Episode 50 - Happy New Year!

Speaker 1 00:00:07 Hi, and welcome to the unveiling. I'm Tim, one of the hosts, and along with Andrey and Mark, we are three guys discussing the one true gospel. We hope you're encouraged by this episode. Let's dive right in. Hello and welcome to the unveiling with your hosts, Ajay, mark, and Tim, this is episode 50, so I'm sure you're expecting a special episode. And by golly, we are going to deliver because this is our New Year's Day special. We're actually releasing this, uh, January 1st, 2023. Hey guys, new New Year, new podcast. Right? Speaker 2 00:00:47 There we go. Speaker 1 00:00:49 <laugh>, same, Speaker 2 00:00:49 Same glorious message though. Speaker 1 00:00:51 Exactly. <laugh>. Speaker 3 00:00:53 Yeah. His, his messages are new every day. Speaker 1 00:00:55 Yep. We're not gonna change much, that's for sure. So, but uh, just as a teaser, next week, uh, for our next episode, we are going to be doing a couple of special things, so make sure you check back with us then. But in the theme of New Year, uh, one of the things that came to mind recently was the idea of making New Year's resolutions. Now, um, guys, either one of you or both effect both of you answers, does either one of you make New Year's resolutions? Mark? Speaker 2 00:01:26 I'm hoping to get off the heroin this year, Speaker 3 00:01:29 <laugh>, Speaker 2 00:01:31 You know, but no, that's just a joke, obviously. No, I don't tend to make New Year's resolutions. Really don't. Maybe when I was younger I did. I think as we get older and wiser, we realize that our, our batting average isn't real good. So try to live more day, day to day by the spirit and grow, grow through him instead of trying to do it in one big spur at the beginning of the year. Speaker 1 00:01:55 <laugh> aj, how about you? Speaker 3 00:01:56 Yeah, me neither Tim. Uh, I don't know. For some reason I never, uh, uh, made any resolutions because I really, even before knowing Grace or before knowing Grace, I didn't really have much confidence in me. So, like Paul said, you know, in me, that is in my flesh. At that point, I didn't know, but nothing good. Well, so that's kind of literally true for me. So there's no point of, uh, making resolutions for me. So I never really attempted that. Yeah, Speaker 1 00:02:23 Well, I'm a little bit more like Mark. I used to make 'em, I don't anymore. Uh, and uh, mark is, you and I were talking about this at some point, uh, recently, and you said, you know, new Year's resolutions are just a joke that they're a late night comedy line, you know? And so I did, I just looked it up and apparently only about 60% of people will admit to making New Year's resolutions. And of them only 8% report that they successfully accomplished their New Year's resolution. So, you know, again, as we come older and wiser, we realize we're really kind of setting ourselves up for failure by just setting an arbitrary set of rules at an arbitrary time. So they don't mean much, but it makes me harken back to an episode we did called Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And Paul starts that sentence with, for, yeah, I, but maybe tell me if I'm misquoting this far, I'm resolved. Speaker 1 00:03:23 When I, or when I was with you, I resolved to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified, his resolved in our resolution are the same root word, and they mean very, very similar things. Um, so resolutions themselves aren't a bad thing. Uh, I will say at the beginning of this discussion, if you are resolving to do something because you are a Christian and you are trying to please God or get something, you know, if I, I'm gonna resolve to give more money there in the offerings to tithe so I can, you know, God will gimme more financial blessings. That's no, that's not gonna happen. That's not gonna work. No. That's just not in the cards for you guys for if you're doing that. But I mean, if you wanna resolve to hit the gym more or call your parents more or whatever, you know, fleshly thing you're doing that, there's nothing wrong with that. But don't be mistaken when it comes to God. But Paul said he did resolve to do something for God, and that was to know Jesus Christ and Him crucified and that, that above all and, and only from there. So, um, hopefully I didn't give away too much of the entire episode cause I know that's that we're gonna, we're gonna go through a couple different things, but, uh, mark, why don't you take it away from here. Speaker 2 00:04:37 Sure. I wanna start just with a quick example. Something I had mentioned to you today in texting that I heard, I I, it's been years, but I heard that like one of the top times of the year for home exercise equipment sales is coming up through Christmas, coming up to the first of the year when people, and right after people make their resolutions, and then the best time to buy used equipment is that spring <laugh>, because the exercise bikes and the weight systems have all been sitting in the basement like new <laugh>, you know, hanging our Speaker 1 00:05:15 Laundry on it, I'm telling you. Speaker 2 00:05:16 Yep, yep. So it's just, and, and I think it's just a great example what Paul and the Bible talk about so much that we all have great intentions, but our follow through is never as good of our intentions because of the weakness of our flesh. In fact, that's why the law is useless. Not that the law was bad, Romans chap, the first chapter of Romans eight tell, uh, paragraphs of Romans eight tells us, but that it was weakened by the flesh. And Paul, one of his most famous things here is in Roman seven, where he said, for I know that good itself does not dwell in me. That is in my sinful nature for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out for I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil, I do not want to do this. Speaker 2 00:06:11 I keep on doing for I do what I do not want to do. It is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. And I, what I love about this whole paragraph at the end, he says, who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God for the victory, victory we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the state of affairs. And it's probably the reason why we're no good at resolutions either, you know, I mean, under the law, it's always our desire to do all these good things. Nobody can say, you know, not lusting for a woman in your heart is, is a is is not a good thing. Yeah. It's good to be pure. It's good to stay faithful to our wives. Nobody can say that. Do not, murder is not a good thing. Speaker 2 00:07:01 Jesus said, do not be angry with your brother for no cause. We know there's a good things, but we fall into 'em because of the weakness. Our own weakness of our flesh is the way, the way the Bible puts it. Uh, maybe a more, more modern day. A way of putting that is just in our own power, you know, in our own abilities and trying. They never match the height of the goals we set for ourselves. And, and we know that the standard, if we're going to do that, is perfection. If we're going to try to meet the law, we have to do it perfectly. So you miss one of those resolutions, <laugh>, and you're, it's over. You know, the curse of the law is now on you. Speaker 3 00:07:45 Yeah. Mark, as you are, uh, talking about it, I am reminded of, uh, our favorite chapter, second Corinthians chapter three. He says, uh, in chapter three, uh, verse five, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiencies from God who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant. Not of the letter, but of the spirit. But the letter kills for the spirit gives life. So here, Paul is clearly saying, right in our sufficiencies of God, not ourselves. So usually, I don't know, maybe, uh, I, I don't want to generalize it, but to the vast extent, when you, uh, make a new resolution, right, you're basically depending on yourself, most of the time, oh, I am deciding to do this. You know, I've been trying to do this, so this time I really want to do that. Speaker 3 00:08:39 Most of the time the resolutions are about, you know, you've been trying to do before you failed, and now this time I really want to do it kind of thing. So it is more about, you know, what we could do and the dependency is not on God, but dependency on ourselves. And, uh, mark, as you said, you know, if we depend on flesh, which is our old man, we are doomed to fail. So we can make resolutions, you know, there's nothing wrong with good intentions, but the end result is uh, failure. And the second thing is I also feel like, uh, these resolutions are a bondage, right? And let's say, you know, oh, I want to go to gym every day, but you fail to do that, right? You know, every time you don't go, uh, you condemn yourself, you start, oh my God, I'm so bad. And, and also, you know, as if that resolution is the most important thing in your life, you are just keep on keeping at it and everything else becomes less important. But, you know, maybe there are more important things in life than going to gym. So it's probably better not to worry too much about what we wanted to do and what we are not doing, but rather let go and let God do things in our life. Speaker 1 00:09:46 So it kind of sounds like what you're saying IJ is even when the 8% managed to complete their resolutions at what cost, Speaker 3 00:09:55 Right? Right. Speaker 1 00:09:56 That's what you're asking. Yeah. To the detriment of what now the end of another year comes and you realize, oh, because I was so busy focusing on this, I didn't do this, this, or this, so I'm gonna do this, this, and this more now. Yeah. It's a, it's mark my favorite rodents. It's gonna come into play here. It's the hamster wheel all over it, Speaker 2 00:10:14 Or the gerbil wheel, depending on your preference, <laugh>. Speaker 1 00:10:18 But it's that endless cycle of, I may, you know, if you squeeze a balloon, sure you get the middle all nice and small, but now your two ends are all puffed up and now you gotta, now you gotta get those down and oops, your biddle pops back. You just can't win the whole thing. Speaker 2 00:10:34 Oh, that's a great, I never, never heard that, uh, that illustration. That's great though. One thing I wanna point out, Tim, in the scripture, you read about Paul's resolution to know nothing but Christ and him crucified. That was not a resolution that he made in his flesh, according to his own abilities. And I know that because if you read what he said right before and after, he said when he came to the Corinthians, he didn't come with eloquence or human wisdom as you proclaim the testimony of God. That's his own stuff. That's my own eloquence, my own wisdom. And then afterward, he said, when he came, where is this? He result, uh oh, I don't have the second half. But he said he didn't come with strong and persuasive arguments, but with his preaching and his message were with a demonstration of the spirit's power. Speaker 2 00:11:30 So when he came resolving to know nothing but Christ, he wasn't coming doing it with his own strength. We like to say pulling his bootstraps up. Uh, he knew that that was futile because he had been preaching the gospel for many years by this point. And he saw, he knew not only what the truth was because it was giving given to him directly from Christ, but he saw the fruit of what he preached and that if he did it according to his own wisdom, another way he put it later on is he didn't do what that let the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. So even in his very thing resolving to know nothing but Christ and who crucified, he didn't do that by his own wisdom or eloquence or power or strength or abilities, but by the Spirit. Well, you had, you had me worried for a second Mark. I thought you were gonna say the reason Paul's resolution wasn't the same was cuz it wasn't on New Year's and therefore didn't count. Well, I was gonna go that way and I thought it might be a little silly, Tim, for our listeners. So thanks for sharing Speaker 3 00:12:39 <laugh>. No, I think in the footnote it is there, it's a yes Speaker 2 00:12:42 Resolution <laugh> in the orig, in the original Greek I believe. But Speaker 3 00:12:47 Yeah, so yeah, mark, uh, I also wanted to point out that, you know, Paul made a resolution not to do something but to know a person. So knowing Christ is always a good thing. It's not about our doing, but actually knowing our Lord Jesus Christ just wanted to find that out. Speaker 2 00:13:04 That's a very good point. And I never saw that before, but that is his wording to know nothing but Christ. So we usually tend to think of that sentence. I resolved to know nothing while I was with you, except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We think of that as what he was going to preach to them. That, and that is, I'm sure one of the meetings cuz he's talking about that when he preached in his message was with the power of the spirit. But I think it was also about the way he lived while he was there, was to know nothing but Christ. That was his focus in his own life as well as his preaching. That's awesome that you pointed that out, Aja. I've never seen that before. You know, another thing that strikes me is that much like the law resolutions have no power to give us, to accomplish them, the law has no power to give us, uh, any energy or the, the, you know, the will or whatever to keep it. It only has the ability to point out when we don't keep it. And resolutions are just so similar that they, they're they are, they're self law more or less. There's, they're self-work, self law. Yep. They're setting up your own commandment. <laugh> basically thou shall go to the gym. How shall lose weight? <laugh> thou shall not eat chocolate eclairs before bed. Right. Those, those can all be found in second opinions. There you go, man. That's my favorite book, <laugh>. Speaker 3 00:14:31 Yeah, that's a great point, Tim. Uh, know the resolutions have no power. One of the reasons people make resolutions is because they don't realize that, uh, they have no power. So that's an awesome truth, that these resolutions have no power. The only power we have is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Speaker 2 00:14:48 Yeah. And, and just to finish up with that first Corinthians two where Paul said, and the first time I read that I, it put pressure on me cuz it's like, oh man, cuz I, I, I get the opportunity to preach and I'm a worship leader. And I thought, wow, anytime I speak now I've gotta have a demonstration of the Holy Spirit's power. And that like made me like even more nervous about speaking in front of people about Jesus. But then I realized he didn't say he came up with that power. He said, my message and my preaching, it's the message of Jesus Christ and him crucified. The gospel is where the power is not only for preaching, but for our lives. And any goal or thing we'd like to good thing in our lives, that's where the power's gonna come from, from our relationship with Christ and and His spirit in us. Speaker 3 00:15:45 Yeah. I want to camp here a little bit on this verse if you're okay, <laugh>. Sure. So, yeah, you know, of course in our whole ministry is about Christ and in crucified this message is about, you know, again, talking about resolutions. Typically resolutions are about doing something right, you know, completing the unfinished work or I have not been doing that. You know, let me do that now at least finally I'll try to do it and keep doing it. But when we look at the cross, when we look at Christ and I crucified, it is the work is finished. That's what the Bible says, right? So God, after, just as in Hebrews, it is there just as God on the seventh day, he entered his rush, our Lord Jesus Christ, he purged your sins. And then he sat at the right hand of God. So he did everything that is required for our forgiveness of sins and for our eternal life and life and godliness as we live in this world. Speaker 3 00:16:41 He completed it. So when we look at the cross, what we see is a finished work. So when we realize and see that the work is finished, what is our response? Our response is not to resolve, to do more, but our response is to rushed. So again, the finished work of Lord Jesus Christ means that we rushed now. And Hebrew says, just as God entered his rushed on the seventh today, Bible says, you know, he that has, uh, uh, you know, he has, has entered the rushed, has seized from his own works. I will just read that one. Hebrew chapter four. And was, um, verse 10. He who has entered his rest has himself also seized from his works just as God did from his. So we stop all working in order to get anything from God or we even stop working from improving ourselves. Speaker 3 00:17:39 Most of the work is related to self-improvement. But the Bible says, right, if any man is in Christ, he's a new creation, all things have passed away and new things have, all things have become new. And the Bible also talks about, you know, put on the new man. This new man is already complete. And uh, in Colosians Bible says, you know, we are complete in him. So the reason we resolve to do something is, you know, we are trying to finish something, but when we realize the work is finished and we are made complete in Christ, our only response is rushing in the truth. Speaker 2 00:18:10 I'd love to complete the next line there for you, Ajay. It says, and I love Paul's irony and play on words here. And because he knows how we are, what human nature is, he says, if we're gonna labor, then he says, because that's what we're always prone to do. He says, let us labor therefore to enter into that rest lest any men fall after the same example of unbelief. And I love that. It's kind of a little irony there. Look, if we've gotta work for something, let's work to rest in what Christ did. And when you think about what does it mean to rest in Christ, it's, it's kind of, um, a little bit of a nebulous thing. But I think he explains it by saying, not falling after the same example of unbelief, another way of putting, resting in Christ is believing in what he did on the cross, trusting that it's enough and, um, putting your faith that it is the work is finished. Speaker 2 00:19:13 And that might take us a little labor, not the not laboring enough physical work effort kind of way, but believing to enter into that rest that what Christ has done is enough and more than enough you are flying in the face of the things that my children were taught in Sunday school and in church in the eighties and nineties with their little ww JD bracelets on all the time. Right. What would Jesus do? They, the encouragement and it seems on the, you know, on at one level on the surface it seems encouraging and and wise think about what God would do and try to emulate that, you know, do this work that he would do. But it it's completely backwards. Yeah. It shouldn't be. What would Jesus do? But, so it should be something more like, so who is Jesus? Yeah. And the thing is, the if it, what was Jesus do is an interesting question. But there are implications in that meaning. So you better do what Jesus would do another setup for failure. I can't, I can no longer emulate Jesus that I can live a sinless life, that I can do a bunch of other things. It's, it's, it's set up for failure. Yeah. Speaker 3 00:20:28 And in fact, can I instead of wondering what would Jesus do and try to copy him or conjure up something, if you simply rest in the finish work, you will know what he would do because he's living in you. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And you will see how he will, he will respond Christ in you will respond to that situation. But it's not something we, we try to emulate or copy. But it's simply resting in the finished work and believing on him. He will show up in our life, Speaker 2 00:20:55 Which is life in the spirit. Yes. Resting in what Christ did on the cross is living in the Holy Spirit, which you're gonna end up doing more, but it's now gonna be the fruit of the spirit in you, God doing it through you. So it's, it's kind of a cake. Get your cake and eat too rest in Christ. And those good works you had a desire to try hard to do but couldn't do 'em, those are gonna flow outta you through effortlessly, through your effort. It'll be the effort of the spirit in you. Speaker 3 00:21:30 So Mark, real quick, I think before we move on from this, I just wanted to back up what you said with the verse. You said, uh uh, basically resting is another way to say believing. In fact, in the same chapter, if you go up couple of verse Hebrew chapter four and verse three, for we who have believed do enter the trust. And if you go further upright, actually in fact let me read from uh, um, uh, verse two. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them. But the word which they heard did not profit them not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. So basically they heard the gospel but they did not believe it. Therefore they could not enter the rest. And it clearly says, for we who have believed, do enter the rest. So it is again pointing back to believing Speaker 2 00:22:21 Even all the way back to the book of Zaria, the prophet in four, God said to him, not by might nor by power, but by my spirit that means not by human might or human power, but by the spirit of God in us. That's a great model for our lives. When you think about, and it really is a great encapsulation of the gospel. I don't know how many centuries before Christ Stephen came. Speaker 3 00:22:49 I think when we talk about rest, you know, when we talk about trusting in the laies Christ, when we are talking about live the let go life or even talk about grace, most people interpret that as, oh, does it mean we do nothing? We are just sitting around all day and doing nothing that could be, you know, that is uh, not true. Right? It couldn't be further from the truth. Just want to point this verse inefficient chapter two, verse 10, I think, uh, uh, mark, he alluded to that for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in him. So even the works that we work, they're already prepared for us. Always simp. All we do is we simply walk into it. In other words, you know, in other way, place it says, you know, work out your salvation that God is working in. So in other words, you know, we don't work for something, we work out what God is already working in us. And in fact, like uh, Paul said, you know, I am what I am by the grace of God. And he says, you know, I labored more than anyone else, but you know that labor is powered by the spirit of God. Yeah. Not by the flesh. Speaker 2 00:23:59 And after he said, I worked harder than the rest of them, he said, yet not I but the spirit in me. Yeah. So he's Speaker 3 00:24:06 Definitely yet not I but the grace of God actually, not I but the grace of God. Yeah. Depends on, it's the same thing. Yeah. Speaker 1 00:24:12 So I'm gonna go back to your point there, AJ, for just a moment. Does, so people are gonna ask it. Doesn't that mean we sit around doing nothing? And you know, while you've given us a certain part of that explanation, I am going to add, uh, from a pastor that, uh, I respect, uh, a line that he's used that I'm sure I've used before. But God isn't against effort, he is against earning. So if he, if you feel led to do something, go do it. Follow that. But don't think God is going to change or that that's going to impact your relationship with God in any way, shape or form. Uh, he, he may be leading you, it may be you. Sometimes you have to figure out that out until you know for sure what's what. And sometimes the way you find out is what bears fruit. You know? Oh, guess that was me cuz nothing. Ha you know, nothing came of it. I tried hard <laugh>. So, you know, it's like, uh, so we can do things and we can do things that, especially if we feel led, and many times those will be God leading you to do things. He's not against you doing things. He is against the idea that you may have that by doing anything. You are going to get anything in return more than you already got when you accepted him in the first place, Speaker 2 00:25:27 Which was everything. <laugh>. Yeah, Speaker 1 00:25:28 Exactly. Speaker 2 00:25:29 He's given us everything. And I, I, I like, I like the way you put that, Tim, I'll just add my own little thing on there. The word effort means to work, effort in work according to scripture, deserve wages, earn wages. That's why effort can never be involved in our relationship with God. We put lots of effort into our jobs, into our human relationships, into pretty much everything we do except our relationship with God. Because effort does deserve it does earn, it does merit some type of pay where as you pointed out, God's already given us everything on the cross. And I love in the pa in the parable, the prodigal son, when the fa when the son wanted to go back as a servant and the father would have nothing of that, put a robe on him, put a ring on him, put sandals, we're gonna have a massive party. Speaker 2 00:26:26 This son of mine was lost and now he's found. So then the elder son is getting jealous and he's getting mad. And he says to the elder son who was not at his best at that moment, he said, don't you know that you're always with me and everything I have is yours. Jesus was telling that parable to us. And you know, he gave us everything. And as he also said, he did not, uh, Romans eight, he who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also along with him, give us all things if he already gave us Christ while we were at a dead end transgression, enemies of the cross and just completely dead Now that we're his children, all he has is ours. So why we don't need to work for anything. We have it in him. And even if we did, you can't earn more. Speaker 3 00:27:19 Yeah. While I agree with you both, I would also like to add, there is an effort that, you know, even as Christians sometimes, you know, we can stress and sweat and uh, you know, get all worried and nervous and, uh, try to do something for God that is mostly initiated by our, um, flesh. But I think, like Tim alluded right, you know, if there's a spirit leading, there's an effort initiated by the spirit and we work out of our rest. Not striving, not sweating, not worrying, but you know, we know when God is leading us, things flow out of us. You know, it is, even though we might be working, putting in long hours, but our soul is at rushed and, uh, there's more energy and things fall in place because you know, Lord is in it. But there is a, even as Christians, you know, sometimes, you know, we can just, um, use the effort of the flesh and or the motivations of the flesh. You know, they're not that helpful. Everything has to be led by the spirit and powered by the spirit. Speaker 2 00:28:22 I think a lot of Christians try to work out of guilt in self condemnation. That's called penance. In the Catholic religion, you did something bad. Now you need to go do enough good stuff to pay for that. That is not the gospel. That's legalism in the law. And I think many do that. All I'm guilty because I cheated on my wife. So now I'm going to go serve the church. I'm gonna give, you know, as though they're trying to erase their own sin with good works. Speaker 3 00:28:54 Yeah. I am also reminded, uh, of, uh, one him as you're saying that. Right. You know, some people work out of guilt and some people, some preaching is, you know, they are make they make you obligated. You, you work out of obligation, not out of joy and thankfulness. In fact, there's an old famous hymn you might have heard, you know, we used to sing all the time. You know, it was never, I'm not a big fan of that one. It's like Jesus almost crying and pleading. I did, I did this for you. What have you done for me? I gave, I gave my life for you. What have you done for me? So, oh Speaker 2 00:29:31 Man. Talk about guilting people into something. Yeah. Yeah. And wrapping it in music, <laugh>. Oh man. Speaker 3 00:29:37 Oh, you never heard of that? It's a famous him. I've never heard hear. I gave my life for you. What have you done Speaker 2 00:29:43 For me? I'll tell you, as a worship leader, I've never done that one <laugh>, nor will I do it. Yeah, yeah. So the question that comes up out of those is someone, do you know you've paid for what you've done or given enough? Well, yet Jesus did this. What have you done for me? Well, I've done this, that, and the other. Well, yeah. What else have you done for me? What am I gonna do to equal that? I can't do <laugh>, you know, to equal what you did for me. When you get caught up in that trap, it really is a durable wheel that you just, the harder you work, the faster you run. You just don't get anywhere and you just get tired. And you know, a lot of people walk away from the faith because of that. They think that's all there is. They think that is what Christ meant for us to experience in this life. No, no. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. And Paul said, do not let yourselves be burned again by a hamster wheel. No, he said, yoke of slavery. That's what that is. It's just a yoke of slavery. Amen. Yeah. Speaker 3 00:30:45 Yeah. That is true. I think anything that, uh, Christ work means it's finished. Right. And there is rushed. So anything like the gerbil wheel, or I think hamster wheel is easier for me to say <laugh>. So I vote for hamster wheel. But, um, any kind of hamster will kind of situation doesn't matter, right? Even this resolutions, they never end. You keep on resolving, resolving, resolving. Like anything that doesn't end does not belong to God. Because God, when he created, even at the beginning, right after he finished his work, after he created everything we need, the words, the fish, the fruits, the trees, then he created man to enjoy. And similarly, when, um, these are all pictures in the Bible of heaven itself. And when the Israelites went to land of Keenan, he said, you know, you will have fruits that you did not plant and you'll have digs that you did not, uh, well, you did not dig, and the buildings you did not build. Speaker 3 00:31:44 So they also entered into a finished work. Similarly for us, we entered into a finished work. And when we, what did, uh, Adam and Dave do, do in the garden all day long, they might have just played around. They might have eaten the fruits. They were just enjoying God's creation. Enjoying also involves physical activity. When we say rest, it doesn't mean that there's no physical activity or sitting on the couch all day long. That's not what, but our part is to enjoy the finished work of Lord Jesus Christ. That's how we work out our salvation. And in enjoying the work of Lord Jesus Christ, we bless others. I'm a firm believer that, you know, we bless others out of the overflow. Not by striving, not sacrificing, not, you know, let, uh, not giving things out of, uh, grudge or misery. Right? Oh, I do. Because I have to do, because Christ sacrificed. Speaker 3 00:32:36 I have to sacrifice. If you go go with that attitude, I don't think you'll never have joy in serving. We bless others. We give to others out of the overflow and abundance because we have so much. What else can we do? We just let it overflow and give it to others. That's why I God told Abraham, you know, I will bless you and you will be a blessing. You know, there's a minor, um, very, very small subtle difference. I think one word. Most people interpret this as I, I will bless you so that you'll be a blessing. But the Bible then says so that it says, and I will bless you and you'll be a blessing. That means I'll bless you so much out of your overflow. You'll bless others. Speaker 2 00:33:20 That's awesome. Aj. What were the words to that hymn again? Speaker 3 00:33:24 I gave, I gave my life for you. What have you given for me? So there are multiple stanzas like that. Everything starts with I did, I did, I did this for you. What have you done for me Speaker 2 00:33:35 Right now that hymn is presupposing. That the reason Christ died was to get us to do things for him. The reason Christ died was to make us sons and daughters of his father. So they've, they've got the whole purpose that Christ died wrong. He didn't die. So then he could hold it over us to get us to do things he wants us to do. That's not the Christian life. Speaker 3 00:34:04 Yeah. I think they're, the intention I would think is, uh, they just want to use the love of God to get us to do things for God in response. Speaker 2 00:34:12 More like do things for the church, I would imagine aj Speaker 3 00:34:15 Yeah. <laugh>. Yeah. Speaker 2 00:34:17 No, seriously. You know, it's like, to me it's blatant manipulation. I don't mean to come down too hard on the writer, but that's, that's pretty emotionally manipulative. You know? Speaker 3 00:34:28 Not only that, I think also feeling self obligated, right? Always looking inward and thinking that I'm not doing enough for God. I should be doing more. I should be doing more. Even if you think I should be doing more for God, that's again, unfinished work. It'll never be completed. So I think it is out of that, I think out of good intentions and out of gratitude, oh, God did so much for me. What am I doing for him? So that kind of inward looking attitude, that sounds good. But again, there's no end to that. Right? No matter how much you do, you can never match what the lodges Christ did for us. You will still come shot. So the real way to work out is, you know, you simply walk into the good works that Lord already prepared for us. You are not working together with Christ to finish work. You're actually receiving the finish work and simply walking in it. There's a difference. Speaker 1 00:35:18 Mark, you asked that him is actually called, uh, I gave my life for thee by Francis Huber and the apropo parts, there's four verses, but they all end in, I did something like the first, uh, first verse I gave, I gave my life for the what has done for me. The second one is I left, I left it all for the, has left oun for me. Uh, yeah. It's, it's, it's just guilt upon guilt upon guilt. I've born, I've born, I've born it all for the what has done for or born for me. And finally I bring, I bring rich gifts to the, what has that brought to me? Speaker 2 00:36:00 Oh, let's get a little money in there for the church too, huh? <laugh>. Yeah, that's, see that there, uh, it reminds me of that scripture that says, and and you said it, it seems like a good, well, how did you put it on? It seems like a good thing. It looks religious, it looks pious, but it lacks any power. Paul said. Yeah. That kind of living, that kind of thinking lacks any kind of power. And it's, it's like you said, it's just you're guilting somebody that's not the gospel, that's a perversion of the gospel. Speaker 3 00:36:31 Yeah. It's also against grace, right? You know, grace means free, it's a free gift. So let's say you gimme a Christmas gift and every day you're asking me, Hey, I gave you a Christmas gift. What are you giving me? Then? It's no more a gift. So it is one is pre-payment, the other is post-payment. It's like Jesus is asking us for post-payment. Hey, you know, it's almost like I saved you on a credit card, you know, instead of paying me beforehand, you get saved and you pay me later. But either of them will nullify, nullify grace. Speaker 2 00:37:07 Oh wow. That's a great point. You know what? You are unable to earn salvation. But after you get it as a free, that's like you getting a Christmas gift and wanting to pay somebody for it afterward, you know, they'll all agree, oh no, you can't earn salvation. But after you're saved, now you better start earning it. Yeah, that was a great point you just made AJ. And, and I don't think they see it that way, but that's what it is. You know, because a lot of times we're real good at wrapping things up and nice flowery religious spiritual language to make, to make a, a gerbil wheel look like a Corvette, you know? Speaker 1 00:37:46 Well, guys, this has been a really great discussion. Um, we're gonna do our, I'm gonna give us each a chance to do our summaries, if you don't mind, for change. I'm gonna go first and I'm gonna say something I said at the very beginning, new year, new you. If you're the person who is trying to please God, to clean yourself up so that God will accept you to give back to God, what he's, you know, more, or whatever he's given you, you're, you're expending your energy unwisely. Accept that the Lord has done everything for you. Rest in that idea and let him work through you. Now, that does mean you're still gonna do things, but the things that you're going to do now as a result of what God says or pushes you to do as a result of what God leads you to do, are going to be fruitful. They're going, going to be successful because they're live, they're powerful. They're being, they're being fueled and fed by the Holy Spirit, not by our dead works or our dead bodies. So take this opportunity and, you know, really, really focus in on your beliefs, because that's where it's gonna start. Ajay, why don't you go next? Speaker 3 00:38:57 Yeah. So Tim, we talked about, uh, resolutions at the beginning. You know, growing up as a kid, we never had resolutions, but every year we had promises from God. So I would eagerly look forward to the promise. And every time I claim the promise, and it's so exciting, even now, I look for promises. Sometimes, you know, my mom gives me from the church, and sometimes, you know, Lord puts thes on my heart and I take it as a promise to run with for the year. So I thought, you know, I'll, you know, I will take a promise again. And not only for us, for our listeners as well as we enter into the new year, and let us run with that promise, not only for this year, but for every year afterwards. This is a well known verse and use for, um, promises, uh, at the beginning of the year. So Psalm 65, 11, you crown the year with your goodness and your paths drip with abundance. So let's not only take this promise, but also hold onto that. So he is going to crown our year with goodness everywhere we turn, every which way we turn, we bump into God's goodness. And there paths dip, rip, abundance, right as you're walking everywhere there abundance. So Psalm 65 11, we can take it for ourselves and for Speaker 1 00:40:18 <unk> I personally am going to receive that one because that's, uh, it's a wonderful thought for a new year. Mark. I don't know if this is the right thing to do, but you get the, the first last word of the year. So why don't you give us, give us your words. Speaker 2 00:40:32 Alrighty. I'll, I'll try to make the most of it here. Uh, you know, just to, to finish up on what AJ said, a picture popped into my head of the things we're talking about today and what to compare it to people that are trying to, as in the hymn said, you know, pay Jesus back. Imagine you are raised your whole childhood by loving parents who clothe you and feed you and nurture you. They pay for your schooling. They take you to the doctor. Imagine when you hit 18, they present you with a bill for everything they did. They did it because they're your parents and you're their children not to get paid back, not for you to go out, get a job and work and pay them back for 18 years of love and care. That's, it's ridiculous. And that's what people that are preaching this mixed gospel, adding the law and works to what are doing. Speaker 2 00:41:28 They're saying, we're trying to pay back the father who loves us. So, and, and for me, this is my challenge to people this year. Don't make a New Year's resolution. Instead, think about having a New Year's revolution. I looked up the, the, uh, dictionary definition of re of revolution. And it is a fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something, a change of paradigm, a sudden radical or a complete change. There's another word that that's also pretty much the definition for, and that's the word repentance that comes from the Greek meta Noa. I've talked about it so many times, but this word is so abused and misused in the church. It bears repeating meta noa. Literally meta means again, re noia means think with your brain. Rethink. Let that be your revolution this year. Change your paradigm of the way you think about God, the way you think about the things you do and rest in him. Have a New Year's revolution this year, and we're all three of us thankful for that revolution that the spirit of God brought upon us at a certain time and space. Speaker 1 00:42:45 Amen. Amen. Beautiful. And guys, I just want to add here that I want to thank you for our first full year of podcasts being complete, for your faithfulness in being here and, and doing this, and for, uh, helping as we all try to expose the one true gospel by taking away everything that isn't the one true gospel. So everybody, happy New Year. We hope that you've been blessed by this or encouraged. And if you have, we encourage you to subscribe, tell your friends, tell your family, and we look forward to continuing our teaching throughout the coming year. So for all of us here at the unveiling happy New Year, and we'll talk to you the next time. Speaker 2 00:43:36 Happy New Year. Speaker 0 00:43:37 Happy year, Speaker 1 00:43:43 Tim. Again, thanks for listening today. We hope you were blessed by today's message. If so, we encourage you to subscribe and share our podcast with your friends and family. Our entire catalog of episodes can be found on our website at www.theunveiledgospel.com. Or you can listen and subscribe on most popular podcast apps. If you have any feedback or questions, you can send us an email to the unveiled gospel yahoo.com. You can reach out to us on our Facebook page, the Unveiling Podcast, or you can leave a question or comment on our listener line at 3 5 2 3 9 8 0 0 8 9. Maybe you'll hear yourself on a future episode. That's it for today. As always, God bless and we will talk to you the next time.