Participants:
Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021740A
|
00:00 (MUSIC)
00:35 >>GOOD MORNING, AND WELCOME TO ANOTHER EDITION OF 00:37 THE SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY HOUR THAT'S TAKING PLACE RIGHT HERE 00:41 IN THE GRANITE BAY SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN THE GREATER 00:44 SACRAMENTO AREA OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 00:48 WE WANT TO WELCOME ALL WHO ARE WATCHING ONLINE TODAY AND THOSE 00:51 WHO ARE ALSO WATCHING FROM THE VARIOUS TELEVISION - DIFFERENT 00:55 NETWORKS. WHAT A PRIVILEGE IT IS TO BE 00:58 ABLE TO SHARE AND TO BE ABLE TO STUDY THE WORD OF GOD AS WE COME 01:02 TOGETHER AND GROW CLOSER TOGETHER AND UNDERSTAND GOD'S 01:05 WORD THAT MUCH BETTER AS WELL. 01:08 BEFORE WE START SINGING, WE ALSO WANT TO BRING BEFORE YOU OUR 01:12 FREE OFFER, WHICH IS ENTITLED IS IT EASIER TO BE SAVED OR LOST? 01:17 YOU CAN DIAL 1-866-788-3966 - AGAIN, THAT'S 1-866-788-3966 AND 01:27 THAT'S FOR ALL THAT ARE FOUND IN NORTH AMERICA. 01:30 NOW, IF YOU'RE OUTSIDE OF NORTH AMERICA AND YOU'D STILL LIKE A 01:33 COPY OF THAT, YOU CAN ALSO DOWNLOAD A DIGITAL COPY OF THAT 01:36 AT AMAZINGFACTS.ORG . 01:40 SO, WE'D LIKE TO INVITE OUR SONG LEADERS FORWARD AT THIS TIME, AS 01:43 WE SPEND SOME TIME SINGING TO THE LORD. 01:49 GOD BLESS YOU. (PIANO MUSIC) 01:53 >>THANK YOU, PASTOR BRUMMOND. 01:55 FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DIDN'T KNOW, HE IS OUR NEW PASTOR - 01:58 FAMILY LIFE PASTOR - HERE AT GRANITE BAY, AND WE ARE JUST 02:01 EXCITED TO HAVE THE BRUMMOND FAMILY JOINING WITH US AT 02:05 GRANITE BAY. 02:06 THEY COME ALL THE WAY FROM CANADA AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE A 02:09 BLESSING, WE KNOW, AT THIS CHURCH. 02:13 WE'RE GOING TO START OUR SONG SERVICE, LIKE WE DO EVERY WEEK, 02:16 SINGING YOUR FAVORITES, AND WE'RE GOING TO START WITH #286 - 02:21 WONDERFUL WORDS OF LIFE - #286 - AND WE'RE GOING TO DO ALL THREE 02:25 STANZAS. (PIANO MUSIC) 04:33 >>AT THIS TIME, PASTOR BRUMMOND IS GOING TO HAVE 04:35 OUR OPENING PRAYER. (SOFT PIANO MUSIC) 04:42 >>LET'S CLOSE OUR EYES AND BOW OUR HEADS AS WE PRAY. 04:44 FATHER IN HEAVEN, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY THIS 04:46 MORNING TO BE ABLE TO OPEN YOUR WORD AND FREELY BE ABLE TO STUDY 04:49 THIS GREAT BOOK CALLED THE BOOK OF ROMANS. 04:52 WE THANK YOU FOR THE GOSPEL THAT IS FOUND IN IT. 04:54 WE THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT TRUTHS THAT YOU HAVE REVEALED TO 04:56 US. WE PRAY FOR A SPECIAL BLESSING UPON OUR TEACHER TODAY, 05:00 OUR LEAD PASTOR, DOUG BATCHELOR, AS HE IS GOING TO BE SHARING 05:02 WITH US. WE PRAY, AS ALWAYS, THAT YOUR 05:05 HOLY SPIRIT WILL CONTINUE TO GUIDE US AND LEAD US AND GIVE US 05:08 UNDERSTANDING, AS YOU WOULD HAVE US UNDERSTAND IT, LORD. 05:11 AND SO, GOD, AGAIN WE CONSECRATE THIS PARTICULAR TIME BEFORE YOU 05:15 AND ASK FOR YOUR BLESSING. IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN. 05:17 >>AMEN. >>AND NOW WE WANT TO WELCOME 05:19 PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR. >>THANK YOU, PASTOR SHAWN, AND 05:27 OUR MUSICIANS - MICHELLE ON PIANO - I APPRECIATE THAT. 05:32 MORNING. >>MORNING. 05:33 >>HAPPY SABBATH. >>HAPPY SABBATH. 05:34 >>GOOD TO SEE EACH OF YOU HERE AT GRANITE BAY AND WE KNOW THERE 05:37 ARE ALWAYS THOUSANDS THAT ARE WATCHING, VIA THE INTERNET OR 05:42 FACEBOOK, AND WE'RE REALLY GLAD THAT YOU'RE TUNING IN AS WELL. 05:45 AND, AMONG THOSE THAT ARE WATCHING, SOME OF YOU ARE OUR 05:48 ONLINE MEMBERS - WE WANT TO WELCOME YOU AS WELL. 05:52 WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE SCATTERED IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF 05:55 THE WORLD - MANY OF THEM IN DIFFERENT ENGLISH-SPEAKING PARTS 05:58 OF THE WORLD - AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AFRICA, CANADA, INDIA, 06:01 PHILIPPIINES, AND THERE'S NO LOCAL CHURCH THEY CAN ATTEND, 06:05 BUT THEY CAN WATCH ONLINE OR VIA SATELLITE AND WE'VE CREATED A 06:09 MECHANISM WHERE THEY CAN BE ONLINE MEMBERS AND, IF YOU'RE 06:12 INTERESTED IN THAT, CONTACT US. 06:14 IF THERE'S A LOCAL CHURCH WE CAN RECOMMEND TO YOU, WE WILL DO 06:16 THAT AS WELL. JUST BEFORE WE GET INTO OUR 06:20 LESSON, I WANT TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT. 06:22 IN A FEW WEEKS - THAT'S A FEW WEEKS FROM THIS BROADCAST - 06:28 WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT. 06:30 AMAZING FACTS WILL BE BACK IN MARYLAND, AT THE GENERAL 06:33 CONFERENCE HEADQUARTERS AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HEADING UP ON THE 06:36 500-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION, AND 06:41 WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING A MEETING THERE - A SERIES OF 06:44 MEETINGS SOMETHING LIKE A REVIVAL - A LITTLE BIT OF 06:47 EVANGELISM INVOLVED AND IT'S CALLED FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH . 06:51 WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT IF THE REFORMERS WERE STILL 06:56 ALIVE TODAY, WOULD THE REFORMATION BE GOING ANY FARTHER 07:00 THAN THEY TOOK IT? IN OTHER WORDS, DOES THE 07:04 REFORMATION STILL NEED TO CONTINUE? 07:06 YOU KNOW, SOME ARE ARGUING THE REFORMATION IS OVER. 07:08 AND SO, WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE 07:10 FOUNDATIONAL TEACHINGS THAT HAVE BEEN LOST SIGHT OF BY MUCH OF 07:14 THE CHRISTIAN WORLD. AND SO, PLEASE PLAN ON TUNING IN. 07:17 IT WILL BE ON, PROBABLY, MANY OF THE CHANNELS YOU'RE WATCHING 07:20 RIGHT NOW - HOPE CHANNEL, 3ABN, AMAZING FACTS TV, FACEBOOK LIVE, 07:26 AND ALL OF THE OTHERS. AND SO, FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH - 07:29 IT'S NOVEMBER 3 THROUGH 11 - NOVEMBER 3 THROUGH 11 - YOU MAY 07:33 WANT TO GATHER IN YOUR HOMES AND CHURCHES - BRING YOUR FRIENDS 07:35 TOGETHER AND PRAY FOR REVIVAL. AND THAT'S A GREAT SEGUE INTO 07:40 OUR NEW SERIES THAT WE'RE BEGINNING. 07:43 OUR NEW LESSON IS FROM THE BOOK OF ROMANS AND WE REALLY ARE 07:47 STEPPING ON HOLY GROUND. ROMANS IS ONE OF THE GREAT 07:53 BOOKS OF THE BIBLE - NOW DON'T MISUNDERSTAND, BECAUSE IT'S LIKE 07:56 WHEN SOMEONE ASKS YOU 'WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE VERSE?' 07:58 DOES IT MEAN THE OTHER ONES AREN'T GOOD? 08:00 AND SO, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT A GREAT BOOK OF THE BIBLE, DOES 08:03 THAT MEAN THAT THE OTHER BOOKS ARE LESS GREAT? 08:06 WELL, MAYBE - THEY'RE ALL INSPIRED. I MEAN, ALL THE STARS 08:11 IN THE SKY ARE OUT OF YOUR REACH. DO WE AGREE? 08:14 BUT DO YOU AGREE SOME SHINE BRIGHTER THAN OTHERS? 08:17 AND THE BOOK OF ROMANS IS ONE OF THE GREAT BOOKS IN THE BIBLE 08:20 BECAUSE IT JUST REALLY TAKES THE GOSPEL AND IT LAYS IT OUT SO 08:25 THAT EVERYBODY COULD UNDERSTAND IT. 08:29 AND I PROBABLY OUGHT TO START BY JUST INTRODUCING THE STUDY. 08:34 THE SERIES, OF COURSE, IS CALLED SALVATION BY FAITH ALONE: 08:39 THE BOOK OF ROMANS . WE'RE IN LESSON #1 TODAY THAT IS 08:42 CALLED THE APOSTLE PAUL IN ROME . WE'RE REALLY GOING TO BE DOING 08:45 SORT OF AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF ROMANS, AND WE 08:49 HAVE A MEMORY VERSE. THE MEMORY VERSE COMES FROM 08:52 CHAPTER 1 IN ROMANS, VERSE 8, AND IT'S IN THE NEW KING JAMES 08:55 VERSION IN OUR LESSON HERE, IF YOU WANT TO SAY IT WITH ME. 08:58 LET ME REPEAT THAT - ROMANS 1:8, IF YOU WANT TO FIND THAT, LET'S 09:02 ALL SAY IT TOGETHER. ARE YOU READY? "FIRST, I THANK MY GOD 09:07 THROUGH JESUS CHRIST FOR YOU ALL, THAT YOUR FAITH IS SPOKEN 09:12 OF THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WORLD." A LITTLE LATER IN OUR LESSON 09:16 WE'LL DELVE INTO WHY PAUL IS SAYING THAT JUST 09:19 THE WAY HE SAYS IT. NOW, I TOLD YOU THAT I THINK 09:22 THAT ROMANS MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS. 09:25 YOU'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, AND JOHN IN THE NEW 09:30 TESTAMENT, THEN YOU HAVE ACTS. THOSE ARE ALL BOOKS OF, 09:33 REALLY, HISTORY OF THE GOSPEL. WHEN YOU GET INTO ROMANS, YOU'RE 09:37 GETTING INTO THE THEOLOGY OF THE GOSPEL. IT IS - OF THE LETTERS 09:42 OF PAUL, IT IS THE LONGEST LETTER, AND IT IS A MASTERPIECE. 09:47 IT IS SO WONDERFUL BECAUSE - I DON'T EVEN REALLY FEEL WORTHY TO 09:50 TEACH IT, BECAUSE YOU REALLY ARE ON HOLY GROUND. 09:54 ROMANS IS SO SIMPLE THAT A CHILD CAN UNDERSTAND IT, AND YET, IT 10:00 IS SO DEEP THAT THERE ARE MORE BOOKS WRITTEN ON THE THEOLOGY OF 10:04 ROMANS THAN PROBABLY ANY OTHER BOOK IN THE BIBLE. 10:07 IT IS A VERY POWERFUL BOOK. NOW, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT 10:11 TALKING TO YOU ABOUT ROMANS BECAUSE, THROUGH THE STUDY 10:15 OF ROMANS, GREAT THINGS HAVE HAPPENED IN THE COURSE OF TIME. 10:20 I THINK IT'S INTERESTING THAT WE ARE EMBARKING ON THIS STUDY OF 10:23 ROMANS, RIGHT HERE ON THE CUSP OF THE 500-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF 10:28 THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION. YOU KNOW, IT WAS THROUGH THE 10:32 STUDY OF ROMANS THAT LUTHER WAS CONVERTED. 10:36 THE STUDY OF ROMANS HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH A REAL 10:38 UNDERSTANDING OF THE GOSPEL FOR HUSS. 10:40 LET ME READ TO YOU WHAT LUTHER WROTE ABOUT ROMANS. 10:44 KIND OF A BRIEF SEGMENT OF A PERSONAL TESTIMONY: "AT LAST, BY 10:48 THE MERCY OF GOD, MEDITATING DAY AND NIGHT, I GAVE HEED TO THE 10:51 CONTEXT OF THE WORDS, NAMELY, IN IT THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IS 10:58 REVEALED AS IT IS WRITTEN. 11:00 HE, THROUGH FAITH, IS RIGHTEOUS SHALL LIVE." 11:02 - NOW HE'S QUOTING THAT VERSE OF ROMANS 1:17, SORT OF. 11:08 IT'S BEEN TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN - "THEN I BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND 11:13 THAT THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD THAT IS BY FAITH - THE RIGHTEOUS 11:16 LIVE BY A GIFT OF GOD, NAMELY, BY FAITH. 11:19 AND THIS IS THE MEANING: THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IS REVEALED 11:22 BY THE GOSPEL, NAMELY THE PASS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHICH MERCIFUL 11:26 GOD JUSTIFIES US BY FAITH, AS IT IS WRITTEN. 11:29 HE, THROUGH FAITH, IS RIGHTEOUS, SHALL LIVE. HERE I FELT THAT I 11:33 WAS ALTOGETHER BORN AGAIN AND HAD ENTERED PARADISE, ITSELF, 11:37 THROUGH OPEN GATES. THERE, A TOTALLY OTHER FACE OF 11:41 THE ENTIRE SCRIPTURE SHOWED ITSELF TO ME." 11:43 HE LOOKS AT THIS AS THE TURNING POINT IN HIS EXPERIENCE IN 11:47 READING AND FINALLY UNDERSTANDING SALVATION BY 11:50 FAITH, AS IT WAS PORTRAYED IN THE BOOK OF ROMANS. 11:54 UP TIL THEN, HE SAID, 'I WAS, YOU KNOW, THE MOST OBEDIENT 11:57 LEGALISTIC MONK THERE WAS.' AND HE USED TO FLOG HIMSELF AND PRAY 12:03 CEASELESS HOURS AND CONFESS, FOR HOURS, ALL OF HIS SINS, AND 12:06 DOING EVERYTHING HE COULD TO FIND RIGHTEOUSNESS WITH GOD, BUT 12:09 HE SAID HE HATED THE CONCEPT OF A RIGHTEOUS GOD. 12:13 HE ADMITS THAT IN THIS TESTIMONY. 12:14 I DIDN'T READ THE WHOLE THING TO YOU. 12:16 BUT FINALLY, WHEN HE UNDERSTOOD THAT HE COULD BE RIGHTEOUS 12:19 THROUGH FAITH, AND IT WAS BEING GIVEN AS A GIFT, THAT SEED OF 12:23 TRUTH DAWNED IN HIS MIND AND IT JUST EXPLODED WITH LIGHT THAT 12:28 SHONE UPON EVERY OTHER ASPECT OF THE BIBLE. 12:31 IT WAS THROUGH COMPREHENDING ROMANS THAT LUTHER WAS BORN 12:34 AGAIN. WE JUST READ IT - HIS OWN TESTIMONY. HE ENDED UP - A WHOLE 12:37 DENOMINATION GREW OUT OF MARTIN LUTHER, KNOWN AS THE LUTHERANS. 12:42 WHAT ABOUT WESLEY? LET ME READ YOU A LITTLE 12:44 TESTIMONY ABOUT THE WESLEY BROTHERS. 12:46 NOW, YOU REALIZE SUSANNA WESLEY - I THINK SHE HAD 18 CHILDREN. 12:50 MANY OF THEM DID GREAT THINGS, TWO OF THEM - CHARLES WESLEY 12:53 WROTE ABOUT SIX TO SEVEN THOUSAND CHRISTIAN HYMNS; MANY 12:58 OF THEM ARE IN YOUR HYMNAL. THAT'S A LOT OF HYMNS. 13:01 HE'S CONSIDERED ONE OF THE GREATEST, IF NOT THE MOST 13:03 PROLIFIC HYMN WRITER IN CHRISTIAN HISTORY - MORE THAN 13:06 FANNY CROSBY AND MANY OTHERS PUT TOGETHER. 13:08 AND THEN HIS BROTHER JOHN, OF COURSE, FOUNDED THE METHODIST 13:11 CHURCH - WELL, THE TWO OF THEM TOGETHER - BUT THEY DIDN'T 13:14 BELIEVE THEY WERE REALLY CONVERTED. 13:15 HERE'S A TESTIMONY. IN 1735 THE WESLEY BROTHERS 13:19 SAILED TO GEORGIA, BUT EVEN IN THIS MISSIONARY SERVICE, THE OLD 13:23 DOUBTS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE OF SALVATION SURFACED." 13:26 - THEY WERE YOUNG AT THIS TIME - "NEITHER JOHN, NOR CHARLES COULD 13:29 FIND ASSURANCE THAT HE WAS, INDEED, A CHILD OF GOD BY GRACE. 13:33 THEY RETURNED TO ENGLAND BELIEVING THEIR LIVES AND 13:35 MINISTRY HAD FAILED." - JOHN WESLEY WROTE OF THIS 13:38 EXPERIENCE IN GEORGIA, "I WENT TO AMERICA TO CONVERT THE 13:41 INDIANS BUT OH, WHO SHALL CONVERT ME?" 13:45 - I CAN TELL YOU A LOT OF STORIES ABOUT MISSIONARIES THAT 13:47 GO TO THE MISSION FIELD AND FOUND OUT THEY ARE CONVERTED IN 13:49 THE MISSION FIELD - "AT SEVEN IN THE EVENING, SAILING BACK, I 13:55 WENT TO THE GERMANS." - THE MORAVIAN GERMANS WERE HAVING 13:57 A PRAYER MEETING ON THE SHIP - "IN THE MIDST OF THE PSALM THAT 14:01 THEY WERE SINGING, WHEREWITH THEIR SERVICE BEGAN, THE SEA 14:05 BROKE OVER" - A STORM WAS BREWING - "IT SPLIT THE MAIN 14:09 SAIL IN PIECES, COVERED THE SHIP, AND POURED IN BETWEEN THE 14:12 DECKS AS IF THE GREAT DEEP HAD ALREADY SWALLOWED US UP. 14:16 A TERRIBLE SCREAMING BEGAN AMONG THE ENGLISH. 14:19 THE GERMANS CALMLY SANG ON. 14:22 I ASKED ONE OF THEM AFTERWARDS, 'WAS NOT YOU AFRAID?'" 14:25 - THAT'S HOW HE WRITES IT - "HE ANSWERED, 'I THANK GOD, NO.' 14:29 I ASKED, 'BUT WERE NOT YOUR WOMEN AND CHILDREN AFRAID?' 14:32 HE REPLIED, MILDLY, 'NO, OUR WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE NOT 14:35 AFRAID TO DIE.'" - SHORTLY AFTER HIS RETURN TO AMERICA, BOTH HE, 14:39 JOHN, AND CHARLES WERE INFLUENCED BY MORAVIAN FRIENDS. 14:42 - MORAVIANS ARE LIKE A PRIMITIVE BAPTIST GERMAN GROUP, BUT 14:47 THEY'RE JUST VERY DEDICATED - KNEW THE WORD INSIDE OUT. 14:51 AND THEY WENT TO STUDY WITH SOME MORAVIAN FRIENDS - "CHARLES 14:56 WESLEY WAS THE FIRST OF THE TWO TO BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH AND ON 14:59 WHIT SUNDAY" - THAT'S WHAT THEY CALLED IT - "MAY 21, 1738, HE 15:04 EXPERIENCED PENTECOST. HE WROTE IN HIS JOURNAL THAT 15:07 'THE SPIRIT OF GOD CHASED AWAY THE DARKNESS OF MY UNBELIEF'. 15:10 THE PROLIFIC HYMNIST" - WROTE SIX TO SEVEN THOUSAND HYMNS - 15:14 "WROTE A HYMN TO COMMEMORATE THIS DAY OF HIS SALVATION." 15:18 - MANY BELIEVE IT WAS A HYMN - 'AND CAN IT BE THAT I SHOULD 15:22 GAIN' - IT'S IN YOUR HYMNAL, I WON'T SING IT - AND SO IT WAS 15:25 THROUGH THE STUDY OF ROMANS - "THREE DAYS LATER, ON MAY 24, 15:29 1738, JOHN, SEEKING FOR THE GRACE OF GOD, ENDED IN A MEETING 15:34 HOUSE IN ALDERSGATE STREET IN LONDON. 15:36 HE WROTE IN HIS JOURNAL THAT NOW-FAMOUS ACCOUNT OF HIS 15:39 CONVERSION. 'IN THE EVENING I WENT VERY 15:41 UNWILLINGLY TO THE SOCIETY AT ALDERSGATE STREET.'" - CHARLES 15:46 PERSUADED HIM TO GO TO THIS MORAVIAN MEETING. 15:49 THEY DIDN'T AGREE WITH THE MORAVIANS ON BAPTISM BY 15:52 IMMERSION, YOU KNOW. THE METHODISTS BELIEVED IN 15:54 BAPTISM BY SPRINKLING AT THAT TIME OR - JOHN - HE WAS FROM THE 15:57 CHURCH OF ENGLAND, SO THEY HAD SOME PROBLEMS WITH SOME OF THEIR 15:59 DOCTRINES, BUT HE - RELUCTANTLY HE WENT - AND THEY WERE READING 16:04 MARTIN LUTHER'S PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE OF ROMANS, WHICH, OF 16:09 COURSE, CONVERTED HIM - "'ABOUT A QUARTER TO NINE, WHILE HE WAS 16:13 DESCRIBING THE CHANGE WHICH GOD WORKS IN THE HEART THROUGH FAITH 16:17 IN CHRIST, I FELT MY HEART STRANGELY WARMED.' 16:21 JOHN IMMEDIATELY SHARED THE GOOD NEWS WITH CHARLES. 16:24 CHARLES WROTE: 'TOWARDS TEN MY BROTHER WAS BROUGHT IN TRIUMPH 16:27 BY A TROOP OF OUR FRIENDS AND DECLARED, 'I BELIEVE!' 16:30 WE SANG A HYMN WITH GREAT JOY AND PARTED WITH PRAYER.' 16:33 UNTIL THEIR CONVERSIONS, THE WESLEYS HAD, WHAT JOHN DESCRIBED 16:37 AS, A FAIR SUMMER RELIGION. 16:39 THEY WERE BOTH ORDAINED, THEY BOTH PREACHED, THEY TAUGHT, THEY 16:42 WROTE, THEY COMPOSED HYMNS, THEY EVEN GAVE THEMSELVES TO 16:44 MISSIONARY WORK, ALL TO NO AVAIL. 16:47 THEY HAD NOT CHRIST OR, RATHER, CHRIST DID NOT HAVE THEM. 16:50 THEY LIVED BY GOOD WORKS AND NOT BY FAITH." 16:53 NOW, I SAY ALL THIS BECAUSE, AS WE GET READY TO EMBARK ON 16:56 ROMANS, MOST OF THOSE WHO TUNE IN TO SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY HOUR 17:00 ARE CHRISTIANS. WE GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS. 17:03 MANY HAVE GONE TO CHURCH FOR YEARS. 17:04 SADLY, THOSE WHO GO TO SABBATH SCHOOL ARE USUALLY LONG-TIME, 17:08 DIED-IN-THE-WOOL CHRISTIANS. LET'S FACE IT, A LOT OF PEOPLE 17:15 DON'T EVEN COME TO SABBATH SCHOOL ANYMORE. 17:16 LOOK AROUND. AND SO, YOU'RE SORT OF PREACHING 17:19 TO THE CHOIR WHEN YOU TEACH SABBATH SCHOOL. 17:22 BUT I SUSPECT THERE MAY BE MANY OF YOU WHO, LIKE LUTHER AND 17:29 WESLEY, HAVE GONE THROUGH ALL THE MOTIONS OF CHRISTIANITY FOR 17:32 YEARS, BUT YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE THAT JOY OF BEING BORN AGAIN, 17:37 WHERE YOU FEEL LIKE THE GATES OF PARADISE HAVE OPENED. 17:40 I AM PRAYING - I HOPE YOU ARE PRAYING - THAT AS WE GO THROUGH 17:44 THE BOOK OF ROMANS, WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL IF THERE WAS A 17:47 REVIVAL IN THE CHURCH, THAT YOU COULD HAVE A SECOND REFORMATION? 17:52 BECAUSE WE FINALLY UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL AS WE 17:55 STUDY WHAT THEY STUDIED. SO THAT'S MY PRAYER. 18:00 YOU PRAY FOR ME AS I SHARE IT. LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET INTO 18:04 OUR LESSON WITH THAT LENGTHY INTRODUCTION. 18:08 FIRST UNDER SUNDAY, THE APOSTLE'S LETTER - THE APOSTLE 18:11 PAUL'S LETTER. SO, AS WE TALK ABOUT ROMANS, 18:14 NOW, I JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THIS FIRST STUDY TODAY IS 18:17 REALLY AN INTRODUCTION. WE'RE PAVING THE WAY FOR WHAT'S 18:19 GOING TO COME IN THE NEXT THIRTEEN WEEKS. 18:22 FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THE WHO, THE WHEN, 18:25 THE WHERE, THE WHY, OF THE BOOK OF ROMANS. 18:29 WHO? WHO WROTE ROMANS? 18:31 LET'S READ CHAPTER 1, VERSE 1, "PAUL," - THERE YOU HAVE IT - 18:37 "PAUL, A BONDSERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST, CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE, 18:41 SEPARATED TO THE GOSPEL OF GOD" - NOW, FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT 18:45 KNOW - YOU DO HAVE SOME VISITORS - LET ME GIVE YOU A LITTLE 18:47 OVERVIEW ACCORDING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT OF PAUL AND WHO HE IS. 18:51 HIS FIRST NAME WAS NOT PAUL, IT WAS WHAT? 18:52 >>SAUL. >>SAUL OF TARSUS. 18:55 WAS BORN IN TARSUS, A CITY OF CICILIA, OF JEWISH PARENTS WHO 19:01 POSSESSED THE RIGHT OF ROMAN CITIZENS THAT, WHEN YOUNG, HE 19:05 WAS SENT TO JERUSALEM FOR THE PURPOSE OF RECEIVING A JEWISH 19:07 EDUCATION THAT HE WAS THERE PUT UNDER THE TRAINING OF THE FAMOUS 19:11 RABBI, GAMALIEL, AND HE WAS INCORPORATED WITH THE SECT OF 19:15 THE PHARISEES, WHOSE SYSTEM HE IMBIBED OF ALL THE PRIDE AND 19:19 SELF-CONFIDENCE, AND INTOLERANCE, AND HE 19:22 DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE MOST INGRAINED ENEMIES OF 19:25 THE CHRISTIAN CAUSE. 19:26 BUT BEING CONVERTED BY A MOST SINGULAR INTERPOSITION OF DIVINE 19:30 PROVIDENCE ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS, HE BECAME ONE OF THE 19:33 MOST ZEALOUS PROMOTERS AND SUCCESSFUL DEFENDERS OF THE 19:35 CAUSE WHICH HE HAD, BEFORE, SO VIGOROUSLY PERSECUTED. 19:39 THAT'S A QUICK SUMMARY OF WHO THE AUTHOR IS, PAUL. 19:44 HE WAS NOT SOMEONE WHO FOLLOWED JESUS, BUT HE WAS CONVERTED 19:47 AFTER THE FACT, DURING THE PERSECUTION - THE FIRST 19:50 PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH DURING THE TIME THEY WERE - HE WAS 19:53 THERE. IT'S INTERESTING, HE'S A WITNESS 19:56 OF THE EXECUTION OF STEPHEN AND, IN ONE CHAPTER, HE'S CONVERTED. 20:01 AND HE, BASICALLY, TAKES THE PLACE OF THE ONE THAT HE KILLED, 20:06 MAYBE EVEN TAKING THE PLACE OF JUDAS, BECOMING AN APOSTLE, 20:09 HIMSELF. NOBODY - YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU 20:12 START READING THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE, THERE ARE SOME OF THE 20:14 EARLY CHURCH FATHERS AND THERE'S QUESTIONS ABOUT DIFFERENT BOOKS 20:17 AND WHO WROTE IT AND WHAT'S THE TITLE, BUT OF ALL THE BOOKS IN 20:21 THE NEW TESTAMENT THERE IS, VIRTUALLY, NO DOUBT OR QUESTION 20:24 ABOUT ROMANS BEING WRITTEN BY PAUL. 20:29 YOU GO BACK TO SOME OF THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS THAT WERE 20:32 CONTEMPORARIES WITH THE APOSTLE JOHN - THEY LIVED DURING THE 20:35 TIME OF THE APOSTLES - THEY ATTRIBUTED THE BOOK OF ROMANS TO 20:40 PAUL. SO, IT'S REALLY UNDISPUTED. 20:43 AND YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THE EARLY FATHERS, LIKE CLEMENT OF 20:48 ROME, POLYCARP, JUSTIN MARTYR, IGNACIOUS AND IRANAEUS - THEY 20:52 ALL, UNIFORMLY, AGREE THE BOOK OF ROMANS WAS WRITTEN BY PAUL. 20:58 AND NOW LET'S TALK, NEXT, ABOUT WHERE IT WAS WRITTEN. 21:02 PROBABLY HE WROTE THE BOOK OF PAUL - THE BOOK OF ROMANS - 21:07 WHILE HE WAS IN CORINTH AND HE WAS ACTUALLY ON THE EASTERN PORT 21:11 OF CORINTH, WHICH IS CALLED CENCHREA, AND YOU LOOK THERE IN 21:15 CHAPTER 16 - NOW WE'RE GOING FROM THE FIRST CHAPTER OF ROMANS 21:18 - GO TO THE LAST CHAPTER OF ROMANS, BECAUSE IN HIS FAREWELL 21:21 HE GIVES US SOME CLUES - ROMANS 16:1, "I COMMEND YOU PHOEBE OUR 21:27 SISTER, WHO IS A SERVANT OF THE CHURCH IN CENCHREA, THAT YOU MAY 21:32 RECEIVE HER IN THE LORD IN A MANNER WORTHY OF THE SAINTS, AND 21:36 ASSIST HER IN WHATEVER BUSINESS SHE HAS NEED OF YOU; FOR INDEED 21:40 SHE HAS BEEN A HELPER OF MANY AND OF MYSELF ALSO." 21:44 WELL, IT INDICATES THAT PAUL WROTE FROM THIS GREEK CITY OF 21:49 CENCHREA, WHICH WAS NEAR CORINTH - HE PROBABLY WROTE FROM 21:53 CORINTH. HE MENTIONS PHOEBE, WHO'S A 21:55 RESIDENT OF GREATER CORINTH, AND HELPS ESTABLISH THAT PLACE AS 22:00 THE BACKGROUND FOR THE LETTER. NOW, ALSO, IF YOU LOOK - YOU'RE 22:04 STILL IN ROMANS 16 - THERE'S TWO OTHER CLUES ABOUT 22:06 WHERE HE WROTE IT. I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW THE 22:08 - HOW THE BIBLE SCHOLARS ARRIVE AT THEIR CONCLUSION. 22:12 THEY'VE GOT GOOD EVIDENCE. ROMANS 16:23 - PAUL IS WRITING - 22:17 HE SAYS, "GAIUS, MY HOST AND THE HOST OF THE WHOLE 22:21 CHURCH, GREETS YOU. ERASTUS, THE TREASURER OF THE 22:24 CITY, GREETS YOU, AND QUARTUS, A BROTHER." 22:27 NOW, WITH THAT INFORMATION, YOU GO TO 1 CORINTHIANS - OF COURSE, 22:32 WRITTEN TO THOSE WHO LIVE IN CORINTH - CHAPTER 1, VERSE 14 - 22:35 HE SAYS, "I THANK GOD THAT I BAPTIZED NONE OF YOU EXCEPT 22:38 CRISPUS AND GAIUS," - NOW, HE'S TALKING ABOUT WHAT HE DID THERE 22:42 WHILE HE WAS IN CORINTH. SO GAIUS IS ALSO IN CORINTH, 22:45 PHOEBE, WE ESTABLISHED, WAS IN CORINTH, AND - GO TO 2 TIMOTHY 22:51 4:19 - AGAIN, AT ITS CONCLUSION, PAUL SAYS, "GREET PRISCILLA AND 22:57 AQUILA, AND THE HOUSEHOLD OF ONESIPHORUS. 23:00 ERASTUS STAYED IN CORINTH," - THERE YOU HAVE IT AGAIN. 23:04 PAUL SAYS, IN ROMANS 16, 'ERASTUS'; HERE HE SAYS 'ERASTUS 23:08 STAYED IN CORINTH'. AND SO, IT'S PRETTY WELL 23:11 ESTABLISHED THAT HE WAS IN THE CITY OF CORINTH 23:13 WHEN HE WROTE IT. ALRIGHT, LET'S GO NEXT TO THE 23:15 - WHEN WAS THE BOOK OF ROMANS WRITTEN? 23:19 PROBABLY AT THE END OF HIS THIRD MISSIONARY TOUR. 23:22 MATTER OF FACT, I'M GOING TO ASK - GIVE YOU SOMETHING VISUAL HERE 23:25 - STUDIO, GO AHEAD AND PUT THAT MAP UP ON THE SCREEN - HOPEFULLY 23:29 IT WILL BE BIG ENOUGH. OH, IT'S SMALLER. 23:33 YOU CAN SEE THE - THE THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY OF PAUL - HE 23:39 STARTS OUT IN ANTIOCH - I DON'T KNOW HOW WELL YOU CAN SEE IT 23:42 HERE - HE WRAPS AROUND THROUGH ASIA. 23:45 HE GOES - THE FARTHEST PART OF THERE ON THE FAR LEFT OF THE HIS TRIP IS IN CORINTH, WHICH IS SCREEN - STILL ABOUT, OH, BY 23:51 AIR, 630 MILES TO ROME, FROM WHERE HE WROTE THE LETTER. 23:55 HE HAD NOT BEEN THERE YET. 23:57 IF HE HAD GONE BY WATER, IT WAS UP TO A THOUSAND MILES. 24:00 AND HE CAME BACK - WHEN HE GOT TO CORINTH, HE UNDERSTOOD THE 24:05 CHURCH IN JERUSALEM WAS HAVING A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH FINANCES - 24:08 THERE WAS A FAMINE - AND HE BROUGHT A GIFT BACK WITH HIM. 24:11 AND SO, JUST BEFORE HE BRINGS A GIFT, HE SENDS THIS LETTER OFF 24:15 TO THE CHRISTIANS THAT ARE IN ROME. 24:18 NOW, THAT BRINGS US TO THE WHY - WHY DID HE WRITE THE LETTER? 24:22 NOW SOMEBODY'S GOING TO READ A VERSE FOR ME - ACTS 18:18 - 24:25 OKAY, LET'S GET - YOU GOT A MICROPHONE? 24:29 I'M GOING TO JUST HAVE YOU GO AHEAD. I DIDN'T GET YOU SET UP 24:32 SO, HOPEFULLY, THEY'RE FOCUSED. GO AHEAD. 24:35 >>"SO PAUL STILL REMAINED A GOOD WHILE. 24:37 THEN HE TOOK LEAVE OF THE BRETHREN AND SAILED FOR SYRIA, 24:41 AND PRISCILLA AND AQUILA WERE WITH HIM..." 24:44 >>ALRIGHT, SO WHY DOES HE WRITE THE LETTER? 24:47 YOU REMEMBER, PRISCILLA AND AQUILA, THEY WERE KICKED OUT OF 24:51 ROME - SO THEY WERE CHRISTIANS IN ROME - AND THEY HAD COME - ON 24:56 THEIR WAY BACK, THEY HAD MET PAUL AND THEY BEGAN TO STUDY 24:59 WITH PAUL AND I GUESS THEY WERE ALSO MAKING TENTS WITH PAUL AND 25:03 THEY BECAME SOME OF HIS FRIENDS. THEY FILLED HIM IN ON 25:06 WHAT WAS GOING ON IN ROME. NOW, EVIDENTLY, IN ROME - ROME 25:11 WAS A CITY OF ABOUT A MILLION PEOPLE - IN THE DAYS OF PAUL - 25:15 STRETCHED OVER ABOUT TEN SQUARE MILES. AND, IN THAT CITY, THERE 25:20 WAS A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 25:26 SOME OF THE EARLY CHRISTIANS, WHO WERE NOT JEWS, WERE BEING 25:31 TOLD BY THE JEWISH CHRISTIANS THEY NEEDED TO KEEP SOME OF THE 25:34 JEWISH LAWS. WE STUDIED THIS LAST QUARTER 25:36 IN OUR SECTION ON GALATIANS. THEY WERE SAYING 'YOU NEED TO BE 25:40 CIRCUMCISED' - 'YOU NEED TO KEEP THE LAW OF MOSES' - 25:43 'GOD LOVES JEWS MORE THAN HE DOES GENTILES' - 25:45 'YOU'RE SECOND CLASS CHRISTIANS' - AND THERE WERE 25:48 SOME PROBLEMS THAT WERE ARISING. 25:50 ALSO, THEY WERE MIXING IN SOME OF THEIR PAGAN TEACHINGS AND 25:53 HE THOUGHT, 'LOOK, I BETTER SEND A LETTER TO THEM.' THERE 25:57 PROBABLY WAS NO APOSTLE THAT HAD BEEN THERE YET AND PAUL WAS 26:01 THINKING, 'I'D BETTER SEND A LETTER TO THE EARLY CHRISTIANS, 26:04 THERE IN ROME, TO JUST OUTLINE, FOR THEM, WHAT THE PLAN OF 26:08 SALVATION IS.' SO HE WRITES THIS LETTER THAT IS JUST A BEAUTIFUL 26:12 ILLUSTRATION - BOOK OF ROMANS IS REALLY DIVIDED UP IN FOUR OR 26:15 FIVE SECTIONS - IT DEPENDS ON IF YOU WANT TO CALL THE CONCLUSION 26:19 AND THE FAREWELL A WHOLE SECTION - WHERE HE TALKS ABOUT THE 26:22 RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD AND HE TALKS ABOUT THE UNRIGHTEOUSNESS 26:25 OF MAN. HE TALKS ABOUT THE STRUGGLE FOR 26:28 RIGHTEOUSNESS IN ROMANS 6 AND 7 AND YOU FINALLY GET TO TWELVE 26:32 AND HE TALKS ABOUT THE TRIUMPH OF HOW TO LIVE THAT LIFE. 26:36 AND SO, IT'S REALLY DIVIDED UP IN THESE DIFFERENT SEGMENTS, BUT 26:39 A BEAUTIFUL THEME RUNS THROUGH IT BECAUSE HE'S, BASICALLY, 26:42 OUTLINING THE GOSPEL AND HE'S TALKING ABOUT THE PRACTICAL WAYS 26:46 TO LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. HE'S CONTRASTING WHAT RIGHTS 26:49 DO THE JEWS HAVE ABOVE THE GENTILES. 26:52 AND THEN HE ALSO TALKS ABOUT GOD EVEN SPEAKING TO THE GENTILES 26:57 WITHOUT HAVING THE WORD OF GOD, IN ROMANS CHAPTER 1. 27:01 SO HE JUST ANSWERS SO MANY QUESTIONS. 27:04 MATTER OF FACT, ANY OF YOU EVER HEARD OF 'THE ROMAN'S ROAD'? 27:10 NOW I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT A ROAD IN ITALY THAT'S PAVED WITH 27:13 STONE, IT'S A TERM THAT'S USED FOR LEADING A PERSON TO CHRIST. 27:19 A LOT OF EVANGELISTS AND A LOT OF LAY BIBLE WORKERS, IF YOU 27:22 HAVE A FRIEND AND THEY WANT TO KNOW, 'WHAT DO I DO TO BE 27:24 SAVED?' THERE ARE SEVERAL VERSES YOU 27:26 TAKE THEM THROUGH AND YOU CAN LEAD THEM TO CHRIST RIGHT 27:30 THERE IN THE BOOK OF ROMANS. FIRST OF ALL, YOU SAY, 'ALL HAVE 27:32 SINNED AND FALLEN SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD. 27:34 WE'RE ALL SINNERS.' THEN YOU SAY, 'THE WAGES OF SIN IS 27:36 DEATH.' AND YOU TAKE THEM TO THE VERSE THAT SAYS, 'BUT, YOU 27:40 KNOW, GOD GIVES THE GIFT OF LIFE TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE.' AND 'HE 27:45 WHO IS DEAD IS FREED FROM SIN.' YOU TAKE THEM THROUGH ROMANS 27:47 CHAPTER 3, 6, AND 8 AND THEY CALL IT 'THE ROMAN'S ROAD'. 27:52 ANY OF YOU EVER HEARD THAT BEFORE? 27:54 NOT NEARLY ENOUGH OF YOU HAVE HEARD THAT. 27:56 YOU OUGHT TO KNOW HOW TO LEAD SOMEONE TO CHRIST BY TAKING THEM 27:58 DOWN THE ROMAN'S ROAD. 28:00 BUT THE BOOK OF ROMANS REALLY HAD THE WHOLE GOSPEL IN IT AND 28:03 THAT'S WHY IT'S SUCH A WONDERFUL BOOK FOR US. 28:05 MAYBE IN OUR STUDY NEXT WEEK OR ANOTHER TIME, I'LL JUST OUTLINE, 28:08 FOR YOU, WHAT IS THE ROMAN'S ROAD. 28:11 OKAY - AND HE'S WRITING THIS BOOK TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND 28:15 WHAT'S GOING ON AND ROMANS IS ACTUALLY A BOOK THAT IS 28:21 SATURATED WITH SCRIPTURE. YOU'LL FIND IN THE BOOK OF 28:24 ROMANS - OF ALL THE BOOKS OF PAUL - HE QUOTES OLD TESTAMENT 28:29 - OF COURSE, THAT WAS THE ONLY OTHER SCRIPTURE THEN. 28:31 NEW TESTAMENT WASN'T WRITTEN - HE QUOTES THE OLD TESTAMENT MORE 28:34 THAN ANY OTHER BOOK IN THE BIBLE. 28:37 SO HE'S REALLY TYING TOGETHER THE OLD TESTAMENT WITH THE NEW 28:40 TESTAMENT, IN THE BOOK OF ROMANS. 28:42 AND YOU CAN READ IN ACTS OF THE APOSTLES , PAGE 373, THERE ELLEN 28:51 WHITE WRITES - I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE BOOK OF ACTS, I'M 28:54 TALKING ABOUT ELLEN WHITE'S BOOK ACTS OF THE APOSTLES - "IN HIS 28:56 EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS, PAUL SETS FORTH THE GREAT PRINCIPLES OF 29:00 THE GOSPEL. HE STATES HIS POSITION ON THE 29:03 QUESTIONS WHICH WERE AGITATING THE JEWISH AND THE GENTILE 29:06 CHURCH AND HE SHOWS THAT THE HOPES AND THE PROMISES, WHICH 29:09 HAD ONCE BELONGED ESPECIALLY TO THE JEWS, ARE NOW BEING 29:12 OFFERED TO THE GENTILES, ALSO. AND SO, IT'S REALLY INTERESTING 29:18 - WHO'S THE FIRST APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES? 29:22 >>PETER. >>PETER. 29:24 THAT'S A TRICK QUESTION. YOU REMEMBER WHEN PETER GOES TO 29:30 CORNELIUS AND HE SAID, 'OH' - YOU KNOW, HE'S SO SCARED ABOUT 29:33 DOING IT, HE SAYS, 'IT'S NOT LAWFUL FOR ME BEING A JEW 29:35 TO COME INTO THE HOUSE OF A GENTILE. 29:37 I'M RISKING BEING CONTAMINATED.' AND REMEMBER GOD GAVE HIM THE 29:41 VISION OF THE SHEEP AND SAID 'DON'T CALL ANY MAN UNCLEAN, 29:44 WHAT I HAVE CLEANED.'? IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH FOOD, 29:46 IT HAD TO DO WITH THE GOSPEL WAS NOW TO GO TO THE GENTILES. 29:53 AND REMEMBER, WHEN THE JEWS FIRST - WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS 29:56 FIRST POURED OUT, WHERE DID JESUS TELL THEM TO GO, AND 29:58 WHERE'D HE TELL THEM NOT TO GO? 30:00 HE SAID, 'GO NOT IN THE WAY OF THE GENTILES, BUT GO, RATHER, TO 30:05 THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL. 30:08 SO, WHY DID THE LORD NOT WANT THEM TO GO TO THE GENTILES RIGHT 30:12 AWAY? YOU REALIZE CHRIST DID NOT GO 30:15 PREACHING TO THE GENTILES. THERE'S A COUPLE OF EXCEPTIONS. 30:17 WHEN DID JESUS PREACH TO THE GENTILES? THERE WAS A 30:21 CYROPHOENECIAN WOMAN WHOSE DAUGHTER - HE WENT UP TO TYRE 30:26 AND, LIKE ELIJAH, HE WENT UP TO - THERE WAS A WOMAN IN TYRE, 30:30 JUST LIKE WHEN ELIJAH STAYED WITH A WOMAN IN TYRE AND RAISED 30:33 HER SON, JESUS MET A WOMAN IN TYRE AND HEALED HER DAUGHTER. 30:37 AND SO, HE WAS UP THERE AND HE SAID, 'IT'S NOT APPROPRIATE FOR 30:40 ME TO TAKE THE CHILDREN'S FOOD AND GIVE IT TO THE DOGS.' 30:43 BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE JEWS CALLED THE GENTILES. 30:45 JESUS WAS SAYING THAT WITH - IT WAS WITH IRONY - HE WAS SHOWING 30:50 THE APOSTLES HOW AWFUL THEY SOUNDED. AND THEN, ANDREW CAME 30:56 AND SAID THERE'S SOME GREEKS THAT WANTED TO SPEAK TO JESUS. 30:58 WELL, THESE WERE PROSELYTES - THEY WERE CONVERTS TO JUDAISM. 31:00 BUT JESUS DID NOT PREACH TO THE GENTILES. 31:03 HE WENT TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL. 31:06 AND THEN, WHEN HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD, HE TOLD THE DISCIPLES, 'DO 31:09 NOT GO TO THE GENTILES YET. FIRST GO TO THE LOST SHEEP OF 31:13 THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL.' WHAT WAS THE SIGNAL FOR THEM 31:16 TO GO TO THE GENTILES? >>STEPHEN'S DEATH. 31:19 >>AFTER STEPHEN MADE HIS FINAL, BEST PRESENTATION OF THE GOSPEL 31:24 TO THE SANHEDRIN - THE OFFICIAL BODY THAT REPRESENTED THE NATION 31:27 - THEIR SUPREME COURT. HE PREACHES A SPIRIT-FILLED 31:29 MESSAGE, HIS FACE IS GLOWING, HE'S IN THE PRESENCE OF AN 31:32 ANGEL, AND THEY PLUGGED THEIR EARS AND THEY EXECUTED HIM - 31:37 JUST LIKE AFTER THREE AND A HALF YEARS OF JESUS PREACHING - THEY 31:42 TRIED HIM - THE SANHEDRIN TRIED HIM, THEY TOOK HIM OUT OF THE 31:45 CITY - TRUMPED UP CHARGES - THEY EXECUTED HIM. THEY REJECTED. 31:49 JESUS SAID, 'I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU ANOTHER CHANCE. 31:51 FOR ANOTHER THREE AND A HALF YEARS, THROUGH THOSE WHO HEARD 31:53 ME, I WILL CONFIRM IT.' AND THEN STEPHEN PREACHES TO THE 31:57 SANHEDRIN, THEY PLUG THEIR EARS, THEY HAVE FALSE WITNESSES THAT 32:01 ACCUSE STEPHEN OF SOMETHING HE HADN'T DONE, HE'S TAKEN OUT OF 32:05 THE CITY, CLOTHES ARE LAID DOWN - REMEMBER, THERE'S CLOTHES AT 32:07 THE CROSS - THERE'S CLOTHES AT STEPHEN. 32:09 JESUS SAYS, 'FATHER FORGIVE THEM.' STEPHEN SAYS, 'FATHER, 32:11 FORGIVE THEM.' JESUS DIES. STEPHEN DIES. 32:15 AND, AT THAT POINT, GOD SAID, 'OKAY, THE 490 YEARS OF DANIEL 32:20 CHAPTER 9 ARE UP.' NOW THE GOSPEL GOES, NOT JUST TO THE 32:23 JEWS, BUT TO EVERYBODY. AND WHO IS THE WITNESS OF 32:27 THE STONING OF STEPHEN? THEY LAY THEIR [CLOTHES] DOWN - 32:30 >>SAUL. >>SAUL. 32:32 IT'S INTERESTING, THERE'S CLOTHES LAID DOWN BY A ROMAN 32:34 CENTURION AND, AFTER JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS, THAT ROMAN 32:37 CENTURION, A GENTILE, SAYS, 'SURELY THIS WAS THE SON OF 32:41 GOD.' RIGHT? 32:43 PAUL, WHO'S THE WITNESS AT THE EXECUTION OF STEPHEN, HE'S GOING 32:47 OUT TO GATHER UP MORE CHRISTIANS AND HE IS - EVEN AGAINST HIS 32:50 WILL - HE IS CONVERTED AND, AFTER SOME TIME OF PREPARATION, 32:54 HE BECOMES A GREAT GENTILE - A GREAT MINISTER TO THE GENTILES - 32:59 PETER'S FIRST. PAUL REALLY TAKES UP THE WORK 33:03 AND PAUL EVEN SAYS, LATER, 'GOD HAS SENT ME TO THE GENTILES. 33:06 HE SENT PETER TO THE CIRCUMCISION; HE SENT ME TO THE 33:09 GENTILES.' WHY DID GOD CHOOSE PAUL? 33:15 HE WAS A 50/50. DID PAUL UNDERSTAND THE GENTILES? 33:20 WAS PAUL BORN IN JERUSALEM OR WAS HE BORN IN A GREEK CITY? 33:24 WHAT WAS HIS CITIZENSHIP, JEW OR HALF JEW AND ROMAN? 33:28 DID HE ALSO HAVE ROMAN CITIZENSHIP? 33:30 DID HE ONLY SPEAK HEBREW OR DID HE ALSO SPEAK LATIN AND GREEK? 33:35 DOESN'T PAUL SAY, 'I SPEAK WITH TONGUES MORE THAN YOU ALL.'? 33:38 IT DOESN'T MEAN HE BABBLED - THAT'S HOW SOME PEOPLE INTERPRET 33:42 THAT - THEY THINK IT MEANS HE BABBLED MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE. 33:45 NO, IT MEANS PAUL WAS MORE WIDELY EDUCATED. 33:48 HE SPOKE MORE LANGUAGES BECAUSE HE WAS MORE WIDELY TAUGHT. 33:51 AND SO, PAUL WAS A PERFECT ONE TO SAY, 'I AM GOING TO TAKE A 33:57 RELIGION THAT HAS JEWISH ROOTS, BUT I UNDERSTAND HOW THE 34:00 GENTILES THINK I COULD SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE, AND I WILL 34:03 PREACH IT.' AND PAUL COULD MARCH RIGHT INTO A GREEK AMPHITHEATER 34:07 AND START TALKING TO GREEKS ABOUT A JEWISH GOD, BECAUSE HE 34:10 UNDERSTOOD THEM. AND SO, IT'S JUST PERFECT THAT HE WAS THE ONE 34:16 WHO WAS CHOSEN TO DO THIS. ALRIGHT, LET'S CONTINUE ON. 34:19 NOW THAT WAS ALL JUST SECTION ONE OF OUR LESSON. 34:22 UNDER SECTION 2 IT SAYS, PAUL'S DESIRE TO VISIT ROME . 34:25 IF YOU LOOK IN ROMANS CHAPTER 15 - I KNOW WE'RE JUMPING AROUND 34:28 THE BOOK, BUT IT GIVES YOU, SORT OF, WE'RE DOING WHAT THEY CALL 34:31 THE TEN THOUSAND-FOOT VIEW - YOU GET THE OVERVIEW. 34:37 I LOVE A PARTICULAR PROGRAM. IT'S CALLED GOOGLE EARTH. 34:42 ANY OF YOU EVER PLAY WITH GOOGLE EARTH? 34:45 I'M A VERY VISUAL PERSON. 34:46 IN PREPARING FOR THIS STUDY, WHEN I - I WENT TO GOOGLE EARTH 34:51 AND I SAID, 'ALRIGHT, PAUL WAS IN CORINTH' - I FOUND CORINTH. 34:53 AND I SAID, 'HOW FAR WAS HE FROM ROME? 34:55 HOW COME HE DIDN'T GO ALL THE WAY TO ROME?' I LOOKED AT IT AND 34:57 I MEASURED HOW FAR YOU CAN - GOT A MEASURING TOOL - 34:59 I SAID, 'AH, HE STILL HAD - IF HE TOOK AN AIRPLANE HE 35:02 STILL HAD 630 MILES AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE AIRPLANES. 35:05 AND BY BOAT, IT'D BE CLOSE TO A THOUSAND. 35:07 IT DEPENDS ON IF HE WENT THROUGH THE ISTHMUS OF CORINTH OR NOT. 35:10 SO I LOVE LOOKING AT THE VISUAL. 35:12 SOMETIMES KAREN'LL COME IN THE OFFICE AND I'M DOING GOOGLE 35:15 EARTH AND SHE'LL SAY, 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?' 35:17 'I'M GOING ALL OVER THE WORLD.' I SAY, 'I'M LOOKING FOR A 35:19 DESERTED ISLAND NOBODY'S FOUND YET.' (LAUGHTER) YOU CAN ZOOM IN 35:23 ON GOOGLE EARTH AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY SETTLEMENTS. 35:25 I'VE FOUND A FEW ISLANDS - I'M NOT TELLING YOU WHERE THEY ARE. 35:28 (LAUGHTER) AND I SAID, 'KAREN, LET'S SELL EVERYTHING AND GET A 35:31 BOAT AND LET'S JUST GO.' YOU KNOW, I USED TO LIKE TO RUN AWAY 35:35 - THAT'S HOW I ENDED UP IN THE CAVE - I SAID 'JUST RUN AWAY AND 35:38 GO TO AN ISLAND. LET THE WORLD END.' BUT - SO, IT'S FUN. 35:41 ANYWAY, WHY DID I SAY ALL THAT? OH, PAUL WANTED TO GO TO ROME. 35:45 SO YOU READ THIS - WE'RE DOING THE TEN THOUSAND-FOOT VIEW - 35:47 GOOGLE EARTH YOU CAN ZOOM OUT AND GET THE BIG VIEW - SO ROMANS 35:51 15:20 - I'M GOING TO READ THROUGH 26, SO BEAR WITH ME 35:55 HERE. "AND SO I HAVE MADE IT MY AIM TO PREACH THE GOSPEL, NOT 36:01 WHERE CHRIST WAS NAMED," - NOW THIS IS GOING TO COME UP LATER, 36:05 BECAUSE SOME SAY, 'WHO WAS THE FIRST APOSTLE TO GO TO ROME?' 36:10 SOME HAVE ARGUED THAT IT WAS PETER - THE ROMAN CATHOLIC 36:12 CHURCH SAYS PETER WAS THE FIRST TO PREACH IN ROME. 36:14 THERE'S NOTHING IN THE BIBLE THAT SAYS THAT. 36:17 WE DO KNOW PETER, THROUGH CHURCH TRADITION, ANYWAY, PETER DID, 36:20 LATER, GO TO ROME AND HE WAS EXECUTED THERE. 36:23 WE DO BELIEVE HE WAS KILLED UNDER NERO'S PERSECUTION. 36:26 BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN HE WAS THE FIRST TO PREACH THERE. 36:29 MOST OF THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS PAUL WAS THERE BEFORE PETER WAS 36:33 THERE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH LOVES TO SAY 36:37 PETER WAS THE FIRST POPE AND HE WAS THE FIRST IN ROME - THERE'S 36:39 NO EVIDENCE FOR THAT, REALLY. SO PAUL WAS PROBABLY THERE. 36:42 ONE REASON WE SAY THAT IS PAUL SAYS, 'I DON'T WANT TO BUILD ON 36:46 THE FOUNDATION OF SOMEONE ELSE.' HE SAYS, 'I DON'T WANT TO GO 36:48 WHERE OTHER PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY BEEN. 36:50 I WANT TO GO WHERE NO OTHER APOSTLES HAVE BEEN YET.' SO 36:53 THAT'S ONE REASON WE ALSO THINK HE WAS THE FIRST IN ROME - "LEST 36:57 I SHOULD BUILD ON ANOTHER MAN'S FOUNDATION," - I'M STILL IN 37:00 ROMANS 15, VERSE 20 - "BUT AS IT IS WRITTEN: 'TO WHOM HE WAS NOT 37:05 ANNOUNCED, THEY SHALL SEE; AND THOSE WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL 37:08 UNDERSTAND.' FOR THIS REASON I ALSO HAVE BEEN MUCH HINDERED 37:13 FROM COMING TO YOU." - HE'S WRITING TO THE ROMANS - 37:14 'I WANT TO COME TO YOU BUT I'VE BEEN HINDERED.' YOU KNOW, THEY - 37:19 THE JEWS WERE REBELLING AND NERO DECLARED JUDAISM 'RELIGIO 37:23 ILLICITA' - THEY WERE ALL EVICTED FROM ROME. 37:25 THAT'S WHEN PRISCILLA AND AQUILA WERE KICKED OUT OF ROME. 37:27 THEY TOLD PAUL ABOUT EVERYTHING GOING ON IN ROME - "BUT NOW NO 37:31 LONGER HAVING A PLACE IN THESE PARTS," - HE WAS NOW BEING 37:34 PERSECUTED BY EVEN THE JEWS IN CORINTH - HE HAD TO HEAD BACK - 37:37 'I CAN'T STAY HERE ANYMORE' - "AND HAVING A GREAT DESIRE THESE 37:40 MANY YEARS TO COME TO YOU, WHENEVER I JOURNEY TO SPAIN, 37:44 I SHALL COME TO YOU." - NOW THIS RAISES ANOTHER 37:47 QUESTION THAT'S ONLY FOUND IN THE BOOK OF ROMANS. 37:52 PAUL'S PRETTY CLEAR HE WENT TO ANTIOCH AND HE WENT TO, YOU 37:55 KNOW, EPHASUS AND HE WENT ALL THROUGH ASIA. HE SAYS, 'I WANT 37:58 TO GO TO SPAIN.' DID HE EVER MAKE IT TO SPAIN? DO WE KNOW? WE 38:06 DON'T KNOW. THERE'S LEGEND THAT HE DID. THERE'S NOTHING IN THE 38:10 BIBLE THAT SAYS HE DID. THERE'S NOTHING IN HISTORY THAT 38:14 SAYS HE DID, BUT YOU CAN'T PROVE HE DIDN'T. 38:16 AND THE ARGUMENT IS THAT WHEN HE WAS RELEASED FROM PRISON THE 38:21 FIRST TIME - YOU REMEMBER WHEN THE BOOK OF ACTS ENDS - AND 38:24 WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE IN A MINUTE - WHEN THE BOOK OF ACTS 38:25 ENDS, PAUL IS IN JAIL IN ROME - HE'S PREACHING. 38:28 NERO, BASICALLY, LET HIM OFF THE HOOK THE FIRST TIME. 38:31 SOME ARGUE HE GOT ON A BOAT THERE, BECAUSE HE SAID, 'AFTER 38:35 ROME I WANT TO GO TO SPAIN.' THEY SAY HE GOT ON A BOAT THERE, 38:38 HE WENT TO SPAIN. HE DID A SHORT WORK IN SPAIN AND 38:40 THEN HE WENT VIA TARSHISH, WHICH IS A COASTAL CITY IN SPAIN, 38:46 ALL THE WAY BACK TO JERUSALEM. AND YOU COULD MAKE A PRETTY 38:50 QUICK TRIP OF IT IN THAT WAY. AND THERE'S NOTHING HE WROTE 38:54 ABOUT IT - OR THOSE WRITINGS WERE LOST. 38:56 YOU KNOW, NOT EVERYTHING THE BIBLE WRITERS WROTE WAS 38:59 PRESERVED, WE PRESUME. SO WE DON'T KNOW. 39:03 THAT'S ALL YOU CAN SAY IS, 'WE DON'T KNOW IF HE EVER MADE IT TO 39:05 SPAIN, BUT HE CERTAINLY MADE IT CLEAR HE WANTED TO GO TO SPAIN.' 39:09 NOW SOMEONE - I THINK IT WAS CLEMENT - ONE OF THE EARLY 39:12 CHURCH FATHERS ARGUES THAT HE DID GO TO SPAIN. 39:15 HIS ARGUMENT IS THAT IT SAYS THAT HE SAYS, 'THE GOSPEL HAS 39:19 GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH.' AND THEN ANOTHER PLACE PAUL 39:23 SAYS, 'THE GOSPEL WAS PREACHED TO EVERY CREATURE.' THEY USED TO 39:27 USE THAT AS A TERM FOR THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 39:30 THE ROMAN EMPIRE STRETCHED TO SPAIN. AND SO, SOME HAVE ARGUED, 39:35 'WELL, THE FACT IS HE SAYS THEY MADE IT TO EVERY 39:37 CREATURE.' HE WENT - AS FAR AS YOU COULD GO WEST, BACK THEN, 39:39 WAS SPAIN - WITHOUT FALLING OFF THE END OF THE EARTH - AND THE 39:43 OTHER DISCIPLES WENT INTO INDIA - THOMAS WENT ALL THE WAY TO 39:46 INDIA. AND SO, THEY WENT THROUGHOUT 39:48 THE REALMS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. SO THAT WAS ONE ARGUMENT THAT HE 39:51 MADE IT TO SPAIN, BUT WE DON'T KNOW. 39:53 HE SAYS, "WHENEVER I JOURNEY TO SPAIN, I SHALL COME TO YOU. 39:56 FOR I HOPE TO SEE YOU ON MY JOURNEY, AND TO BE HELPED ON MY 39:59 WAY THERE BY YOU, IF FIRST I MAY ENJOY YOUR COMPANY FOR A WHILE. 40:03 BUT NOW I AM GOING TO JERUSALEM TO MINISTER TO THE SAINTS." 40:06 - HE WAS GOING FROM CORINTH TO BRING A GIFT BACK TO THE CHURCH 40:10 IN JERUSALEM - THEY WERE SUFFERING UNDER A TERRIBLE 40:12 FAMINE - BY THE WAY, THAT FAMINE WAS FORETOLD BY A PROPHET NAMED 40:15 AGABUS, THAT YOU'LL READ ABOUT IN THE BOOK OF ACTS - IT WAS 40:19 FORETOLD IN ADVANCE - "BUT NOW I AM GOING TO JERUSALEM TO 40:26 MINISTER TO THE SAINTS FOR IT PLEASED THOSE FROM MACEDONIA AND 40:28 ACHAIA TO MAKE A CERTAIN CONTRIBUTION FOR THE POOR AMONG 40:32 THE SAINTS WHO ARE IN JERUSALEM." SO WHY DID HE NOT GO 40:35 DIRECTLY FROM CORINTH TO ROME? HE WAS SO CLOSE. 40:40 BECAUSE THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY IN JERUSALEM. 40:42 HE WAS BEING PERSECUTED, HE WANTED TO CHECK ON THE CHURCHES 40:44 HE'D ALREADY ESTABLISHED, HE SAID, 'I'LL BRING THIS MONEY 40:46 BACK, THEN I'LL COME BACK TO YOU.' ALRIGHT, SO THAT'S JUST A 40:49 LITTLE OVERVIEW ABOUT PAUL'S DESIRE - WHY DID HE WANT TO GO 40:52 TO ROME? I'LL TELL YOU, VERY RARELY IN 40:59 YOUR LIFE DO YOU KNOW YOU'RE LIVING IN THE MOMENT. 41:04 HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED BACK WITH NOSTALGIA AND SAID, 'OH, DIDN'T 41:07 KNOW IT THEN, BUT THOSE WERE THE GOOD DAYS.' EVER THOUGHT THAT? 41:12 AND I'VE - I'VE HAD SOME PEOPLE SEND ME SOME REALLY INTERESTING 41:16 THINGS. THEY SAID, 'THE GREAT GENERATION - WE RODE AROUND ON 41:20 OUR BICYCLES WITHOUT HELMETS. WE SLEPT WITHOUT SEATBELTS. 41:24 WE JUMPED ON TRAMPOLINES.' WAIT, NO, I MEAN, WE SLEPT IN CARS - 41:29 WE DROVE IN CARS WITHOUT SEATBELTS. THANK YOU, DEAR. 41:31 (LAUGHTER) AND YEAH, I JUST REMEMBER - I DON'T KNOW IF ANY 41:36 OF YOU, WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP, YOU CLIMBED IN THE 41:38 BACK OF THE CAR WITH THE DASH - THE BACK DASH AND YOU JUST SLEEP 41:42 UP THERE, YOU KNOW, THE KIDS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE. 41:45 HOW MANY OF YOU PARENTS, WHEN YOU STEPPED ON YOUR BRAKES YOU 41:46 STUCK OUT YOUR RIGHT ARM TO KEEP THE KID FROM FLYING FORWARD. 41:49 IT WAS INSTINCTIVE FOR YEARS - I HIT THE BRAKES, I STUCK MY ARM 41:52 OUT. AND IT JUST TALKS ABOUT HOW IT WAS SO SHELTERED NOW IN SO 41:58 MANY WAYS AND SO MANY RULES AND THINGS THAT - OUR PARENTS USED 42:02 TO TELL US, 'COME HOME WHEN IT'S DARK.' YOU KNOW, 'GO OUT AND 42:07 PLAY.' THEY NEVER SAID, YOU KNOW, 'WHERE ARE YOU GOING? 42:08 ARE YOU GOING TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY ANOTHER' - I WAS A KID IN NEW 42:12 YORK - MY MOTHER SENT ME AND MY BROTHER - SIX, SEVEN YEARS OLD - 42:16 WE WENT OUT TO PLAY - JUST GO PLAY IN THE PARK. 42:19 WE COULD GO AS FAR AS WE FELT WE'D SURVIVE. 42:22 AND NOW PARENTS GET ARRESTED IF YOU'VE GOT A SIX-YEAR-OLD THAT'S 42:25 OUTSIDE WITHOUT A PARENT - FOR BEING, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO THEY 42:29 CALL IT? TAKING CARE OF YOUR CHILD - BUT IT WAS A WHOLE 42:33 DIFFERENT THING BACK THEN. ANYWAY, WHY'D I SAY ALL THAT? 42:36 OH YEAH, YOU VERY RARELY REALIZE WHEN YOU'RE LIVING IN THE 42:39 MOMENT, BUT WHEN WE WENT TO NEW YORK IN 1999, I TOLD KAREN, I 42:44 SAID, 'THIS IS A POINT - THIS IS A HIGH POINT IN OUR LIVES THAT 42:47 WILL NEVER BE REPEATED.' THAT HERE, WE'RE - YOU KNOW, NEW YORK 42:51 IS, IN MANY WAYS, THE CROSSROADS OF THE WORLD. 42:54 YOU KNOW, IT'S ADVERTISING CENTER, IT'S A FINANCIAL CENTER 42:58 - THAT'S WHY 9/11 WAS ATTACKED - THEY ATTACKED NEW YORK. 43:01 IT'S AN INTERNATIONAL CITY. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, KING KONG 43:05 ATTACKED NEW YORK - GODZILLA ATTACKED NEW YORK - THEY ALL 43:07 KNOW THAT NEW YORK IS THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING. 43:10 AND SO, WHEN WE WERE IN NEW YORK, RIGHT THERE ON THE CUSP OF 43:14 THE NEXT MILLENNIUM AND Y2K AND ALL THOSE THINGS HAPPENING AND 43:16 THE METS WERE PLAYING THE YANKEES - TWO NEW YORK CITIES 43:19 AND HILLARY CLINTON'S RUNNING FOR SENATE, AND THE NEW YORK 43:21 MARATHON - ALL THIS STUFF IS HAPPENING AND IT'S A CROSSROADS 43:25 OF THE WORLD AND I THOUGHT, 'WE WANT TO PREACH THE GOSPEL HERE 43:28 BECAUSE ALL ROADS LEAD TO NEW YORK. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. 43:31 AND PAUL WANTED TO GO TO ROME BECAUSE, IF YOU CAN INFLUENCE 43:37 THE PLACES OF INFLUENCE, THE MESSAGE SPREADS FARTHER. 43:42 AND SO, YOU DROP THE DIE OF THE GOSPEL IN THE FOUNTAIN THAT 43:47 FEEDS THE WORLD AND IT SPREADS EVERYWHERE. 43:50 SO HE SAID, 'I WANT TO GO TO ROME, BECAUSE IF WE CAN REALLY 43:52 HAVE A REVIVAL IN ROME, IT'LL SPREAD EVERYWHERE FROM THERE. 43:55 THAT'S WHY CALVIN, WHO ALSO WAS CONVERTED BY READING ROMANS, 44:00 WENT TO GENEVA. SWITZERLAND WAS LIKE A CROSSROADS IN EUROPE BACK 44:04 THEN AND THE GOSPEL WAS GOING EVERYWHERE FROM SWITZERLAND. 44:07 SO PAUL HAD A GREAT DESIRE TO GO TO ROME DURING THAT. 44:10 NOW I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT PAUL IN ROME. 44:12 SOMEONE'S GOING TO READ, FOR ME, IN A MOMENT, PHILIPPIANS 1:12, 44:16 OKAY? I'M GOING TO READ ACTS 25:11. 44:20 HE SAID, "FOR IF I AM AN OFFENDER" - PAUL WAS ARRESTED 44:23 AND HE WAS MAKING HIS CASE THERE, BEFORE THE LEADERS IN THE 44:28 JERUSALEM COURT - "FOR IF I AM AN OFFENDER, OR HAVE COMMITTED 44:32 ANYTHING DESERVING OF DEATH, I DO NOT OBJECT TO DYING; BUT IF 44:35 THERE IS NOTHING IN THESE THINGS OF WHICH THESE MEN ACCUSE ME, NO 44:38 ONE CAN DELIVER ME TO THEM. I APPEAL TO CAESAR." 44:41 NOW THE JEWS HAD ACCUSED PAUL OF DOING ALL KINDS OF TERRIBLE 44:45 THINGS AND BEING SEDITIOUS AND EVERYTHING. HE SAID, 'I'VE NOT 44:49 DONE ANY OF THAT.' YOU DID HAVE, AS A ROMAN CITIZEN - PAUL WAS A 44:52 ROMAN CITIZEN - YOU HAD THE RIGHT TO APPEAL TO CAESAR. 44:54 PAUL SAID, 'LOOK, I WANT TO GO TO ROME.' AND HE THOUGHT, 'MAYBE 44:59 I'LL GET CAESAR TO PAY FOR IT.' SO HE WAS IN JAIL IN CAESAREA, 45:05 WHICH IS OUTSIDE, YOU KNOW, IT'S IN ISRAEL, AND HE SAYS, 'I'M 45:09 GOING TO APPEAL.' THEY SAID, 'LOOK, HE'S APPEALED. 45:10 HE'S A ROMAN, HE GETS TO APPEAL TO CAESAR.' THAT WAS THE SUPREME 45:12 COURT. SO THEY ACTUALLY HAD TO PAY - HE 45:15 GOT THEM TO PAY TO TAKE HIM TO ROME. YOU KNOW, SOMETHING REALLY 45:21 NEAT HAPPENED TO ME A FEW YEARS AGO. I REALLY WANTED TO GO VISIT 45:23 MY CAVE AND I DID THIS SPECIAL WITH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. 45:27 AND THEY WERE INTERVIEWING ME ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD AND 45:33 SOMEONE GAVE THEM MY TESTIMONY BOOK. 45:35 AND, EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T THE REASON FOR THE INTERVIEW, THEY 45:37 SAID, 'THIS IS A GREAT SIDE STORY.' AND THEY SAID, 45:40 'COULD WE GET YOU TO GO BACK TO YOUR CAVE? 45:42 WE'D LIKE TO TAPE YOU UP THERE.' I SAID, 'WELL, I'D LIKE TO GO 45:45 BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T GET IN THERE WITHOUT A HELICOPTER NOW 45:47 BECAUSE THEY'VE BLOCKED OFF THE ENTRANCE.' THEY SAID, 'WELL 45:51 WE'LL RENT THE HELICOPTER.' I GOT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - THIS 45:55 ATHEISTIC ORGANIZATION - TO PAY TO TAKE ME BACK TO MY CAVE AND 45:59 VIDEOTAPE MY TESTIMONY. (LAUGHTER) ISN'T THAT GREAT? 46:04 I GOT A BIG KICK OUT OF THAT. AND I HAVEN'T BEEN THERE SINCE. 46:10 ANYWAY, HE GOT ROME TO PAY TO SEND HIM TO ROME TO PREACH ABOUT 46:14 JESUS IN THIS PAGAN WORLD. AND HE WAS PREACHING IN CAESAR'S 46:18 HOUSEHOLD AND - BEING GUARDED BY A ROMAN SOLDIER, PAID BY ROMAN 46:25 TAX MONEY, AND HE'S PREACHING TO THE SOLDIERS. THIS IS GREAT THE 46:29 WAY THE LORD DOES THINGS. >>AMEN. 46:31 >>AND SO, IT SAYS - NOW IN VERSE - ACTS 28:16, "NOW WHEN WE CAME 46:38 TO ROME, THE CENTURION DELIVERED THE PRISONERS TO THE CAPTAIN OF 46:41 THE GUARD; BUT PAUL WAS PERMITTED TO DWELL BY HIMSELF 46:45 WITH THE SOLDIER WHO GUARDED HIM." 46:47 AND YOU GO TO THE VERY LAST WORDS IN ACTS - ACTS 28:31, 46:51 "THEN PAUL DWELT TWO WHOLE YEARS IN HIS OWN RENTED HOUSE, AND 46:56 RECEIVED ALL WHO CAME TO HIM," - HE'S GOT A ROMAN SOLDIER 46:59 GUARDING HIM ALL THIS TIME, BUT HE'S GOT HIS OWN HOME - "AND 47:02 RECEIVED ALL WHO CAME TO HIM, PREACHING THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND 47:05 TEACHING THE THINGS WHICH CONCERN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST 47:08 WITH ALL CONFIDENCE, NO ONE FORBIDDING HIM." 47:11 HE'S WAITING TO BE HEARD BY CAESAR - THERE'S A LONG CASELOAD 47:14 - YOU KNOW, YOU COULD BE ON DEATH ROW FOR YEARS IN AMERICA 47:16 AND, BACK THEN, IN ROME, CAESAR WAS SO BUSY HEARING THESE FINAL 47:19 APPEAL CASES, THEY WERE TWO YEARS BACKED UP, WHICH WAS GREAT 47:22 FOR GOD AND GREAT FOR PAUL. HE HAD TWO YEARS, AT GOVERNMENT 47:26 EXPENSE, PREACHING THE GOSPEL IN A RENTED HOUSE WITH A ROMAN 47:29 SOLDIER GUARDING HIM - HE'S PREACHING TO THE SOLDIER. 47:31 GO AHEAD, READ TO US PHILIPPIANS 1:12 AND 13. 47:35 >>PHILIPPIANS 1:12 AND 13, "BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW, BRETHREN, 47:40 THAT THE THINGS WHICH HAPPENED TO ME HAVE ACTUALLY TURNED OUT 47:43 FOR THE FURTHERANCE FOR THE GOSPEL, SO THAT IT HAS BECOME 47:47 EVIDENT TO THE WHOLE PALACE GUARD, AND TO ALL THE REST, THAT 47:50 MY CHAINS ARE IN CHRIST;" >>SO WHILE HE'S THERE, NOT FAR 47:55 AWAY FROM THE DWELLING PLACE OF NERO - CAESAR - HE'S PREACHING 48:00 TO THE WHOLE PALACE GUARD, BECAUSE HE'D HAVE ONE SOLDIER, 48:02 YOU KNOW, ASSIGNED FOR A WEEK OR WHATEVER, AND THEN THEY'D ROTATE 48:05 AND ANOTHER SOLDIER WAS GUARDING. SO OVER A TWO-YEAR 48:07 PERIOD HE'S PREACHING TO ALL THESE SOLDIERS. 48:10 AND THE PAGAN RELIGIONS OF ROME, 48:11 THEY HAD NOTHING TO OFFER. THERE WERE SO MANY GODS IN ROME 48:15 THAT THEY WERE MORE THAN THE PIGEONS ON THE ROOF. 48:17 I MEAN, THEY HAD ALL THESE - THEY WERE JUST EMPTY. 48:22 AND SO, PAUL WAS JUST PREACHING TO THEM ALL AND HE HAD CONVERTS 48:24 IN THE HOUSE. LOOK AT PHILIPPIANS 4:21 AND 22 48:30 - AT THE END OF PHILIPPIANS HE SAID, "GREET EVERY 48:32 SAINT IN CHRIST JESUS. THE BRETHREN WHO ARE 48:35 WITH ME GREET YOU. ALL THE SAINTS GREET YOU, BUT 48:38 ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE OF CAESAR'S HOUSEHOLD." 48:42 SO HE'S NOT ONLY PREACHING TO THE PALACE GUARDS, THE GUARDS, 48:45 THEN, GO INTO THE PALACE - THEY'RE PREACHING TO THE FAMILY 48:49 OF CAESAR AND THE SERVANTS OF CAESAR AND THERE WAS A LITTLE 48:53 MINI CHURCH THAT WAS FROM CAESAR'S HOUSEHOLD. 48:57 AND SO, WHAT YOU WOULD THINK WOULD BE A BAD THING - HERE, 49:00 PAUL'S ARRESTED, HE SPENDS TWO YEARS IN JAIL IN JERUSALEM - 49:05 HE'S ACTUALLY IN CAESAREA - BUT WHAT IS HE DOING THERE? 49:08 HE'S PREACHING TO HEROD AND FELIX AND THE RULERS - 49:12 HE'S PREACHING TO THE GUARDS THERE. 49:14 AND THEN HE'S PUT IN JAIL IN ROME - HE'S TWO YEARS IN PRISON 49:17 THERE - KIND OF HOUSE ARREST - HE'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S PRETTY 49:19 COMFORTABLE - AND HE'S PREACHING - HE COULD RECEIVE GUESTS SO 49:22 HE'S PREACHING TO THE JEWS THAT COME, HE'S PREACHING TO THE 49:24 GENTILES THAT COME, HE'S PREACHING TO THE ROMAN SOLDIERS, 49:26 THEY'RE THEN PREACHING TO THOSE IN THE PALACE, AND THE GOSPEL - 49:29 TWO YEARS OF THE BEST EVANGELIST IN THE WORLD, WHO SPEAKS ALL 49:32 THEIR LANGUAGES, I MEAN, THIS WAS A WONDERFUL THING. 49:35 NOW SOMEONE WOULD SAY, 'WHY WOULD GOD ALLOW PAUL TO BE IN 49:39 PRISON?' HE DID HIS BEST WORK IN PRISON. AND WHEN HE WASN'T 49:45 TRAVELING, HE WAS WRITING. AND SO, HE'S WRITING ALL 49:49 THESE LETTERS TO EVERYBODY. MANY, WE PROBABLY DON'T HAVE. 49:51 AREN'T YOU THANKFUL FOR THE BOOK PILGRIM'S PROGRESS ? 49:55 DO YOU REALIZE, IF JOHN BUNYAN HADN'T BEEN IN PRISON, YOU 49:58 WOULDN'T HAVE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS ? 50:00 HE WROTE IT BECAUSE HE WAS BORED OUT OF HIS MIND IN PRISON. 50:04 AND HE STARTED TO BE INSPIRED ABOUT THIS ALLEGORY OF THE 50:07 CHRISTIAN LIFE AND HE WROTE THIS WHOLE INCREDIBLE ALLEGORY THAT 50:10 HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BEST SELLERS NEXT TO THE BIBLE - DID YOU KNOW 50:13 THAT? PILGRIM'S PROGRESS. 50:15 IF YOU'VE NOT READ IT, YOU NEED TO READ THAT. 50:17 ALRIGHT, MOVING ALONG, THE SAINTS IN ROME - ROMANS 1:7, "TO 50:23 ALL WHO ARE IN ROME, BELOVED OF GOD, CALLED TO BE SAINTS: GRACE 50:26 TO YOU AND PEACE FROM GOD OUR FATHER AND THE LORD JESUS 50:30 CHRIST." HIS INTENT WAS FOR THE 50:34 CHRISTIANS IN ALL OF ROME TO READ THE EPISTLE. 50:37 HE CLEARLY SAYS THIS IS FOR EVERYONE TO READ. 50:39 NOW SOMEONE'S GOING TO READ, FOR ME, HEBREWS 2:9 - IN JUST A 50:42 MOMENT. I'M GOING TO READ EPHESIANS 4 - 50:45 1:4, "JUST AS HE CHOSE US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE 50:50 WORLD, THAT WE SHOULD BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLAME BEFORE HIM 50:54 IN LOVE," - SO THOSE HE CALLS 'SAINTS IN ROME' - THOSE ARE 51:00 DESIGNATED SAINTS - THAT MEANS THOSE CALLED TO BE HOLY ONES. 51:04 AND HE SHOWS THAT GOD HAD CALLED THE GENTILES, AS MUCH AS THE 51:06 JEWS, TO BE HOLY ONES. AND THE BLESSING OF THE GOSPEL 51:10 IS FREELY TO GO TO THEM ALL. GOD WANTS EVERYONE TO BE SAVED. 51:14 GO AHEAD, READ, PLEASE, HEBREWS 2:9. 51:16 >>"BUT WE SEE JESUS, WHO WAS MADE A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE 51:19 ANGELS, FOR THE SUFFERING OF DEATH CROWNED WITH GLORY AND 51:22 HONOR, THAT HE, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, MIGHT TASTE DEATH FOR 51:26 EVERYONE." >>HE MIGHT TASTE DEATH FOR WHO? 51:29 >>EVERYONE. >>I THOUGHT IT WAS ONLY FOR 51:31 JEWS - OR ONLY FOR CHRISTIANS. SOME PEOPLE SAY JESUS 51:36 ONLY DIED FOR THE ELECT. IN OTHER WORDS, THE ONES WHO 51:38 WOULD ACCEPT SALVATION - HE DIDN'T REALLY SUFFER FOR THE 51:40 SINS OF THE LOST, BUT IT SAYS HE TASTED DEATH FOR WHO? 51:44 >>EVERYONE. >>EVERYONE. 51:46 WHOSOEVER WILL - WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM - THE GOSPEL'S 51:50 FOR EVERYONE. AND THEN YOU CAN LOOK AT 2 PETER 51:52 3:9, "THE LORD...NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH BUT THAT 51:57 ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE." SO EVEN BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF 52:01 THE WORLD HE WANTS EVERYONE TO COME TO HIM. 52:05 AND, HOPEFULLY, YOU'RE HEEDING THAT CALL. 52:07 ALRIGHT, THE BELIEVERS IN ROME . NOW SOMEONE'S GOING TO READ 52:11 FOR ME ROMANS 1:8, OKAY? JUST A MOMENT. 52:15 IF PAUL HASN'T BEEN TO ROME, WHY IS HE WRITING TO THE BELIEVERS 52:18 IN ROME? HOW DID YOU GET BELIEVERS IN 52:20 ROME IF PAUL AND PETER HAD NOT BEEN THERE YET? 52:23 THE ANSWER IS ACTS CHAPTER 2. YOU GO BACK TO PENTECOST - 52:28 NOTICE WHAT IT SAYS, "AND THERE WERE" - "THEN THEY WERE ALL 52:31 AMAZED AND MARVELED, SAYING TO ONE ANOTHER" - THE HOLY SPIRIT'S 52:33 POURED OUT, THE APOSTLES ARE PREACHING - "'LOOK, ARE NOT 52:37 ALL THESE WHO SPEAK GALILEANS? AND HOW IS IT THAT WE HEAR, EACH 52:41 IN OUR OWN LANGUAGE IN WHICH WE WERE BORN? 52:44 PARTHIANS AND MEDES AND ELAMITES, THOSE DWELLING IN 52:47 MESOPOTAMIA, JUDEA AND CAPPADOCIA, PONTUS AND ASIA, 52:50 PHRYGIA AND PAMPHULIA, EGYPT AND THE PARTS OF LIBYA ADJOINING 52:54 CYRENE, VISITORS FROM ROME, BOTH JEWS AND PROSELYTES, CRETAN AND 52:59 ARABS - WE HEAR THEM SPEAKING IN OUR OWN TONGUES THE WONDERFUL 53:03 WORKS OF GOD.'" WHEN YOU READ IN ACTS CHAPTER 2, IT SAYS, 'THERE 53:06 WERE DWELLING IN ROME DEVOUT PEOPLE OUT OF EVERY NATION 53:10 UNDER' - I'M SORRY, 'DWELLING IN JERUSALEM DEVOUT PEOPLE FROM 53:13 EVERY NATION' - THERE WERE JEWS THAT CAME FROM ROME FOR 53:17 PENTECOST. THEY WERE CONVERTED UNDER THE 53:20 PREACHING OF THE APOSTLES. AFTER PENTECOST THEY WENT 53:22 HOME TO ROME, BELIEVERS. THOSE EARLY JEWS, WHO WERE 53:27 CONVERTED AT PENTECOST, WENT BACK TO ROME AND THEY BEGAN TO 53:31 SHARE THEIR FAITH AND IT BEGAN TO SPREAD. 53:35 AND BY THE TIME THAT PETER SAID IT WAS OKAY TO PREACH TO THE 53:37 GENTILES, THAT WORD REACHED THEM. 53:39 KEEP IN MIND, IF YOU'RE FAITHFUL JEWS AND THEY CAME FOR 53:41 PENTECOST, THEY CAME FOR OTHER FEASTS, DIDN'T THEY? 53:44 SO, PERIODICALLY, THE BELIEVERS WERE COMING BACK TO JERUSALEM. 53:48 AND THEN THEY'D GO BACK TO ROME. 53:50 AND THEY SAID, 'HEY, THEY SAY THE GOSPEL, NOW, IS NOT JUST FOR 53:52 US, BUT IT CAN ALSO GO TO GENTILES.' BUT THEY SAID, 'BUT 53:55 WE'RE SPECIAL.' AND SO PAUL HAD TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE RELATIONSHIP 53:59 BETWEEN JEW AND GENTILE WAS, AND HE DOES THIS IN THE BOOK OF 54:02 ROMANS. HE SAYS THE GOSPEL IS FOR EVERYBODY. 54:05 ANYWAY, FRIENDS, WE HOPE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY THAT. 54:09 I WOULD LIKE TO REITERATE THAT, AT THE BEGINNING OF OUR 54:12 BROADCAST THERE IS A FREE OFFER. 54:14 WE'D INVITE YOU TO SEND FOR THAT, AND IT IS CALLED IS IT 54:18 EASIER TO BE SAVED OR LOST? ASK FOR #124 WHEN YOU CALL. 54:23 THE NUMBER TO CALL - 866-788-3966 - THAT'S ACTUALLY 54:28 AN ACRONYM FOR 866-STUDY-MORE. I LIKE THAT. 54:32 WE'LL SEND IT TO YOU FOR FREE. 54:33 IT'S A GREAT BOOK - IS IT EASIER TO BE SAVED OR LOST? 54:36 IT GOES WELL WITH THE BOOK OF ROMANS. 54:38 READ IT AND SHARE IT WITH SOMEBODY ELSE. GOD BLESS YOU. 54:40 WE'LL STUDY HIS WORD TOGETHER AGAIN NEXT WEEK. 54:44 >>FIVE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, GOD USED MARTIN LUTHER TO INSPIRE A 54:48 GREAT REFORMATION, CALLING PEOPLE BACK TO THE FOUNDATIONAL 54:52 TEACHINGS OF SCRIPTURE; HOWEVER, IN THE CENTURIES THAT FOLLOWED, 54:56 THE CHURCH HAS SLIPPED OFF THE BEDROCK OF TRUTH INTO THE VALLEY 54:59 OF LUKEWARM WORLDLINESS. THAT'S WHY, THIS FALL, I'LL BE 55:03 PRESENTING A BRAND-NEW NINE-PART SERIES CALLED FOUNDATIONS OF 55:08 FAITH - A PERFECT SERIES FOR ANYONE SEEKING A PERSONAL 55:11 REVIVAL AND RENEWAL IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST. 55:15 PLEASE PLAN, NOW, TO JOIN ME IN PERSON, ONLINE, OR ON TELEVISION 55:19 AND BE SURE TO INVITE OTHERS TO JOIN YOU AS WELL. 55:22 THE REFORMATION CONTINUES. (MUSIC) 55:37 >>HELLO FRIENDS, WE'RE HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES 55:39 OVERLOOKING THE TAAL VOLCANO AND LAKE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST 55:43 INTERESTING PIECES OF GEOGRAPHY IN THE WHOLE WORLD. 55:47 FOR ONE THING, THIS GREAT CALDARA WAS ONCE THE BIGGEST 55:50 VOLCANO IN THE WORLD, AND NOW IT HOLDS A LAKE THAT HOLDS ANOTHER 55:54 VOLCANO THAT HAS A LITTLE LAKE IN IT THAT HAS ANOTHER LITTLE 55:59 ISLAND IN IT. THIS VOLCANO HAS ERUPTED SIX 56:02 TIMES, IN A MAJOR WAY, SINCE THE 1500S AND, EVEN IN 1911, THERE 56:08 WAS AN ERUPTION WHERE OVER 1300 PEOPLE DIED - KILLED BY THE 56:12 SMOKE AND THE ASH THAT COVERED THE COMMUNITY. 56:15 THERE WERE TSUNAMIS THAT CAME FROM THE LAKE AND DESTROYED THE 56:18 VILLAGES THAT SURROUNDED THE BORDERS OF THE LAKE. 56:20 IN FACT, THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST CAREFULLY MONITORED SEISMIC 56:24 PLACES IN THE PHILIPPINES. THIS VOLCANO IS BEING WATCHED 56:27 ALL THE TIME AND THEY'VE NOTICED, AS OF 2006, THAT 56:31 IT APPEARS THAT THE WATER TEMPERATURES ARE GOING UP. 56:34 THERE'S INCREASED SEISMIC ACTIVITY. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY 56:37 KNOW THAT THIS VOLCANO IS A TICKING TIME BOMB PREPARED TO 56:41 BLOW. AND IT'S VERY INTERESTING, BECAUSE THIS PLACE IS A PLACE OF 56:44 GREAT SEISMIC ACTIVITY, BUT IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT 56:48 VULCANOLOGISTS KNOW THIS IS GOING TO BLOW AGAIN SOMEDAY, IT 56:51 IS A POPULAR TOURIST DESTINATION. 56:53 THEY'RE FIGHTING FOR THE REAL ESTATE, THEY'RE BUILDING LIKE 56:55 MAD, AND SIT ON THE EDGE OF DISASTER. 56:58 IT MAKES US THINK ABOUT HOW GOD HAS GIVEN US SO MANY WARNINGS IN 57:02 HIS WORD THAT THE WORLD IS GOING TO END, THAT JESUS IS GOING TO 57:05 COME, THAT THE HEAVENS WILL DISSOLVE WITH A GREAT NOISE AND 57:09 THE ELEMENTS WILL MELT WITH FERVENT HEAT, SEEING THEN THAT 57:12 ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE DISSOLVED, WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE 57:14 SHOULD WE BE IN ALL HOLY CONVERSATION AND GODLINESS. 57:18 FRIENDS, ARE YOU BECOMING DISTRACTED WITH THE TRANQUIL 57:21 VIEWS OF THE WORLD OR ARE YOU PREPARING FOR THE NEXT WORLD? 57:25 ARE YOU GETTING READY FOR THE BIG BANG? (MUSIC) 57:34 >>LET'S FACE IT, IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING 57:37 YOU READ IN THE BIBLE. WITH OVER 700,000 WORDS 57:40 CONTAINED IN 66 BOOKS, THE BIBLE CAN GENERATE A LOT OF QUESTIONS. 57:45 TO GET BIBLICAL STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWERS CALL IN TO BIBLE ANSWERS 57:48 LIVE - A LIVE NATIONWIDE CALL-IN RADIO PROGRAM WHERE YOU CAN TALK 57:52 TO PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR AND ASK HIM YOUR MOST DIFFICULT BIBLE 57:55 QUESTIONS. FOR TIMES AND STATIONS IN YOUR AREA, OR TO 57:59 LISTEN TO ANSWERS ONLINE, VISIT BAL.AMAZINGFACTS.ORG . 58:10 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2017-10-05