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
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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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And we welcome you once again
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to our 3ABN
Sabbath School Panel.
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I'm CA Murray and
it is my privilege
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and pleasure to welcome you
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to a time of study
in the Word of God.
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This quarter, we
have been looking
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at the Book of Galatians,
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the title of the
lesson this quarter
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is "The Gospel in Galatians".
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Now if you are a
student of Adventist history,
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you may know
overtime when that term
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The Gospel in
Galatians was fighting words
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in the Adventist Church.
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Even up to the
General Conference president,
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there was The
Gospel in Galatians,
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there was the Law in Galatians,
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and the church had
divided itself into two camps,
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the gospel camp and law camp
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and that was
quite heated discussion.
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And so, here in
the Book of Galatians,
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there is some minor
difference of opinion
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as to some of the
things in Galatians,
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but there is one
universal opinion
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and that is
that Christ has seen,
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Christ has lifted up,
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and there is a universality
in the Book of Galatians,
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that if you look very closely
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you see it very, very evidently.
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And that's what we're
gonna talking about today
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as we look at the
idea of justification
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in the Book of Galatians,
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and how that effects your life,
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effects my life,
and how we work our way
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through that
very, very important
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and sometimes
lost sight of doctrine
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in Adventism, in Christianity,
and in the Book of Galatians.
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Let me say this
also, by way of homework,
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should you want to
follow us, follow along with us,
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may I encourage you
to turn to, what is it?
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ABSG, Adventist Senior,
Adventist Bible Study Guide
00:02:03.65\00:02:09.96
.adventist.org,
or have it correct?
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Adult Bible Study
Guide. Adult Bible Study Guide.
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ABSG.Adventist.org.
Thank you so very much.
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It's good to have
friends to bail you out
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when you're drowning,
and we appreciate that.
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But the notes are there,
now I need to mention also,
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these are not our notes,
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these are the
official Bible study notes
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as produced by the
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
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our notes kind of belong to us.
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You may not
always want our notes
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'cause our notes tend to be...
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We write them on and whatnot.
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So this is how
you can follow along
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what we're going
to be talking about.
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We, of course,
are following that
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but we have
additional light to give,
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additional commentary to give,
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and that's what the
Sabbath School Bible study
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is all about
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and we just are so very,
very excited to have you.
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John Dinzey, Jill Morikone,
Ronny Shelton, Shelley Quinn,
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good to have you guys all here.
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We want to launch right up
because there is precious time.
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We're gonna
have a word of prayer
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and then lets just
launch out together.
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Father God, we thank You
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and praise You
for Your goodness,
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and for the power of Your Word.
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Help us now as we
dig into Your Word,
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give us as it
were gold in shovels
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that we may dig
deeply and find out that
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what You want us to know,
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so that we may do it
and put it into practice,
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so that we can be
like Christ Jesus.
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And we thank You dear
Father in Jesus' name, amen.
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Amen.
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Our first day's study
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really built on
the heels of the,
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dare I say, dust up
between Paul and Peter
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as we looked at previously.
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One of the things that I
see in the Book of Galatians
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is that Judaism
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because of the way the
structure is wedded to do,
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Christianity is wedded
to be, and they come from
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two different
theological mindsets.
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The eastern mind
says, you are what you do
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and that is true,
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but Christianity
is more we have to be
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and our doing
comes out of what we are.
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So you've got two,
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not adverse theological mindsets
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but certainly they don't
lay on top of each other.
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And we see the
beginnings of some diversity
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in thinking the early church,
of course, was very Jewish.
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And one of the
things that Christianity
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had to establish for itself was
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when we see the beginnings
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of this in the Book of Galatians
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is that you don't have to
come to Christ through Judaism,
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in fact, you cannot come
to Christ through Judaism.
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Yes. Judaism was not...
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Christianity was not just
an improvement on Judaism.
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It was a change in direction.
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That was a
totally different paradigm
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and we see the beginnings
of this happening here
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in the Book of Galatians.
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We begin to see
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some of the
different things that happen.
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Now for me, I base Galatians,
particularly Galatians 2
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after the Jerusalem Council.
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We are talking 48, 50 AD.
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There are some
who place it before,
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I place it after,
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simply because we see
the ascendancy of James
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and some of these people
here in the Book of Galatians.
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And of course, James
sort of came to the forefront
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after Jerusalem Council.
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So I'm going
Jerusalem Council beyond
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and taking a look at that.
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What takes
place in the aftermath
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of Paul and Peter at
Antioch has some deep spiritual
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and theological roots
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and we want to
take a look at that.
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The writing in Galatians
by Paul is rather strident.
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Paul was never one, if
you look at his writings,
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the whole Pauline epistles
and the Pauline letters,
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Paul does not mince words,
he doesn't take a lot of time
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to be politically correct
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or very, very tactful sometimes.
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He kind of puts it out there.
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He puts it out there in
love but given his conversion,
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given what he was,
given his background,
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given his training, Paul
kind of just puts it there
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and puts in very, very plainly.
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One of the things
I want to talk about
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is the idea of justification
in Pauline literature.
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The verb to
justify, the lesson tells us
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is used some 39 times,
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27 in the Pauline
letters by themselves.
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This is a very, very
strong, strong stance
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as to what Paul is thinking.
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When I talked about Do and Be,
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when you think of Do and Be,
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you are gonna run up against
justification sooner or later,
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because justification
flies in the face of Do
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and is much more
a consequence of Be.
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We see here the beginnings
of theological controversies
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which in time will split
Judaism from Christianity.
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They cannot go hand
in hand with each other
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because of this
idea of justification.
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Interestingly enough,
it was a Jewish community
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that made the
first strong attempts
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to separate
themselves from Christianity.
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You think of Jamnia in 1980,
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where the Jews
added The Birkat ha-Minim,
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which was a blessing
against the heretics,
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really it was a curse
but they call it a blessing.
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And everybody in the
temple had to say "Amen".
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Well, since it was a
blessing against Christians,
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Christians could not say amen,
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so they began to
filter themselves out
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of the Jewish
temple, but originally Jews
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and Christians worship together.
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The church was
predominantly Jewish
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but as the gospel moved out,
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it began to take on
more of a Christian flavor
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and the Christians left.
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So, then comes this
idea that justification
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is the way to righteousness
and not working yourself
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into a correct
state with the Lord.
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The lesson takes pains to say
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that
justification is a legal term.
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And it's interesting
that Paul given his mind,
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given his
background, chose to use terms
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that were forensic in nature,
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that were legal
to try to explain
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what he meant by justification.
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Of course, we're talking
about right standing with God.
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The idea that you
could be right with God
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through an act of faith
was alien to the Jewish mind.
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It was alien to Jewish thinking.
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Their mindsets said, I've
got to do something to be right,
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the idea that I
can just accept Christ,
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and be made righteous
through my acceptance of Christ
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was alien to them and I may say,
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it's also alien to
many, many people today.
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The idea that I
can just love Christ,
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accept Christ,
take Christ unto myself,
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give my life to
Christ, and then be accounted
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as righteous as
justified through that act
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seems a little
farfetched to those of us
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who may like to try
to work out our salvation
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or like to have
control of the situation.
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The truth is that
work has been done
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through the
death of Jesus Christ.
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We're gonna talk a
little bit about this idea
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of the stumbling block
of someone dying on a tree,
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being a stumbling
block to the Jewish mind
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because anyone dying on
a tree, not dying on a tree
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but even put on
a tree after death
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is an accursed person.
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And yet, Jesus not
only died on a tree
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but remained on
a tree after death
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before he was taken
down, that idea is just alien,
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how do we follow
someone like that?
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How do we accept
someone like that?
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How do we give our
lives to someone like that?
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And yet, that is the
basis, the crux, the nexus
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of what
justification by faith is,
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that I have faith in Christ,
I surrender myself to Christ
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and then I'm
accounted as righteous,
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alien to the Jewish mind.
00:09:50.12\00:09:51.59
And so Paul speaks
very, very stridently
00:09:51.62\00:09:54.49
that this idea
of working yourself
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into right standing
with God is alien to heaven.
00:09:57.13\00:10:01.50
It is alien to what
Christ is all about.
00:10:01.53\00:10:03.30
It is alien to the
principles of heaven.
00:10:03.33\00:10:06.30
The idea that you can
work your way in is not of God.
00:10:06.33\00:10:10.17
In fact, it's
really of the enemy.
00:10:10.21\00:10:12.04
The idea that you
surrender and become righteous
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as an edict by God
is alien to our thinking
00:10:16.18\00:10:19.21
but it is the basis
00:10:19.25\00:10:21.02
of what justification
by faith is all about.
00:10:21.08\00:10:24.75
The opposite, and I
just want to take a moment
00:10:24.79\00:10:26.22
before my time runs out
00:10:26.25\00:10:27.62
to talk about
this of justification,
00:10:27.66\00:10:29.46
of course, is condemnation.
00:10:29.49\00:10:31.76
Romans 8:1, "There is
now therefore no condemnation
00:10:31.79\00:10:36.06
to those who are
in Christ Jesus."
00:10:36.10\00:10:38.10
So we are justified by faith
and by faith in Jesus Christ,
00:10:38.13\00:10:43.44
our Lord and Savior.
00:10:43.47\00:10:45.14
So Paul implies this legal term.
00:10:45.17\00:10:48.38
Paul is outlining
the way to righteousness
00:10:48.41\00:10:51.68
or rather right standing
00:10:51.71\00:10:53.28
and that is
faith in Jesus Christ
00:10:53.31\00:10:55.45
not by works of the law.
00:10:55.48\00:10:57.12
In fact, Paul hits it so hard
00:10:57.15\00:10:58.79
that later on
he's got to come back
00:10:58.82\00:11:00.76
and bring some balance to this
00:11:00.79\00:11:02.19
because the question
that is naturally answers
00:11:02.22\00:11:04.19
if the law means
absolutely nothing,
00:11:04.23\00:11:06.06
what is the good of a law.
00:11:06.09\00:11:07.46
And Paul takes a lot
of time to explain that,
00:11:07.50\00:11:09.03
and we'll be talking about
that in our future lessons.
00:11:09.06\00:11:11.77
But one of the
things I want to touch on
00:11:11.80\00:11:14.37
also is the fact
that justification
00:11:14.40\00:11:17.34
is not just a
reactive response to sin,
00:11:17.37\00:11:21.74
it is proactive
through the working of grace.
00:11:21.78\00:11:25.38
God does not just
forgive your sins,
00:11:25.41\00:11:28.65
He cleanses you
from sins. Absolutely.
00:11:28.68\00:11:30.29
He allows you to walk with Him
00:11:30.32\00:11:33.02
so that you do
not continue in sins.
00:11:33.05\00:11:35.66
So it's not just
mobbing up behind you,
00:11:35.69\00:11:37.96
it is that and
also orienting your life
00:11:37.99\00:11:41.33
so that you do
not continue to sin.
00:11:41.40\00:11:43.37
And all of that is a consequence
00:11:43.40\00:11:45.30
of your
surrender to Jesus Christ.
00:11:45.33\00:11:47.10
That's what Paul is trying
to get through to a community
00:11:47.14\00:11:50.91
that doesn't think that way.
00:11:50.94\00:11:52.27
That is not part
of their mindsets,
00:11:52.31\00:11:53.74
the fact that I
can just accept Jesus
00:11:53.78\00:11:55.71
and be accounted as righteous.
00:11:55.74\00:11:58.45
And so Paul
speaks very stridently,
00:11:58.48\00:12:00.48
you see some very,
very strong statements
00:12:00.52\00:12:02.58
in the Book of Galatians.
00:12:02.62\00:12:06.25
What is
wonderful about Galatians
00:12:06.29\00:12:08.19
is rather than being
exclusive as some people think,
00:12:08.22\00:12:11.59
it is very much inclusive.
00:12:11.66\00:12:13.76
It is in the Book of
Galatians that we find that
00:12:13.80\00:12:16.23
if we accept Christ,
we are Abraham's seed
00:12:16.26\00:12:19.03
and heirs
according to the promise.
00:12:19.07\00:12:21.17
So all that they got, we now get
00:12:21.24\00:12:25.47
because we have been grafted in
00:12:25.51\00:12:27.91
through our
love of Jesus Christ.
00:12:27.98\00:12:29.54
And so as we talk about
the idea of righteousness
00:12:29.58\00:12:33.08
and being in
right standing with God,
00:12:33.11\00:12:35.15
it starts with a symbol ascent
of your mind and your heart,
00:12:35.18\00:12:39.39
Lord Jesus, I will follow You,
00:12:39.42\00:12:42.22
and then this massive and
wonderful plan of salvation
00:12:42.26\00:12:44.86
kicks in for you.
00:12:44.93\00:12:46.26
And you become what
the Jews call "Mishbuka",
00:12:46.29\00:12:49.60
you become a
brother, a family member
00:12:49.63\00:12:52.37
of the family of God,
and every right and privilege
00:12:52.40\00:12:55.37
that is available to the family
00:12:55.40\00:12:57.41
is available to you
through Jesus Christ.
00:12:57.47\00:13:00.71
Amen. Amen.
00:13:00.74\00:13:02.14
Well, John. Praise the Lord.
00:13:02.18\00:13:03.55
Well, when we move
over to Monday's part,
00:13:03.58\00:13:05.68
we are now moving
to Galatians 2:16.
00:13:05.71\00:13:09.92
And Galatians 2:16
and if somebody has it,
00:13:09.95\00:13:13.72
would you kindly read it?
00:13:13.76\00:13:15.36
Sure. Sister, Jill.
00:13:15.39\00:13:17.46
"Knowing that a
man is not justified
00:13:17.53\00:13:19.29
by the works of the law,
but by faith in Jesus Christ,
00:13:19.33\00:13:22.80
even we have
believed in Christ Jesus,
00:13:22.83\00:13:25.63
that we might be
justified by faith in Christ,
00:13:25.67\00:13:27.90
and not by the works of the law,
00:13:27.94\00:13:29.74
for by the works of the law
no flesh shall be justified."
00:13:29.77\00:13:33.81
Thank you very much.
00:13:33.84\00:13:35.28
So it says here
that Paul mentions
00:13:35.31\00:13:37.81
the works of the law.
00:13:37.85\00:13:40.35
So what is he
referring to by the phrase,
00:13:40.38\00:13:42.75
the works of the law?
00:13:42.78\00:13:45.05
And so this is something
that we need to understand
00:13:45.09\00:13:49.02
because Paul is saying
00:13:49.06\00:13:50.63
you cannot be justified by this.
00:13:50.66\00:13:52.79
So if you cannot
be justified by this,
00:13:52.83\00:13:54.46
we need to
understand what is this thing,
00:13:54.56\00:13:56.33
what does it mean?
00:13:56.36\00:13:57.93
But before we
move on to understand
00:13:58.00\00:13:59.37
the works of the
law, we have to understand
00:13:59.40\00:14:01.14
how the Bible uses the word law,
00:14:01.17\00:14:03.97
specifically in
the New Testament.
00:14:04.01\00:14:06.11
And the lesson brings
out that there is a word
00:14:06.14\00:14:08.58
"Nomos," it's a Greek word,
00:14:08.61\00:14:11.01
that you will
forget in about 30 seconds.
00:14:11.05\00:14:13.65
And this word is used
in several different ways
00:14:13.68\00:14:17.99
as you look at
the New Testament.
00:14:18.05\00:14:19.39
One, it could refer to
the entire Old Testament,
00:14:19.42\00:14:22.12
it could refer to
the first five books,
00:14:22.16\00:14:25.36
it could refer to
a principle from God
00:14:25.39\00:14:28.66
or even a
commandment direct from God.
00:14:28.70\00:14:31.87
So you see that
it has several uses,
00:14:31.90\00:14:34.80
so what do you do
when you see the word law
00:14:34.87\00:14:37.24
in the New Testament?
00:14:37.27\00:14:38.84
It helps you to
examine the context
00:14:38.87\00:14:41.11
so that you can see what...
00:14:41.14\00:14:43.24
You can say, "Ah,
okay, this is referring
00:14:43.28\00:14:45.68
to the Ten Commandments,
00:14:45.71\00:14:47.18
or this is referring to
the books of Moses only.
00:14:47.22\00:14:51.42
So you have to
examine the context
00:14:51.45\00:14:52.99
to help yourself
out in this endeavor.
00:14:53.02\00:14:56.16
So when it talk
about the works of the law,
00:14:56.19\00:14:59.63
we have to ask ourselves
whether what does it mean,
00:14:59.66\00:15:02.46
does it talk
about the ceremonial law
00:15:02.50\00:15:05.10
or it said the
Ten Commandment law
00:15:05.13\00:15:07.30
also refer to as the moral law.
00:15:07.34\00:15:11.47
And so Paul points
out that, no matter
00:15:11.54\00:15:15.01
how hard one tries to follow
to obey God's commandment,
00:15:15.04\00:15:18.28
our obedience will
never be good enough
00:15:18.31\00:15:21.35
for God to justify us.
00:15:21.38\00:15:22.95
We'll talk about
that in a little bit.
00:15:22.98\00:15:25.72
So what do we do
with the works of the law?
00:15:25.75\00:15:28.42
It's interesting that
00:15:28.49\00:15:29.82
when they discovered
the Dead Sea Scrolls,
00:15:29.86\00:15:33.63
they found some
writings by the Essenes.
00:15:33.66\00:15:37.03
Now the Essenes were a people
00:15:37.07\00:15:38.63
that lived at the
same time Jesus lived.
00:15:38.67\00:15:41.47
And outside of the scriptures,
00:15:41.54\00:15:46.84
the writings of the apostles,
00:15:46.88\00:15:49.64
they found this
phrase, "The works of the law."
00:15:49.68\00:15:53.48
And they indeed,
the Essenes did teach
00:15:53.52\00:15:56.82
that you could be justified
by certain works of the law.
00:15:56.85\00:16:02.66
So I like to point
out some of these things
00:16:02.69\00:16:04.56
as presented to us
00:16:04.59\00:16:05.96
in the scroll titled
Miqsat Ma'ase HaTorah
00:16:05.99\00:16:12.10
which just means
important works of the law.
00:16:12.13\00:16:15.47
And the law
describes, this scroll describes
00:16:15.50\00:16:17.47
a number of issues
based on biblical law
00:16:17.51\00:16:20.24
concerned with
preventing holy things
00:16:20.28\00:16:22.81
from being made impure.
00:16:22.84\00:16:25.61
Including several that
are marked out as to Jews,
00:16:25.65\00:16:28.62
as to separate
yourself from gentiles.
00:16:28.65\00:16:30.59
If you separate
yourself from gentiles,
00:16:30.62\00:16:32.15
you are doing a work of the law
00:16:32.19\00:16:34.26
and this can help
you in being justified.
00:16:34.29\00:16:38.89
So they say, if you
follow these things,
00:16:38.93\00:16:43.83
you'll be reckoned
righteous before God,
00:16:43.87\00:16:46.37
so the Essenes
strived to do works of the law
00:16:46.40\00:16:50.44
so that before God,
00:16:50.47\00:16:51.81
they can be
considered righteous.
00:16:51.87\00:16:53.41
And so you see Jesus
making a little reference
00:16:53.44\00:16:56.28
to somebody that
want to justify himself,
00:16:56.31\00:16:58.91
when you see the two men
went to the temple to pray
00:16:58.95\00:17:02.52
and he says, I thank God
that I'm not as other man,
00:17:02.55\00:17:05.62
and then he begins to mention
some things that he used to do.
00:17:05.65\00:17:08.76
Yeah.
00:17:08.79\00:17:10.13
That he thought were
great things before God.
00:17:10.16\00:17:12.56
And I'm not like
this publican over here,
00:17:12.59\00:17:15.20
and so he, of course, you know,
00:17:15.26\00:17:18.03
you see himself
justifying himself before God
00:17:18.07\00:17:20.27
because of his good works,
but Paul does not do that.
00:17:20.30\00:17:25.47
He specifically mentions
that you cannot be justified
00:17:25.51\00:17:29.41
by the works of the law.
00:17:29.44\00:17:30.85
So when we go to Galatians
3, we're gonna see verse 2,
00:17:30.88\00:17:35.55
I'm gonna read verse 3...
00:17:35.58\00:17:38.29
Yeah, actually,
Galatians 3:2 and 3.
00:17:38.35\00:17:41.46
"This only would I learn of you,
00:17:41.52\00:17:42.86
received ye the Spirit
by the works of the law,
00:17:42.89\00:17:47.86
or by the hearing of faith?"
00:17:47.86\00:17:49.40
Now Paul begins to do something
to wake them up a little bit,
00:17:49.43\00:17:53.20
"Are you so foolish?"
00:17:53.23\00:17:55.30
These are some of
the strongest words
00:17:55.34\00:17:57.51
used by Paul.
00:17:57.54\00:17:59.11
Having begun in the spirit,
00:17:59.14\00:18:00.54
are ye now made
perfect by the flesh.
00:18:00.58\00:18:04.25
And now I would like
to point to another book
00:18:04.28\00:18:07.08
that Paul wrote and
that's the Book of Romans
00:18:07.12\00:18:09.75
which is a wonderful
book on righteousness
00:18:09.78\00:18:11.49
by faith as well.
00:18:11.55\00:18:12.92
And in the Book of Romans 3:20,
00:18:12.95\00:18:16.39
Paul makes a
statement that is very clear.
00:18:16.42\00:18:20.43
He says, "Therefore
by the deeds of the law
00:18:20.46\00:18:24.37
there shall no flesh
be justified in his sight,
00:18:24.40\00:18:29.20
for by the law is
the knowledge of sin."
00:18:29.24\00:18:32.17
So, we believe as Paul
that you cannot be justified
00:18:32.21\00:18:37.08
by the deeds of the law,
00:18:37.11\00:18:38.48
and I would say that
sometimes people not knowing
00:18:38.51\00:18:41.65
the Seventh-day
Adventist to say,
00:18:41.68\00:18:43.45
you're trying to be justified
by the deeds of the law
00:18:43.49\00:18:46.09
by keeping the commandments.
00:18:46.12\00:18:47.89
And no, we
believe that we are saved
00:18:47.92\00:18:50.79
by grace through faith
00:18:50.83\00:18:52.69
that not of
yourself, not of works,
00:18:52.73\00:18:54.50
lest any man should boast
00:18:54.56\00:18:56.20
just as it's
written in the Bible.
00:18:56.23\00:18:58.50
And so another
verse, Romans 3:28,
00:18:58.57\00:19:01.77
"Therefore we conclude
00:19:01.80\00:19:03.81
that a man is justified by faith
00:19:03.84\00:19:07.31
without the deeds of the law."
00:19:07.34\00:19:09.04
So we also conclude this here.
00:19:09.08\00:19:11.48
Pastor CA would do the same,
00:19:11.51\00:19:13.08
we all do because this
is what the Bible says.
00:19:13.11\00:19:15.45
Now I like to
point out some good news.
00:19:15.48\00:19:18.32
I like good news. Does
anybody like good news?
00:19:18.35\00:19:19.69
That's right. Oh,
yeah. I like good news.
00:19:19.72\00:19:21.82
We had enough
bad news, don't we?
00:19:21.89\00:19:23.32
That's correct.
00:19:23.36\00:19:24.69
Here is the scripture
that says Romans 3:23,
00:19:24.76\00:19:28.86
and I think, most of
us here can quote it,
00:19:28.90\00:19:31.07
what does it say?
00:19:31.10\00:19:32.50
"All sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God."
00:19:32.53\00:19:35.24
That's right.
00:19:35.27\00:19:36.60
All have sinned and come
short of the glory of God.
00:19:36.64\00:19:39.04
So then, I usually ask
a question at this point,
00:19:39.07\00:19:41.81
okay, so if all have sinned
00:19:41.88\00:19:43.65
and come short
of the glory of God,
00:19:43.68\00:19:45.28
how many good deeds can you do
00:19:45.35\00:19:48.22
that will cancel
or clean that one sin.
00:19:48.25\00:19:54.36
Because the Bible
says in Romans 6:23, what?
00:19:54.39\00:19:57.36
"The wages of sin is death."
00:19:57.39\00:20:01.03
So this first
part of Romans 6:23,
00:20:01.06\00:20:04.87
wakes us up to understand
that we're in serious trouble
00:20:04.93\00:20:07.57
if we have sinned, for
the wages of sin is death,
00:20:07.60\00:20:10.61
and the last part is good news.
00:20:10.64\00:20:12.71
You know, it's interesting,
00:20:12.74\00:20:14.08
I heard when we record some
prisoners from time to time,
00:20:14.11\00:20:17.85
one of them said my
favorite scripture is
00:20:17.91\00:20:20.42
Romans 6:23 and
I listen, "Really?"
00:20:20.45\00:20:24.45
For the wages of sin is death,
00:20:24.49\00:20:26.29
but he was
focusing on the last part.
00:20:26.32\00:20:27.76
That's right.
00:20:27.79\00:20:29.29
Because the gift of God is what?
00:20:29.32\00:20:31.19
Eternal life
through Jesus Christ.
00:20:31.23\00:20:33.26
Amen.
00:20:33.29\00:20:34.63
And so good news, you
cannot do one good thing,
00:20:34.66\00:20:39.53
not a million good things.
00:20:39.57\00:20:41.77
And if it was possible for you
00:20:41.80\00:20:44.07
to commit just
one sin in your life
00:20:44.11\00:20:45.97
and live the rest of
your life doing good things,
00:20:46.01\00:20:48.71
it will not
cancel out that one sin
00:20:48.74\00:20:51.81
because the
wages of sin is death.
00:20:51.88\00:20:54.02
So we agree with the Bible,
00:20:54.05\00:20:56.69
so we're justified by
faith in Jesus Christ.
00:20:56.72\00:21:00.56
Now here's where we find
a scripture, Romans 3:24,
00:21:00.59\00:21:03.86
"Being justified
freely by His grace
00:21:03.89\00:21:07.86
through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus."
00:21:07.96\00:21:10.73
There is only
redemption in Christ Jesus.
00:21:10.77\00:21:13.57
So what do we do if we
find ourselves with sin?
00:21:13.60\00:21:18.34
If anybody is in this condition,
00:21:18.37\00:21:20.31
I point you to 1 John
2:1, and in 1 John 2:1,
00:21:20.34\00:21:26.45
I'm gonna have to read
it because time is short.
00:21:26.48\00:21:28.55
It says, "My little children,
these things write I unto you,
00:21:28.58\00:21:32.22
that ye sin not."
00:21:32.25\00:21:34.12
You've heard these
things, and I write these things
00:21:34.16\00:21:36.09
so that you do not sin,
but if any man sinned, we have?
00:21:36.12\00:21:38.86
Advocate.
00:21:38.89\00:21:40.23
An advocate with the Father...
00:21:40.26\00:21:41.60
Amen. Jesus
Christ, the righteous.
00:21:41.63\00:21:45.73
And so verse 2,
00:21:45.77\00:21:47.10
"And he is the
propitiation for our sins,
00:21:47.14\00:21:49.17
and not for ours only,
00:21:49.20\00:21:50.54
but also for the
sins of the whole world."
00:21:50.57\00:21:53.17
I consider this good news. Amen.
00:21:53.21\00:21:55.71
So if you have sins,
what are you supposed to do?
00:21:55.74\00:21:57.51
1 John 1:9, if
we confess our sins,
00:21:57.55\00:22:01.38
He that is God is faithful
00:22:01.42\00:22:03.69
and just to
forgive us for our sins
00:22:03.72\00:22:05.85
and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
00:22:05.89\00:22:09.22
So by the deeds of the
law shall no man be justified.
00:22:09.26\00:22:11.96
So if anyone has sinned,
00:22:11.99\00:22:14.46
good news we have an
advocate with the Father,
00:22:14.46\00:22:17.50
Jesus Christ, the righteous.
00:22:17.53\00:22:19.50
And so, I would like
to read one last text
00:22:19.53\00:22:22.30
and this is found in Romans 5:1.
00:22:22.34\00:22:25.51
"Therefore, being
justified by faith,
00:22:25.54\00:22:30.58
we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ."
00:22:30.61\00:22:35.62
And I think this is
something that we all need,
00:22:35.65\00:22:37.69
peace with God.
00:22:37.72\00:22:39.19
And we can only get it
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:22:39.22\00:22:41.66
Amen. Amen. Amen.
00:22:41.69\00:22:43.49
Sister, Jill. Amen.
00:22:43.53\00:22:45.13
That's well
done, Brother Johnny.
00:22:45.16\00:22:46.53
I'm so excited
about this lesson.
00:22:46.56\00:22:51.13
I know that Paul in
the Book of Galatians
00:22:51.17\00:22:53.34
writing to the Galatian
Church, the Galatian believers,
00:22:53.37\00:22:56.64
the Judaizers came in
00:22:56.67\00:22:58.01
as we mentioned
in previous lessons.
00:22:58.07\00:23:00.28
And trying to say
that faith is not enough,
00:23:00.31\00:23:03.51
faith has to somehow
be combined with works,
00:23:03.55\00:23:06.41
somehow in order to be saved
they had to do faith plus works
00:23:06.45\00:23:10.99
in order to be saved.
00:23:11.02\00:23:12.42
And I know that
they taught circumcision
00:23:12.45\00:23:15.16
and the Judaizers
were trying to say that
00:23:15.19\00:23:17.46
the gentiles had
to be circumcised
00:23:17.49\00:23:19.86
in order to be saved.
00:23:19.89\00:23:21.20
But I know today in
the Christian church,
00:23:21.23\00:23:23.70
I think back to
my growing up years,
00:23:23.73\00:23:26.94
growing up in the church.
00:23:26.97\00:23:28.64
I was raised my entire life
as the Seventh-day Adventist.
00:23:28.70\00:23:32.61
And I believed in
justification by faith.
00:23:32.64\00:23:35.78
I believed that we
were justified entirely
00:23:35.81\00:23:39.21
through no work of our own,
00:23:39.25\00:23:41.08
we come before Jesus and we say,
00:23:41.12\00:23:44.05
"I accept you as my savior,
I claim Your forgiveness,
00:23:44.09\00:23:48.92
seek Your forgiveness
00:23:48.96\00:23:50.29
and the cleansing
blood of Jesus to cover me."
00:23:50.33\00:23:52.59
And at that point, I
stand before Christ justified,
00:23:52.63\00:23:57.07
made righteous, in His
robe of white righteousness.
00:23:57.10\00:24:01.94
However, having said
that, I was also taught that
00:24:01.97\00:24:06.51
as soon as the justification
process took place,
00:24:06.54\00:24:09.21
which is, I was
taught the work of God.
00:24:09.24\00:24:11.91
Then I needed to move to
the sanctification process,
00:24:11.95\00:24:15.58
which I was taught
was the work of Jill.
00:24:15.62\00:24:18.02
Yeah. Oh, boy.
00:24:18.05\00:24:19.39
So this is what
Paul was combating
00:24:19.42\00:24:21.46
in the Galatian Church.
00:24:21.52\00:24:22.86
Exactly.
00:24:22.89\00:24:24.23
So they were taught,
it was faith plus work.
00:24:24.26\00:24:27.73
And I was taught
justification by faith,
00:24:27.76\00:24:29.93
sanctification by my own effort.
00:24:29.96\00:24:32.20
Now we're not saying,
00:24:32.23\00:24:33.57
we're throwing
out sanctification
00:24:33.60\00:24:34.97
but sanctification
is the work of Jesus.
00:24:35.00\00:24:37.44
Amen.
00:24:37.47\00:24:38.84
The work of grace in
our hearts and in our lives.
00:24:38.87\00:24:41.91
Philippians
2:13, "God is the one
00:24:41.94\00:24:44.41
who works in us
both through will
00:24:44.45\00:24:46.45
and to do of His good pleasure."
00:24:46.48\00:24:48.25
I remember reading
00:24:48.28\00:24:50.29
and then we will
get to Tuesday's lesson.
00:24:50.32\00:24:53.66
I was 19 years old,
00:24:53.69\00:24:55.22
I came home
from a Bible college.
00:24:55.29\00:24:58.46
And we were in church
00:24:58.49\00:25:00.46
and I remember the
organist was playing
00:25:00.50\00:25:02.26
and I remember it to this day.
00:25:02.33\00:25:03.83
The song was,
"Cover with His Life".
00:25:03.87\00:25:07.54
Look upon Jesus,
sinless is He Father,
00:25:07.57\00:25:10.51
impute His life to
me My life of scarlet,
00:25:10.54\00:25:14.51
my sin and woe
Cover with His life,
00:25:14.54\00:25:18.21
whiter than snow.
00:25:18.28\00:25:19.61
And I remember
standing in church,
00:25:19.65\00:25:21.88
everyone is just singing it
00:25:21.95\00:25:23.35
because this is what
we've done our whole life.
00:25:23.39\00:25:26.25
And I began to cry,
00:25:26.29\00:25:28.42
'cause until that
point and I was 19,
00:25:28.49\00:25:31.79
I did not know that the
blood of Jesus covered me
00:25:31.86\00:25:37.13
and it wasn't my effort
to try to get to heaven.
00:25:37.17\00:25:41.94
I had been stressed thinking
I have got to be perfect,
00:25:41.97\00:25:46.27
I have got to be
perfect to make it to heaven,
00:25:46.31\00:25:48.78
and I'm trying but I can't.
00:25:48.81\00:25:51.15
I'm trying and I'm failing,
00:25:51.18\00:25:53.01
and realizing that the
blood of Jesus covers us.
00:25:53.05\00:25:56.72
So that's why I'm
passionate about this topic.
00:25:56.75\00:26:00.22
The basis of our
justification and it's Tuesday.
00:26:00.26\00:26:03.83
And I want to go back,
00:26:03.86\00:26:05.19
Brother Johnny,
you read this already.
00:26:05.26\00:26:06.59
But let's look at
Galatians 2:16 and 17.
00:26:06.63\00:26:12.17
We see the word and, Pastor CA,
00:26:12.20\00:26:13.84
you talked about that
the word justification,
00:26:13.87\00:26:16.20
to justify being used 39
times in the New Testament,
00:26:16.24\00:26:21.34
27 of those in
the writings of Paul
00:26:21.38\00:26:23.24
and four times
in these two verses
00:26:23.28\00:26:25.48
that word "justify" is used.
00:26:25.55\00:26:27.55
The word is, I don't know
00:26:27.58\00:26:28.92
how to pronounce it
properly, dikaioo. Dikaioo.
00:26:28.95\00:26:32.42
No, I'm not sure
how to pronounce it.
00:26:32.49\00:26:34.96
Okay, I'm not sure
how to pronounce it
00:26:34.99\00:26:36.99
but it just means to
show to be righteous,
00:26:37.03\00:26:40.46
to declare
righteous, to make righteous.
00:26:40.50\00:26:44.73
And justification means
to, to declare not guilty,
00:26:44.77\00:26:47.64
you're acquitted
from your sin by God.
00:26:47.67\00:26:49.74
Absolutely, it's a legal term.
00:26:49.77\00:26:51.51
You imagine going
before a judge and knowing,
00:26:51.57\00:26:54.04
I did speed and I
deserve this punishment,
00:26:54.08\00:26:57.45
or I did x, y and
z and I deserve this.
00:26:57.48\00:27:00.52
And then the judge
saying, declaring you acquitted,
00:27:00.55\00:27:03.85
you are freed, you're
justified before the law.
00:27:03.89\00:27:08.66
So we see this word four
times here in Galatians 2:16,
00:27:08.69\00:27:13.70
"Knowing that a man
is not justified..."
00:27:13.73\00:27:15.96
There's our
word, we are acquitted,
00:27:16.00\00:27:18.20
we're declared
righteous before God.
00:27:18.23\00:27:21.14
"We're not justified
by the works of the law
00:27:21.17\00:27:23.57
but by faith in Jesus Christ."
00:27:23.61\00:27:26.71
We're talking today on the
basis of our justification.
00:27:26.74\00:27:30.11
We're justified not
by the work of the law
00:27:30.15\00:27:32.31
but by faith in Jesus Christ.
00:27:32.35\00:27:35.02
"Even we have
believed in Christ Jesus,
00:27:35.08\00:27:37.49
that we might be
justified by faith in Christ,
00:27:37.52\00:27:41.06
and not by the works of the law.
00:27:41.09\00:27:42.82
For by the works of the law
no flesh shall be justified.
00:27:42.86\00:27:46.36
But if, while we seek
to be justified by Christ,
00:27:46.39\00:27:49.60
we ourselves also
are found sinners,
00:27:49.63\00:27:51.80
is Christ
therefore a minister of sin?"
00:27:51.83\00:27:55.27
Certainly not.
00:27:55.30\00:27:57.17
Four times we see that
word "justify", to be acquitted,
00:27:57.21\00:28:01.38
to show to be righteous,
to be declared righteous.
00:28:01.41\00:28:05.11
The believers made
righteous justified by the Lord,
00:28:05.15\00:28:07.98
cleared of all
charges we laid it to sin.
00:28:08.02\00:28:12.05
Moreover, they're justified
00:28:12.09\00:28:13.99
or made
righteous by God's grace.
00:28:14.02\00:28:16.86
Each time we receive
faith, now that word for faith,
00:28:16.89\00:28:20.93
I love that because it's always,
00:28:20.96\00:28:23.43
the faith is a gift from God.
00:28:23.47\00:28:25.60
It's never something that you
or I can conjure up ourselves.
00:28:25.63\00:28:29.37
It's always a gift from
God never produced by people.
00:28:29.40\00:28:33.11
And in secular
antiquity, faith was referred to
00:28:33.14\00:28:36.51
as a guarantee or a warranty.
00:28:36.54\00:28:38.88
In scripture,
it's God's guarantee
00:28:38.91\00:28:41.68
that what He has
promised will come to pass.
00:28:41.75\00:28:45.32
So I love that,
we're justified by faith
00:28:45.35\00:28:47.62
and God Himself gives
us the faith that we need,
00:28:47.66\00:28:51.63
that's beautiful.
00:28:51.66\00:28:52.99
Let's look at a couple
more scriptures Philippians 3:9,
00:28:53.03\00:28:58.87
still looking at
justification by faith
00:28:58.90\00:29:02.00
and the basis of our
justification being that faith.
00:29:02.04\00:29:05.27
Philippians 3:9, you
have that, Brother Ronny?
00:29:05.34\00:29:10.78
I do.
00:29:10.81\00:29:12.18
"And be found in him,
00:29:12.21\00:29:13.55
not having my own righteousness,
00:29:13.58\00:29:15.75
which is from the law,
00:29:15.78\00:29:17.45
but that which is
through faith in Christ,
00:29:17.49\00:29:20.09
the righteousness
which is from God by faith."
00:29:20.12\00:29:23.86
Yes, I love that passage.
00:29:23.89\00:29:26.49
That same word for righteousness
00:29:26.53\00:29:28.50
is the form of that
word for justification.
00:29:28.53\00:29:32.20
And it means
literally righteousness of
00:29:32.27\00:29:35.34
which God is the source.
00:29:35.37\00:29:37.54
Amen.
00:29:37.57\00:29:38.91
"Being found in Him, not
having my own righteousness."
00:29:38.94\00:29:41.14
So it's, we don't stand before
God with our own righteousness
00:29:41.18\00:29:44.95
'cause we know
our righteousness is
00:29:44.98\00:29:47.22
as filthy rags.
00:29:47.25\00:29:49.22
We stand before cloth
00:29:49.25\00:29:50.89
and the
righteousness of Jesus Christ,
00:29:50.92\00:29:53.72
not having our
own righteousness,
00:29:53.76\00:29:55.09
it's through faith.
00:29:55.16\00:29:56.49
And one more scripture,
Johnny, you looked at this one
00:29:56.52\00:29:58.26
but Romans 3, Romans
3, and I got so excited
00:29:58.29\00:30:03.70
when I studied this and I'm sure
00:30:03.73\00:30:05.23
you all already
have studied this,
00:30:05.27\00:30:06.87
but it was the first
time I had put this together.
00:30:06.90\00:30:09.64
And I got so excited,
I jumped off the couch
00:30:09.67\00:30:11.71
and I ran and told Greg
and I said, "Guess what?
00:30:11.77\00:30:14.34
I just found in Romans."
00:30:14.38\00:30:16.21
And great, it's
been here all along
00:30:16.24\00:30:18.38
and many people
have discovered it,
00:30:18.41\00:30:20.08
but it's the first
time when I saw that.
00:30:20.12\00:30:23.22
When Romans 3 and we
already read verse 23,
00:30:23.25\00:30:26.12
"All have sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God.
00:30:26.15\00:30:29.26
Verse 24, "Being justified,"
that's our word again,
00:30:29.32\00:30:33.16
"To show to be righteous,
00:30:33.19\00:30:34.50
declare righteous
freely by His grace
00:30:34.56\00:30:37.77
through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus,
00:30:37.80\00:30:41.14
whom God has set
forth as a propitiation
00:30:41.17\00:30:44.47
by His blood through faith
00:30:44.51\00:30:46.98
to demonstrate
His righteousness,
00:30:47.01\00:30:49.64
because in His forbearance
God had passed over the sins
00:30:49.68\00:30:52.81
that were previously committed."
00:30:52.85\00:30:55.02
Verse 26, we see
variations of this word
00:30:55.05\00:30:59.05
"justify" three
times in verse 26,
00:30:59.12\00:31:02.86
and this is the first
time I had ever realized that.
00:31:02.89\00:31:06.19
They're all a
little different form
00:31:06.23\00:31:07.86
but they're all the
same root word in the Greek.
00:31:07.86\00:31:11.63
"To demonstrate
at the present time,
00:31:11.67\00:31:13.44
His righteousness,"
00:31:13.47\00:31:15.37
meaning His righteousness
of which God is the source.
00:31:15.40\00:31:18.77
"That He might be just
to be declared righteous
00:31:18.84\00:31:23.75
in the eyes of God.
00:31:23.78\00:31:25.11
And the justifier, same word
to be showed to be righteous,
00:31:25.18\00:31:30.22
to be declared
righteous of the one
00:31:30.25\00:31:33.09
who has faith in Jesus."
00:31:33.12\00:31:35.82
So God is the
one who is righteous
00:31:35.89\00:31:38.16
because He's
divine, Jesus is divine.
00:31:38.19\00:31:40.26
He was the
propitiation, the substitute,
00:31:40.30\00:31:42.70
He took our place on the
cross that He might be just
00:31:42.73\00:31:47.94
and the justifier
because He is righteous
00:31:47.97\00:31:51.41
and holy and
pure, He can impute,
00:31:51.44\00:31:54.01
impart His
righteousness to you and I.
00:31:54.04\00:31:57.31
And when we stand
before the Father,
00:31:57.35\00:31:59.88
we don't stand
covered in Zechariah 3,
00:31:59.91\00:32:03.25
those filthy garments,
00:32:03.28\00:32:04.79
and Satan the
accuser of the brethren,
00:32:04.82\00:32:06.52
and you mentioned
condemnation, Pastor CA.
00:32:06.55\00:32:08.99
Satan might come
in with condemnation
00:32:09.02\00:32:11.09
but justification.
00:32:11.13\00:32:12.46
Jesus says, "My
blood, my righteousness,
00:32:12.49\00:32:15.50
I have declared, Pastor Ronny,
00:32:15.53\00:32:18.67
perfect and
righteous before me, justified.
00:32:18.70\00:32:23.81
Praise the Lord for that. Amen.
00:32:23.84\00:32:25.17
And the second that we got left.
00:32:25.21\00:32:26.54
I've looked at that
and I have some notes here
00:32:26.57\00:32:28.48
that one is reactive,
the other is proactive.
00:32:28.51\00:32:31.08
Nice.
00:32:31.11\00:32:32.45
When you're justified I see that
00:32:32.48\00:32:33.82
as because the root is the same
00:32:33.85\00:32:35.92
but they're playing out
just slightly different.
00:32:35.95\00:32:37.99
When you're justified,
there's nothing against you.
00:32:38.02\00:32:40.92
There's nothing negative in you,
00:32:40.96\00:32:42.86
but to make
righteousness kind of a positive
00:32:42.89\00:32:45.26
and not only there
is nothing against you,
00:32:45.33\00:32:47.50
you actually got some
money in the bank here,
00:32:47.50\00:32:50.23
you know, it's not
just a absence of negative,
00:32:50.27\00:32:53.10
it's the presence
of positive, you know.
00:32:53.13\00:32:55.24
So it's two
sides of the same coin.
00:32:55.30\00:32:57.87
But not only there is
nothing bad in your record,
00:32:57.91\00:33:00.38
there's some good
stuff in your record.
00:33:00.41\00:33:01.84
You know, you're made
righteous and it's completely,
00:33:01.88\00:33:06.35
old is taken care of and
now you're moving forward
00:33:06.38\00:33:07.85
in Christ Jesus.
00:33:07.88\00:33:09.25
Pastor? Amen, I like that.
00:33:09.32\00:33:12.09
Wednesday talks about
the obedience of faith,
00:33:12.12\00:33:16.16
obedience of faith.
00:33:16.19\00:33:19.56
First, we talked
a lot about faith.
00:33:19.63\00:33:22.86
I kind of like to
get a good definition,
00:33:22.90\00:33:25.33
what is faith?
00:33:25.37\00:33:26.70
What are we talking about?
00:33:26.74\00:33:28.07
Faith is not
something that I can reach out
00:33:28.10\00:33:29.44
and grab a hold off like
this, you know, I can literally,
00:33:29.50\00:33:33.27
physically reach
out and grab this,
00:33:33.31\00:33:35.84
that's the kind
of person that I am,
00:33:35.88\00:33:37.41
I want to put my hands on
it, but faith, where is it?
00:33:37.45\00:33:40.82
Somebody help me
with this. What is faith?
00:33:40.85\00:33:43.55
Is this something that
we can take a hold off,
00:33:43.59\00:33:46.15
that we can grasp?
00:33:46.19\00:33:50.83
The first thought
that comes to my mind,
00:33:50.86\00:33:52.69
the Bible says that,
00:33:52.73\00:33:54.03
"Faith comes by hearing
00:33:54.10\00:33:55.83
and hearing by the word of God."
00:33:55.86\00:33:57.20
I believe that faith is
rooted in our knowledge of God,
00:33:57.23\00:34:01.24
our correct knowledge of God.
00:34:01.27\00:34:03.14
Faith is something
that we, it's a belief,
00:34:03.17\00:34:07.48
we understand
how much He loves us,
00:34:07.51\00:34:10.18
we begin to trust Him,
00:34:10.21\00:34:11.85
that's kind of the
root for our faith.
00:34:11.88\00:34:14.92
But faith is not just ethereal,
00:34:14.95\00:34:17.89
faith is leaning into God
with and totally relying on God.
00:34:17.92\00:34:24.23
Okay.
00:34:24.26\00:34:25.59
What is the Bible
definition to faith?
00:34:25.63\00:34:27.20
Well, CA, go ahead.
00:34:27.23\00:34:28.53
When I think of
faith, I think of,
00:34:28.56\00:34:30.03
if I could put in
a word, "response."
00:34:30.07\00:34:32.33
You know, we love Him
because He first loved us.
00:34:32.40\00:34:34.37
There is this
reaching out of God,
00:34:34.40\00:34:37.27
this eternal reaching of
God to us and faith is the,
00:34:37.31\00:34:42.01
in my mind the response to that
eternal reaching out of God.
00:34:42.04\00:34:45.38
The substance of
things hoped for.
00:34:45.41\00:34:46.88
That's right. I can guarantee.
00:34:46.92\00:34:49.35
Yeah, yeah. Hebrews 11:1.
00:34:49.38\00:34:51.42
Oh, yes.
00:34:51.45\00:34:52.82
I like the way that is expressed
00:34:52.85\00:34:54.72
because it says, the
substance of things hoped
00:34:54.76\00:34:58.13
for the evidence
of things not seen.
00:34:58.16\00:35:00.73
Evidence is something tangible
00:35:00.76\00:35:02.96
and something you can see, okay.
00:35:03.03\00:35:05.40
It still brings, Paul is
trying to help us by saying,
00:35:05.43\00:35:09.57
faith is the substance, I
just look to the definition
00:35:09.60\00:35:12.87
for substance that of
which a thing consists,
00:35:12.94\00:35:16.11
physical matter or material.
00:35:16.14\00:35:17.85
So substance, he is trying
to help us with this word,
00:35:17.88\00:35:20.78
substance by using say,
00:35:20.82\00:35:22.15
just like you grabbed
that glass or that cup,
00:35:22.18\00:35:26.22
he says, is the
substance of things hoped for,
00:35:26.25\00:35:28.99
the evidence of things not seen.
00:35:29.02\00:35:30.93
And that is what He says,
that just shall live by faith.
00:35:30.96\00:35:35.20
Yes.
00:35:35.23\00:35:36.56
In the Greek, the
word there is hupostasis.
00:35:36.60\00:35:38.40
Hupostasis.
00:35:38.43\00:35:39.77
And it means a title
deed, that's part of faith.
00:35:39.80\00:35:42.64
Trusting, I mean
there's various things
00:35:42.67\00:35:45.27
but that is the title deed.
00:35:45.31\00:35:46.88
That is when we recognize
that all of God's promises
00:35:46.91\00:35:50.35
are ours in Christ Jesus
and faith is the substance,
00:35:50.38\00:35:54.25
it's the title deed, it's
that claiming and leaning into.
00:35:54.28\00:35:57.95
How does one
make and you did this,
00:35:57.99\00:36:00.69
you said to ask me.
00:36:00.72\00:36:02.06
Yes, yes, I did.
00:36:02.09\00:36:03.49
How does one make
the ethereal real?
00:36:03.53\00:36:05.96
How does one make
the intangible tangible?
00:36:05.99\00:36:08.53
How does one make the
metaphysical physical?
00:36:08.56\00:36:11.80
Through faith, it makes
00:36:11.83\00:36:13.34
what seems to be
unreal, very real.
00:36:13.37\00:36:16.87
It is that quality given to
us by God that reaches out into
00:36:16.91\00:36:22.61
what seems to be a void
and grabs hold of something
00:36:22.68\00:36:25.65
that's out there
and brings it to myself
00:36:25.68\00:36:27.95
and makes it very, very real.
00:36:27.98\00:36:29.45
So we've talked basically
about the biblical faith.
00:36:29.52\00:36:32.82
Is there any other
faith in the world I mean,
00:36:32.89\00:36:35.96
that don't we
exercise faith everyday?
00:36:35.99\00:36:37.93
Oh, sure. You're on an airplane.
00:36:37.96\00:36:40.76
Oh, yeah, very good, very good.
00:36:40.80\00:36:42.10
Absolutely,
sitting in the chair.
00:36:42.16\00:36:43.50
Very good.
00:36:43.53\00:36:44.87
You know, we walk over
00:36:44.90\00:36:46.23
and we look back at
the back of the studio,
00:36:46.27\00:36:47.70
and we think it's dark,
00:36:47.74\00:36:49.10
but if I walk back there
and I flip the light switch,
00:36:49.14\00:36:51.97
am I exercising faith?
00:36:52.01\00:36:53.34
Sure. Oh, yeah.
00:36:53.38\00:36:54.71
How so?
00:36:54.74\00:36:56.08
You assume that
lights gonna come on.
00:36:56.14\00:36:57.48
I assume that there's
something in that wall
00:36:57.51\00:36:59.31
behind the switch that's going
to make the lights come on.
00:36:59.35\00:37:02.15
But don't you think it's
based on past experience?
00:37:02.18\00:37:04.59
Oh, good point, good
point, past experience.
00:37:04.62\00:37:07.42
In other words, a child that
has no idea of what that is,
00:37:07.46\00:37:10.46
they won't go over
there and flip on the switch.
00:37:10.49\00:37:12.16
It's just dark
that's all they know,
00:37:12.19\00:37:13.73
they don't know how
to reach out, you know.
00:37:13.76\00:37:16.06
But good point we
learn along the journey,
00:37:16.10\00:37:19.03
this sanctification
process after we're justified,
00:37:19.07\00:37:23.84
we proceed down a
course of by faith.
00:37:23.87\00:37:28.18
And how do we know if
faith is actually working then?
00:37:28.21\00:37:32.35
Can we see it? I
mean it's invisible.
00:37:32.41\00:37:34.88
You know, it's another word
for faith that is very good,
00:37:34.92\00:37:37.99
it's trust.
00:37:38.02\00:37:39.55
Yeah, trust the
Lord with all your heart,
00:37:39.59\00:37:41.49
lean not on your
own understanding.
00:37:41.52\00:37:43.76
So if I
understand faith correctly,
00:37:43.79\00:37:45.69
it's more than just one thing,
it consists of two things,
00:37:45.73\00:37:49.73
it's trust and belief.
00:37:49.76\00:37:53.44
I believe when I
flip that light switch
00:37:53.47\00:37:56.17
that it's gonna come on.
00:37:56.20\00:37:57.81
Every one of us will
leave here pretty soon
00:37:57.84\00:37:59.87
and we will take that key out
00:37:59.91\00:38:01.74
and we will put
it in the ignition
00:38:01.78\00:38:03.35
and by faith we turn the key.
00:38:03.38\00:38:06.68
And we're expecting that
car to start, are we not?
00:38:06.72\00:38:09.28
By faith, we left
our comfortable position
00:38:09.32\00:38:12.22
here in the air conditioning
and we went out to the car,
00:38:12.25\00:38:14.79
and by faith we got in and said,
00:38:14.82\00:38:16.42
this thing is
gonna take me home.
00:38:16.46\00:38:18.53
And so we learned
from that, you know,
00:38:18.56\00:38:20.50
but there's times that
lets us down, you know.
00:38:20.53\00:38:23.80
Sometimes it has to
be towed to the garage,
00:38:23.83\00:38:26.00
you know, when it's not working.
00:38:26.03\00:38:27.37
I've been there, I've
taken into your garage.
00:38:27.40\00:38:28.80
Pastor, many times.
00:38:28.84\00:38:30.37
You know, but
the question that...
00:38:30.41\00:38:33.94
When we talk about faith,
Paul makes it clear that says,
00:38:33.98\00:38:37.75
absolutely is functional
00:38:37.78\00:38:41.22
and is foundational
in the Christian life.
00:38:41.25\00:38:44.12
So to be a Christian, I mean,
00:38:44.15\00:38:45.72
we can't be a
Christian without faith, can we?
00:38:45.75\00:38:47.36
That's right. No.
00:38:47.39\00:38:48.72
Without faith, it is
impossible to please Him.
00:38:48.76\00:38:50.59
There you go.
00:38:50.63\00:38:52.59
Hebrews 11:6, "Without faith,
00:38:52.66\00:38:55.60
it is impossible to please God."
00:38:55.63\00:38:57.23
Why is that?
00:38:57.27\00:38:58.60
Because God again is
that invisible being out there
00:38:58.63\00:39:02.00
and it takes faith to
believe that He is there
00:39:02.04\00:39:05.74
and that He is who He says He is
00:39:05.77\00:39:07.84
and can do what
He says He can do,
00:39:07.88\00:39:09.54
it's all a matter of faith.
00:39:09.61\00:39:14.78
I want to look at a couple
of the text there we talk about,
00:39:14.82\00:39:17.75
the question is
asked in our quarterly,
00:39:17.79\00:39:19.62
what do the
following text teach us
00:39:19.65\00:39:21.32
about the origin of faith?
00:39:21.36\00:39:22.72
I want someone to go
with me to Genesis 15:5 and 6,
00:39:22.79\00:39:28.20
and then we look
at the second one,
00:39:28.23\00:39:29.80
John 3:14-16.
00:39:29.83\00:39:33.00
The Genesis 15:5 and
6, talking about faith,
00:39:33.07\00:39:39.34
one of the first
examples of faith in the word.
00:39:39.41\00:39:42.04
Jill, you have that?
00:39:42.08\00:39:43.61
"Then He brought Him outside
and said look now toward heaven
00:39:43.65\00:39:47.38
and count the stars if
you're able to number them
00:39:47.42\00:39:50.45
and He said to Him so
shall your descendants be.
00:39:50.49\00:39:54.02
And He believed
in the Lord Abraham
00:39:54.06\00:39:56.69
and he accounted it to
him for righteousness."
00:39:56.73\00:39:59.93
I can see two
problems with this.
00:39:59.96\00:40:04.20
And go with me,
when we think about this,
00:40:04.23\00:40:06.74
Abraham, I mean what he
had a whole parcel of kids,
00:40:06.77\00:40:10.14
he had a large family.
00:40:10.17\00:40:13.07
What was his,
what was his situation?
00:40:13.11\00:40:14.91
Childless.
00:40:14.94\00:40:16.28
He was childless
00:40:16.34\00:40:17.68
and here God is
saying you're gonna have...
00:40:17.71\00:40:19.15
And old, childless and
old. And then there you go.
00:40:19.21\00:40:21.42
Yeah, he's beyond the
years of reproduction.
00:40:21.45\00:40:24.52
The years of reproduction,
you know, it kind of,
00:40:24.55\00:40:26.59
has a border that
that's the end of that.
00:40:26.65\00:40:29.72
So by faith he
believes what God says,
00:40:29.76\00:40:33.86
he looks up and he says,
look at all of those stars
00:40:33.90\00:40:36.43
there's no way
I can count those.
00:40:36.46\00:40:37.93
But God says, my descendants
are gonna be like the stars
00:40:37.97\00:40:41.80
or we say like
the sands of the sea,
00:40:41.84\00:40:44.14
they can't be numbered.
00:40:44.17\00:40:45.97
So I can see them, what faith,
but what does it say Abraham,
00:40:46.04\00:40:49.51
what did he do?
00:40:49.54\00:40:50.88
Believe. He believed.
00:40:50.91\00:40:52.25
He believed in God
by faith, he believed.
00:40:52.28\00:40:57.29
Okay, and John 3:14-16.
00:40:57.32\00:41:01.72
John 3:14-16,
"And as Moses lifted up
00:41:01.76\00:41:05.33
the serpent in the wilderness,
00:41:05.36\00:41:07.86
even so must the
Son of Man be lifted up,
00:41:07.93\00:41:10.87
that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish,
00:41:10.90\00:41:14.07
but have everlasting life."
00:41:14.10\00:41:15.77
Somebody give me
a little background
00:41:15.80\00:41:17.24
lifted up the serpent.
00:41:17.27\00:41:18.61
What are we talking
about here in the wilderness?
00:41:18.64\00:41:22.14
Wasn't there a time
that in the wilderness,
00:41:22.18\00:41:24.71
they begin to be
bitten by poisonous snakes.
00:41:24.75\00:41:26.68
Absolutely.
00:41:26.72\00:41:28.38
And so Moses says
then, let's take a serpent
00:41:28.42\00:41:31.79
and put it on a pole
00:41:31.82\00:41:33.92
and the one who
looks on him shall live.
00:41:33.96\00:41:35.89
How does that work?
00:41:35.92\00:41:37.26
I mean, looking at a symbol
is going to save your life?
00:41:37.29\00:41:41.56
Isn't that
something? Isn't that something?
00:41:41.60\00:41:42.93
Again, it's the
response of the suppliant to God
00:41:43.00\00:41:48.67
who is able to supply,
it's response of faith.
00:41:48.70\00:41:51.21
it's not logical... Right.
00:41:51.24\00:41:53.64
Just staring at a
serpent on a pole.
00:41:53.68\00:41:55.24
It's not logical.
00:41:55.28\00:41:56.61
Yeah, it's not rational. Yeah.
00:41:56.68\00:41:58.75
To believe just looking at but,
00:41:58.78\00:42:00.42
that's the crux of
the Christian experience.
00:42:00.45\00:42:03.99
There are lot of
things that are illogical
00:42:04.02\00:42:06.62
and it is faith that
makes the illogical logical,
00:42:06.65\00:42:09.99
the irrational
rational, the unreal real
00:42:10.03\00:42:12.86
and this is
another example of that.
00:42:12.89\00:42:14.20
I like that.
00:42:14.23\00:42:15.56
Interestingly enough looking
at the serpent on the pole
00:42:15.60\00:42:17.37
does not prevent the
snake from biting him.
00:42:17.40\00:42:19.57
Good point, they
would still get bitten.
00:42:19.60\00:42:22.14
They would still get bitten.
But this was a way to live.
00:42:22.17\00:42:24.27
The remedy.
00:42:24.31\00:42:25.64
Yeah, this was
the remedy, beautiful.
00:42:25.67\00:42:27.54
And think about
00:42:27.58\00:42:28.91
some of the other
promises that God made.
00:42:28.94\00:42:30.45
I love the one that God
00:42:30.48\00:42:31.81
when He talks
about in Malachi 3,
00:42:31.85\00:42:34.95
when He talks about
"If you bring your tithes
00:42:34.98\00:42:37.05
into the storehouse," He said,
00:42:37.09\00:42:38.72
"I will open the
windows of heaven for you
00:42:38.75\00:42:41.39
and pour out a
blessing upon you,
00:42:41.42\00:42:43.66
you won't have
room enough to see it."
00:42:43.69\00:42:45.43
And then God
does something there
00:42:45.46\00:42:46.90
that I don't think
He does any place else.
00:42:46.93\00:42:48.90
He says, "Try me and prove me."
00:42:48.93\00:42:50.70
That's right. Amen.
00:42:50.73\00:42:52.07
Yes.
00:42:52.10\00:42:53.44
By faith, try me and
prove me and see if I won't do.
00:42:53.47\00:42:56.10
What I say I will
do it. Good example.
00:42:56.14\00:42:58.11
By faith. Shelley?
00:42:58.14\00:42:59.67
Yes, well, I have Thursdays
and the title of the lesson is
00:42:59.71\00:43:03.98
"Does Faith Promote Sin?"
00:43:04.01\00:43:06.85
So what we had going
on in Antioch and Galatia,
00:43:06.88\00:43:10.02
the Judaizers had come down
00:43:10.05\00:43:12.45
and the Judaizers
were Jewish Christians,
00:43:12.49\00:43:14.89
who had faith in Christ
00:43:14.92\00:43:17.96
but as we've said
they believed that they,
00:43:17.99\00:43:20.96
you still had to fulfill
the works of the law of Moses.
00:43:21.00\00:43:26.33
So here they come down and
they're teaching, you know,
00:43:26.37\00:43:29.14
you've got to be circumcised.
00:43:29.17\00:43:31.04
They're trying to
upset the gentiles
00:43:31.07\00:43:33.78
and basically by doing,
00:43:33.81\00:43:35.61
by demanding
this strict obedience
00:43:35.64\00:43:38.28
to the ceremonial law,
00:43:38.31\00:43:39.91
what they were doing is
bringing in the gentiles
00:43:39.95\00:43:45.35
under the
condemnation of the law.
00:43:45.39\00:43:47.49
But what they were
accusing Paul of, is hey,
00:43:47.52\00:43:51.56
you are lowering our standards
to that of gentile sinners.
00:43:51.59\00:43:56.43
So let's look at Galatians 2:17
00:43:56.46\00:44:02.24
because what the
Judaizers believed
00:44:02.27\00:44:05.71
that anytime you talk
about a justification,
00:44:05.74\00:44:09.54
the gospel of
justification by faith alone,
00:44:09.58\00:44:12.65
what they were thinking is hey,
00:44:12.71\00:44:14.15
this is going to
encourage disobedience to God.
00:44:14.18\00:44:16.89
And, you know, there are
some in today's church that,
00:44:16.92\00:44:22.96
that when you're teaching grace
they will swing over too far
00:44:23.02\00:44:27.46
and they make it license to sin,
00:44:27.50\00:44:31.27
so which is not true.
00:44:31.30\00:44:33.60
Then there are those
00:44:33.64\00:44:35.50
who are kind of
like the Judaizers.
00:44:35.54\00:44:37.34
So how does Paul
respond to the accusation
00:44:37.37\00:44:41.91
that a doctrine of
justification by faith alone
00:44:41.94\00:44:45.31
encourages sinful
behavior, here's what he says.
00:44:45.35\00:44:48.12
Galatians 2:17, "But if we..."
00:44:48.15\00:44:52.05
Oh, excuse me.
"But if, while we..."
00:44:52.09\00:44:54.46
And here we means in
the Greek it's "ourselves."
00:44:54.49\00:44:59.23
So he's talking to the Jews,
and especially when you look
00:44:59.26\00:45:02.70
in the context of
verse 15, he is saying,
00:45:02.76\00:45:06.00
"We who are Jews by nature."
00:45:06.03\00:45:07.64
So if we Jews seek to
be justified by Christ,
00:45:07.67\00:45:13.07
to be declared righteous,
to be put in right standing
00:45:13.14\00:45:17.45
with God just by
Jesus Christ act.
00:45:17.48\00:45:22.35
"If we seek to be
justified by Christ,
00:45:22.38\00:45:25.79
if we are ourselves
are also found sinners
00:45:25.82\00:45:29.39
is therefore
Christ a minister of sin?"
00:45:29.42\00:45:34.56
Is He a party or a
contributor to this sin?
00:45:34.56\00:45:38.60
What does Paul say?
00:45:38.63\00:45:39.97
Certainly not. Certainly not!
00:45:40.00\00:45:43.17
Because what was happening here,
00:45:43.24\00:45:48.94
the Jews had basically express,
00:45:48.98\00:45:52.18
they understood the inadequacy
of the law to save them
00:45:52.21\00:45:55.02
or else they wouldn't
have accepted Christ, right?
00:45:55.05\00:45:57.59
But now they are
trying to go back to that law
00:45:57.62\00:46:00.16
and Paul, his reaction to
them is that this is absurd,
00:46:00.19\00:46:06.46
it's absurd.
00:46:06.49\00:46:08.66
Christ promised
justification to those
00:46:08.70\00:46:12.63
who came to Christ through Him.
00:46:12.67\00:46:15.20
And if Christian Jews
were found to be sinners
00:46:15.24\00:46:20.68
after they came to
Christ, then we got a problem.
00:46:20.71\00:46:24.48
They're suggesting
that that makes Christ
00:46:24.51\00:46:28.35
an accomplice to sin,
00:46:28.38\00:46:30.99
that His provision
of grace wasn't enough,
00:46:31.02\00:46:34.19
and that He was unable
to fulfill His promise.
00:46:34.22\00:46:38.03
So in the
strongest possible terms,
00:46:38.06\00:46:40.96
Paul is saying, God
forbid, absolutely not!
00:46:40.96\00:46:46.00
This is utterly absurd,
00:46:46.03\00:46:47.87
that Christ would
be a minister to sin.
00:46:47.90\00:46:50.01
And we think about even people
00:46:50.04\00:46:54.51
when it comes to the foundation
of the Ten Commandments,
00:46:54.54\00:46:58.95
which is the
foundation of God's government.
00:46:58.98\00:47:01.85
We see that God put
the Ten Commandments
00:47:01.88\00:47:03.72
inside the ark,
00:47:03.75\00:47:05.49
put the mercy seat
over the commandments.
00:47:05.52\00:47:08.46
Yes, the commandments
were written in the Mosaic Law
00:47:08.49\00:47:11.89
because God dictated them,
Moses dictated it to the people
00:47:11.93\00:47:16.00
and then he wrote them out.
00:47:16.03\00:47:18.37
But God afterwards,
00:47:18.40\00:47:20.97
even after they
had the altar built
00:47:21.00\00:47:26.47
and ratified the covenant,
00:47:26.51\00:47:28.31
then God writes on
stone the Ten Commandments
00:47:28.34\00:47:31.58
and has Moses put them inside.
00:47:31.61\00:47:34.05
So it is possible
that since the commandments
00:47:34.08\00:47:38.85
are still
enforced, it is possible
00:47:38.89\00:47:41.26
that we might fall into
sin by breaking a commandment,
00:47:41.29\00:47:44.03
but that doesn't make
Jesus a contributor to that.
00:47:44.06\00:47:47.56
Let's look at
verse 18, Paul says,
00:47:47.60\00:47:50.73
"If I build again those
things which I destroyed,
00:47:50.77\00:47:56.87
I make myself a transgressor."
00:47:56.91\00:47:59.84
He had learned the truth
through direct revelation
00:47:59.87\00:48:02.74
through careful
study of the Bible.
00:48:02.78\00:48:04.78
Paul knew that Jesus Christ
had fulfilled the Mosaic Law.
00:48:04.81\00:48:10.79
He knew that this
plan for justification
00:48:10.82\00:48:14.49
came through Christ
and not through the law.
00:48:14.52\00:48:17.86
So what he had
done as he preached
00:48:17.89\00:48:20.96
justification by Jesus alone,
00:48:20.96\00:48:24.07
he had torn down
that old teaching
00:48:24.10\00:48:27.90
that you're
justified by the law.
00:48:27.94\00:48:29.34
And now he is
saying, hey, you know what?
00:48:29.37\00:48:32.21
If I return to the
Mosaic legal system
00:48:32.24\00:48:35.78
or even if I
insist that it's obedience
00:48:35.81\00:48:38.45
to the
commandments that saves me.
00:48:38.48\00:48:39.88
He says, I am
building this up again
00:48:39.91\00:48:43.55
and I've proven
myself to be a transgressor
00:48:43.59\00:48:45.92
because I'm saying
yeah, it's still enforce
00:48:45.95\00:48:48.59
but I haven't been doing it.
00:48:48.62\00:48:50.59
So Paul is also saying
here that he would be sinning
00:48:50.63\00:48:57.10
against the law of God's
grace if he tried to tear down
00:48:57.13\00:49:02.00
or restore, excuse me.
00:49:02.04\00:49:03.61
If he tried to build up
what God had already torn down.
00:49:03.64\00:49:07.41
So he goes on in Galatians 2:19
00:49:07.44\00:49:12.28
and he's describing his
union with Jesus Christ.
00:49:12.31\00:49:16.18
He says, "I threw the law,"
00:49:16.22\00:49:20.02
under the operation
of the curse of the law.
00:49:20.06\00:49:21.66
"I threw the
law, died to the law."
00:49:21.69\00:49:26.26
Basically in Christ by...
00:49:26.29\00:49:28.96
I mean he died by
curiously through Christ death.
00:49:29.00\00:49:33.27
"That I might live to God."
00:49:33.30\00:49:36.74
See in Paul's previous life,
00:49:36.77\00:49:40.51
he was the
Pharisee of Pharisees.
00:49:40.54\00:49:43.21
He was doing
everything as Jill said,
00:49:43.28\00:49:45.31
you try to do as I tried to do,
00:49:45.35\00:49:47.52
not growing up in
the Adventist church
00:49:47.55\00:49:49.12
but being taught,
I had to be perfect
00:49:49.15\00:49:50.85
to be loved by God.
00:49:50.89\00:49:52.49
So he was trying so hard
00:49:52.52\00:49:56.86
to be justified
00:49:56.89\00:49:59.96
by keeping all of
the ceremonial laws,
00:50:00.03\00:50:03.67
by keeping the works of the law,
00:50:03.70\00:50:05.90
by doing the Ten Commandments
and keeping those commandments.
00:50:05.93\00:50:10.91
But he had now,
00:50:10.94\00:50:13.38
he learned that this
system was ineffective
00:50:13.41\00:50:17.41
to achieve salvation
00:50:17.45\00:50:19.01
that all that the
ceremonial system did
00:50:19.05\00:50:21.62
was point to Christ.
00:50:21.65\00:50:23.69
And you know what I love.
00:50:23.72\00:50:26.25
When you think
about it on the sanctuary
00:50:26.29\00:50:28.79
that was theology,
00:50:28.82\00:50:31.69
the sanctuary was theology
in a picture form, if you will.
00:50:31.73\00:50:35.33
True.
00:50:35.36\00:50:36.73
These people
could not read. Right.
00:50:36.77\00:50:38.80
You know, there were
some that even doubted
00:50:38.83\00:50:41.44
that Moses had written
the Pentateuch or the Torah,
00:50:41.47\00:50:44.81
as Pentateuch
in Hebrew or Greek.
00:50:44.84\00:50:47.14
Greek.
00:50:47.18\00:50:48.51
But the Torah,
because it's like hey,
00:50:48.54\00:50:52.11
they didn't have
writing back then,
00:50:52.15\00:50:54.18
and then they
found now that they did,
00:50:54.22\00:50:55.82
archaeologists
have uncovered it.
00:50:55.85\00:50:57.82
But God's people
couldn't read so he shows them
00:50:57.85\00:51:01.16
the remedy for sin and
every one of those symbols
00:51:01.19\00:51:03.73
pointed to Jesus Christ.
00:51:03.76\00:51:05.43
But Paul is saying,
hey, I have died to the law,
00:51:05.46\00:51:09.20
my heart no
longer responds to it.
00:51:09.23\00:51:11.47
Before his life
revolved around the Mosaic law
00:51:11.50\00:51:15.67
but now his life
revolves around Jesus Christ.
00:51:15.70\00:51:20.14
And he says in verse 20,
00:51:20.18\00:51:21.54
"I have been
crucified with Christ,
00:51:21.58\00:51:24.21
it is no longer I who
live but Christ lives in me
00:51:24.25\00:51:29.68
and the life which I
now live in the flesh,
00:51:29.75\00:51:32.12
I live by faith
in the Son of God
00:51:32.15\00:51:36.19
who loved me and
gave Himself for me.
00:51:36.22\00:51:38.26
Amen.
00:51:38.29\00:51:39.63
So, you know,
Paul's so good to impart,
00:51:39.66\00:51:41.50
in Romans, he talks about
00:51:41.53\00:51:42.86
when he was
united with Christ that,
00:51:42.90\00:51:45.50
you know, you
die to your old sins,
00:51:45.53\00:51:47.60
you were buried with
Christ in the baptism
00:51:47.64\00:51:49.84
but more than
that you were raised
00:51:49.87\00:51:52.47
to the resurrection life.
00:51:52.51\00:51:55.54
And this complete
union with Jesus Christ,
00:51:55.58\00:52:00.15
this vital relationship,
it's a very relational thing.
00:52:00.22\00:52:05.19
What he's saying
is everything is new,
00:52:05.22\00:52:09.56
I am a new
creation in Christ Jesus.
00:52:09.59\00:52:11.56
Amen.
00:52:11.59\00:52:12.93
You know, so He sees everything,
00:52:12.96\00:52:16.23
he sees himself
as being crucified
00:52:16.26\00:52:18.97
at the time of
Christ crucifixion,
00:52:19.00\00:52:20.87
that old nature,
that old man died.
00:52:20.90\00:52:23.84
He buried it,
he's been resurrected
00:52:23.87\00:52:26.07
and Paul is now in Christ Jesus.
00:52:26.11\00:52:30.28
I wanted to read you
something 'cause I just,
00:52:30.31\00:52:33.98
I don't have time to
finish but let me read this.
00:52:34.05\00:52:37.12
This was written
from selected, excuse me.
00:52:37.15\00:52:39.52
From Faith and Works,
and written by EG. White,
00:52:39.55\00:52:43.96
"The danger has been
presented to me again and again
00:52:43.99\00:52:46.39
of entertaining, as the people,
00:52:46.43\00:52:47.83
false ideas of
justification by faith.
00:52:47.86\00:52:51.83
I have been shown up for
years that Satan would work
00:52:51.87\00:52:54.70
in a special manner to
confuse the mind on this point.
00:52:54.74\00:52:58.71
The law of God has
been largely dwelt upon,
00:52:58.74\00:53:02.21
and has been
presented to congregations,
00:53:02.24\00:53:05.61
almost as destitute of
knowledge of Jesus Christ
00:53:05.65\00:53:09.92
and His relation to the law
as was the offering of Cain.
00:53:09.95\00:53:14.62
I have been shown
that many have been kept
00:53:14.66\00:53:17.66
from the faith
because of the mixed,
00:53:17.69\00:53:20.63
confused ideas of salvation,
00:53:20.66\00:53:23.16
because the
ministers have worked
00:53:23.20\00:53:25.57
in a wrong
manner to reach hearts.
00:53:25.60\00:53:28.10
The point that has been
urged upon my mind for years
00:53:28.14\00:53:32.44
is the imputed
righteousness of Christ.
00:53:32.47\00:53:37.78
There is not a point that needs
00:53:37.81\00:53:39.71
to be dwelt upon more earnestly,
00:53:39.75\00:53:42.05
repeated more frequently,
00:53:42.08\00:53:44.22
or established more
firmly in the minds of all men,
00:53:44.25\00:53:48.79
than the
impossibility of fallen man
00:53:48.82\00:53:51.96
meriting anything
by his own best works.
00:53:51.99\00:53:55.60
Salvation is through
faith in Jesus Christ alone."
00:53:55.63\00:54:00.87
Amen.
00:54:00.90\00:54:02.24
It is only as His
righteousness is imputed,
00:54:02.27\00:54:07.21
it's reckoned to our account.
00:54:07.28\00:54:09.54
Like you said, CA, not
only when we are justified
00:54:09.58\00:54:14.45
are we acquitted and the
sins are no longer evident.
00:54:14.48\00:54:19.05
But then the righteousness
of Jesus Christ is credited
00:54:19.09\00:54:23.66
to our account,
imputed to our account,
00:54:23.73\00:54:26.43
and that's the only
thing that makes us righteous.
00:54:26.46\00:54:28.63
Amen and amen.
00:54:28.66\00:54:30.03
Not only does He bring you,
00:54:30.07\00:54:31.40
bring you out of
your deficit state,
00:54:31.43\00:54:33.60
you no longer in the
red, you are not at zero,
00:54:33.64\00:54:37.27
you are well in
the black, you know.
00:54:37.31\00:54:39.37
So you are, you
have this credit,
00:54:39.41\00:54:41.74
you're well in the black.
00:54:41.78\00:54:44.35
Before we go,
we've got a few moments
00:54:44.38\00:54:45.71
anybody want to just pull
out a bow on their thought?
00:54:45.75\00:54:47.65
I'll give you a
chance before we wrap up,
00:54:47.68\00:54:50.35
we've got a minute or two.
00:54:50.39\00:54:52.19
Anything you want
to add because I think
00:54:52.22\00:54:54.12
this is so thorough,
00:54:54.16\00:54:56.06
the fact that
justification is that
00:54:56.09\00:55:01.43
I don't want to
say the default setting
00:55:01.46\00:55:03.10
because that's a little cheap.
00:55:03.13\00:55:04.67
But all you have to
do is accept Christ,
00:55:04.70\00:55:07.74
open heart to Christ,
00:55:07.77\00:55:09.57
your past sins are taken care of
00:55:09.60\00:55:11.97
and you've got
now an open account
00:55:12.01\00:55:14.24
with Jesus Christ as
you can draw at any time
00:55:14.28\00:55:16.85
and cannot be overdrawn.
00:55:16.91\00:55:18.25
Shelley?
00:55:18.28\00:55:19.61
Hebrew 7:20 says,
00:55:19.65\00:55:20.98
Christ is our
surety of a new covenant.
00:55:21.02\00:55:24.29
He is the surety
on behalf of God.
00:55:24.32\00:55:27.99
The promises that God has
made in Christ, or yes, an amen.
00:55:28.02\00:55:32.26
But He is the surety
on behalf of us to God
00:55:32.29\00:55:37.30
that we will walk in
covenant, loyalty, and obedience
00:55:37.33\00:55:42.84
because He works in us to will
00:55:42.87\00:55:45.91
and to do His good
pleasure by His spirit
00:55:45.94\00:55:48.98
and He will complete
the good work He's begun.
00:55:49.01\00:55:52.11
So Jesus Christ
is our salvation,
00:55:52.15\00:55:56.82
Jesus Christ is the new covenant
00:55:56.85\00:55:58.92
there is nothing
else that can be done.
00:55:58.95\00:56:01.22
Very briefly.
00:56:01.26\00:56:02.62
You know, it seems
like it's almost natural
00:56:02.66\00:56:05.26
for most people to think
they have to do something big.
00:56:05.29\00:56:08.76
But the Bible... Right.
00:56:08.80\00:56:10.13
Emphatically says
00:56:10.20\00:56:11.53
that it's a gift
that is by grace.
00:56:11.57\00:56:15.44
And if somebody gives
you something, you feel like
00:56:15.47\00:56:19.77
"Oh, I didn't get you anything."
00:56:19.81\00:56:22.88
That's almost natural for people
00:56:22.91\00:56:24.68
but I think we need to
keep before us that Jesus says,
00:56:24.71\00:56:28.22
"I am the way, the
truth and the life."
00:56:28.25\00:56:31.82
What an incredible God we serve.
00:56:31.85\00:56:33.99
Amen.
00:56:34.02\00:56:35.36
You think the plan of redemption
00:56:35.39\00:56:36.73
put in place from
before the world began
00:56:36.76\00:56:38.99
and the privilege we each have
00:56:39.03\00:56:40.96
of being His sons and daughters.
00:56:41.00\00:56:42.33
Amen.
00:56:42.36\00:56:43.70
So we just want
to appeal to you,
00:56:43.73\00:56:45.07
you don't have to live
00:56:45.10\00:56:46.43
in condemnation
or guilt or shame.
00:56:46.47\00:56:47.80
Amen.
00:56:47.84\00:56:49.17
You can be free in Christ Jesus.
00:56:49.20\00:56:50.54
Amen. Amen.
00:56:50.57\00:56:51.91
I just want to
say one more thing.
00:56:51.94\00:56:53.27
Faith writes the check,
grace takes it to the bank.
00:56:53.31\00:56:56.54
Amen. There you go.
00:56:56.58\00:56:58.88
I think grace writes the check,
00:56:58.91\00:57:00.48
then faith takes it to the bank.
00:57:00.52\00:57:01.85
I said that, bad mistake.
00:57:01.88\00:57:03.22
And we get to cash
and praise the Lord.
00:57:03.25\00:57:05.29
I want to come back
to that word Mishbuka,
00:57:05.32\00:57:07.59
which is family of God.
00:57:07.62\00:57:08.96
You become Mishbuka
once you accept Jesus Christ,
00:57:08.99\00:57:13.03
all of the rights and titles
and privileges of that family
00:57:13.06\00:57:16.33
now belong to you.
00:57:16.36\00:57:18.07
You get the signet ring.
00:57:18.10\00:57:20.24
You get the ability to
speak on behalf of the family.
00:57:20.27\00:57:23.34
You get the
inheritance of the family
00:57:23.37\00:57:25.87
and everything
that God has outlined
00:57:25.91\00:57:27.38
for that family is now yours.
00:57:27.41\00:57:29.51
Thank you for
joining us for this edition
00:57:29.54\00:57:32.05
of Sabbath School Panel.
00:57:32.08\00:57:33.45
We'll see you next time.
00:57:33.52\00:57:34.85
There's so much
more in the Word of God.
00:57:34.88\00:57:36.22
Let's dig
together and live together.
00:57:36.25\00:57:38.72
Amen. Amen.
00:57:38.75\00:57:40.29