{"id":301093,"date":"2006-04-14T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-04-14T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/no-condemnation\/"},"modified":"2024-10-07T22:42:18","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T02:42:18","slug":"no-condemnation","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/no-condemnation\/","title":{"rendered":"No Condemnation"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>C.J. Mahaney tells us to forget ourselves and to share the gospel with those who need to hear it the most.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2006-04-14.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"11.4M","filesize_raw":"11957919","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2821],"tags":[4722,4299],"podcast_series":[7446],"cwp_profile":[3287],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-301093","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reaching-out","tag-christianity","tag-faith","podcast_series-the-main-thing","cwp_profile-c-j-mahaney","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/301093\/no-condemnation","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/301093\/no-condemnation","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"vDXjDIU4MW\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/no-condemnation\/\">No Condemnation<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/no-condemnation\/embed\/#?secret=vDXjDIU4MW\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;No Condemnation&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"vDXjDIU4MW\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"C.J. Mahaney tells us to forget ourselves and to share the gospel with those who need to hear it the most.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2006-04-14.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBob:\u00a0All of us spend time in our lives pondering certain things.\u00a0 Pastor, author, and speaker, C.J. Mahaney wants to know \u2013 are we pondering the right things?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tC.J.:\u00a0Where do you expend your energies daily?\u00a0 Do you expend them objectively?\u00a0 Do you expend them outward?\u00a0 Do you expend them admiring, exploring, expositing, and extolling Jesus Christ, or do you expend them evaluating your emotional state, taking your emotional temperature, if you will, constantly, consistently, throughout the day?\u00a0 Too many of us do just that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBob:\u00a0This is FamilyLife Today for Friday, April 14th.\u00a0 Our host is the president of FamilyLife, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 If you find yourself discouraged or unhappy, have you been thinking too much about you and not enough about Christ?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0And welcome to FamilyLife Today, thanks for joining us on the Friday edition.\u00a0 I've always had some level of conflict over this day.\u00a0 On one level, as you contemplate the death of Christ, you can't help but be moved by His suffering.\u00a0 On another level, this is the day in which we commemorate our salvation, which was accomplished there on the cross with His death, and that's a cause for rejoicing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDennis:\u00a0It really is, and the more you understand what Jesus Christ did on this day, the more motivated you are going to be to live for Him on this planet.\u00a0 In fact, Bob, I would say it was understanding what took place on this day and then on Sunday, when he was raised from the dead, that ultimately turned my life from being self-focused to being God-focused and others-focused.\u00a0 I finally realized life was not about me, but it was about Him.\u00a0 It wasn't about satisfying my needs and wants, it was about fulfilling His mission in life.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0And this week, we've talked about His mission is one of redemption.\u00a0 He wants to forgive us our sins so we can, number one, be forgiven and be His children, but, secondly, so that He can put a message in our hearts that we can share with others.\u00a0 And so we decided to share with our listeners what you describe, Bob, as one of the top five messages you've ever heard in your lifetime.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBob:\u00a0Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDennis:\u00a0Now, that's an interesting statement, because you've heard a few thousand sermons.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBob:\u00a0I've heard a few sermons in my time, but this is one of those that I went back through and took extra notes on.\u00a0 In fact, I think I've preached it a few times myself to others, and I've acknowledged the source of it.\u00a0 This is a message from C.J. Mahaney, who is the former pastor of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland.\u00a0 He now heads Sovereign Grace Ministries and oversees a whole group of churches throughout the country.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0C.J. is an author, he's a husband, he's a speaker, he's written a book called \"Living the Cross-Center Life,\" and we're going to hear part two of C.J.'s message on \"The Main Thing,\" the Gospel, and how it ought to be the main thing in our lives.\u00a0 And we've already heard him talk this week about our tendency to forget the Gospel and why we need to have it preached to us regularly and about our tendency to be legalists and want to self-justify or self-atone.\u00a0 We want to pick up the message at that point.\u00a0 Here is pastor and author, C.J. Mahaney.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tC.J.:\u00a0[taped earlier] There is this daily temptation and tendency to be subjective.\u00a0 And, for many of us, if not most of us, for sure, this is our daily orientation.\u00a0 Listen to yourself as you speak today and record how often you say, \"I feel\" rather than \"I think.\"\u00a0 Too often the word \"I feel, I feel, I feel,\" rather than \"I think, I think I think,\" and more importantly rather than \"God's Word says, God's Word says, God's Word says.\"\u00a0 Well, why?\u00a0 Well, because this is the daily tendency of temptation \u2013 just to be aware of how I\u2019m feeling at any given moment. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0Let me just assure you of something for each of us \u2013 no one is exempt from this.\u00a0 For each of us, each day is an internal rollercoaster.\u00a0 It is, because each day we encounter differing degrees of prosperity and adversity.\u00a0 And there is this daily temptation to respond sinfully or to the grace of God as we encounter prosperity and adversity.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0Now, if your orientation is inward, if you are far better at looking inward than looking outward and \u2013 by the way, I'm not minimizing the importance of self-examination \u2013 but all self-examination, to be truly spirit-led, must be done spirit-led and in light of the cross.\u00a0 Where do you expend your energies daily?\u00a0 Do you expend them objectively?\u00a0 Do you expend them outward?\u00a0 Do you expend them admiring, exploring, expositing, and extolling Jesus Christ, or do you expend them evaluating your emotional state, taking your emotional temperature, if you will, constantly, consistently, throughout the day?\u00a0 Luther said \"The Gospel is entirely outside of you.\"\u00a0 What's your temptation daily?\u00a0 To be far better at examining inward.\u00a0 Ferguson said, again, \"We think with our feelings.\"\u00a0 Too many of us do just that.\u00a0 You are thinking but with your feelings.\u00a0 Or, more accurately, we let our feelings do our thinking for us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0Spend more time this year \u2013 do this \u2013 spend more time this year, spend more time this year talking to yourself than listening to yourself.\u00a0 Now, don't do this in public, okay?\u00a0 Walk in wisdom, obviously, but I'm completely serious.\u00a0 Follow the example of the psalmist.\u00a0 He wasn't ignorant or unaware of his internal state, but he didn't spend time unnecessarily seeking to exhaust his internal state and its assessment.\u00a0 And you can also find the psalmist doing what \u2013 talking to himself.\u00a0 He becomes aware that his soul is downcast.\u00a0 He doesn't just seek to discover endlessly and exhaust why are you downcast?\u00a0 He just says to himself, \"Soul, listen up, Soul, what are you downcast?\u00a0 Soul, stop being downcast.\"\u00a0 It's really this simple.\u00a0 Isn't it great?\u00a0 \"Stop it.\"\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0Well, what do I do instead?\u00a0 Hope in God \u2013 subjective, objective.\u00a0 Subjective, objective \u2013 stop it, Soul.\u00a0 Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote the following \u2013 \"Have you realized\" \u2013 see if you have \u2013 \"that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself.\"\u00a0 He writes, \"I say that we must talk to ourselves instead of allowing ourselves to talk to us.\"\u00a0 See, the daily temptation, just to endless listen to yourself.\u00a0 You will live a rollercoaster Christian life if that is your orientation.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0What's the alternative?\u00a0 The saving events of the wonderful Savior; surveying the wondrous cross, looking upward, looking outward, and experiencing the effect of that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0Finally, number four, the daily and temptation is condemnation \u2013 condemnation.\u00a0 Oh, God help me with this.\u00a0 Please turn to 1 John, chapter 3, 1 John, chapter 3.\u00a0 Oh, I hope this helps you as it relates to condemnation.\u00a0 Who here isn't familiar with condemnation?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a01 John is a wonderful complement to the Gospel of John.\u00a0 Gospel \u2013 John wrote his Gospel with evangelistic intent, but he wrote 1 John with pastoral intent.\u00a0 He wrote so that the original recipients, those that he personally cared for and fathered, he addresses them actually throughout as little children would experience a full understanding and assurance of their salvation in Jesus Christ.\u00a0 And so, actually, turn to chapter 5, 1 John, chapter 5, verse 13.\u00a0 He states it very \u2013 again, plainly and powerfully here.\u00a0 His primary purpose for this letter \u2013 \"I write these things to you who believe\" \u2013 those who have been affected by his Gospel \u2013 \"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God \u2013 why?\u00a0 So that you may know\" \u2013 those who believe, so that you may know \u2013 so that you might have genuine assurance, so that you might have assurance, so that you might be assured of your salvation, so that you might reassure your hearts.\u00a0 He is protecting them, in effect, from the self-exalting knowledge and experiences of the false teachers.\u00a0 He is teaching them and providing them with the biblical means of evaluating their conversion experience, its genuineness, and he provides throughout this letter at least there tests.\u00a0 We're not going to go into any great detail, but I at least want you to be aware of them \u2013 three tests, at least three \u2013 the test of truth, the test of obedience, and the test of love.\u00a0 Love specifically for our brothers and sisters in Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0Now, in chapter 3, turn your attention to chapter 3, beginning in verse 11, he's introducing the test of love \u2013 love for our brothers and sisters as in evidence that this gospel has affected our lives, and the test of obedience is included in this as well.\u00a0 Let's just begin reading in verse 14 \u2013 1 John 3:14 \u2013 he writes, \"We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers.\u00a0 Anyone who does not love remains in death; anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has internal life in him.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd this is how we know what love is \u2013 Jesus Christ lay down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.\u00a0 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need, who has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?\u00a0 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.\u00a0 This, then, is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set\" \u2013 listen to this carefully.\u00a0 Slow down, look at this very carefully \u2013 \"and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence.\"\u00a0 How do you set restless hearts at rest in His presence \u2013 whenever?\u00a0 Not if \u2013 when our hearts condemn us.\u00a0 Now, this is not license.\u00a0 Sin is never acceptable but, brothers and sisters, we live in a fallen world and until we die or the Lord returns, the presence of sin exists.\u00a0 An indwelling sin remains, and it is inevitable that, to differing degrees, each day we will experience sin, and when we do, what commonly accompanies the commitment of sin?\u00a0 What immediately follows the commitment of sin?\u00a0 Answer the question \u2013 condemnation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0Now, he's writing the people who are genuinely converted, genuinely converted and intimately familiar with condemnation.\u00a0 That's right, they're people like us.\u00a0 Condemnation has, minimally, two sources \u2013 the accuser of the brethren and, in this context, our hearts or our conscience.\u00a0 Whether it's the accuser of the brethren, whether it's are own hearts or consciences, for most of us condemnation is a common experience, and for many of us, too many of us, condemnation is a constant companion.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0I'm not familiar with this comic, but it was given to me, and it is very relevant.\u00a0 \"Cathy\" is the comic strip, and in the first frame Cathy is look at us, and she says the following \u2013 \"Things I should have done\" \u2013 or, actually, she's thinking this because she's alone \u2013 so we're made privy to her innermost thoughts \u2013 \"Things I should have done at work; things I wish I'd said to Irving.\"\u00a0 Next frame \u2013 \"Things I promised myself to never do again that I did, anyway; ways I made myself miserable that I could have avoided.\"\u00a0 Third frame \u2013 \"Things I could have done for my family, my puppy, my friends, my co-workers, my neighbor, my finances, my home, my closets, my diet, and millions of people in need whom I have never met.\"\u00a0 Final frame \u2013 \"Even when I'm not going anywhere, I have 300 pounds of luggage with me.\"\u00a0 You feel as if you have 300 pounds of luggage that you are carrying with you and regardless of where you go, you live more aware of this 300 pounds of luggage than you do of the saving work of Christ on the cross.\u00a0 Too many \u2013 and if it's one, it's too many \u2013 are more familiar with condemnation than they are justification.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0Let me give you a few common characteristics of those experienced in condemnation \u2013 number one, you perceive God as disappointed with you rather than delighting over you.\u00a0 When you think of God, you just think of Him as tolerating you.\u00a0 At best, God is tolerating you.\u00a0 It's as if He's morally obligated to tolerate you because you've trusted Him.\u00a0 You might have gotten in with a group, responded in a meeting like this and just think, \"Well, God doesn't specifically love me.\u00a0 I came in on the group plan, and God is morally obligated to tolerate me because I responded, but He's basically disappointed.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0These individuals, though they have confessed their sins, think of themselves as on probation.\u00a0 You just \u2013 the rest of your life, you're just on probation because of the pattern of sins.\u00a0 You've confessed these, whether it's in the distant past or the immediate past.\u00a0 You refuse to draw near to God except maybe in corporate settings because you don't think you would be welcome.\u00a0 You maintain what you think is this respectful distance from God.\u00a0 You live with, really, low-grade, unresolved guilt and condemnation.\u00a0 You rarely experience joy.\u00a0 Every time you read your Bible to escape His condemnation, you're only reminded of your sin, it only confirms your condemnation on every page.\u00a0 The Scriptures don't reveal God's love, they instead just confirm the condemnation you're experiencing in your heart, and sermons can have a similar effect on your life.\u00a0 Who here isn't?\u00a0 If you're a Christian, you are familiar with a condemning heart.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0I am so encouraged that John was familiar with condemnation.\u00a0 How do I bring my heart at rest when I'm experiencing it?\u00a0 Well, in context, I'm to assure myself that because I have this now uncommon love for people I once hated, that that is proof positive that I have truly been converted.\u00a0 And then he goes on to say even that's not sufficient, so listen \u2013 in verse 20, \"Whenever our hearts condemn us, for God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.\"\u00a0 So we not only assure ourselves by this transforming love we have for others, but then He says, \"And you know what else?\u00a0 God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.\"\u00a0 Which, initially, I don't find that very encouraging, do you?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0I mean, when you say to me, \"God knows everything,\" I don't think, \"Wow, am I set free from condemnation right there.\"\u00a0 Whoa!\u00a0 I think, \"I wasn't condemned until you told me He knew everything.\"\u00a0 But listen, this is brilliant, what John is saying is this \u2013 when your heart is condemned, and you have confessed your sin, and you have assured yourself that there is this uncommon love as an evidence of conversion, you can know this as well, if your restless heart still isn't at rest \u2013 God is greater than your heart.\u00a0 You see, your conscience is a gift from God, but your conscience isn't God, and your conscience is fallible, and your conscience needs to be changed, and God is greater than your heart, and God knows everything.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0See, when I'm condemned, all I'm aware of is my sin, but God is aware of everything.\u00a0 God is aware of conversion; God is aware of grace; God is aware of evidences of grace; God's aware of everything.\u00a0 I'm only aware of my sin.\u00a0 That's not how God views me.\u00a0 Hold fast the Gospel.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because the daily tendency in temptation is to forget it.\u00a0 The daily tendency, the daily tendency in temptation is to legalism.\u00a0 The daily tendency in temptation is to a \"feeling\" orientation.\u00a0 The daily tendency in temptation is to experience paralyzing condemnation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0What's the alternative?\u00a0 Preach the main thing to yourself, hold it fast, keep the main thing the main thing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBob:\u00a0Well, we've been listening to part two of a message from Pastor C.J. Mahaney, and that ought to be our focus not just today but every day \u2013 keeping the main thing the main thing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDennis:\u00a0And, Bob, for me, personally, back the summer when I moved toward my junior year in college, my understanding of what Christ had done for me on the cross, of His death, burial, and Resurrection, that ultimately turned my life around, and 1 John 4, talking about the love of God toward me turned me from a self-absorbed life toward Him and becoming a recipient of that grace and a recipient of that love and an experience of knowing God and walking with Him and experiencing Him all day long.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0And, Bob, I felt like I traded in life in black and white, a one-dimensional life, for a Technicolor life that was lived alive spiritually.\u00a0 And my life was forever changed that summer, as I understood the Gospel; as I understood what Christ had done for me and I moved from being a very selfish person to beginning to learn to think about others.\u00a0 Now, I\u2019m still learning how to do that, but you know what?\u00a0 That is what the Gospel does.\u00a0 That is what Christ came to do.\u00a0 He came to forgive us our sins and to redeem us from ourselves as C.J. was talking about, so that our lives are not focused upon our own failures, those failures that Christ died for.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0In fact, I personally believe that one of the greatest needs in our nation today is for a fresh statement of forgiveness, because I think we are a guilt-laden nation.\u00a0 I think we are languishing in our guilt.\u00a0 We are under the weight of that guilt.\u00a0 Who can set us free?\u00a0 Who can release us from the burden of that guilt, from our failures of God and our fellow human being?\u00a0 Jesus Christ.\u00a0 He died so that we might live.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBob:\u00a0And you've really touched on the three things that the Gospel offers that you can't find a satisfactory answer to anyplace else \u2013 forgiveness, transformation, and hope, and every human heart is longing to be forgiven.\u00a0 It's longing to be changed and transformed, and it's longing \u2013 it's hoping for what is ahead for us; what lies beyond, and the Gospel offers the only satisfying answer to all three of those \u2013 where you can find forgiveness and where you can experience transformation and where you can find hope for your life.\u00a0 It's in the Gospel.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDennis:\u00a0And I want our listener who is listening right now to understand very clearly \u2013 all three of those things Bob is talking about \u2013 forgiveness, transformation, and hope \u2013 they are not an intellectual exercise.\u00a0 They are a commitment by faith of the human heart taking God at His Word.\u00a0 That's how you get forgiveness, transformation, and hope.\u00a0 God is real; Jesus Christ became man.\u00a0 He walked among us.\u00a0 This thing that you long for of being forgiven, of having a transformation, of having a hope comes about through a personal commitment by you to the God of the Universe who personally comes to you offering you forgiveness, offering you transformation, and offering you hope, if you will but take it by faith.\u00a0 The question is, will you do it?\u00a0 Will you step out and say, \"Lord Jesus, be merciful to me, a sinner.\u00a0 I need forgiveness.\u00a0 I need You to transform me from being a selfish person, and you know what?\u00a0 I need hope.\u00a0 I need hope beyond the grave,\" and that's what Easter is all about, and that's what Jesus Christ came to do.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBob:\u00a0If any of our listeners are interested in finding out more about what it means to be committed to Jesus Christ, to have a relationship with Him, we've got a book we'd like to send you that's a free resource.\u00a0 It's called \"Pursuing God,\" and we'll send it to you at no cost when you call 1-800-FLTODAY and request it.\u00a0 This is for those of you who are at the place in life where you'd say, \"You know, I realize my need for Jesus, and I want to put my faith and my trust in Him.\u00a0 I want to understand more about what it means to be a Christian and walk with Him.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0You can call 1-800-FLTODAY and say, \"I would like that book, 'Pursuing God.'\"\u00a0 We'll send it to you at no cost, and we'd encourage you to read it and then to talk to God about it \u2013 to just talk to God about what you've read and express the desire of your own heart and experience the forgiveness and the transformation and the hope that comes in the Gospel.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDennis:\u00a0And, you know, it's just like getting married.\u00a0 You can be in love, and you can love that other person, but until you stand up and make a commitment, until you say, \"Will you be mine, and I promise to love you and care for you until death do us part,\" you're not going to be married.\u00a0 It's simply being in love at that point.\u00a0 But Jesus Christ calls us not to just know about His death on our behalf, not to just know about His Resurrection, but to make a personal commitment to Him, and He offers that eternal life to you if you'll take Him at His Word and make that personal commitment, by faith, to Him.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBob:\u00a0We also want to encourage our listeners to get copies of the book that C.J. has written called \"Living the Cross-Centered Life.\"\u00a0 In fact, I came downstairs the other morning, and right there on Mary Ann's desk was this book with a notepad about a third of the way through, and she was copying things out of the book to remember them.\u00a0 It's a wonderful volume that helps us keep our hearts focused, as they ought to be focused \u2013 on Christ and on His finished work for us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0The book is in our FamilyLife Resource Center.\u00a0 In addition, we also have a daily devotional written by one of C.J.'s theological heroes \u2013 it's the book \"Morning by Morning\" by Pastor Charles Spurgeon, the great English preacher, and his daily devotions help keep your heart focused, as it ought to be focused each day on the cross and on Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0You will find both of these resources on our website at FamilyLife.com.\u00a0 Go to the Web page and click the \"Go\" button in the middle of the screen.\u00a0 You can get more information about these books, or you can order them online, if you'd like.\u00a0 Again, the website is FamilyLife.com, and if you should order both of these books, we can send you at no additional cost the CD audio for the message you've heard this week from C.J. Mahaney about keeping the main thing the main thing.\u00a0 Again, the website is FamilyLife.com.\u00a0 You can also order by phone, if you'd like, at 1-800-FLTODAY.\u00a0 That's 1-800-358-6329.\u00a0 Someone on our team can let you know how you can have these resources sent to you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0Let me say a word of thanks today for those of you who help support this ministry financially.\u00a0 We appreciate your ongoing partnership with us.\u00a0 We hope you have a great weekend, a great Easter celebration, and we hope all of you can be back with us on Monday when Dr. Robert Lewis is going to join us, and we're going to begin a week-long look at what we can do as dads to help raise our sons to not only love Christ but to understand what it means to be a man.\u00a0 We'll talk about raising a modern-day knight on Monday and hope you can be here for that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0I want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team.\u00a0 On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 We'll see you Monday for another edition of FamilyLife Today. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0FamilyLife Today is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t__________________________________________________________________\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you.\u00a0 However, there is a cost to transcribe, create, and produce them for our website.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would\u00a0 you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/site\/c.dnJHKLNnFoG\/b.3782043\/k.384D\/Support_Us.htm\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright \u00a9 FamilyLife.\u00a0 All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.FamilyLife.com\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/301093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=301093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=301093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=301093"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=301093"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=301093"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=301093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}