The Bible tells us, "In
the beginning was the Word,
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and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God."
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It says, "To receive with
meekness the implanted word,
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which is able to save your souls
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and to be diligent
to present yourself
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approved to God rightly
dividing the Word of truth."
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Join us now for the
3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
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Our study today is
"The Gospel of Galatians".
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Hello, and welcome to
3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
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We're really
excited about the new series
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that we're beginning in
the Adult Bible Study Guide,
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and this series is on
the Gospel in Galatians.
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It is all about
righteousness by faith,
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it's very Christcentric
so we're very excited
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and we're so glad
that you're joining us.
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Now, we want you to
get your Bible, get a pen
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but if you don't have
the Adult Bible Study Guide,
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you can get this online,
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just go to ABSG.Adventist.org,
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and you can download
the Adult Bible Study guide.
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Let me introduce our panel
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who're always excited
to get together as family
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and study God's Word together.
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Returning again
we have John Dinzey.
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John, so glad
you're with us again.
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Thank you. It's
great to be here.
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And Kenny
Shelton. Good to be here.
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And Jill Morikone.
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It's a blessing to
be here. Absolutely.
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Now for the
first time on our panel
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we have another Shelton,
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and this is
Pastor Ronnie Shelton.
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We're so glad,
Ronnie, that you're joining us
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and Ronnie is been
kind of a minuteman.
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We had to call him and
to cover for somebody else
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so we're so thankful.
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Well, I'm glad
you called, thank you.
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Yes, we are glad
that you've joined us.
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So we're very
excited about this lesson
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but before we begin,
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Johnny, would you
like to have a prayer?
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Sure. Let's go to
the Lord in prayer.
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Our loving heavenly
Father, we thank You so much,
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Lord, that You have blessed
us with the Holy Scriptures
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that are able to make
us wise unto salvation.
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We pray, heavenly Father,
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that You will bless us
with the Holy Spirit...
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Amen.
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And we pray that every word
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will come from Your
throne of grace, Father.
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I pray that You will
bless those joining us,
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wherever they may
be in Jesus' name.
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Amen. Amen.
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Amen. And amen.
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Well, let me
get some background,
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I get to do Sabbaths on Sundays
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but I just wanna
give a little background
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on this study
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because what was
happening in the early church
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there was this battle going
on about the issue of salvation.
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There was a group of Judaizers,
it's what we call them,
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who were Jewish Christians,
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they had accepted
Christ as their savior,
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but they had a mixed up belief
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that it had to be
not just salvation
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by faith in Jesus Christ,
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but that you also
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had to continue
doing the works of the law.
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So what happens,
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Paul had founded
a church in Galatia.
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This was a gentile church,
and once the word got out,
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a group of
Judaizers from Jerusalem
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went down to
straighten out his message
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because Paul had
brought these Galatians
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into the church by
faith in Jesus Christ alone.
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So what happened is,
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when Paul found out that
these Judaizers were there,
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he was irate and he
wrote an impassioned response.
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He writes to the Galatians
to defend his gospel of grace.
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Now many church
scholars are Bible scholars
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believe that Galatians was
the earliest of Paul's books
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and it was probably
written some time around AD 49,
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perhaps before
the Jerusalem Council
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that we'll be talking about.
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But with the strongest of
language Paul gets into this,
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and the Book of
Galatians is so intense
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because he had
such passion for it.
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But it talks about
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in kind of a succinct
way things like freedom,
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the role that the
law plays in salvation,
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our condition in Christ,
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the nature of
the spirit led life,
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and how can sinful humans
be justified before a holy God.
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So this book is Paul's...
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This letter was Paul's
defense of the gospel of grace.
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And it is the Book of Galatians
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that actually
respond the Reformation.
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There was a Catholic monk
by the name of Martin Luther,
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and 500 years ago this year
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he was tormenting
himself over salvation issues.
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He was doing everything
that he could to be saved,
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and he began
studying the Book of Galatians
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and learned that salvation
was by grace through faith.
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And how beautiful it is
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because this launched
the Protestant Reformation
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which affects you and I.
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Now in Sabbath's lesson,
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I want to give you
a little background
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before we get into because
to me our memory verse is...
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You don't have any idea
unless you have the background.
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Our memory verse
comes from Acts 11.
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And let's kind of
look at what happened here.
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The Jewish people
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had really a high
opinion of themselves.
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I mean, they thought
they were it, if you will.
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They thought God's
blessings were only for them.
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And they were very
kind to one another
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but when it came
to what was going on
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as far as the other
races, they were thought
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they were too much
better than the other races.
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So what happens, as Paul goes
before the Jerusalem Council,
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or not the Jerusalem
Council but in Jerusalem,
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Paul comes and he
tells them about this trip
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that he just made
to Cornelius house.
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And he said,
"Hey, I was in Joppa,
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I had this vision,
a sheet came down."
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God said, "Rise and eat."
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And finally he said,
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I'm saying, "No,
Lord, these are unclean..."
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Peter.
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Peter, excuse
me, Peter. Thank you.
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And he said, "No,
Lord, this is unclean."
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And he had never
eaten anything unclean.
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So finally, God lets him know
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that He is telling
him no man is unclean.
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He goes to
Cornelius's house, Peter does.
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And he's telling
these Jerusalem brothers.
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He says, "Hey, God baptized them
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with the same Holy
Spirit that we got."
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So now let's look
at our memory verse
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and say this together
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because this is the
response of those Jews.
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"When they heard these
things they became silent.
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And they glorified God, saying,
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'Then God has also granted
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to the gentiles
repentance to life.'"
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Amen.
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So here now is Peter
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and these six
uncircumcised Jews,
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they were the first to realize
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that God had brought down this
dividing wall between the Jews.
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And now here comes Paul,
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the persecutor
of the Christians.
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In Sunday's lesson,
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it's talking about Stephen
who is a Greek speaking Jew.
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He was one of the
first seven original deacons,
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and of the Christian church,
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he's debating with foreign Jews.
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And as he is
debating, he is telling them...
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This is the longest
sermon in the Book of Acts.
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And it's just
packed with many quotes
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directly from the Old Testament.
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But Stephen is summing up
the scriptures of a serving
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from the Old Testament
about the history of Israel.
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And he is focusing on
God's divine judgment,
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what is coming on the people.
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He reminds them of
Isaiah's words saying,
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"Hey, God doesn't
need a house built by man,
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by human hands
in which to dwell."
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And Stephen is
downplaying the Mosaic Law,
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he's downplaying the temple,
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and the temple had become
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the focus of
the Jewish religion.
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But what Stephen is saying is,
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"No, Jesus Christ is the
center of the Jewish religion."
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So as he is
proclaiming Christ these Jews
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that the foreign Jews
that he was arguing with,
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they'd had enough.
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And let's look at Acts 7:54.
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Acts 7:54, as they're
hearing his sermon they said,
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"When they heard these things,
they were cut to the heart,
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and they gnashed
their teeth at him".
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Any time you see
gnashing teeth in the Bible,
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this was an idiom for anger
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when somebody was gnashing
their teeth and hissing at him.
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But he being full
of the Holy Spirit,
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Stephen gazed into
heaven and saw the glory of God
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and Jesus standing
at the right hand of God
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and said, "Look, I
see the heavens opened
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and the Son of Man at
the right hand of God."
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So now his vision is
supporting Jesus' claim
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that He was the Messiah
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and He is at the
right hand of God,
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and this angers the
Jewish leaders even more
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because they had
just condemned Jesus
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and put Him to death.
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And verse 57,
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"Then they cried
out with a loud voice,
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and they stopped their ears,
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and they ran at
him with one accord,
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and they cast
him out of the city,
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and they stoned him.
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And the witnesses who
are approving of this,
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they laid down the
clothes of the young man Stephen
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at the foot of another young man
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named Saul."
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Saul was a Jew of Jew,
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the Pharisee of the Pharisees
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trained at the feet of Gamaliel,
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he believed in the Mosaic Law,
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he believed in
the sanctuary system.
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And Saul was very
sincere about his religion
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but he was sincerely wrong.
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"So they stoned Stephen
as he was calling on God,
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he said, 'Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit.'
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Then he knelt
down and cried out,
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with a loud voice,
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'Lord, do not
charge them with this sin.'
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And when he said
this, he fell asleep."
00:10:57.75\00:11:00.76
Now, you know,
something interesting,
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this has great
prophetic significance
00:11:03.32\00:11:06.76
because this is the
end of the 70-week prophecy
00:11:06.80\00:11:09.90
of Daniel 9:24-27.
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Yes
00:11:12.90\00:11:14.27
In Daniel 9:24 it said,
00:11:14.30\00:11:15.87
"Seventy weeks are
determined for your people
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and your holy city,
00:11:17.97\00:11:19.51
to finish your transgression,
to make an end to sins,
00:11:19.54\00:11:23.11
to make
reconciliation for iniquity,
00:11:23.14\00:11:25.48
to bring in
everlasting righteousness,
00:11:25.51\00:11:28.38
to seal up the
vision and the prophecy,
00:11:28.42\00:11:31.25
and to anoint the most holy."
00:11:31.32\00:11:33.62
So then in 9:27
of Daniel it says,
00:11:33.66\00:11:36.93
"That He, the Messiah
will confirm a covenant
00:11:36.96\00:11:41.30
with many for one week,
00:11:41.33\00:11:43.16
but in the middle of the week
00:11:43.20\00:11:44.67
He will be cut off
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and bring an end to
offering and sacrifice."
00:11:47.24\00:11:51.01
So the final week began
00:11:51.04\00:11:52.37
when Jesus was
baptized in AD 27,
00:11:52.41\00:11:57.08
then He ministered for
three and a half years,
00:11:57.11\00:12:00.98
and He was crucified in AD 31.
00:12:01.02\00:12:05.59
When you look at prophecy
a year, a day equals a year.
00:12:05.62\00:12:11.39
So there was seven years
period that was His final week,
00:12:11.46\00:12:15.03
Jesus ministers
three and a half,
00:12:15.06\00:12:17.27
He is crucified,
sacrifice came to an end.
00:12:17.30\00:12:21.44
And then the Bible
tells us that in the Hebrews 2
00:12:21.47\00:12:26.78
and I think it's
verse 3, where it says,
00:12:26.81\00:12:29.28
"That the
Apostles then continued
00:12:29.31\00:12:31.65
to confirm the covenant
00:12:31.68\00:12:33.55
for another three
and a half years."
00:12:33.58\00:12:35.72
So at that
point that was the end
00:12:35.75\00:12:39.12
for the Jews as
the nation of God
00:12:39.15\00:12:42.09
and that's when the gospel
began to go to the gentiles.
00:12:42.12\00:12:45.43
So this is just
our beginning here
00:12:45.46\00:12:49.33
as we see Saul
00:12:49.36\00:12:51.67
the first
introduction in the Bible,
00:12:51.70\00:12:55.77
in the New Testament of Saul
00:12:55.80\00:12:57.61
as he is a
persecutor of Christians.
00:12:57.67\00:13:01.88
Brother Johnny.
00:13:01.91\00:13:03.95
You know, this is a
marvelous, marvelous study
00:13:03.98\00:13:07.25
and I praise the Lord
that we have begun this study
00:13:07.28\00:13:11.19
in the Book of Galatians.
00:13:11.22\00:13:13.36
You know, when you
look at the Book of Acts,
00:13:13.39\00:13:15.06
you begin to see
00:13:15.09\00:13:18.06
the Christian Church
growing, growing quickly.
00:13:18.13\00:13:22.06
Do you think of
the day of Pentecost,
00:13:22.10\00:13:23.47
how many people were
baptized on that day?
00:13:23.50\00:13:25.40
Yeah, 3,000.
00:13:25.43\00:13:26.77
Three thousand people and
you think about the scribes
00:13:26.80\00:13:29.30
and the Pharisees,
00:13:29.34\00:13:30.67
"Wait a minute
something is going on here."
00:13:30.71\00:13:32.64
And, you know, when
you get to chapter 3,
00:13:32.67\00:13:39.65
I'm sorry chapter 4.
00:13:39.68\00:13:41.62
You see then that
Peter and John are brought
00:13:41.68\00:13:44.95
before the Jewish leaders
00:13:44.99\00:13:46.32
and so they're
beginning to take action
00:13:46.35\00:13:47.72
against the Christians.
00:13:47.76\00:13:49.72
And then you get to chapter 5,
00:13:49.76\00:13:53.33
you realize that the
apostles were taken to prison...
00:13:53.36\00:13:56.73
Yes. They were taken to prison.
00:13:56.77\00:13:58.20
They're in prison.
00:13:58.23\00:13:59.60
But what happens during
while they're in prison?
00:13:59.63\00:14:03.10
An angel comes and
says, "Go and preach again."
00:14:03.14\00:14:06.78
So now they're up there
00:14:06.81\00:14:08.14
and the scribes
and the Pharisees,
00:14:08.18\00:14:09.71
and the high priest say,
"Bring the apostles over here."
00:14:09.74\00:14:13.68
They're not
there, where are they?
00:14:13.72\00:14:15.52
Well, they're out
there preaching again.
00:14:15.55\00:14:17.42
So finally, they're before them
and they began to question them
00:14:17.45\00:14:21.72
and they said,
"Didn't we command you
00:14:21.76\00:14:24.16
to stop preaching in
the name of this Jesus?"
00:14:24.19\00:14:27.20
And what did the
disciples answer?
00:14:27.23\00:14:28.93
What do they say?
00:14:28.96\00:14:30.30
"We ought to obey
God rather than man."
00:14:30.33\00:14:33.00
That's right.
00:14:33.03\00:14:34.37
And so something is developing
00:14:34.40\00:14:35.87
and it's out of
their control basically.
00:14:35.90\00:14:39.17
But then a man rises up,
00:14:39.21\00:14:40.54
as you see at
the end of chapter 5,
00:14:40.58\00:14:43.81
a man says, "And
now I say unto you..."
00:14:43.85\00:14:47.75
I'm reading from
Acts 5:38 and onward.
00:14:47.78\00:14:51.32
"And now I say unto
you refrain from these men
00:14:51.35\00:14:54.12
and let them alone.
00:14:54.19\00:14:55.72
For if this counsel
or this work be of men,
00:14:55.76\00:14:59.63
it will come to nought.
00:14:59.66\00:15:01.70
But if it be of God,
ye cannot overthrow it,
00:15:01.76\00:15:04.90
lest happily ye be found
even to fight against God.
00:15:04.93\00:15:09.90
And to him they agreed,
00:15:09.94\00:15:11.37
and when they had called
the apostles and beaten them,
00:15:11.44\00:15:14.44
they commanded them
that they should not speak
00:15:14.51\00:15:16.61
in the name of
Jesus, and let them go."
00:15:16.64\00:15:19.85
And so the disciples were
free to preach the gospel again
00:15:19.88\00:15:23.69
but they kept growing.
00:15:23.72\00:15:26.32
And the Bible says that
they were in favor with God
00:15:26.35\00:15:29.49
and men at the end of chapter 2,
00:15:29.52\00:15:31.36
so then the stoning of Stephen,
00:15:31.39\00:15:34.56
not only they went
beyond the beatings
00:15:34.60\00:15:37.67
now to killing the Christians.
00:15:37.70\00:15:40.84
And so interestingly
enough this brings us to Saul
00:15:40.87\00:15:45.31
at the end of Acts 7 as
Shelley already mentioned,
00:15:45.34\00:15:50.11
and there in Acts 7:59,
"And they stoned Stephen,
00:15:50.15\00:15:55.35
calling upon God and saying,
00:15:55.38\00:15:56.72
'Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit.'"
00:15:56.75\00:15:59.82
I should go back to verse 58,
00:15:59.85\00:16:01.26
it says, "And they cast him
out of the city and stoned him.
00:16:01.32\00:16:04.46
And the witnesses
laid down their clothes
00:16:04.49\00:16:06.39
at a young man's
feet whose name was Saul."
00:16:06.43\00:16:10.03
This young man was
coming up in the ranks,
00:16:10.07\00:16:12.80
he was hero of the
Hebrews, trained by Gamaliel,
00:16:12.83\00:16:18.01
he was a prominent rising,
00:16:18.04\00:16:20.01
they thought he was
going up in the ranks.
00:16:20.04\00:16:22.61
And so Acts 8:1,
00:16:22.64\00:16:27.75
"And Saul was
consenting unto his death."
00:16:27.82\00:16:30.15
That is the death of Stephen.
00:16:30.19\00:16:32.85
"And at the same time
there was a great persecution
00:16:32.89\00:16:35.06
against the church
which was at Jerusalem,
00:16:35.09\00:16:36.73
and they were all scattered
00:16:36.76\00:16:38.13
throughout the
regions of Judea and Samaria,
00:16:38.16\00:16:39.96
except the apostles."
00:16:40.00\00:16:41.86
And so we bring
this to you to see that
00:16:41.90\00:16:44.73
there was a determined effort
00:16:44.77\00:16:47.10
to stop the
Christians from growing.
00:16:47.14\00:16:50.07
Now remember, God
sent them a message,
00:16:50.11\00:16:52.87
"If this be of men,
it will come to nothing.
00:16:52.91\00:16:55.61
But if it be of
God, you cannot stop it."
00:16:55.64\00:16:57.95
Yes. So what do we see today?
00:16:58.01\00:17:00.08
Can't be stopped.
Wasn't it of men or of God?
00:17:00.12\00:17:03.39
The Christian
Church is the number one,
00:17:03.42\00:17:06.99
if you want to say,
00:17:07.02\00:17:08.36
one of the most prominent
religions in the world.
00:17:08.39\00:17:11.16
It is of God.
00:17:11.23\00:17:13.46
And Saul, he
thought it was his mission,
00:17:13.50\00:17:17.73
he thought he was
doing the work of God
00:17:17.77\00:17:20.34
to stamp out the
Christians, persecuting them.
00:17:20.37\00:17:23.24
And when you get
to Acts 9:1, it says,
00:17:23.27\00:17:27.08
"And Saul, yet breathing
out threatening and slaughter
00:17:27.11\00:17:30.85
against the
disciples of the Lord,
00:17:30.88\00:17:32.45
went on to the
high priest, verse 2,
00:17:32.48\00:17:34.58
and desired him
letters to Damascus,
00:17:34.62\00:17:36.79
to the synagogues that
if he found any of this way,
00:17:36.82\00:17:40.06
whether they were men or women,
00:17:40.09\00:17:41.96
he might bring them
bound unto Jerusalem."
00:17:42.02\00:17:44.49
So Saul was a
hero among the Hebrews
00:17:44.53\00:17:50.53
because they saw
he was very effective
00:17:50.57\00:17:52.40
in the work he was doing.
00:17:52.43\00:17:55.07
When he is before King Agrippa,
and when he is before them,
00:17:55.10\00:17:59.27
he is telling his
story of conversion.
00:17:59.31\00:18:03.01
Because he thought
00:18:03.04\00:18:04.38
he was doing the
service of the Lord.
00:18:04.41\00:18:06.01
And as Shelley said,
"He was sincerely wrong."
00:18:06.05\00:18:11.29
And so we see that
God has to do something
00:18:11.35\00:18:13.69
because the
Christians are afraid of him.
00:18:13.72\00:18:15.76
They see Saul coming,
what do they gonna to do?
00:18:15.79\00:18:17.99
They're gonna run. Yeah.
00:18:18.03\00:18:19.63
They didn't think, Saul,
00:18:19.66\00:18:20.96
would you like a Bible
study on what's going on?
00:18:21.00\00:18:22.70
And why there
is this change now?
00:18:22.73\00:18:25.23
Saul wasn't about
to hear anybody talk.
00:18:25.30\00:18:27.40
I mean, he heard
Stephen, I mean Stephen
00:18:27.44\00:18:29.87
under the full inspiration
of the Holy Spirit spoke
00:18:29.90\00:18:33.27
such a sermon,
00:18:33.31\00:18:34.94
but instead of
melting their hearts...
00:18:35.01\00:18:38.21
They gnashed their teeth.
00:18:38.28\00:18:39.61
They gnashed their teeth
00:18:39.65\00:18:40.98
and they wanted
to destroy Stephen.
00:18:41.02\00:18:44.72
Saul was sincere
00:18:44.75\00:18:48.19
and God could work
with sincere people.
00:18:48.22\00:18:50.29
That's right. Yeah.
00:18:50.33\00:18:51.66
So the Holy Spirit
kept working in his heart,
00:18:51.69\00:18:53.83
working in his heart.
00:18:53.86\00:18:55.20
And I'm sure that as
certain people were dying
00:18:55.23\00:18:58.30
he saw them
express their faith in God
00:18:58.37\00:19:01.50
and it touched his heart.
00:19:01.54\00:19:02.94
But yet he
thought he was correct
00:19:02.97\00:19:05.17
and he reasoned
these things out.
00:19:05.24\00:19:10.25
And interestingly enough
as you read the Book of Acts,
00:19:10.28\00:19:13.35
Acts of the
Apostles written by Ellen G.
00:19:13.38\00:19:15.15
White, she says
something interesting
00:19:15.18\00:19:17.92
and that is that,
Saul struggled with this.
00:19:17.95\00:19:21.29
So when you're
struggling with something
00:19:21.32\00:19:22.66
you go and you try
to get help from people
00:19:22.69\00:19:24.69
that you have confidence in.
00:19:24.76\00:19:26.13
He goes to those that
were above him and he say,
00:19:26.16\00:19:28.00
"You know, I have some
doubts about what I'm doing."
00:19:28.03\00:19:30.43
Perhaps he
expressed himself this way.
00:19:30.47\00:19:32.47
And they convinced him,
00:19:32.50\00:19:33.84
"No, no, you
have to do this work,
00:19:33.87\00:19:35.24
you have to get those..."
00:19:35.27\00:19:36.60
They're destroying the
way that was delivered unto us
00:19:36.64\00:19:39.27
by Moses and by the
Lord, "You have to continue."
00:19:39.31\00:19:42.28
And Saul was
convinced kept this work up.
00:19:42.31\00:19:46.38
And so, "It is when we
get to Jesus talking to Saul
00:19:46.41\00:19:51.69
that He says to
him, 'Saul, Saul.'"
00:19:51.72\00:19:55.16
What does he say to him?
"It is hard for you," to what?
00:19:55.19\00:19:58.43
Kick against the
pricks. Kick against the pricks.
00:19:58.46\00:20:01.76
And He says in, in one version
it says, against the goads,
00:20:01.80\00:20:08.70
which is an expression
00:20:08.74\00:20:13.21
of Paul's struggle
00:20:13.24\00:20:16.41
with the Holy Spirit.
00:20:16.44\00:20:18.15
And Paul saw at that
moment says something marvelous.
00:20:18.21\00:20:22.45
He says "Who are you, Lord?"
00:20:22.48\00:20:25.55
And that's an
opening, "Who are you, Lord?"
00:20:25.59\00:20:28.86
And what does Jesus say?
00:20:28.89\00:20:31.29
"I am Jesus,
whom you persecute."
00:20:31.33\00:20:34.03
And that is an
interesting expression by Jesus
00:20:34.10\00:20:36.56
because when
someone does something
00:20:36.60\00:20:39.73
against the
servants of the Lord,
00:20:39.77\00:20:41.77
it is as if they
are doing it to Jesus.
00:20:41.80\00:20:44.64
So Saul began to
understand, "I'm doing what?"
00:20:44.67\00:20:50.05
He understood that he
was persecuting Jesus,
00:20:50.08\00:20:54.42
the Lord that he was
talking to at that moment.
00:20:54.45\00:20:56.52
And this is when
his conversion begins
00:20:56.55\00:21:00.52
and it is a marvelous
thing that takes place.
00:21:00.56\00:21:04.93
In Acts 9:7, it says that,
00:21:04.99\00:21:09.93
"And the men who journeyed
with him stood speechless,
00:21:09.96\00:21:12.10
hearing a voice
but seeing no man.
00:21:12.13\00:21:14.77
And Saul arose from the earth,
00:21:14.80\00:21:16.17
and when his eyes
were opened he saw no man,
00:21:16.20\00:21:18.27
but they led him by the hand
00:21:18.34\00:21:20.34
and brought him on to Damascus."
00:21:20.38\00:21:22.34
And so he went through
a spiritual experience,
00:21:22.38\00:21:25.01
he did not eat, nor drink,
00:21:25.08\00:21:27.08
and finally the Lord blessed him
00:21:27.12\00:21:30.89
and sent Ananias to him.
00:21:30.92\00:21:32.75
And what does he say to Ananias?
00:21:32.79\00:21:34.89
What does
Ananias say to the Lord?
00:21:34.92\00:21:36.26
Lord... I'm not Lord.
00:21:36.29\00:21:38.46
Just like he doesn't
think, isn't this the guy
00:21:38.49\00:21:41.20
that was
persecuting the Christians?
00:21:41.23\00:21:43.37
He's like, are you sure?
00:21:43.40\00:21:45.73
And He says, "No, this is like
a brand plucked in the fire,
00:21:45.77\00:21:49.87
you need to go and talk to him."
00:21:49.90\00:21:51.54
And it is then
that Saul's blindness
00:21:51.61\00:21:55.21
because he was blind.
00:21:55.28\00:21:57.65
He's delivered from
blindness and he realizes
00:21:57.68\00:21:59.61
that he has been
going down the wrong course.
00:21:59.65\00:22:01.65
Yeah.
00:22:01.68\00:22:03.02
And Saul...
00:22:03.05\00:22:04.39
And he was blinded by
the light of Jesus Christ.
00:22:04.42\00:22:05.75
He was blinded by the
light of Jesus Christ,
00:22:05.79\00:22:07.26
and we have to understand
that Saul had a choice
00:22:07.29\00:22:12.39
whether to say, "Yes,
Lord I will follow you"
00:22:12.43\00:22:14.73
or say, "No, no, no, I'm gonna
continue doing what I'm doing,
00:22:14.73\00:22:17.23
I'm happy with what I'm doing."
00:22:17.27\00:22:18.90
He repented and
followed the Lord
00:22:18.93\00:22:22.74
and what we have
as a result is that
00:22:22.77\00:22:25.64
God was able to use
Saul, his name became Paul,
00:22:25.67\00:22:29.48
and became one of the greatest
Christian leaders in history.
00:22:29.51\00:22:32.25
Amen.
00:22:32.28\00:22:33.92
And we have many
books written by him
00:22:33.95\00:22:36.25
and we see that the
Holy Spirit was upon him
00:22:36.28\00:22:38.89
and God used
him in a mighty way.
00:22:38.92\00:22:40.26
Amen.
00:22:40.29\00:22:41.66
And I praise the
Lord for the work
00:22:41.69\00:22:43.02
that God done through Saul.
00:22:43.06\00:22:44.39
Paul. Amen.
00:22:44.43\00:22:45.76
Pastor Kenny,
you've got Tuesday's.
00:22:45.79\00:22:47.13
Tuesday.
00:22:47.13\00:22:48.66
Yeah, to me as I
read over the last night,
00:22:48.70\00:22:50.77
I thought how exciting
it is to be able to see
00:22:50.80\00:22:53.87
a Saul turning into a Paul
and the conversion experience.
00:22:53.90\00:22:59.07
And so as we go
through this lesson
00:22:59.11\00:23:00.71
there will be things
that will be repeated
00:23:00.74\00:23:02.41
and I think it's
always good, there has to be
00:23:02.44\00:23:05.25
because there are certain points
00:23:05.28\00:23:06.75
that need to be made and
I thought how interesting
00:23:06.78\00:23:08.22
when you look at this,
00:23:08.25\00:23:09.58
right here you have,
you have different people
00:23:09.62\00:23:11.69
that are involved
in Tuesday's lesson
00:23:11.72\00:23:14.52
you have, God
said, "Just go to house,
00:23:14.56\00:23:17.46
Judas is gonna be there
00:23:17.49\00:23:18.83
and then you're
gonna go to Ananias."
00:23:18.86\00:23:21.00
And also something happens
to Paul, he becomes blind,
00:23:21.03\00:23:24.93
and, you know, a
miracle needs to be performed
00:23:24.97\00:23:27.77
and the miracle is
gonna be performed by someone
00:23:27.80\00:23:29.74
he was persecuting.
00:23:29.77\00:23:31.31
So what a kind of a mixed
up story you look at here,
00:23:31.37\00:23:35.64
but how exciting, God
had all under control,
00:23:35.68\00:23:38.25
there's no doubt about it.
00:23:38.31\00:23:39.65
But it was still to me
I look at it as obedience.
00:23:39.68\00:23:42.98
Still, yeah, I want you to go,
00:23:43.02\00:23:45.35
I want you to do,
00:23:45.39\00:23:47.62
and as they did these
things miracles took place,
00:23:47.66\00:23:51.59
you're talking about
miracles Saul's being one
00:23:51.63\00:23:53.09
but big miracles took place.
00:23:53.13\00:23:55.03
It's been brought out
here as I look this lesson.
00:23:55.06\00:23:58.50
No one probably, no
one probably thought
00:23:58.53\00:24:02.14
he was more
right than Saul, Paul.
00:24:02.17\00:24:03.97
That's right.
00:24:04.01\00:24:05.37
No one thought
he was more right.
00:24:05.41\00:24:07.21
And I think I've
been that way a few times.
00:24:07.24\00:24:09.61
I think I'm right
kind of hard to deal with.
00:24:09.64\00:24:13.62
And again not just
because you think it
00:24:13.65\00:24:16.12
because you read scripture,
00:24:16.15\00:24:17.72
it backs what you say
and so you take a position
00:24:17.75\00:24:20.86
and some people think
it's very, very difficult here.
00:24:20.89\00:24:23.32
But, you know,
Saul coming into town,
00:24:23.36\00:24:26.13
he's thinking
people's gonna love him,
00:24:26.16\00:24:29.50
they're gonna cheer him along...
00:24:29.53\00:24:31.07
He's picturing crowds of people,
00:24:31.10\00:24:33.23
you know, they're
lining the streets,
00:24:33.27\00:24:35.47
they're coming in or
probably shouting his name,
00:24:35.50\00:24:37.57
"Look at this guy, look at him,"
00:24:37.61\00:24:39.67
you know, and when he comes
in a whole different change
00:24:39.71\00:24:42.41
instead of
feasting, and drinking,
00:24:42.44\00:24:44.88
and having a wonderful time,
and getting all these honors.
00:24:44.91\00:24:48.65
You know, here's a
man that's been blinded,
00:24:48.68\00:24:51.39
he spends time rather
than do that, no food.
00:24:51.42\00:24:54.89
He's been humbled.
00:24:54.92\00:24:56.26
He was humble. Yes.
00:24:56.29\00:24:57.63
Yeah, he was
different, you know,
00:24:57.66\00:24:58.99
again he was God was giving
00:24:59.06\00:25:00.86
such an
illustration was you thought,
00:25:00.90\00:25:03.00
you were seeing, you
thought you had sight.
00:25:03.03\00:25:05.40
And now the
physical sight is taken
00:25:05.43\00:25:09.00
and it gives him
time to contemplate,
00:25:09.07\00:25:11.14
it gives him time to search,
00:25:11.17\00:25:13.24
it gives him time to think
about all the opportunities
00:25:13.27\00:25:16.81
that he really had.
00:25:16.85\00:25:18.88
I think you each one touched on.
00:25:18.91\00:25:20.55
He had
opportunity after opportunity
00:25:20.58\00:25:22.45
to do the right thing.
00:25:22.48\00:25:23.92
But he chose and
now through blindness...
00:25:23.95\00:25:28.19
And it happens
sometime through sickness,
00:25:28.22\00:25:30.13
sometime through
whatever it might be,
00:25:30.16\00:25:31.76
you've got time to sit down
and think about some things.
00:25:31.79\00:25:35.00
And you'll say, "Wait, mercy,
00:25:35.03\00:25:36.46
surely I didn't
think along those lines."
00:25:36.50\00:25:38.77
And so he had
time to think about,
00:25:38.80\00:25:41.17
"Oh, I had
opportunity after opportunity
00:25:41.20\00:25:44.37
to do the right
thing and I didn't do it.
00:25:44.41\00:25:47.28
And so I was prejudiced
00:25:47.31\00:25:48.68
and it changed my
whole line of thinking."
00:25:48.71\00:25:50.38
Makes me think, Brother,
about the strong personalities,
00:25:50.41\00:25:53.92
people with the
strongest personality
00:25:53.95\00:25:56.48
takes the biggest lump
00:25:56.52\00:25:58.19
if you will to get
them to change their mind
00:25:58.22\00:26:00.66
to see something different.
00:26:00.69\00:26:02.02
And, of course, Saul certainly
was that choleric personality,
00:26:02.06\00:26:05.99
he was the
leader, he was one that,
00:26:06.03\00:26:08.16
you know, didn't say,
00:26:08.20\00:26:09.56
"You go do this
or that," you know,
00:26:09.60\00:26:10.97
he was there on
the frontline himself.
00:26:11.00\00:26:12.47
Yes.
00:26:12.50\00:26:13.84
And even though he was
heading in the wrong direction,
00:26:13.87\00:26:15.67
it took something big
from God to turn him around
00:26:15.74\00:26:19.01
because of his personality.
00:26:19.04\00:26:20.68
And, you know, those
with personalities like
00:26:20.71\00:26:22.51
that make the
greatest leaders by the way.
00:26:22.58\00:26:24.68
Once God's
focused on the right path,
00:26:24.71\00:26:27.08
they make the greatest.
00:26:27.12\00:26:28.55
Yeah. They make
the greatest leaders.
00:26:28.62\00:26:29.95
Yeah. Good point.
00:26:29.98\00:26:31.32
And actually as we look at it,
00:26:31.35\00:26:33.69
I think you mentioned
here somebody mentioned
00:26:33.72\00:26:35.26
that Ananias was so confused.
00:26:35.29\00:26:38.76
I would have been so confused...
00:26:38.83\00:26:40.16
And scared.
00:26:40.20\00:26:41.50
Man coming in here and say,
"No, I know what he's up to."
00:26:41.53\00:26:43.03
You know, he's
gonna try to get me,
00:26:43.06\00:26:44.83
he's gonna try to get you
00:26:44.87\00:26:46.20
and the people had to
deal with what took place
00:26:46.23\00:26:49.94
in a matter of
days some of them.
00:26:49.97\00:26:52.37
And what was the
church in Jerusalem,
00:26:52.41\00:26:55.14
it took them three
years to accept Paul,
00:26:55.18\00:26:58.95
that's a long time.
00:26:59.01\00:27:00.42
That's a long time.
00:27:00.45\00:27:01.78
But then many
accepted what was going on
00:27:01.82\00:27:03.52
and the change and conversion
00:27:03.55\00:27:05.22
and it was due to the
power of the Holy Spirit
00:27:05.29\00:27:08.59
and the change it
took place in this man.
00:27:08.66\00:27:10.33
Amen.
00:27:10.36\00:27:11.73
When he spoke, he
spoke with authority.
00:27:11.76\00:27:14.46
When he spoke, he spoke by
the power of the Holy Spirit
00:27:14.46\00:27:17.43
that convicted that your heart
00:27:17.47\00:27:19.23
or my heart if
we'd have been there
00:27:19.27\00:27:21.07
and said, "This
can't be the same man.
00:27:21.10\00:27:23.27
I know what he did before."
00:27:23.30\00:27:24.64
But, man, I'm telling
you, Holy Spirit said,
00:27:24.67\00:27:26.07
"No, this is different now."
00:27:26.11\00:27:28.48
So we have the vision,
00:27:28.54\00:27:30.71
we have the enemy as
it were of the church.
00:27:30.75\00:27:34.28
Now all the sudden
things have changed,
00:27:34.32\00:27:36.32
he's been converted,
and people are saying,
00:27:36.35\00:27:38.22
"Boy, oh boy, oh boy,
what are we gonna do now?
00:27:38.25\00:27:40.96
Who we're gonna follow
now? What's gonna take place?"
00:27:40.99\00:27:43.96
So I thought it was interesting,
00:27:43.99\00:27:45.33
I've note down in my notes,
00:27:45.39\00:27:46.73
physical blindness and
then spiritual blindness.
00:27:46.76\00:27:49.66
So you have the
physical blindness,
00:27:49.70\00:27:52.50
now you have the
spiritual blindness.
00:27:52.53\00:27:54.17
He had spiritual blind,
00:27:54.20\00:27:55.67
he became physically
blind in order to see...
00:27:55.70\00:27:59.57
What is it that old song,
00:27:59.61\00:28:01.31
"He washed my eyes with
tears that I might see."
00:28:01.34\00:28:05.81
Amen.
00:28:05.85\00:28:07.18
You see, sometime
we have to wash our eye
00:28:07.22\00:28:10.32
by the grace of God
that we might see clearly
00:28:10.35\00:28:13.92
rather than some people say,
00:28:13.96\00:28:15.96
"Well, you are what you are
because you were born that way.
00:28:16.02\00:28:18.33
You were that way
00:28:18.36\00:28:19.69
because that's the way
you were led in different."
00:28:19.73\00:28:21.36
We had to be what we are
because we read scripture
00:28:21.40\00:28:23.87
because we've been
convinced by the Holy Spirit.
00:28:23.90\00:28:26.00
This is the way,
walk ye in it. Amen.
00:28:26.03\00:28:28.34
And then Brother
Ronnie mentioned there,
00:28:28.37\00:28:30.71
we have to have the boldness
by the grace of God to say,
00:28:30.74\00:28:34.81
"I'm willing to
stand up for this,
00:28:34.84\00:28:36.38
even though the
majority may forsake me,
00:28:36.41\00:28:38.48
they may not be with me."
00:28:38.51\00:28:39.95
So, you know, here was
Paul again thinking about
00:28:39.98\00:28:43.59
being honored by
the high priest even,
00:28:43.62\00:28:45.42
once he came into town.
00:28:45.45\00:28:46.82
Well, that certainly
didn't happen at all.
00:28:46.86\00:28:49.02
Exactly the opposite of
what he was thinking about.
00:28:49.09\00:28:54.03
Time for reflection,
there was time for repentance,
00:28:54.10\00:28:57.63
there was time to
rethink the issues
00:28:57.67\00:29:00.27
and so you see a
great, great conversion story
00:29:00.30\00:29:03.41
that takes place and
I would dare to think
00:29:03.44\00:29:06.14
maybe say that I...
00:29:06.17\00:29:08.18
Every person I believe
has a conversion experience.
00:29:08.21\00:29:10.81
Amen.
00:29:10.85\00:29:12.18
When you're born
again, when you accept Christ.
00:29:12.21\00:29:13.82
But everybody is different
00:29:13.85\00:29:15.68
if I talk to
everybody here and you tell me,
00:29:15.75\00:29:17.49
your's views would
be different than mine
00:29:17.52\00:29:18.85
and mine different than you.
00:29:18.92\00:29:20.59
And sometime it takes a
whole lot more like Ananias,
00:29:20.62\00:29:24.49
had a vision and
one that was real plain,
00:29:24.53\00:29:27.56
I think he'd have said,
00:29:27.60\00:29:28.90
"No, no, no, this guy
here is out, he's too far out.
00:29:28.93\00:29:31.03
I'm not digging him,
I'm not going that way."
00:29:31.07\00:29:33.84
But God knew how to
work with Ananias, didn't he?
00:29:33.87\00:29:36.37
He knew how to go
to the house of Jews,
00:29:36.40\00:29:37.87
He knew how to work with Saul,
He knew how to work with Paul.
00:29:37.91\00:29:41.88
And so, you
know, to me Paul was...
00:29:41.91\00:29:44.71
Again our
lesson brings this out.
00:29:44.75\00:29:46.82
Paul was chosen of God.
00:29:46.85\00:29:49.72
He didn't choose to as
it were to do the work,
00:29:49.75\00:29:52.02
you know, he had
to make the choice.
00:29:52.09\00:29:53.92
God shows him specifically
because the man that he was,
00:29:53.96\00:29:59.43
he just need to
be turned around.
00:29:59.46\00:30:00.80
Yeah.
00:30:00.83\00:30:02.13
And I feel like in my own life
00:30:02.16\00:30:03.50
sometimes we need
to be turned around.
00:30:03.53\00:30:04.87
Absolutely.
00:30:04.90\00:30:06.23
And sometime we need to stop
00:30:06.27\00:30:07.60
and sometime we need to
rethink some of the issues.
00:30:07.64\00:30:09.64
This event now the
blindness of Paul...
00:30:09.67\00:30:12.47
Saul, Paul it changed
his whole thinking process.
00:30:12.51\00:30:16.78
Amen.
00:30:16.81\00:30:18.15
And that's what
happens with conversion.
00:30:18.18\00:30:19.78
Yes. It supposed to change you.
00:30:19.81\00:30:21.82
I mean, how often do we
say we hear all the time,
00:30:21.88\00:30:23.82
"Oh, we're born again,
we go down the watery grave,
00:30:23.85\00:30:26.32
we come up old
things are passed away,
00:30:26.35\00:30:28.09
behold all things become new.
00:30:28.12\00:30:29.86
That's true. That's true.
00:30:29.89\00:30:32.76
And sometime we forget that,
00:30:32.79\00:30:34.30
those things are gone
and things are new now.
00:30:34.30\00:30:36.43
Absolutely.
00:30:36.46\00:30:37.80
And this was so new
00:30:37.83\00:30:39.37
and so what did Paul reflect on?
00:30:39.40\00:30:42.27
This is what I kind of
gathered out of the lesson
00:30:42.30\00:30:44.21
and you can help me with it.
00:30:44.24\00:30:46.27
He begin to say,
"Oh, I'm a sinner
00:30:46.31\00:30:50.28
and I've done everything wrong,
00:30:50.31\00:30:51.68
I thought I was
doing the right thing,
00:30:51.71\00:30:53.05
I've done everything wrong.
00:30:53.08\00:30:54.42
And, Lord, this work
is just too big for me."
00:30:54.45\00:30:56.85
Amen.
00:30:56.89\00:30:58.22
He came to realize,
00:30:58.25\00:30:59.59
he was too big for his
britches to begin with.
00:30:59.62\00:31:02.26
He could handle any situation,
00:31:02.29\00:31:04.46
he knew how to
talk somebody down,
00:31:04.49\00:31:06.70
he knew how to
really get their goad.
00:31:06.73\00:31:09.23
You know, he really
knew how to deal we think.
00:31:09.26\00:31:11.17
So again thinking
he was doing right
00:31:11.20\00:31:13.37
but now he sees
himself as a sinner.
00:31:13.40\00:31:15.37
Now he sees
himself as an individual
00:31:15.40\00:31:18.44
who's gonna need some help.
00:31:18.47\00:31:19.84
And now he's crying out to God
00:31:19.87\00:31:21.48
and God saying,
"Look what am I gonna do,
00:31:21.51\00:31:23.45
I'm gonna send you
back to the same people
00:31:23.48\00:31:25.01
that you were persecuting
so they can teach you
00:31:25.05\00:31:26.75
what you need to be doing."
00:31:26.78\00:31:28.12
That's pretty heavy duty.
You talk about eating crow.
00:31:28.15\00:31:32.02
You talk about having right,
you're going back and to say,
00:31:32.05\00:31:35.12
"No, I just persecuted these..."
00:31:35.19\00:31:37.03
But he reflected, he
thought on it, and he said,
00:31:37.06\00:31:40.00
"Oh, God, this
is too bigger work."
00:31:40.03\00:31:42.53
And God certainly impressed
him that it's not about,
00:31:42.60\00:31:45.30
and I think we all need
to wake up, at least I do.
00:31:45.37\00:31:47.77
Me too. It's not about me.
00:31:47.80\00:31:50.41
Amen. It's not about you.
00:31:50.44\00:31:52.51
It's not about those
who are watching other day
00:31:52.54\00:31:54.44
like the world is gonna end
00:31:54.48\00:31:55.81
because you're not in
and you're not involved,
00:31:55.88\00:31:57.75
it's not till the Lord says.
00:31:57.78\00:31:59.28
That's right.
00:31:59.35\00:32:00.75
You know, everybody's important,
00:32:00.78\00:32:02.12
everybody has a job to do,
00:32:02.15\00:32:03.99
but God can use
whom He wants to,
00:32:04.02\00:32:06.12
anybody He wants
to use, He can do it.
00:32:06.15\00:32:08.82
And He will do it in
such a way as in my own life
00:32:08.89\00:32:12.66
that it got my attention.
00:32:12.69\00:32:14.93
There's very little,
maybe could get my attention.
00:32:14.93\00:32:17.60
But He did it in such a
way it got my attention,
00:32:17.63\00:32:21.30
and I could and I do
say, it changed my whole life,
00:32:21.34\00:32:24.21
it changed my whole thinking
00:32:24.24\00:32:26.47
as real conversion came
not just going to the steps
00:32:26.51\00:32:29.41
and the motion...
00:32:29.48\00:32:30.81
Absolutely.
00:32:30.85\00:32:32.18
And I often say,
"When conversion came
00:32:32.21\00:32:33.55
maybe like it
was Saul and Paul is,
00:32:33.58\00:32:37.92
I mean, how many times,
one of our favorite song is,
00:32:37.95\00:32:40.56
"What a friend
we have in Jesus".
00:32:40.59\00:32:41.99
Amen.
00:32:42.06\00:32:43.39
You know, it's an oldie
00:32:43.43\00:32:44.76
but goodie as far as I
never get tired of singing that.
00:32:44.79\00:32:46.29
I can remember,
00:32:46.33\00:32:47.66
since I was just
small singing that song.
00:32:47.66\00:32:49.60
But I remember after conversion
00:32:49.63\00:32:51.20
and maybe Saul
might did the same thing,
00:32:51.23\00:32:53.44
maybe you did same thing.
00:32:53.47\00:32:54.90
I cried after I sing that song.
00:32:54.94\00:32:58.31
I sang it many
times before hundreds
00:32:58.34\00:33:00.64
or maybe not even thousands.
00:33:00.68\00:33:02.74
But after
conversion the heart is changed
00:33:02.81\00:33:05.28
and the heart was different
and the prejudice has to go,
00:33:05.35\00:33:08.72
the unbelief has to go,
00:33:08.75\00:33:10.42
and certainly just
trusting in the Lord.
00:33:10.45\00:33:12.92
And that's you go,
to me that's one of the,
00:33:12.99\00:33:14.52
some of the greatest
story in the Bible, you know,
00:33:14.56\00:33:17.56
to help me, to encourage me,
00:33:17.59\00:33:18.93
and I pray this is encouraging
and helping you to say,
00:33:18.96\00:33:21.26
"Hey, God wants to use you."
00:33:21.30\00:33:22.66
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
00:33:22.70\00:33:24.90
That's beautiful, Pastor Kenny.
What an incredible man of God?
00:33:24.93\00:33:28.07
Oh, wow. Yes.
00:33:28.10\00:33:29.44
As you look at the life of Paul
00:33:29.50\00:33:30.97
and as you think
about his childhood
00:33:31.01\00:33:33.11
and I know each one has
mentioned this growing up
00:33:33.14\00:33:35.94
being a Roman citizen,
and as being a Pharisee,
00:33:35.98\00:33:40.02
a Pharisee of the Pharisees,
00:33:40.05\00:33:41.68
studying under I
wanna say Gamaliel.
00:33:41.72\00:33:44.92
Gamaliel, how do
you pronounce? Gamaliel.
00:33:44.95\00:33:47.39
Close. Good.
00:33:47.42\00:33:48.76
So you think he had
the Roman background
00:33:48.82\00:33:51.56
and he also had the
background as a Pharisee.
00:33:51.59\00:33:55.63
And I think in a special way
even though for all those years
00:33:55.66\00:33:59.50
he fought against
the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:33:59.53\00:34:01.80
And he did what he
thought was right in his mind
00:34:01.84\00:34:04.27
and in his heart,
he was highly educated.
00:34:04.31\00:34:06.68
And when he was converted,
when he found and discovered
00:34:06.71\00:34:10.91
and saw the Lord Jesus
Christ on that road to Damascus.
00:34:10.95\00:34:14.08
Spent those three
years in Arabia studying,
00:34:14.12\00:34:17.59
learning, relearning,
unlearning the things
00:34:17.62\00:34:20.46
that he had learned before,
and then relearning again.
00:34:20.49\00:34:23.09
I think in a
special way it equipped him
00:34:23.12\00:34:25.99
to take the
gospel to the gentiles.
00:34:26.03\00:34:28.40
Amen.
00:34:28.43\00:34:29.76
The other apostles,
you look at them Peter,
00:34:29.80\00:34:32.40
and John, and James, and Andrew,
00:34:32.43\00:34:35.50
they were mostly
unlearned fishermen
00:34:35.57\00:34:38.97
who had sat at
the feet of Jesus,
00:34:39.04\00:34:40.94
the Holy Spirit had
been poured upon them
00:34:40.98\00:34:42.84
and they were dynamite in
the early Christian church.
00:34:42.91\00:34:46.45
But in a special way I
think God raised up Paul
00:34:46.48\00:34:50.05
because he was highly skilled,
00:34:50.09\00:34:52.62
scholarly educated to take
the gospel to the gentiles.
00:34:52.65\00:34:57.36
And it's just...
00:34:57.39\00:34:58.76
You think down
the stream of time,
00:34:58.79\00:35:00.73
God looking at him and saying,
00:35:00.76\00:35:03.90
"I know you from
your mother's womb.
00:35:03.93\00:35:06.53
And I'm gonna have a
purpose and a plan for your life
00:35:06.57\00:35:09.77
and even though you're
going to turn away from me
00:35:09.80\00:35:13.54
and walk in a
different direction
00:35:13.58\00:35:15.21
and even persecute my people,
you're gonna be converted.
00:35:15.24\00:35:19.01
You're going to
repent, and turn around,
00:35:19.08\00:35:21.15
and come back to me,
and then be a powerhouse."
00:35:21.18\00:35:24.35
He was, really you could
say the leader of the gentile,
00:35:24.39\00:35:27.96
the Christian Gentile church.
00:35:27.99\00:35:29.59
Maybe Peter took the
Jewish arm of the church
00:35:29.62\00:35:32.16
and Paul took the gentile
arm of the church you could say,
00:35:32.19\00:35:34.93
but they were
leaders together there.
00:35:34.93\00:35:36.40
So Wednesday,
00:35:36.43\00:35:37.77
we look at the gospel
going to the gentiles,
00:35:37.80\00:35:40.10
we're still in the Book of Acts.
00:35:40.14\00:35:41.64
Now just a brief
chronology of Paul's life.
00:35:41.67\00:35:44.07
Saul was born we don't know
00:35:44.11\00:35:46.01
exactly whether
it's AD 5, 6, 7, early.
00:35:46.04\00:35:49.88
So at the stoning of
Stephen took place AD 34,
00:35:49.91\00:35:54.05
he would have been late 20s.
00:35:54.08\00:35:56.12
The Bible says
he was a young man.
00:35:56.15\00:35:57.49
Yes.
00:35:57.52\00:35:58.89
Then, he went to Damascus
maybe a year or two later,
00:35:58.92\00:36:01.99
we don't know exactly.
00:36:02.02\00:36:03.56
He spent those
three years in Arabia,
00:36:03.59\00:36:05.29
came back to
Jerusalem, met with Peter,
00:36:05.33\00:36:09.20
and the apostles spend
a couple of weeks there.
00:36:09.23\00:36:11.63
And then after that
00:36:11.67\00:36:13.60
he started going out
and preaching and teaching.
00:36:13.64\00:36:16.34
And so this is several years
00:36:16.37\00:36:17.71
after we get to the
Acts 11 and Acts 10,
00:36:17.74\00:36:22.28
it was already
mentioned about Peter
00:36:22.31\00:36:24.65
and taking the
gospel to Cornelius.
00:36:24.68\00:36:26.92
So the gospel has already
gone to the first gentile
00:36:26.95\00:36:29.82
but in Acts 11, we see
the first Christian Church
00:36:29.85\00:36:33.19
were they're
first called Christians,
00:36:33.22\00:36:34.89
we're in Acts 11:19.
00:36:34.92\00:36:39.23
Pastor Ronnie,
you wanna read that,
00:36:39.26\00:36:40.60
you got there first?
00:36:40.63\00:36:41.93
Okay. Acts 11:19.
00:36:41.96\00:36:43.30
Nineteen says, "Now
those who were scattered
00:36:43.33\00:36:45.77
after the persecution
that arose over Stephen
00:36:45.83\00:36:49.60
traveled as far as
Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,
00:36:49.64\00:36:52.81
preaching the word to
no one but the Jews only.
00:36:52.87\00:36:57.35
So initially the gospel...
00:36:57.38\00:36:59.41
Because they were
scattered the persecution,
00:36:59.45\00:37:02.18
they left Jerusalem,
and they started traveling.
00:37:02.25\00:37:05.12
Now we're going up
to Antioch pretty soon,
00:37:05.15\00:37:08.56
verse 20.
00:37:08.59\00:37:09.96
Antioch was 300
miles north of Jerusalem,
00:37:09.99\00:37:13.60
so this is quite
a bit of scattering.
00:37:13.63\00:37:16.00
In those days, it would have
been more difficult to travel.
00:37:16.06\00:37:19.07
Oh, yes. Great.
00:37:19.13\00:37:20.47
I think about several
of us have been to Israel.
00:37:20.50\00:37:22.50
When you go to Israel
00:37:22.54\00:37:23.87
and you just
think the magnitude,
00:37:23.91\00:37:25.57
I know Israel is
a little country.
00:37:25.61\00:37:28.04
But if I didn't have a
bus... We travel by bus.
00:37:28.08\00:37:31.05
If I didn't have
a bus to get around,
00:37:31.08\00:37:33.52
it would have been difficult,
00:37:33.55\00:37:35.45
walking from
Galilee down to Jerusalem,
00:37:35.48\00:37:39.55
the rocks and the...
00:37:39.59\00:37:41.22
It was kind of, you know,
00:37:41.26\00:37:42.72
a little difficult
walking to Jericho,
00:37:42.76\00:37:44.49
so here maybe they went by ship
00:37:44.53\00:37:46.59
but being
scattered 300 hundred miles
00:37:46.63\00:37:49.13
north to Antioch
that's quite a ways north.
00:37:49.16\00:37:51.10
Now the word in here
in verse 19, it says,
00:37:51.13\00:37:54.24
"They were scattered
after the persecution."
00:37:54.27\00:37:56.30
Now I like looking at the Greek,
00:37:56.37\00:37:58.17
the Greek for
persecution is flipsis.
00:37:58.21\00:38:01.78
It means, used of a narrow place
00:38:01.81\00:38:05.05
that hems someone in,
00:38:05.08\00:38:07.88
especially internal pressure
00:38:07.92\00:38:10.99
that causes someone to
feel confined or restricted,
00:38:11.02\00:38:14.12
like you're hemmed
in without any options.
00:38:14.16\00:38:16.69
Now there's another
word for persecution
00:38:16.73\00:38:18.56
that's translated
in the Bible as well,
00:38:18.59\00:38:20.23
that word I can't pronounce
00:38:20.26\00:38:21.83
but it means
external circumstances.
00:38:21.86\00:38:25.50
Now it's interesting
that Luke wrote Acts,
00:38:25.53\00:38:28.67
he chose to use
the word flipsis,
00:38:28.70\00:38:31.11
the internal persecution
when he wrote this verse here.
00:38:31.14\00:38:35.94
Because I would think,
00:38:36.01\00:38:37.35
Pastor Kenny, it
would be external.
00:38:37.38\00:38:38.95
You'd think, "I'm in
Jerusalem, I'm being persecuted,
00:38:38.98\00:38:42.45
and they're coming
against me externally,
00:38:42.48\00:38:44.69
they want to kill me,
so I'm going to flee."
00:38:44.72\00:38:47.22
But he used the word
internal persecution.
00:38:47.26\00:38:50.09
That's interesting.
00:38:50.13\00:38:51.46
Now it's fascinating to me
00:38:51.49\00:38:53.33
because I think at
the end time we know that
00:38:53.36\00:38:57.67
there's gonna be persecution
taking place for God's people,
00:38:57.70\00:39:00.80
and I think the greatest
battle is gonna be internal,
00:39:00.84\00:39:04.17
it's not external,
00:39:04.21\00:39:05.54
it's not what people
could do to our bodies,
00:39:05.57\00:39:08.28
it's from the heart.
00:39:08.31\00:39:10.55
What are they
going to do to us inside?
00:39:10.58\00:39:12.48
So because of this
internal persecution,
00:39:12.51\00:39:15.18
they had to
make a choice inside,
00:39:15.22\00:39:16.85
am I gonna follow Jesus?
00:39:16.89\00:39:18.22
Yeah.
00:39:18.25\00:39:19.62
Or am I going to
cave into the pressure
00:39:19.65\00:39:21.92
and follow what the
Jewish people say I need to do?
00:39:21.96\00:39:25.23
So they had spread the gospel,
00:39:25.26\00:39:27.30
at present it's still
going to the Jewish people,
00:39:27.30\00:39:29.40
then verse 20,
00:39:29.43\00:39:31.33
"Some of them were men
from Cyprus and Cyrene,
00:39:31.37\00:39:33.54
that's a North African port,
00:39:33.57\00:39:35.27
who when they had
come to Antioch spoke
00:39:35.30\00:39:37.67
to the Hellenists,
preaching the Lord Jesus."
00:39:37.71\00:39:41.04
Hellenist would
be Greek speaking.
00:39:41.08\00:39:43.18
In Acts 6 it
referred to the Jewish people
00:39:43.21\00:39:45.78
but here in Act 11
00:39:45.85\00:39:47.78
obviously it's
referring to the gentiles
00:39:47.82\00:39:50.52
and preaching to
them, sharing to them.
00:39:50.55\00:39:54.82
Verse 21, "And the hand
of the Lord is with them
00:39:54.86\00:39:58.73
and a great number believed
and turned to the Lord."
00:39:58.76\00:40:03.16
In the Greek for
great it means many,
00:40:03.20\00:40:05.23
high in number, numerous.
00:40:05.27\00:40:07.94
So many people were converted,
00:40:07.97\00:40:09.90
many people learned about Jesus.
00:40:09.94\00:40:12.27
Then news of these things
00:40:12.31\00:40:13.78
came to the ears of
the church in Jerusalem.
00:40:13.81\00:40:15.74
Now today we would have
found out that the same day,
00:40:15.78\00:40:18.58
get yourself cell phone out
00:40:18.61\00:40:19.95
and someone
would post on Facebook,
00:40:20.02\00:40:21.35
someone would do a
little Snapchat, boom.
00:40:21.38\00:40:23.72
Okay, it's in Jerusalem.
00:40:23.75\00:40:25.19
I have a feeling it
took a little bit of time
00:40:25.22\00:40:27.66
for the news
00:40:27.69\00:40:29.02
to reach from Antioch
300 miles south to Jerusalem,
00:40:29.06\00:40:33.29
there's a church.
00:40:33.33\00:40:34.63
There's a whole
group of people finding now
00:40:34.66\00:40:37.40
and discovering Jesus,
00:40:37.43\00:40:39.00
and so the church decided
00:40:39.03\00:40:40.37
to send out
Barnabas to go to Antioch
00:40:40.40\00:40:42.37
and check it out
and see what's going on.
00:40:42.40\00:40:44.44
"And when he came and
had seen the grace of God,
00:40:44.47\00:40:46.84
he was glad, and encouraged them
00:40:46.88\00:40:49.24
all with purpose of heart
00:40:49.31\00:40:50.65
that they should
continue with the Lord."
00:40:50.68\00:40:52.15
Now it's interesting you see
00:40:52.18\00:40:53.72
in the
missionary travels of Paul,
00:40:53.75\00:40:55.52
Saul turned Paul,
Barnabas they traveled
00:40:55.55\00:40:58.52
and they
ministered together a lot.
00:40:58.55\00:40:59.95
In fact, Barnabas
was one of the ones
00:41:00.06\00:41:02.46
who brought Saul to Peter
at the very beginning and said,
00:41:02.49\00:41:06.83
"Really he's a good
man and he's converted
00:41:06.86\00:41:09.33
and you want to meet with him."
00:41:09.36\00:41:11.03
Paul... Barnabus, I'm sorry.
00:41:11.07\00:41:12.80
Verse 24, "He was a good man,
00:41:12.83\00:41:14.37
full of the Holy
Spirit and of faith
00:41:14.40\00:41:16.00
and a great many people
were added to the Lord."
00:41:16.07\00:41:19.84
Then Barnabas
decided to go get Saul.
00:41:19.87\00:41:22.21
He went to Tarsus,
Saul was in Tarsus,
00:41:22.24\00:41:24.38
and that's a 100 miles
farther north of Antioch
00:41:24.41\00:41:27.82
so now he's out 400
miles from Jerusalem.
00:41:27.85\00:41:30.49
"Barnabas departed
for Tarsus to seek Saul.
00:41:30.52\00:41:33.52
And when he had found
him, he brought him to Antioch.
00:41:33.56\00:41:36.42
So it was that for a whole year
they assembled with the church
00:41:36.49\00:41:40.76
and taught a great many people.
00:41:40.80\00:41:43.30
And the disciples were first
called Christians in Antioch."
00:41:43.33\00:41:48.67
Christians means a follower
of the Lord Jesus Christ,
00:41:48.70\00:41:53.14
taken from Christos
which is a Greek word
00:41:53.21\00:41:55.28
which translates
the Hebrew word Messiah
00:41:55.31\00:41:57.81
and it ends Christians
the ending would be Latin.
00:41:57.85\00:42:00.88
So it shows that the gospel
00:42:00.92\00:42:03.52
as you could say cross-cultural,
00:42:03.55\00:42:04.99
it goes to everyone.
00:42:05.02\00:42:07.86
Those who believe that
Christ was king in those days
00:42:07.89\00:42:10.46
could be accused of treason.
00:42:10.49\00:42:12.89
So Christians could also
be looked at as a legal charge
00:42:12.96\00:42:16.03
but I like to think
that they were proudly.
00:42:16.10\00:42:17.63
Amen.
00:42:17.67\00:42:19.00
I am a follower of Jesus Christ.
00:42:19.03\00:42:21.54
I am a follower of the way.
00:42:21.57\00:42:24.34
So this is the first
instance you could say
00:42:24.37\00:42:27.94
we have of the gospel
going not only to the gentiles
00:42:27.98\00:42:30.71
because that
happened with Cornelius
00:42:30.75\00:42:32.65
but an actual
church being established,
00:42:32.68\00:42:35.45
and Saul turned
Paul being pivotal
00:42:35.48\00:42:38.72
in the establishment.
00:42:38.75\00:42:40.09
Amen. Amen. Amen. For sure.
00:42:40.12\00:42:41.46
Thank you Jill. Bother Ronnie.
00:42:41.49\00:42:45.39
When we look at Thursday's
part conflict within the church
00:42:45.43\00:42:50.33
reminds me of several
of yins were our pastors,
00:42:50.37\00:42:54.30
and you've been
associated with the church.
00:42:54.34\00:42:56.60
You know, conflict within
the church is not a new thing.
00:42:56.64\00:42:59.87
And it didn't just
happen 2,000 years ago.
00:42:59.91\00:43:03.24
I pastored a number
of church, you know what,
00:43:03.31\00:43:05.05
there was conflict
in every one of them,
00:43:05.08\00:43:07.28
every one of them.
00:43:07.32\00:43:08.65
And you think why,
this is God's church,
00:43:08.68\00:43:10.55
why would there
be so much conflict?
00:43:10.59\00:43:12.79
What do you think, Johnny?
00:43:12.82\00:43:15.22
Well, I think it goes back
to the wheat and the tares.
00:43:15.26\00:43:18.13
Okay. The wheat and the tares.
00:43:18.16\00:43:19.66
You mean everyone in
the church isn't saved?
00:43:19.73\00:43:23.60
Unfortunately,
that's not the case
00:43:23.63\00:43:25.50
and I think you also have that
00:43:25.53\00:43:28.97
some have not completely
submitted to the Lord.
00:43:29.00\00:43:32.14
They may not be a tare
00:43:32.17\00:43:33.51
and it's not
really up to us to say,
00:43:33.54\00:43:35.31
"That brother so and
so, he must be a tare."
00:43:35.34\00:43:37.01
No, we can't do that but
I believe it has to do it
00:43:37.05\00:43:40.75
and Satan of course,
00:43:40.78\00:43:42.12
he's always trying to
bring in some trouble.
00:43:42.15\00:43:43.69
Yes, he does.
00:43:43.72\00:43:45.52
And, of course,
nothing human is perfect.
00:43:45.55\00:43:49.26
And so the great
Apostle Paul now,
00:43:49.32\00:43:52.46
you'd think that...
00:43:52.49\00:43:53.83
I wonder what he
thought, Brother Kenny,
00:43:53.86\00:43:55.16
in the beginning
when he thought, you know,
00:43:55.20\00:43:56.53
the Lord has
put me in this place
00:43:56.56\00:43:59.03
and I'm really gonna to
straighten these people out,
00:43:59.07\00:44:01.70
you know,
because God is leading me
00:44:01.74\00:44:05.11
and this will go
just sail easily.
00:44:05.14\00:44:08.48
But he found out
there was opposition.
00:44:08.51\00:44:10.25
Yes.
00:44:10.28\00:44:11.61
And you think why would
there be so much opposition?
00:44:11.65\00:44:14.58
For starters not
everyone was pleased
00:44:14.62\00:44:16.79
with the entry of the gentiles.
00:44:16.82\00:44:18.92
You know, because God had
raised up the Jewish people
00:44:18.95\00:44:21.86
what, just to be a closed group.
00:44:21.89\00:44:23.79
Not at all. Yeah.
00:44:23.83\00:44:25.56
He brought them together to
be the light unto the world,
00:44:25.59\00:44:28.36
but they didn't
seem to get this.
00:44:28.40\00:44:30.40
They didn't seem
to understand it.
00:44:30.43\00:44:32.20
They thought we are Jews,
we are the only ones saved,
00:44:32.23\00:44:35.47
we don't want you
in our club, you know.
00:44:35.50\00:44:38.31
And so there were many
then of the Jewish persuasion
00:44:38.34\00:44:42.34
that said, "We don't
want the gentiles in here."
00:44:42.38\00:44:45.05
And they did all
that they could do
00:44:45.08\00:44:47.08
to block what
Paul was trying to do.
00:44:47.12\00:44:50.05
For instance, one
of the great things,
00:44:50.09\00:44:52.09
you know, it was
about the circumcision
00:44:52.12\00:44:54.82
and the keeping
of the Mosaic Law.
00:44:54.86\00:44:57.33
And going back, the
separation was so great
00:44:57.36\00:45:02.03
between the
gentiles and the Jews
00:45:02.06\00:45:06.00
that God had to give
Peter a special vision.
00:45:06.03\00:45:09.77
Yeah.
00:45:09.80\00:45:11.14
And we've talked about
that a little bit about
00:45:11.17\00:45:12.84
when Peter was waiting...
00:45:12.87\00:45:15.91
He was at a certain house
and he was taken into vision
00:45:15.94\00:45:20.52
and he saw these three sheets,
00:45:20.55\00:45:22.45
three times he saw
a sheet been let down
00:45:22.48\00:45:24.45
with all different
manner of animals inside.
00:45:24.49\00:45:28.56
And, of course, Peter said...
00:45:28.59\00:45:30.73
The voice said to Peter,
"Peter rise, kill, and eat."
00:45:30.76\00:45:33.26
And he said, "Oh, not so, Lord,
00:45:33.29\00:45:34.66
I have never eaten
anything common or unclean."
00:45:34.73\00:45:38.30
And this was done three times.
00:45:38.33\00:45:40.90
And so after the
third time Peter said,
00:45:40.94\00:45:42.87
and he was thinking about this,
what could this possibly mean?
00:45:42.94\00:45:45.87
"Has the Lord now has
He cleaned up the diet?
00:45:45.91\00:45:48.04
Can I eat anything?"
00:45:48.08\00:45:49.41
You know, he said,
00:45:49.48\00:45:50.81
"I've never eaten
anything like that."
00:45:50.85\00:45:52.18
And, of course, we
find that many churches say
00:45:52.21\00:45:54.02
"Yes, now God
cleansed all of the food
00:45:54.05\00:45:56.62
and you can eat
anything you want to."
00:45:56.65\00:45:58.89
But if you go on
down to I think about
00:45:58.92\00:46:00.92
verse 28 finally,
00:46:00.96\00:46:02.59
it dawned on him the Lord
spoke to Peter and He said,
00:46:02.62\00:46:05.96
"Call not what I have
cleansed common or unclean."
00:46:05.99\00:46:10.10
And so by that time
there's a knock at the door
00:46:10.13\00:46:11.90
and we know the story.
00:46:11.93\00:46:13.27
That Cornelius now the
Holy Spirit was dealing
00:46:13.30\00:46:15.70
with Cornelius and he said,
00:46:15.74\00:46:17.07
"Send some people
over to get Peter,
00:46:17.11\00:46:18.94
bring him here to
preach the gospel to us."
00:46:18.97\00:46:22.08
And, of course, this
was a gentile household.
00:46:22.11\00:46:27.18
So that was the great division
00:46:27.22\00:46:28.98
so great between the
gentiles and the Jews
00:46:29.02\00:46:31.35
that God had to give
a special visitation,
00:46:31.39\00:46:34.32
a special vision to
Peter to begin to open the door
00:46:34.36\00:46:37.63
to bringing the
gospel to the gentiles.
00:46:37.66\00:46:40.23
So I'm looking at,
that was in Acts 10,
00:46:40.26\00:46:44.30
and if we could go down to Acts,
00:46:44.33\00:46:47.87
we find in Acts 11:22,
00:46:47.90\00:46:51.37
Acts 8:14 that there
are people being sent
00:46:51.41\00:46:54.68
all over the place,
00:46:54.71\00:46:56.04
we were talking about
the work beginning in Antioch
00:46:56.08\00:46:58.05
and there...
00:46:58.08\00:46:59.41
If somebody would
read that for me Acts 8:14
00:46:59.45\00:47:02.42
and then Acts 11:22.
00:47:02.45\00:47:06.32
Acts 8:14? Acts 8:14, first.
00:47:06.39\00:47:09.22
"Now when the
apostles who were at Jerusalem
00:47:09.26\00:47:11.39
heard that Samaria had
received the Word of God,
00:47:11.43\00:47:14.00
they sent Peter
and John to them."
00:47:14.03\00:47:16.77
Wow, Samaria even.
00:47:16.80\00:47:20.04
Samaria was
considered what in those days?
00:47:20.07\00:47:23.87
Oh, I mean, they
were considered way
00:47:23.91\00:47:26.14
the lowest of the low.
00:47:26.17\00:47:28.14
You remember when Jesus
stopped in Samaria, He said,
00:47:28.18\00:47:30.71
I must go there
00:47:30.75\00:47:32.08
in that beginning of
the gospel going there
00:47:32.11\00:47:34.42
when He met the
lady at the well.
00:47:34.45\00:47:36.92
But they were considered so low,
00:47:36.99\00:47:38.49
they didn't even speak to them.
00:47:38.52\00:47:40.52
And Jesus asked for a
drink of water at that time
00:47:40.56\00:47:43.32
and she said,
"What you've been a Jew,
00:47:43.36\00:47:44.73
ask drink of water
from me, a Samaritan woman?"
00:47:44.76\00:47:47.83
Because, you know, they
were so down looked upon,
00:47:47.86\00:47:50.87
you know, that it was amazing.
00:47:50.90\00:47:52.93
He was beginning to
break the ice there.
00:47:53.00\00:47:55.14
He knew that the gospel
was going to Samaria as well.
00:47:55.17\00:47:57.97
So we find that people
from Jerusalem went down to say,
00:47:58.01\00:48:00.84
"What is this work that Philip
is doing with the Samaritans?"
00:48:00.88\00:48:04.38
And now we also
find the gentiles
00:48:04.41\00:48:06.01
in Antioch were
receiving a message.
00:48:06.05\00:48:07.88
Acts 11:22.
00:48:07.92\00:48:11.52
It says, "Then
tidings of these things
00:48:11.55\00:48:14.02
came into the ears of the church
00:48:14.06\00:48:16.32
which was in Jerusalem,
and they sent forth Barnabas
00:48:16.36\00:48:20.20
that he should go
as far as Antioch."
00:48:20.23\00:48:22.80
I thought that is
interesting, Brother Ronnie,
00:48:22.83\00:48:24.87
when he said it went
to the ears of the church.
00:48:24.90\00:48:27.64
Yeah. The church has ears.
00:48:27.67\00:48:29.47
Yeah. Not just
an ear, it has ears.
00:48:29.50\00:48:30.94
It has ears.
Church hears everything.
00:48:30.97\00:48:32.94
Yeah, yeah.
00:48:32.97\00:48:34.31
And things that's not being said
00:48:34.34\00:48:36.01
sometimes they hear
things that wasn't said.
00:48:36.04\00:48:41.35
Another point I
think it's very interesting
00:48:41.38\00:48:43.25
he is making over there is
Paul was called to the gentiles
00:48:43.28\00:48:48.06
and he did it in such a
way that was so different
00:48:48.09\00:48:51.19
than sometime we handle it.
00:48:51.23\00:48:54.30
I'll give you an
example, as years ago,
00:48:54.30\00:48:57.63
there's a pastor that
came in and his words were,
00:48:57.67\00:49:02.40
"I've come to
straighten everybody out."
00:49:02.44\00:49:05.37
Well, all of
sudden my ears closed.
00:49:05.41\00:49:10.75
There's a way in
which to handle it
00:49:10.78\00:49:12.31
and God was
equipping these individuals
00:49:12.35\00:49:15.22
to handle it the right
way not to shut the ears off
00:49:15.25\00:49:18.39
but to open the ears.
00:49:18.42\00:49:20.52
Amen. Yes, yes.
00:49:20.56\00:49:22.16
And as you said
there is certainly
00:49:22.19\00:49:24.83
a way to do those things
00:49:24.86\00:49:26.56
and you know the gifts
that were given to the church,
00:49:26.59\00:49:29.10
everybody wasn't
given the same gift?
00:49:29.13\00:49:31.07
That's right.
00:49:31.10\00:49:32.43
And we find that in
the church a lot of times
00:49:32.47\00:49:34.07
there are people who
says, "I have the gift of this."
00:49:34.10\00:49:37.17
You know, and if
you know them well,
00:49:37.24\00:49:38.71
you may say that's the last gift
00:49:38.74\00:49:40.21
they have, you
know, not the first.
00:49:40.24\00:49:43.18
For instance, you
know, somebody may say,
00:49:43.21\00:49:44.65
"Well, I think that I
should be in charge of the music
00:49:44.68\00:49:47.25
in the church."
00:49:47.28\00:49:48.62
And, you know, for a
fact they can't carry a tune.
00:49:48.65\00:49:50.89
You know, you think,
well, that's the last person
00:49:50.92\00:49:52.59
that would be in charge of that,
00:49:52.62\00:49:53.99
yet they feel like
this is my calling,
00:49:54.02\00:49:56.06
you know, but you...
00:49:56.09\00:49:57.43
You find that a lot. Yes.
00:49:57.46\00:49:59.83
So anyway Paul was finding
so many things to crop up,
00:49:59.86\00:50:03.87
to try and spoil his ministry.
00:50:03.90\00:50:06.63
And as we look
at the circumcision
00:50:06.67\00:50:08.67
was a big huge thing
00:50:08.70\00:50:10.84
and it seemed like in Galatians,
00:50:10.87\00:50:12.41
it went on and on and
on about circumcision.
00:50:12.44\00:50:16.21
And what really was
00:50:16.24\00:50:17.61
the whole purpose
of the circumcision?
00:50:17.65\00:50:19.45
What was that all about?
Why did God require His people?
00:50:19.48\00:50:24.22
What was the
sign of circumcision?
00:50:24.25\00:50:26.39
Shelley, give me
your information on that?
00:50:26.45\00:50:27.79
Give me your thoughts?
00:50:27.82\00:50:29.16
Well, it's a sign
of the old covenant
00:50:29.19\00:50:30.53
and it was supposed,
00:50:30.56\00:50:32.43
I think of it is when
Abraham made the mistake
00:50:32.46\00:50:36.53
of trying to help God...
00:50:36.56\00:50:38.27
Okay. Yes.
00:50:38.30\00:50:41.14
Producing an heir.
00:50:41.17\00:50:42.50
He was wanting an heir,
00:50:42.54\00:50:43.91
and it was
supposed be a promised child
00:50:43.94\00:50:45.54
but Abraham decided
to take his wife's advice
00:50:45.57\00:50:49.54
and he slept with his
concubine and had a child.
00:50:49.61\00:50:55.08
I think it's circumcision
we're just showing you
00:50:55.12\00:50:58.69
there is no such thing
00:50:58.72\00:51:00.19
as working out
your own salvation.
00:51:00.22\00:51:02.39
Yes.
00:51:02.42\00:51:03.76
So circumcision
was to be to us like
00:51:03.79\00:51:06.90
what nowadays baptism is to
us, it was a sign of a covenant,
00:51:06.93\00:51:11.73
it was the seal of the covenant.
00:51:11.77\00:51:13.10
Okay.
00:51:13.13\00:51:14.47
And it was intended
to be a circumcised heart
00:51:14.50\00:51:18.11
because even the
women were considered,
00:51:18.14\00:51:21.14
they weren't
circumcised physically
00:51:21.18\00:51:22.81
but they were
part of the covenant.
00:51:22.84\00:51:24.28
Yes. Okay.
00:51:24.31\00:51:25.65
Let's look at then the
question is asked here,
00:51:25.68\00:51:27.72
how did certain
believers from Judea
00:51:27.75\00:51:30.25
try to counteract Paul's work
00:51:30.29\00:51:31.62
with the gentile
Christians in Antioch?
00:51:31.65\00:51:33.46
Acts 15:1-5.
00:51:33.52\00:51:36.62
Johnny, you got that one?
00:51:40.16\00:51:42.20
I...
00:51:42.23\00:51:43.60
Acts 15:1-5.
00:51:43.63\00:51:45.67
Almost have it. Okay.
00:51:45.70\00:51:48.30
Let's see what God
00:51:48.34\00:51:49.97
what is saying now
about circumcision?
00:51:50.04\00:51:53.44
"And certain men
which came down from Judea
00:51:53.51\00:51:56.21
taught the brethren and said,
00:51:56.24\00:51:57.58
'Except ye be circumcised
after the manner of Moses,
00:51:57.61\00:52:01.25
ye cannot be saved.
00:52:01.28\00:52:03.62
When therefore,
Paul and Barnabas
00:52:03.69\00:52:05.29
had no small dissension
and disputation with them,
00:52:05.32\00:52:09.06
they determined
that Paul and Barnabas,
00:52:09.09\00:52:11.43
and certain other of
them, should go up to Jerusalem,
00:52:11.46\00:52:15.40
unto the apostles and
elders, about this question.
00:52:15.43\00:52:18.33
And being brought on
their way by the church,
00:52:18.37\00:52:20.50
they passed through Phoenicia
or Phenice and Samaria,
00:52:20.57\00:52:24.74
declaring the
conversion of the gentiles,
00:52:24.77\00:52:26.84
and they caused great
joy unto all the brethren.
00:52:26.91\00:52:30.18
And when they
were come to Jerusalem,
00:52:30.21\00:52:31.65
they were
received of the church,
00:52:31.68\00:52:33.45
and of the apostles and elders,
00:52:33.48\00:52:35.08
and they declared all the things
00:52:35.12\00:52:37.02
that God had done with them.
00:52:37.05\00:52:38.65
But there rose up certain
of the sect of the Pharisees
00:52:38.69\00:52:42.56
which believed, saying,
00:52:42.59\00:52:43.96
that it was
needful to circumcise them,
00:52:43.99\00:52:46.86
and to command them
to keep the law of Moses.
00:52:46.93\00:52:51.23
Okay.
00:52:51.27\00:52:52.60
Did you notice
they actually said
00:52:52.63\00:52:54.04
you had to be circumcised
or you could not be saved?
00:52:54.07\00:52:56.40
Yeah. Yeah.
00:52:56.44\00:52:57.77
So what were they doing here?
00:52:57.81\00:52:59.34
Paul was bringing in
the salvation by grace
00:52:59.37\00:53:03.41
and what was they trying to do?
00:53:03.45\00:53:04.85
By works.
00:53:04.88\00:53:06.21
Try to make it
salvation by grace plus works.
00:53:06.25\00:53:08.48
Plus works. Yes,
yes. So false gospel.
00:53:08.52\00:53:11.45
We probably all
thought, you know,
00:53:11.49\00:53:13.42
God's part is righteousness
but my part is, you know...
00:53:13.49\00:53:19.09
It's like it takes
two parts to get us saved,
00:53:19.13\00:53:21.53
what do you think about that?
00:53:21.56\00:53:22.90
Oh, absolutely.
00:53:22.93\00:53:24.27
I think in today in the
church the same thing happens,
00:53:24.30\00:53:27.04
I can think back in my
own experience thinking
00:53:27.07\00:53:29.57
I know I'm saved by grace,
00:53:29.60\00:53:31.01
but somehow I
have to do stuff myself
00:53:31.04\00:53:35.08
not realizing it's surrender,
00:53:35.11\00:53:36.95
it's allowing the Holy
Spirit to come in and...
00:53:36.98\00:53:40.32
God is the one who works in me
00:53:40.35\00:53:42.52
both to will and to
do of His good pleasure.
00:53:42.55\00:53:44.99
You know, as we
look at this letter
00:53:45.02\00:53:46.65
as I'm closing up my part,
00:53:46.69\00:53:48.19
we find that Paul
then talks about in depth
00:53:48.22\00:53:51.66
that circumcision
counts for nothing
00:53:51.69\00:53:53.73
when it comes to salvation.
00:53:53.80\00:53:55.20
You know, it was the works
00:53:55.23\00:53:57.23
that they were trying
to put on the gentiles.
00:53:57.27\00:53:59.50
Yes.
00:53:59.53\00:54:00.94
And Paul said, you know, if
you're gonna act like a Jew,
00:54:00.97\00:54:03.44
you know, act like a Jew,
00:54:03.47\00:54:06.11
but we are not imposing these
Jewish things on the gentiles.
00:54:06.14\00:54:10.55
Amen. Amen.
00:54:10.58\00:54:12.01
Well, this is a great beginning,
00:54:12.05\00:54:14.45
I just think about here
you've got this young man,
00:54:14.48\00:54:18.55
very intelligent,
very well educated,
00:54:18.59\00:54:21.52
a young man who has
undaunting courage and he...
00:54:21.56\00:54:26.36
The reason Paul
couldn't accept Christians is
00:54:26.39\00:54:29.66
because the
idea that the Messiah
00:54:29.70\00:54:31.77
would be crucified was such...
00:54:31.80\00:54:34.54
I mean, that totally,
00:54:34.57\00:54:36.40
they didn't expect the
Messiah to come at that way,
00:54:36.44\00:54:39.94
they expected Him
to set up a little,
00:54:39.97\00:54:41.98
established God's
Kingdom as a political power.
00:54:42.01\00:54:45.41
And the idea that
he would be crucified
00:54:45.45\00:54:47.55
like a common
criminal was too much.
00:54:47.58\00:54:50.92
So he's out in his mind
putting to death the people
00:54:50.95\00:54:55.59
who are blasphemers,
they're apostates, you know,
00:54:55.62\00:55:00.13
because most of
them were all Jew,
00:55:00.16\00:55:01.50
I mean, he was
Jews he was persecuting
00:55:01.53\00:55:04.43
because that's all
who had heard the message.
00:55:04.47\00:55:06.53
But to think that on
that road to Damascus here
00:55:06.57\00:55:10.77
he is on his high horse
00:55:10.81\00:55:14.41
and God knocks him
off his high horse...
00:55:14.44\00:55:15.94
Yes.
00:55:15.98\00:55:17.31
But Jesus, God
had a plan for Paul,
00:55:17.35\00:55:20.38
Saul he would become not
only would he be joined to those
00:55:20.42\00:55:25.62
he was persecuting,
00:55:25.65\00:55:27.02
not only would
he began to preach
00:55:27.06\00:55:29.39
and defend Jesus Christ.
00:55:29.42\00:55:31.93
But God, Jesus tells him,
00:55:31.96\00:55:34.13
"I'm sending you
to the gentiles."
00:55:34.20\00:55:36.80
And he says in
Acts 26:18 quoting
00:55:36.83\00:55:40.17
what Christ said to him,
00:55:40.20\00:55:42.00
"I'm sending you
to open their eyes
00:55:42.04\00:55:44.61
to turn them from
darkness to light,
00:55:44.64\00:55:48.44
from the power of
Satan to the power of God
00:55:48.48\00:55:51.88
that they may receive
an inheritance among those
00:55:51.91\00:55:57.12
who are
sanctified by faith in me."
00:55:57.15\00:56:01.12
So right away Jesus gave
him that gospel by grace alone,
00:56:01.16\00:56:08.10
by faith alone message.
00:56:08.13\00:56:10.30
Now the interesting
thing that you said Jill,
00:56:10.33\00:56:12.70
he goes and he's off
for three years studying.
00:56:12.73\00:56:16.00
What was he studying?
00:56:16.04\00:56:17.64
The very same
scriptures that he was using
00:56:17.67\00:56:20.71
to defend his error
00:56:20.74\00:56:22.78
because you
mentioned that as well, Kenny.
00:56:22.81\00:56:24.88
Sometimes we got an opinion
and it's based on scripture
00:56:24.91\00:56:28.48
but his opinion was erroneous.
00:56:28.52\00:56:31.55
So now that was the only Bible,
the only scriptures they had.
00:56:31.59\00:56:34.59
He is studying
through the same scriptures
00:56:34.62\00:56:37.46
and suddenly with
a different light,
00:56:37.49\00:56:41.23
he is seeing that
all of the Old Testament
00:56:41.26\00:56:44.27
was pointing to Jesus Christ.
00:56:44.30\00:56:45.63
Amen.
00:56:45.67\00:56:47.00
So it is such an exciting study.
00:56:47.04\00:56:49.87
I hope that you
will be able to join us
00:56:49.90\00:56:52.34
week by week as we look
00:56:52.37\00:56:54.91
at Paul's defense of his
gospel of salvation by grace,
00:56:54.94\00:56:59.68
righteousness by faith.
00:56:59.71\00:57:01.35
And I hope...
00:57:01.38\00:57:02.88
I know that we're
growing as we study,
00:57:02.92\00:57:06.05
and our hope is that
00:57:06.09\00:57:07.59
you will be
growing as you study.
00:57:07.62\00:57:09.56
But more than
anything on behalf of our panel
00:57:09.59\00:57:13.03
and I'll start down here
with Pastor Ronnie Shelton,
00:57:13.06\00:57:15.96
Jill Morikone,
Pastor Kenny Shelton,
00:57:16.00\00:57:18.90
Pastor John Dinzey,
and myself Shelley Quinn.
00:57:18.93\00:57:23.10
Our prayer for you is
that the grace of our Lord
00:57:23.14\00:57:26.71
and Savior Jesus
Christ, the love of the Father
00:57:26.74\00:57:29.21
and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit
00:57:29.24\00:57:30.85
will be with you always.
00:57:30.88\00:57:32.78
Bye-bye.
00:57:32.81\00:57:34.32