Hello, my name
is Frank Fournier.
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I'm here to welcome you
to Heaven's Point of View.
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We're studying the
Parable of the Prodigal Son,
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we've come to
the very last lesson.
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Go ahead get your
Bible, come and join us,
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there is a blessing in it.
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I would like to invite you to
turn with me to Luke Chapter 18.
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We're studying the Parable
of the Prodigal Son but notice
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I didn't say Luke
15, I'm having you turn
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to Luke Chapter 18,
where we're thinking
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more about the elder brother.
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The elder brother in the Parable
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thinks that everything
is all right with himself
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and obviously then
everything would be all wrong
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with his younger brother.
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Ah, but when the younger brother
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comes home and he receives
the merits of the fatted calf.
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The elder brother never
did receive that blessing.
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It precipitates
the elder brother
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into a spiritual crisis.
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That's why I had you
turn to Luke Chapter 18
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because there we saw--
we see a -- we get a glimpse
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I guess I should
say into the life
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of that kind of religion.
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Look at verse 9,
we're are Luke Chapter 18
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and this is a parable also.
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"And he spake this
parable unto certain
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which trusted in themselves
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that they were
righteous and despised others."
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Now in the parable what
was it that they trusted in.
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Why they trusted in themselves
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and what did they
trust themselves for?
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Well, they trusted
that they were righteous,
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they trusted that they
were better than other people.
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Do you know that we are
not better than other people
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and I don't care if you happened
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to be saved or not,
you are still a sinner.
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You are saved by
grace and you are not saved
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by your perfection
and so if you are still
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a sinner, then
you are not better
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than the sinners who are lost.
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You just happen
to be a saved sinner
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and praise the God for it.
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Now I also want you to
notice in the verse here
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that it says what
happens to the individual
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who thinks so highly of himself.
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Did you see in the verse
that they become despicable?
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They despise
others, that's what it says.
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Well, turn with me to
Genesis Chapter -- let me see
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here Genesis Chapter 16.
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We're in Genesis Chapter
16 and we're going to look
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at verse 4 in
Genesis Chapter 16.
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This is the story
of Abraham and Sarah.
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Abraham and Sarah were
given a wonderful promise
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some 25 years earlier.
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They were going to
have a son and of course
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I supposed they did all
they could to have a son,
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25 years later they
still don't have a son
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and now its pass time for
Sarah to be able to have a son.
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And so she
decides to take things
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into her own hand,
you know the story.
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She wanted to find
someone that Abraham
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could have a child
with, a surrogate mother
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if you please
and she chose Hagar.
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Now I have question for us here?
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I want us to
consider this thing.
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If you were Sarah and I assume
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you have more than one maiden
that you have several of them,
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which one would you choose?
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Would you choose
the most rebellious one
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or would you choose the
one that's easiest to handle?
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Would you choose the ugliest one
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or would you
choose the prettiest one?
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Would you choose
one that loves you
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or would you
choose one that hates you?
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Well, it seems to me obvious
that you would not choose
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a rebellious one because
you're going to have to deal
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with her after the fact.
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You wouldn't choose an ugly one,
you don't want ugly children
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and so you want to
have the nicest one
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that you can find that my
type of reasoning in any case
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and I assume
that's what happened.
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And so here is Sarah,
she is going to find a woman
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for Abraham so
they can have a son
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and she chooses my opinion,
she chooses the prettiest,
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she chooses one that's
easiest to be entreated,
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she chooses one
that is not rebellious.
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But watch what happens
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we're in verse 4,
we're in Genesis Chapter 16.
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And he, Abraham,
"he went in unto Hagar,
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and she
conceived, and when she saw
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that she had
conceived, her mistress
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was despised in her eyes.
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Now what in the
world, how is it, do you know
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that Sarah had
been superior to Hagar
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in every respect
up until this point,
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then all of a sudden for
one thing Hagar is superior
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to Sarah in one
thing and it makes her
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despicable right from there.
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It's amazing to me but
that's the way it works.
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Now do you ever despise anyone?
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Who is it you despise
when you despise people?
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You know, I grew
up in a little village
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and two blocks over
there was a young fellow
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by the name of Kenneth, and
he always had a snotty nose,
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and I just couldn't stand it.
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He was -- I despised him,
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I suppose that's the only way
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that I can say, I
despised this young boy
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because he just couldn't
keep himself clean, you see.
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Do you know that the intelligent
despise the unintelligent,
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the strong despise the weak.
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The skillful despise the clumsy,
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the beautiful despise the ugly.
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The educated
despise the uneducated.
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The religious
despise the irreligious
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and the saved
despise the lost, why no.
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The saved don't despise
the lost because if they did,
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they could not
claim to be saved,
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that's not how it works.
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Ah, but you can see
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how it is that
we despise people.
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This, today I would
like to take a side trip.
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I would like for us
to look at God's ideal
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what Christianity is
supposed to look like.
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And let me tell you something
as we read these verses.
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we're going to go
through a series of them.
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As we read them I want you
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to judge your life accordingly,
this is God's ideal.
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Turn with me to Philippians
Chapter 2, we're going to look
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at verse 3 in
Philippians Chapter 2.
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This is Philippians 2:3,
I think I said that wrong
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a few minutes ago,
this is Philippians 2:3.
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"Let nothing be done
through strife and vainglory,
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but in lowliness of
mind let each esteem
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the other better
than themselves."
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Can you imagine?
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What would the world
be like if people esteemed
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everyone else
better than themselves?
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Well, do you know that the
world would be just like heaven
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because this is how heaven is,
that's how it works in heaven,
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every one esteems everyone
else greater than themselves.
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Can you imagine
you are in heaven,
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we've finally gotten
there, we're walking down
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the street of gold
and a mile or so beyond
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as you going down the
street of gold you can see Moses
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is coming, you
haven't meet Moses yet
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and what a
great man in your mind
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that he is and
so you're thinking
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how I'm I going to meet Moses.
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You're all
excited and you don't know
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what to say, but as
you get closer and closer
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to Moses you see that the
same thing is happening to you.
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But it doesn't make sense
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why would Moses
be looking up to you.
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And when you get to
talk to him about it,
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he says "listen I haven't
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had to go through the last days.
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I can't imagine how you
got through the last days
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and that's why
I'm looking up to you.
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I mean after all
as Moses you know
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that I fell
over"-- it wasn't anything
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like -- what you are going
through the time of trouble
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and so Moses is looking
up to you, you're looking up
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to Moses and that's how it
is in the kingdom of heaven.
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Well, is that how
it is in this world?
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No, it is not the
way it is in this world.
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Praise God if that's
way in your church. Is it?
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I wish it was, that's
the way it ought to be?
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Turn with me again
to Philippians Chapter 2
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and we're going
to look at verse 4
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now in Philippians
Chapter 2. What an ideal.
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"Look not every man on
his own things, but every man
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also on the things of
others" God is saying hey,
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I want you to take
care of your stuff.
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Ah, but be more concerned
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with the stuff
that belongs to others.
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You know, I'm the
president of an institution
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and one of the things that
bothers me on an institution
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is that we have
institutional vehicles
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and we have institutional
equipment and people
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have to take the
vehicles and not checked
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the oil in the vehicle, why?
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Why because its not
theirs and they're only going
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a short way
then surely the next,
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the last guy who took the
vehicle he checked the oil
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and I don't have to, and
do you know that accidents
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can happen that way, I mean,
we can run out of oil sometimes
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and burn up a
motor or an engine.
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Yeah, yeah, but the
Bible strictly says hey,
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be more concerned with
what belongs to another
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than what belongs to yourself.
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Turn with me to 1
Corinthians Chapter 10.
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We're going to 1
Corinthians Chapter 10
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and we're
looking at God's ideals,
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the
practicality of Christianity.
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We're looking at verse 24
now in 1 Corinthians Chapter 10.
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Let no man seek his own,
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but every man another's wealth.
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How many people do you know work
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for to make
other people wealthy,
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I mean on purpose.
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Oh, I know there is a lot
of, there is a lot of little
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people there who are working
for -- working in a factory
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and there somebody else getting
wealthy and it isn't them.
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Ah, but how many
people do you know on purpose
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they go forward
and what they want
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to do is make you
wealthy instead of themselves.
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Well, this it would
be true Christianity,
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if my burden was to
-- in how should I say
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if my burden was
to make you wealthy
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then I would be a Christian.
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Look at verse 33,
Paul speaking says,
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"Even as I please
all men in all things,
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not seeking my own
profit, but the profit of many,
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that they may be saved.
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What an ideal is that.
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I would like to
see everyone blessed,
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that's what I would
like to see is as I walk
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in my Christian experience,
I would like to live my life
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to bring you a blessing
and this thing should spread.
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Everyone in this world ought to
walk that way, don't you think?
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Go with me to
Romans Chapter 12 now,
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we're going to Romans Chapter 12
00:10:30.62\00:10:32.56
and we are still
looking at God's ideals.
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We're in Romans
Chapter 12 and I believe
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that we're looking at
verse 10 in Romans Chapter 12.
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"Be kindly affectioned one
to another with brotherly love
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in honor
preferring one another."
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Do you know what
the word prefer means?
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I mean, I may
prefer bananas to oranges,
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you know what that means,
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I may prefer to drive a
Chevy rather than a Ford.
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We understand the
word but the verse
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is saying here, when an honor
00:11:06.23\00:11:08.09
is being dolled
out, you ought to prefer
00:11:08.12\00:11:10.72
that the other
person receives the honor
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rather than themselves,
rather than yourself.
00:11:12.53\00:11:17.02
I was in little institution,
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this is nearly 35 years ago
00:11:20.58\00:11:23.15
and we were
having a board meeting
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and the
president had been chosen
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and then they had
nominated my name to become
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the vice president and
they had also nominated
00:11:30.38\00:11:32.93
my brother in law's name
to become vice president.
00:11:32.96\00:11:35.89
So they had us both
step out and we were outside
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a long time, a long
time, we were wondering
00:11:38.39\00:11:40.83
what in the world's going on?
00:11:40.86\00:11:42.13
Why are they taking so long?
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Finally someone
came out from the meeting
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and he addressed both of
us, one at a time and he said
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"you know we just can't
decide who it's going to be?
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Do you have any light
to add to this thing?"
00:11:50.84\00:11:53.03
And I said,
"yes, I certainly I do,
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and my brother in law is a
-- he is a much better man,
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I think he ought to
be the vice president
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instead of my, instead of me."
00:11:59.65\00:12:02.53
Now I want you to know
that in my heart I wished
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that I had been
chosen, it was an honor
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and I would have liked it,
but I passed that over to him.
00:12:08.64\00:12:12.16
So in the end
what do you suppose
00:12:12.19\00:12:13.86
they did in that board meeting?
00:12:13.89\00:12:17.07
Well, they chose
my brother in law,
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that's what they did, yes.
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A year -- no, may
be less than a year ago
00:12:21.86\00:12:23.90
there was another
board meeting and this time
00:12:23.93\00:12:25.98
they were attempting
to choose a president
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and I was
chosen to be president.
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Ah, it wasn't
because that my brother
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was not better
fitted, I think it was because
00:12:32.67\00:12:35.08
my brother had -- brother
in law had been vice president
00:12:35.11\00:12:37.48
for already a year and he
knew enough not to get himself
00:12:37.51\00:12:42.11
into that
position and I was green,
00:12:42.14\00:12:44.57
I didn't know and there I
ended up to be the president.
00:12:44.60\00:12:49.73
Turn with me to
Romans Chapter 15,
00:12:49.76\00:12:54.14
Romans Chapter 15
we're looking at verses 1-3.
00:12:54.17\00:12:59.78
"We then that are
strong ought to bear
00:12:59.81\00:13:02.77
the infirmities of the weak,
and not to please ourselves.
00:13:02.80\00:13:06.72
Let every one of
us please his neighbor
00:13:06.75\00:13:08.84
for his good to edification.
00:13:08.87\00:13:11.14
For even Christ
pleased not himself."
00:13:11.17\00:13:14.26
And so those of you who
are strong ought to bear
00:13:14.29\00:13:17.25
with those who are weaker.
00:13:17.28\00:13:18.77
But do you know
and you know this,
00:13:18.80\00:13:20.58
this, kind of mostly applies,
or applies very specifically
00:13:20.61\00:13:24.96
to people who are married.
00:13:24.99\00:13:26.42
Did you know that
you have married someone
00:13:26.45\00:13:28.42
and that she or he has
strengths that you don't have
00:13:28.45\00:13:31.64
and you have
strengths that they don't have.
00:13:31.67\00:13:35.13
One of you will be
stronger intellectually,
00:13:35.16\00:13:37.49
one of you will be stronger
physically usually it's the man,
00:13:37.52\00:13:40.83
one of you will be
stronger spiritually,
00:13:40.86\00:13:43.16
one of you will
be stronger sexually,
00:13:43.19\00:13:45.08
one of you will be stronger
emotionally or socially,
00:13:45.11\00:13:48.11
in all these realms of
life one of you will be stronger
00:13:48.14\00:13:50.95
and the Bible says
the strong one is to bear
00:13:50.98\00:13:54.69
the infirmities of the weak one.
00:13:54.72\00:13:57.44
This is God's
ideal in Christianity.
00:13:57.47\00:14:01.19
Turn with me to
Mathew Chapter 11,
00:14:01.22\00:14:04.94
I hope you don't
mind using your Bibles
00:14:04.97\00:14:06.77
and I hope you don't mind
looking at all of these ideals.
00:14:06.80\00:14:11.08
We're going to come
to one of my favorite one
00:14:11.11\00:14:13.94
I think here we're
in Mathew Chapter 11,
00:14:13.97\00:14:16.30
we're looking at verse
11 in Mathew Chapter 11.
00:14:16.33\00:14:20.00
"Verily I say
unto you, among them
00:14:20.03\00:14:21.87
that are born of
women there hath not been
00:14:21.90\00:14:24.06
a greater than
John the Baptist."
00:14:24.09\00:14:26.35
Who is the greatest
man that ever lived?
00:14:26.38\00:14:29.22
Who did Jesus say
00:14:29.25\00:14:30.66
was the greatest
man that ever lived?
00:14:30.69\00:14:32.41
Does Jesus know
what he is talking about?
00:14:32.44\00:14:34.51
He is pointing
to John the Baptist
00:14:34.54\00:14:36.20
and there he says
he is the greatest man
00:14:36.23\00:14:38.11
that ever lived, and you know,
00:14:38.14\00:14:39.85
can leave a man scratching
his head is like why would
00:14:39.88\00:14:42.93
John the Baptist
be greater than Moses,
00:14:42.96\00:14:45.12
greater than
Joseph, greater than Daniel,
00:14:45.15\00:14:47.25
greater than Elijah.
00:14:47.28\00:14:48.46
How does this
happen, do you know?
00:14:48.49\00:14:53.08
Yeah, he is greater.
00:14:53.11\00:14:55.98
What is it that
made him greater?
00:14:56.01\00:14:58.06
Do you know that the
rest of the verse tells us?
00:14:58.09\00:15:00.56
Look at the rest of the verse,
00:15:00.59\00:15:01.79
ah, but it's not easy
to understand however,
00:15:01.82\00:15:04.04
I will try my
best to point it out.
00:15:04.07\00:15:06.73
"Notwithstanding Jesus
speaking he that is least
00:15:06.76\00:15:11.17
in the kingdom of heaven is
greater than John the Baptist."
00:15:11.20\00:15:16.29
Do you know
that John the Baptist
00:15:16.32\00:15:18.74
has esteemed every one
as greater than himself
00:15:18.77\00:15:21.37
and acted accordingly and
when Jesus saw this he said
00:15:21.40\00:15:25.42
this is the
greatest man that ever lived.
00:15:25.45\00:15:29.18
In a little book called
'Last Day Events' Page 296
00:15:29.21\00:15:32.91
it says the greatest there,
that is the greatest in heaven
00:15:32.94\00:15:37.47
is the least in self
esteem and the least is greatest
00:15:37.50\00:15:42.10
in his gratitude
and wealth of love.
00:15:42.13\00:15:45.18
When we get to heaven,
we will esteem everyone else
00:15:45.21\00:15:48.57
greater than ourselves.
00:15:48.60\00:15:49.97
We will find
ourselves in the kingdom
00:15:50.00\00:15:51.60
and we will see that we
were not worthy to be there.
00:15:51.63\00:15:54.98
But by the grace of God we found
our way to the kingdom of heaven
00:15:55.01\00:15:59.06
and we are going
to be humble about it.
00:15:59.09\00:16:01.61
We're not going to be
exhibiting any kind of pride.
00:16:01.64\00:16:05.05
Okay, now that we've gone
through all of these ideals,
00:16:05.08\00:16:08.09
we want to go back
to Luke Chapter 18.
00:16:08.12\00:16:10.54
So now let's go
back to Luke Chapter 18,
00:16:10.57\00:16:12.74
we're looking at this
parable that we started with,
00:16:12.77\00:16:15.17
Jesus pointing to these
people who trusted in themselves
00:16:15.20\00:16:18.16
that they were righteous
and turned out to be despicable.
00:16:18.19\00:16:22.68
That's what it says,
they despised others.
00:16:22.71\00:16:26.54
Verse 9 "And he spake
this parable unto certain
00:16:26.57\00:16:30.72
which trusted in themselves
00:16:30.75\00:16:32.01
that they were
righteous, and despised others.
00:16:32.04\00:16:34.48
Two men went up
into the temple to pray,
00:16:34.51\00:16:37.41
the one a Pharisee,
the other a publican."
00:16:37.44\00:16:40.56
Now what's a Pharisee?
00:16:40.59\00:16:42.03
Well, a Pharisee is, is
one of the religious leaders
00:16:42.06\00:16:45.57
in the days of Jesus, he
was more or less a pastor,
00:16:45.60\00:16:48.88
he had been to
seminary, he had been to school,
00:16:48.91\00:16:51.00
he'd learned his Bible
and he was a spiritual leader
00:16:51.03\00:16:53.89
in the community and obviously
he was well looked up to.
00:16:53.92\00:16:57.38
Now today we equate
Phariseeism with legalism
00:16:57.41\00:17:00.90
and we don't have a
great positive picture
00:17:00.93\00:17:04.17
of these people,
but in those days
00:17:04.20\00:17:05.75
it was not that way, the
Pharisee was well acclaimed.
00:17:05.78\00:17:11.65
But who is a publican?
00:17:11.68\00:17:14.23
The publican
was a tax collector,
00:17:14.26\00:17:16.73
but the problem
with that was that
00:17:16.76\00:17:19.40
he was a Jewish tax collector.
00:17:19.43\00:17:22.38
He was a member of
the Jewish community
00:17:22.41\00:17:24.71
and yet he was
serving the Roman community
00:17:24.74\00:17:27.29
and he was drawing
taxes from the Jews
00:17:27.32\00:17:29.53
to give to the
Romans and sometimes
00:17:29.56\00:17:31.44
he filled his own
pockets and he became a thief.
00:17:31.47\00:17:34.13
And so one is highly respected,
00:17:34.16\00:17:35.99
the other one is
despised, that's the publican.
00:17:36.02\00:17:39.77
Okay, now watch how they behave.
00:17:39.80\00:17:42.05
Verse 11 "The Pharisee stood
00:17:42.08\00:17:44.73
and prayed thus with himself."
00:17:44.76\00:17:47.07
Now why would he
pray with himself
00:17:47.10\00:17:50.64
because God wouldn't
hear that kind of prayer
00:17:50.67\00:17:53.34
and notice what he calls
himself, the very next word
00:17:53.37\00:17:55.83
it says God, he
prayed thus with himself God.
00:17:55.86\00:17:59.33
Now if you think I made that up,
00:17:59.36\00:18:00.76
I actually read it somewhere
in, In Signs of the Times, page,
00:18:00.79\00:18:04.47
excuse me, February 1985, watch,
00:18:04.50\00:18:07.81
talking about the,
the Pharisee here it says
00:18:07.84\00:18:10.66
"He began his self
worship God, I thank thee,
00:18:10.69\00:18:15.97
that I am not as
other men are, extortioners,
00:18:16.00\00:18:18.39
unjust, adulterers
and even as this publican,
00:18:18.42\00:18:21.23
why I fast twice in the week,
00:18:21.26\00:18:23.20
and I give tithes
of all that I possess."
00:18:23.23\00:18:27.63
Amazing, yeah, this is what
it means to be self righteous.
00:18:27.66\00:18:32.78
It means that we
feel no need of God,
00:18:32.81\00:18:34.71
we're satisfied with
our Christian experience
00:18:34.74\00:18:36.95
and everyone else around us
seems to be a little inferior
00:18:36.98\00:18:41.37
to us in their
Christian experience
00:18:41.40\00:18:44.15
and so the elder brother didn't
feel the need of his father.
00:18:44.18\00:18:46.94
He was doing fine without God
00:18:46.97\00:18:49.39
and so it is with
this, this Pharisee
00:18:49.42\00:18:52.64
in the parable
that we are looking at.
00:18:52.67\00:18:54.43
Now he could even say,
I am not as other men are.
00:18:54.46\00:18:58.28
Well, friends, listen
there is not a man in the world
00:18:58.31\00:19:01.00
that is not as other men are,
we all come from one father.
00:19:01.03\00:19:03.96
And let me tell you something.
00:19:03.99\00:19:05.42
If the Holy Spirit of God
should be withdrawn from you,
00:19:05.45\00:19:09.41
if the Holy Spirit of
God should withdrawn form me,
00:19:09.44\00:19:12.47
whatever the atrocities
are that some men may commit
00:19:12.50\00:19:15.17
in this world, I would
be capable of committing
00:19:15.20\00:19:17.70
the very same atrocities
should there be no God,
00:19:17.73\00:19:20.80
should there be no
grace controlling my life.
00:19:20.83\00:19:24.79
This man was as other men were,
00:19:24.82\00:19:26.94
he just did not know.
00:19:26.97\00:19:31.13
Now we turn our
attention to the publican
00:19:31.16\00:19:34.21
and this must have been
really hard on the Pharisees.
00:19:34.24\00:19:36.53
We're looking at verse 13
"And the publican standing
00:19:36.56\00:19:40.16
afar off, would not so much
as lift his eyes unto heaven,
00:19:40.19\00:19:43.04
but smote upon
his breast saying,
00:19:43.07\00:19:45.27
God be merciful to me a sinner."
00:19:45.30\00:19:49.14
So he felt his need of help,
he saw his undone condition,
00:19:49.17\00:19:52.99
he saw his
sinfulness and do you know
00:19:53.02\00:19:55.00
that, that appeals to the heart
of God more than anything else.
00:19:55.03\00:19:59.32
And so Jesus makes a
pronouncement in verse 14
00:19:59.35\00:20:02.69
"I tell you this man
talking about the publican
00:20:02.72\00:20:05.85
went down to
his house justified,
00:20:05.88\00:20:08.90
he was saved amazing
rather than the other.
00:20:08.93\00:20:12.16
No matter how
rotten he was when he came
00:20:12.19\00:20:14.60
with a contrite heart, appealed
00:20:14.63\00:20:16.37
to the heart of
God for his need.
00:20:16.40\00:20:18.92
He went to his house
justified that's what it says
00:20:18.95\00:20:21.32
and then Jesus gives us a
law, it's a wonderful law.
00:20:21.35\00:20:25.94
I want you to look at this law.
00:20:25.97\00:20:28.13
In verse 14 still
"For every one that exalts
00:20:28.16\00:20:31.51
himself shall be
abased, and he that humbles
00:20:31.54\00:20:35.74
himself shall be exalted."
00:20:35.77\00:20:38.21
Do you know that God
takes that responsibility
00:20:38.24\00:20:40.51
into his own hands and
he says I'm going to deal
00:20:40.54\00:20:43.35
with every single
individual in this world.
00:20:43.38\00:20:45.70
I'm going to deal with
you and if you exalt yourself,
00:20:45.73\00:20:48.72
if you lift yourself up,
I'm going to knock you down,
00:20:48.75\00:20:51.17
but if you will humble yourself
I'm going to lift you up.
00:20:51.20\00:20:55.50
Now you all realize
we've been talking about
00:20:55.53\00:20:57.34
the Parable of the Prodigal
Son and we need to return there.
00:20:57.37\00:21:01.13
The prodigal son was
lost in this world of course
00:21:01.16\00:21:05.16
and the elder brother in
the Parable of the Prodigal
00:21:05.19\00:21:07.64
was lost in the
church, but because
00:21:07.67\00:21:09.77
he was in the
church, he was quite sure
00:21:09.80\00:21:11.49
that he was superior to his
brother in spiritual things,
00:21:11.52\00:21:16.20
but friends he wasn't
superior to his brother
00:21:16.23\00:21:18.77
at all and of course
when his brother came home
00:21:18.80\00:21:22.19
and received the
merits of the fatted calf
00:21:22.22\00:21:24.58
and then the
elder brother were told
00:21:24.61\00:21:28.10
in the parable became angry.
00:21:28.13\00:21:30.85
Do you know that
that's the very place
00:21:30.88\00:21:32.92
where we find Cain and
Abel in Genesis Chapter 4.
00:21:32.95\00:21:37.17
Turn with me to
Genesis Chapter 4.
00:21:37.20\00:21:39.93
We are going to go
there, Genesis Chapter 4.
00:21:39.96\00:21:44.60
And we are going to
begin reading with verse 3.
00:21:48.45\00:21:52.32
"In the process of time
00:21:52.35\00:21:53.76
it came to pass that
Cain brought a fruit,
00:21:53.79\00:21:55.79
the fruit of the ground
an offering unto the Lord."
00:21:55.82\00:21:58.89
You know he was a farmer
00:21:58.92\00:22:00.51
and he must have
had beautiful fruit,
00:22:00.54\00:22:02.80
he put it all
together a huge basket
00:22:02.83\00:22:05.40
he carried it up this
hill were there was an altar
00:22:05.43\00:22:08.61
and there at the altar
he offered the sacrifice,
00:22:08.64\00:22:11.48
the sacrifice that he
himself had made on this altar.
00:22:11.51\00:22:15.38
Well, then his
brother comes along
00:22:15.41\00:22:17.00
but his brother is not a farmer,
00:22:17.03\00:22:18.44
he is a shepherd
and so he brings a lamb,
00:22:18.47\00:22:21.18
this is what it says in verse 4.
00:22:21.21\00:22:23.70
"And Abel, he also
brought the first fruit,
00:22:23.73\00:22:26.44
the firstlings of his
flock and of the fat thereof.
00:22:26.47\00:22:29.75
And the Lord had
respect unto Abel
00:22:29.78\00:22:31.95
and to his offering and
unto Cain to his offering
00:22:31.98\00:22:35.56
he had no respect
and Cain was angry."
00:22:35.59\00:22:39.79
Why was Cain angry?
00:22:39.82\00:22:41.01
Was it because God accepted
00:22:41.04\00:22:44.26
Abel's sacrifice
instead of his own.
00:22:44.29\00:22:46.35
Well, partly, but
really the reason Cain
00:22:46.38\00:22:49.00
is angry is
because God will not,
00:22:49.03\00:22:50.72
will not accept
his own sacrifice.
00:22:50.75\00:22:53.15
It's not a comparison
between the two sacrifices.
00:22:53.18\00:22:56.47
God will not accept a
sacrifice but his own.
00:22:56.50\00:23:00.10
Jesus -- God so love the world,
00:23:00.13\00:23:02.10
He sacrificed his
only begotten son.
00:23:02.13\00:23:03.95
That's the only way we can
get to the kingdom of heaven
00:23:03.98\00:23:06.25
and Cain was
ruining the object lesson.
00:23:06.28\00:23:08.75
Cain was ruining
the symbolism here
00:23:08.78\00:23:11.45
and so God could not accept that
00:23:11.48\00:23:13.14
otherwise he
would ruin the theology
00:23:13.17\00:23:15.16
behind salvation
and it made Cain angry
00:23:15.19\00:23:19.10
to the point as you
can see this in verse 8.
00:23:19.13\00:23:22.45
"Cain talked with
Abel and his brother,
00:23:22.48\00:23:24.57
and it came to pass,
when they were in the field,
00:23:24.60\00:23:26.59
that Cain rose up against him,
00:23:26.62\00:23:28.51
his brother and he slew him."
00:23:28.54\00:23:33.39
If you'll turn with
me to 1 John Chapter 3.
00:23:35.09\00:23:40.18
Turn with me to
1 John Chapter 3.
00:23:40.21\00:23:44.28
We're going to see what John
00:23:44.31\00:23:47.88
has to say about
something like this.
00:23:47.91\00:23:50.11
1 John Chapter 3, we're looking
00:23:50.14\00:23:53.16
at verses 14 and
15, beautiful verses.
00:23:53.19\00:23:59.06
"We know that we have
passed from death to life."
00:23:59.09\00:24:03.16
Do you know
that we're born dead,
00:24:03.19\00:24:05.33
conceived in
sin, born in inequity.
00:24:05.36\00:24:08.36
David used to say or
that he said that in Psalms 51
00:24:08.39\00:24:12.18
and we need to
pass from death to life
00:24:12.21\00:24:15.31
and we may know if we
have pass from death to life.
00:24:15.34\00:24:18.32
"We know that we
have passed from death
00:24:18.35\00:24:20.53
to life because
we love the brethren.
00:24:20.56\00:24:24.53
He that loves not his
brother abides in death.
00:24:24.56\00:24:28.08
Who so hates his
brother is a murderer,
00:24:28.11\00:24:31.32
and ye know that no murderer
00:24:31.35\00:24:33.52
has eternal
life abiding in him."
00:24:33.55\00:24:37.87
And in this we
recognize what happened
00:24:37.90\00:24:40.18
to Cain in relationship to Abel.
00:24:40.21\00:24:42.50
We also recognize what happened
00:24:42.53\00:24:44.39
to the elder
brother in relationship
00:24:44.42\00:24:46.84
to his younger brother.
00:24:46.87\00:24:50.75
He killed him, and how
would we relate to that?
00:24:50.78\00:24:54.96
Do you ever get
angry with people?
00:24:54.99\00:24:57.47
Are you ever filled with wrath?
00:24:57.50\00:24:59.72
Ah, friends don't you know that
that's the beginning of murder.
00:24:59.75\00:25:04.57