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Dr. Robert Jeffress | Robert Jeffress - Radical Discipleship (Part 2) | December 30, 2025
- ♪ music ♪
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- From the pulpit of the first baptist church
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- Of dallas, texas, this is "pathway to victory
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- With dr. robert jeffress."
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- Hi, i'm dr. robert jeffress
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- And welcome again to "pathway to victory."
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- Have you ever considered what genuine commitment
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- To jesus christ really looks like?
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- Today we're going to explore what jesus meant
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- When he said that following him would cost everything.
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- It's a challenging but crucial message
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- About the difference between simply believing in jesus
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- And becoming his committed disciple.
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- My message is titled "radical discipleship"
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- On today's edition of "pathway to victory."
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- ♪ music ♪
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- ♪ i've been changed ♪
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- ♪ healed, freed, delivered ♪
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- -♪ i've been changed ♪ -♪ i've been changed ♪
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- -♪ healed ♪ -♪ healed ♪
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- -♪ freed ♪ -♪ i'm freed ♪
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- -♪ delivered ♪ -♪ delivered ♪
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- -♪ i've found joy ♪ -♪ i've found joy ♪
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- -♪ peace ♪ -♪ peace ♪
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- -♪ grace ♪ -♪ grace ♪
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- -♪ and favor ♪ -♪ and favor ♪
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- ♪ and right now ♪
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- ♪ right now is the moment ♪
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- ♪ today is the day ♪
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- ♪ i've been changed ♪
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- ♪ i have waited for this moment to come ♪
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- ♪ and i won't let it pass me by ♪
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- ♪ so we say ♪
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- ♪ i won't go back, i can't go back, to the way it used to be ♪
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- ♪ before your presence came and changed me ♪
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- ♪ thank you lord and i won't ♪
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- ♪ i won't go back, i can't go back, to the way it used to be ♪
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- ♪ before your presence came and changed me ♪
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- ♪ changed me and thank you lord ♪
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- ♪ i won't go back, i can't go back, to the way it used to be ♪
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- ♪ before your presence came and changed me ♪
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- ♪ thank you lord ♪
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- ♪ changed me ♪
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- ♪ jesus changed me ♪
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- ♪ you changed me ♪
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- ♪ music ♪
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- Start the new year
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- With daily encouragement when you request
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- The 2026 "pathway to victory daily devotional,"
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- Featuring 260 brand new devotional readings
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- From dr. robert jeffress.
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- This beautiful leather-bound volume includes larger print
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- And a gorgeous hand cover with brown and gold accents.
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- Plus, right now, your gift will be doubled in impact
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- Through the now is the time matching challenge.
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- Request your 2026 "pathway to victory daily devotional"
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- And double your impact when you give a generous gift
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- To support the ministry of pathway to victory.
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- ♪ music ♪
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- I'm choosing jacob over esau to give the blessing,
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- Not because i have emotional hatred toward esau.
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- God loved esau, he blessed esau,
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- But he said i am making a choice of jacob over esau.
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- And what jesus is saying is if there ever comes a choice
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- Between pleasing your family and pleasing god,
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- Then it really is no choice for a disciple.
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- We choose to follow jesus even over our own family.
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- Do you remember the name francis schaeffer,
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- The christian apologist who's now in heaven?
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- Francis schaeffer came from a non-christian home.
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- He was saved when he was in high school,
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- And he knew almost immediately after that
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- That god had called him into ministry.
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- So he went home to his non-christian dad
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- And announced that when he went to college,
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- He wanted to prepare for the ministry.
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- His dad was furious.
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- He forbade him to do so and said if he did,
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- He would refuse to support him.
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- Schaeffer went back to his bedroom, prayed about it,
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- But he was still resolved to follow god.
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- He told his father he was going to do
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- What he felt like god was commanding him to do.
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- His father slammed the door in schaeffer's face.
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- Few days later, his father came back to him
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- And told him he had had a change of heart
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- And that he would indeed support him in college.
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- Francis schaeffer later wrote that that decision
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- To obey god regardless of the cost
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- Was not only the foundation for his future ministry,
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- It was the foundation for his dad's eventual salvation.
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- The fact is god has called every one of us
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- To that kind of unconditional allegiance.
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- Secondly, discipleship demands a willingness to die.
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- It demands a willingness to die.
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- Look at verse 27.
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- "whoever does not carry his own cross
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- And come after me cannot be my disciple."
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- We've talked about this before.
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- The cross, if you saw somebody carrying a cross
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- Through the streets of jerusalem,
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- You knew that person was on the way to his own execution.
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- The cross was not some sentimental ornament.
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- It was a cruel instrument of execution.
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- And jesus said, "if you're going to be my disciple,
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- You have to voluntarily die."
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- Not physically necessarily,
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- But you have to be willing to die to your own dreams,
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- Your own goals, your own pleasures,
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- Your own possessions in order to please god.
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- Your one desire above all others is that of jesus
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- Who said in john 4:34, "my food, my sustenance
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- Is to do the will of him who sent me
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- And to accomplish his work."
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- And sometimes to do god's will means putting
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- To death the things you want most in life.
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- Alexander maclaren, the preacher of yesteryear said,
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- "the road to spiritual progress is marked
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- With the bloody footprints of wounded self-love."
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- Paul said it this way in galatians 2:20,
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- "i have been crucified with christ
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- And it is no longer i who live,
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- But christ lives within me.
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- And the life which i now live in the flesh,
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- I live by faith in the son of god who loved me
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- And delivered himself up for me."
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- Now let me say here, many times if you're a christian,
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- God leads you through the desires he places in your heart.
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- That's one way, we've seen before
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- That he gives us direction, but nevertheless,
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- To be a disciple means if it ever comes down to a choice
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- Between what i want and what god wants,
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- I'm going to choose god every time, not just 90% of the time,
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- It is always your will, not mine, be done.
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- We've talked about the definition of a disciple.
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- We've looked at the two demands of discipleship.
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- Now let's look at two descriptions
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- Jesus gave us of discipleship.
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- First of all, he compared being a disciple
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- To that of being a builder.
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- Look at verse 28, "for which one of you when he wants
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- To build a tower does not first sit down
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- And calculate the cost to see
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- If he has enough to complete it."
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- Now the tower he's talking about here
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- Is not a 50-foot skyscraper, it's a watchtower.
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- It was only a few feet high,
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- But a person would sit in that watchtower
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- To guard the vineyard against animals that might come
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- And destroy it or others who would come and steal the fruit.
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- Jesus said, "if you're going to build a tower,
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- You better make sure you've got the money to complete it."
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- Why, look verse 29,
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- "otherwise, when the builder has laid a foundation
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- And is not able to finish, all who observe it will begin
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- To ridicule him saying, 'this man began to build
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- And was not able to finish.'"
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- Whenever i read that story,
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- I think about the fairmont hotel right across the street.
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- Do you remember, those of you who lived in dallas,
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- When it was first being constructed?
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- The original developers
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- Were going to build this luxurious hotel.
- 00:09:14.299 --> 00:09:16.101
- They put up the steel infrastructure of the fairmont,
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- Both towers, and then they ran out of money.
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- And remember how that rusting infrastructure stood there
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- For months and months and months?
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- It was the eyesore of downtown dallas
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- Until somebody came in and finally completed it.
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- But for months, it was a testimony to the lack of resources
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- Of the builder and the lack of good planning.
- 00:09:40.759 --> 00:09:43.561
- Jesus said it's the very same way.
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- For somebody who declares, i am a christian,
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- I am building a life for god,
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- But never follows through on it,
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- They are an eyesore for all of christianity.
- 00:09:52.704 --> 00:09:56.508
- John stott describes it this way,
- 00:09:56.508 --> 00:09:59.744
- "the christian landscape is strewn
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- With the wreckage of derelict, half-built towers.
- 00:10:02.947 --> 00:10:07.419
- The ruins of those who began to build
- 00:10:07.419 --> 00:10:09.654
- And were unable to finish,
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- For thousands of people still ignore christ warning
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- And undertake to follow him without first pausing
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- To reflect on the high cost of doing so.
- 00:10:19.798 --> 00:10:23.768
- The result is the great scandal of christendom today,
- 00:10:23.768 --> 00:10:27.639
- So-called nominal christianity.
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- Large numbers of people have covered themselves
- 00:10:31.609 --> 00:10:34.879
- With a decent but thin veneer of christianity.
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- They have allowed themselves
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- To become somewhat involved, enough to be respectable,
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- But not enough to become uncomfortable.
- 00:10:45.724 --> 00:10:48.793
- Their religion is a great soft cushion.
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- It protects them from the hard unpleasantness
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- Of life while changing its place
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- And shape to suit their convenience.
- 00:10:57.202 --> 00:11:00.371
- No wonder the cynics speak of hypocrites in the church
- 00:11:00.371 --> 00:11:04.676
- And dismiss religion as escapism."
- 00:11:04.676 --> 00:11:09.380
- Another comparison jesus uses in addition to the builder
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- Is one of the warrior.
- 00:11:14.119 --> 00:11:15.754
- Look at verses 31 and 32.
- 00:11:15.754 --> 00:11:18.323
- "or what king, when he sets out
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- To meet another king in battle,
- 00:11:20.191 --> 00:11:21.726
- Will not first sit down and take counsel,
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- Whether he is strong enough with 10,000 men
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- To encounter the one coming against him with 20,000.
- 00:11:27.232 --> 00:11:30.635
- Or else while the other is still far away,
- 00:11:30.635 --> 00:11:33.171
- He sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace."
- 00:11:33.171 --> 00:11:36.407
- If you're getting ready to go into war
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- And the guy who you're going to battle against
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- Has twice the army you do,
- 00:11:41.246 --> 00:11:43.314
- You better determine whether or not you can defeat him.
- 00:11:43.314 --> 00:11:46.084
- If not, it's better to settle the matter
- 00:11:46.084 --> 00:11:48.653
- Through a negotiation.
- 00:11:48.653 --> 00:11:50.555
- The only thing worse than entering a war
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- Without the necessary firepower to win
- 00:11:52.624 --> 00:11:56.461
- Is entering a war without the willpower to win.
- 00:11:56.461 --> 00:12:00.231
- Remember what happened in vietnam?
- 00:12:00.231 --> 00:12:02.901
- We weren't really determined to win that war.
- 00:12:02.901 --> 00:12:04.903
- We got bogged down there,
- 00:12:04.903 --> 00:12:06.504
- Because we didn't have the determination to win that war.
- 00:12:06.504 --> 00:12:09.874
- It's the same way with the christian life.
- 00:12:09.874 --> 00:12:12.544
- Before you say i'm going to be a follower of jesus christ,
- 00:12:12.544 --> 00:12:17.115
- You better determine whether or not
- 00:12:17.115 --> 00:12:18.650
- You've got the ability to follow through on that commitment,
- 00:12:18.650 --> 00:12:21.820
- Whether you even have the willpower
- 00:12:21.820 --> 00:12:24.155
- To fulfill that commitment you've made to christ.
- 00:12:24.155 --> 00:12:27.125
- Otherwise you're an embarrassment
- 00:12:27.125 --> 00:12:28.693
- To yourself and to jesus as well.
- 00:12:28.693 --> 00:12:32.897
- Jesus summarizes all of this
- 00:12:33.498 --> 00:12:36.034
- With a demonstration of discipleship.
- 00:12:36.034 --> 00:12:38.903
- Here's a great test of discipleship, verse 33.
- 00:12:38.903 --> 00:12:42.473
- "so therefore, no one of you can be my disciple,
- 00:12:42.473 --> 00:12:47.111
- Who does not give up all of his own possessions."
- 00:12:48.046 --> 00:12:53.918
- That's a demonstration of whether or not you're a disciple.
- 00:12:55.153 --> 00:12:58.456
- Are you willing to give up all of your possessions?
- 00:12:58.456 --> 00:13:01.492
- Now, notice he didn't say give away all your possessions.
- 00:13:01.492 --> 00:13:06.965
- There's a difference between giving up and giving away.
- 00:13:08.066 --> 00:13:12.837
- Later when we get to luke 18,
- 00:13:12.837 --> 00:13:14.305
- We'll see that jesus told the rich young ruler,
- 00:13:14.305 --> 00:13:16.774
- "oh, you think you're so holy
- 00:13:16.774 --> 00:13:18.076
- And you're getting to heaven on your own?
- 00:13:18.076 --> 00:13:19.677
- Then go ahead and give away every thing
- 00:13:19.677 --> 00:13:21.546
- You have to the poor."
- 00:13:21.546 --> 00:13:22.914
- That's not a problem for you, is it,
- 00:13:22.914 --> 00:13:24.249
- Since you claim to be so holy.
- 00:13:24.249 --> 00:13:26.284
- And that's why he told that particular man
- 00:13:26.284 --> 00:13:28.286
- To give away everything he had, but to all of us,
- 00:13:28.286 --> 00:13:31.055
- He doesn't say give away everything you have.
- 00:13:31.055 --> 00:13:34.025
- One reason is you can only do that one time in your life.
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- You only can give away everything one time.
- 00:13:37.929 --> 00:13:41.532
- He doesn't say give away.
- 00:13:41.532 --> 00:13:42.967
- He says give up.
- 00:13:42.967 --> 00:13:44.736
- Surrender your right to everything you have
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- That is important to you.
- 00:13:49.474 --> 00:13:51.910
- I read this week about christian businessmen
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- Who had become so focused on his business,
- 00:13:55.480 --> 00:13:59.584
- He would lay awake at night
- 00:13:59.584 --> 00:14:01.152
- Worrying about meeting the payroll
- 00:14:01.152 --> 00:14:03.054
- And complying with the increasing government regulations
- 00:14:03.054 --> 00:14:06.624
- And wondering whether sales would be enough
- 00:14:06.624 --> 00:14:08.860
- To be able to pay his employees.
- 00:14:08.860 --> 00:14:11.229
- He became so focused on that, he lost his focus on god.
- 00:14:11.229 --> 00:14:15.400
- And one afternoon in his office, he said,
- 00:14:15.400 --> 00:14:16.968
- "i'm tired of living this way."
- 00:14:16.968 --> 00:14:18.469
- And he got down, knelt beside his chair
- 00:14:18.469 --> 00:14:20.305
- And he said, "god, today i'm giving you my business.
- 00:14:20.305 --> 00:14:24.208
- It all belongs to you."
- 00:14:24.208 --> 00:14:26.611
- He felt such a relief, he said.
- 00:14:27.245 --> 00:14:29.881
- That night, he said he slept for the first time in months.
- 00:14:29.881 --> 00:14:34.319
- He was sound asleep until he was awakened
- 00:14:34.319 --> 00:14:37.855
- By the ringing of the telephone in the middle of the night.
- 00:14:37.855 --> 00:14:40.959
- A frantic voice on the other end of the phone said,
- 00:14:40.959 --> 00:14:43.761
- "your business is going up in flames."
- 00:14:43.761 --> 00:14:47.265
- The businessman dressed, he went down to his business.
- 00:14:48.366 --> 00:14:50.969
- And sure enough, everything he had poured his life into
- 00:14:50.969 --> 00:14:55.773
- Was surrounded by flames.
- 00:14:55.773 --> 00:14:58.209
- Somebody came up to him and said, "how can you be so calm
- 00:14:59.377 --> 00:15:01.879
- When everything you've poured your life into
- 00:15:01.879 --> 00:15:03.948
- Is being destroyed?"
- 00:15:03.948 --> 00:15:05.850
- The businessman said, "well, this afternoon,
- 00:15:05.850 --> 00:15:09.053
- I gave my business to god.
- 00:15:09.053 --> 00:15:11.456
- It belongs to him
- 00:15:11.456 --> 00:15:12.924
- And if he wants to burn it up, that's his business."
- 00:15:12.924 --> 00:15:15.827
- (attendees laugh)
- 00:15:15.827 --> 00:15:18.129
- You know, that's what jesus is talking about here,
- 00:15:18.129 --> 00:15:21.632
- Giving up everything we have to him.
- 00:15:21.632 --> 00:15:24.335
- Listen to me, as somebody said,
- 00:15:24.335 --> 00:15:26.304
- "the christian life is not about a makeover,
- 00:15:26.304 --> 00:15:29.741
- It's about a takeover."
- 00:15:29.741 --> 00:15:31.943
- It's allowing jesus christ
- 00:15:31.943 --> 00:15:33.578
- To take over everything important to you.
- 00:15:33.578 --> 00:15:37.115
- Your business, your relationships,
- 00:15:37.115 --> 00:15:40.385
- Your money, your dreams.
- 00:15:40.385 --> 00:15:42.653
- It's all under his management
- 00:15:43.287 --> 00:15:45.289
- To do whatever he wants you with.
- 00:15:45.289 --> 00:15:47.058
- He very well may let you keep your dreams, your goals,
- 00:15:47.058 --> 00:15:50.628
- Your possessions, but it's always under his control.
- 00:15:50.628 --> 00:15:55.600
- That's what he's talking about here,
- 00:15:55.600 --> 00:15:57.635
- A great demonstration of discipleship.
- 00:15:57.635 --> 00:16:00.271
- And then he says in verse 34, look at this.
- 00:16:00.271 --> 00:16:02.240
- "therefore, salt is good, but even salt,
- 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:06.044
- If salt has become tasteless,
- 00:16:06.044 --> 00:16:08.012
- With what will it be seasoned?
- 00:16:08.012 --> 00:16:09.981
- It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile.
- 00:16:09.981 --> 00:16:13.818
- It is thrown out.
- 00:16:13.818 --> 00:16:15.386
- He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
- 00:16:15.386 --> 00:16:18.756
- Now at first glance, this seems strange, salt?
- 00:16:18.756 --> 00:16:22.293
- Jesus, you are on a roll there.
- 00:16:22.293 --> 00:16:23.995
- Why did you get sidetracked talking about salt and manure?
- 00:16:23.995 --> 00:16:29.667
- Well, remember what jesus said.
- 00:16:30.301 --> 00:16:31.969
- He used this description
- 00:16:31.969 --> 00:16:33.404
- To describe the reason he's left us in this world.
- 00:16:33.404 --> 00:16:36.507
- In matthew 5:13, he said, "you are the salt of the earth,
- 00:16:36.507 --> 00:16:41.112
- But if the salt has become tasteless,
- 00:16:41.112 --> 00:16:43.514
- How will it be made salty again?
- 00:16:43.514 --> 00:16:45.850
- It is good for nothing anymore except
- 00:16:45.850 --> 00:16:47.752
- To be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."
- 00:16:47.752 --> 00:16:51.756
- The reason jesus has left you and us in this world
- 00:16:51.756 --> 00:16:55.393
- Instead of taking us to heaven
- 00:16:55.393 --> 00:16:56.794
- When we were saved is to be salt.
- 00:16:56.794 --> 00:16:59.697
- Now in jesus' day, salt was a preservative.
- 00:16:59.697 --> 00:17:02.366
- There was no refrigeration.
- 00:17:02.366 --> 00:17:04.836
- Salt was used to not prevent decay
- 00:17:04.836 --> 00:17:07.572
- But to delay the decay of meat.
- 00:17:07.572 --> 00:17:10.575
- Salt gave the meat a longer shelf life.
- 00:17:10.575 --> 00:17:14.245
- And jesus left us here to be a preservative
- 00:17:14.245 --> 00:17:17.115
- In this culture, to keep this world
- 00:17:17.115 --> 00:17:19.250
- From completely collapsing before god's time
- 00:17:19.250 --> 00:17:22.653
- So that people can hear the gospel of jesus christ.
- 00:17:22.653 --> 00:17:25.323
- We are a preservative in this world.
- 00:17:25.323 --> 00:17:27.758
- Now salt does something else besides preserve.
- 00:17:27.758 --> 00:17:31.929
- It makes you thirsty, doesn't it?
- 00:17:32.663 --> 00:17:34.966
- Salt creates thirst.
- 00:17:34.966 --> 00:17:37.235
- And jesus is saying i'm leaving you here not only
- 00:17:37.235 --> 00:17:39.937
- To be a preservative in society,
- 00:17:39.937 --> 00:17:42.540
- But to cause people to thirst for god.
- 00:17:42.540 --> 00:17:46.043
- As they look at you and the way you live
- 00:17:46.911 --> 00:17:49.147
- To make them want to know more about the god that you serve.
- 00:17:49.147 --> 00:17:54.018
- That's why i'm leaving you here, jesus said,
- 00:17:54.018 --> 00:17:56.087
- To be that distinctive tasting, thirst-creating salt.
- 00:17:56.087 --> 00:18:01.125
- Now, in jesus' day, salt was very expensive,
- 00:18:02.026 --> 00:18:05.429
- Very, very expensive.
- 00:18:05.429 --> 00:18:07.064
- In fact, roman soldiers many times
- 00:18:07.064 --> 00:18:08.900
- Would have their wages paid not in money but in salt.
- 00:18:08.900 --> 00:18:13.404
- That's where we get the word salary from.
- 00:18:13.404 --> 00:18:16.207
- It comes from salt.
- 00:18:16.207 --> 00:18:17.475
- It was the way people were paid in salt.
- 00:18:17.475 --> 00:18:19.844
- It was a very priceless commodity.
- 00:18:19.844 --> 00:18:22.513
- Most people couldn't afford pure salt,
- 00:18:22.513 --> 00:18:24.815
- So they would buy a mixture of salt and sand.
- 00:18:24.815 --> 00:18:28.719
- But once the salt had broken down
- 00:18:28.719 --> 00:18:30.821
- And completely been dissipated, this mixture of salt
- 00:18:30.821 --> 00:18:33.858
- And sand was worthless and it would be thrown out.
- 00:18:33.858 --> 00:18:37.361
- Now here's what jesus is saying.
- 00:18:37.361 --> 00:18:38.763
- He says, "he who has ears, let him hear."
- 00:18:38.763 --> 00:18:41.899
- That is hear this and apply it to your life.
- 00:18:41.899 --> 00:18:45.870
- A half committed christian is like salt
- 00:18:46.671 --> 00:18:50.274
- That has lost its distinctive edge.
- 00:18:50.274 --> 00:18:53.611
- When you try to live with one foot in the world
- 00:18:53.611 --> 00:18:55.947
- And one foot in heaven, you're of no good
- 00:18:55.947 --> 00:18:59.150
- To those on earth or those in heaven either.
- 00:18:59.150 --> 00:19:03.588
- God hates lukewarm christianity.
- 00:19:03.588 --> 00:19:06.591
- Nobody is ever going to want to know more about god
- 00:19:07.625 --> 00:19:10.828
- By looking at a half committed christian.
- 00:19:10.828 --> 00:19:14.165
- You've become worthless in the sight of god.
- 00:19:14.165 --> 00:19:16.968
- Don't become worthless in the sight of god.
- 00:19:16.968 --> 00:19:19.470
- The kind of commitment that god demands from every follower
- 00:19:19.470 --> 00:19:24.775
- Is a total unconditional commitment.
- 00:19:25.543 --> 00:19:28.279
- One person has expressed that commitment this way.
- 00:19:29.313 --> 00:19:33.584
- I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed.
- 00:19:33.584 --> 00:19:37.688
- The die has been cast, i have stepped over the line.
- 00:19:38.756 --> 00:19:42.627
- The decision has been made, i am a disciple of jesus christ.
- 00:19:42.627 --> 00:19:47.465
- I won't look back, let up, slow down,
- 00:19:47.465 --> 00:19:49.700
- Back away or be still.
- 00:19:49.700 --> 00:19:51.902
- My past is redeemed, my present makes sense
- 00:19:51.902 --> 00:19:54.538
- And my future is secure.
- 00:19:54.538 --> 00:19:57.241
- I am finished and done with low living,
- 00:19:57.241 --> 00:20:00.111
- Sight walking, small planning, smooth needs,
- 00:20:00.111 --> 00:20:03.681
- Colorless dreams, chancy giving and dwarfed goals.
- 00:20:03.681 --> 00:20:07.451
- I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position,
- 00:20:07.451 --> 00:20:10.788
- Promotions, plaudits or popularity.
- 00:20:10.788 --> 00:20:13.958
- I now live by presence, lean by faith,
- 00:20:13.958 --> 00:20:17.461
- Love by patience, lift up by prayer and labor by power.
- 00:20:18.562 --> 00:20:22.133
- My pace is set, my gate is fast, my goal is heaven.
- 00:20:22.133 --> 00:20:26.070
- My road is narrow, my way is rough.
- 00:20:26.070 --> 00:20:28.239
- My companions few, my guide is reliable
- 00:20:28.239 --> 00:20:31.676
- And my mission is clear.
- 00:20:31.676 --> 00:20:33.778
- I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away,
- 00:20:33.778 --> 00:20:37.682
- Turned back, diluted or delayed.
- 00:20:37.682 --> 00:20:40.017
- I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice,
- 00:20:40.017 --> 00:20:43.354
- Hesitate in the presence of adversity,
- 00:20:43.354 --> 00:20:46.157
- Negotiate at the table of the enemy,
- 00:20:46.157 --> 00:20:49.026
- Ponder at the pool of popularity
- 00:20:49.026 --> 00:20:51.228
- Or meander in a maze of mediocrity.
- 00:20:51.228 --> 00:20:54.165
- I am a disciple of jesus christ.
- 00:20:54.165 --> 00:20:57.234
- I must go until heaven returns, give until i drop,
- 00:20:57.234 --> 00:21:01.572
- Preach until all know and work until he comes.
- 00:21:01.572 --> 00:21:05.976
- And when he comes to get his own,
- 00:21:05.976 --> 00:21:09.013
- He will have no problem recognizing me,
- 00:21:09.814 --> 00:21:13.351
- For my colors will be clear.
- 00:21:13.951 --> 00:21:17.188
- That's the kind of radical commitment
- 00:21:17.988 --> 00:21:21.425
- That jesus demands from all who would follow him.
- 00:21:22.426 --> 00:21:26.864
- ♪ music ♪
- 00:21:26.864 --> 00:21:32.103
- This kind of radical commitment
- 00:21:32.737 --> 00:21:34.438
- To christ is more than a theoretical concept.
- 00:21:34.438 --> 00:21:37.708
- It transforms real lives every day.
- 00:21:37.708 --> 00:21:40.945
- People everywhere, especially the next generation,
- 00:21:40.945 --> 00:21:44.181
- Are searching for answers and hungry for truth.
- 00:21:44.181 --> 00:21:47.485
- And now is the time to reach them.
- 00:21:47.485 --> 00:21:49.754
- With just two days remaining
- 00:21:49.754 --> 00:21:51.322
- Until the december 31st deadline,
- 00:21:51.322 --> 00:21:53.824
- I'm urging you to participate
- 00:21:53.824 --> 00:21:55.359
- In the now is the time matching challenge.
- 00:21:55.359 --> 00:21:58.696
- Your gift will be matched and therefore doubled in impact,
- 00:21:58.696 --> 00:22:01.866
- Helping us reach the $1.7 million goal.
- 00:22:01.866 --> 00:22:05.536
- At a time when so much is at stake
- 00:22:05.536 --> 00:22:07.905
- And so many need real hope, your generosity,
- 00:22:07.905 --> 00:22:11.342
- Doubled by the now is the time matching challenge,
- 00:22:11.342 --> 00:22:14.245
- Will launch pathway to victory boldly into 2026,
- 00:22:14.245 --> 00:22:18.616
- Ready to share christ and impact our world
- 00:22:18.616 --> 00:22:21.385
- With biblical hope and truth.
- 00:22:21.385 --> 00:22:23.654
- The deadline is december 31st, so please don't delay.
- 00:22:23.654 --> 00:22:28.292
- Thank you for your faithful partnership
- 00:22:28.292 --> 00:22:30.461
- With us at pathway to victory.
- 00:22:30.461 --> 00:22:32.696
- Now stay right there.
- 00:22:32.696 --> 00:22:34.064
- I'll be back with more in just a moment.
- 00:22:34.064 --> 00:22:37.635
- Nearly three decades ago,
- 00:22:37.635 --> 00:22:39.336
- Dr. jeffress prayed that god would use pathway to victory
- 00:22:39.336 --> 00:22:42.306
- To pierce the darkness with the light of god's word.
- 00:22:42.306 --> 00:22:45.476
- And what god has done is miraculous.
- 00:22:45.476 --> 00:22:48.078
- We need to share the gospel while there's still time.
- 00:22:48.078 --> 00:22:51.282
- Through the now is the time matching challenge,
- 00:22:51.282 --> 00:22:53.517
- Your gift will be doubled in ministry impact
- 00:22:53.517 --> 00:22:56.253
- Up to $1.7 million.
- 00:22:56.253 --> 00:22:58.122
- Listen to what's happening right now
- 00:22:58.923 --> 00:23:00.391
- Because of partners like you.
- 00:23:00.391 --> 00:23:02.293
- Thank you for calling pathway to victory.
- 00:23:02.293 --> 00:23:04.462
- I lost my mom this past year.
- 00:23:04.462 --> 00:23:07.698
- I'm an only child, i have no children.
- 00:23:07.698 --> 00:23:10.968
- He helps me feel so loved by the lord,
- 00:23:10.968 --> 00:23:14.972
- And that i'm not alone
- 00:23:15.473 --> 00:23:17.308
- And that he's going to see us through.
- 00:23:17.308 --> 00:23:22.112
- I'm a truck driver.
- 00:23:22.580 --> 00:23:24.281
- I'm divorced and i don't have kids.
- 00:23:24.281 --> 00:23:26.350
- I don't ever go home.
- 00:23:26.350 --> 00:23:27.918
- I stay out here and i listen to you all every day on radio.
- 00:23:27.918 --> 00:23:31.722
- You all are (indistinct) out here listening.
- 00:23:31.722 --> 00:23:34.725
- After my wife died last september, i started drinking
- 00:23:34.725 --> 00:23:38.696
- And got involved with the influences of the world.
- 00:23:38.696 --> 00:23:42.399
- God sent me a wake up call
- 00:23:42.399 --> 00:23:44.902
- And i waked up and i quit drinking.
- 00:23:44.902 --> 00:23:48.138
- I will not turn my back on god again.
- 00:23:48.939 --> 00:23:52.142
- When you give today, we'll send you
- 00:23:52.142 --> 00:23:53.844
- The brand new 2026 "pathway to victory daily devotional"
- 00:23:53.844 --> 00:23:57.648
- As our way of saying thanks.
- 00:23:57.648 --> 00:23:59.483
- Don't wait, now is the time to double your impact
- 00:23:59.483 --> 00:24:02.286
- And transform lives by supporting
- 00:24:02.286 --> 00:24:03.954
- The ministry of pathway to victory.
- 00:24:03.954 --> 00:24:07.458
- ♪ music ♪
- 00:24:07.458 --> 00:24:08.926
- The christian life isn't about a makeover,
- 00:24:08.926 --> 00:24:11.529
- It's about a takeover.
- 00:24:11.529 --> 00:24:13.631
- When we surrender completely to christ,
- 00:24:13.631 --> 00:24:15.766
- We allow him to control everything important to us.
- 00:24:15.766 --> 00:24:19.503
- That's what radical discipleship means.
- 00:24:19.503 --> 00:24:22.606
- Well, whenever we find something that has been missing,
- 00:24:22.606 --> 00:24:26.076
- Our cell phone, our wallet, our keys,
- 00:24:26.076 --> 00:24:28.679
- It's natural to feel a measure of joy and relief.
- 00:24:28.679 --> 00:24:32.650
- And in the same way god rejoices whenever he recovers
- 00:24:32.650 --> 00:24:36.387
- The most important thing of all, a lost soul.
- 00:24:36.387 --> 00:24:40.024
- Stay tuned for a preview
- 00:24:40.024 --> 00:24:41.292
- Of what's coming up next on "pathway to victory."
- 00:24:41.292 --> 00:24:45.896
- Maybe you're outside god's house
- 00:24:45.896 --> 00:24:47.565
- Because of blatant sin in your life.
- 00:24:47.565 --> 00:24:50.834
- Maybe you are away from the father
- 00:24:50.834 --> 00:24:52.369
- Because of a sense of self-righteousness.
- 00:24:52.369 --> 00:24:55.539
- But whatever the reason,
- 00:24:55.539 --> 00:24:57.875
- God's message to you is the same.
- 00:24:57.875 --> 00:25:00.778
- ♪ music ♪
- 00:25:00.778 --> 00:25:02.913
- Come home, come home to the father who loves you.
- 00:25:02.913 --> 00:25:08.852
- Set your dvr and join us next time for the message,
- 00:25:09.853 --> 00:25:13.157
- The value of lost things, here on "pathway to victory."
- 00:25:13.157 --> 00:25:17.661
- ♪ music ♪
- 00:25:17.661 --> 00:25:20.464
- Each of us will leave a legacy.
- 00:25:20.464 --> 00:25:23.200
- What will your legacy be?
- 00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:25.669
- Your legacy giving can further the gospel
- 00:25:25.669 --> 00:25:28.305
- And be an example to your children about
- 00:25:28.305 --> 00:25:30.808
- What matters most in life.
- 00:25:30.808 --> 00:25:33.344
- The world my daughters and grandchildren are growing up in
- 00:25:33.344 --> 00:25:36.847
- Is vastly different than the one you and i grew up in.
- 00:25:36.847 --> 00:25:40.517
- The gospel of jesus christ is our only answer.
- 00:25:40.517 --> 00:25:44.755
- And naming pathway to victory as a beneficiary
- 00:25:44.755 --> 00:25:47.758
- In your will helps guarantee
- 00:25:47.758 --> 00:25:50.027
- That there will be a trusted ministry
- 00:25:50.027 --> 00:25:52.663
- That will continue to be salt and light.
- 00:25:52.663 --> 00:25:55.733
- Like the ripples that emanate
- 00:25:55.733 --> 00:25:57.668
- From a rock thrown into a pond,
- 00:25:57.668 --> 00:25:59.870
- Your influence for christ can keep going on
- 00:25:59.870 --> 00:26:02.940
- And on after you die with a gift in your will.
- 00:26:02.940 --> 00:26:06.877
- What will your legacy be?
- 00:26:06.877 --> 00:26:09.613
- Only one life will soon be passed.
- 00:26:09.613 --> 00:26:12.983
- Only what's done for christ will last.
- 00:26:12.983 --> 00:26:17.321
- ♪ music ♪
- 00:26:17.655 --> 00:26:20.157
- Experience the beauty of alaska
- 00:26:20.157 --> 00:26:22.292
- With the pathway to victory family.
- 00:26:22.292 --> 00:26:24.361
- June 13th through 20, 2026.
- 00:26:24.361 --> 00:26:27.364
- Sail through the calm waters
- 00:26:27.364 --> 00:26:29.033
- Of the legendary inside passage with dr. robert jeffress
- 00:26:29.033 --> 00:26:32.102
- Aboard holland america's magnificent koningsdam.
- 00:26:32.102 --> 00:26:35.439
- Be inspired by award-winning musician
- 00:26:35.439 --> 00:26:37.608
- Michael o'brien's powerful worship.
- 00:26:37.608 --> 00:26:39.810
- Share laughter with dennis swanberg,
- 00:26:39.810 --> 00:26:41.879
- America's minister of encouragement,
- 00:26:41.879 --> 00:26:44.114
- All while exploring frontier towns like juneau,
- 00:26:44.114 --> 00:26:47.184
- Skagway and ketchikan.
- 00:26:47.184 --> 00:26:48.952
- There's something powerful
- 00:26:48.952 --> 00:26:50.454
- About connecting with god and fellow believers
- 00:26:50.454 --> 00:26:53.290
- In the majesty of his untamed wilderness.
- 00:26:53.290 --> 00:26:56.360
- From the majestic glaciers to soaring eagles,
- 00:26:56.360 --> 00:26:59.596
- These moments in god's creation
- 00:26:59.596 --> 00:27:01.398
- Will deepen your faith in powerful ways.
- 00:27:01.398 --> 00:27:04.301
- Join us for a spiritual journey
- 00:27:04.301 --> 00:27:06.170
- Through some of creation's most spectacular displays.
- 00:27:06.170 --> 00:27:09.506
- Don't wait, our best cabins are going fast.
- 00:27:09.506 --> 00:27:12.242
- Secure your alaska adventure now.
- 00:27:12.242 --> 00:27:14.378
- Call 888-280-6747, or visit ptv.org.
- 00:27:14.378 --> 00:27:14.378