Two Crosses | Dr. James Hughes

Praise the Lord, everyone. >> Praise the Lord. >> You're going to have to tolerate my voice tonight. I don't think my body likes all of the cedar pollen or whatever it is that's in the air and it's just not cooperating tonight. But what an honor to be here. No place like the house of God. You know, >> the older I get, the more narrowminded I become. It's either right or wrong. You're not going to negotiate it out or figure an easier way to do it. It's you either follow the word of God or you don't. That's right. >> As you get older, you have a tendency to see things slightly different than you did when you were young. So when I read the word of God, I'm often reminded of how old the people were that wrote it. All of the writings of Paul were not the writings of a young man. To study with GL, he had to have been at least 40 years of age. It was an eight-year course of study. He had already graduated and started practicing enforcement. He starts persecuting the church. If you put history together and look at it carefully, you'll discover Paul's conversion was about 18 months after Pentecost. Wasn't a long time. So, you're probably looking at a 50 plus year old man that received the Holy Ghost and was baptized >> and started preaching to people. In his later years, he knew when his death would be because Neero told him. He starts writing letters that reflect his age. And he he he makes statements like this one to Timothy. I am persuaded that he is able >> to keep that which I'm entrusted into his care. >> I know he is able. >> We use the word believe a whole lot, but there's a whole lot of emotions required with that. So I I I'm past the age I believe. >> I'm at the age I know. >> It's not whether he's going to do it. >> I know he's going to do it. >> I I don't have to wonder if he's going to heal. I know he's going to. And if we're not careful, we'll let the world rob us. Several years ago preaching at conference, singles conference, I was standing on the front row. Their church is a be it's a gymnasium that they made a church until they could build their sanctuary. And speakers were right in front of us. I I couldn't understand a word being said. however they put their screen up. And I'm reading the words on the screen. And when when I started reading some of those words, the Lord spoke to me. He doesn't do it very often. But his statement to me was, "If my children don't stop disparaging my name, >> I will remove my blessings." Well, ever since that day, I listened and you don't crawl through a hot burning desert to get to God. You don't have to get desperate to get to God. Jesus declared to the lady at the well, "The day cometh and thou is, when true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, and the Father seeketh such." >> All you've got to do is speak his name and he finds you. You don't find him. You don't go looking for God. Just call his name and instantly he will be where you're at. I I want to speak to you tonight from an old man's point of view. Now, Brother Carpenter told me not to call myself an old man, but threequarters of a century is pretty old. Well, I'm sure not in the prime of my life. That's a fact. I got more body parts wearing out than, you know, I'm going to get to see that Jordan quicker than a lot of you. And I'm I'm really looking forward, you know, the what I'm really looking forward to is that new body. I'm concerned about God's kids and the struggles they have knowing if they're going to go to heaven. I remember in 1988 little book circulated among Pentecostals. It terrified us. Brother Kilhore's church had 500 backsliders pray through in the month of August. You go to church, everybody was talking about and asking questions. Do you think I'm going to heaven? If I go to, you know, if you see anything in my life that would keep me out of heaven, would you please just let let me know? So that I I I don't want to miss heaven. But no matter how many 88 reasons there were, the Lord didn't come. And by December, there was one of those 500 left. See, if we knew when he was coming, we'd live like the devil to the last minute. And we'd get all the sin and pleasure we could enjoy, knowing that he'd forgive us and save us at the last moment, and we'd all show back up. I'm concerned that that we struggle having an overcoming life. And what I want to do tonight is I want to talk to you about how how to live an overcoming life. >> Is living for God supposed to be a roller coaster? Did God intend for us to be bipolar? >> Highs one day, lows the next. Sundays we we climb the mountains. Mondays you can't get out of bed. I >> I don't believe that's God's desire for our lives. That that our lives live from one extreme to another extreme. He He wants us to have a a life that's consistent. John chapter 12. Now this is an old man. He's close to 100 years of age when he writes this gospel or story of the life of Jesus. So this old man realizing that if he doesn't write this, the church don't have all of its resources it needs to explain Jesus. For God so loved the world hadn't been written. First church didn't use that scripture to win the lost. It's written somewhere around 100 to 107 AD. By the time he takes pen in hand, every other apostle is dead. He's the only survivor. The other 11 are gone. Paul's gone. James is gone. So, here's this old man realizing God's kids need some information because if they'll really pay attention to what Jesus said, it is the key to living an overcoming life. John 12 23. And Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Now is my soul troubled." What shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I under this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it, and I will glorify it again." People therefore that stood by and heard it said that it thundered. Others said, "An angel spoke to him." Jesus said, "This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes." Now is the judgment of this world. Now, not tomorrow, >> not next year, not a thousand years from now. Now, >> is the judgment of this world. Now, shall the prince of this world be cast out? Do you really believe the Bible? And where do you get all these devil stories from that sure don't match the Bible? Devil talk to you. Devil give you a bad day. Devil's been tempting you. Did Jesus judge him and cast him out or did he not judge him and cast him out? >> You can't have it both ways. It either happened or it didn't happen. Satan was destroyed at the cross. He was conquered at the cross. >> You see, the cross was as much about heaven as it is earth. >> Heaven had been in chaos. For thousands of years, we have no clue how long. At least from the garden. I don't think Satan rebelled until he saw a creature created that had more power in a building than he had. and he tried to steal it. That's just Hugh's opinion. I can't prove that. But to me, it's logical. He said, "But if I be lifted up," folks, we sing a lot of songs about lifting up Jesus. You need to read the rest of this verse to understand what that really meant. If I be lifted up from the earth, then we'll draw on him and me. This he sayaith signifying >> what death he should die. The literal translation says if I be crucified I'll draw all men unto me. Matthew chapter 16 verse 24 Jesus said unto his disciple if any man will come after me let him deny himself and what? take up his cross and follow me. For a few moments tonight, I want to talk to you about two crosses. The Lord bless you. May be seated. Before I begin tonight, let me say what incredible honor it is to be here. We're so appreciative of your kindness and your words of kindness. And we love brother and sister Carpenter. We haven't known them a long part of our life, but what we have known has made our lives richer. And it's just an honor to be here. >> And I I hope and pray tonight that I I don't destroy or or affect your doctrine too much that causes you a problem. But, you know, we we need to get it straight now. I understand that a lot of people don't think the way I do. I I I I test on the autism spectrum, >> which is a fact. So, I I see things. It's either this way or that way. It It's There's no gray areas in between. I don't see all these colors you see. It's It's either right or wrong. And when I read the word of God, that's the way I see it. I I don't see any wiggle room. Matter of fact, I think I read somewhere in the word that if you add to or take away from his word, you're >> you got a little bit of a problem in the future. >> That's right. >> But we don't get to interpret it the way we want to interpret it. We we need to read the word of God because it truly is the answer to life. >> Do do you realize since the invention of the printing press, the Bible has been the most printed book every year since then? There there's never been a year that the Bible wasn't printed more than any other book. Now, if if it's so printed, then how come most Pentecostals have no clue what's in it? I >> I remember talking to a group of young people about a story and they didn't even have a clue it was in the Bible. You mean that's in the Bible? Where's it at? We know about everybody else's books and all the other stuff about life, but we don't really spend a whole lot of time in the word of God. If it is truly the lamp unto my feet and the light into my pathway, >> then I I I I ought to know it >> and know what's in it because that's what gives me the ability to overcome and live a successful life. >> Right? I I can be as spiritual as I want to be. There is no devil big enough to keep me from being spiritual. >> That's right. >> All of us sitting here tonight are as close to God as we want to be. >> The only reason we're not closer is we don't want to be. >> And the reason we don't want to be, the closer you get to him, the more of you shows up. >> And the more of you that's revealed. then the more view that's revealed gets real uncomfortable because you can hide from everybody in this room. But you can't hide from him or his word. And if you pick that word up and start reading it, you you may have done something that your wife don't know about or your husband or your mom or dad don't know about, but you start reading the word of God and it just becomes that two-edged sword. It It's quick and powerful. It's alive and active. It's still as powerful today as the day it was written. And it still has the same power and authority and effect in the world today as the day it was written. >> That's right. >> It is truly the word of God. And it speaks to our lives. It is the book of life. It's from the living to the living. It's written to us. It it gives us instructions in righteousness and and and holiness and living for God. >> Yes. >> See, the book does say that he's looking he's coming back for a church that that is not part of the world, but they've separated themselves from the world they live in. And they haven't taken on its philosophy or its ideas, and they still think his word is important. You know, to be totally frank with you tonight, I'm tired of arguing with young people about whether or not homosexuality is sin or not. >> All right. >> I can tell you that word says it is. Matter of fact, it causing an abomination. >> That's right. Oh, but see you you you let the world make you think that it's okay and it's not okay. Then >> we want to have an overcoming life. First thing's going to happen is you got to pick up your cross. You got to carry a cross. Now the problem with that cross is it causes all of us to have guilt and shame. But that was never its intended purpose. See, God has never used guilt and shame to force, coers, threaten, or demand or demean somebody into coming to him. God loves you >> even when you won't love him back. And it's his love that draws people. It it's it's not force. It's not demanding. It's it's the love of God >> that is beyond our ability to even comprehend that that reaches our lives and and and starts helping direct us in in ways to get to make sure we have the best life possible. Yes. >> See, Jesus declared to his disciples, "It's your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." God's desire is that you live the greatest life you could ever make. See, he didn't make vessels that were junk. He made vessels of honor. But our world has convinced us about our brokenness and our defectiveness. And and we've listened to words. And so we've let the world around us make us think that we'll never be good enough for God. >> That's right. >> So you don't have to be good enough for God. >> When when when Peter couldn't answer Jesus and he couldn't say what Jesus was asking him. See after the resurrection, Peter backslid. He threw them in the towel and said, "I quit. I'm going home. I'm going to my own lifestyle. I'm going to go back fishing. And he didn't just go fishing by himself. He took seven others. Read their names. He took seven others with him. So, eight out of the 12 wind up back in their old life. And Jesus shows up. Caught any fish? No. Fished all night. Put your net on the other side. They' heard that before. put their net on the other side and they the the they the net couldn't contain the fish. Now, the first time it happened, the net broke. Second time it happened, the net didn't break. See, Peter couldn't stand one more failure in his life. So, there Jesus has prepared a meal and and they're sitting around here and Jesus says, "Peter, do you love me?" Agape. Peter's answer is Felio. I'll be your friend. So they carry on a little bit more conversation. Peter, do you love me? Cop. Peter's response is Felio, you know I love you. I'll be your friend. I can't tell you. I I just told you I love you and then cursed and called down curses from heaven and I can't say that you know I can't. So the third time Jesus says Peter Felio will you be my friend? Peter says of course Lord I'll be your friend. See when you can't get to him he comes to you. He just gets down on your level. You say I my my life's too big a wreck. It doesn't matter how wrecked up your life is. He He'll come down to your level and he'll connect to you and give you the ability to change your life and have the most incredible life you could ever live by living for God. >> Thank you, Jesus. >> See, scientists have discovered that that simply showing up at church makes you healthy. >> Now, that's not studies done by the church, by the way. It's it's some of the most liberal colleges in the world's done these studies and and and prayer affects your life as well. Just 12 minutes a day on a daily basis causes your brain to grow. It creates new dendrites, new snapic connections. You you want to have you want you want your brain to be muscle bound, pray. Just just a few moments a day, 12 minutes is all it required over a 12-week period to change a brain that had never prayed to a brain that was drastically different. You can look at the two MRIs and see the difference between one brain, the other brain simply as a result of praying. See, living for God works. >> They're they're never going to prove that being a child of God is is detrimental to your health. It's going to destroy you. It'll bring peace. It'll get rid of depression. It'll get rid of panic and anxiety. It'll cause all kinds of these other issues that that show up in your life. They'll disappear. I met a young man years ago. He had the same name my son has. And when he walked in, I noticed something's wrong cuz I I I watched him as as he kind of made his way very slowly through the room and he sat out and I called him by name said, "How can I help you today?" And his response was, "I don't know if you can, Mr. confuse but I'm dead inside. I have no emotions. Now I have heard a lot of people make those kind of statements that if you start question them, you discover they got lots of emotions. But the more I talk to him, the more I realize he's not lying. His face is blank. It doesn't smile. It's not sad. It's just this blank look looking at you and and it's was I I didn't even know what to do. After 45 minutes of conversation, I finally told him I said, "I don't know how to help you. I I I want I told him, "God loves you, but Mr. Hughes, you don't understand. I don't know what love is. I have no clue what love is. Finally, I I said, "I I can't help you. I I don't have any resources, but however, I I've got one suggestion." He said, "I'll do anything. I I really would like to feel something. I'd like to laugh. I'd like like to know what joy feels like. I'd like to know what love feels like. I' I'd like to even know what sadness feels like because I don't have any of that. I said, "I have one suggestion." He said, "What what's your suggestion, sir?" I said, "How'd you get to this church?" "Oh, there's a guy who lives in my apartment that brought me." I said, "Why? Why don't you just keep coming? You don't have to participate. You don't have to do anything. just show up and sit on a pew. >> If someone brings you, he's blind. He was born premature back in the 50s and 60s. They put new infants in a pure oxygen environment. Did not know what preoxy would do to their bodies and it destroys their eyes and hearing. And so he's he's lost his eyes. He lost him at 25 years of age and now he can't see it all. And so he he's he's depended upon it. He can't drive. He never had a birthday party. He was born with birth defects. His family was so embarrassed that they wouldn't take him anywhere. If if the family went to park, they hired a babysitter. Family went on vacation, they hired a babysitter. He never went one place with his family in his life. And as a result, when children can't survive the junk that they're living in, their brain shut off feelings so they don't get hurt anymore. And his brain literally turned off his emotions to feel. >> And so here he is, this this kid, young man that perceives he has no hope and truthfully was probably close to becoming suicidal. Why do I want to live if I he can't work? He's now on disability and and so he sits in an apartment all day and he has no place to go or nobody. See, none of us understand that. I don't care how bad your life is. You You've had people that still were involved in your life, even in the worst of days. I didn't see him for a year. Went back a year later. I saw his name on my list and he walked in the door. And the instant he walked in that door, I noticed something different because I saw the hint of a smile. And he walks in, he sits down. I said, "Well, how are you doing?" He said, "Mr. Hughes, I think I know what that love stuff's about." Said, "Oh, how'd that happen?" He said, 'I just came to church and sit on a pew. And it took about seven or eight months of sitting there that I started feeling something that I didn't understand. >> And I kept feeling something touching me. >> So one night I decided to respond and he got up and his friend guided him down the aisle to an altar and he repented and God filled him with the Holy Ghost and they baptized him. And now he can laugh. He can enjoy. Why? Because this is the safest place you'll ever find. And this is truly the only place that you're going to get healed from any of life's problems is right here in God's house. See, Jesus knows his death is shortly to come. And he tells these disciples about his death, I'm going to be crucified and still don't register. Two days later, an upper four or five days later in the upper room, they're terrified. When it finally dawns on them, he's serious. He's going to die tomorrow. They don't know what to do. They won't run in panic. They they fled, most of them, except for John. terrified. Peter thought he could defend him. So he shows up at the fire and didn't work because he was too terrified of the crowd. I don't know him. Never knew him. Blasphe called down curses from heaven. Now is the prince of this world judged now. Now, Satan has had his last say, and I'm going to conquer him once and for all. He will never torment my children again. >> And from the cross till my return, my children get the privilege of tormenting him. >> For 4,000 years, he caused my kids great pain. Now they get to cause him great pain. >> All right. >> From that day till my coming. >> All right. >> See, John records that Jesus last words on the cross were it is finished. The Greek it's one word. He just screamed tettoi. If you weren't a Greek, you had no clue what he said because that word came from the Olympics. What's going on right now is Olympics. It's the ones that go back to 2000 or the turn of the first century. What Jesus says, he didn't say it's over. He didn't say it's complete. He said I won. And he just didn't say I won. He screamed I won. >> And the moment he screams I won, all of earth celebrates. Graves burst open. Dead saints come out of graves walked back through Jerusalem. The sun hit its face. The birds stopped singing because he conquered Satan at the cross. So Satan is not the enemy that you made him out to be. He is a defeated foe. And if you'll remind him of who he is and where he's going, he has to get permission from you in the direction he takes. That's right. >> Because the Bible says, "Resist the devil." >> And he'll argue with you. He'll say, "Who are you? You can't tell me what to do." When you get fed up with him, you'll say, "Devil get lost." And he'll he'll have to say, "Okay, which direction?" See, y'all don't believe me. The shock look on your face as if I had a GoPro right here. See, that's our problem. We don't believe the word of God and we don't believe what God's done. >> So, you you can't convince me God don't heal because I'm not supposed to have a voice. >> 1983, I had a tumor removed or cyst full of infection removed from my sinus cavity. It had infected my optic nerve and I couldn't move my eyes and I had incredible headaches. And finally, they decided it's the cyst. I need to take it out. And so they they removed the cyst from my sinus car. They cut my inside of my mouth from right under my nose all the way over to my jaw and pulled my face out the way and went in through my nose and took that thing out. When I woke, I kind of sounded like I do today. I couldn't talk and I said, "Doctor, my throat hurts." He said, "Oh, that's a product of being put to sleep." Six weeks later, it's still incredible pain. It wakes me up in the middle line, just throbbing. And so, I go back and he said, "Well, let me check." So, he put that little thing over his eye that's a mirror. It's concave and it's got the hole in the middle. He he turned the light on and he he took some gauze, got a clamp out of a drawer, and he said, "You need to stick your tongue out." So he wrapped gauze around my tongue, lock that clamp on it, and pull my tongue out as far as he could. And then he says, "All right, Mr. Hugh, say haha." Well, I dare you to try that. There ain't no way you can say haha. I'm watching him. I mean, he's right here in my face. And I watch he sticks that mirror. That's all he had back then. They didn't have all these scopes they have now. He stuck that beer in the back of my And I could see his expression and it went from like just a normal expression to total shock and he stopped and he pushed back from his his chair from me. He said, "Mr. Hugh, I don't know what to tell you, but we tore your vocal cord loose. That tube they put down you got stuck to your V card. When we pulled it out, we tore it loose. The cartilage is exposed. You may never talk again. You might want to change occupations. I know there are some people that wish it hadn't happened. 18 months later, it didn't he didn't heal me overnight, >> but 18 months later when he brought 10 of his students from Baylor College of Medicine in and he wanted to look at my throat and he wanted all 10 of them to see what what you can do to a person if you're not careful. And he wanted all them look in the back of my throat and me do the hehe and the haha. and he looked at my throat and then I watched his it's a different doctor. He's the professor from Bear College of Medicine and and so I'm watching him. He gets that same shock look on his face. I think oh no, what's going on now? He pushed his chair back, got my chart out which about that thick and he started flipping through it and he said, "Can I do that again?" Sure. He he pushed his chair back second time, looked at the charts again and he said, "Let me do it one more time." Okay. Stuck that mirror in the back of my throat, looked at it the third time, pushed the chair back. He said, "Mr. Hughes, somebody bigger than me has been looking out after you. You don't have a scar or any indication that we've damaged your throat. So, you can't tell me God doesn't heal. I don't believe he heals. I I know. I know what he's capable of. And when God's kids get to the place they know what living for God is, they'll terrorize their world. Satan won't know where to hide and he'll be looking for a place to hide because you're going to cause him such incredible chaos because you're going to truly become a child of God. Then then another old man shows up and and and he starts trying to help us understand a little bit more about what living for God really is because he writes most the book that gives us the knowledge of what living for God's about. Of those 27 books, he's he wrote 90% of them. and and he starts writing to help us understand what living for God is. He even tells us a little bit about love. Now, we don't want to read that chapter because there's a lot of stuff there you don't want to hear. So, I'm not going there. I challenge you truly read what it says and not just what you think it says because part of that says love keeps no record of wrong. Wow. >> Every day is brand new at love. It It doesn't drag yesterday up. It doesn't look for tomorrow. It just lives today. >> It keeps no record because Paul understood what truly becoming a child of God is. See, the the disciples had no clue about the law. they they they didn't understand the theology behind the Old Testament and what it was really saying, but he did. And so he tries to let us understand that living for God is not hard. I I remember as a kid hearing preachers say, "If you live for God hard, it's easy. If you live for God, it's hard." That's dumb, folks. That's just purely dumb. Living for God's not hard. it you you don't have to make up all these dumb statements to talk about. Living for God is the easiest thing you would ever do. It's just simply making up your mind. You want to walk with Jesus every day. >> It It's simply having a conversation with him on a daily basis. It's just getting up every day and say, "This is the day that the Lord hath made, and I I tell you what I'm going to do about it. I'm just going to rejoice and be glad. It might be a hell storm. It might be a tornado. It might be a hurricane. It doesn't matter what's outside. This is the day the Lord hath made. >> And I'm I'm just going to rejoice that I'm still standing erect. >> So he he he writes to a little church that really was dying. The founders of the city built it on their own side of the river. They didn't realize that over time the the river overflowing consistently would would cause a an alkali content that was brought down river from mountains further upstream and it would deposit that alkali content all over their side of the river. And because of its alkaline content, they couldn't grow crops, trees couldn't grow, shrubs couldn't grow, food couldn't grow. And over time, what was a thriving city became vacant. And at the time Paul writes to this little church at Colasse, there's less, according to some historians, less than 50 people in the church. So why would Paul write the most powerful letter in the New Testament to a group of people that's non ex that's that's not even going to be around within a hundred years of the writing of the letter. The town's gone. The city's gone. Archaeologists can't find it because the two neighboring cities, Heropouloolis and Leodysia, they went there and and and took all the building materials down to the foundation stones and took them back to Leodysia and Heropouloolis and built buildings there with it because they had quick access to building material and they totally erased where the city was. Why would God send such a letter? The people that they had no influence. Well, there were some doctrines started showing up and one of them was the devil made me do it. That's where it started. But there are several others. and and and he starts letting us know of some stuff that that he starts in the first verse and says, "You have been delivered from power of darkness." I talked to you about that. And then chapter two, he really gets into some very deep things that we don't pay attention to. He starts talking about in him Jesus dwelt all the fullness of the godhead bodily and ye are complete in him. Why? Because when he lives in me, all of that's now inside of me. So all the fullness of of God is now living in my life. And and now he resides. and I get to take him with me every place I go. And he will go with me every place I go. Then there's not going to be issues with him not not wanting to to allow me to be me. You take him places he don't want to go, but he still goes with you. You are complete. >> Complete. Folks, you realize the day you get the Holy Ghost, you get the whole thing. The Holy Ghost don't come in doses. You don't get a little bit one day and a little bit the next day and a little bit more and you keep adding to it. And hey ladies, when a child is born, you get a leg one day and an arm the next and the torso and then another leg, another arms, couple of hands show up later, couple of feet and the head and you snap it all together like Legos and you got a kid. Is do you get the whole thing or do you not get anything at all? See, becoming a child of God is a birth. It's not a filling station. >> You don't keep coming back and getting your tank full. You got all of God you're ever going to get. So just learn how to use it and enjoy it. >> The reason you're not enjoying what God has given you, he placed you were became complete the day you were filled with the Holy Ghost and the day you went down in his name in baptism. >> You don't need more of God. You don't need anything else. You are complete in him. And then he starts talking to us about what baptism becomes. When you go down in water and baptism, it it's the replacement of the Old Testament covenant of circumcision. Now, baptism becomes the circumcision of the heart. When you go down in his name in baptism and you come up out of that water, God takes a scapel and he starts cutting off all the sin in your life and it remains in that water. And when you come up out of that water, you are totally free from every sin you ever committed. And you will never be judged for one of them because now they have been totally erased. And God's not like us and keeps dragging up what your mate did and and reminding them regularly. When you ask forgiveness and he forgives you, you'll never hear about it again. And he even knows how many times you'll do the same thing over and over. >> See, I discovered in physics that time is defined by how long it takes to get from point A to point B. And if you're at point A and point B at the same time, time don't exist. So if God is everywhere, he's never lived in time. He will never live in time. God is in your present, your past, your future, all at the same time. He knew everything you would do up to this point in your life and he knows what you're going to do in the weeks to come. But it don't stop him from blessing you tonight. It don't stop him from giving forgi because when you ask for forgiveness, he just erases that and there is absolutely no history. blotting out the handwriting of ordinances which was against us, which was contrary to us, taking out the way nail to his cross. You know, sometimes we just don't pause to think about what was actually said. The word blot out is a very unique term. It's used twice in the New Testament. Peter uses it in Acts 3:19. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances which was against us which were or repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out. Then Paul uses it Colossian. But the word has an incredible meaning in the world of that day. If you had gone into an agreement or contract with somebody and when that contract was finished and you had paid the price or whatever the contract required, then you had two options of what you did with that contract. If there was information in that contract you didn't want anybody else to read, you want anybody else to ever see it again. You'd go to the marketplace and you'd buy you a sponge and you get a bowl, fill it half with vinegar and half with water and you'd saturate that sponge. You'd saturate, you get wet, squeeze it out, get it wet, squeeze it out, get it wet, squeeze it out. Then you take that sponge and lay it on that piece of papyra or skin. And as you slide it across the page, the vinegar water acts it it dissolves the ink, the sponge act like a vacuum cleaner. So when you get through, it's totally erased. That's blot out. Blotting out the handwriting. Now, what does handwriting mean? Well, that word actually translates a signed confession. See, the day you get the Holy Ghost, you don't inherit a halo. The day you get the Holy Ghost, you don't inherit a halo. You are not an angel. Matter of fact, you be probably become more of a devil than any time in your life. The reason is you've been delivered from the power of darkness and darkness can't do with you what it used to. And now you are in control of your life and he don't cause you to be a puppet. He don't force you to do this or that or or move strings and you move here, move there. He gives your life back to you. Now you have to take ownership. And if you mess up, you got to correct it. So before you sin by nature, but after the Holy Ghost, you had a nature change. Now you sin by choice. It doesn't mean you stop sinning. You just choose to do the bad things that you do in life. No one makes you. No, no devil forces that. It's your choice. If you're mean to your wife or your husband, no one made you. She didn't make you. You just chose to do it because you like what she said or what he did. And so you're going to retaliate by doing this and saying words that hurting, injuring. So once you get the Holy Ghost and you're baptized, how do you get that stuff off your life? >> How how do you get yesterday erased? Well, you could put a big X in it. Then everybody that shows up is going to be able to read what you did. But if you don't want nobody to know, once see when when you mess up, God says confess. And when you confess, you've got to sign your confession. Now, that's a legal document that can put you in prison or even take your life because of what you have confessed. >> You could be sentenced to death or prison or whatever because you signed it. But the instant you sign it, he says, "All right, son. Here's my blood. Dip that sponge in my blood. Now, let's rub it across that page. And when you get to the other side of that page, you're going to have a blank page." His cross is not speaking about Jesus. It's speaking about the person who wrote the confession. It's not referring back to Calvary. Jesus on his cross gave us power to use our cross to become the reminder I'm forgiven. There's no record of my past. There's no record of my sin. There's no one going to drag yesterday up and cause me a problem with it because all I've got to do is hold up my cross. That cross is what allows me to become an overcomer. It doesn't burden me down. It doesn't injure me. It just reminds me that you have overcome. You see, at God's house, you don't have to win. He won. So, you get to celebrate without ever winning. Whenever you fail, you can still win. You just simply confess, sign your name to it. And once you signed it, you rub that that sponge across the skin. It it vacuums all that writing off the page. And now you'll never be judged for what happened. Now, every time Satan would happen to show up and say, "You, you know, you're such a failure, you just take that stake and shake it. Say, do you hear all those things rattling? You know what that means? I've been forgiven. You can never get forgiveness because you lived in holiness. And so, you will never understand what I get to enjoy." And this is my banner of victory. It says, "I found an altar. I repented." And he removed my past so that my past will never dictate my future and it will never define what happens in my life or where I go or what happens to me. Because if I pick my cross up daily, then I will be an overcomer every day. The day you don't pick your cross up is the day you cease to be an overcomer. But every day you pick it up and you carry it with you. The word doesn't translate cross. It translates stake and it literally means to drive a nail in it and to stick in your front yard and hang that piece of paper on it so that everybody passes by your house knows you have been forgiven. >> You'll never be judged. >> So you won't be an overcomer. You won't quit the roller coaster. Then you learn how to get your past under control so that your past is not continually reminding you of your failure and of your mistakes. You have to go stand in front of that mirror and say, "All right, you're not wrecking my life one more day. You keep By the way, if it's been erased there and here, where's the record to drag your past up? If God don't have a record of your past, one word Satan get one. >> You think he's that good of a record keeper? He's not I'm not present. He can't be everywhere. >> He don't know what everybody's doing. He can't keep record of your life. He has no clue. >> So how how is he going to drag your past up? >> He don't have that ability. How Oh, here's the problem. There's still a record. Where's it at? between your ears. Who has access to that record? Your flesh. See, the biggest battle you fight is with flesh. And let me tell you from what an old man discovered, you never get conquered. You do not mellow with age. You don't become a better person you get. You lose your patience. You lose your gentleness. You lose your longsuffering, kindness, and you often just say what you mean, no matter how bad it hurts. Yeah. So, you know what this old man has to do? He has to have a lecture with the devil he sees every morning in a mirror >> and he has to talk to him. conversation kind goes like this. You're not my friend. You're my enemy. You're out to wreck my life. You You don't want me living for God. You are the devil I have to deal with every day. So, you are not destroying me. And here's what's going to happen. I can see you right now, but the moment I walk away, I won't see you. But you're not going to wreck anybody's life. You're not going to say bad words to people. You're not hurt somebody's feeling. You're you're going to control your behavior. You hear me? You're going to do it. Before I go to bed tonight, I'm going to stand here and look at you again. I'm going to ask a question. Who won? If by chance you win tomorrow, you don't get breakfast, you don't get lunch, you don't get supper. If that don't get your attention, next day you don't get breakfast, you don't get lunch. or you don't get supper. If I don't get your attention, next day you don't get breakfast. You know what scientists have discovered? You want to control your brain faster than anything? Start it. Fast. Fasting shuts down the animal part of your brain in an instant because it's saying, "I got to have food." And when you can control that, you can control anything. You want to be an overcomer, don't be afraid to sign your confession and make sure you got your cross with you. It's just a stake with a nail on it. And the beauty of it is there's no limit to the number of nails or pieces of paper hanging on them. He doesn't set a limit. If you go past a hundred, that's it. It's over. Mine probably has several thousand. it probably the hundreds of thousands hanging on mine because I of of of what I've had to confess and say, "All right, Jesus, I'm sorry. I did it. I said things I shouldn't say. Forgive me." You say, "All right, here's my blood." Now, when I start to do something I shouldn't, I hear those pages rustle in the wind. Not a good idea. So they prohibit me from some of the things I would have done, but they also let me know if you really mess up, he don't throw you out. He don't tell you leave and never come back. You know, the most incredible story in the Bible's misnamed. Jesus told it. It almost didn't get recorded. If a doctor hadn't heard it, it never showed up. We call it the story of the prodical son when it's actually the story of the perfect father and absent mother. It's the story of a dad who loved his kids unconditionally. Both of them. When Jesus tells the story, he said the older brother come in out of the field. That literally translates he came in out of the world. One was lost at home. One's lost away from home. They're both lost. But for the one who left, the day he left, he put a calf in the pin. In the Greek language, there's no indefinite article. But the definite article D means more than thee. It means the one and only. So when it says baptizing them in the name, it's the one and only name of the father, the one and only name of the son, the one and only name. And father's not a name. Son's not a name. Holy Ghost not a name. Jesus is the name. So the one and only name is Jesus. >> There was one and only fatted calf in the pin because he started preparing for the boy to come back because he knew he had loved the boy enough that when he came to himself, he'd show up back here at his house. said, "God, make sure you can get home." >> So the the the when David's son messed up and he went to grandpa's house and and and finally the his people see and they try to convince him, you need to bring Abselum back home. And and they bring in this lady. She called her what she have a name, wise woman of Taka. And she says to David, God devises means that has banished be not a strange. What it literally translates is God blazes trails so those who get lost have a way to get back home. He just keeps following you and cutting limbs down off of trees and he still makes a path so the day you decide to turn around there's a clear pathway back to him because that's his desire. He He don't want any of us failing. He wants us all to have an incredible life. But you can't ever have it without your cross. His cross gave you the victory. Your cross is your banner of honor and glory. In spite of failures, I still get to be victorious. You see, the psalmist said, "Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." Only God's kids have the ability to have a banquet on the battlefield. In the middle of a battle, God says, "Stop. My kids need a meal." And he spreads out a table, says, "Come and die." He's made sure you've got all resources necessary to be as victorious as you choose to be. >> You know what's going to happen tonight when this service is over and I quit? you you won't do it now because I'm calling you out before you do it. But there's a whole lot of butts in this room. That's that's good, brother Hughes. But you don't Oh, I see it on your face. I promise God never to reveal to me what you think, and he's honored me up to this point. But I was taught how to read your face. I can I I can understand what motions show up and how I irritate you. But what I say and and I'm glad your pastor wasn't sitting up here at night cuz your neck would be stiff from looking at me and looking at him. Look at me. So he's not sitting so you can see him. So you can't see his reaction to what I'm saying. You won't be victorious. And who's willing to take up a cross? It's not your burden. It's not going to drag you down. It's not going to give you a bad day. It's going to give you victory every day that you carry it. See, your cross has nothing. All those pages has nothing on them. You you can't remind yourself because they're gone. All right. It's either covered by blood, it's not. So, we're going to bleed the book or we're not going to bleed the book. H >> has he provided everything? >> Yeah. He's provided everything that pertains to to to godliness. >> Everything to life and godliness. As Peter said, everything. Not just some. >> He wants you to have the greatest life possible. He He don't want you up here, down here, up here, down here, up here, down here. And and and you >> have to make a decision. I I'm going to I'm going to conquer this. I'm going to be what he asked me to be. I'm going to be a vessel of honor. And And folks, I I need to put you at ease. God's not going to make you do something that's going to see. All you introverts in this room are terrified. You'll be embarrassed, shamed, or humiliated. That's your biggest fear and the biggest thing you deal with in your life. And and that song, you don't know what God's going to do when Jesus gets hold you, that's not going to happen. God would never embarrass you or shame you or cause you to be humiliated because he knows how he made you. And he knows that that's in your nature. So he's not going to do something that harms, hurts, or hinders you. He's just provided this really safe place. And all he really requires is honesty. You getting honest with him and taking ownership. Jesus, yep, I did it. I I I I let my mouth get ahead of my brain and I just in anger said stuff I shouldn't have said. And Jesus, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. And but I promise you, Jesus, when I get through telling you how sorry I am, I'm gonna go to her and tell her how sorry I am for what I've done. So you don't just tell him, you're going to go correct the behavior. You don't get to erase that record. Hello. >> Yeah. So you try and find a shortcut. Oh, that that allows me not to have to tell her that. Yeah. I I had to tell her, "Please stand." >> The greatest, most gentle father is here right now. I don't know who you are, but God does. He knows whatever the struggle is you've had that you think you can't get help for. And he's here tonight to tell you if you'll take ownership and you'll confess it. You won't just think it. >> You see, if you don't put the words out, you don't say it, he oh, he knows what I think. That don't work until you have confessed it. You've never dealt with it. So when you can put it in words and then say, "Jesus, this is me. This is James used and I sign my name." Then he says, "All right, here's all the blood you need to get that record out of your life so that that record will never destroy your walk with me." >> So who wants to pick the cross up? See, the odds are you left your cross at an altar. >> You didn't leave it at home because you'd have to see it all the time. So, you came and gave it back to him and said, "I I just can't carry that any longer." And you walked away without your cross. So, if you want to find your cross, you're going to only place you're going to find it is at an altar. And when you come back to the altar, he's going to say, "Son, I I just been waiting for you. I I I I knew that if you ever remembered how much I love you, how I' I've tried to pour my love into your life, I would tempt you enough that you'd come back here and that you would return to this place and you'd pick that altar up and you wouldn't be afraid to carry it in your life. Gracious Father, >> thank you for your incredible presence that's here. You're such a gentle, loving Savior. You always prepare the atmosphere for your spirit to move in. We We can't prepare the atmosphere. You prepare it. You prepare it by making it so safe and it's so gentle that when we come to ourselves and and we can realize that you're not going to destroy us. You're not out to get us. You're not going to pass judgment. You're just waiting for us to realize the error of our way. Take ownership, Jesus. I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I signed this confession. I will go to the person that I've hurt or injured and I I will correct that behavior as well. I I'm sorry, Jesus. Please forgive me. And then he says, "Son, it's it's in the past. From this day forward, I will never remind myself of what you have done. I have the ability to do that, but I'll never remind myself of what you've done. I free you from yesterday so that yesterday will no longer be the defining point of your life. He's here. Let him talk to you today. Let him speak to your heart. Pick your cross up. It's not hard to carry. It's not a burden to carry. It's the most liberating thing you'll you'll ever take in your hand. just just to be able to enjoy being with him, walking in his presence every day. The greatest thrill of my day is when I drive out of my driveway and I say, "Jesus, would you ride with me today? Could we have a conversation? He always shows up. We always talk about his word and what his word really is and what he really desires for our life." And that's what he wants for your life to not be afraid of him, but just open a door so that you can invite him in and you just have a conversation with him. Father, I just I I love you more than I can express. I don't know how to tell you how much I love you, but you've been so good to me. You've been so kind to me, and I want you to know I love you more than anything else. If you can pray that, I can promise you today, you'll start seeing a different life. All of those things that that you thought were looming in front of you as obstacles, they'll start disappearing because now you have the resource to conquer anything. There's not anything too big that you can't conquer because he's given you all these resources to conquer.