To Stay Renewed Part 1: full transcript and answers

▶ 0:00 The Bible has a procedure for renewed, ruined lives to stay renewed. I mean, I know it’s not just as important to get saved as it is to stay saved. Yes. Or a subtitle: how to avoid spiritual and moral crashes, backslidings, and giving up on Jesus. Recently, the United States and the whole world for that matter’s economy was ruined and needed to be renewed, restored to its former condition. Uh, it’s questionable by the same politicians that brought the economy down to begin with, but we are working on it. The brightest minds right now are trying to solve the problem to avoid another crash, another downslide, and complete economic depression.

▶ 0:55 You’ll notice that the stimulus money, which is really new printed money, they just made it. They just created it out of nothing. It went to the wealthy banks, to the stock market, mainly benefiting wealthy Americans and increasing welfare dependency of middle to low class Americans. Americans need jobs, not welfare, and millions of jobs have been sent overseas to other nations. In a slow process, Americans and American Christians, with Jesus, the Bible, and the Constitution, are being neglected and even rejected for a global government, a global economy, and a global set of values that all people can identify with. Now, I’m not the only one concerned for the future of our children in America. Many Americans, especially Christians, should have noticed that Americans’ wealth has been and is being passed to other nations, leaving us gradually less wealthy. Do you understand what I’ve said so far?

▶ 2:23 We know from history our government leaders have brought us into economic crises before and take credit for getting us out, and then we go back in again, and no one wants to take credit for going back in, but they all like to take credit for coming back out. Of course, the wealthy never really experienced these economic crises, just the other classes of society do. When you’ve got all those millions of dollars, a depression never affects you. It seems that government officials can commit crimes that we citizens get punished for, but they are immune to and even protected.

▶ 3:07 There have been 30 assassinations that have killed politicians, well, in modern times, and 11 of them who survived, uh, including modern-day presidents: Ford, Nixon, Kennedy, Reagan, Kennedy’s brother, Truman, Roosevelt, McKinley. And then others not in the political arena necessarily, like Martin Luther King and George Wallace, who was running for president, and several Congress members. So it is putting your life on the line when you take political office, and we have a high respect for that, but we question the immediate wealth when elected to office. Palin and Obama, for example, uh, immediately turned into multimillionaires.

▶ 4:05 Uh, our Congress is paid $174,000 per year, plus all the perks: money from their campaign funds, travel expenses, furnishings for their offices and such, staff to do their work, paid staff, image money, just millions of dollars just to make themselves look good to the public. They have a great pension plan, a health plan, and they have all these tax exemptions that we don’t have. Now, Jesus, on the other hand, not only can restore and renew spiritually ruined lives, but He has a procedure to maintain those restored lives so they stay restored and renewed, not up and down. How many would like to meet a Jesus like that?

▶ 5:00 Yeah. The Bible says in Ezekiel that the stairway always leads upward, not up [unclear] in that temple of God. Jesus is not partial like our governments to the wealthy or the famous. His procedure can restore and maintain both the poor and the wealthy, the wicked and the not so wicked. Even those of us who are good need renewed and restored, or we think we are good. The Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

▶ 5:42 So last time we talked, we talked about God’s plan for renewal and restoration, and Jesus, of course, is our substitute. He takes our place for our punishment, our pain, our, our curse. He is our mediator, He is our warrior, and we need a substitute to take our place, ‘cause we can’t do it on our own. How come you raise your hand and say, “That’s right, we can’t do it on our own”? And so Jesus Christ, the Christian religion is the only one that offers a substitute and an involvement in your life. After hearing the word of Christ, the second step that motivates us to deliver ourselves through Him. Remember, the Bible says, “Deliver yourself, O Zion.” You have a part in this. You have to respond. You have to get involved. Uh, and then of course the third step was Jesus got involved in our lives to motivate and encourage and inspire us and deliver us through the indwelling and power of the Holy Spirit.

▶ 6:51 So, uh, a quick review. We’ve got to remember the Bible gives us proof that there’s power in Jesus Christ and His gospel. It says in 1 Corinthians 6:9, “Don’t be deceived: sexual immorality, idolaters, adultery.” He lists here all the different areas of sexual immorality, boy: homosexuals, uh, men using boys for homosexual acts, sodomy as the homosexual act, thieves, covetous, drunkards, verbal abuse, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God. And here’s that magic word, read it with me: “Such were some of you.” They aren’t now. They were adulterers, they were fornicators, they were homosexuals, they were thieves, they were extortioners, they were drunkards, but they’re not now. That’s the power of Jesus Christ and His gospel, a change for a lifetime. Amen.

▶ 7:54 And the Bible gives us proof of this, and it says we were washed, sanctified, that means made holy, justified, made right in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. God gets involved by His Spirit and works a miraculous thing in our life. Now, folks, that’s a great hope. Amen. That song that they sung about “Onward Christian Soldiers,” that’s the theme song of the Salvation Army, and Colonel [unclear] would go down into the scums, and back in those days drunkenness was just rampant before the women came along and protested alcohol and all that. And the Salvation Army would be singing this song, and they’d go down into the streets and they’d get a wagon, and they would just load these drunks up, put them in the wagon, take them back to the Salvation Army headquarters, and sober them up and clean up their life. Amen. You see, “Onward Christians,” so very powerful song that was. It tells how powerful the church is supposed to be and is.

▶ 9:00 Now here in 1 Peter 4:3, “doing the will of the Gentiles.” We used to do the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lewdness, lust, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, abominable idolatries. In regards to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of indulgence. You see, “Of such were some of you,” but you don’t do that now. And those that still do it just can’t figure you out. But you got born again, you got changed by the power of Christ and by the power of His word. And see, someone told me recently that, “I don’t come to Mountainside anymore because you’re too strict.” I said, “I never tell anybody what to do. I just tell them what the word says, and I give them the solution.” How do you know what you need to be restored from if the Bible doesn’t tell you what you’re doing is wrong? Could that be an amen?

▶ 10:04 Amen. I don’t go around looking over anybody’s shoulder. I don’t go to your house to see if you’re walking the line or not. That’s the Holy Ghost’s job. See, the Holy Spirit’s job is to renew you and restore you. My job is to preach the gospel to you. Your job is to respond to it. Now, that was good preaching. See, we can’t, we don’t want ministers flattering us, we want them to preach the gospel. Didn’t Jesus tell the apostles, “Teaching all things whatsoever I commanded you”? That’s all they were allowed to teach, no opinions. Amen. And so we got to hear the bad news before we hear the good news, so we know there’s good news to get us out of the bad. Now, this is the power of the gospel in Jesus Christ. There’s proof that we can be saved and stay saved and be healthy, strong Christians in this world.

▶ 11:12 Now, what is the procedure? Hebrews 6:12, “Do not become sluggish,” lazy, “but follow,” imitate. It includes imitating, follow, uh, you know, uh, run behind or whatever, but to imitate what you’re running behind, what you’re pursuing, what you’re chasing after, “those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Don’t be lazy. Lazy people don’t work, do they? And in America this thing “not of works” has just destroyed so many Christians that they think they don’t have to do anything. And you do have to do something. You have to follow, you have to pursue, you have to pray, you have to read your Bible. Isn’t that right? Isn’t that work? I don’t know about you, but it’s work. I have to set aside a time and I got to put some effort into it. So He says don’t be lazy, and that’s the problem in the church in America right now. We are Christian lazy people because we’ve overemphasized certain areas of the Bible that we feel we’re okay and we don’t have to do anything. Could that be true?

▶ 12:35 Okay, so the first step: don’t be lazy, but follow, imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Get around some people that are possessing the word of God. Now, we’re going to show you what the promises are. We have a tendency to run with people that follow our opinion, believe what we believe, sympathize with us, feel sorry for us, but we need to be around people that are pursuing Christ themselves and actually possessing the promises. You see, when you are around people better than you, you get better. When you are around all the time people worse, you get worse. That’s the principle. And so the first step is we got to quit being lazy, and we got to make, some of you need to just bug the [unclear] just to death. Go over and knock on the door and invite yourself to dinner. Be around people that possess things. That’s right. I mean, don’t give them any rest. Martha just wear her out. Now, the [unclear] is, yes, get free dinners and get free influence. Hallelujah. You notice I didn’t put the [unclear] in. There I am. Serious. You see, I didn’t know the Bible said that, but I found being around, when I was a young Christian, people that possess things rubbed off on me and encouraged me and ignited me. When I was around my peers, it was a worthless thing. Mostly we were just a bunch of critics. I went around peers, but when you’re around other people, you get ignited to move upward. Could that be an amen? Hallelujah.

▶ 14:41 And you know, where you go to church makes all the difference in the world. If you’re going to a church where they don’t possess any of the promises, you’re not going to be inspired to possess anything. If you go to a church where everybody’s okay the way they are, you’re not going to move up the mountain. And so where you decide to go to church is very important. Who you decide to run around with and be close with is very important if you want to grow in God and maintain that restoration and renewal that God started in your life. Is that clear? Hallelujah.

▶ 15:26 Now, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” So we see here that what I’m around is going to affect my life, whether it’s bad or whether it’s good. You notice we’re not told to follow those that can speak well, those that can sing well, those that can play musical instruments well. Neither are we told to follow those that are financially successful and career success, like an athlete or an actor or a politician or somebody successful. In poverty, that I, I, I’ve ran into this, that poverty is spiritual, and the more poor you are, the more successful you are, and they use the Bible to come up with that nonsense.

▶ 16:22 And you know, we’re also not to run with people in our restoration, uh, “Well, I was once a drug addict, so I got to help the drug addicts.” “Well, I was once a prostitute, so boy, I’m going to start a ministry to help the prostitutes. I can relate.” “Well, I, you know, I was a thief, so I’m going to, you know, identify with the thieves.” I saw a bunch of women that came out of pornography in a church over here in, uh, uh, Buena Park, I believe, and they all were going to one church. And, you know, folks, Jesus didn’t have to be a prostitute to relate to prostitutes. He didn’t have to be a drunkard to relate to drunkards. The word of God does the relating. Can I hear an amen? You know, I don’t have to be a poor person to relate to poor, and I don’t have to be a rich person to relate to the rich. It’s the word of God. And so we, you know, we want to get in these recovery groups where people identify with us. Listen, you need to get into the Jesus group and identify with Him, because when you run with the best, you will become the best, and Jesus is the best. I’ve actually seen more destruction from these people thinking that because they’ve been through something someone else has been through, they can relate to them, and it winds up nothing but a bunch of psychology and no power of the gospel and no power of the Spirit at all. Could that be true? Hallelujah.

▶ 17:58 It’s hard to find today wholesome, morality-building news in the media, the entertainment world, and even the sports arena. And meanwhile, while we’re reading all this kind of news, political leaders are slowly increasing our taxes, and, as I said before, this pursuit for global government, global economy, global morals, and a universal God, all religions lead to the same God, no Jesus, no Bible, religion, and no commitment to the Constitution. We’re actually leaving the Constitution of the United States. The Illuminati, the Bilderberg, the Trilateral Commission that a lot of people are promoting have a hidden conspiracy, and they do. They stand for a new world order, one world government, one world economy, and share the wealth and raise the taxes to do it. But I don’t see it as a conspiracy theory. I see it as an open expression of change that they want in the world.

▶ 19:11 These are facts. The United States gives foreign aid of $50 billion a year. Fifty billion of our tax dollars goes to [unclear]. The dollar value has declined over 90% since 1913. A million jobs a year are shipped overseas. We know that from reading the newspaper. I trust you read. Okay. And then we wonder why our people are unemployed, and then they want to tell them to go to college and get a trade and all the rest. What if they don’t want to go to college? Why should we ship jobs overseas when our people don’t have jobs here? Amen. You know, what’s this frame of mind they’re getting us into, that we got to be, you know, the data nation, you know, the information nation? What’s wrong with manufacturing ball bearings for, uh, skateboards? Amen. And, you know, yes, it pays less money, but that’s their choice in life. Shouldn’t they have a freedom to make that choice? And a lot of people aren’t college material anyway. And see, and I’m telling you this stuff, I’m, I’m, I’m comparing Christ to our government because you need to be aware of both the natural and the spiritual and have a, a right mental understanding of it so you can live in it and be an asset to it. That was good.

▶ 21:00 But our young people and most Americans are just into TV, and there’s nothing on TV that has anything moral. They got around, they got their earbuds in their ear and listen to music all the time. That is worthless. The shows on TV leave you with no morality. In fact, they promote incest, homosexuality, smoking, drinking, everything that’s destroying lives and destroying homes in America. When we turn on a TV, they enforce it. Isn’t that right? Yes. And our government’s doing these things. We know that they want to decrease arms. Uh, the United Nations costs $17 billion a year, and they are trying to be able to tax us as a nation from the United Nations and wanting to pass laws that govern the United States from the United Nations. Folks, we don’t want that. We want to be a nation that stands alone under God in whom we trust, and let God be the deciding factor of our future rather than the nations of the world. Can that be an amen?

▶ 22:17 Amen. Christians cannot just get saved and wait for the rapture. We got to live 70 to 80 years in this world, and we need an impact on it, and so we need to understand these things. The federal government is in debt $14 trillion. Yet if we go into debt and don’t pay our bills, we go to jail. State and city governments are going bankrupt, and it’s very close to a domino effect. California is bankrupt. They are borrowing money and living on other money because they can make decisions to straighten the finances of this state out, and we live in this state, and we’re more interested in the Super Bowl than we are in our California future, because the media and everything has got us thinking that way. They give us the impression that a bowl of rice or a bowl of beans daily in our home is worth the high taxes and big government rulership while they eat steak and wear the best clothes. And that’s exactly what the communists did. The communists promised the, I’ve read it, a bowl of rice in every home. Yeah, that was it, a bowl of rice, and you had to line up to get it for hours. I mean, no, that’s no way to live. What we need is jobs and work, and if you don’t work, it’s your problem. We don’t need government taking everybody’s money and giving everybody a [unclear]. Could that be true? But see, slowly our government is leaning that way.

▶ 24:25 Now, I have a conspiracy, and it’s not secret either. And many of us have that conspiracy. A conspiracy is a hidden or open plan to reach a goal that changes present accepted established ways to institute their own ways, their own government, their own values, their own politics through force or of law or by arms. And I have a conspiracy to destroy these conspiracies. Now, let me show you the hidden part. Let me show you what the hidden part of a conspiracy is, and they can be open. Blacks back in the old days were sold as property, and to get people to believe that, they taught the lie that blacks were not human, so therefore they could be sold as property, and then people believed the lie. Are you out there? And that’s what they’re doing today. They’re not hiding this thing. What they’re doing is hiding the lie. Do you understand me, church?

▶ 25:53 Women were inferior and like children in their mind. Therefore they can’t vote and they can’t lead in politics or in industry. And so for years women weren’t allowed freedom that everybody else in America had. And where did they get this stuff? Both of them came from evolution, and why blacks and women would even think about accepting evolution is beyond my cranial understanding. Darwin is the one that taught this stuff. That was the thinking back there, along with, the church is in our way because of its moral standards. We got to get rid of the church. We got to, you know, get rid of blacks, and we got to get rid of women, or not get rid of, uh, suppress them. Are you there? Those of you who know your history, can you raise your hand, say yes, that’s what happened? Yeah. Read Darwin. That’s what he said: women have the mind of a child. They didn’t evolve. Well, and yet women, a lot of women, I, we need to know this stuff. And see, the lie was there so then you could do what you wanted to to get your way.

▶ 27:18 All right, let’s move to modern day. The embryo is not a baby, it’s just a mass of tissue, so it can be aborted. What’s the lie? A mass of tissue, it’s not a baby, doesn’t have life yet. In fact, they’ll use Genesis where it says when God breathed into Adam the breath of life, then he became a living soul. Until the baby’s out of the womb and breathes air, it’s not a living person. They use the Scriptures for that. They twist the Scriptures for whatever they want to do. Are you guys aware of this stuff? You need to be aware of this stuff. Homosexuals were born that way, so it’s not a criminal act, then they should be allowed to be married. See, Americans have believed the lie. Over 50% now say that homosexuality is an acceptable lifestyle. Just 10 years ago it wasn’t even close to that, and 20 years ago it was almost zero. But you see, Lenin said this. He says, “If you keep repeating a lie, it becomes an accepted truth.” Lenin was the one that wrote the Marxist, Lenin, manifesto of communists. And what did Lenin and them do? They told Russia lies until Russia believed the lies, and they took Russia over. Are you out there? You see, and so we got to be aware of these lies.

▶ 28:59 This thing is not done in secret, it’s openly. It’s the lie that’s the secret that they’re bringing as a truth. Are you there? Hallelujah. Aren’t you glad Jesus isn’t like our government? Hallelujah. Yes, He’s consistent. It’s obvious that government leaders are running with the [unclear] crowd. They’re not running with the wise. Whoa. “You shall not follow a crowd to do evil,” Exodus 23:2. “This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats, wipes her mouth, and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’” [unclear] Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be misled: bad company corrupts good character.” And this is in America. This is where we’re at in America right now. He’s not talking just about an adulterous woman, he’s talking about sinners.

▶ 29:58 See, they eat, no problem. They’re not worried about anything. They don’t feel guilty. They’re just going on through life. They wipe the crumbs off of their mouth: “I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m just like everybody else.” The thief, the homosexual, the sexually immoral. And in America many Christians hide behind faith and grace to wipe their mouth and say, “I’m okay.” Isn’t that correct? And we, then we, we fail to attain the promise of, “Such were some of you.” You see, we fail because the power of Christ and the power of His word is not being preached, and it’s that power that changes us from drunkards and prostitutes and homosexuals and thieves into something good.

▶ 30:51 Three more steps to success. All right, Hebrews 12:1 and 2. First, He’s repeating the first step I just gave you. “We are compassed, circled about with so great a cloud of witnesses.” A witness is one that has experienced something. They possess the information. They actually firsthand experience, wasn’t secondhand information, firsthand. So it goes back to those people, those heirs that possess the promises. See, they’re the witness. They’ve experienced the promises. They possessed it, and it says you’re circled about. When you’re circled about, everywhere you go there’s one of those witnesses. And so God is telling us, if you look, they’re all around you. But we push them aside to go and be with those that aren’t possessing, that agree with us, that flatter us. We love to be flattered. “You’re okay, I’m okay, everybody’s okay.”

▶ 32:07 Secondly, “Let us lay aside every weight,” a hindrance. If you put a weight on your feet, it hinders you from running and jumping over the hurdles. We got to lay aside. Here is that effort again. What do we got to do? Lay aside the hindrances. That TV is keeping you from studying the Bible and praying, lay aside the hindrance. You know, Monday night football with the boys and a six-pack of beer is keeping you from loving your family and spending time with your kids, then lay aside the hindrance. You got to do it. Yes. See, you got to put forth an effort in this thing, and lay aside the sin. Sin is the violation of God’s word, “that so easily besets us,” or destroys us. You say, if alcohol is your problem, then let’s put an effort to lay it aside. If cigarettes are killing you and your kids are starting to smoke because you smoke, then lay aside the cigarettes. There’s nothing in the Bible that says cigarette smoke will send you to hell. It’s just, if you’re going to go to hell, you’re going to get there quicker. It’s killing you, and secondhand smoke. I just dealt with an acquaintance whose wife died from secondhand smoke.

▶ 33:49 His smoke. And so, see, that’s a hindrance. That’s a hindrance to my home, that’s a hindrance to my children, so what do I do? I lay it aside. Yeah, I may have freedom to do it, but what should I do? Lay it aside. “Let us run,” participate. Run is to participate “with patience.” Patience is calmly enduring mistreatment, troubles, problems, sorrows, and anguish without complaining and remaining steady. You don’t quit, you don’t give up. That’s patience. How many could use a little patience? How many could use a whole lot of patience?

▶ 34:44 Yeah. See, we got to participate. Here is that again. We got to put forth the effort. I got to get in the race, man, and the race is a competition. When I get in a race with Mr. Barnes, I’m out to beat him. If I play ping pong, I’m out to win. Ain’t no ties. Here I want to be on top. But we’re in a race against good and evil. Good against evil, we’re in a competition, we’re in an opposition. They’re opposing us, and we got to run this race. We got to participate, whether you like it or not. You’re in the race, and you got to hang in there for right. And you know, Americans just go from church to church and group to group. They, and, uh, “Well, the church don’t even relate to me anymore, and I read all this stuff and hear all this stuff and whatever.” Yeah, and one guy’s got a church in a bar now where they pray and they read a scripture and then they drink, and, you know, it’s called the bar church because the churches don’t relate to me anymore.

▶ 36:00 Well, where do you find that in the Bible? Jesus said, “I will build my bar.” “I will build my home group.” “I will build my church,” the called out ones, “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.” Amen. And then the fourth one is “looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith.” Looking means giving attention to. You’re focusing in on something. When I’m watching a football game, I’m focused in on it, so I have to set aside time to do that. I have to do the same thing with Jesus. I got to set aside time, and I got to focus on Jesus Christ. I got to focus on His word. I got to give attention to Him. And, folks, that’s higher than the heirs who possess the promises.

▶ 37:03 And they’re great to have around, but if you don’t have any around, if you’re on [unclear] out in a remote post where there’s nobody around and you can’t fellowship with anyone, then you better know how to touch this man Jesus. He started your walk of Christ, He started your new life, He started your restoration, and He’s the one that can finish the restoration. Nobody else. Us who possess it can encourage you, we can be an example to you, but only Jesus can finish the work He’s begun in you. So I must take time to come to church. I must take time to read my Bible and get into Bible studies. I must take time to sing and praise Him and do what the Bible says to give attention to Him. Then people say, “Well, I don’t have time for my Bible, and I don’t have time for prayer.” You better make time if you’re going to maintain your walk with Christ. If you’re going to maintain a mature, strong Christian character, you got to give attention to Jesus Christ. I can’t say it any better than that. Is that what the Scripture says? It’s just not a star-eyed gaze, “Oh, Jesus is up in heaven.” No, I give attention to Him. That means my time, my actions, my mind. We are worshiping the pulpit and ministers when we should be focusing in on Jesus Christ. And thank God for the witnesses that possess, that encourage me that I can do it too, but they can’t do beans for me other than be the example and show me that it works. Jesus is the one that causes me to possess the promises.