Participants:
Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021750A
|
00:00 (MUSIC)
00:33 >>GOOD MORNING, FRIENDS, AND WELCOME TO SABBATH SCHOOL 00:37 STUDY HOUR COMING TO YOU HERE FROM THE GRANITE BAY SEVENTH-DAY 00:40 ADVENTIST CHURCH NEAR SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA. 00:42 I'D LIKE TO WELCOME OUR ONLINE MEMBERS AND ALSO THOSE WHO ARE 00:45 JOINING US ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD AND ALSO, 00:48 OF COURSE, THE MEMBERS AND THE VISITORS RIGHT HERE AT THE 00:50 GRANITE BAY CHURCH. IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU ON ANOTHER 00:53 SABBATH MORNING HERE TO STUDY THE WORD TOGETHER. 00:56 WE'VE BEEN STUDYING THROUGH OUR LESSON QUARTERLY DEALING WITH 00:58 THE BOOK OF ROMANS. TODAY WE FIND OURSELVES WITH 01:02 LESSON #11, WHICH IS ENTITLED THE ELECT . 01:06 FOR THOSE WHO ARE JOINING US WHO DON'T HAVE COPY OF THE SABBATH 01:09 SCHOOL QUARTERLY, YOU CAN DOWNLOAD TODAY'S LESSON AT THE 01:12 AMAZING FACTS WEBSITE, JUST AMAZINGFACTS.ORG . 01:16 YOU CAN CLICK ON THE SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY HOUR TAB AND YOU 01:19 CAN DOWNLOAD THE LESSON FOR TODAY. 01:21 WE ALSO HAVE A FREE OFFER THAT GOES ALONG WITH OUR STUDY, A 01:24 BOOK ENTITLED FEAST DAYS: SHADOWS OF OUR FAITH . 01:27 THIS IS OUR FREE OFFER TODAY. FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN NORTH 01:30 AMERICA, IF YOU'D LIKE TO RECEIVE THIS, THE NUMBER TO CALL 01:33 IS 866-788-3966 AND YOU CAN ASK FOR OFFER #810. 01:41 WELL, BEFORE WE GET TO OUR LESSON THIS MORNING, WE HAVE A 01:44 SPECIAL TREAT - WE HAVE A CHOIR THAT'S GOING TO BE BRINGING US A 01:47 SPECIAL MUSICAL ITEM AT THIS TIME. 01:52 (PIANO MUSIC) 06:36 >>LET'S BOW OUR HEADS 06:37 FOR A WORD OF PRAYER. DEAR FATHER IN HEAVEN, ONCE 06:39 AGAIN WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO OPEN UP YOUR WORD 06:42 AND STUDY AND WE ASK LORD, THAT YOUR SPIRIT WOULD COME AND GUIDE 06:45 OUR HEARTS AND OUR MINDS AS WE STUDY THIS IMPORTANT PASSAGE 06:48 IN THE BOOK OF ROMANS. AND, THANK YOU, FATHER FOR YOUR 06:51 PROMISE TO LEAD US INTO A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR WILL FOR 06:54 OUR LIVES, IF WE COME TO YOU WITH SIMPLICITY OF HEART, FOR WE 06:58 ASK THIS IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN. OUR LESSON THIS MORNING IS GOING 07:02 TO BE BROUGHT TO US BY CHUCK HOLTRY. 07:04 THANK YOU, CHUCK. >>GOOD MORNING. 07:16 I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS STUDY. 07:21 IT'S EXCITING. ROMANS CHAPTER 10 - OUR LESSON 07:27 THIS WEEK IS FROM ROMANS 10 AND ROMANS 11. 07:32 THE TITLE IS THE ELECT AND I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT ANOTHER 07:37 TITLE THAT I WANTED TO GIVE IT, THEN I REALIZED THAT WHOEVER 07:40 WROTE THIS, I APPRECIATE THEIR TITLE MAKING - 07:42 THE CHOSEN - THE ELECT . IN OUR STUDY TODAY, WE'RE 07:48 GOING TO GO THROUGH A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT THINGS, IF YOU DON'T 07:50 MIND, AND I'D LIKE TO READ THE FIRST FEW VERSES HERE, 07:55 STARTING WITH VERSE 1. "BRETHREN MY HEART'S DESIRE AND PRAYER TO 08:01 GOD FOR ISRAEL IS, THAT THEY MIGHT BE SAVED. 08:06 FOR I BEAR THEM RECORD THAT THEY HAVE A ZEAL OF GOD, BUT NOT 08:09 ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE. FOR THEY BEING IGNORANT OF GOD'S 08:13 RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND GOING ABOUT TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN 08:16 RIGHTEOUSNESS, HAVE NOT SUBMITTED THEMSELVES UNTO 08:19 THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. FOR CHRIST IS THE END OF THE 08:24 LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH." 08:31 IN A WAY, VERSE 4 IS THE CULMINATION OR AN APEX, IN A 08:38 STUDY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT WE'VE COVERED, SO FAR, IN THE 08:41 BOOK OF ROMANS. I'D LIKE TO JUST REMIND YOU A 08:43 LITTLE BIT OF WHERE WE'VE BEEN. ROMANS CHAPTER 1 - ACTUALLY, NOT 08:46 THAT FAR BACK - ROMANS CHAPTER 3 - ROMANS CHAPTER 3 AND LET'S 08:53 LOOK AT VERSE 23 - YOU COULD PROBABLY QUOTE THIS FOR ME 09:00 - ROMANS 3:23, "FOR ALL HAVE SINNED, AND COME SHORT OF THE 09:06 GLORY OF GOD;" - SO THERE'S A - A KEY THING WE MUST REMEMBER 09:09 IS EVERYONE IS SHORT OF GOD'S GLORY, SO EVERYONE NEEDS WHAT? 09:14 THEY NEED A SAVIOR AND THEY NEED RIGHTEOUSNESS, YES? 09:18 SO WE SEE THAT EVERYONE NEEDS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 09:20 CHAPTER 1 FOCUSED ON THE GENTILES AND THEIR NEED FOR 09:23 RIGHTEOUSNESS. CHAPTER 2 FOCUSED ON THE JEWS' 09:26 NEED OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BY SHOWING BOTH HAVE FALLEN SHORT. 09:29 WE ARE ALL SINNERS, ALL IN NEED OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST. 09:34 SO THAT'S A KEY FOUNDATION THAT WE LOOK AT. 09:37 VERSE 9 AND 10, THERE IN CHAPTER 3 - VERSE 9 IN ROMANS 3 SAYS, 09:44 "WHAT THEN? ARE WE BETTER THAN THEY? 09:47 NO, IN NO WISE: FOR WE HAVE BEFORE PROVED BOTH JEWS AND 09:52 GENTILES, THAT THEY ARE ALL UNDER SIN; AS IT IS WRITTEN, 09:56 THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE:" - SO THE PICTURE WE'RE 10:02 SEEING EARLY ON IN OUR LESSON IS - I'M JUST REMINDING US HERE, IF 10:06 THAT'S OKAY - NONE OF US ARE RIGHTEOUS, SO WE NEED 10:11 RIGHTEOUSNESS. AND SO, DO THE JEWS 10:13 NEED RIGHTEOUSNESS? YES. 10:15 AND SO, THERE'S THIS REMINDER THAT PAUL'S GIVING, IN ROMANS 10:18 CHAPTER 10, THE JEWS, ALSO, ARE IN NEED OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. 10:25 AS WE LOOK AT THAT - AT THIS GOSPEL CALL THAT PAUL IS MAKING 10:29 TO THE JEWISH NATION IN CHAPTERS 10 AND 11, WE CAN ALSO SEE THE 10:33 GOSPEL CALL TO OURSELVES. LET'S CONTINUE: WHERE ELSE 10:37 DO I SEE RIGHTEOUSNESS? CHAPTER 3 - LET'S STAY IN 3 FOR 10:40 AWHILE - VERSE 20 - CHAPTER 3 AND VERSE 20, "THEREFORE BY THE 10:47 DEEDS OF THE LAW THERE SHALL NO FLESH BE" - WHAT? 10:51 - "JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT:" - OR MADE RIGHTEOUS IN HIS SIGHT - 10:55 "FOR BY THE LAW IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN." 10:57 SO WE SAW, IN CHAPTER 10, VERSE 4, THAT CHRIST IS THE END OF THE 11:03 LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND NOW WE'RE BEING REMINDED, HERE, THAT 11:07 THE LAW'S PURPOSE ISN'T TO MAKE ONE RIGHTEOUS, THE PURPOSE OF 11:12 THE LAW IS TO GIVE KNOWLEDGE. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? 11:16 THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW IS NOT TO GIVE RIGHTEOUSNESS, THE PURPOSE 11:20 OF THE LAW IS TO GIVE KNOWLEDGE. WE'VE SEEN THIS - IF YOU'VE BEEN 11:25 TO A PROPHECY SEMINAR OR YOU'VE SEEN SOMEONE TALK ABOUT THE 11:27 LAW OF GOD - YOU'VE SEEN THE ILLUSTRATION WITH 11:28 THE MIRROR, RIGHT? SOMEONE CAN LOOK AT THE MIRROR 11:30 - THE MIRROR CAN TELL ME WHETHER I'M LOOKING OKAY OR NOT, WHETHER 11:34 THERE'S A PROBLEM OR NOT, BUT THE MIRROR CAN'T CHANGE 11:37 ANYTHING, IT IS SIMPLY A COMMUNICATOR OF INFORMATION. 11:40 I CAN'T SAY THAT FOR THE LAW, PER SE, BUT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE 11:43 IT IS A COMMUNICATOR OF INFORMATION. IT'S PURPOSE IS NOT 11:46 TO CHANGE US, IT'S PURPOSE IS TO POINT US TO SOMEONE WHO CAN 11:49 CHANGE US AND THAT'S THE PICTURE WE SEE OF THE LAW. 11:53 SO WHEN WE SAY THAT CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW FOR 11:55 RIGHTEOUSNESS, THAT MAKES COMPLETE SENSE. 11:58 THE LAW CAN'T BRING RIGHTEOUSNESS, CAN IT? 12:01 IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. WHO BRINGS RIGHTEOUSNESS? 12:04 CHRIST - HE IS THE END OF THE LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 12:08 I'M ASSUMING, THEN, AT LEAST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, THEY WERE 12:11 SAVED BY THEIR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS. CAN I ASSUME 12:16 THAT? NO. CHAPTER 4, VERSE 3 - WE'RE 12:21 ALMOST DONE WITH OUR LITTLE REVIEW BEFORE WE JUMP IN HERE 12:23 - CHAPTER 4, VERSE 3, "FOR WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURE? 12:29 ABRAHAM" - DID WHAT? >>BELIEVED. 12:31 >>HE "BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS COUNTED UNTO HIM FOR" - WHAT? 12:34 - >>RIGHTEOUSNESS. "RIGHTEOUSNESS." 12:36 SO THE BELIEF THAT ABRAHAM HAD IS HOW HE HAD RIGHTEOUSNESS. 12:42 THROUGH HIS BELIEF HE WAS COUNTED AS IF HE WAS RIGHT WITH 12:47 GOD. NOW THAT IS GRACE. THAT'S AMAZING. 12:54 THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT AMAZING GRACE. 12:57 BECAUSE OF MY BELIEF IN CHRIST, I CAN BE ACCOUNTED RIGHTEOUS. 13:04 IT'S GOOD NEWS. THAT WAS GOOD NEWS FOR 13:06 A JEW, TOO, BY THE WAY. IF YOU'VE EVER MET A PERSON 13:10 WHO'S PRETTY SURE OF THEMSELVES - OF THEIR OWN RIGHTNESS - MAYBE 13:15 YOU HAVEN'T MET SOMEONE, BUT I'VE MET PEOPLE LIKE THAT AND 13:17 HAVE PROBABLY BEEN IN THAT BOAT MYSELF AT TIMES. 'I'M OKAY. 13:22 RIGHT NOW I'M NOT ARGUING WITH MY PARENTS. 13:25 RIGHT NOW I'M NOT NECESSARILY FIGHTING WITH ANYONE, SO I'M IN 13:27 PRETTY GOOD SHAPE. YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, I HAVEN'T 13:31 HAD ANY UNCLEAN THOUGHTS FOR A FEW DAYS NOW, SO THAT'S GOOD. 13:34 AND' - RIGHT? WE HAVE THESE KIND OF PICTURES 13:37 OF OURSELVES - 'I HAVEN'T STOLEN ANYTHING, AT LEAST SINCE I WAS 13:41 A CHILD - I DON'T HATE ANYONE. I AM OKAY. 13:46 I AM RIGHTEOUS.' WE WOULD NEVER SAY IT IN OUR OWN MIND, BECAUSE 13:50 WE KNOW IT'S NOT TRUE, BUT SOMETIMES WE GET THAT FEEL, AND 13:54 THIS IS JUST GOOD REMINDER, HERE - THE JEWS MIGHT HAVE FELT THAT 13:58 WAY A LITTLE BIT. 'I GIVE TITHES OF ALL 14:00 THAT I POSSESS.' RIGHT? 'I FAST' - HOW MANY TIMES? 14:06 'AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK, MAYBE MORE THAN THAT.' AND SO, THERE'S 14:08 THIS PICTURE THAT THE JEWS COULD CONNECT HERE. 14:11 HE'S MAKING IT CRYSTAL CLEAR, 'YES, I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A LAW 14:15 AND YOU HAVE BEEN PRETTY FAITHFUL, BUT THE REALITY IS 14:18 NONE OF US ARE RIGHTEOUS.' CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW FOR 14:21 RIGHTEOUSNESS. VERSES 6 AND 7, THERE IN 14:27 CHAPTER 4, "EVEN AS DAVID ALSO DESCRIBETH THE BLESSEDNESS OF 14:32 THE MAN, UNTO WHOM GOD IMPUTETH RIGHTEOUSNESS WITHOUT 14:37 THE WORKS," - WOW. I PRAISE GOD FOR IT. 14:43 GOD CAN IMPUTE RIGHTEOUSNESS - OR RIGHT DOING, OR RIGHTNESS - 14:46 INTO CHUCK WITHOUT WORKS? YES. 14:51 IN FACT, THAT'S THE ONLY WAY I HAVE ANY HOPE. 14:55 NOW DON'T GET ME WRONG, HE ALSO IMPARTS RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHERE HE 14:57 COMES IN AND HE LIVES HIS LIFE IN ME. 15:00 BUT IT IS GOOD NEWS, TODAY, THAT GOD CAN TAKE HIS RIGHT DOING AND 15:06 INJECT IT INTO YOUR LIFE AND YOUR PAST IS NOW CLEAN IN THE 15:11 EYES OF GOD. THAT'S GOOD NEWS. 15:14 IN FACT, THAT'S WHAT IS SAYS IN CHAPTER 3 AND VERSE 25 - BUT 15:20 WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO THERE, BUT YOU CAN WRITE THIS DOWN IN YOUR 15:22 NOTES IF YOU ARE TAKING NOTES. RIGHTEOUSNESS IS 15:26 THE FOCUS OF ROMANS. WE'RE NOT GOING TO FOCUS ON THIS 15:29 LESSON BECAUSE YOU'VE READ A LOT ABOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS SO FAR. 15:31 BUT I WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW FOR 15:34 RIGHTEOUSNESS. IF YOU ARE DESIRING 15:37 RIGHTEOUSNESS THIS MORNING - IF YOU'RE DESIRING RIGHTEOUSNESS 15:40 IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW, I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT THE LAW IS 15:42 NOT WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO FIND IT. 15:45 THE LAW IS GOING TO SHOW YOU WHAT THE STANDARD IS. 15:47 IT'S GOING TO DESCRIBE CHRIST TO YOU, BUT IT IS GOING GIVE YOU 15:50 ONLY ONE HOPE, AND THAT HOPE IS CHRIST. 15:53 HE IS THE END OF THE LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 15:55 SO THAT'S THE PICTURE. PAUL IS MAKING SURE - 'MY 15:58 JEWISH FRIENDS HAVE TO GET THIS. THEY CANNOT ATTAIN RIGHTEOUSNESS 16:03 ON THEIR OWN WORKS - IT'S IMPOSSIBLE - ONLY 16:06 CHRIST CAN GET IT. YOU SEE, THAT'S THE PICTURE 16:08 THAT HE STARTS OUT WITH. NOW, OUR LESSON, ACTUALLY, SKIPS 16:11 THE REMAINDER OF CHAPTER 10. I WISH WE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO SO 16:18 BUT, FOR THE SAKE OF TIME, I'M GOING TO GO TO CHAPTER 11 AND 16:20 WE'RE GOING TO SPEND THE REST OF OUR TIME IN ROMANS CHAPTER 11. 16:24 ROMANS 10, IF YOU CONTINUE ON THROUGH, IS A - IS A - A 16:28 DISSERTATION ENNUI, IF YOU WILL, ON THE GOSPEL BELIEF - FAITH - 16:33 SOME GREAT VERSES COME FROM THAT PASSAGE. 16:35 BUT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE ON TO READ ROMANS CHAPTER 10 AND 16:40 WE'LL LOOK AT VERSE 1 - EXCUSE ME, ROMANS CHAPTER 11 - AND 16:46 LET'S GO AND LOOK AT VERSE 1, "I SAY THEN, HATH GOD CAST AWAY HIS 16:52 PEOPLE?" - WHAT'S HIS RESPONSE? >>CERTAINLY NOT. 16:56 >>CERTAINLY NOT - "GOD FORBID. FOR I ALSO AM AN ISRAELITE, 16:59 OF THE SEED OF ABRAHAM, OF THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN. 17:02 GOD HATH NOT CAST AWAY HIS PEOPLE WHICH HE FOREKNEW. 17:05 WOT YE NOT WHAT THE SCRIPTURE SAITH OF ELIAS? 17:07 HOW HE MAKETH INTERCESSION TO GOD AGAINST ISRAEL, SAYING, 17:11 'LORD, THEY HAVE KILLED THY PROPHETS, AND DIGGED DOWN THINE 17:13 ALTARS; AND I AM LEFT ALONE, AND THEY SEEK MY LIFE.' BUT WHAT 17:18 SAITH THE ANSWER OF GOD UNTO HIM? 17:21 'I'" - GOD SAYS - "'HAVE RESERVED TO MYSELF SEVEN 17:25 THOUSAND MEN, WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO THE IMAGE OF BAAL.' 17:31 EVEN SO THEN AT THIS PRESENT TIME ALSO THERE IS A REMNANT 17:36 ACCORDING TO THE ELECTION OF GRACE. 17:39 AND IF BY GRACE, THEN IS IT NO MORE OF WORKS: OTHERWISE GRACE 17:43 IS NO MORE GRACE. BUT IF IT BE OF WORKS, THEN IS 17:45 IT NO MORE GRACE: OTHERWISE WORK IS NO MORE WORK." 17:47 YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOMETIMES - I DON'T WANT TO AGREE WITH FELIX, 17:51 BUT MUCH STUDYING FEELS LIKE IT'S MADE PAUL MAD. 17:54 HE JUST HAS TO GET IT OUT AS MANY WAYS AS HE POSSIBLY CAN. 17:57 I DIGRESS, LET'S CONTINUE - "WHAT THEN? 18:01 ISRAEL HATH NOT OBTAINED THAT WHICH HE SEEKETH FOR; BUT THE 18:04 ELECTION HATH OBTAINED IT, AND THE REST WERE BLINDED" - 18:07 OR HARDENED. I WANTED TO ASK A FEW QUESTIONS 18:16 - POINT OUT THIS: WHILE THE JEWISH NATION ISN'T THE ELECT 18:22 - WE CAUGHT THAT, RIGHT? - THE JEWISH NATION 18:26 ISN'T THE ELECT. INDIVIDUAL JEWS HAVE THE SAME 18:31 OPPORTUNITY AS ANYONE ELSE TO BE PART OF THE ELECT. 18:36 THAT'S VERY CLEAR THAT WE SEE HERE. 18:40 IN PAUL'S DAY, THERE WAS A REMNANT OF JEWS WHO WERE SAVED 18:45 BY GRACE. IN FACT, THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH WAS JEWISH. 18:51 THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH WAS MADE UP OF JEWISH CHRISTIANS. 18:55 I'VE HEARD ONE HISTORIAN SAY THAT THERE WERE - THERE WAS A 18:58 CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN JERUSALEM WITH THOUSANDS OF MEMBERS - HAD 19:04 TO HAVE BEEN. I MEAN, YOU THINK OF THE DAY OF 19:06 PENTECOST, HOW MANY DO WE READ ABOUT BEING BAPTIZED 19:09 ON THAT DAY? THREE THOUSAND. YOU READ A FEW CHAPTERS LATER, 19:12 YOU HEAR ABOUT FIVE THOUSAND. WE'RE LOOKING AT A MASSIVE 19:15 CHRISTIAN-JEWISH CHURCH IN JERUSALEM. 19:21 IT WAS BIG - AND THAT'S JUST AT JERUSALEM. 19:24 THE JEWS THAT HAD DISPERSED OUT AMONG ALL THE OTHER NATIONS - 19:28 YOU REALIZE MOST OF THE JEWS DIDN'T LIVE IN - 19:30 NOT MOST, BUT A LOT OF THE JEWS DIDN'T LIVE IN PALESTINE AT THAT 19:32 TIME. THEY ACTUALLY LIVED IN OTHER 19:34 COUNTRIES AND THEY WOULD COME IN FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. 19:36 THAT'S WHY, IN PENTECOST, YOU HAVE THEM SPEAKING IN ALL THESE 19:39 LANGUAGES TO JEWS - BECAUSE THEY HAD ALL THESE MOTHER TONGUES 19:45 BECAUSE THEY WERE FROM ALL PARTS OF THE GLOBE. 19:47 IT'S A PICTURE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE. 19:50 SO THE CHURCH WAS PREDOMINANTLY JEWISH. 19:55 LET'S LOOK AT VERSE 7, "WHAT THEN? 20:00 ISRAEL HATH NOT OBTAINED THAT WHICH HE SEEKETH FOR; BUT THE 20:03 ELECTION HATH OBTAINED IT, AND THE REST WERE BLINDED. 20:07 (ACCORDING AS IT IS WRITTEN, GOD HATH GIVEN THEM THE SPIRIT OF 20:09 SLUMBER, EYES THAT THEY SHOULD NOT SEE, AND EARS THAT THEY 20:12 SHOULD NOT HEAR;) UNTO THIS DAY. AND DAVID SAID, 'LET THEIR TABLE 20:16 BE MADE A SNARE, AND A TRAP, AND A STUMBLING BLOCK, AND A 20:18 RECOMPENSE UNTO THEM: LET THEIR EYES BE DARKENED, THAT THEY MAY 20:21 NOT SEE, AND BOW DOWN THEIR BACK ALWAY.'" - I'M READING FROM THE 20:24 KING JAMES, IT'S A LITTLE TIGHT IN ITS WORDING THERE. 20:30 DID GOD BLIND THE JEWS SO THEY COULD NOT BE SAVED? 20:35 >>NO. >>GOOD. 20:37 I HEARD A HEARTY 'NO' FROM OUR AUDIENCE, HERE. 20:40 DID GOD BLIND THE JEWS SO THEY COULD BE NOT SAVED? 20:43 NO, SO WHAT IS BEING TALKED ABOUT HERE? 20:48 YOU SAY I'M SUPPOSED TO TELL YOU THAT. 20:50 WELL, I WISH THIS WAS A CLASS; WE COULD HAVE DISCUSSION, THEN 20:52 I'D ASK YOU AND YOU COULD TELL ME, RIGHT? 20:54 BUT I'LL SEE IF I CAN FIND AN ANSWER IN MY NOTES. 21:00 REMEMBER - AND YOU'LL SEE THIS IN YOUR LESSON - IT SAYS HERE, 21:03 THE ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN - AND HASN'T BEEN ALL ALONG - IT'S NOT 21:06 DEALING WITH INDIVIDUAL SALVATION, IT'S DEALING WITH THE 21:08 ROLE THAT PEOPLE ARE PLAYING IN GOD'S WORK. 21:11 THE ROLE THAT THE JEWS HAD PLAYED IN GOD'S WORK WAS NOW 21:15 THEY WERE BEING BLINDED. NO LONGER WERE THEY 21:17 HAVING THE SAME ROLE. NO LONGER WERE THEY THE 21:19 CHOSEN NATION AT THIS POINT. GOD HAD CHOSEN A NEW PEOPLE. 21:25 WE READ ABOUT THIS IN MATTHEW 21, VERSE 43. 21:27 GOD HAS CHOSEN A NEW GROUP OF PEOPLE. 21:29 SO THIS IS NOT - THIS IS NOT SPEAKING OF INDIVIDUAL 21:33 SALVATION. SO, WERE THE JEWS 21:37 BLINDED TO NOT BE SAVED? YOU WOULD SAY 'NO'. 21:41 WELL, LET'S LOOK AT A FEW VERSES - CHAPTER 10, VERSE 21, "BUT TO 21:48 ISRAEL HE SAITH, 'ALL DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED FORTH MY HANDS 21:54 UNTO A DISOBEDIENT AND GAINSAYING PEOPLE.'" WHO'S 21:57 SPEAKING HERE? GOD IS SPEAKING. HE SAID, 'I'M STRETCHING FORTH 22:01 MY HANDS.' DOES THAT SOUND LIKE HE'S SAYING 'DON'T BE SAVED'? 22:05 IT ALMOST LOOKS THE OPPOSITE, DOESN'T IT? 22:07 HE IS CALLING FOR THEM TO BE SAVED. 22:09 'I'M STRETCHING OUT MY HANDS. COME TO ME.' AND WHAT 22:12 IS THEIR RESPONSE? WELL, IT SAYS HERE 22:15 THEY'RE NOT RESPONDING. HE DOESN'T USE THOSE WORDS BUT 22:17 HE SAYS THEY'RE A DISOBEDIENT, GAINSAYING PEOPLE.' NO RESPONSE. 22:23 LET'S LOOK AT ANOTHER PASSAGE - CHAPTER 10, VERSE 12, "FOR THERE 22:29 IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE JEW AND THE GREEK: FOR THE SAME LORD 22:31 OVER ALL IS RICH UNTO ALL THAT CALL UPON HIM." 22:34 IF YOU CALL UPON THE LORD, WILL YOU BE RE - WILL GOD RESPOND TO 22:38 YOU? >>YES. 22:39 >>DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHETHER YOU'RE JEW OR GREEK? 22:41 >>NO. >>NO, THERE IS NO 22:43 DIFFERENCE HERE. LET'S LOOK AT OUR NEXT PASSAGE. 22:46 CHAPTER 10, VERSE 13, "FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE 22:49 NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE" - WHAT? 22:51 >>SAVED. >>SEE, SO WE HAVE A PICTURE 22:52 THAT'S STARTING TO BE VERY CLEARLY REITERATED HERE. 22:55 SO WHEN IT SAYS THAT THEY'RE BLINDED, IT CAN'T BE BLINDED TO 22:58 SALVATION BECAUSE GOD'S SAYING SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT HERE 23:00 IN THIS SECTION. IT'S BLINDED ACCORDING 23:02 TO THEIR ROLE. VERSE 13 SAID THAT "...WHOSOEVER 23:05 SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED." 23:08 SO YOU'RE TRYING TO TELL ME THAT IF I AM GREEK I CAN CALL UPON 23:12 GOD AND BE SAVED? >>AMEN. 23:14 >>IF I'M A JEW I CAN CALL UPON GOD AND BE SAVED? 23:17 IF I'M AUSTRALIAN I CAN CALL UPON GOD AND BE SAVED. 23:19 IF I'M AN AFRICAN I CAN CALL UPON GOD AND BE SAVED. 23:22 IF I'M FROM SWEDEN I CAN CALL UPON GOD AND BE SAVED. 23:25 HOW ABOUT A CANADIAN? >>AMEN. 23:28 >>ANYBODY CAN. GOOD NEWS, AMEN? 23:33 GOD DOESN'T BLIND TO SALVATION AND I THINK IT'S A KEY FOR US TO 23:38 PICK OUT IN THIS PASSAGE. LET'S LOOK AT 11, VERSE 2, 23:43 "HATH" - EXCUSE ME - "GOD HATH NOT CAST AWAY HIS PEOPLE 23:48 WHICH HE FOREKNEW." SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE IT 23:50 CRYSTAL CLEAR, THIS BLINDING, HERE, IS NOT AN 23:52 ISSUE OF SALVATION. IT'S A PASSAGE AND GOD IS 23:56 SPEAKING OF THE ROLE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN GOD'S PLAN. 24:00 GOD IS NOT A RESPECTER OF PERSONS. 24:02 HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT? I LOVE IT. 24:05 YOU LOOK AT THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 24:06 REMEMBER, HE WAS TRAVELING THROUGH SAMARIA, HE STOPPED AT 24:12 THE WELL OF JACOB NEAR SYCHAR AND HE'S SITTING OUT THERE 24:15 WAITING AND A LADY CAME UP TO HIM AND SHE WAS A SAMARITAN AND 24:18 SHE HAD KIND OF A - A TROUBLED PAST. 24:20 CAN WE USE THAT TERM? IS HE A RESPECTER OF PERSONS? 24:25 NO, ONE OF THE GREATEST TALKS HE EVER GAVE ONE ON ONE, HE GAVE TO 24:27 HER. AND THEN YOU HAVE THAT PIOUS, 24:33 PROUD, SEEKING, PHARISEE WHO SEARCHED OUT CHRIST AT NIGHTTIME 24:40 SO NO ONE ELSE WOULD SEE. DID GOD RESPOND TO HIM? 24:44 ABSOLUTELY. GOD'S NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS. 24:47 THEN YOU HAVE THE SAMARITAN WHO WAS A LEPER. 24:53 HE WAS COMBINED WITH SOME OTHER LEPERS AND THEY CAME TO JESUS 24:56 AND JESUS HEALED THEM ALL. AND THE SAMARITAN CAME BACK. 25:00 IS GOD A RESPECTER OF PERSONS? NO. 25:03 THE CANAANITE WOMAN - REMEMBER THE CANAANITE WOMAN? 25:06 SHE CAME UP SAYING, 'MY DAUGHTER HAS BEEN POSSESSED BY A DEMON. 25:11 PLEASE HEAL MY DAUGHTER. JESUS RESPONDED IN A WAY TO MAKE 25:16 THE DISCIPLES SEE WHAT THEIR ATTITUDES WERE LIKE, AND THEN HE 25:18 HEALED FREELY, SAYING, 'I'VE NOT FOUND FAITH LIKE THIS, NO, NOT 25:21 IN ISRAEL.' IS GOD A RESPECTER OF PERSONS? NO. 25:25 SO TWO THINGS WE WANT TO REALIZE: GOD IS TRYING TO TELL 25:27 THE JEWISH PEOPLE, 'FIRST OF ALL, YOU NEED MY RIGHTEOUSNESS' 25:30 - THIS IS WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IN ROMANS 10 THROUGH - 10 AND 11 25:32 - 'YOU NEED MY RIGHTEOUSNESS. CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW 25:35 FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.' AND, DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF 25:37 YOU ARE JEW OR GREEK? YOU MAY BE PART OF THE 25:39 PEOPLE WHO'VE MESSED UP. 'YOU MAY BE PART OF THE PEOPLE 25:42 WHO HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE, WHO HELPED ME BE CRUCIFIED, BUT I 25:46 WANT TO LET YOU KNOW, I'M NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS. 25:50 ANYONE WHO CALLS TO ME WILL BE SAVED.' IT'S GOOD NEWS FOR THE 25:54 JEWS, AND I BELIEVE GOOD NEWS FOR THE JEWS IS GOOD NEWS FOR 25:57 YOU AND ME. >>AMEN. 26:00 >>SO, HAVE PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN SUPERIOR RACES 26:12 FOR SALVATION BEFORE? HAVE WE HAD THAT? 26:16 HAD IT IN THE HISTORY OF OUR PLANET? 26:18 DID THEY HAVE IT IN BIBLE TIMES? 26:21 YES, YOU COULD SEE IT IN EVEN - EVEN THE JEWISH DISCIPLES WERE 26:26 STRUGGLING WITH IT, WERE THEY NOT? 26:28 THAT 'WE JEWS ARE OKAY AND YOU GENTILES DON'T HAVE A CHANCE 26:33 UNLESS YOU GROVEL ON YOUR FEET AND DO WHATEVER WE TELL YOU TO 26:37 DO AND YOU MIGHT HAVE A CHANCE - MAYBE.' YOU SAY, 'CHUCK, THAT 26:41 WAS AN ATTITUDE.' YEAH, IT WAS. 26:44 AND YOU COULD SEE THIS ATTITUDE IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE, 26:46 BUT THAT'S NOT THE MIND SET OF CHRIST. 26:49 BUT IN THE EARLY CHURCH THINGS HAD BEEN SWITCHED. 26:52 SO NOW, INSTEAD OF THE JEWS LOOKING DOWN THEIR NOSES AT THE 26:55 GENTILES, THE GENTILES WERE LOOKING DOWN THEIR NOSES AT THE 26:57 JEWS. AND, AGAIN, JESUS IS MAKING 27:00 CRYSTAL CLEAR IN INSPIRATION IN ROMANS CHAPTER 10 AND 11, 'I'M 27:04 NOT A RESPECTER OF PERSONS.' LET'S GO ON. 27:07 LET'S LOOK AT VERSE 11 - CHAPTER 11 AND VERSE 11, "I SAY THEN, 27:16 HAVE THEY STUMBLED THAT THEY SHOULD FALL? 27:20 GOD FORBID: BUT RATHER THROUGH THEIR FALL SALVATION IS COME 27:24 UNTO THE GENTILES, FOR TO PROVOKE THEM TO JEALOUSY. 27:27 NOW IF THE FALL OF THEM BE THE RICHES OF THE WORLD, AND THE 27:31 DIMINISHING OF THEM THE RICHES OF THE GENTILES; HOW MUCH MORE 27:34 THEIR FULLNESS? FOR I SPEAK TO YOU GENTILES, 27:37 INASMUCH AS I AM THE APOSTLE OF THE GENTILES, I MAGNIFY MINE 27:40 OFFICE: IF BY ANY MEANS I MAY PROVOKE TO EMULATION FROM THEM 27:44 WHICH ARE MY FLESH," - THAT IS THE JEWS - "AND MIGHT 27:47 SAVE SOME OF THEM. FOR IF THE CASTING AWAY OF THEM 27:51 BE THE RECONCILING OF THE WORLD, WHAT SHALL THE RECEIVING OF THEM 27:55 BE, BUT LIFE FROM THE DEAD?" IF GOD COULD DO SUCH GREAT 28:07 THINGS FOR OUR SALVATION, WITHOUT THE COOPERATION OF THE 28:12 JEWS, HOW MUCH MORE HE COULD HAVE DONE WITH 28:16 THEIR COOPERATION. IF GOD - THINK ABOUT 28:21 IT - IT'S AMAZING. GOD IS - WAS GOD'S ORIGINAL PLAN 28:26 THAT THE JEWS WOULD REJECT HIM? YOU'RE NOT SURE, OKAY. 28:30 LET'S JUST GO THROUGH A FEW THINGS. 28:32 I WANT TO MAKE THIS CRYSTAL CLEAR. 28:33 GOD'S ORIGINAL PLAN HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE JEWS REJECTING 28:36 HIM, THEN, SOMEHOW, 'IF THE JEWS REJECT ME - I'LL PLAN THE JEWS 28:39 ARE GOING TO REJECT ME - WHEN THE JEWS REJECT ME, GOOD, THE 28:41 GENTILES GOT THEIR CHANCE.' DID GOD ONLY HAVE ENOUGH SPACE AND 28:44 SAID, 'OKAY, ONCE YOU'RE DONE I'LL PULL IN THE NEXT GROUP'? 28:47 IS THAT THE WAY GOD WORKS? 28:49 NO, HE'S NOT A RESPECTER OF PERSONS. 28:50 SO LET'S JUST PLAY WITH THIS JUST A LITTLE BIT. 28:53 ISAIAH CHAPTER 19 - A LITTLE BIT OF A BIBLE STUDY THIS MORNING - 28:57 ISAIAH CHAPTER 19 - AND WE WILL LOOK AT VERSE 24 - BEAUTIFUL 29:03 PASSAGE HERE, IN THE BOOK OF ISAIAH. 29:04 IN FACT, MOST OF THE THINGS THAT WE'LL SHARE JUST IN THE NEXT FEW 29:09 MINUTES ARE FROM THE BOOK OF ISAIAH. 29:11 ISAIAH CHAPTER 19 AND VERSE 24, "IN THAT DAY SHALL ISRAEL BE THE 29:27 THIRD WITH EGYPT AND WITH ASSYRIA, EVEN A BLESSING IN THE 29:33 MIDST OF THE LAND:" - IT SAYS IN VERSE 25, THIS: "WHOM THE LORD 29:36 OF HOSTS SHALL BLESS, SAYING, BLESSED BE EGYPT" - BLESSED BE 29:41 EGYPT - "MY PEOPLE, AND ASSYRIA THE WORK OF MY HANDS, AND ISRAEL 29:48 MINE INHERITANCE." WOW, SO EGYPT, THE DESTROYER 29:54 OF THE FIRSTBORN BABY BOYS, 'MY PEOPLE'? 29:59 ASSYRIA, THE CRUEL TASKMASTER, THE KILLER OF SO MANY, THE 30:04 DESTROYER OF PALESTINE AT A CERTAIN STAGE IN THEIR HISTORY, 30:07 'THE WORK OF MY HANDS'? WHAT'S GOD THINKING? 30:10 I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HE'S THINKING, NOT WHAT YOU'RE 30:12 THINKING. AMEN? HIS THOUGHTS ARE HIGHER 30:15 THAN YOUR THOUGHTS. WHEN GOD LOOKS AT PEOPLE, HE IS 30:20 WANTING - HE HAD NO RESPECT FOR PEOPLE. 30:23 LET ME REPHRASE THAT; HE IS NOT A RESPECTER OF PERSONS' 30:26 POSITION. IS THAT FAIR? 30:30 HE'S LOOKING AND SAYING, 'YOU KNOW, I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE 30:32 ASSYRIAN, I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE EGYPTIAN, I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE 30:34 A JEW. IF YOU CALL UPON ME, YOU'RE GOING TO BE SAVED. 30:38 AND THAT PICTURE COMES OUT HERE. BUT GOD'S ORIGINAL PLAN IS THAT 30:41 ISRAEL BE A BLESSING IN THE MIDST OF THE LAND - THAT, 30:43 THROUGH ISRAEL, OTHER PEOPLE WILL BE DRAWN TO A 30:45 CLOSER KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. THAT'S WHAT GOD WANTED. 30:48 ISAIAH CHAPTER 60 AND VERSE 1 - ISAIAH CHAPTER 60, VERSE 1 - 30:56 GOD'S PLAN IS THAT ISRAEL WILL BE A BLESSING IN THE LAND AND 30:58 PULL IN EGYPT AND ASSYRIA. 31:00 I KIND OF LIKE THIS IDEA, BECAUSE HERE YOU HAVE ISRAEL 31:04 BEING PERSECUTED BY EGYPTIANS AND ASSYRIANS AND, IN THE MIDST 31:08 OF THEIR PERSECUTION, GOD'S PLAN IS THAT THEY WOULD BE A WITNESS 31:11 AND THAT THESE PEOPLE WOULD BE CONVERTED. 31:14 CHAPTER 60, VERSE 1, "ARISE, SHINE; FOR THY LIGHT IS COME, 31:20 AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD IS RISEN UPON THEE." 31:24 - ARISE AND SHINE FOR THY LIGHT HAS COME. 31:28 MAKE SURE - SO IT WAS THIS TALKING ABOUT ARISING AND 31:30 SHINING TO YOUR FAMILY. I'M SURE THAT'S A GOOD 31:34 APPLICATION, AMEN? AMEN. 31:35 WE BETTER RISES AND SHINE TO OUR FAMILY. 31:37 BUT WAS IT GOING BEYOND THAT? ABSOLUTELY. 31:41 'FOR THY LIGHT HAS COME' - WELL, THE ONLY REASON WE HAVE LIGHT IS 31:43 BECAUSE THE GLORY OF THE LORD'S RISEN UPON US, AMEN? 31:46 THAT'S THE LIGHT THAT'S SHINING. 31:47 VERSE 2 SAYS, "FOR, BEHOLD, THE DARKNESS SHALL COVER" - YOUR 31:50 NEIGHBORHOOD - "THE EARTH," - ALL THE EARTH - "AND GROSS 31:55 DARKNESS THE PEOPLE: BUT THE LORD SHALL ARISE UPON THEE, AND 31:58 HIS GLORY SHALL BE SEEN UPON THEE." 32:00 WHO IS ISAIAH SPEAKING TO IN THIS PROPHECY? 32:04 JEWS. HE'S SPEAKING TO JEWS. 32:10 AND NOTICE WHAT IT SAYS IN VERSE 3, "AND THE GENTILES SHALL COME 32:13 TO THY LIGHT, AND KINGS TO THE BRIGHTNESS OF THY RISING." 32:18 GOD'S PLAN IS THAT HIS PEOPLE WOULD BE A LIGHT TO THE WORLD 32:22 AND THE WORLD WOULD BE CONVERTED THROUGH THE LIVES OF HIS 32:25 PEOPLE - THE JEWISH PEOPLE. NO, NO, NO, GOD WASN'T WANTING 32:28 THE JEWS TO REJECT HIM SO THE GENTILES HAD A CHANCE. 32:31 THAT WAS NOT GOD'S PLAN. GOD'S PLAN IS THAT THE JEWS 32:34 WOULD ACCEPT HIM SO THE GENTILES WOULD HAVE HE FULLNESS OF LIGHT. 32:37 THAT'S WHAT HE'S WANTING. ISAIAH CHAPTER 66 - WE WON'T 32:43 STAY IN ISAIAH FOREVER, BUT JUST A LITTLE BIT LONGER - CHAPTER 66 32:51 AND VERSE 19 - CAN I GO TO VERSE 18? 32:58 OKAY - I CAN GO WHEREVER I WANT, THANK YOU SO MUCH. 33:02 LET'S JUST GO TO VERSE 18, "FOR I KNOW THEIR WORKS AND THEIR 33:05 THOUGHTS: IT SHALL COME, THAT I WILL GATHER ALL NATIONS AND 33:09 TONGUES; AND THEY SHALL COME, AND SEE MY GLORY." 33:12 HE'S TALKING ABOUT COMING TO GOD'S PEOPLE. 33:15 THEY'RE GOING TO COME TO JERUSALEM. 33:16 THEY'RE GOING TO SEE GOD'S GLORY. 33:17 I'M GOING TO "GATHER ALL NATIONS AND TONGUES. 33:18 THEY'RE GOING TO COME SEE MY GLORY AND I WILL SET A SIGN 33:20 AMONG THEM, AND I WILL SEND THOSE THAT ESCAPE OF THEM UNTO 33:24 THE NATIONS, TO TARSHISH, PUL, AND LUD, THAT DRAW THE BOW, TO 33:27 TUBAL, AND JAVAN, TO THE ISLES AFAR OFF, THAT HAVE NOT HEARD MY 33:31 FAME, NEITHER HAVE SEEN MY GLORY; AND THEY SHALL DECLARE MY 33:33 GLORY AMONG THE GENTILES." GOD'S PLAN IS THAT GENTILES 33:36 WOULD COME TO JERUSALEM, SEE THE GLORY, GO BACK OUT AS 33:39 MISSIONARIES TO OTHER GENTILES AND TELL THE STORY. 33:42 GOD IS NOT SAYING, 'I'M LIMITING ALL MY WORK TO ONE GROUP OF 33:48 PEOPLE. DO I HAVE A SPECIAL GROUP 33:50 OF PEOPLE TO WORK THROUGH? YES.' HE ALWAYS HAS, BY 33:54 THE WAY, AND HE DOES TODAY. BUT HE'S NOT LIMITED TO THEM. 33:59 DON'T GET EXCITED AND START THINKING 'I'M PART OF THE 34:00 SPECIAL GROUP AND GOD NEEDS ME.' UH UH. 34:03 HE LOVES YOU. HE WOULD LOVE TO USE YOU BECAUSE 34:05 YOU HAVE SPECIAL LIGHT, BUT DON'T THINK THAT HE NEEDS YOU. 34:09 GOD HAS MANY - YET HE DOES - IT'S THAT HARD - I'M SORRY, I'VE 34:12 GOT TO BE CAREFUL WHAT I'M SAYING BECAUSE HE NEEDS YOU, BUT 34:14 - YEAH, I'M DIGGING A HOLE. I'LL STOP. (LAUGHTER) 34:20 "AND THEY SHALL BRING ALL YOUR BRETHREN FOR AN 34:21 OFFERING UNTO THE LORD OUT OF ALL NATIONS UPON HORSES, AND IN 34:24 CHARIOTS, AND IN LITTERS, AND UPON MULES, AND UPON SWIFT 34:26 BEASTS, TO MY HOLY MOUNTAIN" - WHERE? 34:29 - "JERUSALEM, SAITH THE LORD, AS THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL BRING AN 34:33 OFFERING IN A CLEAN VESSEL INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD." 34:35 IT'S AMAZING, TO ME, THAT GOD WAS HOPING THE JERUSALEM WOULD 34:38 BE THE CENTER OF A KINGDOM THAT WOULD BE BIGGER THAN JUST 34:40 JERUSALEM; BIGGER THAN JUST - JUST ISRAEL. 34:44 HE WANTED JERUSALEM TO BE THE CENTER OF A KINGDOM, I BELIEVE, 34:46 THAT WOULD ENCOMPASS THE ENTIRE WORLD. 34:49 ZECHARIAH CHAPTER 8, VERSE 22 - ZECHARIAH 8 AND - SO IF YOU'RE 34:56 TRYING TO FIND ZECHARIAH IN A HURRY, YOU GO TO MATTHEW AND GO 34:58 BACK TWO BOOKS AND IT SHOULD BE THERE. 35:00 THAT'S HOW I DO IT ALMOST EVERY TIME - ZECHARIAH CHAPTER 8 AND 35:03 VERSE 22, "YEA, MANY PEOPLE AND STRONG NATIONS SHALL COME TO 35:11 SEEK THE LORD OF HOSTS" - WHERE? - "IN JERUSALEM," - THAT WAS 35:16 ZECHARIAH 8, VERSE 22 - "MANY PEOPLE AND STRONG NATIONS WILL 35:20 COME TO SEEK THE LORD OF HOSTS" - WHERE? 35:23 - "IN JERUSALEM." GOD'S PLAN WAS NOT THAT THE 35:27 JEWS WOULD REJECT JESUS, GOD'S PLAN IS THAT THEY WOULD ACCEPT 35:31 HIM - OBEY HIM, AND WHEN JESUS CAME, THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO 35:36 PRESENT THE TRUTH ABOUT JESUS TO THE ENTIRE WORLD. 35:42 SO PAUL SAYS IF THEIR REJECTION ENDED UP BEING OKAY, HOW MUCH 35:47 BETTER IF THEY'D ACTUALLY COOPERATED WITH ME? 35:49 - SORRY, THAT'S THE CHUCK PARAPHRASE OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN 35:53 READING IN ROMANS CHAPTER 11. 35:58 DID WHAT WE SEE HAPPEN - IN ISAIAH - THE DESCRIPTION WE JUST 36:01 READ IN ISAIAH, HAS THAT EVER HAPPENED? 36:04 NO, NOT WITH LITERAL ISRAEL IT HAS NOT. 36:09 GOD IS LOOKING FOR HIS PEOPLE TO DO THAT NOW, THOUGH. 36:12 I BELIEVE THAT GOD IS GOING TO FULFILL THESE PROMISES THROUGH 36:15 SPIRITUAL ISRAEL. THAT'S ANOTHER WHOLE 36:17 STUDY FOR ANOTHER TIME. THEY WEREN'T FULFILLED. 36:20 I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT GOD WANTED TO HAPPEN, THOUGH. 36:22 GOD HAS A DESIRE - HAS ALWAYS DESIRED THAT HIS PEOPLE - THE 36:26 JEWS - I'M USING THAT TERM IN CONTEXT WITH WHAT I'M READING - 36:30 WOULD BE FAITHFUL TO HIM. WHEN THEY CHOSE NOT TO, HE SAID, 36:34 'I WILL CHOOSE ANOTHER PEOPLE THAT WERE NOT A PEOPLE AND 36:37 THEY WILL BECOME MY PEOPLE. >>AMEN. 36:39 >>AND HE HAS DONE THAT, AND IT'S A SPIRITUAL CONNECTION NOW, AM I 36:42 RIGHT? IT'S NOT BASED UPON GENETICS, IT'S A SPIRITUAL 36:44 CONNECTION. OKAY, LET'S CONTINUE IN OUR STUDY. 36:51 ROMANS CHAPTER 10 AND, I BELIEVE, THIS NEXT - ROMANS 11 - 36:57 THIS NEXT SECTION, STARTING WITH VERSE 16, IS PROBABLY THE CRUX 37:02 OF THE MESSAGE FOR THIS LESSON - ROMANS CHAPTER 11 AND VERSE 16, 37:11 "FOR IF THE FIRSTFRUIT BE HOLY, THE LUMP IS ALSO HOLY; AND IF 37:14 THE ROOT BE HOLY, SO ARE THE BRANCHES. 37:16 AND IF SOME OF THE BRANCHES BE BROKEN OFF, AND THOU, BEING A 37:20 WILD OLIVE TREE, WERT GRAFTED IN AMONG THEM, AND WITH THEM 37:23 PARTAKEST OF THE ROOT AND FATNESS OF THE OLIVE TREE; BOAST 37:26 NOT AGAINST THE BRANCHES. BUT IF THOU BOAST, THOU BEAREST 37:29 NOT THE ROOT, BUT THE ROOT THEE. THOU WILT SAY THEN, THE BRANCHES 37:33 WERE BROKE OFF, THAT I MIGHT BE GRAFTED IN. 37:35 WELL; BECAUSE OF UNBELIEF THEY WERE BROKEN OFF, AND THOU 37:38 STANDEST BY FAITH. BE NOT HIGH MINDED, BUT FEAR: 37:43 FOR IF GOD SPARED NOT THE NATURAL 37:44 BRANCHES, TAKE HEED LEST HE ALSO SPARE NOT THEE. 37:48 BEHOLD THEREFORE THE GOODNESS AND SEVERITY OF GOD:" - I'M IN 37:51 VERSE 22 - ON THEM WHICH FELL, SEVERITY; BUT TOWARD THEE, 37:55 GOODNESS, IF THOU CONTINUE IN HIS GOODNESS: OTHERWISE THOU 37:58 ALSO SHALT BE CUT OFF. 38:00 AND THEY ALSO, IF THEY ABIDE NOT STILL IN UNBELIEF, SHALL BE 38:03 GRAFTED IN: FOR GOD IS ABLE TO GRAFT THEM IN AGAIN. 38:07 FOR IF THOU WERT CUT OUT OF THE OLIVE TREE WHICH IS WILD BY 38:11 NATURE, AND WERT GRAFTED CONTRARY TO NATURE INTO A GOOD 38:15 OLIVE TREE: HOW MUCH MORE SHALL THESE, WHICH BE THE NATURAL 38:19 BRANCHES, BE GRAFTED INTO THEIR OWN OLIVE TREE?" 38:22 THERE IT IS. THERE'S YOUR ILLUSTRATION 38:24 OF THE OLIVE TREE. HOW DOES GOD DESCRIBE THE 38:29 JEWS IN THIS ILLUSTRATION? WHAT IS THE - 38:32 WHAT'S THE METAPHOR? >>NATURAL BRANCHES. 38:37 >>NATURAL BRANCHES OF OLIVE TREE - THANK YOU. 38:39 DOES HE CALL THEM THE OLIVE TREE? 38:42 CAREFULLY NOTE, I DON'T SEE IT THERE. 38:45 WHO ARE THE GENTILES? HOW ARE THEY DESCRIBED? 38:50 >>GRAFTED IN. >>THEY'RE WILD OLIVE 38:52 TREE BRANCHES, RIGHT? AND THEY'RE GRAFTED - NOW, HOW 38:56 MANY OPTIONS DO YOU HAVE IN THIS PASSAGE? 38:58 HELP ME OUT, WE'VE LISTED - YES, HELP ME OUT. 39:03 >>TWO OPTIONS. >>TWO OPTIONS - DID YOU SAY TWO? 39:06 >>YES, THE ORIGINAL ONE AND THE GRAFTED ONE. 39:09 >>SO YOU HAVE THE GRAFTED AND YOU HAVE THE ORIGINAL. 39:12 WHAT IF I SAY THERE'S EVEN MORE? ANY MORE OPTIONS 39:16 IN THIS PASSAGE? >>YEAH, GRAFTED FROM THE WILD 39:21 TO THE NATURAL - GRAFTED. >>SO I HAVE THE WILD TO THE 39:24 NATURAL GRAFTED - >>AND THE REVERSE. 39:26 >>AND THE REVERSE. I HAVE THE NATURAL BROKEN OFF. 39:31 DO YOU HAVE ANY NATURAL IN THIS PASSAGE THAT ACTUALLY STAYED IN? 39:38 CHECK IT OUT. ARE YOU READY? 39:40 11 VERSE 17, "AND IF SOME OF THE BRANCHES BE BROKEN OFF," - WHAT 39:50 WOULD THAT INSINUATE? >>SOME WEREN'T. 39:52 >>SOME WERE NOT. SO I HAVE SOME BRANCHES WERE 39:54 BROKEN OFF AND SOME STAYED. SO I HAVE NATURAL - EITHER 39:57 IN, OR BROKEN OFF, RIGHT? THEN I HAVE THE WILD OLIVE 40:01 THAT WAS GRAFTED IN - SO I HAVE THREE. 40:03 IS THERE ANY MORE OPTIONS? THERE IS ONE MORE. 40:07 >>BROKEN OFF ONES. >>SORRY? 40:09 >>GRAFT BACK IN A BROKEN OFF ONE. 40:10 >>THAT'S RIGHT, THE ONES THAT WERE BROKEN OFF COULD BE GRAFTED 40:13 BACK IN. SO THAT'S THE - AND WE COULD GO TOO FAR WITH THIS. 40:17 I STARTED THINKING ABOUT THIS AS I WAS OUT FOR A WALK THIS WEEK - 40:18 'OH, WE CAN DO THIS, AND THIS, AND THIS' - WELL, BE CAREFUL YOU 40:21 DON'T ADD TO THE SCRIPTURE WHAT'S NOT IN IT, AMEN? 40:24 I WAS ABOUT TO DO IT. SO I KNOW THERE'S AT LEAST FOUR 40:26 OPTIONS BECAUSE I READ THEM - I SEE THEM HERE. 40:29 SO, NOTE THIS: THE BRANCHES THAT ARE STILL ATTACHED, IS IT 40:33 BECAUSE OF BELIEF OR UNBELIEF? >>BELIEF. 40:36 >>BELIEF. THE ONES THAT WERE BROKEN OFF - 40:39 BECAUSE OF BELIEF OR UNBELIEF? >>UNBELIEF. 40:41 >>UNBELIEF. THE WILD ONES THAT WERE 40:42 GRAFTED IN - BELIEF OR UNBELIEF? 40:44 >>BELIEF. >>BELIEF. 40:45 THE ONES THAT WERE BROKEN OFF AND THEN GRAFTED BACK IN - 40:49 BELIEF OR UNBELIEF? >>BELIEF. 40:50 >>WOW. >>UNBELIEF FOLLOWED BY BELIEF. 40:53 >>SO YOU'VE GOT THE BELIEF SECTION AND THE UNBELIEF 40:54 SECTION. I'M ALWAYS GLAD THERE'S 40:56 MORE BELIEF THAN UNBELIEF. NOT THAT THAT - (INAUDIBLE) 41:02 - YES, ABSOLUTELY. I WAS HOPING YOU WOULD ASK. 41:07 I'M GOING TO HAVE YOU HELP ME OUT. 41:09 THE NATURAL BRANCHES THAT STAYED ATTACHED, WHO ARE SOME EXAMPLES 41:13 FROM THE BIBLE OF THE NATURAL BRANCHES THAT STAYED ATTACHED? 41:16 >>PETER. >>I'M NOT GOING TO SAY PAUL - 41:19 >>OKAY, THE EARLY CHURCH - THE JEWISH - 41:21 >>I HEARD SOMEONE SAY PETER - AND YOU'RE GOING THAT 41:23 DIRECTION. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE? 41:25 JAMES. >>JOHN. 41:27 >>JOHN. >>THOMAS. 41:28 >>THOMAS - WE CAN GO ON FOR AWHILE, RIGHT? 41:30 SO, WOULD YOU SAY THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH - THE ONES THAT 41:33 WERE JEWISH DISCIPLES OF JESUS AND JEWISH FOLLOWERS OF JESUS - 41:39 WOULD YOU SAY THAT THEY WERE THE BELIEVERS WHO STAYED IN? 41:41 >>YES. >>THAT'S WHAT WE CAN 41:42 SEE AT THIS POINT. SO WHO ARE THE NATURAL 41:44 BRANCHES THAT WERE BROKEN OFF? >>THE PHARISEES. 41:49 >>YES. >>JUDAS. 41:50 >>JUDAS, OKAY, I COULD SAY JUDAS. 41:53 I'M EVEN PICKING ON SPECIFIC NAMES, IF I CAN. 41:55 CAIAPHAS - COULD WE SAY CAIAPHAS WAS ONE? 42:02 I HEARD PAUL - I'M GOING TO COME BACK - YOU CAN CHALLENGE WHETHER 42:07 CAIAPHAS WAS REALLY, TRULY IN THERE TO START WITH. 42:09 OKAY, I AGREE. I DIGRESS ON THAT ONE. 42:12 BUT HE WAS PART OF THE OFFICIAL GROUP, BUT HE DIDN'T HAVE BELIEF 42:17 SO WE COULD SAY HE WAS GONE. THE RICH YOUNG RULER. 42:23 WAS HE EVER IN THE NATURAL TREE? WAS HE BROKEN OFF? 42:28 YES, BECAUSE OF UNBELIEF. SO NOW THE NEXT ONE - THE 42:33 GRAFTED IN WILD OLIVE BRANCHES. NOW THIS IS EASY. 42:38 >>JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA. >>LUKE. 42:40 >>LUKE - ABSOLUTELY. >>NICODEMUS. 42:44 >>NICODEMUS - I'M GOING TO CALL HIM AS ONE WHO KIND OF STAYED 42:47 IN, IF THAT'S OKAY. I'M GOING TO CALL JOHN THE 42:50 BAPTIST IN, AS WELL, BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL JEWISH 42:52 PEOPLE, WERE THEY NOT? IS THERE ANY GENTILE CONVERTS 42:55 THAT WE READ ABOUT IN THE BOOK OF ACTS? 42:58 >>CORNELIUS. >>CORNELIUS. 43:02 I'M SORRY, I'M BAD HEARING. THE PHILIPPIAN JAILER. 43:05 TIMOTHY, KIND OF - YES? SORRY, SO THESE ARE SOME ONES. 43:11 WE HAVE PEOPLE IN EACH ONE. AND WHAT'S THE LAST CATEGORY? 43:14 THE NATURAL BRANCH BROKEN OFF AND GRAFTED BACK IN. 43:18 >>PAUL. >>PAUL. 43:23 WOW, AND I'M SURE THAT THERE'S SOME MORE. 43:28 THESE GROUPS OF PEOPLE, WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES THEM CONNECTED? 43:37 BELIEF. DID YOU SEE THAT? THE ONES THAT WERE BROKEN OFF 43:42 ARE BROKEN OFF FOR WHAT REASON? UNBELIEF. 43:45 BUT IT SAYS - NOTICE, IN VERSE 24 - ACTUALLY, VERSE 23 - "AND 43:50 THEY ALSO, IF THEY ABIDE NOT STILL IN UNBELIEF," - IN OTHER 43:55 WORDS, IF THEY START TO BELIEVE - THEY "SHALL BE GRAFTED IN: FOR 43:57 GOD IS ABLE TO GRAFT THEM IN AGAIN." 44:00 >>AMEN. >>BEAUTIFUL. 44:02 ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. I BELIEVE THAT WE STRUGGLE WITH 44:08 SOMETHING AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A FOCUS THAT MAYBE YOU HAVE 44:11 HAD, BUT GOD HAS SOME NATURAL BRANCHES IN OUR WORLD TODAY THAT 44:16 WERE BROKEN OFF AND HE'S WANTING TO HAVE THEM GRAFTED BACK IN. 44:20 NOW, MOST OF YOU, I'M LOOKING OUT HERE - DON'T TAKE OFFENSE, 44:22 BUT YOU'RE A BUNCH OF WILD OLIVE TREE BRANCHES. 44:24 (LAUGHTER) AM I RIGHT? I KNOW I AM. 44:28 AND, BY GOD'S GRACE, WE'VE BEEN GRAFTED IN, AMEN. 44:31 >>AMEN. >>BUT PAUL IS WANTING US TO 44:35 REMEMBER - AND HE'S WANTING THE ROMANS TO REMEMBER - 'I'VE GOT 44:38 SOME NATURAL BRANCHES, DON'T FORGET 'EM. 44:42 DON'T FORGET 'EM.' I THINK WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT WE DON'T 44:45 FORGET THEM. >>AMEN. 44:47 >>SOMETIMES IN OUR MINISTRY, WE DON'T REALLY EMPHASIZE THAT 44:49 AREA, DO WE? OF ACTUALLY FOCUSING ON THE 44:51 NATURAL BRANCHES - THE JEWISH PEOPLE. 44:56 BUT IS GOD - IS CHRIST THE SAVIOR OF THE JEWS? 44:58 >>YES. >>IF THEY WISH. 45:02 >>THE WORLD. >>YES MA'AM, OF COURSE. 45:04 HE'S THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. ALL WHO CALL UPON 45:06 HIM WILL BE SAVED. YOU KNOW, SOMETHING TO NOTE 45:12 HERE: WHAT DOES A CONNECTED BRANCH PRODUCE? 45:16 OKAY, SO YOU HAVE AN OLIVE TREE. YOU HAVE CONNECTED OLIVE TREE 45:19 BRANCH - IT'S GRAFTED IN - WHAT'S PRODUCED ON THAT BRANCH? 45:22 >>FRUIT. >>FRUIT. 45:25 I'LL SAY OLIVES - OLIVE IS A FRUIT, RIGHT? 45:28 THE PURPOSE OF CONNECTION IS FRUIT. 45:33 HASN'T CHANGED, HAS IT? THE PURPOSE OF CONNECTION - GOD 45:36 IS GOING TO BRING FRUIT OUT OF IT. 45:38 ANOTHER QUESTION: DID YOU NOTICE THIS IS NOT 'ONCE PART OF THE 45:41 TREE, ALWAYS PART OF THE TREE'? RIGHT? 45:46 THERE'S NO 'ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED' GOING ON HERE. 45:48 A VERY CLEAR PICTURE. 11, VERSE 19 - THERE'S SOME 45:55 THINKING HERE THAT, I BELIEVE, WAS BEING ADDRESSED BY PAUL, 46:00 "THOU WILT SAY THEN," - IS PAUL SAYING THIS? 46:05 HELP ME OUT. LET'S LOOK AT VERSE 19: "THOU 46:08 WILT SAY THEN," - WHO'S SAYING THIS, PAUL? 46:10 >>NO. >>NO. WELL, PAUL'S WRITING THIS, 46:13 BUT WHO IS HE TALKING TO THAT'S DOING THE 'SAYING'? 46:16 THOU - WHOEVER THE THOU IS - "THOU WILT SAY THEN, 'THE 46:20 BRANCHES WERE BROKEN OFF, THAT I MIGHT BE GRAFTED IN.'" AND PAUL 46:25 SAYS - HE SAID, "WELL; BECAUSE OF UNBELIEF THEY WERE BROKEN 46:30 OFF," - DO YOU SEE HOW THEY CORRECTED THAT? 46:33 THE MIND SET EVEN THEN - AND SOME WOULD SAY 'THE JEWS WERE 46:37 BROKEN OFF, TAKEN OUT OF THE TREE, SO 46:39 THAT SPACE WAS MADE FOR ME.' UH UH, NO, HE SAID THEY WERE 46:44 BROKEN OFF BECAUSE OF UNBELIEF. GOD'S GOT SPACE AT HIS TREE 46:48 FOR EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THIS PLANET, AMEN? 46:51 THERE IS SPACE ON THE TREE FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US. 46:55 I LIKE THAT. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO REALIZE. 47:00 LET'S CONTINUE TO VERSE 25, "FOR I WOULD NOT, BRETHREN, THAT YE 47:09 SHOULD BE IGNORANT OF THIS MYSTERY, LEST YE SHOULD BE WISE 47:13 IN YOUR OWN CONCEITS; THAT BLINDNESS IN PART IS HAPPENED TO 47:18 ISRAEL," - PLEASE NOTE THIS IS DESCRIPTIVE, NOT PRESCRIPTIVE - 47:25 "...THAT BLINDNESS IN PART IS HAPPENED TO ISRAEL," - IT'S 47:28 DESCRIPTIVE, NOT PRESCRIPTIVE - "UNTIL THE FULLNESS OF THE 47:34 GENTILES BE COME IN." 47:36 WHAT AM I - WHY DO I EVEN USE THOSE TERMS? 47:38 GOD'S DESCRIBING A REALITY NOT PRESCRIBING IT WOULD HAPPEN. 47:43 NOT SAYING, 'I'M DETERMINED THAT BLINDNESS HAPPENS SO THE 47:46 GENTILES COME IN.' HE SAID, 'NO, I'M JUST TELLING YOU, BLINDNESS 47:49 HAS HAPPENED AND THE GENTILES HAVE COME IN.' SOME PEOPLE LOOK 47:53 AT IT THIS WAY, THAT BLINDNESS, OR HARDNESS TOOK PLACE BECAUSE 47:57 THE JEWS WERE JEALOUS WHEN THE GENTILES CAME IN. 48:01 AND I CAN SEE THAT - THAT'S A PICTURE - BUT GOD WASN'T SAYING, 48:05 'I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU BLIND SO THE GENTILES COULD COME IN.' 48:07 PEOPLE HAVE SAID THAT, BUT THAT'S NOT THE PICTURE THAT 48:09 WE'RE GETTING HERE IN ROMANS CHAPTER 11. 48:12 THEN IT GOES ON - THAT BLINDNESS, IN PART, HAS HAPPENED 48:16 TO ISRAEL UNTIL THE FULLNESS OF THE GENTILES BE COME IN. 48:21 AND THEN I LOVE THIS NEXT PHRASE: "AND SO ALL ISRAEL SHALL 48:28 BE SAVED." NOTICE IT'S CONNECTION. 48:33 THERE'S NO VERSES IN THE ORIGINAL WRITING OF THE BIBLE. 48:36 PLEASE NOTICE THE FLOW OF THOUGHT, "...UNTIL THE FULLNESS 48:43 OF THE GENTILES BE COME IN. AND SO ALL ISRAEL SHALL BE 48:46 SAVED:" - WHEN THE FULLNESS OF THE GENTILES COME IN, THEN 48:52 ISRAEL BECOMES COMPLETE. WHY? 48:55 BECAUSE THIS PHRASE - "ALL ISRAEL SHALL BE SAVED" - IS NOT 48:59 SPEAKING OF GENEALOGY AND GENETICS AND BLOODLINES, IT'S 49:03 SPEAKING OF SPIRITUAL ISRAEL. 'AND SO ALL SPIRITUAL ISRAEL 49:10 SHALL BE SAVED.' WHEN THE FULLNESS OF THE GENTILES COME 49:14 IN - SEE, GOD HAS HIS JEWS - SPIRITUAL JEWS - EVERYWHERE. 49:20 YOU COULD LOOK RIGHT NEXT TO YOU RIGHT NOW AND YOU COULD SEE 49:22 SOMEONE. THERE ARE SOME SPIRITUAL JEWS SITTING ALL 49:24 AROUND US RIGHT NOW. AM I MAKING THIS UP? I SURE HOPE NOT. 49:29 ROMANS CHAPTER 2 - ROMANS CHAPTER 2 - AND THERE'S QUITE A 49:32 FEW PLACES WE'LL GO AND - WITHOUT - ROMANS CHAPTER 2, 49:38 VERSE 28 - ROMANS 2:28 - OUR BIBLES READ, "FOR HE IS NOT A 49:44 JEW, WHICH IS ONE OUTWARDLY; NEITHER IS THAT CIRCUMCISION, 49:47 WHICH IS OUTWARD IN THE FLESH: BUT HE IS A JEW, WHICH IS ONE" - 49:51 WHAT? >>INWARDLY. 49:52 >>"INWARDLY; AND CIRCUMCISION IS THAT OF THE HEART, IN THE 49:55 SPIRIT, AND NOT IN THE LETTER; WHOSE PRAISE IS NOT OF MEN, BUT 49:57 OF GOD." SO GOD IS LOOKING FOR JEWS WHO 50:00 HAVE RECEIVED THE CIRCUMCISION OF HEART. 50:01 HE IS NOT LOOKING FOR OUTWARD JEWS, HE IS LOOKING FOR WHAT 50:03 KIND OF JEWS? JEWS THAT ARE WHERE? JEWS ON THE INSIDE. 50:08 ROMANS CHAPTER 4, VERSE 11 - ROMANS CHAPTER 4, VERSE 11 - 50:13 SPEAKING OF ABRAHAM, IT SAYS, "AND HE RECEIVED THE SIGN OF 50:15 CIRCUMCISION, A SEAL OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE FAITH WHICH 50:18 HE HAD YET BEING UNCIRCUMCISED: THAT HE MIGHT BE THE FATHER OF 50:24 ALL THEM THAT BELIEVE, THOUGH THEY BE NOT CIRCUMCISED;" - AND 50:30 I MIGHT ADD OR [CIRCUMCISED] - "THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS MIGHT BE 50:33 IMPUTED UNTO THEM ALSO:" JESUS - EXCUSE ME - ABRAHAM IS THE 50:39 FATHER OF ALL. IF ABRAHAM IS THE FATHER OF 50:46 BOTH THE UNCIRCUMCISED AND CIRCUMCISED, THAT MEANS, TODAY, 50:50 YOUR FATHER, SPIRITUALLY, IS ABRAHAM. IT IS. 50:55 YOU AND I HAVE THE SAME SPIRITUAL BLOODLINES AS DID 51:00 ISAAC. THAT'S AMAZING. THAT'S THE PICTURE 51:06 THAT'S BEING GIVEN HERE. LET'S NOT STOP. 51:08 ROMANS CHAPTER 10 - ROMANS CHAPTER 10, VERSE 12 - "FOR 51:23 THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE JEW AND THE GREEK: FOR THE 51:26 SAME LORD OVER ALL IS RICH UNTO ALL THAT CALL UPON HIM." 51:30 THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE JEW AND THE GREEK? 51:32 DOES IT SAY 'NO DIFFERENCE?' YEAH, SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING, YES. 51:39 I THINK IT'S A KEY FOR US TO REALIZE. 51:40 AND I'M GOING TO FINISH UP WITH GALATIANS - GALATIANS CHAPTER 3 51:45 - WHO WROTE THE BOOK OF GALATIANS? 51:49 IT'S A TRICK QUESTION. WELL, YES, PAUL DID. 51:55 WHO INSPIRED THE BOOK OF GALATIANS? 51:59 HOLY SPIRIT. WHO INSPIRED THE BOOK OF ROMANS? 52:01 OKAY, SO YOU WON'T MIND IF WE SHARE THESE TWO BOOKS TOGETHER? 52:04 LET'S LOOK AT IT. "FOR YE ARE ALL THE CHILDREN OF 52:07 GOD BY FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS." WE HAVE BECOME CHILDREN 52:13 - ALL OF US - OF WHO? >>GOD. 52:15 >>GOD, BY CHRIST JESUS. "FOR AS MANY AS HAVE BEEN 52:17 BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST HAVE PUT ON CHRIST. 52:19 THERE IS NEITHER JEW NOR GREEK, THERE IS NEITHER BOND NOR FREE, 52:21 THERE IS NEITHER MALE NOR FEMALE, FOR YE ARE ALL ONE IN 52:23 CHRIST JESUS," - SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING, ALL OF US ARE IN THE 52:27 SAME PLANE WHEN IT COMES TO SALVATION, AMEN? 52:31 >>THAT'S RIGHT. >>"AND IF YE BE CHRIST'S THEN 52:32 ARE YE ABRAHAM'S SEED AND HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE." 52:39 AND SO, ALL ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED. 52:46 HOW DOES GOD KNOW HIS PEOPLE? WELL, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, IT'S 52:50 NOT BY THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS. THERE'S - IT'S PRETTY BAD - SO 52:56 HE GIVES THEM HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. IT'S NOT BY THEIR POSITION. 53:02 YOU KNOW, LET'S FACE IT, IN TODAY'S SOCIETY YOU KIND OF WORK 53:05 YOURSELF UP THE LADDER. YOU GET IN THE RIGHT CIRCLE - 53:07 IT'S ALL WHO YOU KNOW, RIGHT? BUT POSITION DOESN'T PLAY 53:12 MUCH IN THE EYES OF GOD. HE'S NOT A RESPECTER OF 53:15 PERSONS IN THAT SENSE. YOU KNOW HOW HE 53:21 KNOWS WHO ARE HIS? BY THOSE WHO ARE CONNECTED. 53:24 BUT HOW ARE YOU CONNECTED? >>BY BECOMING GRAFTED IN. 53:29 >>BY GRAFTING - AND HOW ARE WE GRAFTED IN - BY? 53:32 >>FAITH. >>FAITH - BELIEF. YOU KNOW WHAT? 53:35 PAUL EVEN GOES A LITTLE BIT FURTHER TO SAY, 'I'VE GIVEN TO 53:38 ALL MEN A MEASURE OF FAITH.' SO GOD'S GIVEN ALL MEN A MEASURE OF 53:42 FAITH - HE'S GIVEN THEM THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 53:44 HE'S THE ONE WHO'S NOT A RESPECTER OF PERSONS - AND I 53:46 LIKE THIS FINAL PART - HE MAKES US A MEMBER OF HIS FAMILY. 53:53 HE SAID, 'YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU'RE ALL BUT CHILDREN OF 53:56 GOD - AND CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM. WE'RE ALL SPIRITUAL ISRAELITES, 54:00 BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE ARE ALL THE CHILDREN OF GOD. 54:03 BUT THAT'S THE PICTURE. WHAT HE'S WILLING TO DO FOR THE 54:06 JEWS, HE'S WILLING TO DO FOR YOU. 54:09 THIS IS A HEART CRY THAT THE JEWS WOULD REALIZE THAT GOD WAS 54:12 STILL CALLING OUT TO THEM AND GOD'S STILL CALLING OUT TO YOU 54:15 AND I TODAY. WHAT HE DID FOR THEM - WHAT HE 54:17 DOES FOR THE GENTILES, HE DOES FOR US. 54:20 SO TODAY, SITTING HERE, MINDS PROBABLY IN MULTIPLE DIFFERENT 54:24 DIRECTIONS, WONDERING WHAT'S NEXT IN LIFE - THE ANSWER, 54:27 WHAT'S NEXT IN THE SERVICE - LOOKING AT ALL THE DETAILS THAT 54:31 WE HAVE, I WANT TO JUST REMIND US, TODAY, THAT ROMANS 10 AND 11 54:36 SAYS GOD WANTS TO SAVE US. >>AMEN. 54:40 >>GOD WANTS TO GIVE US HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS SO THAT ALL ISRAEL 54:45 SHALL BE SAVED. (MUSIC) 54:57 >>WHAT CAN BE MORE IRRESISTIBLE THAN A KITTEN? 55:00 THESE GUYS MIGHT LOOK CUTE NOW, BUT SOME OF THEIR ANCESTORS HAVE 55:03 GROWN INTO MAN EATERS. (BIG CATS ROARING) WE'RE HERE 55:10 IN A LION PARK IN SOUTH AFRICA, NOW, WHERE WE CAN VIEW THESE 55:12 CREATURES IN RELATIVE SAFETY. BUT THERE'S A REASON THEY'RE 55:15 KNOWN AS THE KING OF BEASTS. SO WHAT IS IT THAT PEOPLE FIND 55:19 SO ENCHANTING AND FRIGHTENING ABOUT LIONS? 55:22 IS IT THEIR SPEED? THEIR CLAWS? 55:24 THEIR SHARP TEETH? OR ALL OF THE ABOVE? 55:27 IT MIGHT ALSO BE SOME OF THE STORIES ABOUT MAN-EATING LIONS, 55:30 LIKE IN 1898 RIGHT HERE IN AFRICA, THEY WERE BUILDING A 55:33 BRIDGE OVER THE SABO RIVER IN KENYA AND TWO BROTHER LIONS 55:37 TERRORIZED THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS, EATING 135 WORKERS. 55:44 DID YOU KNOW LIONS ARE MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE OVER 100 TIMES AND 55:48 YOU CAN FIND THEM ALL THE WAY FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION. 55:51 IT'S USUALLY IN REFERENCE TO THEIR FEROCITY AND HOW DANGEROUS 55:54 THEY ARE. OF COURSE, SAMSON KILLED A 55:56 LION WITH HIS BARE HANDS. DAVID KILLED A LION. 55:59 THERE ARE MAN-EATING LIONS IN THE BIBLE. 56:01 THE WAY THAT THEY PUNISHED CRIMINALS WAS BY THROWING THEM 56:04 IN THE LIONS DEN - AND EARLY CHRISTIANS WERE EVEN FED TO 56:07 LIONS. BUT, AMAZINGLY, AS THE BIBLE 56:10 MENTIONS, NOT ALL LIONS ARE TO BE FEARED. 56:13 THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW FRIENDLY LIONS IN HISTORY. 56:15 FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE 1950S A COUPLE, GEORGE AND MARGARET 56:20 WESTBEAU, WHO LIVED UP AT A RANCH NEAR SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, 56:23 ADOPTED AN ABANDONED LION CUB. THEY NAMED IT LITTLE TYKE 56:27 BECAUSE THEY FELT SORRY FOR IT. BUT THEY DISCOVERED, AS THEY 56:30 TRIED TO FEED HER, SHE REFUSED TO EAT ANY MEAT AT ALL. 56:35 THEY WERE CONCERNED, THINKING THERE WAS NO HOPE FOR THIS 56:37 LITTLE LIONESS TO SURVIVE - AND EVERYBODY TOLD THEM THE SAME, 56:41 BECAUSE WE KNOW, IN THE WILD, LIONS SURVIVE ON ALMOST AN 56:44 ENTIRELY MEAT DIET. THEN SOMEONE SHOWED THE 56:47 WESTBEAUS THAT VERSE IN THE BIBLE THAT TALKS ABOUT, 56:49 IN HEAVEN, THE ANIMALS ARE VEGETARIANS AND THE LION 56:53 WILL EAT STRAW LIKE THE OX. THAT ENCOURAGED THEM AND SO 56:57 THEY BEGAN TO FEED LITTLE TYKE A PURELY VEGETARIAN DIET. 57:01 NOT ONLY DID SHE SURVIVE, SHE THRIVED, GROWING INTO A LION 57:05 THAT WAS OVER 352 POUNDS AND OVER TEN FEET LONG. 57:10 IN FACT, ZOOLOGISTS THAT EXAMINED LITTLE TYKE, WHEN SHE 57:13 WAS FULL GROWN, SAID THEY HAD NEVER SEEN SUCH A PERFECT 57:16 SPECIMEN OF A LIONESS IN THEIR LIFE - A PURE VEGETARIAN. 57:21 YOU KNOW, WHEN WE HEAR INCREDIBLE STORIES ABOUT THAT OF 57:23 LITTLE TYKE, IT REMINDS US THAT GOD'S ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO MAKE 57:26 A WORLD OF TOTAL PEACE. IT DESCRIBES IT HERE IN THE 57:30 BIBLE IN ISAIAH CHAPTER 11, VERSE 6, "THE WOLF ALSO SHALL 57:34 DWELL WITH THE LAMB, THE LEOPARD SHALL LIED DOWN WITH THE YOUNG 57:37 GOAT, THE CALF AND THE YOUNG LION AND THE FATLING TOGETHER; 57:40 AND A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM." 57:43 NOTHING IS GOING TO HURT AND DESTROY IN THE NEW HEAVENS AND 57:45 THE NEW EARTH THAT GOD IS GOING TO CREATE. 57:47 WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO LIVE IN A KINGDOM WHERE THERE'S PERFECT 57:50 PEACE - WHERE THERE'S NO MORE DEATH OR KILLING OR PAIN? 57:53 GOD SAYS THAT HE WANTS YOU IN THAT KINGDOM. 57:56 THE LAMB OF GOD MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO HAVE AN ENCOUNTER 58:00 WITH THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH. 58:02 WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO MEET HIM TODAY? 58:04 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2017-12-12