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Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021726A
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00:00 (MUSIC)
00:34 >>GOOD MORNING, FRIENDS, WELCOME TO SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY 00:37 HOUR COMING TO YOU HERE FROM THE GRANITE BAY SEVENTH-DAY 00:39 ADVENTIST CHURCH NEAR SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA. 00:42 A VERY WARM WELCOME TO OUR ONLINE MEMBERS WHO JOIN US 00:45 ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD. 00:47 AND ALSO TO THOSE WATCHING ON THE VARIOUS TELEVISION NETWORKS; 00:50 I'D LIKE TO WARMLY WELCOME YOU TO OUR SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON 00:54 STUDY TIME THIS MORNING. 00:56 ALSO, TO THE MEMBERS AND THE VISITORS RIGHT HERE AT GRANITE 00:58 BAY, ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU COMING OUT WEEK AFTER WEEK SO WE 01:02 CAN SPEND TIME STUDYING THE WORD. 01:05 WELL, WE'RE STARTING A BRAND-NEW LESSON QUARTERLY ON THE BOOK OF 01:08 GALATIANS AND, FOR OUR MEMBERS HERE AND THOSE VISITING, IF YOU 01:11 DON'T HAVE A COPY OF THE LESSON QUARTERLY THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING 01:13 AT OVER THE NEXT THIRTEEN WEEKS, PLEASE BE SURE TO RECEIVE ONE OR 01:17 PICK ONE UP AS YOU LEAVE THE SANCTUARY, THERE IN THE FOYER. 01:21 FOR OUR FRIENDS WATCHING ONLINE, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A COPY OF OUR 01:24 NEW SET OF LESSONS, JUST GO TO THE AMAZING FACTS WEBSITE: 01:27 AMAZINGFACTS.ORG AND YOU CAN DOWNLOAD LESSON #1, WHICH IS OUR 01:32 STUDY FOR THIS MORNING ENTITLED PAUL: APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES , 01:36 OR YOU CAN GO VISIT AN ADVENTIST CHURCH NEARBY AND YOU'LL BE ABLE 01:39 TO RECEIVE THE ENTIRE THIRTEEN LESSONS RIGHT THERE. 01:43 WE HAVE A FREE OFFER THAT GOES ALONG WITH OUR STUDY TODAY, A 01:46 BOOK WRITTEN BY JOE CREWS ENTITLED RICHES OF GRACE - AND 01:50 THIS IS OUR FREE OFFER FOR TODAY. FOR THOSE WATCHING IN 01:52 NORTH AMERICA, IF YOU'D LIKE TO RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK, 01:55 CALL US ON OUR RESOURCE PHONE NUMBER. 01:57 THAT NUMBER IS 866-788-3966 AND YOU CAN ASK FOR OFFER #152. 02:05 WELL, BEFORE WE GET TO OUR LESSON, AS NORMAL, WE LIKE TO 02:08 BEGIN BY LIFTING OUR VOICES IN SONG AND OUR SONG LEADERS WILL 02:11 LEAD US AT THIS TIME. (PIANO MUSIC) 02:17 >>THANK YOU, PASTOR ROSS. IT IS ALWAYS OUR PLEASURE TO 02:19 SING ALONG WITH YOU EVERY TIME WE STUDY TOGETHER. 02:22 MUSIC IS TRULY A PART OF WORSHIP. 02:25 TODAY WE'RE GOING TO SING ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL GOD IS AS OUR 02:28 CREATOR AND GOD. IF YOU'LL PULL OUT YOUR HYMNALS 02:31 - THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE AT HOME AND RIGHT HERE IN OUR STUDIO. 02:34 HYMN #92 - THIS IS MY FATHER'S WORLD . 02:37 AS WE LOOK AROUND THIS PLANET IT IS A FAR CRY FROM WHAT HE MEANT 02:42 IT TO BE, BUT SOON AND VERY SOON, I KNOW, BECAUSE HIS WORD 02:46 PROMISES US THAT IT IS GOING TO BE RESTORED TO ITS FORMER GLORY. 02:50 I CAN HARDLY WAIT FOR THAT DAY. HYMN #92 - WE'LL SING ALL THREE 02:54 VERSES - THIS IS MY FATHER'S WORLD . (PIANO MUSIC) 05:00 >>I'M SO GRATEFUL, TODAY, THAT GOD LOOKS AT ME AS HIS CHILD, 05:04 AMEN? AT THIS TIME PASTOR ROSS WILL 05:07 LEAD US IN OPENING PRAYER. (SOFT PIANO MUSIC) 05:16 >>LET US BOW OUR HEADS FOR PRAYER. 05:18 DEAR FATHER IN HEAVEN, WHAT A PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO GATHER 05:20 IN YOUR HOUSE AND STUDY YOUR WORD. 05:22 AND, AS WE BEGIN OUR NEW JOURNEY IN THE BOOK OF GALATIANS, WE 05:26 WANT TO INVITE THE HOLY SPIRIT TO COME AND GUIDE OUR HEARTS AND 05:28 OUR MINDS. SO MANY IMPORTANT LESSONS, LORD, 05:30 IN THIS BOOK FOR US TODAY. SO WE PRAY FOR THE SPIRIT'S 05:33 LEADING BLESS OUR TIME TOGETHER TODAY, IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN. 05:39 OUR LESSON THIS MORNING, LAUNCHING US INTO OUR NEW STUDY 05:41 OF GALATIANS IS GOING TO BE BROUGHT TO US BY DR. DEROSE. 05:45 THANK YOU. >>WELL, IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO BE 05:58 STUDYING TOGETHER AND TO BEGIN A NEW JOURNEY TOGETHER. 06:03 SO, AS PASTOR ROSS INTRODUCED IT, WE ARE STARTING A SERIES ON 06:07 THE BOOK OF GALATIANS - THAT GREAT MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL 06:12 PRESENTED IN THAT LETTER THAT PAUL WROTE TO THE CHURCHES OF 06:16 GALATIA. AND, AS WE BEGIN OUR STUDY, 06:19 LESSON #1 ACTUALLY BEGINS BY LOOKING AT THE AUTHOR OF THE 06:24 BOOK OF GALATIANS - A FOCUS ON THE APOSTLE PAUL - PAUL: APOSTLE 06:28 TO THE GENTILES IS THE TITLE OF THE LESSON. 06:32 AND, AS WE PICK UP THE BACKGROUND OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, 06:36 OUR MINDS ARE DRAWN TO A CHAPTER IN THE BOOK OF ACTS. 06:40 AND, ACTUALLY, NOT THE MOST FLATTERING CHAPTER, WHEN WE 06:43 THINK ABOUT THE EARLY CHURCH. WE BEGIN IN ACTS CHAPTER 6 - 06:47 THAT'S WHERE I'M TURNING - AND SOME OF US LIKE TO IDEALIZE - 06:51 WE LIKE TO GLORIFY THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST. 06:55 AND MANY SAY, 'BOY, IF I COULD JUST BE A PART OF THAT EARLY 06:58 CHURCH. EVERYONE HAD EVERYTHING IN 07:01 COMMON - THEY WERE LIVING IN HARMONY'. 07:03 THAT'S WHAT THE ACCOUNT SAYS BUT, BY THE TIME WE GET TO ACTS 07:06 6 WE SEE THERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES IN THE CHURCH AND 07:09 THAT'S THE CONTEXT IN WHICH THE APOSTLE PAUL WILL ULTIMATELY 07:13 EMERGE AND THE LESSON RIGHTLY POINTS US IN THAT DIRECTION AS 07:17 WE BEGIN. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ACTS 07:19 CHAPTER 6, BEGINNING WITH VERSE 1. 07:21 I'M READING FROM THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 07:24 IT SAYS, "NOW IN THOSE DAYS, WHEN THE NUMBER OF THE DISCIPLES 07:27 WAS MULTIPLYING, THERE AROSE A COMPLAINT AGAINST THE HEBREWS BY 07:32 THE HELLENISTS, BECAUSE THEIR WIDOWS WERE NEGLECTED IN THE 07:36 DAILY DISTRIBUTION." NOW, IF YOU HAVE THE KING JAMES 07:38 VERSION, IT SAYS THERE WAS A 'CONTROVERSY' BETWEEN THE 07:42 HEBREWS, OR THE JEWS, AND THE GREEKS, OR THE GRECIANS. 07:48 NOW THIS TERM 'GREEK' IN THE HEBREW, ACTUALLY IT'S - THE NEW 07:53 TESTAMENT IS IN THE GREEK - THE TERM 'GREEK' IN THE GREEK 07:58 LANGUAGE, IN WHICH THE NEW TESTAMENT WAS WRITTEN, IS KIND 08:01 OF A NEBULOUS TERM. HERE, IN ACTS 6 - I'M ACTUALLY 08:06 PREACHING FROM THE ANDREWS STUDY BIBLE AND IT MAKES, I THINK, A 08:10 VERY - VERY INSIGHTFUL COMMENT THERE ABOUT THE HEBREWS 08:14 AND THE HELLENISTS. LISTEN TO IT. 08:16 IT SAYS, "AMONG THE EARLY CHRISTIANS, WHO WERE ALL JEWS, 08:20 TENSION DEVELOPED BETWEEN HEBREW (JEWISH CHRISTIANS FROM 08:23 PALESTINE WHO SPOKE MAINLY ARAMAIC AND/OR HEBREW) AND 08:27 HELLENISTS (JEWISH CHRISTIANS FROM OUTSIDE PALESTINE WHO SPOKE 08:32 MAINLY GREEK). SO, IF YOU GET THE PICTURE 08:36 HERE, THIS TERM FOR GREEKS OR GRECIANS, IN THE KING JAMES, 08:40 OFTEN TRANSLATED 'HELLENISTS' IN THE NEW KING JAMES AND IN OTHER 08:45 TRANSLATIONS, OFTEN REFERS TO GREEK-SPEAKING JEWS. 08:50 SO, AT THIS TIME, THE GREEK CULTURE HAD PRETTY MUCH 08:54 PERMEATED THE HOLY LAND AND THE THEN-KNOWN WORLD THERE, IN WHICH 08:58 GOD'S PEOPLE WERE LIVING. SO YOU HAD THOSE THAT SPOKE 09:01 GREEK THAT WERE MORE ASSIMILATED INTO THE DOMINANT CULTURE, AND 09:06 THEN YOU HAVE THOSE WHO WERE STILL SPEAKING THE INDIGENOUS 09:08 MIDDLE EASTERN LANGUAGES LIKE ARAMAIC AND HEBREW. 09:12 AND SO, THIS IS WHERE THE CONTROVERSY ARISES. 09:14 NOW I MENTION THAT POINT BECAUSE SOMETIMES THE KING JAMES VERSION 09:18 CONTINUES TO USE THAT TERM 'HELLENISTS' WHEN SOMETIMES IT'S 09:22 SPEAKING OF GENTILE GREEKS. AND, AS YOU READ THROUGH THE 09:25 BOOK OF ACTS, YOU WILL FIND THAT KIND OF TENSION. 09:28 SO THE GREEKS ARE SOMETIMES GREEK-SPEAKING JEWS, AS WE'RE 09:33 READING ABOUT IN ACTS 6. OTHER TIMES THEY'RE ACTUALLY 09:36 PEOPLE OF GREEK ETHNICITY WHO ARE GENTILES. 09:39 SO, IT'S A LITTLE BIT CONFUSING WHETHER YOU USE THE KING JAMES 09:42 TRANSLATION OR A MODERN TRANSLATION. 09:45 BUT HERE, IN ACTS 6, IT'S CLEAR WE'RE SPEAKING ONLY OF JEWS 09:48 BECAUSE THERE REALLY IS NO DISCUSSION ABOUT GENTILES COMING 09:53 INTO THE CHURCH AT THE POINT OF ACTS 6. 09:56 THAT COMES JUST A LITTLE BIT LATER. 09:58 SO, YOU SEE, THOUGH, THERE'S A PROBLEM IN THE CHURCH AND, TO 10:03 ME, IT'S INSTRUCTIVE THAT EVEN IN THIS PRISTINE EARLY CHURCH, 10:07 THERE WAS DISSENSION - THERE WERE CHALLENGES. 10:10 HOW MANY OF YOU CAN RELATE TO THIS? 10:12 HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A CHURCH WHERE THERE WERE PROBLEMS? 10:15 NOW, I'M NOT SPEAKING HERE OF THE GRANITE BAY CHURCH. 10:17 I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY GREAT PROBLEMS THAT ARE GOING ON HERE 10:20 IN THE CHURCH. IF THEY ARE, THEY'VE BEEN 10:22 CAREFULLY CONCEALED FROM ME. AND, USUALLY IF THERE'S DEEP 10:25 PROBLEMS IN THE CHURCH, EVERYONE IS AWARE OF IT, RIGHT? 10:28 AND I HAVEN'T NOTICED - NO ONE TELLS ME IF I SIT ON ONE SIDE OF 10:31 THE CONGREGATION THAT I'M SITTING ON THE WRONG SIDE AND I 10:34 SHOULD BE SITTING OVER ON THE OTHER SIDE BECAUSE THERE'S 10:37 FACTIONS IN THE CHURCH. I HAVEN'T NOTICED IT HERE AND, 10:40 YOU KNOW, PRAISE THE LORD FOR THAT BECAUSE SOME TUNING IN MAY 10:44 BE ACTUALLY ATTENDING A CHURCH WHERE THERE'S FACTIONS. 10:49 BUT IT'S TRUE OF THE EARLY CHURCH HERE. 10:51 THERE ARE FACTIONS. IT SAYS - THERE'S AN ACCUSATION, 10:55 IN FACT - THAT SOME OF THE WIDOWS WERE BEING NEGLECTED. 11:00 NOW I DON'T REALLY THINK THEY WERE BEING NEGLECTED. 11:02 YOU COULD SAY, 'WELL YOU CAN'T GET THAT RIGHT OUT OF THE TEXT', 11:05 BUT IT WOULD BE CONTRARY TO GOSPEL PRINCIPLES, AND YET, THEY 11:08 DON'T ENTER INTO A LARGE DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER THIS 11:11 WAS OR WAS NOT HAPPENING. WHAT DID THEY DO? 11:15 THEY ACTUALLY GO ABOUT SOLVING THE PROBLEM, ANSWERING THE 11:19 CONCERNS - AND, IN VERSE 2 OF ACTS 6 WE READ THIS: "THEN THE 11:23 TWELVE" - REFERRING TO THE TWELVE APOSTLES - "SUMMONED THE 11:26 MULTITUDE OF THE DISCIPLES AND SAID, 'IT IS NOT DESIRABLE THAT 11:30 WE SHOULD LEAVE THE WORD OF GOD AND SERVE TABLES. 11:33 THEREFORE, BRETHREN, SEEK OUT FROM AMONG YOU SEVEN MEN OF GOOD 11:37 REPUTATION, FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WISDOM, WHOM WE MAY 11:40 APPOINT OVER THIS BUSINESS; BUT WE WILL GIVE OURSELVES 11:44 CONTINUALLY TO PRAYER AND TO THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD.'" SO, OF 11:48 COURSE, THIS IS THE CONTEXT IN WHICH THE SEVEN DEACONS ARE SET 11:53 APART. AND WHAT WAS THEIR SPECIAL ROLE, 11:56 ACCORDING TO THE CONTEXT HERE? YEAH, THEIR SPECIAL ROLE WAS TO 12:02 BE INVOLVED IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE FOOD - TO TAKE CARE OF 12:05 PRACTICAL NEEDS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. 12:08 NOW, WE HAVE TO PAUSE HERE BECAUSE, AS WE GET INTO TODAY'S 12:11 LESSON, WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT THIS LESSON HAS SOME VERY 12:15 POWERFUL LESSONS FOR ALL OF US. IT'S LOOKING AT THE LIFE OF THE 12:19 APOSTLE PAUL, BUT PAUL, REALLY, IS SOMEONE WHO, IN HIS LIFE AND 12:23 MINISTRY, SPEAKS TO EVERY ONE OF US. 12:26 SO, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO FIND OUT IS THAT ONE OF THE LESSONS HAS 12:30 TO DO ABOUT CALLING - CALLING. WERE THERE PEOPLE IN 12:35 ACTS 6 WHO HAD A CALLING? THERE WERE. 12:40 IT ACTUALLY ENUMERATES THEM. IN VERSE 5 IT SAYS THEY CHOSE 12:45 SOMETHING THAT PLEASED THE WHOLE MULTITUDE. 12:48 THEY CHOSE SEVEN INDIVIDUALS: "...STEPHEN, A MAN FULL OF FAITH 12:51 AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND PHILIP, PROCHORUS, NICANOR, TIMON, 12:57 PARMENAS, AND NICOLAS," - THAT'S SEVEN - "A PROSELYTE FROM 13:01 ANTIOCH, WHOM THEY SET BEFORE THE APOSTLES; AND WHEN THEY HAD 13:05 PRAYED, THEY LAID HANDS ON THEM. 13:07 THEN THE WORD OF GOD SPREAD, AND THE NUMBER OF THE DISCIPLES 13:10 MULTIPLIED GREATLY IN JERUSALEM, AND A GREAT MANY OF THE 13:14 PRIESTS WERE OBEDIENT TO THE FAITH." 13:17 I MEAN, ISN'T THIS A FASCINATING PASSAGE? 13:20 SO IT STARTS WITH DIVISION AND IT ENDS UP WITH A CLASS OF 13:24 PEOPLE COMING INTO THE CHURCH WHO NO ONE LIKELY WOULD HAVE 13:27 EXPECTED, THE PRIESTS THEMSELVES. 13:29 REMARKABLE, ISN'T' IT? NOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CALLING 13:33 AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE PAUL'S CALLING IN JUST A FEW MINUTES, 13:36 BUT WE'RE GOING TO COME IN JUST A MOMENT - SOMEONE ACTUALLY 13:39 HAS A SCRIPTURE READING FOR US IN JUST A MOMENT - ACTS 6, 13:42 VERSES 8-10 - SO WE HAVE SOMEONE WITH THAT FOR US SHORTLY - BUT 13:46 LET'S JUST MAKE SURE WE'VE GOT THE CONTEXT HERE. 13:48 WHAT ARE THESE SEVEN CALLED TO DO? 13:52 ESPECIALLY TO BE INVOLVED IN PRACTICAL MINISTRY, RIGHT? 13:55 NOW, THE APOSTLES SAID THEIR FOCUS WAS GOING TO BE ON WHAT? 14:00 DID YOU CATCH IT IN VERSE 4? PRAYER AND TO THE 14:03 MINISTRY OF THE WORD. SO THEN, DOES THIS ABSOLVE THE 14:07 DEACONS FROM BEING INVOLVED WITH PRAYER AND MINISTRY OF THE WORD? 14:12 WHAT DO YOU THINK? NO, JUST BECAUSE GOD HAS CALLED 14:15 YOU TO DO ONE THING DOESN'T MEAN THAT HE WON'T CALL YOU TO 14:20 DO SOMETHING ELSE AS WELL. ARE YOU AWARE OF THAT? 14:23 YOU KNOW, I'M OFTEN WORRIED BY DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAVE ABOUT 14:26 SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 14:30 NOW, IT DOESN'T WORRY ME THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SPIRITUAL 14:32 GIFTS - IT'S A BIBLICAL CONCEPT. IN FACT, PAUL MAKES IT VERY 14:36 CLEAR THAT EVERY BELIEVER IS GIVEN SPIRITUAL GIFTS. 14:39 THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES YOU GIFTS THAT ARE TO EQUIP YOU FOR 14:43 MINISTRY AND TO BUILD UP THE CHURCH. 14:45 BUT WHAT I'VE OFTEN NOTICED, WHEN WE SPEAK ABOUT SPIRITUAL 14:48 GIFTS IN THE CHURCH, WE OFTEN END UP - AT LEAST I OFTEN END UP 14:53 HEARING - PEOPLE TELLING ME THINGS LIKE, 'WELL, THAT'S NOT 14:58 MY GIFT'. HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE 15:00 HEARD THAT BEFORE? OKAY? MORE OFTEN THAN NOT I'VE HEARD 15:04 PEOPLE TELLING ME WHAT THEIR GIFTS ARE NOT, RATHER 15:07 THAN WHAT THEIR GIFTS ARE. CAN ANY OF YOU RELATE TO THIS? 15:10 NOW, YOU MIGHT SAY, 'WELL, THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'VE SERVED AS 15:14 A PASTOR AND YOU'RE ASKING PEOPLE TO DO THINGS.' I HAVEN'T 15:17 FOUND THAT AS AN INDIVIDUAL MEMBER HERE IN THE CHURCH, BUT I 15:21 SEE MANY OF YOU NODDING YOUR HEADS. 15:23 AND IT'S VERY EASY FOR US TO DISQUALIFY OURSELVES, BUT LISTEN 15:26 CAREFULLY NOW, WE'RE GOING TO HEAR ABOUT THE FIRST OF THESE 15:30 DEACONS - THE FIRST ONE MENTIONED IN VERSES 8 THROUGH 15:33 10, AS WE LISTEN TO THIS SCRIPTURE READING. 15:35 PLEASE, SHARE WITH US. >>"AND STEPHEN, FULL OF FAITH 15:39 AND POWER, DID GREAT WONDERS AND SIGNS AMONG THE PEOPLE. 15:43 THEN THERE AROSE SOME FROM WHAT IS CALLED THE SYNAGOGUE OF THE 15:47 FREEDMEN (CYRENIANS, ALEXANDRIANS, AND THOSE FROM 15:50 CILICIA AND ASIA), DISPUTING WITH STEPHEN. 15:54 AND THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO RESIST THE WISDOM AND THE SPIRIT BY 15:58 WHICH HE SPOKE." >>SO WHO, NOW, BECOMES THE 16:02 CENTRAL FIGURE IN ACTS CHAPTER 6? IT'S STEPHEN. 16:08 HE'S PREACHING - HE'S PREACHING THE WORD AND HE'S IN 16:11 CONFRONTATION, NOW, WITH A GROUP OF JEWS THAT ARE CALLED THE 16:15 'SYNAGOGUE OF THE FREEDMEN'. APPARENTLY, THESE WERE 16:18 INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD BEEN SLAVES AT ONE TIME - THEY WERE 16:22 LIBERATED - AND NOW THEY'RE WORSHIPING AS JEWS IN THE 16:25 SYNAGOGUE AND THEY ARE CONTROVERTING THE GOSPEL. 16:30 SO STEPHEN IS SHARING THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS AND THESE 16:33 INDIVIDUALS ARE OPPOSING HIM. DID YOU NOTICE 16:36 WHERE THEY'RE FROM? CYRENIANS, ALEXANDRIANS, AND 16:42 THOSE FROM CILICIA AND ASIA. DO ANY OF YOU KNOW A 16:46 PROMINENT CITY IN CILICIA? RIGHT ON THE TIPS OF 16:51 YOUR TONGUES, ISN'T IT? TARSUS - TARSUS - 16:55 WHERE WAS SAUL FROM? TARSUS. SO, AMONG THOSE THAT HAD A KEY 17:00 ROLE IN THIS CHURCH IN JERUSALEM ARE INDIVIDUALS FROM AN AREA 17:06 HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY, CALLED CILICIA, WHICH WOULD BE IN 17:09 MODERN-DAY TURKEY AND ONE OF THE PROMINENT CITIES 17:12 THERE IS TARSUS. VERY INTERESTING. 17:15 MANY BELIEVE THAT IT'S LIKELY THAT PAUL - WE CALL HIM PAUL BUT 17:20 HE WAS REFERRED TO AS SAUL IN THAT ERA - THAT SAUL WAS 17:25 ACTUALLY TRAINED IN JERUSALEM BUT IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT HE 17:29 WENT BACK TO HIS HOME IN CILICIA. 17:30 AND IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT BECAUSE OF THIS HEATED 17:34 CONTENTION WITH STEPHEN, THAT SAUL WAS ACTUALLY CALLED TO BE 17:40 INVOLVED IN THESE DISPUTATIONS - IN THESE DEBATES. 17:45 SO IT'S VERY POSSIBLE SAUL CAME FOR THE EXPRESS REASON OF BEING 17:51 ONE OF THE FRONT LINE PEOPLE THAT WAS GOING TO PUT DOWN THE 17:55 ARGUMENTS OF STEPHEN. AND YOU SAW THE 17:57 ASSESSMENT THERE. IN VERSE 10, WHAT HAPPENED? 18:02 HOW SUCCESSFUL WERE THE JEWS IN CONTROVERTING THE GOSPEL THAT 18:06 STEPHEN WAS PREACHING? IT SAYS THEY WERE UNABLE TO 18:12 RESIST THE WISDOM AND THE SPIRIT BY WHICH HE SPOKE. 18:17 NOW IT'S WORTH PAUSING RIGHT HERE BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE MIGHT 18:20 GET A LITTLE BIT UNEASY IF WE'RE INVITED, IN ANY SETTING, TO 18:25 SHARE OUR FAITH. NOW, SOME OF YOU ARE ACTIVELY 18:28 SHARING YOUR FAITH AND WITNESSING, BUT SOMETIMES YOU 18:31 MIGHT BE IN A SITUATION WHERE SOMEONE ASKS YOU 18:33 ABOUT YOUR FAITH. YOU'VE BEEN THERE BEFORE? 18:37 MAYBE YOU'RE IN A SETTING WHERE YOU FEEL A LITTLE UNEASY. 18:39 MAYBE THERE'S NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES 18:42 AS CHRISTIANS - MAYBE IN YOUR WORKPLACE. 18:45 SO WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN SOMEONE SAYS, 'WELL, WHAT DO CHRISTIANS 18:48 BELIEVE? WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE ABOUT THIS?' WHAT IS IT THAT 18:51 GAVE STEPHEN POWER WHEN HE SPOKE? DO YOU NOTICE IT THERE? 18:58 WISDOM AND SPIRIT - AND THE SPIRIT. 19:01 HOW DO WE GET THE SPIRIT? THAT'S RIGHT, JUST ASK, RIGHT? 19:07 JESUS SAID THE HEAVENLY FATHER IS WILLING - IF YOU'RE EARTHLY 19:11 FATHER IS WILLING TO GIVE YOU GOOD GIFTS, YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER 19:14 IS MUCH MORE WILLING TO GIVE YOU GOOD GIFTS. 19:16 AND IN THE PARALLEL PASSAGE IT SAYS, 'WILLING TO GIVE THE HOLY 19:19 SPIRIT TO THOSE WHO ASK HIM.' SO WE JUST HAVE TO ASK JESUS FOR 19:23 HIS SPIRIT IF HE'S CALLING US TO DO A WORK. 19:26 EVEN IF WE THINK WE'VE BEEN SET APART TO DO COMMON TASKS. 19:32 BY THE WAY, NO COMMON TASK IS UNIMPORTANT. 19:35 ARE YOU AWARE OF THAT? >>AMEN. 19:37 >>IN FACT, I'VE OFTEN POINTED OUT TO PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING 19:41 COMMON TASKS, HOW NOTHING WOULD REALLY HAPPEN IF IT WASN'T FOR 19:47 THEIR WORK. I WORK IN A MEDICAL CLINIC. 19:50 CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD ACTUALLY TURN AROUND AND 19:53 WALK OUT OF THE CLINIC IF WE DIDN'T HAVE A CLEANING STAFF WHO 19:58 CLEANED THE ROOMS AND TOOK CARE OF THE BATHROOMS? 20:01 ARE YOU FOLLOWING ALONG WITH ME? 20:03 THESE THINGS THAT SEEM LIKE SUCH COMMON ACTIVITIES ARE VERY 20:06 IMPORTANT, SO DON'T EVER MINIMIZE THEM. 20:08 BUT JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE CALLED TO DO THINGS THAT OTHER PEOPLE 20:11 LABEL AS COMMON, DOESN'T MEAN THAT GOD ISN'T CALLING YOU TO DO 20:14 SOMETHING THAT IS ACTUALLY LESS COMMON. 20:17 AND SO STEPHEN IS THIS FRONT LINE PERSON HERE AND TO CONVERT 20:24 THE JEWS IS WHAT HE'S - HE'S SHARING THE GOSPEL - BUT THE 20:29 JEWS ARE NOT PARTICULARLY RECEPTIVE AND, AMONG THEM, WE 20:33 SEE SOMETHING DEVELOPS. LOOK AT YOUR LESSON, IF YOU WILL 20:36 - WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN WALKING THROUGH IT. 20:38 WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THE BACKGROUND THAT'S PROVIDED IN 20:42 SUNDAY'S LESSON AND WE FIND THERE THAT IT FOCUSES US THEN ON 20:46 SOME OF THE ARGUMENTS THAT ARE BROUGHT AGAINST STEPHEN. 20:52 SO WE'RE STILL IN ACTS CHAPTER 6 - AND WHAT ARGUMENTS ARE LEVELED 20:56 AGAINST STEPHEN? WE'RE PICKING UP THE ACCOUNT IN VERSE 11. 21:01 IT SAYS, "THEN THEY SECRETLY INDUCED MEN TO SAY, 'WE HAVE 21:07 HEARD HIM SPEAK BLASPHEMOUS WORDS AGAINST MOSES AND GOD.' 21:13 AND THEN IN VERSE 13 THEY STIRRED UP FALSE WITNESSES WHO 21:16 SAID 'THIS MAN HAS NOT CEASED TO SPEAK BLASPHEMOUS WORDS AGAINST 21:20 THIS HOLY PLACE AND THE LAW; FOR WE HAVE HEARD HIM SAY THAT THIS 21:24 JESUS OF NAZARETH WILL DESTROY THIS PLACE AND CHANGE THE 21:27 CUSTOMS WHICH MOSES DELIVERED TO US.' SO PEOPLE WERE BEING PAID 21:33 OFF, RIGHT? MONEY UNDER THE TABLE TO GET 21:36 THEM TO SAY THINGS THAT WERE TRUE OR UNTRUE ABOUT 21:39 STEPHEN'S PREACHING. >>LIES. 21:41 >>THEY WERE LIES - THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS - THEY WERE UNTRUE. 21:45 SO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT LEADING? THE HOLY SPIRIT'S LEADING. 21:50 WHY IS THE HOLY SPIRIT - WHY IS GOD ALLOWING LIES TO BE SAID? 21:55 HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED THAT? SOMETHING BAD'S HAPPENING. 21:58 HAVE YOU EVER ASKED THE QUESTION, 'WHY DID GOD ALLOW 21:59 THIS'? OKAY, SO THE RESPONSE IS 'BAD 22:04 GUYS HAVE FREE CHOICE JUST LIKE GOOD GUYS.' 22:08 GOD DOESN'T TAKE AWAY ANYONE'S FREEDOM OF CHOICE, BUT GOD IS 22:11 ORCHESTRATING EVENTS. HE IS ALLOWING THINGS TO PLAY OUT. 22:16 AND HE'S ALLOWING A CONFRONTATION TO DEVELOP HERE, 22:19 IN THE SIXTH CHAPTER OF ACTS, THAT SETS THE STAGE FOR STEPHEN 22:25 TO BE CALLED BEFORE THE HIGH PRIEST. 22:29 NOW, SOME OF YOU, AS YOU'RE READING THROUGH THIS, YOU MIGHT 22:31 SAY, 'YOU KNOW, THESE CHARGES ARE NOT ALL THAT DIFFERENT THAN 22:38 CHARGES THAT WERE LEVELED AT JESUS IN MATTHEW'S GOSPEL OR 22:42 CHARGES THAT WILL LATER BE LEVELED AGAINST PAUL, HIMSELF'. 22:46 RIGHT? THE JEWS WERE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE TEMPLE. 22:49 IN FACT, YOU MAY REMEMBER WHEN JEREMIAH WAS CALLED TO PROPHESY 22:53 AGAINST A NATION THAT HAD APOSTATIZED FROM GOD, THEY WERE 23:00 SAYING NOTHING BAD COULD HAPPEN. IN ONE PLACE THEY WERE SAYING 23:02 'THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD. THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD. 23:05 THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD.' YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES I WONDER IF GOD 23:12 DOESN'T BLESS US MORE BECAUSE, WHEN GOD BLESSES US, WE'RE IN 23:18 DANGER OF RELYING ON OUR PAST EXPERIENCE. 23:23 WE SOMEHOW THINK WE'RE PRIVILEGED - WE'RE - WE'RE - YOU 23:27 KNOW, GOD'S BLESSING IS JUST ON ANYTHING THAT I DO. 23:30 AND IF GOD SOMETIMES BLESSED US AS MUCH AS WE'D LIKE HIM TO 23:33 BLESS US, IS THERE A DANGER THAT WE WOULD DO JUST WHAT THE JEWS 23:38 DID? LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL TEMPLE - 23:40 GOD, ACTUALLY, WAS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THIS TEMPLE. 23:46 'GOD GAVE US THE SANCTUARY SERVICE. 23:48 HOW COULD ANYTHING BAD HAPPEN TO US? 23:50 WE HAVE THE TEMPLE.' DO YOU FOLLOW ALONG? 23:54 CAN WE FALL INTO THAT SAME TRAP AS CHRISTIANS? 23:57 AS SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS? 23:59 CAN WE LOOK AT HOW GOD HAS LED IN THE PAST AND CAN WE FEEL THAT 24:03 THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO DANGER FOR US IN THE FUTURE? 24:07 NOW, IT IS TRUE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THE PAST, RIGHT? 24:11 BUT THE DANGER IS THAT WE'LL REST ON OUR LAURELS, RIGHT? 24:16 WE'LL THINK WE'RE A BLESSED PEOPLE - THAT WAS WHAT THE JEWS 24:19 GOT INTO TROUBLE WITH. MAY IT NOT BE SAID OF US TODAY. 24:23 SO WE COME TO ACTS CHAPTER 7, PETER IS NOT ON THE SCENE, 24:31 STEPHEN IS ON THE SCENE. 24:32 JAMES IS NOT IN THE FOCAL POINT, BUT STEPHEN, THIS DEACON, 24:39 PREACHING BEFORE THE HIGH PRIEST. 24:43 AND IT'S A WONDERFUL SERMON. WE WON'T LOOK AT IT IN DETAIL. 24:46 HE TRACES THE HISTORY OF GOD'S PEOPLE. 24:49 AND, FINALLY, HE GETS DOWN TO THE POINT WHERE, AS YOU READ 24:54 THROUGH THE STORY, IT SEEMS LIKE HE MAKES AN ABRUPT TURN. 24:57 HE'S VERY TACTFUL AS HE'S GOING THROUGH ACTS CHAPTER 7, VERSE 25:04 50, BUT IT SEEMS, AS HE STARTS SPEAKING ABOUT GOD DWELLING IN 25:10 HEAVEN, NOT DWELLING IN TEMPLES MADE WITH HANDS - REMEMBER, ONE 25:14 OF THE THINGS - ONE OF THE SENSITIVE POINTS FOR THE JEWS 25:16 WAS THE TEMPLE AND MAYBE THEY SENSED THAT STEPHEN IS 25:21 TRANSITIONING AWAY FROM THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TEMPLE. 25:26 AFTER ALL, WHAT DID JESUS SAY WHEN HE WAS - DURING - LIVING ON 25:30 THIS EARTH DURING HIS MINISTRY? WHAT DID HE SAY OF THE TEMPLE? 25:35 HE SAID, 'YOUR HOUSE IS LEFT UNTO YOU DESOLATE'. 25:39 AND YOU REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED WHEN JESUS WAS ON THE CROSS? 25:43 THAT VEIL OF THE TEMPLE WAS RIPPED IN TWO - A HEAVENLY SIGN 25:47 THAT THE SANCTUARY SERVICE - THE EARTHLY SANCTUARY SERVICE WAS NO 25:51 LONGER NEEDED. THE WHOLE REASON FOR THE 25:54 SANCTUARY SERVICE WAS POINTING TO WHAT? WAS POINTING TO JESUS, 25:59 OUR SAVIOR. HE WAS THE LAMB OF GOD, RIGHT? 26:02 WE DON'T NEED TO SACRIFICE LAMBS ANY LONGER. 26:06 GOD HAD, IN CLEAR MESSAGES THROUGH THE MINISTRY OF JESUS 26:10 AND THROUGH THOSE SIGNS THAT ATTENDED THE CROSS, SAID THAT 26:14 THE SANCTUARY SERVICE WAS NO LONGER OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE. 26:19 AND SO, AS STEPHEN BEGINS TO VENTURE ONTO THAT, IF YOU WILL, 26:23 IN THE JEWISH MIND, HALLOWED GROUND, WHAT HAPPENS? 26:29 IN MY MIND'S EYE I CAN SEE THE JEWS BECOMING VERY AGITATED AS - 26:34 AS STEPHEN IS GOING THROUGH THAT MESSAGE. 26:37 AND, AS HE COMES TO VERSE 50 - OF COURSE, IT WASN'T A VERSE 26:40 THEN, HE WAS JUST PREACHING, I COULD SEE THEM, BASICALLY, AT 26:45 THE POINT WHERE THEY'RE JUST GOING TO LYNCH HIM - OF COURSE, 26:48 THEY DIDN'T LYNCH IN THAT - IN THOSE DAYS - 26:50 THEY STONED HIM AND STEPHEN APPARENTLY SAW IT, BECAUSE I 26:53 DON'T THINK HE LOST HIS TACT IN VERSE 51. 26:56 SOME SAY, 'WELL, WHY DID HE JUST SUDDENLY, YOU KNOW, MAKE THIS 26:58 CRAZY STATEMENT THAT AGITATED EVERYONE?' 27:01 I THINK THEY WERE ALREADY AGITATED AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, 27:03 WHO WAS GUIDING HIM, BASICALLY SAYS, 'I MEAN IT'S - YOU'RE DONE 27:08 - AND GIVE THEM ONE LAST MESSAGE.' AND SO HE SAYS IT IN 27:11 VERSE 51 OF ACTS CHAPTER 7, 'YOU STIFF-NECKED AND UNCIRCUMCISED 27:16 IN HEART AND EARS! YOU ALWAYS RESIST THE HOLY 27:19 SPIRIT; AS YOUR FATHERS DID, SO DO YOU. 27:22 WHICH OF THE PROPHETS DID YOUR FATHERS NO PERSECUTE? 27:26 AND THEY KILLED THOSE WHO FORETOLD THE COMING OF THE JUST 27:29 ONE, OF WHOM YOU NOW HAVE BECOME THE BETRAYERS AND MURDERERS, WHO 27:33 HAVE RECEIVED THE LAW BY THE DIRECTION OF ANGELS AND HAVE NOT 27:36 KEPT IT.'" IT SAYS WHEN THEY HEARD THAT - VERSE 54 "...THEY 27:41 WERE CUT TO THE HEART, AND THEY GNASHED AT HIM WITH THEIR TEETH. 27:45 BUT HE, BEING FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT," - LISTEN TO WHAT 27:48 HAPPENS: HE ACTUALLY IS GIVEN A VISION OF HEAVEN. 27:52 SO HERE, THE JEWS ARE FOCUSED ON AN EARTHLY TEMPLE THAT HAS LOST 27:57 ITS SIGNIFICANCE AND STEPHEN, IN THE HOUR OF TRIAL, WHAT HAPPENS 28:01 TO STEPHEN? HE WAS ACTUALLY GIVEN A VISION. 28:06 HIS EYES ARE OPEN AND IT SAYS HE GAZES INTO HEAVEN, HE SEES THE 28:10 GLORY OF GOD, AND JESUS STANDING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. 28:13 WHAT IS HE SEEING? WHAT IS HE SEEING? WHERE IS HE LOOKING? 28:19 THAT'S RIGHT, HE'S LOOKING AT THE TEMPLE IN HEAVEN. 28:22 SO THEY'RE ALL FOCUSED ON THIS EARTHLY TEMPLE AND STEPHEN IS 28:26 GIVEN A VISION OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE. 28:29 BOY, HERE'S A GOOD POINT, JUST TO PAUSE FOR A MINUTE: WHEN 28:33 WE'RE HAVING DIFFICULTIES, WHEN WE'RE GOING THROUGH PROBLEMS ON 28:36 THIS EARTH, WHERE DOES SATAN SEEK TO FOCUS OUR ATTENTION? 28:42 THAT'S RIGHT, AWAY FROM HEAVEN AND ON THIS EARTH, RIGHT? 28:45 JUST LIKE HE WAS DOING THERE IN ACTS CHAPTER 7. 28:49 AND WHEN WE START LOOKING AT THIS EARTH, WHAT DO THINGS LOOK 28:52 LIKE? DOESN'T LOOK TOO GOOD. I MEAN, YOU SAY, 'DR. DEROSE 28:58 IT'S ALL BEAUTIFUL THINGS OUT THERE - BEAUTIFUL NATURE AND 29:02 BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE HERE AT GRANITE BAY CHURCH - BEAUTIFUL MUSIC'. 29:07 BUT, I MEAN, THE WORLD - IN FACT, THE BIBLE SAYS THERE IS A 29:11 PRINCE OF THIS WORLD - ADAM AND EVE SOLD OUT THEIR DOMINION AND 29:18 THEY, BASICALLY SIGNED THIS WORLD OVER TO SATAN. 29:22 NOW JESUS IS ULTIMATELY IN CHARGE, RIGHT? BUT SATAN IS THE 29:26 PRINCE OF THIS WORLD, AND MUCH OF WHAT HAPPENS ON THIS PLANET 29:29 IS UNDER HIS DIRECTION. HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT? 29:32 AND SO, THIS WORLD DOESN'T LOOK ALL THAT PRETTY. 29:36 EVEN THE SPIRITUAL THINGS IN THIS WORLD - BY THE WAY, WERE 29:40 THESE JEWS, WHO WERE ABOUT TO KILL STEPHEN, IN THE STORY, WERE 29:46 THEY SPIRITUAL PEOPLE? >>YES. 29:49 >>THEY WERE CHURCH LEADERS. THEY WERE ATTENDING CHURCH. 29:51 THEY WERE FAITHFUL TITHE PAYERS. ARE YOU CATCHING THE PICTURE? 29:55 BUT THEIR FOCUS WAS WHERE? THEIR FOCUS WAS ON EARTH. 30:00 AND STEPHEN IS GIVEN A GLIMPSE INTO HEAVEN. 30:02 BY THE WAY, HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR US TO SEE INTO HEAVEN? 30:10 WELL, YOU MIGHT SAY, 'YEAH, HOPEFULLY NOT BUT, I MEAN, CAN I 30:14 JUST LOOK UP AND SEE INTO THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY? 30:18 I MEAN VISIBLY, WITH MY EYES, CAN I ACTUALLY - DO I ACTUALLY 30:21 JUST GET A VISION AT WILL? NO, OF COURSE NOT. 30:24 BUT THROUGH THE WORDS OF SCRIPTURE, RIGHT? 30:27 WE CAN SEE INTO HEAVEN. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SO 30:30 VALUE IS THAT JESUS IS WILLING TO MEET WITH ME ANYTIME. 30:35 AND WHEN I CARVE OUT TIME IN MY DAY, I ACTUALLY HAVE THE 30:38 PRIVILEGE OF SEEING INTO HEAVEN. ISN'T THAT WONDERFUL? 30:42 SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU, IF YOU'RE NOT ALREADY DOING IT, 30:45 BEFORE YOU START YOUR DAY WITH, YOU KNOW, LISTENING TO THE NEWS 30:50 OR CHECKING, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN YOUR E-MAIL OR ON 30:54 FACEBOOK, GET ON YOUR KNEES AND OPEN UP YOUR BIBLE. 31:00 YOU THINK THAT'LL CHANGE YOUR DAY? 31:02 >>YES. >>I MEAN, I'VE SEEN 31:03 THIS OVER THE YEARS. IT'S POWERFUL HOW GOD SPEAKS 31:06 TO US - GIVES US A VISION OF HEAVEN. 31:08 AND HE DID THAT FOR STEPHEN IN A VERY LITERAL WAY BUT THAT DIDN'T 31:13 INSPIRE ANYONE, AT LEAST, TO CHANGE THEIR COURSE. 31:16 THEY ACTUALLY STOPPED THEIR EARS. 31:19 AND IT SAYS, IN VERSE 58 OF ACTS 7, THEY END UP STONING STEPHEN 31:23 AND IT SAYS "THEY LAID DOWN THEIR CLOTHES AT THE FEET OF 31:27 A YOUNG MAN NAMED SAUL." 31:31 NOW, AS YOU READ THROUGH THE LESSON, IT MIGHT SOUND AS IF 31:36 SAUL WAS JUST AN INSIGNIFICANT PLAYER IN THIS DRAMA. 31:39 WE'VE ALREADY SUGGESTED THAT SAUL WAS MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT 31:44 THAN JUST HAPPENING TO BE AT THIS VENUE. 31:47 AND WE GET THAT, ACTUALLY FROM THE SCRIPTURES ITSELF. 31:51 LOOK AT CHAPTER 8 IN ACTS, VERSE 1 - ACTS 8, VERSE 1 - AND IT 31:58 SAYS, "NOW SAUL WAS" - WHAT? >>CONSENTING. 32:01 >>"CONSENTING TO HIS DEATH." THIS PHRASE INDICATES THAT SAUL 32:08 WAS MORE THAN JUST AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER. 32:11 IT SUGGESTS THAT SAUL'S CONSENT WAS SOMEHOW OF VALUE IN THE 32:16 DRAMA THAT PLAYED OUT; THAT SOMEHOW HE HAD A SAY IN IT. 32:20 ARE YOU FOLLOWING ALONG WITH ME? 32:22 IT WASN'T JUST 'SAUL DIDN'T SPEAK UP'. 32:24 YOU WOULD SAY, 'WELL, JUST NOT SPEAKING UP IS CONSENTING.' NO, 32:27 IT SEEMS THAT IT'S STRONGER THERE. 32:29 SO, AS LUKE, UNDER INSPIRATION, IS WRITING THIS, IT SEEMS TO 32:33 INDICATE THAT SAUL WAS INVOLVED IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. 32:38 HE WASN'T JUST HAPPENING TO BE THERE - JUST SOME YOUNG KID - 32:41 AND THEY SAID, 'HEY, BY THE WAY, WATCH OUR COATS.' AND HE SAID, 32:44 'WELL, BOY, WHAT ELSE COULD I DO? THESE ARE ALL MORE IMPORTANT 32:46 PEOPLE THAN ME, YOU KNOW? I JUST WATCHED THEIR COATS.' 32:49 IT SEEMS LIKE THERE WAS MUCH MORE TO IT. 32:54 AND THEN YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IN VERSE 1 OF ACTS 8, NOT ONLY 32:58 WAS SAUL CONSENTING TO HIS DEATH, BUT IN THE NEXT BREATH - 33:02 IN THE NEXT LINE - LUKE WRITES, "AT THAT TIME A GREAT 33:05 PERSECUTION AROSE AGAINST THE CHURCH WHICH WAS AT JERUSALEM; 33:09 AND THEY WERE ALL SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE REGIONS OF JUDEA 33:13 AND SAMARIA, EXCEPT THE APOSTLES. 33:16 AND DEVOUT MEN CARRIED STEPHEN TO HIS BURIAL, AND MADE GREAT 33:20 LAMENTATION OVER HIM." AND THEN, ANOTHER TELLING 33:23 INSIGHT ABOUT SAUL. WHAT ABOUT SAUL? 33:28 VERSE 3, "...HE MADE HAVOC OF THE CHURCH, ENTERING EVERY 33:32 HOUSE, AND DRAGGING OFF MEN AND WOMEN, COMMITTING THEM TO 33:37 PRISON." ACTUALLY, IF YOU'RE FOLLOWING 33:42 ALONG IN THE LESSON, IN MONDAY'S LESSON IT COMMENTS ON THE GREEK 33:46 SIGNIFICANCE OF THAT WORD TRANSLATED, 'WREAKING HAVOC' 33:51 OR 'RAVAGING' THE CHURCH. AND IT POINTS OUT TO US THAT 33:55 IN THE SEPTUAGINT - THE GREEK TRANSLATION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT 33:59 - IT USES THAT SAME WORD TO DESCRIBE - DID YOU CATCH IT? 34:03 THE UNCONTROLLED AND DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR OF A WILD BOAR. 34:09 HAVE YOU EVER DEALT WITH WILD PIGS OR WILD BOARS? 34:13 WE USED TO LIVE IN OKLAHOMA AND WE WOULD HAVE WILD BOARS 34:19 SOMETIMES WANDER ONTO OUR PROPERTY. 34:21 YOU DID NOT WANT TO GET IN THE WAY OF THOSE WILD PIGS, OKAY? 34:27 RAVENING - RAVENOUS - OKAY? YOU GET THE PICTURE? 34:32 AND SO, THIS IS HOW PAUL IS BEING DESCRIBED - SAUL, AS HE'S 34:36 STILL BEING REFERRED TO AT THAT TIME IN HIS LIFE - IS HE JUST AN 34:40 INSIGNIFICANT FIGURE? BY THE WAY, AS THE STORY PLAYS 34:44 OUT, WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT SAUL WAS SO WELL KNOWN THAT FOR 34:49 HUNDREDS OF MILES PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT SAUL. REALLY? 34:57 AND ALTHOUGH THE ACCOUNT TRANSITIONS, IN ACTS 8, TO FOCUS 35:00 ON ANOTHER OF THE DEACONS, THIS TIME ON PHILIP, BY THE TIME WE 35:06 COME TO CHAPTER 9, WE'RE BACK TO A FOCUS ON SAUL. 35:12 AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING RIGHT NOW - ACTS CHAPTER 9. 35:16 AND THE ACCOUNT IS CONTINUING AS WE READ THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS 35:21 - ACTS CHAPTER 9 IT SAYS, "THEN SAUL," - AND THERE'S THIS WORD 35:26 THERE - "STILL BREATHING THREATS AND MURDER AGAINST THE DISCIPLES 35:31 OF THE LORD, WENT TO THE HIGH PRIEST" - ACTS 9, VERSE 2 - HE 35:36 ASKS FOR LETTERS - FOR FORMAL DOCUMENTS - SO THAT HE CAN GO 35:41 FROM JERUSALEM TO DAMASCUS AND IF HE FINDS ANY OF THE WAY - ANY 35:46 CHRISTIANS - WHETHER MEN OR WOMEN, HE'S GOING TO BRING THEM 35:49 BACK BOUND TO JERUSALEM. WOW. NOW WORD GETS TO DAMASCUS BEFORE 35:58 SAUL GET THERE - WE'LL SEE IN THE ACCOUNT - THAT HE IS ON HIS 36:02 WAY. HE'S NO SMALL PLAYER. SAUL IS THIS FRONT LINE - THIS 36:08 CENTRAL FIGURE IN THE DRAMA OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 36:11 AND, BY THE WAY, HOW MANY OF YOU WOULD WANT TO MEET SAUL IF YOU 36:16 WERE A BELIEVER LIVING IN DAMASCUS IN THAT DAY? 36:20 HOW MANY OF YOU WOULD BE PRAYING THAT YOU'D HAVE A CHANCE TO 36:22 WITNESS TO SAUL? 36:23 HOW MANY OF YOU WOULD BE - WOULD THINK YOU WOULD HAVE THAT - NO, 36:25 NO, YOU'D BE - YOU'D BE SAYING, 'LORD, PLEASE, YOU KNOW, HAVE 36:28 SOMETHING HAPPEN - HAVE SAUL'S, YOU KNOW, CHARIOT WHEELS FALL 36:31 OFF.' OR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER - I MEAN, HE PROBABLY WASN'T 36:34 TRAVELING IN A CHARIOT, BUT SOME DID THEN. 36:37 IN ACTS 8 YOU HAD SOMEONE IN A CHARIOT THAT - THE ETHIOPIAN 36:41 EUNUCH, WHO PHILIP CAME UP ALONG SIDE OF, BUT THE POINT IS, 36:45 HOWEVER HE WAS TRAVELING, YOU'D PROBABLY BE PRAYING THAT 36:47 SOMETHING WOULD CHANGE IN HIS PLANS, RIGHT? 36:51 YOU WERE PRAYING FOR FREEDOM FROM PERSECUTION. 36:53 BY THE WAY, THAT'S PERFECTLY APPROPRIATE TO PRAY FOR. 36:57 BUT GOD DOESN'T ANSWER THE PRAYER THAT WAY. 37:00 SOMEONE'S GOING TO BE READING FOR US, IN JUST A MINUTE, FROM 37:04 ACTS 9, VERSES 3 TO 5 - DO WE HAVE SOMEONE WITH THAT? 37:08 OKAY, ACTS 9:3-5 WE'LL LOOK AT IN JUST A MOMENT. 37:11 BUT, AGAIN, I WANT YOU TO TRY TO PUT YOURSELF IN THE SITUATION. 37:14 YOU'RE A BELIEVER IN DAMASCUS - MANY MILES AWAY FROM JERUSALEM - 37:19 PROSPEROUS, PROSPEROUS CITY. YOU'RE A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH 37:26 - THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. YOU'RE A JEW - THAT'S WHAT THE 37:28 CHURCH WAS MADE UP - THAT EARLY STAGE - YOU WERE A JEW WHO 37:32 HAD COME TO FAITH IN JESUS. PERHAPS THE MESSAGE HAD 37:35 COME TO YOU AT PENTECOST. MAYBE YOU WERE ATTENDING THERE 37:38 IN JERUSALEM WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS POURED OUT. 37:41 YOU WENT BACK HOME TO DAMASCUS AND SYRIA AND NOW, ON HIS WAY 37:45 THERE, IS SAUL OF TARSUS. HERE'S THE EVENTS THAT TRANSPIRE 37:50 - SO WELL KNOWN - VERSES 3 THROUGH 5. 37:53 PLEASE READ FOR US. >>AS HE JOURNEYED HE CAME NEAR 37:56 DAMASCUS, AND SUDDENLY A LIGHT SHONE AROUND HIM FROM HEAVEN. 38:00 THEN HE FELL TO THE GROUND, AND HEARD A VOICE SAYING TO HIM, 38:04 'SAUL, SAUL, WHY ARE YOU PERSECUTING ME?' 38:07 AND HE SAID, 'WHO ARE YOU, LORD?' 38:09 THEN THE LORD SAID, 'I AM JESUS, WHOM YOU ARE PERSECUTING. 38:13 IT IS HARD FOR YOU TO KICK AGAINST THE GOADS.'" 38:18 >>CAN YOU IMAGINE THE SITUATION? 38:21 WHAT IS SAUL'S WHOLE LIFE FOCUSED ON? 38:26 HIS WHOLE LIFE IS FOCUSED ON DEFENDING GOD FROM THIS HERESY 38:31 THAT WAS STARTED BY THIS FALSE PRETENDER, JESUS, RIGHT? 38:37 HE'S TRYING TO ROOT OUT THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST AND, ON THE 38:40 DAMASCUS ROAD, WHO CONFRONTS HIM? 38:44 >>JESUS. >>JESUS. 'WHO ARE YOU, LORD?' 38:48 'I AM JESUS, WHOM YOU ARE PERSECUTING.' YOU KNOW, THERE'S 38:54 A NUMBER OF TIMES IN THE BIBLE WHERE GOD SPEAKS OF HIS INTIMATE 38:59 CONNECTION WITH EVERY INDIVIDUAL - EVERY INDIVIDUAL - EVERY 39:04 BELIEVER. IN THE OLD TESTAMENT IT SAYS, 39:07 'IN ALL THEIR AFFLICTION HE WAS AFFLICTED - IN ISAIAH 63. 39:14 WHEN JESUS IS SPEAKING OF THE GREAT JUDGMENT IN MATTHEW 25, 39:20 'WHATEVER YOU DID TO THE LEAST OF YOUR BROTHERS, THAT YOU DID 39:24 TO? ME. JESUS SAYS, 'I FEEL WITH YOU 39:29 WHEN YOU'RE GOING THROUGH DIFFICULTY. 39:31 WHEN YOU'RE SUFFERING, I FEEL WITH YOU.' THE CHURCH IS BEING 39:35 PERSECUTED. JESUS SAYS TO SAUL, 'YOU'RE NOT JUST PERSECUTING 39:43 PEOPLE. YOU'RE NOT JUST PERSECUTING CHRISTIANS.' 39:46 WHO DID JESUS SAY HE WAS PERSECUTING? PERSECUTING HIM. 39:54 TAKE COURAGE THIS MORNING. TAKE COURAGE. 39:58 IF YOU'RE STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW, JESUS IS FEELING WITH YOU. 40:02 DO YOU SEE THAT PICTURE HERE? JESUS IS HURTING WITH YOU. 40:05 IF THERE'S SOMETHING - SOME TROUBLE IN YOUR LIFE - JESUS 40:09 FEELS WITH YOU AND HE HASN'T FORGOTTEN YOU. 40:12 AND SO, AS IT LOOKS LIKE GOD HAS FORGOTTEN THE CHURCH - RIGHT? 40:17 I MEAN, HERE'S THIS GUY, HE'S ABOUT TO WIPE - DRAG PEOPLE OUT 40:21 OF THE CHURCH - DRAG THEM OUT OF THEIR HOMES AND BRING THEM TO BE 40:24 KILLED IN JERUSALEM. GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN AND GOD IS 40:31 WORKING ON THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO ARE CAUSING GRIEF 40:34 IN YOUR LIFE AS WELL. SAUL'S RESPONSE, IN VERSE 6 - 40:39 IT SAYS HE WAS TREMBLING AND ASTONISHED - TREMBLING 40:46 AND ASTONISHED. AND HE ASKED THE SIMPLE 40:49 QUESTION: "LORD, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?" 40:54 NOW, COULD JESUS HAVE SPELLED OUT ALL HIS PLANS FOR THE 40:58 APOSTLE RIGHT THERE? COULD HE HAVE DONE IT? 41:01 I MEAN, HE COULD HAVE DONE IT, RIGHT? 41:03 HE WAS GOD, HE COULD HAVE SAID, 'OKAY, HERE'S WHAT'S GOING TO 41:05 HAPPEN.' BUT ALL HE SAYS TO SAUL IS "ARISE AND GO INTO THE CITY, 41:08 AND YOU WILL BE TOLD WHAT YOU MUST DO." 41:11 AND IT SAYS, IN VERSE 8, THAT WHEN SAUL GOT UP FROM THE GROUND 41:15 HE WAS TOTALLY BLIND. THEY HAVE TO LEAD HIM BY THE 41:22 HAND INTO DAMASCUS AND HE WAS THERE THREE DAYS WITHOUT SIGHT 41:28 AND HE NEITHER ATE NOR DRANK. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THERE? 41:34 HAS SOMETHING BEEN GOING GREAT IN YOUR LIFE? 41:36 BY THE WAY, FROM SAUL'S PERSPECTIVE, HOW DO YOU THINK HE 41:39 THOUGHT HIS LIFE WAS PLAYING OUT? 41:43 TREMENDOUS, RIGHT? I MEAN, HE'S A YOUNG GUY, HE'S 41:46 GIVEN ALL THIS AUTHORITY - HE'S A PHARISEE, HE LATER SAYS. 41:50 AS YOU READ THE ACCOUNT OF HIS LIFE HE'S IN A LEADERSHIP 41:53 POSITION. HE'S DOING GREAT THINGS 41:55 FOR - FOR GOD, IN HIS EYES. HE'S ON HIS WAY TO THIS GREAT 42:01 CAMPAIGN WITH AUTHORITY FROM THE LEADERS OF THE CHURCH. 42:07 AND, INSTEAD OF COMING IN THE PROUD CHRISTIAN HUNTER, HOW DOES 42:13 SAUL END UP COMING TO DAMASCUS? 42:17 BLIND, REALIZING THAT EVERYTHING HIS LIFE HAD BEEN FOCUSED ON, 42:22 THE RUG HAD JUST BEEN PULLED OUT FROM UNDER HIM. 42:26 NOW, WE KNOW THE STORY OF SAUL'S LIFE AND WE'RE ALL REJOICING, 42:30 RIGHT? THAT SAUL HAD THAT ENCOUNTER ON 42:32 THE DAMASCUS ROAD, BUT HOW DOES IT FEEL IF GOD ABRUPTLY 42:35 CHANGES YOUR DIRECTION? HOW DOES IT FEEL WHEN IT SEEMS 42:40 LIKE THINGS ARE GOING WELL AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THINGS SEEM 42:42 LIKE THEY'RE FALLING APART? HAVE YOU BEEN THERE? 42:45 BUT GOD ALLOWS IT BECAUSE HE HAS A GREATER PURPOSE FOR SAUL. 42:52 NOW WHAT'S SO FASCINATING IN THIS STORY - WHAT'S SO 42:55 FASCINATING - AS WE READ THROUGH THIS WHOLE SECTION IN ACTS, 43:01 THERE'S AN OPERATIVE WORD - A KEY WORD - NOW, I MAYBE HAVE TO 43:06 USE A FEW MEDICAL ILLUSTRATIONS FOR YOU HERE. 43:10 NOW, IN MEDICINE, WE SOMETIMES HAVE TO LOOK VERY CAREFULLY AT 43:14 THE POTENCY OF REMEDIES. THIS CAN BE TRUE OF NATURAL 43:17 REMEDIES AS WELL AS PHARMACEUTICAL REMEDIES. 43:21 SOME REMEDIES ARE VERY POTENT - JUST A LITTLE BIT GOES A LONG 43:25 WAY. ONE OF THE REMEDIES THAT IS 43:28 COMMONLY USED TODAY IS A DEADLY POISON - IT CAN KILL YOU - IT'S 43:33 BOTULINUM TOXIN - ARE YOU AWARE OF THIS? THEY CALL IT BOTOX. 43:38 BUT IT'S USED, SOMETIMES, IN SMALL AMOUNTS FOR SPASTIC 43:42 CONDITIONS - VERY, VERY TINY AMOUNTS - IT'S A VERY POTENT 43:47 COMPOUND. SO WE HAVE TO THINK IN TERMS OF 43:50 POTENCY, BUT POTENCY IS ALSO TRUE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. 43:54 HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THIS? 43:56 THERE'S A VERY POTENT WORD IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. 43:59 IN FACT, FOR IT'S VOLUME, IT IS PERHAPS THE MOST POTENT WORD. 44:04 IT IS THE ONLY VERB THAT I KNOW OF THAT HAS SUCH POWER AND ONLY 44:09 HAS TWO LETTERS. HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW THE 44:12 TWO-LETTER VERB THAT OCCURS REPEATEDLY IN ACTS 44:16 CHAPTERS 9 AND 10? THAT'S RIGHT, THE WORD IS 'GO'. 44:22 DID YOU SEE IT ALREADY IN ACTS 9? 44:26 DID YOU PICK UP ON IT? WHERE DO YOU SEE 44:32 IT THERE IN ACTS 9? THAT'S RIGHT. 44:36 WHEN SAUL ASKS 'WHO ARE YOU?' HE SAYS, 'I'M JESUS.' AND THEN, 44:43 AS HE ENGAGES IN DIALOGUE WITH HIM, IN VERSE 6, JESUS 44:49 SAYS, 'ARISE AND GO.' GO. NO WE COME TO ANANIAS. 44:58 NOW, THERE'S MORE THAN ONE ANANIAS IN THE BIBLE. 45:02 THERE'S A HIGH PRIEST NAMED ANANIAS. 45:04 THERE'S AN UNFAITHFUL BELIEVER WHO WAS STRUCK DEAD. 45:07 AND NOW HERE'S THE FAITHFUL ANANIAS IN VERSE 10. 45:11 SAUL IS THERE PRAYING FOR THREE DAYS - FASTING - AND IT SAYS IN 45:17 VERSE 10 ANANIAS IS GIVEN A VISION. 45:20 HOW DOES THE VISION BEGIN? HIS NAME IS SPOKEN. 45:28 THE LORD SPEAKS TO HIM. "ANANIAS." 45:30 IS THERE ANY QUESTION JESUS IS SPEAKING TO HIM? 45:34 NO QUESTION. "ANANIAS." HE SAYS, "HERE I AM, LORD." 45:38 VERSE 11, "SO THE LORD SAID TO HIM, 'ARISE AND GO TO THE 45:42 STREET CALLED STRAIGHT, AND INQUIRE AT THE HOUSE OF JUDAS 45:48 FOR ONE CALLED SAUL OF TARSUS, FOR BEHOLD, HE IS PRAYING. 45:52 AND IN A VISION HE" - SAUL - "HAS SEEN A MAN NAMED ANANIAS 45:57 COMING IN AND PUTTING HIS HAND ON HIM, SO THAT HE MIGHT RECEIVE 46:00 HIS SIGHT." WELL, WE'RE GOING TO READ 46:03 ANANIAS' RESPONSE IN JUST A MOMENT. 46:05 DOES SOMEONE HAVE VERSES 13 AND ONWARD? 46:08 WE'LL GO THERE IN JUST A MOMENT, BUT ARE YOU CATCHING THE 46:12 OPERATIVE WORD THAT IS INITIALLY GIVEN TO ANANIAS WITH HIS 46:15 MISSION? WHAT IS HE SUPPOSED TO DO? 46:18 JUST LIKE SAUL, HE'S CALLED TO ARISE AND GO. OKAY? 46:24 NOW, DOES HE IMMEDIATELY CATCH THE SIGNIFICANCE? 46:27 LET'S LISTEN AS OUR SISTER READS FROM VERSES 13 AND 14 OF ACTS 9. 46:32 >>"THEN ANANIAS ANSWERED, 'LORD, I HAVE HEARD FROM MANY ABOUT 46:37 THIS MAN, HOW MUCH HARM HE HAS DONE TO YOUR SAINTS IN 46:42 JERUSALEM. AND HERE HE HAS AUTHORITY FROM 46:46 THE CHIEF PRIESTS TO BIND ALL WHO CALL ON YOUR NAME." 46:53 SO, DOES HE GET IT? DOES ANANIAS GET THE MESSAGE AT FIRST? 46:57 HAVE YOU BEEN THERE BEFORE? HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU REASONED 47:02 WITH GOD WHEN HE'S TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO? 47:05 'NOW, LORD, I THINK YOU MISUNDERSTAND. 47:07 YOU KNOW, I REALLY CAN'T DO - GO TO CHURCH EVERY SABBATH? 47:10 I MEAN, DO YOU UNDERSTAND? I MEAN, I WORK ON SABBATHS. 47:15 WHAT? YOU WANT ME - I MEAN, LORD, DO -' 47:17 HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN THERE BEFORE? 47:19 'TALK TO THAT PERSON? WHAT DO YOU - I MEAN, THAT'S NOT 47:22 THE HOLY SPIRIT, I MEAN, HOW CAN I TALK -' HAVE YOU BEEN THERE? 47:26 SO THE HOLY SPIRIT - HERE IT SAYS JESUS HIMSELF, THE LORD, 47:31 SPEAKING TO ANANIAS SAYS, 'ARISE AND GO' AND WHAT DOES HE SAY? 47:37 IT'S LIKE, 'LORD, I'VE GOT TO KIND OF FILL YOU IN ON SOME OF 47:39 THE DETAILS.' SO WHAT DOES GOD SAY? 47:42 'OH, OH, I MADE A MISTAKE.' DOES HE SAY THAT? 47:45 WHAT IS HIS NEXT - HIS NEXT WORDS? 47:48 WE'RE SPEAKING OF THE DIVINE WORD. 47:51 WHAT IS GOD'S WORD TO HIM IN VERSE 15? GO. 47:57 I HAVE A MISSIONARY FRIEND, HE'S SERVING IN A FOREIGN FIELD. 48:02 AND HE ONCE SAID TO ME, 'HOW COME WE READ SO MUCH ABOUT THE 48:07 WORD 'GO' BUT EVERYONE WANTS TO STAY?' 48:12 WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? DOES HE HAVE SOME INSIGHT? 48:15 IS THERE SOME TRUTH IN THAT? 48:17 YOU KNOW, THE QUESTION IS, 'WHAT IS GOD CALLING ME TO DO? 48:20 IS HE CALLING ME TO GO SOMEWHERE? 48:23 AND, BY THE WAY, GOING SOMEWHERE DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO 48:25 TRANSFER YOUR MEMBERSHIP OUT OF THE GRANITE BAY CHURCH, BUT IT 48:29 MAY MEAN THAT HE'S CALLING YOU TO GO AND SPEND SOME TIME 48:34 VISITING YOUR NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR. 48:36 OR MAYBE GOING ON THAT SHORT-TERM MISSION TRIP. 48:40 OR IT MAY BE GOING TO A DIFFERENT PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT. 48:43 I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, BUT I KNOW IN GOD'S LEADING IN MY LIFE 48:47 HE TYPICALLY HAS NOT LED ME IN PLACES WHERE I SAID, 'OH, GOOD, 48:50 LORD. I'M GLAD. THAT'S JUST WHERE I WANTED TO 48:52 GO.' IT'S USUALLY NOT THAT WAY. AND SO IT IS WITH ANANIAS HERE. 48:56 SO AFTER HEARING IT TWICE - VERSE 17 - ANANIAS GOES. 49:03 HE ENTERS THE HOUSE - AND I LOVE VERSE 17 OF ACTS 9 - I LOVE HOW 49:07 ANANIAS GREETS SAUL. WHAT DOES HE SAY? 49:13 >>BROTHER. >>"BROTHER SAUL" - BROTHER SAUL. 49:16 ISN'T THAT TREMENDOUS, BROTHER SAUL? 49:19 BY THE WAY, HOW MUCH TIME HAD TRANSPIRED FROM SAUL BEING THE 49:24 DETERMINED PERSECUTOR OF THE CHURCH TO THE CONVERTED PAUL? 49:34 THREE DAYS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A - WE'RE 49:36 TALKING ABOUT THREE DAYS. NOW SOME PEOPLE SAY, 'HEY, 49:39 THAT'S TOO SOON, DR. DEROSE. YOU KNOW, SOMEONE CAN'T BE 49:42 CONVERTED AND, YOU KNOW, COME INTO THE CHURCH AND BE 49:44 BAPTIZED IN THREE DAYS. CAN'T HAPPEN.' NOW, GRANTED, ALL 49:47 THESE QUICK CONVERSIONS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, PEOPLE HAD A LOT 49:49 OF PREPARATION BEHIND THEM. PAUL, YOU KNOW, HE WAS VERY 49:52 FAMILIAR WITH THE OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES. 49:54 BUT, YOU KNOW, AS A PHYSICIAN, I KNOW HOW THIS WORKS. 49:58 I KNOW HOW SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, THINGS JUST DON'T 50:02 LINE UP AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU JUST GET ONE PIECE OF 50:04 INFORMATION AND THE WHOLE PUZZLE ALL COMES TOGETHER. 50:08 ONE OF THE CLASSIC DIAGNOSES THAT PHYSICIANS MISS, YOU KNOW, 50:12 MAY PLAY OUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS: SOMEONE COMES TO THE 50:14 EMERGENCY ROOM - TERRIBLE CHEST PAIN - AND THEY END UP DOING ALL 50:17 THE HEART WORK-UP AND IT'S ALL NEGATIVE. 50:20 AND A FEW DAYS LATER, MAYBE THE SAME DOCTOR SEEING THE PATIENT, 50:27 THEY COME BACK IN - STILL TERRIBLE PAIN - AND THEY LOOK, 50:31 AGAIN, AT THEIR CHEST AND THEY SEE A LITTLE BLISTER. 50:35 AND ALL OF A SUDDEN - JUST - ALL OF THE PIECES JUST COME 50:37 TOGETHER. THEY HAVE SHINGLES, OKAY? 50:41 FAIRLY A COMMON DIAGNOSIS THAT'S MISSED. 50:44 IT CAN PRESENT WITH TERRIBLE PAIN, INITIALLY. 50:46 SO YOU SAY - WELL, ALL THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE WERE STILL 50:51 THERE - THEY WERE ALL THE SAME - BUT YOU GET THAT ONE ESSENTIAL 50:54 INGREDIENT AND THEN EVERYTHING FALLS TOGETHER. 50:56 'OH YES, THAT'S WHAT IT WAS! THEY WEREN'T HAVING A HEART 50:58 ATTACK.' SO IT IS WITH SAUL. ALL THESE PIECES - THE LORD 51:05 SAID HE WAS KICKING AGAINST THE GOADS. 51:06 GOD WAS TRYING TO LEAD SAUL AND HE WAS RESISTING. 51:10 HE WAS LISTENING TO HIS TEACHERS. 51:12 HE WAS GIVING MORE DEFERENCE TO THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS THAN HE 51:17 WAS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT'S CONVICTIONS ON HIS HEART. 51:20 BUT, FINALLY, THERE'S THAT TELLING PIECE OF EVIDENCE. 51:22 JESUS SAYS 'YOU'RE PERSECUTING ME.. AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, 51:25 IN THOSE THREE DAYS, ALL OF THE DOTS JUST COME TOGETHER. 51:29 AND HE REALIZES JESUS IS WHO? >>THE MESSIAH. 51:32 >>HE IS THE MESSIAH. JESUS IS THE MESSIAH. 51:35 AND IT'S AMAZING WHAT HAPPENS BECAUSE SAUL, THERE, IN THE 51:41 PRESENCE OF ANANIAS, IF YOU READ SOME OF THE PARALLEL ACCOUNTS - 51:45 BY THE WAY, ACTS 9 IS NOT THE ONLY PLACE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT 51:50 WHERE WE READ THIS STORY. PAUL RECITES HIS OWN CONVERSION 51:53 IN ACTS 22 AND IN ACTS 26 - YOU CAN READ - THE PARALLEL 51:57 ACCOUNTS, SOME OF THEM GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE NUANCES 52:00 OF THE STORY THAN YOU EVEN READ IN ACTS 9. 52:04 AND IT SEEMS THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS MOVING ON ANANIAS TO 52:07 APPEAL TO PAUL TO BE BAPTIZED. AND SO HE'S BAPTIZED 52:12 THERE AFTER THREE DAYS. AND HE ENDS UP BECOMING THE 52:18 CHAMPION OF THE CHURCH. GO WITH ME TO GALATIANS 1 52:22 BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE WE'LL BE PICKING UP THE STORY IN OUR NEXT 52:24 LESSON. BUT THIS IS NOT JUST SOME INCIDENTAL BACKGROUND TO 52:29 THE AUTHOR. THE STORY OF PAUL'S CONVERSION IS FOUNDATIONAL TO 52:34 UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF GALATIANS BECAUSE HE EMPHASIZES 52:38 EARLY IN THAT BOOK THAT HIS AUTHORITY IS BASED ON HIS VERY 52:45 CALLING AND THAT THAT CALLING CAME NOT FROM THE EARLY CHURCH, 52:49 NOT FROM GOING TO AN EVANGELISTIC MEETING, BUT IT 52:52 CAME FROM JESUS PERSONALLY CALLING HIM. 52:55 LOOK AT GALATIANS 1, VERSE 1 - GALATIANS 1:1 - PAUL SAYS, I'M 53:00 "AN APOSTLE (NOT FROM MEN NOR THROUGH MAN, BUT THROUGH JESUS 53:04 CHRIST AND GOD THE FATHER WHO RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD)," - 53:09 AND THEN, AS YOU READ ON IN VERSE 11 OF GALATIANS 1, "BUT I 53:14 MAKE KNOWN TO YOU, BRETHREN, THAT THE GOSPEL WHICH WAS 53:17 PREACHED BY ME IS NOT ACCORDING TO MAN. 53:21 FOR I NEITHER RECEIVED IT FROM MAN, NOR WAS I TAUGHT IT, BUT IT 53:24 CAME THROUGH THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST." 53:28 SO THERE, ON THAT DAMASCUS ROAD, BEGINS PAUL'S JOURNEY. 53:32 AND IN THOSE THREE DAYS OF FASTING AND PRAYER IN DAMASCUS, 53:35 GOD IS OPENING HIS EYES AND, AS YOU READ THROUGH GALATIANS - 53:39 ACTUALLY YOU PICK UP ON ANOTHER DETAIL THAT YOU MAY NOT PICK UP 53:44 IN READING ACTS 9, IN FACT, YOU WON'T. 53:47 IT SAYS - LOOK AT THIS - IN VERSE 16 - WHEN GOD WAS PLEASED 53:51 "TO REVEAL HIS SON IN ME, THAT I MIGHT PREACH HIM AMONG THE 53:54 GENTILES, I DID NOT IMMEDIATELY CONFER WITH FLESH AND BLOOD, NOR 53:58 DID I GO UP TO JERUSALEM TO THOSE WHO WERE APOSTLES BEFORE 54:01 ME; BUT I WENT TO ARABIA, AND RETURNED AGAIN TO DAMASCUS." 54:06 SO AS YOU READ THROUGH ACTS 9 YOU MAY NOT PICK UP THAT DETAIL, 54:10 BUT DURING SAUL'S TIME THERE IN DAMASCUS HE'S CONVERTED, BEGINS 54:14 TO PREACH, THEN HE LEAVES FOR A PERIOD OF SEVERAL YEARS, TO 54:18 ARABIA WHERE, AGAIN, HE'S TAUGHT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE GOSPEL - 54:23 THE GOOD NEWS THAT JESUS IS THE MESSIAH - THAT WE CAN ALL COME 54:27 TO HIM - THAT JESUS WANTS TO DO FOR EVERYONE OF US JUST WHAT HE 54:30 DID FOR SAUL. HE WANTS TO STOP US IN THE MIDST 54:34 OF OUR WORLDLY PURSUITS AND HE WANTS TO TELL US TO 54:37 GO AND TELL THE WORLD. HAVE YOU HEARD THAT MESSAGE YET? 54:42 I BELIEVE HE'S TRYING TO COMMUNICATE IT AGAIN, TO ME, AND 54:46 HE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT BY GOD'S GRACE, AS WE CONTINUE 54:49 THROUGH THIS LESSON. MAKE SURE YOU CONTINUE TO STUDY 54:52 WITH US NEXT WEEK - LESSON #2 - THE GOSPEL IN GALATIANS - IF 54:57 YOU DIDN'T CATCH IT AT THE BEGINNING, WE'VE GOT A SPECIAL 54:58 GIFT OFFER THAT GOES ALONG WITH TODAY'S LESSON. 55:02 IT'S JOE CREWS' BOOK RICHES OF GRACE . 55:06 FOR ANYONE IN NORTH AMERICA YOU CAN SIMPLY GIVE US A CALL AT 55:09 866-STUDY-MORE, THAT'S 866-788-3966 - IT'S OFFER #152 - 55:18 RICHES OF GRACE. WELL, UNTIL NEXT WEEK, WE'LL 55:22 LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT GOD DOES IN YOUR LIFE AS WE CONTINUE 55:26 TO STUDY AND PRESS CLOSE TO HIM. MAY GOD BLESS YOU. (MUSIC) 55:42 >>I'M HERE IN THE BEAUTIFUL ISLAND NATION OF FIJI 55:45 THAT'S FILLED WITH EXOTIC ANIMALS, BEAUTIFUL VEGETATION, 55:49 AND SPECTACULAR SCENERY. THE PEOPLE HERE ARE SOME OF THE 55:52 NICEST IN THE WORLD, BUT IT HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY. 55:55 THIS WAS ONCE KNOWN AS THE CANNIBAL ISLANDS. THE FIJIAN 56:00 WARRIORS WERE SOME OF THE FIERCEST IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC 56:03 AND GREATLY FEARED - YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY - 56:05 THIS IS ONE OF THE WEAPONS THEY USED FOR BREAKING 56:08 THE NECK OF THEIR ADVERSARIES. 56:10 AND, LONG BEFORE THEY WERE KILLING AND EATING MISSIONARIES, 56:12 THEY WERE FIGHTING WITH AND KILLING AND EATING EACH OTHER. 56:16 IN FACT, AS YOU GO TO THE DIFFERENT TOURIST LOCATIONS ON 56:18 THE ISLAND, THEY'LL SELL YOU REMAKES OF SOME OF THE FORKS 56:22 THEY USED FOR EATING HUMAN BRAINS. 56:26 IN FACT, THERE WAS ONE CANNIBAL CHIEF, RATU UDRE UDRE, DURING 56:30 THE 1800S THAT IS IN THE GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS 56:33 FOR HAVING KILLED AND EATEN THE MOST VICTIMS. 56:36 HE BRAGGED THAT EVERY TIME HE KILLED SOMEONE HE SET A STONE 56:38 ASIDE AND BY THE END OF HIS LIFE HE HAD A PRETTY BIG PILE OF 56:41 STONES. IT'S ESTIMATED HE ATE SOMEWHERE 56:44 IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 900 PEOPLE - OH MY. 56:50 YOU KNOW, THE FIJIANS WERE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO HAD A MONOPOLY 56:52 ON CANNIBALISM, IN FACT, THE BIBLE SAYS THAT WE ARE ALL 56:55 CAPABLE OF BEING CANNIBALS. GALATIANS 5:15 SAYS IF WE BITE 57:00 AND DEVOUR ONE ANOTHER, WE MAY END UP CONSUMING ONE ANOTHER. 57:04 THAT'S TALKING ABOUT DESTROYING PEOPLE'S REPUTATION BY MEAN 57:07 GOSSIP. ONE FAMOUS MISSIONARY NAMED 57:09 PATTON, WHEN HE WAS PREPARING TO GO TO THE CANNIBAL ISLES, HIS 57:12 FRIENDS AND FAMILY BEGGED HIM NOT TO GO. 57:14 THEY SAID, 'YOU'LL BE EATEN.' HE SAID, 'IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME 57:17 IF I DIE AND AM EATEN BY WORMS OR IF GOD WILLS THAT I'M EATEN 57:21 BY CANNIBALS, AS LONG AS I'M DOING THE WILL OF GOD. 57:24 WELL, HE WENT TO THE CANNIBAL ISLES AND BROUGHT MANY TO CHRIST 57:27 AND DIED PEACEFULLY IN HIS OLD AGE. 57:29 SOME OF THE ANCIENT CANNIBAL CULTURES BELIEVED THAT WHEN YOU 57:32 KILLED AND WHEN YOU DEVOURED YOUR ENEMY, YOU WOULD SOMEHOW 57:35 TAKE WITHIN YOU THEIR SPIRITUAL STRENGTHS OR POWERS. 57:38 BUT THAT'S REALLY ABSURD - BUT THERE IS A KIND OF CANNIBALISM 57:41 ENDORSED IN SCRIPTURE. THAT'S RIGHT, JESUS SAID, 'IN 57:45 JOHN CHAPTER 6, VERSE 53, "EXCEPT YOU EAT MY FLESH AND 57:48 DRINK MY BLOOD, YOU HAVE NO LIFE IN YOU. 57:51 AND YOU DON'T NEED THESE TOOLS TO DO IT. 57:53 WHAT YOU NEED IS TO READ HIS WORD AND LEARN ABOUT HIS LIFE. 57:57 ACCEPT BY FAITH HIS SACRIFICE IN YOUR PLACE AND YOU CAN HAVE A 58:00 NEW HEART AND BE A NEW CREATURE. YOU CAN EVEN DO IT RIGHT NOW. 58:04 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2017-06-26