New Years P1 Radio Broadcast Monday 12/26/2022

Classic Christianity – New Years P1 (12-26-22)

Faith and Belief Are Two Different Things

~ “And so folks, we’ve got the world out out there that is totally contrary to everything in the Bible. God says one thing, man comes along and says another, and many of them in the name of Jesus. That’s what irritates the dickens out of me. Are people in the name of Jesus coming up with all of this psychological garbage that does nothing but put people under deeper bondage than what they’ve ever been before. Are we going to put our faith in Jesus and His word or are we going to put our faith in what man has to say? Now guys, that ties into this thing we’ve been talking about the difference between believing something and putting faith in something.”

~ “Now, what we want to do is to pick up to understand that our thinking, therefore the futility of our thinking, we as Christians do not have to retain the futility of our thinking of the thinking of the lost. Do we understand that? There’s a different way of thinking today. Now he says they are darkened in their understanding. We’re separated from the life of God. And he says, Why? Because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. So what is it that keeps our thinking futile and separated from the life of God? Is the hardening of our hearts is saying, I do not need the instruction of God I know best. Is that not the sin in the garden of the Garden of Eden, that I do not need God to tell me right from wrong and good from evil. I will do that on my own, I will figure that out on my own.”

~ Thank you so much for tuning into Classic Christianity with Bob George through our Classic Christianity Radio program and the books Bible study CDs and DVDs we have available for purchase online at BobGeorge.net. It is our desire in prayer at Bob George Ministries that you continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory, both now and forever. Amen. Let’s join Bob. Now as he gets started with today’s lesson.

Bob George 0:41
Well, let’s turn together to the book of Ephesians. As Paul has approached chapter four, he’s he’s going ahead now and let’s start off with verse 17. So I tell you, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking. Now, guys, again, where the Gentiles actions real good? No, what does he say? I tell you, you must no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking. So what is Man’s problem? Where is Man’s problem? Where? Right up here, isn’t it? All sin begins right here on the threshold of your mind. Everything develops from that concept. And so all sin and all life is all beginning right up here. And that’s why the Bible says as a man what? Thinks so is he. And so instead of trying to change actions, What is God doing? Changing our thoughts. So you can change actions, putting a person in jail, incarcerating them, and change their actions, but you’re not going to change their mind. And until their mind has changed, their actions have only been curtailed. But then when you get out and your mind hasn’t changed your actions, pick right up again, don’t they? And so as a man thinks so is he. If anxiety was unusual, why did the scripture say don’t be anxious? If it was unusual for human beings to be anxious? That’s unusual behavior. There’s something wrong with you, you got to syndrome. And if you’re depressed, oh, that’s unusual. Oh, that’s unusual. All I need to do to get depressed and start thinking depressing thoughts. That’s all I need. I can get depressed in 10 minutes, can’t you? I can get depressed looking in the mirror. Now we have to understand reality on that don’t we? So depression is not unusual. And we’ve conned people into thinking, Oh, it’s unusual. There’s this guy. He never gets angry, never gets anxious, never has bad feelings. And you say, where is he? I’ve never met him. And I got news for you. You haven’t either. But if you’ve been conned into thinking, Oh, that’s normal behavior, and anything secondary to that, oh, that’s abnormal behavior. So if you’re depressed, or you got anxiety, something’s wrong with you. there’s anything wrong with it, you’re just human. That’s all that’s wrong with you, is you’re human. Because that’s all a part of humanity. It’s all a part of being alive. It’s all a part of being a human being. All of those things are as much a part of being a human as eating and sleeping. And so there’s nothing unusual about it. But what happens is, the more we think, the more we feel. And so we get all of these feelings and we get down in the dumps feelings don’t we? And we get depressed feelings. Don’t we? So what do we deal with feelings? And you go for counseling? What do they ask you? How do you feel? You can’t deal with feelings, you can’t see feelings? How are you going to treat feelings? All a drug does is numb your head and that numbing other head changes the feelings. But you cannot deal with what you cannot see. You can’t deal with the feeling. So change your feelings. How are you going to do that? Unless you change your mind? The answer is you can’t. So what does God want to do alter your mind or renew your mind? Because the Bible says renew it. Doctors say alter it. You’re going to function in the futility of your thinking. Are you going to trust what God says when he says let me renew your mind? Why? Because if I renew your mind, those feelings will also be renewed.

And so folks, we’ve got the world out out there that is totally contrary to everything in the Bible. God says one thing, man comes along and says another, and many of them in the name of Jesus. That’s what irritates the dickens out of me. Are people in the name of Jesus coming up with all of this psychological garbage that does nothing but put people under deeper bondage than what they’ve ever been before? Are we going to put our faith in Jesus and His word are we going to put our faith in what man has to say? Now guys, that ties into this thing we’ve been talking about the difference between believing something and putting faith in something. You see, I’ve mentioned before, for many years of my early Christian experience, I believed two things I believe that Jesus died for all my sins, past, present, and future, how many of you believe that when you were first saved, how many of you also believe you confess your sins, so forgive you? How many figured out that was double talk? You see, I can believe both of those things. But I can only put my faith in one of them. That’s the difference between belief and faith. I believed both of them. But my faith was only in one of them. And that was, if I confess He’ll forgive, that’s where my faith was. My faith was not in that he took away all my sins Past, Present Future, I believe that. But I did have a faith in that. And all I did if number of years ago was to shift my faith, because I believed both of them. But I shifted my faith off of First John one, nine, and put it on the to the totality of the teaching of the scripture, and I am no longer a person who gets forgiven, I am a forgiven person. And that’s where my faith is. And that’s where it is today. And so there’s a difference between belief and faith. Well, folks, it’s the same thing. We’re dealing with this futility of our minds, that I can believe Jesus is the answer to all my problems. And how many if I were to ask you today, how many of you believe Jesus is totally sufficient for all your problems? Every hand go up. How many have put faith in that? You see, there’s a world of difference in those two, as to whether I’m going to put faith in that, or whether I’m going to say I believe it. Because what you’re saying is Jesus, I believe you’re capable of doing that. But I’m don’t have a faith, you’re gonna do it for me. Remember, when the man came? And he said, if you’re willing, you can you can do this if you’re willing. And many times we’re in the same boat where we’re saying, I believe, but I’m not sure God, you’re willing to do this? And if I don’t think he’s that he’s willing to do that, why would I want to put my faith in that. And so we all have to test and that’s what it says, To test our faith. Because all of us need our faith tested. There are many things in my life that I believe that I really haven’t put faith in. And I’m sure the same is true with you. We can say I believe it, but I’m not sure I can trust it. Now, the reason for going over this is because of what he’s saying that we are to no longer live like the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking. If you and I are in Christ, then we no longer need to live and to think like a lost Gentile thinks. You see, guys, the opposite of a Hebrew is not a Christian, the opposite of a Hebrew as a Gentile, and you got lost Gentiles and you got lost Hebrews and you got saved Gentiles, and you got saved Hebrews, but the opposite of a Hebrew is not a Christian. And most Hebrews function today believing that the opposite of a Hebrew is a Christian. And so I’m not gonna be a Christian, I’m a Hebrew, I’d lose my inherent my, my inheritance and my heritage and everything else. And no, no, no, no, no, the opposite of a Hebrew is a Gentile. I’m a Gentile, you’re a Hebrew, I’m lost. So are you. That rhymes.

Now, what we want to do is to pick up to understand that our thinking, therefore the futility of our thinking, we as Christians do not have to retain the futility of our thinking of the thinking of the lost. Do we understand that? There’s a different way of thinking today. Now he says they are darkened in their understanding. We’re separated from the life of God. And the says, Why? Because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. So what is it that keeps our thinking futile and separated from the life of God? Is the hardening of our hearts is saying, I do not need the instruction of God I know best. Is that not the sin in the garden of the Garden of Eden, that I do not need God to tell me right from wrong and good from evil. I will do that on my own, I will figure that out on my own. Amy and I when last week we’re talking with a couple from Germany. And I when you’re talking with people who are lost, or your entire thinking is just totally different. And it’s like to be it’s like speaking Swahili to somebody or something I can’t understand what they’re saying is because their mind has been darkened and hardened. And to them, their mindset is all religions are good. Why religions good, all of it all of its good. And you say, How can all religion be good? As matter of fact, I got a better statement than that. I think all religion stinks. I don’t like any religion. So matter of fact, I think that religion, as I think it, Lenin said, is the opiate of the people. I agree with him on that it’s about the only thing I agree with him on. But I agree with him. Religion, you know what the definition of religion is a return to bondage. Jesus did not come to form a religion. He came to form a relationship. He came to give us something that we did not have, and that’s life, and that life is in Him. And when I have him, I have been raised from the dead spiritually, I have life. And not only do I have his life, but he is my life. And that’s why Paul could say for me to live as what? is Christ. Now, folks, when Christ comes to take up residency in our hearts, then we have the ability to think we always had the ability to think, but to think truth, and to place our faith in that truth. Faith is somewhat like the old story of the guy that at the circus that got the higher high wire up there, and there’s no data underneath it or anything else. And he walked across the high wire, with, with a wheelbarrow. And he went across that, and I’ll tell you, the place just went nuts and applause thought as the most marvelous thing I’ve ever seen. And he came back again, walking on that high wire, the real with the wheelbarrow. And finally, he was still up there. And he said, How many of you believe that I can do this again? Well, everybody in the place, Yes, for sure. How many of you think I can go over there and come back again? everybody, yay, scream thoughts, the greatest thing you ever have. So you believe that I can do that? Absolutely. Who wants to volunteer to get in the wheelbarrow? And there was total silence. Now that’s the difference between faith and believing something.

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Bob George 13:33
Now, what else does it say about the lost person? we have lost all sensitivity. We gave ourselves over to sensuality, so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and with a continual lust for more. Does that sound familiar? How many does that sound familiar to? How many of the rest of you have been living in a vacuum? Is not this what the flesh does? The flesh loses all sensitivity. We give ourselves over to sensuality and indulge in every kind of impurity there is and have a continual lust for more sin does not want less. It always wants more, doesn’t it? Now look what it says. Now, you know this is talking now about being born again. You however, did not come to know Christ that way. You didn’t come to know Christ through sensual indulgence. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with. And this is important, the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. We are to put off our old self. Now what does it say about our old self? It is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. So do you have a former way of life? And an old self that is still being corrupted by deceitful desires? Do you have experience like that? In other words, what is that called? What’s it called? It’s called your what? Your flesh. Do you still have desires of the flesh? And it’s a good thing, because if you didn’t, you’d be dead. So as long as you are alive, are you going to have desires of the flesh? That’s a reality. Christ Jesus is alive in you spiritually, is that true? Your new identity is what? A child of the living God. So folks, you only have one identity. Do you realize that you don’t have two identities, you’re not a child of God, a child of the devil, same time. The moment that you stepped out of Adam into Christ, he stepped out of heaven into you, you became what? A child of the living God. So we can come up with all kinds of identities in this world. And Satan loves to give us all kinds of identities other than being a child of God. And in the Christian world, of course, we’ve substituted that for I’m a Baptist, or I’m a Catholic, or I’m a Pentecostal, or I’m a neocon, Pentecostal, and all that kind of stuff. Does, do you see those names in the Scripture? Now they’re not in there. Now, John, the Baptist is in there. But that doesn’t mean he’s a Baptist. So you see, instead of us as people saying, I’m a child of God, we would rather say I’m a Baptist, or I’m a Presbyterian or Methodist or Plymouth Brethren, simply a God, whatever it might be, wouldn’t it? And that becomes our identity. How many people have you ever walked up to it’s and that’s who I am, as a child of God. We’ll say, where do you go to church? No one says, Who are you? But where do you go to church? because of your family, where you go to church, then I’ll get an inkling maybe of what you believe. I believe I’ll at least know whether you believe that you’re saved by baptism or not. And all that other stuff. And that’s why we ask the question, people will call in sometimes to say, Bob, where did you go to seminary? You see, well, what they’re saying is what denominations or seminary did you go to so that I can know whether I want to listen to you or not to see whether or not you agree denominational with me. And so what we have come up with folks is the fact that, that as a identity, we only have one, you are a child of the living God.

Now you have the flesh and the Spirit, that are in conflict with each other. And the Spirit of God who lives in you is in conflict with the flesh that you were born with. And it says, they’re at enmity with one another. And the desires of the flesh are totally contrary to the desires of the Spirit, and vice versa. Do you notice that in your life? Now the issue is which 1am I going to yield to and which one am I going to allow to control my life? Because it says that when we give into the flesh, we will be mastered by that flesh. In other words, the flesh has a capability of mastering you. And also when we yield to the Spirit, then we’re being controlled by the Spirit of God. Now, folks, the interesting thing about this is that it’s being controlled by the Spirit is somewhat like being under the control of aerodynamics and an airplane, that as long as you’re under the control of aerodynamics, you’re going to be flying. But if you decide that I’d like to step outside and get some fresh air, you are immediately coming under the control of what gravity and you’re going to splat on the ground, you’ll get your air alright. You don’t choose that. You don’t choose to come out of the control of gravity. It’s a byproduct of getting out from under the control of aerodynamics. When you and I are in Christ, then we and we choose to be controlled by the Spirit of God. And we are saying, Lord, it’s my desire for you to control me by your love. And I want to walk in truth, not an error. But I want to walk in truth. And I won’t walk in grace because you can’t be controlled to the Spirit walking under the law. Do we understand that? The law is not for a Christian. So we got a lot of people who think their spirit filled legalist. That’s a contradiction of terms, it is impossible to be controlled by the Spirit of God when you are under legalism, the law is contrary to the Spirit. That’s like saying, I want mercy under the law. That’s impossible. There is no mercy in the law. If you’re going to obtain mercy, you got to obtain it apart from the law. When you put mercy in the law, you have watered down the law, you have ruined the law. When you put mercy in the law, you’ve ruined it. Under the law, the wages of sin is death. You put mercy into there, let’s call it out of fellowship. And what do we do? water down the law tele has no meaning to it. I don’t have to fear being out of fellowship, I can get back in. But death, that’s another question. And so we’ve come down and watered down the law and it made it lose its meaning. Until there is no respect for life, because I don’t even know I’m dead. Because now I’ve never been taught that the wages of sin is death. And under the law, it’s death, death, death, no mercy under the law. So if you’re going to receive mercy, you’re going to have to receive it apart from the law. And that is exactly what Jesus did. He came apart from the law and gave us mercy. He cancelled the law so that he could give us mercy. Why? Because you cannot put mercy in the law if you do your rule in the law. And that’s why folks, there’s no man greater than the law, because if your nation loses the law, it loses the nation. And we had better understand that as Christians, that when your laws and the enforcement of laws get diminished, you have diminished your country. And there is no man greater than the laws of the land. Regardless of what you think, mercy, mercy apart from the law, absolutely. Absolutely. As a born again, Christian mercy apart from the law, but under the law, you’d better carry that out. If you don’t, you’ve lost it. Not a popular stance today is it? In fact, people take that stance are called bigots, and everything else under the sun. But the fact of the matter is, is we do not see the ramifications. When God says the law is this, stick with it. You can’t go wrong with a stick. Okay?

So we have desires, the flesh, God desires of the Spirit, they’re in conflict with each other. Now, what did he say there in regard to that? We are now to be made new in what? The attitude of what? Our minds. So how are you going to be made new by changing your actions? How you gotta be made new? Changing your mind. Do you realize, folks, there’s a lot of people who are non Christians act and a lot better than us? Have you ever noticed that? I mean, on the outward actions, outward actions, you couldn’t tell the difference. You go over into some of the Muslim countries over there, you’ll see some pretty good behavior. If you don’t you get your hand cut off, you steal something, get your eyes plucked out if you look wrong. Want to live there? I don’t. So you see, outward action is one thing. But inward thoughts and inward attitudes are another. Now Christ came to change the attitudes of our hearts. And he said those attitudes will change your actions. But don’t ever think that actions cannot be duplicated, or imitated. And in the final analysis, folks, isn’t it really true? Just in the final analysis, everybody’s got all this emphasis on outward action? In the final analysis, how many people in your experience really know what you’re like? How many? If you’re married your mate, they know what you’re like. Your kids know what you’re like outside of that, folks hardly anybody knows what you really liked. Do they? And so can we not become performers? Because it’s just kind of for a short while. And then you get home and kick your shoes off and say Praise God, I can beat myself. start knocking everybody in the head.

So folks, you see why God wants to change the attitudes of our hearts? Because this outward can be changed, it can be faked, can’t it? That’s why people are getting married man, you don’t know somebody get married. Do you? Now how many can testify to that one? Yeah. And you say, why is that? I thought I knew him. Yeah, but didn’t live with him. So we are we live together, that that’s not the same. That’s not the same. And I’m not going to ask if anyone’s experienced that. But I’m just saying that is not the same. And so what we have to come to, to realize is not a whole lot of people really know who we’re really like. And that’s why he’s saying that we are to move made new in the attitudes of our minds. So until our attitudes have changed, nothing’s going to change. And so he says that we’re taught to put on this new self that was been created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Now, folks there again, you were born a mom and dad, but you were created by God, do you realize that? How many of you, you and it says that man was created in the image of God, is that true? No, it isn’t true. Man was created an image of Adam. Remember that fifth chapter of Genesis, when Adam and Eve had Seth. Seth was born in the image of Adam. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. Seth was born in the image of Adam. So God created only two men, two people, created by the hand of God. From that point on man was born out of man and out of woman. Are we together on that? So when you and I were born again, what is that a birth? It’s called a new birth. But what is it? a new creation. If any man be in Christ he is what? a new creation. Why? Because spiritual birth comes from God.

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