Identification Truths

Get your Bibles out. I'm glad there are lots of you today, because there are lots of verses we're going to go over today. So, I won't review, so we'll get right to it. Yes, I'm looking at my daughter in the back. Alright, but she will probably, by the number of verses, she'll probably actually have to read a verse today. Because Laura doesn't have to. Yeah, Laura doesn't have to.

She brought strawberries for the teacher. Just take that as a lesson for the rest of you. Bringing a gift to the teacher of food is well appreciated. Alright, how about Jessica, you want to start off with the first one, which is Ephesians, if I've got the right lesson, Ephesians 2, 4-7, and it's on the sheet.

God, being rich in mercy, because of this great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in the transgression, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved, and raised us up with him. and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ. In order that in the ages to come he might show us the path in which to live his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Okay, first question.

What or where are the heavenly places? Out of that verse he said he has seated us in the heavenly places. Where are they? What are they? He seated us there. They're where Christ is. Good. Any others? The right hand of the Father. Where Christ is seated. Good.

I hadn't thought about this one when I was reading some of the verses preparing this. It was like the heavenly places and then, where is that? Is that in heaven or where above the sky? And I started to think about it, but in essence, what Wayne says is right. It's where Christ is. I checked and it's only in the Ephesians that the term heavenly places is used.

And it's only in Ephesians 1.3, 1.20, 2.6, 3.10, and 6.12. And most of the places, the places is, I don't know, in your translation of the New American Standard, it actually has it italicized, which means it wasn't found in the original Greek, but is implied by it, so it's the heavenly, is actually the way it should be translated, and that's, the Greek word is ipouranaios, and it's above the sky, so, But in the Ephesians one it's different, it's implied heavenly places. I was trying to think about that, where is that? Is that multiple places?

Well, yeah, but where is Christ? I think Lewis Barry Chafer looked up what he'd called on it, and what is termed as heavenly places is a phrase which is peculiar to the Ephesians letter and has no reference to heaven as a place or to specific places of spiritual privilege here on earth. You know, a lot of times we... heaven or here, and it's not that way.

But it does refer to the present realm of association with Christ, which association is the inherent right of all those who are in Christ Jesus. The association incorporates various spheres of common interests and undertakings. So it's basically what you said, heavenly places is with Christ, where Christ is. It's a spiritual realm, and it's got to be another dimension because Or that unseen.

Wherever Christ is. But that doesn't mean it's not here. Right. Because we're seated with Christ right now. Positionally we're seated with Christ. Positionally we are. Because we're in a heavenly place right now. In essence, yes. Positionally, yes. I mean, no question about it. It's kind of on the conditional side. Is this heaven? I don't know. I don't think so. I don't think so.

But it's where Christ is. And Christ is indwelling us. So, the heavenly places, you know, is our association with Christ. It's wherever Christ is, is the heavenly places. And Christ indwells you. So, you know, positionally it's Christ at the right hand of God the Father. Positionally, that's where it is. But also, indwelling in us is Christ. So, it's here in us. So, it was kind of, I just hadn't, when I was going through this verse in the heavenly places, you always kind of think, you know, where is that? I hadn't thought about that.

So, but he says in Lewis Perry Schaefer, the spheres of common interest are undertaking. That's where we're going to look at five of those. under the 26th position of possession that we have as a heavenly association. So this is the 26th one out of the 34 that we've gone over as a heavenly association. And under that we have these common areas of interest or undertaking. Partners, the first one is Partners with Christ in Life.

And Craig, you want to take Colossians 1.27?

Norm, can you take Colossians 3.4?

Marla, you want to take 1 John 5.11 through 12? And Craig, why don't you do 1.26 and 27?

Colossians 1.26 and 27. That is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to his saints. And God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Okay, Norm, Colossians 3, 4.

Yeah, that's right. 28th, right? We could have prayed for that, too. 28th year surgery. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Good. First John 5, 11 and 12. And this is the record that God hath given to us in eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not Good. So, question two. What life do we now have and how is it different? So, what is the new life? From those verses? What was that? Life in Christ. Christ. And Christ is where? From these verses? Far, far away? In a far, far galaxy? Far, far away? In us? Yeah, from those verses.

Look in Colossians 1, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. when Christ, who is our life in the Colossians 3, 4, 1 John 5, 11, and the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Again, so the new life is in Christ. I still marvel and I go through that so many times. If you have some of these electronic ways to do it, in Christ, in Christ, in Christ, in Christ, in Christ. There's so many references of that, that everything we have in Christ, we are in Christ. He is in us, indwelling, and the life is in Him.

And so the indwelling of Christ is in us as new creatures in Christ. So that's the new life. How is it different from any other life? Our old life is dead. Correct. So that means we have new life. And what about that new life? What's different about it? What?

It's eternal. Eternal. The first John 5.11 in giving us eternal life. We have eternal life in Christ. Remember, everything is true about Christ. It's true about us. Is there an end date for Christ? Nope. It's flawless also. It's flawless, yeah.

Right now we have the old nature in us. Once we shirk these shells and get in, step before Him face to face, we've gotten rid of the old nature. And then, yeah, we won't have this struggle that we have right now. So it's eternal, it's new and it's in Him. It's not in Adam and it's not condemned. So it's a new life in Christ.

So the opposite of that alternative is eternal death. Eternal death or eternal condemnation, separation. Born into eternal death. Right. When I was putting this together I thought about that. We all have eternal life. It's where it is. In separation, and the judgment, and death. Basically the separation for eternal without Christ. But then we also have eternal life with Him, seeing Him as Lord and Savior. But the difference there is eternal life and eternal death. Death being separated from... But it's not like death as in... The poof gone, cease to exist. It is still eternal life, but it's eternal death, which is the separation. You still have life, but it's under condemnation and separation from God. And that's eternal, separated from anything that has anything to do with God.

Exactly. And the punishment and everything. This is the distinction you're making of Colossians 1. Yeah, the hope of glory. I mean, that's the difference between eternal death and eternal life that we have. The hope of glory. We have glory. We have that, you know, as we go through all this, that intimate fellowship. Remember, Papa, Daddy. I mean, we have that versus the one who goes through the judgment seat and doesn't have life.

What a contrast and you know as Mike says that you know we struggle with that when I talk Even at that point when you when you're face-to-face You're still gonna deny him and still want to choose death Man, is that that you know? What a contrast and you're still saying I'd rather be over here that just blows my mind how I mean I You know, maybe you get the excuse that you can't by faith see the Lord right now. But at that time you're going to see Him, face to face. And you're still going to basically spit in His face and say, I want to go that way.

Wow! Well, He knows now. Maybe no, but He's still defiant. Oh yeah. Oh, He will know. It's not like he's going, oh, I had a change of mind. No. Not 72 virgins. Doesn't have the 72 virgins he was looking for. It's a judgment seat. He's being judged and separated.

And he wants it that way. That's the thing. Mike and I have talked about that. That just boggles my mind. Once you see it, wouldn't you go, oh, I made a mistake. I want to go here. I want to be with you. He's been lied to. There's no begging. He knows the truth now. He still rejects it. I'm with you.

How do you do that? How do you see God? How do you see Him in all His glory and still reject Him? But that's what happens. I've been involved in evangelism for years, and I share with people. It's interesting, and you try to explain the difference between heaven and where they start. You have a question for me? No, still. Oh, yeah. Deny. I will. See, I can see it now, because you have to, by faith, see the Lord.

But face to face, But they didn't clarify where the alternative was. They never got it, they never quenched, and it's through all eternity. Doesn't phase. But they see the world now as kind of the good stuff and I'll live the way I want and take my chances. To me it's just the boggling part is when you see them face to face and you still make that decision. How do you do that? But that's the way the heart is. It goes back to what we were saying.

Remember when we went through all of Adam and our identification with Adam? Remember how desperately wicked, nothing good about Adam. That's what carries through to that judgment seat. Or when you're face to face with the Lord. All that stuff that we talked about, about how bad Adam is, comes to fullness right there. No, I'd rather reject you right now. Yeah, and it's that old Adamic nature. It's self-focused, it's, you know, nothing good. Remember everything we went through? I remember going through one of the lessons I had, and it was just how wicked the Adamic man is.

And that just carries through, even to the point you're standing face to face with him. I just can't understand it. Even when I start clarifying it, and using scripture, I mean, clarify it, and just... They get angry with you. They really do become angry with you. I was just thinking the both sides. You're talking about seeing them face to face, but then in Revelation as you go through there, that they know It's God pouring out judgment on the earth and they still curse it.

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I mean, yeah, when you realize what's going on at that period, I mean, you've got to know this isn't just a bad day, you know. It is. It is everything coming down. And you know it's supernatural. And they're still cursing him. You know, get on board at that point, please. But they don't. A lot of the things that We'll just wait for that last moment before the wheels fall off. Yeah.

And sometimes in fairness, you know, the Lord's willing to wait as long. I mean, you can be on your deathbed and, you know, which, you know, I think, you know, he can do it. You lose a lot of blessings through life of knowing the Lord, but he's willing to wait until that last minute. And sometimes, you know, we've known some friends who were, you know, 60, 70 years old and come to know the Lord late. Because I think they start realizing that. They're about to step over. And then the rubber meets the road. You're really starting to think about things. And I think that's when you do have some opportunities, even though they've rejected for a long time. But many of them, dying days will reject hardness of heart.

Does it mean, it says, every knee shall bow? Is that everyone that even denies? Yep, everyone will. And at that point, they will deny and be rejected. He will bring everybody in submission, but at the judgment seat, that's when, at the judgment seat, you'll be cast into the lake of fire and that's it, done. So they'll have to submit? They'll be brought into submission. Yeah, at that point. At that point, they will. At that point, they're completely separated. It's separation from God and the punishment.

You know, that's all the wrath, everything is poured out upon them for eternity. Yeah, that's, I mean, eternity. It's not like, you know, Hal going through all the chemo treatments. You know, at the end, there's like, the chemo treatment's going to stop. In eternal judgment, it doesn't stop. And I, you know, my little engineering brain, you know, eternity, that's a long time.

You know, that's a long time. And it doesn't stop, and they still choose that. It just, ugh. Bothers me anyway. The new life, and it's eternal, new, in Him, wonderful. How many times do you think in the New Testament is the thought of new life in Christ expressed to the believer? Take a gambler. 500. Nah, that's a little much. 80 times.

80 times this thought of new life in Christ is brought out in the New Testament. You think that's significant? You think the Lord wants to get this thought out? Our new life in Christ? About 80 times. I think it's like 78 times. This new thought in Christ, our new life in Christ is brought out. I go through numbers. If 80 times, I think he kind of wants us to know about that and how good that is, our new life in Christ. It's about 80 times that that thought is brought out through the New Testament. So again, an important aspect there. Question 3. What do the verses say about Christ and our life?

From Colossians 3.4 What does it say about it?

Colossians 3.4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Okay? Who is our life? Who is our life? Christ is our life. You know, that's who our life is right now.

That's our new life in Christ. But any other is that will be revealed with Him in glory. Incredible. 1 John 5, 11 and 12. And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is where? In His Son. And who as a Son has what? Life. who does not have the Son of God does not have life. Our life is in Christ, that's the key. 80 times in the New Testament, new life in Christ, in Christ, in Christ, and then all the other aspects and attributes, eternal, new, wonderful, just all the different things we have in Christ.

In position, Ephesians 2, 6, where did I leave off? Oh. Do you want to read today or do you want to? Oh, you want to, okay. You didn't have to today because you brought strawberries. And Jesus left with him, and he with us was born in a heavenly place in Christ Jesus. Okay, and Peggy, what do we got?

Colossians 3, 1 and 2. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things, which are but for Christ's sins and the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on earth. Alright, first of all I thought the partnership in position, think about what that means. Lewis Perry Chaffer says, the honor and glory of it are knowledge unsurpassed. You know when you think partnership in position, We have a partnership in position with Christ.

Where are we seated? With Him? In Christ? In the heavenlies? So from these verses, where are we positionally? Seated with Christ. In the heavenly place? You've been raised up with Christ. I give it away. I get ahead of myself. The word for raised up is sun egiro, and that's obviously the Greek, my poor translation of it. And basically it means raised up together, rise with. In the Colossian passage, oh, I brought this one out.

You guys are going to have to dig out your sheets if you don't have it. I know you're not going to have them either. This word is Arispassive Indicative. What does Arispassive Indicative mean? In the Colossians passage that raised up, if then you have been raised up with Christ. The raised up is Arispassive Indicative. What does that mean?

Okay, so it's already done. So it means we have been raised up. Done. Completed. Passed. It's done to us. There you go. Because of the passive. So what did we have in this? Nothing. Did we do anything to raise us up? Nope. Okay, and then indicative. It's a fact. So, you know, that's why these are good to look at. Here, Wayne. The big sheep. I'm glad someone figured out what it was for us. Yeah, who doesn't have the sheep? Somebody who doesn't have the sheep?

I'm glad someone already figured out what it was. Oh yes. We just have to look at the definition. What? Well, they figured out that it's past tense. Oh yes. Yeah. Well, and you can get it somewhat from the verse too. I mean, you have been, it's past tense. And so the heiress, it's a past completed action. But that, you know, bringing it out in that, you know, this is something that's already transpired.

It's past completed. And we didn't do anything about it, which kind of the old man rubs the wrong way in that we always want to try and do something. What did we do to help raise ourselves up with Christ? We did nothing. And then it's a statement of fact. It is a fact. It's no questions asked. Not to be discussed. It's done, completed, and we didn't have anything to do with it.

Then when you look at the same word in the Ephesians passage in verse 6, Ephesians 2, 4-8 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He had loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved, and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness towards us.

It's a little different on this one. In the Ephesians, it's aorist active indicative. So, the aorist means past completed. Active, what does that mean? Subject produced. So that's different. So do we have something to do in this? Nope. It's the way it's phrased basically.

Who is the subject? We are the ones being raised. So we're active in that. We're the one being raised. And so it's a little twist, but it's the same. It's still aorist. It's still past completed. We're the subject of this one. So we're the subject being raised. So that's why it's the active one. And then indicative again, it's a past completed action and it's statement of fact or reality. So again, these are both telling us that again, we have been raised up. It's not something that we look forward to.

Positionally, we have been raised up right now. And sometimes I think, do I live thinking that and knowing that? That's where my condition comes in. Do I believe that? And do I believe that I am positionally seated in the heavenlies? It's a past completed action, no question. Not going to be discussed. It's done. Again, it's just the thought that we don't have to wait for this. It's already done positionally. That just blows my mind. Positionally, we are seated in the heavenlies. When did this start and how long will this position last? Easy. When did it start?

Yeah, for us, yeah. See, it's that weird translational thing, you know. When you get into Christ, you have eternality, but for us... It happens, I would accept it. Right. And when we accepted Christ, when we believed in Christ, that's when it started. And then we get to eternality, and then we're back. It's kind of weird, yeah. And then how long will it last? Until we goof up again. Until we mess up, yeah.

You know, I hate having that hammer over us. You go to the church of today only. Sealed forever eternal. The Colossians says in Ephesians it's for the ages to come, in Colossians it says eternal. Okay, partners, number C, partners with Christ in service. And where are we up to?

So we got Wayne and Brian, you'll have 1 Corinthians 3.9 1.9 God is faithful by whom we were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Okay, from we are God's fellow workers, you are God's people, you are God's government. Right. And who do we want to go to? Donna, I guess. You have 2 Corinthians 3, 5. Do 3, 5 and 6. Okay.

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God, who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.

Hey Steve, you got 2 Corinthians 5.20? Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God were entreating through us, we beg you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God.

Okay, Erlene, the 2 Corinthians 6.4? Let us pray in all things, approving ourselves as ministers of God, in much patience, in affliction, and necessities and distresses.

Yeah, you know, that was the beginning of that one. When you read through that one, what did we sign up for? I cut it off at that point. I thought about carrying it out. You get the flavor of where you're going with that one. You have much endurance, afflictions, hardships, distresses, and it goes on. Which is one of those ones, you know, did we sign up for the good ship lollipop that everything is great and wonderful from now on once we know the Lord? No. There's lots of trials and different things.

From 1 Corinthians 1.9, what does fellowship mean? It says, God is faithful through whom you were called into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. What does fellowship mean?

Relationship. Relationship. Other words, thoughts? Fellowship with what? Identification? The easy answer, of course. It is, but the fellowship is a different aspect of it. Our identification is everything about us is the same. Everything that is true about Christ is true about us. Our identification with him, our federal head. This is fellowship. Any other words that describe fellowship? Yeah. What about union? Union's good.

Maybe when we step into it positionally, we can have coffee and go for the Lord. I'm not a Starbucks fan, so I hope it's not Starbucks. Sharing of his sufferings and his life, Bingo, that's a lot. The Corinthians ones gave it away a little bit. There's sufferings involved. It's fellowship. It's fellowship in his sufferings and fellowship with him.

You've probably heard this word before. The word that is used in that one is koinonia. Have you heard that word before? That's usually one of those words that's brought out a lot. It's koinonia. It's a partnership is the definition of it. So it's a partnership or sometimes turned as an agreement. So it's not as much coffee and donuts as a partnership with Christ. An agreement or, I like partnership better than agreement. Agreement sounds more formal. Sounds like we have a written document and we signed on the dotted line to do this. You know, it's like a job thing. But partnership sounds better. It's a partnership with him.

Can you define his sufferance? Yeah. On the cross. He was, you know, was he in the trials before the cross? What did he do that was wrong? Nothing, but he suffered for it. Suffering of rejection. He even says that the world rejected him, the world will reject you. When you look at some of the things in John 17 too, I think there's some reference on that. We've left him in the world but not out of the world. just like him. He was rejected. I'm thinking all the trials. Some of it was physical, but a lot of it was just the rejection of who he was.

We will suffer that same thing. I think we do anyway even today. The unbeliever hates the believer. Just what you were saying, they get angry at you. You know, sometimes I find that to be somewhat of a, I mean, I don't know how to put this, sometimes you can be irritating and a pain and you say that people got mad at you because they're mad at Christ.

Well, you know, there was a guy, on an airplane, I remember, and this was before I was a Christian. I think I may have shared this one time. I was coming back from, it was kind of a tough trip, and this was when I was young. I was coming back from the plane, and this guy button-holed me for like four hours on this plane. It was a cross-country flight.

He was trying to ram the gospel down my throat, big time. And I just, you know, I didn't want to. Four hours, he wouldn't let me go. I said no, and I really don't want to. It was a tough time. Three or four hours, the guy would not let me go. I got off more mad than I wanted. I wanted to kick him out the emergency exit. There was no place to go.

I think about that and I thought, you know, but I got to think. God's perspective, you know, He's using everything. And, you know, maybe that made me think. I don't know. At that point, I didn't want to have anything to do with Christianity after that. Because I had four hours, and I didn't want... I mean, God would not let me go. Well, I already had a little two-by-four room. Oh, yeah. I mean, I could not go anywhere. It's not like I could step outside for a minute. You know, it was... You know, so, I mean, things like that.

But there is persecution for who you are in Christ. I mean, there are people... Look at... you know, just the way the media and everybody treats Christians. You know, it's amazing when you look at how, you know, we'll feel sorry for the poor, you know, Zarqawi because, you know, he had a troubled youth and all this. But then they'll attack Christianity in a heartbeat, you know, all the different things. And so, There is a persecution even today, the sufferings that Christ had. And he said that, that we would have trials, we'd have sufferings. We'd have things that people would persecute us because we are Christians. And I think you find that.

Some people in the world, when you bring up Christ, sometimes they do, they just get angry. Even if you just bring it up and you walk away. Is part of the suffering also when people do not accept it? I think there's probably some on ours, but I get a little bit away from that. then you're feeling personally responsible for it. I think if there's, you know, just the sorrow that they don't accept it, you have this big gift, you know, the guy in the White House next door, we have a gift, it's already packaged, it's paid for, it's done, but he hasn't accepted the package. Yeah, you have a sorrow for that, but you know, the sorrow, the personal sorrow that they didn't do it, You can get into, I blew it, I didn't do what I had to do.

It's the Lord who does it. It's the Holy Spirit working and convicting people. I just have to be a willing... We had Sam Dalton as a friend of ours. He went to be with the Lord and he always used to carry a straw. That's what we're to be. Straws, conduits. But that's it. I'm not notching my belt with everyone that comes to know the Lord.

I'm trying to get at your rejection. Sorrow for the rejection, they're missing out on the gift that God has provided to them freely and they reject it. I'm trying to get away from that guilt that you did something wrong. You shouldn't have that. passion for something that you realize is what you're doing. Yeah, that's I guess the point. Some people get in and it's so sorrowful because they didn't, you know, I should have said something. There are a lot of times I, you know, suddenly I get the clamp on the mouth, you know, and I wish I would have said something. But, you know, God used somebody else. I miss the blessings of that day.

I kind of joke around with that a little bit, but you've been in the meetings where they call fellowship hours. But you kind of stand around talking about last week's football game. Exactly. But on the other hand, the guy that had you in the airplane, that wasn't necessarily fellowship either. No. That fellowship goes into interactions with your brothers around you too, your sister. So where do you, I'm trying to form this question, but fellowship, translates somehow into an interaction. You may or may not topically be talking about something, but you have this understanding of connection.

And it might be just talking about football. I mean, in that exact sense, but with the Lord, your fellowship is... Yeah, I mean, you've all been there. fellow believers, it's just more relaxed. It's just a different feeling than going into a group of non-believers. The fellowship part, this one I think is a little bit different.

The word, like I said, I was going after is partnership. It isn't a coffee and donuts as much as we're in partnership with Christ. We're in partnership in being, and then the other word in here was an ambassador. You know, we're to be an ambassador. In which verse is it here?

In 2 Corinthians 5.20. Ambassadors for Christ. And so that was in question 7. What does it mean to be an ambassador for Christ?

Did you want something early? I started talking to my man who accepted Christ. I found out that he was a Muslim. He has been angry. Really? These are going on in my apartment. I think, I don't know, somebody, of course his Muslim beliefs are totally conflicted to do with Christ. Just a bit different. All right.

Ambassador for Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5.20, what does it mean to be an ambassador for Christ? What is an ambassador? Representative.

Perfect. That's Webster's Dictionary. Was representative. Even the Greek word, the pres byo, is act as a representative. So we are to be representatives of Christ. And that's some of those ones when we represent Him. We are representing Christ. We are to be Christ-like. We are to be conformed to the image of Christ. As we do that, we can represent Him. We are an ambassador of Christ.

It's the guy on the plane. You know the sensitive or you know, and I've always been sensitive to that ever since you know to buttonhole somebody and just pound them I Yeah, yeah, it isn't the straw that was force-feeding with an 80 psi pump, you know Sorry, it's my upbringing in wells It'd be a self-proclaimed or self-promoted ambassador Representative I think like we talked about rest and Resting in Christ, He, the Holy Spirit, grows us so that His glory will shine through us and show others. He'll show Himself through us, not us going out and beating the street. Who's the one who does it? It's the Holy Spirit.

That's why I think the guy who was button-holing me, I think he wanted the notch on his belt. And it's like, you know, I got five Christians this month. I met my quota or something. And maybe, you know, in the Lord, I got to temper that by the fact that the Lord may use that on some people. It's just not on me.

And you just have to be sensitive to who you're talking to and how. You know, there may be somebody who needs that, who's, you know, across the street. Maybe he needs that. The kind of white house. Buttonhole him and pound him for five hours. I don't know. You know, I shouldn't, so I temper all that, that the Lord uses many different straws, many different sizes of straws to push that through. So I shouldn't, I use that just as a personal example of being sensitive, you know, to be an ambassador for Christ. You don't have to win.

It's kind of like, who is Tom, a DIA ambassador or something. What if he took that and put his Christ ambassador hat and everybody who came up that elevator, DIA, had to be accepted. An ambassador, he just represents. He helps. He does. The word is a representative. We're to represent Christ. We don't have to force the issue. And as we conform, it's a natural thing. I mean, natural in that our new life will come out.

Do you have something else, sir? Well, maybe you already just answered it, but the fact of the matter is that guy in the plane was an ambassador. But maybe it's a matter of technique. Yeah. So where is that element addressed for us? Other than our own perceptions and sensitivity? You're going to have to think about that, I don't know.

It's just being sensitive to people and the Holy Spirit working through you, I don't know. Another nice example, he went through and threw things on the floor in the temple. Yeah, and that's why I say, that's why I temper it. God uses a whole lot of different ways. You know, he's sensitive to the woman at the well. He's sensitive to, you know, others, you know, touch his garment and he's sensitive, you know. But then, he turned over every money changer at the temple, you know. And so, there's different things. So, that's why I said, I backed off and I said, maybe he was an ambassador, but to the wrong country at this time. I was the wrong country. You want this? I don't know.

And, you know, to be honest, maybe that was something in my, you know, coming to know the Lord in time. I don't know, maybe it made me think. Yeah, it was before, yeah, well before. And so, you know, maybe that was something that the Lord used to make me think about it, or to be sensitive when I came to know the Lord, that I didn't repeat that.

I mean, so I don't discount that as, and again, mine is The Lord is in control of all things. That wasn't by accident. That wasn't by chance. That wasn't just a guy and he randomly teed off and went, you know, there was a purpose for it. And maybe it is for me that, you know, I'm a competitive go after guy. Maybe that was the Lord before I came to know the Lord.

Don't do this. You know, that I'm going to be the one going out there pounding somebody for four hours on a plane. You know, so I want to back off quite a bit. It was just, it was the wrong time and the wrong place for me at the time. But God used it, I think, so. We are going to be, woefully, we are done, right? All right, I don't know if, I'll check with Mike if we want to finish up these last couple ones or we'll get into his. And he has questions. Actually, why don't we close with a prayer real quick and then we'll get the questions. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time. Father, we thank you for any time we can spend in your Word.

We just thank you for the fellowship that we do have in Christ. We thank you for that union that we have amongst believers. We thank you that you love us so much and you use all sorts of different circumstances. different events in our lives to conform us to your image. And we thank you, again, just that you have not left us alone. You left us with your Word and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And we just thank you that positionally we are seated in the heavenlies with you. And we are so thankful for that. And let us just realize all the things that we have in Christ. And Father, we just commit the remainder of this day to you. And we just do this in your Son's name, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.