0:00:03.871,0:00:07.453
Now let me share something with you[br]for Christians who struggle

0:00:07.453,0:00:09.513
with sadness and looking[br]at yourself

0:00:09.513,0:00:13.158
and always really feeling down.

0:00:13.158,0:00:15.971
The more you know God,

0:00:15.971,0:00:17.949
the more you're going to see[br]His holiness.

0:00:17.949,0:00:19.453
The more you see His holiness,

0:00:19.453,0:00:21.369
the more you're going [br]to see your sin,

0:00:21.369,0:00:25.900
which leads you to deeper[br]depths of conviction,

0:00:25.900,0:00:27.745
contrition and mourning.

0:00:27.745,0:00:29.276
But if that's all you see,

0:00:29.276,0:00:31.320
you're in trouble.

0:00:31.320,0:00:33.866
But with that greater [br]revelation of God's holiness,

0:00:33.866,0:00:35.738
and that greater [br]revelation of your sin

0:00:35.738,0:00:37.678
also comes a greater revelation

0:00:37.678,0:00:40.632
of what God has done [br]for you in Christ,

0:00:40.632,0:00:42.234
and that unconditional love,

0:00:42.234,0:00:44.752
and that grace abounding [br]to the chief of sinners.

0:00:44.752,0:00:47.734
So although, you're almost [br]like a paradox,

0:00:47.734,0:00:51.356
the more you walk with Christ,

0:00:51.356,0:00:54.537
the deeper is your contrition [br]and mourning over sin,

0:00:54.537,0:00:56.206
and yet greater your joy,

0:00:56.206,0:00:58.122
and there's a transmission[br]that goes on.

0:00:58.122,0:00:59.930
No longer is your joy

0:00:59.930,0:01:01.657
found in your own performance,

0:01:01.657,0:01:04.854
but it's found in the [br]finished work of Christ.

0:01:04.854,0:01:06.077
So, if the devil walks in

0:01:06.077,0:01:09.087
and starts pointing out all[br]kinds of things about you,

0:01:09.087,0:01:11.339
you yawn.

0:01:11.339,0:01:12.271
And you go,

0:01:12.271,0:01:17.459
you don't even know[br]the half of it.

0:01:17.459,0:01:19.139
This has never been about me.

0:01:19.139,0:01:20.808
Have I ever said this was about me?

0:01:20.808,0:01:22.786
This is not about me.

0:01:22.786,0:01:25.390
I don't hope in me.

0:01:25.390,0:01:26.459
If I hope was in me,

0:01:26.459,0:01:28.737
you could kill my hope with [br]a dagger right now;

0:01:28.737,0:01:30.947
the smallest pin knife[br]would take down my hope.

0:01:30.947,0:01:32.427
But my hope's not in me.

0:01:32.427,0:01:33.618
It's in my older Brother,

0:01:33.618,0:01:34.778
and if you don't leave,

0:01:34.778,0:01:36.470
I'm going to call Him.

0:01:36.470,0:01:40.517
You don't want me to call Him.

0:01:40.517,0:01:42.633
Oh, believers, I want[br]you to know something.

0:01:42.633,0:01:45.226
People sometimes - young men,[br]will come and they'll go,

0:01:45.226,0:01:47.956
they look at guys who preach

0:01:47.956,0:01:49.675
in a lot of places[br]around the world,

0:01:49.675,0:01:51.709
and all these young guys think,

0:01:51.709,0:01:54.432
man, this guy, he reached[br]some spiritual level,

0:01:54.432,0:01:56.946
and because he reached[br]that spiritual level,

0:01:56.946,0:02:00.273
God really uses him.

0:02:00.273,0:02:03.370
No.

0:02:03.370,0:02:05.481
No.

0:02:05.481,0:02:09.280
The older you get, the more[br]needy you become of grace.

0:02:09.280,0:02:12.869
And the more happy you [br]are in Christ alone.

0:02:12.869,0:02:15.738
The older you get, the[br]more of your sin you see.

0:02:15.738,0:02:17.401
And you trust not in the flesh,

0:02:17.401,0:02:19.523
you glory in Christ Jesus.

0:02:19.523,0:02:24.412
And when all your everything

0:02:24.412,0:02:27.085
is based upon His perfect work,

0:02:27.085,0:02:28.354
as weak as you might be,

0:02:28.354,0:02:32.493
you're as solid as a rock.

0:02:32.493,0:02:35.577
Because the devil can't touch Him.

0:02:35.577,0:02:39.874
The devil can't touch Him.

0:02:39.874,0:02:41.018
A young guy one time,

0:02:41.018,0:02:41.789
he calls me up,

0:02:41.789,0:02:43.692
he was a seminary student.

0:02:43.692,0:02:44.863
He was just saying,

0:02:44.863,0:02:46.142
Brother Paul, he wrote me,

0:02:46.142,0:02:48.929
I'm so ungodly, I'm so unrighteous,

0:02:48.929,0:02:50.222
I'm so this and that.

0:02:50.222,0:02:51.362
I knew the young man.

0:02:51.362,0:02:53.001
He was a fine, sincere Christian.

0:02:53.001,0:02:54.500
And he was just so struggling.

0:02:54.500,0:02:57.290
He said I'm just so ungodly and ignorant.

0:02:57.290,0:02:58.843
And I wrote him back and I said,

0:02:58.843,0:03:00.779
"Dear brother, you [br]are much more ungodly

0:03:00.779,0:03:02.753
and much more ignorant [br]than you now know.

0:03:02.753,0:03:03.998
Love, your brother, Paul."

0:03:03.998,0:03:06.795
I have the gift of [br]mercy and encouragement.

0:03:06.795,0:03:08.510
And so he calls me up on the phone,

0:03:08.510,0:03:10.167
and he goes,

0:03:10.167,0:03:13.146
"Thanks?"

0:03:13.146,0:03:16.094
And I said, look, I've watched your life.

0:03:16.094,0:03:17.562
In many ways

0:03:17.562,0:03:19.427
you seem to have [br]made greater progress

0:03:19.427,0:03:21.174
than I have.

0:03:21.174,0:03:23.955
But I'm happier than you.

0:03:23.955,0:03:26.330
And he said why?

0:03:26.330,0:03:28.592
I've given up on trying to find hope

0:03:28.592,0:03:31.448
in my performance.

0:03:31.448,0:03:36.273
And all, everything for me, is in

0:03:36.273,0:03:40.638
the unconditional love of my Savior.

0:03:40.638,0:03:44.756
If you know anything about the ministry

0:03:44.756,0:03:46.873
that the Lord's given me.

0:03:46.873,0:03:48.351
If you've heard anything,

0:03:48.351,0:03:50.689
you go, man, that [br]man just talks about sin,

0:03:50.689,0:03:52.861
he nails people, he's [br]the meanest preacher

0:03:52.861,0:03:55.713
that ever walked the planet.

0:03:55.713,0:03:58.205
Let me tell you something.

0:03:58.205,0:04:00.725
When it comes to unbelievers who

0:04:00.725,0:04:02.338
are professing faith in Christ

0:04:02.338,0:04:03.896
and they are [br]asleep in their sin

0:04:03.896,0:04:05.979
and they are going [br]to die and go to hell,

0:04:05.979,0:04:08.427
yes, I am going to rip, rip, rip,

0:04:08.427,0:04:09.920
because it doesn't appear to me

0:04:09.920,0:04:12.139
that hardly anyone else [br]is doing that.

0:04:12.139,0:04:15.279
I am not going to let them go to hell

0:04:15.279,0:04:18.345
except over my cries that they wake up

0:04:18.345,0:04:19.633
and see their destruction.

0:04:19.633,0:04:21.393
But,

0:04:21.393,0:04:23.973
when I pastor,

0:04:23.973,0:04:25.587
sometimes people come to church

0:04:25.587,0:04:27.260
if I'm preaching and they go,

0:04:27.260,0:04:30.632
are you the same guy on YouTube?

0:04:30.632,0:04:34.774
Because all you do is talk about love,[br]love, love, love? Why?

0:04:34.774,0:04:35.871
Here's the reason.

0:04:35.871,0:04:37.879
If the person truly becomes converted,

0:04:37.879,0:04:41.174
I don't have to do anything.

0:04:41.174,0:04:42.530
They're sheep.

0:04:42.530,0:04:43.893
They're going to follow Him.

0:04:43.893,0:04:45.080
As a shepherd, you know

0:04:45.080,0:04:47.337
what my greatest worry is,

0:04:47.337,0:04:49.237
for the people who [br]are truly converted?

0:04:49.237,0:04:51.793
I don't want them coming [br]under false condemnation.

0:04:51.793,0:04:54.070
And I don't want them doubting [br]the love of God.

0:04:54.070,0:04:55.323
You see, the whole deal

0:04:55.323,0:04:56.522
depends on conversion.

0:04:56.522,0:04:57.424
Do you see that?

0:04:57.424,0:04:58.820
You get them converted,

0:04:58.820,0:05:00.214
and you talk to them about

0:05:00.214,0:05:01.716
the unconditional love of God,

0:05:01.716,0:05:03.174
and you know what they'll do?

0:05:03.174,0:05:05.473
I'll tell you what they won't do,[br]they won't stand there and go

0:05:05.473,0:05:06.680
well, if it's like this,

0:05:06.680,0:05:08.795
let's just sin.

0:05:08.795,0:05:10.051
No, you tell a true sheep

0:05:10.051,0:05:12.489
about the unconditional love of God

0:05:12.489,0:05:14.420
and that it doesn't matter what they do

0:05:14.420,0:05:15.686
or how far they fail,

0:05:15.686,0:05:17.862
Christ loves them and[br]is going to restore them

0:05:17.862,0:05:18.865
and work in them,

0:05:18.865,0:05:20.642
and a bruised reed [br]He will not break

0:05:20.642,0:05:23.122
and a smoldering wick He will[br]not put out.

0:05:23.122,0:05:24.081
You tell them that,

0:05:24.081,0:05:25.817
they say, well, if it be like that

0:05:25.817,0:05:28.516
then I want to love Him more.[br]I want to serve Him more.

0:05:28.516,0:05:30.653
I want to follow Him.

0:05:30.653,0:05:32.485
If I'm really free,

0:05:32.485,0:05:35.784
you see?

0:05:35.784,0:05:37.004
So, all you have to do

0:05:37.004,0:05:41.218
is get converted, and I'll be nice to you.

0:05:41.218,0:05:42.666
But here's another thing,

0:05:42.666,0:05:44.861
if I'm preaching on the streets

0:05:44.861,0:05:46.359
in a place where everybody's

0:05:46.359,0:05:48.732
just wild and wicked as [br]Sodom and Gomorrah,

0:05:48.732,0:05:50.838
on this present day planet,

0:05:50.838,0:05:54.318
I stand up and I preach the love of God.

0:05:54.318,0:05:55.700
The time for preaching hard

0:05:55.700,0:05:57.637
is when people have become deceived

0:05:57.637,0:05:59.402
by religion.

0:05:59.402,0:06:01.898
And when they think [br]they're something they're not.

0:06:01.898,0:06:04.545
And when most of the religious authorities

0:06:04.545,0:06:06.663
in the world are affirming them

0:06:06.663,0:06:09.089
in their false conversion.

0:06:09.089,0:06:10.380
And for self-preservation,

0:06:10.380,0:06:12.340
those preachers are saying[br]"peace, peace,"

0:06:12.340,0:06:13.635
when there is no peace.

0:06:13.635,0:06:15.541
And people, they are building

0:06:15.541,0:06:19.487
their huge churches on the bones

0:06:19.487,0:06:22.313
of carnal, dead church members.