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A
To me, this is what the word is today is Jesus. The Bible says in John 3:16 that for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. And hello everyone and welcome to a program the truth will set you free Bible Prophecy edition. I'm Vic Batista along with my co host Nathan Jones with Lamb Lion Ministry. We thank you for being part of today's program program we have a great program prepared for you today in the book of Isaiah, chapter 54 that we have titled Everlasting Kindness. So stay tuned and those of you that follow us on social media would love for you to share this program with your friends and family so they can follow along as well. But before continue, I'm going to ask my co host, Nathan Jones if he will open us up with a word of prayer.
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B
We thank you and praise you Lord for being the great God and Savior that you are. We thank you for your word that helps us understand you and our place in the universe. And we thank you for all who've tuned in that we may together Lord, grow in our knowledge and our relationship with you. Bless our time together in your precious name. Amen.
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A
Amen. Again you tuned into our 22 set free Bible prophecy edition Big Batista, Nathan Jones with Lamb Lion Ministry. Again the title of our message is Everlasting kindness in Isaiah, chapter 54. Before we continue, I'm going to welcome my guest to the program, my co host of the program, Nathan Jones. Nate. Not, not a guest, Nathan, not a guest.
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B
I haven't been a guest since 2010. What are you talking about?
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A
Actually, actually no, Nathan, let's correct. But now I'm your guest because this is the programs with Lamb Lion Ministry. So welcome Nathan.
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B
Yeah, well no folks, both Vic and I are evangelists with Lamb and Lion Ministries that this podcast might have started 16 years ago in Vic's radio ministry out there in Florida. But now it's a official podcast of Lamb and Lion Ministries where a Bible prophecy teaching ministry and our mission is to proclaim the sooner return of Jesus Christ. And so if you've been following us for all these years, we go through the Bible verse by verse and we have been going through Isaiah verse by verse and vic, wow, chapter 53 just blew my mind, Nathan.
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A
It's amazing. But you know, as we look at 53, Nathan, 54 and 55 are even just as exciting. But yes, 53 really was one of those passages that you had to hold your breath because of all the content that was in there. And for anyone that missed that, thank you Nathan for sharing where they can find that information. Because again, the Bible is, is powerful and sharper than a two edged sword. But in chapter 53, that description of the Messiah and clearing up. Right, Nate, that's what we did in our last program. That Messiah there, it wasn't talking about a nation, but it was actually a person. And you did a great job in clarifying for that as well.
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B
Well, I mean, Isaiah 53 is about the suffering servant folks. Most Jewish people orthodox will skip right over chapter 53 because it so clearly points to Jesus Christ being the Messiah. And so if you missed that episode, you can listen to it on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Pray.com and our own RSS feed on christinprophecy.org Vic and I have all the podcasts going all the way back to 2010. And if there's a particular book or topic you're interested in, just check out our archives there or on any, any of these platforms. And we pray that the truth will set you free. Will really bless you now.
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A
Praise the Lord, Nathan. And can you believe it, but we are making some way through the book of Isaiah. Nate. We are in chapter 54 and we're seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.
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B
We're getting close. Yes. 66 is the end. So Vic and I have sworn it. Not on our mother's graves or anything like that, but. But that we will get to the end of the book of Isaiah by 2026. And unless the Lord returns and if that's the case, then we can go right to Isaiah and have him teach it himself.
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A
Right. We'll have him correct any areas that
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B
we, you know, then there'll probably be a lot too. Yeah.
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A
Oh, that is so fun. So yeah, Nathan, I mean, what a joy it is to be able to go through this book. It was, it's a, it was a little bit of a. A stretch for you and I, but since we're not in a rush, Nathan, with the word of God and we love to teach it chapter by chapter and verse by verse. I think it's just been a fantast, a journey make going through the book of Isaiah.
- [04:19]
B
Absolutely, absolutely. You folks that, you know, we look to Revelation or any of the New Testament and to really reveal, we think about what the God's prophetic word is. But Isaiah is. Except maybe Daniel. It's like you can't get much better. Zechariah perhaps. There's so much prophecy with the Prophets. But if you had to say there was a king of the prophets of the Old Testament, it had to be Isaiah. I mean, he wrote the longest book. He had the most to teach. It really gives you deep insights into what God's thinking, what his heart is. And we see throughout the book of Isaiah, wayward Israel and a heart of love for God as he continually calls them back. He sends Isaiah and other of the. Some of the minor prophets that were at that time, 2700 years ago to the Jewish people. Come back to me. I love you. I love you. And, you know, we just see God's heart breaking throughout and his prophecies that, okay, it's. If exile is going to be what you need to come back to me, I'm going to do it. And even though he gives him 120 years or so before he does it, he's still. We really get a deep insight into God. You know, Vic, other religions have these distant, unknowable gods that really aren't gods at all. Like, you can be in paradise forever in Islam but never encounter Muhammad and Allah. But here we can encounter Jesus Christ even in, like, say, Isaiah 53 and the other messianic psalms and also here in the chapters in Isaiah and really get an understanding of God and look forward to that day when we get to see God face to face and have fellowship with him as a father and a child does. Brother, I'm looking forward to that.
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A
Oh, Nathan. The same here. And that's why I want to encourage. If you missed our last episode, make sure you check out Isaiah chapter 53 so you can see the person of the Messiah woven all through that chapter. But as we get to chapter 53, four, it's chapter 54 and 55. Nate, they're so exciting because they're refreshing these. These promises that God has for his people. The encouragement that we find in his Word and the word of God is not all gloom and doom. It's not all bad news, really. Right. Nate, you would agree it's only bad news for people that don't have a relationship with the Lord who have turned their back on God. But if you're a Christian, there are so many beautiful promises in scripture.
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B
Absolutely. You know, God doesn't just give the curses to the people that rebel against them. Mixed in with that, he gives the blessings of those who turn to him and seek him as their God. And so this is a. What's the beauty? I think, as I've been going through Isaiah with you, is learning that there's two Sides to God. He's just as some people think. He's just a God of wrath. He's angry all the time. That's not true. But it's also equally wrong that he's a God of love and he would never hurt a fly and he would never judge people. That's not true either. Just like we aren't one extreme or another, God, who we are made in his image isn't one extreme or another. There's a blend of both. Perfect justice, but also perfect love.
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A
Oh, well put, Nathan. That is fantastic. And with that, if you have a Bible handy, we'd love for you to get your Bibles and jump in with us. So, Isaiah, chapter 54. We'll be reading from the new King James version. Nate, will you be able to open us up there with verses 1 through 4? And then I'll pick it up in 5 through 8 in case someone doesn't have a Bible.
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B
Okay. Isaiah, chapter 54, verses 1 through 4. Sing, O barren, you who have not borne, Break forth in a singing and cry aloud you who have not labored with child. For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman, says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings. Do not spare. Lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes, for you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations and make the desolate cities inhabited. Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed, neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame. For you will forget the shame of your youth and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
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Verse 5. For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts, his name and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. He is called the God of of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife, when you were refused, says the Lord your God, for a mere moment I have forsaken you. But with a great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you, says the Lord your Redeemer. What a beautiful love letter, Nate. In opening there.
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B
There's so much packed into these eight verses here, and a lot of it stems to what's called the Abrahamic covenant. It was a promise that God made to Abraham, which passed to his son Isaac, and then Jacob and Jacob's 12 sons. The Jewish people, in other words, are inheritors of a promise of three things. One, a specified piece of land, a land that would stretch from Egypt to the Euphrates River. Two, that they would have great fame in the earth. Everybody would know who the Jewish people are, and certainly everybody talks about the Jewish people today. But three, that they'd be very numerous. Now we see that the Lord also promised Abraham's other son, Ishmael, great numbers. And Ishmael was the forerunner of the Arab people. And I think, oh my word, there's millions and millions of Arab people around the world, but there's only about 14 million Jews today. So in this time period, for a woman not to have to be barren and not have any children was a great shame. And because the Jewish people have yet to take all the land that was promised them, as well as have the numbers that God promised them that required a faith interaction with God to walk in his will. And so they've remained desolate. I mean, 14 million people out of a people group that's 3,000 years old. I mean, there should be hundreds of millions of Jews, but Satan's done a good job killing many of them. So they're waiting for this time. And here the Lord reiterates that promise from the Abrahamic covenant. Yes, your numbers will fill. You know, you're going to have to expand your tents, your houses to fill all the kids. It's kind of like when all your grandbabies come to your house, right, Vic?
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No, don't remind me of that, Nathan. No, I'm just kidding. Actually, it's a lot of fun. Nathan. I are kidding because my, my one daughter has four grandkids now. And they came and they stormed our house week and a half ago. And it was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun. And what a joy to be regathered together, Nate. So, yeah, it's just like we see what a beautiful picture of God here with, with the children of Israel for a little while and says he, they were forsaken, but then he regathers them. And Nate, I always love the word regather. Right, because you and I are living in such a time of a super miracle with Israel as what you mentioned, seeing them growing now back in their land. People that shouldn't, should not have even survived because they were scattered throughout the world, but because of the Lord and his holy Spirit, here they are right now.
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B
Oh, yeah. I mean, the fact that the Jewish people today are speaking the same Hebrew that they, they spoke 3,000 years ago, I. There is a museum in Israel, in Jerusalem. And the. It looks like a giant Isaiah scroll, Dead Sea scroll canister. And you go in and you can see a Isaiah scroll that's from about 200 BC. So it's a copy, obviously not the original, but it's still, it's 2200 years old and it's a darkish room and the temperature is very well kept, so it remains. And the Jewish people today can go and read that scroll from 2200 years ago word for word in the same Hebrew they spoke then as they speak now. Brother, you and I could not step back a few hundred years and be able to understand the English or the Spanish of that time period because languages change so much. But what a fulfillment of prophecy that the Jewish people have been promised that they will return to their land. The Lord would regather them. And where we get these Christians especially, who just, you hear all this nonsense from, say, Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens and others that, you know, God just has nothing to do with the Jewish people. And yet in verse seven, for a mere moment, I have forsaken you. But with grace mercies, I will gather you folks. That's happening right today. Verse 8, I have hid myself from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I have mercy on you. So the Lord hasn't washed his hands of the Jewish people. And this is getting to be more and more of a popular position, even in the church. And it's, it's an unbiblical position because God has not forgotten the Jewish people, Nathan.
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A
And that is so true. And, and what a shame to these spokespeople that have such notoriety to be giving Israel a black eye because of their lack of understanding of the word of God or not wanting to understand the facts that are right there. And, and, but yet the Bible here clearly shows God has a plan for his people, his bride. The, the Jewish people, they've strayed. God corrects them. They're back in their land. They're still going to be disciplined some more until their eyes are fully open to who the Messiah is. But God also, like a bride, he. He's there for them. He'll protect them and he wool them back. And it's a beautiful relationship of family, of, of marriage today. Nate, I didn't get to tell you this, but Today we're celebrating 31 years. My wife and I really.
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B
Congratulations. Wow, 31 years.
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A
Yeah. And, and you know, and it's, it's a wonderful thing here where, where the Bible speaks The Lord speaks of Israel like the. Like the bride, the woman. The Lord has called you like a woman forsaken in the grief spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refuse, says the Lord, for a mere moment, I have forsaken you. But with great mercies I will gather you. You. You also go many years with your wife, Nathan. I know soon you'll be celebrating at least over 20 years, or 25, if I'm not mistaken.
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We'll be 30. And as of today's recording, my son turned 26. You know, my. My son is in the Coast Guard. And as Donald Trump was seizing oil tankers and holding them for Venezuela, he was part of the team that was on those tankers, and they didn't have cell or Internet connection out there, so he told me. And brother, I think this was encouraging for me, hopefully for you too, is that he had downloaded a bunch of our podcasts, and that's what he was using for his devotionals and church services while he was on that oil tanker.
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A
Oh, praise the Lord.
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Yeah, it's like you're stuck listening to me and Vic for a whole month before he could come off that tanker. But anyway, it all goes back, I think, to verse five, where it says, for your Maker is your husband. You know, we look at the church, so everybody who's been saved from Pentecost till the rapture is the bride of Christ. But Israel has always been considered not only a daughter of the Lord and relationally wise, but also as if God was the husband of the Jewish people. And he's not divorced her forever. He's put her aside for a time, he said throughout the Scriptures, to bring them to repentance, to have a remnant come and turn to him.
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But.
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But eventually then he would show himself to them, especially when we read in Ezekiel 38 and 39, and they will again give up their humanism and their secularism and all the other isms and turn solely to God. And by the end of a tribulation time period, they will accept Jesus, Yeshua as Messiah and Nathan.
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That is awesome. Awesome what God is. God is on the move, even right now, with the nation of Israel, with his people. And we have to continue to pray for them and be on the side of Israel. Nate, as we. As we continue, we look at nine verses, chapter 54, verse 9, and on again. Just a beautiful passage, Nate. I'll pick it up there. Verses 9 through 12. And maybe you can bring us in verses 13 through 17 in case someone doesn't have a Bible.
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Sounds good.
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So we notice verse 9. For this is like the waters of Noah to me. For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah will no longer cover the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be angry with you, nor rebuke her for the for the mountain shall depart and the hills be removed, but the kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has mercy on you all. You afflicted, one tossed with tempest and. And not comforter. Behold, I will lay your. I. I will lay your stones with colorful gems and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your g. Crystal and all your walls of precious stones.
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B
Pick it up. Verse 13. All your children shall be taught by the Lord the great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established. You shall be far from oppression, and you shall not fear and from terror, for it shall not come near you. Indeed, they shall surely assemble, but not because of me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake. Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals of the fire who brings forth an instrument of his work. And I have created the spoiler to destroy. No weapon formed against you shall prosper. And every tongue which rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. And their righteousness is from me, says the Lord.
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A
Wow, Nathan, that's what. What a beautiful portrait there God has painted for his people. I just love the. So many times. The comfort, the mercies of the Lord. Verse 11, 8. I know you. You probably caught that on as well. Such a reminder of The Revelation chapters 21 and 22. The. The stones, the gems, the colorful gems. I just thought it was fantastic the way that that was put.
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B
Yeah, I mean folks, this is a glimpse of something that the Bible doesn't talk much about except in the last two chapters of the Bible in Revelation. Is that the one day after the Christ millennial kingdom and all those who've judged have been judged and heaven is filled only with those who are are saved. He will bring heaven down to earth in a super city called the New Jerusalem. And it's described as having foundations of all these precious stones and gates made out of pearls and streets made out of pure gold. And the glory of God radiates through it and lights it up. And this is what it's talking about here, is that basically what it's promising is the eternal promise to all God's faithful that we will dwell in perfect relationship with God. In this new Jerusalem, on the new Earth, forever and ever and ever. And so this is. This is God putting his stamp on this and saying, hey, what I am saying here is an eternal promise. It'll never be overthrown. It'll never be changed. And anyone that comes up against you, even the destroyer, which you mean Satan, even Satan, cannot stand against this promise. That God's faithful will dwell with him forever in the new Jerusalem.
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Nathan. And what a beautiful promise those are. I'm holding in my hand this wonderful book written by a good friend of mine called Nathan E. Jones. The coming millennial kingdom. What life will be like to us when Jesus reigns on Earth. And here in this book, Nate, that you wrote, I would encourage anyone to be able to pick it up. It's just exactly what Isaiah is talking about. That glimpse of heaven. How things will be like the. The kindness of God that will be bestowed upon his people. Nate.
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Yeah, we. We tend to think as humans, because we have such short lifespans, that this is always the way it is. And it's always been this way, and it always will be this way.
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Way.
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But the Lord has promised that no, this age will come to an end. He promises in Daniel 2 that the times of the Gentiles will come to an end. Gentile rule, in other words, as 193 nations on the world fight over who controls what. Well, Jesus going to come back and he's going to control it all. He will be king of kings. And then after that age lasts for a thousand years, we will go on into the eternal state, that new Jerusalem that Vic and I were talking about. And so here we get again and again, the Lord is just reiterating his beautiful promises that for those who stay in their faith and stay with him, they are promised eternal life, eternal riches. Not that money has any meaning, but it. Riches and spiritual riches. But there's money too. I mean, goodness, when your city is made out of precious jewels and gold, it's no longer valuable anymore, is it? It's. You know, if my house was made of gold, what would it matter? But there, it's going to be incredible. What's really incredible though, right, Vic? Is the true jewel, the true crown of our afterlife. And that is being in the presence, basking in the radiance and glory of our creator, our heavenly Father.
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A
Oh, Nathan. And we can't wait. We believe that that could be right around the corner, the way Bible prophecy is being fulfilled. It's really, really amazing how God is at work and what awaits us in our future. Nate, I mean, to think about that soon and very soon, we'll be seeing the wonderful place that Jesus promised that he goes to prepare for us in John chapter 14. That place with walls made out of all precious stones. And I know it's hard for some maybe to believe, but Nathan, that is what awaits the believers is good things.
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B
Absolutely, yeah. I mean, that's how it was always meant to be. That's what the way God wanted it. In Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, they had perfect fellowship with God. They walked and talked, they enjoyed that, that relationship that was, that was just perfect. But sin or rebellion entered and the relationship was broken. A holy God could no longer dwell with an unholy man. And so all of human history is getting humanity a remnant of faithful to be in heaven with him, who choose to be within heaven with him forever and ever. And they're the ones who inherit these eternal blessings. And so again, this is what the God has been telling through Isaiah, throughout the book of Isaiah is the fact that the Jewish people were chasing false gods and putting themselves or wine or debauchery, you know, limited pleasures that only bring about sickness and death. And he's comparing it to all the eternal glory and the riches and just everything that comes with being with the Lord. And it shows you how sad and pathetic, like a rusty old penny and in one hand versus the eternal riches of God in the other. And man, it's so sad that most people will choose that rusty old penny.
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A
Wow, Nathan, that's a great word. And again, they miss out on all the amazing things that God has for them. God's protection. I, I noticed verse 17 and closing the chapter. No weapon formed against you shall prosper. And every tongue which rises against you in judgment shall be condemned. Nathan, so much does the Bible talk about God being our protector and also the spiritual warfare that we are under. The greater is he that is in us, the he that is in the world. And again, for those of you that are part of this program, and maybe you have been experiencing turmoil in your life, warfare, challenges, and you're wondering what is going on. Sometimes God would allow some of these things to happen to get your attention and to draw you closer to him. And again, those opportunities are there for anyone that repents and turns to Jesus. Nate, at one point you and you and my were in that category where everything was in turmoil. And then when we came to the Lord, we came to realize, you know, what God was allowing that strengthen me and to make me a better person. And not all of this is always bad, right Nate? Especially for those that are tuned into the things of the Lord. God always works things out for them.
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B
And that's why verse 17 says this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. And where does the righteousness come? It comes from me. God says the heritage of the servants of the Lord. In other words, the inheritance. It's the heritage because it came before, but it will also come again. What a beautiful thing that the God of the universe would want to share in all this with us, his creation. It seems like for all the narcissism that's running through culture today, that most people feel very low about themselves,
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the
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self esteem is just awful. And yet I think it's because they've been disconnected from the love of God. The love of God that tells us that not only is he willing to send his son to die for our sins and take that punishment upon himself, but that this heritage he's talking about is that the inheritance meant for all believers eternal life with the God of the universe in his kingdom. That should encourage you that the Lord loves you that much. And so instead of hanging our head and feeling that we are terrible and always trying to prove something about ourselves through, I don't know, social activism or something like that, put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, become inheritor the heritage as a servant of the Lord, but not just a servant. In the New Testament, Jesus says, I once called you servant, but now I call you like my child. You know, there's, there's a difference there. They're my son. There's, there's an inheritance there and there's a big difference. So embrace that.
- [26:20]
A
And Nathan, that's why I think we just have to be honest with ourselves and recognize according to the word of God, the Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Just recognize you're not perfect. You are going to blow it. You are going to mess up. But what God promises you a place where you can come to and lay those burdens down. Come to the One who can forgive you for all the, the, the, all your sins and all those burdens and just confess those to Him. And God is big enough to take care of all whatever problems you're going through right now. And that's why as we close, we always give an opportunity for individuals to come to Christ, to accept his forgiveness, to turn away from their sins and to run to the loving arms of God because He does indeed have a great plan for your life. So maybe there's someone out there who's listening to us and they're excited about the things that we're saying, but they don't yet have a relationship with the Lord. How can we walk them through for them to start that relationship, even right now?
- [27:17]
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Well, the Bible says that for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. In other words, there's nothing we can do. There's no works. We can't reach a level of goodness. We cannot ever attain it because God's standard is perfection. And humans just can never be perfect. We're always going to sin, whether we do it physically or in our minds. That's considered sin too. But we don't have to despair because the Bible teaches us that God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. When you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, then he will forgive your sins. He has already taken your punishment upon himself on the cross. So the wrath of God is satisfied and you would then become the inheritor that we've been talking about of eternal life with Jesus Christ. Vic, what kind of prayer can someone have if they're ready to accept Jesus now?
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Well, Nate, a good question. That's a simple prayer that I always encourage our folks to pray, especially Sundays when I do our service in case there's visitors or people that don't know the Lord. And it's very simple. Like the Bible says, call on the name of the Lord. And if that's you, wherever you are, you can pause for a minute, turn to the Lord and just say, lord Jesus, I recognize that I'm a sinner, but God, right now I ask you to forgive me for my sins. I want to invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart to be my Lord, to be my Savior and to be my friend. And from this day forth, I want to follow you, Jesus, in your name. I pray in Jesus name. Amen. And maybe you pray that prayer for the first time again. The Lord has granted you eternal life and there's a celebration for you in heaven according to the word of God. And again, if you're in need of prayer, reach out to us. Let us know you receive Jesus. You can call or text 305-992-9537 or write to us at webministerlamlion.com nate and we'll throw a party for them, right? We'll rejoice.
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B
The Bible says that everybody gets time someone is saved. The angels in heaven celebrate.
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A
Praise the Lord. Well, again. And we thank you all for being part of today's program in the Book of Isaiah with us. We ran out of time for this segment of our program. Big Batista Nathan Jones saying goodbye. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May his face shine upon you. Have a wonderful week. Good news is finally here. Friends. Listen to me. This is serious business. What the world needs today is Jesus. The Bible says in John 3:16 that for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.