Participants: Pr. Shawn Brummund
Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021739A
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00:00 (MUSIC)
00:35 >>GOOD MORNING, FRIENDS, AND WELCOME TO SABBATH SCHOOL 00:37 STUDY HOUR, COMING TO YOU HERE FROM THE GRANITE BAY SEVENTH-DAY 00:39 ADVENTIST CHURCH. I'D LIKE TO WELCOME OUR ONLINE 00:41 MEMBERS AND THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE WATCHING ON THE VARIOUS 00:44 TELEVISION NETWORKS - ALWAYS A JOY TO BE ABLE TO GET TOGETHER 00:48 ON SABBATH MORNING AND STUDY THE WORD OF GOD. 00:50 I'D ALSO LIKE TO WELCOME OUR REGULAR MEMBERS AND OUR 00:53 VISITORS, ALWAYS HERE SABBATH MORNING - GOOD TO SEE YOU TODAY. 00:56 WE'RE WORKING OUR WAY THROUGH OUR LESSON QUARTERLY DEALING 01:00 WITH THE GOSPEL IN GALATIANS. ACTUALLY, TODAY, WE FIND 01:03 OURSELVES AT THE VERY END. ]WE'RE ON LESSON #14 ENTITLED 01:07 BOASTING IN THE CROSS - THAT'S LESSON #14. 01:10 USUALLY THERE ARE 13 LESSONS IN A QUARTER, BUT WE HAVE AN EXTRA 01:14 ONE THIS QUARTER. OUR FINAL ONE TODAY IS 01:17 BOASTING IN THE CROSS . WE WILL BE STARTING A NEW LESSON 01:20 STUDY NEXT WEEK, AND I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS. 01:22 THIS ONE'S ON THE BOOK OF ROMANS. 01:24 SO, FOR OUR MEMBERS RIGHT HERE AND THOSE WHO ARE VISITING, YOU 01:27 MIGHT WANT TO GET A COPY OF OUR STUDY GUIDE FOR NEXT QUARTER. 01:31 ALSO, FOR OUR FRIENDS WHO ARE WATCHING, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO 01:33 CONTACT THE LOCAL ADVENTIST CHURCH AND YOU CAN GET A COPY OF 01:36 THE LESSON, OR YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AT THE AMAZING FACTS WEBSITE - 01:40 JUST AMAZINGFACTS.ORG - AND YOU CAN START PREPARING FOR NEXT 01:43 WEEKS' STUDY ON THE BOOK OF ROMANS. 01:46 BEFORE WE GET TO OUR SINGING THIS MORNING, WE DO HAVE A FREE 01:49 OFFER THAT WE'D LIKE TO TELL OUR FRIENDS WATCHING IN NORTH 01:51 AMERICA THAT WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE THIS BOOK ENTITLED 01:55 HIDDEN EYES AND CLOSED EARS , THE NUMBER TO CALL FOR THAT IS 01:59 866-788-3966 AND YOU CAN ASK FOR OFFER #726 - THAT NUMBER, AGAIN, 02:06 IS 866-788-3966 - ASK FOR OFFER #726. 02:11 WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SEND THIS TO ANYBODY IN NORTH AMERICA. 02:14 IF YOU'RE OUTSIDE OF NORTH AMERICA AND YOU'D LIKE TO READ 02:16 THIS BOOK, JUST GO TO THE AMAZING FACTS WEBSITE - 02:19 AMAZINGFACTS.ORG - AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DOWNLOAD THE BOOK AND 02:22 READ IT THERE. IT'S TIME FOR US TO SING SO I 02:25 HOPE YOU'RE READY TO LIFE YOUR VOICES IN SONG. 02:27 I'D LIKE TO INVITE OUR SONG LEADERS TO COME FORWARD AND 02:29 WE'LL START BY SINGING TOGETHER. (PIANO MUSIC) 02:37 >>THANK YOU, PASTOR ROSS, AND WE HAVE BEEN WARMING UP OUR VOICES 02:41 HERE AT GRANITE BAY AND SO WE ARE READY TO JOIN WITH YOU 02:43 AROUND THE WORLD. SO, I ENCOURAGE YOU, IF YOU HAVE 02:46 A HYMNAL, PULL IT OUT AND JOIN WITH US ON #306 - DRAW ME NEARER 02:52 - THIS GOES ALONG WITH THE THEME OF OUR LESSON TODAY, AND WE'RE 02:56 GOING TO DO ALL THREE STANZAS - #306. 02:59 (PIANO MUSIC) 05:05 >>IS THAT YOUR PRAYER TODAY - AND EVERY DAY? 05:09 DRAW ME NEARER, NEARER, NEARER BLESSED LORD. 05:14 CONTINUING WITH THIS THEME, WE'RE GOING TO SING, I KNOW, A 05:17 FAVORITE AROUND THE WORLD - NEAR THE CROSS - THIS BEAUTIFUL HYMN 05:22 YOU CAN FIND ON #312 IN YOUR HYMNAL AND WE'RE GOING TO SING 05:27 THE FIRST, SECOND, AND FOURTH STANZAS - #312. 05:31 (PIANO MUSIC) 08:07 >>THAT DAY IS COMING VERY SOON, WHEN YOU SEE WHAT IS GOING ON IN 08:10 THIS CRAZY WORLD - VERY SOON. REST BEYOND THE RIVER. AT THIS 08:17 TIME PASTOR ROSS IS GOING TO HAVE OUR OPENING PRAYER FOR US. 08:31 >>LET'S BOW OUR HEADS FOR A WORD OF PRAYER. DEAR FATHER IN 08:33 HEAVEN, WHAT A PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO GATHER IN YOUR HOUSE 08:36 THIS SABBATH MORNING AND OPEN UP YOUR WORD AND STUDY TOGETHER. 08:40 FATHER, WE RECOGNIZE THE BIBLE IS YOUR BOOK AND IN ORDER TO 08:42 CORRECTLY UNDERSTAND IT, WE NEED THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 08:46 SO WE'D ASK, ONCE AGAIN, THAT YOU WOULD COME AND SPEAK TO OUR 08:48 HEARTS AND OUR MINDS AS WE LOOK AT THIS GREAT THEME OF THE CROSS 08:53 - ABOUT THAT PLAN OF REDEMPTION THAT'S BEEN PROVIDED FOR EACH OF 08:56 US THAT WE MIGHT BE SAVED. BLESS OUR TIME TOGETHER, TODAY, FOR WE 08:59 ASK THIS IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN. >>AMEN. 09:03 >>OUR LESSON TODAY IS GOING TO BE BROUGHT TO US BY OUR NEW 09:05 FAMILY LIFE PASTOR HERE AT THE GRANITE BAY CHURCH. 09:08 WE'RE DELIGHTED THAT PASTOR SHAWN BRUMMUND IS WITH US AND 09:11 HE'LL BE BRINGING US OUR LESSON. THANK YOU, SHAWN. 09:14 >>GOOD MORNING. >>GOOD MORNING. 09:16 >>IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL HERE IN GRANITE BAY, OUR FAMILY'S NEW 09:21 CHURCH. AND IT IS SUCH A BLESSING TO BE 09:23 ABLE TO COME TOGETHER ON SABBATH SCHOOL AND TO BE ABLE TO STUDY, 09:26 ONE MORE TIME, THIS GREAT BOOK THAT GOD HAS GIVEN TO US - THE 09:29 BOOK OF GALATIANS - AND IT'S ALSO GOOD TO BE ABLE TO STUDY 09:33 WITH ALL OUR ONLINE MEMBERS, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO ARE WATCHING 09:36 ON TV AND I WANT TO START BY SHARING A BIT OF A STORY, AND 09:42 THIS PARTICULAR STORY JUST HAPPENED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO 09:45 AND MY WIFE SHARED WITH ME, AS SHE CAME TO ME WITH A VERY 09:48 SERIOUS LOOK ON HER FACE, BECAUSE SHE HAD RECEIVED A VERY 09:52 DISTURBING TEXT ON HER CELL PHONE. AND THIS PARTICULAR TEXT 09:59 HAD COME TO HER FROM A RANDOM STRANGER. 10:02 AS WE LOOKED IT UP ONLINE OR SEARCHED IT SOMEHOW ON GOOGLE 10:05 AND DISCOVERED WHERE THIS PHONE NUMBER HAD COME FROM, WE 10:08 DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS SOMEBODY IN THE BAY AREA. 10:11 SOMEBODY IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA HAD TEXTED HER. 10:14 NOW, I HAVE TO SAY THAT EVERYTHING ON THAT TEXT IS NOT 10:18 REPEATABLE HERE IN OUR LESSON STUDY TODAY. 10:22 THE BEGINNING OF THE TEXT STARTED TO TELL DENISE THAT SHE 10:26 NEEDS TO GET HER ACT TOGETHER AND THEN IT WENT ON TO USE SOME 10:29 VERY COLORFUL LANGUAGE THAT, AGAIN, I WON'T BE REPEATING HERE 10:33 TODAY. THE MOST DISTURBING PART OF THAT 10:36 PARTICULAR TEXT IS THAT IT WENT ON, THEN, TO THREATEN HER 10:40 LIFE AND ALSO THE LIFE OF HER CHILDREN. 10:44 AND SO, NOT EXACTLY THE NICEST 'WELCOME TO AMERICA'. 10:49 SOME OF YOU KNOW THAT I'M FROM CANADA AND OUR FAMILY HAS MOVED 10:52 HERE FROM CANADA BUT, EVEN AS I SAY THAT, I HAVE TO SAY THAT ON 10:57 EVERY OTHER FRONT, COMING HERE TO AMERICA HAS BEEN POSITIVE AND 11:02 I'M JUST SO THANKFUL FOR THE WARM WELCOME THAT WE HAVE 11:06 RECEIVED FROM THE GRANITE BAY CHURCH. 11:08 WE HAVE BEAUTIFUL NEIGHBORS - WONDERFUL NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WE 11:10 LIVE IN HERE IN CARMICHAEL, AT THE TIME. 11:12 AND, YOU KNOW, ON EVERY OTHER FRONT, SINCE WE'VE BEEN TO 11:16 AMERICA, WE HAVE SEEN NOTHING BUT POSITIVE AND WE'RE VERY, 11:19 VERY THANKFUL FOR THAT. BUT THIS PARTICULAR EXPERIENCE 11:22 WAS NOT QUITE AS POSITIVE. NOW, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WHEN 11:25 DENISE SHOWED ME THAT PARTICULAR TEXT, IT WAS NOT ONLY DISTURBING 11:30 TO HER, BUT IT GOT MY GOAT VERY QUICKLY AND MY BLOOD PRESSURE 11:34 WENT UP, MY TEMPERATURE WENT UP, AND I FOUND MYSELF VERY 11:39 DISTURBED AND VERY CONCERNED BY THE WORDING OF THIS 11:42 PARTICULAR TEXT. AT THE SAME TIME, I HAVE TO SAY 11:46 THAT WHAT LIT ME UP, AT THE MOMENT AND, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE 11:50 DAY HAD COME WHEN WE RECEIVED THIS TEXT, IS THE KNEE-JERK 11:53 REACTION THAT I SOON DISCOVERED DENISE HAD ALREADY TEXTED BACK 11:58 TO THIS PARTICULAR CULPRIT. AND WHEN I LOOKED AT HER 12:02 RESPONSE, I WAS SURPRISED AND A LITTLE BIT - FOUND IT HUMOROUS 12:07 - THAT HER FIRST WORD WITH AN EXCLAMATION MARK WAS "WHATEVER!" 12:12 (LAUGHTER) AND I THOUGHT TO MYSELF - IN FACT, OUR FAMILY HAS 12:17 BEEN KIND OF GIGGLING AND MAKING LIGHT OF IT SINCE, BECAUSE WE'VE 12:19 BEEN, KIND OF, IMAGINING THIS KIND OF HARDENED, PSYCHOTIC, 12:25 CRIMINAL HIDING IN SOME DARK ROOM IN HIS HOUSE IN THE BAY 12:29 AREA, TEXTING DEATH THREATS TO RANDOM DIFFERENT PEOPLE, AND 12:33 THEN WHEN DENISE HAD RESPONDED, HIS HEAD'S COCKED AND HE'S 12:36 LOOKING A LITTLE BIT PUZZLED AS HE LOOKS AT IT AND HE SAYS, 12:38 'I'VE NEVER GOTTEN A RESPONSE TO A DEATH THREAT THIS WAY - 12:41 'WHATEVER!' (LAUGHTER) NOW, I HAVE TO SAY THAT WHEN I WENT ON 12:45 AND CONTINUED TO READ THAT PARTICULAR TEXT, DENISE WENT ON 12:49 AND SAID, YOU KNOW, 'LISTEN, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO 12:52 UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE NEVER TO TEXT THIS NUMBER AGAIN AND THAT 12:56 YOU HAVE BEEN REPORTED.' IT'S INTERESTING, OVER THE NEXT DAY, 13:01 HE ENDED UP TEXTING HER AGAIN ANYWAY, BUT THIS TIME WITH AN 13:05 APOLOGY AND, AS IT TURNS OUT, DENISE HAD JUST RECEIVED THIS 13:09 NEW NUMBER AS WE GOT OUR CELL PACKAGE HERE IN SACRAMENTO, AND 13:13 SO IT MUST HAVE BEEN A PREVIOUS OWNER OF THAT PARTICULAR CELL 13:16 NUMBER AND HE WAS INTENDING TO REACH A WOMAN BY THE NAME OF 13:20 BLAINEY, HE SAID, AND 'I APOLOGIZE, IT WASN'T INTENDED 13:23 FOR YOU.' THE OTHER THING THAT WE HAD DISCOVERED AS WE HAD 13:29 RESEARCHED AND LOOKED AT WHAT THE AUTHORITIES DO ON SUCH AN 13:32 EVENT AS THIS BECAUSE WE WERE NOT ONLY CONCERNED FOR OUR 13:34 LIVES, BUT THEN WE BEGAN TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS OTHER 13:37 WOMAN. YOU KNOW, SURE IT'S NOT INTENDED FOR US - APOLOGY 13:40 ACCEPTED, I SUPPOSE - BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS OTHER POOR WOMAN? 13:44 AS IT TURNS OUT, THE AUTHORITIES DON'T RESPOND TO DEATH THREATS 13:49 UNLESS IT COMES AT LEAST TWO TIMES - AT LEAST TWO TIMES - SO 13:54 I GUESS THE RATIONALE BEHIND IT IS THAT MOST OR, I'M GUESSING 13:59 AND HOPING, ALL OF THEM SURVIVE BETWEEN THE FIRST DEATH THREAT 14:03 AND THE SECOND DEATH THREAT. AND I HOPE THAT'S THE CASE, IN 14:08 EVERY CASE, WHEN IT COMES TO THIS KIND OF ACTIVITY. 14:14 WHEN THE APOSTLE PAUL LEARNED THAT THE NEW CHURCHES IN THE 14:16 AREA OF GALATIA WERE BEING MISLED WITH A VERY SERIOUS 14:20 HERESY, WHILE HE WAS AWAY FROM THAT PARTICULAR AREA, AWAY FROM 14:24 THOSE CHURCHES IN WHICH HE HAD PLANTED AND, ON TOP OF IT, AND 14:29 EVEN WORSE, PAUL HAD DISCOVERED THAT THE BULK OF THE NEW 14:31 BELIEVERS WERE FALLING FOR IT, HE, TOO, WAS VERY UNDERSTANDABLY 14:37 UPSET. HE, TOO, WAS ALSO DISTURBED. 14:39 HE, TOO, WAS ALSO VERY CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THESE 14:43 PRECIOUS CHURCHES THAT HE, HIMSELF, AGAIN, HAD PLANTED. 14:48 NOW, RATHER THAN TEXTING BACK, HE HAD DONE SOMETHING DIFFERENT. 14:51 THE LORD HAD CALLED HIM TO BE A PROPHET AND SO HE - THE LORD 14:55 SENT HIM TO PEN AND PAPER - AND WHEN HE WENT TO PEN AND PAPER, 14:58 HE WROTE OUT A VERY INSPIRED, IMPORTANT LETTER TO STRAIGHTEN 15:01 THINGS OUT AS BEST AS HE COULD IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA. 15:06 I'D LIKE TO INVITE YOU, AS WE OPEN UP TO GALATIANS - GALATIANS 15:09 CHAPTER 6 - GALATIANS CHAPTER 6 - AS WE WRAP UP THE LAST VERSES 15:16 OF THIS IMPORTANT BOOK OF THE NEW TESTAMENT - GALATIANS 15:19 CHAPTER 6 - AND WE'RE GOING TO START WITH VERSE 11 - RIGHT TO 15:24 THE END OF THE CHAPTER - RIGHT THROUGH TO THE END OF THE BOOK. 15:27 AGAIN, AS WE HAVE ALREADY HEARD THROUGH OUR INTRODUCTION, WE'RE 15:29 IN THE BOOK OF GALATIANS. WE'RE FINISHING THE LAST STUDY, 15:32 FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MIGHT BE JUST TUNING IN, THE GOSPEL IN 15:35 GALATIANS IS THE BOOK THAT WE'RE READING, OR AT LEAST THE STUDY 15:39 GUIDE THAT WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH AND IT'S THE LAST STUDY 15:40 GUIDE - #14 - BOASTING IN THE CROSS. 15:44 AND SO, WE'RE JUST GOING TO GO AHEAD AND READ THOSE LAST SEVEN 15:47 OR EIGHT VERSES. VERSE 11, IT SAYS THIS: "SEE 15:50 WITH WHAT LARGE LETTERS I HAVE WRITTEN TO YOU WITH MY OWN HAND! 15:55 AS MANY AS DESIRE TO MAKE A GOOD SHOWING IN THE FLESH, THESE 15:58 WOULD COMPEL YOU TO BE CIRCUMCISED, ONLY THAT THEY MAY 16:03 NOT SUFFER PERSECUTION FOR THE CROSS OF CHRIST. 16:06 FOR NOT EVEN THOSE WHO ARE CIRCUMCISED KEEP THE LAW, BUT 16:10 THEY DESIRE TO HAVE YOU CIRCUMCISED THAT THEY MAY BOAST 16:13 IN YOUR FLESH. BUT GOD FORBID THAT I SHOULD 16:17 BOAST EXCEPT IN THE CROSS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, BY WHOM THE 16:20 WORLD HAS BEEN CRUCIFIED TO ME, AND I TO THE WORLD. 16:25 FOR IN CHRIST JESUS NEITHER CIRCUMCISION NOR UNCIRCUMCISION 16:28 AVAILS ANYTHING, BUT A NEW CREATION. 16:32 AND AS MANY AS WALK ACCORDING TO THIS RULE, PEACE AND MERCY BE 16:35 UPON THEM, AND UPON THE ISRAEL OF GOD. 16:38 FROM NOW ON LET NO ONE TROUBLE ME, FOR I BEAR IN MY BODY THE 16:43 MARKS OF THE LORD JESUS. BRETHREN, THE GRACE OF OUR 16:46 LORD JESUS CHRIST BE WITH YOUR SPIRIT. AMEN." 16:52 NOW, AS WE COME TO VERSE 11, IN PARTICULAR, AS WE LOOK AT THIS 16:55 LAST PASSAGE - BUT NOT JUST THE LAST VERSES, IN PARTICULAR, BUT 16:59 STARTING WITH THE VERY FIRST VERSES AND ALL THE WAY THROUGH 17:02 THE LETTER. IF THERE'S ONE THING WE 17:04 DISCOVERED VERY QUICKLY, IS THAT THE AUTHOR, IN THIS CASE THE 17:08 APOSTLE PAUL, WAS A VERY RILED UP SHEPHERD - A SHEPHERD OF A 17:12 FLOCK IN WHICH HE, HIMSELF, HAD BIRTHED MANY OF THOSE BELIEVERS 17:16 WHICH HE WAS WRITING TO, WHICH HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT - AND 17:19 THE REASON HE WAS A RILED UP SHEPHERD IS BECAUSE WOLVES HAD 17:22 COME IN AMONG THE SHEEP AND HE HAD A VERY PERSONAL INVESTMENT 17:26 IN THESE PARTICULAR BELIEVERS AND SHEEP. 17:29 AND SO, PAUL MAKES IT VERY CLEAR THAT HE WASN'T GOING TO STAND BY 17:32 AND LET THEM BE DEVOURED WITH THE HERESY THAT WOULD 17:34 EFFECTIVELY BRING THEM INTO THE VERY EXPERIENCE THAT CHRIST HAD 17:39 DELIVERED PAUL FROM SEVERAL YEARS BEFOREHAND. 17:44 NOW, AS WE COME TO VERSE 11, WE FIND HERE THAT IT POINTS OUT TO 17:47 ITS READERS - TO ITS LISTENERS - IT'S ORIGINAL READERS - IT'S 17:51 ORIGINAL LISTENERS - TO HOW PERSONALLY INVOLVED AND 17:54 CONCERNED PAUL WAS FOR THEM. IT'S A VERY UNIQUE STATEMENT 17:59 THAT I DON'T BELIEVE PAUL MAKES IN ANY OTHER PART OF HIS 18:01 WRITINGS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. IN THE BIBLE, VERSE 11, AGAIN, 18:05 SAYS, "SEE WITH WHAT LARGE LETTERS I HAVE WRITTEN 18:08 TO YOU WITH MY OWN HAND!" YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES, WHEN WE'RE 18:14 E-MAILING SOMEBODY AND WE'RE NOT USING AUDIBLE VOICES, OBVIOUSLY 18:18 WHEN WE E-MAIL, PERHAPS EVEN WHEN WE'RE TEXTING, BUT PROBABLY 18:21 MORE OFTEN WHEN WE'RE E-MAILING AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT 18:25 SOMETHING OR WE'RE UPSET ABOUT SOMETHING, AND SO WHAT DO WE DO? 18:31 WE DON'T JUST USE THE REGULAR FONT, WE TAKE THE REGULAR FONT 18:35 OF 10 OR 12 SIZE AND WE MIGHT BUMP THAT UP TO 14 OR MAYBE EVEN 18:40 A 16 SIZE, AND THEN IF WE REALLY WANT TO SAY SOMETHING JUST A 18:44 LITTLE BIT LOUDER THAN THAT, WHAT DO WE DO? 18:47 >>BOLD IT. >>ALRIGHT, SOMEBODY SAYS WE 18:48 CLICK ON THE BOLD, ALRIGHT? SO WE CHOOSE THE BOLD OPTION 18:52 - AND THEN SOMEBODY ELSE SAYS HERE, ALSO, THE CAPITALS. 18:54 SO WE CHOOSE THE CAPITALS. SO NOW WE HAVE BOLD CAPITALS 18:57 WITH AN ENLARGED FONT. WHAT HAVE WE DONE WHEN WE'VE DONE THAT? 19:01 WHAT DO WE HEAR WHEN WE READ THAT? 19:05 ALRIGHT, WE HEAR SOMEBODY RAISING THE VOLUME, DON'T WE? 19:08 SOMEBODY SAID, 'SHOUTING' ALRIGHT? SO HERE, MOST LIKELY - 19:11 THE MOST REASONABLE INTERPRETATION HERE IS THAT PAUL 19:13 IS SAYING, AS HE WRAPS UP THIS PARTICULAR LETTER, HE SAYS, 19:17 'LISTEN, I'M POINTING TO THE FACT THAT I'M USING LARGE, 19:19 CAPITAL, BOLD LETTERS BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO RAISE THE VOLUME. 19:26 WE FIND THAT SAME PRINCIPLE KIND OF FOUND - NOW, OF COURSE, THEY 19:29 DIDN'T USE BOLD, THEY DIDN'T USE LARGER FONTS AND CAPITALS - 19:33 IN FACT, THERE WERE NO CAPITALS - 19:34 THERE WAS NO PUNCTUATION IN THE ORIGINAL GREEK THAT PAUL WAS 19:36 WRITING IN, AND SO, THEIR WRITING STYLE WAS MUCH DIFFERENT 19:40 THAN OURS, BUT THEY USED WORDS TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT. 19:45 AND SO, HE POINTS OUT TO HIS LARGE LETTERS. 19:47 IN THIS CASE, REVELATION CHAPTER 13 IS ANOTHER PASSAGE THAT CAME 19:51 TO MIND. AND THERE IS AN INTRODUCTION 19:54 THERE AS WE COME TO THE FIRST ANGEL'S MESSAGE. 19:57 'AND I SAW ANOTHER ANGEL FLYING IN THE MIDST OF HEAVEN HAVING 20:00 THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL TO PREACH TO THOSE WHO DWELL ON THE EARTH, 20:03 TO EVERY NATION, TRIBE, TONGUE AND PEOPLE SAYING WITH A' - 20:06 >>LOUD VOICE. >>OKAY, MANY OF YOU KNOW IT OFF 20:08 BY HEART. THAT'S GOOD. '...SAYING WITH A LOUD VOICE, 20:11 'FEAR GOD AND GIVE GLORY TO HIM'...' AND SO ON AND SO ON. 20:13 AND THEN, AS WE COME DOWN TO THE THIRD ANGELS MESSAGE, HERE WE 20:16 FIND THAT THE VOLUME IS ALSO REVEALED TO BE TURNED UP 'AND A 20:21 THIRD ANGEL FOLLOWED SAYING WITH A' - 'LOUD VOICE' - AND I 20:25 BELIEVE THAT'S VERSE 8 AS WE CONTINUE ON TO VERSE 9, AS WE 20:27 CONTINUE ON DOWN TO THAT THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE. 20:31 AND SO, WHY DO YOU SUPPOSE THAT GOD WOULD WANT TO TURN UP THE 20:35 VOLUME WHEN IT COMES TO THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE? 20:38 THE THREE ANGELS' MESSAGES I GENERAL? WHY? 20:41 BECAUSE IT'S A LIFE AND DEATH ISSUE, ISN'T IT? IN FACT, BY THE 20:43 TIME YOU COME TO THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE, HE VERY CLEARLY 20:46 TELLS US, IN THE STRONGEST LANGUAGE, 'HEY, THIS IS LIFE AND 20:49 DEATH.' AND GOD WANTS US TO CHOOSE LIFE, DOESN'T HE? 20:52 AND SO HE SAYS, 'LISTEN, I'M GOING TO TURN UP THE VOLUME 20:54 BECAUSE WHAT I'M SAYING RIGHT NOW IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE, 20:58 ESPECIALLY IN THE VERY LAST YEARS OF HISTORY. 21:00 AND SO, WE NEED TO TURN UP THE VOLUME AS A CHURCH, DON'T WE? 21:03 WITH THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE. WE DON'T NEED TO START TO PUT IT 21:06 ASIDE AND TRY TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING ELSE. 21:09 NO, GOD WANTS US TO TURN IT UP LOUDER THAN EVER BEFORE. 21:13 IN FACT, PROPHECY TELLS US THAT THAT'S WHAT WE'LL BE DOING AS 21:15 THE SPIRIT RAINS DOWN UPON US AND WE COME INTO THE LATTER 21:18 RAIN. THERE'S GOING TO BE A POWERFUL 21:20 INCREASE IN THE VOLUME OF THE THREE ANGELS' MESSAGE. 21:26 ONE OF THE LARGEST CHALLENGES THAT THE ORIGINAL CHRISTIAN 21:29 CHURCH FACED WAS HOW MANY - WAS HOW THE MANY THOUSANDS OF FIRST 21:36 CHRISTIANS - THE ORIGINAL CHRISTIANS WHO WERE ALL 21:38 PREDOMINANTLY JEWISH, BY THE WAY, WERE GOING TO ACCEPT AND 21:41 DEAL WITH A GROWING POPULATION OF GENTILES OR NON-JEWISH PEOPLE 21:48 THAT WERE ALSO ACCEPTING CHRIST AS THE MESSIAH WHO WERE ALSO 21:51 BECOMING CHRISTIANS AND BECOMING MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH. 21:55 AND THIS WAS NO SMALL CHALLENGE, IN FACT, THIS CHALLENGE WAS SO 21:57 LARGE THAT IT ALMOST SPLIT THE CHURCH. 22:01 AND SO, THE VERY FIRST SERIOUS CHALLENGE TO THE UNITY OF THE 22:04 CHURCH, TOOK PLACE OVER THE ISSUE THAT'S BEING DISCUSSED, IN 22:08 A LARGE MANNER, IN THE BOOK OF GALATIANS. 22:13 THERE WAS A NUMBER - A GROWING NUMBER OF GENTILES THAT WERE 22:15 COMING IN. GOD WAS CHOOSING DIFFERENT 22:17 EVANGELISTS AND MISSIONARIES, SUCH AS PHILIP, PAUL, BARNABAS, 22:22 AND SEVERAL OTHERS THAT WERE BRINGING IN THIS GROWING 22:24 POPULATION OF GENTILE CHRISTIANS. NOW, THE REASON THAT 22:29 THIS WAS SUCH A CHALLENGE FOR THE CHURCH THAT WAS 22:31 PREDOMINANTLY JEWISH IS THAT A GOOD JEWISH FAMILY ALWAYS 22:35 RAISED THEIR CHILDREN IN THAT GENERATION TO LOOK DOWN THEIR 22:38 NOSES AT THOSE WHO WERE NOT JEWISH BY RACE OR BY FAITH. 22:43 AND SO, IN FACT, THEY EVEN REFERRED TO - QUITE OFTEN - TO 22:46 NON-JEWISH PEOPLE AS DOGS AND THEY WERE UNCLEAN ANIMALS IN 22:52 THEIR MINDS AND IN THEIR HEARTS. AND SO THERE WAS SOME VERY REAL 22:57 PREJUDICE THAT WAS TAKING PLACE FROM THAT OF THE JEWS 23:01 TOWARDS THOSE WHO WERE NOT. IN FACT, IF YOU KIND OF 23:06 BRUSHED UP AGAINST THE NON-JEWISH OR GENTILE PERSON OR 23:09 MAYBE YOU ENDED UP INADVERTENTLY DRINKING FROM THE SAME CUP OR, 23:13 GOD FORBID, YOU ENDED UP AT THE SAME TABLE EATING WITH THEM, WHY 23:16 YOU WOULD BECOME RELIGIOUSLY AND SPIRITUALLY DEFILED. 23:21 AND SO, THE JEWISH FATHERS HAD DEVELOPED A WHOLE SYSTEM OF 23:25 TRADITIONS AND PRACTICES TO BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH THIS AND SO, 23:28 THEY CAME UP WITH THIS KIND OF CEREMONIAL WASHING WHERE YOU HAD 23:31 TO GO BEFORE YOU ATE AND WASH, YOU KNOW, WITH THIS KIND OF 23:35 SPECIAL CONSECRATED WATER UP TO THE ELBOW AND DOWN TO THE BOTTOM 23:39 OF YOUR HAND BEFORE YOU ATE A MEAL SO THAT YOU COULD 23:42 RE-UNDEFILE YOURSELF JUST IN CASE YOU HAD INADVERTENTLY 23:48 TOUCHED SOMETHING THAT A NON-JEWISH PERSON HAD TOUCHED. 23:54 AND SO, THAT WAS A BIG CHALLENGE FOR THE JEWISH CHRISTIANS. 23:57 THIS WAS NO SMALL THING TO BE ABLE TO UNDO, IN THEIR MINDS AND 24:00 THEIR HEARTS. NOW, ON TOP OF THAT, THE SECOND 24:02 QUESTION THAT THEY HAD IS 'SHOULD WE BE COMPELLING - 24:05 SHOULD WE BE TELLING THESE NEW CONVERTS TO OBSERVE THE 24:09 CEREMONIAL LAW OF MOSES?' OKAY? SHOULD THEY OBSERVE THE 24:13 CEREMONIAL LAW OF MOSES, INCLUDING THE ACT 24:16 OF CIRCUMCISION? WHICH WAS ALSO WRAPPED UP IN 24:19 THAT, STARTING WITH ABRAHAM, BUT IT WAS ALSO IN THE COVENANT WITH 24:22 MOSES AND WITH THE ISRAELITES AT SINAI. 24:26 NOW IN ADDITION TO THAT, I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO 24:28 UNDERSTAND THAT THEY WERE ALSO ASKING THEMSELVES - AND WRAPPED 24:31 UP VERY INSEPARABLY IN THE MIND OF A RELIGIOUS JEW BACK IN THAT 24:36 GENERATION WAS THE TRADITIONS OF THE FATHERS, SUCH AS THE 24:39 CEREMONIAL WASHING - THE VERY WASHING THAT JESUS SNUBBED HIS 24:44 NOSE AT AND SAID, REALLY, THAT'S IRRELEVANT - IT'S MAN MADE - 24:48 IT'S NOT INSPIRED - IT'S NOT IN THE BIBLE AND - BUT IT'S A 24:52 SYSTEM OF WORKS THAT HAD BEEN DEVELOPED IN ADDITION TO THE 24:55 CEREMONIAL LAW OF MOSES THAT MOSES, HIMSELF, HAD WRITTEN IN 24:58 THE TORAH. AND SO, THIS WAS ESSENTIALLY INSEPARABLE IN THE 25:03 MINDS OF THE JEWS AND EVEN OF THESE EARLY CHRISTIANS AND, 25:06 PROBABLY, EVEN TO A LARGE DEGREE, IN THE APOSTLES AS THEY 25:09 WERE WORKING THROUGH THIS AS WELL. 25:13 AND SO, SHOULD WE COMPEL THEM TO FOLLOW THE TRADITIONS OF THE 25:15 FATHERS? SHOULD WE COMPEL THEM TO FOLLOW 25:18 THE LAWS OF MOSES AND THE CEREMONIES AND THE SACRIFICES 25:21 AND THE FEASTS THAT WERE FOUND IN THE WRITINGS OF MOSES? 25:26 NOW, AS IT TURNS OUT, CIRCUMCISION - CIRCUMCISION IS 25:31 ONE OF THOSE VISIBLE SIGNS THAT IS VERY EASY TO BE ABLE TO 25:34 DISCOVER, AT LEAST FROM A MAN TO A MAN. 25:37 AND THE REASON I SAY THAT IS, BACK THEN, THE MEN, MORE 25:40 COMMONLY THAN NOT, FOUND THEMSELVES CLEANSING THEMSELVES 25:43 IN PUBLIC BATHHOUSES - ROMAN BATHHOUSES. MAYBE THE JEWS HAD 25:46 SEPARATE BATHHOUSES - I'M NOT QUITE EXACTLY EDUCATED ON IF 25:51 THERE WAS A SEPARATION THERE, BUT THE MEN WOULD SHARE 25:53 GYMNASIUMS AND BATHHOUSES, AND SO ON, AND SO THEY WERE ABLE TO 25:57 SEE EACH OTHER IN THEIR BIRTHDAY SUITS QUITE OFTEN. 26:00 AND SO, IF THE MAN - IF A MAN SEES YOU IN THE SHOWER OR IN THE 26:05 BATHHOUSE AND YOU'RE CIRCUMCISED, WHY THAT WAS AN 26:08 IMMEDIATE SIGN THAT WOULD TELL THAT OBSERVER THAT YOU HAD BOTH 26:12 ACCEPTED AND SUBMITTED TO THE OLD TESTAMENT COVENANT OF MOSES 26:16 AND OF THE ISRAELITE AND JUDAISM. 26:19 AND SO, IT WAS A VERY FITTING SYMBOL - CIRCUMCISION - TO 26:24 REALLY REPRESENT THE WHOLE PACKAGE DEAL. 26:26 AND SO, WHEN PAUL MENTIONS CIRCUMCISION, I THINK IT'S 26:28 IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND THAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT MORE 26:31 THAN JUST CIRCUMCISION, BUT HE'S USING THAT AS A SYMBOL OF THE 26:36 WHOLE PACKAGE OF BOTH THE TRADITIONAL FATHERS' THEOLOGIES 26:39 THAT THEY HAD ADDED TO THE BIBLE, AS WELL AS THE WRITINGS 26:42 OF MOSES AND THE CEREMONIAL LAW ITSELF. GOD HAD LED PAUL AND 26:50 BARNABAS TO UNDERSTAND THAT GENTILES WERE NOT UNCLEAN DOGS 26:54 INFERIOR TO THE JEWS. NOW, THIS IS A NATURAL THING, 26:57 BECAUSE PAUL AND BARNABAS HAD BEEN COMMISSIONED BY GOD - HAD 27:00 BEEN ORDAINED BY GOD TO GO AND TO BRING THE GOSPEL TO 27:03 THE GENTILE POPULATIONS. THEY WENT WAY BEYOND THE BORDERS 27:06 OF ISRAEL, LEFT THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATIONS OF THE JEWS 27:10 BEHIND, AND THEY, PREDOMINANTLY, LABORED AND WERE WINNING PEOPLE 27:15 FROM THE GENTILE POPULATIONS TO CHRIST. 27:17 AND SO, IT WAS A VERY NATURAL THING FOR GOD TO WORK WITH THEM 27:19 FIRST, RIGHT? AND SO, THEY WERE THE FIRST ONES 27:22 TO SEE THE LIGHT CLEARER THAN THE REST OF THE CHURCH, EVEN THE 27:25 APOSTLES IN REGARDS TO THE FACT THAT GOD IS NO - GOD HAS NO 27:29 PARTIALITY TO ANY SINGLE HUMAN BEING. 27:31 EVERY SINGLE PERSON, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR RACE, YOUR ETHNICITY, 27:34 YOUR CULTURE - NO MATTER WHAT IT IS, GOD SEES US ALL EQUAL, ON AN 27:38 EQUAL PLANE, AMEN? >>AMEN. 27:40 >>AND SO, PAUL AND BARNABAS WERE ONE OF THE FIRST ONES TO 27:43 UNDERSTAND THIS AND SEE IT IN ITS CLEAREST LIGHT. THEY ALSO 27:48 WERE BROUGHT TO UNDERSTAND THAT OBSERVING THE LAW OF MOSES WAS 27:51 NOT PART OF GOD'S PLAN FOR THE NON-JEWISH CHRISTIAN. 27:55 AND SO THEY CONTINUED ON BAPTIZING GENTILE PEOPLE, BUT 27:59 NOT INSTRUCTING THEM TO KEEP THE CEREMONIAL FEASTS AND THE 28:03 SACRIFICES AND THE DIFFERENT LAWS THAT WERE WRITTEN UP, BOTH 28:06 IN THE WRITING OF MOSES, AS WELL, AGAIN, IN THAT GENERATION, 28:09 ALSO THE WRITINGS OF THE FATHERS THAT WAS ALSO A VERY REAL PART 28:13 OF THE JUDAIC EXPERIENCE. NOW THE PROBLEM THAT THE CHURCH 28:18 FACED IS THAT NOT ALL WERE ON BOARD AT THE SAME TIME. 28:20 EVEN SOME OF THE APOSTLES WERE STILL WORKING THROUGH THIS. 28:24 AND SO, IT ALL LED TO A VERY HEATED CONVERSATION - A VERY 28:28 HEATED CONFERENCE THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE CITY OF JERUSALEM, 28:31 AMONG THE LEADERS, INCLUDING PAUL, THAT EVENTUALLY CONCLUDED 28:34 THAT GENTILES WERE NOT REQUIRED TO OBSERVE THE WRITINGS - OR NOT 28:39 THE WRITINGS, I SHOULD SAY, BUT TO OBSERVE THE CEREMONIAL LAW OF 28:45 MOSES, NOR THE TRADITIONS OF THE JEWISH FATHERS. 28:50 NOW, WE CAN READ ALL THAT IN THE BOOK OF ACTS, SO IF YOU'VE NEVER 28:52 READ THE BOOK OF ACTS, IT'S A GOOD BOOK TO GO TO BE ABLE TO 28:54 SEE THE BACKGROUND OF THAT, BECAUSE EVERY DETAIL OF THAT DAY 28:57 THAT TOOK PLACE IS WRITTEN IN THAT IMPORTANT CHAPTER. 29:01 NOW, AS A RESULT OF THAT PARTICULAR CONFERENCE, THE 29:03 APOSTLES THEN COMMISSIONED - DESCRIBED - TO BE ABLE TO WRITE 29:05 UP A LETTER THAT CONFIRMED THIS CONCLUSION, AND THEN THEY SENT 29:09 THOSE LETTERS OUT TO THE EXISTING CHURCHES. 29:11 NOW THIS IS A GOOD LESSON FOR US IN REGARDS TO GOD'S PLAN FOR AN 29:15 ORGANIZED CHURCH. GOD HAS ALWAYS INTENDED FOR ALL 29:19 OF US TO WORK TOGETHER, NOT JUST AS A LOCAL CONGREGATION, BUT AS 29:23 A WORLD-WIDE CONGREGATION, AMEN? >>AMEN. 29:26 >>AND SO GOD HAS CALLED US INTO A WORLDWIDE FAMILY OF BELIEVERS, 29:30 AND SO, JERUSALEM DIDN'T JUST KIND OF DECIDE THIS AND SAY, 29:33 'YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU GUYS IN ANTIOCH, DO WHATEVER YOU WANT. 29:36 WE'RE GOING TO DO WHAT WE WANT HERE.' NO, THEY SENT LETTERS TO 29:39 ALL THE EXISTING CHURCHES FROM JERUSALEM, WHICH, AT THAT TIME, 29:42 WAS WHAT WE WOULD CALL THE GC OR GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE 29:45 CHURCH, AND THEN THE REST OF THE CHURCH WOULD TAKE HEED TO THAT A 29:50 DECISION THAT WAS MADE AT THIS HIGHEST LEVEL AND CONFERENCE. 29:57 NOW, AS A RESULT OF RECEIVING THIS, DIFFERENT MEMBERS THAT 30:00 WERE HEARING THIS LETTER BEING READ IN THEIR CHURCHES FOR THE 30:03 FIRST TIME, SPREAD OUT THROUGH ISRAEL AND BEYOND EVEN ISRAEL AT 30:06 THAT TIME, BUT THE JEWS, IN PARTICULAR, THAT WERE OF A 30:10 HUMBLE AND OF A TEACHABLE SPIRIT, CAME TO SEE THE LIGHT IN 30:13 THIS AND THEY ALLOWED THE HOLY SPIRIT TO LEAD THEM TO OVERCOME 30:19 THIS PREJUDICE THAT THEY HAD BEEN CONDITIONED IN, IN REGARD 30:22 TO THEIR VIEW OF NON-JEWISH POPULATIONS - NON-JEWISH PEOPLE 30:26 - THAT THEY WEREN'T SUPERIOR SIMPLY BY RACE, BUT THEY WERE 30:30 EQUAL WITH GENTILES AND ALSO, JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, THEY 30:34 ALLOWED THE HOLY SPIRIT TO HELP THEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT, INDEED, 30:37 THE SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM HAD BEEN FULFILLED IN CHRIST TO ALLOW 30:41 THEM TO START TO SEE THAT THE OLD TESTAMENT TEMPLE HAD 30:44 FULFILLED ITS PURPOSE AND NOW WAS A VERY INTERESTING SACRED 30:48 RELIC. BUT REALLY, NOW, WE HAVE A NEW 30:51 TESTAMENT SANCTUARY IN HEAVEN, IN WHICH CHRIST, HIMSELF, IS OUR 30:55 HIGH PRIEST - HE'S OUR PRIEST, HE'S OUR SACRIFICE, AND 30:58 HE'S IN A HEAVENLY TEMPLE. AND SO, ALL THOSE THREE 31:01 ELEMENTS THAT ARE WRAPPED UP, THEN, AT THE VERY CENTER OF 31:04 THE CEREMONIAL LAW, WAS NOW FULFILLED IN CHRIST. 31:07 >>AMEN. >>AND WE HAVE A NEW TESTAMENT 31:09 SYSTEM THAT'S IN HEAVEN, NOT ON EARTH. AND SO, THEY ALLOWED THE 31:14 HOLY SPIRIT TO GUIDE THEM INTO UNDERSTANDING AND TO COMING TO 31:16 A FULL COMPREHENSION OF THIS. NOW, UNFORTUNATELY, BOTH THE 31:22 BOOK OF ACTS, AS WELL AS MANY OF THE WRITINGS IN THE BOOK AND 31:25 LETTERS OF PAUL, WE FIND THAT THERE WERE MANY THAT WERE NOT ON 31:31 BOARD WITH THIS - THEY WERE NOT SO HUMBLE - THEY WERE NOT SO 31:34 TEACHABLE - AND SO, NOT ALL WERE ON THE SAME PAGE. 31:42 AND SO, WHEN WE COME TO BOOKS LIKE GALATIANS AND SOME OF THE 31:45 WRITINGS IN EPHESIANS AND OTHER PLACES - MANY PLACES, ACTUALLY, 31:48 IN THE LETTERS OF PAUL, WE - IT REVEALS THAT THERE WERE SOME 31:52 WITHIN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, AMONG THE ORIGINAL CHRISTIANS, 31:56 THAT ACCEPTED JESUS AS THE MESSIAH AND SAVIOR OF THE WORLD, 32:01 BUT THEY ONLY DID IT ON AN INTELLECTUAL BASIS. 32:04 IN OTHER WORDS, THEY HAD ONLY ALLOWED IT TO ENTER INTO HERE, 32:09 BUT NOT DOWN IN HERE. AND SO THERE'S A WHOLE WORLD 32:13 OF DIFFERENCE, ISN'T THERE? AND SO, PERHAPS A CHRISTIAN HAD 32:16 FAITHFULLY BROUGHT HIM THROUGH, LIKE WE DO IN OUR PROPHECY 32:19 SEMINARS - THEY HAD BROUGHT DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS - 32:22 DIFFERENT JEWISH COUNTERPARTS IN ISRAEL - AND WALKED THEM THROUGH 32:27 ALL THOSE DOZENS OF PROPHECIES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT THAT SHOWS 32:30 ALL THESE AMAZING DETAILS HUNDREDS OF YEARS BEFOREHAND, IN 32:35 THE BIRTH, THE DEATH - THE LIFE, THE DEATH, AND THE RESURRECTION 32:39 OF JESUS. AND WHEN THEY SAW THAT, THEY 32:41 WERE INTELLECTUALLY COMPELLED TO SEE THAT THERE WAS NO ONE THAT 32:44 COULD FULFILL THIS EXCEPT JESUS, THE PROMISED MESSIAH. 32:48 AND SO, THEY INTELLECTUALLY ACCEPTED JESUS AS THE MESSIAH, 32:51 BUT THEY DIDN'T OPEN THEIR HEART TO JESUS. 32:55 AND SO THERE WAS A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE. 32:57 AND THAT WORLD OF DIFFERENCE BROUGHT SOME VERY 32:59 SERIOUS CHALLENGES TO THE CHURCH. AND SO THERE WERE TWO 33:05 SERIOUS THREATS THAT WERE BROUGHT TO THE CHURCH, BECAUSE 33:08 THERE WERE SOME THAT DIDN'T HAVE THIS HEART EXPERIENCE - THEY 33:12 WEREN'T REALLY BORN AGAIN, AS JESUS HAD TAUGHT, IN JOHN 33:15 CHAPTER 3 - THEY WEREN'T FULLY IN THAT CONVERSION EXPERIENCE. 33:19 WHAT ARE THE TWO THREATS THAT THEY BROUGHT TO THE CHURCHES IN 33:21 THE PROVINCE OF GALATIA THAT PAUL IS WRITING SO STRONGLY 33:24 AGAINST? WELL, THE FIRST CHALLENGE IS 33:27 THIS: THAT THEY APPOINTED THEMSELVES - THEY WOULD GO INTO 33:29 THESE CHURCHES AND THEY WOULD APPOINT THEMSELVES TO COMPEL 33:32 ALL NEW BELIEVERS TO OBSERVE A CEREMONIAL LAW OF MOSES, OF 33:36 COURSE, INCLUDING THAT OF CIRCUMCISION. 33:40 NUMBER TWO, THEY WERE ALSO CONVINCING THE CHURCH MEMBERS 33:43 THAT THE OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW - THE WORKS OF THE LAW AS IT 33:46 SOMETIMES ALSO REFERRED TO, WAS A POWER IN AND OF ITSELF TO SAVE 33:50 US AND TO CHANGE US. NOW PAUL WAS VERY CONCERNED 33:55 ABOUT BOTH OF THESE CHALLENGES, TO BE SURE. IN FACT, BOTH OF 33:58 THESE THREATS HE SAW AS A VERY SERIOUS THREAT TO THE CHURCH AND 34:01 TO HIS NEW CONVERTS AND TO HIS NEW BELIEVERS IN, NOT ONLY THE 34:04 PROVINCE OF GALATIA, BUT IN ALL AREAS IN WHICH HE HAD BEEN 34:07 WINNING DIFFERENT PEOPLE TO CHRIST AND TO THE GOSPEL. 34:13 BUT I BELIEVE THAT PAUL WAS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THREAT #2 THAN 34:16 EVEN THREAT #1 AND, THUS, WE FIND THAT HE'S WRITING MORE 34:20 CONCERNING THAT THAN EVEN CONCERNING THE FIRST THREAT. 34:25 SO, AGAIN, WITH TODAY BEING A NATURAL SUMMARY AND THE STUDY 34:28 CONCLUSION OF THIS PARTICULAR BOOK, WE CAN SAFELY SAY THAT THE 34:31 BOOK OF GALATIANS WAS A POWERFUL DEFENSE OF TRUE INTERNAL 34:35 CONVERSION ABOVE ALL THINGS. IN OTHER WORDS, PAUL SAW 34:39 THAT THAT SECOND THREAT WAS THREATENING THE CONVERSION 34:42 EXPERIENCE - THE BORN-AGAIN EXPERIENCE OF THESE 34:46 PRECIOUS BELIEVERS. PAUL KNEW, BY PERSONAL 34:55 EXPERIENCE, THAT THE LAW WAS POWERLESS TO CHANGE THE HEART. 35:00 HE KNEW THAT ONLY CHRIST, THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT, CAN DO 35:05 THAT SPECIAL WORK. HE KNEW THAT WE NEEDED CHRIST. 35:09 HE KNEW THAT WAS ESSENTIAL FOR US TO HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT. 35:13 AND NOW, THERE WERE JUDAIZERS IN THE CAMP THAT WERE POINTING 35:17 PEOPLE TO THE RELIGION OF THE FLESH. 35:20 AND THAT'S WHY WE SEE TWO KEY WORDS THAT CONTINUE TO COME UP 35:22 ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE BOOK OF REVELATION - REVELATION, ARE WE 35:26 IN REVELATION? NO, WE'RE IN THE BOOK OF GALATIANS, AREN'T WE? 35:29 OKAY, SO ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE BOOK OF GALATIANS WE FIND THAT 35:32 FLESH AND SPIRIT ARE REPEATED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. 35:38 AND SO, IN SUMMARY, WE FIND, HERE, THAT THERE WERE THOSE WHO 35:41 WERE TRYING TO RECONVERT THOSE WHO WERE IN THE CHURCH BACK TO A 35:45 RELIGION OF THE FLESH, RATHER THAN A RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE IN 35:49 THE SPIRIT. AND THIS IS VERY CRITICAL FOR 35:51 US TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND AND PULL AWAY FROM THE 35:53 BOOK OF GALATIANS. AND I'M JUST SUMMARIZING MANY 35:56 OF WHAT THE OTHER PASTORS AND TEACHERS HAVE TAUGHT ALREADY, 35:59 OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS. THERE'S A POPULAR TEACHING TODAY 36:06 AND WE FIND IT IN OUR POPULAR TALK SHOWS, WE CAN FIND ALL 36:09 KINDS OF BOOKS THAT HAVE BEEN MAKING MONEY FOR DIFFERENT 36:12 AUTHORS OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES. 36:13 IN FACT, I CAN STILL REMEMBER, I WAS ONLY JUST A TEENAGER SOME 36:17 THIRTY, FORTY YEARS AGO AND ALREADY IT WAS A POPULAR 36:21 MOVEMENT - IT'S CALLED THE 'NEW AGE' MOVEMENT. 36:23 EVERYBODY'S HEARD OF THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT. 36:25 IN FACT, IT'S BEEN AROUND SO LONG IT'S NOT REALLY ALL THAT 36:28 NEW, IS IT? IN FACT, EVEN WHEN IT CAME OUT 36:30 AND CALLED ITSELF THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT, THE FACT OF THE MATTER 36:33 IS THE DEVIL'S BEEN RECYCLING THAT TEACHING SINCE THE GARDEN 36:37 OF EDEN. SO IT'S ACTUALLY AN IRONIC NAME 36:42 FOR IT - IT'S A FALSE NAME BECAUSE IT'S REALLY NOT ALL THAT 36:46 NEW. FINDING THE GOD WITH IN YOU - 36:49 HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THAT TERM? OKAY, I REMEMBER WATCHING OPRAH, 36:53 OR SOMETHING, ONE DAY AND, YOU KNOW, SHE'S GOT A GUEST ON THERE 36:55 TRYING TO CONVINCE US ALL THAT 'ALL OF US, YOU KNOW, IF WE JUST 36:59 FIND THE GOD WITHIN US, WE'RE ALL GOING TO BE 37:02 WAY BETTER PEOPLE. WE'RE GOING TO FIND PERFECT 37:04 HARMONY AROUND THE WORLD. YOU'RE GOING TO BE PROSPEROUS. 37:06 EVERYTHING IS GOING TO FALL INTO PLACE, AND EVERYTHING'S GOING TO 37:08 BE WONDERFUL IN YOUR LIFE IF YOU JUST FIND THE GOD WITHIN YOU. 37:12 TAP INTO YOUR INNER POWER AND FOLLOW YOUR HEART.' OKAY? 37:18 NOW THIS IS ALL AT THE HEART OF THIS VERY POPULAR TEACHING. 37:22 AND, BY THE WAY, THIS IS NOT ONLY FOUND OUTSIDE OF CHRISTIAN 37:24 CIRCLES, BUT IT'S ALSO MADE ITS WAY, SOMETIMES, INTO CHRISTIAN 37:27 CIRCLES AS WELL. AND SO, WE'RE NOT SAFE JUST 37:30 WITHIN THE CHURCH, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT SOME 37:32 OF THESE THINGS ARE ALSO CHALLENGING US FROM WITHIN, SO 37:35 WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO KNOW WHAT IS BEING TALKED ABOUT HERE. 37:38 AND THE REASON I'M BRINGING IT UP NOW IS BECAUSE IT REALLY, IN 37:40 PRINCIPLE, IS REALLY THE SAME AS WHAT THE JUDAIC RELIGION HAD 37:44 BECOME BY THE TIME PAUL AND HIS GENERATION WERE LIVING IN BIBLE 37:47 TIMES AND IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES, AND SO, IT'S IMPORTANT 37:51 FOR US TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT. 37:53 NOW, I'VE GOT A TEXT THAT, KIND OF, JUST SAYS THE EXACT OPPOSITE 37:56 OF FOLLOW YOUR HEART. NOW, I KNOW IT SOUNDS 37:58 ROMANTIC, IT SOUNDS WONDERFUL. I FEEL ALL WARM INSIDE WHEN I 38:03 HEAR, YOU KNOW, 'JUST FOLLOW YOUR HEART'. YOU, YOU KNOW, SEE 38:06 IT SOME OF OUR FAMILY MOVIES AND SO ON, YOU KNOW, 'IF YOU JUST 38:09 FOLLOW YOUR HEART EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE OKAY. 38:12 WELL, THIS IS WHAT THE BIBLE HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE HUMAN HEART: 38:15 JEREMIAH CHAPTER 17 AND VERSE 9 SAYS IT THE MOST BLUNTLY AND 38:21 THAT IS, IT SAYS, "THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS, AND 38:27 DESPERATELY WICKED; WHO CAN KNOW IT?" 38:29 NOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL ALL WARM AND FUZZY INSIDE? 38:33 >>NOT AT ALL. >>NOT AT ALL, DOES IT? 38:35 OKAY, SO IT'S NOT NEARLY AS POPULAR AS THE, KIND OF, DISNEY 38:41 SLOGAN AND LINES THAT WE FIND SO OFTEN BEING PROPAGATED - 'IF YOU 38:45 JUST FOLLOW YOUR HEART EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE WARM 38:47 AND FUZZY AND EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE OKAY.' BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT 38:49 THE BIBLE SAYS. THE BIBLE SAYS, 'DON'T FOLLOW 38:51 YOUR HEART, FOLLOW JESUS.' >>AMEN. 38:54 >>RIGHT? OKAY, SO THE DEVIL COMES ALONG 38:57 AND SAYS, 'OH, JUST FOLLOW YOUR HEART. 38:59 LET'S BE ALL WARM AND FUZZY TOGETHER.' GOD SAYS, 'NO, DON'T 39:01 FOLLOW YOUR HEARTS - FOLLOW JESUS - IF YOU FOLLOW JESUS 39:06 YOU'RE IN GOOD STEAD. THEN YOU'RE SAFE. 39:08 THEN THINGS ARE GOING TO GO MUCH BETTER FOR YOU AND, NOT ONLY 39:11 THAT, THEN YOU'RE GOING TO LIVE FOREVER IN PERFECT HARMONY AND 39:13 LOVE FOR ALL OF ETERNITY. AND SO, DON'T LET THE 39:17 DEVIL DECEIVE YOU. AND SO, THERE'S MODERN VERSIONS 39:21 OF THAT IN WHICH PAUL, IN GALATIANS, IS SPEAKING AGAINST 39:23 FOR US, EVEN AS WE LOOK UP THIS IMPORTANT SUBJECT. 39:29 SO I THINK IT'S HELPFUL FOR US TO UNDERSTAND THAT PAUL WAS ONCE 39:31 A VERY ZEALOUS FOLLOWER OF THE RELIGION, ACCORDING TO THE FLESH 39:35 AND NOT ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT. PAUL WAS THERE. 39:38 HE HAD ALREADY EXPERIENCED THAT FOR THE BULK OF HIS LIFE, AT 39:41 LEAST AS A GROWING BOY AND THEN, IN THE EARLY YEARS OF HIS LIFE 39:44 AS A MAN. HE KNEW ALL ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE. IN FACT, LET'S JUST 39:47 REVIEW THAT. WE'RE IN GALATIANS ALREADY. LET'S BACK UP TO A 39:50 CHAPTER THAT WE STUDIED JUST THREE MONTHS AGO. 39:52 IN GALATIANS CHAPTER 1 AND VERSES 13 THROUGH 14 - GALATIANS 39:59 CHAPTER 1, VERSES 13 THROUGH 14 AND IT SAYS THIS: "FOR YOU HAVE 40:06 HEARD OF MY FORMER CONDUCT IN JUDAISM, HOW I PERSECUTED THE 40:11 CHURCH OF GOD BEYOND MEASURE AND TRIED TO DESTROY IT. 40:15 AND I ADVANCED IN JUDAISM BEYOND MANY OF MY CONTEMPORARIES" - IN 40:19 OTHER WORDS, HE'S SAYING, 'LISTEN, I WAS A STAR STUDENT.' 40:21 IN FACT, IN OTHER LETTERS HE WRITES THAT HE WAS AT THE FEET 40:24 OF THE MOST - THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS RABBI AND TEACHER OF 40:29 HIS GENERATION, GAMALIEL. AND SO, HIS PARENTS MUST HAVE 40:33 BEEN VERY WEALTHY AND HAD INVESTED OR SACRIFICED A LOT 40:36 TO BE ABLE TO PUT THEIR BOY AT THE FEET OF THE MOST 40:38 EXPENSIVE, MOST PRESTIGIOUS JUDAIC TEACHER THERE WAS. 40:42 AND THEN HE SAYS, 'LISTEN, I WAS AT THE TOP OF MY CLASS WHEN IT 40:46 COMES TO THE JUDAIC RELIGION AND EXPERIENCE' - "IN MY OWN NATION, 40:50 BEING MORE EXCEEDINGLY ZEALOUS FOR THE TRADITIONS OF MY 40:55 FATHERS." OKAY? 40:57 SO THERE'S THE TRADITION AND THERE'S, AGAIN, A VERY IMPORTANT 41:00 CLUE THAT TELLS US THAT JUDAISM WAS MORE THAN JUST WHAT MOSES 41:03 WROTE BY THE TIME PAUL CAME ALONG. 41:05 A LARGE PART OF THE JUDAIC EXPERIENCE WAS A LOT OF THIS 41:09 EXTRACURRICULAR STUFF THAT HAD BEEN DEVELOPED FOR THE CENTURIES 41:12 BEFORE PAUL, THROUGH THE FATHERS. 41:14 AND SO, THERE'S A LOT OF TRADITIONAL JUNK, IF I COULD PUT 41:18 IT FRANKLY, THAT CAME WITH WHAT MOSES HAD BROUGHT TO THE PEOPLE 41:22 AT MOUNT SINAI. AND SO, PAUL AND JESUS, BEFORE 41:27 THAT, WERE SPEAKING AND PREACHING AND TEACHING VERY 41:29 STRONGLY AGAINST THAT. AND SO, ONCE UPON A TIME, IN 41:33 FACT, NO - SORRY, I WANT TO GO BACK. 41:35 LET'S GO TO PHILIPPIANS BEFORE WE GO AHEAD. 41:37 PHILIPPIANS CHAPTER THREE - WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT TWO TEXTS 41:41 - TWO DIFFERENT PASSAGES THAT GIVE US SOME CLUES ON WHERE PAUL 41:45 WAS AT BEFORE HE - BEFORE HE FOUND CHRIST. 41:52 AND SO, PHILIPPIANS CHAPTER 3 AND WE'RE GOING TO START WITH 41:55 VERSE 2. IT SAYS, "BEWARE OF DOGS," - NOW 41:58 HE'S NOT TALKING ABOUT GENTILES IN THIS CASE - WE JUST TALKED 42:00 ABOUT GENTILES AND DOGS - IT'S NOT - HE'S REFERRING, NOW, 42:03 TO DOGS AS FALSE BRETHREN. HE'S TALKING ABOUT WOLVES WITHIN 42:07 THE SHEEP OF THE CHURCH AND THE CHURCHES - "BEWARE OF EVIL 42:13 WORKERS, BEWARE OF THE MUTILATION!" 42:15 - NOW HE'S TALKING ABOUT CIRCUMCISION. 42:17 NOW, HE'S NOT INTO MUTILATION, BUT HE'S REFERRING TO 42:20 CIRCUMCISION IN A NEGATIVE WAY, NOW, BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT 42:23 IT'S BEEN ABUSED AMONG THE GENTILES - "FOR WE ARE OF THE 42:27 CIRCUMCISION," - NOW HE'S NOT TALKING ABOUT PHYSICAL 42:29 CIRCUMCISION, NOW, BUT HE'S TALKING ABOUT SPIRITUAL 42:32 CIRCUMCISION AND WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT SOME TEXTS IF WE HAVE 42:34 TIME BEFORE OUR TIME IS UP FOR STUDY, TODAY, AND LOOK AT SOME 42:37 TEXTS THAT EXPLAIN THAT - "FOR WE ARE OF THE CIRCUMCISION WHO 42:41 WORSHIP GOD IN THE SPIRIT," - THERE'S THAT KEY WORD AGAIN - 42:44 SPIRIT - REMEMBER, FLESH AND SPIRIT ARE THE KEY WORDS OF 42:48 GALATIANS - "REJOICE IN CHRIST JESUS, AND HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN 42:52 THE FLESH," - SO THERE'S THE OTHER KEY WORD, ISN'T IT? 42:57 - "THOUGH I MIGHT ALSO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH. 43:00 IF ANYONE ELSE THINKS HE MAY HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH, I 43:03 MORE SO." - HE'S SAYING, 'LISTEN, IF ANYONE CAN BRAG 43:06 ABOUT HAVING CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH, I WAS A STAR - I WAS A 43:08 CHAMPION, OKAY? I WAS THE' - WHAT DO THEY CALL IT - THE MVP - 43:13 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER - 'I WAS THE MVP OF JUDAISM.' - 43:19 "CIRCUMCISED THE EIGHTH DAY, OF THE STOCK OF ISRAEL, OF THE 43:23 TRIBE OF BENJAMIN, A HEBREW OF THE HEBREWS;" - HE WAS ONE OF 43:25 THE RARE REMAINING PUREBREDS OF ONE TRIBE - "CONCERNING THE LAW, 43:31 A PHARISEE" - THE STRICTEST SECT OF JUDAISM - "CONCERNING ZEAL, 43:35 PERSECUTING THE CHURCH; CONCERNING THE RIGHTEOUSNESS 43:37 WHICH IS IN THE LAW, BLAMELESS." - HE SAID, 'I WAS A CHAMPION OF 43:41 THE LAW' - "BUT WHAT THINGS WERE GAIN TO ME, THESE I HAVE 43:44 COUNTED LOSS FOR CHRIST. YET INDEED I ALSO COUNT ALL 43:49 THINGS LOSS FOR THE EXCELLENCE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST 43:51 JESUS MY LORD, FOR WHOM I HAVE SUFFERED THE LOSS OF ALL THINGS, 43:54 AND COUNT THEM AS RUBBISH, THAT I MAY GAIN CHRIST AND BE FOUND 43:59 IN HIM, NOT HAVING MY OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS," - AND ISAIAH, OF 44:04 COURSE, CALLS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS LIKE FILTHY RAGS, DOESN'T HE? 44:08 - "NOT HAVING MY OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS FROM THE 44:10 LAW, BUT THAT WHICH IS THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST, THE 44:13 RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS FROM GOD BY FAITH;" - NOW, I HAVE TO 44:18 CONFESS, WHEN I CAME TO THIS PARTICULAR PASSAGE, I WAS 44:20 TEMPTED TO GO INTO THE IMPUTED AND THE IMPARTED RIGHTEOUSNESS 44:23 OF CHRIST AND THE GOSPEL OF JESUS, AND SO ON. 44:26 AND THEN I REMEMBERED THAT, NOT ONLY DO WE NOT HAVE TIME FOR 44:29 THAT TODAY, BUT THERE'S LOTS OF TIME TO STUDY THIS IN THE NEXT 44:33 QUARTERLY, AND SO I DON'T WANT TO STEAL THE THUNDER OF THE NEXT 44:36 QUARTERLY AS WE LOOK IN THE FIRST CHAPTERS OF ROMANS AND WE 44:39 LOOK AT THE INS AND OUTS OF THE IMPUTED AND THE IMPARTED 44:41 RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST AND HOW THAT GIVES US VICTORY. 44:47 BUT TODAY, LET'S STICK WITH CONVERSION - LET'S JUST STICK 44:50 WITH CONVERSION TODAY. ONCE UPON A TIME, PAUL WAS 44:55 WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HE LOOKED TO THE LAW, BOTH THE 44:58 CEREMONIAL LAW, THE MORAL LAW - THE TRADITIONS OF THE FATHERS - 45:02 AND HE LOOKED TO THE WORKS OF THE LAW TO FIND 45:04 FULFILLMENT AND SALVATION. AND, ESSENTIALLY, IF WE WERE 45:07 TO BOIL ALL OF THE BOOK OF GALATIANS DOWN INTO ONE SAYING 45:11 THAT PAUL, PERHAPS, IF HE WAS SPEAKING TODAY IN OUR MODERATE 45:14 LANGUAGE, WOULD SAY, 'BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, NEVER GO BACK 45:18 AGAIN.' AND SO PAUL IS TAKING THIS VERY PERSONALLY, AS WELL AS 45:22 THEOLOGICALLY, WHEN HE'S WRITING TO HIS GALATIAN CHURCHES. 45:26 I WANT TO HAVE A BIT OF AN EXERCISE WITH THE LAST FEW 45:29 MINUTES THAT WE HAVE HERE, TOGETHER, AND THE EXERCISE IS 45:33 LOOKING AT PAUL BEFORE AND AFTER HE FINDS CHRIST IN THE SPIRIT. 45:37 AND SO I COULD START WITH THE QUESTION, 'WHAT KIND OF PERSON 45:40 DID PAUL BECOME IN HIS PREVIOUS RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE? 45:43 WHAT KIND OF PERSON DID PAUL BECOME WITH HIS PREVIOUS 45:46 RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE - BEFORE CHRIST? 45:49 M'KAY, ZEALOUS IS WHAT HE SAYS, YES. 45:51 LET'S LOOK AT SOME SCRIPTURES ON THAT. NOW, THERE'S MANY 45:54 SCRIPTURES IN THE BOOK OF ACTS AND THE LETTERS OF PAUL, 45:56 HIMSELF, BUT I WANT TO INVITE YOU TO COME WITH ME TO ACTS 45:58 CHAPTER 7 AND LUKE WAS INSPIRED TO WRITE A VERY IMPORTANT 46:03 MILESTONE IN THE HISTORY OF CHURCH, AS WELL AS IN PROPHECY. 46:05 IN FACT, ACTS CHAPTER 7 IS THE RECORDING THE EVENT THAT REALLY 46:10 IS THE CULMINATION AND THE LAST - THE END OF ONE OF THE LONGEST 46:16 TIME PROPHECIES IN DANIEL 9 - WE'VE BEEN STUDYING THAT ON 46:19 TUESDAY NIGHTS, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN COMING - THOSE OF 46:22 YOU WHO HAVE BEEN WATCHING ON FACEBOOK ONLINE - WE'VE BEEN 46:24 LOOKING AT DANIEL 9 AND DISCOVERING THAT THAT LAST 46:26 SEVENTIETH WEEK OF THE SEVENTY-WEEK PROPHECY THAT 46:28 REPRESENTS SEVEN LITERAL YEARS, CAME TO ITS CONCLUSION THREE AND 46:33 A HALF YEARS AFTER CHRIST DIED AND RESURRECTED. 46:35 AND THIS IS THE LAST APPEAL THAT GOD IS MAKING TO THE COUNCIL AND 46:40 THE REPRESESNTATIVES OF THE NATIONS OF ISRAEL. 46:43 SO THE CONTEXT THAT WE COME TO IN ACTS CHAPTER 7 AND THE EVENT 46:47 THAT'S TAKING PLACE, IS THAT GOD HAD INSTILLED ON ONE OF THE 46:51 FIRST DEACONS - HIS NAME WAS STEPHEN - AND STEPHEN WAS CALLED 46:55 TO BE A DEACON, BUT GOD HAD ALSO WORKED THROUGH HIM TO WORK 46:58 MIRACLES, AND WE FIND THAT IN THE FIRST VERSES OF THAT 47:00 CHAPTER. AND SO, HE WAS DOING MANY SIGNS 47:03 AND WONDERS - MOST OF THOSE SIGNS, LIKE JESUS, WERE 47:05 INEVITABLY HEALING PEOPLE SUPERNATURALLY. 47:09 NOW STEPHEN WAS JUST LIKE JESUS AND HE WAS LIKE PAUL AND PETER 47:13 AND THE OTHERS THAT WERE ALSO GIVEN THIS GIFT AND WERE WORKING 47:16 MIRACLES. THEY WEREN'T DOING IT FOR A 47:18 SHOW - THEY WEREN'T DOING IT TO ENTERTAIN THE PEOPLE - IT WASN'T 47:22 A LAS VEGAS MAGICIAN SHOW THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO ACT. 47:25 NO, THEY WERE DOING THAT TO SHOW, FIRST OF ALL, THAT THERE 47:28 IS A LIVING SUPERNATURAL GOD THAT EXISTS AND THEY ARE THE 47:31 ONES THAT ARE WORSHIPING THE REAL GOD. BUT, JUST AS 47:35 IMPORTANTLY, IT WAS REVEALING THAT THAT SAME GOD LOVES YOU AND 47:39 THAT HE CARES ABOUT YOU AND THAT HE WANTS YOU TO BE WHOLE. 47:44 AND SO WE FIND HERE THAT JESUS IS REVEALING THAT GOD CARES AND 47:49 LOVES THE PEOPLE THAT STEPHEN WAS INTERACTING WITH. 47:52 AND THEN, AFTER THEY GOT THEIR TRUST AND SHOWED THAT, NOT ONLY 47:56 DID THEY CARE, BUT STEPHEN CARED, THEN STEPHEN WOULD GO AND 47:59 PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THOSE SAME PEOPLE. 48:01 AND SO, THIS WAS AN INROAD TO BE ABLE TO BE ABLE TO BRING THE 48:04 GOSPEL TO ITS LISTENERS AND TO THOSE WHO WERE SEEING AND 48:06 RECEIVING THE MIRACLES. WELL, THERE WAS A VERY 48:09 PRESTIGIOUS SYNAGOGUE THAT WAS EXISTING IN JERUSALEM AT 48:12 THAT TIME, IT WAS CALLED THE SYNAGOGUE OF THE FREED MEN, 48:15 AND IT WAS AN INTERNATIONAL SYNAGOGUE THAT HAD DIFFERENT, 48:18 VERY PRESTIGIOUS JEWS AND LEADERS - RELIGIOUS, POLITICAL 48:23 PROBABLY, I'M SURE, IN THERE AS WELL, THAT CAME FROM DIFFERENT 48:25 NATIONS AND CITIES, EVEN AS PAUL WAS LIKELY IN THAT SYNAGOGUE AS 48:31 WELL, AS HE WAS FROM TARSUS WAY UP NORTH. 48:34 AND SO PAUL WAS A STAR JEW - HE WAS A STAR PHARISEE - AND HE WAS 48:39 ALSO ON THE COUNCIL OF THE SANHEDRIN OF JERUSALEM AND OF 48:42 ISRAEL. AND THEY HEARD ABOUT THIS GREAT 48:45 PREACHING AND POWER OF STEPHEN AND THEY WENT TO PUBLICLY 48:47 DISPUTE AND PAUL WAS KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THESE 48:53 GREAT DEBATORS AND HE WOULD START TO DEBATE. 48:55 HE THOUGHT, 'OKAY, I'M GOING TO CLEAN THIS GUY UP AND WIPE HIM 48:59 OFF THE TABLE.' AND HE LOST. THE BIBLE TELLS US, IN VERSE 2, 49:04 THAT HE LOST AND THE OTHERS THAT TRIED LOST AS WELL. 49:07 AND SO, THEIR PRIDE WAS BROKEN AND THEY WENT BACK AND THEY DID 49:13 PLAN B, JUST LIKE THEY DID WITH JESUS, THEY WENT AND GOT SOME 49:16 FALSE RUMORS GOING AMONGST THE PEOPLE AND THEY ROUNDED UP SOME 49:19 FALSE WITNESSES AND THEN THEY CALLED STEPHEN BEFORE THE 49:22 COUNCIL AND SAID, 'HEY, LISTEN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT WITNESSES, 49:25 WE'VE GOT RUMORS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS IT. YOU'RE CHARGED.' SO GOD 49:32 INSPIRED STEPHEN TO GIVE THIS LAST APPEAL TO THIS COUNSEL THAT 49:35 REPRESENTED ISRAEL AND HE STARTS TO TRACE THE COVENANT FROM 49:39 ABRAHAM AND HE'S GOING TO MOVE ALL THE WAY TO JESUS AS THE 49:43 PROMISED SEED OF ABRAHAM. BUT HE DIDN'T GET PAST SAUL. 49:47 HE STARTED TO TRACE ALL THE WAY THROUGH THIS VERY LONG CHAPTER - 49:50 BY THE TIME WE GET TO VERSE 51, WE FIND, HERE, THAT THE PEOPLE - 49:54 THE LISTENERS - WERE BECOMING SO UPSET - THEIR COUNTENANCE - 49:58 THEIR EXPRESSIONS WERE BECOMING SO MEAN LOOKING AND, LIKELY, 50:03 EVEN VERBALLY INTERRUPTING STEPHEN, THAT STEPHEN JUST KNEW 50:07 HE WASN'T GOING TO GET TO THE PUNCH LINE. 50:09 AND SO, HE CUTS HIS SPEECH SHORT. 50:12 IN VERSE 51 HE ADDRESSES THEM VERY FRANKLY. 50:14 HE SAID, "YOU STIFF-NECKED AND UNCIRCUMCISED IN HEART AND EARS! 50:18 YOU ALWAYS RESIST THE HOLY SPIRIT; AS YOUR FATHERS DID, 50:22 SO DO YOU." AND SO, THIS IS DESCRIBING PAUL 50:25 - HE'S PART OF THE GROUP THAT STEPHEN IS ADDRESSING. 50:29 AND SO, WE FIND THAT PAUL IS STIFF-NECKED AND UNCIRCUMCISED 50:34 IN HEART AND EARS. AND SO, HE WAS A VERY HARD-HEARTED MAN. 50:37 SO THAT'S THE FIRST THING THAT WE FIND THAT PAUL WAS - THE KIND 50:41 OF PERSON HE WAS. NUMBER TWO - HE RESISTED THE HOLY 50:44 SPIRIT, AND SO, HE WAS IN THE HABIT OF PUSHING BACK THE VOICE 50:47 OF THE CONSCIENCE AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN HIS LIFE. 50:51 AND THEN WE COME TO VERSE 53; IT SAYS, "WHO HAVE RECEIVED THE LAW 50:55 BY THE DIRECTION OF ANGELS AND HAVE NOT KEPT IT." 51:00 AND SO, NOW STEPHEN IS, KIND OF, SPEAKING MORE FRANKLY THAN EVER 51:02 AND HE'S, KIND OF, PUTTING HIMSELF ON THE LINE NOW BECAUSE 51:04 HE'S EXPOSING THE LIVES OF THOSE AND WHO ARE LISTENING. 51:08 NOW, YOU DON'T EXPOSE THE MOST POWERFUL, THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS 51:12 RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL LEADERS AND EMBARRASS THEM IN THIS WAY. 51:18 YOUR LIFE IS ON THE LINE IF YOU DO IT, AND THE FOLLOWING VERSES 51:21 PROVE THAT, DON'T THEY? THEY DEMONSTRATE THAT BECAUSE 51:23 THEY WENT OUT AND THEY KILLED STEPHEN THAT DAY. 51:27 WHAT PARTS OF THE LAW DID PAUL NOT KEEP THAT DAY? 51:32 WHAT PARTS OF THE LAW DID PAUL NOT KEEP? 51:34 WELL, IN THE VERY HEART OF THE LAW - LEVITICUS - THE WRITINGS 51:37 OF MOSES, ITSELF - LEVITICUS 19, VERSE 18 SAYS LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR 51:42 AS YOURSELF. NOW, WAS PAUL LOVING HIS 51:44 NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF? NO, NOT THAT DAY, ANYWAY. 51:49 DID HE LOVE HIS NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF AFTERWARDS, WHEN HE 51:52 PERSECUTED AND IMPRISONED CHRISTIANS SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY 51:54 BELIEVED IN SOMETHING DIFFERENT, ON A RELIGIOUS BASIS, THAN HE 51:57 DID? NO. SO HE WAS BREAKING THE SECOND 52:00 GREATEST COMMANDMENT IN THE LAW OF MOSES. NUMBER THREE - 52:05 JESUS PUT IT ANOTHER WAY, HE SAID, 'THE GOLDEN RULE IS 'DO 52:07 UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE DONE UNTO YOURSELVES.' NOW, IF 52:11 WE SWITCHED THE TABLES THAT DAY, AND STEPHEN AND HIS DEACONS AND 52:14 CHRISTIANS HAD THE UPPER HAND AND THEY WERE THE AUTHORITIES, 52:17 AND THEY DRAGGED PAUL IN FRONT OF THEM AND SAID, 'LISTEN, YOU 52:20 EITHER ACCEPT CHRIST AS THE MESSIAH, OR WE KILL YOU.' OKAY, 52:24 DO YOU THINK HE WOULD APPRECIATE THAT? 52:27 NO, PAUL WOULDN'T APPRECIATE THAT AT ALL. 52:28 SO, WAS PAUL DOING UNTO OTHERS AS HE WOULD HAVE DONE UNTO HIM? 52:32 NO, NO, NOT AT ALL. OKAY? 52:36 AND THEN, WHAT ABOUT DO GOOD - LOVE YOUR ENEMIES? 52:39 DID PAUL DO GOOD AND LOVE HIS ENEMIES? 52:41 NO, HE COUNTED STEPHEN AND THE CHRISTIANS AS AN ENEMY AND HE 52:43 WASN'T DOING GOOD TO THEM AT ALL. 52:45 PROVERBS 25, VERSE 21 SAYS THIS: "IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, GIVE 52:50 HIM BREAD TO EAT; AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM WATER TO 52:53 DRINK;" - IN THE HEART OF THE LAW OF MOSES, EXODUS CHAPTER 23 52:57 AND VERSE 4, IT SAYS, "IF YOU MEET YOUR ENEMY'S OX OR HIS 53:02 DONKEY GOING ASTRAY, YOU SHALL SURELY BRING IT BACK TO HIM 53:05 AGAIN." AND SO, THESE PRINCIPLES THAT 53:08 JESUS DREW OUT IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT WERE NOT NEW. 53:11 THEY WERE NEW TO THEIR LISTENERS, BUT THEY WEREN'T NEW 53:13 TO MOSES OR TO THE BIBLE. PAUL SHOULD HAVE BEEN 53:17 ACQUAINTED WITH THEM AS WELL. AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE FOURTH 53:20 PART OF THE LAW THAT PAUL WAS BREAKING ON A SERIOUS MATTER 53:23 WAS THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. IN EXODUS 20, VERSE 13, IT SAYS, 53:28 "YOU SHALL NOT" - "YOU SHALL NOT MURDER." 53:31 WAS PAUL MURDERING THAT DAY? SURE. 53:34 OKAY, ACCORDING TO OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM, HERE IN AMERICA, HE 53:37 WOULD BE AN ACCOMPLICE TO MURDER, WOULDN'T HE? 53:39 OKAY? CHAPTER 8, VERSE 1, IT SAYS, 53:41 "NOW SAUL WAS CONSENTING TO HIS DEATH." 53:44 PAUL WAS THE ONE THAT WAS WATCHING THE COATS OF THOSE WHO 53:46 WERE PICKING UP THE ROCKS AND THROWING THE STONES AT STEPHEN 53:49 UNTIL STEPHEN WAS KILLED. AND SO, PAUL WAS GUILTY OF 53:53 AN ACCOMPLICE TO MURDER. AFTER THAT, HE WAS DIRECTLY 53:55 INVOLVED IN HAVING CHRISTIANS MURDERED AND IMPRISONED AS WELL. 54:02 AND SO, HE WAS A LAW BREAKER, EVEN THOUGH HE CLAIMED 54:06 HIMSELF TO BE A CHAMPION OF THE LAW. 54:09 AND SO, THE FOLLOWING VERSES GO ON AND EXPLAIN HOW THEY 54:13 RESPONDED AND THE GROUP EVENTUALLY DRAGGED STEPHEN OUT 54:20 AND HAD HIM STONED UNTIL HE WAS ABSOLUTELY, COMPLETELY GONE. 54:26 AND THEN THERE WAS A PERSECUTION - VERSE 3, IT SAYS, "AS FOR 54:28 SAUL, HE MADE HAVOC OF THE CHURCH, ENTERING EVERY HOUSE, 54:32 AND DRAGGING OFF MEN AND WOMEN, COMMITTING THEM TO PRISON." 54:35 AND SO, HE WAS ARROGANT, HE WAS ZEALOUS, HE WAS INTOLERANT TO 54:38 RELIGIOUS DISAGREEMENT, HE WAS EASILY ANGERED. 54:41 AND JESUS CALLS THAT KIND OF CONDITION LIKE A WHITE-WASHED 54:46 SEPULCHER, OR TOMB. YOU'RE ALL BEAUTIFUL ON THE 54:49 OUTSIDE, BUT ON THE INSIDE YOU HAVE DEAD MEN'S BONES AND 54:51 ALL KINDS OF UNCLEANNESS. AND JESUS, HIMSELF, SPOKE TO THE 54:55 PAULS OF HIS GENERATION WHILE JESUS WAS ON THE EARTH. 54:59 SO WHAT CHANGED PAUL SO DRAMATICALLY? 55:02 THE VERY NEXT CHAPTER - VERSES 17 AND 18 - IS WHAT WE'RE GOING 55:05 TO HAVE TO CLOSE WITH HERE, TODAY. 55:07 VERSES 17 AND 18 IT SAYS, "AND ANANIAS WENT HIS WAY AND ENTERED 55:11 THE HOUSE; AND LAYING HIS HANDS ON HIM HE SAID, 'BROTHER SAUL, 55:13 THE LORD JESUS, WHO APPEARED TO YOU ON THE ROAD AS YOU CAME, HAS 55:20 SENT ME THAT YOU MAY RECEIVE YOUR SIGHT AND BE FILLED WITH 55:22 THE HOLY SPIRIT.' IMMEDIATELY THERE FELL FROM HIS 55:25 EYES SOMETHING LIKE SCALES, AND HE RECEIVED HIS SIGHT AT ONCE; 55:27 AND HE AROSE AND WAS BAPTIZED." 55:30 WHAT'S THE KEY INGREDIENT THAT HE RECEIVED THAT DAY? 55:32 >>THE HOLY SPIRIT. >>THE HOLY SPIRIT. 55:34 NOW HE WAS OF THE EXPERIENCE OF THE SPIRIT. 55:37 DO YOU SEE, THE POWER IS NOT IN THE LAW ITSELF TO CHANGE US, THE 55:40 POWER IS IN CHRIST, THE GOD OF THE LAW. 55:42 AND ONCE YOU HAVE THE GOD OF THE LAW IN YOUR HEART, THEN GOD IS 55:45 ABLE TO WRITE HIS LAW UPON YOUR HEART. 55:47 AND THAT'S THE WHOLE GOAL, ISN'T IT? 55:48 FOR US TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THE LAW FROM THE INSIDE OUT. 55:51 AND THAT'S WHAT PAUL WAS CONCERNED OF. 55:53 THAT'S WHAT GOD WAS CONCERNED OF, AS WELL. 55:56 WELL, WE WANT TO THANK YOU FOR STUDYING WITH US HERE, TODAY. 55:59 AND THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE ONLINE, OR ARE WATCHING ON TV, I JUST 56:03 WANT TO REMIND YOU ONE MORE TIME THAT THERE IS A FREE OFFER 56:06 THAT'S AVAILABLE CALLED HIDDEN EYES AND CLOSED EARS , BY JOE 56:08 CREWS - HIDDEN EYES AND CLOSED EARS - AND THAT'S OFFER #726 AND 56:16 YOU CAN JUST SIMPLY DIAL 1-866-788-3966 - 866-788-3966 OR 56:25 866-STUDY-MORE - THAT'S OFFER #726. 56:28 JUST CALL IN IF YOU'RE IN NORTH AMERICA AND WE'LL SEND THAT TO 56:31 YOU. GOD BLESS YOU AND WE LOOK 56:33 FORWARD TO STUDYING WITH YOU NEXT WEEK. 56:35 >>FIVE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, GOD USED MARTIN LUTHER TO INSPIRE A 56:39 GREAT REFORMATION; HOWEVER, IN THE CENTURIES THAT FOLLOWED, THE 56:43 CHURCH HAS SLIPPED OFF THE BEDROCK OF TRUTH INTO THE VALLEY 56:46 OF LUKEWARM WORLDLINESS. THAT'S WHY, THIS FALL, I'LL BE 56:50 PRESENTING A BRAND-NEW NINE-PART SERIES CALLED 56:53 FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH . PLEASE PLAN, NOW, TO JOIN ME IN 56:57 PERSON, ONLINE, OR ON TELEVISION AND BE SURE TO INVITE 57:00 OTHERS TO JOIN YOU AS WELL. THE REFORMATION CONTINUES. 57:06 >>LET'S FACE IT, IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING 57:09 YOU READ IN THE BIBLE. WITH OVER 700,000 WORDS 57:13 CONTAINED IN 66 BOOKS, THE BIBLE CAN GENERATE A LOT OF QUESTIONS. 57:17 TO GET BIBLICAL STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWERS CALL IN TO BIBLE ANSWERS 57:20 LIVE - A LIVE NATIONWIDE CALL-IN RADIO PROGRAM WHERE YOU CAN TALK 57:25 TO PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR AND ASK HIM YOUR MOST DIFFICULT BIBLE 57:28 QUESTIONS. FOR TIMES AND STATIONS IN YOUR AREA, OR TO 57:31 LISTEN TO ANSWERS 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 57:44 TRUTH-FILLED PROGRAMMING, VISIT THE AMAZING FACTS MEDIA LIBRARY 57:48 AT 'AFTV.ORG'. AT 'AFTV.ORG' YOU CAN ENJOY 57:54 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 58:02 COMPUTER OR MOBILE DEVICE. VISIT 'AFTV.ORG'. 58:08 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2017-09-26