"Books of the Bible" Book Club: Unlocking Biblical Lessons- "First Sin"

Ever wondered how the story of Adam and Eve's temptation can impact your daily life? Join Quiana, along with special guests Hillary Whipple and Elder Darlene Harper, as they bring the newly revamped Queued4Christ"s book club to life. This episode covers our heartfelt journey towards a deeper understanding of the 66 books of the Bible, bolstered by the invaluable support from our community. Hillary shares profound insights from her multifaceted roles and miraculous experiences, while Elder Harper reflects on her unwavering commitment to being a lifelong student of the Word. Together, we express our excitement for this new chapter and our dedication to growing stronger in faith.

Explore the timeless themes of temptation and sin, starting from the very first act of disobedience in Genesis. We analyze the serpent's cunning words to Eve and draw parallels to modern-day temptations, stressing the crucial need for understanding sin and obedience. By examining the story of Adam and Eve, we underscore the importance of vigilance and spiritual awareness. Our discussion includes practical examples of how engaging in self-dialogue and using scripture can help combat the enemy's attacks, similar to how Jesus did. The importance of not placing oneself in compromising situations and standing firm in faith is highlighted, providing listeners with actionable steps to guard their spiritual lives.

Finally, we delve into the cascading effects of sin on humanity and creation, supported by passages from Romans 8:22 and Psalm 89. Elder Harper sheds light on how individual choices ripple outwards, affecting the broader world, and we discuss God's dual response of justice and mercy. Explore the profound truth that God's justice required payment for sin, fulfilled through Jesus, and how His mercy remains ever-enduring. Reflecting on the significance of free will and God's unwavering faithfulness, we encourage listeners to recognize the enemy's tactics and embrace a life aligned with Christ's teachings. This episode is a compelling call to deepen your faith and live out the promises of God with renewed conviction.

Chapters

• 0:24 Bible Study Book Club Announcement
• 8:52 Exploring Temptation and Sin
• 17:56 Combatting Temptation and Sin
• 36:17 Impact of Sin and God's Response
• 44:44 God's Justice and Mercy Explained
• 51:53 Learning From History and Resisting Temptation

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:24

Hey, hey, hey, everyone, this is Kiana, your creator and your host of Q for Christ, and I'm so excited, oh my God, I'm so excited to be here, oh my goodness. First off, I want to say thank you to everyone that has liked, you shared, you commented, whatever you've done. I'm so excited, I'm so happy and I tell you this is something that we have to take serious. Okay, when you have been called by Christ, it is a serious thing, I tell you, and especially when you have given him your yes, right. So, anyways, I want to just get on here. I know you have seen all the flyers for the book. I know you've seen all the flyers for everything, but tonight I want to. This is something so special and near and dear to my heart Because, if you know, know, we started a book club last year. Um, sometime last year, ish, last, last is that a word? Last year, ish and um. And so I wanted to revamp the book club, but this time I wanted to use it um, for the glory of God, right, really. And um, and so I want to just kind of study the books of the Bible, because it is 66 books in the Bible, right? Why not start a book club about the Bible, right? I think that that is just so cool. Start a book club about the Bible, right? I think that that is just so cool. And um, and of course, you know if you want to call it Bible study, call it what you want, but I'm just that's what. That's the name that God has given me, and so I'm excited, um, about this. This is the first of the Mondays that we would do it, and I don't want to make anybody sad, but next week we will be on YouTube, so I'm so excited about that. So, anyways, I just wanted to say that little spiel. I want to just thank everyone that is on here tonight. I have the privilege of not doing this alone. Okay, I love the fact that I'm not having to do it alone, and tonight I have the special privilege to have Elder Darlene Harper and my sister Hillary Wilford. I'm so excited to have you on. I just want, if you can I know a lot of people have heard from Elder Harper. We're going to let her go last. I'm going to let Hillary say just a little bit Tell the people about who you are and how Christ has impacted your life.

Speaker 1: 3:23

How cute, whatever. Just tell the people who you are. Hello, hello, hello. My name is Hillary Bupo. I am a sister, a mother, a hairdresser, a wife you name it, of everybody. I'm a Mary Kay representative. I'm a insurance agent you name it, I am.

Speaker 1: 3:54

But God is so good. He has done so many things for me. I call him my miracle worker because he works miracles all the time in my life and I'm so excited to be his daughter. Yes, yes, I'm so excited to be his daughter. I told my husband today, when you married me, you married the best thing in the world, because you are now connected. You know, you don't know who my father is yet. Oh, I love that so much.

Speaker 1: 4:37

I'm so excited to be here tonight and to learn more about his words. I'm excited. Hey, man, man, I love that so much and I love how you said when you married me, you married the best thing. That is just so amazing and that's you know, um, saying stuff like that, that increases your knowledge about how god sees you. You know what I'm saying, because God sees us like that. We are his greatest thing, we are his biggest treasure, we are his greatest, and so when you can say stuff like that, that lets you know that God said, okay, that's that's, that's mine, that's mine because you know it's. Then you know the the um, the best coach you can ever have is to coach yourself. You got to be able to coach yourself and that's that's amazing. I love that. So, anyways, anyways, um, thank you for being on here, thank you for your time tonight, and, if you don't know, she is my director of the book club that when we started, and so now it's just so incredible to have her on this journey again, to be able to do this. Okay, so I'm excited, I'm super excited. So, anyway, I'm gonna let the Harper have the flow, because I know you all have seen Ellen Harper. You probably done heard her pray, you done did some of everything. I'm so excited because she's been on this journey with me from day one, y'all like literally, and so I'm excited to have her on here.

Speaker 1: 6:25

Elder Harper, how are you doing tonight? And if you could just introduce yourself to the ones that don't know you, how about? Okay, well, hello everyone. Um, my name is Elder Arlene Harper. Um, yeah, I'm super excited to be with Kiana and Miss Hillary tonight. It's been a beautiful ride so far and I'm really just going to study the Bible tonight. I'm just so excited because I love the word and, um, my heart is to remain a student of the word. So, yeah, I'm grateful for the life God has given me and all that you know, he has shown me about himself through the scriptures, through just living right and just like teaching me who he is. That's been really, really huge and I'm just so grateful that you know, we can just talk about this stuff and share it. So, yeah, I'm along for the ride tonight.

Speaker 1: 7:31

Right, I mean, you know, and and like you said, being able to study the word of God, it's just, it's something on a different level. Um, you know, I I probably been studying it since I was a kid but didn't know I it, it was different, I didn't understand it back then and so, um, reading it over again and being able to get key things and and get things out of it, and to, you know, um, inject yourself into the word of God and being able to figure out like, oh, okay, this is where this is where I am. Um, uh, pastor Darius, he taught, he taught us that the Bible is, it's a pharmacy and not a prescription, and so we have to know which, um which where to go to when you are going through things. You know a lot of people don't understand that. You know it's different areas where you have to go to. In the Bible, like you know, he has said if you, if you got a broken heart, you can't read Leviticus, you got to know where to go to to read, you know, and so that's that's the main thing about doing this to the read. You know, and so that's that's the main thing about doing this, and so I'm so excited to be doing this tonight and, um, to have both of you on.

Speaker 1: 8:52

So we gonna move forward. I'm gonna say a quick prayer and then, um, we'll go right into where god has be starting this time, and you know where better to start in the beginning, right, I know people don't heard the beginning. You probably can recite all of it, but we are going to start with something that God matter of fact, god has put it on my heart even before I even asked God where to start at. So, anyways, I'm going to say a quick prayer and then we'll go right into it. Okay, so, dear Heavenly Father, I come to you.

Speaker 1: 9:36

First I want to say thank you, god, thank you for carving out this time for us to be able to come and study the word of God with your people, god, god, we thank you now because we know that someone is going to be here that haven't heard the word of God. Someone is going to be here that don't understand even the beginning of what, god, of the word of God, and so we thank you now, god, for allowing them to stop through, allowing them to listen, allowing their heart to be pierced. God, for allowing them to stop through, allowing them to listen, allowing their heart to be pierced. God, god, we know that your word is what we need for our lives, god, we know that your word, we have to live by your word, and so we thank you now, god, for allowing us to be here. God, we just thank you now for the people that are here, god, that are representing their homes, god, god, we ask you to touch them now in a mighty, special way. God, go with their family, their children, their spouses. God, we just thank you now for even anybody that is connected to them, god, and so we thank you now, god, from on high. We thank you now for allowing our lips to be used for your glory, god, and so we thank you now. We love you, we honor you, we cherish you. It's in Jesus' name that I pray. Amen, amen, amen, y'all.

Speaker 1: 10:57

I'm so excited, I don't even know what to do. I'm so excited. I'm excited because this lesson like I said this lesson was it came about because I was sitting there thinking a while ago about Adam and Eve and I didn't want, of course, we ain't going to start with God, you know, creating the heavens and the earth, creating the heavens and the earth. We're going to start with the first sin, you know, because a lot of people, you know I ain't going to say a lot of people, but I know a lot of people really don't understand how it coincide with what we're going through in this day and time, because we are going through so much in this day and time that, you know, a lot of people don't know what sin was not seeing and all that stuff, and all we can do is tell you what the first sin was, you know, and how that temptation became about and how the disobedience came about, and where the root, where it came from, and stuff like that, obedience came about and where the root, where it came from, and stuff like that. So, um, I'm, I'm gonna read we are coming out of genesis 3 and 1 through 24, but I'm not gonna read the whole thing. I'm gonna read just um until verses 7. Okay, um, only because for the sake of time and I don't want to be on here too long.

Speaker 1: 12:26

So anyway, they said now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord of God had made. And he said to the woman has God really said you shall not eat from any tree of the garden? Now, it's the way that he put that thing. You know what I'm Now, it's the way that he put that thing. You know what I'm saying. It's the way that he said it. Has God really said it? I could, I could, for some reason, I could, I could just hear that, hey, he really did he really say that? You know how some people, how some people try to say is that really in the Bible, you know? Try to say is that really in the Bible, you know, or did that really, you know?

Speaker 1: 13:08

So anyway, in verse two it says the woman said to the serpent from the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said and I'm sorry, I'm reading out the NIV and um. God has said you shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die. And um, verse four, said the serpent said to the woman you certainly will not die. How, oh, now, like they, they be ready to tell you what you ain't gonna do, what God said, though, anyways, for God knows that on the day you eat from it, your eyes will be open and you will become like God, knowing good and evil. When the woman saw that the tree was good for fruit and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she, she took some of his fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. That's deep, that's deep right there. Then the eyes of both of them were open and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves waist covering. And so I don't want to read it all, I just wanted to read a little bit of it.

Speaker 1: 14:36

We know that the story. It begins with the temptation, because that's where the enemy comes in and say okay, did God really say that, you know, did God, you know the serpent he was representing, say that at that time? Because he was really one of, he was the smartest animal. So, you know, we have to know that the first theme of this is that temptation is sin. Of this is that temptation and sin. And so, when you think about temptation, what do you think about and how do it kind of coincide with the temptation that the enemy is bringing nowadays, like, what do you think about that? What do y'all All right, ms Hillary? What do you think about that? Um, what are y'all right, miss helen? What do you think about that? What did I think about that? The temptation is in. You know, we have to know that. Um, you know, it's the essence right now. It's the essence of the temptation.

Speaker 1: 15:45

It starts with the question, the twisting of the truth that appeals to our desires. So that, right there, in itself, is what people do now. They're still doing it. They did it a long time ago, in the beginning of the world. They're still doing it. I was told that nothing is new under the sun. Nothing is new under the sun, nothing. He did it back then he twisted the words around. If we're not careful, we can get found doing the same thing. You know that's what they're doing now. You know, right, right.

Speaker 1: 16:30

And the thing about it, you know, my thing is, you know, I don't think I probably I ain't gonna say I probably, I know back then I probably would have slipped too, but I'm just saying I, you know, now, when we know a little bit more, is sometimes we can't allow the enemy to speak to us in certain type of ways, especially in certain type of situation. That's almost like what I was just saying a minute ago, where you know you have to learn how to speak to yourself. You know, because we are, we are our best coaches in and to ourselves, and so we have to learn how to not allow the enemy to come in and to speak and to sway us from what God has told us. You know, god. God told us we were fearfully and wonderfully made, and you said it today. You know, god told us we were fearfully and wonderfully made, and you said it today. You said, look, you bear to grace that. So you have to know that being able to say these things and not allowing that temptation to come in and to allure you to do something wrong, you know, and that's the main thing what I think about, because, like you said, people been doing this job since the day they were born.

Speaker 1: 17:56

I really like what you said about the necessity for us to open up our mouths and be able to speak to ourselves. I think that sometimes we need to just stay right there, like stay there until we create that habit and really make it a part of our lives, because it's easy to hear it. It another thing to do it and to to where you are now comfortable, like right and used to, um, interacting with yourself, interacting with your faith, talking about those, uh, and because there takes an awareness. Okay, this means that we can't be lazy in our Christian living. This means that we have to be paying attention, we have to be aware. We got to recognize what's happening Right, and then we got to also have something to say. So we need to know the word of God, right. So there is.

Speaker 1: 19:02

We need the awareness and the knowledge of the word of God to even be ready, to be in a position to speak to the enemy, because it speaks to ourselves, because the thing is is that it has to be scriptural. Word is the thing that brings life. The word is the thing that's going to cut and drive the enemy away. As we know, when Jesus was led into the wilderness, he used those scriptures to combat Satan in that temptation. Love it that this is, that that strategy right there, even in itself is just so good because, um, it takes our, it's gonna take some effort.

Speaker 1: 19:51

You know what I'm saying, and and and it's not something that it's kind of like a square one to me, like if we not doing or saying something, then we probably are letting things happen. We're probably finding ourselves vacillating and slipping and sliding and just letting things go by. You know, because when, like it feels, our kids would be like, hey, what are you doing, right, if, if they not putting the money in our check child? My second daughter was about to get with subway because they wasn't doing her check right and she trying to find out who she need to call and get it squared away and all that kind of stuff. But she about to say something, you know, and it's like we don't. I take my food back when it's messed up. You know what I'm saying If Jagger's don't put McFry's in there, I'm going to get them a phone call, you know, right.

Speaker 1: 21:00

And so it's like it's for us to get into the habit of being our coach, getting in the mindset of I got to do something for me, I got to take care of me, me. I need to use my mind, use my mouth, use my effort, use my energy to speak life into myself, not just anything, but the word of the living, word, right to have me to overcome, right, and and that that is so true, you know, because, like you said, we have to be able to speak that word that God because we know what God done told us. You know what I'm saying. Like you know, when God tells you that that, oh, you can't go and and do this, or you can't do that, some people like to um trust their judgment over God's judgment.

Speaker 1: 21:45

When they listen to the enemy, it's like, okay, well, did God really truly say that? Or, you know, you want to play with fire and say, okay, maybe I could do a little bit, you know, or whatnot. But when God tell you something, when God tell you something, it is, it is um set in stone and we have to make sure that we are, um, like you said, speaking that, that word and speaking and speaking up and say, and speaking back boldly to the enemy and say, no, you shall not tempt me. You know, just like how Jesus did when he was, when he, when the enemy, was trying to tempt him. You know, and and so, and we all know that Jesus is the second, you know, the second, adam. So Jesus came to redeem us, you know. You know, adam, he should have said something. You know he should have said something back then. Who should have? You know, he said something back then. Who said that?

Speaker 1: 22:48

And it kind of, just reading that scripture, it reminds me of a TikTok that I saw, like they said men are so. They said men are so. They lie so much for something that they probably the one that ate the apple and blamed it on me. Now, that is hilarious. That's funny, I think, about my husband. He blamed everything on me. It's so crazy.

Speaker 1: 23:22

And you look at what Adam said. He was like Lord lord, it was this woman that you gave me, you know. And he was right there, he and, and that's that's the, and that's another thing that you know it, that right there, it revealed the vulnerabilities that we must guard ourselves from. You know, you gotta guard yourself from blame it, the blame game, I mean, because he said, oh, it was the serpent. Then Adam came like oh Lord, it was that lady you gave me that old woman that you gave me. Yeah, she's the one that gave it to me. But you, standing right there, you heard that serpent when he said it. You heard it. My goose has been around since the beginning. You knew where he got that fruit from. Come on now, it looks like the other fruit. That is so funny.

Speaker 1: 24:44

But yeah, we have to, you know, um, be able to guard against that type of stuff. You know where we want to feel, like. You know, um, you know when we are tempted and sometimes we put our own self in those situations. Sometimes we allow our own self to get surrounded by serpents hallelujah, and be able to say, oh, where was the serpent? Well, you're the one that took your step. Like, I'm telling you like, if you, if you, if you trying to stay away from certain things, you don't inject yourself in certain situations, and so that is. You know, that is something that we can guard against.

Speaker 1: 25:30

You know, a lot of people be like oh you, just, I stay in the house for my safety. You know what I'm saying, because I don't have to go nowhere. I don't want to put myself in certain situations that I'm gonna have to be like okay, god, I'm sorry, you know. I'm saying, okay, god, I just, you know, okay, I know God, be like oh, my girl, you, you can't blame everything on the circuit. You took yourself to the circuit. You know what I'm saying. You can't blame yourself on the circuit, I mean, can't blame everything on him. So, but anyways, you know, we have to, even sometimes when we stay in, stay isolated. We can also. That's the devil's biggest workshop. I'm telling you Now that's, say that again. Say that again.

Speaker 1: 26:21

The iron mind, when he tried to tempt Jesus, was he around a whole bunch of people, or was Jesus by himself, fasting? I don't know, I don't know. This is where I was studying. It's not the place to be, because that's where the devil has all full access to you. I'm telling you, you buy yourself and then you also have to make sure that you are keeping your mind stayed on Jesus as well. You know what I'm saying, because if your mind is all over the place, I'm telling you. I'm telling you but that's good, hillary, that's good, that's right there, you know, yeah, yeah, I like that. Okay, I like that. So we're going to move on to the next point.

Speaker 1: 27:21

The next point is the impact of sin and it says the ripple effect of humanity and creation. You know, um, the immediate consequences of adam and eve sin was the awareness of their nakedness, symbolizing a loss of innocence, and the introduction of shame. Oh, my God, now, when we think about shame, when you think about shame, what comes to mind? When you think about just that introduction of shame? You know, because, first off, if you had done anything wrong, you wouldn't notice that you being shameful, right. So when you get to that point and you're like, oh, and that is conviction, I mean conviction, you know what I'm saying. When you notice that, okay, I don't went too far, saying. When you notice that, okay, I don't went too far, I have seen, you know, beyond, um, where God wanted me, like, you know, we have to know that. So what, when you think of the of, of the shame and um, what do you think about that? Or what comes to mind? Um, for me I will say, um, the nakedness is a really big uh part, because I know we probably still used to, you know, knowing what it feels like.

Speaker 1: 28:57

But shame really actually feel, feels like, you know, not just like you've done something wrong, but it's an embarrassment. Can you remember being like a little kid and just being there and then, like everybody looking at you you know what I'm saying. It's that feeling of not being covered, like you want to run and hide, so it's so close to just embarrassment. It's like just that uncovering that nakedness and so, yeah, it's just a horrible feeling. It's trying to right. You know that you have done something wrong and you have to look at the person that you wronged wrong and have to look at the person that you wronged in the eye. Lord, yeah, it really is crazy and you know that. They know. You know that they know because he's like why are you naked? Why are you? How did you know you were naked? How did you know Right?

Speaker 1: 30:10

And shame really draws attention to ourselves. You know it like conviction is hope. Conviction is from the Lord. That's his spirit, letting us know, okay, I did something wrong, right. But it still comes with hope, it still comes with opportunity to adjust and to move and to get it right. But shame there is like, just like a fear, a horrible feeling that comes along with it and it draws attention back to yourself, back to yourself.

Speaker 1: 30:49

So I believe that that is the beginning of the enemy's tactic to keep people, um, to start that idol worship of self, because it's like, um, you know, self-righteousness, um, so, me, me, me, um. And so it's like, you know, god never wanted us to sin, right? But? But a father is simply going to correct and, you know, teach us and move on. But when he did that, when he did sin, it opened the door for the enemy to come in. So now he's going to bring his false version, his false, his false version of conviction, you know.

Speaker 1: 31:30

So it is the beginning of, like a deterioration of what, what really was supposed to be, how we were really supposed to perceive this, and so it distorts. Now it's like, like you said, how did you know you were naked? It's just bringing attention back to who, self, how did you know? Like we weren't even supposed to be paying attention to ourselves, there was a whole veil over that, that, that fact, and so. And so, yeah, it just started the tearing Right.

Speaker 1: 32:09

Right, my mom, she always say when you know to do right and you do wrong, that's sin. So, when they did wrong, they knew it. They knew it. That's why they was it. They knew it, that's why they was hiding, right, and I was thinking about something I was I had because I read it and I was like, oh man, so they ate from the fruit, the tree of knowledge. So they learned a lot of stuff when they ate off of that tree. And I was like, well, you know, so they learned a lot of stuff when they ate off of that tree. And I was like, well, you know, maybe God didn't want us to know all this.

Speaker 1: 32:53

You know about all the um, another, some other stories in the Bible where the people, they learned too much and then God had to come back and turn, you know, separate us much, and then God had to come back and turn, you know, separate us, right, it's a created, he created, that's that's when he started different language. I think, right, yeah, created different languages and separated us from because we, we, they created a stairway to heaven and all that stuff you know, and right, right. So I don't know, and that's and that's you know, and and the thing about it, you know, when, when we are to the point where we think we know it all, we can't be correct. It's hard for us to be corrected in that moment because we and and I think about my children. You know my children, you know when they're younger, they think they know. You know my children, you know when they're younger, they think they know everything. You know what I'm saying and and it's like no, I'm trying to keep you from that, because sometimes God be trying to keep us from ourselves. So we be trying to keep you know, keep them from like you don't need to know all of that right now. You don't even know how much my bills is, because you can't pay everybody anyway. So I ask no questions about that.

Speaker 1: 34:09

You know, if I could go back, if I could, only if I could go, jesus, jesus, I don't want to go back. I don't even want to know. I don't even want to see it because I don't look. I don't even want to see it because I'm not paying. I don't even want to see it. Right, I'm not prepared. I don't even want to know. Don't tell me, I don't even want to know. Let me go to my room and do my homework. That's all I want to have to deal with. Let me deal with my homework, play my instrument. Let me turn on a Disney movie and watch it. Come on, nice and easy, real, simple I'm talking about for real.

Speaker 1: 34:53

So, but you know, you know we, um, we try to keep them from you know, from them knowing too much, because sometimes we, when we know too much, we destroy our own selves. And so you know, and I know that that's why God wanted to keep it that way, where we didn't have to deal with all the problems in the world. We didn't have to deal with all of that, because I mean, if you imagine, you know what it would have been like if they hadn't ate the apple or I don't even know if it was an apple if they hadn't ate the fruit, or I don't know if it was a half of the end, ate the fruit, you know what I'm saying. Like if they haven't eaten the, eaten the fruit off the alpha, the tree, can you think about how different the pain of our childbirth would probably be? You know, like I mean, we wouldn't have no pain, no pain at all. We'd just go and create clay, making another one. That's nice, ain't nothing wrong with that. We can talk to the animals and they understand us and we can understand them, because back in those days, the serpent, they could talk, walk and talk like everybody else, just like us. There was no language barrier. So you know, everything was easy.

Speaker 1: 36:17

Yeah, yeah, like I said, and we already talked about it, it not only affected Adam and Eve, eve, but it also affected, um, their descendants and the entirety of creation. So, um, and romans 8 and 22 says we know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time, and so you know, this talks about the consequences of sin, um, that are not confined, um, that are not confined to humanity but affect all the creation, showing how interconnection and profound the impact of sin truly is, because it really impacted us and it, like you said, didn't just infect us, it did the whole creation, like everything that God created, it changed everything. So, elder Harper, when you think about the creation that had been impacted by that, had been impacted by that, what are your thoughts when it comes to just that whole thought of knowing that just that one thing, that one thing that they did, changed the trajectory of everything, what are your thoughts? I believe that the eternal God desires to share who he is, what he is, for us to know and learn about him, to understand him, to fully express himself. It's almost like he decided to inhale and exhale. And I say that because this one thing is a very good example. There's a revelation there for us to understand that things can change the course of life when we decide to follow Christ or if we decide to not follow Christ. You know what I mean. Just to show people that that living a life with him is so important, it's so valuable. You are one person and you can change the world, so you can do something in Christ or you can do something not in Christ.

Speaker 1: 38:58

And we don't really recognize, like you said, the ripple effect. There's so many people that's living on this earth right now. What we're dealing with is the ripple effect, right, but it's we. We saw up under the ocean, in the, in the banging of all these clashing of all the ripples we're just so used to. It is just horrible. You know, we don't see the simplicity and the purity of one person's decision, we can't see it singularly anymore. Right, so life has taken away the uh, the, the like, the being able to zone in and focus on. Wow, you know, hey, this one guy, this one lady, this one man, they did one thing and it wasn't what the Lord said.

Speaker 1: 39:49

And I think we need to understand that our decisions matter Us, being human and going with the Lord. I think he's trying to get us to understand that he is the he's, he's the right choice, he's the best way, he's's the creator, so let him live his life through us, right, right, right. So there's a lot that we can pull out from. There's a lot that we can, you know, pull out from the fact that you know he, he wants to live a life with us. He wanted to set everything beautifully, perfectly, in his presence, you know, and so what? But because he set mankind into being, you know, so, so, so, even in his genes, like he made people, that is him expressing himself, and so it's himself.

Speaker 1: 40:43

So it's like he's trying to continue something that he started, but it's, it's a story that looks like it was interrupted, but yet it is really like a continuation, right, what was already gonna be, you know, like it kind of, is what it is and, um, like you said in the word, you know all of all, of all of all of the good and all of the bad it was, it was already in him. You know what I'm saying? It was. He's a creator. He's not surprised, you know, by all of this.

Speaker 1: 41:17

So it's like, wow, lord, um, I think I need to recognize that life for you is better, you know, right, that life for you is better, you know, right, right, we my being obedient can make a very big impact on those around me, on this world. It behooves me to let you live your life through me, right, because he's trying to share himself with everybody else, like he's still breathing, he's still doing this, unfolding, right, and he's not finished. So it's like, let him work, let him I'm telling you, and the thing about it, we got to understand that allowing God to work, you know it is showing how he has, how sovereignty is, how he has everything in control. And, um, because when we, you know, go against the grain, it's it's like okay, now you're messing up the whole way the thing's supposed to go. You know what I'm saying. You're messing up everything, you know. And so that's the thing You're messing up everything.

Speaker 1: 42:39

I think that's how God felt when they did that man. Why you do that man. You're messing up everything, man. That man, you really just took us On a whole nother course. Did it have to be this way? Maybe not. I could have chilled with y'all Every day. Now I got to keep y'all out of the garden. Now I got to put y'all All the way to the left, my God, and put some angels right there to protect it. No, you ain't coming in, no more, didn't even have to be that way, it didn't even have to be that way, it didn't. But okay, so we're going to move to the last point Is God's justice and mercy the dual response to sin?

Speaker 1: 43:30

So you know, um and we kind of I think you kind of touched on that a little bit, elder Harper, when you were talking about how he just keep you know, um unfolding everything. You know, we know that the disobedience that God delivered, he gave the curse that affect the serpent, you know, even Adam and the earth itself, you know. And so we also see the glimpse of God's mercy, because you know the promise of redemption. Now we know he sent redemption, you know. And so we know that God is still merciful, you know, and he um, like, even even after he fussed at them, like why y'all did it? Who told you he provided them with clothing. You know, and said, okay, you know what, I'm gonna provide y'all with clothing, I'm gonna sit y'all over to the side. And you know and said, okay, you know what, I'm going to provide y'all with clothing, I'm going to sit y'all over to the side and you know, we, we, we just going to keep it pushing. And, like you said, that was something right there um of God's unfolding, um, he just said, okay, we're going to keep it going. Well, I'm not going to stop it here, we're going to keep going.

Speaker 1: 44:44

So, when you think about the justice and the mercy that God did, what are your thoughts when that come up? You know, I just want to read this scripture real quick that I just so happen to be reading this morning, and I'm going to keep it together because this is just like right on time. It says it was in Psalm 89, god's covenant stands fast. Right, I'm just going to read a couple of them real quick.

Speaker 1: 45:21

It says also I will make him my firstborn higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy will keep him forevermore and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure forever in his throne as the days of heaven. If his children forsake my law and walk not in my judgments, if they break my statutes and keep not my commandments, then will I visit their transgression with the rod and in their iniquity with strikes. Nevertheless, 33, here we go. Nevertheless, my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that has gone out of my lips once I have swarmed by my holiness that I will not lie unto david. His seed shall endure forever in his throne. As the sun before me, it shall be established forever as the moon and as a faithful witness in heaven say wow, wow.

Speaker 1: 46:27

So my god, like what? What? I? What I like it it's the faithfulness. And see what I'm talking about the faithfulness, the mercy, right, the fact that when he says something, he gonna do it. It's like he's not playing, like he's. So, god, right that he is capable, he is able to keep us, he still he. He counted her up, he counted up the calls, he all.

Speaker 1: 46:57

He knew this wasn't his first choice, but he knew because the in the expression of himself and the expression of his self and the unfolding of his self, in order for the fullness of the plan to be seen and understood, we have to have a will. That's the thing. We have to have been given a will, or we would have been just like the angels and it would have been like, okay, I get it, god, I get you, I see what you're doing. Because it would have been just yes, yes, lord you know. And it would have just been angels shooting all over. We would have been robots. No, he wanted us to be able to be a family and partake of his mindset, of his goodness.

Speaker 1: 47:34

And he told us right here, in 33, he said Nevertheless, my love and kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail, said my covenant, will I not break right nor alter the thing that has gone out of my list. And so he's. He's. He's been teaching us the whole time, he's showing us who he is right, what he is. So, as far as like his mercy and his justice, man, it it's, it's, it's almost like it's one in the same, because, as it goes, he had to pay for the sin, right, he had to let the story play out. He had to pay for the sin, which is his justice, because he is still yet expressing with himself.

Speaker 1: 48:22

This is the thing I didn't agree with. All right, it's in me, because I, he can't help. He eternal right, right, he's the beginning and he's the end. He's the alpha and omega. Okay, good, and all, all of it is inside of him. So he's still proving his point. He's making it known that, okay, this is here, but this is not what I'm trying to tell you. I'm trying to show you the my goodness, you see what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 48:50

So let me let me finish this story and go ahead and bring my son, jesus, on the scene. So he now enters his justice, the just the justice part of him, where it says you know, like I'm against evil, I'm against wrong. And this is not the story that I was starting, because that's what he thought. He's still on the type of time he was on in the beginning. He didn't want to just make a whole evil race only because he can't. He could have done that too, but he didn't. You see what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 49:19

So now he is able to show all these different aspects of who he is and he brings in his mercy, yeah, and he doesn't give us what we deserve, right? So now we are able to recognize okay, lord, you are a merciful god I'm. My righteousness is as filthy red I'm ready to die. Okay, so I'm now. I get it, I get it. You're good all the time, you're all the time.

Speaker 1: 49:50

So he's just continuing with this narrative that he started in the beginning and it's, it's, it's. They go hand in hand. His justice and his mercy go hand in hand because one can't be done without the other, because he, he, he had to keep us from something right, so he had to pay it all up. First, you know, and not, and not, and now the, the keeping us from it also has an end and he continues to exemplify that over and over. So he did the one big justice, and now mercy is extended to us forever. That's why the scripture says that mercy endures forever. It's mercy endures forever. I love that song. Yes, I mean, you know what you. For the same, I'm sorry, just you know, thinking about that. You know his mercy endurance forever.

Speaker 1: 50:55

So you know that reminds me of in Matthew 6, when he's, you know, giving out some wisdom. He said, you know he, he reminds them, you know. He says, therefore them. You know. He says, therefore, I say unto you take no thought for your life. In Matthew 6, 25, therefore, I say unto you take no thought for your life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body, what you shall put on it is not the life, more than meat, and the body than remnant. Behold the falls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into the barns, yet your heavenly father feedeth them. We are not much better than they, so to the barns that your heavenly father feeded them, we are not much better than they.

Speaker 1: 51:53

So, by you know, thinking, going back, going back to you know, when they was in the garden, they didn't have to worry about nothing. And I don't think God must. Well, I don't think. He just said he don't want us to worry about it, he don't want us to worry about it, he don't want us to worry about it. So, when they ate off of that fruit, that's what brought worry, that's what started it.

Speaker 1: 52:18

The fear and the stress, oh my God, the anxiety. God don't want, and that's what he has been telling us. That's what he has been telling us. Look, why has been telling us, look, why are you fearing, why are you stressing, why are you worried? Yes, wow, wow, that that is, that is so. That is so good, that you know that. That is so good.

Speaker 1: 52:45

Um, oh, and that's such a good, good scripture that you read um Matthew 6 and 25. I love that because you know um when the, because God is so merciful and he, he knows that and that's why he sent Jesus for to fulfill the prophecy um, the promise of crushing the serpent's head, because he said it. He said it in Genesis 3, that um, you don't we, we gonna be able to crush, you know, on the enemy's head. So we have to know that God want us to be exactly like he was, like Adam and Eve was before the first sin. And that's one reason why I want to do this, because I want people to understand that you know, the first sin was um disobedience, and the first sin was, you know, um thinking being shameful or or being um or or trying to do it on your own, or thinking that you can trust your own judgment, or you can listen to the enemy and all that stuff and the. And we want um, and that's one thing that I want people to know about the first sin, because that's what brought on everything. That's what brought on, like you said, the anxiety that brought on that worry, that stress, that brought on the fears that we go through on a daily basis. You know that's what the enemy plan is.

Speaker 1: 54:17

And if we can notice and say that, oh, this is what happened with Adam and Eve. So, if you can, if you can, if you can face it, you can fix it Right. If you notice that it, you can fix it right. If you notice that there's something wrong. And I never get that when people say, well, I know, it's because of this, this, this, if you know what, go fix it. I just don't understand. Don't sit up there and tell me that, oh, your engine's messing up. I know what the problem is and you ain't took it to go get it fixed. And then, next thing, you know, your car broke down. Now you're trying to get a ride. No, you know, you knew what the problem was.

Speaker 1: 54:59

And so when we recognize what the sin is, we recognize what the enemy is trying to do um, play on our emotions. He's trying to play on our mind. He's trying to play on our emotions. He's trying to play on our mind. He's trying to play on all those things that he can't, because he can't break us physically. You know, he got to get into our mind, you know, and and that's the main thing about it is not allowing the enemy to come and say you know what?

Speaker 1: 55:24

God didn't really say that when God said it, when the Bible says it, the Bible says it, you know. So we have to understand that we cannot allow the first sin to continue to control us when we have the redemption, when we have Jesus Christ now we have that redemption to say, okay, you know what, I can go to Jesus because I know to Him I can get to the Father and I know that I am redeemed from this. We can't allow the first sin and I say the first sin because it controls everything, it changed the narrative of everything, and we can't allow that to be hanging over our head and saying that this is what we're supposed to be doing, when God has already given us the way out. So I, you know, I'm thrilled that we started here. Lord, you know I have been praying.

Speaker 1: 56:32

I was like, oh, you know, and I said, oh, let's just start with the beginning, you know, and so, but did you have? Did anyone have anything else to say? Because I know it's getting kind of late, I don't, I respect everybody's time. I don't want to hold nobody. Hillary's here an hour away, so she probably still got to get over the coop. Little Trish is probably like where she at, where my mama at. So does anybody else have anything to say on the first sin and how we can learn how to resist the temptation and learn how to confess and um, forgive, you know, and then hope in redemption? So, um, did anybody else have anything to say on those three points right there, like living with the awareness and the repentance of our sin, awareness and repentance, oh, wow, sort of like what I just said, yeah, yeah, I mean it's, yeah.

Speaker 1: 57:47

We definitely don't want to make the same mistakes over and over again and just keep letting history repeat itself. You know, and I I think that just really believing and trusting in god's word and us getting a revelation and I believe that the lord has to, he knows what each one of us need, because our pathway to this revelation it may be different for everyone. Why? Because you might really believe that you're loved by God, but I might not Right, and it's just for us to operate in his work. It takes our faith, it takes us believing that he really did what he did and so that we can apply it, so if we can repent, knowing, okay, lord, you have forgiven me, you have washed me, you have cleansed me. I don't have to be condemned, I don't have to be shamed. You know it's real. I can live as a son or daughter. I can live now as a child of God, and so it's I. Just that's what I just pray for all of us that you know, we get an understanding and a revelation of what the Father did on the cross, right and Darlene, what you just said, oh, my God.

Speaker 1: 59:07

Like you know, you mentioned history, learning from our history. That's my god. Like you know, you mentioned history, learning from our history. That's why I, you know, um, in in school, I love history so much because I I had it.

Speaker 1: 59:20

Well, it didn't dawn on me until I had one of my, my coach tell me that you, if you don't learn from your history, you're bound to repeat it. So that's one reason why you know it's important to me that everybody learn their history, because I don't want to repeat this thing. Right, I don't want to fail that test again, right, and I go down and look oh, hillary gave me Right. I don't want to fail this test again. I want to keep going around and write Right, right, and that's so good, you know, because most people repeat the same mistakes because they haven't learned.

Speaker 1: 1:00:11

But guess who have learned? The enemy has learned that you ain't learned your lesson, so the enemy is going to keep bringing it back to you. He's going to keep bringing it up because you haven't learned your lesson. You know, and when we can learn the nature of our sin and how it makes us unbalanced and how it does it, we will learn more about our spiritual journey and the importance of living in alignment with God's will. And that's the main thing is that when we, like you said, we want to make sure that we are learning the history so we won't repeat itself. Because you know, a lot of people say history repeats itself. You know history. I ain't going to say I hate it when folks say that, but they say that to us all the time History repeats itself like that. Well, we want to stop history from repeating itself. That's the whole point. If you don't learn it, learn what happens. You will not recognize it is happening again. Exactly Like you said, I don't want somebody to say that Keanu gave the apple to the man or Keanu gave the fruit to the man.

Speaker 1: 1:01:31

Now we messed up no, not a whole household messed up because Kiana did that. No, you even put that joke on me. No, no, I don't learn. I learn from Eve. I'm telling you, I learn from her. I'm telling you, I learned from her. I'm going to let the man go first. You go first. You take the first. You take that back first. I'm sorry, you tell me I do Stop. No, adam, no, no, no, no. Like Aubrey said pop pop, no, no, pop pop, no, no. Like Aubrey say pop pop, no, no, no, adam, I'm just going to stand behind you and tell you that you're wrong. But you got to be able to listen. So, no, you ain't going to blame me for this. No, right, exactly Pop pop, no, no, it's my baby y'all. I'm going to have to call her when we get off here. So, anyways, anyways, anyways. I'm so excited, I'm so honored to be on here with you both.

Speaker 1: 1:02:45

This has been incredible. It has been incredible and insightful. And you know, because the thing about it, we all know some parts of the bible and stuff. They probably heard it a thousand times about adam and eve. But when you get different perspective from different people and get around, that's why the bible says iron sharpens iron, and so we can get together and you may be thinking one thing, I'm thinking another, and stuff like that. So that's why I want to build this community, because I want everybody to be able to.

Speaker 1: 1:03:21

Even if you've been in church a hundred years like my mom said, a hundred years even you've been in a hundred years it's always something new in the Bible for you to learn. It is always something new that we can feed off of and that we can learn differently. So, anyways, we are going to end right here. Like I said, I thank you all again and if, elder Harper, you know, I like to message you to pray out, if you pray us out, then I'll come back and say all that little extra stuff. If you go ahead on and just pray us out, um, and I, like I said, I hope that this was uh like rich for as it was for me. So, anyway, just pray us out, all right.

Speaker 1: 1:04:08

So, father god, in the name of Jesus, we praise you and thank you, god, for this time that you have allowed us to be together to go through your scriptures, go through your word and talk about some things, just really learn about you, and just take some time to peruse how God's sin has impacted this world and how we don't have to repeat that cycle over and over again. Father God, I praise you for Jesus. We thank you for what he has done on the cross. We thank you that we have this book, the Bible. Oh God, that we can learn from it. We don't have to be like those who have gone before us, but we are the children, we are the redeemed, we are the ones who get to live in this promise, and I praise you, guys.

Speaker 1: 1:04:52

So touch every heart and open up every eye, father, of those who will be watching, who desire to learn more about you, who are hungry. I pray for each and every one of us to get a revelation that you love us, that you paid the price for us, that we can live free, that we can live and do what your word says for us to do. So we praise you for the community. God, go out and connect and gather us even now, in the name of Jesus, for those who you are calling to be a remnant in such a time as this. We thank you, god, for how you're speaking to our hearts, so that we can do all that you have for us to do and praise you in Jesus name. Amen, amen, amen, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for tuning in. Thank you, elder harper, again, and thank you, my beautiful sister, hillary. I'm so excited and I'm so thankful and I'm so hopeful that I know that someone has been blessed.

Speaker 1: 1:05:51

So if you, if you, if you want to give your life to Christ and I have to make sure I say this because I want you know the whole fact of the matter is everything that we have talked about it won't, it won't even be effective if you don't give your life to Christ. About it won't. It won't even be effective if you don't give your life to christ. Okay. So, um, if you want to give your life to christ, all you have to do is ask a, c, t, s you acknowledge that you are a sinner, you confess with your mouth, believe in your heart that jesus christ died on the cross, you turn from your evil ways. You know, I like to say it like that. You turn from your evil ways. You know why I like to say it like that. You turn from your evil ways. They may not be evil, but they're not pleasing in his sight and you seek after a Bible based church, seek after his face and, and I promise you, promise you, he will save your life.

Speaker 1: 1:06:45

So, anyways, I thank you all, make sure you're going to the youtube channel and like it and subscribe, because I promise you that we are going to be on youtube soon, um, and so I I want you to make sure you're liking your, your um, subscribing so you can get that notification. And, on top of that, you can still go and pre-order my book, remember Arthur? Now, y'all, so you go, and that's so exciting, y'all, you can go and pre-order my book. Go to the website at wwwcuteforchristcom. So, anyways, I thank you all again, thank you all for tuning in and please just stay Q'd for Christ. All right, bye, y'all, bye.