Participants: Jill Morikone (Host), Pr. John Dinzey, Pr. Kenny Shelton, Pr. Ronny Shelton, Shelley Quinn
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP000028A
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00:01 The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word,
00:03 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:07 It says, "To receive with meekness 00:10 the implanted word, 00:11 which is able to save your souls 00:14 and to be diligent to present yourself approved to God 00:18 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:21 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is "The Gospel of Galatians". 00:32 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN's Sabbath School Panel. 00:35 My name is Jill Morikone, 00:37 and we're so glad that you have taken time 00:39 out of your day to open up the Word of God with us 00:42 as we study and share about the Book of Galatians. 00:46 We are in the third quarter this year, 00:48 and the Gospel in Galatians, 00:50 and we're studying the Adult Bible Study Guide 00:53 put out by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:55 If you would like your own copy, 00:57 you're always welcome to go visit 00:59 a local Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:01 and they would be delighted to give you a quarterly. 01:03 If, however, you want to go online 01:06 or you don't attend 01:08 the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 01:09 you can always go to ABSG.Adventist.org. 01:14 That stands for Adult Bible Study Guide.Adventist.org. 01:19 You can download the lesson on your cell phone, 01:22 on your iPad, or your device, and you can print it off 01:26 and follow along with us as we study. 01:28 I'm joined today by a wonderful panel 01:31 men and women of God who love Jesus. 01:34 And I'm excited that each one of you are here. 01:36 To my left is Pastor Kenny Shelton. 01:38 Always good to be here. Thank you. 01:40 It's a privilege to open up the Word of God 01:42 and share with you and each one. 01:44 Brother John Dinzey, 01:45 it's a joy to have you here as well. 01:47 It's great to be here by God's grace. 01:48 Amen. 01:49 And, Shelley Quinn, it's always a privilege to share with you. 01:52 Oh, I love doing this panel, 01:54 getting to hear what everybody has to say, 01:56 great insights. Amen. 01:58 And we're joined by Pastor Ronnie Shelton, 02:00 and we're so glad you're here as well. 02:01 I'm sure glad to be here too. 02:03 And it is fun, ain't it? 02:04 It is fun. It's fun. 02:05 Yes. It is. 02:07 It's a joy to open up God's Word. 02:08 We're studying Galatians, Paul's treaties, you could say, 02:12 on righteousness by faith, 02:14 and what a joy to get in and to open up the Word of God. 02:17 Before we do that we always want to pray. 02:19 We want to invite you at home to bow with us and pray. 02:22 And, Pastor Kenny, would you pray for us? 02:23 Sure. 02:26 Our kind, loving, heavenly Father, 02:27 again a privilege to be able to open the precious book 02:31 called the Bible, bread of life, 02:33 and we pray as we open the book by faith, 02:35 we receive the promises that You would enlighten us 02:38 through the power of thy Holy Spirit, 02:40 illuminate our hearts, and our minds. 02:42 Oh, Lord, we pray 02:43 that You just dismiss the things of this world 02:45 and that we can just concentrate 02:47 and focus upon heaven. 02:48 Bless now, we pray through our minds 02:50 and through the study that's going forward 02:52 but mainly through the power of thy spirit 02:54 that will be brought up 02:56 will bless the hearts, answer the questions 02:58 of those who study right along with us. 03:00 We thank You for each one of them. 03:02 Bless now, we pray, we give You thanks, 03:04 and we give You honor, and give You glory. 03:06 And ask the Holy Spirit to take possession now in Jesus' name. 03:09 Amen. Amen. 03:10 We're studying lesson number three 03:12 which is the Unity of the Gospel. 03:13 Yes. 03:15 And as we know there were several issues 03:17 that Paul was dealing with that he was contending with 03:20 why who wrote the epistle to the Galatians. 03:22 One of them being the Judaizers, 03:24 believed that the gentiles needed to be circumcised 03:27 in order to be saved. 03:28 And he was dealing with, we would say, 03:32 gospel of salvation plus works, 03:35 grace plus works, gospel of grace plus works 03:39 instead of we are saved by grace through faith alone. 03:43 And not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, 03:46 lest any man should boast. 03:47 So as he looked dealt with that, 03:49 we want to look at the unity of the gospel. 03:52 He did everything in his power to maintain the unity 03:56 of the apostolic circle 03:58 in the midst of the attempts by these Judaizers, 04:00 by these believers to destroy it. 04:03 But as important as that unity was to Paul, 04:05 we would discover this week 04:07 that truth must never be compromised 04:10 for the sake of unity, 04:11 and we'll discuss that as we get into it this week. 04:14 But let's go to our memory text first. 04:17 We are in and interestingly 04:19 our memory text is from Philippians. 04:21 We're studying Galatians 04:22 but our memory text is Philippians 2 04:24 and it deals with unity. 04:26 Let's say it together, 2:2, 04:28 "Complete my joy by being of the same mind, 04:32 having the same love, 04:34 being in full accord and of one mind." 04:39 Sunday's lesson talks about the importance of unity. 04:43 And as we jump into that, 04:45 I just want to look at the difference between 04:46 unity and uniformity. 04:49 So uniformity according to the dictionary 04:53 is the quality or state of being uniform. 04:56 Well, that doesn't tell us 04:57 the whole lot, we need to look at 04:59 what does it mean to be uniform. 05:01 Uniform is having always the same form, 05:03 manner, or degree. 05:05 Not varying or variable at all. 05:09 It would be consistent in conduct or opinion 05:12 of the same form with others, 05:14 conforming to one rule or one mode, 05:19 or presenting an unvaried appearance of surface, 05:22 pattern, or color. 05:25 I think about... 05:27 When Greg and I first got married, I... 05:29 We would ride in the car, and this was back in the day 05:31 when now you just push the button and you say, 05:33 "I want my car to set at 75 degrees." 05:35 You know, how you can do that? 05:37 And you can adjust the temperature on the car 05:38 so it sets at 75 degrees. 05:40 Well, when we got married, it just had blue and red. 05:43 And if you want it cold, you turn it more blue 05:46 and if you want it red, you turn it more... 05:48 I mean, you want it hot, you turn it more red. 05:50 So we would get in the car, 05:52 this is when we first got married 05:53 and I would say, "Oh, I am hot, I'm hot." 05:58 And so Greg would reach up 06:00 and he would adjust it like this, "eek" 06:03 And I would say, "That's not enough! 06:05 Eeek!" and I turn it way over to cold. 06:08 Well, you know what happened? 06:10 A minute or two, I'd be going, 06:12 "It's cold in here. Why am I so cold?" 06:15 And he just kind of look at me and I would take the knob 06:18 and I would "Eek" all the way over to warm. 06:20 Well, you know what happened? 06:22 I'd become too hot. That's right, Pastor Ronnie. 06:24 And so then Greg said, "Jilly, you know, 06:26 if you don't adjust this so drastically, 06:29 you would find a happy medium and you would be comfortable." 06:34 Uniformity would be like we would say, 06:36 everyone has to sit at the same temperature, 06:39 the house has to be painted the same color, 06:42 we all have to be cookie cutter Christians 06:44 and have identically the same belief. 06:48 I think uniformity is based in fear. 06:50 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love, 06:54 but perfect love casts out all fear." 06:58 By contrast, what we're studying this week 07:00 is not the uniformity of the gospel. 07:02 We're looking at the unity of the gospel. 07:05 I want to look at three things what unity is 07:08 and we'll contrast that 07:10 with three things what unity is not. 07:13 Unity, this is Merriam-Webster, 07:16 the quality or state of not being multiple, 07:20 a condition of harmony, or accord, 07:24 the quality or state of being made into one. 07:29 It almost symbolizes different people 07:32 coming together into one mind 07:35 like our memory text says one heart. 07:38 You know they say, if you live by yourself, 07:43 maybe you lived by yourself, you're not married, 07:46 you work maybe from home, 07:48 so you don't have co-workers to deal with. 07:51 Maybe you say, "I'm gonna worship at home." 07:54 All of that stuff. 07:55 You buy yourself, you have less possibility 07:58 you could say for friction with other people, 08:00 would that be accurate? 08:01 But the moment you introduce somebody beside yourself, 08:06 the potential for conflict increases exponentially, 08:09 because people think different than we do. 08:12 They live different, they act differently. 08:16 You think about the marriage 08:18 and the potential for could be disagreements in a marriage 08:21 or you multiply that times a 100, 08:23 a 100 people were sitting 08:25 at the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church. 08:27 You imagine if a 100 or 150 or 200 people came to church, 08:31 you have the potential for more conflict. 08:35 Jesus prayer to His disciples... 08:36 Remember, John 17, 08:39 was that they would come into unity 08:42 and to oneness of heart and mind, 08:44 just like He was one with the Father. 08:46 He wanted us to be one 08:48 as brothers and sisters with each other. 08:50 So three things, unity is a place where, 08:53 number one, there is diversity. 08:56 Unity does not mean uniformity 08:58 as in we all like, blue colored carpet, 09:01 or blue colored jackets, it doesn't mean that. 09:03 It means that there is still a place 09:06 where there is diversity. 09:08 Number two, unity is the place where there is humility. 09:13 That's good. 09:14 Disagreements are not something to be feared. 09:16 I think that they stretch us, grow us, humble us, 09:20 make us go to the foot of the cross. 09:24 Let's look at Philippians 2, 09:25 and then we'll get to Galatians here. 09:27 But let's look at Philippians 2:2-4, 09:33 the mind of Christ. 09:35 Yes. 09:36 Verse 2, "Fulfill my joy, by being likeminded, 09:40 having the same love, 09:42 being of one accord, of one mind. 09:44 Let nothing be done 09:45 through selfish ambition or conceit. 09:48 But in lowliness of mind, 09:50 let each esteem be others better than themselves. 09:54 Let each of you look out not for his own interests, 09:57 but for the interests of others." 10:00 Unity thrives where there is humility 10:03 where I esteem Shelley, 10:04 or Pastor Kenny, or Brother Johnny, 10:06 or Pastor Ronnie, or you at home 10:08 as more than I would esteem my own thoughts 10:11 and my own opinions on a certain topic. 10:14 Unity is a place where there's diversity, 10:16 it's a place where there's humility, 10:18 it's also a place 10:19 where there is doctrinal purity. 10:22 We cannot have unity apart from truth, 10:27 and that's what Paul was trying to express 10:29 to the Galatian church, to the believers there. 10:33 You think about Martin Luther, 10:34 he built his belief in justification by faith 10:38 and you could say even the backbone 10:40 of the Protestant Reformation, the 95 Theses 10:43 he nailed to the church door in Wittenberg, 10:46 built off of the concepts, 10:48 the principle of justification by faith 10:50 found in the gospel of Galatians, 10:52 found in the epistle of Galatians. 10:56 Great Controversy, page 166, 11:00 "Had the reformer, meaning Martin Luther, 11:02 yielded a single point 11:04 Satan and his hosts would have gained the victory, 11:07 but his unwavering firmness 11:10 was the means of emancipating the church 11:12 and beginning a new and better era." 11:14 So what if he had said, "Okay, I need to give in 11:18 and they're saying that it's grace and works, 11:20 not just grace so I'm going to do this." 11:22 No, he had to stand for the principle of truth, 11:26 the principle what was in the Word of God. 11:29 And we have doctrine and practical application. 11:32 If you focus on doctrine 11:33 to the exclusion of practical application, 11:36 you have aborted the process and you become arrogant. 11:39 If you focus on practical application 11:42 without a doctrinal foundation, 11:45 we either fall into legalism or superficial Christianity. 11:48 Paul, you find this in his writing, 11:50 he lays the doctrinal foundation first, 11:54 then he applies it 11:55 to the everyday problems of life as we deal with it. 11:58 So unity is the place where there's diversity, 12:00 humility, and doctrinal purity. 12:02 It is not a place where anything goes, 12:05 we know that the Word of God absolutes are important. 12:09 Malachi, 3:6, "I am the Lord, I change not." 12:12 It is not a place where doctrine is unimportant. 12:16 Ephesians 4, let's look real quick there 12:19 at Ephesians 4:13. 12:26 Do you have that, Shelley? Yes. 12:27 Ephesians 4:13? Ephesians 4:13. 12:29 "Till we all come to the unity of the faith, 12:32 and of the knowledge of the Son of God, 12:34 to a perfect man to the measure of the stature 12:38 of the fullness of Christ." 12:40 Amen. We are to strive. 12:42 We all come to the unity of the faith. 12:45 The word for unity means 12:46 especially it means oneness or unity, 12:49 especially the God produced oneness between believers. 12:52 Amen. 12:54 The harmony from sharing likeness of nature 12:56 with the Lord. 12:58 And third, unity is not a place where hurt feelings are held, 13:03 where opinions are held above mutual submission, 13:07 respect, and the study of God's Word. 13:11 We're in Galatians 2. 13:14 This week we look at really Galatians 2:1-14. 13:19 And he begins verse 1 and 2, I'll read 13:21 and then I think Pastor Kenny jumps in after that. 13:24 Verse 1 and 2, Galatians 2, "Then after 14 years, 13:28 I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas." 13:30 Remember, Galatians 1, 13:32 he laid out the gospel, 13:35 he laid out Jesus Christ had come to him 13:38 on the road to Damascus and some of his journey. 13:43 And then now we're in Chapter 2:1, 13:45 "Then after 14 years I went up again to Jerusalem 13:47 with Barnabas and took Titus with me. 13:50 And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them 13:53 that gospel which I preach among the gentiles, 13:56 but privately to those who were of reputation, 13:59 lest by any means I might run or had run in vain." 14:05 He went up to Jerusalem, it was a distance. 14:09 But the false teachers in Galatia 14:11 were claiming that Paul's gospel was not in harmony 14:14 with what Peter and the other apostles taught. 14:17 And in response to this charge, 14:19 Paul said, "I have to go up to Jerusalem 14:21 and I need to discuss this with the brethren 14:24 and we need to come to an agreement pertaining to it." 14:27 Pastor Kenny, you have circumcision 14:29 and the false brethren. 14:30 You know, as we look at this the way this starts out. 14:34 You always have to kind of begin at the beginning 14:36 and even though a part of our lessons 14:38 that you cover different aspects of it 14:40 but there's new people that view, 14:42 there's people who have still questions and new viewers. 14:44 So we have to look at, 14:46 I think it's been answered several different times 14:48 when you look at circumcision 14:50 is a sign of a covenant relationship. 14:52 You know, we're in Genesis 17, "God gives that to Abraham." 14:56 And so and it just didn't include the males, 14:58 it include everyone's been brought out. 15:00 So it's wonderful to know that God has given everyone 15:04 the opportunity to have salvation, 15:07 it's a wonderful thing. 15:08 I mean, you talk about bringing joy and excitement 15:11 that we have an opportunity to be saved in God's Kingdom. 15:14 So as we look at the circumcision 15:17 comes false brethren, what does that mean? 15:19 We're looking at, 15:21 because the way that some took it, 15:23 you know, the way that it started out, 15:25 the way God intended it, 15:26 and the way man came in and begin to change it. 15:29 You quoted there in Malaschi, where God changes not. 15:32 But interesting, man does change 15:35 and he changes a lot sometime, 15:37 but we have to go back to scripture with that. 15:40 And I thought it was very interesting. 15:43 The lesson gave out several passage of scripture 15:46 when you're talking about the circumcision. 15:49 He meant of the what, 15:50 we know what, of the heart, didn't that right? 15:52 What we're talking about? Yes. 15:54 I thought it was very interesting in there, 15:55 that Deuteronomy 10:16, and Deuteronomy 30:6, 15:59 it talks about circumcision 16:01 and even it says, "One circumcision of the heart 16:04 to bring us back, 16:06 notice this, to love God with all of our heart 16:10 and all of our mind. 16:12 That's what it's all about, we realize duty to God, 16:14 duty to our fellowman 16:15 but to bring us back to our love relationship with Christ. 16:18 And even one point again been brought out, 16:20 it's very interesting. 16:22 Paul didn't mince words sometime, 16:23 he just simply, he talked about stiff-necked people, 16:26 you know, stiff-necked people. 16:29 I thought how interesting it is. 16:31 Really, in one aspect of this where you look at it 16:33 and just do a little studying on it, 16:35 it's dealing with apostasy. 16:37 Yes. 16:38 Even in the church, stiff-necked 16:40 because they were going opposite of what was the truth 16:43 and what was right, 16:45 and what many even understood as being truth and right. 16:48 They wanted to do their own thing, 16:50 they got a following. 16:52 You know, no matter what you preach or teach, 16:54 there's somebody who is gonna follow you. 16:56 People say, "Well, I've got a lot of followers." 16:57 That doesn't make you right, you know, what makes us right 17:01 is line upon line, precept upon precept, 17:03 here a little and there a little, 17:05 shall we find out what truth is. 17:07 But, of course, during Paul's time 17:08 naturally the big debate was over, 17:11 whether you were circumcised or not. 17:12 Our lesson brings out 150 years before Jesus, 17:17 you know, what were they doing? 17:19 You know, what were the people in charge? 17:21 They were making people as it were, 17:23 they were forcing men to be circumcised 17:26 and even if you were in the jurisdiction 17:29 of those who were in charge, you were still forced to do it. 17:32 I mean, what kind of a gospel is that? 17:36 What kind of a message really is that? 17:38 I've often said, I'm a believer in the seventh day Sabbath, 17:42 that's just the way it is. 17:43 I'm just convicted and I'm converted on the issue 17:46 at this point of time in my life, 17:47 the seventh day Sabbath. 17:49 You know, no matter what, 17:50 unless somebody can prove in scripture 17:52 that's impossibility. 17:53 And so, you know, we look at this here 17:56 and we come to the point over here, 17:59 if I could make everybody 18:05 become a Seventh-day Adventist, 18:08 I would not do it or observe the Sabbath. 18:11 Would it be right or wrong? 18:13 If you were in authority 18:15 to where you could make everybody 18:17 a Sabbath keeper, would you do it? 18:19 A man forced against his will is of the same opinion still. 18:22 Same opinion still. 18:23 So no, you should not do that because God doesn't... 18:26 He doesn't accept that kind of worship. 18:28 You know, it's certainly is free choice. 18:30 But certainly they did it because there was a reason 18:34 why these folks in leadership did this, 18:37 because they honestly believe that salvation was a state, 18:41 did they not? 18:42 This was... 18:44 How many times have you heard salvational issues? 18:46 If you travel and talk to people enough, 18:49 they're gonna bring everything from A to Z and say, 18:52 and then you look at 18:53 and you're saying you've got to be kidding 18:55 and they're saying, 18:56 "Well, that's a salvational issue!" 18:57 They know it will make you stop and think a little bit 19:00 and lot of time they look at them 19:02 and says, "It's not either." 19:03 But disagree, no, it's not. 19:05 Because many times 19:07 that's their little deal to claw to get in. 19:09 But these folks thought 19:10 it really was a salvational issue 19:12 and it's best if you go ahead and do it anyway. 19:14 You know, you don't want to, you still going to do it 19:15 because what is all about? 19:17 Gehenna or hell, it doesn't have people 19:19 who've been circumcised in it. 19:20 You know, so you're thinking... 19:22 You know, this was really their thought. 19:23 So I was reading along 19:24 and I thought Paul, how about Timothy? 19:27 Now Timothy was a Galatian, wasn't he a gentile, was he? 19:32 What was he? 19:33 He was part Jewish, part Galatian. 19:34 He was part, wasn't he? 19:36 And we have a couple of issue with Timothy and with Titus 19:41 because one of them 19:43 decided it was best for the gospels 19:45 like, some of you are not going to get this, 19:46 because he's talking about a compromise, 19:48 decided it was best to go ahead and be circumcised 19:51 so the doors would be open, so you could preach the gospel. 19:55 In our time we'll say, "Well, if it's truth, 19:57 we're not going to sacrifice anything we're gonna..." 20:01 But then as we look at it down through here, would we say, 20:06 panel, that there was prejudiced in that day? 20:08 Why were people prejudiced at all. 20:10 The Jews were prejudiced that's in Acts 16, 20:13 again because of the prejudice, 20:15 because of the hardness of the heart, 20:17 because of what they believed, they said, 20:20 "You know, this is best if we go ahead and do that, 20:22 that way the doors will be open." 20:23 But you know, you never sacrifice the truth. 20:26 That's right. You never sacrifice truth. 20:28 I think that's part of the unity. 20:29 You know, even if they say, even there's a war, 20:32 you stand for what is truth and what is right. 20:34 And Titus again was full blooded gentile 20:36 but, you know, God had another plan here. 20:40 As he was setting the stage so that the rest of the church 20:43 and the rest of the people 20:44 and what Paul was preaching and teaching, 20:46 that people would grasp it, 20:47 there was examples given so that they could follow it 20:51 and they could understand so they could be in unity. 20:53 I mean, I'm seeing a lot of unity, 20:55 and I'm seeing a lot of harmony, 20:57 but I also noticed when you call for unity 21:00 and harmony, you have people 21:02 who do not want that in the church. 21:05 They don't want it, they're not gonna say that 21:07 but they go against every time. 21:09 You'll say, "You know, 21:11 if we can just come together on this issue." 21:12 And they're like, "Oh, no, 21:13 we're not gonna to do that at all." 21:15 So, but God will encourage us and strengthen us 21:18 that we must have unity, that's what Christ prayed for, 21:22 that's exactly what's going to take place. 21:24 And I don't know if you have ever asked yourself 21:26 as how's it going to come about? 21:28 It was too big for me to answer. 21:31 How is this unity that Christ prayed for, 21:33 how can we all be one? 21:34 When like you say, you have a 100 people... 21:36 There's a difference, there's a difference. 21:38 When you're talking about really unified 21:40 in giving the three angels' message, 21:42 for instance, you know. 21:44 All of a sudden, here we might differ on a few things 21:46 but I think when it comes to giving the gospel, 21:49 the giving the good news, 21:50 giving the three angels' message, 21:52 giving those distinctive truths that God has in His word, 21:55 I think we're in agreement on those things. 21:57 That binds us together, that helps us to... 22:00 That works together 22:01 and let's not just focus on like, 22:03 say, the color of clothes we have or whatever 22:05 which people will do that. 22:06 They're worried about what color hanky you have here 22:09 rather than what's being said. 22:10 They're worried about what kind of shoes you wear, 22:13 or they're worried about if you say aha-aha. 22:15 I get a letter once said, "Hey, Kenny, shut up." 22:16 They say, "Be quiet." 22:18 You say, "Aha-aha" too much and praise the Lord. 22:20 Well, everybody's just different. 22:22 Me too, I get those too. 22:24 And they basically say, "Be quiet." 22:26 And I try to write back and say, everybody's not quiet, 22:29 it doesn't make you right or wrong 22:31 but there is a time and a place 22:32 and certainly we need to be respectful of other folks. 22:35 But we're different 22:36 but yet we need to be respectful of one another. 22:39 Paul said there is freedom and I love it. 22:43 There is freedom in Christ Jesus. 22:44 Amen. 22:46 Whether you circumcise or whether you were not, 22:48 he said it doesn't matter. 22:50 The book's very clear on that. 22:51 We read, the Bible's very clear on that. 22:53 But he says, right, we have liberty, I love that, 22:55 in Jesus Christ salvation 22:57 and it's not by doing, it's not by earning, 23:00 it's been brought forth beautifully here. 23:02 It's a free gift of God. 23:04 And I'm so very grateful and thankful for that. 23:06 And that was not, maybe not just really easy, 23:10 my brother mentioned there before 23:11 in the way we were raised, 23:13 that was not really a easy concept 23:15 to grasp because our mind at small age was geared, 23:19 at least mine was a little bit different. 23:21 It was geared more works orientated 23:25 rather than it's a free gift. 23:26 And once I got that through my head, 23:27 it actually brought a lot of joy. 23:29 Oh, yeah. A lot of happiness. 23:31 And there's nothing that I can do, 23:34 I am a hopeless case without Christ Jesus. 23:37 There's nothing I can do to earn it. 23:39 Twenty-four-seven we work for Him, we do this... 23:42 No, doesn't earn... Doesn't count. 23:44 It's only by Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, 23:46 and by His blood, and I'm depended upon Him. 23:50 I thank God for these lessons 23:52 and I'm praying that everyone studying along with 23:56 will really get into maybe deeper than 23:57 maybe we have in the past 24:00 and really look at part of what we're talking about... 24:02 Part of our lesson says, identify what the gospel is. 24:05 Amen. 24:06 And I just want to point out one thing 24:07 because I don't think you finished your thought, 24:09 that here in chapter 2, 24:11 as Paul is recounting 24:13 when he went to the Jerusalem Council, 24:17 obviously, Titus was with him, who was a full-blooded gentile. 24:22 So he goes up in AD 49 for this Jerusalem Council, 24:26 and we'll study this in a little bit 24:28 that what the letter said was, 24:31 "Okay, gentiles don't have to be in." 24:33 And he makes this point right here. 24:35 "Not even Titus who was with me 24:38 being a Greek was compelled to be circumcised." 24:42 So, you know, I just want to make sure 24:44 people understood... 24:45 Well, there was unity there, 24:47 wasn't there with Paul's gospel? 24:48 Absolutely. Absolutely. 24:49 Unity came together with the church and with Paul. 24:51 Yes. Good. 24:52 There is such freedom in that unity 24:54 and praise the Lord for that. 24:55 Brother Johnny, you have Unity in Diversity, 24:58 how do we achieve that? 24:59 Strangely enough this portion 25:01 which is Tuesday's entitled Unity in Diversity. 25:07 The lesson tells us to go to Galatians 2 25:12 and go through verses 1-10. 25:15 I'm gonna go up to verse 4 25:17 and then begin a little talk or hear about, 25:20 was something that brought out in the lesson about freedom. 25:23 So verse 1, Galatians 2:1, "Then 14 years 25:29 after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, 25:32 and took Titus with me also. 25:34 And I went up by revelation, 25:36 and communicated unto them that gospel 25:39 which I preach among the gentiles, wonderful, 25:43 but privately to them which were of reputation, 25:46 lest by any means I should run, or had run in vain. 25:50 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, 25:53 was compelled to be circumcised. 25:56 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, 26:00 who came in privily or privately, if you prefer, 26:03 to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus 26:08 that they might bring us into bondage." 26:13 So these false brethren, 26:18 their intention was not good. 26:21 Their intention was to bring them 26:23 again to bondage. 26:25 So what do you mean bondage? 26:28 We're gonna have to talk about bondage and freedom here, 26:29 because Paul called bondage 26:34 that system of sacrifices and ordinances that continued 26:38 after Jesus Christ was crucified. 26:42 After Jesus Christ was crucified, 26:45 there was an understanding that we were to come into, 26:50 that the light was shining greater. 26:52 Greater light came 26:54 in which Jesus being the Lamb of God 26:57 was crucified for us. 27:00 So the system of sacrifices 27:01 and offerings had its importance, 27:03 had its time until Jesus died on the cross. 27:07 And so the people that went back 27:10 into that practice, 27:11 Paul called bondage. 27:14 So now he is talking about freedom. 27:17 They came to spy out the freedom we have in Christ. 27:21 And so we have to look at the context 27:23 of why he uses the word freedom here 27:26 and the lesson brings out 27:27 some interesting things about freedom 27:29 because we have freedom in Christ. 27:31 Now freedom from that living 27:35 according to the practices of the ritual offerings, 27:39 and the sacrifices, and all those things, 27:41 that's the freedom that he's talking about, why? 27:43 Because Jesus fulfilled those things. 27:47 And because He is the Lamb of God 27:49 that was crucified for us, 27:52 we don't have to sacrifice or crucify, 27:54 sacrifice lambs anymore. 27:56 The true sacrifice had come, 28:00 so we no longer need to rely on animal sacrifices 28:04 for the forgiveness of our sins. 28:05 So this freedom when we talk about freedom, 28:08 I've to keep an eye on the clock here. 28:10 So this freedom, when we talk about freedom, 28:12 is freedom in Jesus because we accept Jesus 28:15 as our personal Savior and we accept Jesus 28:18 as our personal Savior, 28:19 we give Him our baggage of sins, 28:23 all of our sins. 28:25 And He died on the cross for those, 28:27 so we no longer need to be living 28:30 under the condemnation of those sins. 28:32 That's right. 28:34 So let's look at this wonderful thing here 28:36 that is the freedom in Christ. 28:39 So we're talking about a Christian experience 28:41 and we're talking about freedom, 28:42 if you may or an interesting thing 28:44 is brought out in the lesson, that freedom is a word 28:48 that Paul uses more than any other writer 28:51 in the New Testament, interesting. 28:53 So this freedom in Christ comes as an understanding 28:57 that Christ, our sacrifice, our lamb, 29:01 our Passover was sacrificed for us. 29:04 And it involves also, this freedom involves 29:07 freedom from being enslaved 29:10 to the desires of our sinful nature. 29:12 You can read Romans 6 about that, 29:15 but I would like to ask somebody to read Romans 8:1, 2, 29:21 Romans 8:1, 2, oh, see Sister Jill already has it, 29:24 could you please read that for us? 29:25 "There is therefore now no condemnation 29:28 to those who are in Christ Jesus, 29:30 who do not walk according to the flesh, 29:32 but according to the Spirit. 29:33 For the law of the Spirit of life 29:35 in Christ Jesus has made me free 29:38 from the law of sin and death. 29:40 Amen, so we have here 29:42 that there is no condemnation to them they are what? 29:46 In Christ Jesus. 29:49 I know Shelley wants to talk a lot about that. 29:52 This being in Christ Jesus is the liberty that we have. 29:56 Yes. 29:57 And if you're not in Christ Jesus, 29:59 oh, oh, then you have condemnation, 30:02 'cause you find no condemnation when you are in Christ Jesus, 30:07 but if you're not in Christ Jesus, 30:08 then there is condemnation. 30:10 So there is no condemnation to them 30:13 that are in Christ Jesus, but now there is a qualifier. 30:17 Shelley, want to talk to us about the qualifier? 30:19 Are you putting it over to my day? 30:21 No, not yet. Oh wait. 30:23 Where... I was... 30:24 In the verse, Romans 8, what does the next part say? 30:27 Oh, about walking not according to the flesh 30:32 but according to the spirit. 30:33 There it is. So if you're not walking, 30:36 if you're walking according to the flesh, 30:39 then you don't have the freedom in Christ Jesus. 30:41 So there's a balance here that we've talked about, 30:44 that we've talked about, we just talked about, 30:46 we don't throw the Ten Commandments away 30:50 because Christ died on the cross. 30:52 No, the commandments continued, because, you know, 30:55 it's interesting sometimes, I said to people, 30:58 "So you don't believe the Ten Commandments 30:59 are binding up on people?" 31:01 "No, I don't." 31:03 "Did you ever do any door-to-door work? 31:08 Or tried to help somebody know about Jesus?" 31:13 And they say, "Yes, I have done that." 31:15 So they work to lead people 31:19 to understand that they are sinners. 31:22 They say, "Well, what is a sinner?" 31:23 Oh, oh. 31:24 A sinner is someone who has committed sins, 31:26 and the Bible says, 31:27 "The sin is the transgression of the law." 31:29 So you cannot take away the law, 31:31 because if you take away the law, 31:32 then there are no sinners. 31:33 That's right. 31:35 But we have freedom in Christ Jesus 31:36 because He is the one that took our sins. 31:38 The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world 31:41 takes our sins, and so we have this freedom, 31:44 this freedom to walk in no condemnation 31:48 because we are in Christ Jesus and this, 31:51 "Are in Christ Jesus", 31:52 is continuing being in Christ Jesus. 31:56 Amen. And that brings you liberty. 31:59 Liberty, what do you mean liberty? 32:02 Now liberty to do whatever you want. 32:04 Liberty to be freed from sin, 32:09 as it says in Romans 6:7, 32:12 let me read verse Roman 6:6, 7. 32:15 "Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him, 32:19 that is Jesus, that the body of sin 32:22 might be destroyed or rendered helpless, 32:27 the henceforth we should not serve sin 32:31 for he that is dead is freed from sin." 32:34 So through Jesus Christ we can be freed from sin, 32:37 to them and walk after the flesh, 32:42 not after the flesh but after the spirit. 32:45 And so reading verse 2, Romans 8:2, 32:48 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus 32:50 has made me free from the law of sin and death." 32:53 Now we just have about two minutes 32:55 and something to talk about 32:58 the fact that Paul was called to preach unto the... 33:02 Gentiles. Gentiles. 33:04 While Peter was called to preach unto them 33:06 that are called the circumcision. 33:08 That's right. True. 33:09 So where, this is, this is the diversity 33:10 that they're talking about. 33:12 Not that there is not unity, 33:14 it was the same gospel being preached to the gentiles, 33:17 it was the same gospel being preached to the circumcision, 33:20 but there was a difference in the approach, 33:23 and that's what made the difference. 33:25 The difference in the approach, 33:26 because you have to help the circumcision understand 33:29 that Christ fulfilled the sacrificial system, 33:34 and the gentiles have to understand 33:36 that there is a savior, 33:38 that you were once tossed to and fro, 33:41 but now you are, you can be a child of God, 33:44 and child of Abraham 33:47 as they say, children of Abraham. 33:49 All through Christ Jesus, 33:50 because Jesus Christ is the one that gives us the freedom. 33:53 So even today there are people 33:56 that come from different walks of life, 33:58 and you would not approach 34:00 somebody that was into witchcraft. 34:04 For example, in the same way you would approach someone 34:07 that is an atheist. 34:09 There may be some, I'm thinking of a young man 34:13 that called 3ABN, I hope I can say this in one minute. 34:16 He called 3ABN once and he said, 34:21 that he was a Satan worshipper, and he was a Satan worshipper 34:24 because that's what he was taught by people, 34:28 and when I tried to tell him about Jesus, 34:30 he began to get excited about the freedom 34:35 that he could have in Christ Jesus. 34:37 Amen. Yes. 34:38 And he began to understand 34:40 that there is liberty in Jesus Christ, 34:43 because when you read the gospel, 34:45 when people hear the gospel. 34:49 That's why Paul says, "I marvel," 34:52 that you are so soon removed from the gospel 34:55 because the joy of the gospel to Paul was such 34:58 that he'd say, "How can anyone give that up 35:01 and go to something 35:03 that brings you under punished." 35:05 I have to stop. Amen and amen. 35:08 Oh, I don't know why I'm sitting here 35:10 yawning about to fall asleep. 35:11 It is not because I am bored. 35:15 I have win states 35:16 which is the confrontation in Antioch 35:20 and so here Paul has just talked about, 35:23 he's related the story to them, how he went to Jerusalem AD 49, 35:29 about the council that he met with the leaders of the church, 35:34 and now he's gonna tell them about what happened in Antioch. 35:37 And Antioch was a place 35:41 where both Paul and Barnabas ministered. 35:44 It was the first gentile church, Antioch, Syria. 35:49 And it was the most important church 35:51 other than the mother church of Jerusalem, 35:54 in the early church. 35:56 Antioch was the third largest city 35:59 of the Roman world and it was a huge culture of, 36:05 it was a commercial center, but it was also a place 36:09 where there was a lot of pagan worship, 36:13 and the worship of these pagan idols 36:16 promoted immoral sexuality and all kinds of other evils. 36:22 So, but Antioch is the first church 36:25 to send out missionaries 36:27 when they laid hands on Paul and Barnabas 36:30 and they were the first to be called Christians. 36:33 Did you know, I looked this it up, 36:35 the word Christian is only used three times 36:39 in the entire Bible, in the New Testament. 36:42 First was Acts 11:26, where it says 36:45 that the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch 36:49 and it was meant to be, it meant to belong to Christ 36:54 and this was supposed to be kind of like 36:57 a dig at them, a slam at them. 36:59 Ridicule. Mercy. 37:00 But it entered sacred vocabulary 37:03 as something that was very beautiful. 37:06 So the fact that this term was coined in Antioch, 37:12 it makes you think that those people at Antioch, 37:15 you know, most of the Jews, their problem was... 37:18 and I understand this, 37:19 everyone of God's covenants built on the next. 37:24 It is just an unfolding revelation 37:27 of God's plan of salvation. 37:29 So the Jews looked at Christianity, 37:33 the Christian Jews, they looked at Christianity, 37:35 it's kind of like a little addition to Judaism 37:38 and that's why they could, 37:39 they had such a hard thing of letting go, 37:42 but this idea that they were called Christians there, 37:46 it kind of separates the Christians from Judaism. 37:51 Now, James has assumed the leadership 37:55 of the Jerusalem church, 37:57 probably because Peter and the other apostles 38:00 were traveling quite a bit 38:02 and he was the one who was the spokesperson 38:05 at this Jerusalem Council. 38:06 Let's look at Acts 15:24. 38:09 He's presiding as the spokesmen, 38:14 when this council was called 38:15 regarding Paul's gentile mission 38:18 and in Acts 15:24, 38:20 here is the result of the council. 38:24 It says in this letter, "Since we have heard 38:28 that some who went out from us, 38:30 from Jerusalem have troubled you with words, 38:33 unsettling your soul, saying, 38:36 "You must be circumcised and keep the law, 38:40 to whom we gave no such command." 38:44 So these Judaizers were going forward 38:48 under their own steam. 38:50 They believed they were right, they didn't care 38:52 what the mother church practiced, whatever. 38:54 So they didn't root out all the Judaizers, 38:57 who believed that 38:58 it was the gospel of Jesus Christ, 39:01 plus circumcision, plus the works of the law. 39:05 And what they were doing was bringing, 39:08 they were bringing now here in Galatia, 39:11 these people back under bondage to the law, 39:13 because it says, 39:14 if you're gonna live by the law, 39:16 I mean, you got to do everything in the law, right? 39:19 So, now Paul has told them 39:23 about that encounter with Peter 39:27 and how they all left his friends and everything. 39:30 But now he's going to further demonstrate 39:33 his apostolic authority here and he relates the story 39:37 about the Antioch church. 39:39 So this was sometime 39:40 after this consultation at Jerusalem. 39:46 So Judaizers went up to visit the Antioch church 39:50 at the time that Peter was also visiting. 39:53 So what happens is these Judaizers 39:57 just are astounded that Peter from their church in Jerusalem 40:04 is eating with uncircumcised gentiles, 40:08 and they gave him a hard time 40:10 and Peter weakens under their influence. 40:13 He's afraid of offending his own countrymen 40:15 so he joins this little click, 40:17 he reverts back to his prejudice ways 40:20 because Jews, see the rabbi said that, 40:23 if I sat, if I entered your home, 40:25 if you're a uncircumcised gentile, 40:27 if I entered your home, if I sat with you at dinner 40:30 that I would become ceremonially unclean. 40:34 So the Jews would not touch a gentile, 40:37 they didn't want anything to do with them. 40:38 Let me interject because, 40:40 he had been doing that previously, right? 40:42 Before the Jews came to town 40:44 he had been socializing with them... 40:46 Eating with them... Yeah, that's what they think. 40:47 They come find him doing this. 40:48 We were all equal... 40:50 Till these guys come in now. Yeah, they come... 40:51 And find Peter and they are like, 40:53 "Can't believe you're doing this." 40:54 So what happens is Peter becomes two-faced. 40:59 I mean, really he's humoring man's circumcised group 41:02 by pulling back, and it shows you... 41:06 You know, when you're at leadership position, 41:08 it is very dangerous for you to make the wrong move. 41:14 You can split the church, because he even led Barnabas, 41:19 Barnabas was led to follow him. 41:22 So now all of a sudden Peter who's been as you said, 41:26 he is been with these gentiles, he's been eating, 41:28 they've been fellowshipping together during his visit. 41:31 These Judaizers coming 41:32 and they're just like, "Oh! How could you?" 41:35 Yeah. How could you? 41:36 So now, he separates and so does Barnabas. 41:40 So Paul knowing certain terms, 41:43 he confronts hypocrisy of Peter 41:47 and here's what he says in Galatians 2:11-13, 41:52 and by the way this little argument shows 41:55 that Paul was in no ways inferior to Peter 41:59 or the rest of the apostles. 42:00 So Galatians 2:11, 42:03 "Now when Peter had come to Antioch, 42:05 I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed. 42:11 For before certain men came from James, " 42:14 now that doesn't mean that James sent them, 42:17 'cause we've already seen, he didn't send them out, 42:19 but they're coming from the mother church. 42:22 "Before men came from James, 42:25 Peter would eat with the gentiles. 42:26 But when they came, 42:28 he withdrew and separated himself 42:29 fearing those who are of the circumcision 42:32 and rest of the Jews also played 42:35 the hypocrite with him, 42:38 so that even Barnabas was carried away." 42:41 So, see the mother church 42:42 didn't practice this in Jerusalem. 42:44 Peter didn't practice this separation of the Jews 42:47 and the gentiles. 42:49 And, boy, I mean, 42:51 Paul tells them, hey, this is hypocrisy 42:53 which are pretty strong words for one man of God to... 42:56 It's quite contagious too, wouldn't it? 42:57 Yeah. It was spreading. 42:59 Yes, yes. Yeah. 43:01 So Peter, the reason I think that Paul could be 43:04 so strong in his language of saying, 43:11 "You hypocrite," 43:13 is because he was positive Peter new better. 43:15 Yeah. Why? 43:16 Because Peter had already, 43:18 Peter made the first mission to the gentiles. 43:21 Yeah, he is the one who went to Cornelius in the beginning. 43:22 He went to Cornelius. Yes. 43:25 And here God have given him this vision of the sheet 43:27 coming down that, you know, and I do want to touch on that, 43:30 because so many people think that when the sheet came down 43:35 filled with the unclean foods. 43:37 That, and God said, "Arise Peter, eat." 43:41 And then he says, "Kill and eat." 43:43 He says, "Don't call unclean what I've called clean." 43:46 It's about diet. 43:47 Well, but here's how we know, people say, 43:50 "Why would God do that if He didn't, 43:53 if He wasn't doing away with that." 43:54 In Jeremiah 35, 43:56 we don't have time to turn there, 43:57 but listen to this. 43:59 God told his prophet Jeremiah, 44:02 he said go to the house of the Rechabites, 44:03 speak to them and bring them 44:05 into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers 44:08 which was an apartment for the priest. 44:10 Give them wine to drink. 44:13 What? 44:15 'Cause this is talking about fermented wine. 44:17 So Jeremiah goes and does it, they come in 44:21 but they wouldn't drink, and God knew they wouldn't. 44:24 He knew how faithful they were, he was setting them up 44:26 as an example of faithfulness. 44:28 So here Peter has walked with Jesus 44:30 three and a half years, 44:31 he has never eaten anything unclean. 44:33 So in Acts 10:28, Peter says, 44:36 when he finally understood the meaning of the vision 44:38 he says "You know how unlawful it is 44:40 for a Jewish man to keep company with 44:42 or go to one of another nation," 44:45 cause he's speaking out from the standpoint 44:46 of their traditions. 44:48 But God has shown me, 44:50 not that I should eat unclean meat. 44:52 He says God has shown me that I should not call any man 44:56 common or unclean. 44:58 We know that Peter didn't do away with, 45:01 start eating unclean food, 45:04 because there wouldn't been an approver in the church 45:06 and there's no record of it. 45:07 So our lesson here is simple. 45:10 We can't be double minded, 45:13 we can't practice double standards, 45:16 we cannot esteem one man above another man. 45:20 And the fact that Peter, 45:22 our church leader was led astray ought to be a warning 45:28 to every single one of us. 45:31 He followed the crowd because of peer pressure 45:34 and that shows us, no man isn't fallible, 45:37 not even the pope, 45:39 who Catholics believe he is the successor, 45:41 every man is fallible. 45:44 That's right. 45:45 So what we're saying is you can't just be a, 45:47 love the one you're with. 45:49 That's good. I like that. 45:51 Wishy-washy, you know, 45:53 change your mind today, tomorrow, 45:55 you think something else, you've got to be solid, 45:58 be solid on the Word of God. 46:01 As I look at Thursday's part, 46:04 Thursday's part about Paul's concern, 46:07 and, you know, as I studied this, 46:10 I keep thinking to myself, "Why is it that the Jews, 46:14 were all such a, on a different page, 46:18 you know, why were the Jews in so much opposition to Paul, 46:22 what Paul was bringing." 46:24 And I come back to this, 46:27 the Jews were about getting to heaven through works. 46:33 Probably there will be some of you have heard 46:34 or maybe read the book 46:35 that Laura Schlessinger wrote on the Ten Commandments. 46:39 And she says in her books, she says, "You Christians," 46:43 and she's a Jewish, so she's a Jew, she says, 46:46 "You Christians, believe that you are saved 46:49 through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, 46:52 she says that's what you Christians believe." 46:54 We say, yeah, yeah. That's it, absolutely right. 46:57 But the Jewish nation she said, "But we as practicing Jews, 47:01 believe we get there on our merits." 47:05 So this is the background of the Jews, 47:07 this is why the Jews were not accepting 47:09 what Paul was preaching, 47:11 'cause he was preaching Christ to them 47:13 and they didn't accept Christ. 47:14 Right. 47:16 Oh, but they did, I mean, those Judaizers did, 47:19 they just didn't accept him alone. 47:20 Yes. Yes. Yeah. 47:22 Good point. Good point. 47:24 But she said that we teach 47:25 as a Jewish nation, as a Jewish woman, 47:28 she said, "I believe that we get to heaven 47:29 through our works and the merits 47:31 of what I'm doing takes me there." 47:34 So Paul was fighting this as the Jewish nation. 47:39 And by the way I said this about, 47:41 many of them didn't accept Christ, some did, 47:44 but the ones who didn't, 47:45 the Jewish nation still does not accept Christ. 47:49 So therefore, Jesus' sacrifice still means nothing 47:52 to the Jewish nation. 47:54 Now there are, of course, there are Messianic Jews, 47:56 you know, who become Christian, but the nation itself does not, 48:01 they're still looking for their Messiah. 48:03 Yeah, mercy. 48:05 And so, this is some of the things 48:07 that Paul was having to deal with at that time. 48:09 Jesus, who is this? 48:11 Why should we be doing what you say? 48:15 You know, because his sacrifice doesn't mean anything 48:17 to many of them, you know. 48:19 So Paul comes down on him quite hard. 48:24 The question is asked, 48:25 what reasons does Paul give for publicly confronting Peter? 48:28 There was a great confrontation between Peter and Paul, 48:33 and Paul comes down on him very hard 48:35 and the text that gives here is Galatians 2:11-14, 48:39 if I can get someone to read that for me? 48:41 Galatians 2:11-14. 48:45 "Now when Peter come to Antioch, 48:46 I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed. 48:50 For before certain men came from James, 48:52 he would eat with the gentiles, but when they came, 48:55 he withdrew and separated himself, 48:57 fearing those who were of the circumcision. 48:59 And the rest of the Jews 49:01 also played the hypocrite with him, 49:05 so that even Barnabas was carried away 49:07 by their hypocrisy. 49:08 But when I saw that they were not straight forward 49:12 about the truth of the gospel, 49:14 I said to Peter before them all, 49:17 if you, being a Jew, live in the manner of gentiles, 49:22 and not as the Jews, 49:24 why you compel gentiles to live as Jews? 49:28 That's a good question, isn't it? 49:30 It is. 49:31 You know, how in the world 49:32 can you teach someone to behave like this, 49:34 when you're not behaving like this. 49:36 That's what he was saying to them. 49:38 In other words, you are telling all of those out there, 49:40 "We are all equal." 49:42 But when the brethren come to town, 49:44 you separate yourself from them 49:45 and act like you're not mixing with them, 49:47 you know, because they are a lower class. 49:50 Which makes them compelled to be circumcised 49:52 and to follow the law to feel those special blessings. 49:54 So they're going back to again being saved by their deeds, 49:59 by their merits. 50:00 How close is that to what we, 50:01 sometimes you're raised with and you heard, 50:03 don't do as I, do as I tell you. 50:05 Do as I tell you. That's right. 50:08 That's somewhat said there, yeah. 50:10 That doesn't work too. 50:11 No, that doesn't work at all. 50:13 Why should I do that because I said so. 50:14 Said so. I didn't get it either. 50:16 Most of us had to ask questions, 50:18 you know, I need more than that, 50:20 I need more than just, you told me that 50:21 you were really big on that. 50:23 I need more than just my dad just said so. 50:24 I think I was. You was. 50:30 So the problem by the way was not that 50:33 Peter had been eating with the Jews, 50:35 that's not the problem or with the gentiles. 50:37 When the Jews came to the town, 50:39 Peter was expected to eat with them also, 50:42 because that was his custom. 50:43 The custom was the brethren came down 50:45 and you all ate together. 50:47 But the sin of it was where he separated himself 50:50 from the gentiles, because now he said one thing, 50:53 he said, "We're equal", 50:54 but his actions said we weren't. 50:56 All right. Yeah. 50:57 And so that then was laid at his feet. 50:59 The issue was the truth of the gospel. 51:02 In other words, I'm telling you this, 51:04 but then they look at your life and say, in our case let's say, 51:07 "But Pastor, you're not doing that yourself." 51:09 You know, if we bring it to us in our churches, you know. 51:12 It's a very high standard 51:14 that the pastors have to live to, isn't it? 51:16 Yes. 51:17 So many others would say, well, you know, that's okay, 51:20 then he's not the pastor of the church, 51:22 you know, the standard should be 51:24 same for all of us, isn't it? 51:25 That's right. Yes. Absolutely. 51:26 Even though, we do as pastors, 51:28 we have a little more accountability I think. 51:30 I think there is accountability, 51:32 'cause you think, I know our pastor here always says, 51:34 there is no standard for fellowship, 51:36 meaning everyone can come to church. 51:39 There are standards for membership 51:40 and there should be high standards for leadership. 51:43 Meaning, what you were saying, Pastor Ronny, 51:45 is there is more accountability given with a trust. 51:48 Because of our influence on the group. 51:50 But, you know, and I think this is very important too. 51:52 Well. 51:53 Is that anybody who has the opportunity 51:55 to have a platform as I do. 51:56 I'm not a pastor 51:58 but when you have the opportunity to speak, 52:00 I think it's very important for us 52:02 to be very transparent 52:04 and tell of our own feelings or problems 52:07 and how God, we know, 52:08 it would be a hypocrite to stand up 52:12 and preach on something that you're not doing. 52:15 So anytime I've got a topic, 52:17 I'll say, "Now, you know, this is a health message, 52:20 I still need some help with it or something." 52:22 I don't want to ever put myself forward as an example. 52:27 We have to set the example, 52:30 because so many are looking at us, 52:31 you know, when I was in Muscogee 52:33 just recently in a last few months 52:35 when I was associate pastor there. 52:37 I made several sermons on those of you 52:40 who would like to be re-baptized, 52:43 you know, and then of course someone saying, 52:45 "I've been an Adventist a long time, 52:46 I don't need to be re-baptized." 52:48 So I went from that, Brother Johnny, 52:50 I said, "Most of you don't know, 52:52 last July, I was re-baptized." 52:55 Just July of 2016, I was re-baptized by my own son 53:00 who's the pastor now at West Frankfort Church. 53:02 So then some people loosened up then, well, you know, 53:05 "If he could be re-baptized, maybe I should." 53:07 You know, 53:08 and so there were number that who were, 53:10 but I am talking about the example 53:12 that we set as you said being straightforward. 53:15 I'm not asking you to be re-baptized, 53:18 if I wouldn't do it myself, you know, 53:20 because and when I said about the re-baptism, Johnny, 53:23 I said I've got fewer days ahead than I have behind. 53:27 I want to seal the deal with God one more time. 53:29 That's right. Yes. 53:31 And so, Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11, 53:36 let's look at that quickly. 53:38 Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11, 53:42 the question is, 53:44 how does the truth in these texts help us 53:46 to understand Paul's strong reaction? 53:50 Galatians 3:28, 53:51 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, 53:53 there is neither slave nor free, 53:55 there is neither male nor female: 53:57 for you are all one in Christ Jesus." 54:01 I mean, he summed it up there, didn't he? 54:03 Yes. 54:04 He said that, it didn't amount to nothing 54:06 whether you are a Jew or you are a Greek, 54:08 if you are a male, if you are a female, 54:11 we all stand equal at the foot of the Cross. 54:14 Yes. Yes. 54:15 So very good statement. Colossians 3:11. 54:19 "Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, 54:20 circumcised nor uncircumcised, Barbarian, Scythian, 54:25 slave nor free, but Christ is all, and in all." 54:30 Amen. 54:31 Now why were people so taken back by that? 54:34 I mean, was that a new teaching or... 54:36 Hope might be. 54:39 They haven't heard that before? 54:40 There was such a class system, wasn't there? 54:43 You remember when Jesus, 54:44 you know, people said about Jesus, 54:45 nobody ever spoke like He did. 54:47 Yeah. 54:48 Nobody said nothing about re-baptism, 54:50 you know, when they were talking 54:51 about the rich young ruler, you know, and Jesus said, 54:54 "You must be born again." 54:55 What? 54:56 Nobody is ever talking about rebirth." 54:58 You know, so this teaching was new to them 55:02 they hadn't heard anything like this, 55:03 because of the caste system like you were talking about. 55:07 You know, these in the temple, especially was way up on top 55:10 and the poor person was way down on the bottom 55:13 with many layer of strata between of classes. 55:17 And so I think, I love the way the Bible brought that out, 55:19 in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, 55:23 there is neither rich nor poor. 55:24 That's right. 55:25 You know, there's neither slave nor free, 55:27 there's neither male nor female, 55:30 for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 55:32 What He said there is no place for prejudice in the gospel. 55:36 Amen. We are all equal. 55:37 Good, yeah. Amen. 55:39 What a powerful study, I love that verse. 55:42 Because I think coming down through the stream of time, 55:45 we know this was an issue in the Galician church 55:47 but, you know what, it's an issue today. 55:49 Yes. Sure, that's true. 55:51 You know, you can look around and you can see, 55:52 we separate by races or ethnic groups. 55:57 We separate by male or female, we separate by rich or poor, 56:01 or high or low based within that. 56:03 But God calls us all at the foot of the cross 56:07 in humility of heart, we are all equal. 56:11 Really, we are worth nothing less, 56:14 Shelley, always says and the price that Christ paid 56:17 for you and for me on the cross at Calvary. 56:20 So I don't know you might be watching today's lesson, 56:23 you might be saying, 56:24 "I have never accepted the Lord Jesus into my heart." 56:27 We want to give you opportunity right now, 56:31 kneel down wherever you are 56:33 or if you're driving or you can't kneel, 56:35 just send up a prayer to God and say, 56:38 "I accept you as my personal savior. 56:41 Thank you that, 1 John 1:9, 56:44 "If we confess our sins, he's faithful 56:46 and just to forgive us and to cleanse us 56:48 from all unrighteousness." 56:50 Know that Lord Jesus loves you, 56:52 we will get to this in our study in Galatians. 56:54 You are an heir, you are a son or a daughter of the King, 56:59 what better place to be. 57:01 So Pastor Ronny, and Shelley Quinn, 57:03 and John Dinzey, and Pastor Kenny Shelton, 57:06 it's such a joy to have each one of you here. 57:07 Thank you. Thank you for sharing... 57:09 And we thank you for joining us 57:12 for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 57:14 We want to encourage you to check out your local church, 57:17 to get involved in a church community, 57:19 to spend time in the Word of God, 57:22 spend time in prayer. 57:24 I know that your 3ABN family prays for you, 57:26 that we love you, and that we're so excited that 57:29 one day soon we can spend eternity 57:32 with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 57:35 Bye-bye. |
Revised 2024-06-17