Welcome to
Heaven's Point of View.
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This is a
continuation of the Series,
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Love, Marriage, Sex, and Divorce
according to the New Testament.
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Our special guest and host
this morning is Dr. Tom Sheperd
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who is Professor of New
Testament interpretation
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at Andrews University.
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My name is Dr. Senez Rodriguez
and I am glad to be his Co-host.
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Tom: Okay.
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So, a question
for you, Dr. Sheperd.
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Tom: Hmmm... hmmm...
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We have seen so far what
Jesus teaches about divorce
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the question is, does Paul
agree with those teachings?
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All right, good
question, we studied Matthew 19
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verses 3 to 12,
we were talking about
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what the Lord answered Pharisees
when they came to ask him,
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and now we want to turn to
the book of 1st Corinthians
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where the Apostle
Paul also discusses
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the question of divorce,
we've already studied some about
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this church of Corinth,
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they were people
with lots of troubles
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they had doctrinal problems
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but not only doctrinal
problems but practice problems.
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They had people
involved in incest
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and people involved
in going to prostitutes
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and people who didn't think
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marriage should
have sex in it at all
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and then there were people
who were considering divorce
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or maybe... who
had been divorced
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so there were
all kinds of issues
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so, Paul worked
with these churches...
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not just
Corinth but other places
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to have stable, happy homes
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and some of their
settings as we will see
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differed somewhat from
what the gospels talked about
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and this is what brings about
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some of what the
Apostle Paul has to say.
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So we want to read the passage,
it's 1st Corinthians chapter 7
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verses 10 through 16,
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1st Corinthians 7
verses 10 through 16.
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Why don't you read that for us.
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Sure... "And unto
the married I command,
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yet not I, but the Lord,
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Let not the wife
depart from her husband:
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But if she depart,
let her remain unmarried,
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or be reconciled to her
husband: and let not the husband
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put away his wife.
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But to the rest
speak I, not the Lord:
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If any brother hath a
wife that believeth not,
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and she be
pleased to dwell with him
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let him not put her away.
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And the woman which hath
an husband that believe not,
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and if he be
pleased to dwell with her,
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let her not leave him.
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For the unbelieving husband
is sanctified by the wife,
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and the unbelieving wife
is sanctified by the husband:
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else were your children
unclean; but now are they holy.
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But if the unbelieving
depart, let him depart.
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A brother or a
sister is not under bondage
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in such cases: but God
hath called us to peace.
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For what knowest thou,
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O wife, whether thou
shalt save thy husband?
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or how knowest thou,
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O man, whether thou
shalt save thy wife?"
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Hmmm... hmmm... all
right, very interesting passage.
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Talking about several
different scenarios...
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we're going to walk
slowly through this passage
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and take a look at it.
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It's helpful to
outline 1st Corinthians 7
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to get an idea of how Paul
puts his arguments together.
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We remember that
this is a transition point
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in the book, we
studied 1st Corinthians 6
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verses 12 to 20,
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and we saw how Paul
brought all kinds of theology
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together to fight the
problem of promiscuity
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and then... in the
beginning of chapter 7,
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he begins by saying,
"Now concerning the matters
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about which you wrote. "
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They wrote him a letter asking
him a variety of questions
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and he responds to those
questions here and elsewhere
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so the chapter...
chapter 7 seems to break down
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into three parts
as it seems... because
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it's disputed so
I'm not sure exactly how
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the chapters
should be broken down.
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But it goes like this...
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the first section is
to those who are married
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or who have been
married, all right...
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and that goes from
verse 1 through verse 16
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so the first part is about:
1. Sex for husbands and wives,
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another passage
that we have looked at,
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2. Marriage and the formerly
married... is in verses 8 and 9,
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3. And divorce and
believers is in verses 10 to 16.
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So that's the first
section focused around people
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who are married or
who have been married.
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Then there is...
what we might call...
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a Transition Section
talking about God's call
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in their life setting,
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that goes from
verse 17 through verse 24,
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and he starts
off with the thesis
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that the person
should remain in the state
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that God has called
them in and he unpacks this
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with an expression talking about
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the circumcised
and the uncircumcised,
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the slave and the free,
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then he comes to the
last section of the chapter,
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to those who are
unmarried, he starts...
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and that goes from
verses 24 through 40:
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1. He begins with
the discussion of virgins
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and then he turns to:
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2. Relating to
the distressful times.
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so the virgins were
from verses 24 to 28,
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the distressful
times, verses 29 to 35,
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3. then staying
single or getting married
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is a topic he talks
about in verses 36 to 38,
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4. and finally he
talks about widows...
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at the very
end, verses 39 to 40.
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Okay, so this is the
breakdown of the chapter,
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now, Paul addresses in chapter 7
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particular questions that
the Corinthians had raised
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and he
introduces these questions
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with the word,
"about," in Greek it's, "peri"
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that word appears in
verse 1 and again in verse 25
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so the things you wrote
about, if you look at verse 25,
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it says, "Now
concerning the betrothed... "
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so "concerning... "
see about the betrothed
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"I have no command from the
Lord but I give my judgment,
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as one who by the
Lord's mercy is trustworthy. "
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It seems, however, that he...
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either he answers other
questions that they didn't raise
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or he expands on the topics
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in the areas that he
wants to address with the people
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because he seems to
go a little off-field
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from just the
particular questions perhaps
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that they raised, the
outline that I've just...
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you've seen,
perhaps, on the screen there
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and I've read through it,
the outline divides the chapter
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into these three main sections
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focusing mainly on the
married in the first part
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and mainly on the
unmarried in the last part,
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but this outline
can be challenged a bit
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because he refers
back to married people
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at different times
in his presentation.
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The passage we're
looking at today though
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is a section for married
people, Paul uses the verb,
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"to be married" or "to marry"
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and he puts it in what's
called "the perfect tense,"
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now in Greek,
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the perfect tense
had two ideas within it,
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one was, "an action in the
past that came to completion,"
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right, and then
there were ongoing results
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that continue up to the present,
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so we're in the ongoing
results of that experience,
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so, both of these ideas
were in the present tense
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and it depends on the
context as to whether it said,
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"consummated perfect"
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the one that focuses on
the completion of the action
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or an "Intensive Perfect,"
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that focuses on
the ongoing action
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probably here it's
"Intensive Perfect"
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he's saying, he's
speaking to the married,
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so, they were married,
that happened sometime back
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and they're still married,
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so they're in
the state of marriage
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and so he writes to them,
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there are a number
of misunderstandings
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about this passage,
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just as we saw that
there are misunderstandings
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about verses 1 to 6,
we already studied that,
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but we'll see that there
are misunderstandings here too
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so it's good that
we have an opportunity
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to talk about this
and talk them through.
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Now, sometimes the idea
of such misunderstandings
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are troubling to some
people in today's church,
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they think, "Well, if
this is the Word of God,
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shouldn't the meaning be
crystal clear to everyone
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so that no one is lost?"
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Yeah, it's a good question,
there are truths in the Bible
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that are impossible to miss
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if one is
reading with an open mind
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and a willingness
to do what is right,
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Jesus said in John 7:17,
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"If any man
wills to do His will,
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he will know the doctrine,
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whether it's of God,
or I speak of myself,"
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so, Jesus there... expresses
the concept that, you know,
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it doesn't matter
how much you know,
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you can have a PhD
in all kinds of things
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and everything, but
if you're unwilling to do
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what God requires, you
will likely find some way
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to escape and get
away from what He has said.
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All right, so, there are
certain truths in the Bible
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that are just
impossible to miss,
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these include things
like the doctrine of sin,
00:10:30.86\00:10:33.50
the teaching about salvation,
the gift of salvation,
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forgiveness, our responsibility
to love other people,
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these are written
large in the Bible
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and it would take...
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you would have to
be really resistant
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to not be able
to see those, okay,
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but some teachings of the Bible,
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require deeper
study, a closer look,
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a careful look at the
meanings of the words.
00:10:56.12\00:10:59.25
You notice as we talk here,
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we talk, many times,
about the meanings of the words,
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we not only talk about
the meanings of the words
00:11:03.63\00:11:05.49
but we talk about how
they're related to one another,
00:11:05.56\00:11:07.40
how the different
terms relate to each other,
00:11:07.43\00:11:10.07
the background story,
the history, the culture,
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it's not a denial of our faith
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for us to study and read
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and look for information
that fills in the background.
00:11:18.17\00:11:20.38
We have to remember that Paul...
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these books were
written 2000 years ago,
00:11:22.78\00:11:25.28
Paul was writing to a particular
church in a particular setting
00:11:25.31\00:11:29.68
with particular
problems, he wrote to them
00:11:29.72\00:11:34.06
with instruction from
the Lord that met their needs
00:11:34.12\00:11:38.36
responding to the
questions that they had,
00:11:38.39\00:11:40.90
but his writings
contained principles...
00:11:40.96\00:11:43.40
principles and
teachings that apply to us today
00:11:43.43\00:11:47.24
giving us what God's will
is for us in these matters
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so, yeah, some passages
are just a little more obscure
00:11:52.31\00:11:57.28
we have to search at them,
00:11:57.35\00:11:59.11
and that's why we
have a program like this
00:11:59.15\00:12:01.12
in looking
carefully at the Bible.
00:12:01.15\00:12:03.89
Now I noticed
that in the outline
00:12:03.92\00:12:06.55
that verses 8 and 9
are words to the unmarried
00:12:06.59\00:12:11.29
do you think that Paul
was in favor of celibacy?
00:12:11.33\00:12:15.96
Let's take a look... let's
read those two verses again,
00:12:16.00\00:12:18.93
verses 8 and 9... I don't
think we read them before,
00:12:18.97\00:12:21.87
"I say therefore to
the unmarried and widows:
00:12:21.90\00:12:27.48
It is good for them
if they abide even as I.
00:12:27.51\00:12:32.91
But if they cannot
contain, let them marry:
00:12:32.95\00:12:37.82
for it is better to
marry than to burn. "
00:12:37.85\00:12:42.66
Yeah, probably the last
part is to "burn with passion. "
00:12:42.69\00:12:45.59
Senez: Right.
Tom: To be consumed by
00:12:45.63\00:12:48.26
by the passion, so,
Paul recommends to the
00:12:48.30\00:12:52.13
unmarried, that
they stay single,
00:12:52.17\00:12:55.00
he does not
explain much here, why?
00:12:55.04\00:12:57.81
But in verses 17 to 35,
00:12:57.87\00:13:00.98
he presents four different
reasons for staying single.
00:13:01.04\00:13:06.38
Let's just read a
little bit of that.
00:13:06.41\00:13:09.05
Let's read verses 17 to 24.
00:13:09.08\00:13:11.32
Okay, 17 through 24.
00:13:11.35\00:13:14.56
And we're listening particularly
00:13:14.59\00:13:16.09
for the question of, "Why
should they remain single?"
00:13:16.12\00:13:19.39
Okay, "But as
God hath distributed
00:13:19.43\00:13:24.27
to every man, as the
Lord hath called every one
00:13:24.30\00:13:28.37
so let him walk.
00:13:28.40\00:13:30.31
And so ordain I in all churches.
00:13:30.37\00:13:34.04
Is any man called
being circumcised?
00:13:34.08\00:13:37.88
let him not
become uncircumcised.
00:13:37.91\00:13:42.15
Is any called in uncircumcision?
00:13:42.18\00:13:46.39
let him not be circumcised.
00:13:46.42\00:13:48.62
Circumcision is nothing,
and uncircumcision is nothing,
00:13:48.66\00:13:52.93
but the keeping of
the commandments of God.
00:13:52.96\00:13:57.10
Let every man
abide in the same calling
00:13:57.13\00:14:01.20
wherein he was called.
00:14:01.24\00:14:04.14
Art thou called being a servant?
00:14:04.17\00:14:07.11
care not for it:
00:14:07.14\00:14:08.84
but if thou mayest be
made free, use it rather.
00:14:08.88\00:14:14.12
For he that is called in
the Lord, being a servant,
00:14:14.15\00:14:19.72
is the Lord's freeman:
likewise also he that is called,
00:14:19.75\00:14:25.29
being free, is Christ's servant.
00:14:25.33\00:14:27.86
Ye are bought with a price:
be not ye the servants of men.
00:14:27.90\00:14:35.64
Brethren, let every
man, wherein he is called,
00:14:35.67\00:14:40.31
therein abide with God. "
00:14:40.34\00:14:42.64
Okay, so, here is his
first reason that he gives
00:14:42.68\00:14:46.41
and it's basically
wrapped up in the idea:
00:14:46.48\00:14:50.35
remain in the state
in which God called you.
00:14:50.39\00:14:54.72
But while he says
that, almost immediately,
00:14:54.76\00:14:59.06
he modifies that a bit because
he talks about the slaves.
00:14:59.09\00:15:02.46
Right.
00:15:02.53\00:15:03.87
And he says, "Well, no...
you don't have to stay inside,"
00:15:03.90\00:15:05.70
he says, "If you can begat
freedom," he says, "go for it. "
00:15:05.73\00:15:08.40
You know, that's a good idea,
00:15:08.44\00:15:10.44
and then he gives one of
his typical kinds of things
00:15:10.47\00:15:13.78
where, you know, "the
person who is the slave
00:15:13.81\00:15:16.98
is the Lord's freeman
00:15:17.01\00:15:18.35
and the man who is free is the
Lord's slave... Christ's slave,"
00:15:18.38\00:15:21.05
so, he puts in instruction here
00:15:21.08\00:15:25.69
as he goes along but
that's one of the reasons
00:15:25.72\00:15:27.62
he is suggesting the idea
of staying in the same state.
00:15:27.66\00:15:31.16
Now, the next one
is found in verse 26,
00:15:31.19\00:15:32.86
why don't you
read verse 26 for us?
00:15:32.89\00:15:34.50
Verse 26, "I suppose therefore
00:15:34.53\00:15:39.63
that this is good
for the present distress,
00:15:39.67\00:15:44.07
I say, that it is
good for a man so to be. "
00:15:44.11\00:15:48.44
Yes, to remain... because
of the "present distress"
00:15:48.51\00:15:52.48
that the person should stay
in the state that they're in.
00:15:52.51\00:15:56.48
There was a famine
n the area in 51 AD,
00:15:56.52\00:15:59.49
and Paul may have written
this just a few years later
00:15:59.52\00:16:02.56
there were famines in the area
00:16:02.62\00:16:03.96
and we know that distress
like this makes it difficult
00:16:03.99\00:16:08.86
to form relationships
and to have a marriage
00:16:08.90\00:16:13.47
because you have to plan
in advance for proper care.
00:16:13.54\00:16:17.44
Then verse 29, why
don't you read that?
00:16:17.47\00:16:20.18
That gives another reason.
00:16:20.21\00:16:21.54
"But this I say,
brethren, the time is short:
00:16:21.58\00:16:26.92
it remaineth, that
both they that have wives
00:16:26.98\00:16:32.49
be as though they had none... "
00:16:32.55\00:16:35.09
Yes, now so this
is... now this seems to be
00:16:35.12\00:16:38.26
like an
eschatological kind of a context
00:16:38.29\00:16:41.40
looking towards Jesus' return,
00:16:41.43\00:16:44.20
we might wonder...
"Well, wait a minute... "
00:16:44.23\00:16:46.53
Jesus didn't come
at that time did He?
00:16:46.60\00:16:49.44
Did Paul expect
Him to come right then?
00:16:49.47\00:16:51.47
Actually in one
of his other letters,
00:16:51.51\00:16:53.61
Paul says that
that there has to be...
00:16:53.64\00:16:55.81
"the man of sin has
to show himself first"
00:16:55.84\00:16:57.98
and so he looked
for a latter time,
00:16:58.01\00:17:00.32
but perhaps he's thinking
in terms of people's life
00:17:00.35\00:17:03.39
of where it was
and we all know that
00:17:03.42\00:17:05.72
when our life comes to an end,
00:17:05.75\00:17:07.09
that's when... the
next thing we'll know
00:17:07.12\00:17:09.42
is Jesus'
return. Hmmm... hmmm...
00:17:09.46\00:17:11.06
So, he puts in here...
as "the shortness of time,"
00:17:11.09\00:17:15.03
he says, another
reason he's suggesting
00:17:15.06\00:17:17.93
then the last one
down in verse 32 and 33,
00:17:17.97\00:17:20.80
32 and 33... read those verses.
00:17:20.84\00:17:25.87
Okay, "But I would have
you without carefulness.
00:17:25.91\00:17:28.88
He that is unmarried
00:17:28.91\00:17:31.18
careth for the things
that belong to the Lord:
00:17:31.21\00:17:34.22
how he may please the Lord:
00:17:34.25\00:17:37.12
But he that is married
00:17:37.15\00:17:39.35
careth for the things
that are of the world,
00:17:39.39\00:17:43.39
how he may please his wife. "
00:17:43.43\00:17:45.43
Yeah, okay, now, he's
talking about earthly anxieties.
00:17:45.49\00:17:52.93
You know, when you get married,
00:17:52.97\00:17:54.64
you have to
think about the family,
00:17:54.67\00:17:57.01
and the care of them,
00:17:57.04\00:17:58.67
when you're
single, you pretty much...
00:17:58.71\00:18:01.68
are much freer to
do a variety of things,
00:18:01.71\00:18:04.61
so for these four reasons
remaining with God and the State
00:18:04.65\00:18:07.95
where you were
called, the present distress,
00:18:07.98\00:18:10.19
the shortness of time and
be without earthly anxieties.
00:18:10.22\00:18:14.79
Some people get the idea
that Paul was down on marriage,
00:18:14.82\00:18:19.29
but these arguments
and the verses around them
00:18:19.33\00:18:23.13
don't suggest that, he was...
00:18:23.16\00:18:24.50
Paul was a
missionary, he was a pioneer
00:18:24.53\00:18:28.14
and big in his
eyesight, big in his view
00:18:28.17\00:18:31.74
was the ability to move quickly
00:18:31.77\00:18:33.54
from place to place
and do the work of God.
00:18:33.58\00:18:36.44
We read this man's
life story and where he went
00:18:36.48\00:18:39.45
it would have been extremely
hard to do with a family
00:18:39.48\00:18:42.58
and to travel around
with them and so he was...
00:18:42.62\00:18:45.62
he was a little freer in
that sense... being single...
00:18:45.65\00:18:49.82
Now he doesn't say that
a person has to be single,
00:18:49.86\00:18:52.99
he says that there's
no sin in getting married,
00:18:53.03\00:18:56.13
you should get
married as a Christian,
00:18:56.16\00:18:59.27
you should marry a Christian,
00:18:59.30\00:19:00.64
you should get
married, he says, "in the Lord"
00:19:00.67\00:19:02.07
but he doesn't say that
marriage is wrong somehow.
00:19:02.10\00:19:05.51
Now, I noticed that Paul uses
the phrase, "not I but the Lord"
00:19:05.54\00:19:11.08
in verse 10, and then he says,
00:19:11.11\00:19:14.38
"Not the Lord
but I" in verse 12,
00:19:14.42\00:19:17.65
what does that mean?
00:19:17.69\00:19:19.19
Yeah, let's read
those verses again
00:19:19.22\00:19:21.82
so that people
get the whole context
00:19:21.86\00:19:24.39
let's read verses...
well... start with verse...
00:19:24.43\00:19:31.13
hmmm... I was on the
wrong page, that helps...
00:19:31.17\00:19:35.84
Senez: Ten? Tom: Yeah, verse 10.
00:19:35.90\00:19:37.34
Senez: Okay.
00:19:37.37\00:19:38.71
Read verse 10 and
then read verse 12.
00:19:38.74\00:19:41.31
"And unto the married I command,
yet not I, but the Lord,
00:19:41.34\00:19:47.38
Let not the wife
depart from her husband... "
00:19:47.42\00:19:51.42
All Right, and then verse 12...
00:19:51.45\00:19:52.79
"But to the rest
speak I, not the Lord,
00:19:52.82\00:19:57.39
If any brother hath a
wife that believe not,
00:19:57.43\00:20:01.06
and she be
pleased to dwell with him
00:20:01.10\00:20:04.03
let him not put her away. "
00:20:04.07\00:20:06.63
Yes, now, this is
really interesting,
00:20:06.67\00:20:11.57
I mean, it almost sounds like...
00:20:11.61\00:20:12.94
like two levels of inspiration
or something, you know,
00:20:12.97\00:20:15.91
there's a Lord's
command and then well...
00:20:15.94\00:20:18.65
I'll just get my
opinion, you know,
00:20:18.68\00:20:20.88
but what we should do
first, is ask the question,
00:20:20.92\00:20:25.15
"Who is the Lord that
he's talking about here?"
00:20:25.22\00:20:29.62
In another place, the
Apostle uses this term
00:20:29.69\00:20:33.43
"The Lord" and refers
to a command from the Lord
00:20:33.50\00:20:37.20
and refers to the
Lord Jesus Christ,
00:20:37.23\00:20:39.63
turn over to 1st
Corinthians 9:14,
00:20:39.67\00:20:42.50
1st Corinthians 9 and verse 14,
00:20:42.54\00:20:46.71
"Even so hath the Lord ordained
00:20:46.74\00:20:50.18
that they which
preach the gospel
00:20:50.25\00:20:53.55
should live of the gospel. "
00:20:53.58\00:20:56.32
Okay, so the Lord commanded
00:20:56.35\00:20:59.25
that those who
proclaim the gospel
00:20:59.29\00:21:01.82
should get their
living by the gospel.
00:21:01.86\00:21:05.66
So, is there
some command of Jesus
00:21:05.69\00:21:09.46
that parallels that?
00:21:09.50\00:21:10.83
Well, there seems there
is, over in Luke 10 verse 7
00:21:10.87\00:21:14.84
so turn to Luke 10
verse 7 and read that verse.
00:21:14.90\00:21:17.21
So, notice that Paul is saying
00:21:17.24\00:21:21.01
that those who
work in the gospels
00:21:21.04\00:21:23.98
should get their
living from the gospel.
00:21:24.01\00:21:26.51
Now what did Jesus
say in Luke 10 verse 7?
00:21:26.55\00:21:31.19
He says, "And in
the same house remain,
00:21:31.22\00:21:32.79
eating and drinking
such things as they give:
00:21:32.82\00:21:36.83
for the labourer
is worthy of his hire.
00:21:36.86\00:21:40.90
Go not from house to house. "
00:21:40.93\00:21:44.10
Hmmm... hmmm... yeah,
so this principle of the
00:21:44.13\00:21:47.44
"labourer is worthy of his hire"
00:21:47.47\00:21:50.11
and that the
people... where you go
00:21:50.14\00:21:52.74
as a gospel minister
00:21:52.77\00:21:54.11
and you're serving
their spiritual needs,
00:21:54.18\00:21:56.68
they should help you
with your physical needs
00:21:56.71\00:21:59.45
and that's in
Jesus' missionary discourse
00:21:59.48\00:22:02.18
here to the 72 that he sent out
00:22:02.22\00:22:04.89
besides the 12 that
he had sent out earlier
00:22:04.92\00:22:08.06
and that is so parallel
to what the apostle has said
00:22:08.09\00:22:12.19
in our passage
in 1st Corinthians 9
00:22:12.23\00:22:16.30
that it seems
that in the background
00:22:16.33\00:22:20.37
is this very saying of Jesus,
00:22:20.40\00:22:24.31
now, most scholars maintain
that Paul wrote 1st Corinthians,
00:22:24.34\00:22:30.41
before Luke was written,
but there were oral traditions
00:22:30.45\00:22:33.55
and the teachings of Jesus
in the minds of the apostles,
00:22:33.58\00:22:36.65
and they were
teaching these things,
00:22:36.69\00:22:38.15
and so, it's quite interesting
00:22:38.19\00:22:39.59
that even before
a written gospel,
00:22:39.62\00:22:41.66
the Apostle Paul has
some kind of understanding
00:22:41.69\00:22:44.99
of the Lord's message,
so, then the question becomes,
00:22:45.03\00:22:48.76
"Okay, if this
is the Lord Jesus,
00:22:48.80\00:22:51.60
that he is referring
to in 1st Corinthians 7,
00:22:51.63\00:22:57.47
if this is the same person
as the Lord's... as Christ...
00:22:57.51\00:23:04.65
then well,
what's he referring to?"
00:23:04.68\00:23:09.42
All right, so we go back
to look at Paul's words here,
00:23:09.45\00:23:15.89
and he says,
"to the married... "
00:23:15.92\00:23:18.69
and... sorry... verse 10...
00:23:18.73\00:23:21.30
"And unto the
married I give this charge
00:23:21.33\00:23:22.73
not I, but the Lord.
00:23:22.76\00:23:24.17
The wife should not
separate from her husband... "
00:23:24.23\00:23:26.30
now, actually we'll... a
little later we'll take a look
00:23:26.33\00:23:29.90
and see exactly
what teaching of Jesus...
00:23:29.94\00:23:32.57
it's in our next
program, I believe,
00:23:32.61\00:23:34.34
we'll take a look and see
what teaching of Jesus it is
00:23:34.38\00:23:39.45
that this links up to,
but if he's talking about
00:23:39.48\00:23:43.39
the Lord here, it's
indicative that he's giving
00:23:43.42\00:23:47.29
precedence to
the words of Jesus.
00:23:47.32\00:23:50.46
I like that.
He's giving precedence
00:23:50.49\00:23:53.60
to the words of Jesus,
00:23:53.66\00:23:55.00
but he knows
that his own words...
00:23:55.03\00:23:58.17
his own words also have
a certain weight to them.
00:23:58.20\00:24:03.51
Hmmm... hmmm... okay.
00:24:03.54\00:24:04.87
So, there are two
verses where he helps to show
00:24:04.91\00:24:09.51
what he thinks of his
own sayings or his own words,
00:24:09.54\00:24:14.25
and that's in 1st
Corinthians 7 and verse 25.
00:24:14.28\00:24:19.05
"Now concerning virgins
00:24:19.09\00:24:22.52
I have no
commandment of the Lord:
00:24:22.56\00:24:26.70
yet I give my judgment,
00:24:26.73\00:24:29.50
as one that hath obtained mercy
of the Lord to be faithful. "
00:24:29.53\00:24:34.74
Yeah, mine reads a
little differently, it says,
00:24:34.77\00:24:37.31
about the same... it says...
"Now concerning the betrothed"
00:24:37.37\00:24:39.97
or the virgins, "I have
no command from the Lord
00:24:40.01\00:24:43.14
but I give my judgment
00:24:43.18\00:24:45.41
as one, who by the
Lord's mercy, is trustworthy"
00:24:45.45\00:24:50.45
okay so, he didn't
have a saying from Jesus
00:24:50.49\00:24:54.92
to talk about
those who were unmarried
00:24:54.99\00:24:58.59
and in fact, if we
look through the gospels,
00:24:58.63\00:25:00.86
we don't find the saying,
00:25:00.90\00:25:02.96
we find Jesus
talking about divorce,
00:25:03.00\00:25:05.10
we've already seen
that, he discusses that,
00:25:05.13\00:25:08.20
but we don't find a
saying where he's says,
00:25:08.24\00:25:11.27
"Now, so, what
should unmarried people do?"
00:25:11.31\00:25:13.38
And so, Paul says,
00:25:13.41\00:25:15.98
"I don't have a
command from Jesus,
00:25:16.01\00:25:18.38
if I did, I'd give it to you. "
00:25:18.41\00:25:20.72
He says, "But I give my
own judgment as one who is...
00:25:20.75\00:25:26.35
by the Lord's
mercy... is trustworthy. "
00:25:26.39\00:25:29.56
So someone that
they can count on.
00:25:29.59\00:25:31.56
Somebody might say,
"Wow! well that doesn't sound
00:25:31.59\00:25:34.86
as authoritative... that
doesn't sound as inspired,"
00:25:34.90\00:25:38.13
you know, so now we go
down to the other verse
00:25:38.20\00:25:40.87
and that's verse 40
00:25:40.90\00:25:42.30
and maybe we should
get the context here
00:25:42.34\00:25:45.61
starting in verse 39.
00:25:45.64\00:25:47.31
Okay, 39... "The
wife is bound by the law
00:25:47.38\00:25:51.85
as long as her husband lives;
00:25:51.88\00:25:54.35
but if her husband be dead,
00:25:54.38\00:25:56.79
she is at liberty to be
married to whom she will;
00:25:56.82\00:26:00.56
only in the Lord.
00:26:00.59\00:26:02.46
But she is
happier if she so abide,
00:26:02.49\00:26:06.83
after my
judgment: and I think also
00:26:06.86\00:26:10.20
that I have the Spirit of God. "
00:26:10.23\00:26:13.07
Okay, so, if you
look at verse 39,
00:26:13.10\00:26:15.87
"A wife is bound to her
husband as long as he lives... "
00:26:15.90\00:26:18.47
that's in accordance
with the teaching of Jesus.
00:26:18.51\00:26:21.01
Okay, and he says,
"But if her husband dies,
00:26:21.04\00:26:23.38
she is free to be
married to whom she wishes
00:26:23.41\00:26:25.71
only in the Lord. "
00:26:25.75\00:26:27.15
That reminds us
of Romans chapter 7
00:26:27.18\00:26:30.19
where he talked
about two different people
00:26:30.22\00:26:33.86
and one could be married
and then that person dies
00:26:33.89\00:26:36.59
and then they can remarry,
00:26:36.62\00:26:37.96
but in verse 40 he
says, "Yet in my judgment... "
00:26:37.99\00:26:40.73
now he's going to go beyond
what Jesus was talking about
00:26:40.76\00:26:44.27
"Yet in my
judgment she is happier
00:26:44.30\00:26:46.30
if she remains as she is. "
00:26:46.33\00:26:47.84
And here he kind of puts
tongue-in-cheek a little bit
00:26:47.87\00:26:51.37
and says, "and, I think that
I too have the Spirit of God. "
00:26:51.41\00:26:56.71
So, he's an
apostle but, you know,
00:26:56.75\00:27:00.28
he struggled with
the church in Corinth
00:27:00.32\00:27:02.58
they had issues
about his authority.
00:27:02.62\00:27:04.89
Paul knows who he is,
he knows he's an apostle,
00:27:04.92\00:27:08.26
he knows he has
the Spirit of God,
00:27:08.29\00:27:10.39
there's not two
levels of inspiration
00:27:10.43\00:27:12.46
there's one level of inspiration
but the difference is
00:27:12.49\00:27:17.33
whether he has this
direct saying from Jesus
00:27:17.37\00:27:20.00
and if he does, he
focuses on that saying.
00:27:20.04\00:27:22.60
So, next time, actually,
00:27:22.67\00:27:25.34
we're going to notice
how Paul ties his teaching
00:27:25.37\00:27:28.48
into the teaching of Jesus.
00:27:28.51\00:27:30.35
Well, friends, we
are coming to an end
00:27:30.38\00:27:33.68
to this particular
presentation today,
00:27:33.72\00:27:36.95
we thank you for being with us
00:27:36.99\00:27:39.55
and I am sure that
if you stay with us
00:27:39.62\00:27:42.52
for the rest of the programs,
00:27:42.56\00:27:43.89
you are certainly going
to be spiritually uplifted
00:27:43.93\00:27:47.30
and benefitting
from the presentation
00:27:47.33\00:27:49.93
that Dr. Sheperd has for us
so, I invite you to stay with us
00:27:49.96\00:27:54.74
and you will enjoy it.
00:27:54.77\00:27:56.50
Thank you for listening
00:27:56.54\00:27:58.21
and I hope that you
have a wonderful day today.
00:27:58.24\00:28:01.61
Thank you and may
God bless you today.
00:28:01.64\00:28:04.58