Donate

How To Make Decisions

Winning Walk with Ed Young

January 3, 2021

27:29

The Winning Walk is the international teaching ministry of Dr. Ed Young.

Closed captions

How To Make Decisions

Show timecode

Hide timecode

♪♪♪
00:00:00.390 --> 00:00:06.362
♪♪♪
00:00:06.396 --> 00:00:16.406
Ed Young: Noah was a manof faith, the Bible tells us,
00:00:20.977 --> 00:00:25.515
and he had a wife.
00:00:25.548 --> 00:00:26.950
His sons married wives and theyhad a household, a family
00:00:26.983 --> 00:00:32.155
of faith, which wascountercultural, going
00:00:32.188 --> 00:00:35.592
in the opposite directionof everybody else on the planet,
00:00:35.625 --> 00:00:39.062
so judgment came in the formof a flood.
00:00:39.095 --> 00:00:42.832
The flood waters cameand destroyed everybody,
00:00:42.866 --> 00:00:45.301
but they had at least 120 years.
00:00:45.335 --> 00:00:48.571
Genesis 6:3, 120 years to turnback to God.
00:00:48.605 --> 00:00:54.544
Oh yeah, 'cause that's when Godsaid to Noah, "Go build a boat."
00:00:54.577 --> 00:01:07.423
Now that's crazy.
00:01:07.457 --> 00:01:09.125
He was 100 miles from any bodyof water.
00:01:09.159 --> 00:01:12.128
Nobody had ever seen it rain.
00:01:12.162 --> 00:01:13.930
Moisture came from the Earth.
00:01:13.963 --> 00:01:15.498
The first rain that was recordedin history was with the flood
00:01:15.532 --> 00:01:19.035
waters that came those 40 daysand 40 nights.
00:01:19.068 --> 00:01:22.105
Here he is building a boat, thisrighteous man, this God-fearing
00:01:22.138 --> 00:01:26.342
man, this worshiping man,and you can imagine
00:01:26.376 --> 00:01:28.811
the ridicule.
00:01:28.845 --> 00:01:30.346
Well, Noah, what are youbuilding there, man?
00:01:30.380 --> 00:01:34.317
Large proportions, isn't it?
00:01:34.350 --> 00:01:37.353
By the way, you rememberthe dimensions of the ark?
00:01:37.387 --> 00:01:42.091
A hundred and fifty feet long,a football and a half long, you
00:01:42.125 --> 00:01:45.862
know, onto the Super Bowl.
00:01:45.895 --> 00:01:47.697
I'll give you that most measure.
00:01:47.730 --> 00:01:49.098
A football and a half long fieldlong, 25 yards wide, 15 yards
00:01:49.132 --> 00:01:54.904
high.
00:01:54.938 --> 00:01:56.406
It wasn't for going anywhere.
00:01:56.439 --> 00:01:57.840
It was for existence.
00:01:57.874 --> 00:01:59.542
Now, people have studied the artfor many years and some scholars
00:01:59.576 --> 00:02:03.246
and people who're supposedto know about boats said, you
00:02:03.279 --> 00:02:05.715
know, "That boat wouldn't float.
00:02:05.748 --> 00:02:07.450
It couldn't possibly inhabit twoof every kind and keep people
00:02:07.483 --> 00:02:11.621
alive for all those 40 days, 40nights, et cetera."
00:02:11.654 --> 00:02:15.558
But now, go to Branson,Missouri, you can see a replica
00:02:15.592 --> 00:02:19.696
of the ark.
00:02:19.729 --> 00:02:21.664
Go to other places on the earth,you see the ark has been exactly
00:02:21.698 --> 00:02:25.435
reconstructed.
00:02:25.468 --> 00:02:27.070
And now there is common beliefthat what is reported
00:02:27.103 --> 00:02:30.840
in the Bible that many peoplejust said, "Oh it won't work,"
00:02:30.873 --> 00:02:33.876
now they see exactly how itcould have worked and it did
00:02:33.910 --> 00:02:37.647
function.
00:02:37.680 --> 00:02:39.315
Amazing, isn't it?
00:02:39.349 --> 00:02:41.150
Noah built that big ol' arkby faith.
00:02:41.184 --> 00:02:44.420
He got in, the rains came, thenhe floated out there a million
00:02:44.454 --> 00:02:53.596
miles from nowhere and his boatended up on Mount Ararat.
00:02:53.630 --> 00:02:58.968
Remember, we climbed up Ararata few months ago?
00:02:59.002 --> 00:03:02.739
And I can imagine that Noahwalked out of that ark and he
00:03:02.772 --> 00:03:05.742
looked around.
00:03:05.775 --> 00:03:06.976
There was nobody, no people, noinhabitants, no landmarks, no
00:03:07.010 --> 00:03:10.446
nothing.
00:03:10.480 --> 00:03:11.514
He started over from zip.
00:03:11.547 --> 00:03:14.417
A lot of people think that Noahexercised more faith
00:03:14.450 --> 00:03:18.755
after the flood than he didbefore the flood, because what's
00:03:18.788 --> 00:03:23.626
the first thing Noah did when hegot off the boat?
00:03:23.660 --> 00:03:27.130
The Bible says he builtan altar.
00:03:27.163 --> 00:03:31.668
He worshipped in thanksgiving.
00:03:31.701 --> 00:03:34.604
The ark was salvation, the altarwas transformation.
00:03:34.637 --> 00:03:41.311
You can be saved and not betransformed.
00:03:41.344 --> 00:03:45.615
But that's the transformationthat took place as Noah had
00:03:45.648 --> 00:03:49.252
a new chance to begin lifeon this earth by faith.
00:03:49.285 --> 00:03:56.859
Noah.
00:03:56.893 --> 00:03:58.828
Noah.
00:03:58.861 --> 00:04:00.530
Let me ask you a question.
00:04:00.563 --> 00:04:02.799
What is faith?
00:04:02.832 --> 00:04:05.902
How would you define faith?
00:04:05.935 --> 00:04:09.372
How do you get faith?
00:04:09.405 --> 00:04:12.241
How do you continue to livein faith?
00:04:12.275 --> 00:04:16.979
Does faith grow?
00:04:17.013 --> 00:04:19.549
Can it grow?
00:04:19.582 --> 00:04:21.250
Does faith decline?
00:04:21.284 --> 00:04:23.920
What do you do when you loseyour faith?
00:04:23.953 --> 00:04:26.055
Can you get it back?
00:04:26.089 --> 00:04:27.457
Is there such a thing as loseyour faith and then reclaiming
00:04:27.490 --> 00:04:30.927
your faith?
00:04:30.960 --> 00:04:31.894
We have a lot of questionsabout faith.
00:04:31.928 --> 00:04:35.498
You go to Hebrews chapter 11,there's a whole chapter
00:04:35.531 --> 00:04:38.534
on faith.
00:04:38.568 --> 00:04:40.036
It's the centerpiecein the Bible on faith.
00:04:40.069 --> 00:04:43.673
It gives us in the openingverses sort of a general
00:04:43.706 --> 00:04:48.177
definition of faith.
00:04:48.211 --> 00:04:49.445
Look at Hebrews 11:1-3, "Nowfaith is the substance of things
00:04:49.479 --> 00:04:55.752
hoped for, the evidenceof things not seen.
00:04:55.785 --> 00:04:59.956
For by it the elders obtaineda good testimony."
00:04:59.989 --> 00:05:03.159
And by the way, this is the restof Hebrews.
00:05:03.192 --> 00:05:06.162
You have a general definitionof faith, and then the rest
00:05:06.195 --> 00:05:09.899
of the chapter tells us menand women in history who lived
00:05:09.932 --> 00:05:13.202
by faith in all kindsof circumstances.
00:05:13.236 --> 00:05:17.273
Then he says a key versein verse 3, "By faith we
00:05:17.306 --> 00:05:20.710
understand."
00:05:20.743 --> 00:05:22.678
"Understand" there meanssomething you come to believe
00:05:22.712 --> 00:05:26.449
by evidence, by proof.
00:05:26.482 --> 00:05:28.718
"By faith we come to believe weunderstand that the world--
00:05:28.751 --> 00:05:33.623
the worlds were framedby the Word of God, so that
00:05:33.656 --> 00:05:37.126
the things which are seen werenot made of things which are
00:05:37.160 --> 00:05:41.964
visible."
00:05:41.998 --> 00:05:43.399
In other words--by the way,the scientists came
00:05:43.433 --> 00:05:45.701
up with the Big Bang.
00:05:45.735 --> 00:05:46.869
Remember the Big Bang?
00:05:46.903 --> 00:05:48.638
Said Bang, the world cameinto being.
00:05:48.671 --> 00:05:52.341
There it is right therein Hebrews, is it not?
00:05:52.375 --> 00:05:55.411
The world was made by Godout of things that were not
00:05:55.445 --> 00:06:00.416
seen, and boom, there'san explosion and now there are
00:06:00.450 --> 00:06:04.253
things that are seen.
00:06:04.287 --> 00:06:06.622
And this gives us understanding.
00:06:06.656 --> 00:06:10.026
Let's talk about faith.
00:06:10.059 --> 00:06:12.662
Three levels.
00:06:12.695 --> 00:06:15.498
Three levels of faith.
00:06:15.531 --> 00:06:17.533
Now, they're all sort of subsetshere, but let me tell you
00:06:17.567 --> 00:06:21.370
a basic understanding of faith.
00:06:21.404 --> 00:06:24.373
First of all, faith is reason.
00:06:24.407 --> 00:06:28.444
It's reason.
00:06:28.478 --> 00:06:29.445
It's understanding.
00:06:29.479 --> 00:06:30.313
It's reason.
00:06:30.346 --> 00:06:31.914
And then on top of reason, faithis belief.
00:06:31.948 --> 00:06:36.018
And on top of belief, there iscommitment.
00:06:36.052 --> 00:06:39.856
And then you have faith isreason, and then reason leads
00:06:39.889 --> 00:06:43.192
to belief, and belief leadsto commitment.
00:06:43.226 --> 00:06:46.395
And then with those three, youhave certainty.
00:06:46.429 --> 00:06:51.000
You see a lot of people tryto move from reason
00:06:51.033 --> 00:06:54.704
to certainty.
00:06:54.737 --> 00:06:56.005
I'm goin' to figure all thisout.
00:06:56.038 --> 00:06:57.607
I'm going to work through it,then I'm going to be certain.
00:06:57.640 --> 00:07:00.076
It never works like that.
00:07:00.109 --> 00:07:01.744
Reason is the base.
00:07:01.777 --> 00:07:03.379
It moves to belief, then itmoves to commitment, and then
00:07:03.412 --> 00:07:07.817
hopefully it comes to certainty.
00:07:07.850 --> 00:07:09.585
Up 'til that point, it's alltentative.
00:07:09.619 --> 00:07:12.221
It's all, "I hope."
00:07:12.255 --> 00:07:13.523
It's perhaps.
00:07:13.556 --> 00:07:14.590
It's experimental.
00:07:14.624 --> 00:07:16.392
Let me tell you something.
00:07:16.425 --> 00:07:18.861
Except in math, every decisionyou make, every decision I make,
00:07:18.895 --> 00:07:24.700
comes by way of faith.
00:07:24.734 --> 00:07:27.270
Therefore if somebody might say,"Well, you know, I don't need
00:07:27.303 --> 00:07:29.672
faith.
00:07:29.705 --> 00:07:30.740
I don't--I don't thinkabout those things," every
00:07:30.773 --> 00:07:33.376
decision, every choice we makeabout everything on the planet
00:07:33.409 --> 00:07:37.613
comes by the way of faith.
00:07:37.647 --> 00:07:39.916
You say, "Well, is itpractical?"
00:07:39.949 --> 00:07:41.484
How practical is that?
00:07:41.517 --> 00:07:44.053
If we can't do anything,accomplish anything, make any
00:07:44.086 --> 00:07:48.324
decision without faith, that'spretty practical, isn't it?
00:07:48.357 --> 00:07:52.261
So let's seek to understandfaith from the very, very
00:07:52.295 --> 00:07:56.933
beginning.
00:07:56.966 --> 00:07:58.134
When you decide who you wantyour plumber to be, it's a faith
00:07:58.167 --> 00:08:02.171
decision.
00:08:02.204 --> 00:08:04.340
You decide who you wantto marry, faith decision.
00:08:04.373 --> 00:08:11.213
You decide, if you need surgery,who your surgeon is going to be,
00:08:11.247 --> 00:08:16.819
a faith decision.
00:08:16.852 --> 00:08:18.754
Pretty important, wouldn't yousay?
00:08:18.788 --> 00:08:22.391
Well, how's this work?
00:08:22.425 --> 00:08:23.292
Let's take a plumber.
00:08:23.326 --> 00:08:24.827
Alright, you got pipes that arerusted all over your house.
00:08:24.860 --> 00:08:27.396
Need to get a plumber.
00:08:27.430 --> 00:08:28.598
So you go and use what?
00:08:28.631 --> 00:08:30.232
Reason.Reason.
00:08:30.266 --> 00:08:33.269
Try to find a plumber who cando this.
00:08:33.302 --> 00:08:35.471
You use your mind, you useunderstanding, reason, and then
00:08:35.504 --> 00:08:39.842
you move to belief.
00:08:39.875 --> 00:08:42.345
Then you say, "You know, Ibelieve enough, I've
00:08:42.378 --> 00:08:44.714
investigated enough, and I havereason that this would be my
00:08:44.747 --> 00:08:48.851
plumber.
00:08:48.884 --> 00:08:49.785
Now I believe he will do it."
00:08:49.819 --> 00:08:51.220
And then you commit and you givehim the job.
00:08:51.253 --> 00:08:54.724
And once it is completed, allthose process is sorta
00:08:54.757 --> 00:08:59.629
tentative.
00:08:59.662 --> 00:09:00.863
It's sort of, you know, I don'tknow, but when it's completed
00:09:00.896 --> 00:09:03.833
and it works, you havecertainty.
00:09:03.866 --> 00:09:07.870
Picking a mate.
00:09:07.903 --> 00:09:09.839
A lot of people are not married.
00:09:09.872 --> 00:09:11.007
You know why?
00:09:11.040 --> 00:09:12.074
They think they movedfrom reason to certainty.
00:09:12.108 --> 00:09:14.777
Oh, I'm going to figure all thisout.
00:09:14.810 --> 00:09:16.212
She's the right one.
00:09:16.245 --> 00:09:17.146
He's the right one.
00:09:17.179 --> 00:09:18.014
Bang, bang, I'm certain now.
00:09:18.047 --> 00:09:19.315
No, no, no, it startedwith reason, then you go
00:09:19.348 --> 00:09:22.118
through a belief.
00:09:22.151 --> 00:09:23.152
You begin to put it together.
00:09:23.185 --> 00:09:24.787
And then you make a commitment,which may be engagement.
00:09:24.820 --> 00:09:27.790
And then when you say, "I do,"and he says, or he says, "I
00:09:27.823 --> 00:09:31.394
will," there is the certaintythat comes.
00:09:31.427 --> 00:09:35.297
Faith has three basic steps.
00:09:35.331 --> 00:09:38.401
You don't move from reasonto certainty.
00:09:38.434 --> 00:09:42.438
Let's take a surgeon.
00:09:42.471 --> 00:09:45.107
Your GP says you need surgery.
00:09:45.141 --> 00:09:48.010
You go and try to picka surgeon.
00:09:48.044 --> 00:09:49.945
You use reason, right?
00:09:49.979 --> 00:09:52.214
Good idea.
00:09:52.248 --> 00:09:54.050
You use reason.
00:09:54.083 --> 00:09:55.551
And then reasonably you think,"This is a person that can
00:09:55.584 --> 00:09:58.554
do it."
00:09:58.587 --> 00:09:59.789
Then you have a certain beliefabout methodology and how it
00:09:59.822 --> 00:10:02.124
will be done.
00:10:02.158 --> 00:10:03.359
And then you make a commitment.
00:10:03.392 --> 00:10:05.828
In that commitment, you lieon the table.
00:10:05.861 --> 00:10:10.566
Put that thing over.
00:10:10.599 --> 00:10:13.135
Count backwards to whatever.
00:10:13.169 --> 00:10:16.939
That's pretty committed,isn't it?
00:10:16.972 --> 00:10:19.575
Huh?Huh?
00:10:19.608 --> 00:10:20.609
Commitment.
00:10:20.643 --> 00:10:21.811
And then following the surgery,things go well, and then you
00:10:21.844 --> 00:10:25.848
have what?
00:10:25.881 --> 00:10:26.949
Certainty.Certainty.
00:10:26.982 --> 00:10:31.153
So faith isn't just something,well, pie in the sky over there.
00:10:31.187 --> 00:10:35.691
Faith isn't something that wesay, "Well, Christians have
00:10:35.725 --> 00:10:38.694
faith and non-Christians don'thave faith."
00:10:38.728 --> 00:10:40.863
No, we all have the same amountof faith.
00:10:40.896 --> 00:10:44.200
The difference is what you putyour faith in, what I put my
00:10:44.233 --> 00:10:47.203
faith in.
00:10:47.236 --> 00:10:49.638
For example, let's look at--goback through and talked
00:10:49.672 --> 00:10:53.943
about reason, understanding.
00:10:53.976 --> 00:10:56.178
That's where we start.
00:10:56.212 --> 00:10:57.713
Scientists normally operateby faith.
00:10:57.747 --> 00:11:01.517
Scientists do not discovera whole lot of things
00:11:01.550 --> 00:11:04.153
through inductive reasoning.
00:11:04.186 --> 00:11:05.921
What is that?
00:11:05.955 --> 00:11:07.156
They don't say, "Well, I seethis over here and I see that
00:11:07.189 --> 00:11:09.258
over there, and I understandthat molecule over there,
00:11:09.291 --> 00:11:12.061
and this works over here,"and they put all this together
00:11:12.094 --> 00:11:14.997
inductively and they cometo a conclusion, something that
00:11:15.030 --> 00:11:19.502
works, something that'saccurate.
00:11:19.535 --> 00:11:20.936
Normally that's not the wayscience works.
00:11:20.970 --> 00:11:23.906
Science works with a faithassumption, with a thesis,
00:11:23.939 --> 00:11:30.079
with an idea and a concept,and then this is deductive
00:11:30.112 --> 00:11:35.718
reasoning.
00:11:35.751 --> 00:11:36.986
They begin to deduce from thatevidence as to whether or not
00:11:37.019 --> 00:11:39.855
that faith assumption isaccurate.
00:11:39.889 --> 00:11:42.625
Science operates by faithprimarily.
00:11:42.658 --> 00:11:46.495
And so we look at the universe.
00:11:46.529 --> 00:11:48.764
Godless people say, Boy,the universe came together
00:11:48.798 --> 00:11:52.101
by chance.
00:11:52.134 --> 00:11:54.370
It just all came by accident,by atoms coming together,
00:11:54.403 --> 00:11:57.907
like in some primeval momentbillions of years ago.
00:11:57.940 --> 00:12:01.377
It just evolved.
00:12:01.410 --> 00:12:03.546
Let me tell you something.
00:12:03.579 --> 00:12:05.281
To say this universe cametogether by chance is
00:12:05.314 --> 00:12:09.051
like saying there wasan explosion in a print shop
00:12:09.084 --> 00:12:13.522
and out produced the Webster'sUnabridged Dictionary.
00:12:13.556 --> 00:12:17.993
Man, what are the odds of that?
00:12:18.027 --> 00:12:20.830
Explosion in a print shopand you have a dictionary
00:12:20.863 --> 00:12:23.232
perfectly put together, what arethe odds in that?
00:12:23.265 --> 00:12:25.901
Ladies and gentlemen, the oddsof that happening are less than
00:12:25.935 --> 00:12:30.039
the odds that this universewould come together
00:12:30.072 --> 00:12:32.441
without a designer.
00:12:32.474 --> 00:12:36.045
Abraham Lincoln--I said itrecently.
00:12:36.078 --> 00:12:37.947
Abraham Lincoln says, "You goto outer space, you look back
00:12:37.980 --> 00:12:41.150
on the earth, you may bean atheist."
00:12:41.183 --> 00:12:43.419
He said, "You stand on the earthand look at outer space," he
00:12:43.452 --> 00:12:46.689
said, "you can't be an atheist."
00:12:46.722 --> 00:12:49.592
So the idea that all of thiscame--for example, decisions
00:12:49.625 --> 00:12:52.995
in your life, faith choices thatwe make, what if you think that
00:12:53.028 --> 00:12:57.066
you came into being by chance,that all human beings are here
00:12:57.099 --> 00:13:00.603
by chance?
00:13:00.636 --> 00:13:02.171
We came from some primeval mudpuddle there.
00:13:02.204 --> 00:13:06.342
We came here by chance.
00:13:06.375 --> 00:13:08.077
By chance something that wasinorganic became organic
00:13:08.110 --> 00:13:12.781
by chance.
00:13:12.815 --> 00:13:14.016
If you believe that you're hereby chance or if you are here
00:13:14.049 --> 00:13:18.087
because you have been designedby a designer, what
00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:22.124
a difference.
00:13:22.157 --> 00:13:23.058
By design or chance?
00:13:23.092 --> 00:13:24.927
That makes all the differencein the world on how we make
00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:27.162
decisions every day of our life.
00:13:27.196 --> 00:13:29.899
What's right, what's wrong, whatwill work, what will not work,
00:13:29.932 --> 00:13:34.003
and these are faith decisions.
00:13:34.036 --> 00:13:37.907
So faith is reason.
00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:40.910
Reason.
00:13:40.943 --> 00:13:42.378
The idea to say, "Well, youknow, I don't have faith that
00:13:42.411 --> 00:13:46.148
you have in the church."
00:13:46.181 --> 00:13:47.549
People here who are notChristians, somebody stand
00:13:47.583 --> 00:13:50.719
up and tell how Jesus Christcame in their life and changed
00:13:50.753 --> 00:13:54.390
everything, gave them a freshnew beginning, a new outlook
00:13:54.423 --> 00:13:57.559
on life, and there's a freshnessthere they'd never had.
00:13:57.593 --> 00:14:00.496
Somebody who's not a Christiansay, "Boy, you know I wish I
00:14:00.529 --> 00:14:02.264
could believe that, but I don'thave enough faith."
00:14:02.298 --> 00:14:06.535
If somebody from Mars camedown to this earth and we
00:14:06.568 --> 00:14:11.507
explain to themabout procreation, how we
00:14:11.540 --> 00:14:14.243
cooperate with God and producelife, and the martian would say,
00:14:14.276 --> 00:14:20.049
"I can't even imagine that.
00:14:20.082 --> 00:14:22.117
We procreate by the exchangingof earwax."
00:14:22.151 --> 00:14:26.622
They have no frame of reference.
00:14:26.655 --> 00:14:29.959
You see, we think people who seesomeone who comes to Christ have
00:14:29.992 --> 00:14:34.496
a new life, they backup and say, "I have no frame
00:14:34.530 --> 00:14:37.066
of reference for that.
00:14:37.099 --> 00:14:38.267
I wish I had faith like that."
00:14:38.300 --> 00:14:40.636
We all have the same amountof faith, ladies and gentlemen.
00:14:40.669 --> 00:14:44.073
It's just what we put our faithin.
00:14:44.106 --> 00:14:47.042
And when someone puts theirfaith into something other than
00:14:47.076 --> 00:14:49.878
Jesus Christ, and that occupiesthe core and the center of their
00:14:49.912 --> 00:14:54.984
life, therefore it's no wonderthat they have trouble
00:14:55.017 --> 00:14:59.621
believing.
00:14:59.655 --> 00:15:00.522
We all have the same amountof faith.
00:15:00.556 --> 00:15:03.125
All, we have the sameprogressiveness.
00:15:03.158 --> 00:15:06.729
This is development from reason,to belief, to commitment,
00:15:06.762 --> 00:15:12.201
and then to certainty.
00:15:12.234 --> 00:15:13.569
That's how it works.
00:15:13.602 --> 00:15:14.870
Someone who says, "I just--Ijust need more faith," let me
00:15:14.903 --> 00:15:19.408
tell you something.
00:15:19.441 --> 00:15:20.542
Let's talk about securityof believers, for example.
00:15:20.576 --> 00:15:23.679
Once saved, always saved.
00:15:23.712 --> 00:15:26.715
Oh, we Baptists love that one.
00:15:26.749 --> 00:15:28.851
Why do we believe that?
00:15:28.884 --> 00:15:30.085
It's taught in the Bible.
00:15:30.119 --> 00:15:31.587
But let's say it another way.
00:15:31.620 --> 00:15:33.222
Let's say, for example, howare we saved?
00:15:33.255 --> 00:15:35.257
If we're saved by doing goodand not doing evil, we can lose
00:15:35.290 --> 00:15:40.362
our salvation, couldn't we?
00:15:40.396 --> 00:15:41.864
If that's how we're saved, it'sbecause when we begin to do evil
00:15:41.897 --> 00:15:45.134
and not good, we'd be lost.
00:15:45.167 --> 00:15:46.802
We were saved by doing goodand not evil.
00:15:46.835 --> 00:15:49.038
Now we can be lost by doingevil, not good, right?
00:15:49.071 --> 00:15:52.741
But we're not saved by doinggood, by works.
00:15:52.775 --> 00:15:55.411
We're saved by the grace of Godin Jesus Christ.
00:15:55.444 --> 00:15:58.414
Therefore, we are eternallysecure.
00:15:58.447 --> 00:16:01.850
And we--when we wander awayfrom God in Christ and we slide
00:16:01.884 --> 00:16:05.954
back, because we are in Christ,we know that, and our faith
00:16:05.988 --> 00:16:10.692
begins to operate, and we feellike someone who is no longer
00:16:10.726 --> 00:16:14.329
at home in this life.
00:16:14.363 --> 00:16:16.698
We become a bomb.
00:16:16.732 --> 00:16:19.435
You know what a bomb is?
00:16:19.468 --> 00:16:20.636
A bomb is something that,in the center, in the core,
00:16:20.669 --> 00:16:25.541
there is a compound that isunstable.
00:16:25.574 --> 00:16:29.378
That's the reason it's a bomb.
00:16:29.411 --> 00:16:31.647
And if your life and my lifethere's a compound that is
00:16:31.680 --> 00:16:34.349
unstable, we haven't blown up,but we will blow up.
00:16:34.383 --> 00:16:39.688
We're bombs.
00:16:39.721 --> 00:16:41.690
In the center of your lifeand my life, when there's God
00:16:41.723 --> 00:16:44.593
and Jesus Christ, he gives usstability.
00:16:44.626 --> 00:16:48.464
Stability.
00:16:48.497 --> 00:16:49.531
And we understand thisthrough reason
00:16:49.565 --> 00:16:51.500
and through belief.
00:16:51.533 --> 00:16:53.602
You see, as Christians, we lookback on the facts of history.
00:16:53.635 --> 00:16:57.940
You and I can believe thatChristmas is real.
00:16:57.973 --> 00:17:02.578
God visited this earth in humanflesh, incarnation.
00:17:02.611 --> 00:17:06.949
You can believe that.
00:17:06.982 --> 00:17:08.383
We can believe that Jesus diedon the cross for all your
00:17:08.417 --> 00:17:11.220
garbage and my garbage.
00:17:11.253 --> 00:17:12.654
We can believe that, oursubstitute.
00:17:12.688 --> 00:17:15.057
We can believe that God raisedhim from the dead.
00:17:15.090 --> 00:17:19.361
We can believe that,the resurrection, Easter.
00:17:19.394 --> 00:17:21.897
But you can believe that, but itreally doesn't become yours
00:17:21.930 --> 00:17:25.968
until that which happensin the past affects how we live
00:17:26.001 --> 00:17:29.638
in the present.
00:17:29.671 --> 00:17:31.940
In other words, we have to liveon the basis of our--
00:17:31.974 --> 00:17:34.776
of the gospel, on the basisof what Jesus has done.
00:17:34.810 --> 00:17:38.747
Now, Peter and Paul were broughtup as Jews, right?
00:17:38.780 --> 00:17:44.686
And they were taught thata Gentile--and a Gentile is
00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:47.422
anybody who's not a Jewin the Bible.
00:17:47.456 --> 00:17:49.558
If you--you're either a Jewor a non-Jew.
00:17:49.591 --> 00:17:51.727
If you're a non-Jew, you'rea Gentile.
00:17:51.760 --> 00:17:53.529
And Peter and Paul were taughtthat Gentiles could never know
00:17:53.562 --> 00:17:58.634
God.
00:17:58.667 --> 00:17:59.701
Why?
00:17:59.735 --> 00:18:01.036
Because their pedigreeand because of their practice.
00:18:01.069 --> 00:18:06.608
Their pedigree, a Gentile is notfrom Abraham.
00:18:06.642 --> 00:18:10.245
A Jew's pedigree isfrom Abraham.
00:18:10.279 --> 00:18:13.115
A Gentile's practice is notkeeping the law, a Jew's
00:18:13.148 --> 00:18:16.919
practice is keeping the law.
00:18:16.952 --> 00:18:18.754
Therefore, Gentile could neverknow God.
00:18:18.787 --> 00:18:20.722
But you read the book of Acts,there is Peter over there and he
00:18:20.756 --> 00:18:25.227
gets with Cornelius who wasa Gentile, a centurion.
00:18:25.260 --> 00:18:28.997
And he tells Cornelius about Godin Christ, and zip, Cornelius,
00:18:29.031 --> 00:18:34.036
a Gentile, accepts Jesus Christand becomes a Christian.
00:18:34.069 --> 00:18:38.207
There's a problem.
00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:40.509
Peter had no problem.
00:18:40.542 --> 00:18:42.077
He saw that this Gentile hadbecome a Christian.
00:18:42.110 --> 00:18:45.881
He saw that the performanceof Jesus was put in his life,
00:18:45.914 --> 00:18:51.787
the pedigree of Jesus was putin his life, so he was
00:18:51.820 --> 00:18:54.690
a Christian.
00:18:54.723 --> 00:18:55.791
So Peter went over thereand loved eating breakfast
00:18:55.824 --> 00:18:57.859
with him, and he fell in lovewith bacon.
00:18:57.893 --> 00:19:03.065
He lies to Jesus.
00:19:03.098 --> 00:19:05.567
And Peter just loved the waythe Gentiles ate, but some big
00:19:05.601 --> 00:19:08.937
shots from Jerusalem came.
00:19:08.971 --> 00:19:11.340
Some of the family of Jamesthere in the strict Judaism, who
00:19:11.373 --> 00:19:14.743
believe you had to take allthe practices of Jew after you
00:19:14.776 --> 00:19:17.980
receive Christ as Messiah,and they saw that Peter was
00:19:18.013 --> 00:19:21.483
eating with the Gentiles.
00:19:21.516 --> 00:19:23.352
They heard about it, so whilethey were there, Peter didn't
00:19:23.385 --> 00:19:25.954
eat with Cornelius anymore.
00:19:25.988 --> 00:19:27.556
He did without bacon.
00:19:27.589 --> 00:19:31.593
Paul, in Galatians chapter 2, hefaced Peter with this hypocrisy.
00:19:31.627 --> 00:19:38.000
He said, "Pete, if theseGentiles are really Christians
00:19:38.033 --> 00:19:43.438
and you've been told thateverything is clean, don't
00:19:43.472 --> 00:19:46.775
change how you live, becausethose who come who haven't
00:19:46.808 --> 00:19:50.779
yet caught up with what it meansto be born again and a child
00:19:50.812 --> 00:19:54.483
of God."
00:19:54.516 --> 00:19:55.617
He looked in Peter's faceand pointed it out to him.
00:19:55.651 --> 00:19:59.721
This is what happens to us,ladies and gentlemen.
00:19:59.755 --> 00:20:02.257
We know all these factshistorically, but we have
00:20:02.291 --> 00:20:05.193
to take them and incorporatethat into our lives and discover
00:20:05.227 --> 00:20:08.764
this is how we then live.
00:20:08.797 --> 00:20:12.134
Oh, I'm burdened with my sin.
00:20:12.167 --> 00:20:13.902
I can't handle this.
00:20:13.935 --> 00:20:15.537
We have to live on the basis oursin has been covered
00:20:15.570 --> 00:20:18.874
by the blood of Christ.
00:20:18.907 --> 00:20:20.142
We are forgiven.
00:20:20.175 --> 00:20:21.143
Don't let that beat youdown and keep you down.
00:20:21.176 --> 00:20:24.346
Live on the basis of that.
00:20:24.379 --> 00:20:25.681
That's a part of the beliefsystem that we have.
00:20:25.714 --> 00:20:28.483
And then finally, lookat the last thing we see here.
00:20:28.517 --> 00:20:32.120
Yeah, we're talking about faith,reason, belief, doctrine, what
00:20:32.154 --> 00:20:37.259
we have.
00:20:37.292 --> 00:20:38.327
Then there comes commitment.
00:20:38.360 --> 00:20:40.729
Commitment.
00:20:40.762 --> 00:20:41.930
Commitment.
00:20:41.963 --> 00:20:43.398
You walk on the edge of a cliff,slippery rocks, and you slide,
00:20:43.432 --> 00:20:48.603
and you start falling down thatcliff hundreds of feet below.
00:20:48.637 --> 00:20:52.674
And as you're sliding down, yousee ahead a branch sticking
00:20:52.708 --> 00:20:56.845
up out of the cliff.
00:20:56.878 --> 00:20:58.613
You're going to slide rightby that branch.
00:20:58.647 --> 00:21:01.883
How much faith is going to takefor you to grab hold of that
00:21:01.917 --> 00:21:05.220
branch?
00:21:05.253 --> 00:21:06.955
Huh?
00:21:06.988 --> 00:21:08.657
"Oh, it's got--" no, it's gonnatake--no, it's not gonna take
00:21:08.690 --> 00:21:14.229
hardly any faith, is it, whenyou're sliding down that cliff,
00:21:14.262 --> 00:21:17.966
to grab that branch.
00:21:17.999 --> 00:21:19.668
But once you grab that branch,that's a little faith that you
00:21:19.701 --> 00:21:24.172
have, but that branch, in itsstrength, will hold you
00:21:24.206 --> 00:21:28.243
up and save you.
00:21:28.276 --> 00:21:31.046
When we extend our hand to JesusChrist, we extend our hand
00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:35.016
to him, he grabs us and he putsin you and me his pedigree.
00:21:35.050 --> 00:21:39.755
He's the Son of God.
00:21:39.788 --> 00:21:41.690
Is that a pretty good familyto be in?
00:21:41.723 --> 00:21:43.358
He puts in you and me hispractice, a life of perfection.
00:21:43.392 --> 00:21:47.295
Is that enough for you and me?
00:21:47.329 --> 00:21:49.264
And therefore that gives ussalvation.
00:21:49.297 --> 00:21:54.269
Faith.Faith.
00:21:54.302 --> 00:21:57.873
Faith.
00:21:57.906 --> 00:22:00.575
It works everywhere, when we'reon top of our game, when we're
00:22:00.609 --> 00:22:04.446
in the bottom of our game.
00:22:04.479 --> 00:22:06.248
Faith.
00:22:06.281 --> 00:22:07.916
What is it?
00:22:07.949 --> 00:22:09.718
Faith.
00:22:09.751 --> 00:22:11.319
How do we get it?
00:22:11.353 --> 00:22:13.155
Faith.
00:22:13.188 --> 00:22:14.489
We can't lose it.
00:22:14.523 --> 00:22:16.625
Once we're in Christ and Christis within us, and then we can
00:22:16.658 --> 00:22:20.562
handle whatever life putsin for of us on our plate.
00:22:20.595 --> 00:22:24.199
And that is the certainty ofour faith.
00:22:24.232 --> 00:22:27.335
We see it works.
00:22:27.369 --> 00:22:29.104
It applies.
00:22:29.137 --> 00:22:31.039
It keeps us going.
00:22:31.072 --> 00:22:33.208
It sees us through.
00:22:33.241 --> 00:22:35.343
Chicago Fire was in, I think,1871.
00:22:35.377 --> 00:22:38.246
I'm not sure.
00:22:38.280 --> 00:22:40.248
In that fire, Horatio Spaffordwas a lawyer, owned property
00:22:40.282 --> 00:22:45.120
in Chicago, very wealthy,and everything he had was
00:22:45.153 --> 00:22:47.989
wiped out.
00:22:48.023 --> 00:22:49.991
He sent his wife and four littledaughters to London to go
00:22:50.025 --> 00:22:55.130
to a D. L. Moody crusade,
00:22:55.163 --> 00:22:57.866
to try to havea moment of getting over their
00:22:57.899 --> 00:23:00.702
tremendous loss.
00:23:00.735 --> 00:23:02.804
On that voyage from New Yorkto London, middle
00:23:02.838 --> 00:23:07.509
of the Atlantic, the shipwent down.
00:23:07.542 --> 00:23:10.979
All four daughters were lost.
00:23:11.012 --> 00:23:13.949
Anna was saved.
00:23:13.982 --> 00:23:16.151
Somehow she was on a board,and when she regained
00:23:16.184 --> 00:23:19.254
consciousness, she lookedaround, all four of her
00:23:19.287 --> 00:23:22.123
daughters had drowned.
00:23:22.157 --> 00:23:24.392
When she found safety there, wasrescued, she sent a telegram
00:23:24.426 --> 00:23:28.997
back to her husband who wascoming over later to be
00:23:29.030 --> 00:23:31.967
with them.
00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:34.069
And it said simply, "Saved,alone.
00:23:34.102 --> 00:23:40.742
What am I to do?"
00:23:40.775 --> 00:23:43.378
Horatio Spafford wentover there, joined his wife,
00:23:43.411 --> 00:23:47.215
and they saw and were ledto believe that God had
00:23:47.249 --> 00:23:50.218
a special calling fortheir life.
00:23:50.252 --> 00:23:53.255
And so they moved to Jerusalem,and they bought this house,
00:23:53.288 --> 00:23:57.826
which is now a hotel, and theybegan to take in orphans.
00:23:57.859 --> 00:24:02.097
They began to take in streetpeople.
00:24:02.130 --> 00:24:03.965
They began to feed, and love,and share with those people,
00:24:03.999 --> 00:24:07.369
Jews and Muslims, the LordJesus Christ.
00:24:07.402 --> 00:24:10.539
And they did that for the restof their life.
00:24:10.572 --> 00:24:16.545
And on the way over, HoratioSpafford asks the ship he was
00:24:16.578 --> 00:24:20.949
on to stop over the spot wherehis four little daughters had
00:24:20.982 --> 00:24:26.021
drowned months before.
00:24:26.054 --> 00:24:28.456
And there he wrote, "It Is Wellwith My Soul."
00:24:28.490 --> 00:24:34.829
"Peace like a river, attendethmy day."
00:24:34.863 --> 00:24:37.866
Good things.
00:24:37.899 --> 00:24:39.167
"Sorrow when like sea,billows roll."
00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:42.103
Bad things.
00:24:42.137 --> 00:24:43.772
Said, "Whatever, whatever,whatever the cost, thou has
00:24:43.805 --> 00:24:49.110
taught me to say, it is well, itis well with my soul."
00:24:49.144 --> 00:24:57.919
That, ladies and gentlemen, isfaith in action.
00:24:57.953 --> 00:25:01.890
Ed: It is not always easy tokeep track
00:25:04.693 --> 00:25:06.595
of all God does foryou and for me.
00:25:06.628 --> 00:25:09.664
That is why we put together theIlluminate Journal.
00:25:09.698 --> 00:25:12.567
It can help you take new stepsin your walk with the Lord
00:25:12.601 --> 00:25:15.737
as you record what God is doingin your life.
00:25:15.770 --> 00:25:18.807
Each page contains inspirationalscripture
00:25:18.840 --> 00:25:21.543
from the book of Proverbs
00:25:21.576 --> 00:25:23.578
and space for you to record yourthoughts,
00:25:23.612 --> 00:25:26.448
your prayers, and answers toprayer
00:25:26.481 --> 00:25:28.717
so you can remember what God hasdone in your life.
00:25:28.750 --> 00:25:32.153
I know this will become atreasured record
00:25:32.187 --> 00:25:34.522
of your time spent with Him.
00:25:34.556 --> 00:25:37.125
So, in whatever situation youfind yourself today,
00:25:37.158 --> 00:25:40.228
I encourage you to get thisjournal so you can
00:25:40.261 --> 00:25:43.098
look back over what the Lord hasdone for you
00:25:43.131 --> 00:25:45.800
and give praise to Him.
00:25:45.834 --> 00:25:48.269
Voiceover: To get a copy of theIlluminate Journal
00:25:48.303 --> 00:25:50.372
for yourself or someone youlove,
00:25:50.405 --> 00:25:52.240
call the number on your screen.
00:25:52.273 --> 00:25:53.975
Or go online at winningwalk.org
00:25:54.009 --> 00:25:57.012
♪♪♪
00:26:02.083 --> 00:26:06.421
♪♪♪
00:26:06.454 --> 00:26:16.464
Ed Young: The story of Noahreminds us that the time to obey
00:26:17.332 --> 00:26:20.735
God's instructions and genuinelywalk with him is before the rain
00:26:20.769 --> 00:26:25.173
begins to fall.
00:26:25.206 --> 00:26:26.741
Noah obeyed everything Godcommanded him to do.
00:26:26.775 --> 00:26:30.612
He was consistent in his walkwith the Lord and he trusted
00:26:30.645 --> 00:26:34.449
God's timing.
00:26:34.482 --> 00:26:36.017
Listen, walking with God isa daily thing.
00:26:36.051 --> 00:26:39.354
When you apply his timelessprinciples to your marriage,
00:26:39.387 --> 00:26:42.424
your family, and your everydaylife, you will discover
00:26:42.457 --> 00:26:45.894
the favor that comes to thosewho walk with God.
00:26:45.927 --> 00:26:50.131
Are you experiencing this dailywalk with the Lord?
00:26:50.165 --> 00:26:53.334
If not, we would like to help.
00:26:53.368 --> 00:26:55.937
Call the number on your screenright now and men and women are
00:26:55.970 --> 00:26:59.007
standing by to talk with youand help you have a deeper walk
00:26:59.040 --> 00:27:03.311
with the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:27:03.344 --> 00:27:05.547
Let me personally thank youfor watching today.
00:27:05.580 --> 00:27:08.349
Please join us again next timeas we take another step together
00:27:08.383 --> 00:27:12.087
on "The Winning Walk."
00:27:12.120 --> 00:27:15.123
♪♪♪
00:27:15.223 --> 00:27:21.296
♪♪♪
00:27:21.329 --> 00:27:28.336
...
00:27:29.003 --> 00:27:29.009

Menu Top

How To Make Decisions

How To Make Decisions

Video Keywords

Menu Top

How To Make Decisions

How To Make Decisions

Video Keywords

Stay Up to Date With Our Newsletter