Participants: Pr. Doug Batchelor
Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021714A
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00:00 (MUSIC)
00:35 >>WELCOME TO SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY HOUR. 00:37 IT IS BY NO ACCIDENT THAT YOU HAVE JOINED US, FROM ACROSS THE 00:41 COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD, TO STUDY GOD'S WORD TOGETHER. 00:44 WHAT AN EXCITING TIME WE ARE LIVING IN. 00:46 JESUS IS ABOUT TO COME AND WE JUST KEEP STUDYING TOGETHER, 00:50 SINGING TOGETHER, PRAYING TOGETHER - AND SOON WE WILL SEE 00:53 HIM TOGETHER IN THOSE CLOUDS. I'M SO LOOKING 00:56 FORWARD TO THAT DAY. THERE'S A LITTLE BOOK BY JOE 00:58 CREWS ENTITLED IS IT EASIER TO BE SAVED OR BE LOST? 01:03 THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. YOU CAN ORDER IT BY CALLING IN 01:08 TO AMAZING FACTS AT 866-788-3966 OR 866-STUDY-MORE AND 01:16 ASK FOR OFFER #124. IT'S FREE TO YOU, IN THE UNITED 01:20 STATES OF AMERICA, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASK - SAME 01:23 WITH SALVATION, AMEN? REJOICE THE LORD IS KING! 01:28 WE HAVE EVERY REASON TO REJOICE BECAUSE HE IS KING AND HE IS 01:32 COMING TO GET US. WE'RE GOING TO SING THE FIRST, 01:35 THE SECOND, AND THE LAST VERSES OF HYMN #221. (PIANO MUSIC) 03:14 >>LET'S PRAY. OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN, WE DO 03:17 HAVE SO MUCH TO REJOICE ABOUT. EVEN THOUGH WE LIVE IN A 03:20 SIN-SICK AND DARK WORLD, YOU HAVE PROMISED US IN YOUR WORD 03:24 THAT YOU ARE COMING SOON AND WE LOOK AROUND AND WE KNOW THAT IS 03:27 TRUE BECAUSE YOUR WORD IS TRUE. SO, KEEP US REJOICING, LORD. 03:32 KEEP US WINNING SOULS FOR YOU. GIVE US YOUR SPIRIT IN OUR 03:37 HEARTS THAT PEOPLE SEE YOU LIVING THROUGH US. 03:40 AND NOW, AS WE STUDY ABOUT PETER AND HIS CONVERSION AND WHAT HE 03:46 WAS ALL ABOUT, LORD, IT GIVES US HOPE THAT YOU CHANGE HEARTS FROM 03:50 THE INSIDE OUT AND YOU CAN MAKE US MIGHTY FOR YOU. 03:53 SO WE PRAY THESE THINGS, LORD, IN YOUR PRECIOUS AND HOLY NAME. 03:57 IN THE NAME OF JESUS, AMEN. AT THIS TIME OUR STUDY WILL BE 04:02 BROUGHT TO US BY PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR. 04:09 >>THANK YOU SO MUCH, JO AND OUR MUSICIANS. 04:12 MORNING, FRIENDS. >>MORNING. 04:14 >>I WANT TO WELCOME, ALSO, THOSE WHO ARE PART OF THE EXTENDED 04:17 CLASS THAT ARE WATCHING WITH US RIGHT NOW, VIA SATELLITE 04:20 TELEVISION AND OTHERS AROUND THE WORLD AND THROUGH THE INTERNET. 04:24 AND WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THIS BECAUSE WE'RE JUST NOW INTO THE 04:29 SECOND CHAPTER IN OUR NEW QUARTERLY DEALING WITH 1 AND 04:33 2 PETER. IT'S CALLED FEED MY SHEEP. 04:36 AND, OF COURSE, THAT PHRASE, 'FEED MY SHEEP' IS NOT FOUND IN 04:39 1 AND 2 PETER. IT'S ACTUALLY FOUND IN THE END 04:41 OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, WHERE THREE TIMES JESUS SAID, 'PETER, 04:45 IF YOU LOVE ME, FEED MY SHEEP; FEED MY LAMBS; FEED MY SHEEP' 04:50 - HE SAYS IT THREE TIMES. SO, WE HAVE A MEMORY VERSE FOR 04:53 TODAY'S LESSON AND THE MEMORY VERSE COMES TO US FROM 1 PETER 04:56 1:22, AND I HOPE YOU'LL SAY THAT ALONG WITH ME. 05:00 HERE IN YOUR LESSON IT'S GOT IT IN THE NIV VERSION, BUT IT'S 05:04 1 PETER 1:22 - ARE YOU READY? "NOW THAT YOU HAVE PURIFIED 05:11 YOURSELVES BY OBEYING THE TRUTH SO THAT YOU HAVE SINCERE LOVE 05:16 FOR EACH OTHER, LOVE ONE ANOTHER DEEPLY, FROM THE HEART." 05:21 SO, PART OF THIS LESSON, OF COURSE, IS TALKING ABOUT LOVE. 05:24 IT'S ALSO REALLY A LESSON ABOUT HOW TO HAVE HOPE AMIDST 05:28 THE TRIALS. NOW, LAST WEEK, WE REALLY JUST 05:30 DID AN INTRODUCTION TALKING ABOUT PETER. 05:33 THIS WEEK, WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO THE BOOK. 05:35 AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO, SINCE OUR MISSION TODAY - I REALLY 05:38 LIKE WHEN THINGS ARE DONE IN CLEAN SEGMENTS, AND OUR WRITER 05:42 OF THE LESSON, BASICALLY, IS DEDICATING OUR STUDY TODAY INTO 05:46 THE FIRST CHAPTER. THAT'S REAL EASY. SO, YOU KNOW WHAT I WANT 05:49 TO DO? JUST TO MAKE SURE WE AT LEAST GET THROUGH THE FIRST 05:51 CHAPTER? LET'S READ IT. SO, IF YOU GO TO 1 PETER - THE 05:56 FIRST LETTER OF PETER - CHAPTER 1, I'M GOING TO READ THROUGH 05:59 THOSE 25 VERSES THERE, THEN WE'RE GOING TO BACK UP AND WE'RE 06:02 GOING TO TAKE THEM APART PIECE BY PIECE IN OUR LESSON STUDY. 06:07 "PETER, AN APOSTLE OF JESUS CHRIST," - BY THE WAY, I'M 06:10 READING FROM THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION HERE - "TO THE PILGRIMS 06:13 OF THE DISPERSION IN PONTUS, GALATIA, CAPPADOCIA, ASIA, AND 06:18 BITHYNIA, ELECT ACCORDING TO THE FOREKNOWLEDGE OF GOD THE FATHER, 06:22 IN SANCTIFICATION OF THE SPIRIT, FOR OBEDIENCE AND SPRINKLING OF 06:26 THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST: GRACE TO YOU AND PEACE BE MULTIPLIED. 06:31 BLESSED BE THE GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHO 06:35 ACCORDING TO HIS ABUNDANT MERCY HAS BEGOTTEN US AGAIN TO A 06:38 LIVING HOPE THROUGH THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST 06:41 FROM THE DEAD, TO AN INHERITANCE INCORRUPTIBLE AND UNDEFILED AND 06:46 THAT DOES NOT FADE AWAY, RESERVED IN HEAVEN FOR YOU, WHO 06:50 ARE KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD THROUGH FAITH FOR SALVATION 06:53 READY TO BE REVEALED IN THE LAST TIME. 06:56 IN THIS YOU GREATLY REJOICE, THOUGH NOW FOR A LITTLE WHILE, 07:00 IF NEED BE, YOU HAVE BEEN GRIEVED BY VARIOUS TRIALS, THAT 07:03 THE GENUINENESS OF YOUR FAITH, BEING MUCH MORE PRECIOUS THAN 07:07 GOLD THAT PERISHES, THOUGH IT IS TESTED BY FIRE, MAY BE FOUND TO 07:11 PRAISE, HONOR, AND GLORY AT THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, WHOM 07:15 HAVING NOT SEEN YOU LOVE. THOUGH NOW YOU DO NOT SEE HIM, 07:19 YET BELIEVING, YOU REJOICE WITH JOY INEXPRESSIBLE AND FULL OF 07:22 GLORY, RECEIVING THE END OF YOUR FAITH - THE SALVATION OF YOUR 07:26 SOULS. OF THIS SALVATION THE PROPHETS 07:29 HAVE INQUIRED AND SEARCHED CAREFULLY, WHO PROPHESIED OF THE 07:32 GRACE THAT WOULD COME TO YOU, SEARCHING WHAT, OR WHAT MANNER 07:36 OF TIME, THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST WHO WAS IN THEM WAS INDICATING 07:40 WHEN HE TESTIFIED BEFOREHAND THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST AND THE 07:43 GLORIES THAT WOULD FOLLOW. TO THEM IT WAS REVEALED THAT, 07:47 NOT TO THEMSELVES, BUT TO US THEY WERE MINISTERING THE THINGS 07:51 WHICH NOW HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO YOU THROUGH THOSE WHO HAVE 07:54 PREACHED THE GOSPEL TO YOU BY THE HOLY SPIRIT SENT FROM 07:57 HEAVEN - THINGS WHICH ANGELS DESIRE TO LOOK INTO. 08:02 THEREFORE GIRD UP THE LOINS OF YOUR MIND, BE SOBER, AND REST 08:06 YOUR HOPE FULLY UPON THE GRACE THAT IS TO BE BROUGHT TO YOU AT 08:10 THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST; AS OBEDIENT CHILDREN, NOT 08:14 CONFORMING YOURSELVES TO THE FORMER LUSTS, AS IN YOUR 08:16 IGNORANCE; BUT AS HE WHO CALLED YOU IS HOLY, YOU ALSO BE HOLY IN 08:21 ALL YOUR CONDUCT, BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN, 'BE HOLY, FOR I AM 08:25 HOLY.' AND IF YOU CALL ON THE FATHER, WHO WITHOUT PARTIALITY 08:29 JUDGES ACCORDING TO EACH ONE'S WORK, CONDUCT YOURSELVES 08:32 THROUGHOUT THE TIME OF YOUR STAY HERE IN FEAR; KNOWING THAT YOU 08:38 WERE NOT REDEEMED WITH CORRUPTIBLE THINGS, LIKE SILVER 08:40 OR GOLD, FROM YOUR AIMLESS CONDUCT RECEIVED BY TRADITION 08:43 FROM YOUR FATHERS, BUT WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, AS OF 08:47 A LAMB WITHOUT BLEMISH AND WITHOUT SPOT. 08:49 HE INDEED WAS FOREORDAINED BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE 08:52 WORLD, BUT WAS MANIFEST IN THESE LAST TIMES FOR YOU WHO THROUGH 08:57 HIM BELIEVE IN GOD, WHO RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD AND GAVE HIM 09:01 GLORY, SO THAT YOUR FAITH AND HOPE ARE IN GOD. 09:05 SINCE YOU HAVE PURIFIED YOUR SOULS IN OBEYING THE TRUTH 09:08 THROUGH THE SPIRIT IN SINCERE LOVE OF THE BRETHREN, LOVE ONE 09:13 ANOTHER FERVENTLY WITH A PURE HEART, HAVING BEEN BORN AGAIN, 09:18 NOT OF CORRUPTIBLE SEED BUT INCORRUPTIBLE, THROUGH THE WORD 09:21 OF GOD WHICH LIVES AND ABIDES FOREVER, BECAUSE 'ALL FLESH IS 09:25 AS GRASS, AND ALL THE GLORY OF MAN AS THE FLOWER OF THE GRASS. 09:29 THE GRASS WITHERS, AND ITS FLOWER FALLS AWAY, BUT THE WORD 09:33 OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.' NOW THIS IS THE WORD WHICH BY 09:37 THE GOSPEL WAS PREACHED TO YOU." OKAY? WE CAN GO NOW. 09:42 WE DID OUR STUDY. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE AND GET 09:45 THROUGH THAT FIRST CHAPTER SO WE, NOW, HAVE KIND OF A BROAD 09:49 CONTEXT OF WHAT PETER IS TALKING ABOUT. 09:51 ALRIGHT, WHAT BOOK ARE WE STUDYING? 09:54 >>1 PETER. >>1 PETER. WHERE YOU SAY, '1 09:58 PETER' WHAT DOES THAT INDICATE? >>THERE'S MORE THAN ONE. 10:01 >>THERE'S MORE THAN ONE. YOU'VE GOT A SEQUENCE HERE. 10:03 HOW DO WE KNOW THAT YOU CAN TRUST THAT THIS IS THE BOOK 10:06 CALLED 1 PETER? YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING, IF 10:09 YOU LOOK IN 2 PETER, HE ACTUALLY REFERENCES - LOOK IN 2 PETER 10:13 CHAPTER 3, VERSE 1 - IN 2 PETER HE SAYS, 'NOW, THIS IS THE 10:16 SECOND LETTER THAT I'M WRITING TO YOU, BELOVED - HE ADDRESSES 10:20 TO THE SAME GROUP OF PEOPLE. AND WHERE THERE'S A SECOND 10:22 THERE MUST BE A WHAT? >>FIRST. 10:24 >>SEE, WHEN YOU HAVE A FIRST, THERE COULD BE A THIRTIETH, BUT 10:28 WHEN YOU HAVE A SECOND YOU KNOW THERE IS AT LEAST A FIRST. 10:31 AND SO, WE - THIS IS, OF COURSE, THE FIRST LETTER THAT PETER 10:35 WROTE. AND WE'RE JUST GOING TO GO POINT 10:37 BY POINT, NOW, THROUGH THESE VERSES. 10:39 THE FIRST THING WE REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS 'WHO IS THE 10:42 LETTER WRITTEN TO?' 'WHO'S HE SPEAKING TO?' 10:46 THE FIRST THING HE TELLS US THERE IS, 'PETER, AN APOSTLE OF 10:49 JESUS CHRIST, TO THE PILGRIMS OF THE DISPERSION IN PONTUS, 10:54 GALATIA, CAPPADOCIA, ASIA, AND BITHYNIA'. 10:57 NOW, WHEN IT TALKS ABOUT THE PILGRIMS - 'TO THOSE WHO ARE 11:04 AMONG THE DISPERSED' - YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD THE TERM BEFORE 11:09 'TO DISPERSE' AND THERE IS A WORD DIASPORA - IT MEANS - OR 11:14 THE DISPORIA - IT'S TALKING ABOUT A GROUP WHO HAS BEEN 11:19 SPREAD ABROAD. FOR INSTANCE, YOU'VE GOT - LET 11:21 ME LOOK AT THE WORD DEFINITIONS FOR YOU - PART 1, 'THE 11:24 SCATTERING OF THE JEWS TO COUNTRIES OUTSIDE OF PALESTINE, 11:27 AFTER THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY' WAS CALLED THE DIASPORA. 11:33 AND THEN YOU HAVE 'ANY GROUP MIGRATION OR FLIGHT FROM A 11:37 COUNTRY OR REGION DISPERSED OUTSIDE ITS TRADITIONAL 11:40 HOMELAND'. I REMEMBER - TWO DIFFERENT TIMES 11:43 NOW - THIS LAST YEAR WE WERE IN PUERTO RICO. 11:45 DO YOU KNOW THERE ARE MORE PUERTO RICANS THAT LIVE IN 11:50 AMERICA THAN LIVE IN PUERTO RICO? 11:52 THERE ARE MORE PUERTO RICANS DISPERSED - THE ECONOMY IN 11:54 PUERTO RICO IS VERY POOR RIGHT NOW - I FORGET - YOU KNOW, 16 11:58 BILLION DOLLARS IN DEBT OR SOMETHING - AND, SO, A LOT OF 12:02 PEOPLE LOOKING FOR A BETTER LIFE HAVE LEFT AND THERE ARE NOW MORE 12:04 PUERTO RICANS NOT IN PUERTO RICO. 12:06 JAMAICA - JAMAICA HAS A GREAT DISPERSION. 12:11 THE PHILIPPINES - ALMOST EVERYWHERE I GO IN THE WORLD I 12:17 FIND FILIPINOS. WHEN I WENT TO - YOU GO TO 12:22 EUROPE - IN ENGLAND THEY'VE GOT A FILIPINO CHURCH. GERMANY - 12:26 FILIPINO CHURCH - IN THE MIDDLE EAST - SEVERAL FILIPINO 12:29 CHURCHES, BECAUSE THEY OFTEN GO AND THEY TAKE SOME OF THE 12:32 REGULAR JOBS THERE. AND SO, WHEN WE DID EVANGELISM IN THE 12:36 PHILIPPINES, WE REALLY WERE DOING GLOBAL EVANGELISM, 12:39 BECAUSE THEY THEN STREAMED IT TO THEIR FRIENDS ALL OVER THE 12:42 WORLD - THAT ARE DISPERSED. AND THAT'S WHERE YOU ALSO GET 12:45 THE TERM 'DISPERSED' AS IN SEEDS. NOW, IN A SECOND, I'M 12:49 GOING TO ASK SOMEBODY TO READ JAMES 1:1 - WHO'S GOING TO HAVE 12:52 THAT? WE'LL GET YOU READY FOR THAT, JOE, BUT BEFORE WE GET TO 12:55 IT, I'M GOING TO READ EPHESIANS 1:1, "PAUL, AN APOSTLE OF JESUS 12:59 CHRIST BY THE WILL OF GOD, TO THE SAINTS WHO ARE IN EPHESUS, 13:03 AND FAITHFUL IN CHRIST JESUS:" - NOW, PETER ALSO IDENTIFIES 13:08 HIMSELF AS 'PETER, AN APOSTLE' - HOW MANY APOSTLES WERE THERE? 13:15 TWELVE. BUT, WHEN PAUL WROTE THIS, DID 13:21 PAUL CALL HIMSELF AN APOSTLE? >>YES. 13:23 >>HOW MANY DOES THAT MAKE? >>THIRTEEN. 13:27 >>BUT, WHEN PAUL WROTE THIS, JAMES HAD BEEN KILLED. 13:30 SO HOW MANY DOES THAT MAKE? >>TWELVE. 13:33 >>WELL, YOU KNOW, WE WONDER IF THEY TRIED TO MAINTAIN THE 13:35 NUMBER TWELVE. OTHERS HAVE ARGUED THAT APOLLOS 13:37 BECAME REFERRED TO AS AN APOSTLE. 13:40 WHAT WAS THE CRITERIA TO BE AN APOSTLE IN THE EARLY DAYS? 13:46 YOU NEEDED TO BE SOMEBODY - TECHNICALLY - TYPICALLY - WHO 13:49 ACTUALLY HEARD PERSONALLY FROM JESUS. 13:54 HOW DOES PAUL QUALIFY? WHEN - DID PAUL PERSONALLY 13:59 GET A MESSAGE FROM JESUS? >>YES. 14:01 >>YEAH, AND SO THE WRITINGS OF THE APOSTLES HAD HIGHER 14:03 CREDIBILITY AND THAT'S WHY PAUL ALWAYS SAYS, 'AN APOSTLE OF 14:06 JESUS CHRIST, BY THE WILL OF GOD' - 'JESUS TALKED TO ME. 14:10 HE CALLED ME PERSONALLY TO BE AN APOSTLE'. 14:13 BUT SOME HAVE ALSO SAID THAT EVEN APOLLOS, WHO WAS SORT OF A 14:17 SECOND GENERATION APOSTLE - BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT 14:21 PETER, YOU KNOW, HE WALKED WITH JESUS. 14:24 HE HAD FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE HERE - AS JOHN SAYS, YOU KNOW, 14:29 'WE LEANED ON HIS BREAST - HE BROKE BREAD AND HANDED IT TO US 14:35 - SPIRITUALLY AND LITERALLY'. SO WE KNOW WHO WROTE IT AND, 14:38 NOW, WHO IS HE WRITING TO? GO AHEAD, READ - WE TOLD YOU 14:41 HE'S WRITING TO THE DIASPORA, BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? 14:44 READ JAMES 1:1 FOR US, JOE. >>OKAY. 14:47 JAMES 1:1, "JAMES, A BONDSERVANT OF GOD AND OF THE LORD JESUS 14:53 CHRIST, TO THE TWELVE TRIBES WHICH ARE SCATTERED ABROAD: 14:57 GREETINGS." >>ALRIGHT, SO PETER'S WRITING TO 15:00 THE DISPERSED - TO THE PILGRIMS - AND THEN JAMES IS ALSO SAYING 15:05 HE'S WRITING TO THE TWELVE TRIBES. MOST SCHOLARS BELIEVE 15:10 THAT PETER IS WRITING TO THESE CHURCHES THERE IN ASIA MINOR 15:15 THAT HAVE SYNAGOGUES IN THEM WHERE THERE ARE JEWS. 15:20 NOW, I JUST WANT YOU TO NOTICE SOMETHING - I'M GOING TO READ 15:23 GALATIANS CHAPTER 2, VERSE 7, "BUT ON THE CONTRARY, WHEN THEY 15:29 SAW THAT THE GOSPEL FOR THE UNCIRCUMCISED" - THE GREEKS - 15:32 THE GENTILES - "HAD BEEN COMMITTED TO ME," - PAUL SAYS - 15:36 "AS THE GOSPEL FOR THE CIRCUMCISED" - THE JEWS - "WAS 15:39 TO PETER (FOR HE WHO WORKED EFFECTIVELY IN PETER FOR THE 15:44 APOSTLESHIP TO THE CIRCUMCISED ALSO WORKED EFFECTIVELY IN ME 15:47 TOWARD THE GENTILES)" - NOW WHAT IS - WHAT IS PAUL SAYING HERE? 15:51 IS PAUL SAYING THAT 'I REALLY BECAME A SPECIALIST TO THE 15:55 GENTILES'? 'PETER WAS A SPECIALIST IN 15:58 PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO THE JEWS' - THAT'S SORT OF WHAT HE'S 16:01 SAYING, BUT WAS THAT EXCLUSIVE? WHEN PAUL FIRST ENTERED A TOWN, 16:07 WHERE WAS THE FIRST PLACE HE STARTED PREACHING? 16:09 HE'D GO TO THE SYNAGOGUE AND, IF THEY LISTENED, GREAT. 16:13 IN BEREA THEY WERE NOBLE - THEY STUDIED THE SCRIPTURES - THE 16:16 PEOPLE IN THE SYNAGOGUE. SOME WERE NOT SO NOBLE AND PAUL 16:18 SAID, 'YOU PROVE YOURSELVES UNWORTHY OF THE WORD OF GOD, LO 16:22 WE TURN TO THE GENTILES.' HE'D GO TO A COMMUNITY - OUT OF 16:26 RESPECT FOR THE JEWS THAT ALREADY HAD THE WORD, HE'D START 16:29 WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAD THE FOUNDATION. 16:33 AND THEN HE WOULD GO NEXT AND TALK TO THE GENTILES. 16:36 AND SO, IN THE SAME WAY, PAUL, HE WOULD PREACH TO GENTILES AND 16:42 JEWS, PETER WOULD DO BOTH AS WELL. BUT PETER HAD A SPECIAL 16:46 MINISTRY TO THE JEWS UP THERE IN ASIA MINOR. LET ME READ SOME 16:49 MORE TO YOU FROM GALATIANS. GO TO GALATIANS CHAPTER 2, VERSE 16:52 11 - STILL TALKING ABOUT WHO THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN TO, "BUT WHEN 16:56 CEPHAS" - WHO WAS CEPHAS? DO SOME OF YOU, IN YOUR 16:59 TRANSLATION, DOES IT SAY 'PETER'? 17:01 >>YES. >>"BUT WHEN CEPHAS CAME TO 17:03 ANTIOCH, I OPPOSED HIM TO HIS FACE, BECAUSE HE STOOD 17:06 CONDEMNED. FOR BEFORE CERTAIN MEN CAME FROM JAMES, HE WAS 17:10 EATING WITH THE GENTILES;" - NOW, WHO WAS PETER WITH? 17:13 >>THE GENTILES. >>THE GENTILES. 17:15 "BUT WHEN THEY CAME" - FROM JAMES - THAT WAS THE JEWS FROM 17:18 JERUSALEM BEING SENT BY THE BROTHER OF JESUS, NAMED JAMES - 17:20 HE WAS SORT OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD DOWN THERE IN 17:22 JERUSALEM - "BUT WHEN THEY CAME" - FROM JAMES - "HE DREW BACK" - 17:25 HE SAID, 'OH WHAT WILL THEY THINK?' 17:27 - AND THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF PREJUDICE GOING ON THERE AND SO 17:29 THEY STARTED SAYING, 'WELL, I CAN HANG OUT WITH THE GENTILES 17:33 BUT WHEN THE JEWS COME, I'M GOING TO ACT LIKE THE GENTILES 17:35 AREN'T CLEAN.' YOU REMEMBER WHEN PETER FIRST WENT TO THE HOUSE OF 17:39 CORNELIUS, AND HE SAID, 'I JUST NEED TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW, IT'S 17:43 NOT LAWFUL FOR ME, BEING A JEW, TO COME INTO THE HOUSE OF A 17:47 GENTILE, BUT GOD HAS TOLD ME NOT TO CALL ANY MAN UNCLEAN.' YOU 17:51 KNOW, THAT VISION PETER HAD ABOUT THE SHEEP - THE SHEET THAT 17:54 CAME DOWN AND HAD THE UNCLEAN ANIMALS IN IT? 17:58 AND HE, EXPLAINING THAT VISION, HE SAID, 'GOD HAS TOLD ME NOT TO 18:01 CALL ANY MAN UNCLEAN.' AND SO - BUT HE KNEW THAT SOME OF THE 18:05 JEWS STILL STRUGGLED WITH THAT, AND SO, WHEN THE DELEGATION CAME 18:08 FROM JERUSALEM, PETER WOULDN'T HANG OUT WITH THE GENTILES THEN 18:11 AND PAUL CONDEMNED HIM FOR THAT. 18:13 HE SAID, 'YOU'RE BEING A HYPOCRITE - YOU'RE ACTING ONE 18:15 WAY WHEN THE JEWS AREN'T AROUND; YOU'RE ACTING ANOTHER WAY - AND 18:17 YOU KNOW WHAT JESUS SAYS ABOUT HYPOCRISY. 18:20 SO THE REASON I WENT THROUGH ALL OF THAT IS TO TELL YOU THAT 18:23 PETER AND PAUL BOTH MINISTERED TO JEWS AND GENTILES. 18:28 THE LETTER OF 1 PETER IS PROBABLY WRITTEN, PRINCIPALLY TO 18:32 THE DIASPORA; THE JEWS HAD BEEN DISPERSED, NOT ONLY THROUGH THE 18:37 BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY, BUT ALSO THROUGH THE, YOU KNOW, THE 18:42 ROMANS AND THE GREEKS, BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY. 18:46 NOW THAT VERSE THAT JOE JUST READ IN JAMES - JAMES IS WRITING 18:49 TO THE TWELVE TRIBES - WHEN JAMES WROTE, HOW MANY TRIBES 18:53 WERE THERE? WHAT HAPPENED TO TEN OF THE 18:57 TRIBES WAY BACK BEFORE JESUS WAS BORN? (INAUDIBLE) 19:00 BACK AFTER THE TIME OF HEZEKIAH? THE BABYLONIANS CONQUERED JUDAH, 19:06 BENJAMIN, AND THE LEVITES. THE ASSYRIANS CONQUERED THE 19:09 NORTHERN KINGDOM WITH TEN TRIBES. 19:12 YOU'RE TALKING 500 YEARS BEFORE JESUS - LONG TIME AGO. 19:15 THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVES CAME BACK. 19:18 THERE WAS NO TIME WHEN THE SYRIAN CAPTIVES WERE TOLD, 19:22 'YOU'RE FREE TO COME BACK.' THEY, BASICALLY, INTERMARRIED, 19:27 AND A LOT OF THEM KIND OF LOST THEIR DISTINCT IDENTITY. 19:30 SOME OF THEM TRIED TO STAY IN SMALL GROUPS, 19:32 BUT THEY INTERMARRIED WITH EACH OTHER. 19:33 THERE WERE NO CLEAR DEFINED LINES OF TEN TRIBES BY THE TIME 19:40 OF JESUS. THE PEOPLE FROM ISSACHAR INTERMARRIED WITH 19:43 ASSYRIANS AND THEY INTERMARRIED WITH OTHER TRIBES FROM MANASSEH 19:46 AND ZEBULAN AND - SO THE IDEA THAT THERE WERE TWELVE DISTINCT 19:49 TRIBES - SO WHY DOES JAMES SAY TWELVE TRIBES? 19:54 WHEN YOU BECOME A CHRISTIAN, YOU BECOME A JEW - THAT'S BIBLICAL. 20:01 IF YOU ARE CHRIST'S THEN YOU ARE ABRAHAM'S SEED AND HEIRS 20:05 ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE. PAUL SAID, 'WE' - GENTILES - 20:08 ARE GRAFTED INTO THE STALK OF ISRAEL. 20:11 AND SO, BOTH PAUL AND JAMES - AND PETER - WHEN THEY STARTED 20:15 TALKING AND WRITING LETTERS, THEY ALWAYS FIGURED THAT THE 20:19 CHRISTIANS WERE SORT OF BEING ADOPTED INTO THE FAMILY. 20:23 ISN'T THAT RIGHT? AND SO DON'T TAKE THESE 20:26 TERMS TOO SERIOUSLY. I THINK THE APOSTLES - AND 20:30 JAMES, WHEN HE SAYS, 'I'M WRITING TO THE TWELVE TRIBES' 20:32 AND 'I'M WRITING TO THOSE THAT ARE DISPERSED' ARE SOMEWHAT 20:35 SPEAKING IN METAPHORICAL TERMS, SAYING - WHAT HAPPENED IN JOHN - 20:41 I'M SORRY, WHAT HAPPENED IN ACTS CHAPTER 8? 20:43 WHEN STEPHEN WAS STONED, IT SAYS, 'A GREAT PERSECUTION AROSE 20:47 AND THE BELIEVERS WERE SCATTERED EVERYWHERE.' THEY LOOKED UPON 20:52 WHAT WAS HAPPENING, THROUGH THE PERSECUTION OF THE JEWS AND THE 20:55 ROMANS, AS A SECOND DISPERSION. THEY WERE SCATTERED EVERYWHERE - 21:00 JEW AND GENTILE - THE CHRISTIANS WERE SCATTERED EVERYWHERE. 21:04 THEY SAW THEMSELVES AS BEING SCATTERED LIKE THE EARLY JEWS 21:07 HAD BEEN SCATTERED AND SOMETIMES THEY REFERRED BACK TO THAT AS A 21:11 METAPHOR. ALRIGHT, THAT WAS A LONG ANSWER, SORRY. 21:14 ALRIGHT, ONE MORE - I'LL GIVE YOU ONE MORE VERSE - JOHN 7:35 - 21:19 WHEN JESUS SAID, 'WHERE I GO YOU CAN'T COME.' THE JEWS ANSWERED 21:22 AND SAID TO THEMSELVES, "WHERE DOES HE INTEND TO GO THAT WE 21:25 SHALL NOT FIND HIM? DOES HE INTEND TO GO TO THE 21:27 DISPERSION AMONG THE GREEKS" - AND GENTILES - "AND 21:30 TEACH THE GREEKS?" THEY SAID THAT TO JESUS - THEY 21:33 DIDN'T KNOW - YEAH, HE WAS GOING TO GO TO THEM, THROUGH HIS 21:35 APOSTLES, AND TEACH THE GENTILES. 21:38 SO THAT DID ACTUALLY HAPPEN. ALRIGHT, THE NEXT SEC - OH, 21:42 WAIT, LET ME TELL YOU ONE MORE THING. 21:43 JUST SO YOU HAVE THE PICTURE HERE - ACTS CHAPTER 2 - STILL 21:46 I'M GOING TO FINISH OFF WHO HE'S WRITING TO - ACTS CHAPTER 2, 21:49 VERSE 5 - THIS IS A CHAPTER ABOUT PENTECOST. 21:53 WHEN PENTECOST HAPPENS IT SAYS, "AND THERE WERE DWELLING IN 21:56 JERUSALEM JEWS, DEVOUT MEN, FROM EVERY NATION UNDER HEAVEN." 22:04 AND YOU GO TO VERSE 8, "AND HOW IS IT THAT" - THE HOLY SPIRIT 22:07 WAS POURED OUT - "HOW IS IT THAT WE HEAR, EACH IN OUR OWN 22:10 LANGUAGE IN WHICH WE WERE BORN? PARTHIANS AND MEDES AND 22:15 ELAMITES, THOSE DWELLING IN MESOPOTAMIA, JUDEA AND 22:18 CAPPADOCIA, PONTUS AND ASIA, PHRYGIA AND PAMPHYLIA, EGYPT 22:21 AND THE PART OF LIBYA ADJOINING CYRENE, VISITORS FROM ROME, BOTH 22:25 JEWS AND PROSELYTES, CRETANS AND ARABS" - SIXTEEN DIFFERENT 22:29 LANGUAGE GROUPS ARE MENTIONED AND THAT'S NOT ALL OF THEM. 22:33 WHAT DOES IT SAY IN ACTS CHAPTER 2? 22:34 THERE WERE JEWS, DEVOUT MEN, WHO WERE DWELLING IN EVERY NATION 22:38 UNDER HEAVEN. THE JEWS REALLY HAD BEEN 22:41 SCATTERED ALL THE WAY TO SPAIN. THEY - YOU'VE HEARD ME SAY 22:45 BEFORE - MY MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME, SHE WAS 22:47 JEWISH, WAS TARSHIS. YOU REMEMBER WHERE JONAH FLED? 22:52 THAT WAS THE FARTHEST MOST PORT IN THE PHOENICIAN EMPIRE. 22:56 IT WAS OFF THE COAST OF SPAIN, BEFORE YOU SAILED OFF INTO THE 22:58 ATLANTIC. IN AMERICA WE SAY 'TIMBUKTU'. 23:01 'WHERE YOU GOING?' - 'I'VE BEEN TO' - THAT WAS THE 23:03 FARTHEST PLACE A MARINE COULD BE STATIONED MANY YEARS AGO, WAS 23:07 ACTUALLY IN AFRICA, A PLACE CALLED TIMBUKTU. 23:09 SO IT BECAME A METAPHOR FOR THE ENDS OF THE EARTH - TARSHISH WAS 23:13 THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. AND SO, THEY HAD JEWISH 23:15 SETTLEMENTS ALL THE WAY IN TARSHISH - ALL THE WAY DOWN IN 23:20 EGYPT, IN ALEXANDRIA, IN - OVER TOWARDS INDIA - BUT THEY WOULD 23:24 COME TO JERUSALEM TO WORSHIP. WHAT KIND OF JEWS CAME? 23:28 THE DEVOUT ONES WHO WERE COMING TO KEEP THE FEASTS ACCORDING TO 23:32 THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD. AND SO, I'M SAYING THAT BECAUSE 23:35 THESE WERE THE PEOPLE THAT GOD FILLED WITH THE HOLY 23:39 SPIRIT AT PENTECOST. THEY WENT BACK 23:40 PREACHING ABOUT JESUS. THESE WERE THE SAME PEOPLE, NOW, 23:43 THAT PETER AND PAUL WOULD GO TO - THE DEVOUT JEWS WHO 23:47 HAD ACCEPTED JESUS. THIS IS WHO THE LETTER IS BEING 23:51 WRITTEN TO; BUT I'M SURE THERE WERE GENTILES SPRINKLED 23:54 IN AMONG THEM. OKAY? WE READY TO GO ON? 23:57 NOW VERSE 2 - DIDN'T GET VERY FAR, DID WE? 24:00 VERSE 2 - "ELECT ACCORDING TO THE FOREKNOWLEDGE OF GOD THE 24:05 FATHER, IN SANCTIFICATION OF THE SPIRIT, FOR OBEDIENCE AND 24:08 SPRINKLING OF THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST: GRACE TO YOU AND PEACE 24:13 BE MULTIPLIED." HOW MANY OF YOU SPOTTED 24:15 SOMETHING INTERESTING IN THAT VERSE? 24:18 WHAT WAS IT, VICKY? >>FOREKNOWLEDGE. 24:21 >>FOREKNOWLEDGE ARE THERE THREE PRIMARY CHARACTERS MENTIONED IN 24:24 THAT VERSE? GOD IS MADE UP OF WHAT THREE PERSONS? 24:29 >>GOD THE FATHER, THE SON - >>FATHER, SON, AND SPIRIT - NOW 24:32 LOOK AT THAT VERSE AGAIN. GOD - FATHER, SPIRIT, JESUS 24:37 CHRIST - THERE YOU HAVE ALL THREE OF THEM RIGHT THERE. 24:41 AND SO, YOU'LL FIND THEM MENTIONED, ALL THREE, AGAIN 24:44 LATER IN THE CHAPTER - THIS FIRST CHAPTER. 24:46 IF YOU DIDN'T SPOT IT. NOW SOMEONE'S GOING TO READ FOR 24:49 ME 1 TIMOTHY 2:3 AND 4 - YOU'LL HAVE THAT, SUSAN, JUST A MINUTE. 24:54 ALRIGHT, I'M GOING TO READ ANOTHER VERSE FIRST. 24:57 IS PETER SAYING - MY MIC DROPPED OFF, SORRY - WHEN PETER SAYS, 25:05 "ELECT ACCORDING TO THE FOREKNOWLEDGE OF GOD THE FATHER" 25:09 DOES 'FOREKNOWLEDGE' MEAN THAT GOD HAD DECIDED AHEAD OF TIME 25:12 WHO WAS GOING TO BE SAVED AND WHO WAS GOING TO BE LOST? 25:14 >>NO. >>OR IS IT SIMPLY SAYING HE 25:16 KNOWS? BUT DOES EVERYBODY STILL HAVE A CHOICE? 25:20 >>YES. >>LOOK AT 2 PETER 3:9, "THE LORD 25:24 IS NOT SLACK CONCERNING HIS PROMISE, AS SOME COUNT 25:27 SLACKNESS, BUT IS LONGSUFFERING TOWARD US, NOT WILLING THAT 25:31 ANY SHOULD PERISH BUT THAT ALL SHOULD" - HOW MANY DOES GOD 25:34 WANT TO COME TO REPENTANCE? ALL. 25:37 HOW MANY DOES GOD WANT TO PERISH? 25:38 >>NONE. >>NONE. 25:40 WILL SOME PERISH? >>YES. 25:42 >>SO, THIS IS THIS GREAT DEBATE IN THE CHRISTIAN WORLD AND THERE 25:47 ARE GOOD CHRISTIANS ON BOTH SIDES OF THIS DEBATE, BUT IT'S 25:51 THE ONE ABOUT PREDESTINATION - ONCE SAVED/ALWAYS SAVED - AND 25:55 YOU'VE GOT BAPTISTS - MANY BAPTISTS THAT MAY BELIEVE IN 25:58 ONCE YOU'RE SAVED YOU CAN'T BE LOST AND THEN THERE ARE WHAT 26:01 THEY CALL 'FREEWILL BAPTISTS' THAT DON'T BELIEVE THAT - OR 26:06 THEY BELIEVE A MORE METHODIST VERSION OF IT. 26:09 AND THEN, OF COURSE, METHODISTS BELIEVE LIKE WE DO, THAT YOU 26:11 HAVE FREE WILL AND THAT, WHILE GOD KNOWS WHO'S GOING TO BE 26:15 SAVED, GOD IS NOT SAYING, 'WELL, I'M JUST GOING TO ALLOW SOME TO 26:18 BE SAVED' BECAUSE THAT GOES AGAINST THIS VERSE THAT SAYS 26:21 HE'S NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH. 26:23 THE OTHER THING THAT CALVIN TAUGHT IS THAT THE SACRIFICE OF 26:25 JESUS WAS NOT FOR EVERYBODY - THAT JESUS ONLY SUFFERED FOR THE 26:29 SINS OF THOSE WHO WOULD BE SAVED - CALLED 'THE ELECT'. 26:33 BUT THE BIBLE'S PRETTY CLEAR THAT HE SUFFERED FOR ALL AND HE 26:36 DIED FOR ALL. AND DOESN'T IT SAY, 26:39 'WHOSOEVER WILL'? WHOSOEVER IS WILLING, EVEN IN 26:43 JOHN 3:16 - 'WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM'. 26:45 GO AHEAD, READ YOUR VERSE IN 1 TIMOTHY, SUSAN. 26:48 >>1 TIMOTHY 2:3 AND 4, "FOR THIS IS GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE IN THE 26:53 SIGHT OF GOD OUR SAVIOR, WHO DESIRES ALL MEN TO BE SAVED AND 26:57 TO COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH." 27:00 >>SO GOD WANTS ALL MEN TO BE SAVED. 27:03 HE'S NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH. 27:06 AND SO, THIS IDEA THAT THE LORD HAS AN ELECT GROUP AND WHAT THAT 27:09 ELECT GROUP MEANS IS THAT, 'WELL, WE'VE CHOSEN SOME TO BE 27:14 SAVED - WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, WE'RE GOING TO SAVE YOU. 27:16 AND, ONCE YOU ARE SAVED, YOU CAN'T BE LOST.' AND I GUESS IT 27:20 COULD BE LOOKED AT AS A WHOLE DIFFERENT ISSUE. 27:23 LET ME READ SOME MORE VERSES ON THAT. 27:24 GO TO EZEKIEL - AND THIS IS IN YOUR LESSON - EZEKIEL 33:11. 27:28 EZEKIEL'S GOT SOME REALLY CLEAR STATEMENTS ABOUT SALVATION AND 27:31 GOD'S WILL. "SAY TO THEM: 'AS I LIVE,' 27:35 SAYS THE LORD GOD, 'I HAVE NO PLEASURE IN THE DEATH OF THE 27:38 WICKED, BUT THAT THE WICKED TURN FROM HIS WAY AND LIVE.'" - HE 27:43 HAS NO PLEASURE - "TURN, TURN FROM YOUR EVIL WAYS! 27:46 FOR WHY SHOULD YOU DIE, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL?" 27:48 DO WE HAVE A CHOICE? WHY WOULD GOD PLEAD LIKE THAT 27:51 FOR US TO MAKE A CHOICE, IF WE DON'T HAVE A CHOICE? 27:54 OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE A CHOICE. WHY WOULD JOSHUA SAY, 'CHOOSE 27:57 YE THIS DAY WHO YOU WILL SERVE. BUT, AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, 28:01 WE'RE GOING TO SERVE THE LORD.' IT'S IMPLIED, WE ARE 28:04 CHOOSING TO SERVE THE LORD. YOU CAN'T HAVE LOVE 28:08 WITHOUT CHOICE. FORCED LOVE IS 28:12 SOMETIMES CALLED 'RAPE'. GOD DOES NOT FORCE 28:15 US TO LOVE HIM. IT STOPS BEING LOVE. 28:18 GOD MAKES ALL HIS CREATURES, INCLUDING HIS ANGELS, FREE. 28:22 THAT'S WHY LUCIFER AND A THIRD CHOSE NOT TO LOVE GOD AND TO 28:27 TRUST GOD. THEY MADE A DIFFERENT CHOICE. AND I REMEMBER HAVING A 28:31 LONG CONVERSATION WITH SOMEBODY THIS WEEK. 28:33 'WELL, COULDN'T GOD HAVE CHOSEN PEOPLE THAT HE KNEW WOULD CHOOSE 28:36 HIM FREELY, SO HE WOULDN'T HAVE ALL THIS PROBLEM WITH SIN?' 28:41 THE VERY FACT THAT GOD MADE SOME CREATURES THAT CHOSE NOT TO LOVE 28:44 HIM IS PROOF THAT WE REALLY ARE FREE. 28:48 AND SO, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT SUBJECT. 28:50 LET ME GIVE YOU ANOTHER VERSE ON THIS PREDESTINATION ISSUE. 28:54 ROMANS 6:6, "KNOWING THIS, THAT OUR OLD MAN WAS CRUCIFIED WITH 28:58 HIM, THAT THE BODY OF SIN MIGHT BE DONE AWAY WITH, THAT WE 29:02 SHOULD NO LONGER BE SLAVES OF SIN." 29:06 GOD, WHEN WE COME TO HIM, HE IS WILLING TO CRUCIFY THE OLD 29:10 NATURE, BUT WE MUST COME TO HIM AND ASK HIM FOR THAT. 29:14 SO, WHEN HE IS WRITING, HE'S WRITING TO THE ELECT. 29:17 I'VE HEARD IT PUT THIS WAY: MANY ARE CALLED, FEW ARE CHOSEN. 29:22 SOME SAY, 'WELL, SEE, SOME WERE CHOSEN - MANY ARE CALLED.' MANY, 29:26 WHOSOEVER WILL, ARE CALLED; THE CHOSEN ARE THE ONES WHO RESPOND 29:31 AND ACCEPT THAT CALL. GOD CALLS YOU - IF YOU ACCEPT 29:35 HIS CALL, YOU'RE ELECTED. YOU ARE THE ELECT WHO 29:38 RESPOND TO THE CALL. >>AMEN. 29:40 >>SEE, THAT'S ALL THAT MEANS. SO - IT'S SO IMPORTANT, I THINK, 29:43 TO UNDERSTAND THAT BECAUSE THE PREDESTINATION - IF GOD HAS 29:49 ALREADY DECIDED WHO IS GOING TO BE SAVED AND WHO'S GOING TO 29:52 BE LOST, WHY DO MISSION WORK? WHY GO? 29:57 HE'S ALREADY DECIDED THEY'RE GOING TO BE SAVED - WHETHER WE 29:59 GO OR NOT HE'S GOING TO SAVE THEM. 30:01 NOW, IT IS A DIFFICULT SUBJECT BECAUSE YOU NEED TO CONCEDE 'ARE 30:06 THERE SOME PEOPLE THAT GOD SAVES, LIKE PAUL, WITHOUT A 30:08 MISSIONARY? GOD JUST SLAPS PAUL DOWN AND 30:11 SAYS, 'HERE I AM' - GETS HIS ATTENTION - GOD GOES 30:14 TO HIM DIRECTLY. DOESN'T THE LORD, SOMETIMES, DO 30:17 IT THROUGH ANGELS EVEN THOUGH A MISSIONARY MIGHT BE THERE 30:21 - MIGHT NOT BE THERE? BUT THAT IS THE RARE EXCEPTION. 30:24 MOST OF THE TIME GOD DOES WHAT HE DID WITH PHILIP, WHERE HE 30:27 SAID, 'PHILIP, I'VE GOT SOMEONE I WANT YOU TO PREACH TO. 30:29 I NEED YOU TO GO TELL THEM. I COULD TELL THEM, OR I CAN 30:33 HAVE AN ANGEL TELL THEM, BUT MY CHOSEN METHOD OF SAVING THE 30:36 LOST IS FOR YOU TO PRESENT THE GOSPEL, FOR YOU TO WORK WITH ME, 30:40 FOR YOU TO HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF SEEING SOMEONE SAVED.' AND MANY 30:44 WILL BE LOST BECAUSE NO ONE TOLD THEM. 30:47 IT IS TRUE. IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE 30:48 WHETHER WE GO OR NOT. GOD WANTS THEM SAVED, BUT HE 30:51 WANTS - JESUS SAID TO ISAIAH, 'WHOM SHALL I SEND? 30:56 WHO WILL GO?' AND HE SAID, 'HERE AM I. 30:58 SEND ME.' AND SO, GOD IS WAITING FOR US TO VOLUNTEER FREELY AND 31:04 THE LOST MUST HEAR THE MESSAGE AND CHOOSE FREELY. 31:07 ELECTED MEANS WE'VE RESPONDED TO THAT CALL. 31:10 ALRIGHT, LOOK AT SOME OF THE KEY THEMES. 31:13 NOW WE'RE GOING TO GO TO 1 PETER, VERSES - CHAP - 1 PETER 31:18 CHAPTER 1 STILL - I'M GOING TO READ VERSES 3 THROUGH 8, 31:21 "BLESSED BE THE GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHO 31:24 ACCORDING TO HIS ABUNDANT MERCY HAS BEGOTTEN US AGAIN TO A 31:27 LIVING HOPE THROUGH THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST" - 31:31 DID PETER SEE HIM RISE? >>YES. 31:34 >>HE APPEARED TO HIM THAT DAY AND SPOKE TO HIM - "FROM THE 31:37 DEAD, TO AN INHERITANCE INCORRUPTIBLE AND UNDEFILED AND 31:41 THAT DOES NOT FADE AWAY," - WHAT KIND OF INHERITANCE HAS GOD GOT 31:43 FOR US? NOTICE THE WORDS HERE: INCORRUPTIBLE, UNDEFILED - OUR 31:47 BODIES GET OLD, THEY CORRUPT - THAT DOES NOT FADE AWAY - IT'S 31:51 NEVER GOING TO FADE - "RESERVED IN HEAVEN" - THE DEVIL CAN'T 31:54 TAKE IT - "FOR YOU, WHO ARE KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD" - DOES GOD 31:58 PROMISE TO KEEP US? >>YES. 32:00 >>THROUGH FAITH" - WHAT KEEPS US? 32:02 WE'RE KEPT THROUGH FAITH - WHAT ARE WE KEPT FOR? 32:05 - "FOR SALVATION READY TO BE REVEALED IN THE LAST TIME." 32:09 - NOW, WHY DOES PETER SAY 'LAST TIME'? 32:11 WELL, WHEN YOU'RE LIVING IN, YOU KNOW - HE PROBABLY WROTE THAT, 32:15 MAYBE, 40 A.D., YOU'RE LIVING IN THE FUTURE. 32:20 THERE WAS NO 2017 BACK THEN. THEY SAW THAT THEY HAD BEEN 32:25 LIVING, AFTER 4,000 YEARS OF BIBLE HISTORY, AND THEY SAW, 'WE 32:28 ARE IN THE LAST DAYS.' THEY SAW THAT ALL THE PROPHECIES ABOUT 32:32 THE COMING MESSIAH POINTED TO THEIR DAY. AND SINCE THEY WERE 32:35 IN THE FUTURE, THEY SAW THEM IN THE LAST DAYS. 32:38 NOW, RIGHT NOW, WE BELIEVE WE'RE IN THE LAST DAYS. 32:40 BUT WHAT IF THE WORLD GOES 12,000 MORE YEARS? 32:42 ARE WE IN THE LAST DAYS? I THINK WE ARE IN THE LAST DAYS. 32:47 SO, YOU UNDERSTAND WHY PETER IS SAYING THIS. 32:49 'HERE WE ARE IN THESE PRESENT TIMES' IS WHAT HE'S SAYING - 32:54 'THAT IT'S BEEN REVEALED TO US' - "IN THIS YOU GREATLY REJOICE, 33:00 THOUGH NOW FOR A LITTLE WHILE, IF NEED BE, YOU HAVE BEEN 33:02 GRIEVED BY VARIOUS TRIALS," - NOW, WHEN PETER WROTE, THE 33:06 BELIEVERS WERE GOING THROUGH SOME PERSECUTION, BOTH FROM THE 33:09 JEWS THAT DID NOT ACCEPT JESUS AND - EVEN THE ROMAN GOVERNMENT 33:12 JOINED IN, IN SOME CASES - "THAT THE GENUINENESS OF YOUR FAITH, 33:17 BEING MUCH MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD THAT PERISHES, THOUGH IT IS 33:20 TESTED BY FIRE, MAY BE FOUND TO PRAISE, HONOR, AND GLORY AT THE 33:24 REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST." NOW, SOMEONE'S GOING TO READ FOR 33:27 ME JOHN 20:29 IN JUST A MOMENT HERE. 33:30 NOTICE WHAT PETER SAID - HE SAID, 'YOUR FAITH IS BEING 33:34 TESTED BY FIRE'. HOW DO YOU PURIFY GOLD? 33:40 >>FIRE. >>IT'S THROUGH FIRE. 33:42 PETER SAYS, 'DON'T BE AMAZED AT THE FIERY TRIALS THAT TRY YOU AS 33:45 THOUGH SOME STRANGE THING HAS HAPPENED.' WHO CAN YOU THINK OF 33:48 THAT WENT THROUGH A TRIAL BY FIRE, SO TO SPEAK OF, IN THE 33:52 BIBLE? >>JOB. 33:53 >>JOB DID - YEAH, SOMEONE - I WAS WAITING. 33:55 SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO - WAS IT A METAPHOR FOR A TRIAL 34:00 BY FIRE, OR DID THEY REALLY GO THROUGH THE FIRE? 34:04 BUT DID IT END UP WORKING OUT FOR A BLESSING? 34:06 >>YES. >>I READ A GREAT BOOK BY MY 34:08 FRIEND MARVIN MOORE, WRITTEN YEARS AGO - I WISH THEY'D 34:11 RE-PRINT IT - IT'S CALLED WITNESSING THROUGH TRIALS . 34:14 AND HE TAKES A BUNCH OF STORIES FROM HISTORY, OF PEOPLE WHO WENT 34:17 THROUGH GREAT TRIALS, AND IT - GOD, TYPICALLY, ALLOWS US TO BE 34:23 THE BEST WITNESSES, NOT BECAUSE HE SAVES US FROM TROUBLE, BUT 34:26 THROUGH TROUBLE. THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, COULDN'T 34:30 GOD JUST HAVE - MOSES COULD HAVE GONE TO PHARAOH AND SAID, 'LET 34:33 MY PEOPLE GO' AND THEN MOSES COULD HAVE GONE - OR THE PHARAOH 34:35 COULD HAVE GONE, 'OKAY.' WOULD YOU HAVE THE GREAT EXODUS STORY 34:40 IF THE PHARAOH HAD JUST SAID, 'SURE. 34:41 GOODBYE.' HE DIDN'T DO THAT. BUT, BECAUSE THERE WAS A TRIAL 34:46 THERE, YOU HAD - THE POWER OF GOD WAS MANIFESTED AND THEY DID 34:50 GO THROUGH A HARD TIME, BUT IT BECAME A GREAT DELIVERANCE. 34:53 THE STORY OF JOSEPH IS ESPECIALLY GREAT BECAUSE OF THE 34:55 TRIAL HE WENT THROUGH. THE STORY OF JOB - THE 34:58 TRIAL HE WENT THROUGH. THE WRESTLINGS OF JACOB - I 35:02 MEAN, YOU JUST - YOU CAN GO THROUGH ALL THESE GREAT STORIES 35:05 IN THE BIBLE AND YOU'RE GOING TO SEE, THERE WAS A TRIAL INVOLVED. 35:08 BUT GOD'S PEOPLE ARE PURIFIED, NOT BECAUSE HE SAVES US FROM 35:12 TRIAL, BUT THROUGH TRIAL. THE BIBLE SAYS THE LORD IS 35:15 COMING FOR A BRIDE WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE. 35:18 HOW DO YOU GET OUT WRINKLES? A COLD IRON? 35:22 I'VE TRIED IT; IT DOESN'T WORK. (LAUGHTER) YOU NEED A HOT IRON. 35:27 AND IT'S THE FIERY TRIALS. ALRIGHT, GO AHEAD, READ, 35:32 FOR US, JOHN 20:29. >>JOHN 20:29, "JESUS SAID TO 35:37 HIM, 'THOMAS, BECAUSE YOU HAVE SEEN ME, YOU HAVE BELIEVED. 35:41 BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SEEN AND YET HAVE BELIEVED.'" 35:46 >>NOW, I'M READING THAT VERSE BECAUSE 1 PETER 1:8 SAYS, "WHOM 35:51 HAVING NOT SEEN YOU LOVE. THOUGH NOW YOU DO NOT SEE HIM, 35:57 YET BELIEVING, YOU REJOICE WITH JOY INEXPRESSIBLE 36:00 AND FULL OF GLORY." IS IT POSSIBLE TO FALL IN LOVE 36:04 WITH SOMEBODY YOU HAVEN'T SEEN? >>APPARENTLY. 36:09 >>INTERNET DATING. >>YEAH, INTERNET DATING - I WAS 36:11 WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO SAY THAT. (LAUGHTER) YOU KNOW, IN THE OLD 36:14 DAYS - I'VE GOT SOME FRIENDS THAT THEY BEGAN TO CORRESPOND 36:20 WITH SOMEBODY - AND THEY ACTUALLY DID IT THROUGH SNAIL 36:23 MAIL - THE OLD, YOU KNOW, PUT A STAMP ON IT AND LIPSTICK - I'M 36:27 NOT RECOMMENDING THAT BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. 36:30 THEY USED TO KISS IT - MY MOTHER USED TO SEND ME CAMP - LETTERS 36:33 WHEN I WAS AT SUMMER CAMP, AND SHE'D KISS IT WITH A BIG OLD RED 36:35 LIPSTICK THING. BUT - AND SOLDIERS' WIVES WOULD 36:40 OFTEN DO THAT - THEY'D SEAL IT WITH A KISS, YOU KNOW, BUT I 36:45 KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE COURTED THROUGH THE MAIL AND THEY'VE 36:48 NEVER MET PEOPLE AND THEY FELL IN LOVE - THEY OFTEN DID IT FOR 36:52 MONTHS - SOMETIMES THEY WERE IN ANOTHER - AND THEY GOT TO KNOW 36:55 PEOPLE AND, BOY, THEY WROTE JUST WONDERFUL LETTERS. I REMEMBER 37:01 WHEN KAREN AND I WERE DATING, WE WERE SEPARATED FOR A WHILE 37:05 BECAUSE I WAS IN PONAPE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC. I MEAN, IT IS OUT 37:08 IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC AND LETTERS TOOK 37:12 WEEKS TO GET BACK TO THE U.S. FROM PONAPE, MICRONESIA. 37:15 HAVE ANY OF YOU EVER BEEN TO - DO YOU KNOW HOW FAR - YOU'VE GOT 37:19 TO TAKE - THEY CALL IT THE GREYHOUND OF THE PACIFIC - YOU 37:22 TAKE ABOUT - STOPS IN ALL THESE ISLANDS BEFORE YOU GET THERE - 37:24 IT IS A LONG RIDE - BUT I MET SOMEBODY ON THE ISLAND THAT HAD 37:28 A HAM RADIO AND SO I COULD COMMUNICATE WITH KAREN THROUGH 37:32 HAM RADIO, BUT THEY HAD TO OPERATE THE RADIO AND SHE NEEDED 37:35 TO FIND A HAM OPERATOR IN THE U.S. 37:38 AND SO, SHE WOULD GO MEET WITH A HAM OPERATOR AND I WOULD GO TO 37:41 THE HAM OPERATOR IN PONAPE AND OUR CONVERSATIONS WENT SOMETHING 37:44 LIKE THIS: 'HELLO, KAREN, HOW ARE YOU? 37:49 OVER.' AND THIS GUY WOULD BE CLICKING HIS SWITCH AND HE'D 37:54 CLICK OFF AND HIS FRIEND - SHE'D CLICK IT ON AND SHE'D SAY, 'I'M 37:57 FINE, DOUG. HOW ARE YOU? 37:59 OVER.' 'I LOVE YOU, DEAR. OVER.' 'I LOVE YOU TOO. 38:02 OVER' AND EVERYBODY'S LISTENING TO OUR CONVERSATION. 38:04 (LAUGHTER) THAT WAS AWFUL. LETTERS WERE MUCH BETTER. 38:08 I ACTUALLY - I PROPOSED TO HER IN A LETTER AND I SAID, 'BY THE 38:14 TIME YOU GET THIS LETTER' - I WAS REALLY ARROGANT - I SAID, 38:17 'BY THE TIME YOU GET THIS LETTER I WILL HAVE PROPOSED AND YOU 38:18 WILL HAVE ACCEPTED.' (LAUGHTER) ISN'T THAT TERRIBLE? BUT I KNEW 38:23 THE LETTER WAS COMING FROM MICRONESIA BEFORE I GOT BACK. 38:27 IT WOULD COME, RATHER, AFTER I ACTUALLY GOT BACK. 38:29 BUT, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE TIME WHEN A GUY FINALLY PROPOSES, 38:33 YOU'VE ALREADY TALKED THINGS THROUGH PRETTY WELL AND YOU HAVE 38:36 A PRETTY GOOD SENSE. NO ONE LIKES REJECTION. 38:39 ANYWAY, YOU GET A GOOD READ ON IT BEFORE YOU GO THAT FAR. 38:44 (LAUGHTER) ANYWAY, BUT CAN WE FALL IN LOVE WITH THE LORD? 38:49 HAS HE WRITTEN US A LETTER? >>AMEN. 38:51 >>YEAH, 'WHOM, HAVING NOT SEEN, WE LOVE' AND WE KNOW JESUS 38:56 BECAUSE WE TALK TO HIM EVERY DAY THROUGH PRAYER AND HE SPEAKS TO 39:00 US THROUGH HIS WORD. AND SO, THERE'S THIS LOVE 39:03 RELATIONSHIP THAT HE TALKS ABOUT. 39:06 YOU CAN READ IN 2 CORINTHIANS 4:18, IT SAYS, "WHILE WE DO NOT 39:11 LOOK AT THE THINGS WHICH ARE SEEN, BUT AT THE THINGS WHICH 39:14 ARE NOT SEEN. FOR THE THINGS WHICH ARE SEEN 39:17 ARE TEMPORARY, BUT THE THINGS WHICH ARE NOT SEEN ARE ETERNAL. 39:21 AND GOD IS A SPIRIT AND WE MAY NOT SEE HIM. 39:24 JESUS SAID, 'BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO BELIEVE WITHOUT SEEING.' AND 39:27 YOU READ IN 2 CORINTHIANS 5:7, "FOR WE WALK BY FAITH NOT BY 39:32 SIGHT.' GOD'S PEOPLE ARE LIVING LIVES OF FAITH. 39:37 WE DON'T NECESSARILY SEE BUT WE LIVE - WE LIVE BY FAITH, NOT BY 39:40 SIGHT. AND THEN PETER SAYS, IN VERSE 9, 39:43 RECEIVING THE END OF YOUR FAITH, THE SALVATION OF YOUR SOULS. 39:48 WHAT IS THE WHOLE PURPOSE FOR CHRISTIAN FAITH? 39:50 >>SALVATION. >>WHY DO WE BELIEVE 39:52 WHAT WE BELIEVE? IT'S THE SALVATION OF OUR SOULS. 39:55 THAT MEANS YOUR LIFE - ALL THAT YOU ARE - BEING SAVED. 39:59 AND YOU CAN - YOU READ IN ROMANS VERSE - CHAPTER 6, VERSE 22, 40:08 'BUT NOW, HAVING BEEN SET FREE FROM SIN, AND BECOMING SLAVES TO 40:13 GOD, YOU HAVE FRUIT TO HOLINESS AND TO THE END - THIS END TO 40:18 EVERLASTING LIFE.' IF YOU READ, ALSO, NOW VERSE 10 OF 1 PETER - 40:23 I'M KIND OF PLOWING THROUGH ONE VERSE AT A TIME - "OF THIS 40:28 SALVATION" - OF OUR SOULS THAT WE JUST READ - "OF THIS 40:30 SALVATION THE PROPHETS HAVE INQUIRED AND SEARCHED CAREFULLY, 40:34 WHO PROPHESIED OF THE GRACE THAT WOULD COME TO YOU" - NOW, DO YOU 40:40 FIND JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT? ONE OF MY FAVORITE STUDIES IS 40:44 ALL OF THE TYPES AND STORIES ABOUT CHRIST THAT YOU 40:47 FIND IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. AND PETER, WHEN PETER WRITES, 40:52 WAS THE NEW TESTAMENT WRITTEN YET? 40:55 THEY HAD SOME, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY THE GOSPEL OF MARK WAS 40:57 WRITTEN - SOME OF IT WAS WRITTEN, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF IT 40:59 WAS ALL IN BOOK FORM, PER SE. PETER, WHEN HE WOULD GO AND HE'D 41:02 PREACH IN THESE CHURCHES IN ASIA MINOR, HE WOULD OPEN THE OLD 41:06 TESTAMENT AND PREACH TO THEM ABOUT JESUS. AND PETER IS 41:10 BASICALLY SAYING, 'ALL THAT THEY WROTE ABOUT AND SEARCHED FOR IS 41:14 IN THIS BOOK - IT'S IN THE BIBLE - "WHO PROPHESIED OF THE GRACE 41:19 THAT WOULD COME TO YOU" - YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS LIVING AND 41:21 EXPERIENCING ALL THAT THEY PROPHESIED ABOUT. 41:24 GO, FOR EXAMPLE, TO HEBREWS CHAPTER 11, VERSE 13, SPEAKING 41:29 ABOUT ALL THE FAITHFUL - HEBREWS 11 TALKS ABOUT ALL THE FAITHFUL 41:32 - IT SAYS, "THESE ALL DIED IN FAITH, NOT HAVING RECEIVED THE 41:35 PROMISES, BUT HAVING SEE THEM AFAR OFF" - THEY LOOKED INTO THE 41:39 DISTANT FUTURE AND THEY "WERE ASSURED OF THEM, EMBRACED THEM 41:43 AND CONFESSED THAT THEY WERE STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS ON THE 41:46 EARTH." WERE PEOPLE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT 41:49 SAVED BY WORKS AND PEOPLE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT ARE 41:52 SAVED BY FAITH? >>NO. 41:53 >>YES. >>YOU THINK 'YES', MIKE? 41:57 >>I RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE. (LAUGHTER) WILL ANYONE GET 42:00 TO HEAVEN AND SAY, 'I'M HERE BECAUSE OF MY GOOD WORKS'? 42:02 >>NO. >>NO. 42:04 THE PEOPLE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT - AND WE HEAR 'THE OLD COVENANT' 42:09 AND WE SAY, 'WELL THAT'S THE LAW, WRITTEN ON STONE' - BUT 42:13 WHERE DO YOU FIRST FIND THE NEW COVENANT? 42:15 IN THE NEW TESTAMENT OR IN THE OLD TESTAMENT? 42:17 >>OLD. >>YOU FIND IT IN 42:18 JEREMIAH CHAPTER 33. IS ANYONE SAVED UNDER 42:23 THE OLD COVENANT? >>NO. 42:25 >>YES. >>WELL, THE OLD COVENANT WAS 42:30 FIRST GIVEN TO MOSES - ABRAHAM IS BEFORE MOSES. 42:33 ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD AND IT WAS COUNTED TO HIM FOR 42:37 RIGHTEOUSNESS. WAS ABRAHAM SAVED - WAS 42:40 ANYONE SAVED BY WORKS? IS REALLY WHERE I'M GOING. 42:44 IF ANYONE'S SAVED, IS IT BY WORKS OR BY FAITH? 42:47 >>FAITH. >>IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WERE THEY 42:49 SAVED BY WORKS OR BY FAITH? >>FAITH. 42:51 >>FAITH IN WHAT? >>THE COMING MESSIAH. 42:54 >>THEY ARE SAVED IN - FAITH IN THE COMING MESSIAH. 42:57 HE HADN'T COME YET. WHEN THEY SACRIFICED LAMBS, DID 42:59 THEY REALLY BELIEVE LAMBS WERE SAVING THEIR SIN - 43:01 SAVING THEM FROM SIN? >>NOT BY THE BLOOD OF LAMBS. 43:04 >>YEAH, IT SAYS 'LAMBS AND OFFERINGS YOU DID NOT DESIRE; A 43:08 BODY YOU'VE PREPARED.' IT'S, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS IT - IN THE BOOK 43:13 OF MICAH - 'WHAT SHALL I GIVE FOR THE SIN OF MY SOUL? 43:16 SHOULD IT BE A THOUSAND BURNT OFFERINGS?' 43:18 GOD SAID, 'NO, I DON'T DESIRE THAT.' ALL OF THAT POINTED TO 43:21 WHAT? POINTED AHEAD TO - DID 43:24 THEY KNOW THAT BACK THEN? THAT'S WHAT PETER IS SAYING. 43:28 HE'S SAYING, 'OF THIS SALVATION THE PROPHETS HAVE INQUIRED AND 43:31 SEARCHED CAREFULLY IN PROPHECY.' THEN HEBREWS: 'ALL THESE DIED IN 43:34 FAITH HAVING NOT RECEIVED THE PROMISE BUT HAVING SEEN THEM 43:38 AFAR OFF. WHAT PROMISE? 43:40 THE PROMISED SEED. REMEMBER THE PROMISE THAT GOD 43:43 GAVE TO ADAM AND EVE IN THE GARDEN? 43:46 THAT THE SEED OF THE WOMAN WOULD BRUISE THE SERPENT'S HEAD. 43:49 THEY LOOKED FOR THE MESSIAH THAT WOULD COME - THE SEED OF THE 43:52 WOMAN. AND THEY ALL SAW IT AFAR OFF. 43:55 THEY WERE SAVED - VERY SIMPLY, THEY WERE SAVED, IN THE OLD 43:58 TESTAMENT, BY FAITH LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CROSS. 44:02 WE ARE SAVED, NOW, BY FAITH LOOKING BACK TO THE CROSS; BUT 44:06 EVERYBODY IS SAVED BY FAITH. PETER IS SAYING, 'WHAT THEY ALL 44:09 LOOK FORWARD TO, YOU CAN NOW LOOK BACK ON. 44:13 THEY WERE SAVED BY FAITH LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. 44:15 YOU NOW SEE THE REALITY OF IT. >>AMEN. 44:18 >>AND LOOK BACK. MATTER OF FACT, HERE'S ANOTHER VERSE: JESUS SAID 44:22 - JOHN 8:56 - SPEAKING TO THE JEWS, "YOUR 44:25 FATHER ABRAHAM REJOICED TO SEE MY DAY, AND HE SAW IT..." 44:29 JESUS SAID ABRAHAM SAW 'MY DAY'. WHEN DID ABRAHAM SEE CHRIST'S 44:33 DAY? WHEN DO YOU THINK ABRAHAM GOT THE CLEAREST PICTURE OF THE 44:36 SACRIFICE OF GOD'S BELOVED SON? >>ISAAC. 44:40 >>WHEN HE WENT UP ON THE MOUNTAIN AND HE OFFERED HIS SON 44:43 AND GOD SAID, 'ABRAHAM, BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT WITHELD YOUR SON'. 44:46 I THINK GOD GAVE ABRAHAM AN EPIPHANY THAT DAY, THAT 'YOU ARE 44:51 - YOU HAVE LIVED OUT WHAT I AM GOING TO DO. 44:53 I'M GOING TO GIVE MY SON'. AND WHEN ABRAHAM SAID TO ISAAC, 'GOD 44:59 WILL PROVIDE HIMSELF A SACRIFICE' ABRAHAM SAW, THAT 45:03 DAY. AND THIS IS WHAT JESUS WAS REFERRING TO. 45:06 SO, MOVING ON IN PETER, GO TO VERSES 11 AND 12, "SEARCHING 45:10 WHAT, OR WHAT MANNER OF TIME, THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST WHO WAS IN 45:14 THEM WAS INDICATING WHEN HE TESTIFIED BEFOREHAND THE 45:17 SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST AND THE GLORIES THAT WOULD FOLLOW. 45:20 TO THEM IT WAS REVEALED THAT, NOT TO THEMSELVES, BUT TO US 45:23 THEY WERE MINISTERING THE THINGS WHICH NOW HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO 45:27 YOU THROUGH THOSE WHO HAVE PREACHED THE GOSPEL TO YOU BY 45:31 THE HOLY SPIRIT SENT FROM HEAVEN - THINGS WHICH ANGELS DESIRE TO 45:35 LOOK INTO." PETER'S SAYING THE HOLY SPIRIT 45:37 SENT FROM HEAVEN TO PEOPLE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL. 45:41 WHY DOES GOD GIVE THE SPIRIT? JESUS SAID, 'WAIT IN JERUSALEM 45:45 AND I'LL SEND MY SPIRIT THAT YOU MIGHT BE MY WITNESSES. 45:49 WHY DID GOD SEND THE HOLY SPIRIT? HE SAID, 'SO THEY CAN 45:51 PREACH TO YOU THESE THINGS.' IF YOU'RE WILLING TO BE A WITNESS - 45:56 IF YOU'RE WILLING TO HAVE CHRIST SHARE THROUGH YOU, HE WILL 45:58 ESPECIALLY GIVE YOU THE SPIRIT TO DO THAT. 46:01 EVEN WHILE I STAND UP HERE TEACHING TO YOU, I PRAY THE HOLY 46:04 SPIRIT WILL BRING THINGS TO MY MIND AND MY REMEMBRANCE, BECAUSE 46:08 IT'S - IT'S NOT ABOUT ME, IT'S ABOUT GOD AND YOU WANT THE 46:11 SPIRIT OF GOD TO REVEAL THOSE THINGS. 46:14 EPHESIANS 3:10, "TO THE INTENT THAT NOW THE MANIFOLD WISDOM OF 46:20 GOD MIGHT BE MADE KNOWN BY THE CHURCH TO THE PRINCIPALITIES AND 46:25 POWERS IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES," - PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS? 46:29 WHEN DOES PAUL TALK ABOUT PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS LATER 46:32 ON IN EPHESIANS? 'WE DON'T WRESTLE AGAINST FLESH 46:35 AND BLOOD BUT WE WRESTLE AGAINST - PRINCIPALITIES - 46:39 WHAT'S HE TALKING ABOUT? THERE IT'S TALKING 46:40 ABOUT THE DEVIL. IN EPHESIANS CHAPTER 3, VERSE 10 46:43 HE'S TALKING ABOUT GOOD ANGELS. DO YOU - DID YOU 46:46 CATCH WHAT PETER SAID? THE GOSPEL, SENT FROM HEAVEN, 46:51 THINGS WHICH ANGELS DESIRE TO LOOK INTO'. 46:56 ARE ANGELS INTERESTED IN THE GOSPEL? 46:58 >>AMEN. >>DID ANGELS COME DOWN AND 47:03 ANNOUNCE THE BIRTH OF CHRIST? >>YES. 47:05 >>DID ANGELS COME DOWN AND ANNOUNCE THE RESURRECTION OF 47:07 CHRIST? DID ANGELS COME DOWN AND TALK 47:10 TO THE DISCIPLES DURING THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST TO HEAVEN? 47:14 ARE ANGELS INTERESTED IN WHAT'S HAPPENING DOWN HERE? 47:17 PETER SAYS GOD'S GIVING YOU THIS SPIRIT AND YOU'RE PROCLAIMING 47:21 THE MYSTERIES OF SALVATION THAT THE ANGELS DESIRE TO LOOK INTO. 47:28 THESE PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS - HEAVEN IS INTERESTED IN WHAT'S 47:31 HAPPENING HERE. A GOOD PART OF THE INVESTIGATIVE 47:34 JUDGMENT THAT TAKES PLACE IN THE LAST DAYS IS BECAUSE - IT'S NOT 47:38 FOR GOD TO KNOW ANYTHING, GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING. 47:40 GOD IS TELLING ANGELS, 'YOU SEE ALL THOSE CRAZY PEOPLE DOWN 47:43 THERE? I'M GOING TO SAVE SOME OF THEM. 47:44 I'M GOING TO LET THEM COME BACK TO HEAVEN.' AND THE ANGELS ARE 47:47 THINKING, 'LORD, YOU REMEMBER WHAT LUCIFER DID? 47:49 YOU SURE THAT'S A GOOD IDEA?' AND GOD'S SAYING, 'LOOK, I'LL 47:51 SHOW YOU, THEY'VE REALLY BEEN CHANGED.' GOD'S NOT - 47:54 GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING. NOTHING'S SO GOD CAN FIND OUT 47:57 ANYTHING, ISN'T THAT RIGHT? >>AMEN. 47:59 >>ANGELS ARE INTERESTED IN WHAT'S HAPPENING DOWN HERE, YOU 48:02 KNOW WHY? WE'RE GOING TO BE THEIR NEIGHBORS AND THEY WANT TO 48:05 KNOW, 'ARE THEY - THEY'VE GOT THE VICTORY? 48:09 THEY'RE GOING TO BE GOOD UP HERE? 48:10 THEY'RE NOT GOING TO START WHAT LUCIFER DID, ARE THEY?' 48:12 I MEAN, IF YOU WERE AN ANGEL, WOULDN'T YOU BE A LITTLE 48:14 CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD? 48:16 ARE THESE PEOPLE GOING TO MOVE BACK IN AND START ANOTHER 48:18 REBELLION? ANGELS WANT TO KNOW THE BLOOD 48:22 OF CHRIST IS WASHING THEM FROM THEIR SINS. 48:26 SO THEN YOU GO TO - ONE MORE VERSE OF THIS IS DANIEL 8:13 - 48:31 TALKS ABOUT THAT JUDGMENT - "THEN I HEARD A HOLY ONE 48:34 SPEAKING; AND ANOTHER HOLY ONE SAID TO THAT CERTAIN ONE WHO WAS 48:37 SPEAKING, 'HOW LONG WILL THE VISION BE," - YOU'VE GOT THESE 48:40 PICTURES ALL THROUGH PROPHECY OF ANGELS TALKING BACK AND FORTH 48:42 ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE ON EARTH. ALRIGHT, LET'S KEEP 48:45 MOVING HERE. LIVING THE LIFE OF SALVATION - NOW WE'RE READING 48:50 VERSES 13 THROUGH 16 - AGAIN, WE'RE IN 1 PETER 1:13-16, 48:54 "THEREFORE GIRD UP THE LOINS OF YOUR MIND, BE SOBER, AND REST" - 48:58 WHAT DOES HE MEAN WHEN HE SAYS 'GIRD UP THE LOINS OF YOUR 49:00 MIND'? YOU KNOW WHAT A LOINCLOTH IS? 49:06 THAT WAS BIBLICAL UNDERWEAR. THEY USED TO - THEY USED TO 49:11 WRAP 'EM - THEY'D JUST WRAP THEMSELVES UP. 49:13 YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN PEOPLE FISHING IN INDIA AND THEY'VE GOT 49:15 A PRETTY SIMPLE, YOU KNOW - IN BIBLE TIMES, THEY HAD KIND OF A 49:20 BELT AROUND THEIR LOINS AND, WHEN YOU WALKED - TYPICALLY THEY 49:23 HAD A ROBE - IT ALSO COULD BE THEIR BLANKET AT NIGHT. 49:26 IT KEPT THEM FROM BEING BIT BY MOSQUITOS AND BURNT BY THE SUN, 49:30 AND - BUT WHEN YOU WERE WALKING OR WORKING, YOU WOULD TUCK THAT 49:33 INTO YOUR BELT AROUND YOUR LOINS SO THAT YOU WOULDN'T TRIP. 49:38 YOU HAD NO LOOSE LIKE BATHROBE BELTS AND EXTRA GARMENTS HANGING 49:42 DOWN THAT WERE GOING TO TRIP YOU UP. 49:43 PETER IS SAYING, 'DON'T HAVE LOOSE DOUBTS THAT ARE HANGING 49:49 THAT YOU'RE TRIPPING OVER ALL THE TIME; GIRD YOURSELF UP SO 49:53 THAT YOU CAN RUN THE RACE AND NOT BE TRIPPED UP WITH DOUBT ALL 49:56 THE TIME.' THERE'S A MENTAL PICTURE THAT HE HAS - THE LOINS 50:00 OF YOUR MIND GIRDED UP - BE SOBER - "REST IN YOUR HOPE 50:03 FULLY" - SEE, THEY WERE HAVING DOUBTS - "REST IN YOUR HOPE 50:07 FULLY UPON THE GRACE" - THEY WERE GOING THROUGH TRIALS 50:09 SAYING, 'HOW COME JESUS HASN'T COME YET? 50:12 - "REST IN YOUR HOPE FULLY UPON THE GRACE THAT IS TO BE BROUGHT 50:15 TO YOU AT THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST; AS OBEDIENT 50:18 CHILDREN," - DON'T LOSE FAITH RIGHT ON THE BORDERS OF THE 50:20 PROMISED LAND AS ISRAEL DID ONE TIME, BUT "AS OBEDIENT CHILDREN 50:24 NOT CONFORMING YOURSELVES TO THE FORMER LUSTS, AS IN YOUR 50:28 IGNORANCE;" WHEN YOU WERE IGNORANT OF THESE THINGS YOU 50:30 KIND OF LIVED IN A WICKED WAY LIKE THE WORLD. 50:33 DON'T GO BACK TO THAT - "BUT AS HE WHO CALLED YOU IS HOLY, YOU 50:39 ALSO BE HOLY IN ALL YOUR CONDUCT, BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN, 50:43 'BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.'" NOW, IS PETER MAKING THAT UP OR IS 50:47 PETER QUOTING THE BIBLE? SOMEBODY LOOK UP FOR ME LUKE 50:52 1:74 - YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THAT, MIKE? 50:54 ALRIGHT, I'M GOING TO READ LEVITICUS 11:44, "FOR I AM THE 50:58 LORD YOUR GOD. YOU SHALLL THEREFORE CONSECRATE 51:01 YOURSELVES, AND YOU SHALL BE HOLY; FOR I AM HOLY. 51:03 NEITHER SHALL YOU DEFILE YOURSELVES WITH ANY CREEPING 51:06 THING THAT CREEPS ON THE EARTH. FOR I AM THE LORD WHO BRINGS YOU 51:09 UP OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, TO BE YOUR GOD. 51:12 YOU SHALL THEREFORE BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." 51:14 HE SAYS IT TWICE THERE - 'BE HOLY; I'M HOLY'. 51:17 HOW DOES HE WANT US TO BE HOLY? WELL, HOW DO WE KNOW 51:21 HOW HOLY GOD IS? GOD SAID, 'WELL, LOOK, I'LL COME 51:23 DOWN AND GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. HIS NAME IS JESUS. 51:26 I WILL COME DOWN AND LIVE AMONG YOU AND SHOW YOU WHAT IT MEANS 51:30 TO BE LIKE GOD. SO WHEN THE BIBLE SAYS 'BE 51:34 GODLY' WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? BE LIKE JESUS, RIGHT? 51:38 BE CHRIST-LIKE. SO WHAT HE'S REALLY SAYING IS WE 51:42 THINK, 'OH MAN, GOD IS SO FAR OFF. 51:44 HOW CAN I BE LIKE GOD? ISN'T THAT BLASPHEMOUS TO 51:45 THINK I COULD BE LIKE GOD? HE'S SAYING, 'BE LIKE JESUS. 51:48 THAT'S A CHRISTIAN.' THAT FEELS BETTER SAYING IT THAT WAY, 51:51 DOESN'T IT? HE'S CALLING US TO HOLINESS. READ FOR US, PLEASE, 51:55 LUKE 1:74 AND 75. >>LUKE 1:74 AND 75, "TO GRANT US 52:01 THAT WE, BEING DELILVERED FROM THE HAND OF OUR ENEMIES, MIGHT 52:06 SERVE HIM WITHOUT FEAR, IN HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS 52:10 BEFORE HIM ALL THE DAYS OF OUR LIFE." 52:13 >>SO HOW CONSISTENTLY DOES HE WANT US TO SERVE HIM IN HOLINESS 52:17 AND RIGHTEOUSNESS? ALL OUR DAYS. 52:19 HOW CAN WE SERVE HIM IN HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS? 52:22 BEING DELIVERED FROM THE HAND OF OUR ENEMY. 52:25 CAN THE LORD DELIVER YOU FROM THE CAPTIVITY TO THE DEVIL? 52:28 >>AMEN. >>HE CAN. 52:31 AND HE - AND, BY THE WAY, THIS IS THE PRAYER OF ZECHARIAH WHEN 52:35 HIS MOUTH WAS OPENED AFTER JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS BORN, BUT IT'S A 52:39 PROPHETIC STATEMENT THAT WE, BEING DELIVERED FROM THAT - WHY 52:43 DID GOD DELIVER THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FROM PHARAOH? 52:47 THAT THEY MIGHT BE A HOLY NATION - THAT THEY MIGHT SERVE HIM IN 52:50 HOLINESS. WHY DOES GOD SAVE US FROM THE DEVIL? 52:52 THAT WE MIGHT BE HIS HOLY REPRESENTATIVES. 52:55 PETER'S SAYING, 'DON'T GO BACK TO YOUR FORMER WAYS.' AND THE 52:58 FINAL SECTION HERE, LOVE ONE ANOTHER . 53:01 1 PETER 1:22, "SINCE YOU HAVE PURIFIED YOUR SOULS IN OBEYING 53:06 THE TRUTH THROUGH THE SPIRIT IN SINCERE LOVE OF THE BRETHREN, 53:10 LOVE ONE ANOTHER FERVENTLY WITH A PURE HEART," - NOW HERE'S 53:13 WHERE PETER SOUNDS LIKE JOHN - JOHN IS THE APOSTLE OF LOVE. 53:15 HE'S ALWAYS SAYING, 'LOVE IS OF GOD. 53:17 HOW CAN YOU SAY YOU LOVE GOD AND YOU DON'T LOVE EACH OTHER? 53:19 LOVE EACH OTHER.' PETER'S SAYING, 'LOVE EACH OTHER 53:21 FERVENTLY WITH A PURE HEART. HAVE A HEARTFELT LOVE.' WHEN 53:26 JESUS ASKS PETER, AT THE RESURRECTION, THREE TIMES, 53:30 'PETER, DO YOU LOVE ME? DO YOU LOVE ME? DO YOU LOVE ME?' 53:32 - AND, BY THE WAY, THAT'S WHERE YOU GET THE TITLE FOR OUR STUDY 53:34 GUIDE, FEED MY SHEEP , IS BECAUSE THREE TIMES JESUS SAID, 'PETER 53:38 DO YOU LOVE ME?' ALL THREE TIMES PETER SAID, 53:41 'LORD, YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU'. JESUS SAID, 'FEED MY SHEEP'. 53:44 SO HOW DO WE SHOW LOVE? BY LOVING EACH OTHER. 53:48 AND ONE OF THE MOST LOVING THINGS YOU CAN DO IS TO SHARE 53:51 THE TRUTH WITH SOMEONE. >>AMEN. 53:53 >>JOHN 13:34, "A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE TO YOU, THAT YOU LOVE 53:58 ONE ANOTHER; AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, THAT YOU ALSO LOVE ONE 54:02 ANOTHER." (WHISTLES) THAT'S PRETTY HARD - TO LOVE EACH OTHER 54:08 THE WAY JESUS LOVES US. AND JESUS SAYS, 'FATHER, I PRAY 54:12 THAT AS YOU LOVE ME AND I LOVE YOU, THEY'LL LOVE EACH 54:15 OTHER' - JOHN CHAPTER 17. DOES IT GET ANY 54:19 BETTER THAN THAT? HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY LOVE 54:22 PEOPLE THE WAY JESUS DOES? YOU CAN'T - WITHOUT HIS SPIRIT. 54:28 BUT, NOTICE THIS: YOU CANNOT NOT LOVE PEOPLE LIKE GOD IF YOU HAVE 54:34 GOD'S SPIRIT. IF YOU HAVE GOD'S SPIRIT, YOU 54:38 WILL LOVE LIKE GOD LOVES. SO, WHAT'S OUR GREATEST NEED? 54:43 >>THE HOLY SPIRIT. >>THE HOLY SPIRIT. 54:46 HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU'VE BEEN CONVERTED? 54:50 1 JOHN 3:14 "WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE PASSED FROM DEATH TO LIFE, 54:54 BECAUSE WE LOVE THE BRETHREN. HE WHO DOES NOT LOVE HIS BROTHER 54:57 ABIDES IN DEATH." THAT'S A PRETTY SERIOUS INDICTMENT. 55:00 I MEAN, IF YOU'VE GOT HATRED IN YOUR HEART FOR SOMEBODY - AND, 55:03 YOU KNOW, IT'S EASY TO SAY, 'OH, I LOVE PEOPLE' - AS LONG AS YOU 55:06 DON'T MENTION ANYONE SPECIFICALLY. 55:07 (LAUGHTER) I - 'GENERALLY I LOVE PEOPLE. 55:11 I'M A PEOPLE PERSON BUT THERE'S A LOT OF INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE I 55:16 DON'T LOVE VERY MUCH.' WELL, THEN YOU'RE IN THAT CATEGORY OF 55:19 SOMEONE THAT DOESN'T LOVE. SO HE'S TALKING ABOUT IF THE 55:25 HOLY SPIRIT CAN BRING SOMEONE TO YOUR MIND THAT YOU HAVE HATRED 55:29 IN YOUR HEART FOR, THEN YOU'RE NOT PASSING THE TEST, BECAUSE 55:34 GOD IS LOVE AND HE WANTS US TO LOVE OUR ENEMIES. 55:39 SO, THAT WOULD COVER EVERYBODY, WOULDN'T IT? 55:43 IF YOU LOVE YOUR ENEMIES - 'WELL, BUT I'VE GOT THIS SPECIAL 55:45 ENEMY ENEMY' - NO, YOUR ENEMIES - YOU'VE GOT TO LOVE THEM.' AND 55:51 HE SAYS, 'HE THAT DOES NOT LOVE HIS BROTHER ABIDES IN DEATH'. 55:54 YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF SUPERNATURAL TO LOVE THAT WAY, 55:56 ISN'T IT? BUT THAT'S WHAT THE LORD'S CALLING US TO DO. 55:59 I'M GOING TO READ THE LAST VERSE NOW, "HAVING BEEN BORN AGAIN," - 56:02 THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT - "NOT OF CORRUPTIBLE SEED BUT 56:05 INCORRUPTIBLE, THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD" - WE GET THIS POWER 56:08 THROUGH HIS WORD - WHICH LIVES AND ABIDES FOREVER, BECAUSE 'ALL 56:12 FLESH IS AS GRASS,'" - NOW HE'S QUOTING ISAIAH - "'AND ALL THE 56:15 GLORY OF MAN AS THE FLOWER OF THE GRASS. 56:17 THE GRASS WITHERS, AND ITS FLOWER FALLS AWAY, BUT THE WORD 56:20 OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.' NOW THIS IS THE WORD WHICH BY 56:25 THE GOSPEL WAS PREACHED TO YOU." 56:28 HE PREACHED THE WORD ABOUT CHRIST THE LIVING WORD. 56:31 ANYWAY, I LEARNED SOME THINGS STUDYING AND I HOPE YOU LEARNED 56:34 SOME THINGS IN STUDYING TOGETHER WITH ME. 56:37 AND WE WANT TO REMIND OUR FRIENDS - WE HAVE A GREAT FREE 56:39 OFFER, IT'S CALLED IS IT EASIER TO BE SAVED OR LOST? 56:42 - AN ENCOURAGING BOOK BY JOE CREWS - WHEN YOU CALL THE FREE 56:46 NUMBER - 866-788-3966 - ASK FOR THE STUDY GUIDE - WE'LL SEND IT 56:51 TO YOU, JUST PLEASE READ IT AND THEN SHARE IT WITH SOMEBODY. 56:54 IT'S OFFER #124, ONCE AGAIN. GOD BLESS YOU 'TIL WE STUDY HIS 56:58 WORD TOGETHER AGAIN NEXT WEEK. >>LET'S FACE IT, IT'S NOT ALWAYS 57:03 EASY TO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING YOU READ IN THE BIBLE. 57:06 WITH OVER 700,000 WORDS CONTAINED IN 66 BOOKS, THE BIBLE 57:10 CAN GENERATE A LOT OF QUESTIONS. TO GET BIBLICAL STRAIGHTFORWARD 57:14 ANSWERS CALL IN TO BIBLE ANSWERS LIVE - A LIVE NATIONWIDE CALL-IN 57:18 RADIO PROGRAM WHERE YOU CAN TALK TO PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR AND ASK 57:22 HIM YOUR MOST DIFFICULT BIBLE QUESTIONS. 57:24 FOR TIMES AND STATIONS IN YOUR AREA, OR TO LISTEN TO ANSWERS 57:27 ONLINE, VISIT BAL.AMAZINGFACTS.ORG . 57:38 >>CAN'T GET ENOUGH AMAZING FACTS BIBLE STUDY? 57:41 YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK TO ENJOY MORE 57:43 TRUTH-FILLED PROGRAMMING, VISIT THE AMAZING FACTS MEDIA LIBRARY 57:47 AT 'AFTV.ORG'. AT 'AFTV.ORG' YOU CAN ENJOY 57:53 VIDEO AND AUDIO PRESENTATIONS AS WELL AS PRINTED MATERIAL ALL 57:57 FREE OF CHARGE, 24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK, RIGHT FROM YOUR 58:01 COMPUTER OR MOBILE DEVICE. VISIT 'AFTV.ORG'. 58:08 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2017-04-05