The Winning Walk with Dr. Ed Young is the international on-air and online teaching ministry of Dr. Ed Young. The Winning Walk proclaims the proven truth of God’s Word to give men and women the world over a winning way to live life.
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The Winning Walk with Dr. Ed Young | Ed Young - Marks of a Mature Christian | November 17, 2025
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- Ed young: someone asked me,
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- "how many members are in the second family?
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- How many church members do you have?"
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- I said, "we have a 3 1/2 county area,
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- "a little over 68,000 people who claim
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- This second family as their church home."
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- And then somebody pressed that and looked me in the eye
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- And said, "how many of those are
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- Really serious about jesus christ?"
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- And with my usual astuteness, i looked them in the eye and said,
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- "i don't have the foggiest idea!"
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- How do you measure whether or not
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- We're really serious about jesus christ?
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- How do you measure maturity in christ?
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- How do you know whether or not we're children, spiritually,
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- Or adolescents, spiritually, or we're adults, spiritually?
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- How do you measure that?
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- There are some things you cannot measure, and that's one of them.
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- You can't measure that which is immeasurable.
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- We asked our children, "how much you love your mother?"
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- And they say, oh, this much...
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- And sometimes this much...
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- It's hard to measure love,
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- It's just one of those immeasurable things.
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- But most things we can measure, athletic events we can measure,
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- Somebody wins, somebody loses.
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- Statistics, we can look at most things and say
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- This is how you measure it.
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- In the business world, here is a profit, here is a loss,
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- We can measure that.
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- But how in the world do you measure maturity?
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- Someone who is serious,
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- Committed to the lord jesus christ.
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- Say there's a mature christian, and there's a baby christian.
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- How do we know?
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- What are the standards there?
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- What is the standards for a church family?
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- Are are we a mature church body of believers, a mature ecclesia,
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- A mature family of brothers and sisters who are--
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- Are we mature?
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- A man walked out in the street, didn't look,
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- Just walked out without thinking.
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- A car came, knocked him down, ran over him, left the scene.
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- He's bleeding and broken in the street.
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- People come out and say, "call an ambulance!
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- Take him to the hospital!"
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- He said, "oh, no!
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- Don't take me to the hospital!"
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- They said, "man, you've been seriously hurt."
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- "don't take me to the hospital, no!
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- I don't wanna to go to the hospital.
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- Don't take me to the hospital."
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- They said, "well, well why not?"
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- He said, "i'm a doctor in that hospital."
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- And he said, "i've been so strict,
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- All about the operating room and everybody around me.
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- I tell them to watch what they do, be careful,
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- Make wise choices, decisions.
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- Here i am, i just walked out in the street without thinking.
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- Here i am, busted up and bleeding.
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- Don't take me to the hospital, i'll be embarrassed."
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- They said, "look, you may die!"
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- He said, "it's okay, i--
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- I'm just so ashamed, don't take me there."
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- He said, "in fact, if you took me there,
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- They wouldn't admit me because i went to the board and said,
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- 'we're not taking anybody in this hospital,
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- Make it a law and a rule, unless they have
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- Their hospital card and they can pay.'"
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- He said, "i don't have my hospital card with me.
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- Don't take me to the hospital!"
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- I don't know what they did with him.
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- I guess they drug him out of the streets,
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- Left him there on the curb.
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- It's a fallacious story, it's not true,
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- But i want to ask you a question.
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- What if you were hit and run over friday night
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- By some unacceptable sin?
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- Would you say, "man, don't take me to the church sunday!
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- They have a view of me up there as a pretty good guy,
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- A moral person.
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- Man, take me anywhere, but don't take me to the church,
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- I'm embarrassed, i'm ashamed."
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- I checked that out this week.
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- I asked some people if, you know,
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- If the headlines came out, the news was reported
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- That you got caught, or some unacceptable,
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- Unseemly sin, would you be at church this sunday?
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- And they said, "that's the last place i'd go.
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- I'd be embarrassed."
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- Maybe they wouldn't be embarrassed
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- If they went to a bar.
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- A lot of people there have been hit and run over
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- By unacceptable sins.
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- I wonder if you measure the maturity of a church by how we
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- Receive those, because you have
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- To decide, is the church sort of
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- An exclusive club for good people, or is the church a
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- Hospital for those who've been run over by unacceptable sins?
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- The truth is we've all been run over, every one of us,
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- Every single individual here,
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- By the deadly hit-and-run vehicle we call sin.
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- So, i guess you could measure the maturity of the body
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- Of christ--in the first early church, they said,
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- "boy, look how they loved one another."
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- Jesus says, "you'll know they're members of my family
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- By how they love one another."
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- Now, love is unconditional when it comes from god in christ,
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- Ladies and gentlemen.
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- See, a lot of us have a tough time loving because we've never
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- Been unconditionally loved by anybody, by a mother, or our
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- Dad, it's always based on performance, how you're obeying,
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- What you're doing, and god comes with this overwhelming tsunami
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- Of love and says, "it doesn't make any difference.
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- I just love you right where you are, unconditionally,
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- Now and forever and forever,"
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- For god really so loves the world!
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- The maturity of a church, we can measure on the basis of how we
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- Receive one another when we get run over by an unacceptable sin.
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- We need to be the place, if it happened to you or happened
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- To me, i'd say, "take me to my church!
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- Take me to my church!
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- Man, i struck out, i failed, but they're gonna love me,
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- And heal me, and minister to me, and put their arms around me.
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- Take me to my church!"
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- We want to become a church like that.
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- But it even gets more difficult to measure individual maturity.
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- A church is broad, and general, and corporate worship,
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- But individual maturity, how do you measure that?
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- And so, two or three things pop in my mind.
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- One is the basis of knowledge, biblical knowledge, pretty good
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- Way to measure somebody's maturity, isn't it?
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- I thought for a long time, somebody knew the bible,
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- Understood the bible, believes in its inherent,
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- Authoritative word of god, my goodness, i mean,
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- There is somebody who obviously is a mature christian!
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- Psalm 1, "blessed is the man that walketh not in the council
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- Of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners,
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- Nor sits in the seat of the scornful, for his delight
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- Is in the law of the lord," the word, the bible,
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- "and on that law, he meditates day and night.
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- He's like a tree planted by the rivers of water."
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- Man, that's it, isn't it?
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- Somebody who has biblical knowledge, erudition,
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- And executes the old and new testament, believes it,
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- Man, obviously biblical knowledge
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- Is the foundation of maturity.
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- And obviously, if you know the bible,
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- You're a mature christian.
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- I believed that until i went to seminary.
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- I had a professor who was beyond belief
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- In his erudition about this book.
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- I mean, he absolutely knew the bible, understood the bible.
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- He could tell you what augustine thought about that passage.
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- He could tell you what aquinas would say.
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- He would come in with what some existentialist dealt with,
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- I mean, this guy knew this book, and knew all about this book,
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- And i thought he'd read everything.
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- Somebody saw him in the library at seminary once.
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- He was so scholarly, and another professor walked by
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- And said, "doctor," he said, "yes,"
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- He said, "what are you doing in the library?
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- I thought you knew everything?"
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- He said, "i do, i'm just reviewing it."
- 00:10:03.482 --> 00:10:08.287
- He was that kind of scholar, but his life,
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- Relationship with students, with people was very shabby.
- 00:10:13.492 --> 00:10:19.565
- So i said, "man, here's a guy who evidently knows
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- And believes the book, but his life is, man,
- 00:10:22.435 --> 00:10:25.271
- A long way from biblical principles."
- 00:10:25.271 --> 00:10:28.240
- Maybe that's not enough to say, "there's a mature christian."
- 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:33.979
- Then i went to a church as pastor.
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- Teacher of the largest bible study class there
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- Was a professor at the university, secular professor,
- 00:10:39.652 --> 00:10:42.154
- But my goodness, he knew that book.
- 00:10:42.154 --> 00:10:45.791
- He taught that book, but i tell you, his life was so regimented,
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- It was so legalistic, so cold and hard, he thought nobody knew
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- Anything except himself, and you saw no touch of humility,
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- Or grace, or, man, he was just authoritative.
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- He thought he was the forth person of the trinity,
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- He had to add one, have a quartet, instead of a trio.
- 00:11:10.449 --> 00:11:14.754
- But he knew the book, and he taught the book, and therefore,
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- I had the idea, maybe, you know, just biblical knowledge isn't
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- Enough to say, "there goes a mature christian."
- 00:11:23.462 --> 00:11:27.399
- And then i said, "well, the next thing," i said,
- 00:11:27.399 --> 00:11:29.401
- "somebody that's a mature christian is committed."
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- I like commitment.
- 00:11:31.904 --> 00:11:33.239
- Commitment's a strange thing in the 21st century,
- 00:11:33.239 --> 00:11:35.841
- Have you noticed that?
- 00:11:35.841 --> 00:11:37.476
- I see so many couples, "well, we don't wanna get married,
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- We just wanna live together.
- 00:11:41.814 --> 00:11:43.282
- We're not ready to make a commitment."
- 00:11:43.282 --> 00:11:46.118
- Heard that one.
- 00:11:46.118 --> 00:11:49.155
- You know, we don't like to be committed.
- 00:11:49.155 --> 00:11:51.624
- Years ago, i read a book, elton trueblood,
- 00:11:51.624 --> 00:11:54.860
- "the company of the committed,"
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- Talking about the body of christ.
- 00:11:56.495 --> 00:11:58.264
- Would that the body of christ was a company
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- Of the committed to christ, committed to the word?
- 00:12:01.767 --> 00:12:04.870
- By the way, i'm not just saying the word isn't important, it's
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- The bedrock foundation of truth, don't misunderstand me.
- 00:12:07.673 --> 00:12:10.543
- I'm not saying commitment is not important, it is true,
- 00:12:10.543 --> 00:12:13.279
- But it is not the only thing.
- 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:15.147
- Some of us are just shallowly committed to the church.
- 00:12:15.147 --> 00:12:18.884
- We have the bunch i call the hatch, match, dispatch crowd.
- 00:12:18.884 --> 00:12:21.921
- Know about them? remember?
- 00:12:21.921 --> 00:12:23.522
- Hatch, the baby's born, give 'em a bible, bang!
- 00:12:23.522 --> 00:12:27.793
- Oh yeah, marriage, match?
- 00:12:27.793 --> 00:12:29.795
- Oh, gotta have the church, marriage.
- 00:12:29.795 --> 00:12:32.064
- Dispatch? a death, come here.
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- Want the pastor.
- 00:12:34.466 --> 00:12:35.901
- Hatch, match, dispatch, we got that crowd.
- 00:12:35.901 --> 00:12:38.938
- Oh, they show up on easter, and they show up on christmas,
- 00:12:38.938 --> 00:12:42.174
- And sometimes they come other times too.
- 00:12:42.174 --> 00:12:45.911
- Oh, my goodness, you think they're overdoing it?
- 00:12:45.911 --> 00:12:51.417
- So there's a lack of commitment and faithfulness.
- 00:12:51.417 --> 00:12:54.520
- By the way, that wouldn't be this crowd today.
- 00:12:54.520 --> 00:12:57.356
- Anybody who'd come out in a monsoon,
- 00:12:57.356 --> 00:12:59.458
- We all must be mature, don't you think?
- 00:12:59.458 --> 00:13:01.427
- I mean, goodness gracious, who could doubt this?
- 00:13:01.427 --> 00:13:05.731
- Hadn't been thundering and lightning out,
- 00:13:06.832 --> 00:13:08.300
- I'd have probably slept in myself.
- 00:13:08.300 --> 00:13:13.038
- Commitment, but commitment is not enough.
- 00:13:13.038 --> 00:13:16.809
- You see, jesus came and dealt with commitment, but we had
- 00:13:16.809 --> 00:13:21.113
- The idea, and in this world, they had the idea, we still do.
- 00:13:21.113 --> 00:13:24.850
- Here is the sacred, that's over here, that's god stuff.
- 00:13:24.850 --> 00:13:30.389
- Here's the secular that's over here, that's man's stuff.
- 00:13:30.389 --> 00:13:34.226
- And there's a division between that which is sacred
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- And that which is secular.
- 00:13:37.897 --> 00:13:39.431
- Jesus came and he tore down a lot of walls,
- 00:13:39.431 --> 00:13:42.001
- But he tore down that wall, and he said,
- 00:13:42.001 --> 00:13:43.903
- "it is all of god, it is all sacred, there's no division."
- 00:13:43.903 --> 00:13:48.741
- Therefore, jesus said, "let's get on a sailboat and go
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- Sailing on the sea of galilee," that was sacred.
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- "let's go camp out on the top of mt. hermon,"
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- That was sacred.
- 00:13:57.483 --> 00:13:59.118
- "man, let's sit down and have a good meal with mary, and martha,
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- And lazarus, and just kick back and fellowship."
- 00:14:02.054 --> 00:14:04.957
- That was sacred.
- 00:14:04.957 --> 00:14:07.593
- You see, the idea, "well, i'm committed over here and i'm not
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- Committed over here, and this is my religious life, this is my
- 00:14:10.596 --> 00:14:14.967
- Spiritual life," see, commitment is in the totality of life.
- 00:14:14.967 --> 00:14:18.971
- It is in the wholeness of life, and commitment is a wonderful
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- Mark of someone who is faithful to the family of god in christ,
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- Obedient to biblical principles, commitment, but that
- 00:14:27.579 --> 00:14:31.250
- Doesn't mean necessarily, just because we show up,
- 00:14:31.250 --> 00:14:37.723
- We may not really be totally mature in christ.
- 00:14:37.723 --> 00:14:42.194
- You see, for a long time, most of america had a habit of going
- 00:14:42.194 --> 00:14:46.598
- To church, and now, going to church for most has become
- 00:14:46.598 --> 00:14:49.401
- A hobby, from habit to a hobby, a lack of commitment.
- 00:14:49.401 --> 00:14:53.439
- A commitment is a good mark of maturity, but bible knowledge,
- 00:14:53.439 --> 00:14:58.544
- Commitment is not enough.
- 00:14:58.544 --> 00:15:00.713
- There's a third mark, and by the way, they go together,
- 00:15:00.713 --> 00:15:04.516
- And that's character, character.
- 00:15:04.516 --> 00:15:08.954
- We talked about it.
- 00:15:08.954 --> 00:15:10.422
- Who are you when nobody else is around?
- 00:15:10.422 --> 00:15:12.458
- Where does your mind go when it's not occupied
- 00:15:12.458 --> 00:15:14.927
- With something else?
- 00:15:14.927 --> 00:15:16.462
- Character, are you honest because of,
- 00:15:16.462 --> 00:15:20.632
- "well, that's just who i am."
- 00:15:20.632 --> 00:15:23.068
- Do you live a pure life because, "i'm just--
- 00:15:23.068 --> 00:15:25.671
- God has made me pure."
- 00:15:25.671 --> 00:15:27.539
- You see, there is a character, and to talk about character,
- 00:15:27.539 --> 00:15:31.910
- I want you to go with me on a little walk.
- 00:15:31.910 --> 00:15:34.213
- We're gonna walk around a little bit, like to do that?
- 00:15:34.213 --> 00:15:36.548
- Let's just walk together.
- 00:15:36.548 --> 00:15:38.150
- Let's go walking with john, the gospel of john,
- 00:15:38.150 --> 00:15:41.653
- The 15th chapter.
- 00:15:41.653 --> 00:15:43.188
- We're going to walk.
- 00:15:43.188 --> 00:15:45.090
- First of all, john's gonna let us walk in the vineyard.
- 00:15:45.090 --> 00:15:48.527
- Then colossians, we're going to take a little walk in heaven.
- 00:15:48.527 --> 00:15:52.297
- And then finally, we're going to move to galatians,
- 00:15:52.297 --> 00:15:56.635
- We're gonna have a little walk to a mirror.
- 00:15:56.635 --> 00:15:59.738
- Whoa, watch out for that mirror walk!
- 00:15:59.738 --> 00:16:03.509
- Let's look at a little walk in a vineyard.
- 00:16:03.509 --> 00:16:06.278
- Jesus is speaking.
- 00:16:06.278 --> 00:16:08.080
- He said, "i am the true vine,
- 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:09.581
- And my father is the vine dresser.
- 00:16:09.581 --> 00:16:12.351
- Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away,
- 00:16:12.351 --> 00:16:16.155
- And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it
- 00:16:16.155 --> 00:16:19.625
- So that it may bear more fruit.
- 00:16:19.625 --> 00:16:22.261
- You are already clean because of the word
- 00:16:22.261 --> 00:16:24.496
- Which i have spoken to you," that's salvation.
- 00:16:24.496 --> 00:16:28.200
- Verse 4, "abide in me, and i in you," said jesus.
- 00:16:28.200 --> 00:16:33.405
- "as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in
- 00:16:33.405 --> 00:16:37.242
- The vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me.
- 00:16:37.242 --> 00:16:42.081
- I am the vine, you are the branches.
- 00:16:42.081 --> 00:16:44.683
- He who abides in me, and i in him, he bears much fruit,
- 00:16:44.683 --> 00:16:49.154
- But apart from me, you can do zero.
- 00:16:49.154 --> 00:16:53.525
- If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away as a branch
- 00:16:53.525 --> 00:16:57.229
- That dries up, and they gather them,
- 00:16:57.229 --> 00:16:59.965
- And cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
- 00:16:59.965 --> 00:17:03.168
- But if you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever
- 00:17:03.168 --> 00:17:10.175
- You wish, and it will be done for you.
- 00:17:10.175 --> 00:17:15.280
- My father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit,
- 00:17:15.280 --> 00:17:21.553
- And to prove to be my disciples, just as the father
- 00:17:21.553 --> 00:17:24.957
- Has loved me, i have loved you.
- 00:17:24.957 --> 00:17:26.758
- Abide in my love.
- 00:17:26.758 --> 00:17:28.327
- If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love,
- 00:17:28.327 --> 00:17:30.829
- Just as i have kept my father's commandments
- 00:17:30.829 --> 00:17:32.731
- And abide in his love.
- 00:17:32.731 --> 00:17:34.333
- These things i have spoken to you that my joy may be in you,
- 00:17:34.333 --> 00:17:38.203
- That your joy may be made full."
- 00:17:38.203 --> 00:17:40.539
- What are we talking about?
- 00:17:40.539 --> 00:17:43.275
- Jesus is saying, "i am the vine," he's the tree,
- 00:17:43.275 --> 00:17:47.713
- He's the vine.
- 00:17:47.713 --> 00:17:49.414
- He said you and i in christ, we're just a branch,
- 00:17:49.414 --> 00:17:53.552
- Just a branch.
- 00:17:53.552 --> 00:17:55.287
- Now, for the branch to bear fruit, to do something,
- 00:17:55.287 --> 00:18:00.726
- To produce something, to have character, if you would,
- 00:18:00.726 --> 00:18:04.263
- There has to be some pruning going on.
- 00:18:04.263 --> 00:18:06.798
- Who does the pruning?
- 00:18:06.798 --> 00:18:09.668
- The husbandman, god.
- 00:18:09.668 --> 00:18:12.204
- So, i want to get something out of my life, man, i shouldn't be
- 00:18:12.204 --> 00:18:16.074
- Doing this, i ought to be doing this, and i want to prune
- 00:18:16.074 --> 00:18:19.311
- Something that's taking away from the nourishment i'm getting
- 00:18:19.311 --> 00:18:23.015
- From the vine, therefore, i try to say, "lord,
- 00:18:23.015 --> 00:18:26.084
- I've got to stop doing that, i've got to cut out this."
- 00:18:26.084 --> 00:18:29.021
- Uh-uh, doesn't do a thing, just abide in the vine,
- 00:18:29.021 --> 00:18:33.825
- God will do the pruning.
- 00:18:33.825 --> 00:18:35.827
- "i want to stop this," no, no, just abide in the vine,
- 00:18:35.827 --> 00:18:39.198
- Take up residence in jesus.
- 00:18:39.198 --> 00:18:41.066
- We'll talk about that.
- 00:18:41.066 --> 00:18:42.534
- He'll take care, he'll take all the nonsense, all the extraneous
- 00:18:42.534 --> 00:18:45.103
- Stuff, all the other stuff that takes away from the strength,
- 00:18:45.103 --> 00:18:48.207
- And energy, and productivity of your life, and my life.
- 00:18:48.207 --> 00:18:51.043
- We have to abide in the vine.
- 00:18:51.043 --> 00:18:53.412
- "oh, okay, but i have to produce fruit.
- 00:18:53.412 --> 00:18:55.747
- Oh, i need to produce fruit.
- 00:18:55.747 --> 00:18:57.216
- I need to go work at doing this, and try to do this, and produce
- 00:18:57.216 --> 00:19:00.285
- This," and it's like, oh, no, no, no, no, no,
- 00:19:00.285 --> 00:19:02.354
- You just abide in the vine, easy.
- 00:19:02.354 --> 00:19:05.891
- God takes out all the stuff that takes strength away.
- 00:19:05.891 --> 00:19:09.027
- You abide in the vine, the fruit that naturally flows from your
- 00:19:09.027 --> 00:19:11.797
- Life will flow from your life.
- 00:19:11.797 --> 00:19:14.967
- Then he says, when this happens, you have a blank check.
- 00:19:14.967 --> 00:19:17.369
- Did you hear that verse?
- 00:19:17.369 --> 00:19:19.137
- "ask whatever you want, it'll be done for you."
- 00:19:19.137 --> 00:19:21.473
- That verse has been so misused.
- 00:19:21.473 --> 00:19:23.308
- What's the genius of it?
- 00:19:23.308 --> 00:19:25.444
- Abide in the vine, take up residence in the vine,
- 00:19:25.444 --> 00:19:29.881
- Just live in christ and let christ live in you.
- 00:19:29.881 --> 00:19:32.150
- We're gonna talk about that.
- 00:19:32.150 --> 00:19:34.052
- If you take a walk in heaven, we're still in the vineyard.
- 00:19:34.052 --> 00:19:37.256
- And so, here we are.
- 00:19:37.256 --> 00:19:38.890
- I'm a branch, you're a branch, grafted on by faith, through
- 00:19:38.890 --> 00:19:42.728
- Grace in jesus christ, attached to the vine.
- 00:19:42.728 --> 00:19:45.564
- What is the purpose of the branch?
- 00:19:45.564 --> 00:19:47.065
- Is the branch to do anything, produce fruit?
- 00:19:47.065 --> 00:19:49.601
- No.
- 00:19:49.601 --> 00:19:51.003
- Take stuff out of your life?
- 00:19:51.003 --> 00:19:52.337
- No, abide in the vine, god will do the pruning, and the fruit
- 00:19:52.337 --> 00:19:56.541
- Will take care of itself, that's the character that is produced
- 00:19:56.541 --> 00:19:59.911
- In your life and in my life.
- 00:19:59.911 --> 00:20:02.514
- Boy, sounds simple, unless you've really been abiding,
- 00:20:02.514 --> 00:20:07.686
- And it's not simple at all, it's a lifestyle.
- 00:20:07.686 --> 00:20:12.224
- Now, we're going to take a little walk in heaven.
- 00:20:12.224 --> 00:20:14.226
- We won't stay there long, if we did,
- 00:20:14.226 --> 00:20:15.927
- We would not want to go back home, i assure you of that.
- 00:20:15.927 --> 00:20:19.264
- Colossians chapter 3, "therefore, if you have been
- 00:20:19.264 --> 00:20:23.435
- Raised up with christ," we have, "keep seeking," hold on to
- 00:20:23.435 --> 00:20:28.140
- The word seeking, "the things above where christ is,
- 00:20:28.140 --> 00:20:32.811
- Seated at the right hand of god.
- 00:20:32.811 --> 00:20:34.946
- Set your mind on things above," where christ is, seated at the
- 00:20:34.946 --> 00:20:39.217
- Right hand of god, "not on the things that are on earth.
- 00:20:39.217 --> 00:20:42.888
- For you have died, and your life is hidden," keep that word,
- 00:20:42.888 --> 00:20:48.060
- "with christ, in god, when christ who is our life is
- 00:20:48.060 --> 00:20:52.364
- Revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory."
- 00:20:52.364 --> 00:20:56.968
- You've heard of hide and seek?
- 00:20:56.968 --> 00:21:00.005
- We've all played hide and seek, haven't we?
- 00:21:00.005 --> 00:21:01.707
- This is seek and hide. did you get it?
- 00:21:01.707 --> 00:21:05.444
- We seek the things that are above, understanding that is
- 00:21:05.444 --> 00:21:09.514
- Where our long-range citizenship is going to be folks,
- 00:21:09.514 --> 00:21:12.884
- Don't ever forget that.
- 00:21:12.884 --> 00:21:14.853
- This little whoosh, here, that's our citizenship.
- 00:21:14.853 --> 00:21:18.156
- We seek the things that are above, and we see--by the way,
- 00:21:18.156 --> 00:21:21.493
- You can go there in your mind, it's a wonderful thing.
- 00:21:21.493 --> 00:21:23.929
- Our mind can take us on trips, we can go anywhere,
- 00:21:23.929 --> 00:21:26.832
- Anytime, any place.
- 00:21:26.832 --> 00:21:28.166
- Earlier this morning, i had the privilege of going all the way
- 00:21:28.166 --> 00:21:30.635
- To heaven and trying, with my limited, infinite, infinite, yet
- 00:21:30.635 --> 00:21:36.141
- Finite imagination, you could see god, and the father, and the
- 00:21:36.141 --> 00:21:39.911
- Son in heaven.
- 00:21:39.911 --> 00:21:41.646
- And so we abide, we draw from that assurance,
- 00:21:41.646 --> 00:21:45.917
- And therefore, we seek, we seek him.
- 00:21:45.917 --> 00:21:53.091
- And at the same time, on this earth, we hide in him.
- 00:21:53.091 --> 00:21:58.029
- We're hidden in christ.
- 00:21:58.029 --> 00:21:59.631
- When the branch abides in the vine,
- 00:21:59.631 --> 00:22:02.634
- We are hidden in christ, in the vine.
- 00:22:02.634 --> 00:22:04.936
- This is another picture there.
- 00:22:04.936 --> 00:22:06.304
- What does it mean to be hidden in christ?
- 00:22:06.304 --> 00:22:08.340
- If you're hidden in christ, the past is covered.
- 00:22:08.340 --> 00:22:11.510
- Isn't that good news?
- 00:22:11.510 --> 00:22:13.245
- The present is in empowered, that's fabulous.
- 00:22:13.245 --> 00:22:16.748
- And the future is assured, because we're hiding in christ.
- 00:22:16.748 --> 00:22:21.753
- We seek, and we hide.
- 00:22:21.753 --> 00:22:25.323
- Now, we go back and we run into character.
- 00:22:25.323 --> 00:22:28.860
- Look how this works.
- 00:22:28.860 --> 00:22:30.195
- Now, take a little trip, and then we're going
- 00:22:30.195 --> 00:22:31.763
- To look at a mirror.
- 00:22:31.763 --> 00:22:33.131
- This is the toughest part of all.
- 00:22:33.131 --> 00:22:35.901
- We look into a mirror, and you're gonna find that mirror
- 00:22:35.901 --> 00:22:40.005
- In the book of galatians chapter 5, verse 18.
- 00:22:40.005 --> 00:22:45.210
- "but if you are led by the spirit,
- 00:22:45.210 --> 00:22:47.045
- You are not under the law."
- 00:22:47.045 --> 00:22:48.580
- Verse 22, we know this, "but the fruit of the spirit is love,
- 00:22:48.580 --> 00:22:54.586
- Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
- 00:22:54.586 --> 00:22:58.123
- Gentleness, self-control.
- 00:22:58.123 --> 00:22:59.925
- Against such, there is no law, for those who belong
- 00:22:59.925 --> 00:23:04.196
- To jesus christ have crucified the flesh with the passions
- 00:23:04.196 --> 00:23:07.833
- And its desires."
- 00:23:07.833 --> 00:23:09.434
- Now, we've taken a little walk into a vineyard,
- 00:23:09.434 --> 00:23:13.305
- We discovered that we are branches attached to the vine,
- 00:23:13.305 --> 00:23:16.508
- That's what we have to do.
- 00:23:16.508 --> 00:23:18.343
- We've gone up to heaven, and we've discovered that when we
- 00:23:18.343 --> 00:23:20.812
- Seek god and seek christ in heavenly dimensions, then he
- 00:23:20.812 --> 00:23:24.916
- Takes and he hides us in him, and we as branches are hidden
- 00:23:24.916 --> 00:23:28.887
- In the vine.
- 00:23:28.887 --> 00:23:30.522
- And then all of a sudden, there is fruit!
- 00:23:30.522 --> 00:23:32.757
- This is character, this is character,
- 00:23:32.757 --> 00:23:37.696
- This is a test of maturity.
- 00:23:37.696 --> 00:23:39.731
- This is when we move from being child-like to being childish?
- 00:23:39.731 --> 00:23:45.871
- No, from being childish to being child-like.
- 00:23:45.871 --> 00:23:49.374
- To be child-like is maturity, to be childish is to be immature.
- 00:23:49.374 --> 00:23:55.914
- When i was a child, i thought as a child, i operated as a child.
- 00:23:55.914 --> 00:23:59.718
- When i became mature, i put away childish things, and now
- 00:23:59.718 --> 00:24:02.988
- All of a sudden we see, i'm a branch attached to the vine.
- 00:24:02.988 --> 00:24:07.225
- God is pruning all of this so i can bear fruit.
- 00:24:07.225 --> 00:24:10.295
- I don't have to try to bear fruit, i just stay attached,
- 00:24:10.295 --> 00:24:13.632
- And i seek things that are above, biblical principles,
- 00:24:13.632 --> 00:24:17.936
- And seek the reality of god in christ, in heaven,
- 00:24:17.936 --> 00:24:20.739
- At the right hand of the father, making intercession
- 00:24:20.739 --> 00:24:23.208
- For you and me, and then i hide in jesus christ.
- 00:24:23.208 --> 00:24:26.778
- I'm hidden in him as a branch draws from the vine,
- 00:24:26.778 --> 00:24:30.248
- And then there's fruit.
- 00:24:30.248 --> 00:24:31.983
- All of a sudden, there you are, there i am!
- 00:24:31.983 --> 00:24:35.020
- You say, "no, i want to be mature."
- 00:24:35.020 --> 00:24:36.655
- We abide in the vine.
- 00:24:36.655 --> 00:24:38.356
- The father cuts out all the extraneous stuff,
- 00:24:38.356 --> 00:24:41.593
- And all of a sudden there's this fruit hanging off your life
- 00:24:41.593 --> 00:24:44.396
- And my life, and there's love, and there's joy, and--
- 00:24:44.396 --> 00:24:48.333
- And there's patience, oh my goodness!
- 00:24:48.333 --> 00:24:52.704
- And there is kindness, and all the other fruit begins to hang,
- 00:24:52.704 --> 00:24:58.276
- Then we say, "look, there's somebody, because of their
- 00:24:58.276 --> 00:25:01.680
- Character, they are becoming more and more mature
- 00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:08.687
- In jesus christ."
- 00:25:08.687 --> 00:25:12.157
- Male announcer: as a thank you for your support of
- 00:25:12.223 --> 00:25:13.658
- "the winning walk," this month, dr. young would like to send you
- 00:25:13.658 --> 00:25:16.761
- His "prayer journal" as a gift to you.
- 00:25:16.761 --> 00:25:19.097
- Prayer is an essential part of our spiritual lives.
- 00:25:19.097 --> 00:25:22.200
- Even jesus went away from his disciples to talk
- 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:24.369
- With his father.
- 00:25:24.369 --> 00:25:25.704
- Ed: it doesn't matter what's happening in your life,
- 00:25:25.704 --> 00:25:27.973
- Get on your knees.
- 00:25:27.973 --> 00:25:29.307
- He said in every situation we are to pray, pray, pray, pray.
- 00:25:29.307 --> 00:25:35.313
- Announcer: spending time with god in prayer every day
- 00:25:35.313 --> 00:25:37.649
- Can change your life forever.
- 00:25:37.649 --> 00:25:39.517
- And this beautiful "prayer journal" will help
- 00:25:39.517 --> 00:25:41.286
- Guide your time spent with him.
- 00:25:41.286 --> 00:25:43.254
- It features a practical design that lays flat for easy writing,
- 00:25:43.254 --> 00:25:46.858
- With plenty of space to write down prayer requests
- 00:25:46.858 --> 00:25:49.027
- And the answers to your prayers.
- 00:25:49.027 --> 00:25:50.996
- It's the perfect size, easy to carry with you wherever you go,
- 00:25:50.996 --> 00:25:54.466
- And it makes a great gift for someone you love.
- 00:25:54.466 --> 00:25:56.935
- Request your "prayer journal" today at winningwalk.org
- 00:25:56.935 --> 00:26:00.438
- Or call the number on the screen.
- 00:26:00.438 --> 00:26:02.674
- Know god more intimately and invigorate your prayer life
- 00:26:02.674 --> 00:26:05.777
- With this beautiful "prayer journal."
- 00:26:05.777 --> 00:26:08.446
- Ed: i can remember when i first learned how to swim.
- 00:26:10.181 --> 00:26:14.219
- Perhaps you can remember the moment when you began to learn
- 00:26:14.219 --> 00:26:17.489
- How to swim, i certainly do.
- 00:26:17.489 --> 00:26:19.557
- My dad taught me in a muddy, muddy lake.
- 00:26:19.557 --> 00:26:23.061
- I stepped in the water, filled with fear and stiff and
- 00:26:23.061 --> 00:26:27.699
- Abnormally cold.
- 00:26:27.699 --> 00:26:29.634
- He said, "relax, son, i'll put my arms under you.
- 00:26:29.634 --> 00:26:35.273
- And when you begin to sink, i'll be right there and lift you up."
- 00:26:35.273 --> 00:26:42.180
- Sure enough, i started to sink, but felt his sturdy arms holding
- 00:26:42.180 --> 00:26:47.052
- Me up and everything changed.
- 00:26:47.052 --> 00:26:50.055
- I trusted and relaxed, knowing that my father was there.
- 00:26:50.055 --> 00:26:57.095
- Remember, when you swim in life's deep holes and muddy
- 00:26:57.095 --> 00:27:01.199
- Waters, your lord god almighty, your heavenly father's arms are
- 00:27:01.199 --> 00:27:07.005
- Just below the surface ready to hold you.
- 00:27:07.005 --> 00:27:11.009
- And if necessary just lift you right up.
- 00:27:11.009 --> 00:27:15.747
- ♪♪♪
- 00:27:15.747 --> 00:27:15.747
