of Pastor Jeffress.
#Salvation #Faith #ChildofGod #Work #Religion #Jesus #Christmas #Judgement #Change #Sin #inActive #Dr.RobertJeffress #RobertJeffress #Fruitful #Praise&Worship #Prophet/Prophets #KingdomofGod #Baptism #Orchestra

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Dr. Robert Jeffress | Robert Jeffress - The Prophet Who Lost His Head Over Jesus (Part 2) | December 6, 2024
  • ...
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Male announcer: from the pulpit of the first baptist church of
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  • Dallas, texas, this is "pathway to victory" with
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  • Dr. robert jeffress.
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  • Dr. robert jeffress: hi, i'm robert jeffress.
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  • And welcome again to "pathway to victory."
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  • At some point, every person starts to wonder about their
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  • Purpose in life.
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  • Most people assume it's tied to a career or their family, but in
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  • Reality, everything we do ought to point back to our
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  • Relationship with god.
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  • Those who live meaningful lives understand that truth and today
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  • We're going to learn from the example of a man who knew his
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  • God-given purpose and lived it out to the fullest.
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  • My message is titled "the prophet who lost his head over
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  • Jesus" on today's edition of "pathway to victory."
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  • ♪ i wonder as i wander, out under the sky ♪
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  • ♪ how jesus the savior did come for to die ♪
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  • ♪ for poor, ornery people, like you and like i ♪
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  • ♪ i wonder as i wander ♪
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  • ♪ out under the sky ♪
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • ♪ when mary birthed jesus, 'twas in a cow's stall ♪
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  • ♪ with wise men and farmers and shepherds and all ♪
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  • ♪ but high from god's heaven, a star light did fall ♪
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  • ♪ and the promise of ages ♪
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  • ♪ then did recall ♪
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  • ♪ then did recall ♪
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • ♪ if jesus had wanted for any wee thing-- ♪
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  • ♪ a star from the sky ♪
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  • ♪ or a bird on the wing ♪
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  • ♪ or all of god's angels in heaven for to sing ♪
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  • ♪ he surely could have it ♪
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  • ♪ 'cause he was the king ♪
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • ♪ i wonder as i wander ♪
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  • ♪ out under the sky ♪
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  • ♪ how jesus the savior did come for to die ♪
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  • ♪ for poor, ornery people ♪
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  • ♪ like you and like i ♪
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  • ♪ i wonder ♪
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  • ♪ as i wander ♪
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • ♪ out under the sky ♪
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • ♪ i wonder ♪♪
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • [congregation applauding]
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  • Announcer: the celebration of jesus's birth each christmas
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  • Marks the moment when god's radiant hope entered our world,
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  • And jesus calls us to share this light with others.
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  • You can help pierce the darkness with the light of god's word
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  • Through the "pathway to victory," light the darkness
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  • Matching challenge.
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  • Since 1996, "pathway to victory" has been boldly sharing the
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  • Gospel of jesus christ, and your gift, doubled in impact, will be
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  • Used to proclaim god's truth here in america and around
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  • The world.
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Jeffress: there are a lot of people who think that today,
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  • They think because their parents were
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  • Christians or their grandparents were christians,
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  • Somehow they're welcomed into the kingdom of god
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  • As well.
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  • Luis palau has a great saying.
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  • "god has no grandchildren."
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  • God has no grandchildren.
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  • There's no such thing as being a grandchild of god.
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  • You have to be a child of god in order to inherit the kingdom
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  • Of god.
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  • That means you have to be related to god by faith in the
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  • Lord jesus christ.
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  • That's what he was saying here.
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  • If you profess to be religious but there's no fruit in your
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  • Life, you're not saved.
  • 00:06:22.772 --> 00:06:24.907
  • He says that in verse 9, "and also the axe is already laid at
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  • The root of the trees.
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  • Every tree, therefore, that does not bear good fruit is cut down
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  • And thrown into the fire."
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  • In the bible, a tree is almost always a symbol of a
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  • Person's life.
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  • The fruit is the works that come out of his life.
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  • We're not saved by our fruit, our good works.
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  • We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works.
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  • And one way to tell if somebody's faith is legitimate
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  • Or not is by what kind of works fruit his life is producing.
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  • He was saying to these pharisees and sadducees, "you claim to be
  • 00:07:04.046 --> 00:07:07.717
  • People of faith, but there's certainly no evidence of it in
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  • Your life."
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  • One day the judgment of god is gonna cut down that life that
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  • Bears no fruit.
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  • What i want you to see is john was willing to confront people
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  • About their sin, and that is always the beginning place for a
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  • Gospel presentation to point people to jesus.
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  • You have to be willing to confront people about sin to
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  • Talk about sin, repentance, and the possibility of hell.
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  • Now let's admit that's not popular to do today, is it?
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  • We talk about the love of god.
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  • We never talk about the judgment of god.
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  • It's just not politically correct to do that.
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  • You see, there is no good news unless you understand the bad
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  • News, and the bad news about all of us is we're all sinners.
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  • The bad news is we're all headed for an eternity in hell.
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  • The good news is christ offers us an escape from that certain
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  • Coming judgment of god.
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  • And you can never appreciate the good news until you're willing
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  • To accept the bad news.
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  • John was faithful to confront people about the reality of
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  • God's judgment.
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  • And to many of them, they responded to that message.
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  • Look at verse 10, they said, "what shall we do?"
  • 00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:28.364
  • What shall we do to escape this certain coming judgment of god?
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  • And that leads to the exhortation.
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  • That was the second component of his message, his exhortation,
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  • Coming alongside to tell people what to do.
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  • What shall we do to escape god's judgment?
  • 00:08:42.511 --> 00:08:44.447
  • Now today, what would we say to somebody who said, "how can i
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  • Escape hell?"
  • 00:08:48.384 --> 00:08:50.152
  • We'd answer the way paul did to the philippian jailer.
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  • "what shall i do to be saved?"
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  • What was the answer?
  • 00:08:54.156 --> 00:08:55.558
  • "believe on the lord jesus christ and you will be saved."
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  • But remember when john was ministering, jesus had not yet
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  • Appeared on the scene.
  • 00:09:02.798 --> 00:09:04.166
  • He had not died.
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  • He had not been raised again from the dead.
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  • So john had to take a different approach to point people
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  • To jesus.
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  • It's a more subtle approach, but it got the job done.
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  • Look at what his message was about how they could
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  • Escape judgment.
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  • Look at verse 11.
  • 00:09:19.749 --> 00:09:21.117
  • John would answer and say to them, "let the man who has two
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  • Tunics share with him who has none."
  • 00:09:24.820 --> 00:09:28.958
  • A tunic was an undergarment, an undershirt.
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  • If you have two of those and your neighbor has none, give him
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  • One of yours, you know, wash it first, but then give it to him.
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  • Let him have it.
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  • Be generous.
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  • Then he goes on to say, "let him who has food do likewise."
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  • Share his food with other people.
  • 00:09:47.610 --> 00:09:49.512
  • Then he said in verse 13, to the tax collectors,
  • 00:09:49.512 --> 00:09:52.515
  • He said, "what you need to do to be saved,
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  • Collect no more than what you have been ordered to."
  • 00:09:55.017 --> 00:09:58.254
  • The tax gatherers were despised because they collected more
  • 00:09:58.254 --> 00:10:01.724
  • Taxes than were necessary than rome required.
  • 00:10:01.724 --> 00:10:04.460
  • They would keep the overage for themselves and send the rest
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  • To rome.
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  • People hated the tax gatherers for that reason.
  • 00:10:08.364 --> 00:10:11.067
  • Verse 14, some soldiers were questioning john, saying, "and
  • 00:10:11.067 --> 00:10:14.036
  • What about us, what do we need to do?
  • 00:10:14.036 --> 00:10:16.806
  • And he said to them, 'do not take money from anyone by force,
  • 00:10:16.806 --> 00:10:20.109
  • Or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages."'
  • 00:10:20.109 --> 00:10:25.381
  • It was john teaching that they could be saved by good works?
  • 00:10:25.381 --> 00:10:28.184
  • No, no, no, no, no, not at all.
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  • When the people heard this message from john, they said,
  • 00:10:32.121 --> 00:10:34.623
  • "wait a minute, john, be generous, be humble, don't take
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  • Advantage of people, treat people right?
  • 00:10:37.993 --> 00:10:42.765
  • Well, that's not who we are.
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  • We can't do that.
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  • We don't even want to do that."
  • 00:10:47.169 --> 00:10:50.172
  • The fact that they were unable to do these things, the fact
  • 00:10:50.172 --> 00:10:54.076
  • That they had no desire to do these things showed that what
  • 00:10:54.076 --> 00:10:57.980
  • They really needed was a complete transformation of
  • 00:10:57.980 --> 00:11:01.050
  • Their lives.
  • 00:11:01.050 --> 00:11:02.384
  • That's why john said these things.
  • 00:11:02.384 --> 00:11:03.719
  • He set an impossible standard for somebody who has not had a
  • 00:11:03.719 --> 00:11:07.423
  • True change in his life, and that's what christ would do.
  • 00:11:07.423 --> 00:11:11.861
  • They needed a new heart that would produce those good works.
  • 00:11:11.861 --> 00:11:15.464
  • One writer of yesteryear uses this great example:
  • 00:11:15.464 --> 00:11:19.368
  • He said, "imagine someone trying to make a bad apple tree produce
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  • Good fruit simply by cutting off all the bad apples.
  • 00:11:23.906 --> 00:11:28.344
  • The next crop of apples will be just as bad.
  • 00:11:28.344 --> 00:11:31.547
  • In fact, the more you keep cutting off the bad apples, the
  • 00:11:31.547 --> 00:11:35.584
  • More bad fruit there will be because the nature of the tree
  • 00:11:35.584 --> 00:11:40.189
  • Hasn't been changed.
  • 00:11:40.189 --> 00:11:42.124
  • The apple tree isn't a bad apple tree because it bears
  • 00:11:42.124 --> 00:11:47.096
  • Bad apples.
  • 00:11:47.096 --> 00:11:48.831
  • It bears bad apples because it is a bad apple tree."
  • 00:11:48.831 --> 00:11:54.003
  • In the same way a person is not a sinner because he sins.
  • 00:11:54.003 --> 00:12:00.676
  • He sins because he's a sinner.
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  • Did you get that?
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  • We are not sinners because we sin.
  • 00:12:06.315 --> 00:12:08.551
  • We sin because we are sinners.
  • 00:12:08.551 --> 00:12:12.588
  • Doesn't matter how many resolves you make, ladies and gentlemen,
  • 00:12:12.588 --> 00:12:15.457
  • To stop doing this and stop doing this and stop doing this,
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  • It will never work if you're not a christian.
  • 00:12:18.160 --> 00:12:20.763
  • There has to be a change of heart to produce the fruit that
  • 00:12:20.763 --> 00:12:24.700
  • Jesus demands.
  • 00:12:24.700 --> 00:12:26.335
  • And that leads to the third component of this
  • 00:12:26.335 --> 00:12:28.671
  • Message: salvation.
  • 00:12:28.671 --> 00:12:30.739
  • By why at this point, some people were saying, "is this guy
  • 00:12:30.739 --> 00:12:33.776
  • The messiah?
  • 00:12:33.776 --> 00:12:35.110
  • We've never heard anybody teach like this before.
  • 00:12:35.110 --> 00:12:37.379
  • Is this the messiah?"
  • 00:12:37.379 --> 00:12:39.315
  • No, john said--look at john 3:16.
  • 00:12:39.315 --> 00:12:41.851
  • John answered and said to them, "as for me, i baptize you with
  • 00:12:41.851 --> 00:12:45.287
  • Water; but one is coming who is mightier than i, and i'm not fit
  • 00:12:45.287 --> 00:12:50.492
  • To untie the thong of his sandals."
  • 00:12:50.492 --> 00:12:53.729
  • That was the most menial job for a servant: to undo the thong of
  • 00:12:53.729 --> 00:12:58.167
  • The sandal of somebody who had been walking in the dust.
  • 00:12:58.167 --> 00:13:03.305
  • "this one who is coming will baptize you with the holy spirit
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  • And with fire."
  • 00:13:07.810 --> 00:13:09.545
  • John says, "my baptism is just of water, but the one who is
  • 00:13:09.545 --> 00:13:12.848
  • Coming will baptize, first of all, with the holy spirit."
  • 00:13:12.848 --> 00:13:16.785
  • Now again, water baptism is a sign of what happens when we
  • 00:13:16.785 --> 00:13:20.089
  • Become a christian.
  • 00:13:20.089 --> 00:13:21.423
  • We are baptized.
  • 00:13:21.423 --> 00:13:22.791
  • The moment we trust in christ, we are baptized with the
  • 00:13:22.791 --> 00:13:25.427
  • Holy spirit.
  • 00:13:25.427 --> 00:13:26.795
  • Now that word baptized is the greek word baptisso.
  • 00:13:26.795 --> 00:13:30.566
  • It means one thing and only one thing in the greek language.
  • 00:13:30.566 --> 00:13:34.904
  • Doesn't mean sprinkled, it means to totally immerse.
  • 00:13:34.904 --> 00:13:39.642
  • It was a word that was used to describe the process by which
  • 00:13:39.642 --> 00:13:42.811
  • You would take a piece of cloth and change its color.
  • 00:13:42.811 --> 00:13:46.582
  • Let's see--let's say that you had a piece of red cloth and you
  • 00:13:46.582 --> 00:13:51.453
  • Wanted to change it into purple.
  • 00:13:51.453 --> 00:13:53.789
  • What would you do?
  • 00:13:53.789 --> 00:13:55.224
  • You would take a vat of purple dye.
  • 00:13:55.224 --> 00:13:58.494
  • And you wouldn't put your hand in there and flick a little spot
  • 00:13:58.494 --> 00:14:01.397
  • Of purple on the cloth, that wouldn't do it.
  • 00:14:01.397 --> 00:14:03.732
  • No, you would take that piece of red cloth and you would
  • 00:14:03.732 --> 00:14:06.568
  • Baptisso it.
  • 00:14:06.568 --> 00:14:08.237
  • You would immerse it in that that of purple dye and when you
  • 00:14:08.237 --> 00:14:12.675
  • Pulled it out, it would have a completely different color.
  • 00:14:12.675 --> 00:14:15.711
  • That's how the greeks understood that word.
  • 00:14:15.711 --> 00:14:17.613
  • It had nothing to do with religion.
  • 00:14:17.613 --> 00:14:19.181
  • To them it was a process by which you would
  • 00:14:19.181 --> 00:14:21.383
  • Immerse something.
  • 00:14:21.383 --> 00:14:22.751
  • Now when you trust in jesus as your savior, you're not just
  • 00:14:22.751 --> 00:14:27.289
  • Sprinkled with a little bit of the holy spirit, a little dab
  • 00:14:27.289 --> 00:14:30.526
  • Will do you.
  • 00:14:30.526 --> 00:14:31.894
  • No, it doesn't work that way.
  • 00:14:31.894 --> 00:14:33.228
  • You are immersed in the holy spirit of god.
  • 00:14:33.228 --> 00:14:36.298
  • He colors every part of your life.
  • 00:14:36.298 --> 00:14:38.767
  • You are raised a completely new person after you have trusted in
  • 00:14:38.767 --> 00:14:42.504
  • Christ, and that's what jesus would do.
  • 00:14:42.504 --> 00:14:44.940
  • He will baptize you with the holy spirit, but then he adds
  • 00:14:44.940 --> 00:14:48.043
  • The word "and with fire."
  • 00:14:48.043 --> 00:14:51.213
  • What does that mean, fire?
  • 00:14:51.213 --> 00:14:53.582
  • It's not hard to understand that, fire in the bible is
  • 00:14:53.582 --> 00:14:56.018
  • Always a sign of god's judgment.
  • 00:14:56.018 --> 00:14:58.387
  • And so that nobody misses the point, look at verse 17.
  • 00:14:58.387 --> 00:15:01.890
  • John said, "and his winnowing fork is in his hand to
  • 00:15:01.890 --> 00:15:06.428
  • Thoroughly clear his threshing floor, and to gather the wheat
  • 00:15:06.428 --> 00:15:10.466
  • Into his barn, and he will burn up the chaff with
  • 00:15:10.466 --> 00:15:13.469
  • Unquenchable fire."
  • 00:15:13.469 --> 00:15:15.637
  • Now this was out of my wheelhouse.
  • 00:15:15.637 --> 00:15:19.842
  • When i was reading this, i didn't know what this was really
  • 00:15:19.842 --> 00:15:22.011
  • Talking about, so i had to do a little study this week about the
  • 00:15:22.011 --> 00:15:24.313
  • Whole process of harvesting wheat.
  • 00:15:24.313 --> 00:15:27.516
  • Whenever a wheat was harvested, it would be bundled up and it
  • 00:15:27.516 --> 00:15:30.853
  • Would be taken into a barn, and the wheat would be crushed
  • 00:15:30.853 --> 00:15:35.090
  • Through a threshing process in which the grain was separated
  • 00:15:35.090 --> 00:15:39.294
  • From the worthless part of the wheat.
  • 00:15:39.294 --> 00:15:42.297
  • Sometimes it was an oxen that would do it, sometimes a big
  • 00:15:42.297 --> 00:15:45.434
  • Stone, but you had to separate the worthless part of the wheat
  • 00:15:45.434 --> 00:15:49.271
  • From the good part of the wheat.
  • 00:15:49.271 --> 00:15:50.973
  • And once that separation had taken place, the farmer would
  • 00:15:50.973 --> 00:15:54.777
  • Take what was called a winnowing fork, and he would pick up a
  • 00:15:54.777 --> 00:15:58.614
  • Pile of that wheat and the refuse of the wheat, and he
  • 00:15:58.614 --> 00:16:02.518
  • Would throw it up in the air.
  • 00:16:02.518 --> 00:16:04.420
  • And the chaff, which was the worthless part of the wheat, it
  • 00:16:04.420 --> 00:16:08.524
  • Was lighter, and when he would throw it up in the air, that
  • 00:16:08.524 --> 00:16:11.493
  • Chaff would simply be blown away by the wind and the good part of
  • 00:16:11.493 --> 00:16:16.031
  • The wheat, the heavier part, would fall back to the
  • 00:16:16.031 --> 00:16:18.600
  • Threshing floor.
  • 00:16:18.600 --> 00:16:19.968
  • It was a way of separating the good wheat from the worthless
  • 00:16:19.968 --> 00:16:23.872
  • Part of the wheat.
  • 00:16:23.872 --> 00:16:25.641
  • Now, what john was saying is one day jesus is coming back to
  • 00:16:25.641 --> 00:16:31.814
  • Judge the world, right now it's very hard sometimes to separate
  • 00:16:31.814 --> 00:16:35.984
  • Christians from non-christians.
  • 00:16:35.984 --> 00:16:37.986
  • They live alongside one another, they work together, they live
  • 00:16:37.986 --> 00:16:41.723
  • Together under the same roof, sometimes they worship together
  • 00:16:41.723 --> 00:16:44.426
  • In the same church, sometimes a non-christian may appear like
  • 00:16:44.426 --> 00:16:48.030
  • A christian.
  • 00:16:48.030 --> 00:16:49.364
  • But there is a judgment time coming when god will come, the
  • 00:16:49.364 --> 00:16:53.602
  • Return of jesus christ, and separate believers
  • 00:16:53.602 --> 00:16:56.772
  • From non-believers.
  • 00:16:56.772 --> 00:16:58.974
  • But instead of simply being blown away in this illustration,
  • 00:16:58.974 --> 00:17:02.611
  • The chaff is gathered up and it is burned with an unquenchable
  • 00:17:02.611 --> 00:17:07.649
  • Fire, an allusion to hell itself.
  • 00:17:07.649 --> 00:17:11.453
  • What i want you to see here is john's ministry and his message
  • 00:17:11.453 --> 00:17:14.890
  • Was marked by confrontation, by exhortation, and by the message
  • 00:17:14.890 --> 00:17:19.761
  • Of salvation.
  • 00:17:19.761 --> 00:17:21.363
  • Now, it's true, some people were greatly encouraged by
  • 00:17:21.363 --> 00:17:24.766
  • John's message.
  • 00:17:24.766 --> 00:17:26.101
  • Others rejected it.
  • 00:17:26.101 --> 00:17:27.469
  • Look at verse 19, "but when herod the tetrarch was reproved
  • 00:17:27.469 --> 00:17:31.406
  • By him on account of herodias, his brother's wife, and on
  • 00:17:31.406 --> 00:17:35.477
  • Account of all the wicked things which herod had done."
  • 00:17:35.477 --> 00:17:39.281
  • What is that about?
  • 00:17:39.281 --> 00:17:41.216
  • If you went into any supermarket in israel at the checkout line,
  • 00:17:41.216 --> 00:17:45.554
  • You couldn't help but notice a copy of
  • 00:17:45.554 --> 00:17:47.890
  • "the jerusalem enquirer."
  • 00:17:47.890 --> 00:17:50.159
  • And right on the front page was the scandal that everybody was
  • 00:17:50.159 --> 00:17:53.862
  • Talking about.
  • 00:17:53.862 --> 00:17:55.230
  • King herod had taken his sister-in-law, herodias, wife of
  • 00:17:55.230 --> 00:18:00.936
  • Philip, to be his own wife and not only had he taken her to be
  • 00:18:00.936 --> 00:18:04.473
  • His wife, not only was she his sister-in-law, she also happened
  • 00:18:04.473 --> 00:18:08.343
  • To be his niece.
  • 00:18:08.343 --> 00:18:10.112
  • So this was a case of incest and immorality.
  • 00:18:10.112 --> 00:18:13.182
  • Everybody was talking about it.
  • 00:18:13.182 --> 00:18:15.317
  • Now interestingly, according to mark 6:20, herod, as corrupt as
  • 00:18:15.317 --> 00:18:19.254
  • He was, he enjoyed listening to the preaching of john the
  • 00:18:19.254 --> 00:18:22.457
  • Baptist from time to time, kind of like some presidents like to
  • 00:18:22.457 --> 00:18:25.661
  • Listen to billy graham even though they weren't christians,
  • 00:18:25.661 --> 00:18:29.097
  • And he enjoyed john until john confronted him about his sin.
  • 00:18:29.097 --> 00:18:35.871
  • When john the baptist met with herod, he told him the truth.
  • 00:18:35.871 --> 00:18:40.842
  • In matthew 14:4, "he said to herod, 'it is not right for you
  • 00:18:40.842 --> 00:18:47.149
  • To have herodias as your wife."'
  • 00:18:47.149 --> 00:18:50.485
  • And because of that and because of the offense that herodias
  • 00:18:50.485 --> 00:18:53.922
  • Took at john's words, he was beheaded.
  • 00:18:53.922 --> 00:18:56.325
  • He lost his life for his willingness to confront with
  • 00:18:56.325 --> 00:18:59.761
  • The truth.
  • 00:18:59.761 --> 00:19:01.096
  • You know, john, jesus said in matthew 11:11, john was the
  • 00:19:01.096 --> 00:19:05.834
  • Greatest person who has ever been born.
  • 00:19:05.834 --> 00:19:09.271
  • Isn't that interesting?
  • 00:19:09.271 --> 00:19:10.672
  • Of all the people jesus could have named as the greatest
  • 00:19:10.672 --> 00:19:14.977
  • Person who has ever been born, he singled out john the baptist.
  • 00:19:14.977 --> 00:19:20.482
  • Why is that?
  • 00:19:20.482 --> 00:19:22.351
  • Let me close. i know we're out of time.
  • 00:19:22.351 --> 00:19:23.952
  • Just two quick principles i want you to write down.
  • 00:19:23.952 --> 00:19:27.222
  • Would you like to have god say about that about you?
  • 00:19:27.222 --> 00:19:29.691
  • Wouldn't it be an honor for god to say, "of all the people i've
  • 00:19:29.691 --> 00:19:32.160
  • Ever created, you are the greatest"?
  • 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:36.531
  • What is it that brings god's approval in our life?
  • 00:19:36.531 --> 00:19:38.967
  • Principle number one god honors those who are willing to share
  • 00:19:38.967 --> 00:19:42.337
  • The truth regardless of the consequences.
  • 00:19:42.337 --> 00:19:45.907
  • He honors those who are willing to share the truth regardless of
  • 00:19:45.907 --> 00:19:49.144
  • The consequences.
  • 00:19:49.144 --> 00:19:50.479
  • I was in a meeting monday with some other large church pastors
  • 00:19:50.479 --> 00:19:53.415
  • And we had the speaker who was trying to explain to us how to
  • 00:19:53.415 --> 00:19:56.752
  • Reach this culture, this generation, the new generation.
  • 00:19:56.752 --> 00:20:00.689
  • Without offending them, and he said, you know, there's certain
  • 00:20:00.689 --> 00:20:02.958
  • Words you need to avoid and certain phrases and certain
  • 00:20:02.958 --> 00:20:06.461
  • Tones if you're gonna reach people with the gospel,
  • 00:20:06.461 --> 00:20:08.830
  • Otherwise people won't listen to you.
  • 00:20:08.830 --> 00:20:11.433
  • Listen, that's all well and good, but you know what
  • 00:20:11.433 --> 00:20:14.202
  • I've discovered?
  • 00:20:14.202 --> 00:20:15.537
  • It doesn't matter how you package it, the gospel is going
  • 00:20:15.537 --> 00:20:19.341
  • To offend some people.
  • 00:20:19.341 --> 00:20:21.777
  • When you tell people they need to be saved, you're implying
  • 00:20:21.777 --> 00:20:25.047
  • That they're lost.
  • 00:20:25.047 --> 00:20:26.782
  • When you tell them they need to be forgiven, you're implying
  • 00:20:26.782 --> 00:20:30.686
  • That they are guilty, and some people just don't want to
  • 00:20:30.686 --> 00:20:34.856
  • Hear that.
  • 00:20:34.856 --> 00:20:36.191
  • The gospel is going to be offensive to some people and yet
  • 00:20:36.191 --> 00:20:40.529
  • A true servant of god is somebody who's willing to tell
  • 00:20:40.529 --> 00:20:43.298
  • The truth no matter how unpopular it is.
  • 00:20:43.298 --> 00:20:46.134
  • Somebody has quipped.
  • 00:20:46.134 --> 00:20:47.803
  • Noah's message from the steps of the ark was not "something good
  • 00:20:47.803 --> 00:20:51.707
  • Is going to happen to you today."
  • 00:20:51.707 --> 00:20:55.077
  • Amos was not confronted by the high priest of israel for
  • 00:20:55.077 --> 00:20:58.280
  • Proclaiming "confession is possession."
  • 00:20:58.280 --> 00:21:01.883
  • Jeremiah was not put into the pit for preaching, "i'm okay,
  • 00:21:01.883 --> 00:21:06.254
  • You're okay."
  • 00:21:06.254 --> 00:21:08.223
  • Daniel was not put into the lion's den for telling people
  • 00:21:08.223 --> 00:21:11.526
  • "possibility thinking can move mountains."
  • 00:21:11.526 --> 00:21:14.996
  • And john the baptist was not beheaded because he preached
  • 00:21:14.996 --> 00:21:18.667
  • "smile, god loves you."
  • 00:21:18.667 --> 00:21:21.770
  • No, it was john's boldness that eventually cost him his life,
  • 00:21:21.770 --> 00:21:26.274
  • But it also earned him a place in god's hall of honor.
  • 00:21:26.274 --> 00:21:30.946
  • God honors those who are willing to share the truth regardless of
  • 00:21:30.946 --> 00:21:34.750
  • The consequences.
  • 00:21:34.750 --> 00:21:36.084
  • Principle number two, god honors those who point people to
  • 00:21:36.084 --> 00:21:40.055
  • His son.
  • 00:21:40.055 --> 00:21:42.391
  • John understood that his purpose in life was simply to point
  • 00:21:42.391 --> 00:21:45.994
  • People to jesus.
  • 00:21:45.994 --> 00:21:47.863
  • "he must increase, i must decrease."
  • 00:21:47.863 --> 00:21:51.566
  • John understood that he was like the moon that has no light of
  • 00:21:51.566 --> 00:21:54.603
  • Its own, but only reflects the light of the sun.
  • 00:21:54.603 --> 00:21:59.274
  • Do you realize, folks, you and i have been called for that
  • 00:21:59.274 --> 00:22:02.210
  • Same purpose?
  • 00:22:02.210 --> 00:22:03.912
  • The reason god has left you and me here on this planet is not to
  • 00:22:03.912 --> 00:22:08.683
  • Build a successful career, accumulate a lot of money, even
  • 00:22:08.683 --> 00:22:13.221
  • To have a happy and harmonious family.
  • 00:22:13.221 --> 00:22:16.625
  • God has left us here to point people to jesus.
  • 00:22:16.625 --> 00:22:21.730
  • Folks, i know some of you understand that.
  • 00:22:21.730 --> 00:22:24.800
  • There are people you are praying for who are lost.
  • 00:22:24.800 --> 00:22:27.903
  • You're talking to them about the gospel, you're inviting them
  • 00:22:27.903 --> 00:22:30.639
  • To church.
  • 00:22:30.639 --> 00:22:31.973
  • It may be a family member, it may be a friend, but somebody
  • 00:22:31.973 --> 00:22:34.276
  • You care about.
  • 00:22:34.276 --> 00:22:35.610
  • Remember, not everybody's gonna respond.
  • 00:22:35.610 --> 00:22:39.247
  • But that's not your responsibility.
  • 00:22:39.247 --> 00:22:42.818
  • Our calling in life is like that of a good hunting dog.
  • 00:22:42.818 --> 00:22:46.555
  • Our job is simply to point the way.
  • 00:22:46.555 --> 00:22:50.125
  • That's what god has called us to do: to point people to jesus.
  • 00:22:50.125 --> 00:22:54.563
  • Because in the end, it really isn't about us, it's all
  • 00:22:54.563 --> 00:23:01.670
  • About him.
  • 00:23:01.670 --> 00:23:03.338
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:23:03.338 --> 00:23:07.476
  • Jeffress: that's what "pathway to victory" is
  • 00:23:08.677 --> 00:23:10.512
  • All about.
  • 00:23:10.512 --> 00:23:12.080
  • Through television, radio, and the internet, we are
  • 00:23:12.080 --> 00:23:14.349
  • Intentionally focused on pointing people to jesus, and
  • 00:23:14.349 --> 00:23:18.186
  • Right now we've been blessed with a tremendous opportunity to
  • 00:23:18.186 --> 00:23:21.957
  • Touch even more lives with the hope of the gospel through the
  • 00:23:21.957 --> 00:23:25.160
  • "pathway to victory" light the darkness matching challenge.
  • 00:23:25.160 --> 00:23:29.264
  • From now through december 31st, your gift will have twice the
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  • Impact until we reach the goal of $1.5 million.
  • 00:23:33.568 --> 00:23:38.073
  • That means your gift of $200 would become $400.
  • 00:23:38.073 --> 00:23:42.477
  • A $1000 gift would become $2000.
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  • A $10,000 gift would be matched until it became $20,000.
  • 00:23:46.014 --> 00:23:51.853
  • In matthew 5, jesus said, "you are the light of the world."
  • 00:23:51.853 --> 00:23:55.957
  • And when you support "pathway to victory," you're letting your
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  • Light shine before others, allowing them to see the
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  • Goodness of our heavenly father.
  • 00:24:02.664 --> 00:24:04.933
  • Please don't miss out on this opportunity to double the impact
  • 00:24:04.933 --> 00:24:08.537
  • Of your giving.
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  • Together we're lighting the darkness and sharing the radiant
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  • Hope of christ with a world in need.
  • 00:24:13.141 --> 00:24:16.545
  • Now stay right there.
  • 00:24:16.545 --> 00:24:17.879
  • I'll be back with more "pathway to victory" in just a moment.
  • 00:24:17.879 --> 00:24:22.684
  • Announcer: the one thing god wants more than anything else in
  • 00:24:22.751 --> 00:24:25.387
  • This world is time with you.
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  • Make god your priority by spending quality time in his
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  • Word with the brand new 2025 "pathway to victory"
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  • Daily devotional.
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  • This year's devotional has a beautiful navy blue leather
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  • Cover with inlaid brown and gold foil accents, and now with
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  • Larger print, the 260 practical insights from
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  • Dr. robert jeffress are easier to read.
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  • This stunning 532 page devotional makes an ideal
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  • Christmas gift for loved ones who want to grow in their
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  • Faith too.
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  • Jeffress: of all the ways god could have revealed himself to
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  • Us, he chose to do it through the written word, and that's why
  • 00:24:56.785 --> 00:25:00.989
  • It's so important for you and for me to set aside regular time
  • 00:25:00.989 --> 00:25:04.859
  • To read the word of god.
  • 00:25:04.859 --> 00:25:07.429
  • Announcer: every season carries an uplifting theme.
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  • Begin the new year by exploring god's will for your life.
  • 00:25:10.465 --> 00:25:14.502
  • In spring and summer, grow stronger in christ with insights
  • 00:25:14.502 --> 00:25:17.639
  • From colossians, and in the fall and winter, embrace the
  • 00:25:17.639 --> 00:25:21.109
  • Father who loves you, with inspirational readings based on
  • 00:25:21.109 --> 00:25:24.112
  • The parable of the prodigal son.
  • 00:25:24.112 --> 00:25:26.848
  • When the day to day problems of life feel overwhelming, take a
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  • Moment to anchor yourself in the calming truth of god's word with
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  • The brand new 2025 "pathway to victory" daily devotion.
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  • Your gift of support not only provides you with this
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  • Life-giving resource, it empowers us to spread the hope
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  • Filled message of jesus christ as well.
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  • Thank you for supporting the ministry of
  • 00:25:46.668 --> 00:25:49.037
  • "pathway to victory."
  • 00:25:49.037 --> 00:25:51.373
  • Jeffress: john the baptist was a humble, unassuming, and frankly
  • 00:25:54.142 --> 00:25:57.912
  • A quirky individual.
  • 00:25:57.912 --> 00:26:00.015
  • But of all the people jesus could have named as the
  • 00:26:00.015 --> 00:26:02.851
  • Greatest, he singled out john the baptist.
  • 00:26:02.851 --> 00:26:06.287
  • Why is that?
  • 00:26:06.287 --> 00:26:07.889
  • Because john was willing to share the truth regardless of
  • 00:26:07.889 --> 00:26:11.226
  • The consequences, and that, my friends, is the reason you and i
  • 00:26:11.226 --> 00:26:15.130
  • Were placed on planet earth: to point people to jesus christ.
  • 00:26:15.130 --> 00:26:20.435
  • Well, most people never realize it, but all of us are engaged in
  • 00:26:20.435 --> 00:26:24.239
  • A cosmic battle with a powerful adversary named satan.
  • 00:26:24.239 --> 00:26:29.577
  • He cleverly wraps the destructive power of sin and an
  • 00:26:29.577 --> 00:26:33.448
  • Appealing custom designed temptation.
  • 00:26:33.448 --> 00:26:36.584
  • So how can we resist the temptations that satan brings
  • 00:26:36.584 --> 00:26:40.555
  • Into our life?
  • 00:26:40.555 --> 00:26:41.990
  • Stay tuned for a preview of what's coming up next in our
  • 00:26:41.990 --> 00:26:44.693
  • Series "reigniting your passion for christ."
  • 00:26:44.693 --> 00:26:48.496
  • Jeffress: sin never satisfies.
  • 00:26:49.464 --> 00:26:53.001
  • Sin only causes us to crave more and more and more until we are
  • 00:26:53.001 --> 00:26:58.440
  • Completely destroyed by our own lusts.
  • 00:26:58.440 --> 00:27:02.277
  • Satan very cleverly wraps the destructive power of sin in an
  • 00:27:02.277 --> 00:27:08.116
  • Appealing temptation that satan custom designs to meet our
  • 00:27:08.116 --> 00:27:14.255
  • Particular thirst.
  • 00:27:14.255 --> 00:27:16.458
  • Announcer: set your dvr and join us next time for the message,
  • 00:27:16.458 --> 00:27:19.527
  • "when the devil rings the doorbell," here on
  • 00:27:19.527 --> 00:27:23.031
  • "pathway to victory."
  • 00:27:23.031 --> 00:27:23.031